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Star Trek Voyager: A Fire of Devotion: Part 2 of 4: Louder Than Bells: Prologue & Chapter One

Prologue

Seven of Nine watched from the corner of the mess hall as the Voyager crew was throwing yet another party. It had only been about five months since the joint party thrown for her and Harry Kim, and since then there are had been several birthdays, a Bajoran religious ceremony, and now a celebration for Voyager itself, having by way of a spatial vortex just shaved another two years off its journey back to the Alpha Quadrant.

“So, why aren’t you enjoying yourself, Annie?” Samantha Wildman said, standing next to Seven with an arm around her waist. Seven took a sip from her glass of replicated champagne before answering. “In the past year, Voyager has had years taken off it’s estimated return time on no less than four occasions. Once by Kes, once by a new course plotted with the aid of my Borg star charts in astrometrics, then there was the slipstream drive technology we took from the Dauntless before it turned out to be a trap, and now this. When it happens often enough to no longer qualify as a ‘special occasion,’ I don’t see the point in throwing a party for every single instance. Had we gained twenty years as opposed to two, then this party would make more sense to me.” “Well, I think there’s a bit more to it than that,” Sam said. “We not only shaved more time off our journey home, we got out of dark space much sooner, which is good because most of the crew was going pants on head nanners over the lack of, well, anything visible.” “Pants on head?” Seven muttered, confused by the metaphor.

“And add to that the fact that we helped save an innocent race from the slow motion genocide they were facing because of those Malon traders that were dumping radioactive waste in their territory.”

“However,” Seven said, “much like the shortening of the journey to the Alpha Quadrant, this is not the first time that Voyager has stepped in to save people who were being harmed by malicious outside forces.” Sam sighed. “Okay, you got me there,” she said, putting a hand on Seven’s back.

“Perhaps it’s something I would understand more if I were fully human,” Seven said. “As it stands right now, though, this seems like an even more meaningless symbolic gesture-” Seven’s monologue was cut off when some music began playing. Seven felt ambivalent towards it; it was not offensive to her ears, but she didn’t derive any pleasure from it either. Suddenly, Samantha took Seven’s drink from her and put both their glasses down on a nearby table. Samantha, smiling, extended her hands to Seven of Nine. “Shut up and dance with me,” Samantha said. Odd, Seven thought. Suddenly the music seems more pleasing.

“I am afraid I do not know how,” Seven said. “It’s slow dancing Annie,” Samantha said. “it’s kinda hard to screw up. Just follow my lead and we’ll be fine. It’s not like we’ll do doing the tango.” “I do not know what the tango is, but perhaps you’ll teach me that later.” “We’ll see.”

Chapter One

While Seven of Nine was finishing her preparations for a mission to survey a proto-nebula she’d be taking with Tom, B’Elanna, and the Doctor, Samantha walked into cargo bay 2. “Hey, Annie,” she said. “I’m not interrupting anything am I?” “No. I am almost finished,” Seven said. “Are you sure you don’t wish to come with us?”

“I appreciate the offer,” Sam replied. “But one, nebulas are not really my thing, I’m a biologist not an astronomer. And two, those class-2 shuttles aren’t really well suited to seating five comfortably.” “I’ve actually had some thoughts about that,” Seven said. “Though I’d rather not go into details until I’ve had a chance to discuss it with Mister Paris since he has more practical experience with small craft than I do.” “Why honey,” Sam said, smiling. “Is that humbleness I hear coming from you?”

“I have been perfectly willing to admit my shortcomings in the past,” Seven said, shaking her head. “Yet somehow each time it is treated as though it is unusual. While I have extensive knowledge about the operation of small spacecraft in my memory, as a drone I was never required to use it. Lieutenant Paris not only has years of training and practice, he has also demonstrated an innate talent for it. Not seeking his insight would-” Seven was cut off by the sound of her comm badge chirping. “Doctor to Seven of Nine, we’re waiting for you in the shuttle bay.” “I was unaware I was late Doctor,” Seven said. “You aren’t actually. Apparently, the departure time was moved up by ten minutes, which I was only informed of five minutes ago. You can blame Mister Paris for that.” Samantha could hear a quiet, “I said I was sorry!” come over the badge and assumed that it was Tom. She quickly covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Regardless,” the Doctor continued. “If you are ready, please report to the shuttle as soon as possible.” “On my way,” Seven said, tapping her badge to end the conversation. “Well, see you when I get back.”

“Just so you know,” Samantha said. “Naomi insists on helping me prepare dinner tonight, so if my quarters seem messier than usual when you get back you’ll know why.” Seven smiled and gave Samantha a quick hug as she headed out. “To borrow a phrase from Lieutenant Kim,” she said before the cargo bay door closed behind her, “Don’t burn down the ship while I’m away.”

“Aw, you’re no fun,” Samantha said in mock disappointment.

---

Lieutenant Harry Kim stood at his station on the bridge, feeling good about the day. It had now been approximately six months since his last Year of Hell flashback, and the Doctor had finally agreed to reduce the dosage on his PTSD medication. That good feeling went away when he heard the beep and looked down. “We’re receiving a distress call from the away team,” he said. “They’ve been caught in the gravimetric shear of a plasma surge.”

“Bridge to Transport Room 1, prepare for emergency beam out,” Captain Janeway said.

“On it,” Ensign Todd Mulcahey’s voice replied. “I’ve got a partial lock on them, but unless their shuttle clears the nebula…” “It won’t,” Harry said. “They’ve lost propulsion.”

“Then it’s going to be a rough transport,” Mulcahey said, “Resetting pattern buffers…” “Harry, get down there and help-” “Got them, Captain,” Mulcahey said. “Their signals are clearing.” “Good work Ensign,” Janeway said. “I’m on my way down there now.”

-o-

When Seven of Nine came out of transport she looked around. She couldn’t quite place it, but she’d felt something odd during transport. She couldn’t come up with the proper word to describe it, but was certain that she had never felt it before. Everyone else who had been on the shuttle seemed fine, though, both Tom and B’Elanna smiling in relief as they stepped off the platform. “Well, that was certainly exciting,” the Doctor said.

“As potentially fatal occurrences go,” Seven said, “that one was relatively mundane.” “Only on a Starfleet ship could a sentence like that be uttered,” Tom said. “Well I-” The Doctor’s form flickered suddenly. A look of panic crossed his holographic face. “My emitter has been damaged!”

“I’ll transfer your program to sickbay,” B’Elanna said, moving quickly to the main console in the transport room. While she tapped away at the console, the Doctor vanished, and his mobile emitter fell to the ground. Seven was close enough to pick it up right away. “Did you get him transferred in time?” Tom asked. “Doctor to transport room 1, report,” a voice chimed over the comm.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” B’Elanna said, walking over to where Seven stood to take a look at the emitter. “Doctor, it looks like some of your emitter circuits were fused during transport. I can probably repair it but I’ll want to run a diagnostic on it first. I’ll keep you posted.” “Please, do whatever it takes,” the Doctor’s voice said, sounding concerned. “Trust me, Doc,” B’Elanna said, a confident grin on her face. “Mulcahey? I’ll need to borrow you for a bit. meet me in the science lab.” “Yes ma’am,” the Ensign said, following B’Elanna as she left.

Tom looked at Seven and shrugged. “Well, that trip was a lot shorter than I’d hoped for,” he said.

“Since you’re here Lieutenant Paris,” Seven said. “I have a matter I was hoping to discuss with you during the mission.” “Right, I remember you making a comment about making improvements to our shuttles. I’ve had a few ideas of my own about that.”

---

Samantha was awoken suddenly when Seven of Nine sat up abruptly, breathing heavy like she’d just been snapped out of a particularly bad nightmare. “Baby?” Samantha said, groggy, “What’s wrong?” “I need to get to the bridge,” Seven said. Samantha frowned. “Annie, did you have a nightmare?” “I certainly hope so,” Seven said as she slid out of bed, grabbing her uniform jacket off the back of one of the chairs around the dinner table, still not entirely clean from last night, and headed out the door, only partially zipping it up. Worried, Samantha tossed the sheets and grabbed the first clothes she could grab to put on, a civilian outfit she didn’t particular care for in terms of how it looked but kept for its comfort on days when she was off duty and had no intention of leaving her quarters. Any concern about her crewmates mocking the outfit were pushed aside and she jogged to try and catch up to her seemingly panic-driven Borg girlfriend before she could get to the bridge.

“Wait, Annie, hold up,” Sam said, just managing to get in the turbolift with Seven of Nine before the door closed. “Tell me what’s going on.” Seven sighed. “I apologize for alarming you Sam,” she said. “With any luck, I am in error, though if that is the case I will need to speak to the Doctor about making repairs to my cranial implant.” “Why?”

“My proximity transceiver has been activated. It could indicate Borg presence nearby.”

Samantha’s eyes went wide. “So, Bridge?” she said. “Bridge,” Seven replied, the turbolift moving as it accepted what Seven has said as a command.

“Are you sure?” Samantha said. “No,” Seven said. “This may well prove to be a false alarm, but I cannot risk the safety of this ship on that possibility.” “Agreed,” Samantha said. Just before the lift reached its destination, Samantha glanced down at the civilian outfit she was wearing. “If any of the bridge crew see this get up I will never hear the end of it,” she muttered. Seven looked Samantha up and down. “Perhaps,” she said. “The color scheme does not compliment your features.” Samantha smirked. “If anybody other than you said that, I’d be insulted,” she said right before the turbolift doors opened. “I’ll just go back to my quarters if that’s alright with you,” she whispered to Seven, who nodded before stepping out onto the bridge.

---

“Commander,” Seven said to Chakotay shortly after exiting the turbolift. “Seven, good morning,” he said, only briefly looking in her direction as he handed a PADD to Harry Kim. “That remains to be seen,” she said, repeating in more specific detail what she had told Sam. “Are you sure?” Harry said. “We’ve been running sensors sweeps non-stop all night, gathering data on the proto-nebula. We haven’t detected any Borg signatures at all.” “Perhaps the nebula could mask a ship’s signal?” she said, feeling conflicting emotions as she said so. She didn’t like being wrong on principle, but this instance she very badly wanted to be.

“Even a Borg cube couldn’t last ten seconds in there,” Harry said, looking at the nebula on Voyager’s viewscreen. “Maybe it’s a false alarm,” Chakotay said. “A malfunction in your transceiver maybe?”

“Possibly,” Seven said. “I will go and speak to the Doctor.” Chakotay nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out,” Harry said. “Just in case.” Seven nodded. “Thank you,” she said, heading for the turbolift once again. The feeling of actually wanting to be mistaken was a new one to her, and she wasn’t quite ready to accept it, but she did feel less afraid. For Sam and Naomi’s sake, she thought, this had better be a malfunction.

As soon as she got to sickbay, and relayed her concerns to the Doctor, he immediately took out a medical tricorder and began scanning. He was only seconds in when she flinched suddenly. “Seven?” the Doctor said. “I felt it again,” she replied. “Stronger this time.”

