Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount own Voyager and the characters established on the show.
Author's note: I'm still cleaning up after Collective Freedom, I promise we will soon move on!!!
Two days after the final Borg extraction procedure was completed, Ensign Naomi Wildman was once again at her regular duty station in Stellar Cartography.
Her coworker at the next station, a human female named Maria, asked her, "Naomi, why do you keep checking the time with the computer?"
Naomi looked in Maria's direction, "I didn't realize I was doing it. I'm nervous, Icheb and his father are having a meeting today, before everyone leaves the area."
"Ahhh, I thought he wasn't going to talk to his father, at least according to the ship grapevine he wasn't."
Naomi turned her attention back to her console and noticed it was still performing the task she last had entered. Knowing she had a few moments until she needed to enter any further commands, she turned to face Maria. "He doesn't really want to talk to Leucon, but so many people have told him he should talk to his father, I think he agreed to do so simply to get people to leave him alone."
Maria nodded her head in understanding then both women went back to work. Naomi was letting her mind wander while she performed the routine tasks which were assigned to her. The circumstances leading up to Icheb's meeting with his father had been filled with both good and bad aspects. The best thing was seeing Voyager and members of the Voyager crew whom both Icheb and Naomi both considered to be family. She was most especially glad to see her Godfather, Neelix and his stepson Brax. The worst was Icheb's biological parents arriving unexpectedly from the Delta Quadrant, the same parents who had genetically engineered their son as a weapon against the Borg.
Admiral Janeway intended to send Voyager back to the Delta Quadrant to deal with the Brunali threat, but some of Korok's followers volunteered for the job. They were equipped with all the data and technology which Leucon and Neelix had developed in response to the Brunali anti Borg arsenal. Leucon was to join the Borg contingent in their hunt of the Brunali led by Icheb's mother, Yifay. The rest of the former Unimatrix Zero Borg were divided according to their eventual purpose, most groups had already left the region, as had Admiral Janeway and her pilot Tom Paris. The Admiral was pleased some of the Borg offered to pursue the Brunali, by so doing, she didn't have to order Voyager back to the Delta Quadrant, something she was reluctant to do, for obvious reasons.
Voyager was scheduled to leave in the morning, and Icheb and Naomi were going to have dinner on Voyager with Captain Chakotay, his wife Seven of Nine and the EMH. They would be joined by Neelix and Brax who were also scheduled to leave the next day. Voyager would then depart to undertake their next mission, about which Naomi knew nothing.
Naomi's main concern for the day was Icheb and his upcoming discussion with Leucon. Checking the time on her computer console again, she realized their meeting should just now be under way.
Icheb was in his office waiting for his father to arrive for their meeting. He really didn't want to have a long heartfelt discussion with the man who had been a party to his assimilation by the Borg, not to mention his second attempt of the same purpose. Icheb was simply tired of most of his friends, with the exception of Naomi and Seven, encouraging him to try and reconcile with his father. They had argued that without Leucon's assistance, the Brunali would most likely have been successful in their attempt to destroy the Unimatrix Zero Borg ships, as well as Voyager and Lindbergh. As it was, only one of the Borg vessels had been destroyed.
The door bell chimed indicating Leucon's arrival. Icheb sighed, squared his shoulders, and said, "Enter."
Leucon did so and it was obvious he was unsure what to expect. He stepped in the room just far enough to trigger the door's autoclose feature. When they closed behind him, he spoke, in a very tentative voice, "Icheb, I appreciate you agreeing to see me."
"Sit down, I just want to make it perfectly clear I am doing this under pressure. Many people have encouraged this meeting, and it was easier to relent than to explain over and over why I didn't want to meet with you."
"Whatever the reason, you agreed and I appreciate it." Leucon finished this statement before sitting down in the chair opposite Icheb's desk.
"Very well, what did you want to say to me?"
