Unity II: Shadows of the Night, Redux (Complete)

[Sonnenburg]

What's funny is also how everyone always has to go to Sickbay. I think it was in Message In A Bottle that multiple members of the crew come to sickbay because of heartburn. It kind of explains why Bones was so surly all the time.

[Dalton]

One would think that you could replicate Pepto-Bismol in the future.

[Sonnenburg]

One would think that you could replicate Pepto-Bismol in the future.

Silvermoose comment was something like: "Are they too stupid to find Tums, or are they just too stupid to know how to use them. 'What gives, I've shoved six of those things up my butt and I don't feel any better!'"

[Dalton]

One would think that you could replicate Pepto-Bismol in the future.

Silvermoose comment was something like: "Are they too stupid to find Tums, or are they just too stupid to know how to use them. 'What gives, I've shoved six of those things up my butt and I don't feel any better!'"

ROFLMAO

I guess Mylanta doesn't come in hypospray form!

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXIV


Kalib brought them to an unknown planet in the delta quadrant, the only rocky planet in this system as a matter of fact. The planet was barren and lifeless, although it would be considered a class-M to the generous.

Speaking of generous, it seemed that that was something Kalib was not. He'd identified himself as an information broker and his requests were a little, odd. “You want the entire Federation database?” Geordi said with disbelief.

“I want to see what information you have on yourselves, so that I can compare it with my own observations.”

“That’s going to take a little time,” Riker had said.

“What a coincidence,” Kalib replied, “it’s going to take a little time to get where we’re going.”

“Which is?”

Kalib had only smiled. “You’ll see when we get there.”

Which was now. And it certainly wasn’t much to see, Riker thought as he, Luke, Kalib and the pilot flew over the planet in a shuttlecraft. There was some water, but a great deal of the surface was exposed rock, heavily cracked along most of its surface.

“You should be able to detect a large deposit of neutronium,” Kalib told the pilot. “Take us there.” He tried slipping into the back with Luke and Riker and succeeded in hitting his head, causing him to utter something Riker couldn’t understand but could probably figure out without a universal translator. He parked his wide frame down on one of the seats.

“Where are we?” Riker asked.

“Where it all began,” Kalib said. “Thousands of centuries ago. They began here.”

“The Borg,” Riker replied with a shiver.

“Yup. Back when your ancestors were huddled up in caves trying to figure out which part of a potato wasn’t poisonous, these guys were already hard at work combining the biological with the technological.” The shuttle shook a little during their descent, the wind shear incredibly strong. “We’re not sure how it all started exactly, but from what we were able to piece together, it started as a group of pacifist dissidents of all things. You see, their planet was in the grip of war, kind of like the way yours was a few centuries back, anyway they wanted to try and find a way to end it all.” He leaned forward with a wicked smile that made Riker uncomfortable. “They figured the problem was all the differences of opinion. No one could tolerate a different point of view and so there was this constant ‘might makes right’ attitude, so they formed the collective, right here. All those minds thinking as one, they knew if they could get everyone to be like that the wars would end. Peace, understanding, the end of poverty and hate and everything terrible. Too bad they tossed out everything good with the bad.”

“You mean,” Luke said with disbelief, “the Borg started out trying to stop war?”

“You got it,” Kalib answered. “And you see, with no need to pursue any of those other, less important things, they focused instead on technology, to improve their link between their flesh and the mechanical components that had made it all possible. They also made several scientific advances, developed faster-than-light technology, and met us.”

“Your people?” Riker asked.

Kalib nodded. “Species 01. The first extraterrestrial species the Borg encountered. It was a confusing situation for them to say the least. You see, they had devoted everything to improving their technology and it had brought them so far. And when they saw our ships, they concluded that they should try and learn from them to improve themselves. We agreed to exchange information, and we did. Unfortunately, that was when the problem began.”

“Which was?”

“You see, the Borg hadn’t expected to run into a race like us. We were bigger, stronger, faster, and we could take a lot more punishment than them. We were, biologically, superior to them. And the Borg realized that they were limited, in the end, by their biology, and that their technology wasn’t going to be enough to break that limitation.”

“They decided to assimilate you,” Riker said.

“We laughed at them, of course,” Kalib replied. “They tried to force us so we blew them out of the sky and that was the end of it, for about sixty years. Then they came back, with warships this time, based on the technology we’d given them. And the war occurred one hundred thousand years ago, in this very area of space.”

“How do you know all this?” Luke asked.

Kalib’s grin widened. “Because I was here when it happened.” The shuttle jerked as they completed the landing. “And here we are.”

They stepped out of the shuttle carefully, the wind whistling past as they stepped out. Fortunately there wasn’t any sand or they’d be flayed alive. There was oxygen, but overall the place was dry and uncomfortable. Kalib indicated a direction and they began walking while he spoke.

“The war lasted several centuries,” he shouted over the shrill wind. “Both sides were devastated by the conflict. Finally we broke through their fleet and came here, to their homeworld. We parked ourselves in orbit and nuked it right down to the mantel, killed ‘em all.” He stopped walking. “Everything but this.”

Jutting out of the rock was the tip of some structure. Its smooth surface and fine edges sat in perfect contrast to the twisted landscape that surrounded it. It rose out of the ground at least five meters, and how far down it went was anyone’s guess. “Solid neutronium alloy,” Kalib announced as they walked up to it. “Indestructible. Bombed it for a week before we decided we were only wasting our shots.” He rapped on the slanting surface with his fist. “This is what we came for.”

“What is it?” Riker asked.

“The entrance to the central mind of the Collective,” Kalib said. “You see, the Borg were all coordinated through the equipment in here. Everything that makes them what they are started here.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Luke said.

Kalib sighed. “Look, all those minds, there’s too much random crap floating in there. Too many distracting thoughts that make the whole thing ineffective. You need something to force organization on it all, to bring order to chaos. That’s what this does, or did rather. We did manage to destroy its array but the place sealed itself up and everything is still in there.”

“Wait a second,” Riker said. “You said it brings order to chaos? Like the queen?”

“Queen? What’re you talking about?” Riker explained the limited information Data had learned about the “queen” during the second Borg invasion. “Oh, her. Yeah, she’s a substitute; not as good, but what the Borg needed. Took 'em fifty thousand years to find her though. Funny; for a while we figured they were all but extinct.”

“Why didn’t they just come back here?” Luke asked. “When the war was over, I mean.”

“I told you, the place is sealed up. Nobody can open it.”

“Well that’s great,” Riker said. “Why’d you bring us here then?”

Kalib leaned against the structure as the wind picked up. When it finally settled down a little he spoke. “We tried to open it several times. There’s no way we’re aware of, but what we did do was bring in Ralin.”

“Ralin?” Riker said.

“Yes, Ralin was touched. He did what he could, but couldn’t open the door to get inside, not even him, and he was quite powerful. But he could see the future, and he told us that the Borg were going to go into hiding, that for millennia to come they would work slowly to rebuild themselves, until finally they would be strong enough to try and complete what they had started, to achieve perfection by absorbing others into themselves, their technology and their anatomy. That’s been going on now for the past several centuries, just like he’d said.”

“Really,” Riker said, wondering how much of this stuff he should even believe.

“Yup, but the most important thing he said was that someone who was touched like him would return and open the door; and when that was done they would enter the complex and take over the central device and use it to destroy the Borg forever.” He looked over at Luke with a smile. “When it seems the Borg have become too powerful for anyone to stop, a single mortal would come forward and bring them down. So,” he said nonchalantly, “Wanna open this door for us?”

“Wait a minute,” Luke said, “I’ve no idea where to start with this. Open the door; how? If this Ralin couldn’t do it what makes you think I can?”

“Look, just do whatever it is you touched people do and open it,” Kalib replied impatiently.

Luke concentrated on the door. With a bit of probing he was able to figure out that there was a complicated locking mechanism in place, but in the end what kept the door shut was solid objects, metal beams. Maybe he could make it move in just the right way.... He tugged at one of the beams, and it slowly began to move but it was difficult work, there was a strong weight holding it back. He pulled it clear and tried moving to the next one, but it slipped back into place with a blow that shook the ground like an earthquake. Kalib grinned and stared at the door, waiting for it too open. Finally he turned to Luke with disgust. “Well?” he demanded.

“There’s four beams in there,” Luke said as he panted a little. “Really heavy. I don’t think I can move more than one, let alone all of them.”

“Well you better find a way before they haul their pyramid over here and blow this planet up.”

