Star Trek: Voyager - 041 - The Eternal Tide Page 4

  Eden had accepted that this mystery would likely never be solved and had gone about building an enviable career. However, several months earlier, when reviewing Voyager’s logs for Project Full Circle, she had come across an image of an artifact discovered on a planet occupied by a loosely affiliated group known as the Mikhal Travelers. That artifact, first seen years ago by Kes, a native of the Delta Quadrant and a former member of Voyager’s crew, had appeared to be a rudimentary, beautifully illuminated starscape. Eden had known, without understanding the source of her certainty, that it was a map of a constellation known by her people as Hanara. She had also known that it was part of a larger map, the rest of which might still be at the Mikhal Outpost.

  Recently, Eden had experienced a similar “knowing” when she was presented with another object from the Delta Quadrant, a staff given to Esquiline’s commanding officer, Captain Parimon Dasht, during a first contact. The writing on the staff had never been translated, until Eden recognized it as a warning not to trespass on her people’s ancestral grounds.

  Eden had briefed both Captain Chakotay and Counselor Cambridge. At Chakotay’s urging, she had requested a full analysis of her genome, hoping that it might reveal more about her origins. According to Eden, every doctor she’d ever had cause to visit had identified her as a very healthy human.

  Looking at her genome, the Doctor saw that Eden was human, but she was like no other human who had ever existed. To see the anomaly, you had to look for it. And once you found it, you would doubt your senses rather than the data.

  Because the data was impossible.

  The Doctor was certain Eden’s uncles had lied to her, and likely about more than the name of her home planet or their past connection to Starfleet.

  As Captain Eden, Counselor Cambridge, and Captain Chakotay made themselves comfortable in his office, all gazing at him expectantly, the Doctor fretted over how best to present the information. From a purely scientific perspective, it was a fascinating puzzle that might have no solution. He was all too conscious of the fact, however, that this puzzle was also a person with feelings.

  “Well, Doctor?” Cambridge interrupted his thoughts, perhaps more anxious than the others to hear the report.

  “Before I begin,” the Doctor replied, “I would like to give Captain Eden the opportunity to receive my report privately. As with all matters of such a nature, the data we will be discussing is highly personal.”

  “I appreciate your discretion, Doctor,” Eden said with a nervous smile, “but I am waiving my rights to privacy.”

  “Are you telling us you’ve found something?” Cambridge asked.

  “I have,” the Doctor replied evenly. “Though I am at a loss to understand how what I have discovered has come to pass.”

  Cambridge exchanged a wide, anticipatory smile with Chakotay. For her part, Eden’s face was a mask of stoic composure.

  “First, Captain Eden is, as has been previously noted, human.”

  Cambridge’s face fell. Apparently he had hoped for something more interesting.

  “However, she was not conceived of human parents.”

  Confusion passed across all three of the faces before him.

  “Humans, like many other humanoid species, are created when two specific cells, each containing one half of their genetic material, combine during fertilization and begin to replicate themselves,” the Doctor said.

  “Yes, we all know where babies come from,” Cambridge interjected.

  The Doctor chose to go on without objecting to the condescension in Cambridge’s tone.

  “During normal fertilization, each parent contributes one sexual chromosome, an X from the mother, and either an X or a Y from the father. Fertilized zygotes that contain two X chromosomes develop as females.”

  Even Chakotay seemed to be growing inpatient with the Doctor’s recitation of basic science.

  “In the case of Captain Eden, her two X chromosomes are identical. Understand that only a complete genetic study would have revealed this. It is unusual for anyone with her excellent physical history to undergo such an analysis, and this result would not be obvious in a cursory review of her genome. Had I not seen it for myself, I would have believed it to be an impossible variation.”

  “I’m sorry, Doctor,” Eden interrupted. “If it’s impossible, how am I here?”

  “I don’t know,” the Doctor replied. “What I do know is that you were not born in the normal way, nor were you the product of any medical fertilization technique with which I am familiar. Your two X chromosomes are absolutely identical. They were copied by unknown means and resulted in a viable zygote.”

  “Could she be a clone of some kind?” Cambridge asked.

  “No,” the Doctor replied. “Even if a female had provided a single X chromosome for this process, there is no way Captain Eden is a clone of that female.”

  “How do you know?” Chakotay demanded.

  “Because several unique base pair sequences indicate that the X chromosome was provided by a male donor,” the Doctor replied.

  “I don’t have a mother?” Eden asked incredulously.

  “Not one that contributed to your DNA,” the Doctor replied.

  The stunned look on the officers’ faces didn’t stop the Doctor from forging ahead. “But believe it or not, that is not the most interesting part of your genome.”

  Eden pulled herself up straight in her chair, her eyes almost pleading for the conversation to end.

  “What is?” Cambridge asked for all of them.

  “I don’t believe a normal male provided the chromosome either.”

  All three exchanged questioning glances, then Chakotay admitted, “Now you’ve lost me.”

  “Captain Eden’s genome is perfect in a way no process of natural selection could have created.”