“I don’t know what could be causing it if there aren’t actually any Borg nearby. I wonder if-” Whatever the Doctor was going to say next was lost when the ship went to red alert. “Dammit,” she said. “The one time I wanted to be wrong.” “Chakotay to Seven of Nine. Looks like you were right, we’ve detected a Borg force field in the science lab on deck 8.” “How many drones?” she asked. “Unknown. Tuvok is taking a security team there now.” “I will meet him there,” Seven said, heading for the exit to sickbay.

“Seven,” the Doctor said, sounding worried. “My mobile emitter is in that lab.” “Doctor this is not the time to-”

“This isn’t about my freedom Seven. It’s about the 29th century technology that the Borg may have already assimilated.” Seven groaned. Every curse word she’d heard since she came on board last year fought in her mind to be the one she said in response to the prospect. “No,” she said. “I won’t let them do that. I will not let them take this ship. I will not let them have Sam or Naomi.” With that, she headed out, taking a hand phaser with her as she did so. When she got to the lab, Tuvok, Lieutenant Ayala, and two others whom she recognized by face but not by name were at the lab’s partially open door, two on each side. An all too familiar green glow emanated from the lab. Tuvok saw her approach and nodded. She nodded back, and Tuvok and Ayala pulled the door the rest of the way open, the other two guards going in, phaser rifles raised. Seven went in right behind them, Tuvok and Ayala behind her. “He’s alive,” one of the guards in front of her said, looking down at an injured but surprisingly unassimilated Ensign Mulcahey, but Seven’s focus quickly shifted to the object at the center of the room. It looked like a Borg maturation chamber, the kind she had been put in when she was first assimilated as a child, the way all those who were taken before their physical maturity were before being fitted for implants. Like, she thought. But not quite. I’ve never seen one that looked like this before.

“This resembles a Borg maturation chamber,” she said to Tuvok. “But there are components which are unfamiliar.” “Sir,” Ayala said, holding a tricorder over Mulcahey. “There’s puncture wounds from Borg nanoprobe tubes, and the signature on the probes match Seven of Nine’s, but she was in sickbay.” Seven went over to both of them. She took the tricorder from Ayala. “He is correct,” she said, sounding confused. She looked at Ayala, then Tuvok, as if hoping either of them might have an explanation. The latter only raised an eyebrow, the former shrugged. “I don’t know how this happened. None of this makes sense. A tissue sample appears to have been extracted. There’s no sign of nanoprobes in the Ensign except around the wound. You should get him to sickbay though, he does appear to have a concussion.” Tuvok motioned for Ayala and one of the other guards to do just that. Seven handed Ayala back his tricorder, and went back to look at the maturation chamber. She took a deep breath and stepped up to where the sensors said the force field was. She took one step forward and passed through it. “What are you doing?” Tuvok asked. “It recognized me as Borg,” she said, tapping button on the side of the chamber. “There’s a control here to open a panel on the side. We’ll be able to see what’s in…” Her train of thought was disrupted when she saw something she did not expect to see. A Borg drone, in a fetal state. “That shouldn’t be possible,” she said. “The Borg expand their numbers by assimilation, not procreation.“

---

Captain Janeway looked at the “baby” through the transparent panel on the side of its maturation chamber. Once Seven of Nine and Tuvok briefed her on what they knew, she had only one thought.

I haven’t even had my coffee yet. “So, just so I’m sure I understand you correctly,” she said, “you’re saying that when we beamed you off the shuttle yesterday, some of your nanoprobes got mixed up with the Doctor’s mobile emitter?”

“Correct,” Seven said. “And Ensign Mulcahey DNA was used as a template to create this, baby drone?” “A simplification of what occurred, but accurate,” Seven said. “We have erected a Level 10 force field around the chamber,” Tuvok said. “As you can see, the drone’s mass has increased since you arrived in the lab. Seven says that it is maturing at a rate twenty-five times the normal rate for a Borg.” “Good. The force field I mean. Post twenty-four hour security around the lab.” “Very well Captain,” Tuvok said. “Captain,” Seven said. “You intend to let it mature?”

Janeway nodded. “That’s correct. Right now, it’s not a direct threat to the ship, and it didn’t assimilate Mulcahey. We’re dealing with something new here. If it becomes a threat we can beam the whole chamber out into space, but I don’t want to do that unless it’s absolutely necessary.” Seven didn’t respond right away. Janeway gathered that Seven was concerned about the ship’s safety, which was good, but she hoped that Seven wouldn’t act rashly. “I,” Seven finally said. “have concerns.” “As do I,” Tuvok said to Seven. “However the final decision is the Captain’s.” “Understood, but I wanted my concerns noted for the record.” “They are Seven,” Janeway said. “don’t worry. I want you and B’Elanna to go to astrometrics. Modify the sensors so you can scan the drone from there.” “Yes, Captain,” Seven said, still sounding apprehensive but not pushing the issue. ---

Seven of Nine went over the data twice to be sure, before showing it to B’Elanna.

“Damn, this thing is growing quickly,” B’Elanna said. “It was a fetus when we started this, now it’s about the size of a six-year-old.” “A six-year-old boy,” the Doctor’s voice said, speaking to them from a monitor since he was still unable to leave sickbay. “From what I can tell the drone is male. Probably due to the source material. According to my own scans Borg implants compose approximately twenty-seven percent of his body, but he’s mostly human.” “A human with polydutonic alloy plating,” B’Elanna said. “The same material as your holo-emitter. The nanoprobes must’ve extrapolated that technology for its design.”

“Definitely,” Seven said, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Even as a single drone, this unit could easily threaten the ship with such an advanced level of technology; five hundred years ahead of what the collective had now. “I have already dampened its proximity transceiver to prevent it from contacting the Borg Collective.” “I’ve located my mobile emitter,” the Doctor said, sounding less than pleased much to Seven’s surprise. “Embedded in his cerebral cortex. I don’t think we can remove it without killing him.” “That may become necessary,” Seven said. “Continue with the scans, the Captain wants a full report on the drone’s capabilities.” “Already almost done, unless it invents something new while I’m recording the data,” B’Elanna said. “You know, if we can keep it from contacting the collective, we might be able to convince it to stay with us, the way you did. Imagine what we could do with 29th century Borg technology on our side.” “That decision rests with the Captain,” Seven said. “However I personally would advise against that.” “You’re probably right,” B’Elanna said. “but I’d rather not throw away a potential source of new technology unless I had to. I mean, look at this.” Seven stepped away from the console she was working on to look at what was on B’Elanna’s monitor. The list of abilities the ship's chief engineer had managed to identify in the new drone was impressive, to put it mildly.

“Internal transport nodes. Fascinating,” Seven said. “I must get this to the Captain immediately. The drone will fully mature in only a few hours, but its shielding is not yet active. She needs to make a decision while destroying it would still be an easy option.” “Hmm. I wonder if I should tell Mister Mulchaey he’s a father,” the Doctor said in a joking tone of voice.

“I doubt he would treat the matter so lightly Doctor,” Seven said as she took the PADD B’Elanna offered her before leaving astrometrics.

---

Captain Janeway put down the PADD Seven of Nine had handed her, and asked a question she’d actually been thinking about since earlier that day. “Seven, what normally happens when a Borg exits a maturation chamber?” she said. “It awaits instructions from the collective,” Seven said. “So without those instructions, it has no designation. No purpose.”

“Captain, are you suggesting we-” “Exactly. If we can keep him from interfacing with the collective, we can give him a purpose.” “Captain, this is the most advanced drone to ever exist. It could easily threaten Voyager, even without the Collective.” “I understand your concern, Seven, and I am not taking destroying the drone off the table entirely. But if we can teach it our values, we will have a powerful ally on our side.” “If we fail,” Seven said, “No, let me rephrase. If we succeed at convincing the drone to become part of this crew, but the Borg are able to take us and assimilate it anyway, the Collective will become more powerful than ever. I am uncomfortable with taking that risk.” “Noted. But I would remind you, Seven, that there were some on this crew who made the same suggestion about you.” “This situation is different,” Seven said, a hint of anger in her voice. “Is it?”

“There are similarities yes, but I would remind you that I am not enhanced by technology five hundred years ahead of our time, and my parents conceived me naturally rather than having their DNA stolen by rogue nanoprobes.” “Okay,” Janeway conceded. “Fair enough on that point. It would seem we are at an impasse here.” “You could just order me to work with the drone,” Seven said. “True, true. But much like destroying the drone I’d rather save that as a last resort.” After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Seven of Nine said something that Janeway did not expect. “Have you consulted Ensign Mulcahey on this matter, Captain?” “No. Why?” “Since it was his DNA that was used as the template for the drone that would, in effect, make him the father. Shouldn’t he have a say in the matter?” “Nice try,” Janeway said, smirking. “But what started this was your nanoprobes, and the Doctor’s holo-emitter. If anyone could be said to be that drone’s parents, it’s you two, not Mulcahey.” “There are multiple species in this galaxy who procreate with three parents rather than two,” Seven said. Janeway sighed. “Fine, fine, I’ll play along with this but only because I’m tired of arguing with you.” Janeway touched a button on her desk. “Commander, has Ensign Mulcahey been cleared to leave sickbay yet?” “Yes Captain,” Chakotay said. “He was released a few hours ago. Why?” “Have him meet me back in sickbay. I have something to discuss with him, the Doctor, and you. In private.” “Understood,” Seven said.

---

Seven of Nine was not thrilled with the situation at hand, but having her lover at her side lessened the discomfort. Despite her best efforts, she ultimately lost her argument. She made her case as best she could that the drone should simply be destroyed, but at the end, she found herself simply outvoted. The Captain putting it up to a vote had not been expected, but when it was suggested, Seven assumed that at worst it would end in a tie, with her and the Doctor on the side of destroying the drone so that the mobile emitter could possibly be recovered. More likely as she saw it, the Captain would be the lone vote for not destroying it. Seven had assumed that Ensign Mulcahey would carry some resentment over having his genetic material taken against his will.

“Yeah, okay,” he’d said instead after the Captain told him her plans. “What?” Seven had said, in the same tone of voice that Samantha would say the same word when Seven informed her of what was going to happen. And now, here she was, in the science lab. Tuvok and three armed guards behind her, Sam holding her hand, and a drone in front of her. “Like ripping off a bandage,” Seven said, repeating a phrase she’d learned from Sam last year. She went over to a console. “Maturation cycle is complete.” The drone stepped out of its alcove. “We are Borg. State this unit’s designation,” he said. “You do not have a designation,” Seven said. “You are not part of the collective, you are an individual. You will receive your instructions from me.” So far the drone had not made any threatening gestures. He stood perfectly still, his arms at his sides. Seven thought for a moment that perhaps this task would succeed after all, and that the Captain had in fact made the right decision. “Insufficient,” the drone said. Or maybe I’m right and this is a terrible idea, Seven thought.

