20

Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes

"In the long run mistaken good inevitably gives rise to unmistakable evil."

-Aristotle, The Politics, IV, xii

=/\=

Axum watched the screen in front of him anxiously. He and his comrades had been tracking the Collective's movements for two days, and the Borg were definitely up to something. They had been amassing several ships in one location, and it appeared as though they were getting ready to move towards Earth. As he watched, he ran a hand through his new hair, amazed at how fast it was growing. It had been years since he had been able to run his hand through his hair, except in the dreamworld of Unimatrix Zero, and the sensation filled him with wonder. He brushed his fingers over his face, the side that was skin now, and shivered as little goosebumps formed along his cheek. The Doctor was operating on Laura now and had promised to help any of Axum's group that wanted their implants removed. He heard a sound behind him - footsteps, not the shuffling of Borg feet, and turned to see Annika in front of him.

"Has the Collective's activity changed?" she asked.

"Not in the last hour. Here, come join me." He pulled her into his lap, her flesh soft against his. He flexed the fingers in his new hand, entwining them with hers.

"This is hardly proper conduct while on duty," she admonished him.

"I guess not," Axum replied with a grin, "but I am the captain. What I say, goes, doesn't it?"

Seven frowned. "On Voyager, Captain Janeway believed that protocol was essential in running the ship - particularly protocol that governed... intimate relations."

"Well, this isn't Voyager, is it?" Axum's comment was lighthearted. Nothing could spoil his humor today.

Suddenly, movement on the screen caught their attention. "The Collective is entering a transwarp conduit," said Seven, standing up and moving to another console.

"I'm calculating their trajectory," Axum said, but then a confused expression came over his face. "They're not heading towards Earth."

"No. Check the long range sensors."

After a moment, Axum saw what Seven was referring to. "A massive movement of ships and life signs near Br'nai."

"Yes. Something there has interested the Collective enough to change their course. We should intercept them."

Axum grimaced. "We don't know what to expect from the Borg, Seven. It's likely that they've improved their weapon by now. Our torpedoes might not be effective against it anymore."

"We will adapt."

"We won't have much choice. Helm, set a course for Br'nai and engage at transwarp."

...

Harry slammed his palm against the console in frustration. Their efforts to find a way to stop V'tan's mind control continued to come up short. "Damn it! None of this works."

"Relax, Harry," said Geordi, laying a supportive hand on the younger man's shoulder. "We'll figure it out. We just need to keep looking."

"Okay," Kim replied, taking a deep breath. "Think, Harry. Have you ever had to deal with a situation like this before?"

Kim was talking to himself but suddenly Geordi went very still. "You may not have," he said, "but I have." Harry looked over at him, eyes wide, as Geordi called up a file on the monitor in front of him. "Stardate 45208.2. The Ktarians tried to take over the Enterprise by controlling us through a game they had given Commander Riker. It was a form of mind control."

"How did you break it?"

"Data initiated an optical burst pattern which disrupted the mind controlling effects of the game. I wonder if we could use something similar here."

"I'm not sure I know enough about brain waves to determine what pattern would work."

"Me neither. But I know someone who does." Geordi tapped the comm panel in front of him. "Dr. Crusher, please report to engineering."

"On my way." A few minutes later, Beverly Crusher walked in the door. "Have you found something?"

"We think so," Harry replied, and he and Geordi shared their findings with the doctor.

"I think you're onto something here," she said, working out the puzzle in her mind, "but it will be a little more involved than a simple optical burst pattern. We're dealing with one being controlling another's mind, not just a piece of technology whose function has to be disrupted."

"What are you thinking?" Geordi asked.

"Transcranial alternating current stimulation. It uses electrodes to modulate rhythmic brain activity, combined with flickering lights that modify the alpha and beta brain waves. I think I could devise a way to use it to disrupt the ambassador's telepathic activity."

"How would we administer the treatment?" asked Harry.

"That would be the trick, Mr. Kim. Someone would need to get very close to the ambassador and place a device on the back of his neck, then administer the light pulse."

Geordi shook his head slowly. "Something tells me that Ambassador V'tan won't be a very willing patient."

Harry's face lit up as he thought of a plan. "I can do it, sir."

...

