Admiral Bravo wrote:
No, the palace did survive, at least some parts of it. Bail Organa fortified some sections of the palace and the underground section of the palace with mono-molecular plates to protect the royal family in case of a orbital bombardment.
This thing with "mono-molecular" sounds a bit like technobabble to me
Admiral Bravo wrote:
No, the palace did survive, at least some parts of it. Bail Organa fortified some sections of the palace and the underground section of the palace with mono-molecular plates to protect the royal family in case of a orbital bombardment.
This thing with "mono-molecular" sounds a bit like technobabble to me
Single molecule heh, just call it a reforced bunker
"A cult is a religion with no political power." -Tom Wolfe Pardon me for sounding like a dick, but I'm playing the tiniest violin in the world right now-Dalton
“I’m going to save her.” He muttered as his fingers worked the controls with one hand and the other pulled back on the control stick. The ancient vessel shuddered like a thing alive and slowly ascended up through the fossilized remains of the ancient city. Dust of ages and debris showered down from the vessel as it slowly tilted around to point towards the citadel beyond that glowed with newly restored power.
His eyes glanced down at the displays. They were in an alien language but something nagged at him, whispered words to him and he could understand the swirling script.
“Hold on.” Captain Archer muttered to no one in particular and activated his forward thrust hoping that his emergency repairs would hold together. The ship’s nose dipped forward dramatically and he briefly thought this was al over and he would end up a smear on the ground.
But the ship responded admirably and soared forward over the ruins where it had slept for untold millennia.
He checked the readouts as the ship continued in a slow steady climb away from the lost city. He smiled.
“Like a glove in the pike five by five.” He laughed.
“She is in danger.”
“The Traitor will not rest until she has defiled it all again.”
He stopped short as he heard the whispers that had begun while he was down in the ruins waiting to die.
“Of course she’s in trouble and I’m going to save her.” He replied.
“Be careful.”
“She is dangerous.”
“She is powerful.”
“She was the most intelligent of us. She will stop at nothing to maintain control.”
Archer smiled grimly.
“Well that’s just fine by me because I don’t intend to stop until I save her.”
A female shaped shade slowly grew more distinct in his peripheral vision and she bent down to whisper in his ear.
“Remember to seal the breach. Only together as one can you forge the past and future as it was meant to be.”
Archer nodded but his thoughts flew back in time and he smiled softly.
“You’re not what I expected ma’am.” He muttered to himself as he guided the ship through the mazelike framework of the ghost city, using it to shield his approach to the citadel above them.
The Defiant’s transporter room was a cramped affair, much like the rest of the starship. But he would never trade it for any of the other starships in the fleet. This vessel aside from being the most powerful warship in the Federation harkened back to an era that Archer’s great grandfather lived in. He could imagine the old starships of that bygone era, cramped and crewmen on top of each other. Did his grandfather walk decks like this, eat foot in the tiny mess hall and not even have a ready room?
“Have you seen her sir?”
“Nope, not that I care to see a Borg drone up close.” Archer replied as he stood expectantly in front of the transporter pads.
“I don’t think she’s supposed to be a full on Borg drone.” His XO commented.
“Well considering that she’s likely missing an eye and an arm I don’t know what to expect. Any experience fighting the Borg?” he asked his XO.
“Sorry sir. I’ve pulled Neutral Zone patrol duty most of my life. Chasing down cloaked ships and Orion pirates is the sum total of my experience.”
“Well, I was there at their last incursion into Earth and it wasn’t pretty. I for one am not too thrilled that we’re having an ex-Borg drone as our resident expert on the Collective on this mission.”
“Energizing.”
“I know what you mean sir. Any truth to the rumors that Admiral Janeway will be accompanying us?”
“Everything about his mission has been hush-hu-” Archer stopped short as the figure materialized on the transporter pad. Seven of Nine stood stoically on the pad, a silver suitcase in one hand and a data terminal tucked under the other.
“Permission to come aboard?” she asked coolly.
Archer stared at her dumbfounded.
His XO cleared his throat and nudged Archer gently with his shoulder.
“Permission granted.” Archer stammered.
Seven examined the young captain with a critical eye.
“Is there a problem Captain Archer?” she asked him pointedly. Archer could not stop staring at her. She was most likely the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her blonde hair was up and nearly glowed in the overhead lights.
“Uh…no not at all.”