“You will comply,” Seven said. “My designation is Seven of Nine.” “Seven of Nine,” the drone repeated. “What is this unit’s designation?” “He wants a name,” Samantha whispered in Seven’s ear. “Maybe you should give him one.” Seven looked at Samantha, and nodded. She turned back to face the drone. “You are an individual. You may choose a designation for yourself,” she said. It wasn’t what Samantha had suggested, but she didn’t want to admit that she simply did not feel comfortable with the idea of naming a new lifeform. “Insufficient. Seven of Nine, state our designation.”

Seven sighed, then turned to Tuvok. “He does not understand me. His responses are programmed. I must initiate a direct neural interface.” “Are you sure that’s wise?” Tuvok said. “Yeah, I’m wondering that myself,” Samantha said.

“There is no other way for me to communicate with him,” Seven said. “Sam, I would prefer you remain outside, in case something goes wrong.” “But-” “I will not be responsible for robbing Naomi of her mother,” Seven said. “Please,” she added in a softer tone. Samantha frowned, but then did as she was asked, moving outside of the lab, and behind one of the security officers.

Seven moved towards the drone, and extended her arm. The drone reflexively stepped back, surprising Seven. “You will not be harmed,” she said. “You will be provided with instructions.” The drone stepped forward again, close enough for Seven to extend her arm, and extend her assimilation tubules, though not for the purpose which they’d originally been designed for. After a few moments, Seven glanced at Tuvok.

“He understands,” she told him, but suddenly the drone grabbed her arm. She grunted in pain from the grip. “The drone is probing my neural pathways,” she said, wincing. “It is trying to assimilate all of my knowledge.” “Annie?” she heard Sam call from behind her, but the sounds she heard after suggested that the guards were holding her back from entering. Tuvok was at her side now, a hand phaser pointed at the drone. “Stop it,” she told the drone. Tuvok fired, but a force field surrounded the drone immediately. “Terminate... interface!” she grunted. The drone just stared blankly ahead, as if he didn’t even hear her. “You are hurting me,” Seven said. The drone looked at her, and without changing his facial expression even slightly, stopped probing Seven’s mind. Seven retracted her tubules and stepped back. “I will comply,” the drone said.

Seven, after taking a few calming breaths, finally spoke. “We’ll need to try something else. Perhaps Borg data nodes will work. I’ve already activated its linguistic database, so communicating will be easier.”

---

Samantha and Neelix walked down the corridor towards engineering, each carrying a Borg data node with them. “It wasn’t necessary to help me, Samantha,” Neelix said. Samantha smiled. “I’m happy to help. Besides, ferreting all this stuff back and forth is going to be the only chance I’ll get to spend time with Seven today since the Captain has her so busy with the new drone.” “As good an excuse as any,” Neelix said. “Still haven’t named him yet?” “Seven insists he should pick his own,” Samantha said as they reached the door to engineering. “I’d try to talk her into it but I usually know when I can’t get her to budge on something.” As they stepped inside, Neelix spoke up to grab B’Elanna’s attention. “Special delivery! Two Borg data nodes.” “More,” B’Elanna said, sounding exasperated. “Well, you know the drill,” she said, waving towards the data port. “Having a bad day, B’Elanna?” Samantha asked. “I’m just wondering how many more Borg hitchhikers we’re going to pick up along the way. They’ve suddenly turned from a force of nature threatening the galaxy into annoying in-laws.” “I don’t think it happening twice counts as a pattern,” Neelix said as he hooked up the first node. B’Elanna scoffed. “Or maybe it’s the collective’s new strategy. They don’t assimilate anymore, they just show up and look helpless.” “Well, if it keeps them from killing people would that be so bad if they did?” Neelix said. “Look,” B’Elanna said, “we don’t know what this drone will turn into! I don’t think I’m being paranoid here, it’s gone from infant to adult in one day.” “It’ll be what we help it to be,” Samantha said. “Exactly,” Neelix added. B’Elanna rolled her eyes. “How Starfleet of both of you. I don’t even know why I brought it up. I just hope your girlfriend does a good job, Sam. We’ll all pay if she blows it.” “I’ll pass on your vote of confidence,” Samantha said dryly. And I thought Annika and B’Elanna were finally getting along, she thought.

B’Elanna just shook her head and went back to work, while Samantha hooked up the Borg data node she was carrying to another datalink. Once both nodes were filled, she and Neelix headed back to the lab. “Is it just me,” Neelix said as they left engineering, “or is B’Elanna more agitated than usual lately? I mean, wasn’t she saying we should try and keep the drone just yesterday?” “She’s been a little off for awhile really,” Samantha said. “I think she’s still upset about what happened to her Maquis friends back home. Can’t say I blame her to be honest.” “Did you lose anyone to the Dominion?” Neelix asked. “Not that I know of, but it’s also been months since we’ve been able to contact Starfleet.” “True. In fact, sometimes I think people on Voyager actually forget there’s a war going on back home. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, though.” “Who’s to say it can’t be both,” Samantha said. She and Neelix were quiet the remainder of the way to the lab. When they stepped inside, Seven turned and smiled when she saw Samantha enter. She stepped past Neelix to take the data node that Samantha was holding. “How goes the upload?” Samantha said. “It is going well,” Seven said. “The drone is assimilating the knowledge most efficiently.”

“And he hasn’t tried grabbing you again?” Samantha said.

“He has not.” “Good. I might have to hurt him if he did.” “Please do not take offense, but I believe you lack the combat expertise necessary to present a threat to… You were joking weren’t you?” Samantha nodded. “You’re busy today, don’t worry about it.” “Very well then,” Seven said as she plugged the first node in while Neelix set the one he was carrying down on nearby table. The drone stepped off his platform. Samantha found it rather amusing how his head seemed to bobble slightly as he walked.

“We are Borg. State this unit’s designation.” “We have compiled information into this data node for you to assimilate,” Seven said, ignoring the request.

“We do not understand,” the drone said. “You will,” Seven replied. “But first you must assimilate this data.” Samantha found herself amused again, this time by Seven, who told the drone that he must assimilate data the way that she used to have to tell Naomi to brush her teeth. “Give me your arm,” Seven said the to the drone. He did not move. Seven sighed and looked at Samantha. “Was Naomi ever this difficult?” she said. “She had a rough patch,” Samantha said. “but it only lasted a few months. Don’t tell her I told you, though, she’s very sensitive about it.”

Seven nodded, then took the drone’s arm herself and held it over the data node. “Inject one of your assimilation tubules into this access port,” she said. “We do not understand,” the drone said. “If you don’t mind,” Samantha said as she moved to stand closer to Seven. “might I suggest you demonstrate what it is you want him to do? You have tubules of your own after all.” Seven nodded. “An excellent suggestion Sam, thank you.” Seven then did just that, briefly extended her own tubules into the data port, before quickly removing them. “Now, you do the same, but use yours to assimilate the data in the node,” she said to the drone. It did so, and Samantha watched as the drone’s face changed, his mouth open partially, his human eye opening wider. His face bore a similar kind of awe and wonder to it that Naomi had had the first time she’d been shown what the warp core looked like.

“Your designation is Seven of Nine. Borg,” the drone said after removing his tubules. “Yes,” Seven said. The drone turned to face Neelix. “Your designation is Neelix. Talaxian.” “That’s me,” Neelix said. “Your designation,” the drone said, now looking at Samantha, “is Samantha Wildman, Human.”

“Correct,” Samantha said. She smiled as she put an arm around Seven’s shoulder. “Well done, Annie. The data nodes were a great idea. With the added bonus of preventing any injury.” “Annie? Does Seven of Nine have an alternate designation?” “It is,” Seven said, pausing briefly before continuing, “a designation that only Samantha is allowed to call me. You are to continue referring to me as Seven of Nine, or as just Seven.”

The drone started looking around the room, turning in place. “I am in a laboratory, on a vessel, traveling through interstellar space,” he said. “Yes. You’re on the Federation starship Voyager,” Neelix said. He almost seems excited, Samantha thought. It’s kind of child-like. “Why?” the drone asked. Okay, very child like. “This is a vessel of exploration,” Seven said. “I am an explorer,” the drone said. “We all are,” Samantha said. “We are Borg,” the drone said. Swing and a miss.

“You are a unique individual, one of many on Voyager,” Seven said. “This is not a Borg collective. Do you understand?” “Individual. Yes,” the drone said, practically smiling. “I wish to assimilate more information,” he added, extending his arm towards Seven. “Not yet,” Seven said. “First, you must meet with the ship’s Doctor for a medical examination. You will come with me. Sam, will you be joining us?” “That’s okay, I’d just be in the way. I’ll see you later,” Samantha said. “I may have to pass on dinner tonight. Send Naomi my regrets,” Seven said. “After we have gone to sickbay, I will upgrading one of the alcoves in the cargo bay to allow him to regenerate.” “Okay,” Samantha said, giving Seven a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. “Welcome to Voyager,” she said to the drone as she left.

---

As they walked down the corridor, two guards following them, Seven of Nine listened politely as one by one the drone began vocally naming off the various components of Voyager. “Seven of Nine,” the drone said. “Before we left the laboratory, the one designated Samantha, she touched you with her lips. I do not understand.” “It is called a kiss,” Seven said. “She kissed me before we parted way for the day because she is my romantic partner.” “I see. Is this why your pheromonal levels went up and your body temperature increased when she touched you?” “That is correct, though for future reference it is considered, impolite, to discuss such matters in a public setting.” Seven glanced back at the security guards. To their credit, both were acting professional. She imagined that if any other crew members had been there, there would’ve been giggling. Or worse, were it someone with only casual regard for decorum such Brooks or Chell.

“Impolite,” the drone said. “To be not polite or courteous. Rude.” “Also correct.” “Will I be given a romantic partner as well?” That time one of the guards failed to fully suppress a reaction, but Seven glared at him and he remained quiet. “That is not how romantic entanglement works. I will discuss the admittedly complex history of my own relationship with Sam, if she gives me permission to do so, and only in private as the rest of the crew is not privy to such details. Privacy is another concept you will need to learn if you are to integrate into this crew. I should warn you though that maintaining it on this vessel can be difficult at times.” “I am noticing that many of the other crewmembers we pass are afraid of me. I can detect their physiological responses.” “Their fear is understandable,” Seven said. “We come from a species that is hostile to them. My position in this crew was earned, and it took a considerable amount of time. Though I admit to having made... mistakes along the way that prolonged the matter. However, as you have not directly assaulted any crewmembers since your creation, you will likely have an easier process.” “I see,” the drone said, sounding sad, which was a surprise to Seven. “I want to know more about the collective. Tell me about the Borg.” That was not a surprise to Seven. She knew this was going to come sooner or later. “The Captain and I will determine when you are ready for that information,” she said. “You must not be impatient. There are other things for you to learn in the meantime, as well as adapting to life on Voyager.” Seven stopped walking when she saw the door to sickbay. She motioned for the drone to enter ahead of her. “Good morning,” the Doctor said. “You are the emergency medical hologram,” the drone said. “Very observant,” the Doctor said. “Have you been given a name yet?” “I do not have a name. Seven of Nine says I should choose my own, but according to the data I have assimilated so far, it is customary for humans to name their children. As my DNA is human, would it not be appropriate for my progenitors to give me my designation?” “He has a point, Seven,” the Doctor said. “Very well,” Seven said. “You name him then.” “Why me?” “Your mobile emitter merging with my nanoprobes in the transporter beam is responsible for the drone’s existence.” “Wouldn’t that make both of us his parents then? And what about Mulcahey? Shouldn’t he get a say too since it was his DNA-” “I have already discussed the matter with him,” Seven said. “He expressed no interest.” “Well that just seems rude,” the Doctor said, as he opened his medical tricorder. Facing the drone he continued. “This is a non-invasive biomedical scan. You will not feel a thing. “And another thing Seven,” he added as he started his scans. “I’ve been active for going on five years and I’ve yet to pick my own name.” “A fair point. Though in all honesty I’ve wondered why you simply do not adopt the surname of your creator.” “Doctor Zimmerman? I’ve considered it.” “Doctor,” the drone said once the initial scan was done. “I am confused about my creation. From what I heard you and Seven of Nine say, I am an accident.” “Well,” the Doctor said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Yes, but these things happen.” “It was a random technological convergence,” Seven said. “But that is irrelevant.”

