"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"
"What is happening?" demanded Tarkin. Motti immediately leaned over a console and read the reports.
"Sir! We have reports of intruders simply…appearing throughout the station! Engineering, hangar bays, weapon controls!"
"What kind of intruders are they?"
"The intruders are from that ship," said Vader, pointing toward the view screen. "They are the same emptiness, the same nonbeings, that I felt when that ship came close."
Before Tarkin could reply, a green glow appeared on one side of the command room. All heads turned to witness what looked marginally humanoid. It had pale, blotched skin visible on its head and one arm, but the rest of it looked like black devices. Not like Vader's suit, for that was all it was- an outer shell that could be removed. This creature, on the other hand, seemed to be one with the devices attached to it; they moved and throbbed just like a living organism.
"Halt!" ordered the nearest stormtrooper, leveling his blaster rifle at the cyborg. The trooper's shiny white armor contrasted with The Borg's dull black appearance.
The Borg simply ignored the command and turned toward the nearest computer console. As it began its march, the stormtrooper fired his weapon. The blast struck The Borg square in the back, dropping it to the floor immediately. Its small servos could be heard whirring for a few more seconds before it fell silent.
"Get that out of my command room!" ordered Tarkin.
Suddenly, the computer consoles began to blink and spark wildly.
"The intruders are interfacing the main computer!" shouted Motti, obviously shocked.
In the main computer room, a drone stood at a computer interface, its tool- augmented left hand touching the panel. Sparks jumped between The Borg's arm and the console. Computer records flashed across the screen faster than the eye could see. Meanwhile, three stormtroopers were firing their blaster rifles at the drone, the blasts being absorbed by the drone's form- fitting force field.
One of the troopers missed the drone and shot the computer console instead. The console exploded in a flash of sparks, frying the drone's still- interfacing brain and sending it backward over a railing and into the endless main core shaft.
Back in the control room, Tarkin was trying to take control of the situation, which was rapidly getting out of control. He hated anything contrary to control.
"Lock out the main computer!" he ordered. "Mobilize all troops and clear the station of the invaders!"
At the second he finished that sentence, two more drones appeared out of thin air. One kneeled over the fallen drone and removed several circuits. The other began marching toward Tarkin. All armed personnel, including Tarkin, began firing at the second drone, not noticing the dead Borg as it vanished, leaving a humanoid-shaped burn mark on the floor.
The blasts were first absorbed by the drone, making its force field glow slightly red. However, as they continued blasting, the force field began to glow yellow, then white. Finally, it shattered, allowing nearly a hundred blaster bolts to strike the drone, vaporizing it.
The remaining drone stood and pointed its prosthetic right arm at Vader. Vader flew at the drone, using the Force to propel him. Within a second, he had ignited his blade, cut the drone into three pieces, and landed at the ready stance, his saber glowing red in his hands, waiting for his next target.
Ten more drones appeared. Vader lashed out before anyone else could react, and was only able to cut down two more drones before his saber could no longer penetrate the drones' force fields. Five of them marched in a line toward him. Vader extinguished his blade and, hilt still in his hand, rammed his two fists together in front of him. The five drones were rammed into each other by an invisible force and were crushed to a bio-mechanical pulp.
Two more drones appeared, one at either side of Tarkin. Before he knew they were there, one grabbed his arm and touched its mechanical arm to his neck. Tarkin's eyes grew heavy, and he grunted as The Borg stunner relaxed his system. One second later, the two drones and Tarkin vanished in the Borg transport beam. One second after that, all other remaining living drones were transported away. The dead drones were vaporized.
Everyone in the command room regained their bearings. The battle had started and ended so quickly that only Vader could hold his composure.
"Motti!" boomed Vader. "What happened to the intruders?!"