The Great Hall stretched almost a kilometer, and Tuvok studied the golden decor, trying to understand as much as he could about the Br'nai. They seemed to have great reverence for position and authority, and their society had many formal customs. Tuvok, Dr. Davidson, and Ensign Ashmore waited quietly under R'fet's watchful eye as two other members of the Royal Guard stood nearby.

The emperor entered the chamber, and the guards pressed their palms together and bowed. "My Emperor," they said in unison. The away team followed their example and bowed as well.

Ch'a'fen approached Tuvok. "Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, why have you sought this audience with me?"

"Your Majesty, I am here investigating a large sum of gold pressed latinum that was transferred from a bank here to the account of a Bajoran man named Piva Ondarra."

"My citizens are free to distribute their wealth however they desire."

"We have linked Piva to the recent terrorist bombings in Paris and have reason to suspect that he was paid to frame members of the Maquis in those bombings."

Ch'a'fen frowned and motioned for Tuvok to follow him down the hall, away from the others. "Are you implying that one of my people had something to do with those bombings?"

"There does appear to be a connection, but I will not make any suppositions until I complete my investigation."

"Our financial records are not available to outsiders."

"The security of the Federation may be at stake. If there is a terrorist on your world, he may not stop at Paris."

Ch'a'fen pursed his lips and avoided the Vulcan's gaze. "I need to contact Ambassador V'tan." He started to move away, but Tuvok's voice stopped him.

"Ambassador V'tan has been manipulating you, Emperor."

Ch'a'fen stopped dead in his tracks and turned around slowly, his black eyes flashing. "What did you say?"

"Due to a birth defect that affects his frontal lobe, Ambassador V'tan has developed telepathic abilities that allow him to manipulate others' thoughts and actions."

The emperor's face reddened as Tuvok spoke, and when he found his voice again, he was shaking with anger. "How dare you? V'tan and I have been friends since childhood. He would never do anything to harm me or this world."

"I can show you the evidence."

"It's a lie! A vicious lie!"

"I have no reason to lie to you." Tuvok remained perfectly calm.

"V'tan is my closest friend." The emperor seemed close to tears. "He would never manipulate me. I've acted of my own free will. Together, he and I will usher in a new era for Br'nai."

"Emperor, allow me to help you look at the matter logically." Ch'a'fen fixed Tuvok with an icy gaze but seemed willing to listen. "Consider all the evidence. Money was transferred from an account here to Piva Ondarra, who had contact with the Maquis accused of the bombing only days before it occurred. Ondarra admitted to his cousin that he was sent by his employer to frame the Maquis. But that is not all. Were you aware of Admiral Janeway's imprisonment?"

"No."

"That is another thing Ambassador V'tan kept from you."

"V'tan didn't know about it until after the fact. It was all M'hel, him and his crazy experiments."

Tuvok continued, ignoring the emperor's outburst. "And when the Borg engaged the Federation near here, you were told that your forces were unable to join in the fight because of a malfunction in your launch pad. Correct?"

"Yes."

Tuvok produced a PADD he'd been holding behind his back and handed it to the emperor. "As you can see, you were misinformed. There was no malfunction."

"V'tan told me about this filth," Ch'a'fen spat, handing the PADD back to Tuvok. "This is fake."

"I assure you, Emperor, it is quite real." At that moment, the ground began to shake with a low rumble.

Tuvok glanced at the emperor, who had suddenly become very pale. "No," he whispered.

"Sir, we should return to the ship," Davidson urged.

"Your Highness, do you know what is causing this disturbance?" Tuvok asked.

Before Ch'a'fen had a chance to reply, the rumbling increased to a deafening roar, and through the windows of the Great Hall, they saw fighter after fighter ascend into the sky.

"Where did those ships originate?" Tuvok asked.

"I didn't know," Ch'a'fen said softly, deflated. "I honestly didn't know." The emperor looked up at Tuvok, eyes wide. "Is it possible you could be right?" The rumbling had stopped; all the fighters had ascended into the sky. "M'hel has been working for years to develop a genetically enhanced army. I didn't know he had succeeded. V'tan said M'hel had developed a new weapon..." He paused, trying to puzzle something out. "M'hel could have launched them on his own. He's always been so arrogant... No, no. He wouldn't have done it without V'tan's permission." Ch'a'fen's eyes widened as the full impact of understanding hit him. "Why wouldn't he tell me? Why wouldn't V'tan tell me? I'm his best friend; we're like brothers." He looked up at Tuvok, eyes pleading. "It doesn't make sense. I can't understand." He sank to his knees, clutching his head as if in terrible pain. "No. Don't... understand. Can't be..."

