Reunited with a Promotion
With the Titan having returned to Earth a week earlier, and the Borg finally gone (for good, she hoped), Seven knew that there wouldn't be much time to deal with the rest of the crew before she was either thrown into the brig or thrown out of Starfleet.
She had spent a good portion of her time consoling Ensign La Forge – No, Sidney; they had gone through too much to simply be Ensign and Commander, and she had grown to admire and adore the young woman – and helping her to come to terms with everything that had happened.
Counsellor Troi was speaking to the crew as they remained in Earth orbit, whilst Starfleet was busy dealing with the fallout of the destruction of Spacedock, and the lives lost. Seven still couldn't believe how many people had died that day.
Thirty three thousand, five hundred and seventy four dead from Spacedock alone. The fact that practically all the civilians aboard were evacuated was a testament to the bravery of the Starfleet Officers who had been aboard, fighting to protect the innocent. Picard had told her that he would make sure every one of those officers who died, every single person, would be remembered and honoured, especially those who had been assimilated.
Dammit, where had Jurati and her Borg Cooperative been? After the wormhole incident before, Jurati/the alternative Borg Queen, had explained they were renaming themselves a Borg Cooperative, since they didn't want to be the collective anymore. But they had been on the other side of that damned wormhole, unable to communicate.
Jurati had returned, after being summoned by Starfleet, and was helping to ensure that the fleet recovered, and sharing technology to help remove the nanoprobes, by working with Doctor Crusher and the transporter technicians.
It had been a long week for Seven, but she was handling the Titan and the clean up, as best she could. Thankfully, Captain Shaw's body hadn't been disturbed or mutilated, so she had made sure he was put in stasis, to allow time for a proper funeral and memorial. For all of her arguments with the man, and despite the way he had treated her at times, she had come to respect him during the last days of his life.
He had led them well in the battle against the Borg, but had died covering Picard and herself, as well as the others. His last words were him giving her command.
"No, no. It's not my ship anymore," he had gasped. "It's yours. You have the conn… Seven of Nine."
Seven had watched the life leave his eyes as she held him. She was in shock, and only Raffi had managed to snap her out of it enough to get clear. She had been by his side, and had thought of him as arrogant, and pig headed, but the more she thought about it, the more she had come to realise how important he had been to her. He was a leader who cared about his people, and every decision he had made was made for the protection of his people.
When Vadic had originally demanded Jack Crusher, Shaw was close to giving him up, but the second Picard said that Jack was his son, Shaw had changed his tune. Seven realised that despite the way he had acted, he still had some respect for Picard.
Yes, Seven knew of what had happened to Shaw at Wolf 359 – Picard had told her a few days earlier – but even then, he still made the choice to fight to protect Picard's child. She hadn't even considered that at the time.
Now, of course, she had a lot of time to consider everything, even her own actions. She had gone against Starfleet protocol and broken multiple regulations. She had, for a brief moment, felt like she was back on Voyager again at one point, working with Picard, Jack Crusher, Riker, Sidney, Doctor Crusher… in his way, Picard reminded her of Kathryn Janeway; loyal to Starfleet, but doing what he must to protect his crew… no, his family.
That's what Voyager had been to her; a family. When they had been hiding at the fleet museum, and she had seen that beautiful ship that had been her home… she had felt tears building up. Ever since leaving Voyager, she had struggled to fit in. Icheb… he had been almost like a son to her, and she had watched him die a few years earlier. Naomi, B'lanna, the Doctor, Harry, Chakotay, Kathryn… and Tuvok. She was hoping that Tuvok was okay, although so far, there had been no response about whether the people the changelings had impersonated were still alive. She hoped so.
God, the look on that bastard's face when he had smiled after Seven had called him out on his deception; that look would haunt her for some time to come. She wanted to find that particular changeling and kill him, assuming he wasn't already dead.
She was sitting alone in her quarters on the Titan, having been resting after four shifts in a row. Picard had told her to get some rest, so she had finally agreed. She was thankful she didn't need to regenerate in an alcove anymore, thanks to the Doctor, years earlier, managing to ensure she could self-regenerate when sleeping, by giving her an implant similar to his mobile emitter.
