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Chapter Text

Annika and Jay: The Beginning and The End

Cast:
Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine/Annika Hansen
Necar Zadegan as Bjayzl
Icheb from the ST Voyage Episode Shattered (Season 7)
"Boss" was inspired by the Ranger who appeared in Picard Season 3 (Episode 2)

Chapter 1

Seven of Nine, formerly Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01 from the Borg Collective, sat in her captain's quarters in La Sirena. The cargo ship was given to her when its former captain, Cristobal Rios decided to go back to Starfleet. Besides, he owed her a ship since she sacrificed her own vessel to save La Sirena from this Kar Kantar (the name that they later told her) who was targeting the ship mercilessly. Seven happened to pass by that space and saw that La Sirena couldn't break free. So, Seven maneuvered her vessel in such a way that she was firing at it as she intercepted Kantar thus, her vessel was heavily damaged. It was a lucky break that she was beamed out in time before the explosion. As a Fenris Ranger, Seven would help whoever needed it regardless of any ship's occupants. She later knew that Admiral Jean Luc Picard was one of the occupants of La Sirena.

This time, Seven's La Sirena was powered down in Fenris space as she prepared to take a rest. She could've stayed in some quarters on land, but Seven preferred to be alone in the dark nothingness tonight. Mozart's Ave verum corpus, K.618 played on the sound system of the ship. It was ancient music, but the precision and repetition of the composition gave Seven a sense of order. Being more human and vulnerable, Seven's mind was in some chaos as it kept replaying the death of Bjayzl by her hands. Her weapon disintegrated her target so completely that nothing remained of her except in Seven's mind.

"Why? Why ? Why?" Seven said aloud in anger as she momentarily used her palms to pound her head and somehow try to knock her thoughts away. After all this time, after helping Picard with his noble mission that resulted in successfully lifting the universal ban on Synthetics, Time would still not allow Seven to stop ruminating about Bjayzl.

Thirteen years had passed. Seven came face-to-face with her at Freecloud. Bjayzl was still extraordinary. Her face, her dark eyes, her voice, her slim figure, her regal manner...she was exquisite. Then, Bejayzl had said to her, "I thought it could be you. 'Hoped' might even be the word.'" Seven was so enraged at seeing her that she didn't pay attention to those words. But now, her Borg enhanced synaptic pattern involuntarily accessed that part of her memory. She could hear the words once again and re-live the past clearly.

"Damn you, Jay," she seethed aloud, "did you mean that you hoped to capture me and torture me?" Seven had put off reflecting on all that had been said, after all, she had been busy. But tonight, there was no mercy from these relentless memories.

"Hoped. Hoped." Suddenly, she stiffened from her already stoic sitting position abhorred by the thought yet, she couldn't deny it anymore. She saw it now; she saw that there was a real longing in Bjayzl's deep dark eyes, but Seven knew that her light blue eyes were dead cold. She was bent on killing her. The person she had loved.

"Hoped to meet you." These were the first words Bjayzl once said to her.

***

Far more than 13 years ago, pushed to fend for herself, Seven traveled away from Earth. She was then recruited to Fenris, spoke to the Rangers; agreed with their ideals thus, she joined them.

One day, years later, she had just accompanied two Rangers in a recue mission after which they had to return to headquarters to recharge and rest. They were met with some commotion among the other Rangers.

"Hey, what's going on with you?" Seven inquired in her usual blunt manner without preamble.

A Romulan Ranger answered her, "The Boss is entertaining a new recruit."

"What is the big deal? We're always recruiting people," she reasoned.

"This one's different. This one volunteered to be a Ranger," he answered her with some caution, a lot of the Rangers were afraid of the ex-Borg. She was beautiful, but her inner strength and just-beneath-the-surface-rage exuded to the forefront of her energy field.

"The new recruit donated a sum of money plus supplies for us. Quite a different specie if you asked me," a humanoid Ranger butted into the conversation.

"How do you know that? The recruit paid to be a Ranger?" Her tone was laced with incredulity and some curiosity.

"I don't know about the pay thing. Donation, Galak told me. He was with the Boss and heard their conversation. He said, the money was already deposited in our Freecloud financial institution before they even spoke. Wonderful, huh." The other Rangers, around six of them, agreed with the humanoid and added their own chatter.

Seven tuned them all out, having gotten the information from her initial inquiry, she determined that this recruit was no concern of hers. She walked over toward the back of the room where the cargo containers were. She started looking at the supplies while she decided which items should be brought to their vessel.

Her enhanced hearing picked up footsteps entering the doorway, definitely several Rangers' thumps. They were all similarly dressed in black thick jackets with heavy boots. One sound was distinct like tapping steps. Seven didn't turn around even as the Boss spoke.

"You will fit in, I'm sure. Our group is very diverse. We have Romulans, Reptiloids, Synths, Bolians, Ferenges, Humanoids and even an ex-Borg, who can't stop working like a first class Borg." He laughed at Seven's expense in trying to sound witty. The Boss continued, "Rangers, welcome our lovely new recruit who brought us presents and...."

Seven heard his voice trail off and the tapping steps grew nearer her and stopped. "Hoped to meet you." The words spoken from a deeply smooth lilting accented voice. Seven was unsure if she wanted to turn around to see the origin of the voice or not.

"By Doohah's due, Seven of Nine! You're not deaf, are you? She's talking to you. Turn around," the Boss bellowed, still trying to impress the new recruit by exerting his power. The Boss was an old grizzly humanoid with battle scars on his face and a blinded eye.

"Seven of Nine," the recruit repeated in a genteel whisper that only the two of them could hear and she repeated, "hoped to meet you."

This time, Seven turned around and instinctively blurted out in her usual lowered tone, "You hoped? Why?"

"Seven! By Doohah's due. Bjayzl, please forgive her. She's not very sociable," the Boss explained with embarrassment at his perceived rudeness from Seven. Then, he addressed the other Rangers, "Everyone, this is Bjayzl. She's into trade and industry, but she realizes there are so many species who need help so, that's why she's here. Why don't you welcome her, properly."

Bjayzl stepped away from Seven to the center of the Rangers. There was a chorus of voices giving her praises.

Seven observed her. Bjayzl was a few inches taller than her. She looked at that footwear that produced the tapping sound. It was gold and shiny, not high heeled and not flat thus, some metal might be at the bottom as part of the soles. Bjayzl was humanoid, if she was of another species, Seven didn't know what. Her waist was small and her skin, a light brown. Her hair had curls and piled high. She was laughing as she chatted with the Rangers. She turned to talk to a Ranger from her right side and without being obvious to them, she turned in such a way that she glanced at Seven for several seconds. Their eyes met as Seven remained pinned to her spot. She felt mesmerized and yet, she didn't want to be. The Boss was right, Seven acknowledged, she was not sociable.

Early the next day, Seven was walking to the hangar when Galak, the Boss' assistant, intercepted her. Galak had facial ridges on his forehead to his cheekbones.

"Seven of Nine, the Boss wants to talk to you."

"When I return," she replied curtly.

"The vessel left already," Galak said, rather proudly.

Seven tilted her head with immediate fury in her eyes. Galak was instantly reduced to a fool, "T-t-the Bo-Bo-Boss told me to...to...to tell the Rangers to leave now. They...they need to pick-up some...some...stranded families...." Galak stammered with lowered eyes.

"I'm aware of that. I am on time; time which we had agreed upon last night." Her tone was matter-of-fact, but hard. She sometimes reverted back to her "Borg-ness" when upset.

"You...you have to talk to Bo-Boss, you see. Come...Come." Galak gestured for her to follow him.

Seven took a deep breath to suppress her emotions, an old habit, then gave a nod to Galak as she followed him. There was still a hierarchy to follow even as an independent Ranger.

The Boss was seated at his console monitoring the areas outside Federation space. He looked up as they entered.

"Seven, do you feel you have conducted your missions well?" The Boss said this gruffly to which Seven defensively replied, "I don't feel. I know. Why? Have my work not been satisfactory?" Galak cringed expecting the Boss to have an outburst. And the Boss did. But the outburst was that of laughter. Seven blinked and her eyebrow and lips lifted to form a puzzled expression.

"I've been watching you, Seven, albeit with one good eye. By Doohah's due, I say you're very capable," The Boss said, his tone respectful. Galak had a stunned expression. Seven nodded as acknowledgment as she waited for the Boss to continue. "I've been wanting to acquire a ship for some time now. With some money donated to us, I can buy two. Mind you, they'll be used ships with no transporter capability. You can fix an old ship, can you?"

"I have enough knowledge and experience, yes. Am I to be assigned as an engineer to repair and maintain all the vessels here? I believe, I do not wish to...." Seven was protesting what she thought was her new assignment. But the Boss quickly interrupted her. "No, no, Seven of Nine. What I'm telling you is this, I will give you a ship. But you must first inspect, fix and upgrade some parts before you can take it on your missions. Are we in agreement?"

Seven was surprised and so was Galak whose eyes seemed to pop out of his head. "I was not expecting this, Boss. I'm willing to repair the two new vessels. I will take one, thank you," she said with soft tones which conveyed her gratefulness.

"Good. I'll order the ships now and surely, they will arrive later. In the meantime, why don't you orient our benefactor, Bjayzl, on what we do here and show her around." The Boss smiled as he turned to his console signaling the end of their meeting.

Seven nodded and turned, seeing Galak, she said, "Please take me to Bjayzl."

Bjayzl was still asleep when Galak chimed her quarters. She didn't feel safe enough to allow entry. She used the comms on the wall to inquire why she was roused. Galak informed her that she was to have breakfast with Seven of Nine. Galak decided to let Seven wait in the mess hall than wait on Bjayzl at her door. He also decided that Bjayzl would feel more comfortable without a Borg outside that door. He was proud of himself for balancing the two humanoids. Having heard Galak, Bjayzl smiled widely and became fully awake; she took a sonic shower with other hygienic preparations then dressed herself for maximum effect for Seven.

Seven's back was turned away from the entrance to the mess hall. Her hair was in a "messy" ponytail with strands falling on her face; she consciously didn't want to fix her hair as she did in Voyager. No more pristine bun and clips in place as the Doctor taught her. She knew now not to follow any manual of how to become a woman-human. In the years after Voyager, Seven simply grew up naturally and chose freely. Bjayzl walked as silently as she could, but Seven still heard her. She turned partially to her; Bjayzl saw the lovely profile, the straight nose and flawless skin, and the flash of metal. Seven usually used her left eye with the cranial implant above her eyebrow, her eye was reconstructed by the Doctor with visual acuity. Bjayzl couldn't help herself, when she neared, she reached out to touch the cranial implant. Seven quickly flinched just as she had when then Captain Janeway was going to use a filament to crosslink the wires inside her implant.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bjayzl said, withdrawing her hand. "I was just curious."

Galak appeared with their food and left with a smile and a bow as if happy to serve them, Bjayzl, most especially.

They sat facing each other at the table. They were both small-portioned eaters and picked at their food. Bjayzl was more of a drinker.

"You puzzle me, I seem to only have questions for you," Seven commented.

"What are they?" Bjayzl challenged.

"Why did you 'hoped' to meet me? What are you curious about? My implant? I am, was Borg, that is still part of my identity," she replied.

