Chapter Fourteen
The more Harry watched the plasma storm rage outside, the more he regretted letting Tom and Chakotay go out into it, not that he could necessarily stop them. He knew it was their only chance to find the Kalrussians, but it was probably one of the most reckless things either man had ever done, which was saying a lot given Tom's penchant for recklessness. Harry paced nervously along the wall of the cave they'd taken refuge in while he waited for the storm to subside so he could go help them.
"How could you let your friends go out into the storm like this?" Henan demanded over the noise of the storm outside as he stood in front of Harry, putting an end to his pacing. He sounded just as annoyed as Harry felt.
"I couldn't stop them," Harry replied. "Both of them are my superiors, I can't exactly give them orders."
"But you still could have talked them out of it," Notaxi pointed out as he joined in the conversation. "I don't know where you guys are from, but around here, we don't run into plasma storms."
"Well I guess that's the difference between us and you. Where we come from, we'll do anything to help other members of our crew, even if it puts our lives in danger." Harry couldn't even begin to count the number of times either someone had put his or her life on the line for him or vice versa. In fact, almost every member of Voyager had done it at least once during the course of this journey home; it was second nature given their situation without Federation support. Movement on the ground caught Harry's attention and immediately cutting off further conversation. He brushed past Henan and Notaxi stiffly to see what Seven wanted.
Seven rolled onto her side and attempted to push herself to a seated position. Her arm shook under the sudden addition of weight, almost immediately giving out from under her. Her head pounded, and her arm screamed in protest.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Harry asked as gently as possible as he knelt down and tried to help her lay down to conserve her depleting energy.
"What's going on?" she inquired. Her voice was soft, making it difficult for him to understand her over the noise outside. In an attempt to hear her better, he tilted his head down closer to her barely moving lips.
"There's a plasma storm so we're back in the caves for a little while. Don't worry, it's just temporary." He paused. "Do you need some water?" She nodded but instantly regretted it. Her hand flew to her head, brushing along her optical implant. The metal burned her skin, and she recoiled her hand. Harry left her side just long enough to get her a small bowl of water. "Here, let me help you sit up." As gently as possible, he maneuvered Seven into a sitting position with his arm locked firmly around her slender waist to support her. There would have been a time where he would have killed to be this close to Seven, but that felt like a lifetime ago. Now, he looked at Seven as a close friend who he was determined to look after until Chakotay returned, hopefully with her mobile regenerator. With one arm locked around Seven's waist and her body braced against his for support, Harry brought the bowl to her lips. She instinctively held on to the bowl as well, although she could barely keep it still. She took several small sips before pushing the bowl away.
"No more," she muttered. Rather than press the issue, Harry put down the bowl. It barely looked like she drank any. Her eyes flitted around the temporary camp. A sudden realization washed over her. "Where's Chakotay?"
"Chakotay? Uhh...he and Tom went deeper in the cave to explore a little bit." The lie came easily to Harry, a little too easily in fact, which unsettled him. He felt bad for lying to her, but if she knew what was really going on, it would cause her to get more stressed and upset, and that could cause her to get even sicker. Seven nodded slightly.
"Make sure they don't get lost."
"They won't," he assured. "Chakotay's a skilled tracker. He'll be back before you know it." He paused for a moment. "Why don't you rest a little bit more so when he comes back you'll be awake?" While she normally didn't like taking orders, resting was exactly what she needed right now. She pushed herself away from Harry so she could lay back down. As carefully as possible, he laid her back down. With the addition of Chakotay's tunic, she had a more substantial pillow to rest her head on, although she was still laying on the ground with minimal supplies to sustain her.
Once Harry settled Seven back down, he could better appreciate her delicate state. He knew her condition was serious, but now he understood that it was incredibly dire. She could barely sit up on her own, he had had to support her completely. Between that, the obvious confusion and the raging fever, he knew time was of the essence. Now Harry could fully understand why Chakotay had run off towards the shuttle in the middle of a plasma storm, it was the only chance they had at rescuing Seven.
