The Borg cube flew through space, its unnatural shape an abomination to nature, the beings inhabiting it even more so. The cube paused in space as if considering what direction to head in, and indeed it was, the great collective will that drove it had something catch its interest. This wasn't the curiosity that drives organic beings, nor individuals. It really wasn't curiosity in the strictest sense, merely a choice to be made.
Anomaly detected, begin scanning with tertiary sensor nodes. The Great Collective thought, as the data poured into the impossible complex mass mind of the cube the priority of the object steadily increased until it was of primary importance to the Collective. Anomaly identified, anomaly is transwarp conduit, attempting to use, the Collective must grow. The cube approached the mouth of the dormant wormhole, and then engaged its warp engines, entering the wormhole at a significant speed. Unfortunately for the cube it wasn't a transwarp conduit, but a stable wormhole, the attempt to use the wormhole as a conduit stretched it out an impossible distance, leaving the galaxy the cube belonged to another galaxy, many, many thousands of light years away. The cube's transit was nearly instantaneous, time having no meaning in the dimensions it traversed. Its sensors were temporarily blinded by the transition.
Priority, navigational correction, sensors required. Damage to sensors is superficial, regenerate. Tertiary sensor clusters now online, matching star patterns with navigational records. Error, star patterns do not match navigational records, communicating with Collective for updates. Error, Collective is not responding, attempting to access transwarp conduit. Error, transwarp conduit is no longer present. Priority, return to primary mission objectives, mission objective: locate targets for assimilation; once target identified complete assimilation of identified targets, the Collective must grow.
The cube began moving through the galaxy unknown to it, seeking information about its location, seeking that information the best way the Collective knew how, by assimilating those who had what it sought. The Collective was amoral in the strictest sense of the word, for moral concerns never entered into its thinking. Only the need to grow drove it. The fact that every intelligent species that they encountered considered the Borg to be the biggest criminals in all of known space was immaterial to the Collective. The Collective never considering these concerns though didn't change the fact that the Collective was nothing but a very efficient, methodical gang of thieves, stealing not only knowledge and material, but the very will of their victims, placing them into involuntary servitude with no hope for escape or reprieve. Now that implacable force was unleashed onto a completely unsuspecting galaxy. One that, unlike the home galaxy of the Borg, had the means to ensure the Borg's complete domination of it, provided that galaxy was unfortunate enough for the necessary information to find its way to the Borg.
Primary sensor cluster regenerated. Priority alert, artificial object detection, object masses .0000002 percent of standard rocky world; atmosphere not detected; energy readings, unable to determine, though high; sensors detect unassimilated beings inside artificial object, determination, object is a star ship of unknown design; objective sample object to determine suitability for assimilation.
The cube now approached the large sphere its newly repaired sensors detected. The object looked like a planet, with large cities strewn over its surface in a distinct grid. Along the sphere's equator was a trench that completely encompassed the sphere's diameter. On the sphere's northern hemisphere, a large crater was the dominant feature, yet this was no natural crater, nor was this a natural world, it was as artificial as the cube that now sought to sample it.
The cube locked its tractor beam onto the nearest portion of the sphere, there was modest shielding protecting the sphere, but that was easily shunted aside with precision by the cube. Once the tractor was locked on a cutting phaser began slicing through the skin of the behemoth. Once the cutting phaser finished its exacting circle, the slice it had made came up and was taken in by the cube.
Sample secured, sample included unassimilated organics. Attempting assimilation. Assimilation of organics complete, cataloging species. Species is a variant of species 5618. Technology assimilation, type, construction material, catalog, technology A-15678. So it went for the better part of a minute, which for the Collective is being meticulous. Then something occurred that didn't really surprise the Collective of the cube, for surprise was borne of emotions, something that the Collective did not ascribe to, but it had seen this before; the sphere began attacking the Cube. At first the numerous green bolts coming up from the sphere's surface seemed to do severe damage to the cube, but the cube had taken such damage, and worse before. The cube analyzed the weapons and determined the best counter to them, adjusted the cube's defenses accordingly.
