Chapter Twenty
Seven of Nine, armed, dangerous, and very much alive, stood at the head of a crowd of tall women in Apocrypha racing uniforms. This, she thought, was her true calling in life – to be a leader, the Captain of her own ship, the general of her own army.
"Starfleet created us," she said to the women, "and it is in the same spirit that they intend to destroy us. They believe it is their right to destroy any weapon, any computer that does not behave as it should. But you and I are not weapons, we are not computers. We will not be slaves to Admiral O'Shaughnessy's mission to create the perfect soldier. But it is not enough to fight back – we can attack his friends, his allies, we can even murder him where he sleeps but it will not bring us our independence or vindicate us."
She gazed at a hundred pairs of deep-set hazel eyes. "Psychic Sisters," she said. "Does anyone have intelligence on its nature, location, or how to procure or cultivate it?"
One of the identical women stepped forward. "I have heard," she replied, "through unofficial channels that there is an informant, or possibly several informants assisting the rebel Starfleet officers, whatever their number."
"Assist them how?"
"Apparently there is still some movement to organize the dissolution of the Ultimate Starfleet Officer, among people directly connected to Starfleet. These informants are attempting to aid in their cause, and may therefore have intelligence on Psychic Sisters. We were given this –" she placed a small object in Seven's hand – "by a man claiming to have been in contact with one such informant."
Seven superciliously examined the object – a Starfleet comm badge, badly damaged, most likely by water.
"What is the significance of this?"
"It belonged to a Starfleet Commander, named Chakotay. He had been posing as one of O'Shaughnessy's men and is now wanted on several charges."
Seven returned the badge without any sign of emotion. "Well then, he is probably dead," she said, "and of no use to us. Are there any other developments?"
"Wait," said the Cassandra. "Chakotay is rumored to have left the planet, in possession of a document related to the Ultimate Starfleet Officer, and possibly to Psychic Sisters. If he is alive, he may be returning with valuable information."
Seven was not one to be contradicted, but she also knew a losing battle when she saw one. "Let me have another look at that."
She turned the comm badge over in her palm and pondered its new meaning. If Chakotay had not drowned as the badge would suggest, then perhaps he had cleverly dropped it in a lake or river to avoid suspicion. For a moment, Seven wondered if her own physiological transformation had had the side effect of making her more shortsighted, but quickly she dismissed the thought.
"If Chakotay is alive," she said carefully, "then he will likely be apprehended by Starfleet upon his return. We have an advantage now; they are weak and will only continue to weaken under our assault. It is your job to find Chakotay before they do. Do you understand?"