Unity III: Against All Odds, Redux (Complete)

[Crayz9000]

You know, it's funny... the first time I read that chapter, I never realized that you'd had S31 give the clones mad cow disease!

It's also very interesting seeing the start of Janeway's... um... I'm not quite sure what you'd call it, but still.

[Xon]

You know, it's funny... the first time I read that chapter, I never realized that you'd had S31 give the clones mad cow disease!

I noticed as being mad cow disease the 1st time I read that, but I did read it for the 1st time after the mad cow scares. By the way, If it was full blown mad cow disease it would be able to hit every human, not just the clones.

The really neat trick is making it highly infectious without requiring consuming of contaminated food products. Which is probably where the clone-specific targeting comes into play

[Sonnenburg]

Wish I had been here for that. Unfortunately I didn't pick up it up into chapter 2 of Paradise Lost, and didn't actually come to this forum for quite some after that (just read off ASVS and your site). I did read, Star Destroyer Rampant though, and propagamda certainly describes it. Didn't he have one star destroyer basically taking over the entire Milky Way, and have entire fleets not being able to lower its shields at all?

Pretty much, but what makes me call it propaganda piece are things like Geordi wailing that they've won against everyone else, but they have no chance against this enemy, or the Starfleet people calling each other "comrade" all the time, or the completely unbelievable portrayal of Picard (he's cowed by a ship smaller than a Borg Cube and opens fire without provocation and refuses to seek a diplomatic solution).

Great chapters. I love the Enterprise's final part, and the way Janeway is developing. Just hope it doesn't give too much away to those who haven't read the later installments.

Thank you.
I considered whether or not this gives things away, but since what we'll see Janeway doing in early PL is the same as what she's doing here, then I think it doesn't point to where she ultimately goes.

You said you didn't plan on a second trilogy when killing Chewie, when did you decide on one?

I had planned to end after AAO, but as I was tying it up I realized there were more ideas available if I ever revisited it. Roughly six months later I started kicking around the direction of a second trilogy, hammering out the short term and long term plot ideas and Sebastian's character arc. The freaky bit was that one of the initial ideas was Garak becoming an underground terrorist figure, and then about two months later was 9/11. After that I wasn't sure how appropriate such an element would be, so I shelved it for a little while, but about two months later I decided to give it a try, and there never seemed any problem with that element of the story.

[Sonnenburg]

You know, it's funny... the first time I read that chapter, I never realized that you'd had S31 give the clones mad cow disease!

I noticed as being mad cow disease the 1st time I read that, but I did read it for the 1st time after the mad cow scares. By the way, If it was full blown mad cow disease it would be able to hit every human, not just the clones.

The really neat trick is making it highly infectious without requiring consuming of contaminated food products. Which is probably where the clone-specific targeting comes into play

Another freaky coincidence.

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXXVI


The ground rumbled and Han knew immediately what it meant. The following tremor was all too familiar as he rushed to the window to confirm what he’d feared. They were still fairly distant, but only something artificial created something so rhythmic, and only one machine ever built had the power to shake Paris to its foundation. “Walkers,” he said as the color drained from his face.

The streets were jammed with people and transports in a mad scurry to get away from the approaching beasts, causing unknown damage as perhaps thousands were being trampled in the confusion. They emerged from behind the building, their light-silver armor blending in almost like camouflage within the city limits. A group of three plodded out, heads swiveling to locate targets chosen to create maximum confusion during this invasion. The lights flickered and went out as they hit one of the power distribution centers. Another broke away from the trio, crossing onto the park. A few blasts from its cannons and the monumental Eiffel Tower began imploding in a twist of coiling iron. It finally collapsed and the AT-AT crushed the soft remains as it moved on towards its next target.

The computer came on under emergency power and Han looked and saw Iblis’ face on it. “Problem Mr. President?” Han asked sarcastically.

“Where’s Leia?” Iblis asked quickly.

“Romulus,” Han said. “You’re going to have to get out of this one on your own.”

“Listen,” he said quickly. “We’ve a small fleet that will be arriving soon to take us to Sanctuary. Send your coordinates to Spacedock and they’ll beam you up.”

“Spacedock?” Han said in disbelief. “The Imperials are in control of the area.”

“It’ll only be until our ships reach transporter range,” Iblis said. “Then the citizens of the Republic can leave the Federation to deal with this.”

“So now we cut and run on the Feddies too,” Han said with disgust.

“The alternative is to stay here and be captured.”

“That’s almost preferable,” Han said.

“Does that go for your children as well?” Iblis asked.

Han’s lip twisted into a scowl and he turned off the display. To think, he’d once respected that man. He was right though, for the sake of his children he had to get off Earth and make it to Sanctuary. “Threepio,” he ordered, “grab the twins.” He pulled his commlink off the shelf. “Leia?” he asked.

“I’m here,” she said, though there was some static over the distance. She was actually on her way back from Romulus in the Falcon, lamenting only hours before that things were hopeless, that the Alliance couldn't be rebuilt. It looked like things were even grimmer than they'd thought.

“We’ve got a situation here, better hightail it out of here.”

“Not without you,” she insisted.

“There’s nothing I’d like better,” Han said, going back to the window to check the progress. The walkers were getting closer. “You’re going to have to meet us on Sanctuary.”

“Just hold on,” she said. “I’ll land on the roof and pick you up.”

“That’s crazy. Even if you penetrate the blockade, there’s walkers everywhere,” he said. “The Falcon’s too easy a target.”

“I’m not leaving you behind,” she said, making it clear it wasn’t open to discussion.

“Iblis has a fleet coming,” Han said. “We’ll get off on that.”

“And if you don’t?”

“We will,” Han said. “Trust me.”

“I do trust you. It’s Iblis I don’t trust.”

“Well, unfortunately he’s our ride, so we’re going to have to do it this way.”

“All right,” Leia finally said. “But make sure you make it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Han said, putting as much bravado into his voice as he could. “You just make sure you get my ship there in one piece.”

“I love you,” she said.

The bookcase fell over as the Walker’s foot connected again with the ground nearby. “I love you too,” he said, switching it off and grabbing Jacen out of Threepio’s arm, letting the droid hold Jaina. “I just hope this works,” he said, and the two disappeared into beams of light.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Imperial forces had set up a blockade over the northern hemisphere of Earth, their forces already engaged in attacks on the two key strongholds of the Federation: San Francisco and Paris. Without the assistance of starships the Federation had little to offer for defense as the siege continued. The Federation ships that remained had regrouped and were pushing an attack on a single vector, hoping to strain the Imperial lines as they applied increasing pressure on the invaders. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t making a dent.

