It's not as difficult as it looks. Don't be afraid of the clay.
I fear nothing.
I mean, don't worry about mistakes.
Whether the image in your mind is what's taking form,
you just let your hands and the clay do the work.
Here.
Go ahead. I think the nose could be a little stronger.
Well, that's a start. Keep going.
This activity is truly unproductive.
The end result has no use. No necessary task has been accomplished.
Time has been expended. Nothing more.
That depends on how you look at it, doesn't it?
I find sculpting helps me unwind, relax.
The concept of relaxation is difficult for me to understand.
As a Borg my time was spent on a task. When complete, I was assigned another.
- It was efficient. - So is this.
It helps my own efficiency to forget about Voyager for a while.
I'd be embarrassed to show Maestro Leonardo something like this, but...
I get a great deal of pleasure working the clay.
And creating something.
But why here, in this simulation, among these archaic objects
and this disorganised environment?
Frankly, it's refreshing to take myself out of the 24th Century every now and then.
And a little disorganisation... can be very encouraging to the imagination.
You might want to try it sometime.
Are you suggesting I create one of these holodeck programs?
You might find it interesting.
It's a way of exploring aspects of yourself,
that probably didn't fit into your life as a Borg.
Imagination, creativity, fantasy.
I am uncertain why these things are necessary.
They aren't necessary, Seven. But they're important of one's life.
Because imagination frees the mind,
it inspires ideas and solutions and it can provide a great deal of pleasure.
Human progress, the human mind itself couldn't exist without them.
As a child I studied these drawings. I even built some of these models.
Da Vinci was always a great inspiration to me.
- He was a very busy man. - Oh, yes.
A prolific artist, and a scientist as well.
Far, far ahead of his time.
That design for example.
He conceived of an aeroplane centuries before one was actually built.
Seven?
You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.
Your distinctiveness will be added to our own.
Annika!
You will be assimilated.
Seven? What is it?
I don't know.
It's happened three times now.
In different locations, at different times of the day.
I experience a series of disjointed images in my mind.
Can you be specific? Were these hallucinations?
I don't know. I've never hallucinated.
It's as if I were aboard a Borg vessel...
...but I was frightened, I felt fear.
Each experience is similar,
I'm pursued by the Borg, they want to assimilate me.
I'm running from them and then...
and then each time I see a bird.
- A bird? - Yes. A large, black bird.
Flying toward me, shrieking and attacking me.
Your hippocampus is in a state of agitation.
What does that mean?
As your human physiology continues to reassert itself,
psychological symptoms are bound to manifest in variety of ways.
Through dreams, hallucinations, hypnagogic regression.
- Hypnagogic regression? - Flashbacks.
You could be experiencing post-traumatic stress.
Makes sense. You were assimilated by the Borg.
You've gone through an intense, prolonged trauma.
I was not traumatised, I was raised by the Borg.
I don't see them as threatening. Why would I experience fear?
- I don't know. - Will I keep having these flashbacks?
I'll need to study your neural scans further.
In the meantime, your digestive system is functional.
Now is a good a time for you to begin taking solid and liquid nutrients.
- Oral consumption is inefficient. - And unnecessary, for holograms.
But your human physiology requires it. I'll draw up a list of requirements.
Take it to Mr Neelix in the mess hall.
I hesitate to inflict his cooking on you, but it will have to do.
I do not enjoy this sensation. Something is happening and I don't know what it is.
It's as though I'm being driven somehow.
- Chakotay to the Captain. - Go ahead.
- Our guests will be in the briefing room. - On my way.
Representatives of the B'omar. I'm trying to negotiate passage.
But so far they have been difficult. I'm hoping for a change of heart.
I'll stay here and wait for the doctor's instructions.
I'll help you through this, Seven. You'll be all right.
Have you had a chance to consider our request?
Congratulations, against our better judgment
the B'omar Sovereignty will grant your passage through our territory.
On behalf of my crew, thank you. It will cut three months off our journey.
However, there are stipulations, guidelines you must adhere to.
- You'll have our complete cooperation. - We expect nothing less.
