A week later, Harry presented his quantum slipstream drive to the Senior Officers during one of our meetings, though most of us already knew about it as he had been working with numerous groups to flesh out the details. Sadly, in the episode, it was doomed to fail as even after spending years calculating the proper frequency, Harry was not able to find the right one for Voyager, despite his time-bending adventure with Chakotay and the Doctor many years after Voyager's destruction and their return to the Alpha Quadrant. The solution ended up being to send a set of frequency modifications back which gently broke up the slipstream, rendering it useless from there yet gaining ten years on their journey home.
I did not even have to act as L'Naan developed the 'kill code' frequency herself which we presented to Janeway as a precaution. Thanks to that we managed to get the ten years as they had in the episode, but Harry was disappointed and not ready to give up completely. It was a little sad that he did not get the message from his future-self, but perhaps he would keep working on it and come up with a method that could work.
Another week went by, and another episode popped up. I was sitting in the weekly Senior Staff meeting when a familiar setup began to unfold in front of me...
"...When I checked the overnight sensor logs, this little surprise was waiting for me," Harry said after switching the screen to show a debris field.
"Maybe I'm not quite awake, but it looks like it's over a hundred kilometers wide," Janeway said with her third cup of coffee in her hands.
"A hundred and twenty. At first, I thought it was an asteroid cluster until I picked up a residual warp signature."
"It was a Borg vessel," Seven stated, standing up and walking closer to the screen. "There are tetryon particles in the debris consistent with the atmosphere inside a cube."
"Any idea what destroyed it?" Chakotay asked.
"We would need to run close-range scans of the hull fragments," Seven replied.
"Unless we alter course, we'll get our chance. The debris field's directly ahead," Harry said.
"Then I suggest we cut a wide berth. Chances are the Borg will send more vessels to investigate. Alter course to avoid the debris. If that's all..." Janeway instructed, standing up at the end of her words.
"One other piece of business, Captain. It seems that we had another incident in the Mess Hall last night," Neelix stated
"Return of the midnight snacker?" B'Elanna joked.
"I'm afraid so," Neelix agreed.
"Casualties?" Janeway asked.
"A leg of Keleran wildebeest I'd prepared for Ensign Ryson's birthday. Since Commander Tuvok has been unable to round up any suspects, I'd like to ask that stronger measures be taken."
"Perhaps an armed security detail..." Tuvok retorted dryly, making me smirk along with a few others.
"I'd like to ask permission to replicate some locking mechanisms for the cabinet doors," Neelix continued, ignoring Tuvok's remark.
"Granted. Dismissed," Janeway responded before heading for the door.
Everyone was quick to get out of their seats and head for their duty assignments, though I was slower than the others. Although I had just come off a graveyard Bridge duty shift, my slowness was due to focusing on Seven and her behavior. Nothing seemed off right now, but I knew that the signs were about to start showing, though it left me wondering why Echo and I had yet to be affected.
This episode was one of my favorites. Seven of Nine comes down with the Borg equivalent of Multiple Personality Disorder, so she ended up showing the personalities of numerous different people, and races; those that the Borg assimilated. It was a unique bio-engineered virus that an alien race developed to destroy the Borg, which latched onto Seven, due to her implants, and nearly drew her into insanity before the crew of Voyager was able to save her.
Obviously, we had been planning for this episode. It was a perfect chance for Katye to truly test her research on Borg technology as she was getting close to learning how to remove it from our bodies, but clearly, there were differences from 'True' Borg and whatever version of Borg technology Echo and I had. Neither Echo or I had noticed any 'differences' in our mental states, nor had Katye or L'Naan hinted at any lapse of behavior and Fae had not reported any 'sleepwalking', so this had been unexpected despite knowing that the episode was coming. Seven, B'Elanna, Neelix, and I took the turbo lift down, separating on different levels.
Once I stepped onto Deck Ten and the doors shut behind me, I paged L'Naan and said simply, "Infinite Regression."
L'Naan was off duty, tucked away in training programs onboard the Fae Dragon alongside Echo, but the message would reach her quick enough. There was a running bet amongst our group that if she was in Engineering at the right time, it would be her that got bitten rather than B'Elanna, but no matter what, she would be able to safely stop Seven while she was 'possessed' by one of the random Borg personalities. Once she got the message, she would head to Engineering and wait for the 'show' to start then let the rest of us know how it went.
Although I was off duty, I headed for the Aeroponics Bay rather than our ship. I made a point of spending a few hours a day here to boost the food production for the crew, so it was a good way to waste some time before the 'show' started. Less than two hours later, I was called to Sick Bay, where the Doctor, Danara, Janeway, and Tuvok had gathered around the main bio-bed. Seven was unconscious on it and had a cortical monitor on her neck.