“Excellent, we have much work to do. For instance I’ve been checking the schematics on your pulsed phaser array and I believe that I can adjust the emitters to increase output by 7% and once I have installed my customized program for automatic phaser frequency modulation we should prove quite a threat to a Borg vessel.” She began as she stepped off the platform.
“Ma’am, the Sovereign class vessels have a standardized phaser frequency modulation system, we’ve uploaded that program into our tactical displays.” His XO commented.
Seven stopped in front of them and eyed each one carefully.
“Their program is not as advanced as my own and fails to auto correct as quickly as mine does to Borg adoptions. My program will be loaded into all Federation starships by the end of the year starting with the Sovereigns but this vessel will be the first to field test them.” She explained. Seven’s brow furrowed as she noted Captain Archer’s expression.
“Are you sure there is nothing wrong?” she asked.
Archer blinked.
“Uh…no…there’s nothing wrong, it’s just…well.” He laughed nervously. “You’re not quite what I expected, ma’am.”
“Would you prefer I wear something more appropriate?” Seven asked frostily.
“Excuse me?” Archer replied in confusion but his eyes immediately dropped down Seven’s slender busty figure.
“Perhaps Borg implants and a body suit?” she asked helpfully.
Archer’s eyes shot back up to look into hers.
“I apologize, ma’am.”
“Seven will do. Now if you’ll excuse me.’
“Maybe I can give you a tour of the ship?” he added hastily. She stopped walking forward and turned her head to regard him. His XO pretended that there was an itch on his cheek allowing him to cover his smile with his hand as he scratched.
“And what purpose would that serve? I ma quite familiar with the schematics of this vessel.”
Archer shrugged. “It’s been my experience that seeing these systems in person can help you design your subroutines, after all some of the modifications that Captains Sisko had installed in this vessel are not on any schematics.”
“Intriguing. Most unorthodox and disorganized on Starfleet’s part but I am intrigued. But my bagga—”
“My XO will be more than happy to make sure your baggage makes it to your quarters. We’re rather cramped here on the Defiant but I’m sure you’ll find your quarters more than adequate.” Archer interjected smoothly as he delicately placed Seven’s suitcase and data terminal on the floor by her feet and smiled up at his XO.
“It would be my pleasure.” The XO said and he fought with every fiber of his being not to laugh.
Seven looked at Archer reluctantly as he indicated the corridor ahead with a sweep of his arms. She walked forward and he watched her for a moment and thought.
“She’s the most gorgeous creature I have ever seen on Earth or among the stars.” He muttered softly as he guided the ancient craft past another series of fallen skyscrapers.
“Why do you struggle?” the Queen asked gently as she brushed a stray lock of Seven’s hair out of her eyes. “You would think that all your years amongst us, as one of us, a voice in the single Collective would have taught you that resistance is futile.” She cooed.
“Damn you!” Seven cursed and grunted with effort as she flung herself against the restraining field. It flared up bright white and knocked Seven back against the rack where she was splayed out, legs and arms wide open.
“You will harm yourself.” The Queen warned. “The field has not been calibrated as well as I would have hoped.”
Seven said nothing but gasped softly as she tried to catch her breath.
“There’s no reason to hold her. You have me.” Picard spoke up from his place on a surgical table. Long sharp blades tipping spindly robotic arms hung suspended around him like a spider web.
“Ah, Locutus, I see your injuries are well on their way to healing. Excellent. It would be most disappointing if my consort and representative of the Collective were a limping cripple.” She said with a cold smile as she glided over to him leaving Seven behind.
“Why did you have to come here?” Picard asked pointedly.
The Queen smiled sadly and ran the back of her fingers along Picard’s left cheek.
“This is the place where it all began Picard and the one place no one would suspect that a back up Collective system lay hidden under the dust of ages.” She explained as she adjusted one of the overhead surgical implements.
“A backup?”
“Indeed. Can you imagine it, Picard. Here in this laboratory I labored feverishly to create the ultimate man and machine interface. Here the first Borg drone took its tentative beginning steps into a whole new page of history. Here the voice of the many became one unified voice. A Collective that would one day impose order and harmony to this galaxy.”
Picard watched her intently. He knew there was little hope in escaping. The restraining field that held him down did not allow him any space to move or even squirm and the drugs she fed him kept his head swimming intermittingly through a haze of near unconsciousness and delirium.
But his knee was healed, his wounds closing and vanishing, whatever she did had taken him from battered wreck to peak physical condition in less than an hour. He would need every advantage should he get the chance at escape. He did not nor would not contemplate the other possibilities should he not get free.
