"Radiation is nearing critical," Rev stated, "We have to hurry."
"It'll take us another few minutes to get away from the gravity well," Dylan responded.
"I can handle it," Beka assured them, "I'll just…"
"Warning, radiation exceeding maximum tolerance levels," The Maru stated, "Acute radiation poisoning is imminent."
"Wait," Rev said, "I'm picking something up… it looks like some kind of wave is traveling through-"
"Tyr, report!" Dylan shouted.
"Defensive missles aren't working," Tyr answered, "We should return fire."
"Rommie, ready two Strike Arrows and prepare to fire," Dylan ordered.
"Missles loaded," Rommie stated as the display showed the ammunition clip switching attack mode.
"Those are surface strike missles," Tyr reminded him, "You'll never hit an enemy ship from this distance."
"I don't plan on firing from this distance," Dylan responded, "Rommie, take us in, maximum PSL."
"Understood," The holographic avatar responded.
"Tyr," Dylan ordered, "Keep firing OM-5's from the available tubes."
"Missles away," Tyr responded, "But you're making a dangerous decision."
"The enemy vessel is moving off at 35 PSL," Rommie added.
"Beka, come in," Dylan placed a hand on the control panel.
"We're ready when you are," Beka said, "But you know they'll throw us around like a rag doll when we hit them."
"Don't worry, you won't have them on the line for long."
"We aren't going to get any second chances," Rev pointed out, "If this doesn't work the first time…"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure your ship comes back in one piece," Dylan paused, "Launch the Maru."
"The Maru is out," Tyr stated, "…All cables are attached."
"The Maru is holding the enemy ship," Rommie said, "But they've already lost bucky cables 2, 5, and 7."
"Full volley," Dylan ordered, "Deploy strategic arrows."
"The battleship has been destroyed," Tyr reported.
"All hands stand down," Dylan ordered, pressing keys on his console, "Maru, this is Andromeda, come in."
"We're alive," Beka responded, "But next time you try to pull something like that, I'm getting Andromeda, and you're flying the Maru."
"So noted," Dylan half-smiled as the Maru prepared to return to the hanger bay.
"There is another vessel coming out of slipstream. It's a Neitzchian destroyer," Rommie stated a few moments later, "They're sending a general distress signal."
"Put them through," Dylan ordered.
"Captain Hunt," The tall Neitzchian began.
"Kyn."
"I wouldn't normally approach you this way, but rumor has it that you've dealt with interdimensional vortices before," Kyn said, "We're having a slight problem with such a vortex, and I'd like to know how you got rid of the first one."
"Why should I help you?" Dylan asked.
"Aren't you the galant, generous High Guard captain we've heard so much about?" Kyn asked.
"You tried to kill me and take over my ship," Dylan responded, "Generosity only goes so far."
"Fine. If you do this, I'll never bother you or the Andromeda again."
"Alright," Dylan responded, "Come over to my ship, and we can discuss the situation."
"You're a shrewd leader," Kyn nodded, "I can see why the Kodiak stays on that ship. Expect my shuttle in an hour."
"One hour," Dylan nodded, "Hunt out."
"He has no interest in a cease fire. As soon as you close the vortex for him, he'll have your head on a plate, assuming the whole situation isn't a ruse to get aboard," Tyr said.
"I know," Dylan responded, "But if I don't at least try to work with him, we'll never be able to have diplomatic relations with them. Raptor pride is one of the largest and most powerful Neitzchian prides in this galaxy, and we won't be able to restore the Commonwealth if they're trying to destroy it."
"Just don't let your idealism get in the way of your mistrust."
"You should know by now that I would never trust any Neitzchian."
"Point taken," Tyr responded, following Dylan off the bridge.
***
"Harper, you're supposed to be wearing something nice," Trance dropped onto the catwalk.
"You mean so I can have dinner with the Neit that tried to steal Andromeda? Yeah right."
"This dinner is important," Rommie's holographic image appeared next to them, "Dylan wants us all to try to impress Kyn."
"Why does he want us to impress that jerk?"
"The new Commonwealth won't be able to survive in a state of conflict with his pride for long. If we can't solve our problems diplomatically, we won't have much hope of success."
"Well, it looks like we can say sayonara to the new Commonwealth, because there's no way the Raptors are going to back down."
"Maybe if we help Kyn, he'll realise that we're nice people, and he won't want to hurt us anymore," Trance offered.
"Have you met Tyr?" Harper responded.
"He's not a bad guy on the inside," Trance said, "He just had a tough life. If we keep being nice to him…"
"He'll still stab us in the back the next time he gets a chance to join up with some Neitzchians."
"This isn't the time to argue about Neitzchian politics," Rommie admonished, "Harper, change your clothes."
"But I…" Harper's objection fell on deaf ears, as Rommie's hologram vanished. Trance grinned at him as he headed to his quarters.
