Redemptions of the Heart

By Oprelia

Rating: PG-13

Code: P, J/P

Category: VOYAGER

Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance

Beta: H. Louise

Disclaimer: STAR TREK: VOYAGER and all its characters contained within this story are owned exclusively by Paramount Pictures Corporation. No copyright infringements are intended.

Author's Note: I would like to express my gratitude towards my beta 'H. Louise'. You have helped me a lot with your vast knowledge of the Voyager universe and your continued support.

Chapter Eight

The Borg Alpha-Prime

*****

The Captain silently entered her Ready Room, away from the tense atmosphere of the bridge. In the privacy of her Ready Room she was able to drop the mask that she had constantly erected every time she left the privacy of her quarters. She was also able to let loose all her tightly controlled emotions as she struggled to hold the crew together amid the uncertainty of the Borg presence. She also had to hide the emotional pain she felt every time she thought about Tom and his absence from her life. They had just found him after he was missing for three weeks, only to have him abducted by the Borg that had established a stronghold in her Cargo Bay and Main Engineering. Repeated attempts to liberate those two essential rooms had failed and hope diminished every time they came back empty handed.

She had to find a way in. Seven of Nine and Icheb depended on those alcoves to regenerate. Currently they were using makeshift portable regenerators for regeneration, but those devices were not as efficient and ideal as the Borg alcoves in the Cargo Bay. But most importantly, they needed to regain control over Main Engineering so they could start regaining control over the ship's systems. Even now they still were travelling to an unknown destination since the Borg controlled the ship's navigational systems.

She went to her couch by the window and stared at the streaking stars outside.

"Computer, begin Captain's Log."

"Captain's Log, Stardate 60316.5

It has been six days since the Borg transported Tom from Sickbay. All attempts to enter either Cargo Bay Two or Main Engineering have failed. Whenever we breach either of those rooms, the team is immediately transported to the mess hall and all attempts to deactivate the force-fields around the computer core have not been successful. Every time we divert power from the Borg controlled systems, they find away to either adapt or circumvent our efforts. We still have not regained control of the ship or any of the primary and secondary systems the Borg have taken from us. Main Engineering has still been cut off. All we know is that the Borg have been maintaining and repairing our systems. We had hoped that we would not ever see the Borg again, but we were wrong.

The Borg has taken B'Elanna away from us, now they have taken Tom. How many more people am I going to lose to the Borg? The crew is getting jittery and I can't blame them. Although the Borg has not yet assimilated the crew, we are all wondering why. There is continued speculation as to the reasons for the delay but we have not been able to determine the real reason. I will definitely see to it that the Borg will one day cease to exist as a threat to the Federation and to our crew.

It has been hard on the crew these past few days. Tempers have been flaring as the tension levels on the ship rise. We are all concerned about our fate so people have been lashing out. Since all primary systems and most secondary systems have been locked out, most of the crew has nothing to do. The bridge is only manned by two crewmembers nowadays. Some of us are trying to unlock the encryption over the main systems, while others are using the holodecks. Most however sit in the mess hall or the observation decks and speculate about the motives of the Borg.

Commander Chakotay, Commander Tuvok and I have all tried to diffuse any incidents that occur due to those discussions but I don't know how long the brooding and arguments will turn into physical altercations. Tensions have never been this bad before. Even during the initial days in the Delta Quadrant didn't compare to this.

I hope we can break the codes soon. Every time we disable a lock, we encounter another lock which is even more complicated that the previous one. We have so far decrypted two locks in six days. Hopefully the third lock is the last one. We need to regain control of the situation and liberate ourselves from this menace.

Computer End Log."

She walked to the replicator to order some coffee. Just as she was about to place her order, she was transported out of her Ready Room. When she materialised, she immediately noticed that she was in Cargo Bay Two. The second thing she noticed was that her senior staff was with her. They all looked at each other and she realised that they were as surprised as she was for this sudden transport.

"I was in my ready room about to order some coffee. What were you doing Chakotay?" Kathryn asked after she regained her bearings from the unexpected move.

"I was in my office counselling Ensign Jurot. Her Betazoid empathic powers were causing her some grief because of the current tensions on the ship," he replied as his gaze swept around the room to assess his surroundings. It did not look good.

"I was in Astrometrics with Seven, trying to break through the third encrypted locks on the main computer," Harry explained as he also took in his bearings.