“Do you remember these Locutus?” she asked him intently as she ran her other hand along one of the bladed implements hanging directly over Picard’s eyes.
Picard did not want to look at it. In the back of his mind, unbidden came the sound of metal tearing through flesh as it willingly gave way to the unyielding Borg implants.
“Yes.” He replied tightly,
“Of course the tools on our Borg ships were far more precise and painless. Certainly not as crude as these instruments but they serve their purpose.” She glanced down at him, feeling the fear that he held so tightly under control. Beads of sweat were starting to collect on his brow but his eyes remained defiant as he returned her gaze.
“I spared you these. I spared you the touch of saw on bone and sinew, the squeal of metal through soft fatty tissue, the pop of gelatinous eye fluid as the insignificant orb is cleanly plucked free.” With each description she touched the body part in question. “I am afraid I cannot spare you those now Locutus. I made a tactical error with you, allowed you a path back to your old life as a single being with its own voice. Now I will bring you fully into the Borg Collective and you will lead us to victory against the Empire.”
“I will not help you.” Picard spat.
The Queen shook her head sadly.
“Such defiance, have you not learned by now Locutus? You will have to learn soon enough if you are to be our voice.” She leaned in close to him like a lover, cold lips gently brushing against his earlobe as she whispered. “I offer you power beyond your imagination. You will command my armadas with unquestioned authority. Together we will assimilate this Empire and bring order to this galaxy. The order of the Collective where all voices are made one.”
Picard turned his head to look into her eyes.
“Your cause is lost. And I would never willingly partake in the enslavement of the galaxy under your will. At least with the Empire there is individuality, there is life. What you propose would be a mockery of life, you would be imposing a waking death not order. I would rather die.”
The queen’s lips curled back in a cruel smile.
“I didn’t say I needed you to acquiesce, Locutus. It would merely make things less…painful for you.” She toyed with the screw like device that hung directly over Picard’s left eye.
“and her?” he asked indicating Seven with an inclination of his head. “Why bring her here. This is a matter between you and I.” Picard caught a glimpse of a shadow moving sharply overhead but used every iota of his will not to register it or follow with his eyes. Instead he focused on the Queen’s pale features.
“Let her go.”
“My Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01?” she smiled and looked back at Seven. “Why should I? She’s the entire reason this reboot will work.”
“What?” Seven and Picard exclaimed simultaneously.
The Queen shook her head and stepped away from Picard.
“Your Captain Janeway was so easily fooled and manipulated. I doubt I would have been able to do the same to Locutus. He’s not very trusting when it comes to me and my intentions Seven of Nine. You see the explanation has been in front of you this entire time and you were too proud and stubborn to accept the very simple fact.” She paused as she glanced from Seven to Picard.
“I allowed you to leave the Collective Seven. Isn’t that so obvious? When have you ever known a drone to willingly leave the Collective? Who supplied you with that force of will? Do you truly think and insignificant gnat like yourself could ever hope to disconnect from the symphony of the Collective. But then again that is what makes you so very human and desirable for my plan Seven.” The Queen gently chided. “Only a human could believe that it had the will to resist trillions on its own.”
“Liar!” Seven spat.
“But it was Locutus who sparked my plan so he shares some of the blame.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
The Queen glided over to a large computer counsel and began typing in long strings of code. As she typed sections of the lab began to illuminate, machinery sprang to life and the size of the chamber dawned on her captors.
“Do you remember a drone designated Third of Five?”
Picard’s eyes narrowed.
“Hugh?”
“Yes.” She replied with a secretive smile as she initiated an operation at her terminal that began a low throbbing that hummed in the back of Picard’s teeth. Something enormous was slowly ascending from the circular depression in the center of the massive installation. Now that the lights were all on Picard could see the extent of the facility. It wasn’t just a large warehouse sized laboratory. There were machines, enormous building sized machines jutting into the side of the mountain and glowing with a pale green light.
He could see the silhouettes of these machines from the panoramic view provided by the wrap around windows that ran all along the perimeter of the lab showing a breath taking vista of the ghost city at the foot of the mountain fortress.
Some of the skyscraper sized machines began to slowly pump up and down, arcing sickly green energy between their parts and into the air around them. Picard could see the silhouette of more of these machines coming to life all along the mountain.