"You're correct. For quite some time, I wanted to see the famous ex-Borg who became human from the Delta Quadrant. I'm fascinated," Bjayzl said, smiling seductively.

Seven's forehead furrowed. "Fame? Fame is irrelevant. I am not famous. I might say, I was driven from Earth because I am part Borg."

"I heard a lot about you. Your adventures with Voyager. Nothing in Starfleet is confidential when you know how to trade for information," she answered cockily.

"Why are you really here? I have no information for you," Seven said defensively.

"I told the Boss, I want to help as Starfleet has gone back to Federation space. There's a lot of chaos around. I have the resources and I know what the Rangers can do. It's just a plus that you happen to be here. How lucky of me," said Bjayzl with a little purr in her voice.

"If you understand that, do not take the helpless, hopeless people who have no one else lightly," she said firmly.

Bjayzl made a slight laugh. "I am serious, Seven of Mine. I came a long way just to be here. Tell me, Seven of Nine is a Borg name, don't you have a human name?"

"And you, Bjayzl, what is that designation? What kind of name is that?"

Bjayzl laughed out loud. "I love that you can challenge me every time. You can call me Jay. I'm from Freecloud. Come on, I want to call you as you are now, a human." Her eyes are piercing and hypnotic conveying her want.

"I will only give you my human designation when I trust you," Seven said quietly, her blue eyes stared directly at Bjayzl.

She had already observed that Bjayzl was decked in shimmering black one-piece pantsuit, but the top part was open in a V shape partly covering her bosom. Seven found herself admiring the humanoid.

Seven kept her agreement with the Boss to show Bjayzl around and she shared with her the few missions she had been on. Bjayzl listened to her with sincerity and dropped her cocky attitude. She asked logical questions and was attentive to the answers. She was respectful to Seven, using all her will power not to touch the Borg implants on her right cheek and on her hand.

Later, Galak found the pair at the observation deck with the Ranger on-duty. The deck was the first line of defense with weaponry if the headquarters would be in any sort of danger. "Good, you're here, the ships are arriving in five minutes. You can see them from here," Galak told Seven and Bjayzl. He then addressed the Ranger on-duty that the arriving vessels had clearance to dock.

The Boss, Galak, Seven, and Bjayzl looked at two small vessels that had run-down appearances and obviously, patched up here and there. "Well, we don't need shiny vessels, eh? We don't want to be robbed out there. What's important is the functionality. You can understand that, eh, Seven?" The Boss smiled.

Seven delayed her answer processing if there was any double meaning to what the Boss said. She looked at Bjayzl to observe her reaction.

Galak, sensing the pause, quickly answered to save his Boss from embarrassment or awkwardness or both, "Sure thing, Boss. We don't want any shiny new pieces of titanium. Old ones are just fine if it can fly and fight, they're all we need." His too enthusiastic tone was actually the one that embarrassed the Boss who stared at him. To which he bowed his head.

Seven saw that Bjayzl was smiling and seemed content to be there with no indication that what the Boss said held any irony or insult to the benefactor. She then answered the Boss, "Efficiency. I have to check the vessels if all functions are efficient. If not, I will repair them. Are there parts that I could use, in case?"

"Boss, I kind of expected new vessels, didn't I give you enough?" Bjayzl commented still smiling.

"I couldn't ask for more, Bjayzl. Any donation is fine. You see, as administrator, I always need to 'save for rainy days,' so-called Earth speak, by Doohah's due. I can buy two instead of one and I have the rest of the funds saved up," the Boss explained to Bjayzl. She looked at Seven for her reaction, but she was just listening. The Boss continued, addressing Seven this time, "We have plenty of vessel parts in Bay 3. You're free to use them."

"We always dismantle the ships after the Rangers dispatched away the bad guys," Galak laughed. Yet no one laughed with him. The reality was, as vigilantes, the Rangers had to kill any species who they perceived to be wrong. They also take useful items with them. They never re-use enemy vessels with sensors to avoid detection, but they harvest useful parts.

"By Doohah's due, Galak, shut it." The Boss reprimanded Galak in a controlled tone since he turned to Bjayzl to invite her and his tone turned very polite, "Bjayzl, since you've been shown our facility, you must be tired, may I interest you to join me for some food and drinks?"

Bjayzl smiled sweetly at him, very much aware of his intention to play nice and perhaps, if she were willing, to bed him. But Bjayzl was not interested in him or anyone else except the ex-Borg beside her. She said akin to honey in her voice, "I'm flattered, Boss." Her expression turned very innocent, "How about Seven of Nine? Where will she be?"

Seven, seeing the interplay of the two, wanted nothing of it. She interrupted, "I will be in the first vessel inspecting it. Excuse me." She turned to go, but Bjayzl reached out and held her arm firmly.

"Boss, I want to learn how to repair a vessel. Would you mind?" Bjayzl asked in the same honey tone.

"If I know Seven, she will take hours to repair the ship. You wouldn't be comfortable there. We don't even know if there's life support," the Boss reasoned and quickly added, "Unless, Seven of Nine would like to join us?"

"I will not." A pause. "Thank you. I prefer to work," Seven answered without any edge yet quite firmly. She proceeded to walk away. Bjayzl felt her move since she was still holding onto Seven's arm. She quickly followed her lest she be dragged since she purposely was not letting go of her. Bjayzl made a small wave of her free hand to the Boss as she walked away and said, "See you soon, Boss. I promise we'll work as hard as we can."

The Boss and Galak stared at the retreating figures. "How does a Borg attract such a beautiful humanoid? By Doohah's due," the Boss wondered more to himself.

"Seven of Nine? No, Boss. I'm sure that's not the case. They're friendly, but not like, like that. She'll dine with you, Boss, soon," Galak averred, looking a bit lost on the topic.

"No, Galak. I'm telling you. By Doohah's due, never mind. I'm hungry." The Boss was back to his old gruff self with a tinge of disappointment at being rejected.

Inside the first vessel, Seven immediately checked for life support, once confirmed, she ran diagnostics on the system. While the computer was scanning itself, she turned to Bjayzl. "Why didn't you accept a meal with the Boss?"

"Oh, I'm not interested. I'd rather help with the repairs of the ship." A pause. "I'd rather be here with you," Bjayzl replied, not cocky but mellowed.

"Why? I will simply be working."

"I told you, I'm curious. I want to observe you."

"A captain once told me, not to observe and take field notes on crew members...a ship is not a nature reserve," Seven said thoughtfully. She was referring to the time she observed Tom and Belana's romantic activities which enraged the half-Klingon who wrote a report to the Captain, which also lead Seven to attempt a first date.

"Ahh, I see. Your Captain Janeway. What were you observing, Seven of Nine?" Bjayzl teased. She was also thinking back if she ever read that incident in Starfleet's report on Voyager.

"That was a long time ago. I do not wish to share it nor do I talk about Janeway." Seven became quite obstinate. There were moments she wanted to keep private although she was the one who referred to the incident.

Bjayzl felt that a nerve was touched. She smiled deep inside, how sensitive, she is indeed quite human, she thought. But she said, "Very well, what can we talk about?"

"I do not require idle conversations. Perhaps, if you want to get your way with the Fenris Rangers, you can talk with the Boss over food," Seven suggested, her sarcastic nature asserting itself.

In her acquiescence, Bjayzl stepped very closely to Seven, she closed that inch of a gap by leaning her body on Seven's. She kissed her tenderly and lightly on the lips and stepped back. "I require no words as well."

Seven was as straight as a post. The console was at her back thus, she couldn't step back, however, it wasn't in her nature to retreat. The kiss was a surprise which she didn't show. It was brief making her yearn for more. She stared at the humanoid. "Was that part of your research into me?" she asked in a small voice.

Bjayzl felt a slight twinge in her heart, I must've offended her, as she stared back into blue eyes filled with mistrust and pain. "No. It's called an overwhelming feeling. Unreasonable. Illogical. Spontaneous," she whispered. She closed the small space between them again and hugged Seven, then planted a kiss right on the starburst implant on her cheek. "You're so precious, don't you know?"

Seven felt warmth and tenderness. She wrapped her arms lightly on Bjayzl's back. When Bjayzl looked at her, Seven initiated their second kiss; lightly at first then more exploratory with their lips. Seven was a very good kisser. Bjayzl was dazzled; enamored beyond any description. Seven stopped and moved her head back, looking deeply at her. The kiss felt like minutes for both of them, but in reality, it was only some 20 seconds.

Chapter Text

At present, Seven lay sleepless on the bed. She could sleep normally now like an ordinary human though she only needed four hours of sleep a day; there was a time that she had needed to regenerate for only two hours a day. Since Voyager's return to Earth, the Doctor, Belana and Harry with Starfleet engineers invented a palm-sized "battery pack" where she would lay her cybernetic hand atop of it to re-charge the implants in her body.

Seven recalled that it was her own idea to trade herself to Bjayzl for Bruce Maddox, the man Picard was looking for. Her exact words were: "Give Bjayzl something she wants in exchange for Maddox. Something she'll find irresistible....Like me."

"Irresistible, indeed," Seven said to herself, full of sarcasm.

***

Bjayzl started to go in for a third kiss.
"Scanning complete. Malfunctions on weapons array, thrusters, alignments, circuit relays..." The computer's voice droned on and on about the vessel's defects. Seven felt she suddenly woke up from a stupor, she turned her head away, pushed Bjayzl a little and moved aside.

"Excuse me, I have to work," Seven said with some confusion.

"Are you afraid? Of me? You're irresistible, my Seven," Bjayzl purred triumphantly.

"I apologize. I am unsure what has occurred." Seven was turned to the console, but her eyes were restless as she was wont to do when thinking yet she was not reading the texts on the console. She knew she felt compelled to kiss Bjayzl.

"Have you never been kissed before? If so, you have a natural talent for it. Shall I call you fantastic?" Bjayzl enveloped herself on Seven's back.

"I have kissed others before. I know how to do it," she replied plainly. She allowed the back-hug as some form of intimacy which had crawled between them into that space. Seven flashed back to the firsts few times she had kissed Axum in Unimatrix Zero, and later, Chakotay in Voyager. There were a few others since then. Suddenly, she felt lips on her nape. "Bjayzl. You must stop. At once. Jay!"

There was no question what Bjayzl heard was a command, an order, which she obeyed. She stepped away from Seven saying, "Did I disrespect you? I must try to be good." She went to the co-pilot's chair and sat down. Her eyes like a child who was caught with a hand in the cookie jar. "Have you never been tempted, Seven of Nine?"

Seven looked at her seemingly pitiful face and couldn't help but smile. "No." A pause. "And no."

Bjayzl saw the smile and perked up. "At last, I can make you smile at me. Irresistible, do you know that?"

"Your flattery will not grant you any reprieve. I must organize the procedures before I can start repairing the vessel. You may leave me here," she said firm but mildly.

"I'm not going to leave you here. I promise, give me something to do, I'll help you." Bjayzl didn't have long nails unlike her future self in Freecloud. She expected that she would work with her hands as a Ranger.

