New Life
Chapters 10-12
PG-13
Chapter Ten
With Voyager heading to assist Sisko, their doctor beamed over to the Enterprise to insure he would be able to assist the Titan’s CMO once the Enterprise reached the Titan.
“Welcome aboard, um,” Picard greeted the Voyager’s doctor. “I’m sorry, what should I call you?”
“Most call me doctor, but I have finally chosen a name,” the EMH informed him. “You can call me Doctor Mark.”
“Oh, yes,” Picard recalled. “You are a Mark I.”
“Well, a…” the EMH stammered. “Yes, but One is not my last name. I haven’t chosen a last name, but I did think Mark was a good name.”
“I’m sorry,” Picard apologized. “I didn’t mean to de-humanize you by recalling…”
“Not at all,” Mark excused. “I have found that humans find it easier to designate others into categories or rather species. In my case, I guess my species would be Mark I. However, I find the Mark II not as efficient as I am.”
“Excuse me?”
“He has a lot to learn.”
“Oh,” Picard replied. After a brief pause, Picard suggested, “Why don’t I show you to Sickbay.”
“Why? Is the patient there?” Mark asked.
“No, but I thought you would be more comfortable there.”
“Yes, of course. I can look over the information concerning the patient there,” Mark replied.
“Mister Mark…”
“No mister,” the EMH corrected. “It’s Doctor Mark or just doctor if you prefer.”
“Yes,” Picard replied, not sure how to take this doctor. “Doctor Crusher-Picard is waiting for you. This way please.”
The two of them walked out of the transporter room and headed for Sickbay.
Picard and Voyager’s EMH finally arrived at Sickbay. Picard found the EMH fascinating to talk to after the initial meeting. The EMH made Picard think of Data and how he missed him, because the EMH seemed just as Human as Data the longer they talked. He took a little getting use to, just as Data did, but there were other attributes of the EMH that made Picard remember Data.
‘Maybe it’s the intelligence level “Mark” has,’ Picard thought. ‘Or maybe it’s his mechanical nature that reminds me of Data.’
Whatever it was, he soon gave up trying to figure it out as they entered Beverly’s office.
“Beverly, I’d like you to meet Doctor Mark,” Picard introduced him as if he were as human as anyone else. “He’s Voyager’s CMO.”
‘I swore I would never use an EMH and now it seems like it is becoming a habit ever since we went back to the past to keep the Borg from affecting the future,’ Beverly thought to herself. ‘Oh, well.’
She unconsciously sighed. Then she stood and smiled, “Welcome aboard, Doctor Mark.”
“Is there a problem, Doctor Picard?” Mark asked her.
Beverly tried to keep her smile, but it was obvious she was feeling like she was caught doing something she should not be doing. “Why no,” she replied nervously. “Why do you ask?”
“Your demeanour suggests you are uncomfortable.”
‘He’s very perceptive,’ she thought. “It’s nothing, really,” she finally told him.
“I have been studying human behaviour and I have found that people sometimes feel nervous and awkward in new situations,” the EMH replied. “Sometimes they try to cover up their emotions by saying everything is fine, when in reality they are uncomfortable due to preconceived notions.”
‘That is definitely something Data would say,’ Picard thought.
Beverly had no idea what to say. She did not want to tell him what she had been thinking concerning him being an EMH. So, she searched her mind for something to say.
When no response came to mind she frowned and said, “Yes, they do sometimes.”
An uncomfortable silence ensued.
“Well,” Picard began, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “I’ll let you two discuss your patient. I’ll be on the Bridge if you need me.”
‘How dare you leave me with this hologram!’ Beverly thought as Jean-Luc gave her a peck on the cheek. Then, in an irritated voice, Beverly said, “I’ll talk to you later.”
Picard grinned, “I don’t doubt that.”
Picard knew her feelings towards medical holograms. So, he knew he was going to get an ear-full later.
“Doctor,” Picard said with a nod. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”
Then Picard left Sickbay, leaving a very irritated and uncomfortable doctor behind with the EMH. He only hoped that she would end up with the same impression he had after meeting Voyager’s doctor.
Chapter Eleven
Meanwhile, the Defiant was heading out to intercept the Prometheus. Sisko sat in the command chair and was remembering what the prophets had said to him just before they returned him.
