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

[Crayz9000]

I still shudder thinking of how Thrawn was playing Ackbar to his advantage in setting the Ssi-Ruuvi up... and of course the thought of the Borg with Ssi-Ruuvi technology is always a scary thought. Not that I haven't seen it before, but it's still scary

[Crazedwraith]

Excellant. For once I can't think of anything to nitpick.

[Sonnenburg]

I still shudder thinking of how Thrawn was playing Ackbar to his advantage in setting the Ssi-Ruuvi up... and of course the thought of the Borg with Ssi-Ruuvi technology is always a scary thought. Not that I haven't seen it before, but it's still scary

Thanks. Fear is a powerful ally.

[Sonnenburg]

Excellant. For once I can't think of anything to nitpick.

w00t!

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXVIII


After the long patrol of the delta quadrant, the fleet of Federation ships was finally able to return to their home in the Alpha Quadrant. Their single battle had been a victory, but there was little jubilation in their return, save for the chance to see loved ones for the first time in a great while. The fact was, they didn’t so much withdraw as run off with their tail between their legs. The data the Enterprise had uncovered about the new Borg ship had shown just how dangerous this war had become.

And of course, not all casualties had been on the front lines. Their area of Sickbay had been closed off so that Picard could visit without risk of being seen. He'd known for a long time what had happened, but the sight of her, unconscious and in that hospital gown with no sign of thought, moved him to despair. "I'm so sorry, Seven," he said quietly. "This is all my fault... If I hadn't warned Thrawn-"

“Then the Federation would have been assimilated,” Riker said. “Jean-luc, don’t blame yourself. You had no choice. It was the Borg that did this to her, not you.” He put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "She'll understand," he said. "You know her well enough to know that."

Picard shook his head. "That doesn't make it any easier."

“Jean-luc,” came a surprised voice. Leia entered giving Picard a gentle embrace. “We’d almost given up on you.”

“I’m pleased to say such sentiments were premature,” he said with a smile to Leia. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see if there was anything I could do,” she said, looking at Seven. "Unfortunately, I seem to be just as stuck as everyone else."

"A room full of experts left scratching their heads," Janeway said with a shake of her head. "Even Mr. Skywalker had thought he could do something, but apparently..."

"She's beyond even our reach," Leia said gravely. She'd run into Luke on his way out; she'd sensed his grief before she'd even laid eyes on him. It confirmed what she'd suspected for a while, and made her feel all the more guilty. This was Leia's project, and it had taken her away from him.

Before the discussion could continue, the sound of shouting was heard from an adjoining room. Curious, the small group stepped in to see Dr. Bashir, Borui, and the Doctor arguing.

“What you’re trying to do is unethical, not to mentioning sickening,” Bashir said.

“The ethos is to save the patient,” the Doctor replied. “Anything that accomplishes that is ethical, and good medicine.”

“She isn’t some kind of android you can turn on and off at a whim!” Bashir said. “It’s de-humanizing.”

“I resent your implication,” the Doctor shot back. “The fact is this can solve everything.”

“This could kill her!”

“She’d be no worse off,” Borui interjected.

“Oh, don’t start that again,” Bashir replied.

“Excuse me,” Janeway said over the din. “What’s going on?”

“Just a meeting of the minds,” Borui muttered. “Three deciding how to restore a fourth.”

“Captain,” the Doctor said, stepping over to Janeway, “I think I’ve found a way to restore Seven’s neural activity.”

“How?” Riker asked.

“It’s a technique similar to one I saw the Borg attempt before. It uses her implants to stimulate the synapses and restore cognitive function.”

“Borg technology,” Bashir replied. “It’s an abomination, not to mention dangerous.”

“What are the risks?” Picard asked.

The Doctor was silent. “Death,” Bashir finally said. “The procedure fails and it will cause the neural failure to spread to the cerebellum and medula, which means complete collapse of all necessary life functions.”

“The fact is,” the Doctor said, “we’ve run out of options. None of our techniques have made even the slightest headway. This is our final choice: try this procedure or let her remain in the coma.”

“That’s oversimplifying the case, and you damn well know it,” Bashir replied. “It’s true she may never recover, but we don’t know that for sure. What we do know is that there is a very real chance attempting this procedure will kill her, and that is unethical.”

“You don’t know her,” the Doctor said. “I can tell you that if she were able to she’d tell us to go ahead with the procedure. She values her mind too much to be trapped like this.”

“It’s not your decision to make,” Bashir retorted.

“No, it’s not,” Borui said, interrupting the tirade. She stepped past the two up to Riker. “It’s yours.” She looked over at the body, just lying there on the bed. “You wanted to make the big decisions. You wanted to decide whether to put her in a situation with great risk. Well, here’s your chance. Do we do the procedure, risk her life to try and save it, or do you decide that now’s the time to play it safe, and see if maybe she’ll come out of it on her own? Your decision got her into this captain; now it falls to you to decide how to get her out.”

Picard could see the weight of the responsibility on his former first officer’s shoulders. It wasn’t an easy decision to make. “I’ll take it under advisement,” Riker finally replied. “You’ll have an answer tomorrow.”

“No disrespect intended captain,” Borui said. “But I do hope this decision is a hell of a lot better than your last one.” And she pushed past him and walked out.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Admiral Ackbar appeared over the holonet, the shimmering bluish-green shape capturing his severe annoyance perfectly. “Can I help you, admiral?” Thrawn said as he took the datapad from the deck officer and gave it a scan.

“Why are you calling back your ships?” Ackbar demanded. “You promised you would help us.”

“And I did,” Thrawn said, handing back the datapad and giving Admiral Ackbar his full attention. “We’ve broken the Borg blockade and rid you of the Ssi-ruuk threat. Is that not progress?”

“Yes, and we are grateful,” Ackbar replied. “But the war is far from over. The Borg still menace our worlds; we must stop them before they build up their forces.”

“I understand,” Thrawn said, “And I wish you the best of luck in your battles to come.”

“You can do better than that,” Ackbar said. “With your help, we can finish off the Borg-”

“The Borg are scattered throughout the galaxy,” Thrawn interrupted. “To find them all will take time, and I’m afraid I have none left.”

“What will it take to convince you to join us?” Ackbar asked. “What do you want?”

“Admiral! You speak as if we were mercenaries! We came for humanitarian reasons, not personal gain, but we cannot afford to lose sight of our situation. The fact is, these ships aren’t mine to gamble with, they belong to the citizens of the Empire, and right now the Borg are making several threatening moves against them. I have no choice; the first duty of this fleet is to defend the Empire. The trust they put in us is not taken lightly, and I refuse to abuse my position by continuing this campaign when their lives are at stake.”

“Is there nothing that can change your mind?” Ackbar pleaded.

“I’m truly sorry admiral. My hands are tied.”

“Then you may have doomed us all.”

“We have defeated one of your enemies and broken the blockade. If you wish to ignore our contributions to your war effort, fine, but don’t expect us to feel the least bit guilty about withdrawing.”

Ackbar’s hologram disappeared, and the small group of Star Destroyers moved to rendezvous with the larger fleet. Good, Thrawn thought as they slipped into hyperspace. Things are moving exactly as they should; after all this time, it’s almost complete.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Luke was playing with his drink absent-mindedly when Han strolled up. His old friend was probably there to try and cheer him up; it looked like he’d have his work cut out for him. “How were things in the delta quadrant?” he asked as he turned a chair around and sat down next to Luke.

Luke shrugged. “Met an alien. Faced the Borg. The usual.”

“Whoa, don’t get too excited there, they’ll have security throw us out.” The small jab failed to get any response out of Luke. He knew Han was only trying to help, but that only made him feel worse for not feeling better. Truth of the matter was, he didn’t want to feel better. There was a big emptiness inside that he couldn’t fill, and despite how much it made him hurt he didn’t want that to go away.

“You'll know what to do,” she had said. “Promise you won’t give up on me.”

But the problem was that he didn't know what to do! There was no brain activity, no sign of any thoughts at all in her head. During the brief time together he hadn’t felt anything from her at all; what could he do? Even the greatest artists in the world can’t paint with nothing to work on.

“Look,” Han said as sympathetically as he could, “I know you’re feeling pretty lousy with what happened with the commander, but you can’t keep beating yourself up over it. It’s not your fault what happened, and Jedi or not, you can’t solve all the problems in the universe.”

