The Fear Of Loss
"B'Elanna, get those engines back online." Captain Janeway shouted through her comm. Badge. Voyager was under attack by a Borg Cube, and so far Voyager wasn't winner. Voyager's shields were down to 54 and decreasing. The latest crisis was the engine failure.
"I'm on it." Came Lieutenant Torres' reply. Red light streamed through the bridge and an unearthly sound screeched through the ship.
"Captain, the shields are down to 43. The hull can't take much more of this." Harry Kim's voice was shaken by the tremor of the attacked ship. They were being shaken from the starboard to the port of the ship by the turbulence. Captain Janeway had a feeling that it wouldn't stop anytime soon, not with the Borg repeating "Resistance is Futile" in a deadly chant.
"Mr. Tuvok, how are we doing with those sensor disruptors?" The Captain shouted.
"They –" Tuvok was cut off by the turbulence. "They should be ready within 15 minutes."
"Good." Came Janeway's satisfied reply, although she was concentrating very hard on keeping the ship from being blown to pieces.
"Captain, we are being hailed." Harry Kim said surprised.
"Open a channel." The Captain ordered. She too was surprised, the Borg were not one – or rather, many – to talk during firing on a star ship.
"We are willing to negotiate." Captain Janeway spoke clearly are confidently to the Borg Collective.
"Give us Seven of Nine. You will be assimilated. Resistance is Futile." The mindless drones chanted.
"Cut it." Janeway shouted and the war continued. Phasers and photon torpedoes flew through space taking little effect to the Borg Cube.
"Captain, perhaps we should retreat." Chakotay suggested lightly. Captain Janeway considered this for a minute.
Pushing her comm. Badge, she said, "B'Elanna, how are the engines?"
"They're not responding. It would take hours if not days to repair the damage down here. All I can give you is backup power." B'Elanna replied, sounding rather defeated.
"Captain, it might be time to consider the possibility that Seven was right. If so, we need to leave." Chakotay advised. He knew all too well how Kathryn wouldn't retreat lightly.
"You're right." Janeway whispered.
"Shields down to 29." Harry shouted over more turbulence.
"Mr. Paris, get us out of here, maximum warp." The Captain instructed.
"Aye Ma'am." Tom smiled. Obviously he had been waiting for that. Turning the ship around, the Borg continued firing.
"Shields at 19, Captain." Kathryn could hear an element of worry in Harry's voice. At that precise moment, the ship tossed everyone out of their positions, throwing them across the room. The lights were flickering out.
Moans came from the few conscious officers on the floor. From her position, the Captain could see that Tom Paris was bleeding: it looked bad. Tuvok, Chakotay and the Captain slowly stood up. It was apparent that the Borg had delayed their shooting.
"Statistics, Mr. Tuvok." The Captain asked. Tuvok checked his consol once, twice and again. A look of deep regret washed over his face.
"What is it, Tuvok?" The Captain asked, fearing the worst.
"Deck 11 has been depressurised and eradicated. Main Engineering is gone." Tuvok replied.
"What?" The Captain breathed.
"Every person that was on Deck 11 is dead. Floating in space." Tuvok replied, hiding no emotions.
Tom stood up, overhearing their conversation. "Was B'Elanna…"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Paris." Tuvok replied. Tom's eyes filled with water, his heart breaking for his dead wife and unborn child.
"Resistance is Futile." The chant began again, repeating it over and over.
"We refuse to succumb to the bullying of a cowardly species who would murder innocent people." Captain Janeway almost screamed.
"You will be destroyed." The Borg replied. With one final shot, the remaining crew of Voyager and the ship itself was destroyed. Tearing the ship apart, explosions threw off many decks until only excess metal and Voyager's corpses floated lifelessly in space.