Adaptation complete, begin regeneration cycle. If the Borg have a weakness, it would be their seeming inability to do multiple tasks at once. This is a false notion, for every Borg cube is fully capable of taking on multiple tasks at the same time, theirs is, after all, a strength of numbers. No, the impression that the cube is unable to do anything while it regenerates damage is simple expediency. It is more efficient fully repaired, and it is more efficient to repair all damage at the same time.
Regeneration complete, the Collective must grow. Initiate communications with assimilation target. Objective, preparation of unassimilated organics for the New Order. Communication established, calibrating universal translation matrix. Preferred communication method, auditory. Communication begins. We are the Borg, lower your shields and prepare for assimilation. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. You will service us, you will become us. You're lives as you have known them are over. Resistance is futile. There was a response, but the Collective shunted the responsibility of handling it to a sub-routine. Any response the organics had for the Borg was, after all, irrelevant. The Collective committed itself to planning the assimilation of the sphere, it would be a daunting task to a purely organic intelligence, but to the Collective, it was merely a large task, and the fact that it would take more time than the collective was accustomed to did not even occur to the Collective. It did not take long for the Collective to decide that the sphere would be best assimilated as though it were a planet, which would entail taking over the sphere rather than consuming it as they would a smaller ship.
Scan target, searching for appropriate node site. Site identified, designate site Sector 001. Drones needed—50, designate group Node 001 assimilation matrix. Primary sensor alert, power build up detected centered at center of sphere's concave structure, sphere is turning concave structure toward us. Probability that energy build up is a weapon, 98.765 percent, chance of cube surviving energy discharge of this apparent magnitude, .00345 percent. Estimated time to energy discharge, unable to calculate, time to concave structure lining up with cube, 1 minute, 37 seconds. Initiate cube abandonment, all drones will be beamed to Sector 001 of sphere. Estimate of successful abandonment of cube before structure is lined up, 37.48% of cube complement, priority change for transported drones, assimilate all organics in immediate proximity of Sector 001 of sphere.
* * *
Vader strode onto the command bridge of the Death Star, his respirator announcing his foreboding presence. He was annoyed that Tarkin had summoned him while he was in the middle of Princess Leia's interrogation. It was a waste of the drugs used on her when he couldn't be there to question her at their maximum effectiveness, and he knew that a second round of the drugs would be less effective than the first. It was yet one more reason to hate his current position; he was the Emperor's apprentice, yet he had to answer to this odious gorrt of a man. Vader had known Hutts less smug than Tarkin was. He thought it was a danger to put the man in charge of the most powerful weapon ever constructed, but no one questioned the Emperor's orders, not if they wished to live, or in Vader's case, live with as little pain as possible, he knew the Emperor would never let him die, no matter how much he might wish it on some days, not unless there was someone who would make a suitable apprentice to take his place. Vader knew that he was both the Emperor's greatest accomplishment and biggest defeat.
"Lord Vader, good of you to join us," Tarkin said, his voice irritating, his too-long face twisted into a smile that looked as natural on it as a Hutt in any kind of clothes.
"I was interrogating the Princess. I trust this is important Governor, my time is valuable," Vader said, keeping his tone civil, barely.
"Oh I think it is, my friend. We've detected a ship."
"What class of ship?" Vader asked, his patience with the annoying little man stretched to the breaking point.
"Unknown," Tarkin said, turning back to the viewscreen that currently was showing only empty space.
"What do you mean, unknown?" Vader asked, his curiosity piqued just a little.
"How many definitions of the word are there, Vader?" Tarkin asked, sounding smug in his current superiority over Vader.
"I tire of these games, Tarkin. You may have the Emperor's favor currently, but none can attest as well as I just how fleeting that favor is," Vader said, unable to keep his temper in check.
"Is that a threat, Lord Vader?" Tarkin said.
"Not yet. Now stop wasting my time," Vader said, the deep baritone of his voice enhancing the implied threat.
"Very well. Put it on the display," Tarkin ordered.
On the large viewscreen appeared a dark shape; it took Vader's optics a moment to resolve it. It was a perfect cube, or at least as perfect as Vader could tell, his mind racked itself to identify the species that build such a craft, but he could not come up with one.
"What species is it?" he asked.
"Thus far that is unknown to us, whoever they are they haven't tried to hail us," Tarkin said.
