Unity III: Against All Odds, Redux (Complete)

[Sonnenburg]

Second part for today; be sure to read part 27 first:

Part XXVIII


Seven pulled out an isolinear chip and slid it into the terminal. "I wasn't present after Starfleet security cleared out, but Leia tells me that at that time, Sebastian explained everything about what happened to Vader. I thought it was only prudent to supplement this with his own words... despite his comments about his mother," she added with a smirk. "Play recording."
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Have you ever read Erich Maria Remarque? This was a guy who even Emily Dickinson would have told to look on the bright side. He fought in Earth’s first world war I think, and all his stuff is about how terrible war is and despair and the horrors of his generation. Mother made me read all his books; she wanted me to learn a few things from him she said.

Your father..... Yes, I was with him when he died. Yes, I’m afraid it’s true, he really is dead; I saw the whole thing. I even kept his lightsaber afterwards; I wanted to remember him and what he taught me. He thought about you often, and was overjoyed at the news of your twin children, and wrought with sadness at the news of my father. But that’s life, joy and sadness both.

I’m afraid I can’t tell you exactly who did it; I can’t give away too much about the future, and that’s where he came from, or she or it, you can never tell with them. I’m not sure how he followed me back; they detest technology and I can’t see how else it would have been possible. Maybe I was important enough to justify it in the mind of the yammosk.... Damn, I probably shouldn’t have said that. Let’s just call him the Tracker; it’s as good a name as any. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Ben brought me to the planet where your father was and told me I’d be safe there once I found him. The moment we arrived I could sense his presence, as I’m sure he felt mine. I’ll admit I was scared; even in my time Darth Vader has a reputation, but as I approached I felt nothing of the Dark Side. There was grief, regret, but also resignation. When I arrived I saw the door to his shelter was open and he sat inside, waiting in silence. I knew he was aware of my arrival, but he didn’t even look in my direction or acknowledge my presence, he just sat there. The feeling was so strong it started to fill my own heart with dread and weariness. He seemed so tired.

So did you ever read any of Remarque? Well, before I found myself hovering in the Krenim sky I would have said you didn’t miss much. But as I saw him sitting there, and felt his total exhaustion and grief, I remembered it. I have a pretty good memory too, and I remembered All Quiet on the Western Front, his most famous work. The ending was so drab, I never liked it. But for some reason it suddenly flashed through my mind.

“I am very quiet. Let the months and years come, they can take nothing from me, they can take nothing more. I am so alone, and so without hope that I can confront them without fear. The life that has borne me through these years is still in my hands and my eyes. Whether I have subdued it, I know not. But so long as it is there it will seek its own way out, heedless of the will that is within me.”

I know you’re a Jedi, as I am, but we’re not the same. I was trained from before I could remember in the ways of the Force, and father always impressed upon me the principles of the Jedi. I was a defender, a protector, a champion of those who didn’t have the strength to stop injustice. And Ben told me that... but I’d better not say too much. But you see, I never looked at fighting the way mother wanted me to. Mother never liked fighting- well, I mean combat; Lord knows how much mother likes to get into a good bar fight. Maybe she just didn’t like me fighting, maybe she just feared the Dark Side too much. Whatever the reason, she made me read those books during my education. Nonsense really; this isn’t what fighting is really about. I mean, I’ll grant you that war is bad and all, but if it’s necessary to stop injustice and halt evil then it is fully justified; even you’ll admit that right?

You see, what she seems to have forgotten is that I’m a Jedi, I’m not some front-line infantryman who’s got to worry about fighting in primitive conditions like the guys in the books she made me read. Wars are different now; I know this, I studied the history of her homeworld in detail – you can’t compare trench warfare on a single continent to the halting of a galactic invasion force across a thousand sectors. Those guys, yeah I’ll grant you there was a reason for them to get depressed and to have survivors’ guilt and all, but the past is the past.

“So, you’re finally here,” Vader said.

I was surprised. “You knew I was coming?”

“Yes,” the old man replied. He still didn’t move, not even twitch; there was just a rumbling voice from the man deep inside the armor. “That’s why I came to this world; I knew you’d come here.”

“But...” I’ll admit my confusion. “But Ben brought me here because this was where you were.”

“Yes,” Vader replied. “It seems that destiny has chosen this world, and this spot.”

I was even more uncertain at his words. “For what?” I asked with concern.

“My redemption.” And that’s all he would say on that.

I spent about two weeks there with your father, and I must say they were some of the strangest of my life. He said little, but there was something about him that seemed to radiate.... something. I can’t really explain it. A commitment, no, a ... I guess resolve would fit, but even that isn’t quite right. He was waiting for something, but with a patience that even a glacier could envy. During that time he showed me things, the ways of the Force. I was nervous at first, afraid he was going to discuss the Dark Side, but he didn’t. He had changed a lot from the man who hunted down the Jedi; his furious violence had changed to a quiet wisdom. I learned a lot from him.

Then there was that afternoon, right after I had gotten back from a small hunting trip. Vader stood outside the shelter, leaning against it and holding his lightsaber, just looking out across the ridge. I looked and saw nothing, but he was staring with an insistence I couldn’t ignore. I dropped the game off and as I did so I heard his lightsaber ignite, and I whirled around with my hand on my own. He had known somehow; even without the Force to guide him he knew. He stepped towards the alien as I rushed to catch up, his steps so even you would never have thought he was going to face one of the most deadly enemies in existence. I don’t know how it found me or how it got there, but the Tracker was clearly there to bring me back.

It was a horrible thing to look at. Its face was scarred from self-mutilation, its eyes peering out from a distorted collection of scars. It was actually rather short, but it had a wide build that was further enhanced by a set of battle armor. Its breathing made your insides squirm, a kind of growl with each intake and exhale, a contrast to the mechanical sound of Vader’s own breath. You know how a silence can be terrifying; well that’s how it was to face it. There was no hatred, no malice, just emptiness, a void that was more frightening than any actual thoughts it may have had at the time.

The Tracker’s people have a hierarchy, and his – I suppose I should call it something – was one of the highest. I knew him... much better than I'd like to, believe me. It was how I knew he had better armor than the other, stuff so strong it could even deflect glancing lightsaber strikes. He pulled out a large snake-like creature and it hardened into a staff; that too could stop our blades. These warriors were very, very good; even father had trouble defeating them, and none of them were at this one's level. I was worried that he was too much for us.

The Tracker said nothing as he launched his attack on us, swinging at Vader who caught the weapon with his blade. He reversed his momentum and tried to knock my legs out from under me, but I managed to catch it, although just barely. Vader shoved hard and knocked the creature off balance, pausing to catch the swing it made even as it fell, trying to take advantage of his own brief move to press the attack. I moved to strike but Vader positioned himself so that he was between the two of us, taking the brunt of the attacks. I’ll admit that bothered me; this was my fight really, not his. He didn’t even know who or what he was fighting, but it didn’t seem to matter. In fact, he fought as if he knew all along who they were and what they were capable of. The creature blocked Vader’s horizontal swing, pivoting and spinning his weapon only to stop and stab at him like a lance, nearly skewering Vader. Vader retaliated immediately, catching the creature on the shoulder, but his lightsaber bounced off. He was knocked off balance by the force of the Tracker’s swing, his lightsaber barely catching it as he slipped and blocked the two blows that followed.

I saw an opening as the Tracker pressed the assault on Vader, and with a quick move I jumped and swung with my lightsaber towards his right shoulder. But I was horrified to see my blade just bounce off the armor like rubber. This wasn’t possible; the stuff shouldn’t have taken a direct hit like that! I was so stunned I didn’t see the blow coming until it was too late. I swung my blade and deflected it so it struck my right thigh instead of my chest, but as it sunk into my body I knew I wasn’t going to be fighting back soon. It jerked the weapon out and brought it around to block Vader’s quick assault, and I pressed hard on the deep wound it had made, falling down as I watched them fight. Cursing my failure, I concentrated on using my nanoprobes to try and repair the damage as my clothes became soaked with blood and a dizziness started to numb my thinking, but I concentrated. I don’t know how long it took to slow down the bleeding, but I do know that the battle pressed on between your father and the Tracker. The sound of their weapons crashing together, like the snapping of a steel cable whip, was a constant background sound to my own efforts. When I managed to stop the bleeding I was able to pay some attention to the fighting, but was helpless to join in at that point.

The Tracker’s blows were fast and furious, but somehow, even without the Force to guide him, Vader was able to block the blows. Unfortunately the Tracker was a gifted combatant as well, stopping nearly every slice and swing Vader tried, and the ones that did get through bounced harmlessly off his armor. It seemed a stalemate for the moment, except I knew that Vader wasn’t strong enough to keep this up as long as the Tracker could; he would be the first to give in to exhaustion. Still, there was no sign of weakness as he continued to swing with vigor at his opponent, and I’m proud to tell you there wasn’t so much as a flicker of temptation in him. No fear, no anger, just a firm resolution to win this fight. His lightsaber skittered about, blocking every jab, every swing, every last attack by his fierce opponent.

At this point I tried getting to my feet, but my leg still wasn’t up to it. The Tracker had turned briefly at my sound, and Vader swung to take advantage of it. That was the mistake, see; the Tracker needed Vader to try something like that. As Vader moved the Tracker put his entire body into one long spin, bringing his weapon around and up with incredible force. He caught Vader right across the face, and his faceplate just shattered under the blow, filling the air with black confetti. As he stumbled off balance the Tracker pulled back and heaved, hitting his chest like a battering ram and knocking him down. The Tracker spun his weapon, bringing the sharpened point around to lance his opponent to the ground, but Vader rolled out of the way, pulling himself to his feet as quickly as he could while trying to block the sudden onslaught. His breathing was raspy now; I’m sure the weapon damaged his artificial respirator, but nevertheless he pushed on, swinging again and again to stop the furious blows.

Then the rocks around the area began to shake, and I thought for a moment there was an earthquake. Suddenly they started flying into the air, striking the Tracker where he stood. Some were just annoying but a few were quite large, knocking him about as he tried to ignore them. Vader’s moves were less fluid as he tried to devote himself to two tasks at once, but I saw his intent and continued the assault for him. The hail was distracting enough to allow Vader a chance to recover and move onto the offensive for a short while before the Tracker flew into a rage. As he swung again a large rock, about fifteen centimeters across, struck his hand, causing the weapon to slip out of his grip. It was all that was needed. Vader dropped his hand on his shoulder, his grip inhumanly strong, and with all his might plunged the saber point-first into the Tracker’s chest. Against the sheer power it was up against, even his armor was useless, and I watched him twitch weakly in his death.

I watched in disbelief as the armored giant turned off his lightsaber, the Tracker collapsing as he did so. Vader was unsteady on his feet, and the lightsaber slipped from his grip and hit the ground, rolling down the small incline to stop near my feet. I picked it up, and as I did so I heard him fall. I looked and could see his prone form on the hillside, his breathing strained as the overloaded systems of his suit tried to keep him alive. I rushed up the hill, still clutching his weapon in my hands as I moved and grabbed onto him, trying to think of something I could do. No med-kit, not that it would do any good; I lost my scanner back on Krenim. I just held onto him, watching his chest rise and fall in exhaustion.... no, not exhaustion. It seemed that, for the first time since I’d met him, he wasn’t tired any more. He looked up at me after a while, and I could see him smile a little through the tear in his faceplate. “Burn it,” he said weakly, indicating the alien. “Must be.... no evidence....”

I nodded at him. “Of course.”

“But take off the armor.” His breathing was getting harder, and I could hear a wheeze enter his voice. “Give it.... give it to your mother.”

“Why?” I asked in surprise.

“The nemesis,” he said after a brief pause for breath.

“What does she have to do with the armor?”

“It...” his voice was weak, the wheezing growing stronger. “It.... stops.... lightsabers....”

It was at that moment I realized that he knew everything. Few have the power of the Force like your father, and he had learned all he needed to know. He knew about Darth Whind and my mother, about how she would be crushed and humiliated at her hands, nearly killed. He knew the nature of the Tracker’s people and their weapons. He knew what Ben and I were going to try to do, and he knew what the war would hinge on. He knew all those things.

And he knew that by coming here he would die. And he did it anyway.

Your father’s greatest regret is the evil he helped foster throughout the galaxy. He was so guilty, he would do anything to stop it, even if it would cost him his own life. You see Aunt Leia, Vader knew that Annika Hansen and Darth Whind would meet once again, and that the future would hang on the outcome of that battle; and this time it wouldn't end until one of them was dead. And he knew the truth as you and I do, she doesn’t have a chance. But with his help.... You see, mother’s greatest weapon isn’t her Tsunkatse training or her nanoprobes; neither are enough. Her strength is in her mind; she can prepare herself and outthink her enemy, and that’s the only possible way she could win. With the Vo- with the Tracker’s armor, she could learn and prepare. He knew it, don’t you see; he died to give her a chance, to give us all a chance. One last battle for the relic of the past, one final chance to redeem himself.

I wish I could say that his last words were something profound, but they weren’t. The strain of the battle and the damage to his suit and body proved too much, and as I held him in my arms I watched him die – and I understood. He had taught me so much, but in that moment he gave me a final lesson that I will never forget about life and death. I had heard about a lot of dying during the war with the Tracker’s people, but it had never been a personal thing until now. I learned in that moment why mother hates this war.... why wars not make one great. The waste of it, the snuffing out of a life that goes unrecognized by the masses. My eyes were opened as his glazed over, his smile never fading as the life vacated his fallen form.
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Seven wiped her eyes. "I felt it only fitting to include what Sebastian was referring to, in honor of Vader's sacrifice." She cleared her throat and read aloud from the copy of Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front: “'He fell in October 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to the single sentence: All quiet on the Western Front.