“Am I unwelcome here?” the drone said. “Unexpected,” the Doctor said. “That doesn’t have to mean unwelcome. If you are successful in integrating with the crew, you will find yourself most welcome.” The Doctor began performing new scans, when suddenly he stopped. “Edwin,” he said. “I’m sorry?” Seven said, wondering where this seemingly random outburst came from. “Edwin is Ensign Mulcahey’s middle name. I was thinking that’s what we could call you. It’s not uncommon for human parents to name their children in such a fashion.” the Doctor said to the drone. The drone did not give any visible sign that he heard the Doctor, but after a few seconds began speaking. “Edwin. Origin; Earth. Means ‘rich friend’ from the Old English elements ead meaning wealth or fortune, and wine meaning friend. This does seem not an appropriate name given my origins.” “Good lord Seven, just how much data did you give him?” “I did give him the ship’s linguistic database,” Seven said. “I did not realize he had processed that much of it already. But if the drone does not wish to be named Edwin, I suggest we not pressure him.” “Edwin is acceptable as a designation,” the drone said. “Regardless of its inaccuracy.”

The Doctor smiled. “Well there you go,” he said. “Welcome to the crew, Edwin.”

Seven sighed. It could be worse I suppose, she thought.

---

When Seven brought the Borg drone, now calling itself Edwin, to the Captain's ready room, Janeway couldn’t help but notice that Seven was starting to behave almost like a proud parent, though in her own unique way.

Seven succinctly explained to her how she’d familiarized Edwin with Voyager, including a productive visit to engineering where the drone had helped B’Elanna Torres by predicting the rate of expansion of the proto-nebula. After telling Janeway about his name and where he got it, and explaining that he had already assimilated forty-seven billion teraquads of information, he asked her if he was sufficient. When she told him he was, Edwin asked to be excused, as Torres had asked him to help improve the efficiency of the Bussard collectors. Once he was gone, Seven remained behind. “He’s been asking about the Borg collective,” she said. “I’ve been deflecting the conversation as much as possible, but I’m not sure how much longer I can put that off.” Janeway stood up and clasped her hands behind her back. “Maybe we won’t need to hold off much longer. It’s only been a few days but he’s already started fitting in well with the crew. Though from what I hear he could use some teaching in the personal space department.” “He does still tend to stand too close to people when speaking to them,” Seven admitted. “I am working with him on that. I asked Samantha to help me, but since she never had that particular problem with Naomi she had little advice to offer.” “Speaking of,” Janeway said. “has Edwin met Naomi yet?” “No,” Seven said. “While he has been adapting well, as you said, and even though Sam has stated she is okay with it I admit to still being somewhat reluctant.” Janeway nodded. “I can see that,” she said. “The way I understand it, your relationship with Samantha started because she had similar concerns about you.” “The similarity of the situations is not lost on me Captain, though at least in Sam’s case she did have specific instances she could point to to justify her concerns. I worry I am simply being overly cautious, as Edwin has not stolen a shuttle, or struck Harry Kim.” “Good point. As for the matter you first brought up, wouldn’t you rather he learn about the Borg from us than from the collective?” “The lure of perfection is powerful Captain. He may be tempted to seek out the Borg. That would pose a grave tactical risk.” “All the more reason he should hear about them from us, but we’ll continue withholding that information for now. As an individual though he does have the right to know. I won’t give you an ultimatum, I’m going to trust your judgment on when to tell him, but you must tell him.” “Understood, Captain. I have made the necessary upgrades to the alcove next to mine. After we have gone through a regeneration cycle, I will consult with some of the other parents on the ship to discuss the matter of how to present the information. Mister Tuvok and Mister Carey have multiple children, their experience would prove most valuable.” “Okay. See you in the morning, Seven,” Janeway said. As Seven went to leave though, a thought occurred to her. “Wait,” she said. “One last thing. Does Ensign Mulcahey know? About the drone’s name, I mean?” “I do not know. Lieutenant Torres believes he will not be pleased to learn about it, however. Her exact words were, ‘Todd is going to flip his shit when he finds out.’” Janeway smiled and chuckled. “I hope you told her to watch her language,” she said. Seven groaned. “After three months I’d hoped that that was finally over,” she muttered as she left the ready room.

---

Seven of Nine found herself abruptly brought out of her regeneration cycle. That in itself wasn’t unusual, though in the past when it had happened it was due either an intense nightmare, or a ship-wide alert. Instead, she was simply not in the cycle anymore, and her eyes were opening to the site of Captain Janeway, Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, and several armed guards with phaser rifles pointed in their direction. “Captain?” Seven said. “The drone transmitted a Borg proximity signal. Wake him,” she said. Seven did exactly as she was told, feeling utterly disappointed, and a little worried. When Edwin opened his eyes and stepped out, Seven managed to impress herself with how level she managed to keep her tone of voice. “You have contacted the Collective,” she said. “I have not,” Edwin said. “Check his transceiver,” Janeway said. “Seven of Nine deactivated my transceiver two days ago,” Edwin said, seeming confused at the accusation rather than angry or defensive. Seven ran a tricorder over Edwin’s skull, and sighed. “Your cranial implants have adapted,” she said. “They built a second transceiver while you were in the regeneration cycle. Tuvok, have long range scans picked up any vessels?” “Not yet, but they have detected a transwarp conduit,” Tuvok said. “Assuming it is a Borg vessel, which is the most logical assumption, it will intercept us in approximately three hours.” “The Borg?” Edwin said. “Yes,” Seven said. “I wish to meet them.” “Seven?” Janeway said. “Looks like it’s time to have the talk.” Seven nodded, wishing she’d had more time to prepare for this. “Edwin, you are to follow the Captain and I to astrometrics,” she said.

“I will comply,” Edwin said.

Once there, Janeway put everything the ship’s records had on the Borg up on the large screen in the lab, including what visual logs there were of Wolf 359. Seven of Nine added some of her own from her own memory via her remaining cranial implants. “The Borg have assimilated thousands of species,” Edwin said. What becomes of those species?” “They lose their individuality. Everything they know becomes part of the collective’s memory, and they themselves become drones,” Seven said, bothered by the look of awe Edwin as on his face while he looked at the screen. “I wish to experience the hive mind,” he said. Crap, Seven thought. “If you do that,” Janeway said. “You will no longer be unique. Your individuality will be destroyed.”

“That is undesirable,” Edwin said, now looking at Janeway. “Very,” Janeway said.

“The Borg add voices to the collective against their will. I do not understand. Such a violent act would seem counter to the goal of seeking perfection, does it not?” “I believe it is,” Seven said. “While I still share many of the desires I had as a part of the collective, since my link to them was severed I find their methods repulsive.”

“The Borg are one of the most destructive forces we have ever encountered,” Janeway said. “With your technology, they would become even more so.”

Edwin looked at the screen again. “That is unacceptable,” he said. “Knowledge should not be obtained through violence.” Seven finally let go of the breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. She was ready to congratulate Edwin on coming to that conclusion faster than she had, but Commander Chakotay’s voice over the comm interrupted them. “Red alert! All hands to battle stations. A Borg vessel is approaching.” “Come on,” Janeway said. “we need to get the bridge. You too Edwin. You can help us enhance our defenses.”

“Understood,” Seven said. The three of them turned and exited the lab, heading for the nearest turbolift.

---

Once on the bridge, Chakotay filled them quickly. “The Borg vessel’s moving into range,” he said. “It’s not a cube though, too small. We think it’s one of their spheres.” “A sphere?” Janeway said. “I read about that one in the data packet Starfleet sent us. Didn’t think I’d actually get to see one.” “We’re being scanned,” Harry Kim said from the ops console. “They’re preparing to attack,” Seven said. She turned to Edwin. “You must help us enhance our shields. This console over here will give you access to the field generators.”

“Captain?” Chakotay said, sounding unsure. “Do it,” Janeway said.

“We are being hailed. Captain,” Tuvok said. “Don’t bother responding, I think we all know the spiel by now,” Janeway said. “I can hear them,” Edwin said. “In my mind.” Seven thought he sounded afraid, as though the Borg would be able to assimilate him through thought alone. The ship shuddered. “They’ve got a tractor beam on us,” Harry said. “I hear them too,” Seven said, “We must resist. This ship will be destroyed if we do not.” Edwin nodded, and with a look of determination on his face, he held his arm over the console and fired off his assimilation tubules into it. Within seconds, the ship’s shields began modulating, and Voyager was able to break free of the Borg sphere’s tractor beam. “Can you enhance our phasers?” Janeway said. “Yes,” Edwin said. “Do it,” Janeway said. “Tuvok, as soon as he’s done target the sphere’s propulsion systems. Be prepared to jump to warp Mister Paris.”

“Yes ma’am,” Paris said. “Enhancements complete. You may fire,” Edwin said. “Firing,” Tuvok said. A second later, the ship shuddered even more violently than when it had been caught in the tractor beam. “They inverted our phaser beam with a feedback pulse,” Seven said. The ship began shuddering again as the sphere fired on them. “They just took out our warp drive,” Paris said. “Your technology is limited,” Edwin said. “I cannot enhance it any further. I must transport over to the sphere, and disrupt them from within.”

“They will try to assimilate you,” Seven said. “They will fail,” Edwin said very matter-of-factly, as if he were repeating something that he shouldn’t have to. Seven didn’t like it. She imagined that Sam would feel much the same way if it were Naomi offering to go fight the Borg all alone. Unlike Naomi though, Edwin could possibly do it, though that likelihood did little to temper her concerns.

Seven looked at Janeway. Janeway looked back, and nodded. “Harry,” Janeway said, “lock onto the drone.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Edwin said, activating his own internal transporter. “He’s inside the sphere,” Tuvok said. Seven turned to look at the viewscreen, and tried not to let her worry overwhelm her. The ship took another hit from the sphere’s weapons. “Shields down to 29%,” Harry said. “Had they not been enhanced they’d likely be down already,” Seven said. Harry chuckled. “No doubt about that,” he said. “The Krenim were able to hurt us worse than this.” “We haven’t survived this yet Lieutenant,” Chakotay said. “Don’t get cocky.”