The object rising up from the floor was clear now. A liquid metal globe that slowly came to a halt as it hung suspended between the floor and the ceiling of the lab.
“You see the Collective became aware of Third of Five’s malfunction. His independence and initiative immediately infected his local collective and following protocol his vessel was severed from the Collective. However I was intrigued. I knew that the drone had been in Federation space and suspected contact with your culture. I allowed a dim thread of connection between myself and one of the drones in Third of Five’s new Collective. From there I observed them closely.”
Seven listened intently but also began to concentrate on the inert Borg implants in her arms and chest. If she could find the correct resonance frequency for the restraining field she would be able to override the field. It took most of her will to still activate those implants. Within a few years the implants would become completely inert. Now she simply hoped that they still functioned to save her life.
“I observed the speed, ferocity and inventiveness of this new Collective under the command of Third of Five and later the android identified as Lore. A realization and a theory sprang to my mind.” She continued as the liquid metal globe slowly pulsed to life. Bright emerald light splashed along the sphere in oscillating waves.
“What if the Collective could be adjusted? What if it could adapt as we have always done save now our adaptations would take the best of what Third of Five had discovered about your individuality and initiative but in a controlled state that would best serve the Collective.”
“You want the Collective to become like those Borg under Hugh.” Picard said with a horrible premonition of what other revelations were to come.
The queen shook her head slowly.
“No, that would no longer be a Collective. It would be a rabble as Third of Five discovered. The Collective I intend to reform will have all the drive that Third of Five exhibited. The initiative and passion that drove them to succeed and nearly defeat you save that it would be in service of the whole and not themselves. But how to achieve this? There lay the thorny question. So what does one do when they have a theory, Locutus?” She asked him with a cold smile.
“You experiment.” Picard said softly, eyes drifting over to Seven. She was still as she closed her eyes and rallied the last of her will to begin her escape.
“You were always so intelligent, Locutus, it’s what I enjoy about these conservations.” She purred as she ran a hand along a control counsel. Panels began illuminating in a slow steady march along the far wall.
“I needed a drone that I could use as my project. One that I could carefully observe, record and allow to grow as I saw fit. The key to this experiment was simple, the drone would need to believe that it was indeed independent. The drone could not for a moment believe that it was still under observation or control. I needed to add an element of danger so that the drone would have to actively choose its independence from the Collective. It could not be independence by fiat but earned.”
Seven paused.
“What are you saying?” Seven whispered, horror coloring her question.
The Queen turned her head and regarded Seven with a contemptuous gaze.
“How else would a drone learn independence unless it believed itself to be so? The perfect opportunity presented itself during the disastrous war with Species 8472. The starship Voyager arrived in our space. My experiment was undertaken as I assigned a group of drones each of whom had exhibited a tendency towards independence and initiative. Anyone of those drones, given the proper incentive in combination with the exposure to your corroding Federation ideals would provide me with the perfect model for my new Borg drone. Seven of Nine, my sweet Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix 01 exceeded my wildest expectations.”
The queen glided over to Seven. She smiled proudly like a parent over a gifted child.
“And now Seven you will be re-designated. 1 of 1. The first of my drones and from your mind the template of all other drones will be established. You will be the rock on which my Collective will be formed. So you see, you’re mission is accomplished. Now it is time to be assimilated again.” The Queen placed her hand against Seven’s throat and the nano injectors slowly unsheathed from their compartment in her wrist. They rested against Seven’s throat and waited for the mental trigger that would flood Seven’s blood stream with Borg nano probes. The Queen paused and tilted her head to the side as she regarded Seven’s, eyes wide with terror and confusion.
All that she knew about herself was a lie. All that she had struggled against and overcome was simply part of a lie and an experiment.
“I doubt that you will remember what you’ve experiences Seven if that is any comfort. It is merely the sense of drive and initiative that I need from you. But if you do retain the memories I am certain the soothing chorus of the new Collective will help you adjust.”
“You’re forgetting something.” Seven whispered.
“I do not forget anything Seven but if you want to bargain for a few more seconds of this life you find so appealing I will grant you that much.” The Queen shrugged.
“I’m still free!” She shouted and jerked forward against the restraint field to head butt the Queen. The restraint field flared up brightly and slammed Seven back down against the bed with a bone jarring thud.
The Queen sighed.
“Seven. Did you think I lied when I said you were still part of me? Your implants sing to me and sometimes I sing back.” The Queen explained softly as she reached out and grabbed her throat. “Now it is time to end this exhilarating experiment.”
