Chapter 117.
Child's play.
(Leah POV)
"Why potatoes?" I said.
"Their first idea was to clone Naomi, but I suggested they start with something smaller," 7 said.
"Quite a feat of engineering," B'Elanna said.
"It's a Teirenian ant colony, I infused the soil with a blue ion dye, so it'd be easier to see the insects," Mezoti said.
"They're luminescent," I said.
"The Drones produce a fluorescent enzyme that's activated by the Queen," Mezoti said.
"Drones and Queens, I thought we were trying to get these kids away from the Borg," I said.
"The project was Mezoti's idea, I didn't want to discourage her individuality," 7 said.
"I like bugs," Mezoti said.
"Nice, Let me know before you take up bee keeping," I said.
"What have we got here," Chakotay said.
"It's Kataris," Naomi said.
"Your father's planet," B'Elanna said.
"I've been learning all about it," Naomi said.
"Naomi programmed the geophysical and Atmospheric condition," 7 said.
"There's quite a storm in those mountains," Chakotay said.
"The Arpasian range is known for high winds and hail," Naomi said.
"I'll make sure to bring my coat," I said. "Now this looks impressive,"
"It's a high resolution gravimetric sensors array," Icheb said.
"Ambitious," B'Elanna said.
"It'll augment our ability to scan for the neutrino flux associated with Wormholes, It could help Voyager find a faster way home," Icheb said.
"The Engineering principles are sound," 7 said.
"I expected these projects to be interesting, But this one, It's brilliant," I said.
"Thank you, captain," Icheb said. "I am very interested in Astrophysics,"
"Well you have a knack for it," I said. As I headed over to 7. "He's remarkable young man,"
"He hopes to earn a permanent posting in Astrometrics one day," 7 said.
"I'm afraid not," I said.
"Captain, the boy has a unique talent," 7 said.
"It's not a question of merit, We've made contact with his parents, And I've set a course for their planet," I said.
"That's good news," 7 said.
XXX
I was still up as Chloe and Clara were already in bed when 7 got here.
"I'd like the data you've collected on Icheb's species so I can prepare hem for reassimilation," I said.
"Maybe we could refer to it as getting reacquainted with his family," I said.
"If you prefer," 7 said.
"I'll transfer the files to Astrometrics," I said.
"Thank you," 7 said.
"How'd he take the news," I said. "You haven't told him,"
"No," 7 said.
"Why not?" I said.
"It won't be easy for him to accept," 7 said. "He's adapted to live on Voyager,"
"And you've adapted to having him here," I said.
"My feeling are irrelevant," 7 said.
"Are they, Really," I said. "Would you like me to tell him,"
"It's my responsibility, But I am uncertain how to proceed," 7 said.
"Well you've already helped him make one difficult transition, how did you do that," I said.
"By giving him the benefit of my own experiences, Encouraging him to be resilient in the face of obstacles," 7 said.
"Sounds like a good strategy," I said.
"I should," 7 said.
"Stay, You need some sleep, 7," I said.
"I should tell him," 7 said.
"Tell him in the morning," I said. "Come on," As I pulled her into our room and went to get changed and crawled into bed as 7 laid down as I pulled her tight to me. "See you in the morning,"
"Night, Leah," 7 said.
"Night, 7," I said.
XXX
I was on the bridge.
"I'm detecting scattered enclaves on the northern continent," Harry said. "All with populations of fewer than 10,000,"
"Judging from the residual Gamma radiation, it appears they've suffered numerous Borg attacks over the past decade," Tuvok said.
"That's not surprising, there's a Borg transwarp conduit less than a light year away," 7 said.
"Not exactly prime real estate," Tom said.
"Tuvok, run continuous scans for Borg Activity, Tom, put us into synchronous orbit," I said.
"Yes Ma'am," Tom said.
"7, you'd better get Icheb," I said. As 7 goes to leave. "Let's go to Yellow alert status,"
XXX
We finally beamed down. As we started heading into the colony.
"Hello. I'm Captain McCall," I said.
"Icheb," She said.
"You've grown," He said.
"He spent several month in a Borg Maturation chamber," 7 said.