In our space, you will not exceed warp 3 and your weapons will remain off-line.
You will avoid unnecessary scans and you will not conduct surveys of any kind.
You will not attempt to explore our space or communicate with non-military craft.
We've also plotted the course your vessel is to follow.
- It'll take us weeks to follow that course. - If not months.
We designed this course so your ship will avoid
our populated systems and industrial areas.
Deviation is not recommended.
There are a total of 17 checkpoints where your vessel will be inspected.
Chancellor Gauman, if I may interrupt,
I appreciate your efforts in plotting this flight plan,
but, if we could, I'd like to negotiate a course that's a little more... direct.
Well, what an unexpected pleasure.
Welcome to the mess hall. Would you like me to show you around?
My physiology has reasserted the need to process solid nutrients.
I have a list of dietary requirements. You will provide them for me.
Let's see what we have here -
"250 grams of glycoproteins, consisting of 53% polypeptides,
and 26% fibrous glycogen."
Doesn't sound very appetising.
However, a plate of my chadre kab should satisfy most of these essentials
while providing a pleasurable culinary experience at the same time.
- Pleasure is irrelevant. - I beg to differ.
A good meal involves much more than simply providing the proper nutrients.
Why is that?
Well, it's just a satisfaction that comes from eating carefully prepared food.
Once you try it, you'll understand.
How would you like your chadre kab - boiled, baked or stir-fried?
- Preparation is... - Is irrelevant. Maybe not.
It's the first time ingesting food for you for quite a while.
We'll go a little easy on your stomach. Steamed.
This recipe has been in my family for generations.
It's considered a delicacy among my people.
- You are Talaxian? - Guilty as charged.
- Species 218. - Well, I suppose so.
Your biological and technological distinctiveness was added to our own.
- I hadn't realised that. - A small freighter with a crew of 39.
Taken in the Dalmine Sector.
They were easily assimilated.
Their dense musculature made them excellent drones.
Well, lucky for you, I guess.
Your nutrients.
Follow me.
- Please. - Please what?
It's customary to sit while eating.
Is something wrong?
I'm unaccustomed to this. Borg do not sit.
Well, this is a day of firsts then, isn't it?
Now...
Take a bite.
Try that one.
Just kind of... scoop some up.
That's the way. Right into your mouth.
Just like the little scout ship flying into a shuttlebay.
Take it out, but keep your mouth closed. That's right.
Now, chew. Chew, chew, chew.
And swallow.
Swallow...
- Curious sensation. - You'll get used to it.
Have some more.
May I bring you something else? A soothing cup of tea, perhaps?
You will be assimilated.
Resistance is futile.
Did you see that?
What about this course?
The nearest populated system is over three light years away.
Definitely not. You would pass directly through the Agrat-mot Nebula.
It's a key resource in our trading with the Nassordin.
- I could chart the Nebula. Avoid... - No, no.
Are your translators malfunctioning?
- Captain to the bridge. - If you'll excuse me.
- Report. - I've received a security alert.
Seven of Nine attacked Neelix and three other crewmen on deck 2.
Janeway to Seven of Nine. Seven, if you can hear me, respond.
- What's her location? - Deck 6, section 28 alpha.
Take a security team.
- Captain, what is happening here? - I wish I knew.
Chakotay, seal off deck 6.
Seven of Nine.
Security to Captain Janeway. We've just seen Seven of Nine.
Her Borg shields are operational and have adapted to our phasers.
Acknowledged. Bridge to all security personnel.
Configure your weapons to a rotating modulation but keep them on stun.
Borg. You have Borg on your ship?
It's not what you think. She's a member of my crew.
We liberated her from the collective, she's no longer a Borg.
- Why does she have Borg shields? - I don't know.
She can cross through security shields. She's entering the armoury on deck 6.
Deck 10.
- She's in a turbolift. - Cut power to the turbo shafts.
She's blocking my commands.
Tuvok, Seven's headed for deck 10. Can you get there before she does?
I'm moving into position now, Captain.
We'll take position here.
Lower your weapon and stand down.