A pale white hand closed around the Queen’s wrist and squeezed with a viselike grip, crushing the nano-injector. Simultaneously another hand grabbed the back of her head and jerked it back to reveal the face of R-7.
“I cannot allow you to finish what you started Borg scum.” He stated coldly and slammed the Queen’s head straight into the side of the examination table, denting the metal frame and sending her tumbling down to the ground.
“R-7!” Picard exclaimed. “Get us out of here.”
“I am attending to that sir. Please hold still.” R-7b explained calmly as he touched the release control on Seven’s restraint field. The field dropped with a sharp hiss. R-7 aimed his phaser rifle at Picard’s restraint field controls.
Picard’s eyes widened. “R-7 wait!”
R-7 fired a precise burst that destroyed Picard’s field control. He flipped his rifle butt back down to crash against the back of the Queen’s head but she was no longer there. She snaked up behind him and delivered a crushing backhand that sent R-7 spiraling off his feet over a work table and out of sight.
The Queen grabbed Seven by the throat as she tried to get up out of the examination table.
“No Seven, this needs to end now. The new Collective is waiting downloading of the new matrix.” She indicated the rapidly spinning liquid metal sphere with a nod of her head. “All you need to do is step inside and the program commences. Resistance is futile.”
“We will always resist!” Picard shouted as he tackled the Queen. She shrugged him off over her hip and maintained her grip on Seven. Picard crashed into a workbench and tumbled head first onto the floor.
“No one else to come to your rescue.” The Queen sneered.
The Queen looked down sharply at Seven and dragged her off the table by the throat.
“Your retinue of would be heroes expands I see.” The Queen noted coldly. She looked into Seven’s eyes and began to squeeze her throat. “Initiate anti-air defenses. Eliminate the threat.”
“Acknowledged. Initiating air defenses.”
“No.” Seven croaked under the weight of the grip on her throat.
“Whoa!” Archer exclaimed and jerked back on the controls. He reacted to the sudden explosion of missiles that leapt up from the mountain he was approaching. The rippling stream of missiles swept in and over towards his lone vessel.
“I know where I’m not wanted.” He muttered as he worked a series of controls over his head while keeping a firm grip on the control stick and pulling into tighter and tighter turns away from the incoming horde.
An array of warning lights were springing up all along his board and the HUD display insistently flashed bright crimson, the missiles nearest to the ship were highlighted and bracketed. He ignored these for now, looking for the opening he needed as the first few missiles slipped past him and exploded within seconds of passing him by before they could even begin to turn back to chase him.
“Proximity fuses. Why am I not surprised?” he laughed bitterly as he swept past another pair of missiles. The next wave was much thicker and swarming him from multiple trajectories.
“Shields deployed, maximum intensity.” He announced to no one in particular as he threw back a series of switches on his tactical board. The HUD displayed a transparent representation of the ship with a pale blue aura around it.
“The grid will hold.” The female specter promised.
“That’s an awful lot of explosive force heading my way and I’m a Captain of a starship not a pilot.” Archer snapped as he barely avoided another tri of missiles, one of which exploded directly over his cockpit. The ship was shaking violently now as the shockwaves of multiple close detonations battered her like a hurricane.
“The grid will hold because it must.” The male specter pressed.
“Not exactly the most reassuring bit of advice I’ve gotten in my life.” Archer muttered then grunted with effort as he climbed hard and over another wave of missiles, they exploded directly beneath him, sending his ship tumbling forward directly into the path of the nest wave. They struck several points around the ship, the shields flaring up in a flash of dark blue energy.
The ship began to fall into a spin.
Archer pulled of his weight against the controls and frantically switched over engine power with the other hand in a desperate attempt to recover.
“We are almost there.”
“The traitor thinks we are dead.”
“In case you haven’t noticed we are almost dead.” Archer shouted as he managed to recover the spin but another series of explosions rippled around the ship, the shields flaring up weakly in a crimson aura indicating shield failure. Smoke began belching forth from one of the engine pylons and a part of the hull plating swept off into the winds.
“She is waiting for you.” The female specter whispered in his ear.
“You must fulfill your destiny.”
Archer looked up at his HUD display and saw the facility looming up on his screen. The shield display was starting to flash on and off and more warning lights illuminated his board, some refusing to switch off no matter what he did and there was an alarming rumble coming from behind him.
