Here we go!

Chapter Five: Takeover
Ten Minutes Earlier at the Coruscant Battle Zone
Raynar looked around the room he and his friends stood in, not entirely sure what was going on. He, Tahiri, Sannah and Tionne stood in the Skywalker's Coruscant apartment in a circle. "So, why are we here?" Raynar asked while running his fingers through his spiky blond hair.

Tionne pointed to the ceiling-and the battle being fought above. "They need our help, Raynar. The Borg's hive mind enables them to work in total harmony with one another. Jedi battle meditation can help our side in the fight."

The four linked hands and minds. Tionne closed her silvery eyes and tilted her head up. "Reach out and lend them a hand. Bridge the gap between their minds!"

Tahiri nodded. "It's the least we can do, Raynar. Even though there's so much more…" She trailed off and glanced to the floor, her eyes half-closing.

Sannah's grip tightened. "He'll be all right, Tahiri. Anakin's too stubborn to let the Borg do anything to him."

Tahiri grinned at the Melodie. "Thanks!" she said before her mouth straightened and her brows furrowed. "Let's do this."

Raynar squelched a feeling of worry over Lusa and closed his eyes, reaching out to the space battle above. He felt bravery, anger, fear and death. His heartbeat increased and his palms sweated, but he concentrated on the disparate minds and on letting them meet each other. Work together. Fight together. Live together.

Kyp sent his X-wing into a spiraling climb, throwing off the aim of the Borg sphere and allowing him to line up a shot of his own at the starfighter. He triggered the quad lasers and blew several chunks of the grayish hull off, reducing the sphere to a crescent shape. He contacted the three members of his flight. "Ganner, Miko, Wurth, form up in diamond formation. "There's an assimilated Sacheen-class near one of the Golan Arms stations, and I think we can do some damage."

The voices of the three Jedi Knights, all once apprentices to him, came over.

"On it, Master."

"They won't know what hit them."

"My dazzling good looks will blind their sensors."

Kyp stifled a chuckle at the last one as three X-wings formed up behind him. Wurth and Ganner took their places on port and starboard respectively while Miko hung back on his six. The four X-wings moved as one, slicing through Borg sphere squadrons and taking a few of them out along the way.

After a few minutes of dogfight, they finally came upon the Sacheen-or what had become of it. Green armor plating and pulsing conduits covered the once-clean lines of the 375-meter long escort cruiser. Two tractor beams were coming from the bow and had drained off a portion of the platform's shields. Turbolaser bolts were hammering the Sacheen, but its shields were holding-even as they turned from white to yellow with every impact of the blood-red plasma bolts.

Kyp flipped a switch on his flight stick and readied the X-wings' proton torpedoes. Aim for the tractor beam emitter, he said through the Force. He waited until he was within five kilometers before thumbing the trigger, firing the torpedoes.

Two sapphire orbs shot from the underside of his X-wing, followed by six more. They hit the bow of the cruiser, burrowing through and exploding inside the armor plating, warping the bow before chunks of it blew off in fiery conflagrations.

The Golan Arms locked a dozen ion cannons onto the Sacheen and fired, followed by a volley of proton torpedoes. The bow subsequently disintegrated into a metallic mist.

Near the fore of the Borg armada, the Falcon weaved and bobbed, drawing fire while taking out weapons and tractor beam emitters with pinpoint precision. Leia glanced out the main viewport-and five seconds later, she slumped back in her chair and her brown eyes rolled into the back of her head. "No, no…NONONONONO!" she suddenly screamed, grabbing her head and convulsing.

Han's blood turned ice-cold. "Chewie, take the controls!"

The Wookiee nodded as he flipped several switches, transferring control over to his station while Han unbuckled his crash webbing and went over to his wife. "Sweetheart, what is it? What-" He suddenly got a bad, bad, bad feeling. He tapped his headset and spoke. "Anakin? Mara? Anyone?" He scowled and turned to Chewie. "Watch her."

Chewie nodded. [I shall with my life, honor brother.]

Han bolted from the cockpit and double-timed down the corridor to the access tube for the quad lasers. He oriented himself and climbed to the dorsal laser.

Anakin lay on the turret's deck plating, the young man's blue eyes squeezed shut and his face a mask of pain. "Dad, it hurts. Why did they take him?" he cried out.

Han grabbed a hold of Anakin's shoulders and shook him a bit. "Anakin, what's going on? Why did who take who?"