***
"So, the attack was just a misunderstanding?" Dylan looked at the Neitzchian sceptically.
"The captain of that ship was a bit overzealous," Kyn responded, "You know how Neitzchians are. It's all about taking initiative, and sometimes we don't follow orders.
"I know," Dylan responded, remembering Rhade, "But why did you send a battleship to find us?"
"It was a heavy exploration vessel," Kyn responded.
"Rommie?" Dylan turned.
The android looked squarely at Kyn, "Leviathan Roused class, mark 21 Raptor Pride refit. Armaments: 5 ELS missle tubes, 3 AP Cannons, 9 PDL turrets, and 2 radiating countermeasure generators. Maximum speed: 38 PSL."
"It doesn't sound like much of an explorer to me," Tyr added.
"This is all beside the point," Kyn waved his hand dismissively, "The fact is that we have a common enemy. A strange species called the Borg have begun… Is that boy alright?"
Harper had suddenly begun choaking on his drink. Everyone turned immediately to see what was wrong.
"Harper!" Beka called out.
Harper sputtered, "Did you say 'Borg'?"
"I take it he's heard of them before."
"What are they doing?" Harper asked urgently.
"They've captured a number of our ships, and they've been building up a base near the center of our territory. So far, we haven't been able to destroy any of their ships, despite a massive numerical advantage."
"We have to stop them now," Harper urged, "They'll just keep getting stronger if we don't."
"How do you plan to do that?" Kyn asked, remaining cynical as always.
"Nanobots," Harper answered immediately, "If we can beat their nanotech, we should be able to de-assimilate one of their drones. That should give us all the information we need."
"When will all this be ready?" Kyn asked.
"I'll be done in a couple of hours," Harper stated, "We just have to find a way to inject one of them."
"I'm sure an opportunity while present itself, considering their strong desire to board our ships."
"Yeah, the tough part is going to be getting the de-assimilated drone away from the rest of the collective before they adapt."
"Don't worry, I will see that this doesn't fail," Kyn responded.
"Well, we had better get started," Dylan responded, standing and extending his hand to Kyn, "It's been a pleasure working with you."
Kyn looked slightly amused at this gesture, "My commendations to your crew, Captain Hunt."
"Tyr, would you care to escort our guest to his ship."
"Gladly," Tyr stood up, and motioned with his guass gun, "This way."
Once the pair were well out of ear shot, Dylan leaned over to Rommie and whispered, "Keep an eye on them. If Tyr tries to activate privacy mode, activate surveillance. Authorization code Lexic Dark 225."
"Surveillance systems ready," Rommie responded.
***
"I've been watching you," Kyn stated as they were walking down the hall, "I'll admit, I'm somewhat impressed. You've carried yourself like a true Neitzchian, despite your… odd choice of employment."
"I don't care about your approval," Tyr responded.
"You might change your mind when you hear what I have to say."
"I'm listening."
"You're a strong male, and from the looks of things, you probably have good genes. In fact, I'd call you remarkable, considering the fact that Kodiaks didn't use steroids. We could use someone like you in the pride."
"You're only want me to leave the ship, so that it will be easier to take over."
"What is that to you?"
Tyr cocked his head slightly, "How do I know you won't kill me after I defect?"
"As you well know, your enemies, the Dragons, are at war with Sabra-Jaguar. We may not be taking sides yet, but some of us want to help in the downfall of Drago-Kazov. Between our three prides, there is no chance of defeat. Some of the others think the cost of such a war would outway the benefits, but I and my supports feel that they have underestimated the dependancy of the Dragons. Slavery has made them weak and decidant, I intend to take advantage of that."
"What difference would I make in a pride the size of yours?"
"I was hoping that you would use your training as a mercenary to help me 'persuade' some of my political opponents. We don't usually favor covert operations, so your skill would be very valuable. I will name you as one of my chief lieutenants, and I can virtually guarantee that several excellent females will choose you once this is over."
"When do you want me to leave?" Tyr asked evenly.
"Once the Borg are gone, I want you to take one of their Lancer drop pods. These High Guard ships carry some nice equipment, and I wouldn't mind getting some of it in advance. Try to get some Force Lances and ECM generators if you can."
"It won't be a problem," Tyr stated as he ushered Kyn into the hanger deck.
***
"I hope your people are ready," Kyn stated, "Because the Borg are already on their way."
"Don't worry, they won't get past us," Dylan responded, "Hunt out."
"I'm picking up a single Borg vessel on an intercept course," Rommie stated, "It's a diamond."
"A diamond?" Harper asked, "They only use that for the Borg Queen…"
"They're trying to break into…" Rommie's face on the viewscreen was suddenly replaced by an image of the Borg queen.
"Harper," The Queen smiled, "I'm glad to see you again."
"Uhhh…" Harper was taken aback, "Again?"
"You died in our last encounter, but thanks to the temporal incursion device, we may have a chance to assimilate you after all."