“How are we going to play this?” He asked himself as the next swarm of missiles was nearly on top of him. “Hard or soft?” He whispered and checked his engine readouts. He rerouted power to the impulse engines. A ship should never use its impulse engines in atmosphere, that had been drummed into him since the academy. Sublight speeds in atmosphere was a bad idea.
He grinned.
This whole affair had been strung together by one bad idea after another.
“We’ll play this hard.” He announced loudly and looked over at the barely perceptible specters of the man and woman. “You said your machines were built to last. It’s time to find out.”
“We will guide you to her.” The female replied without hesitation.
He punched the throttle.
The sound of explosions rumbled in the laboratory like distant thunder.
“Do you hear that?” The Queen asked softly as she dragged Seven towards the spinning liquid metal sphere. “That is the sound of your last hero dying.”
Seven said nothing but desperately clawed against the hand around her throat. For some reason she could not seem to rally her strength against the Queen, it was as if her limbs refused to fully respond.
“The sphere is the Collective interface my dear. Here the first Borg were born as the human occupants of this planet stepped through with the first machine warriors in a glorious attempt to create a new life and consensus. It was magnificent.” The Queen said proudly.
“She lies.”
Seven stopped struggling for a moment as she heard the whisper in her ear like the soft whisper of silk on steel.
“There is no need to struggle Seven. You could not raise a hand against me unless I wish it. I told you that you were still mine, body and soul. Now with you about to be properly prepared you will step through and give me my template for the perfect drone. Then I will reawaken the Collective from here and start the war as it properly should have been fought.”
“She betrayed us.”
“She betrayed the machines.”
“There was never supposed to be a controlling voice. She is merely a union of the whole. She is a lone voice but we needed the Iron Trinity.”
“Now Seven, this little game comes to a close.” The Queen intoned darkly as she managed to adjust one of her nano injectors.
A phaser burst exploded off the Queen’s shoulder and ricocheted into the far wall. The Queen barely flinched.
“It is as I feared sir. She has adapted to our phasers in anticipation to this battle.” R-7 reported as he dropped the phaser rifle from its firing position and began to charge the Queen.
Picard grunted with effort as he hefted a heavy piece of machinery over his shoulder with the intent to bash the Queen’s head in and followed R-7 but he knew they would be too late.
“I am so sorry.” He whispered.
The panoramic window in front of the Queen exploded into a shower of glass and steel as a ship crashed through the side of the mountain facility, smoke and fire wreathing the vessel like a thing out of hell.
The Queen looked up in shock and released her grip on Seven. Seven rolled out of the way gasping as the bulk of the flaming wreck struck the Queen without pause and sent her crashing through several large wall sized computers and into the far stone wall of the mountain.
The ship skidded to a halt several meters away from the spinning sphere and sat still, smoke and fire crackling loudly in the cacophony of the ruined mountainside.
R-7 stopped short and inspected the vessel for a moment.
“Jonathan!” Seven screamed as she saw the state of the vessel. She got off her feet and raced over to the ship.
“Is Captain Archer in there? R-7 try to get him out.”
“Acknowledged.” Te android replied and agilely climbed up the side of the ship searching for an access way.
Picard turned his attention to the Queen.
“This ends here and now your highness.” Picard vowed and walked over to her fallen frame still carrying is murderous load.
R-7 found a panel and casually ripped it away revealing the airlock seal which he punched open. The cockpit suddenly hissed and gave way in a bath of steam jets and Archer hesitantly got to his feet.
“Seven!”
R-7 offered to help him and Archer readily took the android’s offered arm and stepped off the cockpit just in time to fall into Seven’s arms.
“Jonathan! How did you? How could you?”
He put a finger to her lips and stared into her eyes for a long moment.
“I said we would see each other again and I never intend to lie to you. Now is this a rescue or is this a rescue?” He laughed.
R-7 looked back to the fallen Queen sharply.
“Sir! I am picking up an energy surge from the Borg!” R-7 called out but the noise of the shattered facility and flaming ship swallowed up the warning.
Picard stood over the Queen and raised the machinery over his head aiming at the inert Queen.
“After everything we have been through, all the death and destruction that can be laid at your feet, the loss you inflicted on my very soul I consign you to hell!” Picard spat.
The Queen suddenly shot up into a forward seated position and jabbed the last working nano injector into Picard’s leg. Picard screamed and dropped the machine uselessly to the floor and stumbled backwards clutching his leg.
The Queen smiled triumphantly as she stood.
