Chapter 4 – The Visitor
Tuvok and Seven sat across from one another in Voyager's conference room. It was nearing the end of their second full day of debriefings. On the table beside Tuvok was a stack of PADDs and he was typing something out on another. "Okay," he began, "I think that makes one hundred and forty seven separate timelines that can be traced back to the development of the Quantum Slipstream drive." He placed the PADD back on the table. "Unfortunately, only fifty-two of these proved successful, thirty-five were only partially successful, and sixty resulted in the destruction of Voyager."
"It is a complex theory to implement," Seven commented. "But perhaps with certain refinements given the insight we have from the successful timelines, we could improve the results."
Tuvok nodded. "I'm sending these initial notes to our Chief Engineer to have them start studying the problem." He then sifted through some PADDs, picked one up and examined it. "This Quantum Slipstream drive experiment has reminded me of something. We discussed yesterday the timelines stemming from a failed attempt at using trans-warp technology with Voyager, and others where a Borg sphere with a trans-warp drive is used to transport Voyager back to the Delta Quadrant. It occurs to me, does the tetrahedron currently in Voyager's shuttlebay have trans-warp capabilities?"
Seven sat up straighter. "Yes it does. Of course." Why hadn't she thought about this before? "With some modifications, it could probably take four or five people back to the Alpha Quadrant at a time in a matter of about a day."
"Could the drive be modified and installed on Voyager instead?"
Seven considered this for a moment. The transwarp drive established a quantum chromatic mapping between the ship's hull and the surrounding subspace. The simpler the shape of the ship's hull, the easier it was to maintain the resulting transwarp conduit. It's why Borg ships were cubes, spheres, or tetrahedrons. Voyager's more complex shape, particularly the projections of the warp nacells, would make maintaining the conduit more problematic, although not impossible. "It might take months to make and test those modifications," she finally replied. "And in the end, might prove more dangerous than the Quantum Slipstream."
Tuvok nodded thoughtfully. "By your estimate then, the entire crew could be transported back to the Alpha Quadrant within a month while leaving Voyager here in the Delta Quadrant. We would then avoid the dangers that evidently lay ahead for us here. I'll have to discuss that possibility with the Captain." He started typing something out on the PADD. Perhaps the instructions to the Engineering Team he had spoken of.
"Not the entire crew," Seven commented after a time. "The Doctor's matrix is integrated into Voyager's systems. He would have to remain on Voyager." After all, the mobile emitter from the 29th century was still a year and a half in Voyager's future. Given their discussion of using the tetrahedron's trans-warp drive, however, it was likely none of the events in realities she knew of would come to fruition as this timeline inexorably diverged from the others.
"The Doctor is simply a sophisticated holoprogram," Tuvok countered.
Seven frowned. "I'm not sure about that," she finally replied. "He becomes much more than that in the years to come. Besides, I'm uncertain the Captain would be willing to abandon Voyager in the Delta Quadrant."
"Hmm," Tuvok grunted. He stacked the PADD he was holding back onto one of the piles and picked up another. "Let's go back and start exploring the variations associated with the ramifications of the neural link between yourself and Commander Chakotay at the end of the Borg/Voyager alliance."
"You know," Seven said. "That's a possibility that could help us here and now."
Tuvok looked up from the PADD. "What do you mean?"
"A mind meld," Seven suggested. "It would enable you to obtain all the knowledge I have more quickly. Or better yet, you establish a bridge between Chakotay and myself."
Tuvok placed the current PADD back down again and touched the tips of his fingers together. "That's not exactly how it works," he remarked. "Although Commander Chakotay and I would have access to all your memories and you would have access to all of ours, it is not as if your memories are then transferred to us and all our memories are transferred to you. It's an intimate sharing of immediate thoughts."
Seven shrugged. "Just an idea," she said. "Given the pace of our progress, I estimate we will be conducting these debriefings for eighty-seven more days."
"Hmm," Tuvok grunted again. "I see your point. Let me review what we've covered so far tonight and prioritize our coming sessions. A mind meld is an intriguing possibility. I will mediate on the implications of that as well."
Seven unconsciously glanced at the chronometer displayed on the wall. Tuvok noticed.
"There is sufficient time before your dinner with Commander Chakotay," Tuvok observed dryly. She had mentioned it earlier in the day.
"Tuvok, I didn't mean…" Seven began, but Tuvok held up his hand to interrupt her.
"It is true we've been at this all day," Tuvok said. "I believe we've been gaining significant insights using your knowledge of these alternative universes. Your revelation yesterday about Mister Suder, for instance. He freely admits his violent tendencies and has agreed to the treatments you suggested. We'll both be taking certain precautions of course. We will end now for the day and reconvene again here at the same time tomorrow morning." Tuvok paused. "I do have one final question for today, though. I am amazed by your eidetic memory. The details you are able to recall regarding each individual timeline. Is it an inborn ability or the result of the Borg technology?"
