Star Trek Voyager: The Gift

Star Trek Voyager: The Gift 2. Crash and Burn

Chakotay felt a shudder run through him as he shifted awkwardly on the cold chair, fighting to keep his eyes away from the unconscious drone lying on the biobed nearby and instead scanning the interior of the small hospital he wished wasn’t so familiar. It was the only structure on the planet which even remotely came up to modern standards, not that that had done his mother much good… Instinctively he drew back from that memory, still raw even after over two years, and focused instead on his father’s and Dr Chovak’s conversation, “You were right Kolopak, genetically she’s as human as the rest of us, and according to the tricorder around fifteen years old, but who knows what those implants are doing to the accuracy of my instruments.” Dr Chovak said as his practised eye studied the drone again.

“Fifteen?” Kolopak muttered sadly, gazing at the unmoving, mutilated young body for a moment before straightening his shoulders. “Will she live?”

Dr Chovak frowned thoughtfully, “Her injuries are actually quite minor, she was lucky, all the other drones we’ve found so far are dead. The problem is that with her link with the Collective broken, her human physiology is reasserting itself and rejecting her implants, if we don’t remove the vast majority of them, she’ll go into septic shock and die.”

Jokolan, one of the two village elders who had joined them in Sickbay, suddenly spoke up, “When we finally manage to get through the Cardassian comm. signal block, I’m sure Starfleet’s doctors will do all they can for her.”

Chovak shook his head. “You don’t understand, I’ll have to do it she has any chance of survival, time is of the essence.”

Kolopak nodded grimly and turned towards Jokolan, “Who is to say the best place for her is Starfleet?”

Jokolan stared at him in disbelief, “What are you talking about? Starfleet are going to be crawling all over this place when they find out about the Cube, they’ll want to study her…”

Kolopak glared back at him coolly, “Precisely my point, they’ll study her, not help her. If this was your daughter in this situation, would you want her shipped off to be some sort of lab rat?” He knew he’d made his point when the other man flinched, his tone becoming correspondingly resolute, “I say we do all we can for her until we can find her family, or if she has none, keep her safe until we’re sure she won’t be mistreated. If Starfleet want something to study, there are hundreds of corpses.”

Chakotay felt his mouth drop open. “Dad, you can’t seriously be suggesting that we keep her here…”

“I’m perfectly serious Chakotay.” Kolopak interrupted, guessing his son’s point.

“But…” Chakotay began angrily, only to be once again interrupted by the stern clearing of a throat.

It was Daropak, the oldest and most senior of the elders, who had accompanied Jokolan to the hospital. “This is not a time for arguing.” He admonished them all gently, though with his eyes on Chakotay, who flushed in embarrassed anger. “I agree with Kolopak, the Sprits have brought her here, and made Kolopak and Chakotay find her, for a reason. We should not forsake a gift and we cannot allow any child to fall into danger. If she lives, she must be shielded as a daughter of our people, at least until her family have been found.”

Daropak’s words hung in the air for several minutes before Chovak awkwardly spoke up, “I have your permission to treat her then Elder?” he asked respectfully.

Daropak, now moving to leave the room with Jokolan, glanced back at the girl then shot Kolopak a small smile, “It seems the Sprits have chosen Kolopak and his family for her, let him decide.”

As soon as the two Elders were gone Chakotay whirled around to face his father, his face fearful and questioning, “They don’t expect you to be responsible for a Borg do they?” he asked somewhat shrilly.