DANIEL:
I heard Chakotay shouting orders around the bridge. I heard the yelled discovery of the Borg, but I felt detached from everything. I was still absently watching the chaos on the bridge when Commander Chakotay came up to me. "You might want to stay here." He told me. "You've never fought the Borg before."
"We will help." Mia said. "We are warriors. We kill and fight and this will spare those who can help fix your ship."
Chakotay looked as if he was about to object, but he obviously saw something in our faces, because he didn't. "Lieutenant." He called to one of the men standing on the bridge. "Our guests will be joining one of your teams to help fight the Borg."
"Yes, sir." The man said, but I could see the confusion and doubt on his face when he turned away from the Commander.
"On second thoughts," Chakotay said. "Tuvok, I want you to coordinate the attacks on the Borg and set up a command centre at the back of the ship."
"Aye, Commander." Tuvok replied.
Chakotay then turned back to Mia and me. "Go with Tuvok."
I nodded and turned to the tall, dark skinned man. He was looking at Mia and me with a hint of curiosity. It was only a small flicker of emotion, nothing anyone else would have seen. But I had spent years watching Teal'c's almost expressionless face, and then watched Jack close up into himself and hide all his emotion deep away. As a result I can read people very well.
I deliberately ignored the stab of pain I felt when I thought of Teal'c and the man Jack had become. Now was not the time to think about this and grieve for all that I had lost. But then, now was never the time. I knew in the back of my head that holding in and ignoring my feelings like I was doing was not healthy. But when your world crashes down around you and you loose almost everyone you care about, you tend not to want to talk about it - and one of the few people I would confide in is going through the same pain as me, and I don't want to force Jack to grieve yet, because I'm not sure he's strong enough to handle it anymore.
It's a strange thought, I know. Jack has always been one of the strongest and toughest people I know, but since Sam and Teal'c died, and General Hammond was killed and Janet . . . died, something inside him seemed to break. And now, to me, Jack seems vulnerable, and as if the only thing holding him together is his stubborn will not to break. I can't burden him now, when he's not ready. I won't do that to a man who has come to mean so much to me and has been such a good friend to me, despite everything.
By now, Tuvok had led the Lieutenant, Mia and me to the access shaft above deck 6. Deck 6 had been almost completely taken over by Borg, and from what I heard, Engineering was getting very worried because that's where Voyager kept her fuel. Tuvok led us to the nearest armoury from the access shaft, and began issuing orders in his calm voice.
"Commander?" Mia asked after a moment. "What do you want us to do?"
Tuvok turned to us. "I would like to know more about the weapons you carry." He said. "I have read detailed accounts of 20th Century weaponry, but I have never talked to someone who actually knew how to use one."
I drew one of my Beretta's. "This is a Beretta 92 FS semi-automatic pistol. It has 9mm calibre bullets, 15 rounds per magazine and is both single and double action."
I holstered the Beretta again, and unslung the P-90 from my shoulder. "This is the Fabrique National P90 sub-machine gun. It fires a 5.7 x 28mm cartridge that is slightly smaller in diameter than a 9mm. It can hold 50 rounds in a magazine, and works in both single shot and fully automatic mode. It fires at a speed of 900 rpm and as a maximum effective range of 200m. When used effectively, it can pierce 48 layers of Kevlar at 150m."
"This is a zat, or zat'ni'katel." I said, as I showed him the zat gun I also carried. "It is a Goa'uld weapon and uses blasts of energy to stun, kill or disintegrate whoever it hits. One shot stuns, a second kills, and a third vaporises the body."
I bent down and took a knife out of my boot. "This is a standard combat knife. Stainless steel, leather handle."
All through my descriptions, Tuvok had continued to look curious, and nodded his thanks when I had finished. Although, he should really thank Jack, not me. He was the one who had taught me all about the weapons I carried, as well as most of the unarmed combat I knew - Riley was responsible for the rest.
"My curved sword made from an alloy of titanium and is very strong." Mia added. "But I would assume that you would have come across many variations of sword through out your travels."
Tuvok nodded. "These weapons are indeed formidable." He said. "And the Borg are not likely to have come across them before, which should mean they will be vulnerable to them."
I nodded in reply. "Just tell us what we can do to help." I said.
And I meant it. I really did want to help, and not just because of the similarities of the Borg and the Goa'uld. I wanted to help them simply because they needed help. And a part of me felt joyous at that knowledge. I guess I wasn't as dead inside as I had thought. And I'm not sure that's such a bad thing, either.
Tuvok continued to look at us. "I will assign you to a security team that will enter through the access shaft." He said calmly. "But I must warn you. The Borg do not hesitate from pain of suffer from exhaustion. They will fight you until you are dead or assimilated, or until all the drones are dead. You can kill one, but another will always take its place."
