=/\=

There wasn't any official word from the captain to the crew. That sort of announcement would have appeared in the official logs, and despite ample evidence otherwise, beginning with Captain Kirk's Enterprise and continuing to the present day, time travel was supposed to be impossible. Four years before, Voyager itself had traveled back to the twentieth century and obtained 25th century technology in the form of the Doctor's mobile emitter, irrefutable evidence that it was feasible. But, in the form of "scuttlebutt" passed by word of mouth to every person who resided on Voyager (with the exception of Aimee Gilmore and Miral Paris, who were too young to let anything slip), everyone was ordered not to say anything at all about Admiral Janeway's sojourn on Voyager. The captain would report everything she felt was required to reveal during her debriefings with "the brass." Everyone else was to say absolutely nothing. If pressed, the staff could say the information was classified, and the interrogator was to go to the captain for an explanation.

They'd burst out of the hub so close to Earth, they could have reached orbit in hours, but the captain reduced their speed to less than a quarter impulse, to give everyone a couple of days to absorb everything that had occurred. There were a few visitors to the ship, however. Admiral Paris and Lieutenant Reginald Barclay arrived the morning after the arrival, along with a small contingent of Starfleet staff. They had come to begin debriefing the crew. Icheb noticed they seemed to be starting with Voyager's assigned Starfleet personnel. Admiral Paris wasn't taking any part in this activity, however. He was on a much more personal mission.

The admiral came to welcome his son back home and meet his daughter-in-law and new granddaughter in person. Although the only ones who knew for certain what Tom and his father said to each other were those in the Paris-Torres family quarters at the time, when Icheb passed Tom in the corridor later that day, the helmsman's smile was so radiant, Icheb was certain it had been a very happy reunion.

Lieutenant Barclay came to Astrometrics while Icheb was on duty there, bouncing in on his first "real life" tour of Voyager. This "Reg" knew exactly who Icheb was. They spent over a half hour discussing the neutrino emissions detector, Icheb's invention. Reg knew the device had led Voyager to the place where all of the wormholes were located, but he didn't seem to know about the Trans-Warp Hub yet. If he did, he kept it to himself. Icheb thought the main reason for this visit, other than the obvious one (to walk through the corridors of the ship he'd dreamed about for years) was to see if Icheb would let anything slip about the journey home. Icheb had been Borg. He knew how to keep his own counsel, especially since specific orders to do so had been transmitted to him from the captain.

That evening, when Icheb went to the quarters he still shared with Ensign Bristow, he found a message from Lieutenant Torres on the computer console, thanking him for his work in Engineering. She'd spoken to Chapman. "He has nothing but praise for you, 'Cadet Icheb.' We're asking Captain Janeway to confer a special commendation because of your 'extremely valuable contribution to Voyager's successful return to the Alpha Quadrant.'" Icheb noted she didn't give any further specifics in writing. She closed her message by inviting him to come by and visit the Paris-Torres quarters "any time."

This message was very gratifying (although Icheb decided that if he was going to visit the family in their quarters, he would take "any time" to mean "any time after calling ahead first"). Icheb thought he might visit the family again and was about to contact them when he was struck by a new question. Perhaps the Doctor could answer this one better than the new parents could. A visit to Sickbay was indicated.

=/\=

Sickbay was silent and empty when Icheb entered, until the EMH shimmered into existence. "Please state the nature of . . . oh, Icheb. It's you. You're not suffering from a medical problem, are you?" Icheb thought it was sad that the Doctor actually sounded a little eager when he asked this, as if he wanted something to do.

"No, Doctor. I'm fine. I just had a question for you. Where was Miral born? Is she like Aimee Gilmore, Naomi, and Icheb and me? Was she born in the Delta Quadrant? Or was she born in the Alpha Quadrant?"

"That's a very good question, Icheb, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to answer it. The only entry necessary for the birth certification is that she was born 'on USS Voyager.' Since her parents are both citizens of the Federation, she is also."