Seven sighed and decided to check Bjayzl's sincerity and skill by giving her one task at a time. She observed that when given clear instructions, Bjayzl could indeed be useful. She had earned Seven's respect. Upon knowing what she needed, they went to Cargo 3 for the necessary parts. Thus, the two of them began a system of replacing parts and reprogramming the consoles to adapt to the new hardware. There was some banter, mostly, Bjayzl making fun of or playing around with some apparatus, but not to the point of annoying. It was gratifying to witness Seven laugh albeit conservatively, however, Bjayzl was, by and large, seriously working as a tandem to finish the tasks.

Finally, Seven said lightly, "It is late. You require rest." She was kneeling beside an open cabinet with wires.

"How about you? Aren't you going to sleep?" Bjayzl was on her back under a console.

"I have fixed the replicator and the sonic shower. I can utilize the captain's cabin here," she replied.

"So, we can replicate food, pillows, sheets so, we're all set. Shower together, maybe. I'll stay." She popped her head out from under the console and gave Seven a full grin with pearly white teeth showing.

Seven squinted her eyes; she tilted her head, her expression and thought showed that she knew the other was being mischievous. Bjayzl bargained with Seven to let her stay since she was working hard and her reward was to get to know Seven. She was very hesitant, but because of the camaraderie between them, Seven was also curious to know more about her.

***

"Tell me, Seven, why did you kiss me?" They were both relaxing on the deck floor having eaten their meal.

"As I recall, you kissed me, Jay," Seven teased.

"The second time, I mean. Really, why?" She was serious this time. "Maybe a third time is in order." Before she could move closer, a sound interrupted them.

Incessantly, a small beeping alarm sounded. It was Seven's subspace comm badge, a small rectangular shaped chip; she had it especially designed for herself since she was no longer Starfleet and had surrendered her badge. "Excuse me. It's my comm." She stood and went to a corner of the vessel. "Seven here." Bjayzl followed her with her eyes as she tried to eavesdrop as well.

A man's voice answered her. "Seven. I have a leave coming up. I will see you."

"Icheb. It is nice to hear your voice. Are you well?" Involuntarily, Seven's eyes became moist, tears threatening to fall, but held back, controlled.

"I am well. I miss you. And you? Are you well?" he answered.

"I am all right. I am fixing my old-new vessel," she chuckled.

"That is nice to hear. Boss finally gave you a ship." A brief pause. "I will contact you again. See you soon, Seven." Then the comms fell silent. The man was Iched, he was also an ex-Borg with uncompleted maturation cycle, in human years, he was only a young adult. He was picked up by Voyager in the Delta Quadrant by chance. Seven was his mentor, usually working side by side at the intrepid class ship's astrometrics lab. They grew very close through the years especially, after Iched removed his cortical node to save Seven's life.

Bjayzl observed that Seven was emotional and still held onto her comm even as the conversation ended. Instinctively, she knew the ex-Borg would be embarrassed to be seen at a vulnerable moment. She was highly curious as to who she had spoken to, but she was not going to intrude, for now. So, Bjayzl turned away and decided to clean up. She threw the containers and remnants of their meal in the recycler.

Seven looked at Byjazl, whose back was to her by the recycler, and realized that they had a hanging conversation. However, if Bjayzl had forgotten her question, Seven would let it go for she was not eager to answer it. She walked toward the humanoid.

Bjayzl looked at her with serious eyes. "Who was that?" A pause. "My question deserves an answer. Do you remember it?"

"Yes. I remember very well. I have enhanced brain functions." She deadpanned. Bjayzl couldn't help but laughed a little finding Seven adorable.

She continued, "Since you asked a real question, you need a real answer." A pause. "I kissed you because no one has ever kissed my implant before. You felt nice."

Bjayzl's eyes widen. "No one appreciated your Borg implants? They're mistaken. You're impressive, Seven." Her tone was very sincere, quite deep, truly seductive.

***

During that encounter at Freecloud, when Seven's Borg-enhanced hand was holding Bjayzl's throat, she had even managed to say, "I always knew you were impressive. I just never knew how impressive. It is good to see you again. Annika."

The words had been filled with meaning. They represented the history between them. However, there was another context, Vup, the Reptiloid bodyguard had shown Bjayzl the scan of Seven's Borg implants inside her body. Bjayzl "never knew how impressive" the extent of Seven's implants were. They were valuable commodity.

Seven was slowly squeezing Bjayzl's throat. She could've easily snapped her right there and then, but she was thinking of Picard's and his friends' safety first. Perhaps subconsciously, Seven controlled herself as she heard her call her "Annika." Thinking back now, Seven felt that ironically, she was sincere. Bjayzl was delighted albeit afraid to see her. In her heart, Seven knew "Jay" still desired her, but the queen, the madam, the boss that was Bjayzl was acting, showing her people that Seven was a business deal.

***

They slept side by side in the small captain's bed. They were both exhausted, but stealing glances before drifting off to sleep. Seven woke first and looked at the slumbering form of the humanoid. A few moments later, Bjayzl awoke, but she was stealthy, her heavy eyelashes had camouflaged that she was looking at her through slit eyes. She quickly grabbed the back of Seven's head and closed their distance bringing their lips together. She felt Seven's surprise and slight resistance, but once their lips touched, they both surrendered. This could be described as a luxurious morning kiss and it lasted for several minutes...with several more extended minutes.

The pair was able to finish repairing Seven's vessel for several days. During the day, they were professionals with moments of stolen glances and sweet smiles. The other Rangers would tease them from time to time since they had noticed that the two were inseparable for days on end. Seven would always silence them when she threatened to stop repairing vessel 2 which would be awarded to one of the Rangers as well as stop running diagnostics on the other five vessels. She had decided that all the vessels must be in tip top shape thus, she volunteered to do the maintenance for the month since she had an efficient assistant in tow.

The Boss was also very curious about the two females. He visited them several times while they were at work. He saw no unprofessionalism. He did marvel at the re-calibrated newly-acquired vessels; he saw that all the functions were operating as they should. Seven and Bjayzl took him and Galak on a test run of vessel 1 and then, vessel 2. "By Doohah's due, you're a fine engineer, Seven of Nine," he praised. He was truly happy that his purchases were neither wasted nor became useless. With Seven's knowledge, the systems were enhanced. He had long accepted that Bjayzl was more interested in Seven and certainly, not in him and not in any perks that he could offer her as the administrator.

At nights, they would cuddle. Bjayzl would slowly touch and kiss Seven's cybernetic implants. None of Seven's few former dalliances ever did that; in fact, they would avoid the implants as if they were painful to Seven which was a fallacy. At these moments, when Bjayzl adored the implants, Seven felt whole and loved because the implants were not foreign bodies, but a part of her and her identity.

The night they finished Seven's vessel, they were very elated, a successful achievement finally accomplished. They even took it for a quick spin before the actual test run. Bjayzl wanted to celebrate with bourbon, a strong alcoholic drink. Seven used to get drunk when consuming even just a glass of champagne in Voyager, but through the years, as her body became more adaptable, she was able to consume synthenol without getting drunk. They replicated a bottle of bourbon as Bjayzl introduced her to it. She also introduced her to complete intimacy of the mind, body and soul. Bjayzl was an experienced lover engaging Seven to physical pleasures with cerebral sensuality and techniques.

"Annika Hansen. You may call me Annika in private," Seven whispered to Bjayzl. She also shared with her a little of what was written in her parents' diaries studying the Borg and her assimilation on her 6th birthday—very personal history.

That night was the beginning of their full-blown close, personal relationship, as Bjayzl would describe them to Admiral Picard years later.

***

One day, while Seven was calibrating one of the Rangers' ship, Bjayzl was feeling miffed. She was seated at the pilot's chair. "Annika, Why can't you tell me who was always calling you, three, four times a week, on that subspace comm of yours? I asked you several times. I asked you last night, who that was?"

Seven looked at her, surprised, this was the first time she heard that tone from her. "Why is the information important to you, Jay?" she asked mildly.

"You're mine. We have a close, personal relationship, Annika. You honor that by sharing, by not keeping secrets," she insisted. Her expression was serious, far from her usual easy going demeanor.

Seven smiled, understanding where Bjayzl was coming from. "I love you. But there are also others whom I love and protect."

"Then, I think I will go to Galak and get my old room back. I'll stay there since I'm not part of your life. You don't trust me," Bjayzl declared. She stood up and moved toward the ship's exit.

"The door is inoperable until the calibration is complete," Seven said nonchalantly. She approached her and touched her cheek. "You are a large part of my life."

"Clearly, I'm not."

"His name is Icheb. He was from the Delta Quadrant as I was. His parents tried to use him as a weapon against the Borg so, Janeway reclaimed him and gave him a choice to stay in Voyager. That was part of his story," Seven recounted.

"What is he, your other lover or ex-lover?" Bjayzl asked pointedly, she was showing her jealousy.

Seven laughed a little. "No. Far from any of that. He was someone who once saved my life."

"So, he was a friend?"

"Yes. You could say that."

"Why are you so special to him? Why does he keep calling you?"

"Do not be angry with me, Jay. I will introduce you to him. Soon," Seven said. She gently kissed her. Bjayzl melted into her kiss; her jealousy remained at the back of her mind.

***

Almost a month later, after all vessels were in good operational shape, Seven went on a rescue mission in her vessel. She and Bjayzl had a slight argument about it.

"Why can't I come with you?" Bjayzl whined. They were in Seven's room. After sleeping in vessels 1 and 2, after the repairs were done, Bjayzl moved into the room assigned to Seven.

"There are two important reasons and one logistic reason." A pause. "One, the vessel has not been to another region of space, it is risky. Two, I have no idea if the refugees are guarded by what hostile forces; it is dangerous. Three, I am unsure how many refugees there are. If I am successful in loading them, I need all the space in the vessel to accommodate them." Seven explained as she went about the room preparing her gears.

"If anything goes wrong with the ship, I can help you. We fixed it together, remember? If there are hostile forces, I can help you fight. As to space, I'm only one individual, I'll just sit on your lap," she reasoned quite belligerently.

Seven smiled. She stood between Bjayzl's legs as she was seated on the bed. Bjayzl crossed her legs at the back of Seven's thighs and enveloped her arms on Seven's waist, trapping her. "Next mission. I promise you, I will take you next time. Use this time to rest. I appreciate your help with the vessels, Jay. If not for you, I would not have finished so fast and efficiently."

"I don't want to be apart from you, Annika. It'll be lonely without you."

"You will survive," Seven said lightly. But Bjayzl was pouting and wouldn't let go of her. "I will be back." A pause. "I have to go, Jay."

"What if something happens to you? What if there are too many hostile forces?"

"I will adapt." Seven assured her gently, but firmly pried herself from her lover. She bent to kiss her, but Bjayzl turned away showing Seven her disapproval at being left behind. Seven didn't insist. She left with her packed essentials.

Her vessel functioned really well and flew smoothly to the conflict ridden place. She checked the few details of the mission Boss uploaded to her console. She landed her ship on a terrain with many hills of various sizes. The refugees were known to have hidden themselves in dug-in spaces on the side of the hills. Which ones were they in was the problem. Seven donned on a laser-proof vest and pulled a black hood over her blonde hair. She was dressed in the Rangers' all black clothes akin to military gear. As she exited the vessel, a shot dinged at the edge of the door. She crouched low and scanned the area wanting to know where the shot was fired.

