Chapter 10 – Audience
Chakotay's tetrahedron exited the conduit a million kilometers from the Borg transwarp hub. Even from that distance, you could still distinguish the web-like lattice of portals against the background stars of the Milky Way. One of six in the Galaxy, this particular structure lay in the heart of Borg territory. Hundreds of cubes and other vessels moved about the system. Instruments detected multiple Borg vessels in the immediate area and scans from these indicated his presence had been noticed. It would be readily evident to them that he was not part of the Hive Mind nor the Splinter. None of the vessels, however, altered course and for a few minutes and it didn't appear as is the Borg was going to acknowledge his presence. Chakotay was just beginning to wonder what to do when a cube approached and came up alongside the tetrahedron. There was a momentary tingling sensation as the Borg transporter beam activated, and then he found himself aboard the Borg vessel.
The Borg Queen stood before him, a bemused expression on her face. They were in the cube's vinculum chamber. Interesting considering the last time he was in such a room. Two drones stood guard on either side of the device in addition to the Queen and himself. At first Chakotay thought that perhaps it was only a holographic projection of the Queen, but there was something tangible about her presence. A metallic smell that was both sweet and acrid and gave substance to her form. Her skin, what there was of it left and exposed, gleamed a ghostly green. "Two of one-sixteen, it is a surprise to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" she finally purred.
His Borg drone designation. A reminder that only one hundred and sixteen of the Voyager crew had survived. "Chakotay will do just fine."
The Queen bowed slightly in acknowledgement. "Chakotay then. How can I help you?"
Chakotay had considered what he was going to say carefully. He didn't want to provoke the Borg by making the existence of the new pathogen sound like a threat, but he did want to convey the seriousness of the situation. He decided to first emphasize the benefits derived from the recent cooperation between the Borg and the Alpha Quadrant species, and so that's where he would start. "Things are going well in our alliance. We project the Splinter will be defeated within the next seven days."
"My current estimate is five days, seventeen hours," the Queen clarified.
"Our cooperation during these times have been beneficial to us all."
"We of course would have succeeded without your help," the Queen corrected. "It is not as clear if the Federation and Klingon Empire, even with the help from the Romulans and others, would have prevailed over the Dominion and its allies if not for the extensive help given freely by the Collective."
Chakotay nodded slowly. "That's possible," he conceded. "But with the Borg's help, the Dominion and its allies have sued for peace, and we are grateful for your assistance."
"Species 7995," the Queen mused. "Or the Founders, as they call themselves. They cannot be assimilated, and so have been ignored." She looked thoughtful for a moment and added, "Although their Jem'Hadar soldiers make excellent drones."
"The Borg have ventured to the Gamma Quadrant," Chakotay said, more a statement than a question. If he thought about it, he already knew. He had, after all, shared the thoughts of the Hive Mind while he was a drone. The campaigns throughout the Galaxy and nearby satellite galaxies and even into fluidic space. The plans for extending even further.
"Why are you really hear Chakotay?" the Queen asked and moved closer. She shifted seductively, and yet Chakotay couldn't help but feel his skin crawl as she approached. Before he could answer, however, she supplied her own. "I believe the Federation and all your allies on those little worlds in the Alpha Quadrant are getting worried about what might happen next."
Again Chakotay nodded. "That about sums it up."
"Do you remember what it was like to be part of the Hive Mind?" the Queen suddenly asked. "To be one with the Borg?"
Her question seemed incongruent. He did remember. Of course, for him, it might have been slightly different than for most drones. Chakotay had always retained a sense of himself. Even as a drone and listening to the Collective, a portion of his mind remained independent. And of course he had also experienced time within Unimatrix Zero. Only a tiny fraction of drones experienced that.
As if reading his thoughts the Queen added, "Ah, Unimatrix Zero as well. An anomaly, but an interesting place, don't you think? I've been thinking a great deal about it recently. These errant drones, albeit a minority for the most part, can become a serious nuisance. I wonder if all drones had access to a place like Unimatrix Zero during regeneration would that mollify their thoughts for independence. Perhaps if they didn't realize it was a virtual construct and instead thought it was all real. They could live out their lives thinking they had escaped the Collective and still serve the Borg as a drone. They would believe they had their independence, and yet still be one with the Borg. A gift to those drones who yearned for independence and a life of their own." The Queen seemed to brighten a bit. "The Borg could lead an insurgency to take over the Alpha Quadrant and you wouldn't even know it."
