~Pirates of the Federation~

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Written by MTrek

Edited by BookFan87

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Prologue: That Fateful Day…

A couple notes: For those of you that abhorred the ending of ST:X Nemesis, you may like this version a bit better. It is one view I have of what should have happened. I do hope all of you Trekkies and Pirates enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

This crossover is lovingly dedicated to my beta readers and my editor-in-chief. You guys were an immense help in the development of this. Thanks for putting up with me! :) God bless!

Quietly floating next to the Daystrom Institute above Earth, the new Reactor-class Dauntless scanned itself for any residual problems before leaving orbit. On board in the small mess hall, Ensign Seven of Nine leaned against a chair and stared out at the studded space beyond the transparent aluminum.

The former Borg was still adjusting to the much slower life of the Federation, not having to constantly remain on alert for foreign enemies. She smirked to herself, also getting used to regularly showing more of her human emotions. If it weren't for the decommissioning of Voyager, she would've been overjoyed to be back on that problem-stricken ship she called her home for years. She would have loved to be in any type of action for that matter. Things were too peaceful for her liking.

Shifting uncomfortably in her baggy, mustard-colored Starfleet uniform, her thoughts wandered to some past stories Lieutenant Tom Paris had told her of ancient Earth. They had been predominantly composed of romantic sea pirate legends, lavishly overexaggerated she presumed. And Tom -- being Tom -- had included a few humorous and annoyingly catchy songs along with them. She began to softly murmur one of the simplest ones, a drinking song no less, to fill the quiet.

"… We kidnap, we pillage, we don't give a hoot. Drink up me hearties, yo ho…"

She didn't know why she found the little "ballad" so calming, but it helped her not feel so restless.

"…Yo ho, yo ho; a pirate's life for me…"

Repeating the first verse again, she wondered absently how the life of pirates really was, and she found herself wishing… she could be there with them… Back in the thrill, the peril…

A lukewarm hand suddenly rested itself on her shoulder and brought her out of her daydream. She gasped lightly, forgetting about all the people in the hall with her.

The cerulean clad man, looking to be in his mid-fifties, frowned at her with concerned, deep brown eyes. His equally brown hair was sprinkled with flecks of white, further signifying his age. "Why are you singing that?" he asked suddenly. Seven was taken aback and opened her mouth to respond, but the man interrupted her. "I don't care what rank you are; nobody should sing so casually of pirates."

"Calm down, Maddox."

Both of them looked behind to see the dark, tattooed face of Captain Chakotay. Seven felt a stab of lament at the sight of her commanding officer. They had become distant since they'd returned to the Alpha Quadrant. She had hoped he could fill the gaping hole in her heart that needed the unconditional love of another being; and for a time, he had. But… like everything in her life lately, it didn't last.

Scientific General Bruce Maddox bristled at the captain's casual order. "I won't have anyone singing about those vagabonds on my station – not while I'm at its head. It's a bad idea in any sector."

"Well, we're not on your station, are we?" asked Chakotay stoically, a tad impatient with the paranoid, very prejudiced general. "Shouldn't you be though, sir? I gathered that you had a large project close to a breakthrough."

Giving Seven an undeserved glare, he grudgingly walked away. "Bad idea to have a Borg in Starfleet too…" he murmured just loud enough for Chakotay to hear as he passed, "…even a former one."

The captain joined his old friend next to the chair. "Sorry about him," he offered.

She sighed and looked out at the stars again. "I'm just tired of it, sir. The routine, the silence… Singing a song that reminds me of past excitement helps me forget it."

He smiled kindly. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Seven. But singing about pirates? I have to agree with Maddox on that one. Why?"

"I don't know for certain…" she did her characteristic raising of one blonde brow. "The celebratory way Tom has talked to me about them always made me curious."

Chakotay clenched his jaw. "I wouldn't exactly call pirates 'celebrated.' The ones in the Federation today are far from that. They're all vile and dissolute. If you ask me, they all deserve a short and sudden stop."