"I was on the bridge, as was Lieutenant Vorik," Tuvok said as his gazed swept past them towards the main exit. He walked over to the main doors and encountered a force- field. "There is a force field around the doors" he reported.

"Does anyone know why we are here?" Chakotay asked. They were in the heart of the Borg enclave that had been established on the ship with the exit blocked.

"I would assume that we are about to be assimilated," Harry says sarcastically. As he spoke, a male voice from overhead spoke.

"You have always been too impulsive, Lieutenant Kim. I thought that you would have grown out of that phase by now".

As the voice spoke, five drones appeared and the Collective told them to move forward. The senior staff complied, knowing that they could not engage all five drones without seriously injuring themselves. There was also no apparent exit in this confined room and they did not know how many other drones were in the vicinity. They were led to the raised central column with the blue floor. It was an exact replica of the Borg Queen's assembly alcove.

"We will not be assimilated. We would rather die than join the Collective!" yelled out the Captain towards the ceiling.

"Brave words. I've heard them before. From thousands of species, across thousands of worlds since long before you were born. But they all became Borg."

"Who are you?" Janeway asked. Fear was creeping into her facade as the meaning of the words seeped into her brain. Evidently they were dealing with an unknown force since the voice was clearly a male. It still sounded seductive like the Borg Queen but the voice had a distinct masculine tone. As she spoke, three panels from the floor opened and out came the assembly arms to construct a black synthetic body. When the body assembly was completed the central column began moving down from the green lit ceiling and a head appeared inside the exposed chamber.

"I am the beginning... the end... The one who is many. I am the Borg"

As he said that, his head and spinal column joined with the mechanical body and some mechanical hooks from the black mechanical body attached to organic flesh.

"What are you? Are you the temporary leader of the Collective? Is that why you haven't assimilated us yet?" asked Harry. He was clearly afraid. This was his first look at a Queen.

"You imply disparity where none exists Lieutenant Kim. I *am* the Queen.  I *am* the Collective" Ben replies before he examines the rest of the senior staff.

"Commander Chakotay of Dorvan, the spiritual friend of Tom Paris. You have been a good friend of Tom's and you have shared his grief for his late wife and child. Your enmity towards him has long since vanished and he considers you a trusted friend. You are one of his many new friends that have helped him during his troubled times. I thank you for that." said Ben to Chakotay as he walked up to the Commander. After staring at Chakotay for a few moments, he then walked over to Tuvok.

"Commander Tuvok of Vulcan, Tom's anchor. You have provided Tom with a physical and emotional anchor when his thoughts and emotions where erratic. You have also helped him purge himself of his anger and frustrations through the use of self-defence lessons and meditation sessions. I thank you also." Ben said to Tuvok. He then walked over to Harry.

"Lieutenant Harry Kim of Earth. Tom's best friend. You have always been there for Tom, since the moment you found out about his past, you befriended him, regardless of the warnings from your senior officers. You were the first to see the true Tom Paris. The man behind the mask. You are the one who has been though it all, through thick and thin. You are the embodiment of friendship. No words can describe the gratitude I have for you." Ben said with admiration. He then walked over to Vorik.

"Lieutenant junior grade Vorik of Vulcan. You have been there for Tom when he needed to work on things to clear his mind. The completion of the Class Nine-A shuttles are a result of your help."

"Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One. You admire Tom's ability to adapt to every situation he encounters. You also admire his perseverance during difficult times. You are grateful that he was the first to befriend you after you were liberated from the Collective. He was the first person to treat you as an individual, a human. He was not concerned that you were a former drone. He was the only person onboard that truly understood what it was like to be an outsider, being someone who was treated differently and he truly understood the monumental task you had of integrating with the crew. He could relate to you on the difficulty that you experienced when you trred to find your place and he made every effort to help ease the transition.

"You have enjoyed your discussions of theories and technologies that most people would not understand and you have frequently organised those sessions to redirect his anguish of his late wife and child into some lively discussions on some ideas that you have. Your help is most appreciated," Ben said to the former drone.

Everyone was dazed by the words that were being spoken. They had been expecting assimilation, not conversation.

"We seem to be missing someone," was the sudden announcement, which shook everyone out of their shocked states. "The EMH. How could I forget!" With a shimmer, the Doc appeared beside them. He looked a bit startled.