"Seven?" Janeway asked after the Doctor gave her something to wake her up.
"Captain, why am I here?" Seven asked with confusion.
"You've been unconscious for nearly half an hour. We believe you're experiencing a neurological disorder," she explained.
"Voices... I hear voices..." Seven stated with a hint of concern in her voice.
"Describe them," the Doctor suggested.
"They are agitated... chaotic... too many voices," Seven explained, becoming more distressed by the passing second before she shot upright and clutched her head, saying, "Too many voices!"
"The cortical inhibitor is destabilizing. I'm increasing the neurotransmitter levels," the Doctor said as he did something to the device on her neck.
"It's working," Seven exclaimed softly with a bit of relief.
"Do you still hear the voices?" the Doctor asked.
"They are fading... they are gone."
"All right. Let's see what we can do to keep them from coming back," Janeway said encouragingly. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"I was in Engineering assisting Lieutenant Torres and L'Naan."
"You have no recollection of a confrontation with L'Naan?" Tuvok asked.
"Confrontation?" Seven asked, sliding off the bio-bed and giving L'Naan a sideways glance.
"I'm not sure why, but you seem to be manifesting personalities other than your own," the Doctor explained then walked over to the nearby terminal.
"Naomi Wildman and Filigree claims the three of you played together for nearly an hour this afternoon," Janeway said.
"You also attacked Lieutenant L'Naan. She told us you called yourself 'son of K'Vok' and that you initiated a Klingon mating ritual" Tuvok added.
"I have no memory of those events," Seven replied.
"Come look at this," the Doctor said.
"Doctor?" Seven asked.
"This is your neural pattern. The memory engrams and synaptic pathways that define you as an individual. Unfortunately, you're not alone. Thirteen new neural patterns have emerged in your cerebral cortex... Klingon, Vulcan, Terrelian, human, and several others I can't identify."
"How?" she asked.
"They're coming from within you. During your time with the Borg, the collective assimilated hundreds of different species. All of those neural patterns were integrated into the Hive Mind," the Docter explained.
"Of course," Seven stated plainly.
"That means they're in your mind, too, stored within your cortical implants... dormant until now," he said.
"From what we can tell, the various neural patterns are surfacing randomly," Janeway added.
"In essence, you've developed the Borg equivalent of multiple personality disorder," the Doctor said.
"Can you correct the malfunction?" Seven asked.
"The cortical inhibitor is suppressing the effect, but it's only a temporary measure."
"Lieutenant Torres detected a Borg interlink frequency. It could be causing my cortical implants to malfunction," Seven theorized.
"The signal appears to be emanating from the Borg debris field we discovered this morning," Tuvok stated.
"Maybe we should jump to warp... try to get out of range," Janeway suggested.
"The signal permeates subspace. We cannot avoid it," Seven replied.
"Then, it sounds like we need to shut down the signal ourselves," I chimed in.
Janeway nodded in agreement as she turned to Tuvok and instructed, and he left right after receiving her order, "Set a course for the debris field. When we arrive, we may need your help. Feel up to it?"
"Yes, Captain," Seven agreed without hesitation.
"Katye's assistance would also be helpful. Her knowledge of Borg technology is only second to Seven on the ship, and she has specifically been working on how to sever the connection to the Collective," I suggested.
"Sounds good. Keep a close eye on her, Doctor, in case she has any more unexpected visitors. Rebecca, come with me," Janeway said.
"Don't worry, Seven. We'll get this figured out," I assured her before walking after Janeway.
I followed the Captain out of the room and onto the turbo lift. She directed it to the Bridge, and, to my surprise, we rode it all the way up without stopping. We walked into her Ready Room, and she headed to the replicator to order us some drinks.
"So, do you know anything about what's going on, or why you and Echo aren't affected?" Janeway asked as she handed me my tea.
"No, I'm afraid that don't," I replied with a half-lie; I knew the episode, but I was not sure why we were not affected. "My best guess is that it's because Echo and I are not part of the 'Borg Collective' per se. We have their tech in our bodies, but Raven's mana is infused throughout it, keeping us separate from that 'part' of her. We have a technique which lets us divide our minds into multiple parts, each separate from the others, or work together when we need extra mental power for some task or fight. Raven has used this to make barriers between our connection, to isolate us from the Collective, so it's reasonable to assume that we are 'hidden' from traditional Borg sensors, while Seven is not."
"Hmm... that makes sense, I assume," Janeway mused after taking a sip of her coffee.