Chakotay shifted uncomfortably. What was the Queen implying? General Korac had called their movement an insurgency when the Hive Mind first split, but with a vastly different connotation as to what the Queen was suggesting. The Borg assimilating worlds and giving their inhabitants an illusion of life continuing as normal. "The Hive Mind did not create Unimatrix Zero, nor was it unaware of its existence until recently," he felt compelled to clarify.
"But perhaps that's precisely what we wanted you to think and we've used it already," the Queen continued. "Might it be that you are still in Unimatrix Zero and everything you've experienced from that time in a chamber much like this one we're in to now is but a virtual construct and illusion? The Collective may have led an insurgency to infiltrate Unimatrix Zero in this way instead of the other way around."
Again talking of an insurgency. Was she using this word purposefully knowing the context in which the Unaffiliated used it? "I don't believe that," Chakotay replied, but all the time trying to think of specifics that would contradict her assertion.
The Queen shrugged. "Perhaps just a useful tool for the future then. Something to consider." She smiled and moved in closer. "But back to your experience as a drone. What do you remember of our purpose?"
"The purpose of the Borg?"
"Of course," the Queen said, tilting her head. "All living beings in the cosmos must have a purpose. Without a purpose, there is no meaning. Without meaning, there is no life."
"The search for perfection," Chakotay responded, as if reciting a memorized response
"And what is perfection?"
"The universe united and acting as one," Chakotay answered. He did remember, and he was also reminded of when Annika regained consciousness from the Hive Mind when he had administered the first pathogen. Establishing order was a powerful motivation, particularly when the chaos resulting from individual minds exerting their own free will could be so messy. "Order from chaos."
"It is more than that," the Queen replied knowingly. "Temporal things of this universe do not lead to fulfillment or happiness. There is a greater need within all living creatures that only can be satisfied by other means. The purpose is also a search for immortality. Most all the religions from all the species the Borg has assimilated throughout the Galaxy have had that same goal. They all tap into that same underlying need."
"Immortality," Chakotay repeated.
"You know it yourself, Chakotay. Search your memory. Whether it is unity with that Great Spirit of yours or the clarity of Logic, or eternal life in Heaven or Sto-Vo-Kor or whatever the species chooses to call it, or reincarnation as another being or creature on their world or within this Universe or a different Universe, or simply striving to have your name remembered through your children or works of literature or art or other accomplishment, the motivation and desire is from the same source. The end fulfilling the same inner need. A yearning for immortality. A hope that the flicker of life spent during that briefest of moments in the Universe is not insignificant and meaningless but ultimately did amount to something."
"Perhaps," Chakotay replied, noncommittal.
"But given the spatial and temporal boundaries of our universe, is it all in vain?"
"For those beliefs tied to the confines of this universe, I suppose so."
The Queen nodded, as if Chakotay was her star pupil. "The Universe is not immortal, but might it be reborn? Is it reset entirely or do some things pass through the dimensions to another?"
"I believe there are things that transcend space and time," Chakotay confirmed. "There is the visible and invisible. The invisible spirit is immortal."
The Queen smiled. "What happened before the Creation during what your species humorously call 'The Big Bang', and what happens after the forces ultimately rip the very fabric of space-time apart in the distant future? Does time even exist outside these boundaries?"
"I don't know for certain," Chakotay confessed. "But I have faith."
"The Borg does not have faith. It does not need it. The Borg will know," the Queen replied in conclusion. So that was ultimately what motived the Borg. It was not satisfied with faith in those things that could not be proven, but in striving for perfection, it sought immortality in order to avoid the problem of faith all together.
"That might motivate the Borg, but I'm certain there are many other things besides seeking immortality that motivate the multitude of individuals throughout the Universe."
The Queen shook her head. "But you don't believe that. There is but one common denominator. Whether petty or grand, corporal or transcendent, the underlying motivation is still the same. You forget, Chakotay, I know you. I know your every thought. You were once one with the Borg, and so all your memories are still here with me."
"Not all my memories," Chakotay said quickly, almost defensively.
The Queen now smiled again and nodded slowly. "You refer to your most recent memories from when you left us." She turned her head, as if looking for something. "Tell me, where is Annika? You two seemed to have a connection of sorts when last I saw you, or was I mistaken?"