Tom and Chakotay didn't need to wait long for someone to appear. One figure stumbled through the wind and debris outside and into the shelter of the shuttle, quickly followed by another. Tom and Chakotay locked eyes, silently communicating when to strike. They laid in wait until one of who they presumed were Kalrussians got close enough. With surprising speed for someone his size, Chakotay was on his feet and had the mysterious alien pinned to the wall of the shuttle with his arm pressed against his neck. It all happened in the blink of an eye, resulting in Tom being a few seconds behind Chakotay. He immediately jumped up and aimed the phaser at the other alien to prevent him from helping his friend.
"Don't move," he ordered over the sound of the wind outside. The shuttle rocked back and forth violently, but nobody seemed to notice. Realizing he was at a disadvantage, the Kalrussian immediately raised his hands in submission. Tom kept his phaser locked on the stranger while he waited for Chakotay to make the next move. Chakotay kept his arm pressed against the Kalrussian's neck, keeping him wedged firmly between the First Officer and the control panel built into the wall.
"Where are the supplies you took from our shuttle?" he demanded.
"I don't know what you're talking about," the Kalrussian stammered, his eyes wide in terror. This had never happened before, they always made sure the crafts they raided were empty.
"Don't lie to me," Chakotay snapped. "We've met some of your victims, we know that you raid shuttles when they come to help you with your bogus distress calls. We need our supplies back." Tom turned to the Kalrussian he had under guard.
"Where are our supplies?" he asked. The Kalrussians exchanged fleeting glances as they tried to figure out what was going on and how to get out of this situation. They never encountered their victims, let alone return supplies.
"We have no idea what you're talking about," the Kalrussion Chakotay had up against the wall stammered nervously as his eyes flitted back and forth as if searching for a way out of this.
"We just came across your shuttle and wanted to make sure everything was alright," the one Tom watched explained. He was a terrible liar.
"Don't lie to us!" Chakotay exclaimed. "We know you lure unsuspecting people here and then take all their supplies. We need them back right away. If you lie to us again, we'll fire." Tom did a double take. He'd never heard Chakotay make a threat like that before. While he had heard him make threats to ships, this was something entirely different, these were two seemingly unarmed individuals.
"Okay, okay, we took your supplies," Chakotay's prisoner admitted. The grip on his neck loosened but only just a little. "But they're gone. Everything's been distributed to our people."
"You don't need your supplies. Look how much you brought with you," the other Kalrussian argued. "Our people have nothing, we need your supplies. It's how we survive."
"That's where you're wrong," Chakotay growled. "You took something that one of our crew members needs. If she doesn't get it, she's going to die."
"I can assure you, we didn't take anything that important."
"Oh no, you just took all our food, water, medical supplies and severely damaged our shuttle," Tom commented sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.
"That includes a mobile regenerator." Chakotay finally released his Kalrussian's neck. He grabbed the alien by the arm and swung him around to stand next to his comrade as he spoke. "And you're going to give it back, immediately." The wind and lightning outside was starting to subside, a sign that the plasma storm was starting to dissipate. The only good thing about the plasma storms here was the fact that they seemed to be short, albeit powerful.
"Mobile regenerator?"
"It's a device about this big, black and hexagonal in shape, and we need it back immediately." As he spoke, Chakotay motioned with his hands the approximate size and shape of the mobile regenerator. The Kalrussians exchanged lingering glances, silently discussing if they had seen such a device.
"I remember it," one of them finally admitted.
"Look, you can keep everything else, we just need the mobile regenerator back. We don't care about anything else you stole from us." Chakotay's tone shifted dramatically. He went from anger to desperation in the blink of an eye. This was the best news he'd heard since getting here.
"We don't give back what we take," one of the Kalrussians stated bluntly. "It goes against the way of our people." The desperation was gone from Chakotay's face. In the blink of an eye, it melted away to pure anger once again.
"Well make an exception!" he exclaimed. "If you don't, someone is going to die."
"It's not that simple." Without warning, Chakotay snatched the phaser out of Tom's hand and aimed it at both Kalrussians.
"Well make it that simple," he growled. His hand shot out, and he grabbed a hold of the shirt of one of the Kalrussians in a vice-like grip. "Because until you do, this man is coming with us." Tom's eyes nearly doubled in size. Never before had he seen Chakotay act like this, even as a Maquis. It was clear that this was a man out of options. It was an act of desperation that went against everything Chakotay usually stood for.
