DISCLAIMER: The ideas and words are mine, the characters are not... And I am very much looking forward to getting to know all those new Star trek characters...
"State your purpose!"
Seven of Nine was awake. She had risen to a seated position suddenly enough to startle Elnor, and the strength with which her hand held on to the young Romulan's wrist surprised him.
"I—I was just curious" Elnor stuttered clumsily. "I had never seen a borg before."
Seven eased the strength of her hold.
"I replicated those for you," Elnor said shyly, indicating the wildflowers at the head of the bed.
Seven's eyes went from the flowers to the boy.
"Thank you. I will admire them later."
"Where are you going?"
"I must speak with Picard," Seven said, swinging her legs to the side and preparing to leave the bed. When she stood up, however, Seven lost her balance and fell back against the tall bed. Only Elnor's strong grasp on her arms kept the woman from falling down again.
He helped her sit on the bed.
"Are you alright?"
"My optical implant must be malfunctioning. I see the room spinning around me."
"Doctor Jurati said you needed some rest but that you would be fine."
"Doctor Jurati? I am unaware of any medical officers in Picard's crew."
"She is not a medical officer… But the ship's Emergency Medical Hologram examined you as well."
Seven leaned back on the bed, laying the weight of her body on her elbows for a few seconds before giving up and lying supine on the bed again. Elnor had no way to understand this reaction, but for some reason, the knowledge that the ship's EMH had examined her seemed to make her relax a little. She closed her eyes and opened them up again a few times.
"What is your designation?"
"Designation?"
"Your name."
"I'm Elnor."
"From what I have observed on Vashti, I wouldn't have imagined there would be many Romulans willing to assist Picard."
"I have known the Captain for a very long time."
"You are not old enough to know anybody for a long time."
"I knew him when I was a boy."
"When he helped bring the settlers to Vashti in the first place?"
"Yes. He found a place for me when I was all alone."
"Your collective."
Elnor thought about it for a while.
"Yes."
"I had a collective once."
"When you were borg?"
"Yes."
"Now you are human."
"I was human once. Now I am an ex-borg. If there's anything I learned on the Alpha Quadrant is that there's a very clear distinction between those."
"You are full of resentment."
"And you are very outspoken."
"I embrace the Way of Absolute Candor."
"The philosophy of Romulan warrior nuns?"
"They took me in when I didn't have anybody else, raised me as one of their own and trained me to the best of their ability."
"They made you a member of the Qowat Milat?"
"No."
Seven studied him for a few seconds. She could sense the resentment in the boy's voice, but she also remembered enough of her lessons with Voyager's EMH not to point that out. The Way of Absolute Candor, she thought to herself, would make life difficult in a human vessel.
"Because I am a man, I can never be a member of the Order," Elnor explained.
"Then perhaps," Seven said, carefully, "you too understand what it is to be an ex-borg."
After that, the two of them were silent for a very long time.
Author's note: I have seen a couple of really bad reviews of Star Trek: Picard, claiming the show is too slow and things of the sort. I couldn't disagree more! I really like the show, I am really looking forward to tomorrow's episode and I am very eager to write more stories with these new characters...
Please drop me a few lines if you like the story... I would also recommend Remembrance, my first fic for this series of Star Trek: Picard one-shots...
Live Long and Prosper
Please review, LLAP