Chapter 51.
Unity.
(Scott POV)
"Captain's Log Stardate 50622.4 While Commander Chakotay searches for a route through the Nekrit Expanse, We are continuing our month long journey through the sparely populated region, As I had more than enough time on my hands spending more time with my Girls, End log," I said as I was on the Bridge. As Kat was with me since Chakotay was away so She was covering for Him while he is away.
"You know they really should call this the Negative Expanse, We haven't run across anything interesting for days," Tom said.
"If you Bored Tom I'm sure I can find you something else for you to do, The Warp plasma filters are due for a thorough cleaning," I said.
"Now that you mention it, Captain, I find this region of space a real navigational Challenge," Tom said.
"I Believe I may have found something something else to pique Mr. Paris interest Captain It's an unidentified ship on long range sensors," Tuvok said.
"What sort of ship," I said.
"Sensors Readings are very limited, but the ship appears to be stopped in our current flightpath," Tuvok said.
"Harry. Try hailing," I said.
"Aye captain," Harry said. "They're not responding,"
"Retransmitting on Wide-band Subspace," I said.
"Still no response," Harry said.
"We are entering Visual Range," Tuvok said.
"On Screen," I said As it came on the viewscreen, And It was a cube.
"The Borg," Tom said.
"Red Alert, Battle stations," I said. As the Klaxons went red. "All stop, Shield to Maximum, Standby all weapons, Standby ZPM's. Tuvok are they scanning us,"
"Curious, None of the Borg systems appears to be operational," Tuvok said.
"He's right they're adrift," Harry said.
"Maybe they are trying to lull us into a false sense of Security," Tom said.
"Don't think the Borg understand that Tactic, Lets try a metaphasic Scan, Tom Get ready to get us out of here if they react," I said.
"Aye Captain," Tom said.
"Harry," I said.
"I'm not picking up any active energy signatures. and no lifesigns," Harry said.
"Well, that's a relief," Tom said.
"Perhaps, however we should avoid complacency, The Borg are known to retrieving their Damaged technology, It is quite possible that we will encounter addition Borg Vessels Which are fully manned and powered," Tuvok said.
"Which is why we going over there," I said.
"Captain" Tuvok said.
"This is the best chance we have to analyse their technology," I said.
"If I could get one of they power nodes working and find out what disabled their ship," B'Elanna said.
"And everything that is on that ships database, And If we are lucky, We may find a weakness we can use against them, In case we run into one of their fully manned and powered ship, Tuvok, B'Elanna, Assemble an away team, Tom Take us into Transporter Range," I said.
"Aye captain," Tom said.
"Kat Take Tactical, I want to know if that ship even twitches the wrong way," I said.
"On it," Kat said.
"Harry Keep a lock on them and be ready to beam them back in a second notice," I said.
"Aye Captain," Harry said. "They are in Captain,"
"Keep your fingers on those button's," I said.
"All over it Captain," Harry said.
XXX
Then We were all in the Conference room.
"As Far as we can tell, All activity on the Borg ship ceased abruptly 5 years ago," Tuvok said.
"Our Scans have detected 1,100 corpses," B'Elanna said.
"We located a breached sectioned of the vessel where the spatial vacuum preserved several of the Bodies perfectly," Tuvok said.
"We brought one aboard. We're hoping that an autopsy might give us some clue as to what killed them," B'Elanna said.
"The Question is, Why have the Borg left one of their ships and all it's technology adrift in space for anyone to find," I said.
"It is possible that the deactivation of the ship and its systems severed the link with the rest of the Collective," Tuvok said.
"But what caused the shutdown in the first place," Harry said.
"It could've been some kind of natural disaster, or," B'Elanna said.
"Or what," Harry said.
"Maybe the Borg were defeated by an enemy even more powerful than they were," B'Elanna said.
"Tuvok, Continue scanning for any Borg Vessels in the vicinity, As well as any other ship that might be more Powerful, B'Elanna what else you got," I said.
"We managed to savage some components that we can reconfigure for Voyager maybe give us an edge but we could strip that ship Clean," B'Elanna said.
"I will consider that, But You and the Doctor get started on that autopsy, In the meantime, Tom, Set a course For Chakotay, We need to tell that we ran into some old friends," I said. "Dismissed,"
XXX
"Captain's log Supplemental, We've detected a message buoy launched from Chakotay's shuttle and are heading towards it, The Autopsy of the Borg corpse is underway, End log," I said.
Then I was told about What happened in Sickbay. That was bad so I rejected B'Elanna call about Striping that Cube.
After a while we were on the Bridge.
"According to the buoy, Commander Chakotay and Ensign Kaplan Landed on the surface in response to a distress call 3 days ago," Tuvok said.
"Can you locate the shuttle," I said.
"There's is no sign of it anywhere on the planet," Tuvok said.
"What about their combadges," I said.
"I'm only picking up one signal, It's in a heavily populated region, Signal's very weak," Harry said.
"Voyager to Commander Chakotay, Kaplan do you read me," I said.
"Electrodynamic turbulence from the nebula is interfering with the Transmission, It's going to take me a while to clear it up," Harry said.
"Get on it," I said.
XXX
We got Chakotay back but found out about Kaplan being Dead and then What is going on that planet, And the Disconnected Borg drones. Now I was in the Conference room with Chakotay and One of them. Riley.