Fire!
Tuvok to bridge. We were unsuccessful.
I have wounded. She's moving toward junction 32 alpha.
- The shuttlebay. - I'm erecting a force field.
Harry, reroute all available power to deck 10.
Done.
She's accessing transporter control.
She used a site to site transport. She's in a shuttlecraft.
- Powering engines. - Seal the launch doors.
- Tractor beam. - No effect.
She's re-modulated the shuttle's shield harmonics.
Captain?
Seven's headed into B'omar space. She's gone to warp.
She's masked the shuttle's ion trail. I've lost her signal.
She's gone.
We'll do everything we can to find her,
but we will need to enter B'omar space to track her effectively.
Let's tally the events, shall we?
First you arrive uninvited, requesting a shortcut through our space,
then you release some rogue Borg, and now you want help to get it back.
I apologise for what has happened here, but we didn't "unleash” anyone.
We can resolve this situation quickly if we work together.
Captain Janeway, after what I've seen here, I question your competence.
May I remind you that you're still on my ship.
And you are only one vessel among many of ours.
Your Borg will be dealt with quickly and efficiently.
It's being tracked as we speak.
Tracked how?
Every vessel, every object,
every particle of dust that crosses our borders,
is immediately identified and traced by our perimeter grid.
- The Borg will be destroyed. - Chancellor...
There will be no sharing of information.
From this point your vessel will maintain five light years from our borders.
Any deviation will be considered an act of aggression.
Commander, escort our guests to the transporter room.
Captain's log, supplemental.
I've assembled a team to analyse every square metre of the cargo bay.
This has essentially been her quarters for the last two months.
I'm determined to find something that sheds light on Seven of Nine's actions.
- You're taking this hard, aren't you? - What's that supposed to mean?
- We had a working relationship. - Well, what's that supposed to mean?
- It's not what you're thinking. - What am I thinking, Harry?
Never mind.
Take a look at this.
- Anything? - It's a Borg data link.
It contains log entries written in Borg alphanumeric code.
I'm getting good with Borg, I could translate them.
Get on it.
We've made quite an impression on the B'omar.
In the last hour they've doubled the ships on patrol,
and increased the sensitivity of the perimeter grid 36%.
So much for diplomacy.
The doctor analysed the data from Seven of Nine's last transport.
He's found something he wants us to see.
Maybe this was inevitable.
Even if she did want to stay, her Borg nature may have won out.
We can remove the implant after implant
but maybe at her core she'll always be part of the collective.
No. I won't accept that.
Deck 5.
She was responding to us.
Interacting outside the collective for the first time.
She was adapting to this environment and to this crew.
But where is she going?
We've scanned space for a distance of 40 light years.
We found no evidence of Borg ships. She can't be rejoining the collective.
- She might go back to Borg space. - 10,000 light years? I don't think so, no.
Something else is going on. We're missing a piece of the puzzle.
The B'omar intend to find her, and if they do she'll probably resist them.
One more reason for us to find her first.
- What have you found? - Something most peculiar.
This graphic represents the data from Seven of Nine's last transport.
There's a high concentration of Borg organelles in the bone and tissue.
The dormant nanoprobes in her cells have reasserted themselves,
taken over blood cell production and they're growing new Borg implants.
13% of the Borg technology I removed weeks ago, has regenerated in hours.
You said the nanoprobes were dormant. What reactivated them?
I don't know, but I've developed a way to stop the process.
This hypospray contains a vector that should neutralise the nanoprobes.
That means someone needs to get close enough do it.
- Report. - We've analysed the perimeter grid.
It's sophisticated, but not without vulnerabilities.
It might be possible to penetrate it by matching our shields to its frequency.
The trick is our energy signature. Voyager is too big to hide.
But a shuttlecraft with the proper shield modulation
could drift right through without a peep.
Nice work, gentlemen. Proceed.
The doctor's genetic resequencer. Keep her sedated until you get back.
Once you've penetrated the perimeter, you can't communicate with Voyager.
Captain, it is possible that Seven will adapt to the resequencer.
