02 Picard stood in the C&C of the Zann Consortium fleet and watched in awe as massive holographic displays lit up all around him. There was a full representation of the galaxy. The level of detail was on a planetary scale, small holographic representations of Starships, Borg cubes and other ships blinked constantly with tactical data superimposed over each one. "How in the world did you get all of this information. I doubt that even Starfleet command has this level of detail on galaxy-wide ship movement." "We have our ways, Picard. Let's just say that every time a ship go in for repairs, refits. shore leaves, we tend to find a way to leave a little reminder on the ship, a low level transmitter that periodically transmits data in bursts to our custom relay stations throughout space." He ignored the look of horror on Picard's face as he continued. "We use that data to create this real time representation of all starship deployments. This star chart is vital to the Zann Consortium fleet, it allows us to move through anyone's territory undetected because we know where everyone else is." "The star chart was first instituted four years after we discovered this galaxy. The chart proved invaluable after we found out about the Borg." PROXY added. Picard eyed PROXY with anger in his eyes. "The Borg have been our staunchest enemies since then, Picard. But there was little we could do to stop them since we didn't want to reveal ourselves to the galaxy yet. Best we could do was destroy any cubes that incurred on our territory." "The last incursion was a strategic cube that tried to invade this shipyard." PROXY added. "I hadn't heard of this." Picard challenged. "That's because we engaged them on the outskirts of Federation space. Your Starfleet scanners aren't that good you know." Tyber answered. "You won't be able to defeat them." Picard jeered. Tyber shrugged. "Once we take down Unimatrix 001, the game is over. The Borg have only one major weakness, over centralization." "You think they're just going to let you waltz into the Unimatrix? There are thousands of cubes there at any one time." "You Federation ship, the Voyager survived attacks by several cubes long enough to destroy a transwarp hub. Our fleet will last long enough to deploy the our new weapon." "What weapon?" Picard asked bewildered. "A strategic weapon we've been toying with for some time. It'll make sure that all that remains of Unimatrix 001 is floating scrap in space. Aren't you in the least bit interested in freeing the galaxy and the Federation of this evil? You have been the most vocal proponent of confronting the Borg wherever they appear. Your speech before the Federation council last year after the Borg incursion that reached Earth was inspiring." "I am not reluctant to destroy Borg, captain, I am reluctant that this criminal fleet will be treading lightly where angels fear tread. I was a drone once" he nearly stumbled at this part. It always triggered a wave of shame and pain that he had not yet fully grappled with. He would be damned if he let some peacock like Durant notice it however and he pushed on. "I vividly remember the tactical data regarding the Unimatrix. We will be entering the most heavily defended space in the entire galaxy. It will make the last stand at Cardasia look like ensigns in formation. This is not some mission that we should regard with any sort of levity. Most likely, none of us would be returning." "There you are wrong, Picard. Our ships are unlike anything you have ever seen before." Tyber frowned and leaned on the desk for a moment, as if debating something difficult. Uri was standing behind him, and staring at Picard with a critical eye. "Are you afraid, Captain?" Tyber asked softly. Picard felt his face flush. His hands gripped the edge of the desk. "You are a child, Mr. Zaan. A child playing with toy fleets. You have not seen or done a tenth of what I have. You have not seen the wonders I have seen or experienced the horrors. I have touched death enough times so that we are on a first name basis." Picard spoke in a steely whisper, the anger thick in his voice. "I will tell you what I do see. I see a fool eager to go into battle, eager to see blood. You think of the destruction of Unimatrix 001 as the be all and end all of your existence. These new weapons are not miraculous, they are powerful, yes. They are potent against our foes, but in the end the Borg ADAPT and they RESPOND and you will find yourself in a world of pain that all the bravado in the universe will not save you from. I merely wanted to share my wisdom that you obviously need so much. As Locutus of Borg I would tell you simply this…your actions would be futile, your new weapons irrelevant. The Collective does not fear, the Collective does not care about such trivial things as casualties or losses. They only care about assimilation, and your pretty little fleet out there becomes a very tempting target for assimilation. It is not fear that tells a warrior that his foe is superior." Picard turned away and began to stride out of the C&C. Uri stood in front of him, blocking his exit. Just then, an alarm went off in the C&C. "What's going on?" Tyber snapped and turned right back to the hologram. "We have an enemy incursion into Federation space, approximately one light year off the Romulan neutral zone. Sector 1075, the USS Thunderchild is reporting enemy ships threatening the science vessel Sagan and Enterprise." PROXY reported. "Enterprise?" Picard stopped and slowly turned around. Tyber nodded to Picard who quickly fell in besides the crimelord. He watched as the holographic representation of the Thunderchild, an Akira class starship, began blinking and the star chart fell away, so that the sector where the Thunderchild was located took up the entire holographic chart. The tactical data streaming over the Thunderchild changed suddenly as shields went up and weapons began to fire. "What is that?" Picard asked in shock as an enormous warship shimmered into view. "Do you realize what that is?" Tyber interjected softly. He was obviously disturbed by what he was looking at. "What is it?" Picard asked. "That my friend, is an Imperial Star Destroyer." "They've been disabled." "They're getting boarded!" Someone else reported with surprise. "What about the Enterprise?" Picard pressed. "The Enterprise and the Sagan managed to go to wa-" PROXY was cut off by another tech behind him. "The Thunderchild has been secured by the enemy ships, last sensor log indicates two Star Destroyers." There was silence in the C&C for a long while as they watched the Thunderchild's holographic representation slowly fade from view. Tyber took a breath and turned to Picard. "I'm going to need your help, Captain. We will pay any price you want. It seems that the assault on Unimatrix 001 is going to have to take a backseat." "You're going after this threat?" Picard asked pointedly. "It's either that or risk losing our black market. "I will never help you." Picard said coldly. Silence in the C&C as everyone paused to look at the exchange. Tyber looked over at the hologram and back to Picard. "Then you have sealed your fate." He said matter-of-factly. The last thing Picard saw was a blaster bolt out of the corner of his eye and then there was nothing...