Spacedock was still holding for the moment, but the Imperials had been launching boarding craft to deal with the station. After a few false starts their weapons had been taken completely off-line and were helpless against the approaching craft. Federation officers and crewmen armed themselves and prepared to defend the station meter by meter if necessary. While that continued, Han watched with self-revulsion the flurry of activity to defend their home while also keeping his eyes open for the approaching Republic fleet. The view was obstructed as a dozen boarding craft passed. “We’re doomed,” Threepio moaned.

“Shut up,” Han mumbled, but there was no heart in it. He found it hard to argue against such an obvious truth. Instinctively he held his son tightly, as if to do so would make the child safe. So, this is how all those poor bastards felt, he thought. Powerless against the Imperial juggernaut to do the one and only thing that mattered: protect your children. Nothing to do but wait as they got to you and throw yourself on their mercy for their sake. A year ago he’d have been blasting his way back onto their own ship and making a run for it, breaking the Imperial line and... “Yeah, I’m responsible these days,” his old friend had said on Cloud City, and then betrayed them to the Empire. He hadn’t understood it, and still didn’t, but he was beginning to see how responsibility quelled the urge to fight, made you realize that sometimes you had to finally give in and accept the defeat in the hopes of resisting another day.

He saw the small and relatively pitiful force of Dreadnaughts come out of hyperspace and join in the attacks, but it was clearly fruitless. In order to penetrate the jamming field with the transporters they’d need to get a lot closer than that, and the Imperials were hammering them mercilessly. He watched the exchange of fire, far too distant to make out what was going on but hazarding a fair guess; they were as helpless as anyone against those new chronaton torpedoes, and while they were heavily armored, they lacked the maneuverability of their Federation counterparts to avoid being hit in the first place. He turned and watched President Garm Bel Iblis come over to the window and watch the battle as well. “It seems the fleet is having more trouble than you thought,” Han said woodenly.

“If we get to an escape pod,” Iblis started, “Land in the southern hemisphere where their forces are thin, we could...”

“Listen to yourself,” Han said with a note of distaste. “This is the problem, this is how all our problems happened. You’ve been a rebel for so long you’ve forgotten how to think like a civilian leader.” He watched the battle continue; the ships weren’t getting any closer. “You broke alliances in the hopes of securing minor military power, put efforts towards rebuilding our defenses, but you forgot that you weren’t commanding an army any more, you were supposed to rebuild a fallen nation.”

“If our defenses had been stronger-” Iblis began.

“Mr. President,” Han said, turning back towards him, “believe me when I say that I held you in the utmost respect, and as a military commander you’re one of the best I’ve seen. You would have made a brilliant commander of our forces. But you’ve fallen short as the leader of the Republic by forgetting that your arena wasn’t about starships and weapons any more, it was about building unity with your allies. And now look, the Romulans, the Klingons, and now the Federation and Republic; all divided, and all falling. Leia knew that, and that’s why she tortures herself over her choice. Together we could have made a stand, but now-“

“Freeze!” came the order, and Han raised his hands as best he could as he slowly turned around to face the stormtroopers. The next words to leave his mouth were two he’d never uttered in his life.

“I surrender.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

Over San Francisco, a formation of TIE Bombers swept across the skyline. A single bomber broke away from the others and veered along the water line, pulling up and dropping the blue form of a proton bomb as it arced upwards. The bomb struck the concrete and the Golden Gate Bridge exploded, raining debris into the nearby areas of the city. The TIE rejoined the others, and they raced across the city as one. The buildings gave way to the lush greenery that surrounded the campus of Starfleet Academy, the home of up-and-coming officers. Young people filled with idealized visions of the Federation way of life, they were potentially dangerous individuals. A series of strategically placed proton bombs saw that wouldn’t be a problem as the students ran screaming about their exploding campus.

Several columns of AT-ATs made their way up Sanctuary Lane, the same area that had once been Sanctuary District during the dark times of the early twenty-first century. The times were even darker now as the lumbering behemoths devastated the city, shouldering aside buildings and destroying essential civil services like power and water. Federation troops had taken to the streets, but the armored hide of the war machines was unaffected by their phaser rifles, and they were forced to withdraw.

Within two kilometers of Starfleet Command, the Walkers stopped as the Federation forces broke out some heavier artillery which managed to penetrate the armor and cause some minor damage, but the shots were far too random to deal sufficient damage. Finally, accepting that they had no choice but to stop these invaders by any means necessary, powerful mortars were deployed. The Terrans watched hopefully as the explosives whistled through the air, then releasing their incredible energy among the Imperials. Buildings within a hundred meters were smashed flat, killing hundreds of Federation citizens and wounding thousands more, but three Walkers crumbled under the devastating forces.

Imperial commanders hadn’t expected the Federation to resort to such drastic steps, but they were prepared. The Walkers withdrew as speeder bike pilots rushed through the area, moving too fast and too wildly for either the mortars or the phaser rifles to catch. The swept towards the Federation perimeter and lobbed several canisters of nerve gas into the area, and within a minute the Federation lines were broken as their forces either withdrew or perished in violent convulsions. The speeder bikes flew cover as a series of modified skiffs rushed dozens of stormtroopers to the front lines, who then quickly withdrew and began mopping up the disorganized resisters. It was slaughter, and that was quite plain to the man who watched it all.

“Admiral,” Picard said as Parks came over, “this is pointless. Even if we do manage to stop their forces, they are in control of our space. They’ll just send more troops to fight us, or starve us out, or just annihilate us from orbit at their leisure. We’ve got to stop this.”

“What are you suggesting?” Parks said, “That we give Earth to the Imperials.”

“I’m saying that they already have it,” Picard insisted. “All we’re doing is killing a lot of people in a futile gesture of resistance. Please, we’ve got to accept the reality of the situation, it’s the best hope the people of Earth have.”

“It’s Starfleet’s duty to defend the Federation,” Parks said. “We won’t shirk that responsibility, not when we have the chance to resist.”

“Admiral, look at what you’re doing!” Picard said in exasperation. He pointed to the smoking rubble that used to be the downtown district. “You’re literally burning the village to save it!”

“If all we have left to fall back on is a scorched earth policy,” Parks said, “then so be it.” He stepped over as he began coordinating resistance efforts with other members of Starfleet Command.

“Scorched earth,” Picard muttered. “I fear those words are all too prophetic.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

Voyager shook violently as another torpedo penetrated its hull, causing further destruction across the already battle-scarred ship. “Divert power to structural integrity fields,” Capt. Janeway said. “The shields aren’t doing anything anyway.”

“Incoming TIEs,” Harry said.

“Evasive maneuvers,” Janeway said. “All hands, brace for impact.” They waited in quiet anticipation of the approaching assault, wondering if this was it, if the torpedoes would penetrate the bridge or destabilize the warp core. There was nothing to do but wait.

They seemed to be waiting a long time.

“The TIEs have not fired,” Tuvok said. “They seem to have taken up a position relative to our own.”

“What’s going on?“ Chakotay wondered.

