DISCLAIMER: Hey, DT here! Well here it is, chapter 26... You know, I was taking a look at the word counts on some of my other chapters, and I realized, I am a windbag! ...Or in this case, a typebag...? Anyway, for those of you who may have been somewhat confused by the last chapter... Screw you, and stop emailing me! Read and review! - - I don't own Digimon, or Star Trek. Just the crap that I can make-up in my warpped head. So, DON'T SUE ME!!!
Unknown Place, Unknown Time
"It is coming, commander..." Said a voice that seemed to come from every direction, the abyss of the white mist surrounding them began to ripple and shift. Never the less, the pair stood in place, but soon found themselves standing at the center of the Phoenix's bridge; her crew turned away from their posts, silently scrutinizing them as they each spoke in turn.
"We already know dat..." Monodramon answered, yet still stood blankly beside his friend. "What are ya' gonna' do about it?" The group all glanced from across the room to each other at once, all of them seeming to consider the question.
"The answer is beyond us..." Ryo shot a querying glance to the Prophet that had assumed his former commanding officer's form.
"Beyond you; you're the Prophets, right? Time has virtually no meaning-" Ryo stopped, as the sound of whispers became apparent. But it wasn't the sound alone that made him stop; it was the fact that the voice sounded all too familiar.
"He is calling... He shall ask." The Prophet whom spoke with Lieutenant Wong's voice said. With a flash of light on the already bright deck, the lone form of Commander Takato Matsuki appeared. Startled, the young first officer quickly scanned his surroundings before settling into a more relaxed but rigid stance.
"The Tamer has returned..." Lieutenant Impmon spoke from the aft engineering consol at the rear of the bridge. His eyes silently scanned his new surroundings. Noticing that something seemed out of place with them, he watched as Takato began eyeing him quizzically.
"Lieutenant Akyama? Ensign Monodramon, what're you two doing here?" The commander asked. Ryo just gave him one of his characteristic grins before ever slightly inclining his head.
"Now that's weird... Unusually these guys get stingy and won't let anyone else in." Ryo took several steps around the rear of the bridge, making a point not to walk behind any of the people that had brought them there. The commander however was still eyeing him suspiciously.
"The Tamer is confused again." Interrupted that bared the likeness of lieutenant Renamon.
"He was hoping to speak to the Emissary..." The Profit version of Quad'ka said her face stoic and unmoving.
"...But he is not here now; only us, them, and it." An officer that Ryo didn't particularly recognize finished. He took a closer look at the man, but still couldn't place who, or even where he had seen him before.
"I'm not sure what you want, but could ya' at least tell me what's going on!?" Ryo's grin faded to dull smile as a single sobering answer flowed throughout his mind. He could tell by the glair plastered across his face, that Takato was ignoring the urge to ask the cryptic beings what they were talking about, just as he was...
"I'm sorry Takato, but my time is over..." He said grimly, before looking back up to his friend. "Time has retaken its teeth... But you-" Ryo looked across the bridge, where he
"But he, what? Lieutenant Commander Akyama?" A familiar voice culled. The trio turned to the owner of the voice, as she spun around from behind the Conn. Ryo calmed his surprise, as he began to piece the last few pieces together.
"Sorry ensign, but I haven't been a lieutenant commander in a long time..."
'Well, at least now we know why she never responded to treatment...' Lieutenant Akyama thought, as he looked into the Vulcan's smiling face. Takato however, looked like he was ready to have an aneurism from trying to piece together everything in front of him...
"Ensign T'shosh!? As in, Ensign T'shosh, from the Prometheous's Hazard Alpha team?!" The commander asked. T'shosh chuckled at the commander's reaction to her.
"At this rate, he's not going to last very long, is he comman- Lieutenant...?" The ensign asked, crossing her arms as she eyed him amusingly. The lieutenant couldn't help but grin at the up-beat demeanor that the normally stoic Vulcan had adopted... The only question that remained in his mind, was how? Then suddenly, the scenery changed from that of the Phoenix, to the bridge of the Deadalus.
"These answers must cease... He must ask, it." Came the Prophet whom had assumed captain Kanbara's form Ryo didn't budge, as he noticed that there where too many people this ships bridge...
'That's weird, even with Ensign T'shosh here, there should still only be eight officer stations manned, so why are there nine?' He asked himself, as he recounted the officer stations once again, and again, he got the same number.
"What question?" The commander asked. All at once, the Prophets glanced at each other; almost as if, that was what they had been waiting for...
"He does not realize it." The one whom had taken Commander Wong's form answered.
"What!?" Takato asked, becoming slightly annoyed at the aliens' ambiguity. "What don't I realize!?"
"Because the paradox has not yet ended..." Ryo felt the blood in his veins turn to ice, as he listened to T'shosh.
"The para-" Monodramon half-repeated, stunned by what he was hearing. Ryo on the other hand, was ready to tear off someone's head.
"Why? What's gone wrong; the causality loop should have been satisfied!" The lieutenant snapped. For the very first time in so long, his vision began to blur... After everything that they'd been through, everything they lost; after everyone who was now dead, was it all for naught. His blood felt like it was boiling at what he was feeling.
"Causality?" The commander repeated. Every prophet in the room turned to him, then to the lieutenant, whom was trying his hardest not to lose control.
"You have the question," Resonated the Prophets all at once. Ryo snapped out of his blinding rage, too stunned to react, when he realized,
"Oh my god..." He whispered, realizing what they where really saying...
"And you have the answer. Now lieutenant, what are you going to do with it...?" T'shosh asked. Ryo looked her, his throat drying, as he tried to force the words out...
"T'shosh, are you-"
"No." The ensign said, stopping Ryo before he could confirm what he was thinking. "But, I will say this: They are coming." She said. Taken aback by her answer, the lieutenant stared into her sharp eyes incredulously, looking for the slightest clue that she was holding something, anything back.
"They shall arrive, on the rings of the white bird of night..." The Prophet, whom resembled Rika, responded. Ryo watched the commander with curiosity, as watched a look of familiarity spread across his face, almost as if he knew, or should know, what they meant.
"White bird of night... Why does that sound familiar...?" Asked Takato, not paying the others any attention...
"...The white bird of night..." He repeated. Just as a feeling of increasing brightness began to overcome them; a Prophets who he didn't recognize as apart of the Deadalus's crew, turn to them.
"Take, and remember the tale of our demise... The tales of our Reckoning for you are all that is now left." She said. Then, just as the bright light overtook the trio, Ryo felt his eyes widen with realization, as he shouted...
"MOTHER!!!"
Sickbay, UTS Deadalus, 0326 hrs.
"No...!" Moaned ensign Jerry Kato, as she tossed in her sleep; the events of the day played out in her head over, and over again...
"KOJI!" She shouted, as she shot in to sitting position. Her bedding robes soaked from a cold sweat. Taking slow, deep breaths, she calmed her breathing, as she scanned the room.
"It was just a dream..." She said silently to herself, grabbing her chest, as her breathing returned to normal. She had been brought to sickbay several hours earlier, just after the fight had ended... She had collapsed from exhaustion, after she had reverted back to her human form. She glanced over to the two digivice that where sitting on the work station consol in the middle of the room. She had already awoken twice since she had brought back to the ship several hours ago, and each time from that one memory. She looked around the dark room to see that the lights where turned down to minimum, and the main office that separated the main treatment room, from the other service areas. The ensign activated the chronometer on the side of the biobed.
"Three thirty in the morning..." She whispered, as she once again looked around the empty room. Climbing off of the bed, she stepped over to the primary work station.
"Computer," She said, as she examined the consul's smooth surface. "What is the current status of Lieutenant Koji Minamoto?" The consol instantly came to life, as it processed her request.
Boo boop. "Lieutenant Koji Minamoto has been terminated form active duty as of thirteen hours today." It replied. She could've had it elaborate, but she let it be... She didn't need to.
"Ensign, what are you doing up?" Spoke a familiar voice from behind. Jerry turned to see ensign Nonaka standing in the door way, holding a PADD in one hand, and a hypospray in the other.
"I-" She stopped herself, as she felt tears welling in her eyes. She slammed them shut, and nearly collapsed onto the edge of the consol, as she felt everything hit her all at once. Then, she felt something that she thought would never happen... She felt the other offer, grab hold of her, and pull her close. Stunned, Jerry took comfort in the other officer, as she returned the embrace.
