What Price Freedom?
by Christina
Inspired by an original story by Yatokahc, Christina and anonymous
"Hello, I'm Doctor Miller." The tall, older woman shook his hand. Like the others in the medical bay, she was marked by the same plague that afflicted Cretia.
"This is terrible," he said.
"I know," Miller said angrily. "We lose over one hundred patients a day."
"One hundred?" The figure was appalling. A quick glance around the large hall showed that there were at least five times that number lying on the floor.
She shook her head. "We've tried to save them, but we're all dying." She held up her left hand. The fingers were gone. He scanned her quickly with a tricorder, then moved to the first patient.
"You need to repair the regeneration units. And if we could reintroduce viable nanoprobes..." To himself he added, 'even Seven still needs to regenerate at least once a week...'
"No!" A blue-green humanoid male staggered in front of the Doctor. "We will not allow ourselves to be saved by anything Borg."
"Then you are a fool," the Doctor said. "The Borg systems can help maintain your health. Voyager has drones freed from the Collective. And their health is excellent." The blue-green male glared at him, but the Doctor continued to examine the patients. "Do you have any antibiotics?"
Dr. Miller shook her head. "This idiot destroyed our replicator units."
The blue-green male snarled, "We must leave nothing that can be used to contact the Collective or reassimilate us."
"At this point, "I don't think they'd want you." the Doctor said as he finished his scans. "Is everyone on board, disconnected?"
Miller glared at the blue-green male. "We are, I believe, all disconnected from the Collective, but a few still retain all their implants. There aren't many and they usually stay away. Most are found in the lower levels. Ehop'n here, along with his leader, Yith, have terrified them to the point that they rarely leave their hide-aways. Those who tried to join us were destroyed. They don't bother with us, except to defend their regeneration units." She sighed. "They are also dying. Just not as quickly."
"We need to destroy all Borg," the blue-green male started coughing violently. Miller helped him lie down, then returned to the Doctor.
"There's not much I can do when the lungs are infected, except comfort him. It'll be over soon."
"Over soon? You can't just let them die!" The Doctor stared at her, aghast at her words.
"I have no choice. We have no medicine, little food and even less water," Miller said angrily. "We try to make their last hours as comfortable as possible."
"I'll see what we can do." He tapped his combadge. "Doctor to Voyager."
"Yes, Doctor?" Janeway's voice asked.
"They are dying. I am going to need a medical team and unlimited access to the replicators if I am going to be able to save them."
"Understood. What do you need?"
"I'm Doctor Eugenie Miller, "Doctor Miller cut in. "Food, water, medicine, clothes, blankets," "You name it, we need it.
"I'll see what we can do. Can we safely send an away team?" Captain Janeway asked.
"I would like to prepare a vaccine for all crew members-just as an appropriate preventative measure. Treating the infection isn't the problem," the Doctor said. "I shall transport back to Voyager in ten minutes. In the meantime, they are in desperate need of water and food."
Janeway nodded. "Doctor Miller, what happened?"
"It's really a long tale, Captain." The female doctor glanced over her shoulder. "Yersa should tell you our story." She motioned for someone to join them. The female who'd originally contacted them appeared.
"I wish to thank you," Yersa started to cough violently. She pushed Miller's helping hand away. "About six months ago some of us were suddenly disconnected from the Collective. We managed to sever our link completely, then started to deassimilate the other drones on the ship. Back then we were able to cooperate amongst ourselves, find food, even find help from those whom the word Borg did not terrify. Originally all we did was destroy the neural link. Then somewhere along the line, we found it easier to rip out the implants. May my ancestors forgive me, I also once believed this was the best way."
"Then the epidemic began," Doctor Miller continued when Yersa started coughing again. The EMH scanned Yersa. "At first it was treatable; our nanoprobes were able to keep us healthy. Then about three months ago, we tried to ask for help from species 3621-the Cabal. We were refused; and they attacked us. The radiation from their weapons accelerated the disease while it weakened us. The nanoprobes were also affected. Since then-" She motioned toward her face. "This past week we've only lost a hundred a day. The death toll has been as high as a thousand a day."
Janeway grimaced. "Doctor Miller, our own supplies are limited, but we will offer what we can."
"Captain," the EMH interjected, "I'd like to request that Icheb help me. His skills in bioengineering and genetics will be very useful."
"I'll inform him."
"I've transmitted the data to sickbay. I can treat the infection, but we don't have the resources to repair the damage." He glanced around the medical bay. The logistics of administering the antibiotics alone would be daunting.