“Captain,” Harry said, “Incoming transmission from Earth.”

Janeway turned to him and then the viewscreen. “Let’s hear it,” she said, as if it were her own death sentence being announced.

The battle was replaced by the image of the president’s private residence in Paris. His expression was grim, a sentiment shared by most everyone at the moment. There was a small patch attached to a cut on his forehead, but other than that he seemed unharmed. “All Federation starships and personnel,” he said with a tone of desperate exhaustion. “Stand down. Do not open fire on the Imperial forces, do not resist their efforts. We have declared a cease fire so that we might work out the terms to end this conflict before more lives are lost on both sides.”

“Terms,” Chakotay said. “He means surrender.”

“It is vital to all concerned that we do not violate the cease fire. The well being of the people of Earth and the Federation may be jeopardized by such actions. Please, I implore you, do not attempt to resist.” The screen returned to the image over Earth, the battle now seeming to have drawn to a halt.

“What does this mean?” Harry asked.

“It means,” Chakotay said, “that it’s over. The Federation is gone.”

Janeway stepped back and dropped into her chair, staring at the viewscreen. Imperial starships over a conquered Earth, the final blow. Her jaw trembled as she looked at it, and she gripped the arms of her chair until her knuckles turned white. You led them here, her mind chided her. You're responsible! Janeway screwed her eyes shut. There's only one thing left to do.

"Captain?" Chakotay said with concern as she trembled there, a look of agony on her face.

One thing you must do.

"No," she said in a quiet pitiful voice.

What you were meant to do.

"...I..."

You hate them. Admit it.

"...please..." she said in a barely audible voice.

You have to destroy them. You want to destroy them. You'll do it, whatever it takes, whatever the sacrifices, no matter how long the journey or how many must fall, you'll make them pay. You can see the future laid before you, can't you? You can see it.

Janeway's face seemed to seize. "I can," she whispered. She'd felt this before, inexplicable sensations at the time of impending disaster or things she had to do, subtle hints of what would be. Now the subtlety was gone. It was there... the things that hadn't come to be yet... she could...

You can use this to destroy the Empire. Don't deny how much you want to. In time, you will... if you accept it. Become their oracle, Kathryn, and they'll destroy your enemy.

A single sob escaped Janeway's throat. It was the sound of humanity dying.

Will you accept this gift?

Janeway's eyes snapped open. "Yes," she hissed, and the viewscreen shattered.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Commander Annika Hansen Skywalker sat in her office and read the report. The Federation had officially surrendered. There were some who were still resisting, but the official Starfleet word was cooperation rather than allowing needless bloodshed.

Annika glared at the words. This by all rights should have been the happiest day of her life, but instead the Empire had to intrude on it. She pounded the desk in frustration.

"Hello again, Annika," came the familiar dark voice.

Annika turned and glared at Ben Sisko. "Your timing stinks."

"My timing is always perfect," he said. "It's my nature." Annika's look said otherwise. “The Federation has fallen; now it's time for you and I to do what needs to be done. I'm here to tell you everything, about why this had to happen, and how you're going to make this right."

"Make this right?! They've conquered Earth, Ben, the fixing point has come and gone! Please go peddle your delusions elsewhere."

Ben crossed his arms. "Darth Whind is in command of the fleet. At this moment, she's going through the records to find out where you are, so she can kill you." He leaned forward. "And your baby."

Annika swallowed. Even if he was lying, she knew Whind hated her. The Emperor would certainly allow his apprentice to hunt down and kill Annika, and probably Luke too. "Okay, you have my attention."

“Good. Have you ever traveled to an alternate reality?” he asked.

“You know, I can’t say that I have,” Annika said wearily.

“Close your eyes,” Ben said, “and I’ll show you.”

Annika sighed but did as she was told. The darkness developed tiny pinpoints of light, and she watched the distant form of the sun pass her peripheral vision. “What’s happening?” she asked.

“You’re looking into my mind,” he said softly. “Seeing what I’ve seen.”

“What are we looking at?”

“Earth,” he said finally.

She waited, but all there was was the emptiness of space. “So, where is it?”

Ben’s voice was slightly hoarse. “Right in front of you.”

Annika looked at the emptiness. “I don’t see anything,” she said finally.

“I know. That’s because there’s nothing left to see.”

“What?”

“It’s gone; destroyed. Completely blown away.”

Annika realized. “The Empire.”

“No,” Ben said quietly. “Not the Empire.”

The sun winked out of existence. “Where are we now?” she asked.

“Vulcan.”

She looked about. “And where’s Vulcan.” She waited, but there was only silence. “Vulcan as well?”

“Yes. And Romulus and Quo’nos and Betazed and many, many more.”

Annika saw now, the small asteroid field, tiny shimmering points of light reflecting the sunshine that used to fall on a world teaming with life. “Who did this?” she asked softly.

“We did,” Ben said with a hint of disgust.

Annika turned, trying to find Ben, unable to open her eyes and starting to feel slightly claustrophobic. “What are you talking about?” she said. “How could we have done this?”

“Several years ago the Republic and the Federation began a project to study hypermatter reactors. They succeeded in producing power plants capable of creating colossal sources of energy, and new hopes were made for using it to further research and exploration across the galaxy. But they underestimated ambition.” Ben was quiet, and Annika was alone briefly in the drift of space. “The other powers were jealous, they demanded access to the reactors, but were refused out of fear of their use as a weapon. The data was seized and the Alliance divided, each side possessing weapons of unthinkable destruction.”

A single asteroid spun by overhead, and as it passed Annika could clearly see the remnant of a road on its surface, now leading no where. She was starting to become very afraid as she remained so alone here. Then she felt a sense of acceleration.

“After a certain point of development,” Ben continued, “weapons of mass destruction become pointless. No one can use them for fear of equal reprisal, and so it becomes a standoff. As the third world war demonstrated, you only have to wait for one lunatic to set the whole thing off.”

“You mean...” Annika couldn’t bring herself to say it. “You think the Federation, the Klingons, the Romulans, all destroyed each other?”

“And the Dominion, and the Cardassians, and the Malon, and the Krenim, etcetera etcetera etcetera. Yes. I saw it happen, annihilation the likes of which has never been seen, and all because of our compulsive drive towards self-destruction.”

“No,” Annika said as the stars continued to pass. “People may have problems, sure, but we’ve evolved beyond these petty points of view.”

“If our enemies did not exist, we would have invented them.”

“I don’t believe any of this,” she said finally. “This may have been some alternate reality, but it’s not our reality, and that’s what counts. Here we made a difference.”

“No,” Sisko said, and suddenly a Borg Cube grew very fast and then stopped underneath her, and the horizon of a planet appeared below. “Not us,” the Cube's tractor beam scooped into the planet and began consuming it, “them.”

