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LIEUTENANT KEEGAN Khaliban
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Chakotay
stirred his fork through his rice and mushrooms. He leaned on one elbow
and stared in the general direction of his orange juice.
"Wasting
food?" Janeway asked.
"What happened
down there?" he said.
"I take it the
debriefing didn't go well?"
"No, it's not
that. Sqilookle was aboard the Flyer. You and Hununga were on top of the
hill. What did you see?"
Janeway lay
down her fork and crossed her fingers. "Lieutenant Keegan threw a tree
branch at the lifeform and hit it in the mouth. It hurt the creature
enough to make it let go of Ensign Nureek. I'm thinking about giving
Mister Keegan a commendation for it. Why?"
"Was there any
reason for him to break Ensign Nureek's arm?" Chakotay asked.
"No. None that
I could see. I assumed the creature did that."
"The Doctor
said the fracture was caused by a human hand crushing Nureek's arm."
"Perhaps it
was the adrenaline," she replied. "Lieutenant Keegan did things I
thought only a Vulcan could do."
"Doesn't that
seem odd?"
"Considering
the situation, no," Kathryn said. "Maybe the Doctor was mistaken. He
seemed to have a glitch."
"I know. I'm
having B'Elanna check that out."
"What did
Lieutenant Keegan say about the incident?"
The commander
leaned back in his chair. "He called it the stupidest thing he had ever
done. He couldn't believe he threw a stick at the creature and hit it."
"He told me
the same thing. It worked though."
"It had to,"
Chakotay responded.
"Excuse me?"
"B'Elanna
reviewed the orbital sensor logs. A creature emitting that kind of
radiation would be immune to normal phaser fire."
"You think
Keegan knew? How? And if he did, why wouldn't he mention it?" She leaned
back. "Did you review his tricorder logs?"
"They'd been
purged. It looked like routine maintenance."
"That bothers
you," she said.
"Yes."
"What would he
have to hide?"
"Could he have
taken some kind of stimulant?" Chakotay asked. "That might explain his
actions. What was he like during the trip?"
"Witty,
educated, amiable. He told me a story about a party at MIT--"
"Which one?"
"Massachusetts. I never realized how insane some geniuses could be. He
called it a 'Jim Jones' party."
Chakotay
winced. "I've heard of those. I don't think Starfleet allows them. But,
he showed no unusual behavior? He doesn't sound like the same person
that was in Astrometrics."
"He said he
has issues with Seven. Did he have family members at Wolf 359?" The
captain sipped some coffee.
"I don't know.
We've had a few losses to the Borg ourselves. He said he was cautious
around Seven because she had fallen under Borg control at various times
since regaining her humanity. That explains his actions towards Seven,
but... Maybe this is all coincidence. We've been attacked by so many
enemies, we're beginning to look for them among the crew."
"Are we
becoming paranoid in our old age?" Janeway asked.
Chakotay
laughed. "You're only paranoid if they're not out to get you."
The captain
spread her hands. "I'll talk to Mister Keegan. I'm sure this is nothing,
and I don't want to randomly accuse the hero of the day."
The commander
sighed. "Well, if nothing else, I have my appetite back."
* * *
Captain
Janeway walked through the dark corridors in the bowels of the ship
towards the Computer Core. She stopped just outside the doors, shook her
head, stepped through and found the room empty. She took three steps
when Lieutenant Keegan's torso, his hands behind his neck, swung down
from the ceiling.
"Captain?" the
lieutenant said.
"What are you
doing, Mister Keegan?"
"Inverted
sit-ups. I have a lot of slow time down here. I exercise to pass the
time." He dropped to the floor, landing on his feet. "What brings you
down here?"
"I had a few
questions about the away mission."
He sighed.
"'No one expects the Spanish Inquisition'."
"This isn't a
witch hunt, Lieutenant."
"No, that
would depend on what kind of witch I am." He sat on the computer
console. "I guess I'm your new puzzle."
"Mister
Keegan?"
"Captain,
Voyager would not have made it this far if not for your ability to solve
problems. But you're locked into a constantly curious state."
"Not without
reason."
"I never said
there wasn't, but if you don't have a problem in front of you, you go
looking. It's necessary, and I understand that. It's been slow lately,
so here you are. I just don't want to be your new mystery."
"I have to ask
why," she said.
"Do you want
every part of your life examined?"
"Oh. I
understand. Tell me, why did you use a stick?"
"I have no
idea." He shrugged. "It just seemed the right thing to do. How is Tadao?"
"Recovering.
He's already on his feet. You exhibited some medical knowledge on the
planet."
"Oh, that. For
a while, you thought about recruiting a new doctor from the general
crew. At the time, I didn't like my job, so I started studying. As it
turns out, I found a better job, and you found a better doctor."