"This is 7," I said.
"That's a Borg designation, isn't it," She said.
"Like your son, I was liberated from the collective," 7 said.
"7 has been instrumental in helping Icheb make his transition," I said.
"Then we're very grateful to you," he said. "I'm Leucon, Icheb's father, This is his mother, Yifay,"
"How are you," Yifay said.
"Fine," Icheb said.
"Do these hurt you," Yifay said.
"No," Icheb said.
"We're very happy to have you back with us, Mala, Remi, Yivel," Leucon said.
"Welcome home, Icheb," He said.
"I would like to return to Voyager now," Icheb said.
XXX
"Thank you for coming," I said.
"Where's Icheb," Leucon said.
"I thought it might be better if we talked ourselves first," I said.
"What exactly is there to discuss," Leucon said.
"How to make this transition easier for your son," I said. "Please sit down,"
"It won't be easy for him to give up the luxuries of your ship," Yifay said.
"It's more than a question of luxuries, Icheb has special medical needs," 7 said.
"We have a physician in our settlement," Leucon said.
"We should arrange for him to consult with our Doctor," I said.
"He also requires daily regeneration," 7 said.
"I'm sure you can adapt some of our technology to make that possible," I said.
"What about his educational needs?" 7 said.
"Our children go to school," Yifay said.
"Will he be able to continue his studies in Astrometrics and spatial harmonics," 7 said.
"If Icheb has an aptitude for science, I', sure he'll find that we have a great deal to teach him," Leucon said.
"For example," 7 said.
"We've developed sophisticated techniques in agricultural genetics which allow us to grow crops in an inhospitable environment," Leucon said.
"Icheb has expressed no interest in agriculture," 7 said.
"I'm sure, once he's been exposed to the subject, he'll find it quite challenging," I said.
"There's still the issue of his safety," 7 said.
"We're perfectly capable of protecting our son," Yifay said.
"Your proximity to a Borg conduit makes you extremely vulnerable, I'm curious if you've ever considered relocating," 7 said.
"7," I said.
"No," Leucon said. "It's all right Captain, This planet is our home, We will never leave it, We will defend it against the Borg, or anyone else who threatens us,"
"Your courage is admirable but unrealistic," 7 said.
"Wait for me in my ready room," I said.
"Captain," 7 said.
"Now," I said. As 7 left. "I apologize for her behaviour, She and Icheb have grown very close, but that's no excuse for rudeness,"
"We'd like to see our son now," Leucon said.
"Please be patient, if we rush things your next encounter with him may not go any better than the last, Stay aboard Voyager for a while, It'll give Icheb a chance to get to know you in an environment that's familiar to him. I'll have Neelix do everything he can to make you comfortable while you're here," I said.
XXX
"What was that," I said.
"I was simply trying to ensure Icheb's well being," 7 said.
"By insulting his parents," I said.
"Those issues needed to be discussed," 7 said.
"You could of did that with a little more tact," I said.
"Perhaps, but that doesn't alter the fact that those individuals may not be suitable guardians," 7 said.
"Those individuals are his mother and father," I said.
"Which is no guarantee that they'll be able to care for him," 7 said. "he's far more likely to flourish if he remains on Voyager,"
"That's not an option, 7," I said.
"Are you ordering him off the ship," 7 said.
"No," I said.
"So that he can be assimilated again," 7 said.
"What makes you so sure that's going to happen?" I said.
"They shouldn't remains on that planet," 7 said.
"It's their home," I said.
"It's not worth protecting," 7 said.
"Who are us to decide that," I said.
"Anyone who values their own goals, over the safety of their children is irresponsible," 7 said.
"Are we talking about Icheb's parents here or yours," I said.
"Both," 7 said.
"It's not like you to admit to something like that," I said.
"It would be naïve for me to claim objectivity in this case, but I'm not prepared to return Icheb to parents who may be as careless as my own," 7 said.
"I know what it's like to feel protective towards someone you've helped through a difficult period, But Icheb is an individual now, This is up to him. Not us. Not his Parents. But Icheb himself, He has to be the one to make this call," I said.