“'He had fallen forward and lay on the earth as though sleeping. Turning him over one saw that he could not have suffered long; his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come.'” Seven put down the book and looked at the sack filled with armor. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for giving me a chance."

[Dalton]

Good, very good. I like it when you pull levity out of dramatic scenes; I think having an absurd non sequitur at a critical juncture kind of kills the buzz (See Trigun).

[Sonnenburg]

Thanks!

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXIX


Seven of Nine found herself pacing as she thought on board Spacedock, running through everything again and again, trying to find the answer, to outthink him. “Any sign of him yet?” she asked impatiently.

“I’m afraid not, sir,” the ensign replied.

“Unacceptable,” Seven said. “He needs to be found now, before he causes any more damage.”

“With all due respect commander, it’s not easy finding a single individual in the capital city of the Federation.”

“If you can only solve easy problems I’m afraid you joined the wrong fleet,” Seven retorted, rubbing her temples in thought. Come on Annika, she said to herself in frustration, you lived with the man for months, you’ve known him for four years, you’ve got to know how he thinks.

But that was the problem, she knew how THAT man would think. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the one they were looking for. Luke wouldn’t sneak onto Earth to assassinate children, Luke wouldn’t attack his own family, Luke wouldn’t have brutally murdered poor Chewie. Think about it Annika, he’s the same physically but his mind is completely different.

Okay then, so think about him. They couldn’t pick up the lightsaber if it was off, so that just leaves his physical self. Well, she thought with the humor of the weary, maybe I can program the computer to look for a firm ass. Come on Seven, you’ve certainly scanned his body a few times, you can think of something memorable. She drifted her mind back to their first night again, playing it through in her thoughts to try to find clues. Start at the beginning... you come in, he’s sitting down. Talk, walk around, take hold of him, kiss him. She allowed herself a moment to reflect on the first kiss. Okay, talk, joke around, put his hand on your breast, kiss....

Unbelievable, she said to herself. How the hell could you have forgotten that?

“Ensign,” she said quickly, “Scan for Imperial bio-technology; prosthetic devices.”

“Sir?”

Seven stepped over by her. “We’re looking for someone with a bio-mechanical hand.”
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“Excuse me,” said the attendant as Skywalker stepped past her. “I need to check you out of the-“ her voice broke off in a choke as he pointed at her, not even slowing. There was a satisfying crunch as her larynx actually snapped under the tension, and he strode up the runway onto his shuttle.
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“I’ve found something sir,” said the ensign.

“Where?” Seven asked, stepping back over to her side. Commander Garney, who had been communicating with Earth Security, came over as well.

“A shuttle. Just took off from a landing platform. No clearance, it’s ignoring all hails.”

“Tractor beam,” Garney ordered.

“It won’t work,” Seven said.

Despite her insistence the energy beams reached out towards the shuttle, but somehow the tiny ship slipped out of the way, avoiding them completely. Similar attempts were also avoided with apparent ease.

“How’s this possible?” the ensign said as the ship evaded again.

“He knows what you’re going to do before you do it,” Seven said bitterly. “We need to set up an interdiction field to keep him from escaping.”

“We can’t do that,” Comm. Garney said, “If he has a DIT he could cause serious damage to the station.”

“You can’t just let him escape!” Seven said, unable to believe this was happening. “We’ve got to stop him while we have the chance, before he does any more damage.”

“It’s too great a risk,” Garney answered. “I’m sorry.”

Seven turned and stormed out of the room as the tiny shuttle disappeared.
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Skywalker pulled back on the controls and the shuttle vanished into hyperspace. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do now; perhaps wait some time and return to finish it. They’d be more careful in the future, but it was unlikely to be anything he couldn’t handle. Whatever his choice, he clearly couldn’t return to Bastion, not as a failure.

He growled and tried to swat at the annoying little buzzing in the back of his mind.
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"Riker here," the captain said as he appeared on the display.

"Captain," Seven said quickly, "Skywalker was here, he just jumped into hyperspace. We need to pursue him before he disappears."

Riker nodded. "Let me get the okay from Starfleet Command-"

"Sir, there's no time," Seven said. "He's already gone; we need to leave immediately just to have a chance."

"I can't go chasing after Sith without authorization when we're on an assignment," Riker said.

"Please, captain," Seven pleaded. "I'll do anything, pay any price, just help me catch him!"

"This is personal," Riker pointed out.

"Respectfully, sir, 'personal' saved the entire Federation from the Borg." She didn't like playing that card, but there was no time to argue.

Riker sighed. "We owe you," he finally admitted. "But this may have serious repercussions for you down the line."

"Whatever it takes," Seven insisted.

"We'll pick you up at Spacedock, Enterprise out."

Minutes later, Seven materialized on the bridge of the Enterprise, and the ship quickly jumped into hyperspace. Riker stood up as she approached. “Are we sure he’s on there?” he asked Seven.

“Absolutely,” Seven said. “I’d know his bio-signs anywhere.”

“I’ll trust your judgment on that,” Riker said. “I’m not too sure what we’re going to do even if we find him.”

“Not if, sir,” said Lightner. “I’ve got him on long-range.”

“Intercept course,” Geordi ordered. “Maximum; we’re short on time.”

“Let’s look beyond the immediate,” Riker said. “What are we going to do if we somehow manage to catch him? He’s already proven how dangerous he is.”

“We could put him in a stasis field,” Geordi suggested.

“I wouldn’t try it,” Dr. Crusher said. “A stasis field isn’t reliable enough to stop him, especially someone with Jedi abilities.”

“What about a subcutaneous sedative?” Seven asked.

“What’s that?” Riker asked.

“A device inserted below the skin to provide anesthesia when necessary,” Dr. Crusher said. “I don’t like it.”

“Is there a better alternative?” Seven asked.

“No,” Dr. Crusher admitted.

“Then it’s our best chance.”

“Good,” Riker said, “Now all we have to do is capture him. I don’t suppose we’ve got any ideas on that score?”

“Tractor beam?” Lightner suggested.

“Already tried it,” Seven said. “He can anticipate our attacks; we’ve got to think of something that he can’t resist, even if he knows it’s coming.”

“If we can get his shields down,” Laforge said, “we can get him with a transporter beam.”

“Good, but how do we do that?”

Geordi thought for a while. “Sharon?” he said into the comm.

“This is Sullice.”

“We need to get the shuttle’s shields down long enough to get a transporter through. Do you think we can use a radiated particle pulse?”

“A beam would work better.”

“We can’t use a beam, we need to affect a wide area.”

“Then in that case, how about we use a modulated subspace pulse.”

“What about the core? We don’t want a feedback-“

“We’ll isolate it with a tri-axilated forcefield,” Sullice interrupted. “It’ll hold.”

Laforge turned to Riker. “We’ve got it if you want him.”

“Where are you going to put him? He’s armed and extremely dangerous.”

Laforge smiled. “I have an idea on that too.”
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Skywalker sensed what was about to happen, but was powerless to stop it. The shields flickered briefly as an energy surge passed throughout the entire area of space. Immediately the inside of the ship quickly shifted to the inside of the Enterprise's cargo bay, and he knew something was wrong. He stumbled about in the near vacuum, his body using the Force to push off unconsciousness long enough to escape, but it was hopeless. He swung his lightsaber at the floor, but no air rushed in; the deck below had been de-compressed as well. He started seeing spots as he ran across the room, lightsaber out and ready to slice through the door. He was halfway there when he started getting tunnel vision, but he pushed himself onward, letting his hate give him strength. He stumbled and hit the floor, pushing himself back up and pressing onward. He tripped again, but pushed up and ran several meters with a grimace on his face as his vision failed and he stumbled again. He couldn't tell direction, his brain too fogged to use the Force for anything except trying to push off unconsciousness. Fortunately, although he wasn't aware of it, his lightsaber had slipped from his grip, preventing accidental dismemberment as he crawled across the floor. Finally, his body screaming, he collapsed on the floor as his mind shut down.
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"He's unconscious," Dr. Crusher said anxiously.

"Beam him directly to the brig," Riker ordered.

"Captain, he's suffered prolonged oxygen deprivation, he may need medical assistance."

"He can have it in the brig," Riker said flatly. "I'm not taking any chances."

"Captain he's-"

"Doctor," Seven interrupted, "the captain's right. He needs to be locked up."

Dr. Crusher looked at her, unable to believe what she'd said. "Seven, this is-"

"Whatever he once was," Seven said, keeping the emotion from her voice, "is irrelevant." She swallowed but continued. "He's too dangerous to let loose again."

"He's secure," Lightner reported.

Dr. Crusher grabbed her medical kit and moved to the turbolift, Seven close behind. "I hope you're happy," Dr. Crusher said, allowing her disagreement to show.

"Believe me," Seven replied, "I am as far from happy right now as you can imagine."

The pair walked into the brig, and Seven looked at him. Skywalker was standing on the other side of the security field with a scowl on his face. She saw his hatred as he looked at her and her heart started to crumble. She looked at the two security officers; they seemed a bit nervous. And she noticed they'd made an unfortunate mistake: they'd armed themselves.

"Get down!" she shouted as a series of cracks were heard. The guards looked at her in surprise and then at their phaser rifles as they were yanked out of the air. Seven moved in front of Dr. Crusher and held up her arms, the weapons' white blasts bouncing off her adaptive shielding. She lunged forward as they turned and shot one of the guards point blank, but Seven grabbed one of the phasers out of the air and shot the other weapon, filling the room with sparks. Dr. Crusher rushed over, dropping her medical kit on the floor and trying what she could to save him. Seven turned and looked at Skywalker through the forcefield, panting as she gripped the phaser tightly to make sure he didn’t pull it out again. He glared at her and she swallowed nervously, then again, unable to clear her throat. She saw his face twist into a sneer and realized as she gripped her throat what was happening. She stumbled against the controls but still gripped the phaser rifle with all her might.

Think Annika! she thought desperately. You haven’t got much time! She switched the phaser over to maximum stun and slapped the controls for the brig, the forcefield shimmering off. She fired immediately, a constant beam of energy. He moved to avoid it but she sprayed to keep him contained as he tried to get out. She moved towards him slowly, weakly as she tried to stay alert, knowing that if she fell unconscious she’d never wake up. As she got closer the pressure started to ease up; it took more concentration to avoid being hit by the weapon. The phaser was getting hot and she knew she’d drain out the power very soon; it wasn’t meant to be used like this. Think Seven, she insisted, or there’ll be no choice; he’ll have to be killed. Can you do it? Can you stand by while others do it?

The pressure was gone now and she slapped down on the controls to the forcefield again. Immediately he tugged at the phaser, but again she resisted. There was no other option left, she needed to beat him right now... a man who had done the impossible time and again. What chance did she have? None... unless she finished what all her training had been preparing her for.

Seven breathed deeply through her nose and out her mouth as she tried to focus herself. Believe it Seven, she said to herself. There’s only one chance for both of you to survive; you’ve got to accept it. Believe it, think it, know it in your deepest heart. From a certain point of view, you've already done it, you've already finished this, you've already saved him... all you have to do is just let it happen.

Embrace your destiny.
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The forcefield collapsed again and Skywalker tensed himself to avoid the shot he knew was coming. But as he opened his mind he felt her fade, as if she no longer existed, as if she had somehow been cut off from the Force. He moved but it was too late, the energy flooding into his body. He absorbed it in but it took all his concentration, and he watched as she slowly walked towards him, her mind blank to him. He jumped over her and she dropped the phaser rifle, catching his leg and yanking down, causing him to crash helplessly to the floor. She was on his back, her arm wrapped around his throat as he thrashed about, and then he felt the hypo press against his neck.

“Again!” Seven said. “He can dispel the drug.”

A second discharge and his head started to swim. He continued to fight but there was no escaping her mechanical grip. He continued a few more seconds before he slipped into unconsciousness once again.
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Seven lay with impatience as Dr. Crusher finished the last of the checks. “You seem to have recovered for the most part,” she said finally, closing up her medical tricorder as Seven sat up.

She looked over at the security guard, Ens. Parker. “How’s he doing?”

“Lucky to be alive,” Dr. Crusher replied. “I managed to stop his internal hemorrhaging right away, but the tissue damage is extensive. He’ll probably be laid up for weeks.”

Seven nodded, relieved that he hadn’t taken another life. She couldn’t get that image of Chewbacca out of her mind though. How could he have done that? Until that moment she had allowed herself to hope that it would work out, that somehow he’d come back to her. Well, he came back all right, with carnage on his mind and black deeds in his heart.

Maybe it had been a mistake; just a dream that she wanted to believe in so badly that it blinded her to the reality of the situation. She left sickbay and went down to the holodeck, letting herself work through some of her aggressions as she went. Yeah Borui, it was an escape, but there was no denying that anyone who went through this kind of thing would have the urge to just hit something...
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Seven sat on the bed. "And that leaves me with the final question: What should I do? I caught him, have him, but is it within my power to bring him back?" She closed her eyes and tried to rub the exhaustion from them, but after all that had happened today, it wasn't going to be satisfied with anything less than rest. "Vader returned from darkness... but it was while he was trying to kill Leia, and Skywalker's already tried the same with me several times."

Promise you won't give up on me. Seven closed her eyes as the tears escaped. I'm trying, she thought, but I don't know what to do... I don't know how I can help you... and I can't go on living like this.

"I have only one option left, and that's to give Luke a chance to try and return. If he can do it, then it will be all worth it... and if he can't, then I don't think he'll ever be coming back. Either way, I won’t have to look into that Sith's face again. I won't have to see a monster in the eyes of a man I can't help but adore." She nodded to herself, her mind was made up. "In the morning, one way or another, I'm ending this."

[CERC]

You know, I always thought it was to easy and convenient how quickly Luke was caught in this chapter. Unfortunatly it also was accomplished with traditional Star Trek technojargon. Any particular reason for all this?