“I don’t want to solve all the problems in the universe,” Luke said. “I just wanna solve this one.”

Han leaned back a little. “All right,” he said with clear exhaustion in his voice.

“All right what?” Luke said, wondering what the Corellian was up to.

“You win,” Han said. “We’ll get her out of this brain-dead thing. Don’t ask me how we’re going to do it, but we will.”

Luke looked at him quizzically “Are you drunk?”

“No,” Han replied, “But I know you’re just like your sister, and when her mind’s set on something there’s nothing that can be done but go ahead with it. So you tell me what we need to do to help her out and I’ll be there Luke.”

Luke smiled at him. He didn’t hurt any less, but he remembered that there were other things in his life he needed to keep in mind. “Thanks.”

At that moment Lando came over with a drink in each hand, placing one in front of Han as he sat down. “Sorry,” he said, “Business has been kinda busy.”

“Where’s Quark?” Luke asked.

“Yeah, where is particle man?” Han said, taking a sip of his drink.

“Oh, he’s in the holomatrix right now,” Lando replied. “Not too keen on coming in to work today.”

“Holomatrix?” Luke asked with some surprise.

“Oh, didn’t I mention it?” Han said. “Turns out Quark’s just a hologram. Looks like he was set up to spy on Federation personnel, but nobody knows by who.”

Luke’s hand froze half-way to his mouth. A spy. Here, on Deep Space 13. The place where the array is controlled. The most likely place for someone to learn of its existence. He sprang to his feet almost knocking over the table, his Jedi senses keened to a razor sharp alertness.

Garak.

Luke pulled out his lightsaber as he ran towards the wall, people scattering out of the way as he approached. Three quick slashes in the wall and a large triangle fell into a secret room, shielded from internal sensors, which he jumped into without a second thought. The Cardassian was already on his feet and he aimed the disruptor and fired, but Luke caught it easily with his blade, reflecting it into the wall. During all this Luke didn’t miss a beat as he stormed across the room, radiating rage with every step. Garak’s weapon leapt out of his hand and through the air, Luke’s lightsaber slicing it in half to hit the ground with a quiet clanging sound. Garak tried slipping past him, but Luke punched him across the face so hard he stumbled back. Garak must've understood Luke's expression, because for once the façade was gone, and there was actually a bit of fear in his voice. “Now, now,” Garak began saying as he backed up towards the console he’d been seated at, “there’s no need for violence Mr. Skywalker.”

Luke turned off his lightsaber but he refused to back away from the cowering shape of Garak. “It was you wasn’t it,” Luke said as he seethed. “You told the Empire all about the project.”

“What project?” Garak said innocently. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking ab-“

“Shut up!” Luke screamed at him. The denial only made it worse. The thought of her, lying in that bed with no way of knowing if she'd recover, made it too much to bear. And this stupid slimy Cardassian was playing games with him?! “No more lies! You think I fought for your planet to have you stab me in the back?!!!”

“Luke, I assure you th- *ack*” he lurched backwards and grasped at his throat.

“Shut UP!!!” Luke’s face was a twisted mask of hatred as he held his hand out towards Garak. “SithSPAWN!" And Garak's body spasmed. "It’s all your FAULT!” Another spasm, as if he physically had his hands around the Cardassian's neck. "I had time!" he shouted. "YOU TOOK IT AWAY!!!"

Suddenly Han was shaking him, a momentary distraction that was all Luke needed. Garak fell to the floor gasping for air as Luke felt his head swim. Again. He’d let it happen again. “You all right?” Han asked him with genuine concern. Luke looked over at him with pain and guilt in his eyes. “What’s happening?” he said with disbelief.

“Don’t even think of moving,” Lando said as he pointed a phaser at Garak. “So, you’re the guy.”

“I’ve no idea what you mean, sir.”

“Hey, I don’t need Jedi skills to know you’re lying through what’s left of your teeth. You were the one who attacked me in my quarters.” He raised the phaser. “You tried to kill me.”

“I was only trying to persuade you to leave,” Garak replied, holding his hands up towards Lando.

“You okay?” Han asked Luke. Luke nodded, and Han stepped away towards Garak. “You’re going to talk to Col. Kira, and you’re going to tell her everything you told the Empire about things that went on on this station.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Garak replied.

Han stopped and had this strange look of confusion on his face. “Are, are you saying no?”

“I did say that.”

Han grabbed Garak's shoulder and pulled him next to him like they were best buds. When he spoke, it was so low only the two of them could hear it. "Take a look at that," he said, nodding towards Luke. "This is what he's like when he's just upset. Imagine what he's going to do if he really gets angry. See Garak, these Jedi, they're not like you and me. They take all that emotion and they shove it down deep to maintain control, but when you push them too far, well, you've no idea how hard they can push back." He offered a nasty grin. "So, let's go over there and tell him that you're saying no. Let's see how he reacts. If you're lucky, he'll just kill you."

"You're not fooling anyone, Solo."

"Garak, the man eats Death Star's for breakfast!" Han said. "He helped bring down the Emperor himself. You think your people even have a chance against him?" He shook his head. "If I were you, I'd do my best to stay on his good side... because God knows that if that girl in Sickbay dies, he's going to be looking for someone to dump that rage on, and I sure as hell wouldn't want that someone to be me."

Garak looked at Luke. Luke seemed visibly upset with himself. Thinking back to the time they worked together, he'd never seen Luke get angry or upset about anything, no matter how bad the news, no matter what the setbacks, he was always in control. Now Garak had seen him lose control, and he had to admit, it was a frightening picture. The look on his face as he'd choked him there... it wasn't Luke's face, it was someone else's, a man Garak hoped like hell he'd never see again. "Very well," he said, holding his hands up.

"Lando," Han said, and Lando came and escorted Garak out to station security. Luke hadn't moved since he'd snapped out of it; Han went over to him. "Luke," he said, and Luke finally looked up at him. "Go to Sickbay," he said. "Tell her everything. Doesn't matter if she can hear you or not, tell her."

Luke let out a small, weak chuckle. In his own way, Han was one of the smartest men he'd ever met. He left and entered Sickbay. The Doctor was the only one on hand, and he must've figured out he needed to be alone with her. Luke sat at her side and looked at her. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he whispered. "Inside, outside; you are unique." His breath quivered as it came out. "I'd do anything to make you better, Seven," he said. "It... It happened again. I know why. I know why it happened at the wormhole too. Anger, fear... powerful emotions. You're the only one that can draw them out of me like this." He took her hand. "Because you're the only one I love like this," he said. He cradled the limp hand between both of his own. "Please come back." He bit his lip and screwed his eyes shut, trying to control his emotions, but it was so hard. "Please come back."

[Arrow]

Hahahaha! Sucks to be Garak. Its good to see him have to deal with the results of his actions, instead of ducking out like he always seems to.

[Dalton]

Hm, and Luke slips into the Dark Side again. I like his eventual downfall, because in this case it does make sense. He follows in his father's footsteps.



Hey, did General Martok ever make an appearance? You simply must include one of the most badass Klingon warriors ever.

[Crazedwraith]

Chancellor Martok makes an appearance IIRC. He uses one of those huge Negh'var Ships to Ram an Imperial vessel. IIRC then again that could have been a different fic...

Very nice Chapter, Sonnenburg, Poor Luke, so doomed to failure and evil...

[Dalton]

That does sound familiar, but I think that was StarCrossed.

[Ghost Rider]

Well, as we know Garak and Lando...and even Han manage to somehow keep their heads sorta above water.

And Luke's descent has always been a good one, better still the woman he chases has a body .

[Sonnenburg]

Hahahaha! Sucks to be Garak. Its good to see him have to deal with the results of his actions, instead of ducking out like he always seems to.

And in this case, he certainly bit off more than he could chew.

Hm, and Luke slips into the Dark Side again. I like his eventual downfall, because in this case it does make sense. He follows in his father's footsteps.

I guess that spoiler's out of the bag.

Hey, did General Martok ever make an appearance? You simply must include one of the most badass Klingon warriors ever.

Martok makes two appearances that I can recall.