“Pyramid? How are they going to blow up the planet?” Riker asked.

Kalib looked at him in disbelief. “Are you that out of touch? The Borg have a planet-killer.”

“Oh no,” Luke said, thinking back to what Han had told him about the Yarval Outpost.

“Yeah. Mean one. Saw them blow up a planet covered with cities; tore through a shield that’d stop pretty much anything.”

Riker and Luke stared at each other in shock, the implications of what he was saying truly sinking in. It seemed that, at that moment, the war had gotten that much worse for their side, and this door would stand firmly in the way of any chance they might have for survival.

Eventually they returned to the Enterprise. After much negotiating, Kalib agreed to help them search for evidence about the Pyramid, but it wouldn't be easy. Even if they managed to find it, Luke wasn't sure what they hoped to accomplish. It wasn't long after that he was summoned to the ready room. "You wanted to see me, captain?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you for coming," Riker said, indicating the chair while taking a seat himself. "Mr. Skywalker, first, thank you for your assistance in all of this. You've helped in ways we'd never imagined."

"Against the Borg, I'm only to happy to lend a hand," Luke said.

Riker nodded, then folded his hands and leaned forward on the desk. "I've been thinking about this Borg pyramid business. Now if Kalib's right, and frankly I hope to God this is just some practical joke, but if he is, then this thing is as dangerous as the Death Star was, with the amorality of the Borg behind it."

"I'm as frightened as you are, captain," Luke said.

Riker took a deep breath. "Seven was assigned to investigate the anomaly that occurred at the Battle Of Wormhole Station," Riker said. "Specifically what force managed to destroy a Borg Cube with no visible means of attack. I received her final report on the matter before her departure."

Luke looked away for a second, then turned back. "I see," he said, a little ice in his voice.

"It's not what you think," Riker said. "Her report mentions that you discussed details with her in confidence that she couldn't share with me. If you told her anything private, I assure you it's just between the two of you." He smirked a little. "Seven's a pain in the neck, rude, and holds people to impossible standards, but manipulative isn't among her failings."

Luke looked down. "Yes... yes, of course." He should have known Seven was trustworthy.

"Your involvement in that matter is known only to the four of us," Riker said. "Seven's report essentially says that you performed that act, but you would almost certainly never do it again. I realize this may be personal, but under the circumstances I need to understand what-"

"I can't do it," Luke said.

"Can't or won't?" Riker asked.

Luke shifted about as he tried to find the words. "What happened was a mistake," he said.

"Hundreds of people are alive because of that mistake," Riker said. "You could be saving billions of times that number if you destroyed the Pyramid."

"You don't know what you're asking," Luke said uncomfortably.

Riker held up his hands in a placating manner. "Okay, I admit, this power that you have is beyond my understanding. But here is what I do know. As a captain in Starfleet it is my duty to follow the established principles of the Federation under all circumstances. Despite that, I have been forced into situations where I had no choice but to violate them, because of just what was at stake."

"It's not a matter of ideals," Luke said. "If I go there, you have no idea what will emerge. You may be left with something even more dangerous than the Borg."

"I can't imagine anything like that," Riker said.

Luke shook his head in fear. "You don't know the power of the Dark side." They stared at one another in silence for a time. "Even if I did want to do it," Luke said eventually, "I wouldn't know where to begin. What happened was instinctive, it was- I've become close to your crew, captain. Their fear compelled me to act. I can't just flick this on and off." He wrung his hands. "Captain, I know what's on the line here, and I promise you I would die to destroy that thing, but that's not what you're asking me to do. You're asking for something I can't give you."

Riker nodded. "I see. As I said, I don't understand, but if you're telling me you can't then I'll have to take your word for it."

"I truly wish I could do something," Luke said.

"We all do," Riker said. "Mr. Skywalker... not to pressure you, but, you said what happened did happen as an accident. Would you say there's any chance it would happen again?"

"No," Luke said firmly. "Now that it happened, my guard is up. There's no way it will happen on accident, and there is absolutely nothing that can compel me to ever do that again."
--------------------------------------------------------------

Seven laid motionless as the Doctor stood over her, checking her readings. He pulled out a hypospray and took a blood sample, brought it over to the particle filter, and started the analysis. Dr. Bashir and Borui came in soon after. "Morning," he said. Bashir grunted in reply, heading to the replicator and making some coffee.

"Anything?" Borui asked.

"At this point I'm looking at possible environmental causes," the Doctor said. "I figure you'd started from the most likely cause, so instead of re-treading old ground I'd begin elsewhere."

"I can't imagine anything else being a significant factor," Bashir said. "She was medically fine when I examined her before the procedure."

"True, but since we have little to go on I thought I'd cover all the bases," the Doctor said. There was a chime from the particle filter and the Doctor ejected the capsule and transferred it into a microscope. He put the view up on the screen and examined it.

Bashir shook his head. "I'll never get used to those," he said, looking at the Borg nanoprobes floating by the screen."

"Come, doctor, you must admire their simplicity," the Doctor said. "These little fellows are the backbone of a force that's been developing for a hundred millennia. Imagine what we can do with those."

"I'm only too afraid," Bashir said. "You've seen what the Borg can do with them."

"But in the field of medicine-"

"What if someone turned them into a weapon?" Bashir asked.

The Doctor stopped dead in his mental tracks. "What indeed," he said finally. His brow furrowed. "Wait a moment," he stepped closer to the monitor. "What is that doing there?"

Bashir looked at the screen. "What do you mean?"

"That nanoprobe," the Doctor said, touching the controls. It blew up on the screen.

"You're right," Bashir said. "It's a little different. Nanoprobe equivalent of a mutation?"

"No, it doesn't work that way." The Doctor tapped some controls. "This nanoprobe is new," he said.

"She made a new nanoprobe?" Bashir asked with confusion.

"No, I mean this is a newer model nanoprobe," the Doctor said. "Seven's been out of the Collective for five years now, she's using outdated technology by comparison."

"The drone," Borui said, so suddenly that the other two doctors turned and looked at her. "The one she ran into on the Enterprise. He injected her, but no assimilation took place."

The Doctor quickly turned back to the instruments. "That would be consistent... except for this." Some figures appeared on the side of the display. "That code indicates it's from Seven's unique sub-junction."

Bashir rubbed his chin and stared. "My God... it couldn't be that, could it?"

"I don't see any other explanation."

"What?" Borui asked. "What are you two talking about?"

"That you were wrong," Bashir said. "Assimilation did take place." He looked at Seven's unconscious form. "But instead of the nanoprobes assimilating her, she assimilated them."

[CERC]

Good stuff, nice "cure" for the Mondays. By the way, have I mentioned that I really dislike borui?

CERC

[Sonnenburg]

Thanks. It's been a shitty day today; I can use a pick up myself.

[Trogdor]

"No," Luke said firmly. "Now that it happened, my guard is up. There's no way it will happen on accident, and there is absolutely nothing that can compel me to ever do that again."

Famous last words. Good as usual. Keep it up.

[Sonnenburg]

True that. But what could possibly compel Luke to every violate it again?

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXV

Two Cubes gradually moved into orbit of the planet Chandrilla to the horror of its residents. This scene was becoming all too familiar to the members of the Republic: the Borg enter a system, and there would be no Republic fleet to protect them. Cries for help went unanswered, efforts at relocation fell woefully short, leaving million, sometimes billions, trapped when the Borg arrived. It seemed that once again it would be no different.

The small collection of ships that were left approached the Cubes to try and at least slow them down, although even that seemed unlikely. The scared population demanded an answer from their leaders, and they were left with nothing to say. The Republic simply wasn’t protecting them; whether by choice or circumstance they faced the enemy with this meager collection of vessels to defend their planet. It didn’t take long for even the most loyal Republic citizen to ask the next logical question: Why even bother being part of the Republic?

Governor Nellia of the Western continent wondered that herself as she sped towards the Cube. A fighter pilot against the Empire, she’d won a position of leadership on her homeworld because of her notoriety. When that happened she thought she’d never have to return to the skies in combat; desperate times demanded otherwise. Their ships broke ranks and did their best to fly in something approaching a military formation against the Borg, but it was all some of these old or inexperienced pilots could do not to crash into each other. Nellia, having both combat and now leadership experience, was impromptu squadron leader, using the term loosely of course. She ordered a strafing run across the surface of one of the Cubes, but after their first pass she knew they didn’t have a chance. There was almost no sign they had even attacked, and the Borg had destroyed four of their ships in the process. She lined up and fired her proton torpedoes, her only proton torpedoes, and watched them explode harmlessly on the Borg’s shield. A near miss by a Borg weapon sent her spinning away, her mind racing to find an answer.

