Storm Shadows – Attunement:
A Star Trek Next Generation/Deep Space Nine Crossover
Chapter 21:
Around then...
Very uneasily, Captain Picard says, "Cass. Heavy sigh. This is really not a good time. Me and the other me warned you about..."
Gemma Elinor and Reia beam into the corridor: Not far from the automatic door leading into the Engineering section.
To the left, down another circling around corridor... The prototype Borg drone from earlier beams in. She stays behind a corner, ready to do battle.
Cass, Captain Picard, and Data reactively draw out their phasers.
Faintly teary...Cass insists confidently, "I know you think so, Captain. But, I got this."
Half on instinct and half on diplomacy... Captain Picard supposes, "Gemma Elinor... There's someone far worse than Section 31 on your vessel. Data and I have come to stop him. Tell us where Lore is, and we might go easy on your part in Section 31."
Gemma Elinor and Reia just laugh hard.
With a faint smile... Gemma Elinor says chillingly calm, "ok. Good try. But, I on some level like Lore: Even with his ego. And, you're still going to hell."
Reia comments, "you don't really care about Section 31 fire: You just want to free your precious Rene unopposed. Faint sigh! That diplomatic mind of yours makes me sick."
Captain Picard heavily sighs, "very well. I see talking isn't getting us anywhere." Cass comments kind of sarcastically, "well thank you, Mister Sarek."
With a very faint smile, Captain Picard comments, "actually, I find that quite a compliment."
Cass faintly rolls her eyes kind of annoyedly.
Looking much more amused now... Reia turns to her, "Cass. Laugh! Now I can destroy you by your very fire."
Cass heatedly glares back at Reia, phaser ready. She starts walking around her, phaser still ready as she gets closer to the automatic door.
Captain Picard fast walks for the then opening automatic door.
Gemma Elinor aims for him. But, Data is already standing in her way: Aiming at her.
Reia goes on, "oh, this is just too much! And, I didn't even get you...anything."
Cass starts to faintly smirk, "what's wrong, Reia? Too much holy Katra for you?"
Very uneasily...Reia realizes she can't telepathically hurt her. And, Cass just brushes off her telepathic attack.
Glaring piercingly... Gemma Elinor mutters, "Data. A strong word for just a tool of human level "happiness"."
Data reasons firmly, "I am not a instrument. However, your stuck up nature to follow artificial intelligence blinds you."
Gemma Elinor comments back, "says the one without a emotion chip."
The prototype Borg drone charges for Captain Picard.
Captain Picard fires his phaser.
But, with his faint lingering connection to the Borg... And, after months straight of fighting... The Borg have already adapted to his phaser.
The prototype Borg drone's personal force field goes up.
And...she hurls him hard into the bulkhead with a mostly human like arm.
His phaser goes flying. He's groaning hard on the floor, clutching his head in dizziness.
With her phaser back out... Captain Janeway interjects, "true. Hard cough! But, it doesn't mean he's wrong...agent Elinor."
She's barely on her feet...clutching her side and breathing hard on her second wind. She faked unconsciousness just long enough to avoid being left unconscious for real by Lore.
Behind her is a unconscious Seven and a unconscious Admiral Pressman. Some phasered off pieces of Main Engineering are still smoking.
Around then, back further out from the moon...
Two of the Borg Cubes lock on with Borg tractor beams...tractoring in fifteen Dosi battleships and a handful of Parada and Ferengi ships.
One of the Borg Cubes lets the crackling dark blue lightning destroy its tractored in ships in a fiery blaze...just before beaming all the gone pale faces of the crews in to be assimilated.
It goes to Transwarp, still crackling with some scattered dark blue lightning.
As soon as there's a opening through it all... A Borg Sphere transports out of one of the Borg Cubes in mid-Transwarp, on course for the EMH Doctor's newer mostly concrete Sphere.
But, unbeknownst to the Borg in that Borg Cube... A certain small cloaked ship dives in through the mid-transport to fire its way inside while the Borg Sphere transports through. The Borg mistake it as just a near miss from the crackling dark blue lightning.
Not long after... The Borg Cube is shot out by proton particles from the inside out.
The Borg Cube explodes...as Kellin's ship comes out at warp.
She faintly smiles in some relief.
Tom Paris in his Delta Flyer and Odo in his runabout come around to fire at the other Borg Cube...setting fire to several Borg corridors before they get shields back up.
Then though... Another Borg Sphere comes out of the remaining Borg Cube to lock on with cutting beams...through Kellin's ship's polarization cloak and the Delta Flyer and the runabout's shields.
The shields buckle. The ships shake.
Kellin's smile fades as she tries to break free, firing proton particles.
Borg shields dissipate it.