I nodded. "I will try to remember."
Strangely, as I thought about the Borg, I remembered Earth's fight against the Replicators. They were also similar to the Borg - almost as if the Borg were a cross between the Goa'uld and the Replicators. It was almost a funny thought.
As I silently watched, the armoury erupted into chaos that seemed to ebb and flow like the tide. Before long, Tuvok had set up his command post, complete with an open comm. link with the bridge. "How is it going, Tuvok?" Chakotay asked, over it.
"I am just about to send in the first teams." Tuvok replied.
"Good. With luck we should have internal sensors running soon, now that we've sorted out the life support systems. Keep me updated."
"Aye, sir." Tuvok said.
* * *
As I crept through the eerily silent deck 6, I noticed technology that didn't seem to match Voyager. It seemed as if the Borg were doing some modifications - although I was told this is fairly usual when the Borg find interesting technology. It was also a lot warmer in here. It seems assimilation is not just reserved for the living.
So far, we hadn't seen any drones. By we I mean the security team - Mia, me, Lieutenant Michaels, Ensign Morris, and surprisingly, Ensign Harry Kim. Apparently there were some systems on deck 6 that Harry needed to fix so the internal and external scanners can go back online.
I just took there word for it. This ship was way more advanced than the technology I was used to dealing with. But I did watch Harry closely. He seemed a rather quiet and, well, gentle man, and I didn't know how he would react if we were attack by the Borg - or when we attacked them.
We soon found the panel Harry was looking for, and he began fiddling with the wires inside. It struck me at the moment that I was sounding like Jack used to - worrying about how someone's going to fight, and dismissing all the things that I didn't understand. Like how to fix Voyager.
I shook my head, and got back to watching for the Borg. This was what I was here for. The fight the Borg and help these humans. And then maybe get Jack and Riley back, and find a way home. Not that home was particularly appealing right now. Not after I'd feel the feeling of family that surrounded Voyager and her crew.
Again, I had to drag my thoughts back to the task at hand. It was getting more and more difficult to concentrate on fighting. And more and more difficult to deny the emotions surging through my heart and soul. Maybe it was because of Voyager and her crew, maybe it was because I had finally reached the point where I wanted to scream and shout and cry and weep about the death of my friends. I don't know, but suddenly the corridor we were in seemed to close in on me and slowly begin to squeeze me from inside out.
Talk about the wrong time to break down. At that moment several Borg drones turned the corner and saw us. I readied my guns as their heavy footsteps echoed off the walls, and channelled all my emotional energy into staying alive, hoping it would help. And, as if sensing my inner turmoil, Mia shot me a sharp glance.
The grips of my Berettas were comforting in my hands, and I gripped them loosely in my hands as I had been taught. I had my P-90 slung over my back because the automatic fire was too dangerous in such close quarters. Lieutenant Michaels and Ensign Morris began firing with their phasers. But it wasn't long until the Borg grew resistant to them.
I had already given one of my automatics to Tuvok for the other security team, and Mia had given up two of hers. Tuvok had thought this would be our best bet to get rid of the Borg, since they wouldn't have come across these weapons before. And, as was planned, Mia and I began firing at the drones with our pistols as soon as Michaels and Morris were out of the way.
"Got it!" Harry cried. "Commander?"
"The scanners are up and running Harry." Chakotay confirmed over the comm. Both Mia and I now had one of these as well.
"There are twenty Borg drones onboard." Chakotay said. "And seven, not nine, are already dead."
As Chakotay was speaking, both Mia and I were busy shooting and had already downed four of the Borg. A few seconds later the whole group was dead. "How many left?" I asked.
"Six." Chakotay. "Now, five."
"Sir, the Borg have just adapted again. The 'guns' only seem to be slowing them down, not killing them." Said the leader of the second security team.
"Then get out of there." Chakotay said. "I don't want anyone getting hurt with the Doc offline."
"Wait." Said Mia. "We cannot let them continue modifying the ship. Daniel and I will deal with the rest. We still have the zats."
"Go." Said Chakotay.
So as Harry, Michaels and Morris retreated towards the access shaft, Mia and I crept forward. Both of us had our zats out, and armed. It didn't take us long to find the five remaining Borg. I shot two of them, twice each, before looking over at Mia. She had also taken care of two, but as I watched the remaining drone knocked the zat out of her hand.
Instead of reaching for it, Mia unsheathed her sword and neatly decapitated the Borg in one graceful movement. I fired a third shot at the others and they disappeared. "Clear." I said into my comm.
"Does this seem almost too easy to you?" I added to Mia.
"Yes." She said. "But the Borg have not come across our weapons before. As a result we were far more affective than Voyager would have been on her own."
I nodded, as Chakotay's triumphant voice came over the comm. "Shields up!"
It seemed we were safe for now.