Chancellor Martok makes an appearance IIRC. He uses one of those huge Negh'var Ships to Ram an Imperial vessel. IIRC then again that could have been a different fic...

This is not one I recall.

Very nice Chapter, Sonnenburg, Poor Luke, so doomed to failure and evil...

Thanks!
Poor, dumb Jedi bastard....

Well, as we know Garak and Lando...and even Han manage to somehow keep their heads sorta above water.

And Luke's descent has always been a good one, better still the woman he chases has a body .

Thanks!

[consequences]

That does sound familiar, but I think that was StarCrossed.

Fist of the Empire is where I'm absolutely certain it happened.

Edit: Oh yeah, and kill Janeway already.

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXIX


William T. Riker, captain of the flagship of the Federation, looked awful. He’d seen it when he’d finally gotten out of his bed in the middle of the night and put on his uniform, deciding that sleep just wasn’t going to happen to him tonight. There were, of course, a thousand things on his mind, and so he’d decided the only thing to do was to start unburdening himself a little.

He’d given the issue of Seven of Nine a lot of thought. Borui, cavalier though she was, was at least right about him being responsible for the situation, and as her commanding officer it fell to him to decide what should be done. It hadn’t been easy, but he knew Seven too, and agreed with the Doctor; this wasn’t what she wanted. She would take the chance to get her mind back, regardless of the risk. That made the decision a little easier, but not much.

As he stepped from the quiet corridors of Deep Space 13 into Sickbay he noticed Luke was on hand as well. Not surprising; he'd be here if it were Deanna even long after their relationship had ended. The Doctor, who was always present, stepped over from the replicator. “I take it you’re not here for a sedative.”

“How soon can you begin the procedure?” Riker asked, his voice sounding a little hoarse.

“Everything’s prepared,” the Doctor said. “We can begin as soon as you wish.”

Riker, thought about his choice. This was his last chance to change his mind. “Do it,” he said.

“Sickbay to Dr. Bashir,” the Doctor said, tapping his communicator.

The exhausted voice of DS13’s resident physician came over the comm. “What is it?”

“We’re moving ahead with the operation on Seven of Nine,” Bashir said. “Capt. Riker has approved the procedure; I thought you’d want to be here.”

“Give me a few minutes,” Bashir said. “Don’t start without me.”

“What’s going on?” Luke asked as the Doctor entered one of the adjoining rooms to retrieve some equipment.

“We’re going to try and bring her back,” Riker said.

Luke looked at him in a way that made him uncomfortable. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Riker sighed; there was no fooling the Jedi. “There is a chance the procedure could kill her. But we have hope that she’ll make a full recovery.”

Luke’s look slowly descended to Seven of Nine. There was such a pained expression on his face, like nothing Riker had ever seen from him before. He was normally so emotionally restrained, it was rather out of character. “If hope is all I have,” he finally said, “Then I’ll take it.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

Admiral Nemit carefully entered Thrawn’s office. He didn’t like having to do this, in fact he would have preferred sending some poor officer to go in his place, but unlike previous leaders of the Empire, Thrawn didn’t kill the messenger, he killed the responsible party. At least by taking the time to come down personally he’d be showing him the seriousness of the situation, which might help curb the grand admiral’s anger.

He cleared his throat as Thrawn stared at a twirling Borg ship, a pyramid in this case. Strangely, there was no movement from him, leaving Nemit with little to do but wait. Almost a minute passed, and he began to worry. “Sir?” he said cautiously. He stepped around, the desk; Thrawn’s eyes were wide open, but there was no sign of anything. By the Sith, Nemit thought, he’s dead!

“I said I was not to be disturbed,” Thrawn said, causing Nemit to jump backwards in shock. The admiral quickly tried to compose himself under Thrawn’s displeased stare; it wasn’t easy. It went beyond more inconvenience; it was clear Nemit had interrupted something important.

“I’m sorry sir,” he said, “But Governor Nellia of Chandrilla has contacted us over the holonet, and wanted to speak with you personally.” With a sigh Thrawn stood up as Nemit continued. “Chandrilla is, was, the homeworld for Mon Mothma; their addition to the Empire would certainly lend credence to our expanding support in our galaxy.”

“Yes, it would,” Thrawn said. “Very well, all is forgiven, this time.” Nemit relaxed slightly; he hadn’t had to face combat in a while, but he’d felt as if he just survived a dangerous battle. He returned to his office to continue processing the new applicants to the Empire as Thrawn traveled to the holotheater.

“Governor,” Thrawn said as politely as he could. “I understand you wished to speak with me.”

“Yes,” Gov. Nellia said. “First, the people of Chandrilla wish to thank you for your protection of our world during these dark times. The ships you kept helped repel a second Borg invasion of our world, and I’ve no doubt we would have been destroyed had it not been for their intervention.”

“We are only too glad to be of assistance,” Thrawn said.

“Your ships have recently withdrawn,” Gov. Nellia continued, “leaving our world vulnerable to further attacks.”

“Yes, I regret this turn of events,” Thrawn said, “But unfortunately I can no longer afford to continue these humanitarian efforts. The first duty of Imperial ships is to protect Imperial citizens, and we simply don’t have the resources to defend others outside our territory any more.”

“I understand that over four hundred worlds have already joined the Empire here in our galaxy,” Gov. Nellia said.

“Something like that,” Thrawn said. “I have administrators who handle those details. I am merely a soldier, madam; I concern myself with the defense of the people.”

“The leaders of Chandrilla have considered joining your Empire,” Gov. Nellia continued. “Naturally we are concerned about rushing into an agreement. The Empire does not have a very good record of considering the rights of its citizens.”

“Yes, and that lesson was learned the hard way,” Thrawn replied. “And learned we have; the members of the New Empire enjoy a much more free way of life than was allowed under the Old Empire. We strike a balance; the Old Empire was clearly flawed in its tyranny and relentless drive of conquest, while the New Republic, if you’ll pardon my presumption, was flawed in its lack of proper government coordination and defense. We will take the best of both, and dispense with the worst. And I believe that our record against the Borg, who took down the New Republic in one stroke, speaks volumes on that score.”

“Will you be instituting conscription?” Gov. Nellia asked.

“We may be forced to resort to it,” Thrawn admitted. He knew the high value Chandrillians placed on honesty in negotiation, he’d paid close attention to it in his studies. “Our ships are useless without a crew to fly them, and we need ships to adequately defend ourselves against the Borg. However, I can promise you that this would only be for the duration of the war; but I’m afraid that for now it is necessary.”

Nellia nodded. “I must speak of this before the House of Governors,” she said, “But I believe that Chandrilla needs the Empire, admiral. And I believe that it has changed. I have no doubt that we’ll be filing our application for membership before the day is out.”

“In that case, I look forward to further service of your great world,” Thrawn said, and the holotransmission ended. His smile vanished, and he walked thoughtfully back towards his office. Did Nemit suspect anything, he thought briefly before dismissing it. The man was a gifted administrator, but clever he was not. He returned to his office and looked at the latest report by the admiral; it confirmed that no less than four hundred thirteen worlds in this galaxy had joined the Empire. He put down the datapad as the wheels of his mind turned. His projections had shown it would take well over a year for this many to join the Empire. Things were moving with mind-boggling speed. It was good fortune, but Thrawn hadn’t found his way to this position by relying on fortune.

“General Yularen,” he said into the comm. “I want a detailed report on all unusual activity within the New Republic. Use all available resources; I want it by the end of the week.” He sat back in his chair, thinking as he watched the spinning Borg Pyramid. Something is interfering with my plans, he thought as his eyes narrowed. Helping me. Perhaps it is just fortune, but if it is more I must know. Could they know of his involvement with the Borg? No, surely they would interfere if they did. The only one who’d ever learned of it was dead anyway, he’d seen to that. Pity that, he thought for a moment, Picard had at least something of a brain, at least for a human. He closed his eyes and resumed his connection to the Collective; there was still much work to do.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Bashir, surprisingly alert for 0300, entered sickbay, walking past Luke and Riker to where the Doctor waited with the tray of instruments. “You’re certain this is what you want to do?” Bashir asked Riker.

“Yes,” Riker said with a quiet exhale, his eyes never leaving her.