Anakin's eyes slowly peeled open. "Uncle Luke, Dad. The Borg assimilated Uncle Luke."

Han's breath hitched in his throat. His hands clenched and his jaw slid to the side a bit. "Are you all right?"

Anakin placed a hand on his father's forearm and spoke. "I'm fine, but Aunt Mara…"

Han didn't wait. The former smuggler exited the gunwale, grabbed hold of the ladder and slid down. He landed with a thud next to Mara-who was on the ground, curled up in the fetal position. Sobs wracked her body and tears streamed from her bloodshot eyes. "Why, why? My soul is gone my soul is gone MY SOUL IS GONE!"

Han grabbed her and patted her. "It's gonna be… all right, Red." What the hell do I do?

The Falcon suddenly shook, pitching beneath his feet. Chewie's voice came over his headset. [Several Borg spheres are attacking! We need weapons!]

Han sighed. "Sorry, Mara. I'll be right back." He stepped over her and reached the seat for the quad laser.

Before he could even power it up, a Starfleet shuttle swept in, phasers blasting. "This is Lieutenant Commander Thomas Paris of the Starfleet shuttle Delta Flyer. Are you in need of assistance?"

The former smuggled leaned back in the seat. "We have injured crewmembers, but nothing we can't handle." A lopsided grin crossed his face for a moment. "I owe you, Mister Paris."

Han could hear the grin on Paris' face as he replied "How's about a race when this is all over?"

Han grabbed hold of the control sticks as the entire assembly swung around,, targeting grids lighting up. He fried at an incoming sphere, sending out a steady stream of laser bolts, eventually collapsing its shields and ripping it apart. "Sure thing, Flyer. Let's just get through-" His words were cut off when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Han glanced back over his shoulder. "Mara?"

Mara stared down at him, green eyes dead and lifeless. "Resistance... is futile," she choked out. She clenched her hand and Han floated out of the chair, flying up and over to the bulkhead in back.

Han impacted, stars bursting in his vision and his breath leaving his body. "Mara, what the... hell..." he grunted. His arms tensed and his legs kicked, but he remained pinned to the bulkhead like a fly.

Mara walked over to him and held up her hand. She extended her index and middle finger and her arm shot out, the digits jabbing at his neck. He shuddered before his eyes closed and his head slumped forward.

Chewie's right hand gripped the controls as he sent the Falcon into a dive while his left hand jabbed at the intercom. [Honor Brother, why aren't you firing? How are the Cub and-] He stopped as he saw Leia stand back up. [Are you all right?]

Leia looked down at him with dead eyes. "You will be assimilated," she intoned, touching her old friend on the temple with two fingers. She paused slightly as he slumped over before sitting in the copilot's chair.

She glanced up as Anakin stepped into the cockpit, his face a mask. He walked over to Chewie and, with a single twist, unbuckled him from his crash webbing. The young Jedi held out his hand and the Wookiee floated out of his chair, trailing behind him.

Corellia
Hox's combadge beeped. "Sir, this is Richardson. Did Skywalker just get assimilated?"

Hox tapped his combadge as he watched the Jedi collapse. "Yeah, that's affirmative."

One of the MACOs nodded and reloaded his rifle. "Well, sir. Would you say we're simply screwed, or royally screwed?"

The Suliban turned back and saw the Borg halt their advance. As one, they looked to the sky. "We know you are there, Defiant," one of them said.

Hox swore and tapped his combadge again. "Defiant, this is Hox. We need extraction NOW!"

On the bridge of the Defiant, Tenmei turned around in her seat and addressed Admiral Sisko. "Sir, should we tell them?"

Sisko clasped his fingers together and leaned back in his chair even as twelve Borg cubes surrounded his ship. "I will, Lieutenant." He cleared his throat. "Lieutenant Hox, we're in a bit of… a situation."

On the planet, Hox's head dropped. "Understood, Defiant." He then hefted his TR-116 at the advancing drones. "Make every shot count, people!" He targeted a drone and fired, but the drone easily held up both plasma blades, deflecting away the slug. It then broke out into a run.

Hox snarled and pulled out a knife, but a single phaser beam caught the drone in the chest, sending it crumbling to the ground. The MACO's head turned slowly to the left, and his slit eyes saw a very shaky, very angry Jagged Fel, his right arm extended and was trembling, but his aim was true. "Thanks."