I heard Chakotay shouting orders around the bridge. I heard the yelled discovery of the Borg, but I felt detached from everything. I was still absently watching the chaos on the bridge when Commander Chakotay came up to me. "You might want to stay here." He told me. "You've never fought the Borg before."
"We will help." Mia said. "We are warriors. We kill and fight and this will spare those who can help fix your ship."
Chakotay looked as if he was about to object, but he obviously saw something in our faces, because he didn't. "Lieutenant." He called to one of the men standing on the bridge. "Our guests will be joining one of your teams to help fight the Borg."
"Yes, sir." The man said, but I could see the confusion and doubt on his face when he turned away from the Commander.
"On second thoughts," Chakotay said. "Tuvok, I want you to coordinate the attacks on the Borg and set up a command centre at the back of the ship."
"Aye, Commander." Tuvok replied.
Chakotay then turned back to Mia and me. "Go with Tuvok."
I nodded and turned to the tall, dark skinned man. He was looking at Mia and me with a hint of curiosity. It was only a small flicker of emotion, nothing anyone else would have seen. But I had spent years watching Teal'c's almost expressionless face, and then watched Jack close up into himself and hide all his emotion deep away. As a result I can read people very well.
I deliberately ignored the stab of pain I felt when I thought of Teal'c and the man Jack had become. Now was not the time to think about this and grieve for all that I had lost. But then, now was never the time. I knew in the back of my head that holding in and ignoring my feelings like I was doing was not healthy. But when your world crashes down around you and you loose almost everyone you care about, you tend not to want to talk about it - and one of the few people I would confide in is going through the same pain as me, and I don't want to force Jack to grieve yet, because I'm not sure he's strong enough to handle it anymore.
It's a strange thought, I know. Jack has always been one of the strongest and toughest people I know, but since Sam and Teal'c died, and General Hammond was killed and Janet . . . died, something inside him seemed to break. And now, to me, Jack seems vulnerable, and as if the only thing holding him together is his stubborn will not to break. I can't burden him now, when he's not ready. I won't do that to a man who has come to mean so much to me and has been such a good friend to me, despite everything.
By now, Tuvok had led the Lieutenant, Mia and me to the access shaft above deck 6. Deck 6 had been almost completely taken over by Borg, and from what I heard, Engineering was getting very worried because that's where Voyager kept her fuel. Tuvok led us to the nearest armoury from the access shaft, and began issuing orders in his calm voice.
"Commander?" Mia asked after a moment. "What do you want us to do?"
Tuvok turned to us. "I would like to know more about the weapons you carry." He said. "I have read detailed accounts of 20th Century weaponry, but I have never talked to someone who actually knew how to use one."
I drew one of my Beretta's. "This is a Beretta 92 FS semi-automatic pistol. It has 9mm calibre bullets, 15 rounds per magazine and is both single and double action."
I holstered the Beretta again, and unslung the P-90 from my shoulder. "This is the Fabrique National P90 sub-machine gun. It fires a 5.7 x 28mm cartridge that is slightly smaller in diameter than a 9mm. It can hold 50 rounds in a magazine, and works in both single shot and fully automatic mode. It fires at a speed of 900 rpm and as a maximum effective range of 200m. When used effectively, it can pierce 48 layers of Kevlar at 150m."
"This is a zat, or zat'ni'katel." I said, as I showed him the zat gun I also carried. "It is a Goa'uld weapon and uses blasts of energy to stun, kill or disintegrate whoever it hits. One shot stuns, a second kills, and a third vaporises the body."
I bent down and took a knife out of my boot. "This is a standard combat knife. Stainless steel, leather handle."
All through my descriptions, Tuvok had continued to look curious, and nodded his thanks when I had finished. Although, he should really thank Jack, not me. He was the one who had taught me all about the weapons I carried, as well as most of the unarmed combat I knew - Riley was responsible for the rest.
"My curved sword made from an alloy of titanium and is very strong." Mia added. "But I would assume that you would have come across many variations of sword through out your travels."
Tuvok nodded. "These weapons are indeed formidable." He said. "And the Borg are not likely to have come across them before, which should mean they will be vulnerable to them."
I nodded in reply. "Just tell us what we can do to help." I said.
And I meant it. I really did want to help, and not just because of the similarities of the Borg and the Goa'uld. I wanted to help them simply because they needed help. And a part of me felt joyous at that knowledge. I guess I wasn't as dead inside as I had thought. And I'm not sure that's such a bad thing, either.
Tuvok continued to look at us. "I will assign you to a security team that will enter through the access shaft." He said calmly. "But I must warn you. The Borg do not hesitate from pain of suffer from exhaustion. They will fight you until you are dead or assimilated, or until all the drones are dead. You can kill one, but another will always take its place."