‘You are not to discuss these things with anyone. You may not change history.’
‘Then why are you telling me these things?’ Sisko asked of the prophets.
‘We do not understand your question.’
‘If I can’t do anything about it, then why are you showing me these things?’ Sisko rephrased his question.
‘To help you create a new future. A better future.’
‘If I can’t change history, how do I create a better future?’ Sisko asked with frustration.
‘Things will change,’ the prophets told him. ‘And you must protect the good, to keep it from being destroyed.’
‘But isn’t that changing the future?’
‘The good must be protected.’
‘What is good?’ Sisko asked still confused.
‘These things are good.’
Images flashed through Sisko’s mind as though he were right there with the events taking place. He saw babies being born, children playing and laughing, people living and dying, then the images began again. There was one thing that each event had in common, but he could not put his finger on it.
‘I do not understand,’ Sisko stated with confusion. ‘People have always had children, lived, and died. What is so special about this?’
‘There will be change and you must protect the good.’
Sisko shook his head. He tried hard to understand, but no matter what they said, it made no sense to him.
‘Are you understanding that we are circular in our existence?’ Sisko asked the prophets.
‘What is circular? Humans are not circular. Things do change. You must protect the change?’
‘There is always change? What change?’ Sisko said with even more frustration.
‘You can not let good be destroyed,’ the prophets informed him.
“Sir, we are coming upon the Prometheus,” Worf informed Sisko.
Sisko shook his head to come out of his flashback. “I’m sorry, Worf?”
Worf was a little put off by his captain’s daydreaming, which he had been doing ever since he returned. “The Prometheus, Sir.”
“Oh yes. Mister Worf, be ready to enter the access code,” Sisko ordered as he returned to the present and stood to walk closer to the view screen. “I’m going to see if I can talk him down first. If not, then I want you to enter the access code on my signal.”
“Aye, Sir,” Worf said in a gruff voice.
“Kira, open a channel to the Prometheus,” Sisko commanded. His tone was serious and firm.
“Channel open,” Kira informed him.
“Defiant to the Prometheus,” Sisko said.
Suddenly, Agohl appeared on the Defiant’s screen. He acted as though nothing was out of the ordinary. “Prometheus here.”
“Admiral Agohl, this Captain Sisko.”
“Captain Sisko, how may I help you?”
“It is my understanding that you are going after the Borg ship that the Titan is assisting.”
“That is correct,” Agohl replied as though nothing was wrong.
“I have orders from Starfleet to ask you to rethink your plan,” Sisko informed him.
“Captain Sisko, I’m sure you realize that I out rank you,” Agohl pointed out to him.
“I am well aware of that, Sir.”
“Then you should know better than to disobey my orders.”
“My orders are from Starfleet and I have every intention of carrying them out,” Sisko informed Admiral Agohl. “Now step down or I will use every means possible to carry out my orders.”
“Sisko, you do realize that the Prometheus can out gun you?”
“Is that a threat?” Sisko asked.
“On the contrary,” Agohl stated. “I will use every means to destroy the Borg and anyone who stands in my way.”
Sisko put his hands behind his back and signalled Worf to enter the access code. “Admiral, I do hope you realize what you are saying. To destroy a Federation ship would have dire consequences.”
“Sisko, don’t try me!” Agohl cut the connection and his ship flew past the Defiant.
“O’Brien follow them,“ Sisko ordered.
“Aye, Sir.”
“Mister Worf, you did enter the access code, didn’t you?” Sisko asked.
“Yes, Sir,” Worf replied. “I successfully entered it just as they passed us.”
“Good!“ Sisko stated with a sly smile. “Disable their weapon’s system.”
“Aye, Sir.”
“We want to surprise Agohl,” Sisko stated. “We don’t want him to know just yet that he does not have control of his ship.”
“Understood,” Worf replied.
“Once he realizes he has no weapons,” Sisko began. “That will be when we will move in and apprehend him. He won’t be able to run if we have control of his ship.”
“Sir,” Odo finally spoke. “If we just beam over there he and his men could easily open fire on us with phasers.”
“Good point, Odo,” Sisko commended. “That is why Worf, Jadzia, and you will not beam over there unarmed.”
“Must I remind you, I do not use weapons?” Odo asked.
“I’m well aware of that, Odo.”