She watched the other Borg ships enter orbit; she saw the Federation vessels trying to resist, and recognizing their names as they passed her. “This is Yarval Outpost,” she said in disbelief.

“Yes,” Ben said as she watched the devastation. “Where the first prototype hypermatter reactor was created. All the devastation, a death toll in the hundreds of trillions, could be traced back to this place.”

“The Borg saved us from self-annihilation?” Annika said with disbelief.

“You might say that,” Ben said. “They were the most directly responsible; but of course, they were acting on orders from Thrawn. And Thrawn was being manipulated by Darth Whind.” He was quiet for some time as the ships were destroyed before the unrelenting force of the Borg. “And Darth Whind succeeded because of me.”

“What?” she said, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“I’m afraid that everything that’s happened is my fault,” Ben said sadly. “I did it, knowing the consequences of my actions I allowed it all to happen. Anything, Annika, is better than extinction.”

“All of this,” Annika said in disbelief. “The Borg, Thrawn, Luke, the Empire, the death of all my friends, everything happened because of you?”

“Yes,” he said. “I’m sorry Annika.” He sighed sadly. “I’m so sorry.”

[Crazedwraith]

Wow.

[Ghost Rider]

And here we go with Janeway the nutbar.

[Chris OFarrell]

God DAMNIT Chuck.

I could hate Janeway because she chose evil and steadily reached further into her horrifying fusion of the Dark Side and technology to screw over just about the entire Universe.

But NOW, the future dictates the past! How the hell can I blaim her relentlessly now?!

*walks away sulking*

[CERC]

God DAMNIT Chuck.

I could hate Janeway because she chose evil and steadily reached further into her horrifying fusion of the Dark Side and technology to screw over just about the entire Universe.

But NOW, the future dictates the past! How the hell can I blaim her relentlessly now?!

*walks away sulking*

I'm just going to politly ignore the whole screwing with time and non linearism stuff, just so I can keep hating her as much as I can. Healthy right?


CERC

[Sonnenburg]

Spoiler for those who haven't read past AAO, but definitely something for anyone else.
The Oracle's manipulation of her past self ceased once SotN 10 came and went. Her only goal was in pushing Luke into destroying the Borg at the Wormhole instead of over the Borg homeworld; when that didn't happen, there was no point.

The person Janeway sees in the mirror has always only been herself; the voice she hears has always only been her own. It's merely a voice to the dirtiest parts of her soul... the Dark side. Janeway's unbridled hate has destroyed everything human within her, which is what it always was... I've just moved the event to a moment we actually witness.

I will be doing a brush-up on PL and BOH in the days leading up to DOF 50, cleaning up grammar, adding a few details that were unwittingly omitted, etc. One thing I will be doing is clarifying the nature of the Oracle's manipulation. The reason she can influence her past self is because she can selectively "turn on" her past self's ability to sense the things that will happen, and thus help control Janeway's choices. Seeing things before they happen is her aspect of the Force, like cloaking herself is Annika's, like sensing insights is Picard's... etc. This didn't make Janeway a Sith... if things had turned out differently Annika could have chosen to embrace darkness and Janeway the light (imagine what kind of Sith Seven of Nine could become). But Janeway embraced the Dark side, and that meant that every day after this, power was what she wanted. So acquiring more and more abilities through twisted science and technology was her own doing, taking what should have been an instrument of good and using it to cause unimaginable death and destruction.

Is anyone really surprised at that last part?

I wanted us to see the fall because I wanted us to see the clear contrast here. With Anakin and with Luke, we could see why they did what they did, that even as they descended into darkness it was always out of love for someone else that they did so... it was something we could sympathize with, even if we didn't agree. But as we see with Janeway, from the first moment the Dark side was born in her because of her hate, and all that happened was that over time it festered. What Janeway saw in the mirror was the evil she nurtured in herself, and what ultimately destroyed her. There will be no redemption for her, because her own malice is the only reason for her fall.

So can you pity her? In the sense that she is a rather tragic figure, whose obsession led to her own corruption and transformation into a monster that was so vile, she'll one day commit every evil she rattled off against the Empire (Chapter 18 ) and then some. If you want to just hate her, that's good too.

[CERC]

Spoiler for those who haven't read past AAO, but definitely something for anyone else.
The Oracle's manipulation of her past self ceased once SotN 10 came and went. Her only goal was in pushing Luke into destroying the Borg at the Wormhole instead of over the Borg homeworld; when that didn't happen, there was no point.

The person Janeway sees in the mirror has always only been herself; the voice she hears has always only been her own. It's merely a voice to the dirtiest parts of her soul... the Dark side. Janeway's unbridled hate has destroyed everything human within her, which is what it always was... I've just moved the event to a moment we actually witness.

I will be doing a brush-up on PL and BOH in the days leading up to DOF 50, cleaning up grammar, adding a few details that were unwittingly omitted, etc. One thing I will be doing is clarifying the nature of the Oracle's manipulation. The reason she can influence her past self is because she can selectively "turn on" her past self's ability to sense the things that will happen, and thus help control Janeway's choices. Seeing things before they happen is her aspect of the Force, like cloaking herself is Annika's, like sensing insights is Picard's... etc. This didn't make Janeway a Sith... if things had turned out differently Annika could have chosen to embrace darkness and Janeway the light (imagine what kind of Sith Seven of Nine could become). But Janeway embraced the Dark side, and that meant that every day after this, power was what she wanted. So acquiring more and more abilities through twisted science and technology was her own doing, taking what should have been an instrument of good and using it to cause unimaginable death and destruction.

Is anyone really surprised at that last part?

I wanted us to see the fall because I wanted us to see the clear contrast here. With Anakin and with Luke, we could see why they did what they did, that even as they descended into darkness it was always out of love for someone else that they did so... it was something we could sympathize with, even if we didn't agree. But as we see with Janeway, from the first moment the Dark side was born in her because of her hate, and all that happened was that over time it festered. What Janeway saw in the mirror was the evil she nurtured in herself, and what ultimately destroyed her. There will be no redemption for her, because her own malice is the only reason for her fall.

So can you pity her? In the sense that she is a rather tragic figure, whose obsession led to her own corruption and transformation into a monster that was so vile, she'll one day commit every evil she rattled off against the Empire (Chapter 18 ) and then some. If you want to just hate her, that's good too.

That being said, perhaps hate is to strong a word..... maybe loath and despise everything she represents, says, does and thinks; oh and she's a bitch too.

CERC

[consequences]

That being said, perhaps hate is to strong a word..... maybe loath and despise everything she represents, says, does and thinks; oh and she's a bitch too.

CERC

I too will go with option B.

'Ohh, Janeway's a bitch, she's an evil bitch, she's the biggest bitch in the universe,
She's a mean old bitch and she has stupid hair, she's a bitch to all the boys and girls...'