Suddenly, the sphere stopped firing, and began moving. “It’s heading towards the proto-nebula,” Tom said. “It’s gonna get crushed in there.” Seven held back a gasp as the image of the viewscreen showed the sphere crumpling as it flew straight ahead, small pieces of it flying off into space while the rest of it collapsed in on itself like a mess hall napkin being crumpled up after its use.

“Beam back Edwin, beam back,” she muttered just before the sphere exploded, the shockwave making Voyager lilt so quickly inertial dampeners couldn’t fully compensate, and the whole bridge crew nearly lost their balance and toppled to the right.

Seven stared ahead at the viewscreen, her heart feeling like it was sinking into her stomach. The red alert lights went out and the main lights came back on, and Seven could hear Janeway giving orders to the command staff, but couldn’t process them, until Harry said something that snapped her out of it. “I’m detecting a lifesign,” he said. “It’s the drone, he made it. He’s erected a multi-spatial force field, but it’s collapsing. I’m attempting to get a lock on.”

“When you have him,” Janeway said, looking as happy as Seven felt, “beam him to sickbay.” “Aye Captain,” Harry said. Seven didn’t wait for permission, she bolted to the turbolift right away. “Sickbay!” she said, wishing the lift could go faster. When she got to sickbay, the Doctor was already scanning Edwin, who was lying on the biobed, his armor looking beaten up, and a red welt on his exposed head, but otherwise he seemed fine. “Damage?” “Several of his implants were fused in the explosion but they’re regenerating,” the Doctor said. “His biological systems are another story, Cranial trauma, internal bleeding, he’s going to need immediate surgery.” The Doctor closed his medical tricorder and moved quickly to grab his surgical equipment. “The sphere?” Edwin said. “Destroyed,” Seven said. “You were successful.”

Edwin closed his eyes and exhaled. “Good,” he said. He opened his eyes again and glanced at Seven. “The Borg are aware of my existence. I could hear their thoughts when I was linked to them, taking over the sphere. They will pursue me.” “Irrelevant,” Seven said. “I need to get started,” the Doctor said, gently nudging Seven aside. “No,” Edwin said. Seven’s lower lip began to quiver. No, no, don’t do this, she thought.

“I should not exist. I am an accident. A random convergence of technologies.” “You are unique,” Seven said, barely holding it together. “As long as I exist,” Edwin said, “you are in danger.” “We can talk about this later,” the Doctor said, going for Edwin’s neck with a hypospray, but it bounced off of a force field that was now suddenly surrounding Edwin’s body. “Allow the Doctor to proceed,” Seven said in as commanding a voice as she could manage. Edwin simply looked at her, his breathing quickening as an alert noise came from the Doctor’s console. “His synapses are failing,” the Doctor said. “Edwin, you must comply.” “I will not,” Edwin said, his voice shaking as his upper body convulsed. “You must comply. Please,” Seven said forcefully. Then quietly she added, “You are hurting me.” “You will adapt,” Edwin coughed out. Then the lights in his implants blinked out, his breathing slowed, and his body slackened, his mouth hanging partway open. Even before the Doctor walked up to her and said “I’m sorry,” Seven knew that he was gone. She couldn’t move, her eyes were beginning to wet, and she felt like she could barely breathe even though consciously she knew her lungs were fine. Eventually, without saying a word, she managed to walk, slowly, and left sickbay, only once having to use one of the nearby beds to maintain her balance before she made it out the door.

She went back to cargo bay 2. When she stepped inside, she just looked at the alcove that Edwin had used. She hadn’t wanted it to happen, but it did. She had begun to see Edwin as her offspring. She wondered if the Doctor felt any of the loss she did. She wondered if Ensign Mulcahey had any regrets about never having spoken to him. She sighed, and sat down in front of her own alcove, and began to cry. She wasn’t sure how much time she’d spent there when Samantha came walking in, holding a mug. “Hey,” she said quietly. “Hi,” Seven said back. Samantha sat down next to her and offered Seven the cup. “Vulcan tea,” she said. “I think it may have cooled down a bit too much on the way over.” “Thank you,” Seven said, taking the cup, but not bothering to drink it, instead focusing on the warmth of the sides of the mug in her hands. “How are you holding up?” Samantha said. “Not terribly well,” Seven admitted. “I feel like I lost a child.” “Yeah, well, I can understand that,” Samantha said, shifting uncomfortably. “Sam,” Seven said. “The Captain told me. About what really happened the day Naomi was born. The version that isn’t in the ship’s log.” “Oh. I had no idea. You never mentioned it.” “I did not feel I had the right to,” Seven said. “and even if I had felt I had the right, I also did not want to cause you any discomfort.” “So, why mention it now?” “If you, I mean, are you okay with me asking how you handled it?”

Samantha took a deep breath and put an arm around Seven’s shoulder, pulling her in close. “I wish I could help you, baby,” she said. “I really do, but I never really got the chance to handle it. I mean, it felt like one minute my daughter is dead, the next she’s back in my arms because the other Voyager sent her and Harry over. It all happened so fast. The whole incident, with the duplication, and the pulses, and the Vidiians, it was barely even half a day. Sometimes I have nightmares about it, but they’ve never been frequent. I never truly got to experience losing a child and I wake up every day hoping I never have to.” “We should all be so lucky,” Seven said. “But I’m not going to see Lieutenant Kim coming through a spatial rift with a perfectly intact Edwin following him.” “No,” Samantha said sympathetically as she gently stroked Seven’s hair. “I guess not.” “I’m torn,” Seven said after about a minute. “Between asking the Captain for time off to grieve, or simply throwing myself into a project of some kind. Maybe helping Tom with his new shuttle idea. He’s calling it the Delta Flyer. It seems adequate” Samantha chuckled. “Coming from you sweetie I’m sure he’d see that as high praise.” “What do you think I should do, Sam?” “Take the rest of the day off. I can handle astrometrics for awhile, you’ve shown me the basics. Get some rest. Then, after that, decide which of those two you’re going to do.” “Acceptable,” Seven said, resting her head on Samantha’s shoulder. “Just stay here with me for a few more minutes.”

#a fire of devotion #part 2 #prologue #chapter one #star trek voyager #fan fiction #sam7

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bun-n-nub · 4 years

Note

does the crew have any none-task-related-hobbies?

I’m assuming by non-task-related, you’re referring to hobbies that aren’t in any way related to things they do for work? Bc they all have hobbies!!! And some things they do can be used in their work!

But excluding hobbies that somewhat mirror their jobs, we have... mmmmm...

Bunbun: stargazing, reading, journaling, doodling, [insert several excluded hobbies here]

NubNub: “singing” (aka glowing in pretty patterns to themself), Vibing in small /dark areas, people n wildlife watching, throwing random shiz in the chute to launch it into space, watching asteroids, drawing, racing around the ship/their habitat as fast as possible, playing/goofing off with their friends

(Technically they don’t have a job so??? Everything counts?)

Groud: enjoys playing really old games (think space invaders, the first Nintendo/mario/loz games), taking walks, stargazing, reading up on old space history, object restoration, [insert one or two excluded hobbies here]

Silk: making/repairing/messing with robots, [insert several excluded hobbies here]

Nanner: talking with people, looking up jokes in different languages, coming up with new games, playing board games/sims, [insert a few excluded hobbies here]

Lemon: karaoke, songwriting, learning to play several instruments, playing space kazoo, researching kinds of aliens/newly discovered planets, throwing parties, making gadgets to throw colored lights around, playing games/sims, taking runs, [insert several excluded hobbies here]

Junior: photography, learning to code, playing games/sims, listening to music, alien research, playing space softball, [insert a couple excluded hobbies]

Rose: knitting, crocheting, baking, dressing up, yoga, [insert like 500 excluded hobbies]

Laser: yoga as well, boxing, taking walks/runs, playing games/sims, watching movies, [insert several excluded hobbies]

River: [if he’s not doing tasks or on cams, he’s probably asleep. The dude does jack]

Cocoa: baking, making cocoa/other drinks, designing buildings/ships/etc, whatever the space version of dnd is, playing games/sims, [insert one or two excluded hobbies]

And the stuff in brackets is to let u know that there’s more/how much more, I just didn’t list it as per ur request hdjdkd

#yea I... wasn’t entirely sure where to go with this hfjjfkfk #they do a lotta lil things!#but most of em have big hobbies that draw parallels to their job #so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯#take this as u will #crewmate: bunbun #crewmate: nubnub #crewmate: groud #crewmate: silk #crewmate: nanner #crewmate: lemon #crewmate: junior #crewmate: rose #crewmate: laser #crewmate: river #crewmate: cocoa #communications: ask

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bun-n-nub · 4 years

Note

I hope Nanner knows that they live in my brain rent-free now SDLAKFJN

Nanner knows, and is quite pleased by this :3

#she's gonna make u cookies #LKSDJLKF #nanner is so good i lov them...#i blame y'all for gettin me attached LSKDJFLSK #but im glad u like em nonetheless ;w;#crewmate: nanner #lycanfriskau #communications: ask

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bun-n-nub · 4 years

Text

Crewmate Files ————————-

admin > file select > crewmates > BLACK

Full Name: Xniphon Npyix Lcthryn Alias(es): Nanner Pronouns: SHE/THEY Age: 121 SEY (Standard Earth Years) Home Planet: N/A (WANDERING SPECIES) Species: GASEOUS STELLACOR Medical Records: UP TO DATE Experience: 45 SEY SPACE TRAVEL EXP, 4 SEY SPACE ACADEMICS, 72 SEY INTERPLANETARY/OPEN SPACE HABITATION Role: COOK Recommendation: AVERAGE Suit: BLACK Backup Suit: ANY Notes: Alien recruit first located in sector C, origins otherwise unknown. A very good morale booster, skilled cook of space-wide cuisine, and good at keeping crewmates as happy and comfortable as she can manage. Temporary transfers requested automatically every year, lasting at least a month. Votes quickly, doesn’t need much evidence, but will not vote for those considered friends until consequences become too great.

#crew files #mission log: records #crewmate: nanner

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artnerd1123 · 4 years

Text

Among Us: CR3WM8TS

Docked and Loaded ——————————————

The ship finally arrives at the newly established Sector G base on a new planet. Hopefully, start of work goes smoothly. Hopefully the logs are functioning well, too...

Among Us archive/askblog Fic chapters post

——————————————

once again i am chopping a chapter in half to keep it from getting too long. anyway!!! more normal crewmate troubles n dorkiness with some ominous vibes for Flavor (tm). hopefully the next part will come out sometime soon! enjoy this for now!