The Cubes stopped at the edge of the atmosphere, their intentions plain as day. “We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.” Nellia could just imagine the scene on the planet right now: streets filled with panicked people; looters, rioters, suicides. She had an image of a screaming mother cradling her child in her arms amidst the insanity, something she’d witnessed during an Imperial Base Delta Zero several years back. There was nothing she could do then, and this time, despite everything they’d fought for, there was nothing she could do now.

Suddenly her sensors showed more incoming ships. The Fleet? she thought with hope. It wasn’t until she looked out her viewport that she saw them. Star Destroyers... Imperial Star Destroyers. What was going on? She put the question aside as the ships moved in and began blasting the Cubes with their heavy turbolaser turrets, for the first time in her life actually happy to see an Imperial ship. The Borg were fighting back, but fortunately the planet no longer seemed of interest to them. The battle was over in minutes, the Borg hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned by the Imperials. Her elation over their salvation quickly disappeared as she realized the situation: her planet was now surrounded by Star Destroyers. Suddenly things didn’t look so good. A transmission came through from one of the ships.

“You are the acting defender of this world?” the small hologram asked. She was rather surprised to see that he wasn’t a human but an alien, a departure for the Empire.

“I am Governor Nellia of the Western Continent,” she said. “I speak on behalf of the military situation, but I’m not authorized to speak on behalf of Chandrilla’s government.”

“That’s quite all right,” he replied with a friendly tone. “We’re only asking if you are in need of help. Did the Borg cause any serious damage? Do you need medical supplies?”

“No,” she replied, uncertain. “You arrived just in time.”

“That’s a relief,” he replied. “It’s fortunate we happened to be passing through this area and detected their ships. We’re actually on our way to Coruscant.”

“Why Coruscant?” she asked suspiciously. Were the Imperials hoping to attempt some kind of coup?

“We heard about the difficult times being faced and wanted to provide our aid. We had been negotiating a peace settlement before this insanity began and hoped this could show our intentions were genuine.”

I don’t believe this, she thought. Is he serious? Is the Empire actually here to help? Still, they had just saved them from the Borg. “I’m afraid I have some bad news,” she replied. “Coruscant is gone.”

The alien was silent. “If this is some kind of joke...” he began.

“It’s no joke. The Borg destroyed it.”

“Unimaginable,” the officer replied. “Who is coordinating the Fleet efforts?”

“Admiral Ackbar,” she replied.

This caught the officer slightly off guard. “Ackbar survived?” he said.

“Yes,” she replied. “His fleet’s somewhere near Sector 315.”

“This is a most puzzling development,” the alien said. “I need to consult with the admiral, but if your world is unprotected I can leave a small division of ships here.”

“You want a garrison,” she said suspiciously.

“Governor,” the officer said with some surprise, “I was only making an offer. I’d rather keep my fleet together but I don’t think I’ll sleep well tonight leaving a world as ancient as this defenseless against the Borg. But we will certainly leave if that is your wish.”

Nellia was surprised. “You’re serious.”

“When it comes to the Borg, governor, I’m always serious.”

“Well, in that case we’d certainly accept your generous offer, admiral...”

“Thrawn,” he replied. “Grand Admiral Thrawn of the New Empire. I’m afraid I must be leaving though; I need to contact Admiral Ackbar as quickly as possible. But I do hope we’ll meet again under more hospitable circumstances.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

It is said that war is long periods of boredom broken up by moments of sheer terror. While in this case it seemed the Republic was under constant terror, the fact was that this conflict was getting long and drawn out, as was the introduction of the Imperial Fleet into the mix. A great deal was going on over the next six months, and when it was later gathered and laid out in the official chronicles the events filled volumes. A hundred thousand individual tales, many like that of Governor Nellia, of Thrawn rescuing a planet before or during a Borg attack. Others were of Admiral Ackbar’s continuing press against the Ssi-Ruuk, which was taking longer than he had hoped, as indicating by the expansion of Borg forces in the opposite side of the galaxy. While this went on things continued pretty much as they had been during the time before in other areas: the Alpha Quadrant forces continued to work on expanding their fleets and trying to improve their defenses, should the Borg turn their attentions towards them. On a tiny station a small group attended to a woman who by all accounts was braindead and looked to remain that way for a great while. A Federation starship, under the command of William Riker and aided by an unknown individual, began a quadrant-wide search for a single Borg ship which was a potential threat to all of them. The general in charge of the Imperial Fleet in the Milky Way wondered at the lack of Borg activity against the Empire, but considered it their good fortune. And in the Republic, support for the crippled government began to wane thanks to the enemies on both sides and the efforts of the Cult of the Emperor.

The Borg wondered at the events as they saw them. Well, perhaps wondered is exactly the right word; they attempted to process the reasoning behind it. They conferred with Anansi several times during this, but he reassured them of the plan, and was pleased to announce that the final phase was almost ready to begin. They accepted his answer, for it was impossible for Anansi to deceive the Borg.
--------------------------------------------------------------

When viewed from the backdrop of space, few things can be considered “big.” After all, when a person considers the size of their planet, a seemingly endless place to their perception, in relation to their star, or the vast distance that separates them from neighboring stars, “big” doesn’t quite seem to cover it. And considering even the size of the galaxy, that the fastest substance in the universe takes a thousand centuries to cross, and that the galaxy remains but a small part of an immense supercluster that stretches through the expanse of the universe, the mind just can’t quite come to terms with this kind of “big.” Perhaps “very big” would fit. But while all these things are immense, the fact remains that they are natural formations, and when the mind focuses on the artificial, while miniscule by comparison to the aforementioned dimensions, it can nonetheless astound even the experienced space traveler.

“Well,” Riker commented as they stared in awe at the pyramid for the first time, “It certainly is a big ship.”

“Not surprising,” Laforge remarked. “The Borg don’t do anything with subtlety.”

“Isn’t this a little dangerous?” Luke asked. Even though they’d be chasing this ship for months, he seemed a little on edge now that they'd found it. Riker had to admit, his fears were justified.

“Status of the ship?” Riker asked.

“The ship hasn’t altered course,” Lightner reported. “Still on a heading of 187 mark 23.”

“Full sensor sweep,” Riker ordered. “I want this ship mapped to the last atom.” If we’re going to face this thing, he thought, and that’s not that great of a stretch, we’re going to need to know everything we can about it.

“Sir,” Lightner reported, “We’re having trouble penetrating much past the surface. There's some kind of field in place interfering with our scans.”

Riker mulled it over. There weren’t a whole lot of options, and they hadn’t spent this much time chasing this ship only to leave it with minimal scans. “Lieutenant,” he said with a serious edge to his voice, “Assemble a fully armed away team. I’ll be joining you shortly.”

“You’re going over there?” Luke asked with surprise.

“The Borg will ignore anything on their ship that’s not a threat,” Riker said. “As long as we remain passive we should be able to move about the ship with relative safety.”

Riker stepped into his ready room to make some last minute arrangements. Well, here we go, he thought. Back into the unknown. He wasn’t too surprised when the door chimed. “Enter,” he said, and his first officer came in. “Something I can do for you Geordi?”

“Will,” Laforge said with an uncomfortable look, “I need to discuss something with you. About the mission.”

“What?”

He hesitated. “You’ve been leading a lot of away teams recently. You know you’re putting yourself at risk, and right now we can’t afford to lose you.”

“You don’t want me going over there,” Riker said.

“It’s a dangerous situation, Will. And the place of the captain should be on the bridge.”

“I know,” Riker replied. He understood; in his place who would be doing the same thing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an option. “The issues at stake here are much larger than we’ve faced before. It’s bigger than me, bigger than the Enterprise, and we’ve no choice but to take a risk. If we don’t, we could be facing the end of the Federation.”

“And if we lose you, the most experienced captain against the Borg in the entire fleet, we could be facing that too.”

Riker nodded. “I’ve considered that. But the fact is, we need to know about that ship, and I’ve had a great deal of experience with Borg ships. That experience may give me the edge I need to succeed at this mission.”

Laforge nodded his acceptance, but he didn’t like it. “All right, but do the Federation a favor and be careful.”