“Sir,” Nog addressed Sisko. “Allow me to beam over also. The bigger the team the greater chance of success.”
“Nog, I’m going to need you here to take Worf’s place at tactical.”
“Yes, Sir,” Nog said with disappointment.
“Captain, Voyager is coming up on the Prometheus,” Jadzia announced.
Sisko and Jadzia were old friends in another life. He could remember a time in which he called Jadzia ‘old man’, but that was when the symbiont Dax lived within her. Then some evil spirits attacked Jadzia Dax and killed her. Her death was upsetting to many, especially Worf.
After Jadzia died, her body was sent out into space with full honours. What was once Jadzia had floated into space and apparently into a wormhole. For reasons unknown, she too ended up with the prophets and was some how made living again. She was also able to somehow live without the symbiont now.
“Good,” Sisko grinned. “Admiral Janeway maybe just what we need.”
“Is this really wise, Captain?” Odo asked with skepticism. “We could just take over their engines and drag them back to DS9 right now.”
“Constable, with their weapons disabled, the only thing they can do is try and run,” Sisko informed Odo. “However, they will find that they don’t have helms control, if they haven’t figured that out already. Mister Worf, bring the Prometheus to an all stop as Voyager gets closer to them.”
“Aye, Sir. Bringing them to an all stop.”
“Open a channel to them, Kira.”
Kira did so, but before Sisko could say a word, Agohl angrily spoke, “Sisko, what have you done?”
“Nothing I wasn’t told to do.”
“Voyager to Prometheus,” Janeway hailed.
Instead of seeing Agohl on the screen, Sisko appeared. “Admiral Janeway.”
“Captain Sisko, I gather this means you have control of the Prometheus?”
“Yes, Admiral, we do.”
“Good work,” Janeway complimented. “Do they have communication control still?”
Sisko looked towards Worf and Worf nods.
“They should be able to reply to your hail,” Sisko informed her.
“Do you have an away team ready to beam over?”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Good, send them over on my signal.”
“Understood.”
“I have the Prometheus,” Tuvok informed.
“On screen and make sure the Defiant is getting this too.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Admiral Agohl, we meet again,” Janeway greeted.
“Janeway, tell Sisko to give me back control of my ship!”
“I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”
“Damn it, Janeway! You are going to be the ruin of the Federation with your determination to humanize the Borg!”
“I see it as rescuing people from the Borg,” Janeway calmly informed him.
“Your compassion will be the death of you, Janeway,” Agohl angrily insisted.
“Maybe, but you still need to give up your plan to destroy the Borg and turn over the Prometheus.” Janeway informed him.
“I will not!”
“You do realize your plan is nothing more than a suicide mission,” Janeway continued. “All you’re going to do is get yourself killed and everyone on the Prometheus with you.”
“This ship has multi-vector assault…”
“I understand that,” Janeway interrupted. “But how long do you think one ship can fight the Borg? Even the Prometheus has a limit.”
“We’ll get a number of them, starting with the Borg the Titan is protecting!”
Janeway shook her head. “No, you won’t, because we will do everything to protect that group of Borg.”
“You’ve gone soft, Janeway!”
“She’s right, Admiral,” the captain Agohl had originally persuaded to go with him on his mission. “We won’t get very far, even on this ship and it’s not worth killing Federation officers just to kill a few Borg.”
Agohl turned towards the captain, “I gave you orders, Captain Morray. Follow them!”
“I don’t think so, Sir,” Morray replied with defiance.
“Commander Ames!”
Ames shook his head and so did a few others that Agohl called on to follow his orders.
“This is an outrage!” Aghol yelled furiously. “I out rank you all! You must follow my orders! We have to destroy the Borg! Now follow my orders or I’ll send you all to the Brig!”
Janeway tried to restrain a smile, “Sounds like you have a mutiny on your hands, Admiral.”
Admiral Agohl sent Janeway an angry look, but said nothing more.
“Captain Morray,” Janeway addressed. “Take the admiral to the Brig and be prepared for us to assist you in taking the Prometheus back.”
“Yes, Sir,” Morray relented.
Janeway cringed at being called sir, but said nothing. Then she turned to Chakotay, “Chakotay, take a small team over there to assist Sisko’s team.”
“Yes Admiral,” Chakotay replied.