Seven hesitated. "I'm uncertain."
Tuvok nodded. "Regardless. It is a fortunate asset for us. I appreciate your precision and attention to detail. It is… refreshing to be able to work with you. Have a good evening and I will see you in the morning."
"Thank you Tuvok," Seven replied. She left the conference room and went to the bridge turbolift. Tom Paris was heading in the same direction, and Seven turned to notice Marina settling in at the pilot's position for her shift taking over for Tom. "See you in the morning Marina," she called out, much to the consternation of the officer in charge. Someone, curiously, Seven couldn't immediately recognize.
Marina turned and nodded. "Later Seven."
Seven and Tom entered the turbolift together and the doors swished shut. "So you're Seven of Nine," Tom said smoothly. "Nice to finally meet you, and let me say, I love the new look. Not exactly what I was expecting for a Borg drone."
"Perhaps because I'm not a Borg drone," Seven shot back.
Tom held his hands up in defense. "Sorry. Didn't mean to offend. I was just trying to give a beautiful woman a compliment."
Seven eyed him warily. She couldn't imagine the jumpsuit she wore was flattering in any way, but had to admit she had no experience in the matter to be a good judge. She made a mental note to talk to Chakotay about getting requisitioned a uniform to wear. Tom was always the smooth talker, and not yet the person he was going to become from his experiences on Voyager. Wasn't he trying to win Kes over from Neelix at this time in many alternate realities? Both of them were doomed to failure, at least most of the time. Did he need those experiences, both triumphs and failures, to become the person she knew from those other alternative universes, or was he already that person and just needed a push in the right direction? She decided on the latter. "Listen Tom," she finally said as the turbolift neared her deck. "Let me give you some advice. Forget about Kes. There's someone else here on Voyager you're destined to be with, and no it's not me. She'll bring out the best in you, and you'll bring out the best in her."
That quieted him. The turbolift's door opened on her deck and she stepped out.
"Wait a minute," Tom called out after her, holding the lift's door open. He looked confused and uncertain. "Who?"
Seven turned and raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to know?"
Tom shrugged. "Sure, why not."
"B'Elanna Torres."
"B'Elanna?" Tom replied stunned. Various expressions played out on his face. "B'Elanna?" he repeated. "She thinks I'm a traitor to the Maquis. She'd kill me."
"Are you a traitor to the Maquis?"
Tom cringed. "Well… it's complicated."
"Talk to her about it," Seven suggested. "See how you can make amends."
"I kinda want to keep all my bones unbroken," Tom replied with a grin and shook his head. "I don't know." He moved his arm back into the turbolift and the doors swished shut.
Seven stepped down the corridor to the entrance of Holodeck One. Her first of three stops before meeting with Chakotay. Ensign Ayala was there examining a program on the entrance control pad. A pair of binoculars were looped around his neck. He looked up when she approached. "I didn't expect you to be here," he said.
"Tuvok let me go early," Seven replied. She nodded down at the controls. "What do you think? I worked on it early this morning."
"I was surprised to get your note," Ayala said. "I was just about to go inside and take a look."
"I'll go with you."
Ayala hesitated. "Won't you be late to your dinner with Chakotay?"
"I have some time. Let's go take a look."
###
Chakotay sat down in his quarters. He had just gotten off duty and had changed into clothes for dinner with Seven. He still had about a half hour to wait. He picked up a book that Kathryn had lent him and opened it to the spot where he had left off the previous evening. A half a sentence into the paragraph, however, his door chime sounded. "Enter," he called out.
The door swished open, and B'Elanna Torres breezed in. "Do you know what has been sitting in the shuttle bay these past two days?" she said accusingly, getting straight to the reason for her visit. She didn't wait for an answer. "A trans-warp drive."
"On the tetrahedron," Chakotay observed.
"Well, yeah. A trans-warp drive. Did you know about this?"
Chakotay shook his head. "I guess I didn't think to ask her," he finally said. "Seven and I have been, uh…"
"Other things on your mind, huh?" B'Elanna smirked.
Chakotay laughed at her sarcasm. "You could say that."
B'Elanna shook her head. "Tuvok has my team looking into some Quantum Slipstream theory gleaned from those alternative universes that Seven has been describing, but then also casually mentioned the trans-warp drive."
"You think it can be used on Voyager?" Chakotay asked.
B'Elanna shook her head. "Not Voyager. Well, probably not Voyager. I'm talking about just using the tetrahedron as a shuttle. We could start using it right now. We could be home tomorrow. Trust me, Chakotay, as more and more people find out about that possibility, they're going to demand it."
