An Engineer's Destiny

Chapter 1: The Calm before the Storm

USS Da Vinci
Troyius Sector beta quadrant
Stardate: 58103.1

Sonya Gomez was walking the corridors of the ship, her ship as she had to keep reminding herself. Even with her long time commanding officer, and mentor; David Gold having retired almost a year earlier it still felt strange. However at the moment none of this seemed to matter, all she could think of was that one faithful day all those many years ago.

The day that started with her spilling a mug of hot chocolate on her captain's uniform, which at time she thought was the worst thing that could happen in her entire life. How wrong she was, by the end of that day eighteen of her fellow shipmates had died, sucked out in to space or worse; and the federation had made a new enemy; the Borg. And now if reports where to believed that enemy was on its way to deliver a last crippling blow, war was coming and she knew it.

It reminded Sonya of the old days on the USS Sentinel during the dominion war, she had hoped it would never come to that again. The federation at war, with the stakes being its very survival and maybe that of the entire quadrant. The main difference for her, between now and then was the fact that this time, she was the captain. The crew would look to her for leadership and guidance and she feared she was not up to the task. Sure, in the eight months after captain Gold's retirement the Da Vinci had seen some combat and it wasn't like she hadn't had her fair share of it before that but a war was different.

"Stop this." she accosted herself. "I cannot let them see me this way" she would have to get over it fast, as she was getting closer to her destination; the observation lounge.

Bart Faulwel was sitting in the Da Vinci's observation lounge which felt strangely crowded, usually reserved for the Corps of engineers team the room rarely had more than nine or ten people in it. However Gomez had called a full meeting including the senior staff as well as the Corps team. Sitting in the room were Anthony Shabalala the ships tactical officer, Conn officer lieutenant Songmin Wong, Chief medical officer doctor Sarjenka, Lieutenant Susan Haznedl, and Chief engineer Steven Bennet. Along with the usual suspects lieutenant commander Mor glasch Tev second in command of the corps team under Captain Gomez, Commander Domenica Corsi first officer and chief of security for both the ship and the team, the Nasat structural systems specialist P8 "Patty" blue, the singular Bynar computer specialist Soloman, and the new Bolian tactical systems specialist Chell.

With all these great tactical and engineering minds in the room Bart couldn't help but wonder why he was here, the situation didn't seem to call for a lowly linguistic expert and cryptologist. He looked over to the team's cultural specialist Carol Abramowitz Sitting awkwardly between Shabalala and Tev probably feeling as useless as he was. The mood was dim, and no one seemed in the mood to talk, Bart had attempted to alleviate the tension by a joke or two but no one was in the mood. Everyone knew what was going on in the rest of the federation for the last few weeks and everyone feared the worst. The Borg where coming, small incursions had been happening all over the federation and beyond and no one knew what was going on, at least so far no one knew. But Bart had been manning the communications console on the bridge when a level ten communique came in from Starfleet command, and he could guess what this meeting was about. Bart was disturbed from his musings when Sonya walked in to the room, looking like she had aged ten years in the last half an hour.

"Good evening everyone," she started right after coming in not even taking the time to get to her seat.

"I'll get straight to the point, we all know what has been happening all around the federation. The Borg have come, the biggest invasion we've seen so far, and I'm afraid that I have to tell you that it is just the beginning". Sonya paused, looking around the room to give people a chance to digest what she just said.

"Recent intelligence recovered by the USS Enterprise and Aventine indicate that more is coming, all indications are a full scale invasion of the federation and the alpha and beta quadrants itself." She rushed through that last bit, wanting to get it out before she lost her nerve.

The room was quiet for a minute after that, everyone considering the weight of this news. It was Chell of all people who broke the silence, muttering

"How is this even possible" more to himself than anyone else.

"What was that?" asked Tev, "speak up if you have anything to say specialist." Tev's aggressive tone didn't sit well with Sonya even after all these years, especially to the new and insecure tactical system specialist.

"Well I'm just wondering how they are getting here in such force commander." Chell answered. "We destroyed the Borg's Transwarp network when voyager came home years ago, and at their standard transwarp speeds it would take months for them to get here. We should have ample warning, but they just seem to show up out of the blue."

"That is an excellent question." Sonya responded, not surprised that Chell was the one to bring this up after all he was a part of the voyager crew that destroyed the network.

"It's a question Starfleet has tried to answer from the very start of this invasion, but now we think we might have the answer. The details are still a bit fuzzy. Either because Captain Picard does not know or he is reluctant to share the details through subspace. It seems that the Borg have found the remnants of an ancient subspace corridor network terminating in the Azure nebula." Sonya continued.

"Starfleet is organizing a fleet there to form a blockade, and apparently president Baco is trying to convince every warp capable species we know of to help with the blockade, from the Klingons to the Tzenketh. However we might have to face the fact that more likely than not anything they will do will only delay the inevitable." Sonya paused, once more allowing her crew time to come to terms with her grave message.

"Of course from this distance there's no chance for us to reach the Azure Nebula in time to be of any use. So Starfleet has ordered all remaining starships to protect federation and allied worlds to the best of their abilities, and we've been assigned to Troyius. I trust we are already on our way mister Wong?" Sonya asked looking towards the conn officer.

"Yes captain, I plotted a course and engaged just before heading here, maximum warp per your orders, we should be there in about six hours" Wong responded.

"Good, this is it people the fight for our very existence" Sonya said solemnly we might not be in a position to save the federation, for that we will have to trust others but we can sure as hell save this world. I am going to give you two hours to digest this information, there will be a ship wide announcements in thirty minutes, and I trust you will help your subordinates do the same.

Seeing that they were about to be dismissed, almost everyone started to speak at once. Asking questions trying to get more information out of their captain.

"Quiet everyone!" Corsi called them to order.

"Thank you commander" Sonya responded. " I know you must have many questions, all of you but I've told you all I know, Data is still coming in and I'll have more to share with you in two hours.

"So we are just expected to sit on our hands till then?" Shabalala countered.

"You can't expect us to do nothing" Wong agreed.

"Alright, alright if you want to make yourself useful try and think of ways we can improve our ship's chances against the Borg because as I am sure we all know as it stands the odds at us defeating even a single cube are pretty much non existent. Sonya answered "Now I need to get back in touch with Starfleet, get too it everyone dismissed."

New York City

Earth

Stardate: 58103.6

David Gold was standing at the door to his family's home, he had been locked to the viewer's newscast for the last few days, slowly watching the situation unfold wishing he could do something. He felt like he needed to do something, anything. During his decades of service to Starfleet, he had protected the federation from innumerable foes and dangers. From the Tzenketh to the Cardassians, the Klingons and the dominion. However now he felt helpless, as a civilian there was not much he could do. Of course he didn't have the access to information now that he used to have. However everyone in the federation knew there was something going on, and now he was standing on the doorstep to his own house, debating whether he should go to San Francisco and see if he could help out.

He would have left already were it not for his wife Rachel. He promised her his days of gallivanting around the galaxy where over. Of course protecting the federation from the current thread was different, but he doubted Rachel would see it that way. During all his years in Starfleet she had patiently waited for him to come home, having only a part-time husband and father of her children. He had not even mentioned it to her yet but he was sure she knew, she was currently at the synagogue performing her duties as the local rabbi and he almost felt like he was sneaking out.

"I can't do it," he said out loud, "not just yet anyway." and he walked back closing the door behind him.