“Admiral, in coming message from the Titan,” Tuvok announced.
“Put them through,” Janeway commanded. “Captain Riker, I do hope this is good news.”
“I wish it were, but we have Borg in sensor range.”
“Damn!” Janeway exclaimed. “The Defiant and we are on our way. Voyager out.”
“We’ll be waiting. Titan out.”
The screen went blank and then she addressed Captain Chakotay, “We’re probably going to need an extra ship, besides the Defiant. You think you and Commander Worf can manage the Prometheus?”
“Yes, Ma’am!” Chakotay replied and then began to leave the Bridge. As he did he said, “B’Elanna, Paris, Seven. You’re with me!”
“Yes, Sir!” the three officers replied and followed Chakotay.
Chapter Twelve
“AAAAAH!” Sarah screamed and held her stomach.
Sanders hit his com badge as he was guiding Sarah to a birthing chair, “Captain Riker, I could use Crusher and the EMH right about now!”
*We may have a problem,* Riker informed Sanders.
“I don’t have a clue about Borg births and this baby is on its way.”
On the Bridge Will pushed the hair on the top of his head back with his hand and sighed, “Damn! Why does she have to go into labour now!”
*I rather doubt she chose to go into labour now.* Sanders replied.
“I’ll see what I can do about getting Crusher and the EMH over here,” Riker informed his CMO. “They’re off our port bow now.”
‘Now I know why Picard went bald,’ Riker thought to himself as he pushed the hair on top of his head back again.
*We are the Borg. Resistance is futile.* the Borg said in their hail.
Will and everyone on the Bridge could hear Sarah screaming in pain in the background. Tension was mounting as the hail from the Borg played again and Sarah’s screams in Sickbay.
*Sir, I think we have another problem.*
‘I don’t want to know,’ Riker thought. “Can this wait until the other doctors get to Sickbay?”
*If they hurry,* Sanders replied.
“I certainly hope so! Riker out!” Will sighed, “Damn! We have five Borg ships approaching and a baby on the way that is out of my doctor’s league!”
“Captain,” Deanna began to ask. “Permission to leave the Bridge.”
*We are the Borg. Resistance is futile,* the Borg sent over the communication’s systems. *You will be assimilated.*
Will looked at his wife and thought to her, "Not now, Deanna!"
“I think the best place for me right now is Sickbay,” she informed him aloud as she ignored his thought to her.
*We are the Borg. You will be assimilated.*
Will sighed again. “Permission granted.” Then he turned to his communications officer, “Shut that damn message off now!”
“Aye, Sir,” Uhura replied.
Deanna left the Bridge as Will hailed Admiral Picard to send the EMH and Crusher over to the Titan.
Deanna finally arrived in Sickbay. Sarah was screaming with labour pains.
Luckily, the EMH and Doctor Crusher arrived almost immediately. Doctor Sanders quickly updated them on what was happening with their patient, just as the ship rocked from being attacked by the Borg.
“They’re here,” Beverly stated nervously. “Sarah, how are we doing?”
Beverly was getting very nervous. She was not sure if Sarah’s homing device would be triggered while she was in labour.
Sarah’s only reply was a scream of pain.
“Breath like I instructed you to do,” Deanna coached as the ship rocked again.
“He’s got it,” the EMH announced happily as he looked over the readings at a near by computer.
“Got what?” Beverly asked with heavy tension in her voice.
“Captain Riker has adjusted the shield frequency, as Janeway instructed, so that Sarah’s homing device is not triggered,” the EMH informed as the ship shook. “We shouldn’t have any problems.”
“That is a relief,” Beverly doubtfully replied. “If it works. She’s dilated three centimetres.”
“We’re going to be here a while,” Doctor Sanders sighed. “I do hope adjusting the shield frequency works too.”
“Three ships coming abaft, Sir! ” Lieutenant Colby informed anxiously. “Their Federation!”
“About damn time!” Riker exclaimed with relief.
“Shields down by 10 percent!” Colby announced as the Titan took another hit from the Borg.
“Fire quantum torpedoes at the center of their cube!” Riker ordered.
“Firing torpedoes!”
“Fire torpedoes!” Geordi ordered. His voice was full of tension and he could feel the pressure mounting.
Two torpedoes simultaneously hit the center of one of the Borg Cubes and it was seriously damaged. Then the Prometheus fired on it and it was gone.