"I am here on a peace mission. Cease your fire," she declared having turned on the universal translator on her comm badge.

Silence.

Seven detected a life sign on her scanner beyond some heavy foliage. She moved slowly to the nearest medium-sized hill and scanned it for the refugees. Suddenly, the soil around her seemed to move. Popped up were humanoids with pointed ears, antenna-like protrusions on the head and where eyebrows usually were. They were pixie-like actually very pretty and small. They pointed what looked like flower-designed toys at Seven, but she knew they were real weapons.

"I am Seven of Nine of the Fenris Rangers. Our passing vessel received distress signals a few days ago. It took us a while to find the origin of the signal. I am here to transport the Waalaans to their home." She said this with her hands up to show no aggression.

The humanoid who shot at her stood above her. He was bigger than the others, but of the same species.

Suddenly, Seven's enhanced hearing picked up a roaring sound some distance above.

"Quick, hide. I hear something above us," Seven told them with urgency. Her instinct recognized danger. This showed the Waalaans that Seven was trying to protect them.

"Cloak your ship," the seemingly male 'pixie' said.

Seven made the necessary commands on her scanner and her vessel blended with the surroundings. Several hands dragged Seven to a nearby hole as the sound grew louder; the hole was big enough that it held several individuals. The roaring overhead grew the loudest and crackling sounds followed. Seven saw from her bent position that the soil moved as if rain had splashed down. The sound circled and slowly went away.

A small voice from Seven's right side answered her look of bewilderment, "Those are soil penetrating chemicals. We are hidden in carved rocks and also in hard packed soil which we camouflaged as grass. But the chemicals will slowly melt the hills as well as food sources. They want to slowly kill us."

"Are you the Waalaans?"

"Yes."

"Who are your enemies?"

"The Gilaants. They are the majority of the population here. Our ship lost power and stranded us here six cycles ago," a precise tone said.

"How many are you here?"

"Thirty-five."

"Quick. You must all go inside my vessel now," Seven commanded.

"The ground is full of chemicals. They can harm us," a pitiful voice answered.

"Then, I will carry you." Seven slowly emerged from the hiding place; she tested the ground to see if her boots could withstand the chemicals. They would be affected, but not as potent as acid. Her soles were heavy and thick enough. "When will the next chemical drop happen?"

"A notch," was the reply. Seven didn't understand their counting terms. A Waalaan held up one finger. Whatever that one was, it, at least, indicated to Seven that she had perhaps an hour.

Seven uncloaked her ship and asked the Waalaans to jump on her back, cling to her hands and legs. At one time, she could carry six small Waalaans. She took the first batch inside, replicated some food for them then, returned outside. Some Waalaans were heavy so she could only carry two or three at a time. All in all, she went back and forth nine times. Seven was dead tired, but she needed to get the vessel into safe space. The Waalaans were grateful for the nourishment even though they were too crowded in the small vessel. Seven powered up and as she lifted, she saw a strange-looking ship. The bigger male Waalan, sitting beside her on the co-pilot's chair, identified it as the Gilaant's fighter ship. Maybe the chemical carrier was able to detect Seven's vessel and had reported this sighting to their government. The other Waalaans were screaming and panicking in their small and medium toned voices. Seven was thankful they weren't as loud as human voices.

Her first instinct was to shoot it down, but remembered that their weaponry might still consist of chemicals which could still drip down to the hills. Nature must always be protected. The fighter shot at the vessel and it indeed was of a liquid substance. Seven made several evasive maneuvers; she was an excellent pilot. Rather, she became one via hours of training after she knew that she had to leave Earth. She wanted to quickly climb upwards into the atmosphere.

The Waalaan beside her suggested, "Seven of Nine, you can fire at them in space if they follow us. Their chemicals will be equalized in space."

"A sound idea. Thank you," Seven smiled at him.

The fighter did indeed follow the vessel out to space and as soon as Seven calculated that it was a safe distance from the planet, she shot the carrier. She went to warp 1, which was the only warp speed she had, as the carrier exploded. Her vessel wasn't impacted from the explosion. The Waalaans clapped and sang. Seven turned to them momentarily, smiling at their joy. In any culture and species, there seemed to be similarities in expressing happiness and/or excitement as long as there were hands and voices.

The travel to the Waalaans' homeworld was in another region. She instructed the Waalan leader to pilot the vessel while she regenerated for two hours using her now portable "alcove" strapped to her cybernetic hand. Later, it took like two days in warp to reach their planet. Seven dropped them off, but didn't stay even as they begged her to. She knew that these Waalaans would also feel displaced in their world since they were gone, as they later described to her, for twelve years. They would also need to start their lives over again just like how Voyager's crew did on Earth after seven years in the Delta Quadrant. But, at least, they were now with their own kind.

***

Seven wearily entered her room in the Fenris Rangers headquarters. The place was in disarray which jangled her nerves since she was an orderly person. She caught Bjayzl crouched down throwing her own things on the floor.

"Jay, you must not make a mess," she uttered, still planted at the entrance.

Bjayzl was surprised as she turned around and stood up. "Annika! You've been gone for six days. What am I supposed to do? I'm going crazy looking for a subspace communicator. You didn't call me. I didn't know what happened to you," she said in a panicked, harsh tone.

"I had said I would be back."

"So, what? I'm supposed to just believe that? When you had also said there were hostile forces," she argued.

"Jay! I am tired and hungry. I need you to clean this room. Now," Seven barked, her tone was raised. Bjayzl never heard that kind of voice from her before. And upon close observation, she saw Seven's disheveled appearance. Her hair was loose, her clothes were rumpled and her shoes seemed torn.

Bjayzl changed her tone. "Come here. I will take care of you, Annika."

"No. I cannot function in this disorganized environment," she replied firmly. Her hand went to her head as if she was experiencing a headache.

Bjayzl quickly picked up her things. For the rest of the mess, she commanded the computerized vacuum cleaner to do its job. She stepped into the en suite area and ordered the computer to disinfect the bathroom. As Seven saw that her room was passable, she went directly to the en suite and the door automatically slid shut. When she came out, she was clean and in her night dress. She was quite startled to see that the bed was pristine, a sound of soft music and a table with food and drinks were all prepared. Bjayzl pulled a chair for Seven after which she went to the en suite as well.

Seven began eating, whatever replicated food was good at this point, Bjazl joined her momentarily. She had utilized the sonic shower and was in her usual night wear—strapless bra and panties—in Earth parlance. They didn't speak as they ate. Bjayzl poured Seven a bourbon.

"What happened, Annika?" Bjayzl whispered. She only spoke when she saw that Seven was finished with her meal.

When Seven answered, her tone was conciliatory. She gave Bjayzl the account of the events. "Thus, on the journey back, the replicator power was dead from over usage. I also had to turn off all communications because I was alone and did not want any signal to indicate my location lest I be robbed or captured. In between, I had to stop for regeneration and some sleep. That took one day and a half of delay."

Bjayzl's expression was one of pity and possessiveness. She refrained from immediately giving Seven a hug sensing that she wanted her to truly understand her experience. "It was still a fulfilling mission," Seven summed up.

"Theoretically, isn't it the right of the planet's true residents to penalize the outcasts?" Bjayzl inquired. In her context, she felt that the ex-Borg should not even bother with outcasts and to let the residents deal with them. That her journey was not worth the sacrifices she experienced.

"No specie has the right to punish any outcasts who did no harm. The Waalaans were stranded there; they needed help. The Gilaants could have given them a ship and send them home. It was not right to slowly kill them with chemicals. I know what it's like, Jay, I am an outcast," Seven explained with some passion.

"Have they not been forgotten in their homeworld after being gone for years?"

"They can learn to adapt, to belong, to reacquaint themselves to their own society now," Seven sounded with pride and hope.

"You're so hopeful, my Annika. I'm jealous when your attention is on others," she laughed. It was meant to sound light, but Bjayzl meant every word.

"I am happy, Jay, I saved 35 individuals." She averred with a faraway dreamy look.

"Who is going to save you, Annika?" There was a double-meaning there that Seven missed because Bjayzl laughed merrily and deflected with a proposition, "I'm the one who will save you with a massage and some pleasure." She knew that the mood was right thus, she proceeded to goad Seven onto the bed.

Chapter Text

Seven slept, but her dreams were jumbled as she woke with a start. She was only asleep for forty minutes thus, there was no relaxation and her uneasiness came back. Currently, she no longer needed to regenerate on her portable "alcove" or "battery pack" every day except when her Borg implants were malfunctioning. Her human cells had reasserted themselves more and more in 28 years. However, there were still many Borg implants that were part of her vital functions. These were the Borg technology that Bjayzl, the entrepreneur, coveted to own and sell for a fortune. The younger Seven of Nine hadn't realized that yet because there were two sides to Bjayzl—the possessive lover and the ruthless kingpin; the latter, she hid very well from her.

***

Seven's vessel travelled by propulsion to a nearby colony to purchase and trade for supplies for the Fenris Rangers.
"Do you find this boring, Jay?" Seven asked her co-pilot who was quite unfocused staring out into space. "As I promised you, I took you along on my next mission."

Bjayzl looked at her sulkily. "You made sure that the mission was simply for supplies. Don't you trust me, Annika, to assist you on important missions?"

"This re-supplying mission is important to the Rangers. It is ideal that negotiations go smoothly, but that is not a certain outcome at all times. So, we need to be prepared." A pause. "You are in trade and industry, correct? Your skills will be highly needed. And appreciated." Seven explained patiently. She ended with a smile.

Bjayzl's mood shifted. She stood and sat on Seven's lap and gave her a smooch. "You're so special," Bjayzl whispered.

"After the re-supply, we will make a short detour," Seven said softly. Bjayzl gave her a questioning look. Seven gently guided Bjayzl from her lap to the co-pilot's chair. She continued, "We will pick up a passenger."

Bjayzl was intently observing Seven. "I knew you seemed different today. Somehow excited. Giddy? But I know it's not because of me."

"I have not exhibited any excitement or giddiness," she denied, yet there was a definite lilt in her voice.

"Is it Icheb? You've been talking to him even if you tried to hide it from me."

"I also promised that you will meet him. Yes. He is the one we will rendezvous with." In her happiness, Seven failed to see the dark look in Bjayzl's eyes as her lips showed a lopsided grin.

***

Her vessel had landed on a docking port like a parking area which had restaurants and bars. Icheb took a passenger ship to this rendezvous spot. Seven was walking restlessly along her vessel awaiting Icheb. Bjayzl remained in the vessel replicating her bourbon.

"Seven!" Icheb cried out excitedly and quickly enfolded the blond in his tight embrace. Seven was choked up as she kissed his cheek and stroke the back of his head affectionately.

Bjayzl saw the greetings through the viewscreen. She downed her bourbon and recycled the glass. She then seated at the co-pilot's chair again and seethed with rage. The familiarity between them niggled at her nerves. She saw that he had an implant on the side bridge of his nose. So, he was an ex-Borg, too. He was in a Starfleet uniform. Something was forming in her mind now.

When the pair entered the vessel, they turned to Bjayzl, she gave them a grin with her teeth showing, but her jaws were clamped tightly together. She stood to take his hand when Seven introduced them to each other.