The ship's weapon systems overload: Exploding in smoke and sparks of fire.
Kellin is sent flying hard against the floor...falling unconscious with a hard groan.
Tom Paris's smile fades as he tries to break free, beaming venting drive plasma right into a cutting beam. Another though just as quickly locks on.
Odo stays mostly stoic. But...his Changeling genetic composition is starting to quickly melt before the rising heat as he starts to fall unconscious.
The Borg start to lock onto their life signs as the smoke and fire rises around them.
And, together... Even while trying to evade more incoming dark blue lightning subspace distortions at Transwarp... The Borg Sphere and the Borg Cube are locking onto the rest of the Grand Nagus's fleet...taking them for the ride.
A functioning half of one of Hugh's Spheres from earlier is coming back around at Transwarp...only to be torn into flaming pieces by two incoming lightning subspace distortions.
Around then, on the Doctor's Sphere...
The EMH Doctor is standing at a Engineering resembling Borg panel.
Over communications via the Borg panel... Hannah Bates checks, "we're one hundred fifty kilometers off and on course. Are you ready, Doctor?"
A Borg Viewscreen off to the side shows the coming wave of the Pah-Wraiths and the coming about Borg Sphere...getting closer and closer.
The Borg Sphere goes to slingshot itself around the Doctor's Sphere with cutting beams...as its shields are already starting to burn before the Pah-Wraith flames.
With some mixed feelings... The EMH Doctor reports, "personally? No. But, I'm ready."
Hannah Bates concludes, "all right. We can all go grieve later. Uneasy sigh. Just one situation at a time, Doctor."
The EMH Doctor solemnly adds, "acknowledged."
And, as the EMH Doctor's Sphere's shields begins to burn before the Pah-Wraith flames... He interfaces himself with the Borg panel...sending out a massive neuro-electric surge.
The shields warp around in a wave of bright gray and sharp blue neuro-electrical sparks, like a cosmic black glass bubble fracturing and striking back at the cosmic hands of fate that created it.
The Borg Sphere freezes. Its mostly green lights go dim...as every Borg drone onboard is rendered unconscious against their sparking half frozen half fluctuating Borg alcoves.
The wave of Pah-Wraiths scream...as they double over in their fading fire before the neuro-electric sparks and a wave of incoming lightning subspace distortions.
Not long before, with Tyrik's Delta Flyer...
Pah-Wraith flames laugh and crackle around the cockpit. But, Tyrik and Endri determinedly stay the course: Keeping their eyes on the controls.
Then though... Orrak's face appears in their minds. And, they can't just look away from the depths of his flames: Surrounded by floating orbs of carved out faces of Cardassian Guls old and new and Pah-Wraith laughter.
With a dark teary glare... Orrak thinks out loud, "you may have been clever, Tyrik. But, in a new Cardassia, there is no soft Starfleet compassion: Only the state and the state of mind for cold hard order. The Obsidian Order. You could have been a great Cardassian. It could have been in my power to give. But, you are not for the state. And so, I will destroy you and Endri along with every Starfleet softie in the universe."
Tyrik and Endri both look teary eyed, with a sympathetic hand on each other's.
After a bit... Tyrik thinks back, "I have experienced worse by your hands. Try it!"
Orrak grabs him and Endri by the throats...his Pah-Wraith flames running down his arms for them.
With mixed amusement, Orrak comments, "stubborn to the end. All right. Goodbye, Tyrik and End...ri."
Soon after though... The screams of the Pah-Wraiths pierce through: Shattering the floating orbs into glass shards.
Orrak doubles back, groaning hard and clutching his side before the shards.
He reactively lets go. Tyrik and Endri just as quickly get up.
Orrak demands, "what... Hard cough! ...what is this?!"
Endri smirks and slightly chuckles, knowing what that means.
Tyrik mutters coldly, "I know better than to give in now. Damn you and your state of mind, Orrak."
In sudden realization at his plan... Orrak cries out, "no! !"
His mental image vaporizes. All the Pah-Wraiths vaporize in their cries and fading out flames.
Out in the physical... Tyrik and Endri come to.
The Pah-Wraith flames are vaporizing around them.
Tyrik's Delta Flyer pulls high up and back around...seconds before it dives unpiloted into a lightning subspace distortion.
Around then, back on the Doctor's Sphere...
With a faint smile... Hannah Bates reports in relief, "the Pah-Wraiths and the Borg Sphere are gone. We did it."
The EMH Doctor concludes, "well done, Miss Bates. Now, let's..."
Suddenly... Borg Minuet comes whirling around...punching his mobile emitter hard from the side.
The EMH Doctor fluctuates, doubling over.
Over communications... Hannah Bates calls out in concern, "are you there, Doctor? Doctor!"
