=/\=
Icheb was extremely curious about how the Doctor's hearing was going, but Seven had been reluctant to tell him any details. "All communications through Project Watson are considered privileged, and I am not to speak of them to any outsider without permission," she'd said, when Icheb asked her to tell him about it. "I am present only to monitor the equipment. In a way, I am the equivalent of the 'Vortex's' EMH, after he was eviscerated of his personality subroutines." Icheb had to smile at this image. As far as he was concerned, Seven's personality was indelible.
That didn't mean Seven was unaffected by her limited status as Just Another Piece of Project Watson's Technology, as she claimed. Without providing any specific descriptions of any of the interactions she'd viewed, Seven conveyed to Icheb that she now understood how important these meetings were to the crew and, especially, to those in the Alpha Quadrant. They were finally having the chance to communicate directly with family members they once had mourned, thinking them dead and gone forever. As a result, as she confided to Icheb one morning, she planned to offer the chip assigned to her to one of their crewmates. His own communication window had been truncated when technical difficulties cropped up halfway through his session with his parents. She was certain this person would benefit more from using her chip than she would.
However, when Seven returned to Borg Central that afternoon, Icheb noticed she still held the isolinear chip in her hand. "Didn't you find Harry?" Icheb asked her.
"I did," she replied quietly.
"Isn't he going to call his mother again to wish her a happy birthday?"
Seven was silent for a moment. "He said he didn't want my chip. He 'overreacted' when his scheduled transmission was cut short. He believes I should use it myself."
"Both of your parents have been assimilated."
She stood still for a moment, with a pensive expression on her face. She finally said, "Ensign Kim reminded me that just because I can no longer communicate with my parents, that doesn't mean I have no family in the Alpha Quadrant. My father has a sister on Earth."
"Will you call her?"
"I don't know. I believe I met Aunt Irene once, when I was a little girl. I'm not sure. She may have forgotten me."
Icheb smiled slightly. "I'm sure she hasn't. You should use the chip to speak with her."
Seven fingered the chip absently and asked Icheb, "Do you wish to be with me if I do?"
Icheb considered the question. "Perhaps it would be best if you spoke to her by yourself the first time. If it goes well, you can tell her about me. I can always meet her next time."
It was strange to see Seven so unsure of herself as she contemplated her response. Eventually, she nodded her head. "That is logical. We expect one more day of testimony in the hearing concerning the Doctor's complaint. Until that is over, I will not have the opportunity to contact my aunt."
Despite her phrasing, Icheb thought Seven was still unsure about what course she should take. She was continuing to turn the chip over and over in her right hand, the one without any implants marking her as Borg. Then she suddenly turned away from him and mounted the platform to her regeneration cubicle. Clearly, their discussion was over. She would make up her own mind, without any further consultation with Icheb.
=/\=
Two days later, Seven informed Icheb that she intended to use her chip to speak with her aunt. After Seven returned to Borg Central, Icheb asked, "Did your conversation with your Aunt Irene go well?"
"It was an interesting interchange. I thought I recalled meeting her once, and she said that I did - more than once. I never remembered actually being on Earth, but she told me she cared for me when I was six years old, while my parents were away for a weekend."
"You were a perfect child, I'm sure," Icheb said, smiling.
"I was not," she said, in a stern tone of voice but with a bemused light in her eyes. "When my parents left me with her for a weekend, I was very angry. I locked myself in her bathroom. The only way she could get me out was to offer me a strawberry tart. She said I was the most stubborn child she'd ever met."
Icheb was taken aback. "So your conversation with your aunt didn't go well?"
"On the contrary, when my three minutes were up, I wished my time could last a little longer. I would have liked to hear more about my life before I became Borg. You know I love to eat strawberries . . ." At Icheb's nod, she continued, "I loved them as a child, too. But Aunt Irene said I would only eat the most perfect ones." A tender smile crossed her lips. "Apparently I cannot blame the Borg for my insistence on having my own way, or my perfectionism. I possessed both traits from early childhood."
Icheb chuckled at her observation. It must be true. While Icheb always sought to perform his tasks as perfectly as possible, he was nowhere near as single-minded as Seven in that regard. No one had ever accused him of being "stubborn," either, other than Seven herself; and that was only when he virtually forced her to accept his cortical node when hers was failing.
"Did you have an opportunity to tell your aunt about me?"
"I did. She said she was sorry you weren't available today. She's looking forward to meeting you during our next conversation."
"I'm looking forward to meeting her, too. It will be nice to have an aunt."
"A great aunt," the perfectionist Seven corrected.
"I'm sure she is great," Icheb answered, as they both smiled warmly at his very small joke. As he turned away to go to his computer console to work on a paper for Commander Tuvok, Icheb realized he really did look forward to meeting another member of his family. There were so few, and one of the most precious was far away from him now, and getting farther away by the minute.
=/\=
Stardate 54744.8 Personal Log Entry, Cadet Icheb
The Arbitrator announced his decision today. While the captain and the Doctor had hoped for the EMH to receive the designation of a person under the law, this did not happen. Since the Arbitrator said the scope of this hearing was relatively narrow, he was not prepared to go that far. He indicated, however, that the issue of holographic rights wasn't going away, and he expects there will be further hearings and decisions in the future to clarify the issue.
However, the Doctor didn't actually lose his case. The Arbitrator conferred the legal definition of "artist" upon the Doctor, which gives him the right to control his own work. Broht was ordered to recall all copies of "Photons Be Free" from distribution immediately.
There will be no revised holonovel distributed by Broht and Forrester. Broht was very upset by the Arbitrator's decision and will not publish the new version. I hope he obeys the Arbitrator's decree and recalls all of the ones already playing in holosuites. From the devious way he acted towards the Doctor, I would not trust him to do this.
The Doctor may have lost Broht's services, but he's going to revise his creation anyway and look for a new publisher. The controversy may even make others more interested, since the hearing was covered by news providers. Tom offered to provide a "second pair of eyes" on the new version of "Photons Be Free." The Doctor will return the favor by assisting Tom in preparing his "Captain Proton" adventure series for submission to publishers.
When I heard about this decision, I congratulated the Doctor and wished him well. The Doctor said he still planned on having a Bolian chef's assistant that looked a lot like me in his revision, but he promised that he wouldn't be dirty or "skanky." I told the Doctor I would appreciate that change very much. (Tom told him I was upset about "Bechi's" terrible hygiene, and I think he must have used the word "skanky." I had to look up the term after the Doctor spoke to me.)
Nevertheless, I will withhold judgment about the success of the revision until after I see the new version of me.
=/\=