"I…I…I don't know, sir!" Motti was looking around, as if he had forgotten where he was. Vader marched past him, threw him aside in disgust, and looked at the console himself, ignoring the corpse of the tech, whose head had been blown off by crossfire. Reports were coming in that the alien invaders had vanished from the station as quickly as they had appeared. Apparently, there had been a large number of strange transmissions from the alien ship both when the creatures appeared, and then again when they had disappeared. Vader thought for a second. Some type of matter transporter? Imperial researchers had been experimenting with them for years, unsuccessfully.
They were dealing with a species that had access to at least some superior technology. However, they did not, nor could ever, have access to the Force. He was sure of it. That was the Empire's advantage. That was his advantage.
He could not destroy the Borg ship with a thought. He did not believe that even the Emperor was that powerful.
"Recall all remaining fighters. Bring the fleet here," ordered Vader. The Borg that had come onto the Death Star seemed to be the same as their ship outside. They would take damage at first, but then seemingly adapt to the weapons. But even after a drone had adapted, it was not invincible to an immense volume of weapon fire. It was pointless to fire conventional weaponry at The Borg, so they would have to wait until they could bring the primary weapon to firing power.
"Tarkin has been captured by the enemy and likely killed," stated Vader to all present. "I am now in command of this station. Cease all fire at the alien ship and recall all fighters. Target the alien ship with the primary weapon and fire once firing charge is reached."
"The targeting systems were not designed to fire at anything as small as a ship, sir," replied Tarkin's aide. Vader whipped around and grabbed the man by the throat, lifting him off the floor.
"Then modify them to be able to target the ship!" he said, the fury boiling in his voice. The crunching and snapping of the aide's windpipe echoed throughout the silent control room, and Vader threw him to the ground. Two black-suited guards promptly removed both the corpse of the aide, and then the decapitated body of the tech.
Everyone rushed to complete Vader's orders. Motti, knowing full well Vader's wrath, also snapped to it, making himself busy. He imagined he felt again that squeezing in his throat…or maybe he wasn't imagining. Either way, he had no desire to anger Vader ever again.
On board the Borg cube, Tarkin, now fully aware and conscious, was being led through dark corridors, past drones that were effecting repairs, removing dead and damaged drones, or simply regenerating. He was stopped at the end of the corridor, where he stood looking down a seemingly infinite number of rows of Borg alcoves on an infinite number of levels. At the end, directly in front of him, he thought he could almost see space, perhaps held out by some type of force field.
The air in the Death Star was kept at a cool sixteen degrees centigrade to optimize functioning of the various 'droids, computers, and mechanisms of the station. It also helped keep the Imperials from sweltering in their heavy uniforms. Here, however, he was downright sweaty. The air felt near body temperature, and the humidity almost made it unbearable for a man from a cool-to-temperate world.
Tarkin waited, presumably to be either executed, or to meet with the leader of these aliens. Finally, he spoke to the din, "Who are you, and how dare you attack an Imperial space station and assault an Imperial governor!"
The reply he heard surprised him. The same voices as over the comlink, all chanting in unison: "Grand Moff Tarkin of the Galactic Empire, you speak now for your race."
"You will all be destroyed for this outrage! I demand to meet your leader!"
"Your demands are irrelevant. There is no leader. We are The Borg." Their answer was chilling, enough to unsettle even the iron-hard Tarkin. "This place in unfamiliar to us. We require a voice; a connection between us and the beings here. You have been chosen to be that voice."
Tarkin's eyes lit up with his inner fire and rage. "I will never betray my Emperor! I will not assist you, and will do everything in my power to ensure you are destroyed!"
"Betrayal is irrelevant. Assistance is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. We will add your distinctiveness to our own."
"I will die first!"
"Death is irrelevant."
Tarkin, attempting to hold his stern composure, stiffened up and raised his head, looking down his nose at the endless rows of sleeping Borg drones.
"You would have power beyond your wildest dreams," cam a new, single voice. Female, silky and seductive. Surprised, Tarkin's brow furrowed as he looked around for the source of the new voice. It came from everywhere.
"You will become one with us, one way or another."