She had slept as much as she could, but that had been difficult. How could the Queen have been alive all this time? She should have died when the future Admiral Janeway had gone back and helped Voyager to return home. Seven had even been connected as a Queen, in a manner, a few years earlier, and there had been no trace of the Queen, especially amongst the ex-Borg.
This was why Seven hated having 'time to think' as Troi had called it. She had way too much on her mind. Counsellor Troi had offered her services, but Seven had rejected them, telling her she was 'fine' and didn't need help. She was confident that Troi knew she had been lying, but thankfully, Troi hadn't pursued it any further.
She closed her eyes as she leant back, letting out a sigh. Somehow, she doubted that she'd ever find inner peace again, not after everything that had happened, though, thankfully, she did manage to fall asleep.
"Can I ask you something, Seven?" Sidney looked at Seven from the doorway. She had come to visit her in the early hours of the morning. Seven smiled softly at the young woman and nodded.
"Anything," Seven assured her, indicating the spare chair. Sidney flashed her a grateful smile and sat down.
"I know… I know that this is… well, worse than any single attack in Federation history, save for perhaps the Dominion War, but… I'm struggling to focus on any of it, other than the lives I took personally," Sidney said.
"Let me stop you right there, Ensign," Seven said automatically. She smiled softly and continued. "Sidney. This, none of this, was down to you. You didn't take any lives, the Borg did. They were in control of you. They pulled the trigger," Seven told her. Sidney went to speak, but Seven held up a hand. "I know, it's easier to hear than believe. I've been there myself, and you know that, which is why you came to ask me. I don't know how many people I assimilated when I was a drone, but it was more than the number of people who died when the Borg attacked here."
"How long… how long did it take you to be able to move forward?" Sidney asked. Seven sighed. A part of her wanted to lie, but she wasn't going to insult Sidney, or hurt her, by doing that.
"When I was first released from the collective by Captain Janeway, I didn't have any sense of guilt or remorse. I didn't even know what those emotions were. People kept asking me if I felt guilt, or shame, for what I'd done as a drone, and I told them I didn't have any reason to. I didn't care. I'd been assimilated as a child, and my whole life had been as a drone, so it didn't make any sense to feel guilt," Seven explained.
"That changed though, didn't it?" Sidney asked. Seven nodded.
"I think the first time it really struck me was when Voyager came near a destroyed Borg cube. I started to…become other people, whom I had assimilated. I suppose the closest term for it would be multiple personality disorder. I was a Klingon, a Ferengi, a human girl, it varied," Seven explained.
"What happened?" Sidney asked. Seven studied the young woman; she hoped this would help her. Seven had come to care for Sidney a great deal.
"Members of Species 6339… I don't even know what their species is called… they had injected several volunteers of their species with a virus, and those volunteers were assimilated, on purpose. It infected the Vinculum, and the hope was that it would infect the Borg when they came to investigate. Clearly, the plan failed, although we might have had something to do with it. Captain Janeway was able to get the Vinculum and shut it down, allowing the Doctor to block out the virus for good. I don't know what happened after to Species 6339, but as the collective wasn't wiped out, maybe their virus failed, or they couldn't get the Vinculum back online. After that, though, I still thought of everything that had happened," Seven continued. She took a breath before continuing.
"Commander Tuvok was essential to saving me as well. I was being overwhelmed with the personalities of people I'd assimilated, and he initiated a mind meld with me, and helped me stop them from consuming me, until the Vinculum was shut off. After that, I spent a lot of time considering the lives I had taken. Guilt was something I felt a lot of, and I… I asked myself how I could continue moving forward when I'd stopped so many people from doing the same."
"Did you find an answer?" Sidney asked. Seven took her hand.
"Sidney, whatever answer I found would be my answer, not yours. You and I both know you weren't in control of your actions when the signal went out. You didn't hurt anyone, but the only person who can help you move forward is yourself. I'm always here to talk and listen, but you have to find your own answer, and I promise you, it'll happen, in time," Seven assured her.