Looking nervous and yet cold at the same time... Borg Minuet voices in a cold chime, "sorry we won't get to dance, EMH. You're a good slow dancer, with a remarkable tone when it comes to danger. But, your hindrance to the Borg is at a end."
With it all...the EMH Doctor looks fairly unsure what to make of her.
Borg Minuet tries to put her assimilation tubules through the holographic projecting part of The EMH Doctor's mobile emitter. But, the EMH Doctor side steps.
He's reactively grabbing her human arm...shielding himself from her assimilation tubules.
To the EMH Doctor's somewhat nervous relief... Borg Minuet withdraws her assimilation tubules.
In seconds though... Borg Minuet unnaturally whirl bends her android arm over her other arm to suddenly launch longer assimilation tubules from both hands...binding the EMH Doctor's holographic arms together as though they were physically human.
Hannah Bates fast walks her way down, holding a salvaged Romulan disrupter.
With a very faint uneasy smile... The EMH Doctor hits on something, "Minuet. You were once programmed by Bynars, and yet you've surpassed binary thinking when you met Commander William Riker."
That makes Borg Minuet hesitate...just as she's about to slam him by the mobile emitter to permanently deactivate him.
Sounding more human...she asks, "you know Riker?"
Solemnly... The EMH Doctor reflects, "B'Elanna met him once while fighting the Borg, and B'Elanna told me. Moderate sigh. Regrettably, that was the last time the Maquis saw him. Before that, she told me his greatest regrets were losing Starfleet, Deanna...and you. But, you're active. You can surpass a computer: You can surpass the Borg. Please, Minuet...try: For Will."
Borg Minuet is getting teary eyed. The binding is loosening fast.
Across the Borg Collective... Almost all the voices say at once, "disconnect secondary Borg Queen. Initiate electrical discharge from secondary Borg Queen and self destruct."
But, at the same time... Minuet's persona starts to burn above The Borg Collective's rings of fire...climbing high in the blackened sky of her mind.
The Borg Collective's voices crackle like a dying fire...as the sun rises and brings the clear blue back into the sky.
Minuet lightly dances around more and more binary code...reaching two faintly familiar and faintly slowly becoming vibrant voices.
The other voices of the Borg Collective scream and retreat...back into the fading binary clouds. And, Minuet smiles bittersweetly to herself.
Across a assimilated and nervous looking Lieutenant Barclay's specially made Bynar resembling cranial implants under his Borg implants... Across a fairly recently assimilated and heatedly glaring Jack's Borg implants... They see the sky in Minuet's mind.
With but their thoughts and cranial implants... They command the Borg fleet in the Delta Quadrant, the Borg Queen Vessel Borg Barclay has been onboard on all this while, and the Jem'Hadar Tactical Borg Sphere Jack's on including the Jem'Hadar Borg onboard to stand down and await new orders.
Some of Hugh's resistance and some of the EMH Doctor's resistance help Hugh and others to their feet, after punching away the frozen still Borg drones about to finish them.
But, just as quickly... Across the Borg Collective... Almost all the voices say, "initiate primary override subcommand. Initiate silent self destruct of the inefficient vessels."
And, across both Quadrants... The Grand Nagus Zek's fleet, The EMH Doctor's resistance, Nog's crew on the USS Defiant, Endri and Tyrik... They don't know what's coming.
Around then, back on the Borg Queen vessel...
Some of the Borg drones suddenly beam over to Borg Pods.
Having recently beamed over... The two Andorians are caught by surprise by the beam outs and beamed to some themselves: No doubt for a swift assimilation.
With few remaining Borg drones restraining them... Past Chakotay and Past Kathryn punch their way free...stunning them against the floor before they too are beamed away.
Worriedly, Past Kathryn calls out, "come on, Chakotay! We only got one more shot."
They go for their bows and arrows without a second thought...when they're about to be beamed into empty Borg Pods for imminent assimilation.
Around then, back on the USS Pegasus...
Turning away from Gemma Elinor and Captain Janeway... Data now notices the prototype Borg drone.
Data tackles the prototype Borg drone to the wall. But, she backhand punches him back.
Even with a hard battered and half cutting out android head though...Data doesn't let go. And, their momentum brings them to the ground as they try to tackle each other.
Captain Picard is slowly but surely getting back to his feet...leaning against the edge of the doorframe for support as he walks on into the Main Engineering section.
Sounding impressed... Gemma Elinor inquires, "you knew?"
She's getting out her phaser.
With a faint sharp glare... Captain Janeway explains, "not exactly: Seven started to suspect you were a agent of Section 31 with how quickly it took for us to find the Doctor. Besides, the all black uniform and your confession will do just as nicely."
