Thread by @jedwashere

“Are you sure you won’t take her?” Va’Kel Shon asks.

Captain Seven of Nine takes a sip from her drink, meeting his gaze evenly. The two sit in Club 47 on Spacedock, each nursing a glass of something bright and vile that Seven picked.

1/?

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“Why do you WANT me to?” she asks after a moment.

He looks uncomfortable. “I took her because Quinn asked and she was needed. An act of desperation. Now she’s in dry dock being fixed up - and she deserves her real Captain.”

2/?

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“And you think that’s me.” Her tone is studiously neutral.

“Yes.” He takes a breath. “You helped save Earth. You were the Captain of the Enterprise-G -”

“I WAS the Captain,” she cuts him off. “Emphasis on ‘was’. I’m not the Captain now.”

3/?

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Shon shakes his head. “You don’t honestly expect me to take command on a permanent basis.”

She shrugs. “I don’t honestly expect a damn thing from you. But you took her to DS9. What’s changed between then and now?”

“I was needed,” Shon says.

4/?

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“You still are,” Seven retorts. “The Federation needed you. It still does. What’s the difference?”

He pauses, taken aback, and it takes him a moment to think of the real reason he is so reluctant to take the big chair of that ship.

5/?

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It’s a startling realisation, but he speaks with complete candour.

“Because the Captains of the Enterprise have been, each and every one, exceptional Starfleet officers.” He takes a deep breath. “And I’m not.”

6/?

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She doesn’t reply, but he continues regardless.

“I was happy with the Belfast. It was a small ship with a tight crew and a simple job - defend the Federation. I wasn’t expected to represent everything we are. Just to keep people safe.”

7/?

“But the Enterprise is the flag,” she finishes for him, downing her drink. “Whether she’s the biggest dreadnought in the fleet or an exploratory cruiser with 500 souls aboard.”

“Right,” Shon says, nodding.

8/?

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Seven sighs, leaning back in her chair and frowning at him.

“When I took command of the Enterprise,” she says after a moment, “I didn’t think I was right for it either. I was a maverick. I didn’t fit in. I couldn’t command the flagship. It was for better people than me.”

9/?

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming.” Shon smirks.

“But.” She smirks back. “Do you know what I felt when I saw ‘1701-D’ on Frontier Day, all those years ago?”

“What?” Shon asks.

Her smirk softens. “Hope. I felt hope.”

10/?

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“The same hope you gave those fighting at DS9. The same hope that name inspires wherever it goes.” She shrugs, giving him a wry smile. “Honestly, I don’t entirely understand the why of it. Maybe it’s just fate.”

11/?

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“What if I don’t believe in fate?” Shon asks as Seven rises to go.

“I don’t think it matters,” she replies. “Because some would say fate that brought you to that ship that’s been in mothballs for a decade. That’s got to count for something.”

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12/?

“So what will you do?” Shon asks.

“I might go to Daystrom. Research job might be a nice change of pace.” She smiles one last time. “Think about that big chair, Captain. And whatever you decide, good luck.”

And she walks off, leaving him to his thoughts.

13/?

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Major thanks to @JulieEpperson for a big chunk of Shon screenshots. 😁