"Commander!" Tom exclaimed in shock. The free Kalrussian took a step towards Chakotay, which caused the First Officer to aim his phaser at the alien. He put his hands up in defeat.
"Okay, okay," he relented. "I think I know where it is. Just let Aritlin go." Chakotay refused to let go of the alien whose name he assumed was Aritlin. This was his only bargaining chip, and he wasn't going to give it up that easily.
"That's not happening. You can have your friend back once we have our mobile regenerator. It's a fair trade. Your friend for what you stole from us." The Kalrussian stopped to think. Chakotay's heart pounded in his chest. If he said no, he didn't have a backup plan, as harming Aritlin would hardly make the other Kalrussian more compliant and went against Chakotay's nature. He was already stepping out of his comfort zone, but he couldn't get Seven's desperate voice out of his head as she pleaded for some sort of reprieve from her suffering. This was his only chance to help her, and he wasn't going to throw away his shot.
"Fine," the Kalrussian relented. Although he agreed, Tom and Chakotay could see in his eyes that he wasn't at all happy. Aritlin looked shocked that his friend would so willingly give him up in an exchange for some pilfered items.
"Syachu!" he objected. "You're just going to leave me with these people?"
"I'll be back tomorrow with this...mobile regenerator." Syachu stumbled over the strange words. Aritlin still looked horrified at the notion of being used as collateral.
"Good, so get going," Chakotay ordered as he motioned towards the rear hatch. He kept his hand clamped down on Aritlin's arm with an iron grip. The last thing he needed was for him to escape. If he did, then there was no chance of ever getting Seven's mobile regenerator back. This was their one and only shot to get her help while waiting for Voyager to return.
Outside the shuttle, the Kalrussian's flyer sat about fifty yards away. It was a sturdy, box-shaped shuttle made to withstand the powerful winds of plasma storms. At first blush, it didn't look like anything fancy, but when Tom got a better look at it, he was surprised by what he saw. The Kalrussians had taken parts from an unknown number of ships from all parts of the quadrant. It was actually an amazing piece of handiwork. These beings had to be incredibly skilled engineers to make systems from so many different alien ships all work together in perfect unison. Had it been a far more appropriate time, Tom would have loved to sit down with the Kalrussians and ask how they managed to do it. Grafting together the random parts from a wide range of sources was something they did on Voyager, although he felt that the Kalrussians were far better at it. Right now, they were the enemy, the people who were the reason for Seven's current condition.
As they walked back to camp, Aritlin tried to jerk his arm free from Chakotay's grip, but the First Officer dug his fingers into the alien's arm, preventing him from escaping. A few hundred meters away was a small, box-like shuttle. It was hardly anything impressive, but it appeared to be able to withstand plasma storms. Unable to resist, Tom pulled out his tricorder and scanned the strange shuttle from a distance. Sure enough, the shuttle didn't appear on his tricorder. If he didn't see it in front of him, he wouldn't believe it. He made a mental note to tell Chakotay about it later. Right now, he was clearly distracted.
"We'll meet you back here at the same time tomorrow," Chakotay informed Syachu as the strange alien started to return to his shuttle.
"I'll be here," Syachu assured with a curt nod.
"With the mobile regenerator?"
"With the mobile regenerator." Chakotay still had some doubts, but this was their only chance at helping Seven right now. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain. As he watched Syachu disappear into a door that slid open on the side of the shuttle, he couldn't help but feel hopeful. He silently prayed that at this time tomorrow, Seven would be regenerating, and her suffering would be over.
Once the plasma storm passed, Harry moved Seven closer to the mouth of the cave with the help of Notaxi. He hoped that the fresh air would do her some good, although he knew it was probably an exercise in futility. She didn't need fresh air, she needed to regenerate. Henan swung his bag over his shoulder.
"I'm going to find something to help with your friend's fever," he announced. "I should be back in about an hour."
"Thank you."
"Just keep her hydrated and when she wakes up, try to get her to talk as much as possible to keep her mind working." Harry nodded. For some reason, it surprised him that Henan and Notaxi were so willing to help them, although he knew the Captain would do the same for anyone they encountered who needed help. Unfortunately, it was the Captain's willingness to always help others that got them in this situation to begin with; had they just minded their own business, they would be back on Voyager, and Seven would be perfectly fine.