She saw tears rolling down Sidney's cheek, so she gently pulled the young woman into a hug, just holding her and letting her weep again. If this would help, then Seven would do this anytime she could. Cap… no, Kathryn… had done the same for her, albeit in a different manner. How could she do any less?
Hours later, Seven had been called up to the bridge, where Admiral Picard and Captain Riker were talking… with Captain Tuvok! A part of Seven wanted to cry out in gratitude and relief as she walked over to them.
"Seven. It is agreeable to see you again," Tuvok said, facing her.
"And you, Captain Tuvok," Seven said, fighting to keep her emotions from her face. "I… I'm glad to see you're okay."
"Likewise. The Changeling infiltrators kept many of us, in case they needed information from us. That would likely have changed before too long, though after the death of Vadic, and the destruction of the Borg, many scattered, fearing retribution," Tuvok explained.
"Thanks to Doctor Crusher, we have been able to locate most of the Changelings, we believe, although it will take some time to fully confirm this," Picard added.
"And the Borg virus?" Seven asked. "Was Doctor Crusher successful in finding a way to remove it?"
"She was, and she's currently in the transporter room, working with Security to purge it from the officers. She can also detect infiltrators at the same time. Just before you came up here, we found one amongst the crew of the Titan," Picard said.
"Then perhaps the worst is over," Seven said hopefully.
"Indeed, although there is another matter to deal with," Tuvok said. "The matter of your actions, and the crew of the Titan, during the entire incident. I will be speaking with Admiral Picard and his crew in the ready room, although you are to be debriefed in the briefing room."
"I understand," Seven said. She knew what was coming, and strangely, she felt… at peace, perhaps, with what was going to happen. She would regret not being in Starfleet, but she had followed her conscious. How could she have done any less?
"Indeed," Tuvok said, raising his eyebrow. Seven had to stop herself from smiling; she had missed that look. Taking a breath, Seven went to the briefing room, and froze as she walked in. The scent of freshly brewed coffee struck her immediately.
"I hope you don't mind; I've been living off this stuff for the last week," came the very familiar voice of Admiral Kathryn Janeway!
"Admiral," Seven greeted, stepping into the ready room. "I… I wasn't sure when… if… I would…"
"See me again?" Kathryn asked, turning and facing Seven. She had been looking out the window at Earth. "I thought you had a little more faith in me than that, Seven."
"I did… I do… I just…" Seven felt annoyed with herself; why was she tripping over her words like this?
"At ease, Seven, before your tongue gets tied any more," Kathryn said, with a small smirk. She took a sip of coffee and looked out at the planet below. "Seven years we spent trying to get home. I feel confident enough in saying that we wouldn't have done if not for you, or Tuvok, or any of the others."
"Are they all okay?" Seven asked. Kathryn nodded.
"Most of them were off planet, and Chakotay and I were busy getting ready for the events, but before things kicked off, shall we say, we had to head off to investigate the destruction of the Starfleet Recruitment building," Kathryn explained. "I suppose a part of me is thankful for that, otherwise I might have been on Spacedock when the Enterprise left."
"I am… glad that you weren't," Seven admitted. "Losing you would have been… unthinkable."
"Chakotay said the same thing, especially with our anniversary coming up," Kathryn said. "He wanted to take me to Risa, but after everything, we're putting that on hold to help with the rebuilding efforts."
"Will Captain Chakotay be taking command of a ship again?" Seven asked. In a way, she felt this conversation was delaying her final dispensation, but she had missed seeing Kathryn.
"He's been given command of one of the surviving ships from the attack, yes. He won't be leaving the Solar system though; with the destruction of the planetary shields, Starfleet needs to make sure we have a strong defence, in case anyone tries to take advantage of the situation," Kathryn explained. She sighed as she sat down. Seven sat opposite her, and saw that despite being tired, Kathryn still looked determined as ever.