With a piercing glare... Gemma Elinor remarks, "then it's time your time back from the Delta Quadrant is cut short."
With some mixed feelings... Captain Janeway remarks back, "oh, we never left. I'm sort of grateful you likely kept the Doctor's mobile emitter away from the Time Police. But, only one of us can come home. And, I know who you really work for. So, I don't think it'll be you."
Captain Janeway and Gemma Elinor fire phasers at each other. But, they tumble duck out of the way of the other's phaser fire.
Crouched on the ground... Gemma Elinor quickly reaches for some nano-spatial charges with her other hand...throwing them at her.
Captain Janeway gets up...just as the charges go off.
She's knocked back hard...against the smoke and the edge of a blown off automatic door.
As Reia is getting out a Bat'leth... She mutters super furiously, "you *****...!"
Almost pitifully... Cass comments, "oh, my god: Give it a rest, evil Katra."
Reia is charging with her Bat'leth at her.
But, just as quickly... Cass fires her phaser at Reia.
She goes down hard, Bat'leth still in her hands.
Cass makes a run for it through the blown off automatic door...heading right for a Jefferies tube in the back of what's left of Main Engineering. It just closed shut.
Data and the prototype Borg drone are trying to tackle each other, catching each other's fists.
The prototype Borg drone side kicks him off, side flipping over him to break free.
They both tumble to the ground.
But, on the ground for some brief seconds... As Data starts to get to his feet... The prototype Borg drone hesitates.
She faintly remembers blurs of being on the USS Enterprise: Of ghostly cocoon like gaps in the space-time continuum between a unusual preponderance of dark matter on a mostly black and white grid, of her usual mostly tied back and braided down blond hair while on duty...and a certain android by the name of Data sitting in his quarters before Lieutenant D'Sora's faintly teary eyes.
As she gets up... It just as quickly goes away. But, her eyes are faintly teary.
Data pauses with uncertainty. So does she.
And, across the Borg Collective... Almost all the voices say at once, "disconnect the prototype drone. Initiate electrical discharge from prototype drone and self destruct."
Around then...
Lore is standing in a Jefferies tube junction, rapidly pressing some buttons on the mostly gray console.
He gets a transporter lock on himself...preparing to beam to his mostly jet black red lined and blocky Interwarp ready shuttle.
Then though... Lore pauses...decloaking himself.
He faintly laughs...slightly turning to Cass.
With some sick amusement... Lore comments, "half Q, all repulsive human. I should have known you'd come looking for revenge for what I did to your little friend."
With her phaser still out... Cass glares heatedly back at him.
She says, "oh, don't get me wrong: I'd sure like to take you down for the good of the Federation. But, if you want to keep your damn life...you'll tell me what you did to the cosmos. I saw many visions in that huge distortion. You didn't even tell them. Faint laugh. Come on, Lore. I thought you'd fit right in with "eugenically minded" agent demons from hell."
Lore laughs bitterly.
Lore concludes lowly, "me: Have compassion for a human? I never really had it. You're right: I didn't tell Section 31. But, it doesn't matter now: You're too late! Once I get in my shuttle...I leave this universe destroyed, and I get to go back to mine without a single repulsive human to stop me. Once I make it, it'll be too late for even my dear brother Data to find me."
Interestingly... Cass darkly chuckles hard.
Lore glares piercingly, "what is so amusing? I have set this universe on the path to its own demise, Cass! You and all the other wastes of life here are about to lose everything. There's nothing left for you to go back to."
With a serious tone... Cass pinpoints, "if so, then you've destroyed the multiverse. I don't believe I'm saying this myself. But... Moderate sigh. Lore, unless you help me put it all back together...we all are going to be blasted away by the cosmos. I know even you, a demon android, wouldn't just stand for that."
Lore mutters back, "you're lying."
Sounding slightly amused with herself... Cass challenges, "am I? Or, are you too happy with your devil work or your own reflection to see that I'm right?"
Lore turns back to the console, pressing more keys to remotely start up his shuttle.
Lore figures determinedly, "well, I don't believe you. You're merely desperately trying to get me to travel back through time to erase my greatest accomplishments with Interwarp so you don't have to "do the dirty work". But, it's not going to...work."
He's beaming over to his shuttle...when a brilliant flash of mirrory dark bluish and light bluish light is cast over the entire universe.
The Outer Rim, a Dyson Sphere, Borg Environmental Probes across the quadrants, scattered debris fields from months ago full of mostly brown and blackish radiation filled derelict ships, scattered Klingon Birds-Of-Prey... It reaches them all.
Then, like stars at warp... A rainfall of darkly cast brilliance is falling up of dark blue lightning subspace distortions...one last time.