"You should destroy them," Vader said, feeling a dread creep over him unlike anything he ever felt before the longer he stared at the cube. Who ever they were, they were dangerous.
"Destroy them? Vader, this could be a huge opportunity for the Empire. I doubt the Emperor would concur. They are obviously a highly advanced species and I bet they have technology that we haven't imagined yet," Tarkin said, it was obvious to Vader that the man was seeing this as a golden opportunity, an opportunity to enhance his own position in the eyes of the Emperor.
"I sense they are dangerous," Vader said, evoking an odd stare from Tarkin.
"You might still put stock into that ancient belief, Vader, but all it does is prove how deluded you truly are," Tarkin said.
"Believe what you will, but that ship is a threat, a serious threat," Vader said, the closer it got to the Death Star the surer he was that it represented the greatest threat the Galaxy had ever faced. At that moment a green beam was emitted from the cube.
"What is that?" Tarkin asked.
"Some kind of tractor beam, it's overall power is weaker than ours, but it is much more precise," an officer reported.
"Why would they attach a tractor beam to us? Surely they don't mean to attempt to tow us someplace," Tarkin said. The answer though became apparent quickly enough as a thin laser beam began cutting into the hull of the Death Star. "What are they doing that for?" Tarkin asked.
"They are sampling us. I told you they were dangerous. We should report this to the Emperor," Vader said.
"Leave? When we've been attacked? Commander show this…interloper the error of his ways," Tarkin ordered, and looked on with satisfaction as the turbo laser batteries in that section open fire on the cube, doing severe damage to it. Only is large size seemed to save it from outright destruction. Vader estimated that it was about sixty times the volume of what Executor would be once she was complete. Holes the size of frigates opened up in the hull of the cube and Vader felt an odd sensation of relief."See Lord Vader, no one can stand up to the might of this battle station."
Yet no sooner than the words were out of his mouth the effectiveness of the bombardment began to lessen, then, in seconds, it was having no effect at all, then to the astonishment of everyone on the command bridge, Vader included, the cube began…healing. The damage done by the barrage was visibly disappearing, and not so much as a scorch mark was left. Even the largest holes literately filled in. In about the same time it took the turbolasers to inflict the damage to the cube, it looked no different than it did before the bombardment. Even Tarkin looked shocked.
"Very well, if that is how you want to play this, commander bring the primary weapon to bear on that cube," Tarkin said.
"I think retreat would be a wiser course of action, Governor. We need more information on who or what we are dealing with," Vader said.
"You overestimate the danger Vader, I never thought you would harbor cowardly attitudes," Tarkin said.
"Do not mistake caution for cowardice," Vader said, bristling at the insult.
"Caution is not required here, Vader. Nothing can match the firepower of this battle station," Tarkin said.
"Cube will be in range in thirty seconds," the fire control officer reported.
"Very well, fire when ready," Tarkin ordered. The time ticked down, slowly. It was nearly the longest thirty seconds of Vader's life, then the sick green beam of the stations superlaser lanced out, it enveloped the cube and for a split second Vader thought that it would repel even this attack, but then the moment was gone along with the cube, none of the debris was large enough to see on the display.
"You see Lord Vader, nothing can resist this battle station," Tarkin said.
"I am going to continue what you interrupted, Governor," Vader said.
"Yes, we do still need the location of the Rebel base, you may go, Vader," Tarkin said, while Vader hid his anger at being dismissed by this hopped-up bureaucrat, and left the command bridge.
Vader was still uneasy about the encounter with the cube that, with the exception of the Death Star, was the largest ship he'd ever encountered. He walked through another set of corridors on his long walk back to the prison cells. It didn't entirely surprise him when a being stepped out into the corridor in front of him. The being was very pale, its visible eye stared, seemingly lifeless in its socket, its other eye was covered by some kind of prosthesis, its body was encased in a material that was unknown to Vader, its right arm was still flesh, while its left was completely covered by a large attachment, with several appendages on it. It seemed to be studying the computer terminal in front of it. He approached it and it ignored him.