"What is happening?" demanded Tarkin. Motti immediately leaned over a console and read the reports.
"Sir! We have reports of intruders simply…appearing throughout the station! Engineering, hangar bays, weapon controls!"
"What kind of intruders are they?"
"The intruders are from that ship," said Vader, pointing toward the view screen. "They are the same emptiness, the same nonbeings, that I felt when that ship came close."
Before Tarkin could reply, a green glow appeared on one side of the command room. All heads turned to witness what looked marginally humanoid. It had pale, blotched skin visible on its head and one arm, but the rest of it looked like black devices. Not like Vader's suit, for that was all it was- an outer shell that could be removed. This creature, on the other hand, seemed to be one with the devices attached to it; they moved and throbbed just like a living organism.
"Halt!" ordered the nearest stormtrooper, leveling his blaster rifle at the cyborg. The trooper's shiny white armor contrasted with The Borg's dull black appearance.
The Borg simply ignored the command and turned toward the nearest computer console. As it began its march, the stormtrooper fired his weapon. The blast struck The Borg square in the back, dropping it to the floor immediately. Its small servos could be heard whirring for a few more seconds before it fell silent.
"Get that out of my command room!" ordered Tarkin.
Suddenly, the computer consoles began to blink and spark wildly.
"The intruders are interfacing the main computer!" shouted Motti, obviously shocked.
In the main computer room, a drone stood at a computer interface, its tool- augmented left hand touching the panel. Sparks jumped between The Borg's arm and the console. Computer records flashed across the screen faster than the eye could see. Meanwhile, three stormtroopers were firing their blaster rifles at the drone, the blasts being absorbed by the drone's form- fitting force field.
One of the troopers missed the drone and shot the computer console instead. The console exploded in a flash of sparks, frying the drone's still- interfacing brain and sending it backward over a railing and into the endless main core shaft.
Back in the control room, Tarkin was trying to take control of the situation, which was rapidly getting out of control. He hated anything contrary to control.
"Lock out the main computer!" he ordered. "Mobilize all troops and clear the station of the invaders!"
At the second he finished that sentence, two more drones appeared out of thin air. One kneeled over the fallen drone and removed several circuits. The other began marching toward Tarkin. All armed personnel, including Tarkin, began firing at the second drone, not noticing the dead Borg as it vanished, leaving a humanoid-shaped burn mark on the floor.
The blasts were first absorbed by the drone, making its force field glow slightly red. However, as they continued blasting, the force field began to glow yellow, then white. Finally, it shattered, allowing nearly a hundred blaster bolts to strike the drone, vaporizing it.
The remaining drone stood and pointed its prosthetic right arm at Vader. Vader flew at the drone, using the Force to propel him. Within a second, he had ignited his blade, cut the drone into three pieces, and landed at the ready stance, his saber glowing red in his hands, waiting for his next target.
Ten more drones appeared. Vader lashed out before anyone else could react, and was only able to cut down two more drones before his saber could no longer penetrate the drones' force fields. Five of them marched in a line toward him. Vader extinguished his blade and, hilt still in his hand, rammed his two fists together in front of him. The five drones were rammed into each other by an invisible force and were crushed to a bio-mechanical pulp.
Two more drones appeared, one at either side of Tarkin. Before he knew they were there, one grabbed his arm and touched its mechanical arm to his neck. Tarkin's eyes grew heavy, and he grunted as The Borg stunner relaxed his system. One second later, the two drones and Tarkin vanished in the Borg transport beam. One second after that, all other remaining living drones were transported away. The dead drones were vaporized.
Everyone in the command room regained their bearings. The battle had started and ended so quickly that only Vader could hold his composure.
"Motti!" boomed Vader. "What happened to the intruders?!"