Without warning, the Queen beamed over to the Andromeda, "Welcome to the collective."
"Beka, slipstream!" Dylan ordered.
"Transiting!" Beka responded hastily as the vessel escaped from the Borg ship.
"Escape is irrelevant," The Queen responded, "You have no weapon that can stop me. Soon, your distinctiveness will be added to our own."
"Really?" Harper raised an injector gun, pointing it at the lone Borg. The Queen looked defiant, waiting for him to fire. He pressed the button, causing a small projectile to launch forward. To his dismay, it bounced harmlessly off a shield a few centimeters beyond the Queen's body.
"Do you finally understand? There is no chance of escape."
"Yee-ahhh!" A voice shouted from the top of a bulkhead above the Queen. A streak of purple dropped to the ground. The Queen's arm swung back. Without turning, her tubules plunged into Trance's neck, injecting her with nanoprobes. As she fell, Trance managed to drive the nanosyringe into a small point of exposed flesh near the Queen's shoulder.
"Trance!" Harper shouted, running over to her. For that moment, he had no fear of the Queen.
"You have injected me with nanobots," The Queen stated, "We have already adapted to your nanotechnology. It will not…"
Suddenly, the Borg Queen slumped to the deck. Harper didn't even notice, as he bent over Trance's form. He injected her with a dose of his anti-assimilation nanobots, but the color was still draining from her. Tubules began to form on her body.
"Rommie, get them to med deck," Dylan ordered, "Monitor their progress, and keep security tight."
Rommie quickly picked up Trance and held her carefully as she racd down to the medical facilities. One of the repair bots followed close behind with the Borg Queen.
***
"Captain," Rommie's hologram appeared in front of Dylan.
"Rommie, you don't have to…" Dylan began.
"Tyr's engaged privacy mode, and he's prepping one of the drop pods for launch.
"What?" Dylan asked, shocked.
"He's in launch bay 3."
"Rommie, lock down all drop pods," Dylan ordered as he began running to the launch bay, "Don't let anything launch."
"He's overriding my security," Rommie answered apologetically, "He's launched the pod."
Dylan burst into the launch bay to see for himself, "Tyr!"
"Were you looking for me?" The Neitzchian asked, mildly amused by Dylan's reaction.
"You're still here," Dylan said.
"The first rule of covering up an assassination is to kill the assassin," Tyr responded, "Kyn would never let me join his pride after I killed his enemies."
"What about the pod?" Rommie asked.
"I imagine one of Kyn's underlings will get a very unpleasant surprise when its opened," Tyr answered, "Now, how is Trance?"
"Concerned?" Dylan asked.
"I have to be aware of what is going on around me," Tyr stated.
"She isn't doing well," Rommie answered bluntly, "We have her in stasis, and Harper is hoping that it will give him enough time to find out why she isn't responding to the nanobots."
"What about the Borg Queen?"
"She seems to be recovering. I think she'll wake up in a few hours. For some reason, the nanobots are working on her."
***
The silent form began to stir. Only slightly at first, but quickly growing more awake. She moaned slightly as she sat upright. She was visibly dazed as she surveyed the room.
"How do you feel?" A hologram appeared next to her bed.
"Where am I?"
"Med deck," Rommie explained, "Do you remember how you got here?"
"Umph," She put her hand up to her head, "I think so… The Andromeda. I was here before. …When I was with the Borg. We were one."
"What?"
"History was changed," The young woman was still trying to recover from everything that had happened, "You don't remember, but we… we were shielded. In the other timeline, this ship was assimilated into the collective. We were both part of it."
"Do you remember your name?"
"I don't remember much from before my assimilation. I think they used to call me Alana."
"Andromeda, please," Rev walked into the room, "This young woman needs rest."
"No, I'm alright. I want to help you stop the Borg."
"You'll have a chance to do that soon enough. Right now…"
"We have to act right now. We can't afford to wait."
"Why?" Rommie asked, "What's going to happen."
"Get everyone together for a conference on the bridge," Alana stood up, "I'll explain on the way."
"I'll talk to the Captain," Rommie responded.
***
"Harper, you have some kind of quantum teleportation device, don't you?" Alana began.
"How did you know about that?" Harper asked.
"This ship was assimilated, and memory chips implanted in my body allow me to remember."
"What do you want to do with it?" Harper wanted to know, "It's a fifty-fifty shot at best."
"I think I can rig up a Heisenberg compensator for it," Alana responded, "Then, we can hook it up to a blackhole and send someone through."
"We can't send it anywhere through a blackhole, unless there is a ship hooked into it somewhere else."
"Luckily for us, the Borg have decided that the most efficient long range drive system is Singularity Drive. I can open a wormhole from the nearest black hole to any of their ships."
"What do you suggest we do once we get aboard one of their ships?" Tyr asked, "Wave knives in front of them and demand they surrender?"