R'fet rushed to the emperor's side. "Your Majesty!" He looked at Tuvok accusingly. "What have you done to him?"

"I can assure you, I have done nothing to harm him."

Dr. Davidson approached. "Let me scan him. Maybe I can help."

"He was fine until you arrived," R'fet accused. "What did you do to him?"

"We didn't do anything to him," Davidson reiterated. "Please, let me try to help."

The emperor clutched his head, curled in a fetal position on the floor, murmuring, "No. It can't be true. It's not possible."

R'fet looked from the fallen emperor to Tuvok to the doctor, his mind racing. If he allowed the strangers to help when they really were the ones causing the emperor's condition, he would be responsible. On the other hand, if they could help, and he denied them the chance, he would be responsible for that, too. Making his choice, the guard backed away from the crumpled man on the floor and gestured to the doctor. "Go ahead."

Quickly, Davidson knelt beside the mumbling emperor, scanning his body with a medical tricorder. "Somehow, V'tan's manipulations have rewritten his neural pathways. He may not be able to consider a possibility that goes against what V'tan would want him to think."

"Can you help him?" R'fet asked.

"Maybe if we get him back to Voyager. But the procedure could take hours, and there would be no guarantee of success."

Tuvok knelt next to the emperor. "You must recall the army."

"No," he said haltingly. "I... can't."

"Do you wish for them to destroy Voyager and risk starting a war with the Federation?"

"Can't... answer..."

"I'm reading elevated norepinephrine levels and decreased synaptic activity." The doctor looked at Tuvok with concern. "We have to get him back to Voyager."

"You're not taking him anywhere!" cautioned R'fet, one hand reaching for his weapon.

Tuvok surveyed the situation, weighing many factors at once, and swiftly reached a decision. He held up his hand, calming the guard. "I will attempt a mind meld with the emperor."

"Commander," Davidson cautioned, "we have no idea what the danger would be to you or to him."

"I am aware of that, Doctor, but we have no time. Perhaps I can help the emperor find his way back to himself."

"Is this safe?" R'fet asked nervously.

The Vulcan fixed the guard with a steady gaze. "I may be able to help your emperor. If no one does anything, he will die." R'fet nodded his assent.

"I strongly object to this procedure," said Davidson, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Your objection is noted, Doctor." Tuvok pressed his fingers to the side of the emperor's contorted face. "My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts..."

...

Hundreds of identical soldiers marched out of the cavern, and Ayala, Chakotay and Mei followed silently, trying to remain out of sight. Chakotay got a glimpse of their vacant, empty eyes and wondered whether they were even capable of noticing the three intruders. The soldiers continued to march until they reached a docking bay filled with small fighters. There were at least fifty ships, each manned with three of the clones. The remaining soldiers stood at attention, as if awaiting orders. The ground began to shake as the fighters took off.

Mei had shrunk back into the nearest tunnel, frightened by the loud rumbling. Chakotay noticed this and motioned to Ayala to follow him. The three of them retreated into the caverns, finding a place far enough away from the docking bay that they no longer had to yell over the din. Mei was shaking. "What is happening, Cha-ko-tay?"

"I don't know, Mei. But if Dr. M'hel created this army, I think it's a safe bet that he's the one commanding them now." He tapped his comm badge. "Chakotay to Voyager." Static. He tried again with the same result. "Damn! The shields around the compound must be interfering with our communicators. Mike, I need you to go back to the transport site and warn Voyager."

"Okay, boss. What about you?"

"I'm going to find out who or what is controlling this army."

"I can help you," offered Mei, who had regained her composure. "I know some of the tunnels that lead to Dr. M'hel's secret lab."

"Are you sure, Mei?" She nodded resolutely.

Ayala put a firm hand on Chakotay's shoulder. "Good luck," he said. The two men exchanged a long glance, and then Mike turned and started off for the transport site at a swift pace.

When Ayala had disappeared into the cavern, Chakotay turned to Mei. "All right. Let's find Dr. M'hel."

For a moment, Mei's face filled with fear at the prospect of facing the evil doctor again, but then she strengthened her resolve. "Yes. We will find him and we will stop him."

...