I chuckled lightly, "You've grown quite accustomed to us, haven't you? Nothing that I say surprises you anymore."
"I've just learned to accept your half-true explanation of your powers and not complain," she retorted with a smirk.
"If you promise to join my crew and become a Vazukuru when we return to the Alpha Quadrant, I can be a bit more honest with my explanations until then."
She chuckled and teased, "Is your collection of women not enough for you?"
I laughed with no shame and retorted, "That is solely upon request, and nothing that I have had to coax any of them into; the opposite actually happened when our original pairs became a group. The offer is platonic, completely based off the friendship and trust that we've developed over the years, but I also know that you'd be about as likely to leave Starfleet as a Ferengi is to open a real charity."
With an amused grin, she took another drink from her cup and responded, "I won't deny that the thought is interesting, but the prospect of being a fifth wheel isn't that appealing."
"Meh, you'd be a sixth wheel since we'll get Raven back eventually, but you probably wouldn't be the only one. Katye and I have every intention of asking Seven to join us, possibly a few others, but where we are discussing moving onto isn't exactly as peaceful as the Alpha, or even the Delta, Quadrant, so I'm not sure who all will be willing to follow us," I shot back with a smirk.
"Seven?" she asked with surprise.
"Mmhmm," I replied while sipping my tea. "The Borg language is incredibly close to the Arcana, close enough that their computer algorithms are set up in a way similar to the spell sigils that Katye uses with her primary magic. Needless to say, it is a very powerful form of magic, and Katye would be an excellent teacher for her... after all, Omega is what her 'focus' is. But we aren't going to talk to her about it until Voyager is back home, safe and sound; there are more important matters than empty promises until then."
"You'd better hope that the computer virus that Echo and Katye designed can really hide the truth, or High Command will be demanding for her help stabilizing more of it," Janeway reminded, as only Janeway and Seven knew the truth that Katye had stabilized Omega on her own, and that what Voyager destroyed in front of the aliens, and the rest of the crew, was just an empty container with an illusion cast over it to trick the sensors.
"That's the nice thing about being a Vazukuru; it doesn't matter how much someone demands, complains, or threatens because, if one of us says no, there really isn't any way to really force one of our kind," I chuckled.
"Don't I know it," she retorted with a wry smile.
"Well," I said after finishing off my tea and standing up, "if you need anything else, or if Seven needs some help with the voices before we can shut down the device, just give me a page. I plan on getting a few hours of training in before my night shift."
"Of course, thank you, Rebecca."
"Not a problem, Kathryn."
I left the room and headed back to the Fae Dragon. Echo was still using the Mind Linker, but L'Naan was sitting at the table with a half eaten roasted pork shoulder in front of her and a bite mark on her cheek. I chuckled as I sat down across from her, though she ignored me completely and continued to eat. It was not until I stole a large chunk of meat from the plate that she finally acknowledged my presence with an annoyed, light growl.
"What are you going to do about it?" I taunted before I tossed the piece into my mouth. "Sic your 'boyfriend' on me?"
"JIlobHa'laH 'ej jIQap (I will cut out your tongue)," she growled, launching a thin streak of Fist-Force at me.
I chuckled and blocked it with my hand, not even needing to transform to break it. This was just typical banter between me and the fiery Klingon, Echo too, though rarely around Katye, or she would chide us for acting like children.
"You want me to heal that?" I offered with a smirk.
L'Naan smirked, "Not until that petaQ sees what she did to me. I plan on remembering this in the future."
"Give her some time to fully adjust to the group before you start with her. We don't need her storming off in some world that she doesn't understand before we can even get settled," I chuckled.
"Is that three or five days?"
"Fine, drive away Katye's potential apprentice. Echo and I will remember you fondly after she murders you."
She huffed, but did not argue, as she returned to her food, making me chuckle. I may have been the strongest in a direct fight, but there was no question about who was the most feared. We finished off the meal together and I went to train in the Mental Plane with Echo while she left for a duty shift. About five hours later when I was getting ready for my next shift, I was paged.
"Janeway to Rebecca. We are ready to attempt to shut down the vinculum. Katye thinks it would be best if you were with Seven as the cortical inhibitor is beginning to have difficulties keeping the other personalities suppressed. Join her in Sick Bay," Janeway instructed.
"Understood, Captain," I replied, tapping my badge.
Echo was still training away, so I just headed out after putting on my jacket. After a turbo lift ride up to Deck Five, I made my way to Sick Bay and walked into an amusing situation. Seven, obviously in some other personality, was holding the Doctor hostage with a hypospray while two security guards pointed their phasers at her and Danara stood back.