CERC

PS: still an important part of the story though......

[Sonnenburg]

It's been a long time, but I think the reason I did it originally was because I spent so much time working out all the other details about catching him that I finally said "You know, this is the TNG guys after all, they have to do some technothingie to catch him." In the re-write, I kept it for pretty much the same reason.

[Sonnenburg]

A little early, 'cause I'm not sure how busy I'll be tomorrow.

Part XXX


Early morning on the flagship of the Federation. Lieutenant Commander Seven of Nine, also called Annika Hansen, is unable to sleep or even regenerate. Today's the day she was going to find out if there would be a tomorrow. She picked up the small bundle and stepped out of the room to the turbolift. A minute later she strolled into the brig, her eyes on Ensign Amend and Crewman Holt. They were playing a game of k’lyhp, a Klingon game involving a sandstone called a hurta. They looked up at her in surprise, not accustomed to many interruptions at 0400, Seven assumed. “Good morning,” Seven said amiably, going over to the security locker.

“Can we help you with something, commander?” Amend asked nervously.

“No, I’m fine thanks,” Seven said as she opened it up and pulled out Skywalker’s lightsaber. She turned it on for a second, admiring the red beam as it passed through the air and switched it off.

“Uh sir,” said Amend uncertainly, “I’m afraid I can’t let you have that.”

“Oh yes you can," Seven said. "See, I'm his fiancée, which means I'm his legal next of kin for when he's incapacitated, and since he's currently in a chemically-induced coma, I get to rummage through his stuff." She attached it to her belt, then walked over. “This is a nice hurta stone,” she said, picking it up in her hand. “Replicated?”

“Yes,” Holt said, not sure where this was going.

“Amazingly accurate,” she said. “Will technology never cease to amaze me?” She turned over to Ens. Amend. “I need you two gentlemen to leave for a while.”

Amend stood up. “I’m sorry sir, but we’re on orders not to leave except in cases of security emergencies.”

She smiled at him. “I’m ordering you to leave, ensign.”

“I’m sorry sir, I can’t do that.”

“Amend,” she said with a small shake of her head, “you’re just doing your job. Please don’t make me beat the living crap out of you.”

“With all due respect sir, we both know that won’t hap-“ He stopped as she squeezed the stone tightly between her hands. There was a nasty crunch, and when she opened it a moment later sand and lumps fell to the floor.

Her smile never even flickered. “Do leave, please?”

Holt and Amend looked at one another. “Five minutes,” Amend said finally.

“That’s fair,” Seven said with a nod of her head, and the two men, never taking their eyes off her, left the room. Her smile vanished, and she walked over to the controls and deactivated the force field for the cell. She picked up Holt’s chair and stepped inside, hitting the controls to cause a table to slide out of the wall, and she placed her bundle on it. “Activate force fields,” she said, and the shimmering walls of energy appeared, one between her and the brig proper, and one between her and Skywalker. She sat down, pulled out her PADD, and instructed it to deactivate the subcutaneous sedative. She sat at the table, waiting until he finally returned to consciousness. She could tell he was uncertain, restrained at the sight of her here, like this. I guess it’s time, Seven thought.

“When I was a child,” she said, not even looking at him, “my ship crashed. The Borg... they were everywhere. They took my father, killed my mother... and then they came after me.” She closed her eyes and swallowed. “I have never been as terrified in my life as I was at that moment. I don’t think anything ever will be more terrifying.” She looked up at him. “The second most terrifying was on this ship. I opened my heart up to a man, a man who had come to mean everything to me. I wanted more than anything for him to want me back and was scared to death that he wouldn’t. Luckily for me, he saved me from that fear.”

Skywalker said nothing as he sat on the bunk. She placed the bundle on the table and unwrapped it slowly while she spoke. “That man taught me how to feel. He brought emotions in me that I could never have imagined. I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him, and for that I owe him greatly.” She held up the lightsaber. “The man who gave me this. The man who made me promise to never, NEVER, give up on him. Do you think there is any possible way I can break that promise?” Skywalker still was silent. “His last words to me were that he would do anything for me. Believe me when I say that I will do anything for him.” She shook the blade a little as she continued. “You know what this is? This is hope. This is what I’ve had to remind me of that promise, to remind me of that man. You know what I’ve learned during that time? Hope can be the worst thing in the universe. Yeah, that sounds crazy doesn’t it,” she said, more to herself than to him, then she sighed heavily. “Shock, denial, anger, acceptance. With hope, there is no acceptance, and so the grieving never ends. Sometimes.... sometimes I wish he had died. To know that it’s over would at least give me some closure; maybe I would stop crying when I’m alone in bed at night, wondering where he is. But he’s not dead, not in the sense that I can accept. He’s been changed into you.” And she glared at Skywalker with hatred in her eyes. “And I want him back you son of a bitch.” She slammed the lightsaber down on the table.

“I don’t want to hope any more!” she said with tears in her eyes. “I want this to end!” She looked with pleading in her eyes into his dark face. “But I won’t break my promise. Never. I won’t give up on him. So, one way or another, this ends now.” She pulled out Skywalker’s lightsaber, and his face changed just slightly at the sight of it. “Is the man I love dead?” she asked with a choke. “Because if he is, then I don’t see any point in living – not with the pain of waiting for him to return.” She set it down before him, deactivated the forcefield between him and her, then crossed her arms on the table and rested her face on it, closing her eyes. “Decide Luke Skywalker. Once and for all... decide.”

She lay with her head like that for several seconds, waiting, feeling her heart thumping in the silence. She heard the sound of the weapon being picked up. Then there was the all too familiar snap-hiss sound of the blade. She screwed her eyes shut as she heard the weapon change pitch as it passed through the air, knowing what was to come. Don’t worry Annika, she thought, it’ll all be over soon. She tensed as she heard the blade approach....

The sound that followed was so unexpected it made her jump. It was the sound of metal being dragged, and a second snap-hiss, followed by a loud crash. Seven looked up. There was that red beam, the menacing image of death, quivering inches over her head, Skywalker’s twisted face just beyond. And between him and her, the green blade of Luke’s lightsaber, struggling in the Sith’s own grip to hold back the red blade. She stood up slowly, staring at it. Once again, to Seven, that weapon was a symbol of hope. He’s still in there, she thought. And he’s finally ready to come back!

Seven heard the door open behind her and glanced to see Holt, Amend, and Commander Laforge come in. “Seven!” Laforge called as he rushed over, coming to a slow stop as he saw Luke Skywalker holding two lightsabers, trying to make sense of it. They both jumped as the two blades swung and crashed together again, and then again, his face contorting as it happened.

“Let..... go” he said through his teeth.

The blades crashed again. “You... first.”

“What did you do?” Laforge said slowly, his voice a mixture of awe and horror.

Seven shook her head, her eyes wide. “I asked him to make a choice.”

The blades crashed again and again. “I’d say he’s having trouble making up his mind.”

His sweat, like tiny rivers, ran down his face as he strained. Then, slowly, he seemed to stumble, but then another quick flurry of swings and blocks, and then he collapsed on the floor. His hands still clutched the blades tightly but other than that he seemed still. The doors opened again and Riker, Dr. Crusher, and Borui, all with their uniforms only partially on, stormed in. “What the hell’s going on?” Riker demanded.

“I think he’s unconscious for now,” Seven said.

“Something’s wrong with him,” Laforge said. “We’d better get him up to Sickbay.”

“What exactly is the situation?” Riker asked. “I don’t want to let him out of there if it can be avoided.”

Borui deactivated the force field and stepped inside. “He’s still conscious,” she said.

“Impossible, sir,” said Amend, “I’ve reactivated his sedative.”

“And I'm telling you he’s still conscious.”

“He's faking it?” Riker asked.

“No," Borui looked at him with confusion. "He's... turned his body off."

"What?"

"He's..." she shrugged. "He's fighting a war, Will." She shook her head. "And I've no idea who's going to win."
--------------------------------------------------------------

Green and red crossed in a furious display.

“You should have stayed where you were,” Skywalker said. “You had a chance before.”

The weapons parted as the two swung again, blades colliding one after the other as each pressed, looking for an advantage.

“Now I’m going to finish what I should have done a long time ago.”

Again the weapons crossed, pushed this way and that as the two combatants tried to get the advantage over their opponent. There was a shove and they both were forced back.

Skywalker held up his blade. “It’s over.” Suddenly the blades vanished.

“Yes,” Luke said, “It is,” and disappeared.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Seven stepped into the captain's ready room with apprehension. She'd known this would be coming, but there wasn't anything to do but accept the consequences of her actions. Riker didn't even look up at her from his PADD. "Sit down," he said, his tone making it clear he wasn't happy.

"Before you say anything, sir," Seven said as she took a seat, "I want to tell you how sorry I am."

Riker glanced up for a moment, then back to the PADD. He finished tapping on it and set it aside. "Commander, you are without a doubt one of the smartest people I've ever met." He leaned forward and folded his hands. "And that's why it puzzles me that you could do something so absolutely stupid."

Seven's eyes were downcast. "I realize it was a little foolish-"

"Seven, you armed a man who was trying to kill you!"

"Okay, it was a lot foolish. But you must understand," she pleaded, "I had to know if he was still there!"

"Luke?"

"Yes!"

Riker sighed. "Seven, you've been a pain in the neck for as long as I can remember."

"Thank you sir."

"But you've been worth it." He rubbed his eyes. "We'll be arriving back at Earth within the hour, and I've been told to fill Starfleet Command in on what happened with our Sith prisoner." He stared into her face. "I can't gloss over what happened down there, what you did. You may face some serious discipline, Seven, maybe even discharge and criminal charges." Her eyes widened, and he explained. "You provided aid and comfort to an enemy of the Federation."

"I... suppose I did," Seven said. "I'm sorry I put you in this position, captain. You have been so very patient with me over the years."

"Let me be honest, I'm very upset right now, but mostly it's because you did this behind my back." Riker's annoyance was all too clear. "I've backed you up alot, Seven-"

"I couldn't tell you, sir," Seven said. "If you'd have known, and things went wrong, you would have held yourself responsible."

"Because I'm the captain of this ship," Riker said. "And that means that what happens here is always my responsibility!"

Seven looked down, then nodded. "Of course, you're right."

Riker sunk back into his chair. "If I were you, Seven, I'd get ready to speak before the admirals, because there's a very good chance they're going to want some answers out of you, and your future may depend on what they are."
--------------------------------------------------------------

Skywalker marched furiously through the rubble-strewn frontier of his mind, alert for the approach of his enemy. “This is always how it is,” he shouted into the darkness. “You hide just out of reach, afraid to face me.”

“I haven’t been hiding,” came Luke’s voice, “I’ve been growing stronger.”

Skywalker scoffed at him. “You strong?” he said. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“You won’t admit it, but you’ve been able to sense it, haven’t you.”

“Oh please,” Skywalker said, shouldering a broken beam out of his way. “I’m in control now and we both know why; it’s because I’m the strong one. I’m the one who could do what you couldn’t do and stop the Borg. I saved your precious little girlfriend, and don’t you ever forget it!” He kicked a huge lump of concrete out of his way. “When push came to shove, who did you turn to for salvation? Me! If it weren’t for me she’d be dead and you kriffing know it!”

“That may be true,” Luke’s voice echoed across the landscape, “But I don’t need you any more.”

“Well too bad,” Skywalker roared at him. “I’m out and I’m here to stay! You had your chance, Wormie; now it’s time to step out of the way and let me do what needs to be done.”

“I can’t do that. I told her I’d come back, and I always keep my promises.”

“Oh, oh, how touching,” Skywalker said with sarcasm. “A single tear rolls down my cheek.” A twisted piece of masonry exploded before him. “You don’t have a chance against the power of the Dark side. Give it up now and I promise it’ll be quick.”

“You’re so smug,” Luke replied, and Skywalker twisted around, looking for him in the darkness. “It’s your biggest weakness, blinding you to the truth.”

“What truth?” he asked with a sneer.

“That you’ve been growing weaker. That I’ve been holding you back more and more as the days go on.”

Skywalker laughed at him. “Yeah, like the way you stopped me from killing Chewie. Oh wait, that didn’t happen did it? Looks like you failed, Wormie.”

“I’m not in control,” Luke admitted. “Yet.”

“Just give it up,” Skywalker called. “You know you’ve lost, now try to face it like the man you pretend to be.”

“You still don’t see it.” His voice set Skywalker’s teeth on edge. “Wanna tell me why you didn’t just destroy the Enterprise as soon as you saw it?”

“Because it would have been a waste of time!”

“Oh, but being captured wouldn’t have wasted your time.”

“I didn’t know that was going to happen.”

“No, you knew you didn’t have the strength to do it any more. It’s the same reason Annika was able to defeat you so easily.”

“I wasn’t at my best,” Skywalker replied. “I had just come to and wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“You still won’t admit it. You’ve been growing weaker all this time, while I’ve been gaining more and more control. But I’ve gotta thank you; until you tried to kill her just now I didn’t have the courage to try and fight you so openly. But when you moved I knew I had to try, and it opened my eyes too. Now I see how pitiful you really are.”

“Me?” Skywalker replied. “You’re the one who’s hiding!”

“Just waiting. Biding my time. I’ve gotten quite good at that.”

“Too scared to come out in the open and take me on.”

“No, too smart to try such an obvious and dangerous tactic. That’s your problem; you’ve become so dependent on power you forgot all about strategy. That’s why Leia and Sebastian beat you so easily-“

“I won against Leia!”

“Only because she was distracted. And Sebastian cleaned your clock pretty well.”

“I didn’t have time to continue,” Skywalker replied angrily. “Otherwise I would have stayed and finished it.”

“He beat you,” Luke continued. “Because he’s stronger than you.”

“Bullshit!”