“Computer,” the Doctor said, “Activate holographic brainscan.” Immediately an enlarged image of a human brain floated off to the side, color coded according to some scale Luke didn’t understand. A slow pulsing noise was heard and Luke saw it coinciding with the chart over her bed, a life monitor, he thought. Her beats were agonizingly slow, presumably from her catatonic state.

“Begin recording,” Bashir said. “Patient is Lt. Comm. Seven of Nine, suffering from a complete collapse of all synaptic activity. No signs of higher or lower level cognitive functions. The patient has several Borg implants throughout her cerebrum which we will attempt to use to re-initiate her cognitive functions. Time of operation beginning at 03:12.”

The Doctor carefully selected a long, slender device with two bent pieces of metal coming off it. With absolute care he held it over a portion of her head, and a quiet buzzing sound was heard. On the holographic display a portion of her brain that was colored pink now flared to yellow and then a light green color.

“Implant one complete,” the Doctor said.

“No synaptic activity,” Bashir said. “Vitals remain steady.”

Carefully the Doctor placed the device on a different area of her head. Again there was a change in the hologram, but no report of brain activity despite whatever changes the display was showing. The Doctor repeated this twice more, turning most of the brain to a light green color, with a few speckles of darker green throughout. He returned the device to the table and selected another, hesitantly holding this smaller, cylindrical device over her head.

“Initiating pulse at 03:25,” the Doctor said. He activated the device and there was a hum, and he held it over her head for several seconds. Suddenly the green started changing to blue on the holodisplay.

“They’re firing,” Bashir said quickly. “Isolated, random, but there seems to be an increasing frequency.”

“Mild increase in cardiopulmonary activity,” the Doctor said, removing the device.

“The activity is starting to organize,” Bashir said anxiously. “Spreading. The synapses are appearing solid.”

Luke felt the change in her, like a glow that was growing into a star. She was coming back... After all this time, she was coming back!

Then the alarm sounded. “What’s happened?” the Doctor asked quickly.

“The paths are starting to collapse,” Bashir said. “It’s spreading! Damn, it’s spreading towards her central nervous system!” He grabbed a device off the table and pushed past the Doctor, turning Seven’s head away and pointing it to the base of her skull.

“Heart rate is erratic,” the Doctor said with worry. Bashir continued his task as the Doctor grabbed small pads from the table and placed them on her chest.

“I can’t stabilize it!” Bashir said. There was a steady tone. “Flatline,” he said with disgust.

“Defibrillation,” the Doctor said as Bashir stepped clear. There was a kind of muffled popping sound and Seven arched her back. “Nothing. Again,” and the situation repeated, again and again as Luke slowly slid away, watching her light fade to a glow and then to nothing, only to turn blurry as a tear distorted his vision. He turned and leaned against the wall in grief as the Doctor again hit the controls to no avail. All that could be heard to Luke was the sickening, even tone that filled sickbay.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The little girl looked up and saw the Doctor and Bashir working, looking quite anxious. She watched as they tried helping her, but obviously it was too late. She felt something pulling at her, telling her it was time to leave and she walked away from them, ignoring their frantic efforts. As she walked, she saw the tall man standing next to the door. "Luke," she said quietly, though it scarcely mattered; even he couldn't see her. She looked up into his face. He was in pain; he was trying hard to contain it, but she could see it in his every feature. "Don't be sad, Luke." As he watched her body he began shaking under the effort and covered his face. She could only look at him. He was without a doubt the strongest man she'd ever met. And here he was, crying. Crying for her. She felt so sorry that she was hurting him like this, and it had to hurt deeply to shake the resolve of a man who could face the Emperor unarmed and still not back down. She felt the pull grow stronger, but as she looked up into his grief-filled face she wished she could make it better. “I don’t want you to feel bad because of me,” she said. “But I have to go.”

“No, you don’t,” said a friendly voice. She turned and saw a bearded old man step over to her. That’s funny, she thought, I didn’t see him before. “Your lifeforce is strong child,” he said, bending down to her size.

She looked down at herself, then up at him. "Why am I like this?" she asked.

The old man grinned. "Isn't this what you've always been? Beneath all of the Borg conditioning, isn't this who you really are?"

She thought about it. "Yes," she admitted. She thought about his earlier words. "Does this mean I don't have to go?"

“You can if you wish,” he said. He had a kind voice, she liked it. “You can move on. I know your father is waiting for you.”

She looked down. “I miss him sometimes.”

“You can be with him,” he said. “You also can return. The Force is strong in you, child. Few have the power to make such decisions.”

“I want to be with my daddy,” she said, then she turned around and looked up at Luke. “But I don’t want him to feel bad. And I’ll miss him.”

“You must do what you feel is right child,” the old man said with a friendly smile. “Only you can make this choice, but you must decide quickly or it will be made for you. Even the most powerful in the Force cannot stray too long.”

She was quiet as she looked between her body on the table and the old man. "But... I'm afraid of the dark."

"He made you a promise," the old man said with a smile. "Do you trust him?"

"Yes," she said. “Do you think my daddy will be mad?” she asked quietly.

“No,” the old man said, “He’d want you to be happy.”

She nodded her head. “Okay.”

The pulsing beat of the machine jerked everyone’s attention to the lifesign display. It was the only sound to fill the room as they watched her heartbeat, her breathing, all her vital signs start to normalize. It had worked; somehow, it had worked.
--------------------------------------------------------------

By 0500 sickbay had become as active as if it were the middle of the day. Borui, Janeway, Leia, even Han had all come down to see the progress that had been made. It was small, but definitely something to be pleased with.

“She’s still unconscious,” the Doctor said. “But there are definite signs of brain activity now.”

“Have you tried to resuscitate her?” Janeway asked.

“We tried,” Riker said, now visibly exhausted, “Nothing happened.”

“It’s probably something psychological at this point,” the Doctor said. “Whatever caused the initial damage obviously did more than just damage her brain.”

“She’d been under psychological strain for some time before this happened,” Borui said. “It doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

“Unfortunately,” the Doctor said, “This is something I can’t treat. I’m afraid we’ll just have to wait for her to come out of it.”

“In other words,” Borui said, “You risked her life and we’re still at square one.” She paused. “Where’s Dr. Bashir?”

“Asleep,” Riker said. “There’s nothing we can do now but wait.”

Luke looked down at her, unable to believe everything that had happened over the past few days. So many emotional highs and lows, so many strange and inexplicable things. But now he was here, and things were looking a little better, although how long he could wait was a whole different matter entirely. He leaned against the wall, a little exhausted himself, distracted.

“Promise you won’t give up on me,” came her voice.

He could feel her now, deep inside her mind, trapped there in the dark. The worst was over, yes, but she still needed help. She needed someone, someone to guide her back. “I’ll be waiting for you,” her voice whispered.

“Doctor,” Luke said, “How stable is her condition?”

“Remarkably stable, all things considered.”

Luke looked at her again. Was it time? He hadn’t actually tried this before.

“What are you thinking about?” Borui asked. “You’re up to something.”

Luke looked over to her. “I want to try something. My teacher, Selvik, taught me a way to enter the mind of another who was willing.”

“You want to perform a mindmeld?” the Doctor said with an incredulous tone. “I hate to break the news to you Mr. Skywalker, but you’re not a Vulcan.”

“No I’m not,” Luke said. “I’m a Jedi, and I can do this.”

“What do you hope to accomplish?” Han asked. Even he seemed unsure of what Luke was proposing.

“I can try and find her, to help her find her way back.” Luke wet his lips, becoming more and more sure by the second. “She’s alone and scared and wants our help.”

“Luke,” Leia said with concern, “Have you done this before?”

He hesitated. “Once, with Selvik. But the principle’s the same.”

“I don’t like this,” the Doctor said. “You’ll be putting yourself at risk. Telepathic attacks can leap between minds during melds, it's very dangerous.”

“You don’t understand,” Luke said. “I promised her. I have to do this.”

“If there’s a chance that we can finally end this,” Janeway said, “and you’re willing to take the chance, I don’t see why we should stand in his way.”

“Agreed,” Riker said. The Doctor seemed unhappy, but nevertheless, it was still Riker’s decision to make.

“I told ya we’d help out,” Han said. “Anything you need before you start this?”

“I’m ready,” Luke said. And he reached for his central calm, to be at peace with the Force. Once he found it he reached out towards her, slipping gently into her imprisoned mind.