Alana spoke earnestly, "Don't worry. I know of a way to stop them. We may not make it out of this alive, but it's our only hope."
***
The room was dark. The sound of metallic Borg boots echoed against the floor plates. The ominous, reverberating sound was getting to them. Not many would be willing to enter Unimatrix 01 for any reason, let alone to try and infiltrate the most heavily defended area of the complex. However, Alana had not been exaggerating when she stated that the Borg were stretched extremely thin. Before long, they were in sight of the target.
"Now, we run," Arlana stated, "Forcefields should be down for another few minutes. When they go up, we won't have a chance."
"Let's bring it," Dylan responded softly. His jaw tightened reflexively as he prepared for the final charge into danger.
Simultaneously, all of them charged into the open, hoping that one of them would get through. There was no other way to get to the target, and even Tyr was willing to risk his life for this. There would be no future otherwise.
Without warning, a force field appeared in front of them. In seconds, they were sealed in by an invisible wall surrounding them on all sides, even above and below. Drones entered the room and encircled the captives.
"Look how small you've already become," The female voice spoke from the darkness, "Have you already forgotten how quickly we adapt?"
"You'll never assimilate me again," Alana spoke boldly, "Death first!"
"Death is irrelevant," The new Borg Queen emerged from the shadows, "Your distinctiveness will once again be added to our perfection."
Harper leaned over to Beka, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
"We'll resist you every step of the way," Arlana responded.
"I think you know the standard response to that," The Borg Queen walked up to the force field, "But its time to dispense with the pleasantries. Your experiences after being removed from the collective will add to our perfection."
Arlana stood up, coming to within a few centimeters of the Borg Queen. Both of them had artificial bodies of similar size, and they both were covered almost entirely with Borg implants. Had it not been for the color of Arlana's skin, not even the collective could have used visual analysis to determine that she was no longer a Queen.
"Add this to your perfection," Arlana responded angrily, placing her hand against the force field. Using her remaining Borg technology, she caused the field to collapse.
"Stop them!" The Queen shouted, her verbal command a relic of the time before direct neural connections.
Arlana plunged her tubules into the neck of the Borg Queen, while the Andromeda crew charged for their target.
"What are you going?" The Queen demanded, trying to break the connection.
"We are one," Arlana responded, "You will be assimilated into my collective."
Drones shuffled forward to sieze the escaping attackers. The Andromeda crew fired into the advancing ranks of drones, but personal shields prevented any of the high speed projectiles from getting through. Tyr drew his knife and deftly slashed the exposed areas of several drones, while Rommie threw her attackers from the combat area. Dylan, Harper, and Beka worked together, trying desperately to hold off the drones using extended force lances as they struggled to get to their target. Rev sprayed one drone with paralytic venom, causing it to collapse. His powerful claws brough down a number of drones as he pushed toward the goal.
Arlana heard could hear the mental orders of the still-functioning Borg Queen in her mind, even as their nanobots fought each other for control, 'Unsuitable for assimilation. Destroy target.'
As one, numerous drones raised their arms and fired green bolts of energy at Rommie. The avatar fell almost instantly under the withering hail of weapons fire. Dylan turned when he heard the sound of weapons fire in her direction. He shouted to her, but the avatar was already destroyed. In that instant while his guard was down, a drone gripped his shoulder like a vice. He tried to use his force lance to break free, but the drone was far too strong. He felt Borg nanotubes push through his skin, and before long the voice of the collective began to ring in his ears.
Isolated from the others, Tyr couldn't make any progress. He cut down drone after drone, but there was always another ready to fill the breach. Tyr knew that he couldn't keep this up for ever. Eventually, even Neitzchian get tired, and make mistakes. He had to find another way out. He looked desperately, but there was no hand holds above, and the drones had him completely surrounded. In that instant, he knew that he would die on that spot.
Rev looked back to see Beka and Harper struggling against their opponents. A drone had caught Beka's force lance, and she couldn't break it free. Harper swung with his lance, delivering a powerful blow to the drone's head, but it didn't even respond. It didn't take long for the rest of the zombie-like cyborgs to overrun the pair as they tried to escape.
From Rev's vantage point, it was obvious that Tyr would not last much longer, and Rev could not hold off so many on his own. There was only one chance. He had to make a run for it. There was little chance of success, but even that was better than certain failure.
Rev charged in the direction of the wall, brushing by three drones as he went. He climbed along the bulk head, and reached a precipice above the seathing horde of drones below. He ran along the catwalk, even as more drones were beamed in around him. In a moment, the target was practically within reach on the floor below. For a brief moment, he looked at the drones below, and wondered if he might have been better off had he learned to meditate while working out in a gym.
He jumped, landing just beyond the reach of his persuers. Built for strength rather than speed, the ungainly Borg drones attempted to turn and attack again, but it was too late. Rev was beyond them, and nothing could stop him from reaching his destination. He only glanced at the portal for a moment and, remembering what Harper had told him, lept through the gateway.