Continue for as long as you can keep making Janeway scan into the appropriate South Park song.

Hey, that's what Sebastian needs, a Montage!

[Ghost Rider]

Spoiler for those who haven't read past AAO, but definitely something for anyone else.
The Oracle's manipulation of her past self ceased once SotN 10 came and went. Her only goal was in pushing Luke into destroying the Borg at the Wormhole instead of over the Borg homeworld; when that didn't happen, there was no point.

The person Janeway sees in the mirror has always only been herself; the voice she hears has always only been her own. It's merely a voice to the dirtiest parts of her soul... the Dark side. Janeway's unbridled hate has destroyed everything human within her, which is what it always was... I've just moved the event to a moment we actually witness.

I will be doing a brush-up on PL and BOH in the days leading up to DOF 50, cleaning up grammar, adding a few details that were unwittingly omitted, etc. One thing I will be doing is clarifying the nature of the Oracle's manipulation. The reason she can influence her past self is because she can selectively "turn on" her past self's ability to sense the things that will happen, and thus help control Janeway's choices. Seeing things before they happen is her aspect of the Force, like cloaking herself is Annika's, like sensing insights is Picard's... etc. This didn't make Janeway a Sith... if things had turned out differently Annika could have chosen to embrace darkness and Janeway the light (imagine what kind of Sith Seven of Nine could become). But Janeway embraced the Dark side, and that meant that every day after this, power was what she wanted. So acquiring more and more abilities through twisted science and technology was her own doing, taking what should have been an instrument of good and using it to cause unimaginable death and destruction.

Is anyone really surprised at that last part?

I wanted us to see the fall because I wanted us to see the clear contrast here. With Anakin and with Luke, we could see why they did what they did, that even as they descended into darkness it was always out of love for someone else that they did so... it was something we could sympathize with, even if we didn't agree. But as we see with Janeway, from the first moment the Dark side was born in her because of her hate, and all that happened was that over time it festered. What Janeway saw in the mirror was the evil she nurtured in herself, and what ultimately destroyed her. There will be no redemption for her, because her own malice is the only reason for her fall.

So can you pity her? In the sense that she is a rather tragic figure, whose obsession led to her own corruption and transformation into a monster that was so vile, she'll one day commit every evil she rattled off against the Empire (Chapter 18 ) and then some. If you want to just hate her, that's good too.

Ultimately like I said before, I enjoyed that you made this complete nicompoop into a honest threat. As for pity and such, you bring up a great point of her motivation and what she percieves as her goal. For me, I despise her because she really is a villain. It reminds me of the Enter the Dragon line about being complete heartless "It's not easy...". She does this and more.

[Sonnenburg]

Thank you. What's fun is that it would be so easy for me to dub Janeway lines out of the series if I ever wanted to make a video of the Oracle in action. She has said so many evil things over the years it's funny.

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXXVII


In orbit over Earth hung the newly-completed battlestation by the Terran Empire. It had been completed as part of a technological exchange with beings contacted through a micro-wormhole, and would be an invaluable tool against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. On board, an argument played out.

"Until this battlestation is fully operational," Admiral Miles O'Brien said, "we are vulnerable. The Alliance is too well equipped... they're far more dangerous than you realize."

Admiral Kathryn Janeway smiled that condescending smile. "Dangerous to your Starfleet, commander, not to this battlestation."

O'Brien fumed. "The Alliance is continuing to gain support, and the Imperial Senate-"

"The Imperial Senate," said the voice of the man striding into the room, "will no longer be of any concern to us." It was Governor Reginald Barclay, followed by his Borg toady. "I have just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently." 7 of 9 held out his chair for him and he took his seat at the head of the table. When Barclay spoke, it was with a note of some satisfaction. "The last remnants of Spock's 'reforms' have been swept away."

"That's impossible," O'Brien said with disbelief. "How will the Emperor maintain control-"

"Fear," Barclay said, "will keep the citizenry in line." He offered a look of self-satisfaction. "Fear of this station."

"And what of the Alliance?" O'Brien asked. "If they have a complete technical readout of this station it is possible, however unlikely, they might find a weakness... and exploit it."

"The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands," 7 of 9 rumbled.

"Any attack by the Alliance against this station would be a useless gesture," Janeway said, "no matter what technical data they've obtained. This station is now the ultimatum power in the universe! I suggest we use it."

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed," 7 of 9 said. "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Borg."

"Don't try to frighten us with your dronish daydreams," Janeway scoffed. "Your sad insistence that your people will come to assimilate the Alpha Quadrant has no basis in fact. Nor is there any sign that the Collective intends to reclaim one insignificant misplaced dr-" She was cut off as 7 of 9 rammed her assimilation tubules into Janeway's neck, leaving her gasping and twitching.

7 of 9 leaned down by Janeway's ear. "I find your lack of faith disturbing," she growled.

"Enough of this," Barclay rebuked. "Seven, release her."

"As you wish," 7 of 9 said, yanking her tubules free. The change gradually subsided and Janeway returned to normal. She stared with malice at the drone, who stared back with the same.

"This bickering is pointless," Barclay said. "Now, Admrial Janeway will plot a course for the Klingon homeworld by the time this battlestation is operational. We will then crush the Alliance with one swift stroke."
--------------------------------------------------------------

“High Chancellor, the fleet is assembled. We await your command."

The Chancellor turned to admire his commanders for this, quite possibly their last battle. “The plan is simple. You will lead the right flank; General Triq will command the left flank. General Kang will command the screen and I will lead the main formation.” He turned to one of his generals, looking for a sign of fear or possibly even rebellion, pleased to find neither. “Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Kor said with confidence. “Their fleet approaches. I will prepare my ships.” He was unable to hide his anticipation. “Today is a good day to die.” His image vanished from the screen, replaced instead by the beautiful form of hundreds of ships ready to do battle.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Darth Gladius made a noise of frustration as he stared at Seven of Nine, who sat before him in binders. “Listen to me you little bitch,” he said in a way that implied this was actual restraint on his part, “you are going to tell me how to open a gateway into fluidic space. Now.” But the torture had taken its toll; her eyes focused on him for a second, then drifted away again. He lost his composure, got up, and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her with rage. “Tell me!” he demanded. “How do I open fluidic space?!”

“Fluidic space,” Seven said distantly. “Axim is... is in fluidic space.”

“Axim?” he said and turned to Janeway, who was bound to a torture device of her own and been subjected to Gladius’ personal ministrations for her role in the Twilight’s current predicament. “What the hell does ‘Axim’ mean?”

“It’s...” Janeway began. “It’s a long story.” She gasped as pain coursed through her body.

“I’ve got the time,” he snarled at her. “What is axim?”

“Axim is in fluidic space,” Seven repeated. He slapped her hard across the face.

“Make sense, damn you!”