“One Borg cube down!” Lieutenant Commander Kenneth McDowell announced excitedly. “Hugh’s ship has sustained heavy damage. Our hull integrity is down to 85 percent.”
“Beam Hugh’s group aboard on my mark,” Picard ordered.
“Sir?” Gusti at ops questioned, just as the Enterprise took another hit from the Borg.
Picard ignored Lieutenant Sabrina Gusti’s question.
“AHHH! ” Sarah let out another scream as the Titan shook violently.
“Her contractions aren’t making much progress,” Sanders informed the other two doctors as he held on tightly to the side of the birthing chair.
Deanna fell back against a bulkhead as she unsuccessfully tried to grab the nearest stationary object.
Beverly also grasped the birthing chair tightly as she thought, ‘I can’t deliver a baby this way!’
“The baby’s vitals are dropping,” Doctor Mark announced worriedly as he too struggled against the shaking of the ship.
“Fire quantum torpedoes!” Chakotay instructed.
“Torpedoes fired!” Worf replied.
The Prometheus finished off one of the Borg ships that the Titan and the Enterprise had been firing on at the same time seconds before. Then it flew around the Titan and between another Borg ship that was about to fire upon the Titan. The Prometheus shook as it took the hit instead, but did not seem to be effected by it as much. It was as though the large ship deflected the blow of the Borg phaser fire.
Then the Prometheus fired upon the Borg ship it just blocked from hitting the Titan. The second Borg ship exploded.
Will breathed a sigh of relief as he saw what the Prometheus did. He was thankful the Titan was not hit again and he was also relieved the large ship took the blow well.
“Shields down to seventy percent!”
“Fire at will!” Riker ordered.
“Damn!” Beverly exclaimed as the ship rocked once more and Sarah screamed in pain again. “We have a problem!”
“What? The Borg won’t stop shaking the Titan to pieces?” The EMH asked sarcastically.
Beverly had been thinking the same thing, but she did not have time to comment. “I have to turn the baby!”
“What?” Deanna jumped in alarm and hurried back over to Sarah‘s side.
“Sarah, don’t bear down,” Beverly urgently told the young woman.
“He was head down last time I checked,” Sanders worriedly informed Crusher and the EMH.
“Well, he’s not now!” Beverly snapped at Sanders as she attempted to turn the baby.
“Fire the Borg Torpedoes!” Janeway ordered.
Another Borg ship took a direct hit from Voyager.
At the same time, Voyager was hit by yet another Borg ship.
“Shields down to seventy percent,” Tuvok announced.
“Fire at will!” Janeway commanded.
Janeway watched Chakotay’s team bring the Prometheus back around to defend Voyager from the onslaught of the Borg ship that was attacking them.
“Amazing!” Janeway exclaimed as she watched the Prometheus take the blow that was meant for Voyager.
Admiral Owen Paris flew the Defiant class Valiant NCC-74210A in to assist the other Federation ships. It was almost as powerful as the Prometheus.
The Enterprise was being assaulted by one of the Borg ships, so Owen headed to assist Picard and gave the order to fire on the Borg ship.
The Borg began firing on both the Valiant and the Enterprise. Both ships were just as relentless as the Borg and fought back with all they had. Finally, the Valiant and the Enterprise destroyed another Borg ship.
Sarah was crying loudly, “Is he going to be alright!”
“He’ll be fine,” Deanna tried to reassure Sarah as she hung on tightly to the side of the chair as the Titan continued to be assaulted by the Borg.
“Deanna are you sure?” as worried Sarah wailed with extreme discomfort.
Deanna could sense Sarah’s fear.
“We’re not going to end up assimilated again, are we?” Sarah worriedly asked as the ship continued to convulse from the Borg onslaught. Then another contraction hit. Sarah suddenly grasped Deanna‘s arm hard and growled, “I don’t want my baby assimilated!”
Then Sarah was on the verge of hyperventilating as she began taking short gasping breathes.
“Sarah, you need to take deep breaths,” Deanna said. “Come on, inhale deeply.”
“I have the baby’s head down,” Beverly announced with relief.
Sarah screamed as she felt another contraction hit.
“You can push now, Sarah!” Beverly informed her.
“Fire torpedoes!” Sisko ordered.
