The hearing had ended the night before without any allowances to the Doctor to speak on Seven's behalf. It had also ended with the head Elder warning the Captain once again that no further out bursts would be tolerated. Both events had caused the Captain's already bad mood to worsen. She sent Tuvok and Harry back to the ship with orders to locate Seven and prepare to beam them all up to the ship and for a quick departure. The Zokinian had ships, but none of them could compare to Voyager in anyway. She was only willing to play along with this bitter people for so long before she finally put her foot down and said enough. The only reason she hadn't yet was because she was hoping to somehow make them see that they needed to move on from the horrors of the past before it destroyed them all over again.
As Captain Janeway, Neelix, and the Doctor walked into the hearing room, the Captain noticed once again the young girl who sat perfectly still and quiet at the right of the long table. She wasn't sure, but the Captain had the funniest feeling that the girl was more then she seemed. "Doctor, have you noticed the girl over there." Janeway asked as she turned her back to the girl and the elders.
The Doctor nodded. "She has been here since day one."
"Do you know why she's here?" Janeway asked.
The Doctor shook his head but wasn't given the chance to answer. The head Elder called the hearing to order. Most of the morning was spent on retelling how Seven had arrived on the planet, and about her capture and detainment. Then after a brief break, the Doctor was finally able to speak. He stood up and walked to the center of the room. He looked over at the Captain who nodded so slightly that only he could see her. The Doctor squared his shoulders and began just the way he and the Captain had planned.
"When Annika Hansen was six years old her parents' ship was boarded by the Borg. They were all assimilated. Annika Hansen, a bright eyed loving little girl, had her individuality brutally striped away from her and in that blonde haired, blue eyed, little girl's place was left a Borg drone, Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One." The Doctor said, as he looked each elder in the eyes. "When she was a mature drone, Seven of Nine, acted on the orders of the Collective. She had no rights; she had no say in what she did. She was a slave with no free will of her own. No thoughts of her own. No emotions of her own. The hive, the queen, thought and felt for her."
Janeway watched as most of the elders practically looked through the Doctor. They weren't even listening to him. The girl off to the right however looked slightly confused. She watched as the Doctor spoke and listened closely, but something about him bothered her. Janeway watched as the girl looked over at the man seated in the center of the table and then she watched as the man's face twisted in anger and defiance.
"Captain Janeway," The man said, cutting off the Doctor, "You will continue with this... Story..."
The Captain exchanged glances with the elder, then with the Doctor, and then she looked quickly over at the girl. "You said yesterday that I had no…"
The Elder cut her off angrily, "Do you wish to defend the Borg or not Captain?"
Janeway stood and nodded. "Thank you." She said as she looked over at the girl. It was starting to make sense. They were telepaths and the girl must have been reading their minds. That explained why she looked confused as she watched the Doctor. There was nothing to read there. Janeway exchanged places with the Doctor, but decide that merely retelling Seven's biography wasn't going to cut it. She had to be more personal.
"I've sat here listening to your retellings of the attack on your homeworld, and I understand the pain you have felt." She began. "Ten years ago in my home sector there was a massive Borg attack on my people and our allies. We lost eleven thousand lives at Wolf 359. Eleven thousand lives in one attack, added onto thousands of other lives lost from attacks of planets, ships, and stations." Janeway's voice was firm but as she spoke her eyes revealed her true emotions. It was hard for her to do, to allow anyone to see or sense anything past her command mask, but she knew it was the only way to get out of this in a positive way.
"Seven of Nine was part of that attack. She was a Borg drone then, and she helped to assimilate and kill the people of Wolf 359. I myself fought at that battle, I watched as the Borg tore though our fleets, assimilated our people. I went to the funerals and memorials of friends and comrades. Friends and comrades that she helped to assimilate because she'd been given an order she had no choice but to follow." Janeway looked at each Elder, at the girl, and at the people watching. "Seven years later while on a course set back to our own sector my ship was attacked by Species 8472. We defeated them with the help of the Borg, more to the point, we were helped by Seven of Nine while she was still a Borg."
"I severed Seven of Nine from the Borg collective. My ship's Doctor removed most of her Borg implants and I learned for the first time who Annika Hansen was. Over the past four years Seven has worked hard at not only relearning who Annika Hansen was, but learning who she is now. She's fought for and fought against her humanity like we all do at some point in our lives." Janeway now made a point of looking at the head Elder instead of the girl. She didn't want to give away that she had a feeling she was being telepathically read.
"Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One is still part of Seven, but it's a small part. Annika Hansen is the bigger part of Seven. It's that part of her that has allowed her to become not only a critical and important member of my crew, but also," She paused, "a critical and important part of my own life."
The head Elder who had barley been listening, snorted. "Are you going to tell us that you and the Borg are mates again, Captain? Are you about to tell us that the Borg has learned to love?"
The Captain was ready to answer but the doors of the hearing room opened, which caused all heads to turn. There stood a girl who looked quite a bit like the girl who had been sitting to the right of the table. The girl at the table stood up and took a step forward as the other girl came closer to her. The two looked at each other, both wore expressions that told everyone they were having a detailed conversation. After several long minutes the girl who'd come into the room stood next to the other girl who looked at Janeway and then over at the head Elder. "All that she has said is the truth."
The Elders all looked stunned and the head Elder huffed. "Borg do not have mates! They certainly do not love!"
The girl shot him a look. "Not only are the Borg…" The girl stopped and frowned, she looked over at the other girl and nodded, she then looked back at the Elder. "Not only are Seven and Captain Janeway mates, they have a child. Amoro has felt for herself that Seven feels, she expresses emotion."
The head Elder was about to protest when Amoro finally speaks up, "She misses her daughter, her misses Captain Janeway, she misses her home aboard Voyager."
"With all that we have heard and all that we have learned." The girl who'd been in the room all along continued. "We are ready to announce our ruling."
Janeway looked at the girls. "Your ruling?"
The girl smiled. "The Elders are advisors to us. My sister and I rule and therefore it is our responsibility to pass judgment. Our system is rather confusing to most off-worlders Captain, but I assure you we do aim to be fair despite the fact that we look as if we..." The girl paused to scan the Captain's mind, "railroad our guilty."
"There is no need to explain our ways to these people, your grace." The head Elder said rather snidely. "What have you decided to do with the Borg?"
The girls both looked up at the old man but the one who had been in the room the whole time spoke. "She is to be released."
One of the other Elders slammed his hand on the table. "But she is Borg! Someone has to pay for what they have done!"
"She is not Borg." Amoro said. "And we will not use her as a scapegoat."
Janeway looked at the two and really wished they'd stay out of her head.
The girl smiled. "My apologies Captain, but I found the term appealing in this case. I will leave you to your thoughts."
Janeway nodded. "Thank you."
"It will not be easy for us." Amoro said. "But you are correct, Captain. We do need to let our anger and bitterness go."
"It isn't easy for anyone with wounds so deep." Janeway replied. "But it can be done."
"So we have seen." The girls said together with approving nods.