[Arrow]

Do cliff-hangers come naturally to you, or does it take practice? I swear, this story is virtual crack.

[Sonnenburg]

Do cliff-hangers come naturally to you, or does it take practice? I swear, this story is virtual crack.

Thanks! It comes from my childhood love affair of comics, I think.

[Dalton]

The Force is strong in you, child.

Seven has the Force...I totally forgot...

Hm, and Luke slips into the Dark Side again. I like his eventual downfall, because in this case it does make sense. He follows in his father's footsteps.

I guess that spoiler's out of the bag.

Er...oops

[Trogdor]

Who was the old man, Obi-Wan?

The Force is strong in you, child.

Seven has the Force...I totally forgot...

It was often overshadowed by her abilities with the nanobots.

[Sonnenburg]

The spoilers! You guys are killing me here.

Yes, it's Obi-Wan.

[Trogdor]

Well I didn't say what those abilities are, now did it?

[Sonnenburg]

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXX


Seven’s mind peeled back, layer after layer as Luke penetrated the quiet haze of her thoughts to delve deep into her psyche. She’d been driven within, and the only way to save her at this point was to go in after her. Luke did his best to calm his fears, but it wasn't easy; he knew failure would leave her in this comatose state indefinitely, maybe even the rest of her life. He pushed it aside; there was no way he was going to let that happen.

The mists finally parted, and Luke was in the lobby of a hotel. He looked about at the calm quiet features, impressed by the level of detail that had been constructed. It was a metaphor, but for what he couldn't say. Best thing to do in this situation, he knew, was to play along with it, to accept the unreality for now. He noticed the clerk at the desk, and strolled over casually. "Good afternoon,” he said. “I'm looking for Seven."

The man eyed him curiously. "You mean the seventh floor?"

"No," Luke said. "Is there an Annika Hansen staying here?"

The clerk pulled up a large ledger. "Let me check," he said, flipping through the oversized pages. "Ah, Miss Hansen is in the suite on the thirty-fifth floor. The lift should take you straight there."

Luke nodded and walked over to the lift. Finally the doors opened and he stepped inside, turning to push the button-

And there was no 35. He hesitated for a moment, and then hit the button for the thirty-fourth floor. She’s not going to make this easy for me, he thought, she's trying to keep me away. The doors opened and he stepped out. A few glances showed that, despite his hopes, there were no stairs. Alright, he thought as he approached one of the windows, time to improvise. The wind was very powerful as he forced it opened, leaning out to look at the exterior above. Yes, there was a floor there, complete with a window. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple anchors to help him scale it - in this place, he could create whatever symbols he needed to deal with the symbols placed before him. He soon pulled himself up and into the room above.

The room was quite impressive: very large, complete with a swimming pool and works of art, elaborate furniture, a fireplace, but alas, missing the one thing he'd come here for. He looked around a little, glancing at things here and there. She had been playing a game of solitaire, he noticed. She'd gotten quite far, but as often happens, she was stuck. A few moments analysis revealed the culprit: three cards were missing. "Sometimes, no matter how well you play," he commented aloud, "it seems the game is stacked against you." He continued looking around feeling a shiver from the cold draft coming in the window. He approached the fireplace to warm himself a little. Curious, he thought, the brickwork is incomplete.

"What are you doing here?" a voice asked suddenly. Luke turned around, coming face to face with a man with sandy brown hair, the young side of middle age.

"I'm looking for someone," Luke replied. "Annika Hansen."

"She doesn't want to see you," the man replied. "She wants to be left alone."

"Who are you?"

"I'm her father."

Luke understood. He was her protector, sent in to stop Luke from further poking around in her mind. This would need to be handled delicately, to try not to drive her even further into herself. "I really need to talk to her," he said. "It's important that her friends get a chance to see her."

"Well you'll have to wait," he said. "She's gone right now."

"I see," Luke said, keeping his voice calm sounding, "If this is a bad time, I can try later. When will she be back?"

Seven's father hesitated. "When she gets back she'll contact you?"

"If there was some way I could get a message to her," Luke said, "I'd greatly appreciate it. It's very important."

"Maybe you're not hearing me," he said sternly, "she's not here! She doesn't want to see you!"

"Which is it?" Luke asked calmly. He was shocked when her father grabbed him and lifted him off the ground.

"GO AWAY!" he roared, his face twisting and expanding, dominating Luke's view-

Luke took a quick intake of breath as he refocused on reality. The Doctor, as always, looked quite concerned as he continued monitoring her vitals. Leia stood nearby, ready to offer her strength if needed. Han lounged next to her, and there was Borui. Captains Janeway and Riker were still here, the former visibly agitated while the latter wore his poker face; Luke could still sense his concern. "Anything?" Riker asked.

"I don't know," Luke said. "A lot of imagery. A hotel. I'm not really sure what it all means." He explained about his trip through the hotel, the room, the card game, everything.

"Sounds like she's not playing with a full deck," Han remarked. Leia turned and gave him her "I can't believe you just said that" look. "What?"

“Wait a minute,” Borui said softly. “I think you may actually be on to something there.”

“It was a joke,” Han replied, apparently realizing that the lack of sleep had caused him to step in it, big time.

“Yes, but I think that may mean something.” She thought for a while. “Luke, we’re going to do this a little differently. When you go back, I’m going to enter your mind. You’ll be a bridge for me, that way I can give you an interpretation of what you’re seeing.”

“I thought you couldn’t do a meld.” Luke said.

“I can’t. But since you’re something of a telepath we can communicate through our thoughts. In essence, I’ll be able to interact with you, but not with Seven. I’ll be kind of like a phantom; I’ll have no impact on what’s going on.”

“Is it safe to continue?” Riker asked the Doctor.

“For Seven? The procedure hasn’t caused any noticeable changes in her physiology,” the Doctor reported. “I suppose it’s safe to continue. Of course, your danger remains, Mr. Skywalker. You could still suffer brain damage.”

“I’m not backing out now, if it’s all right, captain,” he added, turning to Riker.

Riker nodded. “Good luck,” he said.

Luke felt Borui start to reach for his mind as he reached for Seven’s. Slowly the sickbay faded away, and he returned to the top floor of the hotel, the man still in the room.

"What're you doing back here?" he demanded of Luke. Borui stood nearby, but the gentleman took no notice of her. "I told you, she doesn't want to see you."

"That's her father," Borui confirmed. "I recognize him from Starfleet records." She continued to look around at what Luke had described. "Yes," she said thoughtfully, "they're simple symbols. Crude but deliberate." She turned back to Luke. "Seven believes she's insane. She can no longer face reality and this is her testimony to it."

"It just looks like a dwelling," Luke said. "A strange one I'll admit, but I don't see any evidence of insanity."

"Han was right," Borui said. "She's not playing with a full deck. The elevator doesn't go to the top floor. She's a few bricks shy." She indicated Seven's father. "The lights are on, but nobody's home."

“Sounds like a bad joke,” Luke replied.

“Do I look like I’m laughing?” she said. “Still, some people use humor as a means of coping. This may be Seven’s way of trying to handle what’s happened to her.”

"If you're right," Luke asked, "what do we do? How can we find her?"

"You'll never find her," Seven's father said. "She doesn't want to speak to you."

Borui walked around the room slowly, taking everything in. "That may be true," she said. "But deep down, she wants help. Everyone does. There's some way to get to her, if we can find it." She stopped and looked into the darkened pool. "This is odd. Why would a hotel room have a pool in it?" She thought for a moment, then slowly smiled. "Of course. Luke, come here." The Jedi approached as Borui bent down to examine the water. "In there," she said, "That'll take us to her."

"How do you know that?" Luke asked, staring into the inky depths.

"Seven believes she's insane," Borui said, standing up. "So if you want to find her, you have to go after her.” Luke looked puzzled. “We’re in a world of symbols, remember? Logic takes a back seat here. So if you want to find Seven,” she pointed at the water, “then it’s time to go off the deep end.”