Janeway spoke as best she could in her agony. “It looks... like you.... did too.... good a job.... with her.....”

Darth Gladius grabbed Seven’s chin and forced her to look at him. “You know,” he said with scorn. “You will tell me!” His restraint was gone, all that was present was Sith malice. “By the time I’m finished you’ll beg to tell me!”

“Axim is in fluidic space,” she repeated. Darth Gladius stood up and marched over to the comm unit. “You want to enter fluidic space. Axim is in fluidic space. You want to enter fluidic space. Axim.... you.... axxxxxiiiiiimmmmm.....” Seven looked down at her bindered hands, twisted one into a fist, and drove it into her nose, driving the cartilage and bone fragments straight into her brain, killing her instantly. Seven’s lifeless corpse collapsed on the floor as Gladius stormed out in a rage.

Darth Whind giggled a little at the sight. Silly drone, she thought. How pathetic. But her enjoyment was cut short as she was again whisked away.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Mara Jade sat on the edge of the bed. It was only too obvious that the situation had gotten completely beyond what she could control, and worst of all was that she had to include herself in that category as well. “Can you imagine what it will be like, Nemesis?”

“Luke,” he said. It wasn’t a rebuke, but it was received as such.

“I fell in love with Darth Nemesis,” she shouted, “not some hick farm boy!”

“Ah,” Luke said, “so you are in love.” His voice hit the right balance, so whether he was gloating over her weakness or showing relief at fears assuaged was left up to her. Is this the cruelty of Nemesis or the weakness of Skywalker? Whatever it was, it prompted her to action.

“Do you want to hear it?” Mara demanded, jabbing her finger into his chest. “Yes, I am in love with Lord Nemesis; I loved him when the Emperor showed me his holodisplay and ordered me to watch over you and kill you if necessary should your allegiances falter.” She held her emotions steady; she wouldn’t show weakness before him. “I loved him when he destroyed all opposition to our rightful rule of this wretched galaxy and I loved him when he challenged the might of the Empire without fear and hesitation.” And yet despite the tone, despite the words, when Luke Skywalker reached out to take her hand, she didn’t pull away. When he brought it to his lips, she never resisted. Whatever rants she had, when he held her... she didn’t want him to stop.

And as Darth Whind watched, she wished more than anything that she could be her.

This was why Vader had defeated her... she’d come within a hair’s breadth of killing Luke on the Death Star. If she was to fulfill her destiny, then she needed to fall that day, so that he could live. So that in time she could... she could turn him into her own Nemesis. Together in darkness, as it should be.
--------------------------------------------------------------

“There’s no guarantees in war, sergeant,” Picard said, his smile betraying the sense of irony. “Now, I’ll need a weapon.” The sergeant nodded and one of the stormtroopers handed him a blaster rifle, which he quickly briefed Picard on. Picard seemed to look at it with distaste but gripped it nevertheless. “What is the combat effectiveness of this weapon against Borg drones?”

“Mara Jade,” came a voice through the darkness, and she turned and looked over at the man in the Starfleet uniform.

“You can see me?” she said with disbelief.

He stepped over to her. “Yes,” he said with as much comfort as he could. “I, like you, am from outside this realm.”

"They were lethal with one shot," the trooper continued, oblivious of the conversation. "But intel says they've found a way to dissipate part of the bolt. You can still take 'em down with a long burst of full auto, or you can use heavy guns, like this one," he said, removing a large shoulder-fired weapon and handing it over to Picard, who took it with a grunt. “It carries enough punch to blast through a light door or bulkhead." As he tried to accustom himself to the weight the sergeant turned back to his men. “Protect the captain,” he said simply. “ETA in five seconds.”

They arrived and quickly rushed out to secure the area, but the Borg weren’t in this part of the ship. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Picard asked, slightly suspicious of the stormtroopers.

“Listen to me,” the man said, “It’s the transporter. It was never designed to do what you’ve tried, that’s why you’re trapped here, and you will remain trapped here forever.”

Mara shook her head, unable to accept it. “No,” she said with a low voice, “That’s not true. This will end eventually. I will return to my reality some time.”

“As near as we can get," the trooper said to Picard. "Turbolift won’t go any farther.”

Picard seemed to consider this, and then started running down the corridor, his stormtrooper escort breaking into a run to catch up. They passed through the Borg casualties of some battle and then rounded the corner, drawing Picard to a halt in shock. He watched Jaina slice the Borg down with her lightsaber in a furious display as she applied Force chokes to others. It was slaughter.
--------------------------------------------------------------

“Attention on deck!” came the order, and the four admirals stood. The Chiss High Admiral strode in with an air of quiet confidence, her red eyes taking time to look over every one of them. “Sit, gentlemen,” she said politely enough, “We have important matters to discuss.” She took her seat at the head of the table along with her subordinates.

“When?” the man asked, and Mara whirled around and looked at him. “And how sane will you be when you actually return? How many realities can you experience before your mind collapses under the strain?”

“I am a Sith,” she shouted at him. “I am in control.”

“We have completely analyzed the data Rear Admiral Tyrel recovered from the two captured Federation ships,” the High Admiral said as one of her aides activated the holo-projector. It showed an area of the Delta Quadrant and then a large, cube-shaped vessel. “This is our Primary target: the Borg.” She laid out the details of this enemy’s capabilities.

“I don’t think you’re in control,” the man said. “If you were, you’d stop this right now.”

Mara snarled at him. “I am in control of my mind, at the very least.”

He shook his head. “Hundreds of thousands of realms, all different, all filling you with confusion.”

“I am in control of my mind! I am in control!”

“The problem with the Borg,” the High Admiral continued, “is in boarding parties. Using their transporter systems, they can board our ships at will with shield failures. Therefore, we shall be committing both the Death Stars to total destruction of all Borg planets, installations, and ships. Their shields are to thick to ever be penetrated by the weapons of any Borg vessels currently in existence, based on these reports in the Federation databanks."

"Will I be assigned any support ships, High Admiral?” asked Admiral Kaller. “Even with this information on the Borg, we'll need vessels for mop-up operations."

The High Admiral nodded once and spoke with a tone one might reserve for a child terrified of the dark. “You shall.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

“And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

General Zaaron gripped the controls tightly as the Rasputin lifted off overhead. His juggernaut accelerated as he thrust the throttle column all the way forward, flying over the landscape at an almost suicidal 200 kilometer per hour. The armored behemoth lived up to its name as it plowed through trees, houses, shops, even small hills without even slowing down while floating fortresses hovered nearby.

Mara looked over and saw him again. “Who are you?” she asked finally.

“Ben Sisko,” he said pleasantly enough.

She looked at him suspiciously. “Why are you here?”

He watched the events taking place before him. “Believe it or not, I’m here to help you.”

She scoffed at him. “And why should you help me?”