"You don't have to say anything Jerry..." Whispered the other ensign, as she slowly comforted her. When Jerry felt as though she had calmed down enough, she pulled herself away from Rika, wiping away her own tears...
"I'm sorry Rika... I didn't mean to-"
"It's alright Jerry... You know you don't have too..." Said Rika, as she comforted her friend. It had been nearly half a day since she had been brought in, but the ensign could hardly remember anything from before she had been brought in.
"How's our patient?" Another familiar voice, this time slightly deeper then the first, appeared. Jerry looked up, and over Rika's shoulder to see her one, oldest friend in Starfleet.
"What're you doing up goggle-head?" She asked, feigning annoyance at the intruder.
"Nightmare again, couldn't sleep." He
"Takato-" She began but held herself back, feeling the urge to cry once again. Before she realized it, she felt another weight land softly on her shoulder. She opened her eyes once again to the dim light, and saw him standing beside her, grasping her shoulder gently. She tilted her head down towards the deck, feeling somewhat embarrassed for allowing her friends to see like this.
"Ya' know, I thought you where supposed to be the ships consoler...?" Said Rika. Jerry turned up, shooting her collogue a surprised look.
"Rika..." The commander came, laughing slightly as he scolded the hazard medic. Jerry looked back over to the workstation where both digivice, her digivices, were sitting, when something else clicked...
"The captains; the Akyama's, what happened!? Are they ok!?" She suddenly spouted, as she turned back to the commander.
"Calm down Jerry, you need to rest!" Said Rika, as she grabbed hold of her arm, as she tried to calm her down. The consoler however, had something very different in mind...
"Please! Takato, at least tell me if they're alright!" She pleaded, as she struggled against the medic, whom was actually having a hard time keeping restrained. But then, she felt the same familiar hands grab hold of both her shoulders, and immediately, she stopped.
"It's alright Jerry... They're fine." He said, a wan smile spreading across his tired face. "Gene, Captain Nonaka, lieutenant Akyama..." The commander went on, but Jerry was still a consoler, and she knew when someone was holding something back... And she knew exactly what it was.
"He's gone, isn't he?" She asked. The two officers remained silent, as they both tried to think of a way answer, but the silence was answer enough.
"The paradox," Said the ensign as she gathered her thoughts. "Is complete." The other two officers gave her startled looks, while she only stood their; her eyes dark.
"Takato, I want out." She said flatly. The commander calmed himself, as he took a small step back, and looked away in a different direction.
"Jerry, no matter where you go, some things just simply won't change-"
"I don't mean from Starfleet... I want to be assigned to a different department." Interrupted the ensign. Shocked, Takato looked back to his friend as she made her proclamation.
"But, Jerry-"
"Takato. When I first became apart of this crew, I swore to myself that I would protect this ship without even touching a single phaser... But in just about every combat situation we've been in since, not only have a broken my promise to myself, but I also violated my Hippocratic Oath..." Jerry retorted before her superior could even finish his sentence. Takato opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly as he realized that he was at a complete loss for words. Thankfully, Rika filled in the gap for him...
"To heal, or at least, to do no harm." She said. Ensign Kato nodded in agreement.
"But Jerry, there's a fine line between killing in self defense, and incompetence." Said the other ensign in a comforting tone. Jerry however, wasn't having it...
"Not to me... A healer isn't always a soldier." The pair looked to each other, as they exchanged ever darkening glances to each other. But what surprised them was what the ensign was an about to ask for...
"Commander Matsuki, I want to be reassigned, to the Hazard Team."
Deck 3, Captain's Quarters, UTS Deadalus, 2345 hrs.
"Computer, end personal log..." Captain Flamon muttered as he leaned back in his desk chair. He'd herd the news from Yamaki about the events that had transpired planet-side and to say that he upset, would have been an understatement. On the one hand, he had just lost his chief tactical/security officer- one of his best friends... And not just one, but four other fleet officers not only broke, but smashed the temporal prime-directive to pieces. But on the other hand, a large-scale disaster had been diverted, and everything that his friend had been, including his own spirit, was stored safely in the hands of one of his own crew. The captain stared out his viewport for a moment, and watched the dozens upon dozens of ships busily worked, or lazily float around the blue-green orb below.
Boo boo beep. His door chimed. The young captain sighed, tearing his mind away from his contemplation.
"It's open." The doors parted to reveal one of the few people that the captain had neither expected nor wanted to see.
"Beck, what are you doing here?" The captain took a few steps into the room, and squinted in the dim lighting.
"It's like a cave in here..." He said, as he scanned the room's dim interior. The hybrid huffed as he turned back to his desktop. He looked into the image of the lieutenant, and his profile that was still displayed on the LCD's dark display.
"You shouldn't blame them you know..." Said the other captain. Takuya arched a brow, as he slightly turned back towards Beck.
"What?" He asked, but when he didn't get an answer, he turned back to the doorway, planning to glair daggers at the captain for his annoying habit of ambiguity. But when he finally saw where he was; holding one of the only pictures in the room in his hands, the captain though he saw something in the other that he hadn't expected; tears.
"Your lucky, ya' know that?" Flamon didn't know what he meant, but he was still fighting back the urge to punch the other captain.
"What the hell is that supposed ta' mean!?" He shouted, stomping to his feet. "One of my crew is dead! Another on the brink between sanity and rage!" Takuya spat.
"A captain is supposed to protect his crew; I should have been down there-"
"And what? Takuya, according to Rika's report there was nothing you could have done. Stop dwelling on the past; instead..." The captain stopped as he tried to steady himself. Slightly confused by his college's behavior, Takuya felt his anger subside for a brief moment as he watched the tears that he had been holding back, now fall freely.
"I'm sorry captain... But," He stiffened his jaw, as he calmed himself. "It was hard to go through this the first time around..." Now Takuya was completely lost.
'"First time around", does he mean this has happened before!?' Thought the young captain, as he watched the dark look spread across his friends face.
"A long time ago, my former commanding officer; an El Aurian who called herself "Strell" got herself caught in a pogo... Along with several members of the Stargazer's original command crew." Explained Beck. Takuya felt a brow jolt at his words.
"A pogo? As in a Pogo-Paradox?" Asked the captain. Beck nodded in acknowledgement, as he continued to explain.
"It wasn't just one, Takuya... We got ourselves caught in over a dozen of them that stemmed just from that one, little inciden-" He stopped, and captain Kanbara watched, as the dark looked in his eyes somehow changed.
"Because of that, I saw something that no human should ever see..." Turning his head, he locked Takuya in an icy, frozen look that the young captain couldn't break out of, even if he wanted...
"For a brief second, I could see everything... All that is, was, and could be..." Shocked, Takuya stared at the elder command officer as though to do otherwise might so change his fate. But then, captain beck once again did something that the hybrid hadn't expected, he lifted his hand, and pulled off his glove...
"But this is wrong..." He said. "Because I also saw multiple events that could become my own death..." He said, as he flexed his hand, hissing slightly, as the scar that prominently shone in the dim lighting shifted.
"Just what do ya' mean, how is this all wrong?" Takuya asked, now intrigued and slightly scared by what the other captain was implying. Beck turned back to him, the sad look in his eyes now engulfed in what he could only call pain and fear.
"When I saw all that could be, in that instant, I also came to understand what must never come to pass... And this scar," He motioned his hand, as if it acknowledgement might change its purpose. "Was apart of all those things." Takuya looked out the view port behind him, as he sifted through everything that the captain had told him, and for some reason, something not making sense to him.
"Wait a second, if ya' know what's gonna happen, then why don't you just stop those root events from happening in the first place?" He asked. The other captain grinned wanly, as he looked the younger captain in the eye.
"Because, the human brain was never meant to hold that kind of information... It's just too much." He said, as he began putting his glove back on. "So, in order to keep me from losing everything, I had Q limit the flow so that only information relevant to me could be accessed only when those events come close enough to the present." Beck replied. Again, Takuya thought it over for a moment... Yes, it did make slightly more sense but there was still one thing bugging him...
"Alright, I get all of that... But, why are you telling me all of this?" He asked, and in that second, the look in the elder captain's eyes darkened...