"Stand down, crewmen. I will handle this," I ordered with a smirk, to which the security guards lowered their phasers.
"Maj, Federation dog," Seven laughed, using a Klingon word for good. "You will provide me with a ship if you want your doctor back."
"Yeah, I don't think we're that worried. Doc, would you mind moving out of the way?"
Showing off one of the advantages of being a holo-gram, the Doctor seemed to 'phase' out of Seven's hold with only his image warping slightly before returning to normal. While Seven was momentarily stunned by the Doctor's intangibility, I used the chance to send the pieces of my artificial fingers to act as cuffs and restrain her safely. That caused her to start off on a string of Klingon curses before she suddenly stopped mid syllable and looked at all of us confused.
"Rebecca?" she asked.
"Good to have you back. We are about to shut down the vinculum, and I've come to help you keep things straight in your mind until they finish," I explained with a light smile.
"Thank you for your assistance," she replied quietly.
"No problem. Would you like to sit?" I suggested.
She nodded her head and sat down on the edge of the bio-bed. I gave the Doctor and Danara a nod before I walked over to Seven. They took their positions at the console and at our side.
"I just need to place my hand on your shoulder, and I will pull our minds into your Mental Plane. It won't hurt, and you just need to find me in the crowd then I'll keep the rest back."
Seven nodded, but the Doctor asked, "What if your neural pattern starts to deteriorate? How should I break the link?"
"Call Katye. Anything that you can actually do to separate us would likely scramble one, if not both, of our minds," I retorted.
"That doesn't give me a lot of confidence in your plan," the Doctor complained.
"Sorry, not sorry. Your technology is proving to not be enough, so I'm going to step in. We've both got our orders, and I'm not worried."
He huffed with annoyance and opened his tricorder, so that he could scan us. Seven, although still looking a bit unnerved by everything, revealed a hint of a smirk as I dismissed the Doctor's concerns so easily.
"Are you ready, Seven?" I asked, sitting across from her in Sick Bay.
"I am," Seven replied.
"Alright," I said then tapped my badge, "Rebecca to Katye. I am about to start. Give me two minutes."
"Understood," Katye replied through the comm system.
Unlike Tuvok's method of a mind meld, I simply needed to touch Seven to link our minds together. Honestly, I could probably do it even without the physical contact, but it was much easier this way, and it reduced the mana cost for entering and manipulating another person's Mental Plane. Seven was obviously a friend and, with mental magic still being my biggest weakness, I was not going to take any chances, just to show off.
"Alright, then let's begin," I said and placed a hand on her shoulder.
I began to channel my mana into her, dying my hand with a silver glow. In unison, we both closed our eyes, though we remained upright due to 'one of my minds' staying conscious enough to stand. The Doctor and Danara could only monitor us while Seven and I opened our 'eyes' in a different location, and not together.
I awoke in a Borg alcove, which was one of three dozen that lined the corridor that I found myself in. Although the corridor was not quite right for a Borg cube, what was truly wrong with this place was the hundreds of people crammed into the hallway. Everyone was practically shoulder to shoulder and shoving the others around, but even worse was the noise; it was as if all of them were screaming and shouting different things.
As someone who had never been a fan of crowds, I immediately conjured up some mental magic to force those closest to me back a few steps. With another thought, eight more mes appeared, which were representations of my 'other minds', we then split up and started searching for Seven. More than a few of her 'guests' were aggressive, but, despite only being able to conjure mental magics within this place, I was still able to handle them with ease; J'onn would be happy with my progress.
When I found Seven, three of her guests were trying to wrestle her out of the corridor and push her into a giant, bottomless pit. Immediately, I dismissed my other minds that were scattered about then reconjured them around me. The nine of me ran forward, fighting off those between us and holding her. One of them nearly took Seven off the ledge with himself, but two of me grabbed her hands and pulled her back while the rest of me kept the crowd at bay until they started to disappear on their own.
"Is it done?" Seven could not help but ask when everything fell silent.
"It should be," I replied after dismissing my extra minds.
"Thank you."
"I just handled the crowd control. Katye is the one who did the real work... Ready to wake up?" I asked.
She nodded her head, a bit of her usual confidence returning. I smiled and canceled the spell that had drawn us both into her mind. We opened our eyes and found the Doctor and Danara at the console looking at it intently before they looked up at us.
"So, what's the verdict, Doc? Did it work?" I asked.
"There is no sign of the other personalities. It seems to have worked!" the Doctor replied with a smile.
"Just another interesting day in the Delta Quadrant," I chuckled.
A/N: Sorry about no chapter last week. This one took me far too long to write and I don't know why lol