"If I do and he decides to remain on Voyager," 7 said.
"I won't force him to leave," I said. "7, this is up to him. If you want to find out how he got assimilated last time, then go ahead. But just be a bit more tactful," As 7 was about to leave but I grabbed her gently. As 7 looked back at me I kissed her. "See you back home," as I pulled back.
XXX
It wasn't long before Icheb made his decision to stay. As 7, Icheb and I got the the transporter room.
"Inside you'll find pads containing data on a variety of subjects that will allow you to continue your studies, I've also included a high resolution telescope, It's a poor substitute for astrometrics sensors," 7 said.
"I will use it every day," Icheb said.
"Good bye Icheb and good luck," I said.
"Thank you Captain, I hope you find a way home," Icheb said.
"Time will tell," I said. "Energize,"
As Icheb was beamed down as we resumed a course for home.
XXX
I was in my quarters as the Girl's were in bed asleep. When.
"7 to the Captain, Report to Astrometrics immediately," 7 said.
As I got up and headed there.
Once I got into Astrometrics.
"I thought you were coming home," I said. "This better be important,"
"It is," 7 said.
"7 I don't speak Borg. So you'll have to translate," I said.
"This is tactical data from the cube where we found the children, it says that Icheb was alone aboard an unarmed transport vessel when the Borg took him," 7 said.
"Why are you telling me this at 0300," I said.
Icheb's father told me that Icheb was assimilated on the planet's surface," 7 said.
"You sure he said that," I said.
"Yes, He was very specific," 7 said.
"That cube was disabled by a deadly pathogen, it suffered extensive damage, Could the record not be corrupted," I said.
"Perhaps, but I found another inconsistency in Leucon story's," 7 said.
"Okay hit me," I said.
"Leah," 7 said.
"One of the ways just to say tell me," I said.
"He told me Icheb was assimilated 4 years ago, but further analysis indicates the Borg attacked 3 times during the last decade. 9 years ago, 6 years ago and again last year," 7 said.
"All right, let's assume your information is accurate, Which attack had a transport ship in," I said.
"Last year," 7 said.
"That wasn't that far off when we came across Icheb and the others," I said.
"Correct," 7 said.
"What else does it prove," I said.
"his father was lying," 7 said.
"Why would he do that?" I said.
"I'm not certain but we have an obligation to find out," 7 said.
"What are you proposing, we go back and demand answers," I said.
"Yes," 7 said.
"They have been through enough, Do we really have to interrogate them," I said.
"We have a responsibility to ensure Icheb's safety," 7 said.
"He chose to stay with his parents," I said.
"What if I'm right," 7 said. "Could we really take that chance. If I don't try to protect him still even now. I'll be no better than my own parents,"
"After this, we going to talk about that," I said.
"Fine," 7 said.
"McCall to Bridge," I said.
"Go ahead, Captain," Harry said.
"Harry reverse Course. We're going back to the Planet," I said.
"Aye Captain," Harry said.
"Come on let's try and find out what they are planning," I said.
XXX
"We're approaching the Planet," Tom said.
"Hail them," I said.
As Harry put them onto the screen.
"We didn't expect to see you again captain," Leucon said.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind," I said.
"Questions," Yifay said.
"Regarding Icheb and the circumstances of his assimilation," 7 said.
"We have already discussed that," Leucon said.
"The Story you told me was inconsistent with our data," 7 said.
"We don't owe you any explanations," Yifay said.
"In that Case, I would like to talk to Icheb," I said.
"He's not here," Leucon said.
"Where is he," 7 said.
"That's not your concern," Yifay said.
"Scan for his bio signs," I said.
"He is not in the settlement," Tuvok said.
"Captain, I'm detecting a Brunali transport vessel, Distance 9 million kilometers, It's heading for the coordinates of the transwarp conduit," 7 said.
"According to these readings that ship is travelling at Warp 9.8," Chakotay said.
"It only looks that way, it's been designed to emit a false warp signature, Strong enough to penetrate Subspace," Tom said.
"They're using it as bait to attract the Borg," 7 said.
"Icheb is on that ship. Isn't he," I said.
