Shifting Sands
Part Four
By V.Valentine
A/N: Gomen Nasai, everyone. I know that I've been holding some people in anticipation of what is going to happen net, and it's been ions since I last posted a chapter. I do have my reasons, I.E. lock of motivation and Final Fantasy 2. I want to thank everyone who posted a review, my heart and thanks go out to all of you, and I hope that you'll still be interested in what's going to happen in the story. That's it. Ja!
A Trans-warp conduit soon appeared above the planet, the Borg cube looming over the planet's surface like a waiting guillotine. It soon came to halt, stopping in front of the blue orb, as if waiting for something. The Borg Queen smiled at the sight of this planet, her eyes looking over its surface, then to the readings the sensors were displaying from the planet's surface.
"This planet is like Earth. We will take much joy when we assimilate this planet." The Borg Queen states with a soft tone to her voice, almost in anticipation of being able to add their technological and biological additions for the will of the collective.
The sensors soon beeped, relaying important information to the Queen. Her eyes slightly widen when she looks over the new sensor report. "There is a unidentified energy source flowing throughout the planet. We have never encountered this form of energy." She says, almost regretfully, as she looks over to a drone waiting for her orders, whatever they might be. "Transport a sample of this to Unimatrix zero one three, then surround it with a containment field." She beckoned out as the drone nodded simply, and went off to complete the order.
The sensors then beeped once more, view screens activating to life with pictures of Voyager coming towards the Cube. "Janeway. How nice of you to bring us your ship." The Borg Queen states with a smile, as she looked up to the ceiling. "The stasis lock is ready. Make sure the federation ship is in range before firing." She commands, to no one in particular, as lights and controls flickered to life, processing the orders.
The crew of Voyager and the select members of AVALANCHE all assembled on the bridge of the federation ship, as Captain Janeway paced nervously around the front part of the bridge. She then looked to Tuvok, hoping that they were ready enough to take on the Borg.
"Is everything ready, Commander?" Janeway asked, her voice not faltering and she was proud of herself for not doing so.
"As much as can be expected, Captain." Tuvok states simply, looking over the tactical station. "Shields are at full strength, a full compliment of photon torpedoes are armed and waiting, and the phaser banks have been set to a rotating modulation." He continues on, as he then looks to Janeway. "But, I expect we will only get about twenty shots off, before the Borg ship will begin to adapt, at the most." He offers out to her, almost as if a warning.
"Understood, Mr.Tuvok. Target their shield generators, and prepare to fire." Janeway commanded, as Cloud looked to her, a slightly confused expression on his face.
"You mean to tell me that ship can adapt to your weapons?" Cloud questioned incredulously, as he looks around. "What happens when they do adapt?" He questions out further as Chakotay looks to him.
"We continue to change our phaser rotations, but that won't last long either." He says truthfully, as he goes back to looking over his ship reports. "All decks report being ready. The personal phasers have been fitted to fire in a rotating modulation, and the Doctor is starting to work on anti-assimilation techniques." He says, turning to Janeway in his chair, looking to her.
Yuffie gulped nervously, as she clung tightly to her Conformer, looking over it slightly to make sure there was still materia in it. "Assimilation? What does that mean?" She ventured out nervously as Janeway turned to her.
"The Borg assimilate other cultures, and take their individualities and make them part of their collective. In essence, they make you one of their own." Janeway explained simply, yet her tone was softer, trying not to scare the young girl more than what was already happening.
Yuffie nodded meekly, fighting back an urge to vomit right then and there, as she looked to Cloud. "Do you think they'll be able to adapt to Materia?" She asks cloud, the fear starting to rise in her throat. Cloud looked to her, and just shrugged simply, as Red XIII padded up to the young girl. He put his paw on the back of her leg, in a comforting gesture.
"Don't worry, Yuffie. We'll make it out of this fight." He says softly, but in a comforting manner as Yuffie nods, looking down to the great fire beast and even manages a smile for the guardian of Cosmo Canyon.
"Captain, the Borg ship is in visual range." Tuvok states simply, as Janeway nods. She rises from her seat, and looks off to the view screen. "On screen." She says simply, as the screen flickered to life, showing the towering Borg cube getting closer and closer towards them.
Cid almost dropped the cigarette in his mouth, as his jaw went slack looking over the gargantuan ship. "God almighty." He says softly, his eyes trailing over the surface of the impending danger as Cid looks back to Cloud. "How in the blue hell are we supposed to fight against that? Even Ultima would be nothing against a thing like that." Cid states, slightly worried, as he leans against the Venus Gospel in his arms.
Vincent then looked over to all the others, finally being able to tear his eyes away from the giant ship. "Maybe the solution isn't fighting the ship. Maybe the answer lies in inside of the ship." Vincent says in wonderment, as he walks over to Cloud, his arms still crossed over his chest. "Captain Janeway said that these Borg can adapt to energy weapons. None of us in AVALANCHE use those. And I think that since Materia relies on the power of the Ancients, they won't be able to adapt to it. We should hit them from inside." Vincent says, finishing off his idea, as Cloud looks to him.
"Good idea, Vincent." Cloud says as he then looks to Janeway. "I think if we get inside of that ship, we can do more damage if we had a team in there and a team out here, fighting them on both fronts." Cloud says, as Janeway looks to him and nods in determination and the exciting prospects of that idea.
"I agree. We'll try and get in close enough to wear we can open up a hole big enough in their shields to transport you in. But I can't promise that once you're in, we'll be able to get you out on a moment's notice." Janeway offers out to him grimly, as Cloud nods.
"We're ready to face that possibility. Just do the best you can." He replies in the same grim fashion as he looks back to the rest of AVALANCHE. The rest of the group nods back to Cloud showing their support. "I guess that's it then. We're ready." Cloud says simply, as Chakotay nods.
"Go down to Transporter room one. By the time you get there, we should be ready to send you through." Chakotay says with nodded affirmation as the small group of AVALANCHE nods and heads off of the bridge down to the transporter room.
Janeway then rises from her seat, and turns to Tuvok. "Could we open up a hole big enough to send them through, if we concentrated on one point of the shields, and fired both phasers and photon torpedoes on that same point?" Janeway asked hypothetically, as Tuvok thought about it briefly, before nodding.
"It is possible, Captain. But as you said, I do not know if we can keep transporter lock on them at all times." Tuvok offered out to her, as Janeway nodded.
"We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. I think this group can come through on their end of the deal. Let's make sure we do the same." She says firmly, with no sign of failure in her voice and accepting no contestation.
Tuvok nodded and began to make the preparations to the phasers and torpedoes. Janeway then moved back down to her chair, and sat back down as she turned on the Comm system. "Janeway to Transporter room one. Is everything ready down there?" She asks, the commander in charger down their replies.
"Everything's ready down here, Captain. Our guests are ready and waiting." The supervisor states as Janeway nods.
"Good work. Arm the torpedoes and forward phaser banks." Janeway commands, her battle face settling in with its firm determination. "Fire at will, Mr. Tuvok." She commands as Tuvok presses the firing sequence for the front weapons.
Phaser and torpedo fire erupt from Voyager, knocking into the Borg Ship shields. It connects with several bright flashes of light, as the transporter chief looks to AVALANCHE.
"We're ready to send you over. Energizing now." He says simply, as Cloud and the others nod simply and the beginning familiar blue light of transportation envelops them and sends them over onto the Borg Ship, sending them into a very unholy land.