Dr. Miller looked away. "I feel helpless. What little I had to help my people was destroyed because it was Borg."
"Well," he whispered after making sure that no one was nearby. "Icheb and Seven are both former Borg, so you will be saved by Borg help."
"Just don't let anyone know," Cretia said. The EMH turned to face her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I've spoken to Yith. He's agreed to meet with Yersa and Voyager's Doctor. I'm to arrange a time." She smiled at the Doctor. "Just don't mention that you have Borg on Voyager."
"Who is this Yith?" The EMH asked.
"He is a Toscarian and one of the leaders of the anti-Borg faction."
"We are willing to help..."
"And he's willing to kill." Cretia shook her head. "Don't trust him, because he surely won't trust you."
"Well," the EMH said, "perhaps we should trust him, so he will trust us."
"Doctor," Cretia said, then shook her head. "You just don't understand our situation here. We were Borg, the Queen will not let us go so easily. Yith believes that only by eliminating everything Borg can we truly be free."
Chakotay stared at the akoonah in front of him, thinking of the Trefla and Yersa. Somehow she had recognized him, and as he stood on the bridge he had recalled a dream: a barely remembered dream. The images flitted about in his mind, but he could only truly remember the word Trefla and Yersa's face. And someone else, someone ethereal yet familiar.
He closed his eyes as he placed his hand on the akoonah, hoping to return to that dream from long ago. A sharp sound interrupted any chance to contact his spirit guide. He tapped his combadge. "Chakotay here."
"Commander," Harry's voice said, "The Doctor has returned to Voyager. He wants to meet with the senior staff immediately."
Chakotay gathered his medicine bundle, then stood and grabbed his jacket as he acknowledged the request.
Chakotay stood next to Janeway as they waited for the Doctor to arrive. "It's pretty bad," she whispered. "The Doctor thinks our virus is what initially severed their link to the Collective. This isn't what we'd planned to happen."
He replied in a equally quiet voice. "We only found a way to break their link. The Treflans made the choice to continue destroying all things Borg-they knew the consequences. But with hindsight, perhaps we should have known that freedom would not be easy for former drones."
"So we should not have done anything at all? I felt then, and still feel now, that we had an obligation to help them break free of the Collective." She sighed. "Just as we have an obligation to try to help them now, even though we can't possibly give them all of the help they need."
"I know. We all know. We'll offer what we can." He smiled at her.
She took a deep breath. "The numbers of dead and dying are horrific, but the Doctor is confident he has found the cure."
Chakotay nodded. The Doctor was always confident he could find an answer-and he usually did.
"The Doctor is preparing a vaccine against this plague for the crew. I'll lead the first team."
"I'll lead the first team," Chakotay countered. "It's my duty to lead away missions and to protect the ship's captain from any potentially hazardous situations." Even if he had to protect her from herself, he added to himself.
"Commander, this subject is not open to debate."
He grinned at her. "Excellent, Captain. I'm glad you see it my way." He walked away quickly to where Tom and B'Elanna were standing, pleased that for once he'd managed to get the last word in.
"The infection rate of those who have been *deassimilated* is one-hundred percent," the Doctor said as he concluded his opening remarks. "Icheb is preparing the antibiotics. The most effective method of dispersion is to use the environmental controls. Dr. Miller and Yersa have agreed to this. As to treating the damage...Since the most effective treatment, nanoprobes, is out of the question, Icheb and I are working to determine any alternatives. The damage from their deassimilation process is extensive. They are destroying themselves. Many have missing eyes and fingers. Some have missing limbs." He glanced at Seven. "And most have not regenerated in weeks or longer."
"Doctor, we just don't have the resources," Janeway started to say, he cut her off.
"We don't. But, while they have destroyed most of the regeneration chambers and other equipment-the damage may only be superficial."
B'Elanna nodded. "I've looked through the Doctor's report, and I believe he is correct. Most of the internal structure and wiring may still be intact. Permission to beam over.?" The entire staff looked at her and Tom.
"I don't believe that would be wise," the Doctor said. "Lieutenant, you are four months pregnant. While the vaccine I am perfecting will be effective, I do not know if it will protect your baby. And Lieutenant Torres, do I need to remind you, that the same reasoning is behind my refusal to inoculate you with the anti-assimilation vaccine"
She grimaced, while Tom smiled his thanks.
Janeway raised her hand. "We'll send three teams-five people each. Commander Chakotay will have overall command, the Doctor, and Lieutenant Carey will accompany him, along with a team of engineers and security. I want everyone monitored at all times for any sign of infection. Meet in transporter room one in an hour."