Having been so wrapped up in taking care of Seven, Harry didn't notice the mysterious shuttlecraft right next to their shuttle in the distance. It wasn't until the flyer took off, hovering no more than fifty feet above the ground as it scurried across the planet's surface, that he noticed it at all.
"What the hell?" he asked no one in particular as he got to his feet and took a few steps towards the shuttle. The only logical explanation he could think of was that it belonged to the mysterious Kalrussians. He took the shuttle's appearance as a good sign, that things were going as planned for Tom and Chakotay. No sooner had the mysterious shuttle departed did three figures appear in the distance. Harry immediately recognized two as Tom and Chakotay, but he couldn't figure out who the third one was. In an attempt to see better, he shielded his eyes against the sun, but it didn't do any good. All he could do was wait and see. He stood at the edge of camp, rooted to the spot with curiosity as the trio made the slow journey in the dying heat back to camp.
The entire way back to camp, Chakotay kept his hand firmly on Aritlin's arm. If the Kalrussian escaped, Chakotay knew all bets were off. He also knew that the Kalrussian knew the environment far better than anyone else in their motley crew, and it would be nearly impossible to track him down in this unfamiliar terrain. As they walked, Chakotay could sense Tom's uneasiness about how the situation had gone. Chakotay felt the same way, although he did his best to mask his emotions. He'd been the one to make the decision to bring Aritlin along, so he had to appear to be comfortable with his decision, even if he wasn't. He wondered if Kathryn would have done the same thing. He'd seen her take some pretty extreme measures to ensure the safety of her crew, but this was crossing the line. He'd essentially taken a hostage, all because his emotions got the best of him. Perhaps he should have tried to negotiate more with the Kalrussians before jumping right into anger and hostility. Today he knew he hadn't acted like a Starfleet officer but rather a Maquis, and now he had to live with the consequences of his actions.
As Tom and Chakotay got closer, Harry and Notaxi were able to get a better look at the third figure. It stood about a head shorter than the two men with a stocky build. From a distance, it looked almost human, but when he got closer, Harry saw that it clearly wasn't. It had long earlobes that were attached to his neck, tapering off until it disappeared. Its nose was upturned slightly at the end and faint brown swirls littered its tanned skin.
"Commander?" Harry greeted in confusion as the threesome finally returned to camp.
"How's Seven?" Chakotay asked as if he hadn't brought a stranger back to camp with them.
"She's resting. She woke up briefly during the storm and asked for you. I told her that you were exploring the caves; I didn't want her to worry." He nodded. Telling her the truth definitely would have caused her to grow agitated, which was a waste of her precious energy.
"Has she eaten anything?"
"She drank a little bit of water. Henan went to go get that root to help with her fever. Hopefully that will help with her appetite also."
"Thanks." Chakotay disappeared into the cave to check on Seven, leaving everyone else outside. Still unsure what was going on, Harry turned to Tom.
"Who's this?" he asked as he nodded towards the stranger who stood uncomfortably at the edge of the camp.
"This is Aritlin," Tom replied. "He's one of the Kalrussians who stole Seven's mobile regenerator. He'll be joining us until his friend comes back with the regenerator." He motioned towards the mouth of the cave, indicating the Kalrussian should take a seat and wait for further directions. Wide-eyed, Harry spun around to face Tom.
"A prisoner?" he hissed angrily. "Has Chakotay lost his mind?" Tom pulled Harry off to the side so he could talk to his friend in private.
"I've never seen him like that before in my life," he admitted. He made sure to keep his voice low so nobody else would hear him. "He was furious. Usually he's so calm when it comes to first contact and by the book, but he was wild and unpredictable."
"Maybe it was because it's Seven who's sick," Harry suggested. Tom shrugged. He thought about how he's reacted when B'Elanna's been sick or injured, and it's equally unpredictable and irrational. When you're First Officer, however, there was a different standard, a standard that Chakotay apparently had thrown out the airlock.
"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it went against every Starfleet edict about first contact." Chakotay emerged from the cave. Although they were several meters away from the mouth of the cave, Tom and Harry still cut the conversation short out of fear of him hearing them. This was something they would need to continue to discuss in private.