"We'll have to try and manage expectations until the Captain makes her decision then," Chakotay replied diplomatically.
"Like she did at the Caretaker's array," B'Elanna shot back. She shook her head and started to pace but then turned sharply. "You're going to have to convince the Captain. You're the First Officer. She values your opinion."
"You're on the command staff too," Chakotay said. "I'm sure, soon enough, we'll all be together working out our options."
B'Elanna frowned. "Do you trust Seven? It's been, what, three days? I haven't even met her yet. Marina seems to like her. I tell you, if she's setting you up somehow, I'll…" She paused, and then grinned slightly. "I'll treat her the same way I'm going to treat that Cardassian patak, whose name will remain unspoken, the next time I meet up with her."
Chakotay would rather forget about Seska too. Ever since meeting Seven, however, it had been easier to do so. "Did you hear about Lon?" he asked, attempting to change the subject.
B'Elanna nodded. "Cathal told me," she replied. "He was there when Tuvok questioned him and then was the one who escorted him back to his quarters. Lon was totally open about it. I would have never suspected, although I must admit I didn't know him very well."
"A Federation spy, a Cardassian spy, a Betazoid with homicidal tendencies. Quite a band of misfits we were on the Val Jean, weren't we?"
"We were all ticking time bombs perhaps," B'Elanna mused.
Chakotay's door chime sounded again. She was early. "Enter."
The door swished open and Seven stepped inside. She wore a long-sleeve deep lavender colored dress that extended to above the knee. A length and wouldn't expose any of her Borg components on her arms or legs. Marina had helped her pick it out that morning. "Oh, I hope I'm not intruding," she said when she noticed B'Elanna.
"Not at all," B'Elanna replied. "We were just talking about you." She turned back to Chakotay. "I'm sorry to say this Chakotay, but you look like a bum in comparison to Seven. Aren't you going to dress up?"
"Chakotay looks fine," Seven protested.
B'Elanna smirked. "Eh," she shrugged. She then turned back to Seven. "Now listen. Just because you know things about the other me's in alternative universes, doesn't mean you know anything about me here," she said, pointing her finger at Seven. She then glanced at Chakotay. "I'm very protective of Chakotay. Don't be messing with him, or I'll be messing with you."
"Understood," Seven replied.
"So, where are you headed off to on this dinner date?" B'Elanna asked. Both woman turned to Chakotay.
"I'm taking her to Chez Sandrine's on the holodeck," Chakotay said. The holoprogram was run every evening on holodeck two from 1700 hours to 2300 hours.
"That dump," B'Elanna cringed. "Chakotay, you've got to come up with something better than that."
"Perhaps you can program a competitor to Tom's," Seven suggested. "Perhaps with some Klingon dishes. I'd love to give it a try. But I've never been to Chez Sandrine's and would like to try that as well."
B'Elanna laughed. "Well, good luck with that. I like your idea, though. I'm not so sure about the Klingon cuisine, but I am sure I could come up with something better than anything Paris programed."
Seven and Chakotay left at the same time as B'Elanna and went directly to holodeck two. The door opened and they entered the already active program. They stepped down a short set of stairs, and after a quick scan, Chakotay led the two of them to an empty table. He pulled out one of the chairs and Seven sat down in it. Chakotay sat down across from her and looked about the room. There were a smattering of other couples at various tables and Tom Paris and Harry Kim were playing a round of pool. Tom lifted his glass in greeting.
"You'll have to order for the both of us," Seven said. "I'm still getting used to knowing what to eat."
Chakotay picked up a menu and examined it. "Truth be told," he confessed, "this is the first time I've ever come here to eat myself."
Just then a holographic waiter came up to the table with two waters and placed them on the table. "Whenever you're ready to order sir, I will come right over" the waiter asked in a thick French accent.
"Just a moment." Chakotay studied the menu and then said "I'll take the salad with the house dressing, but please add some broccoli and bleu cheese crumbles as well. And the bowl of lentil soup."
The waiter turned to Seven. "And you mademoiselle?"
"The same please," she said. He nodded approvingly and left.
Chakotay cleared his throat. "You've caused quite a stir these past three days," he commented.
"Oh?" Seven replied innocently.
"B'Elanna was talking about the tetrahedron's trans-warp drive just now," Chakotay continued. "I hadn't even thought to ask you about it. I can only imagine it will be the talk of the entire ship by tomorrow morning."
"You know, I've been thinking more about it too. Voyager need not be abandoned, even if we do use the tetrahedron to shuttle us back to the Alpha Quadrant."
"How so?" Chakotay asked.