Luke stared down into the water, trying to see any evidence of what she was saying to be true. But there wasn't any choice was there. If he wanted to try to save her... he needed to take a leap of faith. He took a deep breath and stepped off the edge into the water. He felt himself sink, and was surprised by the experience. He felt like he was floating slowly down, but didn't feel wet. As he continued to slowly descend into the darkness, he realized that he didn't need to hold his breath; despite the fact that his breathing wasn't real, he could tell that drowning wasn't a possibility. He continued to sink for a long time as things continued to grow darker and darker. Finally, he couldn’t see anything at all, and that started to worry him a little. Was there really nothing left? Did the woman that he'd known, that he’d fallen in love with, disappear for good, an empty shell? But then he heard a woman's voice. He thought it was Seven's for a moment, but realized it wasn't, it didn't sound quite right. He listened as it sang softly, soothingly... a song he’d heard sung a little once before, in a vision.

"Puff the magic dragon, lived by the sea,

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee.

And little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff,

She brought him string and sealing wax and other fancy stuff. Oh,

Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea,

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee.

Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea,

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee."

The darkness broke for a moment, and Luke saw a dim shape begin to emerge. After a while it coalesced into the form of a bridge. It was the Raven, from his dream. And there, Seven's father, looking happy and cheerful, a woman by his side and a little girl. They were all smiling, and her father bent down and picked up the little girl, showing her the instruments and pointing at something that Luke couldn't see. They seemed so at peace, and as the scene played out the voice continued.

"Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail.

Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail.

Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came.

Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name."

As the refrain continued the scene slowly faded away into the darkness, but Luke again saw a shape emerging, darker this time. It slowly came into focus, and Luke recognized the creature: a Borg drone. But it took a little while longer for him to truly recognize it.

"A dragon lives forever, but..... not so little girls........" The voice stopped for a moment, then finally continued in a melancholy tone.

"Painted wings and giant strings make way for... other toys.

One grey night it happened; Jackie Paper came no more.....

And Puff... that mighty dragon.... he ceased....... his....... fear........ less................................ roar...."

Luke felt his feet touch the ground, and he walked across the darkness towards the drone. It stood stock-still in an alcove and Luke looked at it closely. On the side was a small amount of writing, barely visible among the panels and displays that covered the device. "7 of 9". Luke reached forward and turned a dial, and suddenly the lights came up. He looked around the area, a single illuminated circle surrounded by darkness. Nearby was a large safe of some kind, locked tightly with a collection of heavy chains wrapped around it. Luke was about to step over to examine it, when he saw something that pushed every other thought out of his mind. "Seven!" he exclaimed, and rushed over.

Her head hung limply as her body stood thrashed to a large pole with some kind of cabling. A metal plate surrounded her face, covering her mouth and jaw. He lifted her head, but her eyes were closed and she appeared to be unconscious.

"There you are," Borui said as she appeared by his side. "I lost you for a minute." She looked back and forth between the two individuals as Luke examined Seven's bonds. "Well, this is quite a predicament."

"Help me with this," Luke asked as he tried pulling on various cords.

"I can't interact, remember." She examined the drone in its alcove. "This is perplexing. Why is this image here? It doesn't-"

"She's awake!" Luke exclaimed as Seven's eyes snapped opened and swiveled about, trying to take in her surroundings. She began tugging at her bonds. Luke continued to examine the cables, trying to find a way to release her. Finally, he felt a large button behind the pole and pushed it, causing the wires to swirl back and leave her free. She stumbled forward, and then reached up and started pulling at the plate on her face.

"Uh, Luke," Borui said slowly. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean..." he asked, then his voice trailed off. The drone's eyes were opened, and there was a pop and hissing sound as she stepped off her alcove. She looked between Seven and Luke, but her greatest attention was on Seven.

Seven pulled off the plate and looked at 7 of 9, gasping slightly. "Explain," she demanded.

"I need to explain nothing to you," 7 of 9 replied.

"Your time is over," Seven said furiously. "I rejected you - you don't belong in my mind any more."

"This discussion is pointless," 7 of 9 said. "The Collective has the answers we both seek."

"No," Seven replied. "I'll never go back to them."

"You prefer to be small."

"I prefer to be an individual."

"Is that word synonymous with small? From all appearances I would say yes."

Luke stepped over to Borui, not sure what to believe. "What's going on?" he asked, unable to take his eyes off either one of them. "Which is the real one?"

Borui shook her head. "I really don't know."

"You are weakened by fear," 7 of 9 said. "Pain. Emotion. I feel no such limitations. I do what you cannot. Clearly I am the superior."

"You feel nothing," Seven replied in anger. "I experience things you cannot!"

"Devoting yourself to inefficient tasks. By your own admission you are falling far short of perfection."

"My God," Borui said. "I should've seen this coming."

"What?" Luke asked, desperately trying to understand the situation.

"Multiple personalities. Tuvok said that she suffered multiple personalities several years ago due to an alien device."

"You're saying this device may be doing something to her now?"

"No," Borui replied. "I should've seen this. If she already created multiple personalities to help her deal with the strain of reality, it would be a solution her mind might have turned to in times of deep psychological turmoil."

"So she's created them now in response to the Borg?"

"No," Borui replied, "I'd say the exact opposite. She had them long before the device arrived. She was the only Borg to survive exposure, and her mp's may have been the reason."

Luke couldn't believe it, but he found it hard to disagree as Seven and 7 of 9 argued right before him. "There's been nothing to suggest-"

"No, there's been plenty to suggest! A signal caused her once, to snap, attack a crewmember, steal a weapon, escape the ship and take a hostage to seek out the Borg. Does that sound like Seven, or does that sound like a drone returning to the Collective?" She turned to Luke. “Haven’t you ever seen her act almost completely human on one hand, then act almost robotic?”

Luke was about to deny it, but then he thought of the Tsunkatse arena, where she went from killing machine to being ready to die rather than take a life. “It’s hard to believe,” he finally said.

"We can probably consider it a partial case at least," Borui said, “as one personality dominated more than the other.” She turned to Luke. "You want to know who's the real Seven, I'd say a little of both." Luke walked past the two arguing women. "What're you doing?" Borui asked.

"Changing the situation," Luke remarked as he walked up to the safe. As soon as he reached it the arguing stopped.

"Cease your interference," 7 of 9 told him.

Luke prodded the lock that held the chains fast; it was bigger than his hand. He didn't have a key so he pulled an oversized lockpick out of his pocket and set to work. The lock slid open as a firm grip grabbed his arm and spun him about. "You must stop!" Seven yelled at him.

"What's in here," he demanded. "What is it that you've put in here that's so important it'll stop you two going at each other's throats?"

7 of 9 grabbed his other arm and the two tossed him away into the darkness, but he was determined now. He came back and saw Seven snapping the lock shut, 7 of 9 standing in front of the safe to protect it. "So," Luke said as Seven turned back to face him, "you two will cooperate against a common adversary, but left to your own devices you'll argue 'til the stars grow cold."

"This is none of your concern, Skywalker," 7 of 9 said.

"You're my concern!" he said in exasperation. "What's going-"

The ship was crashed, panels burst open everywhere, the floor covered with debris. "-on?" Luke said weakly.

He watched the drones slowly walk into the room, that same room he'd seen filled with love and happiness just a few minutes before. And he heard the little girl’s voice, an echo: “Are we going to be assimulated?"

Seven's father's voice answered. "Not if I can help it."

And then the little girl spoke again, and it was full of nervousness. "Papa... will it hurt to be a drone?”

And then it was gone. Seven and 7 of 9 were both disoriented, so Luke decided to make a second attempt. He tossed the chain into the darkness as they realized what was going on, but this time he stood ready against them. "You don't know what you're doing!" Seven shouted at him.

"Then tell me," Luke insisted, pushing them away as they tried to stop him, he almost had it open when he felt a hand across his face. Fortunately, even here a Jedi isn't dependent on his eyesight, and he felt the last tumbler click into place. Seven yanked him up and struck him across the face. "Leave - me - alone!"

Luke ducked as 7 of 9 tried to punch him, causing the drone to hit Seven and both of them to fall over. "I can't!" he yelled. "I can't leave you like this. I need," he grabbed the handle of the safe, "to find the answer."

7 of 9 took a step back as the door swung open, surprisingly nervous about the whole affair. Seven looked and quickly turned away. The door reached the limits of its hinges and creaked with the weight. Luke leaned down and peered in.