"It'll take us another few minutes to get away from the gravity well," Dylan responded.
"I can handle it," Beka assured them, "I'll just…"
"Warning, radiation exceeding maximum tolerance levels," The Maru stated, "Acute radiation poisoning is imminent."
"Wait," Rev said, "I'm picking something up… it looks like some kind of wave is traveling through-"
"Tyr, report!" Dylan shouted.
"Defensive missles aren't working," Tyr answered, "We should return fire."
"Rommie, ready two Strike Arrows and prepare to fire," Dylan ordered.
"Missles loaded," Rommie stated as the display showed the ammunition clip switching attack mode.
"Those are surface strike missles," Tyr reminded him, "You'll never hit an enemy ship from this distance."
"I don't plan on firing from this distance," Dylan responded, "Rommie, take us in, maximum PSL."
"Understood," The holographic avatar responded.
"Tyr," Dylan ordered, "Keep firing OM-5's from the available tubes."
"Missles away," Tyr responded, "But you're making a dangerous decision."
"The enemy vessel is moving off at 35 PSL," Rommie added.
"Beka, come in," Dylan placed a hand on the control panel.
"We're ready when you are," Beka said, "But you know they'll throw us around like a rag doll when we hit them."
"Don't worry, you won't have them on the line for long."
"We aren't going to get any second chances," Rev pointed out, "If this doesn't work the first time…"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure your ship comes back in one piece," Dylan paused, "Launch the Maru."
"The Maru is out," Tyr stated, "…All cables are attached."
"The Maru is holding the enemy ship," Rommie said, "But they've already lost bucky cables 2, 5, and 7."
"Full volley," Dylan ordered, "Deploy strategic arrows."
"The battleship has been destroyed," Tyr reported.
"All hands stand down," Dylan ordered, pressing keys on his console, "Maru, this is Andromeda, come in."
"We're alive," Beka responded, "But next time you try to pull something like that, I'm getting Andromeda, and you're flying the Maru."
"So noted," Dylan half-smiled as the Maru prepared to return to the hanger bay.
"There is another vessel coming out of slipstream. It's a Neitzchian destroyer," Rommie stated a few moments later, "They're sending a general distress signal."
"Put them through," Dylan ordered.
"Captain Hunt," The tall Neitzchian began.
"Kyn."
"I wouldn't normally approach you this way, but rumor has it that you've dealt with interdimensional vortices before," Kyn said, "We're having a slight problem with such a vortex, and I'd like to know how you got rid of the first one."
"Why should I help you?" Dylan asked.
"Aren't you the galant, generous High Guard captain we've heard so much about?" Kyn asked.
"You tried to kill me and take over my ship," Dylan responded, "Generosity only goes so far."
"Fine. If you do this, I'll never bother you or the Andromeda again."
"Alright," Dylan responded, "Come over to my ship, and we can discuss the situation."
"You're a shrewd leader," Kyn nodded, "I can see why the Kodiak stays on that ship. Expect my shuttle in an hour."
"One hour," Dylan nodded, "Hunt out."
"He has no interest in a cease fire. As soon as you close the vortex for him, he'll have your head on a plate, assuming the whole situation isn't a ruse to get aboard," Tyr said.
"I know," Dylan responded, "But if I don't at least try to work with him, we'll never be able to have diplomatic relations with them. Raptor pride is one of the largest and most powerful Neitzchian prides in this galaxy, and we won't be able to restore the Commonwealth if they're trying to destroy it."
"Just don't let your idealism get in the way of your mistrust."
"You should know by now that I would never trust any Neitzchian."
"Point taken," Tyr responded, following Dylan off the bridge.
***
"Harper, you're supposed to be wearing something nice," Trance dropped onto the catwalk.
"You mean so I can have dinner with the Neit that tried to steal Andromeda? Yeah right."
"This dinner is important," Rommie's holographic image appeared next to them, "Dylan wants us all to try to impress Kyn."
"Why does he want us to impress that jerk?"
"The new Commonwealth won't be able to survive in a state of conflict with his pride for long. If we can't solve our problems diplomatically, we won't have much hope of success."
"Well, it looks like we can say sayonara to the new Commonwealth, because there's no way the Raptors are going to back down."
"Maybe if we help Kyn, he'll realise that we're nice people, and he won't want to hurt us anymore," Trance offered.
"Have you met Tyr?" Harper responded.
"He's not a bad guy on the inside," Trance said, "He just had a tough life. If we keep being nice to him…"
"He'll still stab us in the back the next time he gets a chance to join up with some Neitzchians."
"This isn't the time to argue about Neitzchian politics," Rommie admonished, "Harper, change your clothes."
"But I…" Harper's objection fell on deaf ears, as Rommie's hologram vanished. Trance grinned at him as he headed to his quarters.
***
"So, the attack was just a misunderstanding?" Dylan looked at the Neitzchian sceptically.