Voyager's bridge was quiet, but the air was thick with anticipation. Janeway absently stroked the armrests of the command chair. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, turning to her console to examine it for the fifth time in as many minutes. There had been no report yet from either Chakotay or Tuvok.

Suddenly, Andrews spoke with alarm, "I'm picking up several small craft on short range sensors."

"What sort of craft, Lieutenant?"

"I don't know. I've never seen this configuration before. They appear to be taking off from the planet."

"Hail them," Janeway ordered.

B'Elanna had taken Tuvok's position at tactical in his absence. "Channel open," she said.

"Br'nai vessels, this is... This is the starship Voyager. Please state your intention."

"No response," said Torres. Suddenly, a blast rocked Voyager's bridge. "They're firing on us with some sort of energy weapon!"

"I guess that's their response. Evasive maneuvers, Tom!" Janeway ordered as another blast hit Voyager. "Engage ablative hull armor."

"Hull armor engaged," Andrews reported.

Suddenly, a garbled sound came over the comm. "B'Elanna, can you clear that up?" Janeway asked.

"I'm on it."

A moment later, they heard distinctly, "Ayala to Voyager."

"Mike, report!"

"There's a fleet of Br'nai ships headed your way. There are hundreds of soldiers down here, maybe even thousands. We think M'hel has created some sort of army of clones. Chakotay went to look for the command center. He..." Ayala's voice suddenly cut off, and they heard a shuffle, then weapons fire.

"Mike!" Janeway shouted. "Mike!" But the comm line was dead.

"We've got four more of those Br'nai ships headed our way," said B'Elanna.

Janeway grimaced, putting Ayala out of her mind for the moment. There was nothing she could do for him right now. "Tom, prepare to execute an L-4 maneuver. Pull up on the z-axis on my mark." She waited until the enemy ships were a little closer. "Mark!" Voyager pulled up swiftly, made a full circle, and dropped back into place behind the Br'nai ships. "Fire at will!"

"One of the Br'nai ships has been destroyed," Torres reported. "We've disabled shields and weapons on two others."

The small triumph was short-lived, however, as Andrews said, "We have another seven Br'nai fighters coming up on our tail."

"Evasive pattern beta two," Janeway commanded as one of the Br'nai ships hit Voyager with a disruptor beam.

"We're being hailed," said Andrews. "It's not a Starfleet signature."

"On screen."

Axum appeared on the screen, Seven standing behind him. "Admiral Janeway!" he exclaimed.

Surprise registered on Janeway's face when she saw how human he looked. "Axum!"

"Your EMH does a damn good job."

"Yes, he does."

"We wanted to warn you, there are several Borg vessels heading your way. We'll be right behind them."

Janeway's face tightened. "Thank you. We have our hands full here, we could use your assistance."

"We'll be there. Axum out."

Several Br'nai vessels were circling Voyager. One fired, then another. "Hull armor is holding," said Andrews.

"Evasive maneuvers, Mr. Paris." Despite their dire circumstances, Janeway felt the thrill of command fill her, and she realized how much she had missed it.

"We're picking up transwarp signatures," said B'Elanna. "Four Borg vessels emerging, twenty thousand kilometers to starboard."

"Evasive pattern gamma."

But as three cubes and a Borg sphere emerged from the conduit, they didn't head straight for Voyager as Janeway expected. "The Borg are going after the Br'nai ships," B'Elanna realized aloud.

"Let's use that to our advantage," Janeway said. "Mr. Paris, bring us closer to the Borg cubes."

"Closer?"

"Heading one two seven mark five. Bring us right on top of that first cube." Janeway watched on the view screen as the gigantic cube loomed closer and closer, and Paris began to understand her plan. He maneuvered the ship so it was hidden from the Br'nai behind the Borg cube. Then, just as a Br'nai ship rounded the cube, attempting to avoid the Borg cutting beam, Janeway ordered, "Fire photon torpedoes."

The Br'nai vessel, caught off guard, was hit badly. "Their shields are down to forty three percent," said Torres.

"We are picking up more transwarp signatures," Andrews said. A moment later, three more Borg vessels emerged from the conduit.

Another blast rocked Voyager. "They're targeting our armor," said B'Elanna. "It's down to seventy two percent."

"Open a channel to Axum's ships," ordered Janeway.

"Channel open."