Once as settled as possible at the makeshift camp, Aritlin got a closer look at Henan and Notaxi. Although he couldn't figure out where, he felt that he had seen them before. It was a ridiculous notion really, his people almost never interacted with those they had lured to their planet. In fact, it was so strictly enforced that it was practically law, although nothing was ever formally put in place. Without even realizing it, Aritlin openly stared at the Ighanians. As ridiculous as it sounded, he knew he had seen them somewhere.
Sensing Aritlin's gaze, Henan glared at him and demanded, "What are you looking at?" Aritlin immediately averted his eyes.
"Nothing," he muttered. He didn't need to keep staring to confirm what he already knew. He had definitely seen the two aliens at his settlement. It had been many months ago, but he was certain that he had. He just couldn't remember why.
As the sun began to slip below the horizon, Henan finally returned from his exploration. The bag slung over his shoulder bulged with his hoard from the day. Based on the size of the usually flat bag, it could be assumed that he was very successful. When he saw Aritlin, Henan did a double take and looked to Notaxi for an answer.
"This is one of the Kalrussians who raided their shuttle," the Ighanian explained. "He'll be staying with us until his friend returns tomorrow with Seven's mobile regenerator." Henan crouched down in front of Aritlin to get a better look at him. They'd lived in constant fear of the Kalrussians and what they could do to them, but when he got a better look at the species, he realized that there wasn't anything to be afraid of. In fact, they looked quite pathetic. Aritlin's eyes constantly flitted across the camp, taking in his surroundings and trying to figure out what to do next. Henan had always expected someone cold hearted, as he figured you would need to be heartless to lure people here and strand them while you took all their supplies. Instead, he was face to face with a meek, almost pathetic looking being.
"This is it?" he sneered. "They don't look very frightening to me." Everyone agreed with Henan. The Kalrussians were hardly imposing figures. Harry figured that the Ighanians had probably made them seem like the monster under the bed and psyched themselves out over the fear of the unknown. In all honesty, the Kalrussians weren't anyone to be afraid of.
"Even so, we're not letting him go anywhere," Chakotay announced as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "He's our only guarantee to get the mobile regenerator back." Henan got to his feet.
"I found the root to help Seven," he stated as he dug through his bag and produced a handful of thin, stringy roots still littered with dirt. Chakotay felt relieved. Between their encounter with the Kalrussians and this news, he felt that they were finally catching a break.
"What do you need me to do?" he asked.
"Nothing. I can take care of it from here."
"Thank you." Henan nodded sympathetically. He could see in Chakotay's eyes that he was running out of options and desperate for anything that could potentially help Seven's current condition.
Voices swirled around Seven's head, muddling her already scattered thoughts. She felt someone try to lift her body up, so she groaned and attempted to push them away in protest. The voices grew louder and clearer. At first, they were distant and unintelligible. Now, they were starting to take form and become recognizable. At least some of them were.
"Okay, sit her up." Her body flopped over before being gently guided backwards against someone's strong frame. Her eyes opened slightly.
"What's going on?" she asked weakly as she tried to look around and get her bearings. Everything in front of her was a blur. Her optical implant was malfunctioning and making it difficult to focus on anything for longer than a few seconds before it went out of focus. Her usually sharp eyesight was failing rapidly.
"We have something that'll help with your fever." Chakotay's voice rumbled, sending shockwaves through her. "Open your mouth." Seven tried to comply, but she could barely open her mouth. "Just a little bit more." His fingers brushed against her sensitive skin as he pried open her mouth. Seven whipped her head back and forth in protest and began to shiver. His fingers felt like ice.
"Too cold," she muttered. "Too cold."
"I know, but it's only for a moment." As much as it pained him, Chakotay ignored her protests. He managed to hold her still and open her mouth just enough for Henan to pour the warm mixture he'd brewed from the roots down her throat. Almost immediately, Seven sputtered. She pushed herself away from Chakotay and began to gag. To better support her fragile frame, he wrapped an arm around her. She could feel heat radiating from her body through her bodysuit, which was covered with sweat. With his free hand, he pulled her hair back from her face as he attempted to comfort her.