"The captain of that ship was a bit overzealous," Kyn responded, "You know how Neitzchians are. It's all about taking initiative, and sometimes we don't follow orders.
"I know," Dylan responded, remembering Rhade, "But why did you send a battleship to find us?"
"It was a heavy exploration vessel," Kyn responded.
"Rommie?" Dylan turned.
The android looked squarely at Kyn, "Leviathan Roused class, mark 21 Raptor Pride refit. Armaments: 5 ELS missle tubes, 3 AP Cannons, 9 PDL turrets, and 2 radiating countermeasure generators. Maximum speed: 38 PSL."
"It doesn't sound like much of an explorer to me," Tyr added.
"This is all beside the point," Kyn waved his hand dismissively, "The fact is that we have a common enemy. A strange species called the Borg have begun… Is that boy alright?"
Harper had suddenly begun choaking on his drink. Everyone turned immediately to see what was wrong.
"Harper!" Beka called out.
Harper sputtered, "Did you say 'Borg'?"
"I take it he's heard of them before."
"What are they doing?" Harper asked urgently.
"They've captured a number of our ships, and they've been building up a base near the center of our territory. So far, we haven't been able to destroy any of their ships, despite a massive numerical advantage."
"We have to stop them now," Harper urged, "They'll just keep getting stronger if we don't."
"How do you plan to do that?" Kyn asked, remaining cynical as always.
"Nanobots," Harper answered immediately, "If we can beat their nanotech, we should be able to de-assimilate one of their drones. That should give us all the information we need."
"When will all this be ready?" Kyn asked.
"I'll be done in a couple of hours," Harper stated, "We just have to find a way to inject one of them."
"I'm sure an opportunity while present itself, considering their strong desire to board our ships."
"Yeah, the tough part is going to be getting the de-assimilated drone away from the rest of the collective before they adapt."
"Don't worry, I will see that this doesn't fail," Kyn responded.
"Well, we had better get started," Dylan responded, standing and extending his hand to Kyn, "It's been a pleasure working with you."
Kyn looked slightly amused at this gesture, "My commendations to your crew, Captain Hunt."
"Tyr, would you care to escort our guest to his ship."
"Gladly," Tyr stood up, and motioned with his guass gun, "This way."
Once the pair were well out of ear shot, Dylan leaned over to Rommie and whispered, "Keep an eye on them. If Tyr tries to activate privacy mode, activate surveillance. Authorization code Lexic Dark 225."
"Surveillance systems ready," Rommie responded.
***
"I've been watching you," Kyn stated as they were walking down the hall, "I'll admit, I'm somewhat impressed. You've carried yourself like a true Neitzchian, despite your… odd choice of employment."
"I don't care about your approval," Tyr responded.
"You might change your mind when you hear what I have to say."
"I'm listening."
"You're a strong male, and from the looks of things, you probably have good genes. In fact, I'd call you remarkable, considering the fact that Kodiaks didn't use steroids. We could use someone like you in the pride."
"You're only want me to leave the ship, so that it will be easier to take over."
"What is that to you?"
Tyr cocked his head slightly, "How do I know you won't kill me after I defect?"
"As you well know, your enemies, the Dragons, are at war with Sabra-Jaguar. We may not be taking sides yet, but some of us want to help in the downfall of Drago-Kazov. Between our three prides, there is no chance of defeat. Some of the others think the cost of such a war would outway the benefits, but I and my supports feel that they have underestimated the dependancy of the Dragons. Slavery has made them weak and decidant, I intend to take advantage of that."
"What difference would I make in a pride the size of yours?"
"I was hoping that you would use your training as a mercenary to help me 'persuade' some of my political opponents. We don't usually favor covert operations, so your skill would be very valuable. I will name you as one of my chief lieutenants, and I can virtually guarantee that several excellent females will choose you once this is over."
"When do you want me to leave?" Tyr asked evenly.
"Once the Borg are gone, I want you to take one of their Lancer drop pods. These High Guard ships carry some nice equipment, and I wouldn't mind getting some of it in advance. Try to get some Force Lances and ECM generators if you can."
"It won't be a problem," Tyr stated as he ushered Kyn into the hanger deck.
***
"I hope your people are ready," Kyn stated, "Because the Borg are already on their way."
"Don't worry, they won't get past us," Dylan responded, "Hunt out."
"I'm picking up a single Borg vessel on an intercept course," Rommie stated, "It's a diamond."
"A diamond?" Harper asked, "They only use that for the Borg Queen…"
"They're trying to break into…" Rommie's face on the viewscreen was suddenly replaced by an image of the Borg queen.
"Harper," The Queen smiled, "I'm glad to see you again."
"Uhhh…" Harper was taken aback, "Again?"
"You died in our last encounter, but thanks to the temporal incursion device, we may have a chance to assimilate you after all."
