Chapter Seven

"I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Allen," Picard said as I looked down at him from the transporter pad.

"Same to you, Captain," I replied. Spock stood next to me in a pip-less Starfleet uniform, motionless. I turned to him. "Ambassador, are we ready?" Spock nodded. I looked back to Picard.

"Energize," he said. The room around me brightened and shimmered. Although the details of the room remained the same, two people whom I did not recognize replaced the forms of Picard and the ensign on duty. As soon as my vision cleared, I saw that the forms were those of Ensign Perez and Admiral Heaton. The former smiled a little to see me, but remained otherwise at attention. The admiral, however, immediately grinned and strode forward to shake my hand.

"Welcome aboard the Ascension, Captain Allen." He saw Spock standing behind me. "Ambassador, we've been expecting you. Your quarters have been prepared, if you…"

"I am quite rested, Admiral, and am ready for duty." Heaton looked a little embarrassed, but recovered rapidly.

"Very well, gentlemen, if you would follow me, we'll get started." He turned and walked out of the transporter room. As I walked by, Ensign Perez spoke up softly.

"Good to have you back, Captain," she said. I smiled.

"Good to be here," I whispered back, then hurried to catch up with Admiral Heaton.

"Now, Captain, I think you will find the ship and its crew to your liking. The Ascension, like the Enterprise, has gone through a substantial refit over the past several months, so there are a lot of new features, many of which will be helpful in the upcoming conflict. And we've spent the past week drilling and training your crew extensively, so you'll find them to be somewhat more…professional than they were before." He smiled a little. I looked around as we walked the hall, recognizing a few faces here and there. Everyone seemed very duty-minded; hardly anyone even looked my direction. We boarded a turbolift. The admiral looked at me.

"I think you'll be wanting to delay the tour of inspection a bit," he said. I nodded.

"Bridge," I said, a little more confidently than I actually felt. As we took off, the admiral's smile faded a little.

"Well, the news is bad, gentlemen. Three ships were intercepted at Khitomar just a few hours ago. The Klingons actually destroyed one of them and badly wounded another."

"That seems like good news, Admiral," I said. "Two ships can't be as bad as three, especially if one of them is damaged."

"It's bad enough, Captain. Before they were able to do much damage, the Klingons had already lost six ships. And the only reason that they were able to destroy the one cube was because three ships rammed it."

"Rammed it!" The admiral shrugged.

"It's their way. Assimilation is terribly dishonorable in their opinion, and they'd rather kill themselves." I remembered Worf's actions in a previous encounter with the Borg.

"Perhaps it is a good day to die," I said.

"Something like that." The doors opened, and we walked onto the bridge.

My bridge.

In the captain's chair -my chair- sat Jerry. He heard us enter, turned, and sprung to his feet.

"Admiral and captain on the bridge," he said very seriously. Everyone turned and stood. I took a few moments to look around the bridge. Johnstone and Tex Newman stood at the forward helm stations, rigid but fidgeting. Tex, try as he might, could not help his infectious grin. I did not recognize the fellow at tactical. But next to him…

My heart leapt into my throat as I saw Julie Brock again. She stood at attention, manning the science station and managing to avoid my gaze. I tried to read the emotions on her face, but couldn't. It had only been a week, and yet I felt she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. My hands hung loose at my sides, sweating.

"Welcome aboard, Captain Allen," I heard Jerry's voice say, far off. It was enough, however, to snap me back into the present, and I turned to face him just as he was pointing to a padd in his hand. "We will be arriving at the rendezvous point in three minutes."

"Thank you, Commander," I said. He moved away from my chair to his own. I turned to Admiral Heaton, who motioned toward the ready room. I nodded, following.

"Number One, you have the bridge…again." We walked into the ready room, and I saw what was now my office in its resplendent, if somewhat Spartan, glory.

"Your crew is as ready as they are going to get, Captain. You have six hours before the two cubes arrive." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I don't envy you, Mike. But this is war, and we're about to fight the first incursion. Good luck to you. The ship is yours." He tapped his communicator. "Heaton to the Byzantium."