From the other side of the camp, Aritlin watched as Chakotay and Henan tried in vain to get Seven to drink the concoction. His brows furrowed in curiosity and concern. Never before had he thought about the repercussions of his people's actions. It was merely how they survived on such an inhospitable planet: they lored people here and stole their belongings. It had been that was for so long that it was simply second nature to them. Never before had he seen the consequences or even thought about them, he had always been more concerned with providing for his people. As far as he knew, the people they took from almost always made it back home in one piece and with minimal harm done to them, although they might struggle to survive for a few days until they were rescued. Apparently he was wrong. He wondered if everyone they took supplies from suffered this much and if his people knew about these negative consequences.
Harry sat down next to Aritlin and handed him a small bowl filled with soup. Aritlin took the bowl but kept his eyes locked on Seven as Chakotay attempted to comfort her through another fever-induced outburst as he attempted to get her to drink some of the medicine prepared for her.
"What's wrong with her?" he asked as he nodded in her general direction.
"She needs to regenerate," Harry replied grimly. Aritlin still looked confused. "Seven's a former Borg. Our Doctor managed to remove most of the Borg implants from her body, but she still needs to regenerate. You stole her mobile regenerator, and without it, she's going to die." Aritlin's heart fluttered at the prospect of being the one responsible for this woman's demise. He knew that the situation was serious, but not that serious.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "What we were doing was harmless. We never hurt anyone. We never mean to cause anyone any harm."
"Well you should have thought about that before you put out false distress calls," Tom snapped as he walked by the pair with his own bowl of soup in his hands. While Harry might be getting all chummy with the Kalrussian, Tom refused to do so. He was the reason they were stranded here, and he was the root of most of the suffering and hardship the away party had endured. If it wasn't for him, they'd be on Voyager without any problems, having never come here in the first place.
Chakotay carefully lowered Seven to the ground and rolled her onto her back. The coughing and gagging had drained her of what little energy she had. He smoothed her hair back from her face and pressed the back of her hand against her cheek. The front of her bodysuit was covered with a combination of sweat and the medicine from Henan. It was difficult to tell how much of it she'd actually consumed. One could only hope that it was enough to make a difference and help lower her fever.
"How long until we know if it worked?" Chakotay asked.
"It's hard to tell. If it works, her fever should be lower in about an hour, but I can't be certain how much she actually consumed." Chakotay certainly hoped it would work. Even if her fever only went down by a few degrees, it could make all the difference as they waited for Syachu to return with her mobile regenerator tomorrow. It was going to be a long hour to wait. Although his task was completed, Henan lingered by Chakotay's side. "Do you mind if I ask a question?"
"No, go ahead," Chakotay replied as he sat next to Seven's head. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, although he was convinced that she was too far gone at the moment to feel him but it gave him a sense of comfort doing it.
"How did you end up with a Borg as a member of your crew?" The question didn't surprise him at all. What did surprise him was the fact that it had taken so long for either Henan or Notaxi to ask it. It was a perfectly reasonable question, especially given the infamy of the Borg all across the galaxy.
"We attempted to cross Borg territory, and we discovered that there were these aliens who could actually destroy the Borg and anyone else they encountered. We found a way to stop them and thought we could work out some sort of alliance with the Borg: that information for safe passage across their territory." Henan raised an eyebrow.
"An alliance with the Borg?" he asked. He almost sounded amused by the notion. Now that he said it aloud, Chakotay realized how ridiculous it sounded to outsiders, although he found it equally ludicrous at the time. It had been one of a few times where he and the Captain had outright disagreed with each other this much about an issue.
"My Captain was desperate. I thought it was a terrible idea, but we found a way to make it work. My Captain and another crewman stayed on a Borg Cube, but it was attacked by the other aliens. They transported to our ship. All but Seven were killed in a battle."
"So she was still a part of the Collective?" Chakotay nodded.
"We found a way to sever her tie with the Collective, and she's been a member of our crew ever since." Henan found the tale fascinating. He knew many who had been assimilated by the Borg over the years, and he always thought that they were gone for good. With this new information, however, he learned that he was wrong. It was possible to take someone who had been assimilated and return them to their previous state.
"Is she the only Borg on your ship?"
"We have one other, Icheb. We had four children too, but they were sent back to their homeworld. Seven and Icheb are the only ones with us now."
"So you've been successful at unassimilating several drones," Henan pressed eagerly.