“That’s the problem with depending on strength, it only works until you meet someone just as strong as you are.”

“No one is stronger than me, especially you!”

“You can only defeat someone weaker than you,” Luke said. “In the end, you’re just a schoolyard bully.”

Skywalker sneered and gestured, knocking the building out of the way. “You can’t hide forever!” he shouted. “I’ll find you and finish you for good this time, and then we’ll see who’s the strong one!”

“You’re all talk,” Luke replied. “You’re a failure who’s just trying to cover it up.”

Skywalker made a sweeping gesture with his arm and two more buildings were razed. “You know nothing,” he spat.

“Oh I know a great deal more than you might think,” Luke replied.

Skywalker seethed, but turned around slowly, trying to catch a glimpse of his enemy. “One thing you did say was true,” he said as he gestured at a building, knocking it over, “You’ve been holding me back. A situation that I’ll only be too happy to remedy.” He swung his arms and buildings collapsed as he searched for Luke.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Riker was gone for the better part of an hour, and as expected, Seven was told to beam down as well. She was surprised, however, when she saw she wasn't summoned before the admirals, but just to Admiral Parks' office. He was standing, leaning against his desk while he read a PADD. He flashed her a small smile when she came in. "I hear you've had a busy time of late."

"Yes, sir," she said. She played it submissive; this could be very good or very bad, so she needed to tread carefully.

"Riker filled us in on everything that happened." He put the PADD down on his desk. "Love makes us do stupid things sometimes," he remarked.

"It does, sir," she admitted.

"Seven," Admiral Parks said, "when Jean-luc asked me to make you a line officer five years ago, I thought he was smitten with you." He smirked a little. "I've learned over time that he saw what I had failed to see, how much you can offer Starfleet and the Federation. Your performance in your capacity as science officer has been exemplary, and your performance as an officer has for the most part been beyond reproach. You delivered us from a mortal enemy and were instrumental in the destruction of the Death Star." He shook his head. "But I can't turn a blind eye to what happened, and neither can Starfleet. The fact was, Seven, you let your emotions cloud your judgment."

Seven nodded. "I know. It was inexcusable, and I apologize."

"It is inexcusable," Parks said. "And frankly if it were anyone else I'd throw you into a cell right now, but Riker's right... we do owe you for what you did." He shook his head. "I had high hopes for you, Seven, I really did... I think in time those can come to fruition. But right now, well, we can't just let this slide."

"I understand, sir."

"You'll be punished for this," Parks said.

"I understand, sir," she said again.

"The worst punishment I could give you," and Parks smirked. "Promotion." Seven blinked in surprise. "I understand that over the course of your experience you've already met all the qualifications for the Bridge Officer's Test, so we can waive that. You'll be made a full commander, and you will be re-assigned to command Starbase 213."

Seven looked at him. "The Federation station over Sanctuary, a planet with primarily Borg settlers. You have a unique sense of humor, sir."

"Oh, I'm not laughing," Parks said. "A little time in exile, commander, to think about what you've done... but also a chance to get a handle on command. It's my hope that in four, five years you'll be ready to captain a science vessel."

Seven looked away, then back. "Sir, I don't want to become a station commander, or to have my own command. My aspirations are to merely improve as what I am."

"Perhaps they are," Parks said. "But like I said, you don't get a choice in the matter. You're leaving the Enterprise; it's only too obvious that what happened is because of the personal relationships you've forged with the crew, and we cannot let something like this happen again. Starbase 213 is what it's going to be."

"Sir, I'm a science officer," Seven pleaded.

"You're a leader, and it's time you accepted command-level responsibilities. No pun intended, but you will adapt quickly to administration, and before long I'll have you in your own Nova-class starship, where I believe you can use those abilities of yours to push the boundaries of human knowledge farther than any ship has since the days of Kirk himself. But there's a long road between here and there."

"But I don't wish to go there, sir."

"We're not offering this to you, we're assigning it." Parks stepped in front of her and his face was decidedly less friendly. "I went to the mat for you on this, commander. The other admirals see the Borg as ancient history; they wanted to dishonorably discharge you. I told them we'd invested too much in you to just throw you away, and I believe you’re too great an asset to be lost, even if you did do something monumentally stupid. So it comes down to this: you take command, or a formal public hearing is convened tomorrow to discuss your removal." He caught the look in Seven's face. "Riker tells me you said you'd do anything for Skywalker, pay any price... well, this is the price, commander."

Seven took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yes sir... and, and I do appreciate you supporting me in this. I owe you my commission. I have one request, sir: that my transfer be delayed until the matter regarding Skywalker is resolved."

Parks let out a single, small laugh. "It's been resolved, commander. We've been aware of what has happened to him, and of his role in your victory over the Borg. He has essentially not been in his right mind. Solo will be assessing whether her brother has been... whatever the hell you call it." He must have noticed her expression; it seemed an obvious conflict of interest. "There's really no other authority on this, and given the fact of what he did in their home-"

"Leia's not going to let him run free if he's dangerous," Seven said with a nod.

"If he's 'cured,' then we'll let him go; if he's not, then it's a chemically-induced coma until we figure out a way to give him a proper trial, and how to impose any kind of sentence on him."

"I see," Seven said.

"So all we’re waiting on is for him to wake up from whatever is going on." He cleared his throat. "I don't suppose you know what that might be."

Seven shook her head grimly. "I'm as much in the dark as you, sir. I've no idea what's going on inside his head."
--------------------------------------------------------------

Skywalker was, to put it bluntly, pissed off. He screamed and a wave passed through his body and spread out in a ring across the landscape, demolishing everything in its path. His tortured soul continued its cry, dwarfing the sound of crushing stone and cracking metal until it disappeared into infinity, and he looked around, panting. His face turned to a wicked smile as he saw Luke and turned towards him. "So,” he said as he started walking towards him, “are you as brave a man in the open as you are in hiding?”

“Brave enough,” Luke said dismissively.

Skywalker stopped about ten meters away, his arms folded across his chest. “Going to run now?”

Luke shook his head. “No more running.”

Skywalker raised his hands. “Good.” Energy swirled out from his fingertips towards Luke, but stopped before it could reach him.

“There’s no need to run any more,” Luke said. “Not when you’ve already won.”

Skywalker looked at his hands for a moment and pointed again, but again nothing happened to Luke.

“You can’t do anything to harm me.”

Skywalker stormed towards him. “That’s not true and we both know it. We both see that you’re becoming submissive, accepting my dominance.”

Luke shook his head. “You confuse passiveness with submission. I don’t accept anything from you except that you’re pitiful, trying to bully someone you think is smaller and weaker to compensate for the truth: that you’re nothing. Just a dirty little part of me that I kept tucked away, the part that relished in the power instead of recognizing the responsibilities that came with it. But I’ve learned my lesson.”

“Oh really,” Skywalker replied. “Then tell me the truth about the Borg.”

For the first time, Luke seemed uncertain. “I-“

“You needed me! You begged me to help you, to give you the power that you now mock.” Energy crossed the space between them and Luke stumbled and fell as it coursed through him. “I exist because you embraced what I am.” Luke convulsed on the ground as energy enveloped him. "The Dark side had what we needed, and it has had everything ever since. If not for you holding me back, I would be invincible!" Luke cried out in agony as the lightning coursed through him. Skywalker grinned. "I’m so looking forward to getting full control again. I think I'll kill Annika for starters... what do you think?" Luke glared at him, then shook with pain as the blast hit. "That would be fun... I'll reach into her and rip her implants out one by one, saving the head for last. Heh, at least she'll die a human being instead of just a machine." Luke seethed at him, and Skywalker smirked. “Maybe I’ll rape her first... take one last taste of that sweet Borg candy.”

Luke screamed at him and tried to get up, but the blast hit him so hard he hit the ground like a meteor strike. Skywalker laughed horribly. "Anger, Wormie; that's my strength, not yours. The madder you get, the stronger I get, see?" He blasted Luke again. "But you can't help it, can you? Deep down, the Dark side is what you wanted; you wanted to be me more than anything, because I can do all the things you never could, entertain all the desires you couldn't!" Luke cried out as energy rolled over and through his body. "Do nothing, I'll win. Resist me, and I only grow stronger. It's over, Wormie... just roll over and die."
--------------------------------------------------------------

Back on board the Enterprise finally, Seven entered Sickbay, where Dr. Crusher was looking Luke over. "Any sign?" Seven asked fearfully.

"Nothing new," Dr. Crusher said, looking him over. "He shows all signs of being catatonic, except that his neural activity is through the roof. It looks like he's essentially isolated his brain from his body as some kind of defense mechanism; nothing comes out, nothing goes in."

"So he can't hear me, even on a subconscious level?"

"Nothing," Dr. Crusher said. "There's a wall around his mind, and nothing I can do can bring it down. He's got to lower it on his own."

Seven looked into his face, and she reached out and put her shaking hand on his cheek. You're in there, she thought, I know it. You can come back... I need you to come back. You've given me hope again. Tears formed. Don't take it away.

"Doctor," Seven said, "would you and the security officers please step out of the room."

Dr. Crusher shook her head. "Captain wants them on hand, just in case."

"Put a security field around us," Seven said. "He can't possibly get out of that."

"After what happened, you honestly think we'll leave you alone with him again?"

"You can watch me through the window if you like," Seven said. "But I need you to be physically away, or this might not work."

"What?" Seven told her. "I told you-"

"Irrelevant," Seven said. "There are some things I know must be true." She hesitated. "You lost a husband," she said. "You know what this is for me... please Beverly. Just into the next room."

Dr. Crusher looked at her, then down at her patient. She nodded to the guards, and together they stepped into the next room. A security field pulsed briefly as it formed around Seven and Luke Skywalker. Moment of truth time, she thought.

Seven leaned down over him and gently kissed his lips, then closed her eyes. And thought about him, about everything he was in her eyes, about everything he meant to her.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Luke looked up and the gray sky turned to gold. He could cut himself off from his body, but not the Force, and through it, he felt the only presence with him. "Annika," he whispered.

Her voice spoke. It came across like a whisper passed through a loudspeaker. It wasn't telepathy, just a voice given to what she was feeling. "I love you. I never stopped. I've been waiting... don't make me wait any more." Skywalker blasted Luke again, and though he spasmed, this time there was no pain. "You rescued me from my coma." Lightning struck, but he fought it now. "You rescued me from the Borg." He managed to pull himself onto his knees. "You rescued me from the Sith." He tried to pull himself up. "You have always been my hero." He was struck again, but never flinched. "Let me be yours."

Skywalker sneered and blasted Luke again, so that the air shimmered with raw energy. It might as well have been a glowstick. "The Dark side is stronger!" he insisted.

Luke shook his head. No, it's not. It wasn't the Light side that gave him power now, no more than it was the Dark side that gave him the power to destroy the Borg. What it was was so obvious he couldn't see the forest for the trees. Master Yoda had even told him, but he hadn't really understood. "Your greatest strength, Annika is." With her in darkness, he could annihilate fleets. With her in light, he could overcome any Sith. "It's over," he said. "Get out."

Skywalker fumed. "No!" he bellowed, and blasted at Luke again. Luke ignored it. "You need me!"

"Not any more," Luke said.

"You can't throw all this away!"

"Watch me."

Skywalker snarled at him and pointed. This time instead of lightning bolts large, red zigzagging beams shot towards Luke, but still he was unharmed. He did it again, growling in rage as he unleashed more and more energy towards him. “And you still don’t see it,” Luke said with a shake of his head. Skywalker snarled again and grit his teeth, clenching his fists in concentration as energy crackled around him. “More power, that’s your answer,” Luke said as he watched the white swirls embrace Skywalker. “It’s always the same thing. But without her, you'll never have it. That's the problem, Skywalker. I need you? You need me more. Because without what she gives me, you're just a simulacrum, nothing more... just the Emperor's pet."

The air between the two popped and sizzled and glowed as energy coursed between them, but Luke didn’t twitch. Skywalker howled and clenched his fists so tightly his entire body began to shake. His breathing was loud and guttural, and his flesh seemed to be distorting. “So all you've got to draw on is your own rage and hate and evil," Luke said. "But it's empty of any passion, it's empty of what gives it strength. And the thing you forget is that evil exists solely to destroy..."

Skywalker’s eyes snapped open.

“...so when there's nothing else left, it will destroy you too.”

Skywalker stumbled about, the white mists spinning around and passing through him. Luke, sensing what was about to happen, turned and sprinted across the broken landscape as Skywalker’s skin began to split. The pent up energy spilled out from it like searchlights as he writhed in agony. Then he exploded, sending Luke flying across the debris as the winds of a storm buffeted him. He saw behind him that Skywalker was gone, replaced instead by a wide nothing, an abyss that had consumed him utterly and clearly wasn’t finished. The storm began to knock him over where he stood as Skywalker’s voice screamed inside the emptiness.

“I am the strong one!” he insisted. “I’m the...”

Luke looked back at the shape, growing steadily as the storm blew rubble and debris into the expanse, consuming the landscape around him. He turned and pushed forward as best he could as the storm increased its ferocity.

“You.... can’t..... win......”

Luke tried to climb a small rise but a new gust blew him off, spinning head over heels towards the abyss.

“...I.... won’t.... let..... you.....”

There was a single piece of rebar sticking up out of the foundation, and Luke caught it as the storm swirled around him, pulling everything into the deep abyss. It bent under his weight but held as he gripped it tightly, fingers turning white with the strain. Skywalker’s voice chided him from the depths.

“If... I.... die.... I’ll..... take..... you...... with ...... me.........”

The strength was incredible, and Luke held on in desperation. The abyss screamed for him, to consume him as well, to steal the last little part of himself that he had been able to hold on to. He felt fear start to grip him and knew what that meant. No! he thought desperately. Don’t do that, you’ll only make it stronger!