“Always am,” Riker replied as Laforge stepped out. It was a gamble, and he knew it, but as an experienced poker player he knew sometimes you had to take the longshot to win.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Kalib drank a cup of thick liquid as he watched the Enterprise and the tetrahedron from his ship. Well, it certainly had taken a bit of time, he thought as he watched their slow drift, but he’d tracked it down for them. Now what’re they going to do? Probably talk it to death, he thought as he took another gulp.

“Kailb,” came the transmission, “we’re beaming over to the ship. Do you wish to join us.”

Idiot, he thought. “No, thanks all the same,” he replied.

“You certain?”

Big idiot. “You don’t get to be my age without learning a few things about what’s smart and what’s dumb.”

“Understood. Enterprise out.”

He detected the transporter signature as the occupants streaked over to the Cube. They were actually going through with that, he thought with slight disbelief. He pulled his ship closer to monitor their progress. This is definitely going to be interesting to watch, he thought as the ship grew in his viewscreen.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Borg ship appeared just like the others, narrow catwalks, utility piping uncovered, the chillingly slow movement of countless drones as they went about their task. The away team, with the exception of Skywalker, was armed with phaser rifles, but they kept them lowered to appear less threatening. Ens. Nevison was holding a large scale tricorder, specially modified for this mission. Its active scans were no doubt attracting attention to themselves, but it was the best chance they had to try and map the huge structure of the pyramid in the limited time they had.

“There’s a source of great power here,” Luke said. “I can feel it.”

“Let’s start in that direction,” Riker said. “Ensign, do you have a lead?”

“Not yet sir,” he replied. “It’s either out of range or heavily shielded.”

“All right then,” Riker said. “Let’s begin this way,” indicating a path towards the relative center of the ship.

Fortunately the Borg paid no attention to them as they continued their path through the ship. It was frightening, the ship seemed to go on forever as they walked several kilometers of identical passages, each wondering if maybe they were walking in circles, but secretly knowing that it was just that immense of a ship. And it was at the command of their greatest enemy. They walked on, coming again to another junction.

“I think I’m picking something up,” Ens. Nevison reported. Riker took the tricorder and checked some of the scans.

“Looks like it could be,” he agreed. “Luke?” The Jedi said nothing, staring down one of the corridors. He touched Luke on the shoulder, causing the Jedi to jump for a second. Riker quickly withdrew, just to make sure he didn’t wind up with one arm shorter than the other. “Sorry,” Luke replied.

“I’m getting a reading in this direction,” Riker said, ignoring what had happened. Whatever was on Luke’s mind was his business, and he’d come to trust the Jedi to focus on what was important. “You sense anything?”

“Yes,” Luke replied, “that way. I’m sure of it.” Riker saw him pull out his lightsaber, and they began pushing on towards the heart of the Cube. It took an hour but finally they were able to see it through the crisscross of catwalks, a huge sphere, kilometers across, pulsing slightly with a reddish hue.

“Oh my...” Riker said.

“It’s a hypermatter reactor,” Luke said quietly.

“Confirmed,” Nevison said. “This is definitely the power source.”

“It seems our pale friend was correct,” Riker replied. “The Borg can destroy whole worlds now.” He was silent as he stared in awe at the device. “Why?”

“Problem sir?” asked Lt. Lightner.

“Why would the Borg want to destroy planets?” he asked again, more to himself than anyone else. “They assimilate worlds, not destroy them.”

“You’re the expert,” Luke replied, unable to control his awe. “You tell us.”

“We’ll worry about it later,” Riker said. “Let’s try to get to a lower level, I want to know that power source inside and out.” And they began the slow trip down towards the heart of the tetrahedron.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Borg had learned of their success in Galaxy Prime, as they called it. The successful assimilation of Species 15209, the Ssi-Ruuk, had continued their drive for perfection. It had also proven the success of following the plans of Anansi, as foreign as they seemed to the Collective’s way of thinking. Although he had insisted that several undermanned vessels be sacrificed to further their deception, the Collective had gained a great deal from the invasion in resources, technology and species. The results were satisfactory.

Unfortunately, communication between the two sides of the wormhole were difficult, and for right now the Collective had to continue with Anansi’s plan with limited contact. At regular intervals a scoutship traveled from one side of the wormhole to the other to relay information. At this moment, it informed the collective in Galaxy Prime of the condition of the Borg in their own galaxy.

The message sent in reply was most unusual. Anansi was apparently horrified that the Borg were allowing insignificant Federation soldiers to walk around their ship. Why this was of concern was unclear, as they clearly posed no threat. Nevertheless, Anansi was insistent that the invaders be dealt with immediately, and while that would be inefficient, the collective accepted his advice and proceeded to assimilate them.
--------------------------------------------------------------

They stared up at the pulsing hypermatter reactor, their awe at this marvel of engineering only matched by their horror at the thought of what it can do. “Maybe I should just fire at it,” Riker said quietly. “Destroy it.”

“You’ll probably kill us in the process,” Luke answered.

“It’s already destroyed countless lives, “ Riker replied. “The seven of us would be a small price to see to it that doesn’t happen again.”

“That won’t be necessary, sir,” Ens. Nevison said. “The shell around the reactor is too strong for our phasers to penetrate. Even a class-IX phaser would have trouble.”

“Then it seems that we’ve got no choice,” Riker said bitterly. “Let’s go back to our transport site.” They began to climb back up the patchwork of walkways to their starting level. Fortunately they had taken accurate readings of their path or they’d be hopelessly lost; all these crisscrossed catwalks looked the same. They stepped onto the top one just as Luke raised his hand and demanded quiet. They listened, and they heard it. It wasn’t just a single set of footsteps now, it was dozens. “They’re coming for us,” Luke said. Just as he finished the words a group of Borg came around the corner, their intents obvious to the invading humans. Luke lit his lightsaber as they began their approach. "I thought you said they'll ignore us until they consider us a threat?"
"They seem to have changed their tactics.... again," Riker said bitterly. I should’ve seen this coming, he thought. Now they had no choice, they had to get out, and fast. He motioned some of the officers down a corridor as he and Lightner prepared to lay down suppressive fire if necessary. They rushed after them once it was clear, Luke bringing up the rear. Crewman Cartel, who was in the lead, rounded the corner and came back, struggling with a Borg. Lightner shot it, but they were starting to close in now, with several kilometers left to fight their way through until they got into range of the transporter.

Riker felt a horrible sinking feeling. He'd been the first human to walk a Cube and avoid assimilation... but maybe all he'd done is delayed it. Maybe, this time the luck had run out.

[Ghost Rider]

Ah Kalib's advice on the matter...hell that could be useful advice throughout all of Trek's series.

[Crazedwraith]

Yay, they're Doomed!

Though I fail tosee why Riker insists he needs to go on away missions, Geordi should just say " its regulations" and go himself. Just like Riker would have done to Picard.

[Sonnenburg]

Ah Kalib's advice on the matter...hell that could be useful advice throughout all of Trek's series.

Very true.

[Sonnenburg]

Yay, they're Doomed!

Though I fail tosee why Riker insists he needs to go on away missions, Geordi should just say " its regulations" and go himself. Just like Riker would have done to Picard.

Riker's insistence in this case is because with Picard's disappearance and Seven's condition he's now the foremost expert on the Borg, and thus he's the most qualified to assess the situation. Consider it being like Chain Of Command, where Picard's experience in Theta radiation meant he led the team to go into the Cardassian facility.

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXVI


Things were getting interesting now, Kalib noticed from his ship as his sensors gave him a distorted view of the antics of the Federation troops as they tried to face off against the approaching Borg army. One shot already fired; won’t be too much longer until their weapons were useless, and they were trapped. He’d warned them, but no, they wouldn’t listen. Well, this is what happened when you screwed around with the Borg.

He sighed. Must be getting soft in my old age, he thought as the crosshairs appeared on the side of the Pyramid. He pushed the button and two torpedoes slammed into the side of the tetrahedron, blowing out a crater at least a couple of kilometers across. That should distract them a little, he thought as he leaned back in his chair.

Then he heard the descending, spiraling “whir” sound. Kalib was out of his chair in under a second. “What the hell are you doing here,” he growled at the newly arrived drones. Damn, he thought, they must have extrapolated my position from the missiles. That’s what I get for going soft. He stabbed at the controls to send his ship in a random course away from the Pyramid as he prepared to face the drones.