"It's not that easy, and they're not fully back to their old lives. They'll always need to regenerate and always have to fight with their call to the Collective. If we get close to a Borg Cube, they can hear the Collective." Henan was still working on processing the information. As far as he was concerned, this was a way to put an end to the Borg and their destruction across the quadrant.
Further conversation about the Borg was cut off by Seven shifting uncomfortably and muttering under her breath. Chakotay immediately leapt into action, hovering over her and smoothing down her hair tenderly.
"I'm right here, muñeca," he murmured. Despite his best attempts, she continued to grow more agitated, even going so far as to push his hand away in protest.
"No, no," she muttered in a clearer voice. "Stop it, no!" Sensing something was wrong, Tom rushed to Chakotay's side with the tricorder out.
"What's going on?" Henan asked.
"She's having another delusion," Tom responded. He carefully lifted each of Seven's eyelids. Her glazed over eyes whipped around without focusing on anything in particular.
"Get off me!" Seven cried. For someone so weak with fever, she was surprisingly strong as she pushed Tom and Chakotay away. "Mama! Papa! Where are my parents? Let me go!" Horror flashed across Chakotay's face as he realized what was going on. Of all the delusions she could suffer through, it had be something traumatic like this.
"Seven, you're safe," he assured as he grabbed her shoulders with desperation. "There aren't any Borg here, you're safe. I'm right here, and I'm going to protect you, muñeca. Listen to my voice." Seven continued to thrash violently against Chakotay as he attempted to comfort her. He would do anything to stop the delusions, especially this one. Nobody ever deserved to relive their assimilation twice, especially not Seven. She'd been ripped from her parents, never to be a family again. Her delusions were becoming worse, and Chakotay feared that it was only a matter of time until her delusions completely consumed her.
From the other end of camp, Harry watched as Chakotay and Tom attempted to calm Seven down. She certainly put up one hell of a fight against the two men as she pushed and fought them off. Had the situation not been so serious, Harry would have found it almost amusing. Tom and Chakotay were both highly skilled in hand to hand combat, yet sickly Seven of Nine was giving them a run for their money. He looked over at Aritlin, who looked equally shocked at the events transpiring in front of them.
"Still think you never hurt anyone?" he asked grimly. Aritlin was stunned into silence by what he was seeing. In order to distract himself, he took a small sip of his soup, although it sat like a pile of rocks in his stomach, making him feel nauseous.
Drained of energy again, Seven stopped fighting against Chakotay and Tom and collapsed. Her chest heaved with exertion. Both men were on edge, ready at a moment's notice for her to start up again. After a few minutes, they began to relax as well. Now that she was lying still, Tom was able to scan Seven properly.
"Her fever is down to a hundred and four," he observed. One degree was hardly something to celebrate. It could just be a fluke. Chakotay had been hoping for far better results from the medicine.
"I'm more concerned about these delusions," he stated. "They can do some real damage to a person's psyche."
"We just have to get through the next hour or so to see if the medicine worked," Henan assured.
"That's a big if," Chakotay commented darkly. After Seven's latest outburst, he had serious doubts that Henan's magical root would do anything to help her deteriorating condition, but it was the only hope he had until Syachu returned tomorrow with the mobile regenerator. "Where's more of that root? That might help." Tom didn't need to be told twice. He immediately scrambled to his feet and searched for the root.
As Tom carried another bowl of medicine back to Chakotay, Aritlin got to his feet to get a better look. From a distance, he watched as Chakotay carefully held Seven against his chest and desperately tried to coax some of the liquid past her cracked lips. The majority of the liquid dribbled down her chest and across her chest, but some of it thankfully made it into her mouth. Aritlin recognized the liquid immediately; he'd taken it a few times over the years, and it definitely did it's job quickly and efficiently, they should be seeing the results of the medicine within a few minutes.
As darkness began to settle over the camp, its members began to bed down for the night. Despite the fact that he looked dead on his feet, Chakotay refused to lay down as he sat vigil next to Seven. It looked like the man hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in days. Tom crouched down next to him.
"Commander, you need to sleep," he pleaded with desperation.
"I'm fine," Chakotay insisted.