I know.
If it fails and you are unable to reason with her,
you have my authorisation to stop her...
with any force necessary.
Understood.
Seven of Nine, grid 92 of subjunction 12.
You will be assimilated.
Borg drone, you have committed an infraction
against the B'omar Sovereignty.
Cut power to your engines and lower your shields.
Prepare to be boarded.
You will proceed no further. We will not...
I'm detecting weapon signatures - Federation and B'omar.
Five B'omar vessels are adrift, heavily damaged. Lifesigns are stable.
I've located Seven's shuttle 2.5 million kilometres away.
Adjust course to intercept.
The implants are disrupting the transporter signal. I can't get a lock.
See if you can re-modulate our transporters to match her shields.
- You want to beam in there? - Yes.
I don't think that's such a good idea. Closed quarters, Borg against Vulcan.
No offence, but you don't stand a chance.
It's my hope that the element of surprise will work in my favour.
Do you have a better idea?
Come to think of it, no.
- She's charging weapons. - Set my coordinates for the aft.
- Ready. - Energise.
Come on, Tuvok. Give me a sign.
Warning. Propulsion systems are off-line.
Damn!
That's a level five force field, Lieutenant. I suggest you be more careful.
Why have you left Voyager?
I am Borg.
You were Borg, but you're human now.
You are part of our crew.
For a brief time I was human.
But I have come to realise that I am Borg.
- I will always be Borg. - What prompted this realisation?
Every Borg ship is coded to emit a resonance frequency
to guide drones who separate from the collective.
- A homing beacon. - Yes.
I am following a signal. A Borg vessel is waiting for me.
We've scanned this entire region for Borg. There are none.
You're wrong.
They are here.
Vulcan. Species 3259.
Your enlarged neocortex produces superior analytical abilities.
Your distinctiveness will be added to our...
Seven?
No.
I will not assimilate you.
Once I return to the collective you will go back to Voyager
and tell Captain Janeway what's happened to me.
Thank her for her patience.
For her kindness.
Curious.
Your behaviour demonstrates affection and sentiment.
Traits of humanity. Hardly Borg.
You've been experiencing hallucinations.
- Flashbacks. - Yes.
Does that usually occur when a resonance signal is activated?
No.
Seven of Nine, grid 92 of subjunction 12.
But I can hear them calling me.
- I'm frightened. - That's understandable.
Lower the force field.
We can return to Voyager and find out what's happening to you.
I am your shipmate. We can return to Voyager together.
I must rejoin the collective.
Captain's log, supplemental.
I've been trying to retrace Seven of Nine's footsteps
her actions in the last few days.
But I'm still no closer to understanding what's happened.
- Captain? Am I disturbing you? - Not at all, Harry.
I've managed to decipher Seven's log entries.
And?
Nothing indicates she planned to leave. The entries are pretty unremarkable.
She describes her daily routines, number of hours spent regenerating...
There were personal log entries, mostly about the crew's behaviour.
I'm mentioned in quite few of them.
Apparently she finds my behaviour easy to predict, whatever that means.
Don't take it personally, coming from Seven that's probably a compliment.
The most recent entries are kind of strange.
Descriptions of bizarre images, like a record of her dreams.
- The hallucinations? - Maybe so.
Sometimes she's in a Borg vessel, running,
or hiding behind a bulkhead, falling down a shaft, Borg everywhere chasing her.
- Nightmarish stuff. - What about this bird?
She mentions it several times.
It flies at her shrieking. I don't know what it means.
"The feathers are black, wingspan approximately one and a half metre,
"the eyes are yellow and it has a powerful triangular beak.
"When it looks at me I am paralysed.
"I cannot move. It seems to know me.
"But I don't understand how that's possible.
"It's merely a bird. An inferior form of life.
"But the sight of it fills me with fear.”
Sounds like she's describing a member of the Corvidae family,
like a crow, or...
...Or a raven.
- She's describing a raven. - Why is that important?
Because now I know what to look for.
Chakotay, calibrate our sensors to scan for any Federation signature
other than our two shuttlecraft.