"Because captain Kanbara, there is a way- Well, two ways really to still set things right... But before either of them can happen-" He stopped, and looked toward the deck plating once again; his eyes becoming distant, as he swallowed hard.
"No one has died, but you will lose one more."
Turbocar 4, USS Prometheous, 0756 hrs.
"Do you really think he's gonna cooperate?" Asked lieutenant commander Follider, as he, lieutenant Renamon, and Captain Fink rode the lift to their destination. The captain had only been released from sickbay moments earlier, after backing the Doctor into a corner about his prognosis.
"Actually I do commander... Lieutenant Akyama was only ensuring that a bad situation didn't get worse by completing the paradox. If he had any ulterior motive, then he would have disappeared when he had the chance..." Replied the captain, as he kept his eyes locked on the doors to the turbocar.
"We don't know that he still doesn't captain." Said the lieutenant from behind the two officers. Fink shot her a backwards glance, as a small grin spread across his face.
"True, but I don't see any need to react otherwise. If he does, then that also means he has a means to get off of this ship that we're not aware of, nor one that we'd be able to guard against--Either way, this is the only place where we can keep a close enough eye on him." Replied the captain. The kitsune lifted her head in acknowledgement, just as the turbolift stopped.
"Understood sir." She said as the doors parted, and the small group walked onto the deck. The rest of their short journey was carried out in careful silence, as they made their way down the nearly deserted corridor.
"Sir!" Called out an officer whom was standing beside one pair of reinforced doors. As the group neared them, the lieutenant moved in front of the captain. The heavy-duty doors parted, revealing the sleek silver room, which nearly shone in the light.
"Captain!" Replied the lone guard standing at the security station, as he snapped his heels to attention. The trio quietly stepped into the room, leaving the doors open behind them.
"At ease, before you pull something ensign..." A wan smile spread across the young officer's lips, as Fink watched the soldier visibly relax. The man had been a soldier for the Libyan Military before becoming an officer for the new United Earth Federated Starfleet.
"Hello there captain... Sleep well in the Doc's Sickbay?" Asked the lieutenant. His hair was slightly haggard, he had removed both his uniform tunic, as well as his over shirt, and the dark rings under his eyes didn't blend well with the happy-go-lucky front that he was putting up. Fink shot his security officer a querying glance.
"I don't really remember the Doctor kept sedated for most of the night... But tell me; are the beds in there really that uncomfortable?" He asked. The lieutenant tilted his head slightly, as a light chuckle escaped.
"Well it's not home-sweet-home, but then again, it could've been the dream..." Said Ryo, as he rubbed his hair slightly, patting it down in an unsuccessful attempt to tame it. The captain however, was very much intrigued...
"A dream?" He said as he arched his brow. The lieutenant looked back up to the command officer, his grin melting into a wan smile.
"Well actually, it wasn't really a dream... It was more like, an empathic communication via side-space from a non-corporeal species." Explained the lieutenant. The other two officer's looked at each other in confusion, as they both tried to make sense of his riddle. The captain however, was already several steps ahead.
"Captain Sisko..." He replied grimly. The lieutenant bowed his head as he again ran his hand through his hair.
"Unfortunately, the captain wasn't there..." Said the lieutenant, his voice reflecting a light pondering. Now it was Fink's turn to bow his head...
"That's not what I meant..." The captain said.
"What?" Said lieutenant Follider, letting his confusion become known as he tried to follow. The captain however, decided to ignore him for the moment.
"Then, what did you mean captain?" Ryo asked, ignoring the acting first officer. Fink felt himself shutter, as he remembered back so far to the past...
"I mean mister Akyama, that you and commander Matsuki aren't the only ones who've been contacted by non-corporeal species..." He replied. The lieutenant raised an eyebrow as he made the connection.
"You don't mean-"
"Unfortunately. I was told directly by them; the planet Bajor and its wormhole have both been attacked... Captain Sisko is dead."
Officer's Conference Lounge, UTS Deadalus, 0912 hrs.
"I'm open to suggestions." Said Captain Flamon from the head of the silver table. Seated to either side of him, sat his first officer, commander Matsuki, and his chief operations officer, lieutenant commander Wong. The pair glanced at each other in silent communication, as they each worked out their own rational.
"I believe lieutenant Orimoto should be promoted to replace Koji, she is after all the most qualified person on board..." Answered the young ops officer, as he set a PADD onto the table's smooth surface. The captain shot a glance over to his first officer, whom seemed to be drifting in and out.
"Anything commander?" He asked. Takato snapped out of his trance and immediately began searching between the two for any clue on what to say.
"I'm- eh--What was the question?" He staggered. Flamon took a deep breath as he realized what was happening, but decided not to push the subject on the commander.
"Henry just suggested that we promote lieutenant Orimoto to chief of security..." Takato seemed to take that thought to mind, as he flashed back to his lost state.
"I don't think that's a good idea..." He replied. Takuya shot him a querying glance.
"Why not?" The young captain asked, but instead of seeing the other officer fall back into his state of preoccupation he was instead greeted with a steeled look.
"Sir, I was approached by ensign Kato last night... She wants a transfer to the Hazard Team." The commander replied. The young commander felt every hair on his tail stand on end, as the thought of his ships consoler being placed into such a dangerous department... Now, he understood why his first officer was so preoccupied.
"I went to check on her again before I came to the meeting. I found a dozen or so PADD's on starship security and Hazard Team protocol's spread around her bed..." Explained the commander. The young captain looked down at his drink; a cup of Deneb... A milky, sweet tea from Denobula, as he thought back to Haldikar.
"...She seemed so set on the subject; I didn't know what to say! I'm worried about her captain." The commander trailed off, his gaze shifting towards the view port. Flamon thought back to the report that he'd gotten from Captain Picard after their second battle with Commander Rek'na, and how much he had praised her for how she had acted during the preceding battle. Granted, he'd already made up his mind about giving her a promotion before walking into this meeting, but considering what was happening to the ensign, he decided that now should be as good a time as any...
"Transfer request, granted." He said. The commander looked at him as if he had grown a second head.
"Sir, I don't think-"
"I agree with the captain." Second commander Wong, cutting the commander off. Takato looked over to his friend; shock filtering through his system.
"I- Jerry can't become apart of the Hazard Team, it's too dangerous!" The commander argued as he stood from his seat while slamming his hands on the table. His own eyes met with Henry's; unfiltered fury, and determination filtering through both of them. Flamon stood and placed a quite hand on each of their shoulders. The commander looked over to him, his fury subsiding only in the slightest.
"Commander, I know this hurts but ensign Kato is capable of taking care of herself..." He saw the commander's eyes light up in only what he could say was realization, but still he continued.
"I know it's hard to accept, and frankly I felt the same way when Zoë asked for that same assignment..." The commander landed back in his seat with a muffled thump; defeated, and hurt. Things that he already knew very well.
"I- I suppose I already knew that... But it doesn't make it any easier." Takato said exhaustedly. Flamon looked out the port that the young tamer had been glued to only a few moments ago, and watched as a runabout glazed past. The planet below glistening, even as the night side of the world was really the only thing visible at the moment.
"It's never easy commander; letting someone go, to allow them to grow." He felt the commanders gaze lift once again back to meet his, never the less, he kept watching the port. After giving him a few minutes to let the commander absorb it all, he turned back to the duo, suppressing a grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth as he noticed the commander's eye's, or to be more accurate, the shine that had been restored to them.
"Well, if that's it, then-"
Boo boop. "Captain, incoming massage from Hypnos control." Flamon sighed at the interruption, if only he could've waited a few more seconds before interrupting.
'Note to self, have J.P. reacquainted with communiqué procedure...' He silently thought to himself as he rolled his eyes.
"Go ahead."
"An emergency counsel session has been called at auxiliary command sir... It starts in fifteen minutes." The ensign said, and without delay, he pinched the bridge of his nose, as a sigh of annoyance escaped his throat. Looking back up to his two senior-most officers, his gaze began shifting between them, and the door.
"Dismissed."
Earth Prime Resistance Cell 277, 0914 hrs.
"No- NO! NEYAHHHHHHH!!!" Screamed a man, as a drone pierced his neck with a pair of tubules that protruded from his right hand. Instantly, the man's cries faded from the room, only to instead to begin resonating within the hum elsewhere.