Seven of Nine's face appeared on the view screen. "Seven, can you help us against those Br'nai fighters?" Janeway asked.

"We will do our best. Seven of Nine out."

The Br'nai vessels appeared to be avoiding the Collective relatively easily. Their small ships were fast and maneuverable. "Their coordination is amazing," Paris said under his breath as he watched the ships fly in perfect formation. "I've never seen anything like it. It's like all the ships are being flown by one person."

Janeway's expression darkened. Ayala had spoken of a control center for M'hel's army. "I think they might be." Hurry, Chakotay, she thought. If the Br'nai could so easily avoid the Borg, it wouldn't be long before they had demolished Voyager's ablative hull armor. In tandem with her thoughts, Voyager was hit again.

"Armor down to fifty eight percent," B'Elanna said. The Borg had fired a nanoprobe torpedo at one of the Br'nai vessels, but the Br'nai ship's shields seemed to be holding. "The nanoprobes can't breach the Br'nai hull!"

"Why are the Borg ignoring us?" asked Paris.

"They're trying to assimilate the Br'nai," Janeway realized.

Voyager took another blow. "There's too many of those damn Br'nai ships!" Paris exclaimed. "I can't outrun them all."

"Hail Axum."

"Chanel open," said B'Elanna. Axum appeared on the view screen.

"Axum, do you think you can disable that Borg sphere?"

"I'm hoping to disable all the Borg vessels."

"We need someplace to hide from the Br'nai - just for long enough to buy my crew members on the surface some time. We've hidden Voyager in a sphere before."

Axum glanced over his shoulder at Seven. She nodded. "We'll do our best. Axum out."

"B'Elanna, arm a transphasic torpedo and target the sphere's weapons systems. It won't be as effective as the first time, but it should still pack a punch."

"Torpedo locked and armed."

"Fire." The torpedo lanced through space and impacted the sphere.

"Minimal damage to the sphere's weapons system," Andrews reported. "Their shields are holding." Janeway watched as Axum's cube pursued the sphere, firing another kind of torpedo. "The sphere's shields are down to sixty percent," said Andrews.

Voyager was hit by another blast from the Br'nai. "Evasive pattern beta four!" Janeway barked.

"The armor is holding," said Torres, "for now."

"The Borg sphere has been disabled," Andrews reported.

"Good. Tom, set a course for that sphere. You know what to do."

"Yes, ma'am." Paris deftly piloted Voyager into the sphere, thinking back on the last time he had performed the maneuver, during his daughter's birth. He glanced back to the tactical station where B'Elanna stood and gave her a reassuring glance, hoping that they would gain a moment of relief from the constant barrage of weapons fire.

For a minute, Kathryn let her thoughts drift to the men on the planet below them. The situation was grim; they wouldn't be able to stave off the Br'nai forever. Ayala might already be dead. Chakotay and Tuvok had to be successful. Chakotay. Although she cared deeply about Tuvok and Ayala, her thoughts centered around her former first officer. Have I been wrong all along? she wondered. Are we going to die today leaving so much unsaid?

Images flashed through her mind - their chance meeting on Deep Space Nine, their dinner in Paris, their imprisonment on Br'nai - their one, passionate kiss amidst the ghosts of Montfermeil. Earlier images - an angry Maquis, materializing right here, on her bridge for the first time - "You won't need those here," she had said, pointing to his weapon. A bathtub built just for her on a distant planet, a moonlight sail on Lake George, a dinner in her quarters before they made the slipstream attempt, a night when they had drunk far too much Antarian cider and Chakotay had nearly broken the Temporal Prime Directive - the memories swirled before her eyes, flooding her consciousness. "Two years ago I didn't even know your name..." "Is that really an ancient legend?" "You're not alone, Kathryn." "I don't want to die without saying some things to you, and I don't want you to die without hearing them."

The last memory rang in her ears as she was jolted out of her thoughts by B'Elanna's urgent tone. "Admiral? The Br'nai have found us. They're concentrating all their fire power on this sphere. It's not going to be long before they blow it to pieces."

"We need to hold them off a little longer, Lieutenant. We just need to give Tuvok and Chakotay a little more time." Come on, Chakotay. Hurry the hell up!

...