Kira fired the torpedoes. They hit a Borg ship, but did very little damage.
The Borg ship retaliated and the Defiant shook from the blow.
“Shields down to eighty percent,” Nog announced.
“Evasive maneuvers!” Sisko directed.
“Initiating evasive maneuvers, Sir,” replied O’Brien.
“Bring her around Tom,” Chakotay instructed angrily. “Then get that damn ship!”
The angry warrior was now on the war path. Chakotay was determined not to let Voyager get destroyed by the Borg ship that was tailing her. He had too much invested in the other ship to let it fall to the Borg.
As the Prometheus flew between Voyager and the Borg ship, it took another hit and violently shook from the impact.
“Fire the quantum torpedoes!” Chakotay was now enraged.
When he saw the Borg ship finally blow up from their onslaught of torpedoes, he thanked the Creator.
“AH!” Sarah screamed and shook with pain. The last contraction thundered through her body.
“The baby is crowning now,” Beverly announced joyfully.
“What’s that mean?” Sarah asked with fear. Her whole body was shaking from the physical ordeal it was experiencing. “Is that good?”
Deanna sensed Sarah was very frightened and tried to reassure her. She smiled as she said, “It’s a good thing.”
A fifth Borg ship was attacking Hugh’s cube unrelentingly. Just as his cube was about to take evasive maneuvers, the ship was struck once more.
“Beam them off now!” Picard yelled.
The cube took another hit. Picard knew if the Borg continued to fire on Hugh’s cube it would be destroyed. Just as he finished the thought the Borg cube fired and destroyed the Neo-Borg’s cube in a cataclysmic explosion.
“How many did we get beamed aboard?” Picard asked.
“There are nine severed Borg aboard,” McDowell announced.
“Nine?” Picard asked with confusion. “There were eleven on that ship.”
“Sensors only picked up nine living individuals on the ship, Sir,” McDowell replied nervously.
Picard nodded. He did not like the fact that two must have died on that cube, but he did not have time to worry about that now. He had other Borg to deal with and they were now firing upon the Enterprise.
The Titan, Defiant, and Voyager were dealing with one of the two remaining Borg ships. The Prometheus and Valiant turned back to help the Enterprise with the Borg ship that was attacking them.
“I can’t!” Sarah cried as the Titan rocked.
“Come on, Sarah. You can’t stop now,” Beverly encouraged.
“Her heart rate is 150 beats a minute,” Doctor Mark announced worriedly. “Her b.p. is…”
The EMH was drowned out by Sarah’s scream. Then Sarah began gasping for air.
“Breathe!” Deanna and Beverly said together.
“Damn!” Beverly swore again. “The nanoprobes are neutralizing the pain medicine. There’s nothing more I can do to help ease the discomfort for her.”
The Prometheus, Valiant, and the Enterprise destroyed a fifth Borg ship together. At the same time the Defiant, Voyager, and the Titan destroy the last Borg ship.
All the captains and admirals breathed a sigh of relief that the last Borg ship that had originally attacked them was finally destroyed and everything was peaceful again.
Picard went to check on his new passengers. Sisko decided to beam over to the Titan to see the new arrival and Chakotay hailed Voyager to check on Kathryn. Owen checked on the whole fleet to find out if there were any casualties.
“Come on, Sarah,” Beverly encouraged. “Just one more push! You can do it!”
They were all relieved that the Titan was now quite and steady again.
“I can’t!” Sarah cried with exhaustion.
“Yes, you can,“ Deanna encouraged.
“Heart rate has dropped to a hundred beats a minute,” Doctor Mark announced.
“Now that things are settled down,” Will announced. “I’m going to check on our guest. I’ll be in Sickbay if you need me. Semaj you have the Bridge.”
“Aye, Sir,” the Vulcan replied and took the command chair as Will boarded the turbo lift.
“Sir, Captain Sisko is requesting to beam aboard,” Uhura informed Will. “He wants to see the baby.”
Will shrugged. He saw no reason why Sisko should not see the baby. “Tell him he’s welcome to come aboard.”
In Sickbay, the cries of a new born baby were finally heard.
“Amazing!” Doctor Crusher exclaimed as she held the new born in her arms. “He has all the…” She paused to find the words. “Genetics, for want of a better word, of a Borg, but without the implants!”
