AJedi32-Thank you. :) The first section was supposed to be a bit aimless, actually. To avoid most crossover cliches. Glad it might be epic and thanks for reading. :D

Here we go!

Chapter Six: Holding

Coruscant, Shield Station 47-Beta

Technicians and other workers milled about inside the cavernous control center inside one of the forty-eight shield projectors on Coruscant. A Duros stopped in front of a holo-projector mounted on a desk. "Borg cubes are approaching our sector," he announced. "Make sure all capacitors are charged and power reserves stable. I want-"

A silver-haired humanoid appeared next to him, arm outstretched. "Resistance is futile," Tionne said, telekinetically shoving him several meters back and skidding across the durasteel floor.

The Duros stopped near a pair of security personnel. "Hey!" one shouted, raising her BlasTech E-15 blaster rifle. "What's-" She never finished her sentence, as a lithe blond crept up behind her and touched her and her partner on the back of the neck.

"Main guard force on outer perimeter taken out," she reported. "Raynar inbound."

A few moments later, a pewter-colored plasma blade stabbed through a durasteel wall, slicing a circular plug in it. The plug shot out, impacting and skidding across the floor for several meters, leaving a trough in it. Raynar stepped through the hole, dead eyes surveying the interior. He strode up to Tionne and Tahiri, nodding once.

The trio turned to the technicians still inside the shield generator and began advancing, lightsabers ignited. The technicians scattered, running and screaming.

Tionne sat down at a console and her fingers danced over the controls. Instructions and diagrams flowed across her eyes, telling her exactly how to power down the shield generator and lock it out from outside interference. The machinery around her powered down, humming and rattling subsiding. A hologram appeared in front of her, hovering above the console. "Warning: Shield failure."

Tionne stood back up and faced Raynar and Tahiri. All three disappeared in a swirl of green energy, transported away.

Home One, Coruscant battle zone

"All ships, fall back into range of planet-based turbolasers!" Ackbar barked. His eyes swiveled around, taking in two screens at once. "The Borg are advancing along-"

"Sir, planetary shield failure above the imperial palace and transporter activity detected!" a sensor officer suddenly shouted from aft. He turned from his station, eyes wide.

Ackbar's chair swiveled around, mouth agape. "How?" One eye locked onto a communications officer. "Get me the Enterprise!"

A half-second later, a static-laced image of Picard appeared in front of Ackbar. Slight bits of smoke curled about, but for the most part the bridge looked intact. "Admiral," he said, "I assume you're calling about the transporter activity. Three people were beamed off Coruscant to one of the cubes."

Ackbar nodded. "Yes, Captain. Although we weren't aware of that bit. Tell me, do you have any insight into what the Borg are going to do?"

Picard glanced to the side and closed his eyes. "Retreat," he finally said. "No, not retreat. Withdrawal." His eyes flew open again. "They will withdraw-for now. I suggest you do not follow, though. Your forces are no match for them at the moment."

A sigh escaped Ackbar's mouth. "The tide is rough, and our hulls are weak. Very well." He motioned for the connection to be cut. "All ships, stand firm and get into formation alpha-gamma one. I repeat, alpha-gamma-one."

The Defense Force vessels broke off from their engagements, turning as their ion engines fired, sending them back to Coruscant. The cubes and other assimilated vessels floated in the void for a moment before they moved off.

One unassimilated freighter and two X-wing fighters flew into the Borg's midst. The Millennium Falcon, Kyp Durron's X-wing and Ganner Rhysode's X-wing approached the side of one cube, matching speed and course. A comparatively tiny hatch opened up, allowing the three ships to enter. Two X-wings danced around on the extreme edge of the Borg fleet before breaking off, their maneuvers sharp and almost angry.

A few minutes later, the Borg armada vanished into transwarp, its mission complete.

War zone between Federation and Romulan territory

The Titan bucked and heaved. "Evasive maneuvers!" Riker barked. He glanced to his right. "Anything?"

Deanna's eyes widened. "Aili!" she half-shouted. "Full impulse ahead!"

The Selkie nodded, the motion somewhat obscured by the helmet she wore. "Aye," she said, hands inputting commands.

The Titan shot forward, phasers and torpedoes firing. One approached, attempting to lock on a shield-draining tractor beam but missing completely. One phaser beam carved a long, shallow trench in the hull. Quantum torpedoes hit the rent in the armor, detonating internally and ripping out huge chunks of hull.

"Nice call," Aili said, smiling.

Deanna nodded, but suddenly stopped. Her eyes grew wide and she shot to her feet. "Master Skywalker, no!" she yelled. The Betazoid Jedi stumbled forward, tapping her neck below the carotid artery.

Christine Vale grabbed her arm. "Sit down, Will," she said as she spied her captain out of the corner of her eye. "The ship needs you and the fleet needs the Titan."

Deanna breathed through her nose, letting it out through her mouth. "She's right," she said, shoulders sagging. "That was... intense."

Admiral Ross stepped away from the tactical console. "Commander, what about Master Skywalker?"

"He's been assimilated," she said, turning to face him. "And there's more. Several other Jedi seem to be... infected with the Collective's hive mind, for lack of a better term."