"General sir,” came the quick report. “Sensors detect several small alien craft
heading this way. Beta group reports the same."

"Zaaron to all vehicles,” he ordered. “Weapons free! Target enemy craft and fire at will!"
--------------------------------------------------------------

“Because you have a great destiny ahead of you, Mara Jade,” he said. “The Empire will prosper with your guidance.”

There was quiet in Jabba’s throne room as the young man stepped forward. “Nevertheless,” said Wesley Crusher, “I’m taking Captain Picard, and his friends.” He looked over to Jabba’s side, where his mother wore a golden slave girl outfit; it was disgusting, yet somehow arousing. “You can either profit by this, or be destroyed. It’s your choice but I warn you not to underestimate my power.”

“Ensign,” said Data calmly from near Jabba, “I am afraid that you are standing on-“

“Bah!” Jabba smacked the android and shouted at Wesley in Huttese, then hit the trapdoor controls. There was the sound of Wesley screaming, and then a shrill squeal and the crunching of bones.

“You’re Starfleet,” Mara said accusingly, “What do you care about the Empire?”

“Wesley!” Beverly cried, but Jabba pulled on her chain and yanked her over, running his slimy tongue over her face.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Captain Kirk grabbed the Trandoshan bounty hunter by the arm and twisted, flipping the alien over his back and slamming him to the ground. He quickly turned, blocked the incoming swing and punched another straight in the jaw, knocking it down with such force that rocks and trees nearby began to wobble.

“This way Jim!” came Bones’ voice, and he turned and sprinted towards the opening.

“I’m not in Starfleet any more,” Sisko said. “You know I’m telling the truth.”

She looked into him. Yes, he was telling the truth. As insane as it was, he truly wanted to help both her and the Empire.

“That was a little too close,” Kirk said as he came to a brief stop. “How’s Smith?”

“It’s too late,” Bones said sadly. “He’s dead Jim.”

“Use your Force abilities,” Sisko said. “Seek out your destiny.”
--------------------------------------------------------------

“Commander,” came the thoughts of the Species 8472 scientist. “The wormhole is emitting theta band radiation over subspace. We have managed to use it to get a lock on its location.” It looked over the readouts from the biocomputer. “We’ve got it. I’m transmitting the coordinates now.”

Mara ignored the images and closed her eyes tightly, letting her mind reach into the Force. It was unbelievably powerful here, and she saw destiny spread out before her, offering to her all the answers to all the questions she’d wondered about her future. She saw her path, one towards a rebuilding of the shattered Empire, one which led to glory and power. The images...
--------------------------------------------------------------

“A vessel has been detected,” came the even tone of the Collective. “Grid 1183. Alter course and prepare for assimilation.”

“You see the truth?” Sisko asked.

She turned to him. “Yes,” she said emphatically. “All of it. I also know that you’re not here to help me.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You will fight to resist my Empire,” she accused him.

“Yes, but I’m still here to help you.”

“Why?” she demanded.

“Because the galaxy needs the Empire.”

She didn’t trust him, but she could sense that he wasn’t lying. And despite what she’d said, this place beyond reality was driving her mad.

“We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.”

“All right,” she finally capitulated. And the Cube finally vanished.
--------------------------------------------------------------

“Why’d you do it Ben?” Annika asked as the darkness of space retook her. “You unleashed that evil on all of us! Have you any idea how much suffering you’ve caused?!”

“I know,” he said sadly. “But I had no choice. There’s no other way.”

“That’s not true. You could have warned us. Could have-“

“No!” he said, and his voice was filled with a passion that she’d never heard. “There is no other way! There is only one choice, and I made it! I traded billions for trillions, oppression for extinction, but I also received hope, Annika. We have a chance!”

“Chance to do what?!” she demanded. “The Empire is stronger than ever and there’s no one left to stand up against them! Nobody can stop them now.”

“You’re wrong,” he said softly. “We can stop the evil. Together.”

“And how do we do that?” Annika asked. Suddenly the universe faded away to whiteness and all that was left was the sweet whisper of Ben’s voice. He seemed to be bombarding her mind with ideas now, explaining to her the path of fate and the one chance that remained... and her role in the end of it all.”

“Do you understand now?” Ben asked as he removed his hands.

Annika breathed heavily looking at him with disbelieving awe. “You truly believe-“

“No,” he said, “I don’t believe, I know.”

Annika looked away as she shook her head. “Ben, I don’t know if I can do this.”

“You can,” he insisted. “This is the culmination of everything from the day you first stepped into that Tsunkatse arena. All of it, everything, has been to prepare you for this confrontation. You have the combat experience, you have your nanoprobe abilities, you have the armor of the Tracker and you've finally developed your cloaking abilities. You can face Darth Whind now, Annika, as an equal.”

“Ben, I don’t want any of this.” She whirled around. “I don’t know if I can do it; kill in cold blood.”

“When the time comes,” Ben said, “it will be you or her. Only one of you can survive.” She turned and walked towards her desk. “You are either a hunter or prey.”

Her eyes flashed over at him. “That’s a lousy thing to say Ben.”

“Maybe, but it’s also the truth.” He stepped over and took hold of her arms, his eyes so warm and compassionate; he really did believe she could do this. “I need you, Annika. I can’t do this without you, I can’t. And unless you help me then the galaxies will fall to the Emperor and there will be suffering as you’ve never imagined.” She looked away, not wanting to hear it. “And that will be the universe your son will be born into.”

Annika looked back at him. “You don’t know how to play fair, do you.”

“I just tell the truth,” he said, “Don’t blame me for knowing what the future holds. But I know that its outcome will be decided by you.”

“Stop saying that!” she said pulling away. “I didn’t ask for this! Just for once, can’t the universe look after itself? Can’t I be one of the people who’s being saved instead of the one who has to make the sacrifice?”

There was a flash, and if Annika thought things couldn't get any stranger, she'd clearly missed the mark. "Listen to her," Q said, his voice oozing with amusement. "This is the one you've chosen? This self-pitying girl?"

"You cannot interfere," Ben warned.

"Oh, I have no intention," Q said. His gaze fell on Annika, and a smirk crossed his face. "I just had this irresistible urge to gloat."

For once Ben seemed flustered. "Q, don't," he warned.

"I'll do nothing, I promise," Q said, holding his hands up like he was innocent. "I just want to see you tell her."

Ben just glared at Q, and that's what raised Annika's suspicions. If Q was lying about something, Ben would have called him on it; the fact that he didn't meant there was still something he was keeping from her. "What is it?" she asked Ben.

Ben couldn't look at her. "You shouldn't know."

"Yes," Q said. "Too simple a mind to be allowed to make a decision based on all the facts."

"Humans are linear creatures," Ben said sharply. "They should be allowed to experience time as it happens."

"Yet you interfere," Q said.

"As do you," Ben shot back.