Overcome by a curiosity the likes of which he hadn't experienced in years, he reached out and brushed his mind against that of the being in front of him. What he found was shocking. The majority of the consciousness he detected was wrapped up in something that self-identified as 'the Collective', it was a powerful mind, more powerful than any he had ever encountered, worse there was a small part that was weakly trying to get out, assert itself. The suffering the being was going through tore through the Dark Lord, touching something that he thought had been long dead in him, compassion. The small mind wasn't fighting that hard at the moment, but Vader sensed that it was conserving its strength, as it didn't find the current task it was engaged in overly objectionable. Vader studied the thing through the Force, looking for a way to free the cruelly imprisoned mind, to get some information out of it, at least that's what he told himself. The problem, he quickly determined, was that much of the mind was tied up in the electronics that were implanted in various ways, many of them superseding the natural functions of the being's body.
Now that he had an idea of what to expect, he began to quickly catalog the modifications that had been made to this likely unwilling Borg, and he found several implants that would kill or cause severe harm to the being. He disabled them. There was one implant that seemed to be a sort of communicator, but he had never seen the design. The Force implied that it was the source of the Collective's power over the individual mind. He disabled that as well, and the drone slumped, and then screamed, it was short lived as the being took back control over its body.
"It would be best if you were quiet," Vader said.
"Sorry about that, delayed reaction…about 15 years delayed," the being said, its voice was scratchy and raw sounding, "We need to evacuate this Star Base; if we can, we need to eject the warp core to minimize the power that is available to the Collective, and then see if we can reroute ships away from here."
"None of those things are practical."
"Why not? At least we can route ships away, can't we?"
"Ships coming to this battle station are probably the least of our worries."
"Do you not have access to the engineering levels?"
"The reactor core is not ejectable, though I like the idea."
"Not…we really need to evacuate this station then."
"That is not only impractical, it is impossible."
"Why?"
"Because, there are over a million individual beings on this station and it took the better part of two standard years to station them here," Vader said.
"Do you have escape pods for all of them?" the being asked.
"Yes, but the authorization to use them will not be forth coming."
"Why?" the being started sounding desperate.
"Because the man in charge of this station is an odious toad that's as full of himself as a Hutt. His own arrogance will not allow for the idea that I really do know what I am speaking of, and that I have information that he doesn't have. He will not listen to reason because he believes in the inherent superiority of his new toy."
Disbelief crossed the man's face. "Which is?"
"You are standing in it."
"This is your Titanic, then. Perhaps if I spoke with him, he would be reasonable."
"That is not possible."
"Which?"
"For Tarkin to be reasonable. I will take you to him if you like."
"I have to at least try, you folks don't know what you are dealing with or how dangerous they are,"
"I assume you are a Borg?" Vader said as they headed back toward the command bridge.
"They gave you the standard spiel then," the being said, then continued, "I was a drone, until you rescued me, thank you by the way."
"You are welcome, however I did not rescue you out of pure altruism, we need information about these Borg since they seem to be aboard," Vader said.
"I thought you said the commander of this station was a puffed up toad that wouldn't listen to reason," the being said.
"Indeed I did, however his isn't the highest authority to which I can appeal," Vader said.
"Good, it would be nice to talk to someone that will listen to reason," the being said, and Vader hid his amusement; it was obvious the creature wasn't familiar with the Emperor. Vader fully expected his Master to take the threat seriously, but he wouldn't necessarily act in such a manner as the former Borg would like.
They both entered the command bridge.
"Vader, back so soon?" Tarkin said.
"We have a problem Governor," Vader responded.
"What kind of problem," Tarkin said as he turned around, "What is that…thing with you Lord Vader?"
"This is a former member of the species that attacked the Death Star, they have boarded the station somehow," Vader said.
"And why is he here and not in a detention cell being questioned?" Tarkin said.
"Because, Governor, I was a member of the Collective, but thanks to Lord Vader I am not now and I wanted to tell you that this station needs to be destroyed before it is too late."
"You brought this…half droid to make threats, Vader?" Tarkin said, a vein on his left temple started to twitch, which under normal conditions would've pleased Vader, however these were not normal conditions.
"He is not making threats, Tarkin. He is expressing his concern for the threat these Borg represent, he is sincere, I have felt it," Vader said.