They immediately left the port, Seven refused to let Icheb pilot her vessel. "I want you to relax." But he didn't relax. Bjayzl observed, he stood at the back of Seven's chair hovering protectively. He chatted easily with her about his recent projects as she gave him her approval and support.

"Where is the USS Coleman now?" asked Seven.

"It is back in San Francisco for the new commission. I do not have to be back in two weeks. I want to help you," he said as he hugged her for a moment from behind. Bjazl pretended not to see the affectionate gesture.

Seven smiled. She looked at Bjayzl and proudly said, "Icheb is a science officer on USS Coleman. Boss would like to speak with him."

"Boss? How come? Does he want something from Starfleet?" Bjayzl asked curiously. Now that she knew that Icheb was an ex-Borg, she was fully invested in learning everything she could about him.

"I'm a Ranger as well, part-time, at least. I've helped with some causes you all support," he answered with much idealism and innocence.

The journey was quick and they were back at headquarters. Seven went with Icheb to the Boss.

Meanwhile, Bjayzl went to the en suite in the room she shared with Seven. She removed her golden shoes. From each sole, the alloy attached underneath was actually a casing that contained an important piece of technology. The sound of alloy tapping on the ground was definitely what Seven was hearing when Bjayzl walked. The two parts from the soles when assembled together form a subspace communicator. She quickly spoke on it, "The time is near. There is a new target. Be ready with ships and people. I will contact you again." She quickly detached and hid the communicator parts again.

***

"By Doohah's due, welcome again, Icheb. Won't Starfleet be mad at you if they knew you've been working with the Rangers? We don't always have a good reputation," Boss spoke directly, but not unkindly.

"Starfleet helps people and so does the Rangers. I do what I want during my free time. I am on leave once again. As I mentioned before, Boss, I still work within the bounds of Starfleet rules and regulations," Icheb explained. His demeanor, with hands behind his back, was respectful to the Boss as if he was his superior officer.

Boss laughed loudly. "By Doohah's due, you're a fine young man. You've helped us with medical missions before. But nowadays, we're often in conflict situations with split-second decisions; to quickly identify side to...if necessary, eliminate."

"Seven just did a re-supply mission. I can do that. Maybe there's another medical mission. Or I can do research to map out territories in disputes or anything that does not require me to break, for example, the Prime Directive."

Seven, having seen that Icheb could very well speak for himself, still wanted to show her support. She spoke, "Icheb has a brilliant mind. He can analyze data very well. He has to rejoin his ship in 15 days, I suggest you utilize his expertise while he is here."

Boss looked at his computer. "Actually, there is a recon mission that I've put off. It's not an urgent mission. My Rangers are always on priority missions since we are few. Tell you what, by Doohah's due, you deserve some rest so does Seven. Why don't you both take three days off, then, when you're re-charged, I'll tell you about the mission. Agree?"

"Yes, Sir. Boss." Icheb smiled so widely that the Boss chuckled.

"Perhaps Icheb and I can explore that unknown planet with the untapped resources? We might be able to find natural sources that we might need here," Seven suggested.

"Sounds good to me, Seven of Nine. Remember, get some rest in there. By the way, are you taking Bjayzl with you?"

"If she wishes, Boss," Seven said noncommittally. In fact, she hadn't thought of Bjayzl since she was focused on Icheb.

***

"You are welcome to go with us, Jay," Seven said.

"I don't want to explore an unknown planet," Bjayzl moaned.

"Then, I shall be back in three days," Seven promised.

"Annika, where are you going, exactly?"

"It is outside of Fenris space. I still have to look for the region where the planet was said to be located."

"Who told you about that planet?" Bjayzl sulked.

"It was mentioned by the Waalaans. I had not thought much about it until Boss has given us free time to explore," Seven explained.

"What if I tell you, I'll go crazy again with your absence, like the last time? Who will you choose, Annika?" Bjayzl challenged Seven with her glare.

Seven answered calmly, "There is no need to choose, Jay. Icheb is only staying for a short time. Soon, Boss will assign him to a recon mission."

"So, you'll still go with him? And leave me."

Seven's forehead crinkled as a sign that she was perplexed with Bjayzl. "Jay, I asked you to come."

"Who is Icheb, Annika? I see that he is an ex-Borg."

"It is a long story."

"Tell me." Bjazl listened intently at the story of Icheb's assimilation and his integration to Voyager's crew. Seven told her in such a way that she left out the emotional parts of how she considered him as her son. All the while Bjazl's impression was that they were mere friends. In her twisted mind, she still suspected that Seven wasn't telling the full story; she suspected that they were former lovers who became friends.

***

Seven and Icheb went in search of the planet. Their brilliant minds mapped out the terrain and made deductions as to its possible location in that part of the region.

"Does this remind you of how we worked in Astrometrics Lab?" Icheb said with reminiscence.

"The reminder is irrelevant." A pause. "Because I remember clearly." Seven's grin was wide indicating that she had good memories of their time together as well.

As her vessel circled a barren landscape, she decided to land. She scanned the area and made sure that they were safe. There was life support there. They used their scanning devices as they walked around.

"There are several minerals which we could bring. They could be used as energy sources for the vessels," Seven said.

"There is a cave where we can camp," Icheb suggested.

As they sat by the fire that they built, they were able to catch up on their lives.
"I am still sad that we couldn't be together in Starfleet," the young man said.

"I am more Borg than you therefore, I am more of a threat to them," Seven answered with some bitterness.

"Do you wish to stay as a Fenris Ranger?"

"I have nowhere else to be, but in Fenris. I like the independence. I am glad to help those who have no one else to help them," she said with a faraway look in her eyes.

"Is it still the guilt that drives you?" Icheb asked the question innocently yet, it was a perennial question in Seven's mind that profoundly affected her. Seven breathed deeply as her eyes became glassy with moisture. Icheb quickly realized he shouldn't have asked the question. "I am sorry. Did I upset you?"

Seven shook her head and gave him a wry smile. "It is all right, Icheb. I had been a Borg longer than you; I had been part of so many assimilations. As a human, I will always have guilt about that. Guilt will always be a driving force to repay my debts to any society," she explained calmly with deep sincerity.

"The female, Bjayzl. How long have you known her?" Icheb changed topics.

"Not long. A month. Why? Do you not like her?" She curiously looked at him with a smile.

"I have no feelings about her. I just need to know you are protected from harm," he said. His brows furrowed in a thoughtful way. He thought that he couldn't tell her yet that he could see the hostile way in which she looked at him; sometimes he wasn't sure because he couldn't fathom the reason why.

"I...I love her, Icheb. I did not expect to feel it. Perhaps it is not so, maybe I would like it to be so," Seven hedged. She actually wanted to know Icheb's opinion.

"You said you do. I have never known you to be imprecise. If she makes you happy then, I am happy." A pause. "Do you fully know who she is?"

There was a short silence. "I know some things about her. But you are right. I have not ascertained her identity, her history. I will know more about her soon. Thank you, Icheb."

"I can search the Starfleet database when I get back," Iched promised as usual in his serious task-oriented manner.

Seven laughed. "If you wish. But do not tell anyone that it concerns your mother's dating life." Icheb laughed as well.

In the next two days, they discovered a lot about some portions of the planet. They stayed one more night in a different location. They gathered what they could and made inventories of the resources from slightly significant to important. They enjoyed each other's company even as they were efficiently working.

***

In Boss' office, Seven and Icheb reported and submitted the pad with their finds plus inventory of the resources they brought back.

"Galak is taking charge of the resources now. A lot of them can be used to repair the vessels as well as the replicator system," said Seven.

Boss beamed widely as he scanned the pad, "Very good the both of you. By Doohah's due, we are blessed with such resources." A pause. "So, if you wish, you can do the recon I mentioned. It's just to map out the terrain near Daimanta. See if there are any conflicts or any colonies there. Don't engage. Scan from your vessel. You both can do this mission together. It's up to you when you want to do it."

"I prefer to start tomorrow. It might only take a day. I still have several days before I go back to Earth. I want to do more missions before that," Icheb spoke, eagerness in his voice.

Boss laughed, "Whatever you want. By Doohah's due, you are a great addition to the Rangers."

***

"Annika, you just came back and you're leaving again tomorrow?" Bjayzl was livid deep inside but she kept her voice in check.

"It is only a recon mission that would last for hours. I will be back, Jay," Seven said nonchalantly.

"Where? You and Icheb will go together? Again?" She was so jealous, but she also wanted to fish for information so, her tone was mellow.

"Near Daimanta space. Yes, Icheb and I would like to spend time together before he leaves." A pause. "What did you do for three days when we were gone? What did Boss ask you to do?" Seven looked intently at Bjayzl. She was seeing her as Icheb suggested, to inquire more about her.

"Why do you want to know? Are you...jealous? The Boss wanted me ever since I came here," Bjayzl replied with malice.

Seven furrowed her brow. "No. I simply want to inquire about your well-being. Your job since you had not been assisting me," she explained.

"If you must know, I helped Boss with completing reports. The Rangers have been haphazard with their narratives. We double-checked facts with the ship logs." A pause. "I miss you so much, Annika." She stepped very close to Seven.

"I did not." A pause. "I thought about you. Icheb and I talked about you also." In her own way, Seven was trying to be cute. However, Bjayzl was deeply hurt.

"Is that so? After all that I've given you. My affection. My love. I know now, you don't love me," Bjayzl hissed. Her eyes blazed darkly; her mind convincing herself to act on the plan she originally hatched in Freecloud.

Seven didn't take Bjayzl that seriously. "Jay, in the Collective, thoughts are strong enough. The concept of missing someone is foreign. I may not be in the Collective, but my philosophies are similar. If you thought of me and I thought of you, then, our thoughts are one," she replied lightly. She reached out to touch Bjayzl. She gently held her hand to Bjayzl's cheek.

Bjayzl felt herself being pulled into that blue-eyed gaze. She knew she would melt if their lips touched. If so, she wouldn't be able to carry out her plan, the same plan she set out to do when she left Freecloud to join the Rangers. She backed away from the touch and turned away from Seven. "You must be tired. I think you should rest." She went to the en suite; when she came out of it, she saw Seven lying on the bed. She was indeed tired and had fallen asleep.

***

When Bjazl awoke the next day, Seven was gone. She cursed herself for drinking a glass too many of her usual bourbon before bed. This made her sleep so deeply that she failed to wake from Seven's movements.

She used the communicator on the wall to contact the Boss. "Boss, where are Seven and Icheb?"

"They went on a mission. Will you help me again today?" The timbre of his voice carried much delight.

"They went to Daimanta, is it?"

"Affirmative."

"I will see you later, Boss."

Bjayzl, quickly prepared herself and packed her things. She looked around Seven's quarters for more information which she could use. But the ex-Borg was both tidy and unsentimental, nothing in the room had unnecessary things. She used her own subspace communicator once again.

Vup, her Beta Annari reptiloid right-hand assistant and bodyguard, answered her. "Vup here."

"Vup, prepare the ships, the guards and the scientists. Tell them to go to Planet Vergessen, the Hypatia System. From there, send out a distress signal broadcast specifically to the vessel near Daimanta. Confirm if it's a Fenris Ranger vessel," she instructed.