"Why couldn't you listen?" the little girl’s voice asked. "Why?"

"Seven?" Luke asked. He watched the shape emerge, his surprise evident.

"Annika," the little girl said. She looked up into Luke's face with sadness in her eyes....

The Borg continued their approach across the bridge of the crashed ship, Annika twisting under a panel in fear. Luke watched but could do nothing as they lumbered on. 7 of 9 grabbed the nearest drone to try and stop it, but with a slight gesture she was thrown across the room and hit the wall with the sound of crunching bones, barely slowing his gait. Seven tried giving a haymaker to the one who was the closest, but the drone grabbed her neck and plunged two assimilation tubules into her throat, pulling them free as she fell to the floor, gasping and twitching as her skin changed to a sickly gray color. They reached out for Annika and she screamed.

They stood back in the circle again, none the worse for wear. Borui walked over to Luke shaking her head. "They're protecting her," she said. "For some reason they're protecting this girl, whatever she represents."

"Could she be another personality?" Luke asked. Borui shrugged.

"Who knows. This is way more complicated than what I had imagined." She thought for a moment. "But it has something to do with that moment on the ship, that much is certain."

"Well obviously," Luke said. "That's when she was assimilated."

"No," Borui replied. "There's more than that going on here. Her fixation hasn’t been on the Borg or assimilation or anything like that. Something else happened here, something that scared the living hell out of her."

Suddenly they were in some kind of jungle, a fire roaring in the center of a small clearing. “Drones,” Borui whispered as she looked at the beings around the fire. “Three of them.”

“Four,” Luke said, pointing to one lying on the ground. “Except I think this one is broken.”

“No,” 7 of 9 said, and at first Luke thought she was talking to him, but realized she was in fact addressing the three living drones. “I do not exist. I am only part of the greater whole.”

“That's what they want you to believe,” Two of Nine said. “That's what they want us all to believe.”

“Error. Input failure!” 7 of 9 looked distraught.

“What’s going on?” Luke asked Seven, but she said nothing.

“Our ship has crashed,” 7 of 9 said. “We’ve been cut off from the Collective and are awaiting re-assimilation.”

“You know anything about this?” Luke asked Borui quietly.

“Yes,” she said distantly. “I’ve got an inkling of what this might mean.”

“If we can re-modulate our cortical implants,” said Three of Nine, “we might be able to elude their sensors.”

“This discussion is in violation of all established protocols,” 7 of 9 said with obvious fear in her voice.

“You stay here and be re-assimilated if you want to,” Three of Nine said to her. “I won't.” She marched off after the other two drones.

“Command Override! COMPLY!!!!” 7 of 9 shouted after them, but it was pointless. Three of Nine was gone; they were all gone. 7 of 9 began making modifications to the weapon on her arm. After a few minutes, she went running the same direction. Luke quickly followed-

And stepped into the halls of a starship, Federation. A quick glance at a nearby panel showed it was none other than Voyager, but the darkened halls, empty of all but the small group gave a feeling of eeriness that was impossible to ignore. "Where are we?" Luke asked, hoping someone could explain the significance of this vision.

"Voyager," Seven remarked, her fear growing obvious. "I have to keep the ship running... we have to clear the nebula while there's still time," she said, moving deliberately down the hall, the others in close pursuit. She entered Engineering, and there stood an alien.

“At first you thought you could become human,” he said, “but now you know that's impossible, don't you?” Seven stood her ground, but it was clear she was terrified. “You're Borg, that's what you were meant to be. One of many. But your days of power are gone. You're alone now. Weak. Pathetic.”

"Ask her who he is?" Borui asked. “I have a guess.” Luke relayed the question.

"Trajis Lo-Tarik," Seven replied, "An alien that has come aboard to trade goods while the others are in stasis chambers. He’s been trying to sabotage Voyager."

"He does not appear to be much of a threat," 7 of 9 remarked. "A phaser should disable him easily enough."

"You'd be surprised," Seven said to her counterpart, but when she turned back the alien was gone.

“Warning,” the computer said with a garbled tone. “Primary EPS conduits are overloading.” Seven looked with fear at the Doctor, who had apparently joined the group when Trajis vanished.

“I tied my mobile emitter into the EPS conduits,” he said with nervousness. “My program's going offline.”

“No,” Seven said with quiet grief.

“Seven, you've got to hang on. Repair the EPS conduits. Everything depends on you now.” He vanished, and Seven looked with horror at the empty space, then at the darkened walls. She stormed out of Engineering, Luke followed-

And stepped onto the bridge of the Raven. Annika crawled under the panel trying to escape the grasping fingers of the drones. Suddenly they pulled back, and the drones stood up as if at attention. A set of quiet footsteps emerged as a new Borg walked onto the bridge, a casual gait to her step.

"The Borg Queen," Borui whispered.

"That’s her?" Luke replied.

"Yes,” Borui said. “We’re not sure what her role is, but it’s very important.”

"Annika," the Borg Queen said with a smile, "Don't be afraid. Come out here with your new family."

"You're not my family!" the young girl insisted quivering with fear.

"Don't resist us child," she replied soothingly. "You know we're all you have left."

"No!" Annika screamed.

"Don't you remember?" the Queen said evenly. They watched as three drones grabbed her father and began pulling him away from her, his last words telling her to save herself. The Borg put their fist by his throat and tubes entered his neck, and he convulsed as his skin began to change.

"Papa," Seven said despite herself.

"Run, Annika!" her mother screamed. "Run! Hide!!!" A drone had grabbed hold of her, but she swung and hit it with a bar that had come loose, knocking it over. She brought it down squarely on another drone's implant, yanking some device loose and causing a shower of sparks as the Borg collapsed. She swung again, knocking still another drone away, hoping to keep them distracted long enough for Annika to escape. Finally, the Borg concluded assimilating her was inefficient, and a plasma discharger appeared.

"NO!!!" Seven, Annika, and 7 of 9 screamed together, as everything turned dark. Their terror, each one, was palpable. They stood back to back, the three together, the only sound their beating heart before the other three came back, just enough light to cast horrible shadows across their faces.

"They're gone now," the Borg Queen said. "We are your family now. You've no choice."

"You're cut off," said Three of Nine, "separated from the Collective."

"The only one on this ship," Trajis said, "No one to help you, no one to save you."

"You turn your back on us," the Queen said. "You are not a part of us."

"You're isolated," insisted Three of Nine.

"With nothing but darkness," said Trajis.

"There's no one left."

"No one to turn to."

"No one to protect you."

"No one to save you."

"They're all gone."

"You're alone."

"Alone"

"They're gone."

"All alone."

"Abandoned."

"Alone."

"Alone."

Alone.

alone

...alone...

...alone...

...

.

"We're losing her," Luke said to Borui, growing more concerned with each passing second. He could feel her slipping away; she was beyond even his reach now, not responding to him any more as the demons of her mind continued to hound her. Luke feared the words of these memories were all too true, that she did have to face them-
--------------------------------------------------------------

Alone.

Suddenly the wind picked up, a terrible storm approaching as Seven, 7 of 9, and Annika stood on the edge of a rocky outcropping, looking at the gloom that surrounded their world, the crashing sounds of the oceans below. The wind grew more and more powerful, and they found themselves bracing against it. The sky cracked with lightning as the storm refused mercy, the nearby trees making cracking and popping sounds under the strain. The edge of the woods was filled with unfriendly shadows, and the trio was nervous as they seemed to shift about in the darkness. There was a tiny squeal as Annika was pulled off her feet by the wind, but Seven caught her. Unfortunately the impact threw her off balance and the two tumbled together towards the edge. Seven grabbed for a branch with her free hand as she cradled the girl in her other, but the strain was too great, snapping it immediately. The two rolled over the edge, the breaking waves far below, then a jolt and Seven was pulled sideways into the rock, suspended upside down. She glanced up as 7 of 9 held her ankle in a firm grip. "Try not to move," she said.

"Don't worry," Seven replied. The rain battering them was growing even worse, and the wind howled at them. "Pull us up," Seven called up.

"I am trying," 7 of 9 replied, "but the storm is creating heavy resistance."

"Please try," Annika said.