The drones began their slow heavy steps down the stairs towards where Kalib stood. These must be the new drones, he thought. They were about as tall as he was, with three legs. Species 8472 maybe? he thought distantly as they tried to circle around and attack him from all sides. Well, he thought, this should be very interesting.
--------------------------------------------------------------

“How much further to the landing area?” Riker asked as they pounded down another walkway.

“Two point three kilometers,” Ens. Nevison shouted over the din. He screamed as he was grabbed and yanked into a small opening in the wall, limbs flailing as the Borg injected its nanoprobes into his neck. Lightner killed the drone, but it was too late; Nevison lay convulsing on the deck as the nanoprobes did their work. He looked up to Riker and nodded, or did the best imitation he could. With a knot in his stomach Riker fired, putting the ensign out of his misery. He scooped up the tricorder and they moved on.

They ran as fast as they could, trying to cut down the distance before the Borg managed to trap them here. Three drones appeared ahead, blocking their path. They fired, downing the first one, but the other two were unaffected as they continued their slow gait towards them. Riker turned to head them back in the previous direction, but their path was blocked from behind by another approaching group of drones. He glanced at the tricorder: five hundred meters. Might as well be five million he thought as he tried to find a place to go, but saw nothing. As he’d feared, the Borg had trapped them, and it was all over but the assimilation.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Kalib doesn’t carry an energy weapon. This may strike many as a bit odd, but fighting the Borg in his youth had taught him that relying on those kinds of weapons were too restrictive. After all, the point of them is to kill over a distance, and why limit yourself when you don’t have to. He pulled out his throwing knives and concentrated on the Borg approaching to his left. He knew how to fight drones; they adapt to energy weapons. You want to kill it, you need to use physical attacks. He tossed three knives, end of over end, into the torso of the nearest drone. The blades sunk deep into the drone’s exposed flesh, and once they’d penetrated the blades split open into a half-dozen tiny razors, then generated an intense plasma surge into the torn flesh. The drone was weakened, but not dead, so reluctantly he grabbed the Daaetchi ceremonial axe off the wall and charged, mostly decapitating the drone but snapping the handle in the process. He cursed as he tossed it to the floor; there were only three of those left in the universe now.

As he turned around another drone made a grab for him, but he ducked under it, and drove his full body strength into an uppercut, knocking the drone backwards across the room, but still not killing it. These are some tough ones, Kalib admitted to himself as he faced against the third drone. He kept a strong focus on the drone as it lunged for him, slipping out of the way and grabbing the limb. He spun towards its torso like some bizarre ballroom dance and wrenched the limb from its socket, then driving his elbow into its face. Having thrown off its equilibrium, he grabbed it and yanked it forward, slamming its forehead into the corner of one of his controls, piercing its skull and causing greenish-black blood to ooze out. The drone dropped lifeless to the floor as he turned to face the last one. It lunged for him and he sidestepped it, reaching and grabbing its neck in both hands. However, the drone had anticipated the maneuver, and while he held the creature in his hands, its fist came up next to his neck, and he felt the hot sting of tubes entering his carotid artery. He screamed and twisted the neck around three hundred sixty degrees, letting it drop lifeless to the floor.

He fell to his knees and quivered as he touched the open wounds in his neck. No... no... He felt the warmth starting to flood into his body, followed by a cramping sensation. No! he bellowed across his ship, as he leaned over and retched among the corpses of the latest Borg to attack him, the ones who had finally done it.
--------------------------------------------------------------

They were trapped, and Luke knew the time had come to fight. So while Riker considered the options, and realized there were none, the Jedi leaped over the heads of his comrades and landed in front of the group, quickly bringing his lightsaber in a horizontal swipe to dispatch them quickly. “Come on!” he shouted as he ran down the walkway, the stunned Federation officers in quick pursuit. He felt a flicker of warning and ducked down under a pair of cybernetic arms, simultaneously bringing his lightsaber up into the chest of the drone and lifting, slicing its torso and head in half. He gave a push with the Force to knock over the drones that stood behind it and swung to his right to decapitate this drone. He was operating solely on reflexes now, the Borg trying to overwhelm him, but with the Force as his ally he was always one step ahead of them. He chopped down four more drones and sped down the corridor to his right.

Luke ground his teeth. Those gray faces... they just pushed his buttons. The sight of them just screamed "evil!" to him, and it was hard not to hate them. They were a scourge, destroyers of civilizations and worlds, never showing mercy or empathy. Those gray faces, that black body armor, those tubes and implants... they were the ugliest thing imaginable.

“Take a left at the next junction,” Riker shouted over the noise of their pounding feet. Luke turn and speared two Borg through the chest with one thrust of his saber, sending them sparking to the floor. He followed up with a series of downward slashing moves that annihilated the Borg forces that blocked their path. It wasn’t exactly graceful, but it got the job done. They ran on and on, the Borg continuing to try to find ways to ambush them, but failing to understand how the human could know they were coming. Finally, recognizing the futility of their current tactics, the Borg adapted.

Luke dug in his heels and ground to a halt, the Federation officers nearly knocking him over. “What’s the problem?” Riker asked.

“Force field,” Luke said, tapping the invisible wall with his saber. No good, they’d need to find some other way.

He saw Riker looking around overhead, then he lifted his phaser rifle and blasted a pyramid shaped device hanging from the ceiling. The shield flickered for a second, but returned. “Damn! Redundant power sources,” Riker muttered. “See if any of you can find the power conduit for this generator. We’re almost there.”

Their tricorders were out, scanning the walls while Luke stood there, waiting. “There,” a crewman said, pointing to a collection of pipes running along their wall. He fired at it with his rifle, but nothing happened. Luke plunged his saber in, and a series of sparks flew out, overloading the shield generator but also damaging his lightsaber. He flipped the switch several times, but nothing happened.

Behind them there was a scream as another crewman was grabbed by a drone. A second reached for Riker, but he slammed his phaser rifle into its head. “Go!” he screamed. And they ran the last ten meters to their transport site, the Borg close behind. Riker slapped his commbadge, his voice rushed under the tension of the moment. “Riker to Enterprise five to beam out!”

The Borg reached for them just as the Borg ship turned into a white cascade, and they were gone.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Kalib pulled himself up to a kneeling position, pulling back his head to reveal a face twisted in a tight grimace, his teeth clenched, and the gray hue covering almost the entire left half of his face. His hand shot out and he cracked a panel open, putting out an instrument. Grimacing, he held it to the back of his head to stimulate his immune system, but after a few seconds a spasm caused him to crush it in his grip. He growled and heaved as vessels bulged out of his face and neck, clenching his fists repeatedly as his eyes screwed shut with concentration. Another growl, and then a roar as his fist slammed into the bulkhead followed by a heavy grunt and deep, quick breaths. He strained and tried to stand but fell back down onto one knee. He turned and slammed the side of his head into the bulkhead a few times and moaned. Then, as if in release, he relaxed briefly, and then tensed again, and turned.

The gray had receded, now covering only his neck and his cheek. He could feel the cramping start to lesson. His immune system was incredibly strong. “That’s... right...” he bellowed in exhaustion across the empty ship. “You Hffellians ... can’t – get – me!” He screamed and fell back down on the floor, exhausted. But the heat was gone, and he glanced briefly at the distorted reflection of himself in one of the consoles. His face all right. After a while of recovering he got up on his feet and walked weakly across the bridge. He gave the corpse of one of the drones a weak kick. “That’ll teach ya,” he said weakly. “That’ll teach ya to kriff with me.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

“Any word from Kalib?” Riker asked in sickbay as Dr. Crusher ran some scans over him and the rest of the away team. They felt fine, but it was best not to take any chances.

“No sign of him,” Geordi replied. “We do know that he tried to save you while you were on board the Borg ship.”

“You don’t think he was assimilated?” Dr. Crusher asked.

“Him? I pity any drone the Borg send up against that lunatic.”

“Regardless,” Riker said, hopping off the examination table. “We’ve got to get this information back to Starfleet immediately. It’s vital we find a way to deal with this Borg ship somehow.”

“I don’t know, captain,” Geordi replied. “I can’t imagine anything that could destroy that.”

“If not,” Riker said, “It’s the end of the Federation.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

The station appeared as a series of disks stacked on one another, slowly spinning in the emptiness of space near the entrance to the Bajoran Wormhole. While the Wormhole was no longer the one and only means of reaching the Gamma Quadrant, it still was able to cut days off a journey, which could mean all the difference sometimes. The Millennium Falcon swooped in and took a position at one of the smaller docks along the upper platform.