The other MACOs stood up and shuffled back, firing their rifles at the advancing drones. A few went down, but most of them were able to either deflect or dodge the incoming fire.

Near the Jedi, Luke stood up. His normally healthy-looking skin was ashen-gray. Both eyes were little more than blank orbs. Several implants had already sprouted on his body and bluish veins were snaking out from the initial assimilation point.

Kyle hefted himself to his knees and crawled on all fours to Luke. The rugged Jedi grabbed Luke's lags and shook him. "Luke, snap out of it! Fight them, Luke! Think of Leia, of Mara!"

The drone once known as Luke slowly tilted his head down and stared Kyle in the eyes, the internal struggle reflected for him to see.

Luke held his lightsaber up and sliced a Borg in half, then telekinetically shoved another dozen away. His blue eyes looked about the black area he stood in. Dozens of red laser scanners focused on his chest, sent by dozens of Borg drones surrounding him. He felt despair and nervousness creeping through his soul. He couldn't take all of them on at once! He dropped down to his knees as they closed in on him...

A brilliant light from above shone down, illuminating Luke and driving away the darkness. "Jump, Luke!" a familiar voice called out.

The Jedi Master nodded and tensed his legs before leaping, easily clearing the grasping drones. He flew up, up up... before his legs jerked, solid ground forming under him. He looked around in the blue haze. "Ben?" he shouted. "Ben!"

Two figures appeared in front, one his first teacher and the other in an old-style uniform. Obi-Wan Kenobi smiled and let out a shaky breath. "Good to see you're all right," he said. He motioned to the other man. "This is James Kirk, a friend of mine and former Starfleet captain."

Luke nodded as he and Jim shook hands. "Ben, is this..." He trailed off, almost afraid to voice his concerns."Am I dead?"

Jim shook his head. "Far from it. Your spirit is safe, although..."

Luke reached out and grabbed Kirk by the shoulder. "How bad?"

Jim and Ben exchanged a glance before the former held out his hand. "The Borg are using your body as a transmitter, for lack of a better term." The blue haze swirled around near his hand, parting to reveal an image of Luke's body as it sprouted implants and the Jedi around him screamed.

Luke's mouth opened, but no sound came out for a few moments. "No," he finally whispered. He finally turned to Ben and grabbed the spirit by both shoulders. "Ben, you've gotta get me back t my body so I can stop this!" he half-shouted.

"That would be unwise," a voice from behind said. Luke turned as a woman approached, gloved hand clutching a metallic staff. "If you return to your body, the Borg's reach would extend far beyond what they can already control. You must have patience, Master Skywalker."

Luke regarded her as a sense of familiarity washed over him. "I see..." He trailed off, eyebrow arching.

A mysterious smile crossed her lips. "Call me Setsuna. In another time, another life we would've already been good friends." She turned her head and locked eyes with Jim. "You will be all right?"

Jim half-smiled, took her hand and kissed it lightly. "Of course," he said before turning back to Luke. "Believe me, Luke. I know how it is to have to wait. But you have to wait for the right moment, or the Borg will dominate both galaxies."

"I know," Luke said, nodding. He suddenly rubbed his forehead and grimaced. "Mara... Leia... NO!" he shouted, eyes widening. He took a step forward, but found Jim standing there. "I have to help!"

"And you will," Ben interjected, walking over. He flashed Luke a sympathetic smile. "I know how hard it is to wait. I had to do it for nineteen years while you and Leia grew up. But sometimes-"

"I get it," Luke finally said. He sighed and looked back to the image. "But there must be something I can do!"

"There is," Setsuna said from behind. She waited until Luke turned fully before speaking with her ancient voice. "Keep vigilant. Watch over the living and be prepared. The moment to strike will come." He head tilted to the side and she nodded. "I must leave." She smiled at Jim before her body began fading.

"Wait!" Luke shouted, holding out a hand. "How will I know the moment?"

"You will know..." her voice echoed, reverberating around the land of the dead before also fading into the mists.

Jim held out a hand and a small chair appeared in the mists. He took Luke by the arm and led him over. "Even ghosts need to rest," he explained. "And floating around for eternity can get boring." He motioned to the chair. "Come on, Luke. You can't be on edge all the time."

The Jedi Master sighed, running his fingers through his tousled hair before sitting. He leaned forward as Ben walked over. "Ben, is there any chance..."

The aged Jedi nodded, smiling softly. "Yes, Luke. Anakin and Padme should be along soon. They're anxious to see you."

