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THE GIFT

Episode 70
Part D

 

Kim and Seven of Nine enter the Jefferies tube network.

Kim: "I'll start here."

Kim tries to make small-talk. "You said the Borg got their stuff from Species 259. Who are they?" Seven of Nine does not reply. He tries again: "I guess the Borg meet a lot of people, don't they?" To himself, "Stupid question." He tries yet again: "So what's it like out there in galactic cluster 3?" Seven of Nine: "Beyond your comprehension." Kim: "Try me." Seven of Nine: "Galactic cluster 3 is a transmaterial energy plane intersecting 22 billion omnicordial life-forms." Kim: "Oh. Interesting."

It is hard to talk to Seven of Nine so Kim leaves it at that. He moves away to the other side of the junction to work.

Seven of Nine detects a Starfleet communications node.

Seven of Nine's view of the circuitry.

Seven of Nine's close-up of the Starfleet communications node.

Kim, at work, is unaware of her discovery.

The security guard outside the junction is also unaware of what is happening.

Seven of Nine calls Kim over. "Ensign Kim, your assistance." He turns and starts toward her. She takes him by surprise and strikes him a blow which sends him flying out of the Jefferies tube junction. She closes the doors and erects a forcefield around the area. She starts work to contact the Borg using Voyager's subspace transmitter. She wants the Borg Collective to retrieve her so that she can be re-assimilated.

Bridge. Paris: "Captain. Somebody's trying to access the subspace transmitter."

In engineering, the security guard and Kim are at the Jefferies tube junction door. They cannot get in.

Torres, via comms: "Captain, I don't know how, but she's erected some kind of forcefield around the door. We can't break through it."

Chakotay: "She's bypassed our security protocols." Janeway: "Disable the transmitter." Chakotay tries to do so. "It's too late."

Meanwhile, at the meditation session, Tuvok informs Kes: "It's obvious that your mental abilities have progressed beyond this particular Vulcan exercise. I suggest we-"

He stops as Kes suddenly gets up and moves away. Tuvok: "What is it?" Kes: "Something's wrong."

Into her mind flashes the image of Seven of Nine in the Jefferies tube junction. Kes: "The Borg is trying to contact her people."

Tuvok taps his combadge. combadge "Tuvok to security team 1. Intruder alert, engineering." Kes: "Wait. I think I can stop her." She concentrates, and is able to project her mental powers beyond, into the Jefferies tube. Seven of Nine senses a presence of some kind and turns to look.

The hatchway ripples - its molecular structure is being disrupted!

Seven of Nine does not know what is happening to the hatch.

Using her mental powers Kes de-stabilises the Jefferies tube at the molecular level. This generates an overload or energy stream which throws Seven of Nine backward with its force and stuns her.

It's over. Tuvok taps his combadge. combadge "Tuvok to bridge. Status?"

Janeway, via comms: "There was some kind of explosion in the Jefferies tube just as she was about to initiate her transmission. We don't know what caused it." Tuvok, via comms: "I believe I may have the answer, Captain."

Janeway and Tuvok walk to the Brig together. Janeway: "I can tell by the expression on your face that you've got some bad news." Tuvok: "I have no expression on my face. However, you are correct. The news on two separate fronts is not good. I checked the subspace bandwidths. At least a partial signal was transmitted from Voyager." Janeway: "Enough for a Borg ship to track?" Tuvok: "Possibly." Janeway: "And the second front?" Tuvok: "I believe there is also cause for concern regarding Kes." Janeway: "Explain." Tuvok: "Internal sensor logs show that she destabilised the Jefferies tube at the molecular level. The effect weakened the infrastructure throughout the deck. She wishes to develop her abilities further. I am not certain it would be safe, for Kes, or Voyager." Janeway: "I've got an Ocampa who wants to be something more and a Borg who's afraid of becoming something less. Here's to Vulcan stability."

They enter the Brig. standard doors She tells Tuvok: "Wait for me." She moves forward to the entrance of the holding cell where Seven of Nine is confined. Ayala, the officer on brig duty, also keeps watch.

Seven of Nine sneers: "So this is human freedom." Janeway: "I've decided to keep you in the Brig until I'm certain you won't try to harm us again. If necessary, the Doctor can treat you here. I honestly believed you were going to help us." Seven of Nine: "You were not deceived, Captain Janeway. It was my intention to help you." Janeway: "What happened?" Seven of Nine: "There was a chance to contact the Collective. I took advantage of it. Your attempts to assimilate this drone will fail. You can alter our physiology but you cannot change our nature. We will betray you. We are Borg." Janeway: "I've met Borg who were freed from the Collective. It wasn't easy for them to accept their individuality, but in time they did. You're no different. Granted you were assimilated at a very young age, and your transition may be more difficult, but it will happen." Seven of Nine ponders this. "If it does happen, we will become fully human?" Janeway: "Yes, I hope so." Seven of Nine: "We will be autonomous, independent?" Janeway: "That's what individuality is all about." Seven of Nine: "If at that time we choose to return to the Collective, will you permit it?" Janeway: "I don't think you'll want to do that." Seven of Nine: "You would deny us the choice, as you deny us now. You have imprisoned us in the name of humanity, yet you will not grant us your most cherished human right - to choose our own fate. You are hypocritical, manipulative. We do not want to be what you are. Return us to the Collective!" Janeway: "You lost the capacity to make a rational choice the moment you were assimilated. They took that from you. And until I'm convinced you've gotten it back, I'm making the choice for you. You're staying here." Seven of Nine: "Then you are no different than the Borg."