“You NEED me!” Skywalker screamed across his mind. “You.... need....”

“I love you.”

Luke looked up at the sky. She was still with him... After all the horrible things he'd done, she was the only one who would never abandon him.

“Luke,” the voice called. “It’s Annika. Listen to me, stop this.”

“Annika!” he cried, but the sound vanished into the storm as his hands started to slide along the bent piece of metal.

“Listen to my voice. Concentrate on what I’m saying. Think peaceful thoughts.”

“I’m trying, Annika!” he shouted over the storm.

“I need you... don't leave me... please turn back.”

“I’m try... trying,” he said with exhaustion. He couldn’t hold on much longer; he could feel the storm sapping away his strength. “Please...”

“Never let me go."

His fingers slipped; he was barely holding on.

"Let me save you, Luke."

He closed his eyes; the strain was too much.

"Just take my hand, sweetie."

His hand slipped off the rebar and he hung in the air for a moment as the storm grabbed him in triumph.

“Take my hand.”

His arm shot out and grabbed onto her, gripping it with all the hope his soul could possess at this moment of his salvation.

Seven, still bent over him, looked down as Luke held onto her wrist, gripping tighter than she’d ever felt. She looked back into his face and saw signs of consciousness. A fear started to creep into her as she wondered who it would be, but as he squeezed his eyes closed and then blinked them open she knew for certain. He breathed heavy in exhaustion and his grip went limp, and she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him up, squeezing him tight. "I knew you'd win," she said.

"You won," he croaked, then shook his head. "I'm so sorry for everything, Annika-"

"None of it matters," Seven said.

"It does," Luke said. "Thank you... for keeping your promise." He was exhausted but he managed to smile just a little. "I owe you everything. And I swear I will make you as happy as a Force-empowered man with bottomless reserves of stamina can make a woman."

Seven smiled and shook with laughter and tears. "That sounds pretty happy." She rocked him a little. "I've missed you."

"I know," he said. "And there's a little boy who sorely misses having someone to play with."

Seven laughed a little. "She's missed that big jerk too."

They held one another for a time. "Everything's going to change," he finally said.

"I know... but when I said 'any price,' I meant it."

"Me too," he said. He cleared his throat. "Well, you're my hero... doesn’t the hero always get to kiss the one who’s rescued?"

Seven smiled, then kissed him... and it was worth more than all the heartache it had taken to earn it. And the best part was, there would be so many more to follow.

[consequences]

Blahblahblah, great chapter, yaddayaddayadda, love how the darkside only has the strength that you give it.

With that out of the way, time for an entirely selfish, pointless, ludicrous tantrum: Why haven't you put out more OVEG? Here we are, pining for more debasement and cruelty to dredge up memories that we've successfully repressed, and you keep providing epic entertainment and storytelling, weaving together an insane four-dimensional spider's web of grace and wonder. I want my laughs at targets that are wholly incapable of defending themselves, dagnabbit.

On a slightly more serious note, the constant near-child-like wonder between Luke and Annika of 'oh gosh oh wow, he/she actually wants to be with me' is truly touching.

[Trogdor]

Ah, the classic battle between light and darkness. Good shit.

Regarding some of your earlier posts, I must say I'm surprised that you had Skywalker kill Chewie just to get the readers mad at him. I mean, it complicates the fuck out of things, which is fine if that's what the plot you had in mind called for, but if it wasn't really planned, well, you're a brave man for doing that just to make a point.

[Crazedwraith]

Excellant chapter. Is this the bit thats hanged so radically that old readers no longer recognise it? Or am I just not rembering the original very well?

Also when you say you killed Chewie purely as a response to fans not getting evil skywalker, how much of the second trilogy had you planned at that point and did killing Chewie mean major revisions for it?

[Sonnenburg]

Blahblahblah, great chapter, yaddayaddayadda, love how the darkside only has the strength that you give it.

With that out of the way, time for an entirely selfish, pointless, ludicrous tantrum: Why haven't you put out more OVEG? Here we are, pining for more debasement and cruelty to dredge up memories that we've successfully repressed, and you keep providing epic entertainment and storytelling, weaving together an insane four-dimensional spider's web of grace and wonder. I want my laughs at targets that are wholly incapable of defending themselves, dagnabbit.

Thanks! Regarding OVEG: know it's been a while, but putting out two fics simultaneously has made it too difficult to do Voyager at the same time and get it done properly. However, I have placed the next three Voyager episodes on my June to-do list, and rest assured that we will get back to at least one episode a week (maybe two to make up for lost time).

On a slightly more serious note, the constant near-child-like wonder between Luke and Annika of 'oh gosh oh wow, he/she actually wants to be with me' is truly touching.

I think that despite all they can do, Luke and Annika are both a little intimidated by the other (as the escape pod scene in WWE tried to illustrate a little). Luke, for example, is a guy whose friends called "Wormie;" for him, Annika's got to be like the homecoming queen, beautiful and important, and he still feels like the unimportant loser. And for Annika, who always quantified positive traits in her assessments, cannot help but be intimidated by someone whose achievements and abilities far exceed her own (part of the reason the knowledge of him being with Mara is such a blow; it's likely always been a secret fear that he'd find someone closer to his own level and leave her behind).

The first draft for the rest of this story has already been done; there's a part coming up that illustrates the point you're referring to in 35.

[Sonnenburg]

Ah, the classic battle between light and darkness. Good shit.

Regarding some of your earlier posts, I must say I'm surprised that you had Skywalker kill Chewie just to get the readers mad at him. I mean, it complicates the fuck out of things, which is fine if that's what the plot you had in mind called for, but if it wasn't really planned, well, you're a brave man for doing that just to make a point.

Originally I hadn't planned a second trilogy, so there wasn't going to be much of a difference in how things moved forward in AAO. Killing Chewie wasn't something I liked doing, but I felt that it was essential to the story that even the hardest Sith supporter wanted to see Skywalker go down.

[Sonnenburg]

Excellant chapter. Is this the bit thats hanged so radically that old readers no longer recognise it? Or am I just not rembering the original very well?

Starting now, all bets are off. I'd say about forty percent of this chapter is the same as the original; a lot of things in retrospect didn't work as they should have.
1) Riker wouldn't throw Seven away over this incident, not after all she's done and how close they had grown over the series
2) We needed immediate resolution on what was going to happen to Luke if he returned, because there wasn't enough time in the final Act to make this an involved process
3) Seven needed to be more active in Luke's return, to make it clear that their relationship is a partnership of equals. Seven is not Luke's damsel in distress that needs him to constantly come to her rescue.
4) A better understanding of what was going on in the fight, why sometimes Luke could be immune to attacks and at other times not. (the idea, of course, that the emotions affect both of them; Luke's weakness becomes Skywalker's strength, and vice versa. Luke's words encourage pacifism, Skywalker's encourage anger. Hence his horrible remarks about Annika [Even though the final line was perfectly logical and in character for Skywalker, it was still hard to write it. It's funny, but it's much easier to suggest killing someone than to suggest raping them.])
5) A real bit of closure to this. Annika has been waiting for this moment since the end of SOTN, we needed to give her a chance to show how much this means to her, and for Luke to show his own recognition for what she did, both in terms of enduring during his absence and her significant part in his rescue.

And from here, well, their lives are going to take a different turn. You might have noticed the hints in DOF:
The shadow box Sebastian finds with the pips contains blue material from Seven's science uniform and red material from her command one
Seven tells the XO of the Visage that she has command experience
In the latest chapter, Annika reflects that for a time she even had been allowed to command

It's going to mean some things will be lost; the Borg protestors, for instance, was something I hated cutting, but it's not really necesary for the story, and I think this allows more growth for Annika's character.

Also when you say you killed Chewie purely as a response to fans not getting evil skywalker, how much of the second trilogy had you planned at that point and did killing Chewie mean major revisions for it?

I hadn't plotted anything out at all; I had originally no plans to continue past AAO, but as I was extrapolating the future for Sebastian's inclusion, I realized that there was more that could be told in time. Since Chewie was never a part of Sebastian's backstory, his presence or absence had no effect.

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXXI


It was red, not blue. She stared at the uniform undershirt, turning this way and that. It never stopped looking wrong. It was supposed to be blue. Blue was the color of a science officer. Red was the color of a decision maker, a reader of pointless reports, a settler of petty disputes. Red wasn't her color... command wasn't what she'd joined Starfleet to do. She backed up, looking at herself in the mirror... it didn't look any better. "What do you think?" she asked Luke, whirling around.

Luke looked. Of course, she'd forgotten he was sitting down having breakfast, and that she'd backed right up to him before turning around, so that he was about four centimeters away from her chest. "They look great," he commented.

"This is my commanding officer's uniform," she said with annoyance.

"They look great, sir."

She laughed despite herself. "I don't like this," she said. "Maybe I made a mistake."

"In not facing a dishonorable discharge?" Luke asked. "You did the right thing." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry. This was all my fault."

"I made the decision," she said. "I can live with the consequences... but your punishment is that you have to listen to me complain about it for the rest of your life."

"Thanks for making me feel better," Luke said, but he had that knowing smirk. He pushed his food aside and got up. "Let's finish this," he said, and he went to her old blue uniform while she put on the outer garment of her new one. He came back with three full pips, and began putting them in place.

"You're doing that on purpose," she giggled.

"Sometimes you are too ticklish for your own good," Luke commented, but he had steady Jedi hands and all three were perfectly lined up despite her squirming. He stepped back and looked at her. "You look amazing," he said quietly. "I'm so proud of you, Annika." He must have felt her. "I mean it," he said. "You look like you belong in that uniform." She turned and looked in the mirror at Commander Annika Hansen Skywalker.

It had all been Annika's idea. After Luke regained consciousness Leia arrived and confirmed his identity. She wasn't rude, but she was distant; they were still making arrangements for Chewie's funeral... the events of the past few days were too fresh. Luke was released, and returned to her quarters, and even though she ached to express her love in the most physical ways possible, she held back and told him what she'd been thinking. Maybe they hadn't been together as long as other people do, but after all the mind-melds, were they ever going to really know each other any better? After his decision to destroy himself to protect her, and her long journey to reclaim him, was there any doubt that they were fully devoted to each other? Why waste more time? Why not tell the galaxy that as far as they were concerned, this would always last?

It had been a quick and dirty affair - the wedding, that is. Riker came down and performed the ceremony, and Geordi and Beverly were kind enough to serve as witnesses. It had been what their relationship had always been, something private.

Then she took a new name. She wanted to be a part of the Skywalker legacy in every way, and it was time to leave the safety net behind. Seven of Nine had been who she was for a long time, but it was time to move on. She was still proud to be Borg, but she was also a human, a wife, and a Federation officer; she needed to act like one.

"What the hell happened to me?" she asked finally. "It seems like just last week I was a civilian in a bodysuit who lived in a cargo bay and called herself a number... who is this person?"

Luke stepped beside her, wrapped an arm around her, and looked at her in the mirror. "Someone who's learned what it means to grow." He smiled. "Someone who decided to take a chance on a career, on emotion, and on me."

Annika smiled a little at the reflection. "In that case, I think I like what I see."

The door chimed, and Annika told them to enter. It was a crewman. "Commander Skywalker."

"Yes?" Annika and Luke both said, then turned and looked at one another.

"Um, our Commander Skywalker," the confused crewman said. "We've arrived at Starbase 213."

Annika gripped Luke's hand so tight she heard him wince; she eased off the pressure. "Thank you, crewman," she said.

"All set?" Luke asked. Annika nodded uncomfortably; everything was packed and ready... it all ended right at this moment. "You'll do great," he assured her. She looked around the room for the last time, then with Luke left and headed for the transporter room. Some of the senior officers were on hand to see her off; thankfully none of the science department was here, because she'd already cried as she said her goodbyes to them.

"Annika," Riker said, embracing her. "You're going to knock 'em dead."

"Thank you, Will," Annika said. Geordi embraced her next.

"Congratulations," Laforge said.

"Glad to have me out of your hair?" she asked playfully.

"Hopefully it'll stop graying now," he said with a smile.

"Good luck, Annika," Dr. Crusher said as they hugged. "And if you have any ideas about the Borg and medicine, you know where to reach me."

"Thanks Beverley," Annika said. And that left one, Borui.

Borui stood at attention. "It has been an honor, sir," she said, emphasizing the honorific. She knew just the going away present Annika wanted.

"I'm going to miss you, Borui."

"I can tell that you're lying."

"I know, that's why it comes so easily." Annika laughed, gave her a quick embrace, then she and Luke stepped onto the transporter pad. She nodded.

Riker nodded back. "Energize," he said. And that was the last time that Annika saw the Enterprise.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Through the ebon depths of space twisted a single starship, its engines straining as it pushed through space, maneuvering wildly to avoid the shots from the attacking fighters. Behind it hulked the sleek, dark shape of an Imperator-class star destroyer, its turbolasers keeping the ship boxed in as it tried to escape. To the naked eye the huge vessel seemed a chiseled piece of space drifting after it, but the tiny ship’s sensors were designed to detect even the most elusive prey; the jamming field barely interfered with its readings.

The shields started to buckle under the concentrated fire of the TIE fighters, but the Hirogen refused to allow its prey to get the better of them. And that’s what the Imperials were: prey. They may have more power, greater numbers, and faster speed, but that only made the challenge that much more invigorating, and the prize that much more cherished. But first things first; the hunt is not about the kill, it’s about the preparation to catch your prey, as much to outthink as to overpower.

White energy stabbed through space, slicing through one of the TIEs with ease. A moment later and a second debris field was spreading through space. The TIEs veered off, allowing the star destroyer to bring its forward guns to bear. Immediately the sky was filled with green plasma, but the Hirogen twisted upwards, and, pushing their engines to the limits, cleared the interdiction field before the projectors could be redirected. A flash, and they moved into hyperspace. Soon after, they re-emerged, altered their course, and moved again, and then did it again. After a while, the Imperials were lost far behind.