Riker stood up in alarm. "What about you?" he asked, crossing the distance in two long strides. He placed a hand on his wife's forearm. Imzadi?"

"Not me," she assured him. "Besides, you'd know through our link." Deanna straightened up and smoothed out her uniform. "Although perhaps it'd be best if I refrain from using-Aili, full stop!"

The ship lurched slightly as braking thrusters kicked in, the inertial dampers slightly behind. The Titan hung in space, relatively motionless.

Borg cubes and assimilated ships suddenly halted their advances, stopping in mid-fight. Several were destroyed, but the rest suddenly reversed course, retreating back into Romulan territory.

Ross stood there with his mouth hanging open. "What's going on?" He looked to Tuvok. "Get me the rest of the fleet commanders. This changes everything!"

USS Johnston, near Galorndon Core

Captain Sito Fora gripped his command seat's armrests as the Saber-class ship trembled, warp core pushed beyond the limits. "Status?" the middle-aged Bajoran shouted above the din.

"Leonidas has just been destroyed," his first officer reported, reading from a PADD. Sparks flew from a station and smoke drifted in the air, but she continued as if it was normal operations. "The IKS Koj and WoBa are moving in to seal the gap, but both of them are damaged themselves. The Eisenhower, the Chiune Sugihara and the Eugeniusz Plawski are holding position near the far side of the system, and are tied up with a group of cubes, but they're holding the line. The Gambier Bay is moving off under its own power, recovering fighters and runabouts." She suddenly swore. "Now cubes moving in on Bay's position!"

"Move to cover," Fora ordered. "Draw their fire from Gambier Bay."

The first officer looked over at him for a moment before nodding. "Aye, sir," she said. "Sir, it's been an honor."

Fora grinned slightly. "And with you."

The Johnston wheeled about, stumpy nacelles flashing as it warped across the system, covering light-minutes in seconds. It slowed to a comparative crawl as Borg cubes loomed, one almost casually destroying a crippled Ambassador-class starship.

"Ready all phasers and quantum torpedoes," Fora barked. "All power to shields and stand by for-"

"Sir!" the tactical officer barked from his station at aft starboard, "Borg ships are retreating!"

"Onscreen!"

The image changed to show the small group of Borg cubes. They halted their advance before suddenly moving off in the other direction. The image flickered and changed to a shot of Galorndon Core from the 'north', showing Borg cubes leaving the system and warping back across the Neutral Zone.

For a slowly climbed out of his chair and stood, jaw slack and eyes wide. "By the Prophets," he muttered. "They're getting away!"

Bastion

The ISS Chimaera shuddered as three Borg cubes approached the battered star destroyer. One to port, one to starboard and one directly in front of the dagger-like bow. An assimilated Strike-class cruiser hung overhead, energy-draining tractor beam latched onto the last protection the Chimaera had-her dorsal energy shields.

Pellaeon stood on the bridge, hunched over and looking out the main viewport. The screams of the dying echoed from the crew pits and all around as his beloved ship shuddered. Smoke curled in the air and sparks shot from various panels and consoles. He turned and spat out a mouthful of blood before speaking. "Ready ramming speed," he said, his voice raw.

The Chimaera suddenly stopped shaking, save for occasional course adjustments that the overstressed inertial dampers couldn't compensate for. "What's going on?" he asked, looking around blearily.

Captain Dorja emerged from the crew pit, one arm bandaged and hanging limply by her side. "According to the last sensor technician, the Borg are moving off, pulling out from Bastion and back to their conquered territory."

Pellaeon turned bleary eyes to the main viewport. He stumbled over as the three cubes and assimilated chip broke off, moving away and warping out of the Bastion System. "Contact Yaga Minor and get me a situation report," he said. "And then contact Coruscant."

Chaos reigned in the Collective as half-buried subroutines and programs, buried under code and directives for five millennia resurfaced. That which the Collective had been searching for, which superseded the Omega Molecule, assimilation and their drive for perfection had been found.

New directives were written, overriding everything in the Collective. The new captures were given priority over everything else. The Unicomplex-heart of the Collective and the closest thing to a capital-was readied.

One Borg sat, her mission so close to completion. She wore a black, form-fitting bodysuit with armored plating, accenting rather than hiding her figure. Her left arm was still clearly organic, augmented with external servos, armor plating and micro-shield generators. Her right arm below the elbow was a bulky, grasping claw with a short disruptor barrel peeking out between the pincers. Long, brown hair with onyx-black cables laced through trailed down to the small of her back. The exposed skin on her face, neck and collarbone was pale, with greenish mottling showing the effects of the nanoprobes in her body. A single scanner covered her right eye, with metallic tendrils branching out down her cheek and over her otherwise unblemished left eye.

Queen Jaina, the true Queen of the Borg Collective, rose from her throne, cables detaching from her spinal column and snaking back into the chair. She cocked her head to the side. "Yes, yes. Bring them all here. It has been so long since I've seen my family." She nodded twice. "And continue assimilation of Species 15673. They will enhance the Collective and add to our perfection..."

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