"Ah, but the thing is, Benjy, that I don't pretend I'm not."

"I told you," Ben said, "just give them time to meditate, and they can work these things out for themselves."

"But there is no time left, is there?" Q offered a bemused laugh. "So ironic."

"Ben," Annika said, "you said you'd tell me everything."

Ben looked panged. "Everything you needed to know."

"Ben," she said sternly.

"Yes, come on, Benjy," Q said. "She has all the clues already... I'm honestly surprised she hasn't figured it out yet. Even with Borg enhancements their brains remain so primitive."

Ben looked at Q, then to Annika; she could see the uncertainty in his expression, but it finally gave way to acceptance. When he spoke, it was in a very grave voice. "The trial continues."

[Chris OFarrell]

Its fitting that you gave a nod to Starcrossed in this fic, another of the greatest fics this board has ever seen...and yet again Mara gets Luke

And yes I count you saga in the top 3 fanfics I've ever read. All of which really score equal first

[Sonnenburg]

Its fitting that you gave a nod to Starcrossed in this fic, another of the greatest fics this board has ever seen...and yet again Mara gets Luke

Stravo was kind enough to recommend the chapter in question, which really fit so perfectly I was stunned.

But like you said, it's Mara that gets Luke again. I guess I'm the only author that thinks Luke wants a piece of sweet Borg candy.

And yes I count you saga in the top 3 fanfics I've ever read. All of which really score equal first

w00t!
My goal since SotN came out the first time has been to not produce something that people call a good crossover, but a good story... and that the crossover aspect wasn't really a factor in that judgment. That you don't stop and think how strange it is that a Jedi is annihilating Borg Cubes, but that when the moment comes it seems so naturally the thought doesn't cross your mind. If that happens, then I'm happy.

[Kyle]

I don't really have the time anymore to post on this board but I still try to stop in occasionaly and check out the fanfic section. I just want to say that I love the rewrites your doing, they're taking a very good story and turning it into a great story.

Oh and I can't believe you left in the section from my old fic The Long War, makes me want to work on it again if I only had the time.

Anyway great work, I've been reading since the first chapter of WWE on ASVS and you still have me addicted to this story, thats pretty damn impressive to my point of view.

[Chris OFarrell]

*fires particle beam, slices off Kyles legs*




















What?

[Sonnenburg]

I don't really have the time anymore to post on this board but I still try to stop in occasionaly and check out the fanfic section. I just want to say that I love the rewrites your doing, they're taking a very good story and turning it into a great story.

Oh and I can't believe you left in the section from my old fic The Long War, makes me want to work on it again if I only had the time.

Anyway great work, I've been reading since the first chapter of WWE on ASVS and you still have me addicted to this story, thats pretty damn impressive to my point of view.

Thanks very much. I did in fact go over all the exerpts here and revise and remove some of them, but yours is still there because it still does the job.

[Star Empire]

Great chapter. I forgot how late in the story this scene was, but it is one of my favorites.
As for being a great story vs. just a great crossover, it definitely is a great story. I started reading this and other crossovers several years ago a big Trekkie. While I still like Star Trek, I can't say I've watched an episode of it in quite awhile. I really enjoyed the Star Wars prequels, but the EU is not the first on my to read list, and I haven't actually read any of it yet (first time I read SoN, I thought Thrawn was one of your original characters, ). If not for this story, I think I would have entirely lost interest in both of them by now.
In the official Star Trek and Star Wars, they are more confined than this story. They want to sell Luke in another 50 books, they can't let the Enterprise be destroyed. The problem is that the actual stories come second. To some extent this is ok; I am happy there are hundreds of episodes and books for me to read and watch. This does make each individual one less enjoyable though. Here the story is always first. You didn't kill Chewie because you wanted to, or simply for shock value, you did it because you felt the story needed it.

[rhoenix]

Sonnenburg, I'd say you succeeded. I haven't read the original yet (I've been fighting the temptation), but your story succeeds in drawing in the reader enough so that as you said, a Jedi can smash Borg cubes, and it's simply what's taking place on center stage - the players have performed their parts well enough for it to not only work, but serve as a grander illustration.

Mind you, I'm experiencing massive writer's block with my story at the moment, but I hope to accomplish the same thing - to enwrap the reader enough so that they are a part of it, and not just an observer reading it.

[Sonnenburg]

Great chapter. I forgot how late in the story this scene was, but it is one of my favorites.
As for being a great story vs. just a great crossover, it definitely is a great story. I started reading this and other crossovers several years ago a big Trekkie. While I still like Star Trek, I can't say I've watched an episode of it in quite awhile. I really enjoyed the Star Wars prequels, but the EU is not the first on my to read list, and I haven't actually read any of it yet (first time I read SoN, I thought Thrawn was one of your original characters, ). If not for this story, I think I would have entirely lost interest in both of them by now.

Thank you very much, that's very rewarding to hear.

In the official Star Trek and Star Wars, they are more confined than this story. They want to sell Luke in another 50 books, they can't let the Enterprise be destroyed. The problem is that the actual stories come second. To some extent this is ok; I am happy there are hundreds of episodes and books for me to read and watch. This does make each individual one less enjoyable though. Here the story is always first. You didn't kill Chewie because you wanted to, or simply for shock value, you did it because you felt the story needed it.

Yes, I'll be the first to admit I have a luxury that a professional writer on a project wouldn't have. It's precisely because of that luxury that I've done it, since I felt that this was an opportunity unique to the fanfic format. And while, like I said, I tried not to let it be just a crossover, I did want to indulge in the unique situations that crossover allows. I never would have embraced the romantic aspects of the story if it hadn't been for the fact that the characters of Luke and Seven lent themselves to it, and because of it, handed me an opportunity that was unique to this situation. Han and Leia were pushed to the background, because why explore that relationship when a) it's already been done, and b) it doesn't have to exist in a story like this?

[Sonnenburg]

Sonnenburg, I'd say you succeeded. I haven't read the original yet (I've been fighting the temptation), but your story succeeds in drawing in the reader enough so that as you said, a Jedi can smash Borg cubes, and it's simply what's taking place on center stage - the players have performed their parts well enough for it to not only work, but serve as a grander illustration.

Thanks very much.

Mind you, I'm experiencing massive writer's block with my story at the moment, but I hope to accomplish the same thing - to enwrap the reader enough so that they are a part of it, and not just an observer reading it.

Good luck! I strongly advise whenever you can't write to just write anything, even if it's something you're going to throw away. It really primes the pump.

[Chris OFarrell]

Stravo was kind enough to recommend the chapter in question, which really fit so perfectly I was stunned.

But like you said, it's Mara that gets Luke again. I guess I'm the only author that thinks Luke wants a piece of sweet Borg candy.

I don't think its so much that people want to see Luke get hot Borg sex or not as much as they desperatly want to see Janeway DIE!