^{search engine keywords: borg, borg collective, the gift, Star Trek Voyager, Voyager, Kathryn Janeway, USS Voyager, U.S.S. Voyager, the borg, Jeri Ryan, Kate Mulgrew, Jennifer Lien}

THE GIFT

Episode 70
Part C

 

USS Voyager, still at impulse power as the warp drive is offline.

Doctor: "Ready when you are, Captain." Janeway signals assent and the Doctor injects Seven of Nine. hypospray injection

Seven of Nine comes to and is horrified to find much of her Borg hardware removed and replaced by the Doctor's dermaplastic grafts. Doctor to Seven of Nine: "Don't be alarmed. You're in Sickbay. You're going to be fine." Seven of Nine is furious and panicky: "What have you done to me!" Doctor: "Your body was rejecting the Borg technology. You were dying. I'm sorry but we had no choice." Referring to additions to her body: "Those are dermaplastic grafts. They will help the regeneration process." Seven of Nine: "Unacceptable. You should have let us die." Janeway: "I couldn't do that." Seven of Nine: "This drone cannot survive outside the Collective." Doctor: "I beg to differ. Now that the Borg implants have been excised, your human systems are free to thrive, and thriving they are. As a matter of fact, I-" He shuts up at Janeway's warning expression and he moves away. Janeway approaches Seven of Nine, warily but sympathetically. She says: "I want to help you but I need to understand what you're going through." Seven of Nine sneers: "Do not engage us in superficial attempts at sympathy." Janeway: "It's obvious that you're in pain, that you're frightened, that you feel isolated, alone." Seven of Nine: "You are an individual. You are small. You cannot understand what it is to be Borg." Janeway: "No, but I can imagine. You were part of a vast consciousness: billions of minds working together - a harmony of purpose and thought, no indecision, no doubts, the security and strength of a unified will. And you've lost that." Seven of Nine: "This drone is small now, alone. One voice, one mind. The silence is unacceptable." Feeling bereft and vulnerable, she demands: "We need the others!" Janeway: "I can't give you back to the Borg. But you're not alone. You're part of a human community now, a human collective. We may be individuals but we live and work together. You can have some of the unity you require right here on Voyager." Seven of Nine: "Insufficient." Janeway: "It'll have to do. And the fact is, this community needs you. The Borg modifications you made to our vessel are disrupting our warp drive. We need your help to remove them, your expertise, your co-operation." Firmly, using the Borg terminology that Seven of Nine understands: "You must comply."

In engineering, Torres is having a long difficult time. Torres: "Alright, I think I've got all the Borg garbage out of the plasma intake manifolds. Let's try re-initialising the antimatter reaction."

Kim: "Matter/antimatter reaction at 22 cochranes and rising."

But the system fails to re-initialise. Torres: "Damn! What happened?" Kim: "Intake manifolds 11 and 13 are still blocked."

Torres is frustrated. "This is like pulling weeds. You think you've got them all out and then-" Seven of Nine: "You've neglected to remove the autonomous regeneration sequencers."

Torres and Kim turn to see Janeway walking towards them with Seven of Nine. A security guard is also with them, to guard the ex-drone. Janeway: "Lieutenant Torres, Ensign Kim. You remember Seven of Nine." Kim responds with a lightness he does not feel. He is actually rather nervous. "How can we forget?" Janeway: "We can't afford to delay repairs any longer, so I've asked her to help us remove the Borg modifications. She only has a few hours before she returns to Sickbay. I suggest you put her to good use."

Torres to Seven of Nine: "You can start with the plasma relays. They're in Jefferies tube 13-" Seven of Nine: "Jefferies tubes 13 alpha section 12. We fully recall the engineering specification of your vessel."

Torres: "Good. Can you also recall the way it looked before you turned it into a Borg circus?" She does not bother to disguise her hostility and contempt. Seven of Nine: "Yes."

Kim looks on.

Janeway, making her tone light: "Ah, now that the pleasantries are over, why don't you get to work. I want updates every hour." Torres: "Yes, Captain." Janeway leaves.

In Kes' quarters, Tuvok and Kes prepare for the first meditation session. Tuvok's meditation lamp is lit and ready. Tuvok: "The flame of the lamp is fire and disciplined, tamed and under control. It is the appropriate focus for the task ahead of us." Kes: "Why don't we begin." Tuvok: "I will attempt to guide you in manipulating the flame at a subatomic level. Concentrate on the flame. Try to see past the surface, past the light, to the patterns of energy and matter."

Kes: "I can see the essence of the fire." Tuvok: "Good. Now reach out with your mind, and intensify the flame."

Kes: "I'm making it hotter, brighter."

Tuvok: "Now, with your thoughts, reduce the flame." Kes does so. "Excellent. You've never demonstrated this level of control before."

Kes: "It's as though I knew what had to be done and-" She stops suddenly. Tuvok: "What's wrong?" Kes: "Something's happening. I can see further, beyond the subatomic." Tuvok: "Kes, there is nothing beyond the subatomic."

Kes: "But I can see it, Tuvok. It's a new level of reality. It's beautiful." Tuvok, ever cautious: "Perhaps we should stop for now."

Kes: "In a few seconds. I want to try to control it." The lamp's structure ripples as its molecular cohesion fluctuates in tune with her thoughts. Kes "Don't worry, Tuvok." She returns the lamp and the flame to normal. Tuvok is impressed and disquieted at the same time.

In engineering, at a maintenance access hatch, Torres shows Seven of Nine the problem. Torres: "What about these linkages? Every time I pull one out another comes back in its place." Seven of Nine: "Autonomous regeneration sequencers. They function to counteract resistance." Kim: "Amazing. How did you come up with the pattern duplication design?"

Seven of Nine: "We came up with nothing. The Borg assimilated the technology in galactic cluster 3, Species 259." Torres: "I'm not interested in a history lesson. How do we disable it?" Seven of Nine: "You must disconnect each sequencer conduit at the insertion juncture." Torres: "Why don't you two work on the Jefferies tube. Start with the plasma relays."