"I am," 7 of 9 called back. All her Borg strength was put into pulling the pair up, but nature screamed at her as she continued to defy it. Finally, a tree gave under the strain, snapping clear through its trunk. It struck 7 of 9 square in the back, knocking her clear over the side of the cliff. The three tumbled through the air, disappearing under the edge of the water. Seven's world was suddenly the murky depths; there was only the cool embrace of the water, the indecipherable shapes within, the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

A wave crashed and she was deposited on a shore, a soaked mess, coughing water from her lungs as she hunched over on all fours. Finally she looked up and saw Annika and her mother; 7 of 9 kneeled nearby, unable to take her eyes off the fallen woman. The child was stroking her mother’s hair, quiet. Her mother's eyes were wide open in shock, a wisp of smoke floating up from a burnt area of flesh in her torso; she wasn't moving. "Wake up," Annika said quietly, unemotionally. "Wake up."

Seven looked with horror at the child and her mother together, finally realizing its truth: that this was real, that this did happen. She pulled herself forward and tears began running down her cheeks, her face turning red with emotion. "Momma...." She sniffed and a sob came out. "Oh momma... I'm so sorrrrrreeeee...." She buried her face in her mother’s shoulder, her own shoulders shaking as she cried. "Please momma... please don’t go away..." She never looked up as the loud sound of billions of Borg footsteps seemed to come from everywhere, their red lights zigzagging in the night. Her father was gone, and her mother was dead, and that meant that this seven-year old girl was now face to face with the entire Borg Collective... without anyone to protect her. Just one scared little girl sitting in the darkness.

"So now you know," the Borg Queen said behind her. Seven whirled up and looked at her, seething. 7 of 9 was at her side, and Annika came and took hold of her hand. None of them were afraid now; they were united in their anger; anger at this murder, anger at everything that had been stolen from them. "Your family is gone now. You're all alone." She seemed to tower over the trio. “Alone in the dark.”

"No," a voice said suddenly. They turned, and her mother's corpse was standing behind them. "You're wrong," she said to the Queen. "These shadows can’t hurt her any more."

The Borg Queen refused to give in. "She has been abandoned. They're all gone. No one left to save her."

"Wrong!" Seven's mother insisted, stepping past the trio. "She's not alone, not any more." She turned and looked at the three of them. "Not unless she gives in to loneliness. Annika... sometimes the thing hidden in the darkness,” and she put her hand on Seven’s cheek, “is a friend."

Seven looked up, and she knew. “Luke,” she said quietly.

"Seven?" he replied, uncertain of what was going on.

"You came for me," she said, unable to believe it. "You risked yourself to find me... to save me from being lost here." She left the group behind and walked towards him.

Luke blushed a little. "Well, I couldn't let you stay stuck here forever."

"Why?” Seven asked.

"Because we need you," Luke said. "There's a lot of people who care about you and want you back." He hesitated. “Especially me.”

Seven looked up into his eyes unblinkingly. Her own were so full of emotion, so full of hope. She finally understood him. Kind, compassionate, and once again risking himself to save her, as he had before, because that was the kind of man he was. He was everything she could have wanted... someone she felt a total kinship with, who would be with her through even the worst of times and would never let her face anything alone. She reached out and held him tight, because finally, finally she had the courage to say the words she’d wanted to utter for so long. "I love you," she whispered. As he wrapped his arms around her, it was the most blissful experience of Seven’s life.

Time stood still for a while as the two held one another. Finally the embrace broke, and Luke saw Borui smiling at him. "You did it," she said with approval. "You helped her save herself."

"What happens now?" Luke replied as Seven walked over to 7 of 9, Annika, and her mother, the Borg Queen having finally vanished.

"Let's see," Borui replied.

"You know what you three need to do," their mother said when Seven reached them. There was a noticeable look of apprehension on their faces.

Annika looked up at her mother. "Will we die, momma?"

"No sweetie," she replied, leaning down to stroke her head. "You'll be more alive than you've ever been. It will be so wonderful, Annika. You'll finally be whole again." And she slowly vanished.

7 of 9 looked at Seven warily but held out her right hand to her. "Then let it begin." She took Annika's hand in her left as Seven took her right.

Seven looked back at Luke. "Thank you," she said, and smiled a little. “I’ll see you soon.” She took Annika's left hand.

And suddenly there was a burst of light pouring from the trio as if a circuit had been completed. A solid beam poured from their eyes, meeting in the center of their triangle, within the glow of their aura. It grew brighter and brighter until it was impossible to look at, slowly lengthening until it reached the floor, causing a fountain of energy to leap straight into the air, bathing them in pure white light. It expanded until they were standing in a pillar of pure energy, and slowly they were pulled in, particle by particle, swirling into the light, following it up into the sky. The light spread throughout the land, illuminating every corner of it. Finally, the darkness was gone.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Luke opened his eyes in sickbay and saw that all hell had broken loose. The Doctor was running various instruments over Seven as he called out status reports. "Heart rate at one hundred eighty beats per minute!" he continued. "Nanoprobes becoming active, implants being re-grown throughout her body!" He stepped back slightly in surprise as the strip over her left eye began extending tiny metallic fibers across her forehead and under her pile of hair.

"Doctor what's going on?" Janeway insisted, but he continued his work.

"This is unbelievable," he said, ignoring her. "The activity-" He cut himself off. "Everything's starting to normalize. Heart rate, blood pressure, breathing." He turned to face Luke across the table, clearly upset. "Just what did you do in there?" He stopped himself as Seven's eyes sprung open, swiveling around to take in the room. She sat up despite the Doctor, who was insisting on her taking it easy.

Seven looked at the group, and slowly a smirk grew across her face, and then she began chuckling. She continued as she slid off the table. She looked over at the Doctor, who was both mystified and concerned at the same time. "Congratulations, it's a girl," and she continued chuckling.

The joy at Seven’s recovery was quickly replaced by apprehension. "Who are you?" Janeway asked, uncertain of what was going on.

This brought Seven to a halt and her face became deadly serious. She began walking over towards her former captain. "I am Seven of Nine," she said emphatically as she took step after step, "Tertiary Adjunct," she stepped around Luke, "of Unimatrix Zero One," stopping in front of Capt. Janeway. She leaned down, her face inches from the other's. "But you may call me... Annika Hansen." And then she started laughing again.

[Arrow]

This brought Seven to a halt and her face became deadly serious. She began walking over towards her former captain. "I am Seven of Nine," she said emphatically as she took step after step, "Tertiary Adjunct," she stepped around Luke, "of Unimatrix Zero One," stopping in front of Capt. Janeway. She leaned down, her face inches from the other's.

I bet Janeway had a high pucker factor here! Absolutely excellent chapter.

[Prozac the Robert]

Have you ever read anything by David Gemmell? I only ask because this segment reminded me a little of one of his books, and your into to this story reminded me a touch of how he sometimes does his epilogues. I suspect that there is also a sort of general similarity of the way characters are treated and I think that if you haven't read them then it's something you might enjoy.

The kind of normal first recomendation is Legend, and if you can get it I also recomend Knights of dark Renown. I think the one the seven scene reminds me of is Dark Moon.

</unsolicited advice>

Anyway, keep up the good work. I enjoy reading it.

[Sonnenburg]

This brought Seven to a halt and her face became deadly serious. She began walking over towards her former captain. "I am Seven of Nine," she said emphatically as she took step after step, "Tertiary Adjunct," she stepped around Luke, "of Unimatrix Zero One," stopping in front of Capt. Janeway. She leaned down, her face inches from the other's.

I bet Janeway had a high pucker factor here! Absolutely excellent chapter.

Thank you, I'm really happy with it, so I'm glad you like it.

[Sonnenburg]

Have you ever read anything by David Gemmell? I only ask because this segment reminded me a little of one of his books, and your into to this story reminded me a touch of how he sometimes does his epilogues. I suspect that there is also a sort of general similarity of the way characters are treated and I think that if you haven't read them then it's something you might enjoy.

The kind of normal first recomendation is Legend, and if you can get it I also recomend Knights of dark Renown. I think the one the seven scene reminds me of is Dark Moon.

</unsolicited advice>

Any similarities are completely coincidental, because I've never heard of him.
I just popped over and checked his bio... freaky, he's the same height I am.

Anyway, keep up the good work. I enjoy reading it.

Thank you.