"Why did you
purge the tricorder records?"
"I always do,"
he said.
"That's not
Starfleet procedure."
He shook head.
"When Mister Paris took his trip through Warp Ten, he dumped a great
deal of navigational information in the computer."
"Yes," she
replied.
"This wouldn't
be a problem if we had access to a Starbase. We could dump our
unnecessary data. I don't have that luxury. We need that navigational
data. Other information is less vital and must be purged. We had the
scans from the Flyer, so the tricorders had to go.
"You should
alert me before you do something like this, Lieutenant."
"I did. I sent
you a memo four years ago." He shrugged again. "You signed it."
The captain
sighed. "I'm sorry for this. I have no other questions. I guess I'll see
you at the dinner."
"I guess you
will."
"And,
Lieutenant, try to be nicer to Seven."
"I'll try."
* * *
Kathryn sat
back, idly poking her omelet. She read from a PADD.
"Well?"
Chakotay asked.
"His memo and
my signature at the bottom of it. I found it along with a dozen others I
signed the same day." She dropped the PADD. "I vaguely remember thinking
how good it was to have a department head who worried about the small
details. Are we really that paranoid?"
"Not without
reason," Chakotay replied.
"He answered
every question. Perfectly. Without hesitation." She waved her hand. "I
say problem solved. Let's move on to the next away mission."
"I agree."
* * *
Eight days
later, at seventeen hundred hours, all thirty-plus ensigns and
lieutenants gathered for an informal dinner with Captain Janeway,
Commander Chakotay and some other members of the senior staff. Mister
Neelix puttered around the messhall providing food or drink whenever
asked while the attendees chatted aimlessly about the away missions. At
the center of a small clutch of people was Lieutenant Keegan, shaking
his head and denying, again, that he did anything special. Tadao Nureek
stood next to him and denied every denial. At last, the captain tapped
her glass, and they all took their seats.
"A toast," she
said, "To surviving an afternoon with your captain."
Laughter and
cheers followed.
"And, if
anyone wants the job permanently," Chakotay said, "See me after the
meal. I need the time off."
More laughter
followed by gratuitous food consumption.
"So, Philip,"
B'Elanna began.
"You two know
each other?" the captain said.
"He served in
Engineering for a few months. Tell me, Philip, how's the Computer Core?"
"Dark and
quiet, just the way I like it."
"Not like your
women," she said.
Tom perked up.
"Something I should know about?"
"Relax, Mister
Paris," Philip Keegan said. "I never dated a woman who punched me, and
I'm not about to start."
"That's half
of B'Elanna's charm." Tom put a hand on his wife's shoulder.
"Does the
other half involve a leather whip?"
"A gentleman
tells no tales," Tom said.
"But, that's
half of a man's charm," Keegan retorted.
"Phil,"
B'Elanna said, "Remember that part about punching?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Mister Neelix,"
Kathryn said, "I believe you have a special desert prepared?"
"Yes, Captain.
Home-baked pecan pie."
"Where did you
get the pecans?" she asked.
"Well, they're
pecan-like."
She put up her
hands. "That's good enough."
"You have
whipped cream, don't you?" Tom said.
Neelix's eyes
widened, and he ran off.
"Seven,"
Chakotay said with a nudge.
"Yes,
Commander," she replied with some reluctance. She took a breath and
leaned towards Lieutenant Keegan. "Mister Keegan. I wanted to say...you
run the Computer Core in an efficient manner."
The lieutenant
looked first at Chakotay, then the captain, then at Seven. He shrugged.
"Thank you, Annika."
She let out a
hard breath. "I have asked you before not to refer to me in that
manner."
"Why not?" he
said.
"That name has
no meaning for me."
"Then why did
you twitch when I said it?"
Seven's eyes
narrowed. "Please do not refer to me by that name."
"Why not?"
"It is not my
name," she said sternly.
"It's the name
your parents gave you," he replied. "Your human parents. Do you remember
them, Annika?"
"That name has
no meaning for me," she said, stressing the word.
"Then why do
you care if I use it?" he asked.
"Mister
Keegan," the captain said, "I believe it's up to Seven what name we
use."
"But,
Captain," he countered, "You're not using a name. You're using a Borg
designation. Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero. That's
not a name, it's a serial number. Is she a person or a convenient
household appliance?"
"Lieutenant,"
the captain said harshly, "That type of language is not necessary here.
Seven is a person and due a certain amount of respect."
"Goddamit!" He
hit the table hard, rattling silverware in a wide radius. "I am sick of
you people coddling this woman! But she's not a woman is she? She's a
sixteen year old girl with the emotional development of an
eight-year-old trapped in the body of a Penthouse Pet. My only crime was
calling her by her name."
"That name--"
Seven said.