“You’re still running this place,” Han said as he strolled into Quarks. “I’d thought by now you’d find some way to lose it and return to your scoundrel existence.”

“You’re enough scoundrel for the both of us,” Lando said as he shook hands with his old friend. “Quark, you remember Han.”

“Always a pleasure, Mr. Solo,” Quark said from behind the bar. “I’ve got an open seat at the Dabo table if you’re interested.”

“I’ll pass this time, thanks,” Han said, sliding up to the bar and ordering a drink.

“So,” Lando said conversationally, “What brings you to our neck of the quadrant?”

Han took a sip. “Leia had some business to take care of here. Figured I’d take her personally, what with all the craziness that’s been going on.”

“What kind of business,” Quark asked.

“Can’t say,” Han said, looking around the bar. “But whatever it is sure has put a downer on her mood lately.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

Borui looked up as the woman walked gracefully into sickbay. She wasn’t particularly tall, but she managed to carry herself in such a manner that commanded respect. She was dressed in a flowing white garment with a tan robe over the top, her hair pulled back in curling braids. Borui noticed the lightsaber at her belt. “You’re Ambassador Solo?” she asked.

“Yes,” she said quietly, staring at Seven. She walked slowly up to the unconscious form of the woman, placing her hand on her forehead, stroking it softly. “Have you made any progress?”

“No,” Borui said with exhaustion. She was surprised to be feeling such strong sensations of guilt from her, and then it clicked. “You’re responsible for this project, aren’t you.”

The ambassador closed her eyes. “Yes,” she whispered.

“Well, I hope you’re happy with the results.”

She said nothing. She reached down and held Seven’s head in both hands, bending down so that her forehead was less than an inch from hers. She stood that way for a long time, finally disengaging. “Any chance of her making a recovery?”

“Not likely,” Borui said. “We seem to be all out of options.”

“Ambassador!” came a shrill voice from the hall outside of Sickbay. “Ambassador!” A Ferengi came running in, smiling giddily. “Rentulin, pleasure to make your acquaintance!” he said cheerfully, grabbing and shaking her hand.

“Hey!” Borui shouted at him, causing the Ferengi to jump. “This is a sickbay. Pawn your filthy bits of junk somewhere else. This isn’t the time or the place.”

“When it comes to opportunity,” Rentulin said, pulling on the lapels of his outfit, “the time and place is always now.”

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me,” Borui said with a smile, then she grabbed his huge lobe, yanking the Ferengi over and screaming in his ear, “THIS IS A SICKBAY!”

“Ow!” the Ferengi danced around as he rubbed a finger in his ear canal. “If I’ve suffered permanent hearing damage, you’ll hear from my attorney!” He scampered off.

“That was most surprising,” the ambassador commented.

“Happens all the time here,” Borui said dismissively.

“I meant his mind. Usually I can sense what someone’s feeling, but with him, just a presence.”

“Yes. Ferengi minds are impossible to penetrate. Just... a...” her eyes got wide.

“Something wrong?” she asked with concern.

Borui got up and marched towards the door. “You could say that.”

“Where are you going?”

“To test a theory,” she shouted back.
--------------------------------------------------------------

“And so the Vulcan says, ‘Fascinating, but what happened to my pen?’”

Lando laughed a little, then stepped away from Han. “Excuse me a moment,” he said as he saw Borui storming towards the bar. “Welcome commander. May I offer you a-“

“I want to see Quark,” she said. She looked over and spotted the Ferengi working behind the bar. “Quark! Come here.”

“What can I do for you, commander,” he said in his typical hospitable tone.

“Drop the glass and get over here,” she demanded.

He looked over at Han and then stepped out from behind the bar. “If this is about that shipment of plastoid armor, I’ve nothing to do with it.”

“Stand here,” she insisted. She seemed to stare at him for some time, then she slowly began walking around him, not taking her eyes off him. Quark seemed a little uncomfortable.

“What, what’d I do?” he asked, obviously distressed at the situation. She poked him in the back. “Ow! This is against several treaties,” he said, rubbing the sore spot. She came around to the front, staring unblinking into his eyes. Quark looked at her suspiciously. “Look, I don’t deserve to be treated this way. I’m a respected business man.”

She tapped her communicator. “Operations,” she said.

“Yes,” came the reply.

“This is Lt. Comm. Borui. I want you to shut down all power to shop 42-AA for ten seconds.”

“Hey, you can’t do that,” Quark said, now clearly agitated.

“This will disrupt business,” Lando agreed. “You have a reason for this.”

“If I’m wrong,” she replied, “the next round is on me gentlemen.”

“Wrong about what?”

“Cut the power,” Borui said.

“You can’t do this!” Quark insisted. “I have rights! I signed-“

And all the power in Quark’s was turned off. A few groans of disappointment were heard as entertainment devices, gambling slots, and holosuites were shut down, but they were drowned out by the audible gasp of astonishment. Ten seconds later, the power returned.

“-lease with the Federation director of Commerce for undisrupted.... What, what’re you all staring at?”

“What’s going on here?” Lando demanded.

“Why are you asking me?” Quark said, shrinking away from the looks of everyone in the bar. “What?!”

“It was a perfect disguise,” Borui said, shaking her head.

“What? What are you talking about?!”

“I’m sorry Quark. You’re a hologram.”

Quark stared at her. “A hologram. What are you talking about?”

“You’re a projection of light. You’re not real.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said suspiciously. “Of course I am.”

“Quark, how did you survive the destruction of Deep Space 9?”

“I was away on business,” Quark said.

“No, you weren’t,” Borui said. “Starfleet records said you were on board the station.”

“Yes, and they were wrong,” Quark said in a condescending tone. “Here I am.”

“No, you’re not.” Borui shook her head. “The real Quark is dead, always has been. You’re a reproduction, and a very convincing one. I can’t even tell the difference with my tricorder in fact, but you can’t fool the mind Quark. You’re not really here.”

“This is some kind of joke, right?” Quark said, starting to panic just a little. “I know who I am!”

“Quark,” Lando said, unable to believe it himself, “we all saw you disappear. This explains why you never leave the bar, why you’re up all hours of the night.”

Quark stared at him, and tried to dismiss it. “I like it here. And I have insomnia.”

“Well, Quark,” Borui said, “If you really believe it, then there’s an easy way to prove it.”

“How?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

“Just step outside the bar,” she said. “There’s no holoemitters in the promenade, so if you walk out there we’ll all know the truth and have a good laugh.”

Quark stared at her with nervousness. “All right,” he said, walking towards the entrance. “If it’ll end this farce.” He stopped at the entrance, unsure. After a moment, he reached out into the promenade very carefully. And then he screamed as his hand vanished. He stumbled back, falling to the floor, wailing. “It’s not true! It’s not true! This is a trick!!!” His cries could be heard across the promenade as he realized the horrible truth.

[Arrow]

More! More!

Damn this is good!

[Ghost Rider]

LOL...ah the dawning realization that you're not real

[Crazedwraith]

Thats what I call an personal crisis Finding out you're a hologram.

[CERC]

I really like Kalib, such a great smartass.

CERC

[Sonnenburg]

More! More!

Damn this is good!

Thanks very much!

[Sonnenburg]

LOL...ah the dawning realization that you're not real

Thats what I call an personal crisis Finding out you're a hologram.

Yeah, to find out you're just a hollow shell with no individual personality or soul, simply going about the motions and saying what you're told to... kind of like how Keanu Reeves feels all the time.

[Sonnenburg]

I really like Kalib, such a great smartass.

Thanks, he's always fun to write.

[Ghost Rider]

LOL...ah the dawning realization that you're not real

Thats what I call an personal crisis Finding out you're a hologram.

Yeah, to find out you're just a hollow shell with no individual personality or soul, simply going about the motions and saying what you're told to... kind of like how Keanu Reeves feels all the time.

I don't believe Keanu has yet to come to that realization .

And honestly Kalib rocked because he really is something Trek lacks many times. A voice of dissent about the wisdom of many inane actions...sure they try in Trek but aside from McCoy usually drowned by the chatter of an overzealous upper officer.

[Sonnenburg]

There is a decided lack of common sense when you mention it, isn't there.

I suppose that's part of my attraction towards Seven and the Doctor on Voyager, two character that weren't slotted into the Federation way of thinking (you'd think the Maquis would have done the same...).