  “I’ve actually heard this part before,” Cambridge said.

  Eden shot him a quick glare that silenced him. “What does that mean? I’m somehow genetically engineered?”

  “Yes,” the Doctor replied, “but beyond any means of which the Federation is currently capable. In your case, it’s as if someone, somewhere, had predetermined which selection of genes would be optimal for physical and mental health.”

  “Optimal?” Chakotay echoed.

  “Most genomes are a mess,” the Doctor said as patiently as possible. “There are thousands of useless base pair combinations that evolution simply hasn’t found a way to purge yet. Your genome,” he said directly to Eden, “is not tainted with any useless sequences. Understand, all humans have some minor genetic issues. Most of them are never cause for concern, and those that are can be easily repaired under acceptable Federation procedures. We don’t enhance genetic abilities, but we can easily repair damaged DNA to reverse many disease processes. Your genes are like the textbook example of every single optimal gene. Most individuals are blessed with a few hundred of these at a time. You have all of them. It’s as if someone, or something, began with half of a male genetic sequence, optimized each of them, and discarded what was unnecessary, then copied the perfect gene sequence to create you.”

  “That’s impossible,” Eden said flatly.

  Yes, it is, the Doctor refrained from saying aloud.

  “There is no technology of which I am aware that could have created you,” the Doctor acknowledged. “But the good news is, you should continue to enjoy the excellent health to which, I am sure, you have been accustomed your entire life, and, if nature has its way, you will outlive everyone here, except me.”

  At this, Cambridge rose and began to pace the small room like a caged animal. Finally he turned to Chakotay, his arms crossed, and said, “How far from the Mikhal Outpost are we right now?”

  “Hugh,” Eden started to interject.

  “How far?” he asked again.

  “Thirty thousand light-years, give or take,” Chakotay replied. “But it’s less than forty light-years from Voyager’s next intended destination.”

  “What are
you . . .” Eden began.

  “Achilles could easily shadow Voyager for the next few days, detouring to the outpost so that you and I could take a look at that artifact in person, along with any other secrets the planet might still hold.”

  “No,” Eden said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m not using our resources for my personal curiosity.”

  “We left ‘curiosity’ behind a few minutes ago,” Cambridge chided her. “If this doesn’t fall under our mandate to seek out new life and new civilizations, I don’t know what does.”

  “There’s one more thing,” the Doctor almost hesitated to add.

  “Terrific,” Eden sighed warily.

  “I also ran a deep quantum scan, as part of the rest of your normal physical evaluation.”

  “A what?” Chakotay asked.

  “It’s something I created out of necessity when my former medical assistant decided to evolve to a higher level of existence.”

  “You’re talking about Kes?” Eden asked.

  “During the last few days she was on board, there was no standard test to evaluate the physiological changes she was experiencing. So I invented one.”

  Chakotay shook his head in admiration. “Of course you did.”

  “It’s not a scan I normally run, but given my initial findings, I thought it might be interesting.”

  “Was it?” Cambridge asked.

  The Doctor turned the computer interface screen on his desk so that they all could see the results. Even for the uninitiated, they were not difficult to read.

  “This,” the Doctor said, indicating a series of wavy lines at the top of the screen, “is a normal quantum scan. It’s yours, Chakotay, in case you were wondering.”

  Chakotay nodded as the Doctor pointed out the wildly different lines beneath. “This is Captain Eden’s quantum scan. As you can see, there are multiple irregularities.”

  After a short pause to allow everyone to absorb the information, the Doctor went on, “A normal scan indicates that at a submolecular level, everything is operating within normal chroniton and multiple possible phase levels.”

  “And what does this deep quantum scan indicate?” Eden asked.

  “That there is something different about the way your subatomic particles are aligned. There are no obvious physiological effects that I can perceive, but it’s worth noting that this is yet another way in which you are unique,” the Doctor finished.

  “I feel fine,” Eden insisted uncertainly.

  “That’s almost exactly what Kes said shortly before she lost submolecular cohesion and destabilized, almost destroying the entire ship in the process,” the Doctor noted wryly.

  “Do you think I could be undergoing something similar?” Eden asked.

  “This was your scan today. We have to consider this your baseline. I’d like to continue to scan you regularly over the next several days before attempting to determine the potential significance of these readings.”

  “I quite agree,” Chakotay said, “which is why the good Doctor here should join you on your little expedition.”

  Eden looked to all three of them, clearly sensing that she was outnumbered. The Doctor looked directly into her eyes and said, “I understand that this is a lot to take in. I can sympathize with your reluctance to attend to personal concerns given the fleet’s priorities. But you are unique in a way I have never imagined was possible. Your humanity might be the tip of the iceberg. I do not doubt that your superiors would approve of your choice to investigate this further, especially given how many unknowns we are faced with. As we saw with Kes, things that are predisposed to change can and do change, sometimes with alarming speed, and the more we can learn before that point, the easier it will be to sense if trouble is approaching.”