"Has no damn
meaning for you. I heard you the first time. Why not? Why doesn't it
have meaning for you?" he said loud and fast.
"I don't
understand your question," Seven replied.
"Are you
afraid of them?"
"Of who?" she
said.
"Your
parents," he replied.
"No. Why would
I be afraid of my parents?"
"What are
their names?" he asked.
"I do not see
how that is relevant."
"All right.
What are their Borg designations?"
"Mister
Keegan!" Janeway said.
Seven dropped
her face and bounced her eyes around the table as if deciding in exactly
what part of Lieutenant Keegan's jugular to place them.
"Are you human
or Borg?" Keegan's eyes never moved from Seven.
"What?" Seven
asked.
"Have you
looked for your family?"
"My family?"
"Aunts,
uncles, cousins, grandparents. Have you looked for anyone else in the
Hansen clan?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I see no
purpose in it." Her voice was calm against his fire.
"Are you human
or Borg?"
"I believe I
have made my choice clear."
"And how the
hell are we supposed to know that? Half the time you tell us you want to
be human, the other half you tell us how much more efficient the Borg
are. You claim you're a human with an identity, but you use a Borg
designation. Any problem comes up, you find the Borg way out but tell us
how human the decision was. You've been able to eat and sleep normally
for three-and-a-half years but you spend your nights in a regeneration
chamber. How long do we have to wait for you to pick one of these two
sides?"
"Lieutenant,"
Captain Janeway said, "Seven is trying to find her own path."
"Oh, good
god," he groaned. "She's a child. How emotionally stable were you at
sixteen? Or eight for that matter? She needs guidance. At least more
guidance than you've shown her."
Kathryn
dropped her jaw and sat back. The rest of the table gasped.
"I had the
experiences of the Collective--" Seven began.
"And we're
back to the perfection of the Borg! You may be indecisive, but you're
consistent."
"I have chosen
humanity," she said firmly.
"Then prove
it. Do something human. Get laid, get wasted, try some inflection for
god's sake. Shout at me." He was standing now, leaning on his fists and
staring at her. She stared back with her jaw held tight.
"Yelling is--"
she began.
"An
inefficient use of vocal energy?"
"Unwarranted.
I have made my choice clear."
He
straightened and took a deep breath, loud in the silent room.
"Perhaps I
should go," he said.
Neelix stepped
forward with a pie plate in his hand. "You'll miss the pie," he said.
Lieutenant
Keegan looked at the desert and at Neelix. "Thank you, Mister Neelix,
I'm on a diet." He walked out of the room.
Seven held her
hand out to Neelix. "Mister Neelix, please hand me the desert." She took
a bite of it while the rest of the table watched. She chewed slowly and
swallowed. "You are correct, Mister Paris. The whipped cream has a
beneficial influence on the taste of the desert. I suggest we eat."
* * *
Two days
later, Lieutenant Keegan sat in a corner of the galley, far from any
other crew, munching a pasta dish and reading from his PADD. B'Elanna, a
mug of coffee in one hand and a Danish in the other, walked to his table
and sat down. She waited and began tapping her fingernails until he
looked up.
"Yes, B'Elanna?"
he said.
"This place is
almost empty."
He put his
PADD down. "I like it that way."
"I've noticed
that, Phil. What are you working on?"
He slid the
PADD over. She read through it.
"Cochrane's
Unclaimed Thesis?" she said. "When you transferred out of Engineering,
you told me you weren't any good at this."
"No," he said,
taking the PADD back, "I said I could do a better job in the Computer
Core."
"Phil, what's
wrong? I'm the closest thing you have to a friend. Tell me something,
please?"
"Is the
captain upset?"
B'Elanna
tapped her fingers again. "No. She's disappointed. Do you blame her?"
He sat back
and crossed his hands. "Yes, I do."
"What?"
"Every member
of the crew needs something to help maintain their sanity. You have
work, Tom, that little Parisian on the way. Among other things, the
captain has Annika Hansen. Captain Janeway wants to have children. At
this time, the chances are unlikely that this will happen. Annika is the
captain's surrogate child."
B'Elanna shook
her head to clear it of that logic. "Even if that's true, why would you
yell at the captain's daughter?"
He shrugged
his hands. "Because I like her," he replied. "Don't look at me like
that. Maybe I'm feeling my own parental needs. She has a lot of
potential, but she suffers with her own lack of humanity daily. I see
it, and I don't see anyone trying to help her."
"The
captain--"
"Isn't doing
enough. Annika should be out with people her own age. She shouldn't need
a hologram to teach her what dating is. She should be having fun. And
should deal with the Borg the way a human would. She needs to mourn the
childhood they stole from her. She needs to cry, or...something."
"Cry?"
B'Elanna let the word sit for a moment trying to picture that. "Even so,
why can't you tell the captain?"