"Noted, Bjazl. Are we expecting Seven of Nine? Or did you say we have a new target?"

"Seven of Nine will be there. And there will be a man with her, also ex-Borg." A pause. "When they arrive in Vergessen, restrain the man and take all the Borg implants from his body. I don't care how savage it must be."

"Yes, Bjayzl. And Seven of Nine, too?"

"No! No," Bjazl said abruptly. "Capture Seven of Nine and take her to the cell in Freecloud. I will deal with her personally. Understood, Vup?"

"Yes, Bjayzl. Consider this done."

"And Vup, when the ships arrive at Vergessen, send one to pick me up here in Fenris."
Once Vup understood her instructions, she cut their communication.

***

Very early, before anyone was up, Seven and Icheb were heading to her vessel to go to Daimanta space. Unknown to anyone, Galak received an automated message about a potential danger. Since he was the supervisor of the headquarters, the assistant to the Boss, he would be informed first. He was expected to act as a first responder and he would be the one delegating tasks to the Rangers as well as informing the Boss of any news, if needed.

This morning, he traced the warning message to Cargo 3 and checked the video feed. He was alarmed at what he saw. Galak needed to solve this problem fast.

He accessed all the security cameras of the headquarters and saw that Seven and Iched were heading toward the cargo bay. He quickly raced toward their location and caught them before they reached her vessel.

"Seven of Nine, I need your help," Galak pleaded.

"We are off to a recon mission," Seven replied firmly.

"Cargo 3 is emitting smoke. That was where I put the resources you brought yesterday. Please, take a look." He was in desperation, gently tugging at Seven's sleeve.

"Let us go with him," Icheb volunteered.

"No. The less people, draws less attention. Boss will be angry with me if he knew there's a mishap. I don't want the Rangers to know either. No need to cause panic if Seven can solve it. Please. Pretend that you left together," Galak said.

Icheb looked at Seven for her decision. Seven asked Galak firmly, "If Icheb leaves with my vessel, how am I going to join him once your problem has been solved?"

"I will personally take you to where Icheb is. I have a ship for picking up food and other needs," he assured her.

Seven turned to Icheb, "I have to help Galak. I think it would not take long. Perhaps an hour. I will rejoin you. Keep safe, Icheb." He nodded to her and left.

A small fire was indeed starting in the room where materials were stored. Seven quickly replicated a digitalized fire extinguisher and doused the flames. She inspected the damage with her scanner. She knew she must find the reason for this occurrence. Her scanner showed that the compounds of certain objects must not be placed near the vicinity of other materials or else these would be flammable. She sighed. This might take a while to sort out. "Did you not scan these objects before you stored them here?" she asked Galak yet, she actually knew the answer. Galak ruefully shook his head to indicate "no." She took a deep breath, calmed herself from getting angry and set out to reorganize the area as she barked orders at Galak.

Chapter Text

Icheb was on his way to Daimanta. It seemed to be farther than he anticipated. He decided to be leisurely about this trip. He replicated some nutritional food. There was no hurry as he flew on impulse since he wanted Seven to catch up with him.

Much later, Icheb was circling Daimanta. He was scanning the area and recording the terrain. All these details would be useful later when simulating a map. It was a huge area seemingly isolated with potential resources. The tasks would take time to accomplish. Anyway, he told himself, Seven had still not arrived so it would be all right to take his time and be as thorough as he could in surveying the place.

***

Bjayzl touched the chimer outside the Boss' office. He let her in from a button on his desk.

"Boss, I have an emergency," she said, acting all panicky.

"How so? What is it, Bjayzl?" Boss stood and quickly went to her.

"I have to go to Freecloud. My people contacted me. There's a business deal in crisis. I hope you'll forgive me. But I will be back," Bjayzl lied with perfection.

"But all the vessels are in use. Let me see if I can rent a vessel for you," he said with much concern.

"No need, Boss. My ship will come for me, my people will pick me up at any time now. Once I'm able to sort out the business problem, I'll deposit an amount to you before I come back," she said smoothly. No sign of her earlier panic since she saw that Boss had bought into her lie.

"That's too generous of you, Bjayzl." The Boss sort of blushed despite his sallow skin; he actually looked embarrassed.

"I just hope I could solve that problem swiftly," Bjayzl said. She lightly embraced the Boss as a gesture of parting; he smiled and patted her back as they were of equal height.

***

Icheb was monitoring the controls on Seven's vessel. An insistent alert sounded. This indicated that he was being hailed, audio only. He turned the audio on and heard: "Help. Help. Somebody. We need help."

Icheb jumped to his feet and started scanning the source of the hail. He didn't realize that he was specifically being hailed, not a random call for help to anyone. His first instinct as a Starfleet officer and as a Ranger was to go to that caller's aid.

"Where are you? What happened?"

"Our ship has an accident. We need medical help. Come for us at Planet Vergessen."

"I'll be right there."

"Hypatia System. We're losing communication." Then, there was silence.

Icheb charted the course to the location without thinking of contacting Seven.

***

Galak was carefully piloting his vessel. Seven had used his en suite to clean herself from the debris in Cargo 3. She didn't want to waste time going back to her room to change. Plus, she wasn't welcoming the idea that Bjayzl might confront her again like last night. She sat at the co-pilot's chair. Galak looked at her appreciatively both for her physical appearance and for helping him with the fire and the arranging. He smiled widely at her as she sighed deeply controlling her irritation.

Seven monitored space as the vessel flew to Daimanta. They arrived and she scanned the area. "Curious, this is Daimanta, but I see no sign of my vessel."

"Maybe this is the wrong side of Daimanta," Galak replied.

"No. This is the coordinates we agreed upon." Seven's worry began to mount. "Galak, something must be wrong. Trade places with me. Now."

Galak was stunned, but saw that she was serious. He wasn't going to argue with the ex-Borg. He stood perhaps too slowly for Seven that she ushered him toward the co-pilot's chair as she sat in the pilot's chair. Her hands were quick on the boards.

"Seven to Icheb. Reply." She repeated this several times, however, no response was forthcoming. Seven now knew in her gut something very wrong had happened. She stopped Galak's vessel and started to scan the space for any residue of her vessel, some sign of a specific emission. It was a good thing that she repaired and upgraded her vessel thus, knew everything about it. A few moments later, she was able to confirm that her vessel had been there and had flown away. However, it would be impossible to simply follow the trail from the emissions. It wouldn't be precise and efficient to find the vessel that way; at some point, the emissions would fade into space. They'd be on a wild goose chase.

"What are we going to do, Seven of Nine?"

"Icheb would not leave this space. Unless...unless something drew him away from here," she said, more talking to herself than to Galak.

"What could it be? Who communicated with him?" Unknowingly, Galak hit on something.

Seven stared at him. "You are right."

He heaved a sigh of relief. He thought she was going to berate him for his idea. Seven stood and went to the replicator. She went back to the pilot's chair with a handheld device which she plugged into the control board.

"Seven of Nine? Will my vessel be damaged?" he asked, albeit cautiously.

"No. I am tapping into my vessel's communication system. I know all the codes. I am using this device to extract the information," she explained. Seven was remotely hacking into her ship's comm links.

Moments later, they heard the message that Icheb received. "This is not a simple rescue and medical emergency. Something is wrong," Seven told Galak. Her eyes were wide and her pupils were moving as her thoughts were chaotic and fast.

"Are we going there?" Galak asked timidly. He was afraid for he wasn't like the real Rangers who fought and were in the line of danger on every mission.

***

Icheb was atop Planet Vergessen, but before he landed, two vessels approached him. They indicated that they were escorting him where to land. As soon as he alighted from the vessel, there were armed people pointing weapons at him. He had no choice but to comply with their commands. He stayed calm for surely they would explain what was happening and where was the source of the distress call; his fear response had not kicked in yet. "I come in peace. I'm responding to a distress call," Iched said. He kept repeating the words in case the translator was not working, his conciliatory tone would carry his meaning. He was ushered into a seemingly makeshift medical facility; it was dimly lit.

***

Seven and Galak were flying over the Hypatia System. Her scan indicated that her vessel, which she lent Icheb, was on a specific area of Planet Vergessen. It also indicated two other vessels and some humanoid figures. She formed a plan in her mind and instructed Galak on his role in the plan. He was shaking with fear, but he knew that he should carry it out since Icheb, most likely, was in danger.

Seven landed their vessel a distance away from where Icheb landed. They were in the cover of vegetation. As noiselessly as possible, they trekked to the location of the parked vessels hiding behind bushes. She nodded to Galak and he shakily walked toward the vessels.

"Hey, y'ou, wha're y'ou doin' here?" A deep voice demanded, his weapon raised.

"H-h-help, I'm lo-lo-lost. Please, please, don't shoo-shoot," Galak answered. Then, he quickly dashed away in the direction where he came from.

The humanoid in black hood and clothes did shoot, but Galak was fast and had a head start. He instructed his companion to stay put as he chased Galak. As he entered the thick foliage, Seven knocked him from behind; she quickly covered his mouth. She used Tuvak's Vulcan technique that made her captive conscious but paralyzed. She nodded to Galak indicating the next step of their plan which was for him to fly his vessel back to headquarters and ask Boss for help. Galak was relieved when he had locked himself in his ship and carefully departed.

Seven continued to deal with her captive. She pointed her laser handgun to the humanoid's head as she sat atop him. "Do not make a noise. I will partially release your immobility so you can talk. If you do not do as instructed, you will die." She pinched the nerve on his neck and his neck relaxed. Seven covered his mouth in case he felt compelled to shout.

"Where is the person from that ship? Will you answer me? Or will I blow your head off? Remember, your body is still immobile until I release you." She slowly lighten her palm on his mouth.

"I'll ans'wer," he whispered. He knew he was defeated because he could not move an inch of his body, even as his mind was trying to force himself to move.

"Where is the man? Why did you capture him?"

"(I)'n d' buildn'. Wd' scientis'(t)s."

"Why?" A pause. "Why?!" She pushed her handgun to his temple willing him to answer as he felt the pressure of the weapon.

"Borg par'(t)s."

Hearing that, Seven became anxious and panicky deep inside her, but she needed all the information. "Who are you, people? Who wanted them?"

At this juncture, they heard the other guard call out. "Ator, Ator, where're you?"

Seven whispered urgently, "Answer me! Who?"

"Bjayzl of Freecloud. 'T sell."

Seven's eyes grew wide at the mentioned name. She made a chopping motion with her hand on the humanoid's neck and he went unconscious. She stood and put her laser gun on stun. She saw the other guard nearing the edge of the foliage and she shot him. He fell and never knew what hit him.

***

Meanwhile, Bjayzl's vessel hovered over the headquarters; she was waiting for it at the observation deck. "I will be beamed into that ship," she told the Ranger on-duty. He nodded and communicated to the vessel to be in transporter range. Not long after, Bjayzl with her belongings were gone.

Inside the vessel, Bjayzl sat at the co-plot's chair. "Report. What's happening at Vergessen?"

"Everything is going as planned, Bjayzl." Her pilot, a diminutive female, answered her.

"Let's go to the planet. Do it fast," Bjayzl ordered with steely eyes; her head was full of images of Seven and her heart had a twinge of pain. If she captured Seven, then she would be hers forever. However, her Borg parts, business. Could she be willing to end her life for the parts? Perhaps, Bjayzl thought, if she doesn't truly love me only then will I take her implants.

