STARDATE 57898.9

It had been a full two months since Sonal came aboard the Enterprise. Never before had Picard seen such efficiency and devotion to duty. When a problem arose, Sonal was quick to remedy it. And when tensions between crewmates arose, Sonal offered ancient words of wisdom from Surak to bring about peace and resolution. To his peers, he was definitely a Vulcan.

Inside, however, he was much more. He was more than a hybrid between a half-human, half-Vulcan male and a full-blooded Romulan female. No. He held a power deep within his soul that had gone undiscovered for millions of years. He sat in deep meditation as he heard the voice of his new spiritual guide.

"PICARD'S HATRED OF THE BORG WILL TURN OUT TO BE USEFUL IN OUR PLANS TO BRING BACK THE GALACTIC EMPIRE…"

Sonal opened his eyes. He was now Darth Chaos. His eyes glowed fiery orange as the Dark Side completely overtook him. "He is a most useful puppet, my master," Chaos said. "His hatred of the Borg runs deep." A wave of anger washed over Chaos. His eyebrows arched in such a way to make him look as evil as the mythological embodiment of evil in the old religion of Christianity - Satan. Chaos' voice became low and guttural. "But my hatred...runs deeper…" Chaos looked to the wall above his bunk and gazed at a beautiful dark-haired woman. "I shall avenge you, Caitlin Yar…"

Suddenly the door chime rang. Sonal quickly buried his darkness, and his eyes returned to his normal color. "Enter." The door opened, and in walked Counselor Troi. Sonal rose to his feet. "Counselor Troi, your presence is most appreciated."

Troi looked at Sonal with a hint of worry in her eyes. "Is something bothering you, Sonal?"

"You do realize that I try my best to be as perfect a Vulcan as possible," Sonal said. He walked Troi to the picture on the wall. "But there are times when I find it difficult to let go of the only woman I have ever loved."

"Who is she," Troi asked.

"Her name," Sonal continued, "was Caitlin Yar. She was the niece of one of your former colleagues - Tasha Yar. We met on Turkana IV. I was traveling with my mother Saavik, and while on the planet, we met Caitlin and her mother Ishara." Sonal smiled. "Caitlin was the only person I ever wanted to show my emotions to. You know Counselor, contrary to popular belief, Vulcans are not cold-hearted or unfeeling. We just choose to use logic to dictate our choices."

"What happened to her," Troi said with sadness.

"Two years ago," Sonal said, his voice beginning to break, "they were traveling to visit me on Vulcan. And they came across...a Borg cube. Ishara was killed trying to protect Caitlin, and Caitlin…"

"Caitlin was assimilated," quietly said Troi.

"Yes," Sonal said with coldness in his voice. "Since then, I decided to live my life by logic and not by cursed human emotions."

Troi gently put her hand on Sonal's shoulder. "Sonal, would you accompany me to Ten Forward? Will, the Captain, and I would love to spend some quality time with you and...listen to you playing your lyre."

Sonal looked at Troi and raised his eyebrows. "I would be most delighted to." He grabbed the musical instrument and walked with Troi to Ten Forward, a bar and cafeteria frequented by the entire crew, all day and all night.

"Welcome, Commander Sonal," said the Captain. How about some Romulan Ale?"

"Yes, please," Sonal said.

Picard, Riker, Troi, and Sonal sat and enjoyed their drinks. "Captain," Troi said, her voice slightly slurring from the effects of the intoxicating blue beverage, "Sonal brought his Vulcan lyre. Perhaps we could hear him play."

"I would like to see that myself," said Riker.

"How about it, commander," Picard said, his voice booming with anticipation.

Sonal arose, taking his stringed instrument in hand. "Eagerness," he said. "How illogical. Yes. I will entertain you."

Sonal sat on a lone stool on the corner musical stage and played a familiar Earth tune from the twentieth century;

REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?

YOU SHONE LIKE THE SUN.

SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND!

NOW THERE'S A LOOK IN YOUR EYES.

LIKE BLACK HOLES IN THE SKY.

SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND!