"Shhh, it's going to be alright dear... Welcome to your new home." Said a young woman as she laid her hand upon his chest. Almost instantly, the humans internal screaming faded into the blissful hum beyond; restoring order to the song... Her song.
'Yes, such a wonderful, home of horror...' Spat the voice of her host once again. The Queen ignored her host, as she watched the implants grow, and spread throughout her newest family member's body. Normally, if a Queen's host retained it's unique persona after program unpacking, the voice would still eventually fade, and be absorbed by her own--But sum how, she was not only able to resist, but was also keeping her form expanding into other regions of her mind.
"Not half bad for someone with so very few resources..." Said the insufferable captain. The Queen refused to give her the honor acknowledgment, as she stepped over to the half-built station, and began working its smooth surface. Although she could have simply instructed one of her drones to have done it for her, she enjoyed watching the two guess at what she was doing. Within seconds, most of her children whom had been somewhat idle while making repairs froze.
"We will comply." Came their simulations replay. Many of them stepping up to several non-essentials stations, and began dismantling them, while others beamed out of the room.
'So you're finally taking Oich's advice and changing the curtains?' Jabbed her host. Had the mere thought of it not been unsatisfying, she might have actually laughed, but there where more important things to attend to.
"You just can't wait to claim your new prize, can you?" Said the captain from behind her; her face taunting as she grinned deviously. The Queen on the other hand, simply ignored her, as she walked over to her regeneration alcove. Tapping in several codes into its adjacent control consol, she felt the hum of her children, as they worked to secure their newest possession.
'...So that's what your planning. It's going to fail you know...' Her host reverberated as she continued to run her scans. Then the noise grew loud again... Her children had begun securing their newest collective. She increased her input speed; honestly, it was such a pain to have to do such a thing... But until they had recovered enough of there numbers, she was going to be short handed. Just as she completed her designs, she herd the screams of the new voices die to a whisper, merging with the song as had the other.
"The collective has grown." Spun the songs rhythm beautifully. She smiled to herself at her accomplishments. In the few short months since those foolish humans of the Anti-Starfleet resistance cell had captured her host and begun torturing her for information; not only had she assimilated several of their cells, but they had also remained hidden from the growing plague of the fleet above. And now, they had finally achieved the greatest of their goals... They had successfully assimilated the new Starfleet technologies.
"Resistance encountered... Preparing for assimilation." Hummed the song. In her mind, she could see the lone human whom had avoided capture until now. She could feel the voice of her host stiffen, as she watched the injured, and bloody woman fight for her life; killing, and disabling drones as she fought her way through what they both knew was the heart of a starship.
"No. Restrained her." The collective's harmonious reply was instantaneous, even as she deactivated her alcoves consol. turning to her guest; she locked gazes with the steel of the humanoid woman standing in the middle of the dark room.
"Heading out for a stroll already? I hope the door hits you on the way out." Spat the captain. Again, the Queen ignoring her little quip, she watched as a pair of drones began dismantling her alcove for transport.
"You should watch your tongue; you may not have it for very much longer." Feeling the smirk of her counterpart as the room around her dissolved; only to be replaced by the partially assimilated visage of her new starships engineroom. The room itself was dark, with only the blue-white glow of the warp-core, and the green lights of the partially assimilated room to illuminate it.
"You!" Said a desperate and shaking voice from behind her. The Queen turned to see the bruised, and cut face of Commander Rachel Allenis, the first of the Aventine, Intrepid-class Starship. Yes, it was all becoming clear to her now... Everything about this ship, its crew, its mission, indeed, everything about the fleet above was becoming clear to her.
"Commander Wrigley, why are you doing this!?" Pleaded commander Allenis, struggling with her drones iron grips as she did so. In her mind, she could feel the real commander's distress toward her counterpart. Although she enjoyed watching her host writhe in her moment of weakness, there where more pressing matters to attend to... She smiled kindly towards the commander, as she allowed her drones to bring her to her feet.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, commander. I've herd so much about you from your crewmates." Even as that last word escaped her lips, the commander immediately began squirming in her captors grips in pure rage.
"You bitch! Let me go!"
'Why are you toying with her?' The commander's question came almost as a surprise. After all, she never really kept anything secrete from her; there was never any point to it. Deciding it best to ignore her host for the moment, she turned her attention back to the commander.
"Such a vile tongue... I can't have that mouths before my collective now can I?" She grinned inwardly, at the two commander's confutation; even as the younger finally pieced her newest plan together.
'No... You're not going to-'
"What are you-?"
"You should feel lucky--To receive the collectives highest honor." The confusion on the commander's face grew frightful, as she realized what the 'honor' she meant was.
'You can't! You can't give it to her, I won't let you!' The Queen ignored her hosts protests, as she came close to the new officer; so close, that she could feel the surface of her flesh lose all warmth, even as she held her fisted hand up to her neck, and injected her with her own specially encoded nanites.
"No- The Royal Protocol..."
Command Counsel Chamber, 1003 hrs.
"Calm down everyone, please!" Shouted mister Marcunou as stood at the podium at the front of the room. Before him, sat the captains of most of their current Starships in-service. That is, all but a select few...
"We needn't to wait; we should begin the meeting, now!" Shouted one commander.
"Agreed. If any of the other captain's where going to be here, then they would have sent a communiqué!" Shouted another.
"It's those damn flag officer's; they always think they can-"
"-Think we can, what, captain Waltz?" Asked Captain Fink, as he, captain Nonaka, and captain Flamon all walked into the well-lit chamber. The rest of the commander's immediately hushed themselves, as they watched for their compatriot's answer. When one didn't come, the young captain became impatient and began making his way towards the man.
"I'm waiting for an answer captain..." Fink knew what his colleague had mint by what he was about to say, but he wanted to hear him say it.
"Is that really necessary Gene? You know what his stances are regarding our presence here." Rang a sudden and unexpected voice from across the room. The captain turned to see his oldest friend sitting on the other side of the room in the front row; his legs propped up on the table in front of him, and his arms cradling his head as he leaned back in his chair.
"Dennis... Why do you always sit in the one place that I don't notice in any room?" Fink asked, trying to suppress the wan grin that threatened to wean its way to the surface. Beck on the other hand brought both his arms and legs down to their normal positions. Locking glances with his old friend, he folded his hands atop his desks surface as a wan grin began tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Because, I enjoy the quiet--You should try it sometime; you'd be surprised at what you can see from this side of the isle." This time Fink didn't hold back in keeping his own grin hidden, after all, it wasn't everyday that your best friend began quoting your own past--especially in front of a room of rowdy, opinionated, high-ranking personnel.
"Enough!" Interrupted Marcunou. "Captain Fink, if you would please take your seat, we'll begin the meeting..." Noticing that the two officer's who had followed him in had already found several places in the front row while he had been exchanging quips with the other captain. Deciding that he'd already made enough of an ass of himself, the young Tamer took the vacant seat at the middle-end of the front row; the next to Waltz. At the front of the room, Marcunou cleared his throat as he shuffled through a few of his PADD's.
"As I hope you're all well aware, a few hours ago, we received an encrypted Starfleet distress call from an unknown source. The carrier wave that we received it on was that belonging to the Borg." Fink gasped as he herd that last word.
'The Borg?! No! Commander Wriggly!' Thought Gene, as he realized what had happened. Marcunou droned on about the threat that they posed, but the young captain wasn't listening. In fact the only thing that he could think of was the incident that occurred over two years earlier.
~~~~~Flashback~~~~~
"-Captain, the warp-drive just stopped working." Said Guilmon from his station at the helm. Gene watched the screen patiently, as a pair of heavily damaged Borg Cubes immediately changed course, and began closing on them.
"Shields are at maximum captain!" The voice of lieutenant Renamon resonated from her station, her anger prevalent; the captain took little comfort in that little tidbit of information, after all, they were going up against the Borg, and when it came to them, their shields may just as well not even be there--Especially when such beings were this desperate.
"You! It looks like dey' wanna' talk, um gettin' a message from one of the Cubes!" Rang Terriermon from the far right of the bridge. Fink hardened his glair as cocked a quick nod to the ensign. By the time Fink had turned his eyes screen had blinked on to the Borg message, but the image that greeted him was the last one that he'd expected.
"We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. We shall add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture shall adapt to service as us. Resistance is futile." Said the distorted voice from over the screens speakers. Fink stared at the pale face that lay before him in horror, and something else... Something that he just couldn't quite put his finger on.