***

Seven stormed the makeshift facility shooting her way in, stun function off and kill function, on. She disposed of all the guards. Before she entered that one room, she heard a female voice call out "Bjayzl" perhaps having heard sound coming from outside her room. Once Seven entered, she saw two humanoids in seemingly white lab coats and shot them. What she saw of Icheb's condition devastated her to the core. She had to do what he needed for her to do. That was both his death and hers. A part of her died with Icheb on that brutal table where he was literally dismembered.

***

Seven had recounted this ordeal to Picard as she stared down Bjayzl at her club in Freecloud. "When the rescues ended, some of us tried to help maintain order on the worlds the Federation left behind. We were based on Fenris. One of us was a young science officer on leave from the USS Coleman. He was out doing recon near Daimanta when his ship received a distress call. It turned out to be an ambush. He was the closest thing I will ever have to kin. Like me, Icheb was a former Borg, rescued and reclaimed by Voyager in the Delta Quadrant. That's why she wanted him. His parts were...good business. Bjayzl had his implants stripped out. Without anesthetic. Without even the minor mercy of death."

***

Seven went inside one of the vessels parked outside. She set the auto-pilot on and set the self-destruct command once it reaches a certain altitude outside the planet. She jumped off the vessel as it came to life.

***

Bjayzl saw an explosion farther away. "Ator, what's the explosion?" No reply. "Doctor, report your progress." No answer.

A moment later, she saw a vessel right ahead of them. "Ator to Bjayzl. Come 'n." Is that one of her vessels? she thought.

"Bjazl here. Is that my vessel I'm seeing, Ator? Report." She felt apprehensive. This wasn't the plan or did her people change the plan?

"We're fleein'. Ever'(y) on(e)'s gone. D' Borg...Don'(t) land," he warned in audio only. He didn't want to communicate onscreen with Bjayzl since their plan had failed.

The humanoid, Ator, who was Seven's captive had regained consciousness and so did his friend whom Seven laser-stunned. They heard shots fired and saw Seven go into their vessel. They ran inside the facility and quickly left it after seeing the bodies. As they entered their other vessel, they saw the first one ascend. As they took off, they kept their eye on the ship until it exploded in space.

"Where's my Borg parts?" Bjayzl asked angrily. She turned to her pilot, "Hail Ator, onscreen."

"They're on audio-only."

"Go back 't Freecloud, Bjayzl. We can'(t) ge'(t) 't d' par(t)s. And d' Borg des'(t)royed herself in d' explosion," he reported.

"Impossible," Bjazl shouted, "Go back to the facility. I order you." A pause. "What's there to be afraid of?"

"We're goin' back 't Freecloud," Ator answered stubbornly. Their vessel went farther and farther away.

Her pilot spoke, "Bjayzl, there's a ship approaching. It's headed our way. Your order?"

"Scan what you can see on Vergessen," Bjayzl instructed. She couldn't believe that Seven was part of that explosion.

A beeping sounded. "We're being hailed by the oncoming vessels. Bjayzl?"

"Let's leave this place. To Freecloud." A pause. "I'm going to deal with Ator for sure." Bjayzl's tone was menacing. The pilot shivered dreading the thought, but thankful she wasn't Ator. She immediately put their vessel on warp and disappeared.

***

The Boss contacted the nearest Rangers vessel to the Hypatia System. The two Rangers piloting the vessel hastily proceeded to Planet Vergessen where they saw a foreign vessel hovering above it. The pilot Ranger tried to hail them, but the occupant or occupants didn't reply after a while, they went to warp and vanished.

When the Rangers landed on the location Galak gave them, they saw Seven's vessel. They drew their weapons as they entered the makeshift facility. They noted the bodies as they proceeded along the hall to the room at the end. As they entered the room with laser rifles on-ready, they encountered Seven whose handgun was already pointed at the entrance.

"Don't shoot!" The Rangers shouted in chorus.

All of them lowered their weapons; each one thought they were encountering enemies as part of self-preservation. It was a good thing that they used their eyes first than their trigger fingers. The Rangers saw tears streaming from Seven's eyes. They saw the mess and heartlessness of what they had done to Icheb. They found it hard to believe that Bjayzl did this to Icheb after Seven updated them yet, it was the truth. Seven was closest to Bjayzl and they knew she wouldn't invent a story like this. One of the Rangers told Seven that Bjayzl left the headquarters which solidified her guilt. They helped Seven wrap Icheb's body and took all the implants and body parts removed from him. They flew back to headquarters.

Everyone was somber. The Boss was enraged at what occurred. Seven and the Rangers were able to give Icheb a proper farewell ceremony. She promised him that she would avenge his brutal death no matter how and no matter when. Seven wouldn't hear of letting Icheb's body drift off into space; she wouldn't want him cremated either. Seven suggested that with some of the natural resources they had collected together with old parts from ships, she would be able to design a sealed stasis chamber to store him. The Boss gave her his permission. Seven busied herself designing the chamber. Afterwards, the Rangers helped her build it which took only a day to finish. Galak arranged to partition a small room out of one of the big storage rooms. It took several days to clear the space and to construct a simple room. This time, Seven complied with whatever Galak instructed as she helped the other Rangers build it. When it was finished, Seven replicated some flowers and laid it on top of the stasis chamber. She knew she would be visiting that room whenever she was at headquarters. The door was closed. Seven thanked every Ranger for their help and respect; she especially thanked Galak and the Boss. When they hugged her with comfort and care, the other Rangers who didn't know how to express their sympathies to Seven, followed suit. And in Seven's heart, she really appreciated all of them.

After everything that had to be done, in the quiet of her quarters, Seven uncharacteristically wrecked her place. Her intense rage made her whole body shake. Her heart hurt because she would neither see nor hear from Icheb ever again. Also, Bjayzl might have cleared her things out, but there were still hints of her in that room. Seven could still smell the traces of her perfume or was the olfactory sense a memory made concrete? There was only rage left in her for Bjayzl.

Her logical mind knew why Bjayzl wanted both her and Icheb—for their Borg implants. However, her heart and soul failed to comprehend her evil. She trusted her. Bjayzl came into her life and changed her. There had been love, at first on both their parts, she was sure of it. Or was she? Bjayzl's love and betrayal destroyed that part of Seven's faith as well as her humanity that understood forgiveness. There was also immense guilt in her that she told Bjayzl about Icheb and had even introduced them to each other.

The day after, Seven was able to put her room in order once again. She recycled and replicated most of the things in her quarters. She designed a more modern structure for her bed, replicated the parts and put them together. She had commanded the computer to change the color of the walls. All in all, the room and en suite looked totally different. Even though realistically, she knew she would have memories stuck in her mind about the occurrences in that room, but superficially, any traces of Bjayzl was gone.

She packed some things to go to Freecloud to exact her revenge. When she was on the hangar, Boss was there to greet her. It seemed that he had Seven monitored for once she stepped out of her room, he would talk to her.

"By Doohah's due, I didn't assign you to a mission, Seven," Boss said gently.

"No. I am on a mission. Are you here to stop me?" Seven inquired defensively.

"No, Seven of Nine. I'm an uncle in this place, sometimes. By Doohah's due, I'm your uncle now. I'm talking to you as one. Will you listen to me before you decide?" He wanted to appeal to both her emotions and her reason.

"Very well, Boss. But I will not make any promises to you," she compromised. She put her rage under control for the moment; the Boss wasn't her enemy and she knew not to disrespect him in any way.

"That's all I ask." A pause. "I know you plan to go to Freecloud and hunt down Bjayzl, by Doohah's due. I'd like that, too, to be honest. But there are reasons why it's not a wise thing to do right now."

Seven furrowed her brows. "Explain."

Boss nodded at Seven; he inhaled deeply as a sign of partial relief since she was willing to talk. There was a chance she would understand. He showed her the pad in his hand. "First off, Freecloud is a big place, we know that. I researched into it further. I talked to some acquaintances there; paid some informants...Bjayzl is in hiding. Not only that, word is, she has doubled her security detail. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"It does not matter. I can find her. My Borg parts will be irresistible to her," Seven declared.

"It will do no good to us and to the helpless people out there if you get yourself killed. As soon as you drop down on Freecloud, you're a target. You'll die before your vengeance. To me, that doesn't sound efficient," Boss said. His tone may be matter-of-fact, but he wanted desperately to change Seven's mind.

"My death might be swift therefore, efficient," she deadpanned.

Was that a joke? Boss was uncertain how to react. He stammered showing his unease, "W-well, that's certainly true, b-but your death will not bring vengeance." A pause. "Your death will set Bjayzl free. If you live, she will forever be scared for she will not know the moment you'll strike. That's a punishment, too, Seven," he reasoned. His tone was more passionate now. He cared for this female whom he now knew had a kind heart, inherent intelligence and bravery unlike any other.

"I understand what you are saying." A pause. "I appreciate what you are doing to help me. To support me. But I cannot stand by and do nothing." Seven gasped out her last sentence, as if she was choking. She felt a rumble inside her, a wave of grief threatening to burst out of her again.

"You won't be doing nothing, Seven. You are a Ranger. You'll help. In the meantime, we'll wait for the right time to exact that vengeance. It'll come, but you have to be wise about it. I'll support your vengeance, I promise," he averred and continued, "Come, I know you haven't eaten much of anything. Let your uncle see that you're keeping healthy and strong. Come." He gently took her by the shoulders and led her out of the hangar.

Seven allowed Boss' show of kindness to steer her from her impulsive behavior. Everything he said was within reason, logic and truth. She knew she was going on a suicide mission and an hour ago, she didn't care. But for now, Boss had changed her mind and he was right.

Later, in the privacy of her new room, Seven cried gut-wrenching tears for hours. Her grief poured out for Icheb, the person she considered her son. Rage and revenge. Those would fuel Seven for the next 12 years. On the 13th year since Icheb died, her opportunity finally came.

Chapter Text

At present, Seven gave up on trying to sleep. She now sat on her dining area with a hot mug of coffee, a habit she finally picked up from Admiral Janeway. When she first joined Voyager, then Captain Janeway had already offered her coffee in her Ready Room, but Seven wasn't fond of the idea. When they returned to the Alpha Quadrant, and subsequent meetings with the newly promoted Admiral, Seven finally drank cups upon mugs of coffee with Janeway.

The conversations with Bjayzl were still replaying in her mind. They were meant to hurt her, but luckily, at that time, her anger had kept her from feeling hurt. Her laser focus had been to kill Bjayzl. Her fingers now twitched at the recollection of that neck which she could've easily snapped. She hadn't.

***

In Bjayzl's exclusive club, Seven was at the edge of momentary madness where this was her chance to execute Bjayzl when Picard told her, "But murder is not justice. There's no solace in revenge." And Rios also appealed to her, "Revenge. I understand the impulse. But you do this, you put a bounty on all of us. I don't give a damn. But the kid and the old man, they don't stand a chance out here with a price on their heads." Seven cared enough for Picard and his crew to make sure they escaped to safety. She held onto the frazzled straw of reason and self-control. This revenge had to be hers and hers alone.