“Fascinating!” Doctor Mark proclaimed. “Yet he also looks Bajoran.”
“Well, are you two going to stare at him or is one of us going to clean him off?” Sanders asked joyously.
“Oh, yes,” Doctor Crusher replied, still amazed by the new life she held in her arms. “Would you like to do the honours?”
“Um,” Doctor Sanders looked at the infant nervously. The child had grey streaks all over his body from where the nanoprobes coursed through his body. “I think I’ll allow you two to do the honours.”
“Doctor Sanders, I assure you, he’s just a baby,” Beverly informed him.
“A baby who is part Borg, none the less,” Sanders insisted. His fear was quite clear even to Beverly.
“May I see him, please,” Sarah pleaded.
“I’ll get him cleaned up for you,” Beverly replied. “Then I’ll let you have him.”
“I need to neutralize the nanoprobes,” Doctor Mark informed Beverly.
Beverly gave the infant to the EMH just as the doors to Sickbay slide opened.
“I understand we have a new arrival!” Will reported excitedly as he and Sisko entered the birthing room.
Sisko gasped when he saw the baby.
Doctor Mark was neutralizing the nanoprobes as everyone in the room quietly watched. He had injected the newborn with a pathogen that killed the nanoprobes almost instantaneously.
Will fell quiet when he saw the child and all the greyness it possessed. He was not sure what to think about the baby’s conditions. Then he began to see the greyish colour the infant possessed slowly disappear and turn a more normal complexion.
When he was finished and was certain the pathogen was working, Doctor Mark handed the baby boy to his mother. “What are you going to name him?”
“I don’t know,” Sarah replied. “I haven’t thought of a name for him.”
She looked like she was ashamed that she had not considered a name for her son yet.
Sisko just smiled. Things were starting to fall into place. Everything that the prophets had shown him was now starting to make sense to him. Even the one thing he could not remember during his flashbacks was now coming back to him.
Sisko, filled with the sense of awe at the moment, suggested, “How about Tov?”
Sarah seemed to be smiling under all the Borg exterior. “I like that. What does it mean?”
“Good,” Sisko told her happily. “It means good.” Then he left the Titan’s Sickbay feeling completely fulfilled and headed back to the Defiant.
“I think Bob will like that name,” Sarah stated happily as she looked at her son.
“Bob is not Bajoran,” Beverly began to inquire of the father. “Was that name given to him by one of you?”
“Yes. He could not remember what his real name was,” Sarah explained. “So, Axum and Hugh gave him a name.”
“Well, Bob is a good name,” Voyager’s EMH stated. “I even pondered that name until I decided on Mark.”
Deanna had been sitting quietly in a chair that was near the corner of the room. She finally spoke, “Well, I happen to like Tov and Bob, but it’s up to you what you name your son.”
“I think I’ll go with Tov,” Sarah informed everyone.
Suddenly, the doors to Sickbay slid open and then shut again. Beverly heard the doors and stepped out of the birthing room to see who entered.
“Beverly,” Jean-Luc called softly when he saw her. He had just beam over from the Enterprise to deliver some news personally and he looked very distressed. “I need to speak with you.”
“Would you like to meet the baby first?”
“No, not now,” Jean-Luc said stressfully. “I have some bad news for Sarah, but I‘m not sure this would be a good time to inform her.”
Beverly suddenly had a feeling of dread, “Oh no. Jean-Luc, you have to tell her sometime, but I don’t know if this is a good time.”
Jean-Luc knew that Beverly had an idea what the bad news was. He also knew Beverly was remembering the feelings she went through years ago when he came to tell her similar news. She was also a young mother at the time and took the information very hard.
He saw tears in Beverly’s eyes. He reached out and pulled her close to him. “Why don’t I come back later, after she has rested,” he said softly.
Beverly pulled back from him slightly and nodded her head, “That maybe a good idea. Let her recover a little from giving birth. I’ll call you when she has had some rest.”
“I’m sorry, Beverly,” Picard began to apologize. “I didn’t mean…”
“No, I’m fine,” she interrupted as she wiped away the tears. “I need to get back to my patient.”
Picard released her and watched her return the room Sarah was occupying. After Beverly disappeared into the room, Jean-Luc quietly left Sickbay and returned to the Enterprise.