A hunter is by far the most elusive of targets, because it already knows how to think like prey.

Several hours later they rendezvoused on an uninhabited planet in the Beta Quadrant. The exchange was simple: their sensor data for additional technical components. The Hirogen didn’t trade with outsiders often, but it required far more impressive tools to deal with this prey. Hyperdrives, subspace transporters, personal cloaking devices; all invaluable in continuing the hunt. A new and far more deadlier predator was being released on the galaxy, one which just might be able to topple its greatest challenge.
--------------------------------------------------------------

One after another the giant metal pylons pulled away from the structure and drifted off, leaving the silver hull bare to reveal the gleam of the distant sun. It took almost half a minute for the process to be completed but when it was done the ship floated majestically in the skies of Mars, a flurry of small shuttles buzzing about to get the best view of the newest addition to Starfleet.

"The Protector," said a woman's voice, "is a new step in Federation starship design. It is the result of combining previous Federation construction techniques with new technologies to produce a ship that is faster, better equipped, and more powerful than anything in Starfleet history. The Protector is the brainchild of Admiral Jellico," the image of the ship moved to a box in the corner as Jellico's face appeared, "head of Utopia Planetia."

"The Protector is a departure, but it's also a progressive step," said Jellico. "We're using what we've already learned about design and finding ways to augment that. And with the advances we've made in building this ship I believe we can build further ships in the Protector line in half the time."

"The ship's armament is classified at this time," the woman's voice continued, "but it's believed the ship has the same firepower as a small fleet. One of those responsible for the weapons upgrades on the Protector is Captain William Riker of the USS Enterprise."

"It's definitely well-defended," Riker said. "But we built those weapons in the hope that we would never have to use them. Starfleet's mission is and always will be first and foremost the peaceful exploration of the galaxy."

A voice spoke nearby, and Riker turned to face it. "If that's the case, then why design a ship so clearly built for combat?"

"Well, one of Starfleet's purposes is to ensure the protection of the Federation against outside invaders, so a ship like the Protector can serve as both a deterrent and serve in times of war."

"But otherwise it is of little exploratory use."

"It's fully equipped for any mission Starfleet may require," Riker said. "It's outfitted for exploration, providing aid or transport to endangered worlds, and defense."

"But couldn't resources have been better used on several vessels instead of a single warship?"

"You'll have to speak to the admiral on that," Riker said, and turned and walked away.

"Admiral Jellico disagreed," said the woman, "saying that the concentration of resources created a ship that was greater than the sum of its parts. But further-"

The scene vanished from the screen. "Good," the man at the controls said, turning to his colleague. "Very good. Just in time to pay a little call on our Imperial friends."
--------------------------------------------------------------

The first night on Starbase 213, Luke sensed his son's presence. It was very faint, but he was family, and that meant if you were looking for it, you could find it. So one of Annika's first acts as station commander was to provide Luke with a runabout and pilot to find Sebastian and bring him back. They'd wondered at his absence; he'd disappeared shortly after filling Leia in on the circumstances of her father's death, and they'd wondered if perhaps Ben had returned him to his own time. Apparently not; he'd been stranded on a planet in Republic space for the past couple months, apparently after a run-in with the Jem'hadar.

The following day, he disappeared again. All there was was a note that he had to tend to something important. Annika had worried, but with all her new responsibilities that she was still trying to learn how best to handle, she just couldn't deal with it.

It was the following day that Sebastian returned to Luke and Annika's quarters, visibly upset. Luke could sense his despair, and it stirred things in him. He didn't know what you were supposed to feel; he and Annika hadn't had a child yet... how do you cope with this when you have no context? So he did his best to sit Sebastian down and try to talk to him, but it wasn't easy. The boy was upset and evasive, and it reached the point where Luke was starting to get a little frustrated.

"It's a long and involved story, okay?" Sebastian finally said. "And you can't know it yet."

"I understand that," Luke said. "But obviously this just came on. Something's changed within the past day." He looked at Sebastian. "It's the reason you were out here in the first place, right? Why you flew out here and got stranded?"

Sebastian looked up at him and saw the rage and disgust in his expression. "Unworthy!" his father screamed at him.

"Sebastian?" Luke said.

"Something..." Sebastian closed his eyes, but a couple of tears still managed to slip out despite his best efforts. "Something bad is going to happen to me... and it..."

In memory, his father sat before him, pain etched on his worn features. "I've got to tell you something important. I'm going away for a while. I don't know when I'll be coming back."

"Please don't go away," Sebastian whispered with agony, and Luke just stared at him. He realized he'd said the words aloud. "It... didn't turn out well."

"Sebastian..." Luke floundered. "I want to help you, but I can't know too much about the future either."

Sebastian sniffed and offered a laugh. "Exactly right." He covered his face with his hands. "I did something horrible, father. I- I tried to stop it from happening. I thought maybe I could... maybe I could make it so that it never happened, and then we- Then it could be the way it was supposed to be." He coughed and wiped his eyes. "Do you know what the Pogo Paradox is?" Luke shook his head. "An event that attempts to alter the past fulfills history. In other words... I was meant to be in that room, to stop you. I was meant to help mom learn what she's learned. But I also..." He shook with grief. "Because of me, millions of people are going to die."

The color drained from Luke's face. "What did you do?"

"I helped the Republic," Sebastian said with a laugh that had nothing joyful or humorous within it. "I helped them... and now I realized that one of the greatest tragedies of recent history was the result of it."

Luke cleared his throat. "What exactly did you do?"

"I gave them information to track down a criminal," Sebastian said. "But I now realize that the information is going to be used to cause some unprovoked and unnecessary attacks on innocent people."

"So your intent was to stop a man who does bad things, that's all."

"My intent was to stop him from causing what would happen to me," Sebastian said.

"But it was by stopping someone evil, right?" Luke asked. "You did what you did by and large for good reasons, right? You did it to help yourself, but also to help others."

"Yes," Sebastian said.

"Past, future, that's incidental. What matters is that you were trying to do something good. That's what we do, we try to help people, but sometimes what happens goes wrong. Look at what I did," he said firmly. "My actions helped save the galaxy from the Borg, but I'll admit that I did it to protect Annika Hansen, for the most selfish of all reasons. Looking back, I see that decision caused a great deal of suffering... Chewie's dead because of that decision." He put his arm around the son he hadn't had yet and pulled him close. "We try to do the right thing," he said, "but we're not gods, Sebastian. We're Jedi, which means we have to be very careful, but that we're still human beings that are going to kriff up sometimes. All we can do is try to do what we think is right." He cleared his throat. "How much do you know about us?"

Sebastian looked over at him. "You and mother told me all about it. About everything really; how you brought her out of that coma and you just sort of found each other. Those were probably some of your happiest memories from what I can tell."

Luke nodded and smiled weakly, but then it slowly fade. "Things can't go back to the way they were, can they?"

Sebastian seemed to consider. "No," he finally admitted.

"You can sense it, can't you."

He nodded. "Down deep, rumbling around inside you."

There was a hint of sadness in his voice. "It won't ever go away, will it?"

"No," Sebastian said quietly.

"I can protect you from anything," the weary old man said in memory, "but not myself."

"It will always be a temptation," Sebastian said. "Once you start down the dark path," he recited.

"Yes," Luke said, clearly appreciating those words far more than he ever had. "I should have pushed harder. I should have told her not to go. Made her not go."

"Do you really think she'd stand for that?"

Luke smiled, but it was strained by exhaustion. "Probably not."

"She knows why you did what you did," Sebastian said. "She feels just as responsible for what happened as you do. That's why she was ready to die back there on the Enterprise; she felt that if you were lost because of her, then it was only fair that she die too." He cleared his throat. "She told me once that the universe is a gigantic, dangerous, scary place, and we go through our lives in terror because of the perils on all sides and the certainty of our own mortality. Sometimes we fight it, sometimes we deny it, but sometimes we find someone who's just as lost and scared as we are, and we cling to them, because then you're not afraid any more."

Before anything further could be said, the door opened, and Annika and Ben Sisko walked in. Annika grabbed Sebastian and clung to him. "Remind me to kick your ass for this when you return to your own time," she said.

"Yeah, I'll try not to forget," he said, but there was no keeping the pain out of his voice. I hope you'll be there, he thought. "I assume I'm going back now?" he asked Sisko as the embrace ended.

Sisko nodded. "You've done what history required," and the words took on an ominous tone. He knew... of course he knew.

Luke hugged him close, then his mother again. She was teary-eyed, but she tried to smile. "I hope with all my heart that I'll see you again," she said. He knew all the implications of that remark.

Sebastian forced a smile to his face. "Okay, Ben, whenever you're ready. Any last pieces of advice?"

"Try not to do anything stupid." And they vanished into the future.

[Star Empire]

Chapter 30 was really good to read (haven't read 31 yet). I liked how Seven wasn't thrown out and agree Riker wouldn't have done it.

And from here, well, their lives are going to take a different turn. You might have noticed the hints in DOF:
The shadow box Sebastian finds with the pips contains blue material from Seven's science uniform and red material from her command one
Seven tells the XO of the Visage that she has command experience
In the latest chapter, Annika reflects that for a time she even had been allowed to command

It's going to mean some things will be lost; the Borg protestors, for instance, was something I hated cutting, but it's not really necesary for the story, and I think this allows more growth for Annika's character.?

I did notice the command experience line as odd, but didn't think anything of the red and blue material.
I'll miss the Borg protesters, but think keeping Seven in Starfleet will be better.

[Sonnenburg]

Thanks. It wasn't a decision I reached lightly; I knew I'd wind up having to write up most of the rest of the chapters from scratch, which obviously meant a lot of careful thought on how to both have things develop organically and yet still fit into the existing frameworks of this story and everything that comes after this.

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXXII


Annika hadn't even changed out of her uniform when she got back to her quarters; there was still a pile of things for her to do. Tending to a station this old was like going into the cellars of an old house, there was an awful lot of ugly things that needed to be cleaned up to get it up to the standards of a perfectionist. Compounding this was the data they'd taken from the Tracker's armor that she still hadn't had a chance to fully examine, and had promised herself that she was going to get to today. Ten thousand things were demanding her attention...

And then Luke showed up. She was working the science terminal pillars she'd had them install in her quarters; between them and her new alcove, she probably drew more power than half the station's personnel put together, but it gave her time to work in the dead of night when Luke slept and she wanted to just get a few things done. Now wasn't one of those times; he was wide awake, and had wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing the back of her neck and rubbing her abdomen. "Take a break," he said.

"I wish I could," she replied.

"Take a break," he said in a high-pitched silly voice. Annika giggled a little but stayed at it. With the quick moves of a Jedi he slipped one hand under her uniform front, and she felt an index finger exploring her navel.

"Stop it," she chuckled, trying to ignore it. "I mean it."

"I don't think you do," Luke said.

"I have work to do," she said, giggling all the while. "Stop, I mean it, stop," she said, pulling away and extracting his hand. "Not now."

Luke looked down, then nodded a little. "I'll go check out the holodeck for a while."

Annika winced inwardly as he turned. "I had to shut the holodecks down for the night. We're doing a lot of work on the transporter circuits nearby-"

"Okay," he said. "I'll walk through the arboretum."

Annika hung her head. "Closed while we spray for that bacterial outbreak."

Luke nodded, then clapped his hands together. "Well, that wall looks like it needs a good staring at; I'll get right on it."

"Why don't you meditate," Annika suggested.

"I did already," he said as he dropped into a chair.

"Read a book."

"Did that too."

"Well dammit, Luke, I'm not your kriffing babysitter!" Annika snapped. "I've got a station to run, okay?"

"Yeah, I couldn't help but notice," Luke said irritably.

"Not all of us can just lay back and do nothing all day," Annika said sternly.

"Yeah, real life of riley, this," Luke said.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded.

"The things I shouldn't have to ask for," he shot back.

Annika was brought up short, and her anger turned to guilt. "I'm sorry, sweetie... I- I didn't mean any of that."

Luke's belligerence was gone as well. "Yeah, I know you didn't. And I know you wouldn't be working on that if it wasn't important."

It hadn't meant to cut her but it did. The reason was because it was completely true, but the full implications of it were terrible. "You're important," she said quietly.
--------------------------------------------------------------

There's one big problem with having the Force, and that's, when you're close to someone, you can feel what they feel. Sometimes it's the best thing that can happen to you... there's nothing in the world like touching someone and feeling how much joy it gives them. Not just knowing it, but feeling it. The closer you are to someone, the better you can sense the shades. With Annika, whom he melded with more than once, she was an open book. Sure, she could use her "cloak," or whatever it was, to stop it, but she'd said she wouldn't, that it wasn't honest. When he got angry or upset, she could read his body language and see it; cloaking was pretending that he couldn't do the same. Besides, you had to know... just being mad doesn't solve anything, you need to either work it out, or realize that you were just being stupid.

This was neither of those moments. This was the moment when she was reading him, and he could feel that she was disappointed in herself with what she was seeing. She was trying; she put on that face of hers, that winning smile. She always said she was horrible at poker, but with that smile she'd win the shirt off his back... well, not that he wouldn't give it to her regardless. It made him feel guilty, because she shouldn't feel bad about this; it wasn't her fault. She didn't ask for this job... and even if she did, what kind of selfish jerk would he be to resent her wanting to advance her career. She'd taken to this position better than both had thought; the station was a model of efficiency because, when you got down to it, that's one thing a Borg would be damn good at. Luke walked up to her, took her hands in his, and held them together. "You never have to feel guilty about your duty," he said sincerely. "I knew what I was getting into when I married you, and I accept it. And I want you to do it as well as you possibly can."