Seven felt eyes on her back and glanced behind her. By the exit, Maddox imitated a phaser shot to his head. She rolled her eyes at the general. "Despite their less desirable qualities, they've always fascinated me."

"Ha, now that's the casualness we've been enjoying lately coming out, " said Chakotay.

"Commander Kim to the captain, " interrupted his combadge.

"Go ahead, Harry," he replied to his first officer.

"We're receiving a major distress call from the Enterprise. They've engaged the Remans in Romulan territory."

Chakotay's soft countenance became serious once again. Shooting Seven an alarmed glance, he started for the bridge with her in tow.

Emerging out of warp, the Dauntless came upon a depressing scene. Throughout the green nebula, the shredded remains of the Enterprise hung in front of the damaged Reman ship Scimitar. Other friendlies, the now cooperating Romulan ships, limped away from the center of the former battle, trying to gain some distance. Sitting at tactical, Seven slumped inwardly. They looked to be too late for the fight.

Their new operations officer broke the uncomfortable silence aboard the bridge. "The Enterprise is stable for now, sir, but the Reman ship seems to be initiating a… thalaron generator. It's increasing in intensity by the minute."

The Scimitar's finned sides were expanding, gathering up its strength to set off what all on board knew was a very fatal energy.

"I'm also reading two human life forms on board… and I believe a positronic signature as well," said operations. Chakotay sat forward slightly in his command chair. "One of the human life signs are fading fast."

"Can we beam them aboard?" asked the captain.

"Yes, sir—the second human life sign is gone… and the positronic is advancing towards the other human."

"Transporter chief, get a lock on those two." ordered Chakotay to the intercom.

"Aye, sir. Give me a second…" replied the chief.

"Captain, the human life sign is no longer aboard the Reman ship. He's been transported over to the Enterprise, but I'm reading no active transporters functioning on board," said operations.

"Well, as long as he's off…" remarked Chakotay. "Ensign Nine, I need you down in the transporter."

"Yes, sir." She obediently left the bridge and quickly entered the receiving bay. Waiting for the new arrival, she gazed out at the finned Scimitar through a view port, still a little sore she couldn't have gotten off a few torpedoes at the Remans. The one time they are called to action and they're too late. Figures.

"Energizing-" began the Antican transporter chief. But at the same instant he charged the coils, the Scimitar suddenly exploded in front of them. As the shock wave hit their own ship, Seven's eyes went wide and she looked at him worriedly. The furred alien ogled at the bright explosion and Seven's heart skipped a beat. "…Did you get him?"

Shaking his gaze from the orange space, he numbly looked down at his console. "Y-yes! I have him mid-way!…"

The receiving pad glowed and a mid-height, pale-faced man energized into being -- leveling a phaser at them. Seven drew her own just in case. But quickly seeing he was wearing an operation's division uniform put her slightly at ease. When the cycle was complete, evidence of the explosion became evident on the man's overall composure. It looked like they'd gotten him out at the very last second. Clothes charred along his front, he fell into a heap on the pad.

Rushing forward, Seven attempted to catch him but was pulled down herself. "Medical emergency, transporter room!"

The captain then showed up in the room and came next to her. "Thank God!… Is he all right?"

"Still breathing," she remarked, putting a hand on his blackened chest. The EMH doctor came in the room and knelt down with his med-pack.

Chakotay frowned sympathetically at the man. "… I'd better let our friends know their man is all right." He stood again, and added upon leaving, "Ensign, stay with him. He'll need someone to let him know what happened."

Two hours later, the Dauntless towed the half-destroyed Enterprise back to Earth's repair-dock. The crew and captain of the Enterprise had been overjoyed to hear their second officer was rescued and a few even requested to be beamed over. But the Doctor denied their requests, insisting he needed to work. As Seven stood next to the unconscious officer, she could tell that was just to keep people out of what little holographic hair he had. Upon his closer examination though, it turned out their guest wasn't even human, but an artificial life form.