"Captain Harker here, sir."

"One to beam up. Energize." He disappeared, and I was left alone.


"In five and a half hours, we will be encountering the Borg." I stood in the conference room and looked around the table at my crewmates. I knew most of them; Starfleet had assigned three experienced officers to my bridge crew, and I knew that dozens of others had taken up other stations throughout the ship. And of course, there was Spock. His was the only face upon which I could discern no fear. "I need to know how prepared we are to deal with this situation. Report," I said. Jerry began.

"The Ascension is fully loaded, sir. We have an entire complement of photon and quantum torpedoes, as well as fifteen of the new quasar torpedoes."

"Quasar? What are those?" I asked.

"A new kind of torp, Captain. It stands for 'Quantum Advanced Sub-particle Arterial Reorganization'."

"And what exactly does that mean?" I asked. Jerry leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his chest.

"The subatomic level is a very structured place. Very arterial in some ways, if you will. The quantum torpedo was designed to break down the subatomic structure, effectively destroying particles, not just atoms. It's a very effective weapon."

"Right."

"Well, the Quasar concept is a reorganization of those subatomic structures. The target's matter effectively changes its base elements, and renders it harmless. The process 'package' is delivered through quantum foam to enhance the effect by making it non-temporal."

"Fascinating," Spock said.

"On a damage scale, what is the effectiveness of detonating one of these torpedoes?" I asked.

"Somethin' like 'serious ass-whoopin', Cap'n," Tex piped up.

"That's good enough for me," I said with a grin.

"Anyway," Jerry continued, "our phaser banks are fully charged. I think we're as prepared as we can get at this point."

"Very good, Commander. Thank you. Anyone else?"

"We have a series of weapons in storage for use in hand-to-hand combat," Walker said. "We've got phasers and phaser rifles. Also, we've had some less…standard weapons replicated." I raised an eyebrow.

"Such as?"

"Guns an' knives!" Tex said. Jerry grinned.

"Starfleet has come to appreciate the use of some Klingon and…ancient Terran weaponry in the struggle with the Borg. All officers on board have been issued a bat'leth sword. And those of us from the past," he laughed, "have also been issued one of these." He produced from beside his chair a weapon that, under its very futuristic-looking frame, appeared to be a shotgun. He handed it to Tex, who flamboyantly cocked the gun and slung it over his shoulder.

"Just like bird huntin' back home, Cap'n," he said. I laughed.

"Yeah, except these birds will be attacking you. Why are only people from our time being given these?" I asked. Lieutenant Commander Weston, whom I had only met briefly half an hour before, stood and spoke up.

"Because, Captain, people from our century are not accustomed to dealing with ancient weaponry."

"It's just a shotgun! How complicated can it be?" I asked.

"Starfleet Command felt it was an unnecessary risk to turn its officers loose with them." She said simply. She was a pretty woman, with auburn hair wrapped tight behind her head. She was probably in her thirties, and I got the feeling that she rather resented having to serve under a captain who was younger than her. I drummed my fingers on the table for a moment.

"Well, I'm afraid that Starfleet Command isn't out here. We are." I grabbed the shotgun from Tex. "See to it that one of these things is given to every crewmember on the Ascension," I said. Tex stood.

"Aye, Cap'n." He left. Weston sat back down, clearly annoyed.

"Now," I said, "unless there's anything else we need to address, I suggest that we all get to work."


I stood in my ready room, staring out the window at the fleet. I had counted forty-seven ships in my field of vision, and I knew that there were many more I couldn't see. If the Borg were still coming on the same route, they could be here any time. But where the hell were the Romulans? Or the Klingons? Suddenly, the door chimed. I started and turned.

"Come in," I said. The doors opened, and Julie walked in. I waited a second for the doors to close, then rushed over and embraced her.

"Captain…" she began.

"I missed you," I said, hugging her close.

"Captain," she said again, pulling away. I saw on her face a look of sadness.

"What is it?" I asked, already predicting the answer.