  Eden nodded. Finally she said, “Agreed.” Turning to her officers, she added, “I will take your suggestions under advisement and give you my answer tomorrow.”

  “Afsarah . . .” Cambridge began, but she raised a hand to silence him.

  “You really think one night to sleep on this is too much to ask?”

  “Of course not,” Chakotay replied for the group.

  With a curt nod, Eden squared her shoulders and left the others to their thoughts.

  Chapter Three

  Q CONTINUUM

  “I tried.”

  “How hard did you try?”

  “Very.”

  “Mother.”

  “You understand I detest involving myself with the affairs of humans at all. Every time I have done so, to humor your father, the tedium has been unbearable.”

  “This is different, Mother. This is important to me, not Father.”

  “Your father cares, darling. He truly does. He might hide it well, but I am convinced, much as it pains me to say so, that he once felt a particular fondness for this female, as any of us might for a pet not yet housebroken. And even I must acknowledge that her unexpected resourcefulness and talent for original thinking have been of use to us.”

  “Us?”

  “All right, me. There, I said it. Are you happy now?”

  “She made a decision to allow Q to exercise his right to become mortal and end his existence.”

  “And for that, or your father’s assistance in ending Q’s life, I should never have forgiven either of them. She had no business interfering in the internecine affairs of a species so far above her own as to defy imagination. And as I suspected, that action almost brought the Continuum to a fiery end.”

  “I was born of that near catastrophe.”

  “I haven’t forgotten. And that is the single mitigating factor in this entire sordid equation. And the reason I agreed to make the effort.”

  “But you did not succeed?”

  “In convincing her to abandon her quest to destroy herself? No.”

  “You told her she would die.”

  “I did.”

  “And she didn’t believe you?”

  “In her defense, our actions are usually incomprehensible to humans. This has resulted in some serious trust issues over the years. Pity, really, that this time I had no hidden agenda.”

  “You wanted her to die?”

  “She’s mortal. It wasn’t a question of if, only when. But I will admit that I wouldn’t have minded seeing her die better. I would have spared her the pain of being forced to turn against her own kind in favor of a peaceful passing, years hence, surrounded by all those who loved her. But it’s not as if that would have changed anything. You’re so young, darling. When you’ve got a few more billion years under your belt, you’ll realize that the extra time seeing reason might have granted her will still pass in the blink of one of your precious eyes. That’s one of many reasons it’s best to avoid becoming too attached to these creatures.”

  “But . . .”

  “And what have we here? The very picture of familial bliss?”

  “Hello, Father.”

  “To what shall I credit this moment’s fit of pique?”

  “All I said was hello.”

  “Yes, and five billion plus years into my existence I couldn’t possibly be expected to grasp the many layers of contempt present in your tone.”

  “You should feel free to grasp any damn thing . . .”

  “Junior!”

  “Mother, how many times have I asked you never to call me that?”

  “It’s all right, my dear. I’ll take it from here.”

  “I’ve done all I can.”

  “I’m sure you have.”

  “I have. I sincerely doubt you’ll be able to make him see reason, but I suppose the attempt can’t hurt.”

  “Would you two prefer to be alone for this?”

  “Not at all. I’m going. I’m sorry, son. I wish I could have done more, but there you have it.”

  “What was she talking about?”

  “You know very well.”

  “Are you? How? Haven’t we? You’re still fretting about your godmother’s death?”

&nb
sp; “I am.”

  “Son, you have to let this go. I’ve told you and told you, there is absolutely nothing we can do.”

  “We’re Q. We can do anything we damn well please.”

  “Yes, and no. Having the power to do something burdens us with ultimate and often frightening responsibilities. Limits have been established to our choices for the benefit of the entire multiverse. You’re not the first Q to wrestle with issues like this. But the mistake you would make has been made, and unmade, by your betters countless times already. We understand the big picture here. And you, for all of the progress you’ve made recently, are still missing it.”

  “Her death has become a fixed point in time.”

  “Oh, not this again.”

  “No other human’s death has ever had such significance.”

  “I grant you that. But surely you must see that this little oddity of the multiverse only compels us further to act with extreme caution. We wouldn’t change it even if we could.”

  “You have personally been responsible for interventions that resulted in saving the lives of other humans you were fond of.”

  “Because those interventions served a much larger purpose.”

  “Or so you thought at the time.”

  “No. So I knew. And so I tried to convince the rest of the Continuum. And so I risked the Continuum’s wrath time and again. And so I was recently proved very, very right, when Captain Picard . . .”

  “We’re not talking about Captain Picard. He was the thing.”

  “The One.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Not whatever. The One.”

  “You care for Picard. He shudders every time your name is mentioned, let alone any time you make an appearance, and still, you watch over him like he’s a member of the family. Aunt Kathy helped you save the Continuum and you don’t think that merits special consideration on your part?”

  “I don’t care for Picard. I admire him. He has surprised and amused me many times during our acquaintance. He was worthy of the time and effort expended on his behalf.”