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXVII


Ackbar had been distrustful of Thrawn when his fleet arrived during a particularly nasty battle with the Ssi-Ruuk at Muhdel, but over the weeks that followed the mounting problems had left him little choice but to try and find a way to fight alongside his former enemy. After all, he reminded himself, things have changed; this was the same man who wanted a truce with the Republic, something none of the other warlords had wanted. Maybe things had changed after all. In fact, Thrawn was being considered something of a hero to many worlds of the Republic, a rather uncomfortable thing for Ackbar but something that needed to be accepted. He’d certainly rather have him and his ships instead of trying to fight this war alone.

Thrawn had been invited over to Home One, Ackbar’s Command Ship, to discuss the current campaign. It was rumored that he had a keen mind when it came to military operations, and given the strain of the past several months Ackbar was more than willing to swallow his pride and get some feedback from his Imperial counterpart.

“It’s a difficult position,” Thrawn said as he nodded his head, looking at the holographic representation of enemy forces across the galaxy. “A war fought on two fronts is a war not easily won.”

“Yes,” Ackbar said with weariness. Even if he hadn’t already known it, the recent experience had taught that well enough.

“However,” Thrawn said with some thought, “Perhaps we can use that to our advantage.”

“How do you plan to do that?” Ackbar asked with incredulity. Being surrounded is exactly the opposite of what any commander wants for his forces, regardless of how primitive or advanced.

“Tell me, if two men are engaging you in personal combat from front and behind, what’s the best thing you can do?”

“I don’t know,” Ackbar said testily, “Duck?”

“Exactly,” Thrawn replied.

Ackbar stared curiously at him. “Fine, what does that have to do with us?”

“You shall see, admiral,” Thrawn said. He studied the map of Borg activity in some detail. “Yes, that should do it,” he said finally. “Take the fleet to these coordinates,” he said to Ackbar, indicating a point on the display.

“Are you mad?” Ackbar said. “We’re not moving there, there’s no sign of Ssi-Ruuk activity there.”

“There will be,” Thrawn said.

Ackbar remembered now why he didn’t like dealing with Imperials. “What are you up to?” he asked suspiciously.

“I’m trying to end the war,” Thrawn replied. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

“I don’t.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Thrawn said, “because you don’t have much choice in the matter. If you won’t listen to reason I’ll take my ships and leave you to solve this mess.”

“You haven’t explained what you’re doing,” Ackbar replied.

“I can’t. Not yet. It’s vital that this remain as secret as possible. But don’t worry, I’ll fill you in on exactly what’s going on, but you have to move the fleet.”

Ackbar didn’t like it, but he didn’t have much choice. He knew that if Thrawn left over this the Republic would descend into chaos. On a thousand worlds word had spread that the Republic didn’t care about its member worlds; by driving away Thrawn and his fleet he would only be reinforcing that belief. Reluctantly he agreed.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The USS Enterprise returned from hyperspace, grateful to find the fleet none the worse for wear during her long absence. Apparently the Borg had committed themselves to the invasion of the Republic for now, which at least gave them some time to go over the newly discovered data about the Borg Pyramid. Riker was also surprised at the latest revelation he received when they returned.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say, it’s good to have you back, Jean-luc,” Riker said in the Enterprise’s meeting room. There was agreement from the others present: Laforge, Luke, and Capt. Janeway.

“Thank you,” said Picard. “I’m afraid that my return brings bad news.” He quickly filled them in on everything, the Imperial ambush, Thrawn’s revelation, and the insistence that the Empire believes him to be dead.

“I can understand why,” Luke said. “If Thrawn does have this influence over the Borg, he might try to destroy the Federation to cover his tracks.”

“And I for one fail to see how we could stop him,” Riker said grimly. “How did he know about this project? We kept it a very secure secret.”

“I did some investigating,” Janeway said. “We have reason to believe the Cardassians have been trading secrets to the Empire in exchange for supplies to fight their Civil War. If they somehow found out about it, they could have easily given it to the Empire.”

“Gee, who’d imagine us being betrayed by Cardassians,” Laforge said dryly.

“Anyone know who’s specifically responsible?” Riker asked.

“Starfleet believes Gul Tulvek is the one dealing with the Imperials,” Janeway said. “But he uses intermediaries. The most well-known is a Cardassian named Garak.”

“Garak?” Luke said in disbelief. “I worked with him during the war. I find it hard to believe he’d betray us to the Empire.”

“I don’t,” Riker said. “This means we’re going to have to keep your presence,” he indicated Picard, “a closely guarded secret. No one can know, or we risk the Federation.”

“That’s going to be difficult,” Laforge said. “Starfleet’s withdrawing the fleet in light of the data on the Borg Pyramid. They said they don’t want to do anything to provoke them while they’re examining it, especially after what we’ve learned about Coruscant.”

“Then instruct the fleet,” Riker said. “We’ll withdraw within the hour. Dismissed.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

Janeway walked out of the meeting room towards the transporter room. Luke ran to catch up to her. “Captain,” he said quickly, and she stopped.

“Yes,” she asked curiously.

“About Seven,” he asked with concern. “Is it true?”

“I’m afraid so. Still no progress since you departed.”

Luke put his hand to his head; he’d only just heard about her condition on their rendezvous with the fleet, that she might not-. No. She was strong. She- He looked up. "What do you mean, 'since you departed?'"

"Captain Riker didn't tell you?" Janeway said. She made a gesture of "boy did I screw up." "I'm sure he had a good reason," but before the words even finished Luke had turned and stormed back into the room where Riker and Laforge were talking.

"You knew about Seven," Luke demanded.

Riker looked uncomfortable. "Yes," he said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Luke demanded.

"Mr. Skywalker," Riker said, "I'm in the middle-"

"Answer me!"

Riker looked hard at him. "Geordi, step outside." Laforge complied. "Mr. Skywalker, you're a guest on my ship. I appreciate all your assistance, but you'd better not forget that fact."

"You haven't answered my question," Luke said darkly.

"I didn't tell anyone," Riker said firmly. "I knew we were going on an extended mission, and worrying about one of our colleagues wasn't going to help us get the job done."

"We had a right to know!" Luke insisted.

Riker stared at him in confusion. "What brought this on? Wait..." He took his seat and stared at the wall for a while. Luke's anger slipped into despair and grief. "The Borg Cube. It wasn’t our fear you sensed, it was Seven’s, just after nearly being assimilated." Luke said nothing, and Riker shook his head. "You care a great deal about her, don't you... that’s what happened, isn’t it. Because of her, you lost control." Luke didn’t answer, but it was clear he didn’t need to. Riker sighed. "If I'd known, Luke, I would have told you. I'm sorry." Luke said nothing, and Riker must have seen how distraught he'd become. "The fleet's rendezvousing at DS13, where she's staying," he said.

Luke nodded. "Good," he said. "Good..." He turned to leave, but Riker stopped him.

"You remember Kalib mentioning that prophecy about opening that citadel on the Borg homeworld?" Riker asked. Luke nodded. "He included the full version in the data he provided before we parted ways." He shook his head. "I'm not normally one for prophecies, but this is downright scary." He held up the PADD and read it aloud. "'I saw an alien, with hair like amber and eyes of blue - the touched one. An orphan, in part. The mother is dead, the father gone, a child raised by strangers, trying to escape the legacy of evil. This child will be touched with powers beyond understanding, and strive to be pure in spite of the shadows of the past.'"

Luke cleared his throat. "That does sound a little familiar, doesn't it."

Riker nodded. "It goes on. 'The touched one knows the Borg must be stopped, and will bend every thought to it. But the first attempt will fail, for the child was not truly ready. But then the time will come and the child will know how to open the door, and in so doing, the evil of the Borg will be forever ended.'" He lowered the PADD. "I'm not normally inclined to believe such things," he admitted, "but given what I know about the Force, it is certainly possible that this prophet of theirs could have foreseen our arrival on the planet."

Luke nodded. "There were many prophecies of the Jedi in times of old," he explained. "This is comparable with the level of detail many included."

Riker nodded, but there was an element to it that implied he was a little out of his depth. "There's more, though if it is about you, I'm not sure you want to hear it." He looked to Luke, who nodded, and took up the PADD. "'But do not be fooled, for the door holds back the ancient evil of the Collective, yet it is the only doorway that leads to the means of victory. But that victory will only come at a terrible cost, as the sins of the dark father are visited on the son. Yet this must happen, for if it is not then the Borg and the spider will consume all things, and cast darkness across galaxies known and unknown. They have grown too strong now... only another evil, born of light but consumed by hate, can hope to overcome it. And the child, champion and savior of all, will find no joy in victory, only tears... standing alone.'"