"The Emergency Medical Holographic Program, Mark One. The bane of Tom's daily life but also a good mentor. You are a walking contradiction. You have an unusual relationship built on mutual respect and friendship. He respects you as a living sentient person and you respect him as a good, kind hearted and misunderstood young man. You are also grateful for him because he was the first to treat you as a living person. You are also grateful because he is the only one who genuinely understands you and your wit. You project an air of nonchalance towards him when you clearly enjoy his company," said the bemused Borg at the outraged expression on the doctor's face, which then transformed into a sheepish grin.

"And lastly, but most certainly not the least, here we have Tom's beloved fiancée. You have rescued Tom from himself more than once. You have re-lit the fire that burns in his soul which had nearly died out after the death of B'Elanna. You have flamed the sparks of desire and healed the wounds in his heart. You have loved and cherished him when he needed it the most. You are Tom's heart and joy and you must be ready and waiting to be reunited with him," and at that last statement, they all had a sudden hope, because if his statement was true, then Tom was still alive.

"You are not lying to us are you? Is Tom unharmed?" Kathryn asked desperately. She longingly searched the room for any sign of her fiancé but she could not see him.

"No I am not. The process is near completion and he is about to emerge from the chamber" was Ben's reply. The humans gasped at the word 'process'. Thoughts of assimilation appeared on all their minds as they thought that they have truly lost Tom. Then the chamber to the left of them suddenly beeped and Ben moved towards the chamber. He pressed a few buttons and the lid slowly opened. Everyone was waiting with trepidation as they awaited their first look at an assimilated Tom. However when Tom sat up, they were pleasantly surprised.

His skin was unmarred with any of the lesions that were the result of his illness. His body was free from any visible implants. All in all he looked quite healthy, albeit a bit pale from what appeared to be a lack of sunlight. A drone walked to the chamber bearing a robe. Ben took the robe from the drone and helped Tom into the robe.

Ben then helped him out of the chamber and with a cry of joy he launched himself towards his beloved whom he hadn't touched for a whole month. He kissed her passionately for so long that they had to break it off to get some air. Once sufficient air was obtained, they were at it again, until an uncomfortable cough came from Tuvok.

"Not that I am not overjoyed at seeing you Mr Paris, I believe we deserve an explanation on the events since you were transported out of sickbay leading up to now. And who is your apparent friend," Tuvok asked.

"Well, not much has happened. I have been in that chamber for six days now. My friend, his name is Benjamin. Only I may call him Ben because I gave him the name. In return for the name he was going to give me a gift. I asked him to adapt a vaccine of the pathogen, which would protect you all from being infected. I wanted to spend my last hours with you darling... " Tom explained as he looked warmly at Kathryn, a look she returned as she laid her head on his chest. "But he said that with the assimilated technology of the Doc's holo-emitter, he was able to construct a chamber that re-sequenced my DNA."

"But why would you do this for him? Not that I'm ungrateful, but you are the Borg," Chakotay asked as he tried to understand the motivation of the Borg. He knew that to gain help from the Collective always carried a high price. Instead of answering the commander, Ben walked right up to Seven.

"Seven of Nine, Do you recognise me?" he asked a perplexed Seven. A frown appeared on her lovely face as she contemplated his question. When the answer came to her, she was shocked because...

"You... you are the sole surviving member of Species 028... You are the heart of the Collective!" Seven exclaimed. Awe was clearly written over her face. She had never contemplated meeting him and to be standing in front of him was awe-inspiring. Even when she was a drone, she was never in his presence. Only the physically strong were allowed to guard him.

"Correct. I am the last remaining member of the Chrysten race. The last survivor of the peaceful race that was assimilated over five hundred years ago".

"Excuse me, Seven. You seem to know who he is. Can you tell me what you know?" asked Janeway. Tom looked on in earnest. It seems that he still didn't know the full identity of his friend.

"He is the Borg Alpha-Prime, Captain. He is the heart of the Collective. He Is the True Collective".

"What do you mean by that Seven?" asked Chakotay who was clearly seeking a straightforward answer.

"He is the repository of all the information the Borg possess. In his cerebral cortex contains the entire Borg database. A Borg drone only stores a small portion of the data that we assimilate. I have only a small fraction of the knowledge the Borg assimilated, unlike him. When we assimilate a species, the information we gain is collated and stored within him."

*****

A/N: I know, those words are similar to First Contact. But I just loved those quotes and I just had to use it. The meaning of the name Benjamin came from a baby name book. Don't blame me if it isn't true. I just found it in there.

    Next: Chapter Nine