"The tetrahedron can be used to rotate a crew on and off of Voyager indefinitely. I'm sure there are those in Star Fleet who would love to have a three year rotation on Voyager. We could return to the Alpha Quadrant, and come back to Voyager anytime." Seven leaned in a little closer. "What would you be returning to?"
Chakotay shrugged. "My home is gone. Destroyed by the Cardassians."
"Your sister and her family are still on Earth."
"True. Do you have any family?"
Seven nodded. "I believe an aunt. On Earth also, I think."
The waiter arrived with their soups and salads and placed them on the table. That was fast. The advantages of having a replicator as the chef in the kitchen. Chakotay nodded in thanks and then the waiter moved off to attend to a new arrival. Seven picked up a spoon and sampled the soup first. She smacked her lips and took another spoonful.
"Do you like it?" Chakotay asked.
"I'm uncertain," Seven replied. "I think I'll have to consume a greater variety of dishes to be able to characterize them on a spectrum of what I like to what I don't like. I can only say for certain that I like this better than Neelix's leola root soup I had for lunch today."
Chakotay chuckled and ate a spoonful of his own. They consumed their meal in a comfortable silence. When they were done, the waiter arrived to refill their waters and then clear their plates and utensils. "Would you care for dessert?" he asked before leaving.
Seven looked at Chakotay and then back to the waiter. "Do you happen to have fresh strawberries?" she asked expectantly.
The waiter smiled with a knowing nod and whisked away.
"Strawberries?" Chakotay grinned.
"I think," Seven began tentatively, "I think I might really like the taste of strawberries."
"From what you know of the alternative universes?" Chakotay asked.
"That, and I think I really do remember liking strawberries when I was a little girl. In this universe."
Chakotay sighed. "That's a relief. It's a little disconcerting how much you know about all of us from these alternative universe histories."
"Mostly just about you and me," Seven corrected.
"Even more disconcerting," Chakotay replied. "It's hard to get used to. You know so much about me, and I know so little about you."
Seven gestured about the room. "This is all new. In all the alternative universes, there is not one where we come to Chez Sandrine's at this time. Each moment our timeline gets further and further from all the others. As for you getting to know me, we have a lifetime to remedy that. Besides, I've been disconnected from the Hive Mind for only thirteen days. I'm still getting to know myself. Does that give you some solace?"
The two of them were leaning closer together now that the plates had been cleared. Seven opened her mouth to say something more, but then just shook her head.
"What is it?" Chakotay asked.
"I'm reminded of some timelines where I have supposedly researched the tension induced by the anticipation of a first kiss. In this timeline, I've had no time yet to do any research on the matter, and yet I think I'm experiencing that tension first hand."
Chakotay suddenly leaned in closer and kissed Seven on the lips. He withdrew just as swiftly and smiled. "Has the tension subsided?" he asked.
Seven smiled back. "I'm uncertain. We may have to try again to make sure."
The rest of the evening passed too quickly. The strawberries were indeed one of Seven's favorites, and Chakotay escorted her back to her quarters with plans to meet for breakfast before her debriefing with Tuvok started up again. Marina was still on duty and wouldn't return until after midnight. Seven sighed contentedly and moved over to her bed. She slipped out of the dress and put back on the ubiquitous jumpsuit. She would regenerate and sleep in her clothes as typical and change into a newly replicated pair after a sonic shower in the morning. She had forgotten to ask Chakotay about the uniform and made a mental note to ask first thing the next day. The tetrahedron's regeneration alcove had been positioned on its side so she could regenerate while lying down, and so she laid down, positioned her head on a small pillow, and closed her eyes. After a few moments, the regeneration cycle didn't appear to start automatically as it usually did, so she opened her eyes. It was then when she noticed that there was someone in the room with her, standing in the corner by the door. Perhaps they had entered silently without her hearing. She sat up quickly when she recognized who it was.
"Hello Seven," the visitor cooed. "I've missed you."
The Borg Queen slithered across the room to the foot of the bed. "Oh, don't be concerned. The intruder alarms won't sound because I'm not really here." Suddenly the room changed. Instead of her quarters, Seven was seated in the Queen's chambers. It was a place she had been often as a drone. She had served the Queen directly as part of Unimatrix Zero-One. "As you are not really here with me."
Seven remained silent.
The Queen smiled. What little skin that remained on her head and scalp appeared as artificial as the rest of her body. "You look so different. So… human. It's been a few days already. Tell me, has your Chakotay fallen in love with you yet?"
"I think so," Seven managed.
"And you've fallen in love with him no doubt."
"It was inevitable," Seven replied.
The Queen smiled again and nodded. "Exactly as we predicted," she cackled triumphantly. "Our plan is proceeding perfectly."