Little did rhe Enterprise crew know, but Sonal had his eyelids firmly shut to prevent them from seeing the dark orange hue that indicated Darth Chaos was in control. He was communing with the Force. His hatred of the Borg drove him to his breaking point.

As his hatred of the Borg peaked, he heard the voice of Palpatine speak to him. "Use the Force, Lord Chaos, and you shall have...your...vengeance." He conjured up all the powers of the Force and caused a wormhole to open up in space, and the Enterprise was caught up in it.

Emergency klaxons suddenly blared loudly as the ship went into red alert. All the crewmen rushed to their feet and ran to their respective stations. Once aboard the bridge, Picard, Riker, Troi, and Sonal tried to assess the situation.

Suddenly the wormhole disappeared. Picard suddenly felt a cold presence. "Sonal," Picard said quietly. "Where are we?"

"Delta Quadrant, sir," Sonal said without even looking at the position. Suddenly he observed an old Earth radio signal. "Sir, I am detecting an old Earth radio signal."

"On screen," Picard said. On the screen appeared what seemed to be an almost-constructed ship of enormous proportions...and perfect symmetry. The size was unfathomable. It made the Enteprise look like a speck of dust on the smallest dwarf planets. Sonal instinctively recognized the ship. He remembered all the stories his father told him in his youth."

"V'Ger…" Sonal said.

Picard looked stunned. "The V'Ger encountered by James T. Kirk. So that planet of living machines…"

"The Borg homeworld," said Sonal. He smiled as his eyes began to glow orange. Darth Chaos had Picard where he wanted him. And Palpatine had Darth Chaos where he wanted his apprentice. Palpatine knew that the destruction of the Borg would complete Sonal's fall to the Dark Side.

"How did we get here," Picard asked.

"How we got here is irrelevant," Chaos said. "The only fact that remains is that we are here, and," Chaos spoke in a voice low and sinister, "now you can have your revenge." As Chaos spoke, he waved his hand.

Picard stared at the machine planet in a trance. He was being manipulated by the Force. "Yesss," Picard said, "I can have my revenge."

"Your nanoprpbes will not malfunction," Chaos said with a wave of his hand."

Under his spell, Picard said, "my nanoprobes will not malfunction."

Finally, Chaos gave the influencing command. "V'Ger and the Borg home planet must be destroyed. Direct all phaser power to the dish."

"Commander Worf," Picard said, "direct all phaser power to the dish and fire upon V'Ger and the Borg home planet."

"But Captain," said Worf, "yoir nanoprpbes will malfunction! The Prime Directive! We will be altering history!"

Suddenly, an enraged Darth Chaos turned around, and his dark orange eyes were visible to the entire crew. His voice became loud, guttural, and venomous. "YOUR CAPTAIN GAVE YOU A DIRECT ORDER, KLINGON!" He pointed his fingers at Worf, and hot lightning shot from his fingers and struck Worf. Worf writhed in agony as the electrical surge tore through him. Chaos smiled wickedly, and he waved his hand ar Worf's terminal, and the machine planet and the ship which the Borg created for the old Earth probe Voyager VI were completely obliterated.

As the Borg collective died, Picard felt the nanoprobes disappearing. Sonal had told him that the nanoprobes would not malfunction, and he lived up to his word.

Chaos had his revenge. He felt Sonal slowly emerging. He stared at the remnants of the parasitic race that killed his beloved Caitlin. "Now," Sonal said, "you may be at peace, knowing that the Borg are no more."

Picard looked at Sonal and smiled. "You...changed history. So that means I was never assimilated by the Borg."

Commander Sonal waved his hand again, and the wormhole reopened, and the Enterprise found herself back in Federarion space at the exact point in time and space it had been before Sonal transported the ship backwards in time to the Delta Quadrant.

"Yes," Sonal said, "and your electrical heart will never malfunction. Picard and Sonal turned around and saw Worf lying unconscious. "What….what happened," Sonal asked.

Riker stood up, his face firm in duty. "You should know, Commander. This was your doing." Riker motioned for two members of security to approach Sonal. "Commander Sonal, in the name of Starfleet, you are under arrest. You are confined to quarters until further notice."