Without warning, the Queen beamed over to the Andromeda, "Welcome to the collective."
"Beka, slipstream!" Dylan ordered.
"Transiting!" Beka responded hastily as the vessel escaped from the Borg ship.
"Escape is irrelevant," The Queen responded, "You have no weapon that can stop me. Soon, your distinctiveness will be added to our own."
"Really?" Harper raised an injector gun, pointing it at the lone Borg. The Queen looked defiant, waiting for him to fire. He pressed the button, causing a small projectile to launch forward. To his dismay, it bounced harmlessly off a shield a few centimeters beyond the Queen's body.
"Do you finally understand? There is no chance of escape."
"Yee-ahhh!" A voice shouted from the top of a bulkhead above the Queen. A streak of purple dropped to the ground. The Queen's arm swung back. Without turning, her tubules plunged into Trance's neck, injecting her with nanoprobes. As she fell, Trance managed to drive the nanosyringe into a small point of exposed flesh near the Queen's shoulder.
"Trance!" Harper shouted, running over to her. For that moment, he had no fear of the Queen.
"You have injected me with nanobots," The Queen stated, "We have already adapted to your nanotechnology. It will not…"
Suddenly, the Borg Queen slumped to the deck. Harper didn't even notice, as he bent over Trance's form. He injected her with a dose of his anti-assimilation nanobots, but the color was still draining from her. Tubules began to form on her body.
"Rommie, get them to med deck," Dylan ordered, "Monitor their progress, and keep security tight."
Rommie quickly picked up Trance and held her carefully as she racd down to the medical facilities. One of the repair bots followed close behind with the Borg Queen.
***
"Captain," Rommie's hologram appeared in front of Dylan.
"Rommie, you don't have to…" Dylan began.
"Tyr's engaged privacy mode, and he's prepping one of the drop pods for launch.
"What?" Dylan asked, shocked.
"He's in launch bay 3."
"Rommie, lock down all drop pods," Dylan ordered as he began running to the launch bay, "Don't let anything launch."
"He's overriding my security," Rommie answered apologetically, "He's launched the pod."
Dylan burst into the launch bay to see for himself, "Tyr!"
"Were you looking for me?" The Neitzchian asked, mildly amused by Dylan's reaction.
"You're still here," Dylan said.
"The first rule of covering up an assassination is to kill the assassin," Tyr responded, "Kyn would never let me join his pride after I killed his enemies."
"What about the pod?" Rommie asked.
"I imagine one of Kyn's underlings will get a very unpleasant surprise when its opened," Tyr answered, "Now, how is Trance?"
"Concerned?" Dylan asked.
"I have to be aware of what is going on around me," Tyr stated.
"She isn't doing well," Rommie answered bluntly, "We have her in stasis, and Harper is hoping that it will give him enough time to find out why she isn't responding to the nanobots."
"What about the Borg Queen?"
"She seems to be recovering. I think she'll wake up in a few hours. For some reason, the nanobots are working on her."
***
The silent form began to stir. Only slightly at first, but quickly growing more awake. She moaned slightly as she sat upright. She was visibly dazed as she surveyed the room.
"How do you feel?" A hologram appeared next to her bed.
"Where am I?"
"Med deck," Rommie explained, "Do you remember how you got here?"
"Umph," She put her hand up to her head, "I think so… The Andromeda. I was here before. …When I was with the Borg. We were one."
"What?"
"History was changed," The young woman was still trying to recover from everything that had happened, "You don't remember, but we… we were shielded. In the other timeline, this ship was assimilated into the collective. We were both part of it."
"Do you remember your name?"
"I don't remember much from before my assimilation. I think they used to call me Alana."
"Andromeda, please," Rev walked into the room, "This young woman needs rest."
"No, I'm alright. I want to help you stop the Borg."
"You'll have a chance to do that soon enough. Right now…"
"We have to act right now. We can't afford to wait."
"Why?" Rommie asked, "What's going to happen."
"Get everyone together for a conference on the bridge," Alana stood up, "I'll explain on the way."
"I'll talk to the Captain," Rommie responded.
***
"Harper, you have some kind of quantum teleportation device, don't you?" Alana began.
"How did you know about that?" Harper asked.
"This ship was assimilated, and memory chips implanted in my body allow me to remember."
"What do you want to do with it?" Harper wanted to know, "It's a fifty-fifty shot at best."
"I think I can rig up a Heisenberg compensator for it," Alana responded, "Then, we can hook it up to a blackhole and send someone through."
"We can't send it anywhere through a blackhole, unless there is a ship hooked into it somewhere else."
"Luckily for us, the Borg have decided that the most efficient long range drive system is Singularity Drive. I can open a wormhole from the nearest black hole to any of their ships."
"What do you suggest we do once we get aboard one of their ships?" Tyr asked, "Wave knives in front of them and demand they surrender?"
Alana spoke earnestly, "Don't worry. I know of a way to stop them. We may not make it out of this alive, but it's our only hope."