"I understand you saw Voyager briefly?" Kathryn asked. Seven nodded.
"She was… as beautiful as ever," Seven said. Kathryn smiled.
"A part of me wants to pull her out of the museum and help keep the flag going here on Earth, but Starfleet wants me on the bridge of a new ship that's being finished. Thankfully, it wasn't affected, but it'll take a little longer to complete her," Kathryn said.
"Good. If anyone can help clean up this mess, it's you," Seven complimented. Kathryn took a sip of her coffee, and then met Seven's gaze over the rim of her cup.
"Speaking of cleaning up a mess, this is a hell of a mess you're in, isn't it?" Kathryn asked. "Given their past, and present, service, Admiral Picard and his crew are receiving a full pardon for hijacking the Titan. I hope they don't keep acting like Kirk did; we don't need more ships being stolen by people."
"And they wouldn't have been able to do it without my help," Seven stated.
"No, they wouldn't have," Kathryn agreed. "Starfleet reviewed all the logs. Captain Shaw gave you several orders, relieved you of duty for disobeying them, reinstated you to make sure you helped clean up the mess… honestly, it sounds like chaos."
"Admiral, I… I won't make any excuses," Seven said. "Clearly, my judgement, my instincts… my decisions, they don't fall in line with Starfleet," she said. "So, I'll make it easy for you, and resign my commission."
"I remember when the Doctor made a mistake and helped those holograms who killed innocent people. He offered to be restricted to Sickbay permanently. Neelix offered to leave the ship after he got into trouble looking for maps, before you came aboard," Kathryn said. "I suppose it's custom to accept that you made a mistake."
"Admiral, I…" Seven began, but Kathryn held up a hand.
"Starfleet Command was sent this before the Titan set a course for the Ryton system. Captain Shaw did an officer review of you," Kathryn said, placing a holo disc emitter on the desk.
Seven activated it, and the image of Captain Shaw appeared.
"That leads me to First Officer Hansen," Shaw began. "More accurately, Seven of Nine."
That surprised Seven; it was only in his last moments that Shaw had acknowledged her by her chosen designation. She listened as Shaw continued.
"Hell, I'm a relic of an older time. By the book; by god, the book is boring. Hansen is reckless, she's unrelenting, doesn't give a damn about protocol or procedure." Shaw continued. Seven surmised that she was always going to be removed from Starfleet, but her eyes widened slightly as she heard his next words.
"However, she's brave, and loyal, and… the book that she writes is gonna be great. And the rules that she breaks…" Shaw paused and sighed again, and Seven found herself openly weeping for his loss. He had seen her; yes, he had been an ass, but he had seen her, and respected her. She felt her heart aching for the loss of the man. She had respected him as a Captain, but now, as a man as well. "Maybe they were broken to begin with."
"So, in light of that, I have a recommendation; promotion to Captain when we return to port." Shaw finished, before the hologram disappeared. Seven wiped away a tear and saw Kathryn smiling at her.
"I'm not accepting any resignations today, Captain," Kathryn said, pulling a small box from her uniform pocket. She stood up, and moved in front of Seven, who also stood up, tears still flowing gently. "Seven of Nine, I hereby promote you to the rank of Captain," she said, placing the pin on Seven's collar. "Computer, transfer Command of USS Titan to Captain Seven," Kathryn ordered. "Authorisation Janeway Alpha Omega One Three Seven."
"Confirmed. USS Titan NCC-80102-A now under command of Captain Seven," the computer confirmed. Kathryn pulled Seven gently into a hug.
"I'm so proud of you, Seven. You were always meant to be in that seat, and now, you are," Kathryn told her, tears rolling down her own face. "I'm just glad I could be the one here to promote you."
Seven sniffed softly and nodded. "So am I, Kathryn," Seven admitted.
"Come on, Chakotay and the others are meeting in the real Sandrine's, we booked it for a celebration for you," Kathryn told her. Seven smiled; after everything that had happened, she had finally found a feeling she had thought was lost forever.
She finally felt like she was home.