"I…I…I don't know, sir!" Motti was looking around, as if he had forgotten where he was. Vader marched past him, threw him aside in disgust, and looked at the console himself, ignoring the corpse of the tech, whose head had been blown off by crossfire. Reports were coming in that the alien invaders had vanished from the station as quickly as they had appeared. Apparently, there had been a large number of strange transmissions from the alien ship both when the creatures appeared, and then again when they had disappeared. Vader thought for a second. Some type of matter transporter? Imperial researchers had been experimenting with them for years, unsuccessfully.
They were dealing with a species that had access to at least some superior technology. However, they did not, nor could ever, have access to the Force. He was sure of it. That was the Empire's advantage. That was his advantage.
He could not destroy the Borg ship with a thought. He did not believe that even the Emperor was that powerful.
"Recall all remaining fighters. Bring the fleet here," ordered Vader. The Borg that had come onto the Death Star seemed to be the same as their ship outside. They would take damage at first, but then seemingly adapt to the weapons. But even after a drone had adapted, it was not invincible to an immense volume of weapon fire. It was pointless to fire conventional weaponry at The Borg, so they would have to wait until they could bring the primary weapon to firing power.
"Tarkin has been captured by the enemy and likely killed," stated Vader to all present. "I am now in command of this station. Cease all fire at the alien ship and recall all fighters. Target the alien ship with the primary weapon and fire once firing charge is reached."
"The targeting systems were not designed to fire at anything as small as a ship, sir," replied Tarkin's aide. Vader whipped around and grabbed the man by the throat, lifting him off the floor.
"Then modify them to be able to target the ship!" he said, the fury boiling in his voice. The crunching and snapping of the aide's windpipe echoed throughout the silent control room, and Vader threw him to the ground. Two black-suited guards promptly removed both the corpse of the aide, and then the decapitated body of the tech.
Everyone rushed to complete Vader's orders. Motti, knowing full well Vader's wrath, also snapped to it, making himself busy. He imagined he felt again that squeezing in his throat…or maybe he wasn't imagining. Either way, he had no desire to anger Vader ever again.
On board the Borg cube, Tarkin, now fully aware and conscious, was being led through dark corridors, past drones that were effecting repairs, removing dead and damaged drones, or simply regenerating. He was stopped at the end of the corridor, where he stood looking down a seemingly infinite number of rows of Borg alcoves on an infinite number of levels. At the end, directly in front of him, he thought he could almost see space, perhaps held out by some type of force field.
The air in the Death Star was kept at a cool sixteen degrees centigrade to optimize functioning of the various 'droids, computers, and mechanisms of the station. It also helped keep the Imperials from sweltering in their heavy uniforms. Here, however, he was downright sweaty. The air felt near body temperature, and the humidity almost made it unbearable for a man from a cool-to-temperate world.
Tarkin waited, presumably to be either executed, or to meet with the leader of these aliens. Finally, he spoke to the din, "Who are you, and how dare you attack an Imperial space station and assault an Imperial governor!"
The reply he heard surprised him. The same voices as over the comlink, all chanting in unison: "Grand Moff Tarkin of the Galactic Empire, you speak now for your race."
"You will all be destroyed for this outrage! I demand to meet your leader!"
"Your demands are irrelevant. There is no leader. We are The Borg." Their answer was chilling, enough to unsettle even the iron-hard Tarkin. "This place in unfamiliar to us. We require a voice; a connection between us and the beings here. You have been chosen to be that voice."
Tarkin's eyes lit up with his inner fire and rage. "I will never betray my Emperor! I will not assist you, and will do everything in my power to ensure you are destroyed!"
"Betrayal is irrelevant. Assistance is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. We will add your distinctiveness to our own."
"I will die first!"
"Death is irrelevant."
Tarkin, attempting to hold his stern composure, stiffened up and raised his head, looking down his nose at the endless rows of sleeping Borg drones.
"You would have power beyond your wildest dreams," cam a new, single voice. Female, silky and seductive. Surprised, Tarkin's brow furrowed as he looked around for the source of the new voice. It came from everywhere.
"You will become one with us, one way or another."