With a short sigh, the Doctor tapped a few keys on his PADD. "I really do wish that the captains of Starfleet would recognize the fact that I'm an organic doctor, not an mechanical engineer."

How many times had she heard that one before… Looking down at the now cleaned-up man, Seven noted that his dark russet hair was a little tousled, so she reached her skinned hand to smooth it down slightly. He suddenly reacted to the touch and within a blur of motion, too fast for even her to see, he grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip. The Doctor came to the bed as well and tried to pull the hand off Seven's forearm.

"It's all right," she tried to assure him. "You're aboard the Dauntless. We are towing your ship back to Earth dry-dock."

His eyes had been closed before she began to speak, but fluttered open at the sound of her voice. The deepest golden irises looked up at Seven with a dazed expression. He let go of her arm as quickly as he'd grabbed it and began breathing in short, disoriented respirations.

"Do you wish me to sedate him, Ensign?" asked the miffed Doctor.

"I don't believe you can," she replied matter-of-factly.

After a short pause, he said, "No, I suppose not." The EMH walked back to his desk. Seven leaned over the android to let him have a better look at her. "I'm Ensign Seven of Nine. I apologize for your disoriented state."

He looked like his cognitive functions were dwindling again, but he managed a kind voiced reply. "Lieutenant Commander Data…"

She smiled at him in an attempt to make him feel at ease; alas, it was lost as he was pulled back into obscurity. This time though, his head fell slightly more to the side, reveling a slightly open compartment under his hairline. Curious, she tried to put it back into place, but it instead it opened wider, as a spring latch would. Inside, she saw a most curious oddity. A holo-chip, much larger than normal was faintly visible. She frowned. Why would that be in there? It wasn't connected to anything, just sitting atop his internal plating. Taking it out, she looked closer at it. It was useless. Not even compatible with modern technology.

The intercom of the ship once again interrupted her thoughts. "Nine," said the captain, "You'd better get up here."

Subconsciously hiding the chip in her pants pocket, she left sickbay, her gaze lingering on the android until she was out of eye range.

Up on the bridge, she saw that they'd come out of warp above Earth, but that wasn't what was drawing the attention of all the faces around her. Slowly coming into view, the once serene Daystrom Institute was now in shredded ruins, some fires visible where the oxygen was still burning.

Seven quietly went to her station, eyes on the screen as well. What had happened?

Still aboard, the devastated Maddox looked at the remains, speechless. He was shaking his head in disbelief when he noticed her come in. A burning, accusatory glare came into his eyes. "I know every one's thinking it, and I'll be the first to say it… 'Pirates'." Beginning to stride over, he pointed a threatening finger at her. "It's your fault, Borg!! Why did you have to mention pirates on MY station??"

A few ensigns grabbed him before he could get too close. Chakotay stood up from his chair. "That's enough, General. This isn't Ensign Seven's fault any more than it is yours." Seven could see the broken desperation on Maddox's face as he struggled to get free from the ensigns' restraining arms. "Get him to his quarters," said the captain.

After spouting off several livid curses, Maddox yelled at her, "That station was everything to me! You invited them to--" The turbolift doors closed, cutting him off.

Seven paid him little mind. In her years as a human, she knew through experience that a person's first instinct was to blame others. Chakotay began contacting Starfleet headquarters for more information on what had happened. Slipping her hand back into her pocket, the ensign quietly studied the mysterious holo-chip again. A small red indicator had just started flashing inside it. She frowned, confused. Did it have a homing beacon of some kind?

But another strange curiosity caught her eye. On her tactical readout, a faint reading of a foreign ship was detected, just off their aft port. Focusing on the data, she brought up a visual on her screen. Nearly invisible against the darkness of space, a very large, onyx hulled ship thrusted away. And on its stern, Seven saw one of the most dreaded symbols in the galaxy… the death flag of pirates.

Her eyes widened in shock…

I'll have more up soon, but until then, thank you for taking the time to read and extra thanks to those who review. I love all your feedback! ;3 LL&P, my friends!