Luke looked into Riker's face, then turned and left without comment. Let them prophecy, he thought grimly. Right now the Borg are the furthest thing from my mind.
--------------------------------------------------------------

A large fleet of Ssi-Ruuk ships was battling a handful of Star Destroyers at the Hhhyll System when suddenly the enemy ships turned and vanished into hyperspace. The Ssi-Ruuk weren’t surprised why the Imperials would want to flee from their superiors, but it certainly wasn’t in character with what they had been up to.

And then they checked their sensor records, and they saw it. A secret message, encrypted of course, but childishly simple to the advanced Ssi-Ruuk mind. What they read filled them with excitement and bloodlust. Apparently their campaign of terror was working; the Emperor himself had commanded a large fleet to come and protect him from the Ssi-Ruuk forces at the Noad System. At last, it was their chance for revenge against his betrayal. A scoutship was sent, confirming the presence of the Imperial fleet, many many ships to be sure, but the Ssi-Ruuk would triumph. All the warriors gathered their forces and prepared for the final assault that would bring them the vengeance they had been seeking for so long.
--------------------------------------------------------------

“Well,” Kira asked, unable to believe everything she’d been told. “What’s the situation with Quark?”

Lt. Barclay shrugged. “He’s obviously a bit shaken up by all this. He was programmed to accept his own existence; this has caused some serious conflict problems within his program.” He turned back to the display for a moment. “He’s remarkable; probably the most advanced isomorphic projection I’ve ever encountered.”

“Who made it?” she asked. “And why? Why create a simulation of a Ferengi bartender?”

“Ah, I think I can answer the second, if not the first.” Kira was a little surprised with the lieutenant. He seemed much more at ease than he had been in previous discussions. Apparently he found discussing holograms relaxing. “His perceptions have been set up into a program matrix, in essence recording all of his experiences. It seems to me that someone wanted to keep an eye on things here on this station. And in retrospect he’s the perfect choice; he’s a shopkeeper with a reputation, he blends into the background unnoticed, and as a Ferengi there’s no need to worry about telepaths growing suspicious.”

“In other words,” Kira said, “He was a spy.”

“Well,” Barclay began, and then floundered. He shrugged, “Yes.”

“This raises another question,” Lando said. “What does this have to do with Boba Fett? Remember, Quark had some kind of dealing with him.”

“Ah, I checked into that, Mr. Calrissian,” Barclay said. “Apparently Quark’s memory of that entire exchange has been erased.”

“So,” Lando said, “It seems we’ve got more questions than we do answers.”

“Not for much longer,” Kira said with determination. “I don’t like spies on my station. We are going to get to the bottom of this.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

Ackbar was restless as he paced the bridge of Home One, wondering just what was going on now that they were hundreds of light-years from the nearest Republic world. This was a mistake, he thought; ultimatum or not I shouldn’t have listened to him. We’ve got to take the battle to the Ssi-Ruuk, that’s the only way to eliminate them so they could focus their attention on the Borg.

Thrawn entered the Bridge quite calmly, which antagonized Ackbar to no end. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. “You should be in command position on your ships for the battle, if there even is one.”

“Oh there will be, admiral,” Thrawn replied evenly. “Although we don’t have too much to worry about.” He climbed up the ladder to the elevated portion of the bridge and looked at the mass of ships, Republic and Imperial side by side. “It’s good to see us working together again; united children of our galaxy defending it against these invaders.”

“Yes, wonderful,” Ackbar replied. “Now can we prepare for the battle...”

“There’s nothing to prepare,” Thrawn said. “Everything’s already been set into motion.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you read much Federation culture?” he asked plainly.

“No,” Ackbar said with impatience.

“Let’s just call this a variation on the Trojan Horse,” Thrawn replied. “Except we’ve tricked the Ssi-Ruuk into the horse.”

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

“It’s not important,” Thrawn said, dismissing it. “Just be prepared to move out the fleet on my signal.”

“Your signal,” Ackbar said. “I command this fleet; we agreed on that.”

“And you do,” Thrawn replied. “And that’s why I’m asking you to order the fleet to move.”

“When?” Ackbar demanded.

“Sir,” Thaneespi said excitedly, “A Ssi-Ruuk fleet is coming out of hyperspace! It’s- It’s enormous!”

“My word,” Ackbar said in shock as he saw the distant ships like a swarm of locusts in space. Could they destroy that many? he thought.

“I think now would be a good time,” Thrawn said.

“What?”

“Move out the fleet, admiral.”

“What are you talking about? The Ssi-Ruuk are here. We’ve got to try and stop them.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Thrawn said. He looked at his chronometer. “And I do suggest for all our sakes that you hurry and give the order.”

“No more games Thrawn,” Ackbar said angrily. “What’s going on?”

“The Ssi-Ruuk are trying to destroy us,” Thrawn said quickly. “And they’ll succeed if you don’t give that order.”

Ackbar was livid but he had no choice. With anger he ordered Thaneespi to tell all ships to move to lightspeed. The fleet was quick to respond, disappearing from reality, but it was only temporary; the Ssi-Ruuk would pursue them to their destination and...

“Sir! We’ve detected an interdiction field!”

“How many ships have we lost?” Ackbar said quickly.

“None sir,” Thaneespi replied. “It appeared after we’d already left.”

Ackbar eyed Thrawn suspiciously. “What’s going on?”

“I told you,” Thrawn said. “We’ll let the two fight it out.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you pay attention to what was going on on that map?” Thrawn asked with surprise. “If all goes well, we should have this problem taken care of for us.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Ssi-Ruuk ship watched the Imperials disappear, a surprising turn to say the least. That left the Emperor undefended on the planet. A just turn, they thought, the betrayer betrayed by his own troops. They moved to engage the planet when they saw the truth: there was no one there. The planet was lifeless. Instead a device was broadcasting false lifesign readings. What was happening?

Suddenly there were more ships and the Ssi-Ruuk were surrounded. Very well, they would pay for their interference. And then they received the communication.

“We are the Borg. Resistance is futile. Your existence as it has been is over. From this time forward you will service us.”

The Ssi-Ruuk ships scoffed at the threat, but were amazed at how resilient these ships were; after only a few hits their weapons were causing little or no damage. After a few minutes they realized that their forces were being overrun; despite their numerical superiority these Borg were overwhelming them. A call for retreat was ordered, but their hyperdrives wouldn’t function. It was impossible; these Borg were inferior! Inferior! “You cannot stop us!” one of the commanders shouted over the communications array at them. “We are the Ssi-Ruuk! We are superior!”

“Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own,” the Borg replied. “You will add to our perfection.”

And despite their words of bravado, the Ssi-Ruuk began to panic. They had never faced an enemy like this before. They were unrelenting, unmerciful. They didn’t just destroy their ships, they tore them to pieces and swallowed them up. Several Ssi-Ruuk ships tried to escape at sublight speeds, but they were quickly surrounded and devoured as well.

The commander of one of the last ships realized their situation, and decided to take action. The self-destruct was ordered on the ship as he carefully opened a large container, pulling out a rock strapped to an antigrav pad, one of the remains of his homeworld. Perhaps, he thought, perhaps if I die here, with it, I’ll be saved. He watched with surprisingly little emotion as the ship’s reactor began charging to overload. Then he heard the noise, like a descending swirl sound. Three creatures had appeared on the bridge of the ship. Were these the Borg? What were they doing here? He pulled out his weapon and fired at the tall one, causing it to stop for a moment; then it continued towards him while the other two moved towards the controls. “No!” he said, realizing what they were doing, and he fired again and again, but to his astonishment the weapon stopped in the air before reaching the beast. It plucked him up off the remains of his world and held him in the air before its lifeless face. Monster, he thought as he looked at the strange beast, part machine, part animal, and it had three legs?! “Put me down,” he insisted. “We are the superior! We are-“ his voice was cut off by the tubes that entered his throat. He was dropped twitching to the floor, unable to move voluntarily. He watched in horror as the reactor began to stabilize thanks to the other monsters that had arrived. No, he would not die today, a fact he learned to his horror.

It took less than an hour for the remains of the Ssi-Ruuk fleet to be rounded up and absorbed into the collective. Billions had been added, many new technologies already being integrated into the Borg collective, moving them closer and closer to perfection. When Anansi returned to them they agreed that the mission had been a success. The Borg were now that much closer to their goal of perfection.

Now was the time for the final phase to begin.