"Well, I've been talking to members of the Voyager and Lindbergh crew, and I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you. Being the youngest First Officer currently in Starfleet is quite an accomplishment." Leucon smiled, trying to convey his sincerity.
Icheb raised one eyebrow, "That's interesting, if you and Yifay had been successful in getting me reassimilated, I would not have achieved this accomplishment of which you are so proud."
"Obviously, I know I can never apologize sufficiently for what we did to you, and as such I won't even try. You've been in the briefings and you have heard my explanations of why I turned against your Mother and the rest of my people. What we were doing to our children was inexcusable."
"And yet, you went along with the attempt to have me reassimilated. If I remember correctly, you held me immobile so Yifay could sedate me."
Leucon's face reflected his embarrassment at Icheb's accurate description of the event. "That's true, of course, but before you got back that evening, I tried to convince Yifay we didn't have to send you back to the Borg."
"You were unsuccessful."
"I was, and it has haunted me ever since. My failure to protect you was the reason I decided to leave our planet and actively try to thwart the attempt to destroy the Borg and Voyager."
Icheb sat looking at his father, the man who had, in concert with his wife, betrayed him. He still couldn't believe he was sitting across a desk from him conducting a rational discussion. His next words shocked Leucon, "In a way, I suppose I should thank you. If you hadn't sent me away after Voyager returned me to you, my life would have been miserable. Either I would have been assimilated by the Borg, or even if you had convinced Yifay to let me stay on the planet with you, I would have been a part of the attempt to destroy the Borg. I would either have been a drone, or among people consumed with hate and rage. When Voyager saved me from that fate, I was part of a community of people whose main purpose was to help people and explore the galaxy. I would never have known what it was like to be in a loving and caring family."
"Oh, I see, of course. I know you are being sarcastic, not about how your life differs from what it would have been, but about thanking me. However, there is truth in what you say. I am glad you had the opportunity to grow up among such a kind hearted people. I am glad you have made such a wonderful life for yourself. And, even though I have no right to be, I am proud of the man you have become."
"Thank you, but you realize I have done all of this in spite of you, rather than because of you."
"I do realize it. May I ask you a personal question?"
"I suppose so, but I might not answer it."
"Of course, that is your right. While I've been talking to the crews of the Federation ships, I've heard you are in a romantic relationship with an Ensign Wildman. Is it the same girl who was on Voyager in the Delta Quadrant?"
Icheb didn't really think he needed to explain his love life to this man, but humoring him might hasten Leucon's exit. The faster he discussed everything with him, the faster this interview would be over. "It is."
"I ask because, well, isn't she younger than you?"
Icheb was nonplussed, "What?"
Leucon could see he had overstepped, "I'm sorry, forget I asked. Really, I'm sorry, I just remember she was quite young the last time I saw her."
"Not that it is any of your business. Though she is chronologically twelve years younger than I am, due to her Ktarian physiology, the biological difference between our age is more like four or five years. I can't believe I am explaining this to you."
"You're right, you needn't do so, and I apologize for asking a question I had no right to ask. I was simply curious about my son's relationship."
Icheb was startled at Leucon referring to him as his son. He felt no familial connection with this man whatsoever. He wanted to change the subject, and did so, "Your timely arrival and the technology you and Neelix developed which ended the Brunali threat to our ships is appreciated, as is your offer of assisting the Borg in tracking down Yifay's ships." He stood up and extended a hand across his desk to shake Leucon's hand. After the men finished shaking hands, Icheb ended the interview, "Goodbye."
Leucon could tell this was all he could expect from Icheb. This was as much as Icheb was willing to do toward reconciling with him. It wasn't much, but it was more than Leucon expected given Icheb's continued efforts to ignore his father. "Thank you for seeing me." Without saying anything else, Leucon left Icheb's office. He was hoping for more interaction with his son, but had to content himself with the brief interview. Realizing it was most likely the last time he would ever see Icheb, he was saddened his actions had built this impenetrable wall between the two men, but he did understand it.