~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~
"-We don't have the resources--besides, the starship Aventine should be perfectly able to take care of-"
"Jackass..." Uttered Fink. Marcunou, along with every other command officer in the room turned to him in both curiosity, and astonishment at what he had said. Fink crossed his arms, as he leaned back in his seat; steeling his jaw from lashing out undeservedly at the next person who moved.
"Excuse me, Captain Fink, but you aren't in charge of managing this-"
"You're a jackass Marcunou." He could feel the barely suppressible rage growing within him, even as he stared at the lone emissary. "They are The Borg! If they've found a way to set-up a foot-hold on this planet without our noticing, then just one little ship is not going to stop them!" Marcunou glared daggers at the captain for his outburst, but slowly schooled himself back as he coughed lightly.
"As troubling as it is, it has been-"
"With all do respect, Gene is right... It would be one thing if the Borg had assimilated a ship with advanced cloaking technology, but for them to have evaded detection this long puts us all at great danger!" Interrupted Captain Picard. Maintaining his composure, Marcunou ignored the elderly command officer's outburst.
"As much as I appreciate your concerned, every report we've gotten from the Aventine since they severed, and began dismantling procedures of the Borg's strong hold; the anti-assimilation procedures devised by Voyager, and used you yourself in similar situations have proven sufficient in this matter." Fink felt his breath hitch in surprise at the government liaison's words. He knew of their assimilation-combat procedures, he was on of the officer's who helped write them, but after everything they'd gone through, the most success they ever had was minimal, to say the least; no matter what condition the Borg where in, they always managed to deal the Federation a powerful blow. Marcunou cleared his throat again, a light smirk playing across his face.
"If you don't believe me, captains, then why don't you ask you're collogue, Captain O'Connor, of the Starship Aventine..." Curtly, Marcunou tapped the key pad on the side of the podium, bringing the screen behind him t life; the image of an older man wearing a Starfleet uniform lighting-up across its plane. The man smiled at the group before him.
"Marcunou, what can I do for you?" Staring at the screen in disbelief, the young captain simply couldn't believe that what he was seeing was real.
"Captain O'Connor, we've assembled the entirety of the fleet command counsel, would you please be so kind as to explain to them what your status is thus far?" The grin on the older officer's face faded as he leaned onto the surface of his desk, folding his hands as he lowered his head slightly. As he spoke, whatever amusement had been in his voice beforehand had simply disappeared.
"Ya' know, we are trying to disconnect a few hundred drones without them activating again... Call back later." Fink recognized the grim tone of his voice; he knew it all too vividly, but still, something simply wasn't sitting right with him.
"You look pale Douglass, what's really happening there?" Echoed a voice from the other side of the room. Recognizing the voice, Fink cocked his head to captain Waltz, whom in term, had his own gaze locked with O'Connor's.
"It's not good here, Matt--We lost several people before-" He paused as glanced away from the screen. "Before we were able to disconnect the central interplexing node..." His heart stopped for a split second, understanding freezing his mind.
"What happened? Who did you-"
"There's no way-" Fink said to himself. "There's no way... It shouldn't exist! Not without-" He bit his tong as he tried to hold himself back. His mind conjuring up images that still haunted him in his nightmares.
"Captain?" Began Waltz. "Gene, what's going-"
"Commander Wrigley, Matt..." Began Picard. "Several years ago, the Borg made the attempt to assimilate her in order to make her the hives new Queen." The somber tone in the captain's voice evident, the room fell silent. Only the sounds of the machinery humming in the background on the Aventine transmission could be herd as the young captain locked his gaze upon the center of the giant screen.
"All Borg drones are equipped with what's called, an interplexing beacon. It's used to keep record of every command that drone receives from the collective, but if it's removed improperly-" Fink cut himself off, steeling himself to hold back.
"Captain O'Conner, have you discovered anything as to how the resistance cell was able to construct something such as that base yet?" The tone of the liaison's voice quickened as he spoke, partially, Fink was grateful for the interruption, but somehow, there was something to it that made him subconsciously brace himself.
"Yeah... We've discovered that the equipment used to drill-out the cavern, is consistent with Federation technology."
'What!? Federation, how?' Thought Fink, partially disbelieving what he was hearing. It was completely within the realm of possibility that the technology had been stolen, but to use it to construct such a facility without them noticing...
"Just as I thought..." Surprised at the liaison's answer, Fink locked his gaze on Marcunou whose face had become the very definition 'content'--Maybe, even happy from the captain's answer.
"I can see it in your smile, Marcunou," Captain Beck began, breaking his impassive silence. "There's something that you're not telling us." Caught off-guard by the captain's words, Marcunou cocked his head to the virtually silent commander. Dennis kept his head bowed low enough so that his hair covered his eyes, but Gene knew what was going on with him. The young captain wasn't just stating a simple fact, he was visibly afraid of what the answer- the solution that he'd come with- was right.
"Perceptive, captain... I was going to wait until we were finished with all of the minor business first, but since you've already brought it up, I suppose we'll just have to skip ahead..." Marcunou tapped another set of controls. "Show them in." Just then, the twin doors on the other side of the room parted, allowing a group of six to enter the chamber. Fink watched the four officers, dressed in full Hazard Team uniform, as they escorted a single pair of short officers into the room. I took him a moment, but as the group made their way before the counsel, Gene felt his irises strain from what he was seeing.
"Captain Nonaka, it's good to see you again." Ryo smiled confidently at the group, even as his magnetic anklet blinked, and beeped, warning everyone that it was active. The young captain felt his blood boil at what he was seeing; he could stand seeing his own crewmen under suspicion, but this had already gone far beyond that...
"What the hell is the meaning of this?!" Fink hollered, jumping from his seat.
"Exactly what it seems, Captain. I am exercising my power to bring these criminals to justice-"
"Like hell! Lieutenant Akyama, and ensign Monodramon are under my command, you don't have the power to usurp any of my officers from my ship!" The grin on Marcunou's lips grew at the young captain's agitation, all the while, Fink was fighting back the urge to punch the man.
"Our command-center was attacked, Gene! Our people killed; attacked with our own technology! Someone has to be held responsible." Growling, Fink lowered himself back into his seat, not taking his eyes off of the man before him. Just as he was about to bark his own retaliation, a noticeable chuckle emanated from beside him.
"Interesting..." Began one of the other captains; standing from his seat to the side, he began making his slow way to the front. "So that's what this is all about. Not only charge some junior officers with treason, but also have their commanding officer held responsible before a full counsel. But why, Marcunou?" He stopped about half-way to his podium. Bringing his right thumb up to his chin, while he rested the supporting limb with his other hand in mock thought, he smiled slightly as he looked the liaison square in the eye.
"If you have something to say, Captain Beck, then please, go right ahead..." The liaison leaned onto the edges of the stand, just as Gene realized what was happening. This wasn't a trail, it was coup!
"Just nine little words Marcunou; One-zero-five-nine delta-Charlie. Carrier wave frequency six." An encryption sequence? Marcunou's eyes widened from the captain's words, and for the first time, Captain Fink saw something in the man that he'd never seen before: Fear.
"We've watching you Marcunou;" He motioned to Flamon, then to Rika. "Ever since you tried to access the Deadalus's classified, and encrypted databases..." The lieutenant began, not even bothering to make eye contact with him. But instead of worry, Marcunou's grin made its way back to the surface.
"Really, Dennis? And just what little secrets have you been hiding, hmm? You are after all lieutenant Akyama's duplicate..." The confidence never left neither Beck's, nor Ryo's lips. Instead, the enigmatic captain reached into his side pocket, and out he pulled a white modify card.
"This." He answered simply. "This card, contains everything that I am--Rather, what I had once become." He locked a deadly gaze onto the man. "This modify card, contains all of my abilities as a-"
"Planetary defense to Command Chamber!" The hurried voice of the crewman penetrated throughout the chamber, cutting the pair off. Annoyed at the interruption, Marcunou slapped the controls on the edge of his podium.
"Mister Debenture, you better have-"
"No! There's no need for that Marcunou--think I already know what he's talking about..." Fink was surprised by the captain. Up until now, he'd been the most suspicious and out-spoken of all of them; Starfleet, as well as Hypnos. The aged commander stood from his seat, and following the example of the Stargazer's commanding officer, walked briskly to the screen.