The maze of underground tunnels seemed unending as Chakotay followed Mei through passageway after passageway. She led him deeper and deeper into the bowels of the planet, and closer and closer to the center of M'hel's operation. They had nearly reached their destination; Chakotay could almost taste it. The Br'nai underground had an unwelcome familiarity about it; it reminded him of Cardassian bases he had raided as a Maquis.

Suddenly, Mei skidded to a halt, and he nearly bumped into her. Without speaking, she gestured to an opening in the tunnel in front of them. Two armed guards stood on the other side of it. Without making a sound, Chakotay pulled out his phaser and shot both of them before they knew what was happening. Then he sneaked in the entrance, motioning to Mei to stay behind him. The sight that greeted him was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was the command center, all right. Display panels lined the walls of the circular room which stretched about four meters in diameter and seemed to spiral upwards forever. Several large control panels filled the sides of the center console, and as he rounded it, Chakotay saw Dr. M'hel seated at one of the panels. He wore a metallic halo on his head and the expression on his face was one of deep concentration. Chakotay couldn't understand all the panels, but the one in front of the doctor clearly depicted the movements of the Br'nai army.

Chakotay walked over to M'hel and waved his hand in front of the doctor's face, but the doctor didn't seem aware of him. "Dr. M'hel? Dr. M'hel!" One hand on his phaser, Chakotay stood at the ready, but still M'hel did not respond to him. He fiddled with the controls for a moment, trying to deactivate the interface the doctor was using to control the army, but the language was too foreign to him. "Mei," he called, "can you help me deactivate this interface?"

The girl, still standing in the doorway, hung her head. "I know nothing of this, Cha-ko-tay."

"Can you tell me what these characters say?"

She shook her head, seeming to become even smaller. "I never learned to read. I am sorry."

"Please, Mei, don't be sorry. You've helped us a great deal. Stand back. I'm going to break the doctor's connection with the army. I don't know how he'll react." When Mei had stepped back into the corridor, Chakotay took a deep breath and ripped the halo from the doctor's head.

For a moment, M'hel seemed unaware of his surroundings. Then he took a gasping breath, as if starved for air, and looked around wildly until his eyes landed on Chakotay. "What have you done?" he bellowed in a rage.

"I've broken your control of the army. I'm here to protect Voyager."

M'hel sneered. "The army will continue to follow my last orders unless they receive new ones. They will destroy Voyager."

Chakotay pointed his phaser at the doctor. "Order them to stand down or I'll kill you."

"I'll do nothing of the kind," M'hel scoffed, and before Chakotay could move, the scrawny doctor had kicked the phaser out of Chakotay's hand, sending it clattering onto the floor. At Chakotay's stunned expression, M'hel laughed. "You thought I was a puny, weak, little thing, didn't you? Just like all those boys who liked to bully me in school. Well, I have news for you. I've used my genetic research to enhance my own strength." Slowly, M'hel was advancing, and in spite of himself, Chakotay felt himself backing up. "You'll never leave this place, and you'll certainly never save your precious Voyager or your precious Kathryn." M'hel threw his head back in a triumphant laugh, and at that moment, Chakotay struck, lunging towards the doctor with a powerful right hook.

His fist connected with M'hel's face and the Br'nai was momentarily confused. Chakotay launched another punch, but this time, M'hel blocked it and returned the favor, kneeing Chakotay firmly in the stomach. The blow nearly took Chakotay's air for a moment, but a second later, he was standing again, sending a jab and a cross into M'hel's midsection. His eyes scanned the floor, trying to locate his phaser. The doctor doubled over, but as Chakotay bent to finish him off, M'hel pulled them both to the ground. He rolled Chakotay underneath him, attempting to bang his skull into the hard metal floor. Before he could succeed, Chakotay slammed his feet down on the ground and raised his hips, sending the doctor flying over his head.

He pulled himself to his feet, breathing heavily, as a glint of metal caught his eye - his phaser. He lunged for the weapon, but M'hel saw it at the same time and anticipated his move. As Chakotay's fingers brushed the phaser, the doctor tackled him, knocking the weapon out of both of their reaches once again. As he grappled with M'hel on the floor of the chamber, Chakotay realized that winning this fight was going to be a lot harder than he had thought.

...

The gentle hum of the medical tricorder continued as R'fet looked at his fallen leader with concern. "They're both in stable condition," Davidson reported as she looked down at Tuvok, who knelt next to Ch'a'fen, still linked to the emperor.

"How long will this take?" R'fet asked impatiently.