Bjayzl mocked her in front of Picard and everyone else in that club; she challenged Seven, "Are you still angry because I carved up your little friend for parts? Or is it because you trusted me? Oh, you were so noble then. Save the outcast. Rescue the forgotten. You were so easy."

***

Upon this recollection, Seven realized that Bjayzl hadn't known how much she cared for Icheb as a kin. If she had known, would she still carry out her plans with no consideration and with all ruthlessness? Seven wondered. But then again, this was Bjayzl, the business mogul; she wouldn't have changed her actions. Seven concluded.

Bjayzl had been so jealous of Seven's love for the man thus, she just wanted Icheb destroyed. Seven simply didn't know the extent and severity of that jealousy. Bjayzl had called her easy. In a way, she was, when she was first seduced.

***

Face-to-face in Bjayzl's club, Seven was sarcastic, "Was I, Jay? Then how did I get away?" On the surface, everyone who was listening would've interpreted it as Seven escaping Bjayzl, physically. However, there was a double-meaning here. Seven was actually telling her that she had emotionally escaped as well. If Galak hadn't delayed her journey, she would've been ambushed together with Icheb, but Seven would've fought to her death first than be tortured and torn apart.

Unknown to Seven, Bjazl wanted to keep her, imprison her, if she must. When she had learned from Ator and the other humanoid who escaped from Vergessen that it had been Seven who killed her scientists and security people, and that Seven had gotten the information that Bjayzl ordered the harvesting of Borg parts, there were no doubts in her mind that Seven would come for her one day. Thus, she had tripled her security and had sent a bulletin out for Seven's capture.

Bjayzl had never believed that Seven exploded in her ship because she knew Seven. She knew her intelligence and her abilities. It was all true, at first, she weaseled her way into the Fenris Rangers to find Seven then, lure her and take her Borg parts. However, she fell in love with everything about her from that first moment forward to the point of twisted possession and in actuality, Bjayzl, to the very end, still loved Seven.

Seven continued her sarcastic double-meaning: "How did I escape the great, Bjayzl?" This indicated that she knew that Bjayzl was the top of the organization, the top dog, the mastermind, the kingpin, the crime lord, etc. She continued, "A fortune in Borg tech and...you lost it. You lost me." Seven emphasized the "me" and saw that it had stung Bjayzl. Seven forced her to sit so, she was staring up at her with dark brooding eyes as Seven stared back with fiery blue eyes.

Seven, upon reflection, attributed Bjayzl's stare as one of hurt ego failing to get her Borg implants and cash in on big business deals.

In truth, Bjayzl was indeed hurt that she truly lost Seven. She wanted to keep her and to totally own her. Her love was too potent and skewed. Seven was pure-hearted with an inherent innocence which Bjayzl had felt like corrupting. As they stared at each other, she saw the extreme anger in Seven's eyes. She looked the same as she had back then, but her hair now was long and wildly free. This was exactly her vision of her wild, rageful Annika. She kept on staring hoping to see even a faint glimmer of a love once shared. She realized she was a fool for breaking Seven's heart and perhaps, robbing her of some part of her humanity. She blamed herself for not knowing that Icheb was kin to Seven thus, those beautiful blue eyes were determined to kill her.

Seven repeated savagely, "You lost me. No one's ever been worth more to you than me, and I slipped right through your fingers." These words had been a personal message from Seven to Bjayzl. The message was not just about Bjayzl's failure on losing big business, but the undertone was that of mockery. Seven wanted Bjayzl to know that Seven knew for a fact that she was important to Bjayzl and that she had evaded capture for all these years.

Bjayzl only stared wide-eyed at Seven. She didn't have the words to refute those sentiments. She paid her reptiloids and her humanoids security teams to find Seven. Truth be told, not to kill her, but only to capture her. Unfortunately, her security people had unsuccessfully tracked down the elusive Seven. Unknown to all, Bjayzl secretly fantasized a captive Seven, wild and angry, and only Bjayzl could subdue her, woo her again and fill both their hearts like they had back then.

Seven was not done with her insult. She emphasized with a snide smile, "I'm the one that got away." The phrase was a common one, especially on Earth that started in the 21st century to mean a profound true love that was lost because of the partner's foolhardy ways. Seven was very much aware that she was Bjayzl's obsession.

Several times through the years, Seven had suspected that Bjayzl's people were on her tail, but she had been very good at masking her vessel and disappearing. She had actually thought of allowing herself to be captured and be taken to Bjayzl. However, Seven knew the odds would be against her so, she waited and waited for the right time. That time came when Admiral Picard and his crew had unwittingly provided the opportunity for her revenge since Bjayzl opened a bid for Bruce Maddox. Seven wanted to trade herself, but the odds wouldn't be as against her because she had a plan.

Bjayzl had always wanted to look tough to everyone. In fact, she was tough and merciless just to get what she wanted. The only soft spot for her was "Annika". She realized that she had gotten it wrong. She had Seven. They were together. If only she hadn't been so angry at Icheb and so greedy for Borg parts. If only she had played the long game. Bjayzl had all the regrets that eventually disintegrated with her.

Bjayzl was defiant in her powerful stance because she had her people surrounding Seven, Picard, Rios and Elnor with their weapons pointed at them. She had the upper hand. In answer to Seven's "the one that got away" sarcasm, Bjayzl answered, "Not anymore." They had nowhere else to go. Surely, they would surrender. She actually thought that her fantasy of capturing Seven would come true. But Seven was truly the wiser. She turned the tables around by threatening her life with her Borg enhanced hand on her throat. It was Bjayzl who surrendered.

***

Seven smashed her coffee mug as she threw it on the floor. There was some satisfaction to the ruin. She could've just ended Bjayzl right then and there. Why did she allow herself those conversations with Jay? Conversations that she couldn't forget even if she tried. Being more human, she had needed to mock and needle Bjayzl, to strip her of power. She had wanted closure when as a Borg, she had no need for words. She felt regret for everything—for meeting Bjayzl and for being intimate with her.

***

Seven agreed to beam with all of them to La Sirena. She thought she had missed that chance at revenge. But Rios showed her where he left the pattern enhancer to locate Bjayzl's exclusive club. She couldn't tell Picard that she was going back to Bjayzl, he didn't need to know that. She told him that she was working on her humanity, "every damn day of my life." Seven had also learned to curse every now and then since Voyager landed on the Alpha Quadrant decades ago.

She steeled herself to face Bjayzl once and for all. She materialized in her club and immediately shot at the server in white. All the others around scrambled away while others beamed out until there was no one around except the two of them. Bjayzl was surprised and afraid, all at once, yet she put up a brave front. She adjusted her gold cloak as if fixing herself except it was a nervous gesture.

Bjayzl wanted to convey to Seven that she still knew her in her heart of hearts. "Well. Frankly, I was surprised when you left. I thought you'd bet on...shooting your way out," she greeted. She tried to look and sound seductive.

"I am," Seven answered plainly while carrying the two big laser guns in each hand which she got from La Sirena.

With some anger leaking out for being the hunted, Bjayzl challenged her, "How sentimental of you, then." A pause as she turned away from Seven. "Risking your...revenge...while saving their lives." She walked towards the bar table. All this time, her mind was thinking of how she could escape imminent death. "Almost reminds me of..." a pause as she turned to utter her name and make her remember their intimacy. "...the Annika of old." She leaned on the bar with as much allure as she could muster as fear threatened to surface.

"Me, too." The regret and grief in Seven's tone was there for she was no longer that Annika of the past. "Picard still thinks there's a place in the galaxy for mercy. I didn't want to disillusion him. Somebody out here ought to have a little hope." Seven conversed with Bjayzl as if it was that time when they were in Fenris talking about Boss. It was intimate, in a sense, as if two people who reconnected after a long time and picked up on a hanging conversation, but one that was never forgotten. Seven was candid, however, she was showing Bjayzl how she was so changed after their affair and subsequent betrayal of her trust. An overwhelming sadness came over Seven.

Bjayzl quickly picked up on that, "Like you used to have...before I took it away from you." She was confessing to her faults and in her own way, sorry for everything she had done to the one she loved. As a defense mechanism, Bjayzl's demeanor, like her raised chin, showed pride even though she was fully aware that she was admitting to have had hurt Seven very deeply.

"Something like that," Seven replied. Her heavy sadness was replaced by a strong resolve for vengeance. Her tone was harder now, "You're stalling, Jay." She still called her by that name of familiarity, of intimacy. "Your second security wave will be here in less than five seconds." She so knew Bjayzl that she was cunning with a strong sense of self-preservation. She knew Bjayzl's team would save her, but she also knew that her trigger fingers would be faster than that team.

"Annika..." Bjayzl pleaded using her name, the last utterance before her demise. She hoped that she wouldn't die at her hands, but she was also realistic, she saw it in her eyes. She moved a step forward with both palms up and her arms in half surrender.

Seven had to say it; she had to explain to "Jay" what this was for her. "He was a son to me, Jay." A pause as she positioned her fingers. "This is for him." She fired at her, two weapons at once on one target. Bjayzl was reduced to nothing. In terms of conversation, Seven got her closure. In terms of action, she finally got her long overdue revenge for Icheb.

Laser beams were fired which indicated that the security arrived. Seven quickly fired shots on both guns at the people. In a moment, she was beamed out of the club and sped away from Freecloud.

Seven had told Picard, before she went back to Bjayzl's club, that the Ranger's corsair was on their way to pick her up. This was not a lie. Just as Bjayzl had her second wave of security, Seven had her back-up. Although, Seven understood that there was a chance that the Rangers might not get to her in time; she was always ready to die, anyway. The Boss had promised her his support thus, he made sure that the corsair would be in Freecloud in a hurry. As Seven was rescued, she materialized onboard injured and fell to unconsciousness. She had been grazed by weapon fire. The Rangers were prepared for the worst, but luckily, it was not fatal. They had their medical kit and immediately attended to Seven. One of the Rangers searched her military-style pants for her portable regenerator, once found, he placed her cybernetic hand on it.

***

After all these years, the pain of Icheb's passing was still rife. Seven had her closure, but not total peace. Suddenly, the scrunched up emotions came out with soul-deep gasp and wailing cries. Her tears flowed for her son, for her regained but regressed humanity, for her guilt, for her emptiness...and for killing Bjayzl, Jay whom she once loved and hated for a long time. She released all these years of her life enveloped in pain and rage.

***

A day later, as Seven was patrolling the region of space near Fenris, she received a subspace audio call from Picard. He asked her how she was, totally unexpected, but filled her heart that this man became her friend. Maybe even despite long distances and all these vast spaces, he felt she had just been through something cathartic. They talked pleasantly and promised to see each other again in the near future.

Seven was grateful Picard accepted her for here she was now, still a Ranger. She had once told him this: "Ranging is my job. It's not saving the galaxy. It's helping people who have no one else to help them. It's hopeless and pointless and exhausting, and the only thing worse...would be giving up."

Seven could not give up even if her heart was empty. Alone. She was mostly alone. The same concept she dreaded when she was first severed from the hive mind and on Voyager. She wasn't averse now of being an independent lone rescuer of the aggrieved. She still had the Rangers as her people and the crew from Voyager as her family. She still had her missions to accomplish and her atonements to make.

End