- Captain? - Do it. Bring the ship about, Ensign.
- And lay in a course for B'omar space. - Aye, Captain.
The resonance signal is coming from the lunar surface.
The Borg are waiting for me there.
I don't know why I am frightened. They are my people.
If you are afraid, then leave this place.
Once I have been reintegrated into the collective my fears will disappear.
Deactivate the force field.
I will accompany you to the surface. You don't need to go alone.
You would be assimilated.
I don't believe so. I think the situation is not what it appears.
- What do you mean? What could it be? - I am uncertain.
But I am willing to go with you to the surface to find out.
- Voyager to Paris. - Paris here, Captain.
Glad to hear your voice. Tuvok is with Seven of Nine.
I haven't been able to communicate since he transported to her shuttle.
I've tracked them to an M-Class moon orbiting the planet of a yellow dwarf star.
I'm picking up an unusual resonance signal from the surface. It's erratic.
- I haven't been able to identify it. - Acknowledged.
We've detected several B'omar ships closing in on your position.
- What's your condition? - Warp engines off-line, shields at 50%.
Try to locate them, Tom. We're on our way.
- The signal's getting stronger. - They're here, I'm sure of it.
This way.
If you wish, we can return to the shuttle.
No. I have to find out.
- What is it? - It's a Federation vessel.
Partially assimilated by the Borg. There are no lifesigns.
Tritanium decay suggests it has been here for nearly 20 years.
This vessel is familiar.
This is the signal that's drawn me here.
Annika!
Run, Annika!
Run! Hide!
Papa?
Help me.
No! No!
Seven? I'm here. Listen to me!
Come.
It happened here.
This is where it began, this is where I was assimilated.
This was our ship.
We lived here.
We lived here for a long time.
My father did experiments.
They were very important and we had to travel a long way.
I had my birthday here.
My cake had six candles on it and...
...and one more to grow on.
And then the men came.
Papa tried to fight them but they were too strong.
I'm trying to hide.
Maybe they wouldn't find me because I was little.
But they did.
And Papa said we were going to crash, and...
the big man picked me up...
...and suddenly we weren't on the ship any more, we were somewhere else.
And then I became Borg.
Fascinating. This signal must have been active since the ship was assimilated,
and Voyager passed within range.
- The ship is under attack. - The B'omar.
The ship will collapse. We must get out of here.
- The B'omar aren't responding to hails. - Standing by to fire.
Target their weapon systems. Tom, what's your status?
I've located them but there's interference.
I'm attempting to lock onto them now, Captain.
This way.
- Are you all right? - I am undamaged.
- This was the only way to the hatch. - Perhaps there is another way out.
There's a hull rupture in a compartment. It may provide a means of escape.
Start digging.
Quickly!
We've disabled two of their ships. The third is still firing.
We're being hailed. Audio only.
You're committing an act of war.
You've left me no choice, Chancellor.
- You will be destroyed... - I don't have time for this.
Target their weapons array.
Seven, I need your help.
I've got them. We're on our way back to Voyager.
Acknowledged. Good work.
I'm detecting a fleet of B'omar vessels approaching. 68 ships.
Ensign, as soon as Mr Paris' shuttle docks, take us out of B'omar space.
- Warp 8. - Aye, sir.
Looks like there won't be any shortcuts this time.
There you are.
I wanted to tell you the doctor said he could adjust one of your implants
so you won't receive any more homing signals.
Thank you. I hope you don't mind that I activated this program?
Not at all.
I've been thinking about what you said,
that this was a place to encourage your imagination.
Is that appealing to you?
I'm not certain.
I find myself constructing scenarios and considering alternative possibilities.
What if we'd not encountered the Borg? What would our lives have been?
I would have been raised by them. Learned from them.
It would have influenced what I became, who and what I am.
And you... would have done the same for them.
There's information about your parents in the Federation database.
Information?
It seems they were fairly well-known
for being unconventional and for some rather unique scientific theories.
You might like to read what's there. It might... encourage your imagination.
Perhaps I will. Someday.
Good night, Captain.
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