===+===+===

Mission Log 10

Ship Model: SKELD D34-H120 Designation: SUPPLY TRANSPORT, EXPLORATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF SECTOR G PLANETS Crewmate Count: 9 Crewmate Colors: DARK GREEN, WHITE, PURPLE, DARK BLUE, YELLOW, RED, LIME, BLACK, PINK

Location: SECTOR G Ship Status: IN TRANSIT Course: PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G Systems:

Navigation: COURSE INLAID / STABLE

Engines: UPPER - ONLINE, TANK 0.86 / LOWER - ONLINE, TANK 0.83 / OUTPUT ALIGNED

Reactor: ONLINE / FUNCTIONING OPTIMAL

O2: STABLE

Electrical: STABLE

Communications: ONLINE

Shields: ONLINE / FUNCTIONING OPTIMAL

Weapons: ONLINE / FUNCTIONING OPTIMAL

Security: CAMERAS ONLINE / ALL FUNCTIONAL

Administration: MAP ONLINE / CONNECTION SECURE / SHIP FILES UP TO DATE / ALL CREW ACCOUNTED FOR

Medbay: EQUIPMENT ONLINE / FUNCTIONAL / CREW FILES UP TO DATE

Supplies: [ONE] CRATES SHORT

Storage Chutes: CLEAR

Vents: CLEAR

Notes: Updates by PINK still taking well to system. Travel into sector G uneventful. Crew bonding time worked into today’s schedule, all crew in attendance for at least an hour. Crew performing normal activities.

===+===+===

Mission Log 15

Location: SECTOR G Ship Status: DOCKED AT [PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G] Course: N/A Systems:

Navigation: COURSE REACHED / STABLE

Engines: UPPER - ONLINE, TANK 0.72 / LOWER - ONLINE, TANK 0.68 / OUTPUT ALIGNED

Reactor: ONLINE / FUNCTIONING OPTIMAL

O2: STABLE

Electrical: STABLE

Communications: ONLINE

Shields: OFFLINE / FUNCTIONING N/A

Weapons: OFFLINE / FUNCTIONING N/A

Security: CAMERAS ONLINE / ALL FUNCTIONAL

Administration: MAP OFFLINE / CONNECTION SECURE / SHIP FILES UPDATING FOR MISSION / ALL CREW ACCOUNTED FOR

Medbay: EQUIPMENT ONLINE / FUNCTIONAL / CREW FILES UP TO DATE

Supplies: [ONE] CRATES SHORT

Storage Chutes: CLEAR

Vents: CLEAR

Notes: [SKELD D34-H120] docked at [PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G] successfully. No transport issues to report. All supplies for transport intact and in transfer process to base. Mission files currently integrating to ship system. Crew integrating to mission base to assist in tasks, exploration, and supply dropoff. Weapons and shields offline to align with docking procedures. Course will remain unlaid until HQ supplies further information.

===+===+===

It had been a good long while since Bunbun worked on an exploration ship. She’d been stuck updating supply line SKELDs for awhile, and got bogged down repairing virus bound code in defensive SKELDs for longer. Exploration ships were like little breathers in the middle. It meant she just had to worry about one ship, once all the updates were done. She could sit and watch the stars. Make a friend, if she was lucky. And, on days like these, it meant she’d be helping out with something bigger. Planet 236-OCE-849 was a gorgeous world. A new one, too! Sector G was largely new to HQ. They had high hopes for the planets and inhabitants. This one in particular was the first they’d set up a base on. Crashing waves and strange colorful formations were the source of many rumors across the airwaves. Bun had been unable to see the planet’s surface as they descended, but the views before they made landing preparations were breathtaking. Most of it was enveloped by an ocean. The water bound world was like a painted marble, little bits of vibrant colors poking through. She’d never seen land so vivid. It made her all the more eager to get down to the surface.

The door of the ship opened with a loud hiss of pressurized air. Metal clanked against itself as the two halves pulled themselves apart, the groaning making everything in the vicinity go still. Of course, what happened afterwards was anything but. The gangplank was already lowered, so the cooped up crewmates came scrambling out. Captain Groud was first, their voice echoing back towards the ship as they called for the Mission Lead. Silk trailed after, one of xyr robots hot on xyr heels. Rose and Laser went off as a pair, aiming to tend to any wounded and check how defenses were going. Nanner emerged with supplies already loaded, a couple crewmates from the planet coming to help her transport them where needed. Lemon and Junior were off to check the base’s energy status, the son sticking anxiously close to his father. River, to no one’s surprise, sauntered off the ship to go find somewhere to lounge. Groud said he’d help when they needed him, but from the looks the rest of the crew gave, there was probably a fat chance. That left Bunbun walking down the gangplank last. She was glad now that she’d pulled down her solar visor. The light outside was nearly blinding compared to the ship’s lobby. Around her she could see miles and miles of open sea, the bluish purple waves almost hauntingly familiar. Like an echo of the blue green waters she had back at home… I wonder why the water here is more purple… I bet Rose might know. She only took her eyes off the ocean when something crunched under her boot. She drew back hastily, afraid she’d stepped on some planetary inhabitant- only to draw in a sharp breath from surprise. The ground she stood on was a bright pastel orange. Upon closer inspection, it looked to be made out of some sort of… finely webbed rock? Coral, she realized, eyes widening. Her gaze snapped up to the island they’d landed on. The whole thing looked like a fractured rainbow, colors radiating across the ground. It was all made of the same webbed rock- coral, as she’d remembered. The realization had her bouncing on her heels. I’m standing on an island made of coral!!! She took another hesitant step. It crunched again under her foot. She couldn’t keep herself from giggling as she kept moving, feet dancing over coral that shifted from orange to yellow to green to purple. A myriad of colors, and all so bright!!! She’d never laid eyes on anything quite like it. “Enjoying the scenery?” a voice called, snapping Bun out of her happy dance. She froze in place, instantly standing to attention and trying not to drop her tablet. Another voice laughed, the sound carrying closer as her face flushed. When Groud’s star patched green and Silk’s beat up purple came into view, she let herself breathe. Ok. So. She hadn’t entirely made a fool out of herself. These two, at least, knew who she was. “M-maybe a little, Captain, eheheh,” she called sheepishly. “I’ve never been on a planet with coral islands before.” “Well, it’s a treat for you then!” Groud laughed. “Hey, if you’re not busy, why don’t you go head down to the power room?” “Oh, are the base crewmates busy?” Bun blinked. “Yeah, a little,” Groud nodded. “There’s a lot going on. Lots to update and lots to move.” “That, and Lemon ��n Junior said they might need some help,” Silk added. Between you and me, I think they just want someone they can rely on to help figure the energy out.” Bunbun’s face flushed again, the warmth from Groud’s voice and Silk’s visor-shadowed smile buoying her mood higher. She’d only been with this crew a few days, but they trusted her this much? … Honestly, she couldn’t tell if that was foolish or not. But things needed fixing, and her crewmates needed help. So, off she went.

The base layout was pretty standard. It was a bit compressed to fit the strange coral island, but they’d managed to fit everything in about the right place. Lucky for Bun, she didn’t have too far to go. The building to the gangplank’s right would give her access to Electrical’s courtyard. The crunching of multicolored polyps beneath her feet made her smile with giddiness, picking up the pace to get inside the base. The door was already left open- standard procedure for operating periods- so she strolled right through. Nobody seemed to be waiting for her in the building’s lobby. She’d guess they were all outside, if it weren’t for a few voices. She could hear a couple people down in the security area. River and some other security crewmates, if her auditory memory served. They were talking pretty boisterously. She hooked a hasty left out towards the courtyard, eager to move on before one of them noticed her. The courtyard was once again standard. Four generators, one control panel along the outside wall, and cagey wire fencing around the edges. Bunbun found herself wondering once again what that was meant to keep out. On a new planet like this, nobody really knew what to expect. It could be anything. Images of creeping beasts and flashing eyes started to bubble up, so she shoved the thought out of her mind. It was fine! The fence would do its job, surely. Just as she would do hers. It’s fine. Lemon and Junior were standing before the control panel, their confused chatter making Bun glad they enlisted her help. From the frustrated looks on their faces, they needed it. They should teach more cross system repair in the academy… oh dear… “You two need some help?” Bun called, striding over to the panel. The pair looked up, relief instantly appearing on their faces. “Bunbun, thank fuck,” Lemon sighed. He leaned against the wall, pulling his goggles back up over unruly red hair. “we’re really goin through the ringer here…” “Y-yeah, uh, any help would be really appreciated,” Junior added sheepishly. He fiddled with his tablet, nervous fingers closing out a couple HQ manual tabs. “Of course, guys,” Bunbun smiled shyly. She tilted her head at the open panel, a mess of wires greeting her. Well. That was. Not encouraging. Her brows furrowed the more she looked, eyes trying to trace input to output and back. “... ok. I uh. I see several problems here.” “That’s an understatement,” Lemon snorted, shaking his head. “I don’t even know where to start.” “Did you make sure to take the relevant systems offline?” Bun asked. “Already done,” Junior nodded. He held up his tablet, a couple tabs pulled up to show electrical systems operating on reserve. “We can’t keep it offline for too long, or else the lights are gonna go out. Which, um, wouldn’t be super fun.” “Right, we’ll have to move fast,” Bunbun replied. “I think I can manage that.” Rubbing her hands together, she eyed the mess of wires before them. She’d handled worse, right? This wouldn’t take too terribly long. It was only when she remembered the other two were watching that her confidence faltered. Was she supposed to help? Was it even ok to take over here??? “... Is, um, is it ok if I… uh… manage it…?” She chuckled timidly, scuffing a boot on the ground. “By all means, dear,” Lemon chuckled, giving her a little dramatic bow as he moved back. “I’ll give you all the space you need.” “Just remember we’re here to help if you need!” Junior offered, scooting back to his dad’s side. He smiled nervously, the sun flashing off his visor as he shifted a bit in place. Gathering courage, if his next little quip was anything to go by. “We might, uh, know the reactor better, but we still know our way around a pair of wire cutters! Eheheheh...” Bunbun smiled gratefully at them both. “Of course, thank you. I’m, um, gonna get on this as fast as I can.” With that, she fixed her attention on the wires once more. Whoever set this base up hadn’t been picky about organization. She could fix that easy enough. She’d just… start by sorting the colors. Taking a breath, the electrician hefted up her tablet, free hand reaching carefully for the nearest red wire. Yeah. This would be over in a sinch. And maybe later, she could go explore a bit more. The thought made her grin wide, fingers flying between wires even faster. Oh, yes. Seeing some more of this beautiful planet would be worth any circuitry headaches. She’d just have to remember to add this to the ship’s log later…

===+===+===

SHIP SYSTEM REALTIME LOG: System setting: DOCKED [STORAGE AND VENT MONITORING]

Location: SECTOR G Ship Status: DOCKED AT [PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G] Course: N/A Systems:

Supplies: [ONE] CRATES SHORT

Storage Chutes: CLEAR

Vents: CLEAR

…

Supplies: [ONE] CRATES SHORT

Storage Chutes: MATERIAL BUILDUP DETECTED

Vents: CLEAR

…

Supplies: [ONE] CRATES SHORT

Storage Chutes: CLEAR

Vents: CLEAR

#cr3wm8ts #au:c #among us oc #bunbun among us #groud among us #silk among us #river among us #lemon among us #junior among us #thats everyone who actually gets like. dialogue of some sort LSKJDFLSKF #n e way #yea this was half an excuse to have more bun bein a nerd in the bgLSKJFS #this planet? important #the next chapter's gonna swap perspectives tho so >:333 #hope y'all enjoy SLKDJF #arty writes

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artnerd1123 · 4 years

Text

Among Us: CR3WM8TS

Updates Required (part 3)

——————————————

With the ship launched and crew settled, it’s time to get to work. Which, for Bunbun, means updating. How smoothly that goes depends on the crewmates in charge… Bunbun’s hoping she’s in good company.