I nodded. "I will try to remember."
Strangely, as I thought about the Borg, I remembered Earth's fight against the Replicators. They were also similar to the Borg - almost as if the Borg were a cross between the Goa'uld and the Replicators. It was almost a funny thought.
As I silently watched, the armoury erupted into chaos that seemed to ebb and flow like the tide. Before long, Tuvok had set up his command post, complete with an open comm. link with the bridge. "How is it going, Tuvok?" Chakotay asked, over it.
"I am just about to send in the first teams." Tuvok replied.
"Good. With luck we should have internal sensors running soon, now that we've sorted out the life support systems. Keep me updated."
"Aye, sir." Tuvok said.
* * *
As I crept through the eerily silent deck 6, I noticed technology that didn't seem to match Voyager. It seemed as if the Borg were doing some modifications - although I was told this is fairly usual when the Borg find interesting technology. It was also a lot warmer in here. It seems assimilation is not just reserved for the living.
So far, we hadn't seen any drones. By we I mean the security team - Mia, me, Lieutenant Michaels, Ensign Morris, and surprisingly, Ensign Harry Kim. Apparently there were some systems on deck 6 that Harry needed to fix so the internal and external scanners can go back online.
I just took there word for it. This ship was way more advanced than the technology I was used to dealing with. But I did watch Harry closely. He seemed a rather quiet and, well, gentle man, and I didn't know how he would react if we were attack by the Borg - or when we attacked them.
We soon found the panel Harry was looking for, and he began fiddling with the wires inside. It struck me at the moment that I was sounding like Jack used to - worrying about how someone's going to fight, and dismissing all the things that I didn't understand. Like how to fix Voyager.
I shook my head, and got back to watching for the Borg. This was what I was here for. The fight the Borg and help these humans. And then maybe get Jack and Riley back, and find a way home. Not that home was particularly appealing right now. Not after I'd feel the feeling of family that surrounded Voyager and her crew.
Again, I had to drag my thoughts back to the task at hand. It was getting more and more difficult to concentrate on fighting. And more and more difficult to deny the emotions surging through my heart and soul. Maybe it was because of Voyager and her crew, maybe it was because I had finally reached the point where I wanted to scream and shout and cry and weep about the death of my friends. I don't know, but suddenly the corridor we were in seemed to close in on me and slowly begin to squeeze me from inside out.
Talk about the wrong time to break down. At that moment several Borg drones turned the corner and saw us. I readied my guns as their heavy footsteps echoed off the walls, and channelled all my emotional energy into staying alive, hoping it would help. And, as if sensing my inner turmoil, Mia shot me a sharp glance.
The grips of my Berettas were comforting in my hands, and I gripped them loosely in my hands as I had been taught. I had my P-90 slung over my back because the automatic fire was too dangerous in such close quarters. Lieutenant Michaels and Ensign Morris began firing with their phasers. But it wasn't long until the Borg grew resistant to them.
I had already given one of my automatics to Tuvok for the other security team, and Mia had given up two of hers. Tuvok had thought this would be our best bet to get rid of the Borg, since they wouldn't have come across these weapons before. And, as was planned, Mia and I began firing at the drones with our pistols as soon as Michaels and Morris were out of the way.
"Got it!" Harry cried. "Commander?"
"The scanners are up and running Harry." Chakotay confirmed over the comm. Both Mia and I now had one of these as well.
"There are twenty Borg drones onboard." Chakotay said. "And seven, not nine, are already dead."
As Chakotay was speaking, both Mia and I were busy shooting and had already downed four of the Borg. A few seconds later the whole group was dead. "How many left?" I asked.
"Six." Chakotay. "Now, five."
"Sir, the Borg have just adapted again. The 'guns' only seem to be slowing them down, not killing them." Said the leader of the second security team.
"Then get out of there." Chakotay said. "I don't want anyone getting hurt with the Doc offline."
"Wait." Said Mia. "We cannot let them continue modifying the ship. Daniel and I will deal with the rest. We still have the zats."
"Go." Said Chakotay.
So as Harry, Michaels and Morris retreated towards the access shaft, Mia and I crept forward. Both of us had our zats out, and armed. It didn't take us long to find the five remaining Borg. I shot two of them, twice each, before looking over at Mia. She had also taken care of two, but as I watched the remaining drone knocked the zat out of her hand.
Instead of reaching for it, Mia unsheathed her sword and neatly decapitated the Borg in one graceful movement. I fired a third shot at the others and they disappeared. "Clear." I said into my comm.
"Does this seem almost too easy to you?" I added to Mia.
"Yes." She said. "But the Borg have not come across our weapons before. As a result we were far more affective than Voyager would have been on her own."
I nodded, as Chakotay's triumphant voice came over the comm. "Shields up!"
It seemed we were safe for now.