"She's safe," Chakotay replied, although again he felt uncomfortable, as if the Queen knew more than she should. He was thinking of Annika, but of course he thought of her often. But as the Queen just acknowledged, she knew the thoughts of both Chakotay and Annika during the time when they were assimilated. Might she just be making educated guesses? It was certainly true that Annika was precisely who he would desire in a companion, and the Queen would undoubtedly know this.
"Did she choose someone else? Or did you leave over her protests?"
"She's safe," Chakotay repeated. He didn't much care for the Queen's questions.
"Back at the settlement," the Queen finished and then smiled at Chakotay's reaction. "Of course I know about the settlement of Unaffiliated Borg. Do you think I could lose track of so much of what was once part of us so easily? I know where all my wayward children are. You are all gathering in one spot. I imagine there are some amongst you who aren't happy about that."
Axum came readily to mind, although others had expressed similar concerns. In a group of their size made of up many individuals, of course there would be a diversity of thought. That was a strength and not a weakness. "We are, of course, protecting ourselves," Chakotay replied.
The Queen paused and narrowed her eyes. Did he catch her off guard? "Explain," she said simply, although the tone of her voice sent a chill through Chakotay.
This was it. This was the reason he came to seek an audience with the Borg Queen in the first place. The preliminaries were over, despite how interesting their conversation might have been, and he couldn't delay any longer. "A new pathogen. One that would be unfortunate for the Borg if we were to be assimilated. A splintering of the Mind beyond repair."
The Queen was silent for a time as she digested this new bit of information. Was not her reaction alone enough to prove he was not living in a virtual reality constructed by the Borg? "I see," she finally replied icily. She began to pace, circling Chakotay much like a predator would circle its prey. "And I assume this new pathogen will also protect the Alpha Quadrant as well."
"You are correct. We do not mean to threaten the Borg."
"But you do threaten us."
"That is not our intent. This is not my intent. I am here to deliver this message in person so that, once the Splinter is defeated, the Collective doesn't inadvertently harm itself by turning on the Unaffiliated or any of the other worlds in the Alpha Quadrant."
"You are doing this in the Collective's best interest," the Queen stated sarcastically. There was danger in her voice.
"I am doing this in all our best interests."
"And you believe we would turn on our allies so quickly after victory?"
Chakotay remained quiet. The Federation and other governments in the Alpha Quadrant thought so. He also thought it the most likely outcome, but it wouldn't serve any purpose to confirm that to the Queen.
"Your distrust of us is unsettling," the Queen finally said. She stopped pacing and again stood in front of Chakotay. The vinculum hummed softly in the corner, the two drones still standing there impassively. Chakotay had almost forgotten they were there. "I would have hoped our alliance during these recent events would have assuaged your fears."
"Our alliance with the Borg against Species 8472 didn't end so well for the crew of Voyager."
The Queen shrugged. "Not entirely so. Most of your crew made it home. You are again individuals and you have achieved your goal of reuniting with loved ones well ahead of the time you thought it would have taken." The Queen looked down and took a step to the side, not getting any closer to Chakotay but appearing slightly more menacing. "I will of course have to confirm what you imply."
Chakotay swallowed hard. He knew this had been a possibility. "I understand. I am not infected with the new pathogen."
"And why should I believe you?"
Chakotay paused. There was no reason for the Borg to believe him. He hadn't thought of that. "I give you my word," he finally said. "And as you said, you know me."
The Queen nodded, thoughtful. "You are brave, Chakotay. And I admire that. I will make it quick and then we will end it." She reached out her arm and two tubules ejected from the top of her hand into Chakotay's neck. Even expecting it, the contact came as a shock and Chakotay flinched. He fell to his knees and felt the Borg nanoprobes adjusting, multiplying, and assembling in his body. Was it like this before? He couldn't recall the exact circumstances of his prior assimilation. In just a few moments, he would be reassimilated into the Hive Mind. Would he remember this? He didn't know what the Queen meant when she said she would end it afterwards, but it didn't sound encouraging.
As the nanoprobes worked, the Queen seemed to become distracted. She looked up, as if looking at something else, but there was nothing there with them in the room. She was perhaps accessing external sensors or some other data interface. "Were you expecting someone?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Chakotay stammered, still in control and an individual, but with only a short time left.
"Another ship has entered the system," the Queen said. "With Unaffiliated Borg aboard." She then smiled and looked down towards Chakotay. "The plot thickens. I think it's her, and she's come here to join us."