Featuring appearances by Nanner and Silk!

Among Us archive/askblog Fic chapters post

——————————————

Ok so originally I wanted to keep all this together, but decided it’d be better to chop it into pieces. That way I can keep my momentum, keep posting for y’all, and still intro y’all to the crew as things get moving!

finally got this last part done!!! it’s all finished now! now we can get on to more fun stuff >:3

===+===+===

Mission Log 5

Location: SECTOR F Ship Status: IN TRANSIT Course: PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G Systems:

Navigation: COURSE INLAID / STABLE / UPDATES NEEDED

Engines: UPPER - ONLINE, TANK 0.94 / LOWER - ONLINE, TANK 0.92 / OUTPUT ALIGNED

Reactor: ONLINE / FUNCTIONING OPTIMAL

O2: STABLE

Electrical: CALIBRATOR OFFLINE

Communications: ONLINE / UPDATES NEEDED

Shields: ONLINE / FUNCTIONING OPTIMAL

Weapons: TEMPORARILY OFFLINE / FUNCTIONING N/A

Security: CAMERAS ONLINE / ALL FUNCTIONAL

Administration: MAP OFFLINE - UPDATES NEEDED / CONNECTION SECURE / SHIP FILES UP TO DATE / ALL CREW ACCOUNTED FOR

Medbay: EQUIPMENT ONLINE / FUNCTIONAL / CREW FILES UP TO DATE

Supplies: [ONE] CRATES SHORT

Storage Chutes: CLEAR

Vents: CLEAR

Notes: Admin map offline, as updates are needed. PINK identified systems in need of updates. PINK has commenced updates under DARK BLUE supervision. Updates still in progress. RED discharged from medbay after receiving treatment for minor injuries. RED in process of submitting incident report. BLACK opened one supply crate to restock food materials. PURPLE sent four previous mission logs to HQ for archiving. PURPLE also submitted them to [SKELD D34-H120] Mission Log Archive. Other crew performing normal activities.

===+===+===

With each room visited, the list of tasks was shifting from white to green. All but three of them were lit up with the color of a job well done. Bunbun looked over the list with a growing sense of satisfaction. Just three more now, she thought, I can handle that in no time. Not to mention the updates had given her a perfect opportunity to meet most of her crewmates. Hopefully whoever she had left to encounter would be in a good mood. Or at least a better one than a certain blue-suited crewmate. Speaking of which, River had once again chosen their destination. He’d hooked a sharp right as they left Medbay, leaving Bunbun- as per last time- to scramble after him. His pace picked right back up after he was out of Medbay’s sight. He only spared Bunbun a single glance over his shoulder. “C’mon, keep up,” he grumbled, “there’s not much left to do, and I’m hungry. I wanna have time for my lunch break before I have to be back at cams.” With a sinking feeling, Bunbun realized he might have just been on his “best behavior” for the doctor. That wasn’t uncommon among crewmates. After all, you do want the local medic to treat you well. Well... That, and patients who behave get discharged sooner. River’s attitude change didn’t bode well for their time outside of medbay. Luckily, Administration wasn’t too far from there. They just had to pass through the cafeteria. Maybe there’d be a vending machine or something. A good stop for a snack. As long as it gets River off my back, I don’t care what it is, Bunbun thought ruefully.

The cafeteria was about as standard as it gets. The tile floor was dull from years worth of crewmates’ passage. The slightly dented wire panel on the wall closest to them was closed. The download station and food processor on the far wall seemed to be in working order. From what Bunbun could see of the chute, it was nice and clear. Five circular tables were placed around the room, two at each end and one in the middle. The emergency button looked rather haphazardly installed in the center table. It was as if someone had carved a hole in its surface and shoved in the proper equipment- nothing like the clean circles and precise welding of newer ships. It was just another sign of the SKELD’s age. Bunbun was at least comforted by the layer of dust atop it. Unbothered dust on the button- above everything- was a testament to the ship’s safety. Or, at the very least, a high level of trust in its crew. River didn’t give anything a single glance. He walked like a man on a mission, and Bunbun tailed after him diligently. To his credit, he wasn’t headed towards the food processor. He was making a beeline for the door towards storage. Or, rather, toward Admin. She figured that’s where they were headed. It was next on her list. Before they reached the door, though, River stopped in his tracks. He went still so fast Bunbun nearly crashed into him. “Wh- hey- what was that about?” She squawked. “Can it,” River hissed, taking a step back. “We’ll move in just a minute. Gotta wait for traffic.” “Traffic…?” Bunbun’s brows furrowed. What traffic…? She tried to track River’s gaze. It wasn’t hard, seeing as it was riveted on the doorway.

She spotted a crewmate in black standing there. The fact that they were wearing their helmet outside of docking time was a little odd, but it wasn’t entirely unheard of. Though the rubbery banana peel stuck to the top of it was sort of funny looking. From the way it didn’t slide off their head after any movement, she’d guess it was an accessory. Black’s head was bent over their tablet, which they held in their right hand. Their left rested on the handle of a gravity platform cart. A large crate was nestled in its center. From the label, Bunbun could tell it was food. All in all, they seemed like a standard human crewmate on supply duty. At least, at first glance. The more Bunbun looked them over, the more their shape seemed more vaguely human than clean cut. Their limbs were a little too bendy, and their suit didn’t seem form fit to any specific body shape. It was like a vague approximation of a humanoid form. The biggest tell, though, were their hands. Bunbun blinked a couple times to make sure she was seeing them right. Their gloves only had four fingers instead of five. Suddenly, keeping the helmet on made more sense. For all she knew, the alien under there might breathe a different kind of air. Or no air at all. She’d had plenty of aquatic- and a handful of lava dwelling- classmates at the academy. Though… that style of suit was more fitted to the gaseous types of aliens. Ah, well. The mystery would have to wait for later.

Black seemed to mumble to themself for a minute before cramming their tablet under their arm. They’d just turned to pull the cart into the caf when the room’s other occupants caught their eye. Or, at least, the occupant in front did. They seemed to perk up immediately, one hand flying to their visor. “Oh! Howdy!!!” they called happily. “I didn’t see ya there!!! Ya need through?” “That would be ideal,” River replied tersely. “Gimme jes oooone sec-”Black bubbled. With that, they yanked the cart all the way into the room. It floated in easily, and came to rest next to the doorway under their guidance. “There she is! All clear for ya, Riv!” River started right back towards the door the second they were out of the way. Not even gonna say thanks? Bunbun thought, puzzled. Well. If he wasn’t gonna do it, she would. “Er- thank you, we appreciate it,” Bunbun called as she followed him. Black gave a quiet gasp. “Oh!!! I didn’ realize we had company!” They giggled, looking to River. The man stopped in place again, expression souring. “Who’s yer new pal?” “Does it matter?” River huffed, crossing his arms. “We’ve got places to be.” “It does if they’re new to the ship!!!” They chirped. Trotting right over, they stuck out their hand to Bunbun. “Hi there!!! I’m Nanner! What’s yer name, hun?” She blinked at their forwardness, but returned their handshake timidly. Their nickname made her smile a bit. Maybe their hat wasn’t entirely out of place. “I’m, uh, Bunbun,” she replied shyly. “It’s nice to meet you, Nanner.” “Bunbun!!! Oh, now that’s a cute nickname!” Nanner hummed. “Yer the new transfer, right?” “I- er- thank you,” she stammered, face flushing a bit. “And, um, yeah. I dunno how long I’m on board for, but hopefully I can help out.” “Oh, I already know ya will. Ya look like a real peach!” Nanner smiled. Or, she thought they did. It was hard to tell. The visor was so dark she couldn’t make anything out. In any case, the words just made her blush more. Kind ones always did that. “I’ll do my best to make sure yer stay is nice ‘n homely!” “W-well, you’re already doing a good job,” Bunbun smiled softly. “Good, ok, you two are acquainted. Can we go?” River broke in, scowling. “Ah ah ah, Riv,” Nanner scolded, wagging a finger at him. “Y’all can’t go till I know what the lil lady’s favorite food is! Y’all of all people gotta know that by now.” River threw his hands up in defeat. Bunbun’s look of confusion resurfaced. “Favorite food?” She echoed, puzzled. “Well, yeah! I’m the ship’s cook,” Nanner replied nonchalantly. “I gotta know what y’all like so I can have it on hand. Ya never know when you’ll need some good ol’ comfort food.” “Oh… oh! That’s true,” Bunbun nodded. Ship’s cook. Yeah, the food crate should’ve been a giveaway. “I’m, um, afraid mine’s a little on the tame side…” “Not a problem! Tame is good for some,” Nanner soothed. “Ok, er, thanks. It’s just a peanut butter jelly sandwich.” “Any particular variety? There’s a lotta those across the galaxy!” “The kind with Paramour’s grape jelly? I’m not picky about my peanut butter.” “Hmm… Paramour grape jelly and a wild card on the peanut butter…” Nanner nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll have one for yer lunch break, hun.” Bunbun lit up, smiling excitedly. “Oh!!! Thank you so much!!!” She beamed, “I really appreciate it-” “Ok, order up and all that,” River huffed, interrupting again. “Are we done?” “Sheesh, fine,” Nanner snorted. “Seems like someone needs a nap,” they mumbled, giving Bunbun a playful nudge. She tried her best not to laugh, hiding a smile with her hand. “I heard that,” River growled. “Good. Maybe you can take one later!” Nanner beamed, unphased. Rolling his eyes, River resumed his quick march. He was clearly done entertaining the both of them. Bunbun waved as she trotted after him. “Thanks again, Nanner! See you around!” “No problem, Bunny!”

As they reached the hall, Bunbun decided to risk a question. “So… uh… Riv?” She asked warily. “Don’t call me that,” River groaned. “Nanner loves to give everyone nicknames. And talk. A lot.” “And I’m guessing you’re… not much for conversation?” She ventured. “Hit the nail on the head.” He fixed her with a withering look. “So can you take a hint?” “I-I got it, I got it,” Bunbun replied meekly. Oh yeah. That’s a grump.