She was smiling, but he could still feel underneath; she felt like she was doing him a disservice. So she fell back on the one thing that was always there. "I love you," she said. It was a good phrase; it said everything for any situation.

"I mean it," he said.

"I know you do," she said softly. "And you are so... wonderful to say it." Her breath trembled. "I am the most powerful person on this station," she said finally. "There is no one here that can give me an order, no one." She brushed her hair out of her face. "But right now, for this night, you're my superior officer. All this crap waits for tomorrow, this is your night to command me. You want dinner in bed, it's yours. You want your back rubbed, I'm on it. Anything and everything." She rubbed his hands with hers. "I know I can't give you what she could, but-"

"Annika, don't even go there," Luke said. "You don't have to do this."

"I want to give it to you," Annika said. "Come on, Luke," she said with a smirk, "don't tell me the thought of having the commanding officer of this station as your personal slave doesn't get your juices flowing."

Luke leaned in and kissed her. "Anything?" he said.

"Anything."

"No matter what?"

"Oh, you're going to tickle me again, aren't you."

"No," Luke said, but he leaned in and whispered in her ear.

Annika giggled. "You are such..." She started to laugh again, then held up her hands as she tried to stop. Finally, she tapped her commbadge. "Skywalker to operations."

"Go ahead, commander."

"We on a private channel?"

There was a beep. "We are now."

"Good, I need you to do something for me. I'd consider it a personal favor if you kept this quiet... and a personal insult if you didn't."

"You can count on me, sir."

Annika looked at Luke and tried not to giggle, but it was straining to get out. "Turn off the gravity in my quarters."

"Sir?"

"Do it."

"Aye, commander."

There was a hum, and suddenly they felt themselves floating in the room. "Nicely done," Luke commented.

"I'm glad I could please you, master," she said with a giggle.

"Hold on to me," he said, and she did. He closed his eyes and gently pushed with his mind until they'd floated to the center of the room and hung there together. He opened them and gazed into her eyes, and he felt one of those moments of joy coming from her. "Now play some music... and then we'll see what happens after that."

"You've been planning this, haven't you," Annika said with a smirk.

"Planning? Not exactly... but I did have one or two fantasies about what I should have done with you in that escape pod." Annika laughed and clung to him as they spun through the air. "I think it started with this, and he brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her deeply.

Annika let out a quivering breath as it ended. "What happened then?" she asked. She read his expression. "Shameful thoughts for a Jedi," she said with a laugh.
--------------------------------------------------------------

While construction on Utopia Planetia went on regardless of the hour, administration rarely ran past 1800 hours. Admiral Jellico sat alone in the quiet of his office, enjoying a celebratory synthehol. Years of work in design and construction, three months of upgrades using the Enterprise field testing notes, and more than a few headaches had produced what was probably the finest ship in Earth's history. The crew was already moving in to leave orbit, but for now it hung majestically beyond his window. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at it.

"She's a thing of beauty," a voice said, and Jellico froze. He'd know it anywhere, though there was no name for it... there was barely a name for where it came from, a name that Jellico had grudgingly had to turn to over the years, to his probable damnation.

Section 31 was here.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Annika put an arm back to stop herself from hitting the ceiling, then wrapped it back around Luke again. "You know this place is going to be a real mess when they turn the gravity on."

"Yeah," Luke said. "Wasn't too smart was it."

"I suppose we had our mind on other things," Annika remarked as she traced the outline of his chest.

Luke took her hand and kissed it. "Hey, listen... I want you to know I meant what I said. You never have to feel bad about doing what you have to do to run this station. I'm not going anywhere, Annika; never worry about me getting bored with you, okay?"

It was one of those moments again; she looked at him and he could feel her adoration. "God, how did I manage all those months without you?" she asked finally.

Luke pulled her close so her head rested against his shoulder, and he gently rubbed her back. "Thanks for making time for me," he said. "It meant a lot."

"Never feel bad about wanting my attention," Annika said. "You deserve all of it." She turned her head and kissed his cheek. "I know you're probably bored to tears here, sweetie; can I help? Want me to install some holo-emitters in here?"

"No," he said. He hesitated. Should he say it? He decided to go ahead; after all, it'd give them something to talk about. "I've been thinking about joining Starfleet."

Annika twisted to look him in the face. "What?"

"Starfleet. You must have heard of them." He smiled; she was still stunned. "I was thinking maybe they could transfer my old credentials from the Republic. I retired as a commander, I mean, I've got to be useful in some way. Maybe working security here on the station, or handling the flight assignments for the shuttles and runabouts."

"You're serious," Annika said.

"Absolutely," Luke said. "Give me a chance to get out there and do something."

"'Something?' Luke you're a Jedi knight, you're like a thousand times overqualified."

"Then I should be a real shoe-in," Luke said with a smile.

"Come on, Luke," Annika said. "There has got to be better things you can be doing."

"What, like putting on a costume and fighting crime? I'm here and ready to defend the Federation and the Republic if need be, but right now there's really nothing I can do to help anybody. The Jedi of old were guardians of peace, but after what happened... there's just no way I could go around and expect people to listen to me preaching about just getting along. Face it, Annika; my reputation is shot. 'Jedi' is just a word now, it doesn't mean anything. All I'm doing is waiting until there's something that maybe I can do to help, but until then I'm just getting a little stir-crazy, especially up here where there's so few living things."

There was a pop and a slight hum as the gravity slowly began re-asserting itself. They descended onto the bed, never letting go of each other for even a second. "If that's what you really want, Luke," Annika said, "I'll help however I can."

"Thanks."

She leaned back and began tracing his chest again. "Of course, you do realize that I'll be your superior officer."

"Hmm, good point," Luke mused aloud. "What would that mean, exactly?"

"Well," she said slowly, "you have to do everything," she kissed his chest, "I," she kissed again, "tell you." She reached his lips. "No matter what."

Luke shook his head and sighed. "Annika Annika Annika... shameful thoughts for an officer."

"Mm, so they are," Annika said with a kiss.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Jellico turned around and faced the intruder. "Must you do that?" he asked with distaste.

"Sorry, old habits," he said, and came around and sat on the edge of the desk. "How is our old girl functioning?"

"Top of the line," Jellico said. "It's less a ship than a work of art."

The man stepped over to the window and looked at it. "I'm afraid we're not particularly interested in its aesthetic properties."

"I doubt Section 31 would see the beauty of anything," Jellico said as he finished his glass. These guys always put him on edge. While Jellico was devoted to preserving the Federation by almost any means necessary, he could rarely justify their machiavelian attitudes.

"Latest intelligence," the man said, dropping a PADD in front of Jellico.
The admiral picked it up and skimmed through it. "An attack on a Klingon outpost," he noticed.

"Yes," the man said. "Our contacts managed to get close this time and got some fairly good scans."

Jellico skimmed down the list. He looked at him, a kind of curious skepticism on his face. "Clones?"

"Yes," the man said. "Which means this war got that much more dangerous for us. The disadvantage of the Imperial ships were the sheer numbers involved in piloting them, but now that seems to be a non-issue."

"But with their resources and unlimited personnel," Jellico felt a growing dread, "they can easily out-produce our starship production. They can roll over almost any adversary."

"We'll handle it," the man replied.

Jellico glared at him. "I don't find much comfort in your arrogance."

"You should," the man said, taking back the PADD. "In the meantime, we need you to keep the Protector here."

"What for?" Jellico asked.

"If we're to succeed, we need a cloaked ship."

"Section 31 has several cloaked ships-"

"But those cloaks can be penetrated by Imperial sensors," he interrupted. "We need something that will be completely undetectable."

Jellico felt the need to refill his glass. "The Protector ships out in two days," he said.

"We'll need a week, maybe two."

"I can't justify-"

"We're not interested in how you do it," the man said calmly. "We only care that it gets done. We need that ship." Jellico scowled. "How's your grandson doing?" Jellico's eyes shot over to him. "Didn't he just start attending Dick Feynman High School?"

"Are you threatening me?" Jellico said as his eyes narrowed.

"Absolutely not," the man replied. "Section 31 takes a great interest in our friends." He leaned closer. "You are our friend, aren't you?"

Jellico picked up the glass and held onto it as if it were a lifeline. "It won't be easy postponing the launch."

"I don't care if it's easy as long as it gets done." The nameless individual nodded and left, leaving Jellico alone with an open bottle and a pent up frustration. This is what we’re fighting to preserve? he wondered. His hands, operating of their own accord, refilled the glass and brought it to his lips. On one side we’ve got politicians afraid to get involved in earthquake relief for fear they’ll cause genocide, and on the other a group of thugs who denied their own existence. He watched the Protector continue to hover there; his baby really. Despite all the obstacles it had been built, and it was glorious.

“I hope the Federation you defend is worthy of you,” he said with a raise of his glass.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Annika snuggled up against Luke. He'd fallen asleep; so typically male, but she left him to it. Even now, just being with him felt so wonderfully comforting to her. She didn't know why, but this time had felt more... magical than times before. Maybe it was just the thought of him wanting to be with her that much, but whatever it was, it had felt like... like their love had taken on a tangible form. Like some people like to say: "the Earth moved," even though there wasn't even a planet -never mind Earth- involved.

There was little Mara could really give Luke that Annika couldn't. Power? Only as her lackey, nothing more, and of what use was that? Wealth? What did he need it for; he owned enough things to fit into a couple crates; he wasn't the kind of person to weigh himself down with things. No, really, there was only one thing that she could provide that Annika couldn't... and that fact had broken her heart for a long time. But now, all that was about to change, though Annika didn't know it yet. Because it wasn't the Earth that moved, it was time and space, it was probability and thought, it was the edge of the bell curve that saw a child of one galaxy joining with the child of another in the closest expression of mutual acceptance possible, of two beings that wished to be one, who saw how much their counterpart could give them and offered everything in return. It was the dream of Unity realized in the smallest way possible. And in that expression, in that moment, Annika was finally given the chance to give Luke the one thing she never thought she could, because the line between possible and impossible had bled.

One plus one equaled three.

[Trogdor]

Ah, Section 31. Perhaps one of the most interesting things to come out of DS9.

And zero-g sex. It always seemed like it would be a very awkward affair, but more than one sci-fi writer I've read seems to think that it'll be all the rage when we start going out into space more.

One plus one equaled three.

Odd place for 1984 reference.

[Sonnenburg]

Ah, Section 31. Perhaps one of the most interesting things to come out of DS9.

And zero-g sex. It always seemed like it would be a very awkward affair, but more than one sci-fi writer I've read seems to think that it'll be all the rage when we start going out into space more.

I'd imagine it'd be a nice diversion, in that it's a way where two people must cling to one another, but that's just me.

BTW, if anyone is worried, this is the last sex chapter, and it was here because of the obvious intended consequence.

One plus one equaled three.

Odd place for 1984 reference.

And I thought this was me being very clever.

"Because sometimes logic and reason are wrong!" Ben insisted. "Sometimes the coin comes up tails, sometimes the card has no suit, sometimes one plus one equals three."

Thus Ben stating that 1 + 1 = 3 is an example of illogic, but that illogic things sometimes happen; this serving as a counterpoint to what just took place: Luke + Seven = Luke, Seven, Sebastian, which because of Seven's nature should likewise be illogical.

[Ghost Rider]

Could say a whole boatload of comments, but it still boils down to this word. Fantastic.

Honestly was great fun coming back and reading the new material.

[Sonnenburg]

Thank you, it took a lot of time, but it feels very rewarding to properly explore both Annika's development and how she and Luke settle into their life together.

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXXIII


Luke and Annika sat side-by-side in their quarters as the connection came through from Starfleet Command. They'd been on pins and needles all morning, and the sight of Admiral Parks only added to the tension. "Admiral," Annika said with a nod.

"Commander Skywalker, Mr. Skywalker," he said in turn. "I assume you know why I'm contacting you."

"Yes, admiral," Luke said. Annika slipped her hand into Luke's; she felt him grip it tightly.

"Mr. Skywalker," Parks said, "your reputation is phenomenal, and your record manages to even outdo that. We talked long and hard about your request to transfer into Starfleet. There is no question that you would be a phenomenal asset to us."

Annika's breath froze. She knew what was coming... it was the "but." The buts are what make life so impossible sometimes.

"But I'm afraid our concerns are too numerous to approve this."

Annika glanced at Luke; he was so admirable. She knew him well enough to read the disappointment in his face, but he was trying so hard to be stoic. "May I ask why, admiral?"

Parks cleared his throat. "No beating around the bush, Mr. Skywalker: you and your wife cannot serve together. You have both demonstrated that you cannot put aside your ties in the face of your duty. Having you serve under her command would be an invitation for problems. Off the record: you used up all your credit when I kept her from getting in front of a tribunal. Another mistake, and your wife's career is over, and I think we both know that she would choose you over her career."

Luke looked into Annika's eyes. Yes, Luke, she thought. Without a second's hesitation, I would.

"A valid point," Luke remarked.

"I'm sorry," Parks said. "But I have big hopes for her... I'm sure you'd like to see her in a captain's chair as much as I do."

Luke squeezed her hand even tighter, and she had to struggle not to get teary-eyed. "Nothing would make me prouder, admiral."

"I hope you won't take this as a slight against you, Mr. Skywalker," Parks said. "This was not an easy decision; we strongly considered taking the risk regardless. And we are grateful to you for all you've done for the Republic and the Federation."

"Thank you, admiral," Luke said. Parks nodded, and the image vanished. Annika grabbed onto Luke and pulled him close.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," she said.

"Thanks," he said. "Well, some things just aren't meant to be."

"It's a pity," Annika said. "I was kind of hoping to see you in one of those uniforms." He didn't take the bait; he was more unhappy then he let on. "What do you want to do?" she asked. "Just right now, not for the future, what should we do at this moment?"

