[In the Ready room]
"Your attitude is making a difficult situation worse", Janeway said, not happy.
"I was simply attempting to insure Icheb's well-being", Seven countered.
"By insulting his parents?"
"Those issues needed to be discussed."
"You could have done it with a little more tact."
"Perhaps, but that doesn't alter the fact that those individuals may not be suitable guardians."
"Those individuals are his mother and father."
"Which is no guarantee that they'll be able to care for him. He's far more likely to flourish if he remains on Voyager."
"That's not an option, Seven."
"Are you ordering him off the ship?"
"That's not what I said."
"So that he can be assimilated again?" Seven shot another question.
"What makes you so sure that's going to happen?" Janeway asked curious.
"They shouldn't remain on that planet."
"It's their home."
"It's not worth protecting."
"Who are you to decide that?"
"Anyone who values their own goals over the safety of their children is irresponsible."
"Are we talking about Icheb's parents, or yours?"
"Both."
"It's not like you to admit to something like that."
"It would be naive for me to claim objectivity in this case. But I'm not prepared to return Icheb to parents who may be as careless as my own."
"I know what it's like to feel protective towards someone you've helped through a difficult period, but Icheb is an individual now. You have to give him a chance to form his own opinions."
"If I do, and he decides to remain on Voyager?"
"Then it'll be my problem."
"You also have to think about Lil. What will happen when Icheb decides to stay there. What will happen when she suffers Pon farr again? You know it could kill her."
"That's only occurring every seven years."
"And how do we know that? How do we know that it's the same with the females like with the males. It could also be that it happens every single month."
"That's unlikely."
"But if it happens, do you want that she sells herself to Vorik? Or that she died from Pon farr? Or that she even commits suicide?"
"Seven that's not going to happen and this discussion is over. For now."
[At Cargo Bay two]
Mezoti was riding a little scooter. Naomi and the twins were playing Kadis-kot.
"Is your mother pretty? What are they like?" Mezoti asked.
"I'm busy", Icheb replied.
"I never met my father."
"I don't remember ours." (Azan)
"Neither do I." (Rebi)
"Are you going to stay with them?" Naomi wanted to know.
"If you leave, who is going to help us with our science projects?" (Mezoti)
"If you don't stop asking questions I'm going to put all of you in a cargo container and transport you back to the Borg."
Seven entered.
"Come with me", she said to Icheb.
"Where?" he wanted to know.
"To dinner with your parents", he got as answer.
"I'm working."
"You can continue your work after the meal."
"I don't have anything to talk about with them."
"Then it will be a very quiet evening."
"I'm not going."
"Your attendance is not optional."
[In the Mess hall]
Yifay and Neelix were bringing dishes from the galley. Seven and Icheb entered.
"Enjoy your meal." (Seven)
She started to leave, then stood by the door.
"Come, sit down."
"I prefer to stand."
"Mister Neelix let me use his galley to prepare some poma."
"I'm not hungry."
"It was your favourite food when you were little."
"I'm not little anymore."
"No. No, you're not."
"Your mother worked hard on that meal. Couldn't you at least try it?"
Icheb looked at Seven, who nodded. Icheb sat and tasted the food.
"Good, isn't it."
"Nice to see the family back together again, isn't it, Seven?"
"When you were little, you would only eat the inside..." (Yifay)
Meanwhile in the Jefferies tube
"Okay. Everything is alright here. Let's move to the next." (B'elanna)
She and Vorik moved to a ladder, but the half Klingon looked back. Lil was still sitting in the same spot like before, having sweat on her forehead and breathing heavily.
"Lil? Everything alright?"
"I-Is it m-me... or is it really hot in here?"
She inhaled deeply and started to tremble. The other two got back to her and Vorik scanned her when B'elanna put a hand on Lil's forehead. Then suddenly, Lil's eyes rolled back and fell backwards, being caught by B'elanna and Vorik, who, to catch her, was letting the tricorder fall.
"B'elanna to the doctor."
"What's the emergency?"
"We need an immediate place to place transportation."
The three were beamed from the Jefferies tube to the sickbay, where the doctor already waited.
"What happened?" he asked.
"We were working in a Jefferies tube. She was suddenly very hot, started to tremble and then fell unconscious", B'elanna answered when she and Vorik laid the unconscious girl on a bed.
The doctor started to scan Lil's body part for part.
"Well, there are some things that started a chain reaction. But I think she should listen too."
He injected some medication and vitamins into her blood systems. She woke up with a groan.
"Doc?"
"Hello, Lil. How are you feeling?"
"Literally like I'm in an overheated sauna."
The doctor chuckled, but he got serious again when Lil jumped up and paced around with hectic.
Lil's POV
The doctor asked me how I currently felt. My whole body was burning up. My stomach was feeling like it was close to exploding.
"Literally like I'm in an overheated sauna."
I suddenly had the urge to move around. So I jumped up and paced around. With hectic. The others watched me. I then bent over and screamed. I didn't know why. I just had the need to do it. Just then I yelled something that didn't make sense. Neither to the others or to me.
"Get it out of me! Get it out!!!"
No ones POV
The others were confused. The doctor turned to Vorik. But he just shrugged his soldiers.
"Maybe Tuvok knows what's happening."
"Doctor to Lieutenant Tuvok."
"I hear you."
"You should come to sickbay..."
He was interrupted by another yell in another language from Lil.
"And hurry up."
Lil's eyes were pitch black and her breathing hitched.
"Lil you need to calm down."
The half Vulcan shot the doctor an angry look.
"Ponfo miran!"*
Tuvok stepped in and immediately earned a glare.
"Ghishun tanfi bosh dwener?"**
"I'm here to help you."
Lil crouched down like a predator. The doctor quickly set up an energy field that kept Lil from moving further than the bed. The doctor stepped up to the dark-skinned Vulcan.
"Her vitamin levels are dangerously low, she has a chemical imbalance again, but not like during the Pon farr and her hormones are going crazy. Lieutenant. Is it that what I think it is?"
Tuvok inhaled deeply and then sighed.
"Human females, even half human ones are needing large doses of hormones and Vulcan vitamins before conception in order to prepare their body."
"Prepare for what?" B'elanna asked.
"The fetus", Vorik cut in.
"Fetus? Wait,... you mean... she's pregnant?!"
She received a few nods as answer.
"If she does not get those two important things,... it will damage her and the baby very bad."
"I'm going to retrieve some vitamins. Vorik, please assist me."
The two went out of the sickbay and headed towards the mess hall. There Seven was still standing next to the door. She turned around when B'elanna and Vorik entered.
"Excuse me, but this is an emergency. NEELIX!"
The Talaxian came bursting from his kitchen. The three Brunali turned their attention to the half Klingon.
"Yes?"
"Vitamins." (B'elanna)
"Vulcan." (Vorik)
"Emergency!" (Both)
Neelix looked at them confused. Seven had and eyebrow raised.
"What? Oh yes, one second please."
He sprinted to his kitchen and came back with strange plants and vegetables or fruit. He handed them to the two.
"Are those Vulcan?"
"Yes they are, thank you Mr Neelix." (Vorik)
The two headed out with the plants.
____________________________________
* Go to hell!
** Why is he here?