"The captain?"
he said. "I can tell her something is wrong with the ship. I can tell
her something is wrong with the Computer Core. I can tell her other crew
members, even Annika, are acting unusual or inappropriate. But, how am I
supposed to tell her she's a failure as a mother?"
"I see your
point. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. I think you can talk
to the captain about this, about anything if it affects the ship."
He shook his
head. "It's not my place. Annika has chosen the captain as her surrogate
mother. She has to tell the captain. I don't have the right."
"Do you want
me to talk to her?"
"God, no.
Either one. Tell the captain I'm sorry about the outburst. Beyond that,
it's not my problem."
"Okay." She
picked up her Danish and took a bite. "So, tell me, what's your take on
the Unclaimed Thesis controversy?"
"Well," he
said, looking at his PADD, "It's obvious Cochrane didn't write it."
* * *
"B'Elanna?"
the captain said. "B'Elanna? Are you following?"
"I'm sorry,
Captain." She looked around the Briefing Room. "I had a strange
conversation with Phil this morning."
The captain
sighed. She found she did that a lot where Lieutenant Keegan was
concerned. "Let's put the lieutenant out of our minds for now. Can you
set the torpedo load to safely dissipate the energy in the faultline?"
"I need to run
a few more simulations."
"Will that
take long?" Chakotay asked.
"No." B'Elanna
tapped her fingers a few times. "Did Cochrane write his Unclaimed
Thesis?"
Kathryn turned
to her First Officer. She and Chakotay both recognized the expression on
B'Elanna's face. She wanted to call it the Keegan Syndrome.
"Well,"
Kathryn said, "Most scientists from the Cochrane and Daystrom Institutes
say yes. Most other scientists and historians say no. Is that what's
bothering you?"
"He said you
thought of yourself as Seven's surrogate mother. He made a very
compelling argument."
Kathryn looked
to Chakotay for support, but his eyes drifted away. "I don't think it's
any of Mister Keegan's business."
"He said that
too."
"Good."
"He also said
you weren't a very good mother."
"What?"
"He told me I
shouldn't mention that."
"He was
right," the captain said. "Please tell Mister Keegan to keep his
opinions to himself. Now, we have to help the Quagaar with their
earthquakes. B'Elanna, I need you to get to work on that simulation as
soon as possible. Mister Neelix, how much dilithium and supplies are the
Quagaar offering us for this assistance?"
"Enough
supplies for eight months, Captain."
Janeway
smiled. "Excellent. If there are no further questions..."
"Captain?"
Seven said.
"Yes, Seven."
"Why is
Lieutenant Torres running the computer simulation?"
"Because, I'm
the Chief Engineer," B'Elanna said.
"Yes,
Lieutenant, but shouldn't the head of the Computer Core oversee any
simulations?"
"You don't
think I can handle it?"
Kathryn put
her hand up. "I'm sure it's not that, B'Elanna. What Seven meant was--"
"I am not
questioning your competence, Lieutenant," Seven replied. "I was
wondering exactly what it was that Lieutenant Keegan did aboard this
ship." Seven turned to the captain for her answer.
After some
consideration, the captain said, "I don't know. B'Elanna, what does
Lieutenant Keegan do, other than make rash accusations?"
"Philip
created about a hundred and fifty templates that virtually every
department uses, to some extent, for their simulations. He also designed
the interface programs for any Delta Quadrant technology. And he
maintains the Computer Core, Primary and Auxiliary."
Seven said,
"How would you evaluate his performance?"
B'Elanna
shrugged. "When he worked in Engineering, he was one of my best
technicians. I've never found problems with one of his templates. I
can't imagine working without them."
"Is something
wrong, Seven?" Chakotay asked.
"I am bothered
by some of his comments."
"Is he getting
to you?" Tom said, "Or are you feeling paranoid again?"
"I am in full
control of my faculties, Mister Paris. My recollection of him during
that time, though, is one of extreme curiosity."
"As I recall,
Seven," Chakotay said, "You were curious about everything then."
"What is your
suggestion, Seven?" the captain asked, waving an open hand. "I'm open to
anything that will help crew morale."
"I could ask
Phil to run the simulation himself," B'Elanna said. "If you're trying to
make him part of the team."
"He is a part
of the team," Janeway said. "I want him to know that. Have him run the
simulation. In fact, I want him to present an alternative of his own
design to the Quagaar council tomorrow."
"An
alternative?" Torres asked.
"Yes. If he
reads Cochrane in his spare time, he can do this. I want to see what
he's capable of."
"Yes,
Captain," B'Elanna said. "Did you want anything else?"
"Did you find
anything wrong with the Doctor?"
"No, he
checked out perfectly."
"I see. If
that's it?" She waited for a response. "Okay, everyone dismissed."
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