"I don't know if it's a good idea for us to be…" she looked down. "It's just…I really like you. A lot. But…"

"Maybe this isn't the best time to be starting a relationship," I said for her. She nodded. I sighed. "Maybe not."

"Captain…Mike, we could be dead or worse in a matter of hours."

"I…I understand," I lied.

"I'm sorry, Mike," she said, a single tear slipping down her cheek. I smiled a half smile at the bittersweet moment.

"I'm sorry too, Julie." She turned to go.

"Julie?" I said. She paused and turned. "When this is all over…if we survive…would you maybe consider…?" She smiled.

"We'll see what happens, Captain," she said softly, then left.

"Good bye," I said to the door. I sat down at my desk, somewhat overwhelmed.


"Captain," Jerry addressed me as I walked onto the bridge. "Twelve ships have just dropped out of warp in this sector. The Klingons have arrived."

"It's about time," I said. I did my very best to avoid eye contact with the science station area in general. That was a situation that I would have to deal with at a later time.

"Captain, we're being hailed by the Byzantium," Weston said curtly from the Master Situations Monitor.

"On screen." Admiral Heaton appeared.

"Captain Allen, I'm transmitting new coordinates for the Ascension. They will allow the Klingon ships better mobility, and put you guys on the fringe of the action. I figured since its your first battle, you'd appreciate that."

"Indeed, Admiral. We'll get right on it."

"Good to hear. Heaton out." His image disappeared from the screen.

"Helm, take us to the new coordinates," I said, sitting down in the Captain's chair.

"Aye, Cap'n," Tex said, already entering them into the computer. I leaned over to Jerry.

"Which one is the Byzantium?" I asked.

"None of them. She's behind us."

"Aft viewer on screen," I said. Suddenly, the entire screen was filled by what looked to be part of a gigantic starship. We floated away from its dark, gunship grey exterior slowly; the shadowy feel of the hull only marred occasionally by the light of a passing window or surface light.

"Decrease magnification, helm," I said.

"There is no magnification, Captain," Johnstone said. She turned to face me. "It's a prototype of the new Dreadnought-class ship, sir. Fifteen hundred meters long. Seventy-five decks. She has sixteen type-ten phaser arrays and fourteen torpedo bays." I whistled in amazement.

"Makes me feel better 'bout this war already," Tex said.

"Captain," Johnstone cut in, "we've reached our coordinates."

"Good. All stop."

"Now what?" Jerry asked softly.

"Now," I replied with an irritated sigh, "we wait."


Hours seemed like days. I could sense the crew around me getting restless. I was getting restless! For three hours, we had held the same position, and nothing was happening. Conversations were starting quietly all around. I didn't mind, really.

"Commander," I said to Jerry quietly, "why is it again that the Borg are traveling at warp speed rather than in transwarp?"

"Transwarp conduits are easier to detect and identify from further away. Apparently at this point the Borg still want their presence to go somewhat unnoticed. Also, if Starfleet could detect a transwarp conduit in time, a starship could collapse it very easily, and destroy everything in it." I nodded.

"Took 'em a while, but the bastards are finally learning how to be sneaky," I mused. We sat. Finally…

"Helm, we should be detecting them by now," I said with an edge of irritation in my voice.

"I know, Cap'n. Ain't nothin' comin' on the sensors."

"Hail the admiral's ship," I said. Heaton's face came on the screen once again.

"We don't know either," he said, anticipating my question. "We've got outposts scanning the entire sector in case they changed their course, but…" Suddenly the screen shimmered a little. I could see his bridge shake a little with the shock of an energy blast. "Admiral?" Heaton looked at me and smiled a warrior's smile.

"Ah, there they are!" he said. "Heaton out." The screen returned to the space in front of us, which was now partially filled by two gargantuan Borg cubes. Jerry rose to his feet.

"How the hell did they…?"

"I have no idea," I said. The closest one was heavily damaged, with massive chunks missing and sparks flying across circuitry now open to space. The other cube appeared to have no damage whatsoever.

"Captain," Johnstone said, her voice trembling, "they're headed our way."

Suddenly, all hell broke loose.