"Your face Douglass; your still pale as a ghost..." Not looking away from the screen, the two locked their gazes. "Ensign Debenture, your message, does it have anything to do with the signal from the Aventine?" It hit him. Why hadn't any of them seen it before? Fink looked the screen over once more; he looked into Captain O'Connor's eyes, and all that he saw, was a stark darkness.
"Yes sir! We just finished checking the Aventine's signal; they're broadcasting on a Borg carrier wave!" The entire room gasped at the announcement; that is, with the exception of captain's Waltz, Beck, and Ryo. Marcunou spun to face the captain on the screen.
"O'Connor-" He stopped. The Image of Captain Douglass O'Connor disappearing, only to be replaced by a ghoulishly familiar image of the Aventine's engine room, as well as a partially-assimilated woman.
"He is correct." A sincere smile arose from stone-blue lips as the form of the captain materialized behind her. "We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Lower your shields, and surrender your ships. We shall add your biological, and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture shall adapt to serve as us. Resistance is futile." The signal died, leaving behind a sea of static. Stiffening his already rigid stance, the ominous captain turned to Marcunou.
"We'll deal with you later..." Scowling, he cocked his head to one of the guards, and in less then an instant, the liaison was being pushed towards the exit.
"You'll pay for this, captain." Coolly, Beck turned back towards the group of captain's.
"Unfortunately, we don't have time to debate this. All captains are to return to their ships, and track down the Aventine. As of right now, I am authorizing the use of Protocol Epsilon. If anyone disagrees, then say so now." The firmness of his voice resonated throughout the hall, forcing everyone to hear the normally lax captain out. Glancing around the other command officers, most of whom had already begun making their ways to the floor, the young captain could see in the way they had all stopped, that none of them where willing to object. Surely many of them would try to have him removed from command, but right now, they didn't have much of a choice.
"Don't you dare!" Captain Watz, not even bothering to face the young captain angrily retorted. Surprised, Fink glared at the man.
"...Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking to Dennis; I'm talking to the rest of you. Doug- Captain O'Connor was my best friend, and those Borg- They took him. Controlled him. Erased him... Those bastards don't deserve this. As of right now, I am taking emergency command of this counsel, and as such, I am initiating Protocol Alpha! Blow the Aventine out of the heavens... And then Hell.
Main Bridge, USS Stargazer, 1030 hrs.
"-The Prometheous'll be fine without you Gene; Nazism's a great scientist, but he can also take care of those around him." Captain Beck jogged to his command chair as he, Captain Fink, lieutenant Akyama, and ensign Monodramon stepped onto the dimmed bridge. The other command officer stopped just before the forward-turbolift latch with Ryo in tow beside him. He'd tried to return to his own ship, but his second officer had already raised shields, and were too entrenched in chasing down the lost Intrepid-class vessel. Gazing around the circular nerve-center of the newly refitted Galaxy X-class ship, he couldn't help but be reminded of his own; His friends, his family, his home.
"You know, I could use Monodramon manning the main science station--If you wouldn't mind, captain...?" Quirking his left eyebrow, the young captain glanced toward the small rookie sitting in the seat next to him. With a grin, the commander vacated his spot, making a quick scramble for the port science station. With a quick nod, he made his way to take over the first officer's station.
"It's better then just being a third wheel... I guess" Reflecting his predecessor's grin, as he set himself down in the seat's pleather cushion. Looking back towards the turbolift, he noticed that the pair they'd beamed up with had already moved; lieutenant Akyama to the main engineering consol beside the second rear turbolift; situated behind lieutenant commander Monodramon, and ensign Monodramon to the auxiliary science station beside him.
"Everyone, statues!" Just barely giving time to log into his command station, everyone whom was manning one of the many stations lining the command oval immediately begun updating him on where exactly they where. He watched their swift, and precise answers; no jokes, no sarcasm, all business--the ideal Starfleet crew. The young acting first officer couldn't help but see how this crew worked--Every action taken, efficient. Every piece of information, rigid. Every thought imagined, meticulous... Just like the Borg; exactly like his first officer.
Erer erer, erer erer. Fink broke out of his musings, cocking his head up to the Klingon behind him, standing over the tactical station. "Captain, I have the Aventine on sensors--They've just emerged from the planet's upper Stratosphere!" Beck's gaze hardened as he locked his eyes to the center of the main viewer.
"On screen." As the screen changed its visage, for a moment, the captain struggled to see anything, something.
"Why can't we see them?!" Fink asked, turning back to the lieutenant manning the arched consol. He noticed the irritated look on his face as the Klingon officer practically punched the workstation.
"T'Ok'cHa! (tah-ook-shh-ha / Shit) They've deflected their image off of a century-satellite; I can't find them-" The deck suddenly lurched, forcing almost everyone to loose their balance faster then the inertial dampeners could compensate for their sudden change.
"Direct hit! Shields down by thirteen percent!" Grappling the sides of their seats, the two captain's looked at each other in a silent conversation, as they both came up with a plan. With a quick nod, Fink jumped across the bridge to the ops station, where, as the bridge rocked violently once again, steadied himself with the back of the androids seat.
"B4, open up a direct line-of-sight transmission to the satellite network and input the Aventine's transponder code."
"Sir?" Pausing in his work, the ensign turned, questioning the officer's order. "The Borg do not use transponder codes to control their ships, instead they-"
"I'm well aware of that ensign," Cutting through the Soong Android's explanation of Borg technology. "but that's still a Federation Starships, and I doubt that this new Queen has had the time to shut down her ships engines for the code reset; now ensign, that's an order!" Not wasting any more time, B4 pulled up the seemingly useless string of numbers.
"Mister Roganko, on my command, access the Aventine's main computer, and initiate all of the emergency reactor, and fuel storage ejection commands!" The lights on the bridge dimmed, as the impact of another volley sent a surge through several systems, burning many of them out. The silent hum of the deck plating grew even dimmer, forcing Fink to grasp a firmer grip on the ensign's seat as he felt his boots loosing their contact with the ground.
"Done!" Shouted the ensign over the din of the crew, as the repair teams scurried about trying to keep the ship working, just as another blast rocked the ship. Using the now partially disabled artificial gravity, the young captain pushed off of the ops seat, sending himself soaring across the bridge back to his seat.
"Codes received, accessing!" Shouted the Klingon from behind. But within seconds of his announcement, every station on the bridge began blinking; the ominous green of Borg software began appearing across all of their terminals.
Boo boop. "Engineering to bridge; what the hell are ya' doing up there, we're being hacked by the Borg! I've already lost control of the nano-repair systems!" Fink leapt up from his seat, landing on the upper part of the bridge to assist the lieutenant with his tactical station.
"Shit! They're doing the same to the other ships!" Shouted the other captain as he worked from the security station.
"He's right; the Oasis, Albatross, and the Kuroyoshi have all been disabled!" Finished commander Monodramon. He turned calmly away from his station, even as the Borg software continued to assimilate their systems. Then suddenly, the rumbling and the rattling of the shields stopped. The lighting returned the full intensity, as the green symbols stopped spreading and even began to slightly recede, as the partially assimilated, Intrepid-class starship halted its approach just off of their bow.
"Ensign-"
Beep beep beep. "I've lost weapons control!" Fink looked down at his own systems, checking to make sure that his ears weren't deceiving him. Behind him, he could hear the foot falls of commander Monodramon, as rushed over to the engineering station, where lieutenant Akyama was down beneath the consol, tinkering with its innards.
"Confirmed! Launchers are off-line, and phasers are powering down!" It didn't make sense; if the Borg had control over their ship, then why shut down their weapons? Instead, why not use it to attack the rest of the fleet? Unfortunately, the answer to the young captain's question came far too quickly...
"Dorsal shields dropping!" The green silhouette of a Borg transporter beam vibrated in the front of the bridge. As the shimmer faded, Fink gripped the edge of the consol, while the lieutenant beside him trained his phaser on the trio. One of the drones appeared to be disabled, as the other two drones were grasping its arms to keep it up. The two functional drones appeared to be incomplete--Their Borg armor wasn't fully developed; their scalps, while partially crowded with implants, and tubules, still held hair and their flesh still retained some of its original color. The third one however, looked by far more complete in terms of possessing the full body armor, and mostly pail skin.