"There's no way to know."

Tuvok walked through darkness. The chamber was pitch black, and he fumbled, looking for a path. "Hello?" he called. "Is anyone here?" His own voice echoed back to him in the gloom. Suddenly, a lighted candle appeared in his hand, illuminating his way. He found himself in a long, dim hallway with no doors or windows, and he pressed ahead.

At the end of the corridor, he arrived at a simple wooden door with a copper handle. He tried to turn the handle, but it wouldn't move, and the knob had no keyhole. Tuvok hoisted his weight up against the door, attempting to break it down, but it seemed immovable. He knocked loudly and then paused, awaiting a response, but no one answered.

He cocked his head to one side as his superior Vulcan hearing picked up a sound on the other side of the door. Someone was crying, and it sounded like the emperor. "Go away," the voice said. "Leave me alone."

"Emperor Ch'a'fen, you must allow me to enter."

"No!" the emperor screamed. "Go away!"

"I will not go away. Open the door."

"Never! I will never let you in!"

Dr. Davidson's face creased with concern as she looked at the tricorder again. "What is it, Doctor?" asked Ashmore.

"Tuvok's neuro-chemical synapses are beginning to show signs of destabilization."

"And the emperor?" R'fet asked with concern.

"He appears to be fine, for the moment."

"For the moment?" R'fet's nervousness increased. "Stop this at once, Doctor. It's not safe."

After another moment, Davidson closed her tricorder and looked up at the guard. "I can't. Tuvok has to break the meld himself. There's nothing more I can do."

...

"The sphere's shields are failing!" B'Elanna cried.

"Tom, get us out of here, now!" Amidst flying sparks and explosions, Voyager burst free of the sphere.

No sooner had they escaped the detonation of the Borg vessel than several Br'nai ships descended upon them. "Look out!" warned Torres. "We've got six of those Br'nai fighters on our tail."

"Target their engines with photon torpedoes," said Janeway. "Fire at will."

B'Elanna armed the torpedoes and fired. "We managed to disable one of the fighters. The other five are still right on top of us."

As good as Tom's piloting skills were, there was simply no way for him to evade all the Br'nai ships at once, even with some of them distracted by the Borg. Voyager was hit with a succession of blasts from the small fighters. "Ablative hull armor is down!" said Andrews. "Shields are holding."

"Damn it, Chakotay," Janeway muttered. "What's taking so long?"

At that moment, B'Elanna gulped as she stared at that tactical display in front of her. "Bad news," she said. "Our little stunt seems to have aroused the Borg's interest. They're targeting us with one of their nanoprobe torpedoes."

"See if you can put one of the Br'nai ships between us and them, Tom."

"But then we'll be open to Br'nai fire."

"Better that than assimilation."

"Yes, ma'am." As the Borg cube launched the torpedo, Tom sidled Voyager up alongside two of the Br'nai ships. The ploy worked, and the Br'nai vessel intercepted the torpedo. But at such close range, the Br'nai weapons gained effectiveness, and a huge explosion rocked the bridge, sending Janeway careening out of her chair. Sparks flew from one of the consoles behind her, but no one seemed to be hurt.

"Environmental controls are down," Andrews reported as he fought his way back to his station. "Life support is down to sixty eight percent. We've got a hull breach on deck fifteen."

"Shield status, B'Elanna?"

"Down to seventy percent. But they're holding for now. We can't pull that stunt again, though. The Br'nai weapons are too powerful at close range."

"The Borg have locked another nanoprobe torpedo on us," said Andrews.

Kathryn looked at Tom, who turned around to meet her eyes. Suddenly, she realized that they were not going to come out of this alive. The odds had been against her many times, and each time, she had believed that there would always be an alternative solution. But this time she had run out of options. She'd be damned if she wasn't going to go down fighting, though. "Lock photon torpedoes on that Borg cube," she ordered.

But before she could finish the order, the bridge crew saw something whiz by the view screen, and a moment later, the cube that had targeted them exploded. "What the..." Tom began in astonishment.

Torres was grinning from ear to ear. "Nice work, Seven," she said quietly. "Thanks." The blast had come from Axum's cube.

For a second, Janeway allowed herself to relax. For one second. Then she heard Andrews' worried voice. "Admiral, the other two Borg vessels are headed straight for us. And we've got four Br'nai fighters on our tail."