"He's fight for this people," Yifay said.
"Alone on an unarmed transport," 7 said.
"We don't have particles weapons or powerful starships at our disposal, We're forced to use the only resource we have," Leucon said.
"Your Children," 7 said.
"No, our genetic expertise," Yifay said.
"Icheb isn't bait. He's a weapon. The first cube was captured him was infect by a pathogen. Icheb was the carrier. wasn't he," I said.
"Everytime we try to rebuild. begin to make progress the Borg come and take that away from us," Leucon said.
"Tom, Set a course that transport vessel, Full impulse," I said as I could feel my eyes glow for a second.
"Aye Captain," Tom said.
"You have no right to interfere," Leucon said.
"Watch me," I said.
"We're trying to save our civilization," Yifay said.
"By taking away Icheb's future," 7 said.
"If we don't stop the Borg, the Brunali have no future," Yifay said.
"Captain, A Borg ship, will emerge from that conduit at any moment, you'll be destroyed," Leucon said.
"We'll take our own chances, End transmission," I said as Tom cut it off. "Red Alert, Battle Station," As the Klaxons went Red.
"We're coming within range, Captain," Tom said.
"I'm picking up Icheb's lifesign, Bio scanners indicate he's unconscious," Harry said.
"Beam him to Sickbay," Chakotay said.
"I can't There's some kind of interference," 7 said.
"It's the Conduit, by my estimate, A Borg vessel will emerge in less than 40 seconds," Tuvok said.
"Transfer auxiliary power to the transport grid," I said.
"I still can't get a lock not at this distance," 7 said.
"Tom get us closer to that ship," I said.
"Yes Ma'am," Tom said.
"The Conduit is opening. 20 seconds," Tuvok said.
"7," I said.
"Still out of range," 7 said.
"Tom, you heard her," I said.
"When that Borg ship comes through, I'm going have a hard time getting away from it," Tom said.
"One problem at a time," I said.
"10 Seconds, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5," Tuvok said.
"I have a lock. transport in progress, he's in Sickbay," 7 said.
"Tom, Get us out of here Maximum Warp," I said as we go hit.
"They got us in a tractor beam," Tom said.
"Target their tractor beam generator," I said.
"Phasers targeted," Tuvok said.
"Fire," I said. As Tuvok shot.
"No effect," Tuvok said.
"We are the Borg you will be assimilated, Resistance if Futile," They said.
"Perhaps not, there is a way to get a weapon into through their shields," 7 said.
"Let me guess, beam a Photon torpedo to the Brunali ship set it to detonate as soon as it is inside the sphere," I said.
"Yes," 7 said.
"That will occur in a approximately 20 seconds, However Voyager will be inside less than 3 seconds later," Tuvok said.
"Tom full reverse everything we got, 7 do it," I said.
"Transport complete. Detonation in 10, 9, 8, 7," 7 said.
"Tom turn us around get ready to go to warp on my mark," I said.
"All hands brace for impact," Chakotay said.
"3, 2, 1," 7 said. As it blew.
"Tom go," I said as we to some of it. As we got away at Warp.
"The Borg vessel has taken heavy damage they are not pursuing," Tuvok said.
"Get us out of here Tom, Maximum Warp," I said.
"Yes, ma'am," Tom said.
XXX
Are you saying his parent reinjected him," I said.
"No, they merely sedated him," Doc said.
"Doc, you aren't that they genetic engineered to produce this pathogen," I said.
"Afraid so," Doc said. "From Birth,"
"Bred to kill Borg," I said.
"Is he in danger," 7 said.
"I can suppress the pathogen, He'll be fine, physically," Doc said.
"He's going to need help coming to terms with what's happened," I said.
"Leah," 7 said.
"Use your maternal instincts, they worked before, They still will," I said. "Doc do it, Suppress the pathogen and find a way so it can't be activated again. Keep it stored in the Database in case we have no option,"
"Aye Captain," Doc said.
"Looks like we be having that chat later, Be with him 7, He will need you now more than ever," I said.
That's all for this chapter.
More to follow.
Stay tuned and safe.
Love Y'all
PEACE!