"Hold your fire!" Ordered Beck, as he got up out of his seat. The drones stood motionless as they continued to hold onto the doll. Fink felt his breath hitch as the disabled drone shifted slightly, revealing part of its face.
"Commander-"
"Do not worry captain, she is still alive..." Said a much deeper voice. A fourth drone stepped out from behind the group; the woman, whom he recognized as commander Rachel Allenis; the first officer of the Aventine. Even though her hair was gone, and her skin had already paled to resemble that of a corpse, he could still recognize the uneven smile that spread across her face.
"What are you doing here?" Asked captain Beck. The commander looked at him with amusement as she reached down to touch the side of Commander Wrigley's face.
"I've come to return--Some faulty equipment..." In that moment, a devilish smirk began to run across Gene's lips, as he took several light steps across down the to the bridges command level.
"You couldn't eraser her, could you?" He said. Beck turned back to his friend, shooting him a querying glance at what he'd just said. Locking eyes with the other commander, he could see the things that filled, or rather, was void of them. Her smile died slightly.
"Perceptive as always... Captain." Mocking his title as she moved around the drones; ignoring the crewman sitting at the helm, pointing a phaser at her, she stepped closer the operations station. There, ensign B4 sat, staring up curiously into her eyes.
"You seem familiar," He said, his eyes reflecting his innocence. "Like someone whom was important to my brother." The woman smiled gently; raising her hand to cup his chin.
"Is that so...? How sweet." Tightening her grip, she twisted her hand, and subsequently his head, into the wrong direction--That is, until an armored hand shot out, and grabbed hold of her. Stunned, the woman turned to the source of the iron grip, and locked gazes with its owner.
"Assimilation, is-" The commander spoke, her voice cracking. "Futile!" She gasped out of clenched teeth. The woman tilted her head at the sight.
"Wrigley!" Fink shouted, as he watched his first officer struggle.
"Stubborn to the end I see..." She released the ensign's face, but the commander kept her hold steady. The woman smiled.
"You aren't going to leave this ship intact..." Spat the commander. Her smile didn't waver in the slightest, even as she stared into the young tamer's deadly gaze. In all of the years that Fink had known his first officer, he'd only ever seen that in her eyes twice... The day her father disappeared from her life, and during the final moments of the battle of D-Reaper. That look, it wasn't her normal '...I'm going to kill you.' look--no, this one was much worse... This was one of the few things that strike fear into his heart.
"Really? How do you plan to stop me, commander...?" The smile on her face twisted into grotesque grin; her grey flesh gleaming in the intensity of the Bridge lights. Just then, it hit him--what his first officer was planning. Before he even had time to gasp, Wriggly spoke.
"This-!" She extended her assimilation tubules, and penetrating the her arm. The woman's grin instantly faded, as she tried to break free of the commander's grasp.
"NO! What are you-" The drones holding onto the commander tried to pull her off, but Wriggly held tight.
"You thought you suppressed Rachel's consciousness, but that wasn't the case..." Just as the third drone had grabbed hold of her arm, she recalled her tubules and released her grip. The woman instantly stumbled backwards; her head twitching.
"I transferred her entire mind into me... And now, I've given her back to you!" The commander's face twisted and distorted itself, as the drones before her twitched, seized. Finally, they dropped her; grunting as she hit the deck with a soft thud. The drones froze as commander Allenis looked up; fear, and confusion nearly clouding her eyes.
"Royal... Pro-" She gasped out. Beck leapt from his seat, using that inertia to glide across the bridge.
"Don't touch her!" Shouted Commander Wrigley. Without even thinking it, Gene's arm shot out grabbed his friend, countering his forward momentum with a braced shove. She pushed herself to a standing position, using the decreased gravity to her advantage. Paled from the spreading of her implants, Wrigley struggled to catch her breath as she spoke.
"Rachel..." She labored out. "I'm sorry to have used you like that; I know this wasn't how ever wanted to face your enemies-"
"No!" Said Allenis, cutting Wrigley off. Both of the captain's stared in amazement at the pair. To be able to hold your own against Borg assimilation was one thing that very few species could do, but for two Human's to be able to not only hold their own against the Queen's consciousness, and to even find a way to surprises it--Even the Continuum of the Q would be impressed, if not terrified.
"I can't keep her suppressed, command-" She choked, as if the words were being chocked back down by an unseen force. She collapsed to the Deck.
"Just wait and listen for a minute, we don't have much time!" The commander said. Allenis glanced over, giving her what little attention she could spare. "When the Queen transferred her consciousness between us, I did a back-wards upload... I also attached a program that I had sealed into one of my neural-transceiver nodes; it's the Endgame program!" She heaved, spewing what little she had left in her stomach onto the carpeted deck.
"Commander, you have to us it!" She chocked out. The commander twitched in pain, lowering her head down to the deck.
"AhhhhhhHHHHHHHH!!!" She screamed in pain.
"Commander Allenis-"
"Dennis, stop!" Shouted Fink to his struggling collogue. "This is something that only Commander Allenis can do..." Those words churned in his stomach, threatening to do the same as what his first officer did. But then, he herd something far worse...
"Hmhmhmhmhm... Is that so, captained? Then it would appear, that the good commander, has failed." Said the Queen of the Borg, once again in full control of the commander's body. She glimpsed over to where Commander Wrigley was struggling to stand; her twisted smile returning to her face.
"You seem tired commander... Perhaps as thanks for the gift that you've given me, I will give you your rest..." With the twitch of her head, the room's gravity normalized. Wrigley's knees buckled under her own weight, and she crashed to the ground.
"Commander!" Shouted Beck. The Queen turned back to the pair.
"I was going to take you, and add your distinctiveness our own..." She stepped briskly back to the group of drones which had accompanied her to the Stargazer; and facing the image of the Aventine on the main viewer said: "But perhaps your distinctiveness has become irrelevant." And with that, the group disappeared.
"Commander!" Shouted Fink as he leapt to the space between the helm, and operations stations. The deck rumbled as the lights dimmed another optic.
"It's the main fleet, they've caught up to our position!" The bridge shook again; the gravity lightening up once again. "Computer control relinquished; I've got weapons back on-line!" Shouted Roganko. On the screen, the image of the Aventine danced across its surface; phasers and torpedoes washing over their shields in a brutal onslaught.
"They aren't even trying to evade..." Murmured Fink, as the rest of the bridge-crew watched the dog-fight. The deck lurched, as image on the screen changed position. The young captain glanced over to the helm, watching as its ensign inputted, and manipulated their course.
"I don't understand it--Their shields should be fully drained by now, but still holding strong..." Said the lieutenant. On the screen, the Aventine continued on its course away from the planet; something that just didn't fit. Neither taking, nor needing a moment to contemplate what was happening, he came to a startling realization.
"No... They couldn't be." His tone was barely audible, but then again, he was also kneeling beside an android."
"Captain...?" B4 asked. Not taking his eyes off of the screen -partially out of disbelief, and partially out of pure fear -Gene steeled his jaw.
"Molecular-digitalization." Fink looked over his shoulder; there, he saw that same look of inward fear in his collogues eyes.
"Dennis--How can you-"
"I may not have been with Voyager when Operation Hypnos went into effect after the Pathfinder project's success," He said; his brows becoming tightly knit. "But that doesn't mean the Digital World wasn't taking any damage from its usage." Images flooded Fink's mind, as the memories which he thought he'd buried years ago returned to the fore-front. All the worlds the worlds that were damaged; the peoples who had been decimated... The war it nearly set off.
"Cap- Tain..." A whisper, barely audible, wisped away from his first officer's lips. Holding her gently, he looked into her ice-blue eyes...
"It'll be okay commander, the medics are on their-" She whacked him the back of her armored hand. He howled in pain as an over-heated data tube burned his cheek.
"Chaos..." She whispered out. Gene stopped his hollering, coming closer to hear her better.
"Commander-"
"Leptons... Chaos- Chaosalf..." She tried to desperately to finished, but the words refused to come. And then something happened that he would have never expected to see; tears welling in her eyes. How long had it been since he'd seen her cry? Years, a decade? It scarred him to no end, because the first time he had seen it; the last tear that she had shed, was the day that she swore never to shed another.
