Star Trek Voyager: The Loving Game

Star Trek Voyager: The Loving Game (Chapter 64)

A/n: Once again, “memories” are in italics.

Seven couldn’t help but take a sharp intake of breath as she stepped into Sickbay, two days after Chakotay, Tom, Neelix and Harry had returned from that ill-fated away mission. Chakotay sat alone in the eerily empty room, his eyes, hollow and smeared with purple shadows from lack of sleep, staring vacantly ahead. Seven had to gulp hard before forcing herself to approach him, feeling insanely grateful when the sound of her footsteps seemed to jolt him out of his trance. She smiled faintly as he turned his haggard face heavily towards her. “How are you feeling?” she asked softly. He grimaced bitterly in response and she tried again awkwardly, “Where is everyone? I thought the Doctor said…”

“The Doctor had to leave; he was getting a few medical alerts. Neelix couldn’t cope with being confined and Tom and Harry agreed with him.” Chakotay replied with a sigh.

“You didn’t?” Seven asked tightly as she finally reached the biobed and stood stoically beside him, stroking the back of his clenched hand.

He shrugged, “Being somewhere else won’t change anything.” He muttered. He saw Seven flinch momentarily at his words and realised how bleak and hopeless they sounded. “How’s Celeste?” he asked in as light a tone as he could muster.

Seven squeezed his hand gently, seeing through his attempt to shield her from his condition but grateful for it nonetheless. “She’s fine. I just put her down for her nap; Ceres is watching her for me.” She sighed when she saw the relief on his face, “Why don’t you let me bring her into see you? She’s missing you…”

“No!” Chakotay exclaimed stubbornly, tensing when he saw Seven’s pained expression. “She shouldn’t see me like this Seven.”

“Chakotay, she’s an eighteen month old baby scared for her father! You’ll feel better if you see her…”

“I’m not going to feel better about this Seven!” He snapped, his voice disintegrating into a guilt filled groan as he continued, “You don’t understand the horrible things I did on that planet…”

“We don’t know for certain that you’ve done anything!” Seven retorted desperately, putting her hands on his shoulders and looking directly into his eyes. “Remember that you are married to a former Borg drone my love…” She swallowed thickly as her own demons reared their ugly heads, “I have committed more violence and cruelty than you ever have or ever will and…”

“That was different; you didn’t have any control over your actions…” Chakotay interrupted.

“It’s not different. You have been manipulated in some way and we’re going to find out how.” Seven said firmly, pressing her hands to his face before kissing him lovingly, “You’re the most honourable man I know. Please don’t torture yourself when we don’t know what happened.”

Chakotay studied her earnest expression for a moment and fondly rubbed his thumb over the implant below her ear before letting his hand fall away. “I know what I felt Seven, and that level of hatred and anger can’t be manufactured. I never even hated the Cardassians as much and they destroyed my home. I’m not sure if I want to know…” He was interrupted by the Doctor’s entrance into the room, followed by several panicked looking crewmembers, many of whom were sobbing. “What’s happened Doctor?” he demanded, innate leadership qualities having not abandoned him along with his peace of mind.

The Doctor looked at them both grimly as he guided his patients. “It seems that the “memories” of this massacre are not restricted to the away team after all.”

“How can you explain this Doctor?” The Captain asked tersely as Voyager’s senior officers sat together in the Briefing Room some time later.

“Well Captain, the symptoms suffered by the away team are spreading throughout the crew. After running new brain scans I can ascertain that these new memories are as engrained in their brains as any others.”

B’Elanna winced. “Is there any way these “memories” could have been artificially created in our brains?”

The Doctor shook his head. “I highly doubt it. They fit seamlessly into the brain waves and have very mark of real memories. Someone certainly experienced them, which is the only medical conclusion I can come to at the moment.”

Harry paled to a sickly shade of grey. “Then what happened to us?”

The Captain sank back in her chair, rubbing her aching temples. “I think we have to consider that this entire crew might have taken part in a massacre, involuntarily or otherwise.”

“Shh, baby, shh…” Seven soothed Celeste pleadingly as she paced her darkened quarters with the toddler on her hip, trying, unsuccessfully to lull her into sleep. “It’s night time Celeste; that means its time for bed…”

“Nooo….” Celeste wailed unhappily, “Pwease Mama…” She clung tighter to her mother as she felt her sigh heavily. “Papa where?” she whimpered brokenly, peeking hopefully over her mother’s shoulder at the door.

Seven took a deep fortifying breath and sat down on her and Chakotay’s bed, shivering as she did so. It really was no wonder Celeste was fretting, she was only sensing the overwrought emotional atmosphere of the whole ship, and much as Seven tried to hide it, she was sure some of her anxiety must be evident too. “Papa’s safe in Sickbay sweetheart, probably sleeping, just like you should be right now.” She advised her daughter while stroking her small back in comforting circles. Celeste hiccupped through her tearful sniffles but continued to cling like a limpet. Sighing again, Seven carefully laid the little girl on the bed and pulled the blanket over her, “How about Mama lies here with you until you fall asleep?” she finally suggested tiredly. She’d always stuck to the rule that Celeste slept in her crib and nowhere else but even her Borg resolve was beginning to wear down in the face of physical and emotional exhaustion.

Celeste calmed down a little as her mother lay down on her side beside her. She stopped crying and instead settled in for a hug, “Song Mama.” She mumbled.

Seven smiled wanly, “A song?” Celeste nodded and she sighed. Maybe that would coax her into sleep and then she could take her back to her crib and then try to regenerate herself. Reluctantly she began to sing, barely above a whisper, “You are my sunshine…”

She ran blindly. Even as her smoke burned, oxygen deprived lungs screamed for air she knew she had no choice but to keep going as phaser fire hissed above her and explosions left a ringing in her ears. It was gone, all gone. Her home, her family… A gasping shriek left her throat as a scorching pain hit her shoulder and began to spread through her torso. She fell hard onto her face but almost immediately someone turned her over. The last thing she saw before a phaser rifle butt was shoved in her face was the halo of flames destroying the lush trees above, the falling ash burning her skin…

Seven jolted awake with a scream on her lips that was soon forgotten as she heard Celeste’s hysterical sobs beside her. “Celeste, Celeste…” She gasped out as she picked her up. “It’s Mama, you’re okay, shh…” She pulled the inconsolable child to her heaving frame as she struggled to process what she’d just seen; she supposed it had been unrealistic to think this phenomenon wouldn’t affect her too… An idea hit her and she asked Celeste urgently, “Can you tell Mama what was in your bad dream my love?”

“Twees…fire…bad…” Celeste choked out.

Her horrible suspicion confirmed, Seven hit her comm. badge, “Doctor, Celeste and I are coming to Sickbay.” She muttered, walking determinedly out of the room before she got an answer. At least she now knew one thing for sure, those memories weren’t hers and they certainly weren’t Celeste’s.

A/n: PLEASE REVIEW! :D I was going to make this longer but I’m too tired so you’ll need to settle for this for now, but don’t worry, Celeste will be fine. I’ll try to update soon though!