***
The room was dark. The sound of metallic Borg boots echoed against the floor plates. The ominous, reverberating sound was getting to them. Not many would be willing to enter Unimatrix 01 for any reason, let alone to try and infiltrate the most heavily defended area of the complex. However, Alana had not been exaggerating when she stated that the Borg were stretched extremely thin. Before long, they were in sight of the target.
"Now, we run," Arlana stated, "Forcefields should be down for another few minutes. When they go up, we won't have a chance."
"Let's bring it," Dylan responded softly. His jaw tightened reflexively as he prepared for the final charge into danger.
Simultaneously, all of them charged into the open, hoping that one of them would get through. There was no other way to get to the target, and even Tyr was willing to risk his life for this. There would be no future otherwise.
Without warning, a force field appeared in front of them. In seconds, they were sealed in by an invisible wall surrounding them on all sides, even above and below. Drones entered the room and encircled the captives.
"Look how small you've already become," The female voice spoke from the darkness, "Have you already forgotten how quickly we adapt?"
"You'll never assimilate me again," Alana spoke boldly, "Death first!"
"Death is irrelevant," The new Borg Queen emerged from the shadows, "Your distinctiveness will once again be added to our perfection."
Harper leaned over to Beka, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
"We'll resist you every step of the way," Arlana responded.
"I think you know the standard response to that," The Borg Queen walked up to the force field, "But its time to dispense with the pleasantries. Your experiences after being removed from the collective will add to our perfection."
Arlana stood up, coming to within a few centimeters of the Borg Queen. Both of them had artificial bodies of similar size, and they both were covered almost entirely with Borg implants. Had it not been for the color of Arlana's skin, not even the collective could have used visual analysis to determine that she was no longer a Queen.
"Add this to your perfection," Arlana responded angrily, placing her hand against the force field. Using her remaining Borg technology, she caused the field to collapse.
"Stop them!" The Queen shouted, her verbal command a relic of the time before direct neural connections.
Arlana plunged her tubules into the neck of the Borg Queen, while the Andromeda crew charged for their target.
"What are you going?" The Queen demanded, trying to break the connection.
"We are one," Arlana responded, "You will be assimilated into my collective."
Drones shuffled forward to sieze the escaping attackers. The Andromeda crew fired into the advancing ranks of drones, but personal shields prevented any of the high speed projectiles from getting through. Tyr drew his knife and deftly slashed the exposed areas of several drones, while Rommie threw her attackers from the combat area. Dylan, Harper, and Beka worked together, trying desperately to hold off the drones using extended force lances as they struggled to get to their target. Rev sprayed one drone with paralytic venom, causing it to collapse. His powerful claws brough down a number of drones as he pushed toward the goal.
Arlana heard could hear the mental orders of the still-functioning Borg Queen in her mind, even as their nanobots fought each other for control, 'Unsuitable for assimilation. Destroy target.'
As one, numerous drones raised their arms and fired green bolts of energy at Rommie. The avatar fell almost instantly under the withering hail of weapons fire. Dylan turned when he heard the sound of weapons fire in her direction. He shouted to her, but the avatar was already destroyed. In that instant while his guard was down, a drone gripped his shoulder like a vice. He tried to use his force lance to break free, but the drone was far too strong. He felt Borg nanotubes push through his skin, and before long the voice of the collective began to ring in his ears.
Isolated from the others, Tyr couldn't make any progress. He cut down drone after drone, but there was always another ready to fill the breach. Tyr knew that he couldn't keep this up for ever. Eventually, even Neitzchian get tired, and make mistakes. He had to find another way out. He looked desperately, but there was no hand holds above, and the drones had him completely surrounded. In that instant, he knew that he would die on that spot.
Rev looked back to see Beka and Harper struggling against their opponents. A drone had caught Beka's force lance, and she couldn't break it free. Harper swung with his lance, delivering a powerful blow to the drone's head, but it didn't even respond. It didn't take long for the rest of the zombie-like cyborgs to overrun the pair as they tried to escape.
From Rev's vantage point, it was obvious that Tyr would not last much longer, and Rev could not hold off so many on his own. There was only one chance. He had to make a run for it. There was little chance of success, but even that was better than certain failure.
Rev charged in the direction of the wall, brushing by three drones as he went. He climbed along the bulk head, and reached a precipice above the seathing horde of drones below. He ran along the catwalk, even as more drones were beamed in around him. In a moment, the target was practically within reach on the floor below. For a brief moment, he looked at the drones below, and wondered if he might have been better off had he learned to meditate while working out in a gym.
He jumped, landing just beyond the reach of his persuers. Built for strength rather than speed, the ungainly Borg drones attempted to turn and attack again, but it was too late. Rev was beyond them, and nothing could stop him from reaching his destination. He only glanced at the portal for a moment and, remembering what Harper had told him, lept through the gateway.