"Let's go to the arboretum," Luke said. "I want to feel life right now."

Annika nodded and tapped her commbadge. "Skywalker to ops. Anything that needs my attention?"

"None at the moment, sir," came the reply of Lt. Commander Moore, her second-in-command.

"Good. I'll be in the arboretum for the time being if anything should come up."

"Another outbreak, sir?"

"No, I'll be going for recreational purposes." There was silence for a while. "Commander?"

"Sorry, sir, I was just checking to see if you had been taken hostage."

Annika glared at Luke as he tried very hard not to laugh. "Thank you for your thoroughness, commander," she said darkly.

"We just thought you were speaking in code, sir," Moore said.

"Yes, I get that," Annika said. Luke had turned away now. "Everything's fine."

"Understood sir. Um, enjoy."

Annika let out a noise of disgust. "What's so funny?" she demanded.

"They know you so well," he said. "I mean, it's downright scary. Any alien lifeforms in there?" he asked as he prodded her head.

"You're not making this any easier, you know that, right?" Luke took her hand and led the way towards the arboretum.

Annika had nothing against nature in an abstract sense. It did its job, she did hers. She studied nature, of course, went into the wilds when duty required it, all that. But the fact was, she was Borg, and that was the part of her that couldn't really deal with nature. The holodecks were fine, of course, but it wasn't real. Nature was dirty and chaotic, and that just made it unappealing to her. The most time she'd spent in nature was as a Borg drone, trapped and cut off from the Collective, facing possible death from predators and the elements; it hadn't made her amenable to the idea of being in nature as recreation.

"One of these days," Luke said, "you and I are going camping, and you will see just how much fun it can be."

"I can't believe deliberately going to a place without creature comforts can be described as 'fun,'" Annika said. They slipped inside. Lieutenant Evans stood up straight on sight.

"Sorry, commander," she said quickly. "I wasn't informed there was going to be an inspection."

"I'm just here for recreation, lieutenant," Annika said.

"Really? Sir," she quickly added.

Luke snickered alongside her as Annika stormed ahead. "Alien lifeform in her brain," he said in a loud whisper as they walked by Evans. Annika left him to it; it got his mind off of the disappointment, and that's what this was about, after all. "That's a flower, technically speaking," he said as she stopped and looked.

"Thanks."

"And that's what's technically referred to as dirt," he offered helpfully.

"Technically it's called alluvium, and contemporarily it's soil. I can know about nature without being immersed in it."

"Well, that's the problem, Annika," he said taking a seat on the low wall and gesturing for her to do the same. "The immersion is half the fun. Digging your hands into the dirt. Here," he grabbed her hand in his and shoved them both down into the soil. "How's the dirt feel?"

"Dirty," Seven said.

Luke took a deep breath through his nose, smiling all the while; she could tell he was really doing better. There was so much life force all around him here; being cooped up on a station probably was rather depressing. "I can just imagine what you'll be like if we do have a child. 'Mommy, why's there an outside?' 'To make us appreciate the inside more, son.'"

Annika peered at his face. "You got a little something on your cheek," she said, then wiped her hand off on his face. "There, it's better now."

"Thanks," Luke said, his grin never fading. "I could have looked really stupid."

Annika offered him a weak smile; how the hell could she not love someone who would smile while she wiped dirt on him? She reached into her pocket for a cloth, got it wet in one of the nearby ponds, and washed his face off as best she could. "Lieutenant," she called. Evans quickly arrived. "You've done a marvelous job here with the... all this," she gestured around the room. "I was considering expanding the arboretum into adjoining sections, allow for a bit more variety. What do you think?"

"It sounds wonderful, sir," Evans said.

Annika nodded. "Mr. Skywalker spent a lot of time tending the gardens on Vulcan," she said. "I think he could be a great help."

"I'm sure he could, sir," Evans said, looking over at Luke. "Lots of work, expanding. Lots of getting your hands dirty."

"It's what I live for," Luke said.

"Tomorrow I'd like you two to get started; put together a proposal and submit it to me ASAP." Evans nodded and went back to work.

"Thanks," Luke said.

"I know it's not much-" Annika began.

"It's enough," Luke assured her.

Annika smirked. What did I do to deserve you? she wondered for the hundredth time. "Things are still busy right now, but maybe next month we can take a couple days and go to Sanctuary. In a cabin," she added quickly. "Let me ease into this gently, okay?"

"Okay," Luke said. "But we have to make love under the stars at least once."

"Make- Is that even legal?" Luke chuckled at her. "No, really, you can't just..." She was cut off as Luke wiped some dirt on her cheek. "You're a dead man, Skywalker."
--------------------------------------------------------------

General Delric Taar stepped off the turbolift on Bastion and proceeded with all due haste towards the Emperor’s Throne Room. When the Emperor summoned you, haste is the only word to describe your reaction. He stopped before the entrance where two of the Emperor’s new guards stood. Their faces reflected the same contempt for him that he held for them. Aliens guarding the Emperor, he thought darkly; what next? They finally stepped aside and allowed him to enter.

“General,” said the Emperor after a long silence. “How is our advancement in the Milky Way proceeding?”

“We’ve entrenched ourselves in 52% of the galaxy,” Taar said, “And have 77% within our territory.”

“Resistance?”

“Negligible. The Hirogen are still a menace, but aside of that, little we need to be concerned about.”

“Good,” the Emperor said. He was quiet for a time. “General, I believe it’s time to continue our advance.”

Taar wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t approve of continuing the campaign at this point, not with so little preparation, but how could you say that to the Emperor? “Indeed, your excellence.”

“I want the Vendetta to take command of a fleet I’ve had operating near the Beta Quadrant border,” the Emperor continued.

“My lord,” said Taar carefully, “To my knowledge there is no fleet located there.”

“Yes, to your knowledge.” The Emperor gestured and three officers came forward, nodding to Taar. “This is Captain Gevis of the Black Storm and his aides.”

“General,” Gevis said, but with a tone of contempt in his voice.

Taar looked uncertainly between the captain and his aides. The Emperor chuckled softly. “Yes general, they’re clones.”

Taar turned and looked at him, unable to keep the horror from his expression. “Clones, my lord?”

“We need to keep the Imperial military fully manned,” the Emperor said, dismissing Taar’s disgust. “And we will use whatever means are necessary to achieve that.”

“But, but how-“

“Never mind,” the Emperor said with a touch of annoyance. “Captain Gevis and his fleet have performed a variety of services for me, and admirably I might add. I think it’s time we put them to more direct use.” One of the aides sneezed loudly, and the Emperor looked at him with irritation. “The Klingons have nearly crushed the Romulans,” he continued, “The time has come to eliminate both of them and secure the Beta Quadrant completely.”

Taar forced himself to nod in agreement even though he didn’t. Things were moving too fast, and they risked unnecessary loss of life on both sides because of it. “As you wish, your highness,” he said woodenly.

Captain Gevis nodded and he and his aides walked out, Taar watching them leave with absolute contempt. Cloned officers, alien guards, it was almost as bad as the Borg. The Emperor seemed to sense his disgust. “We need them, general,” he said with a small smile. “To maintain control for now. In time, they will be swept away.” Taar watched as one of the Emperor’s new guards stepped over, standing between him and the leader of the Empire. “Don’t be afraid,” the Emperor said. “They have been genetically engineered to be completely loyal, using techniques we took from the Dominion. They’re almost as reliable as my former guards.” Taar nodded but said nothing in reply, unable to take his eye off the abomination. “I wonder if your heart is in this mission?” the Emperor said.

“Of course, your excellency,” Taar replied.

The Emperor thought. “Perhaps you should leave command of the overall mission to one of your subordinates. Allow them to gain some command experience.”

Delric Taar knew what the remark was intended to do, inflame feelings of jealousy and mistrust, one of the ways the Emperor maintained control of the military. Politics. It had always been a part of the military that he had joined and loved, and he despised it. He knew the part he was supposed to play; No no, your highness, I will command the fleet, I’m reliable. Why? he wondered. What’s the point of fighting amongst ourselves for positions? How does that further the Imperial goal and make the Empire great? How does that fulfill his own personal desires? What, in the end, was the whole point of being in command of the fleet?

“A brilliant plan as always, your highness,” Taar replied. “Admiral Hellis is one of our authorities on the Beta Quadrant and has proven to be an excellent tactician. He would be an invaluable commander of the mission.”

The Emperor glared at him, clearly unhappy that Taar refused to play the game. But of course, it’s not as if the Emperor could rebuke him for agreeing with his own plan. “Begin the preparations,” he said as he turned away. “You’re dismissed.”

Taar turned and almost walked into one of the guards. He looked up into its horrible face, then stepped around it and walked out.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Emperor turned to Darth Whind after Taar exited. "With the campaign expanding into the alpha quadrant, we will be encountering the two spawn of Vader again, as well as the Borg girl."

"Yes, my master."

"They remain a threat to us. Threats cannot be abided, my apprentice."

"I understand, my master."

"You were involved with Vader's son for some time," the Emperor observed. "Where do your loyalties lie, Lady Whind?"

Mara held her head high. "With you, my master."

"Are you certain?"

Mara sniffed. "Luke Skywalker abandoned the Dark side, and he abandoned me, and all for some pitiful half-robot. I would kill him even if it was not your command."

The Emperor chuckled quietly. "Good," he crowed. "At my side, my apprentice, you will have more than you have ever dreamed of."

Mara bowed. "Thank you, my master." She turned and left, hoping she'd have an excuse to kill someone on the way back to her suite.
--------------------------------------------------------------

There was a rectangular plate on the stand; Luke's lightsaber passed right through it. "I felt resistance," he said, "but it didn't stop the blade."

Annika nodded, tossed the pieces aside, and placed a similar, curved plate in position. Luke swung again, the blade only made it halfway through that time. "Looks like the shape helps," he commented.

"Yes," Annika said as she tapped something into her PADD.

"What's this stuff made of, anyway?" Luke asked.

"A lot of things with big words," Annika said, not looking up.

Luke stood there a moment, then spoke in a big, stupid guy voice. "More plate so can hit with lightsaber, her her her!"

Annika lowered the PADD. "Luke, I don't think you're stupid, but-"

"It's beyond my experience," Luke said.

"Exactly."

"Kind of like the Force was beyond yours."

Annika's eyes flicked down. Yes, she thought. "You think so little of me," she'd said to Luke. "Explain to me so I will understand."

"For a genius, sometimes I am such an idiot," she said. So she spent some time explaining what the materials were and how they interacted, and what her theories were on why it could stop lightsabers. He asked questions, and she did her best to answer them.

"If I can incorporate this into my nanotechnology," she said finally, "then I should be able to generate lightsaber-resistant defenses for in a pinch. Make sure that what happened to me on Vulcan doesn't happen again."

"I'm all in favor of that," Luke said. He swung on the new plate; this time there was no penetration at all. "Stuff looks heavy though."

"Yes, always the drawback to armor of any kind." She put the PADD down on the desk. She'd never asked, but... but she had to know. "You saw and heard everything Skywalker did," she said, not looking at him. "The things she said about you and me, were they true?"

Luke came up and wrapped his arms around her from behind, rubbing her arm and abdomen. "Some of them were. You were the reason I was able to hold on, Annika, and Skywalker hated you for that. He told her awful things about you... but it was only because he couldn't have what we did. Whind never would have made the kind of sacrifices I know you'd make for me."

She bit her lip. "When the two of them..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought.

"I swear," Luke assured her, "that I always, only, thought about you."

Annika let out an uncertain breath. "Are you telling me the truth? I can handle the truth, Luke."

He kissed the side of her neck. "Only you."

She swallowed. "Did you meld with her?"

"No," Luke said firmly. "Skywalker tried once, but I was able to stop him. I didn't want her memories in my mind."

Annika turned around, smiled, then took his right hand and placed it alongside her face. "Meld with me, sweetie," she said softly. "I've missed it."

Luke looked a little uncertain. "I'm not sure you'll like what you find. Skywalker... said some very ugly things about you... about what he wanted to do to you."

"Kriff him," she said with a reassuring grin. "He's taken enough away from me; I want this back."

Luke considered it, then adjusted his hand and said the words. And they touched in their minds. It never stopped being special to Annika, who had been forced to share her thoughts with the Collective for so long, to freely give them to Luke and receive his back in kind.

The meld ended, and as always, they kissed on instinct, as if to ease themselves back into the physical world. Then they held each other. "How long have you been sick?" he asked finally.

"I'm not sick," Annika said.

"You threw up yesterday."

"Yeah, well, that's what I get for, you know, eating." Luke looked into her eyes. "I'm sure it's nothing," she said.

"I've never seen you get sick," Luke said.

"It's nothing," she said in exasperation. "Look, this is a tense situation for me, okay? Running the science department was nothing compared to keeping this place functioning." She held his hands between hers. "Listen, I promise that if I don't get better, I see the CMO, okay?"

"You better," Luke said.

"Oh quit worrying," Annika said. "Like I said, I'm sure it's nothing. Absolutely nothing."

[rhoenix]

"Oh quit worrying," Annika said. "Like I said, I'm sure it's nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Pay no attention to the zygote behind the curtain.

Excellent, Sonnenburg. Truly good work.

[Sonnenburg]

Thank you very much.

[consequences]

Absurdly minor nitpick: I believe the appropriate traditional spelling of the dumb guy saying: 'her her her' is actually 'hurr hurr hurr', to prevent possible confusion to the audience, who may think that the dumb guy is picking out his three latest targets to attempt to ravish, as opposed to be generically stupid.

Also, there seems to have been a great deal of time gone by without Han attempting revenge for Chewie, or even stewing ineffectually over why its no longer possible.

That said: 'hurr hurr hurr, fic good, want more'.