Wrath and Mercy

As Alixia approached, her stature grew to twice her usually small height.

Janeway crossed her arms. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Then you only have yourself to blame for the damage to your mind," Alixia said coldly. She snapped Bennin's grip on me and tossed her like a doll into Loran and Gott, sending all three tumbling to the deck. Before they could untangle themselves, she coiled a loose chain around them and lifted all three in the air. Her eyes darted back to me, filling with sadness. "I told you to stay away."

I shook my head. "Don't do this, Alixia. Please. There's another way."

"I'm sorry," she said before turning back to the queens. "Your reign of terror in this universe is over."

I worked my knife free of the deck and flipped it into position to throw. Disconnect Alixia from the collective, I silently commanded it as I aimed at her back.

"Alixia," came Kes' voice, her figure taking shape next to me before I could do anything. "Stop."

All the air seemed to get sucked out of the room. I'd never heard Kes be so firm.

The glow in Alixia's face faded, pain overtaking her features. "Mom."

Kes moved to her side and rested a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't the way, love."

"You must leave," Alixia begged. "Sever your telepathic connection with Commander Eelo. Please." Her voice cracked. "I don't want to hurt you."

Kes shook her head. "I'm not leaving. I will never abandon people who need help. You know that."

"You can't help them, Mom. If I don't eradicate the Borg and their technology, they will return, and all of this will be for nothing."

"You're about to kill trillions of innocent people, Lix." Kes' cupped Alixia's cheek. "We can free them."

Alixia scoffed. "Free them for what? Some will return to lives of peace, but others will use the technology they have gained from the Borg to do great evil."

"You can't see the future."

"I don't need to. History is proof enough to show that people cannot be trusted to do the noble thing." Alixia nodded at the queens. "They are proof that when such opportunity presents itself, there will always be those who will take advantage of it for their own gain."

"You're right," Kes said. "But people will do that regardless of what you do here today. Already, thousands of societies have found ways to take Borg technology, study it, and create their own weapons." She gestured to me. "You only have to look behind you to see the proof of that."

Alixia glanced at me, then back at Kes.

"Borg technology is already in the hands of people who intend to use it for their own benefit," Kes continued. "You can't stop that. But you can stop this violence Susperia has planted in your head against the people enslaved to the Borg. They deserve to make their own choices, just like the rest of us."

For several seconds, Alixia said nothing.

I adjusted my grip on the tagh.

Finally, Alixia let go of the chains and stepped back. "Very well. I will liberate the collective, however these three—"

The chains shattered, metal shards exploding in every direction. As one, Loran, Gott, and Bennin grabbed Alixia, throwing her to the deck with a loud thud. More chains shot up from the plating beneath her and wrapped Alixia's entire body. She struggled against her bindings, but it was pointless. The Borg had adapted.

Kes cried out and vanished.

Loran turned her vicious, silver gaze onto me. "Now that we have the Occampan, we no longer require you to be preserved as individuals. You will be assimilated and serve us as drones. You will add to our perfection. Resistance is futile."

Chains raced from her hands towards us, but I rolled away just before they reached me. I threw my knife towards Harry, sticking it in the deck just in front of him. "Grab on!" I shouted.

He realized a half second too late what I meant to do.

"Talia—"

Hopping to my feet, I dove head-first into the river.