“That was meant for Seven but I need you now Locutus more than ever.” She said softly walking towards Picard. Picard could feel the nanoprobes surging through his leg like tiny knives. The wound was starting to turn gray, hints of circuitry forming on the surface of the skin near the wound. He stumbled further backwards, the left leg stiffening like stone.
“Come Locutus. Did you think that resistance could ever be anything but futile?” she whispered seductively.
Wherever you go, there you are.
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EDIT :: Stravo do you feel like, sometimes you have too many characters
Η ζωή, η ζωή εδω τελειώνει!
"Science is one cold-hearted bitch with a 14" strap-on" - Masuka 'Dexter'
"Angela is not the woman you think she is Gabriel, she's done terrible things"
"So have I, and I'm going to do them all to you." - Sylar to Arthur 'Heroes'
EDIT :: Stravo do you feel like, sometimes you have too many characters
In a word. Yes. BUt at the same time it fits with my general philosophy that a war like this one should not just focus on one ship or crew, that there are many fronts thus many characters. Everyone gets a chance to shine.
Wherever you go, there you are.
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This updated sig brought to you by JME2
Great chapter Stavo. I've been reading this for a long time, but have never posted. Before I knew I could come here, I waited for the updates on the achieve and was amazed at how much you wrote each time. I don't remember exactly at what point I started reading (was pretty early in the story), but I remember the first couple times I saw the achieve updated, your story about doubled in length in each time.
Very nice Stravo. It took me a little while to get into the story since it had been so long since the last time this arc had come up, after I finally remembered everything though it was great. I'm loving all the characters, and R-7's beginning to gain emotions I see.
Justice League, Super-Villain Carnage "Carnage Rules!" Cult of the Kitten Mew...The Black Mage with The KnifeSD.Net Chronicler of the PastBun Bun is my hero.The Official Verilonitis Vaccinator
Comosicus wrote:Is it just me or Archer's approach of the laboratory is somehow related to the end of Matrix - Neo's approach to the Source?
I can't speak for Stravo, of course, but most of the chapter felt Matrix-esque to me.
Good chapter, Stravo. Planning on spelling out the three parts of the trinity any time soon?
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
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Yeah, when the Imperium took out the entire Collective just by destroying one building I was wondering what had happened to the famed Borg redundancy.
BTW I have my own theory on the Borg queen. If you read Apothesis of Palpatine on the Domus Publica and then compare what Palpatine was eventually aiming for (turning everybody else into a living extension of his will) to the Borg as they are now... It's a chilling thought, and the only cool thing I can imagine about the Borg queen.
Man, I'd totally forgotten about the whole Borg Queen subplot. Stravo, you are a god.
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Good stuff as always, but I am starting to have reservations about the amount of subplots to deal with - it could be just a symptom of the prolonged nature of the reading, and I could probably do with sitting down and doing a back to back reading again, but it took me ages to recall the last borg subplot chapter and what had gone on.
The defiant flashback stuff was a bit confusing, and it has been so long since the last borg plot as I said, that the first section was really confusing reading for a while.
It is nice to see the different spins on the various established canon plots, just as another curiousity thing - have you read Shatner's The Return by any chance, Stravo? I always rather liked the premise surrounding the machine planet - although it didn't sit with the whole idea that Vger had buggered off around the universe. The trinity stuff keeps ringing bells with TMP for me.
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The_Lumberjack wrote:I always rather liked the premise surrounding the machine planet
The thing is, that planet was as covered as Coruscant was. The borg planets never seemed developed to that degree.
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The_Lumberjack wrote:I always rather liked the premise surrounding the machine planet
The thing is, that planet was as covered as Coruscant was. The borg planets never seemed developed to that degree.
Yes, and that was a damn shame. I always thought that an assimilated earth would have a much more polluted atmosphere so we wouldnt have to worry about what a borg planet looked like underneath a dark roiling cloud mass. Never mind, opportunities lost.
"...a fountain of mirth, issuing forth from the penis of a cupid..." ~ Dalton / Winner of the 'Frank Hipper Most Horrific Drag EVAR' award - 2004 / The artist formerly known as The_Lumberjack.
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Hooly crap, definatly a time were you want to beat the crap of the dead supervillian to make sure they are dead, then burn the planet
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When exactly is this sequence happening. There seems to have been too much stuff hapening in between this and the previous borg chapter for the chapters to be in strict chronological order, no?
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