"Don't Tom and B'Elanna want to know?"

"They were much more interested in the fact she was a beautiful and healthy little girl. Her place of birth is an academic question. If someone in the Federation wants to know that, they'll need to peruse the ship's logs and take note of the time Voyager crossed the boundary between the quadrants. That is, if they can even determine where that is. Considering our 'route' back to this quadrant was rather unconventional, the 'border' may be impossible to identify. It's not likely anyone really needs to know. Miral is a citizen of the Federation no matter where the ship was located when she was born."

"I guess that's true."

"Do you want more Delta Quadrant-born cohorts, Icheb?"

Icheb considered the question seriously. Did it really matter that much to him? Maybe it did, even if it didn't matter to Miral. "Perhaps I'm curious because I'm unsure of my own status."

"I'm sure you're considered a citizen, too."

"I don't think so - not until Seven adopts me. When she does, I guess I'll be a citizen because she is, but I'm not sure if I will be until then."

"I never considered there would be any question about your situation, Icheb. Of course, Marla Gilmore is adopting Aimee, and Naomi is also the child of two Federation citizens. There will be no uncertainty with either of them. It isn't a very comfortable feeling, to be uncertain of your future, is it?"

It suddenly occurred to Icheb that the Doctor also faced uncertainty because of Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant. The EMH could face new challenges, too. "Are you worried about your status as a citizen, too, Doctor?"

The EMH snorted, "Citizen! I haven't been granted the privilege of personhood as of yet. All the hearing concerning my kerfuffle with Broht established was that I was an 'artist' and could control my own works. Until a court of law unequivocally declares sentient photonics as people, I need to worry about my very existence as an independent being."

"Surely not! You have your mobile emitter. You aren't tied to Voyager's Sickbay, like you were when you were first activated."

"A piece of technology. That's all I was to the Dinaali and the Dralian trader, Gar. I was a commodity, to be bought and sold."

"I know it's ancient history now, Doctor, but people were also treated as commodities to be bought and sold centuries ago," Icheb gently reminded him.

The Doctor, who had been circling his Sickbay as he expounded upon his fate, stopped and stared at Icheb. In a more moderated tone of vocal subroutine, he said, "You're quite right, Icheb. I hadn't considered that. I hope it doesn't take a war for photonics to achieve permanent status as beings worthy of existence - as we saw in the Delta Quadrant - and which we also know from Alpha Quadrant history. It will take official recognition by the passage of laws or court determinations before I will rest easy about my future."

"You're just the photonic being qualified to push for that," Icheb stated with a smile.

"Thank you for your confidence in me. You may be assured I'm going to insist upon my right to do so once we arrive on Earth." The EMH smiled back at Icheb. "I wouldn't worry about your own status, Icheb. I have no doubt Captain Janeway will insist upon citizenship for you, even before Seven finishes your adoption. You've earned a place in the Federation by your actions. ALL your actions, even those we aren't supposed to talk about."

The Doctor knew about Admiral Janeway's use of the serum he'd developed, of course, since it had been done under the EMH's supervision. Nodding his head to acknowledge he'd caught the Doctor's hidden meaning, he replied, "Thank you for this very interesting discussion, Doctor. I think it's time I go. With everything that's been going on, I'm tired. I think I'll go to my quarters and crawl into my bunk to sleep. Oh, and thanks for suggesting that, Doctor. I find I actually prefer resting in a bed now."

"Excellent, Icheb. If we're done here, perhaps I'll see if any holodeck time is available this evening. Mr. Paris isn't free, of course, but I believe Ensign Wildman or Crewman Lessing may be willing to cover Sickbay for a few hours."

Thinking that Noah probably would be willing to do almost anything to divert him from mulling over his own uncertain future, Icheb said good-bye to the EMH.

As he walked back to his quarters, Icheb thought about his newly-discovered preferred manner of sleeping. I'm not a Borg anymore. I wonder if any are left?

That was something no one knew yet.

=/\=