"Sir, I am detecting a power spike in the Aventine's warp-core--I believe they are attempting to activate slip-stream!" Said B4, his voice monotone. Agitation arose in the young captain as he thought of all the implications that this entailed.
"Dennis, if the new Queen is able to interface with this collective-"
"-There won't be any stopping them... At least, not before we become the last real barrier to their conquests." Commander Monodramon finished. The small rookie had paused in his work, the image of ship schematics gleaming from its surface. Below, he could the hum of a hyper-spanner, and his lieutenant cursing quietly from within the consol. They'd already retrieved computer control, so why was still working like that?
"Have the fleet intercept; tell them to set collision courses with 'em if they have to..." Beck's voice was grim; his head held low. He'd known the other captain for such a long time--practically his entire life, but that look was something that he'd never seen before. It scared him.
"Chaos... Alpha..." Struggled Wrigley once again. She couldn't bring herself to finish, and tears we're now welling in her eyes. The turbolift hatch parted, as a pair of medics rushed out; as they began their work to restore his first officer, he looked into her clouded eyes, and finally, he understood everything.
"Chaosalphamon..." His voice was dangerous; all around him, the sounds of the bridge were fading, as he fought down a Finishing for the young commander, Fink looked back to his lieutenant. Laying below the rear station, Ryo seemed lost in thought as he looked into its innards.
"I was afraid of this..." Said the lieutenant. Fink shot him a glair, as warning as Beck's was absent.
"Captain, I've completed the modifications to the quantum torpedoes..." Fink flew to his feet. "It's replicated ,and ready for load-"
"Lieutenant, what hell is going on here?!"
"The White Card..." Answered Beck. Stunned by him answer, his only response was to stand stupidly stuck in place.
'The White Card? But- But that's-' He thought to himself. No matter how he held onto it, he found his reason just impossible to comprehend. 'Why? Why would he use something like that card; especially now?' And then, he realized it.
"You saw this--You knew this was going to happen...!"
"No, I didn't," He said calmly. "But since Chaosalphamon's return, let's just say, I've slipped a few aces up my sleeve..." Fink couldn't believe what he was hearing... His best friend, had always been a "no-bull" kind of guy, but this was ridiculous!"
"Mister Roganko, Fire the torpedo!"
Main Bridge, USS Prometheous, 1043 hrs.
"Hull breaches on decks twelve through fourteen!" Shouted the ensign whom had taken his place at ops. As second officer, it was his job to guard the well-being of the ship until the captain could return, but with the way they where loosing this battle, he didn't know if he would be able to.
"Seal them!" The bridge rocked violently once again.
"We've lost dorsal Phasers!" Shouted lieutenant Renamon from her place at tactical. They had engaged the Aventine directly as soon as they had identified its Borg signature, but ever since the Stargazer had recovered, it had begun to seem as though they were shooting blanks!
'And what's more, they're returning fire with far more power then they should be capable of...' He thought. All around him the crew was rushing to keep the ship running. Glancing down at his own systems readout, he could see everything; their phasers were either drained, or disabled; their torpedoes were about as effective as a photon grenade, their shields were taking damage, and several smaller ships had already been forced to break from the battle.
"Sir, I'm detecting another power spike in the Aventine's warp-core!" Shouted the ensign. He'd been watching the sensor readouts since they first confirmed the Intrepid-class ships position, but ever since they'd detected the multiple transporter going between the two ships...
"Sir, the Stargazer has just fired a volley of quantum torpedoes- The Aventine's shield strength has fallen by point zero-four percent!" The lieutenant commander looked up to the screen; watching the small vessel as it slowed its foreword moment.
"They've stopped-"
"No! They're changing trajectories... They've set a collision course with the Stargazer!" His pulse quickened, racing through his veins. What had done to those torpedoes? Looking back down to his personal display, he realized something... Something important.
"Digitons." He whispered mutedly.
"Nasim?" Asked Terriermon from his place on the other side of the bridge. Follider got up from the command chair, and stumbling down, clasped the edge of his operations station.
"Sorry Bakandrin, but I need back at my consol..." Not giving him the chance to see into her face, the ensign pushed herself away from the long consol. taking his seat, the commander's hands flew over the membranes smooth surface.
"Terriermon, do you remember what happened on stardate 57871?" His tone nonchalant, Terriermon crossed his arms as he took a moment to think about it.
"Wasn't that when the Stargazer got held-up in their rendezvous with us because of some kinda' distress call?" Replied the small Digimon. As he put the finishing touches onto his plan, his best friend's eyes sparked in realization.
"Ohh, I get it; you're re-modulating the tractor beam to emit anti-digitons!" The commander grinned; not too long ago, the little Digimon would have complained about how he could keep track of such random events. His own persona must be rubbing off onto him.
"Captain, that could tear apart both the Aventine and the Stargazer, and any other ship that get's too close!" Shouted Renamon, but Nasim didn't care... This had to work- No, this had to work, it was the only way to deep the Borg from reaching the collective.
"Activating tractor beam!" The Bridge rocked, as he shunted power to generators; waves of blue-hued gravitons washed over the ships hull. All along it's surface, small mini-explosions could be seen, as every conduit in their Electro-Plasma System bursted from the sudden antiparticle interactions. Ginning to himself, he checked on the power flow.
"What was that?" Asked Guilmon. Nasim looked up to large rookie.
"What was what-" The deck rumbled, not violently, but dangerously softly.
"No, what could-"
"Sir, it's the Stargazer, they've activated some sort of joint Positron/Fermions particle burst; it's interacting with our own!" Nasim didn't even give his mind time to react; his hands now moving of their own accord.
"I'm shutting dow-" The Bridge lurched hard, knocking virtually everyone to the deck. No matter how hard he tried, the lieutenant couldn't lift himself off the ground. The whine of the inertial dampeners filled his ears, as they strained to keen up. The screen flickered; the stars streaking across it's surface as if they were moving warp speeds in the wrong direction. Another explosion sounded, nearly pinning everyone to the ceiling before the dampeners caught up. His entire body ached. Lifting his head from ground, and following his first instinct, he looked around the darkened room, gauging the welfare of the crew. Seeing the others pull themselves up, he looked back up to the screen. Its image was fuzzy at best, but he could still tell that they were listing out of control.
"Everyone, damage report!" He shouted as he pulled himself back up to his consol.
"Ahh--the engines aren't working fast enough... Let me try the thrusters to stop us from spinning." Replied Guilmon, his over-sized claws tapping against the consol surface easily.
"Virtually all weapons are down, and our shields have collapsed!" Said Renamon from the rear. As their trajectory stabilized, he tried to find the Stargazer, as well as the Aventine.
"Commander Follider, is everything alright?" Asked the lieutenant. Nasim grunted as he ran the scans again, not believing what he was seeing. After the results came in, no different then the first, he swallowed hard, as he turned back to face the tactical section.
"I can't find them--The Aventine, nor the Stargazer..."
Main Bridge, USS Stargazer, unknown time
"Fink coughed, as held onto stomach. He'd landed on the bottom end of the consol bar when he hit the deck. All around him, alert klaxons were sounding throughout the dark room.
"Report!" Shouted Beck from behind. He looked around himself, noticing the first burning on the consol where commander Monodramon had been working only seconds ago. Fink tried to pull himself back to his seat, but lurched when he tried to pull himself up, coughing up bile, and blood as fell back to the deck.
"Gene!" Shouted Beck as he rushed to his side. He grinned.
"Nice try, but your little first officer curse isn't going to get me so easily..." He joked. A sigh of relief washed over his friend's face, as the rest of his crew worked around him.
"Sir, I cannot seem to find any of our ships--In fact, I cannot even find Earth." Said B4. As Fink grasped onto Beck's shoulder, ignoring the pain, he said:
"On screen." As he made it to his feet, he felt Beck pause in mid-lift.
"Dennis-" Glancing to the main viewscreen, he saw what had so caught his attention. On it's surface, the visage of a beautiful, blue, green, brown, and white planet shown through it's surface. A single, silvery moon orbiting around it in the distance. But it wasn't just that image that caught their attention; it was the singular continent on the surface of the otherwise beautiful water-world below, something that seemed all too familiar to them all...
"Is that- It can't be..."
"Scans confirm captain--The image that we are seeing is indeed Earth," Said ensign B4. "As it were approximately sixty-three point four million years ago..."