Luke leaned back in the chair before stopping. "Wait. Who's Padme?"

Corellia

Lusa grunted and staggered, her tricorder slipping from her hand. Trembling fingers reached into a satchel slung around her torso and she pulled out a small beeping armband. Trillions of voices assaulted her consciousness, driving her mind-driving her soul-back into a small corner of her mind as she fumbled with the device. "Help!" she cried out.

Two strong arms grabbed her. "We got you!" Richardson shouted from her left. He took the armband from Lusa and looked it over. "What do I do?"

"Attach to arm and... resistance... turn on... futile... hurry... hurry... You will be..." Her words slurred together and a greenish haze descended over her vision. A small part of her felt the elastic slip over her hand and up her arm...

A gasp escaped her lips as Richardson pressed a small button on it, the voices suddenly silenced. She held out her hand and her tricorder floated back up from the ground into her hand. "Thanks," she said, activating the scanner and running it over her. "Good. The link was severed."

"Link?" the Tellarite private to her right asked. "What link? What is that thing?"

"It projects a skintight force field mimicking ysalamiri Force bubbles," Lusa explained, digging into her satchel and pulling out another armband. "I had a feeling the Borg might try and Gamorreanback something through the Force if any of us were assimilated." She looked around, quickly locating the next closest Jedi. "Tenel Ka!" she shouted, breaking out into a gallop.

She skidded to a halt right next to the Hapan princess. Sweat poured down Tenel Ka's forehead and her eyes had rolled into the back of her head. "Futile... futile... Assimilation..." she muttered, clawing the air with her hands.

Lusa grabbed one of her flailing limbs and slipped an armband around her fingers, sliding it up to right above the attachment point of her friend's prosthetic. It flicked on and Tenel Ka's eyes cleared. "Lusa, my friend?" she asked, letting the Chironian help her to her feet. "What did you do? She asked, stumbling slightly.

Lusa swallowed. "I sorta blocked us from accessing the Force. But on the bright side, we won't be hijacked by the Collective through Master Skywalker." She looked around and gasped, digging into her satchel for more armbands and pulling out a few. "Come on!"

Tenel Ka blinked before glancing about, her hair bouncing a bit behind her. "What are they doing?" she asked, pointing to the other Jedi.

Jacen, Jaina, Zekk, Lowie and Kyle walked to Luke, drones forming a protective semi-circle around them. Several of the MACOs aimed their weapons, but a single gesture from Hox had them lower and safety them.

Luke's blank eyes swept across the group as he and the Jedi were enveloped by columns of greenish transporter beams. When the columns faded, they were gone.

Hox tapped his combadge. "Defiant, status?"

Sisko swiveled around in his seat to the tactical station. "Bowers?"

Bowers looked over his screens. "The cubes and other assimilated ships are holding position. Their power systems seem to be... in flux." He shook his head. "Probably as good a time as any to get the hell out of here."

Sisko's eyes half-closed his eyes and leaned back. "Yes... the only time. Transporter room!" he barked. "Lock on and beam them out of there."

The MACOs gathered around, rifles at the ready as drones milled about, not attacking but not letting them advance. Rifles were raised, but Hox raised a gloved hand. "Don't," he ordered. "They might not see us as a threat if we don't fire. And we can getout of here with no further trouble"

Tenel Ka glanced at him, her eyes ablaze. "Leave? But what about Jaina, Zekk or Jacen? We can't just-"

"We have no choice!" Hox barked, his slitted eyes narrowing. "We leave now or we never leave. It's hard but it's true." He abruptly straightened. "Prepare for transport."

Tenel Ka surged forward, but two MACOs grabbed her, keeping her among the Starfleet personnel. "No, nonononono!" she shouted, clawing at the air. "Let me go I have to save him LET ME GO!" she continued, even as her body was disassembled at the quantum level and beamed aboard the Defiant.

A few moments later, the small ship pirouetted on its axis, impulse engines flaring. Several assimilated ships moved into its path, but the ship's nose tilted 'up' relative to its flight axis, a stream of quantum torpedoes firing at the Frankenstein mash-ups of Defense Force hulls and Borg technology. A Carrack caught two of the cerulean missiles square in the bow, shields dropping with the first hit and the second striking hull.

A small explosion flared amongst the green and glowing Borg-implanted hull, slowing it down long enough for the Defiant's warp grids to flash, sending it into warp and relative safety.

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