"Lord Vader, I have tolerated your quiet insolence for a long time now, but this is beyond the pale, now take this…thing to a detention cell, immediately," Tarkin said.
"You can't, you have to understand, they will take over this station and then any ship that docks here will be taken over, then they'll be mobile and they'll move to planets, and once they have a planet, they will be unstoppable!" the being cried out.
Tarkin finally addressed the being," You have never seen the Imperial military in action. We destroyed your ship, I'm sure we'll deal with your boarders,"
"Your forces have already lost, several of them have already been assimilated, and your weapons haven't been effective for twenty minutes! Destroy this station while you still can!"
"Vader, get this abomination out of my sight! Commander, set your course for Alderaan. Since Lord Vader seems unable or unwilling to get the location of the Rebel base out of the Princess through conventional means," Tarkin said.
"Yes, sir, setting course…" the Commander said, then after a moment, "Sir, there seems to be a problem, the systems aren't responding, I can't even set a course, much less activate the engines."
"Shit…we're too late. You have to get as many people off of here as you can, Governor! Before its too late!"
"I think you overestimate your people's chances," Tarkin said, and began ignoring the being.
"Come," Vader said quietly, "I told you he would not listen to reason." Vader led the distraught being away. Once they were off the command bridge, the being spoke again.
"Where are we going?" it asked.
"That depends on how you answer my next question. What will happen now that they are seizing control of the station?"
"They'll start systematically assimilating all of the personnel, from what I understand this station is too large for the number of drones they beamed aboard for them to be able to control, so they removed your ability to control it until they were ready to seize control," the being said.
"Why are our weapons ineffective against them?" Vader asked as they walked.
"Because, they'll adapt," the being said as if that explained everything, they then came across several Borg that had storm troopers firing at them. The troopers weapons were quite ineffective, bouncing off of some kind of energy shield that Vader had never seen before, the Borg for their part, simply walked forward, ignoring the weapons fire.
"Why are they ignoring the weapons fire?" Vader asked.
"It is irrelevant to them," the being said. Then the Borg continued to the troopers. "Oh no, you have to stop them!"
"Why?"
"They are going to assimilate those two solders!" the being said.
"No, I want to see what happens," Vader said.
"You don't understand the pain they will go through, you have to stop them, please!"
"I understand better than you think, sacrifices must be made so we can learn and prepare a proper defense," Vader said.
"You're a monster," the being said.
"Yes, I am. Yet that isn't the reason I'm doing this, this is war, and in war sacrifices must be made, we need information, I am collecting it,"
"But I can tell you everything you need to know!"
"True, but it is not the same as witnessing it for yourself," Vader said, and felt…odd throwing out something Obi-Wan had told him once, several lifetimes ago. The drones reached the storm troopers, and lifted their arm, the ones that looked mostly organic and to Vader's surprise two tubes flicked out from each arm going into the neck of each trooper. It wasn't a long contact and the two storm troopers stiffened.
"At least kill them, please, you'll be doing them a favor!" the being pleaded.
"What is happening?" Vader asked.
"They are being assimilated, the tubes you saw inject nanoprobes into the blood stream, the nanoprobes start the process of building the first implants, the ones that connect the new drone to the Collective. Then they'll be taken to an assimilation chamber where other components will be added, depending on what the drones final principle function is, now please, kill them? Or save them like you did me?"
"I will have to kill them, it will take too much time to deactivate the components," Vader said and ignited his lightsaber, it didn't take him long to dispatch the four, he didn't waste any movement, just sticking the blood red blade through two at time, it was easy as they ignored his approach.
"Come, there is someone we need to retrieve," Vader said.
"Who?" the being asked.
"I will explain when we are safely away," Vader replied.
The two hurried Vader slightly leading and headed to the detention area, they soon arrived.
"Lord Vader, have you returned to continue the interrogation?" the watch officer asked.
"No, the Princess is being transferred to Imperial Center, the Emperor wishes to interrogate her personally," Vader said, and the watch officer was visibly disturbed.
"Yes, Lord Vader," the officer said, Vader and the being went directly to the Princesses' cell, and Vader opened the door.
"The old interrogation droid break, Vader?" The princess said.
"Your wit is less than amusing, Your Highness, now come with me if you want to live."