Admin was barely a stone’s throw from the cafeteria. First turn on the left from the door, and it was another well loved room. The carpet was tamped down tightly, the dull maroon only showing through a recent clean. The map was dark- offline for updates- and the card reader looked about as beat up as she’d expected. Three ancient computers sat along the wall. They were old models with screens made of green glass instead of holographic projections. The red chairs before them were an old old leather material, and had been patched up several times. One of the chairs was occupied. The crewmate didn’t seem to notice the two others hovering in the doorway. “... Knock knock,” River said begrudgingly. “You’ve got visitors.” At the sound of his voice, the crewmate glanced up from the screen, giving Bunbun a pretty good look. Xyr suit was purple, and about as worn as Captain Groud’s. Xyr round face was framed with dark, loose coils and dreads, cut off just below xyr chin. A smattering of starry white flecks was sprinkled over xyr hair. Xyr earthy skin had distinctive space travel stripes, albeit a little paler than one would expect. Dark, shining eyeshadow hooded charcoal eyes. Small golden rod earrings and a battered bandage completed xyr look, giving xem the mug of a well weathered space traveller. Xyr look of tired resignment warmed into a smile as xe took notice of Bunbun.

“Ah, there you are. I was wondering when you’d make your way here,” Xe chuckled, leaning back in xyr chair. “Eheheh… yeah… sorry about the wait,” Bunbun replied softly. Xe held up Xyr hands in a placating gesture. “No no, I get it. This bucket ‘a bolts has a lotta systems in dire need of updates,” Xe replied, “and some of em are better to hit first than others.” Standing up from xyr chair, xe set a hand on xyr hip. “You two gonna come in?” “O-oh! Right- yeah-” Bunbun stammered, striding quickly through the doorway. River let her go first, sulking after her like a grumpy shadow. The other crewmate joined them by the map. “Well, now that we’re all together-” xe held out a hand for Bun- “I might as well introduce myself. People ‘round the ship call me Silk. I’m the resident nav and comms expert.” Bunbun took xyr hand and gave it a gentle shake. “I’m, um, Bunbun,” she replied, shifting in place. “I’m the new transfer- uh- I do, um, tech, electric, and janitorial tasks. I-it’s nice to meet you, Silk.” “Likewise,” xe nodded. “I’m guessing we might not see too much of each other, but you’re always welcome to pop by my areas to say hello.” Xyr eyes trailed away from Bunbun’s face toward someone behind her. From the expectant raised brow, she got the distinct feeling that xe wasn’t exactly thrilled to see them. She saw River kicking at the carpet when she glanced back. “Not even gonna greet me?” Silk asked, brow still raised. “... Hey silk,” River mumbled. His hunched shoulders and skittering glance made him look like a kid in trouble. “... can we get this over with?” “C’mon, being out of isolation can’t be that bad,” Silk joked. At Bunbun’s confused expression, xe waved a hand. I’ll tell you later, xyr face said. She just nodded hesitantly. “Listen, I just wanna go back to cams, is that so much to ask?” River huffed. “With that tone, maybe,” Silk pointed out. He crossed his arms, grumbling quietly, and settled himself along the wall. Xe gave him one last long look before turning back to Bunbun. “So, I reckon my map’s in need of a couple updates?” “Er- yeah, just a couple,” Bunbun said. Glancing it over, she was pleased to see an absence of dust on its glassy green surface. The thing was old, yes, but it looked well cared for. “Do you have any ideas as to what needs fixed? I don’t, um, I don’t handle admin updates too often.” “Of course. I’ll just let ya know what the other rooms need while I’m at it,” Silk replied, flicking a couple switches. The map slowly blinked to life, white lines snaking across a pale grid. The pale outlines flickered and flashed like a star fried sensor. The poor thing was barely even visible. Bunbun winced in sympathy. “Oooh… yeah, someone needs to update the firewall,” she mumbled. “That’s what I thought,” Silk sighed, giving the console a pat. “It’s been doin that for at least a week. The systems down at Comm and Nav are on the fritz too. It’s hard to get records transferred, retain messages, and get the course to stay stable without a babysitter.” “You’ve certainly got your hands full here!” Bunbun remarked. “Yeah, but there’s not too much to worry about,” xe waved a hand. “I’m the best they’ve got here, after all.” “I bet!” She smiled shyly. Looking to the map, she tilted her head. There didn’t seem to be any pattern to its glitching. At least, nothing noticeable from a quick observation. Holding up her tablet, she got herself settled before it. The good and bad thing about old systems were the incredibly obvious tablet ports. For all she knew, someone could’ve uploaded a bug ages ago. Ah well. At least I know how to use a virtual flyswatter. “Well, I-I’ve been told I’m pretty good with tech… maybe I’m not the best out there, but I’ll do what I can to get this all sorted.” “That’s much appreciated,” Silk sighed, giving her a pat on the back. “You take all the time you need.” “Thanks,” Bunbun hummed. Straightening up, her eyes were already skimming the torrent of code. “Ok… one fixed map, cooooming up…”

===+===+===

The glitchy virus got itself caught in Bun’s web soon enough. She could isolate and neutralize code as easy as she breathed. Of course, dancing around the admin files was pretty fun. She had to have Silk help guide her hand when digging it out from xyr carefully organized system. But it worked out easily enough. River didn’t pay the two any mind. He only moved when they did, following like the world’s grumpiest duckling. That seemed to suit Silk just fine. It worked well for Bunbun, too. They were free to swap stories like old friends. It was almost a little surprising. Walking in the halls was full of homely conversation. Fixing comm accompanied tales of their academy days. Swinging around to Nav let Silk introduce Bunbun to a couple friendly looking robots. She was impressed to learn Silk made them xemself. When xe sent the robots to distract River, xe took the opportunity to inform her why the man was so touchy. Stuck in a dead end job, he didn’t tend to get out of security much. Not of his free will, anyway. No matter how much mandatory bonding and karaoke nights Groud required. The mental image of River singing karaoke made Bunbun laugh enough that Silk had to rechart the course- the pink crewmate’s flapping hands accidentally slapped a couple buttons. River was not nearly as amused.

===+===+===

When all was said and done, Bunbun set off with yet another jaunty wave and happy call. River was all but sprinting to their last stop. She didn’t bother to stick with him this time. The only task left was at a place she knew quite well.

Electrical.

In the absence of River’s quick thumping of footsteps, the SKELD halls were eerily quiet. The quiet hum of the shields made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She eyed the nearby vent nervously as she wandered through the room. The vents are clear, she reassured herself. A glance at her tablet confirmed it. They’re clear. Passing by comm, the quiet radio static urged her to pick up her pace. Silk might have insisted it was quite safe, but she just… didn’t trust it. It was too quiet. Too far from the cams. Too isolated. The quiet creaking of full supply crates didn’t comfort her in storage, either. She just tried to keep her breathing even as she finished her trip to Electrical. River stood outside the door, eyeing the entrance dubiously. Bunbun slowed to a stop beside him. “Is… something wrong?” she asked nervously. “Huh-? Uh, no, nothing’s wrong,” River said hastily. “It’s just a bit dark in there, that’s all.” “... uh huh…” Bunbun hummed slowly. A peek through the doorway did confirm that the lights were dim. No dimmer than other ships, though. Just… dim enough to be slightly unnerving. Why in the world they were darkest in electrical of all places, Bunbun had no clue. It was a mystery she’d been meaning to take up with the SKELD designers for quite awhile. The upkick of dust and battered panels made it pretty clear the ship hadn’t had a proper electrician in awhile. Not that it mattered now. She had to go in there. Taking a slow breath, she strode towards the back of the room. She was nearly to the line of dusty old computers when she realized River wasn’t following. He was still standing by the door. Just watching. Her grip on her tablet shook gently. How many ways can I spell “suspicious...?” “Are you… coming...?” She asked meekly. “... nah,” River mumbled, shifting in place. “I’m good.” “Aren’t you supposed to be keeping an eye on me?” she twittered. “What if I end up needing help?” “I’m not an electrician. I’m a security guard. I can watch from here,” he replied flatly. “You’re not a fresh cadet. Figure it out.” “R-right, right,” Bunbun replied. … right… it’s just a trip to electrical. Nothing I haven’t done before. She took a deep breath, adjusting her bandanna. The feel of fabric under her fingers was comforting. I can do this. Squaring her shoulders, she marched right to the back of the room. The light from the hall didn’t reach the quietly humming machinery. The flickering bulbs above didn’t give her much confidence. But she only had one task. Swinging open the door to the calibrator, she was more than a little shocked. For starters, two of the rotating knobs seemed frozen in place. The top knob was the only one rotating lazily. A brief flash of yellow on the sensor strips was her only signal that anything was working at all. What in the milky way’s arms is going on here? She thought, baffled. Her brows furrowed as she shuffled through her old tech knowledge. In every modern ship she’d seen, all three of the knobs would spin in sync. Calibrating was as easy as just waiting for the sensor strips to flash and slapping a button. With old ships, tasks were often a little needlessly complicated. So… following this line of thinking… Hesitantly, Bunbun raised a hand to the top knob. She watched it spin lazily, the yellow sensor light flashing and dimming as it aligned. One rotation… two… three… on the fourth, she finally tapped the button. A dull click left it frozen in an aligned position. With an unoiled squeak, the knob below it started spinning. The same pattern of flashing and dimming resumed, just a little faster. Bunbun let out a relieved sigh. Ok, yeah. She got it now. She just had to align them one by one. That, she could do.

===+===+===

After a few tries and some error, Bunbun smiled at the “plink!” of a task finished from her tablet. All three sensor strips glowed a triumphant yellow as she shut the panel. “We’re all done here!” she called, heading back towards the doorway. “I think you’re-” A sudden shuffling and the slap of boots on metal floor cut off the rest of her announcement. By the time she got to the door, she only managed to snatch a blur of blue slipping into storage. “... good to go…” she mumbled to herself. She stared at the empty hall silently for a minute. He really doesn’t wait on anything, does he? She thought bleakly. But hey. At least he’d moved away from the door instead of through it. She might’ve had more problems on her hands than walking alone to lunch.

Tucking her tablet under her arm, she started off towards the caf. The old halls were both familiar and strange. All SKELD ships looked the same, and yet… each was different. At least, in some respects. She wondered if she’d spend the same brief time on this one as she had on every other SKELD. Her mind wandered quietly as she passed through storage. Though, the closer she got to the caf, the more she heard voices. The friendly sort of voices. Hesitating in the doorway let her see who they belonged to. Spread among the tables were all her crewmates. Lemon and Junior were chatting happily with Nanner at the table closest on the left. Laser and Rose were holding hands at the closest right table as they munched on their food. Silk and Groud were watching contentedly from the middle table, with River occupying a table on his own in the back. They were certainly a lively looking bunch. But the atmosphere in the room was warm. Warm and friendly. Bunbun felt a smile rise to her cheeks as she stepped into the room. Several of her crewmates greeted her, Nanner and Lemon excitedly waving her over to their table. One or two days in, and her fellows were already treating her like family. Her grin widened as she plopped down, happy to dig in to a fresh PBJ and a slew of conversation.

Yeah. She could get used to this SKELD. She really hoped she’d stay for awhile.

#cr3wm8ts #au:c #among us oc #bunbun among us #river among us #nanner among us #silk among us #yeet yeet spagheet #new chap is DONE #now u all have met the whole crew :333 #well #minus co/coa #but shhhhhh #anyways enjoy :3 #arty writes #reborks are appreciated!

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