"No you're not," Tom argued. The defiance caught Chakotay off guard. Tom was known to argue with authority in the past, but parenthood had softened him, made him more likely to listen to his superiors. "You look like the walking dead. I know you've barely slept since we got here. Harry and I will watch Seven and Aritlin. You need to get some rest."
"I'll rest when we get back to Voyager." Tom rolled his eyes. He knew that that wasn't going to happen. Chakotay worked twice as hard as every other crew member, with the exception of the Captain of course, and never took time to himself; he was fiathfully dedicated to Voyager and her crew.
"You'll be no good helping Seven if you wear yourself out. Just rest for a few hours. I promise you, I'll wake you if anything happens." The First Officer still looked reluctant to agree. While he didn't intend for it to be a commentary on Tom's ability to keep an eye on Seven, he would feel much more comfortable if he was the one watching her. Besides, Tom had already done so much to watch over Seven since they got here, it was only fair that he return the favor by watching over her himself. "It'll just be for a few hours. Harry and I can take care of things here." Chakotay smoothed Seven's hair back from her face.
"You'll wake me at the first sign of something going wrong?" he asked skeptically.
"Scout's honor." To make his point, Tom held up his right hand, causing Chakotay to crack the faintest hint of a smile, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone
"Okay, I'm putting you in charge then." Tom eyed the small camp and kept his sarcastic comment to himself. There wasn't a whole lot for him to be in charge of: one Ensign, two aliens who were helping them and one alien prisoner.
"Aye Commander," he agreed. Chakotay continued to eye Seven, unsure where he should rest. Tom could see him trying to figure it out while he over-analyzed every small detail.
"Look, I'm not saying you need to go far. You can lay down with her, nobody will judge you." The faintest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of the First Officer's lips as he let out a sigh.
"No, it's just a conversation Seven and I had our first night here. She was trying to figure out the best sleeping arrangement in the tents that wouldn't arouse your suspicions and would keep everyone happy." Tom couldn't help but smile a little as well. That didn't surprise him at all, she was always so analytical.
"Well, things have changed now, and you need to get some rest before we're looking after you also." Deep down inside, Chakotay knew he was right. He needed to get some rest. He stretched out alongside Seven and wrapped his arm loosely around her waist. She didn't budge. He didn't wrap his arm around her for comfort, but he wanted to feel her near him, just in case anything went wrong while he slept. Satisfied, Tom left the couple alone to sleep in peace, giving them just enough distance to feel like they had privacy but close enough to help Seven if something were to go wrong.
The fire slowly began to die down, gradually plunging the small camp into darkness as everyone settled down for a night of sleeping under the stars. Harry had to admit that the sleeping arrangements were growing on him, and he could appreciate why Chakotay enjoyed the desert so much. On the other hand, he wanted nothing more than to crawl into his nice, comfortable bed and get a good night's sleep without rocks pressing into his aching joints. If anything, this away mission made him appreciate Voyager that much more. He missed the routine, the familiar faces and even leola root, which he never thought he'd ever miss. After this away mission, he'd never take anything on Voyager for granted again.
Satisfied that Chakotay was finally resting, Tom sat down next to Harry and tossed a few extra sticks on the fire to keep it burning for a little while longer. Both men glanced over at their First Officer. They could barely make out his form in the shadows as he curled his body protectively around Seven, both to sense if something were to go wrong and to protect her from anything that may befall them. They could see the faint glimmer of Seven's optical implant as she slept nestled against Chakotay. She seemed to have calmed down significantly when he laid down next to her, which they took as a good sign.
"How's she doing?" Harry asked softly.
"Not good," Tom replied honestly. There was no way he could beat around the bush, anyone with eyes could see that Seven's health was poor. "The medicine from Henan didn't help, and her fever is still dangerously high. Her delusions are getting worse too. I have no idea what to do."
"Is there anything you can do?" He shook his head.
"Not until they come back with the mobile regenerator. With any luck, by this time tomorrow, this will all be behind us." Harry shared Tom's cautious optimism. Tom cracked a small smile, though Harry couldn't figure out what in the world could be so funny right now.
"What?"
"I just realized something. Tomorrow we're supposed to rendezvous with Voyager."
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed chapter 14! Make sure you leave a review and check out my other fic: Adjustment Period, which is another Chakotay/Seven fic that is very different from this one.