Protocols Unknown: A Decision of The Stars

The Wait

The light had barely begun to rise. The sky outside her window was the colour of watered-down ink, streaked with faint gold promising the day ahead.

Kathryn stirred beneath the covers, hair tousled, throat dry. The house was quiet except for the soft breaths of the small child curled beside her.

Aurora. Three years old, cheeks flushed from sleep, her hand flung over Kathryn's shoulder like she'd always belonged there.

Seven stood at the window in the kitchen, coffee untouched, neural sync logs scattered across a datapadd. She'd been up since before dawn, combing through data without knowing why. The unease had been building all morning.

Kathryn shifted slightly, careful not to wake Aurora. Without meaning to, she breathed a name.

"Astrea."

It struck like thunder.

In the kitchen, Seven froze. A flicker, a subspace pulse outside any Starfleet frequency, rippled through her cortical node. The same place Astrea had once lit up like a beacon.

Her hand flew to her temple. "She's reaching out."

Kathryn sat bolt upright, breath hitching. Five. Not Aurora. Astrea.

Memories poured in: the child she'd rocked under starlight, the fail-safe, the Delta Flyer, Kashyk, the porch, the name. The loss Q had buried under sleight of hand.

Seven was already moving, crossing the hall, the pulse still echoing through her mind.

A familiar snap cracked the air.

Q stood at the foot of the bed.

"About damn time." His voice was flat, stripped of his usual theatre. No mischief. No mockery. Just something quiet.

"About damn time. They're already watching, Kathryn." He glanced at Seven, then back to her. "Section 31. They can't scan her, but they can smell difference. They have built files, wait for the right moment, and if you didn't remember Astrea, they'll take Aurora before you even know what they're after." His voice dropped, quieter. "I'm not letting them weaponize another Janeway daughter."

Seven reached the doorway.

"You felt it first," Q said. "Of course you did. Still Borg. Your mind was never meant to forget."

Seven crossed to Kathryn without answering, eyes locked on her. She brushed a strand of hair from Kathryn's face.

"You remember," she said.

Kathryn nodded, lips trembling. "All of it."

Q's gaze flicked between them, a mother, her daughter's protector, and a ticking clock.

"I like that one's name," he said, nodding at Aurora. "Where'd it come from?"

Kathryn's eyes dropped to the child beside her, peaceful, small, the second daughter she hadn't known was a second at all.

"I just... knew it. Before she was born. Like I'd heard it before. Like someone whispered it to me."

Her voice cracked. "I didn't remember why... until just now."

Aurora stirred but didn't wake. Kathryn looked at her, eyes brimming. "She's five. Astrea... is five. Aurora is his."

"Kashyk has kept her safe," Q said quietly. "And she's waiting."

Kathryn met his gaze, resolve breaking through the shock. "Then take me to her."

Q allowed the faintest curve of a smile. "No commands to give, no ranks to hide behind. This time it's just you, Kathy, mother of two."