"We've given it a great deal of thought, and we believe the solution to our problem is to reestablish the neural link among all the former Borg living on the planet," Riley said.
"You can't be serious," I said.
"I know it sounds Extreme, Captain, But I think you should hear her out," Chakotay said.
"All right," I said.
"If you'll think about it, Captain, when we were linked, we had no ethnic conflict, There was no crime, no hunger no health problems, We lived as one harmonious family," Riley said.
"With all due, respect, Dr. Frazier, you were one harmonious family, bent on the violent assimilation of innocent cultures," I said.
"But we're not Borg anymore, and we've learned from our past, All we want to do is to take the one good thing that existed in the midst of all that horror our unique ability to cooperate and problem solve and use it to create a safe and productive community," Riley said.
"Tell me how, Exactly," I said.
"The Neuro Transponder we've built is only powerful enough to link a small group of people, like the one that helped heal Chakotay's wounds, In any case, the effect is only temporary," Riley said. "In order to reconnect the entire population permanently, We'd need a much bigger neuroelectric field generator,"
"We don't have anything like that," I said.
"But the Borg cube does," Riley said.
"What they are asking us to do is reactivate that ships neuroelectric generator and redirect it toward the planet," Chakotay said.
"They want us to Reactivate a borg Ship," I said.
"Not the whole ship, just the generator, And it only needs to be operational for a few minutes," Riley said. "in order to reactivate the link,"
"There's no telling what would happen if we turned on one of those generators even for an instant For all we know it will attract other Borg Vessels," I said.
"Captain, I can assure you, We'd take every precaution," Riley said.
"Dr. Frazier I admire your tenacity, I respect your courage, I'll give you medical supplies, Upgrades to your security, I'll even take some of you with us, if you want to come, But as to what you're proposing, I have to tell you I'm extremely skeptical, In fairness however, I will give it some further thought," I said.
"Thank you," Riley said. Then Left.
"What do you think," I said.
"If you asking me whether or not she's sincere, I would have to say Yes," Chakotay said.
"You got to know them very well," I said.
"That's an understatement," Chakotay said. "I heard their thoughts felt their feelings saw through their eyes,"
"And in all the time you were linked, you never sensed anything negative, no hidden agenda no destructive intent," I said.
"No," Chakotay said.
"Bottom line, Do you think we should do what they're asking," I said.
"I really care about what happens to these people, So in my heart, I'd like to do everything we can to help them, But if I were sitting in your chair, I'd have to take other considerations into account," Chakotay said.
"Not only would it mean imposing a choice on thousands of people who had no voice in the decision, But it would also be taking a terrible risk, Helping the create a new Collective, Who knows what the repercussions might be?" I said.
"I'll let Riley know," Chakotay said. Then lefted too.
XXX
Everyone but Chakotay and B'Elanna was back onboard as I was on the Bridge waiting for them.
"Captain, Commander Chakotay's shuttle has changed course," Tuvok said.
"Try hailing them," I said.
"No response," Harry said.
"They are increasing speed to Maximum impulse," Tuvok said.
"Tom, Pursuit course, Tell Neelix we'll rendezvous with his shuttle later," I said. "Where is it going,"
"It's at the Cube," Harry said. "Captain someone just beamed into the Cube, It's Chakotay,"
"Tuvok, Harry, Get over there and get him out. Tom Tractor the Shuttle into the Shuttlebay and get B'Elanna to Sickbay," I said.
As They left.
"Kat, Tactical," I said. "Red alert, Ready weapons," As the Klaxons went Red.
"Captain that cube just activated," Tom said.
"Ready Phasers," I said.
"Voyager, Emergency beam out," Harry said.
"Get them out of there," I said.
"We got them," Kat said.
"Tom Back us off," I said.
"They're charging weapons," Kat said.
"Ready Torpedoes Maximum yield Full spread," I said. "Shield to Maximum Ready to engage ZPM's,"
"Captain the Borg ship has initiate a self destruct sequence it'll go in 3 seconds," Harry said.
"Tom get us of here," I said.
"We're clear," Tom said. As shook a bit.
"Report," I said.
"Shield are holding, no injuries or hull damage," Harry said.
"What the hell happened back there," Tom said.
"Audio transmission Captain, Planet surface," Harry said.
"Let's hear it," I said.
"We are the new cooperative, We have destroyed the Borg Cube, We regret that we forced Commander Chakotay to assist us, But it was necessary for our survival, His link with the cooperative has now been severed. Our lasting gratitude," They said the cut it.
"Tom Get us back on course for home, As Soon as we clear got to Warp," I said.
"Aye Captain," Tom said.
"Stand down Red Alert," I said.
XXX
We were back at Warp. Heading home. As Tuvok, and I was in Sickbay with the Doc and Chakotay.
"His Neuropeptide levels has returned to Normal," Doc said.
"And there are no residual traces of the link," I said.
"None," Doc said.
"How were they able to reestablish the connection," I said.
"My best guess is that the residual neuropeptides heightened his telepathic receptivity," Doc said.
"I though their limited equipment made it impossible for them to form the link over great distances," I said.
"Apparently once they repaired their communications array, They were able to use it to amplify the signal from their neural transponder," Tuvok said.
"Would you 2 please excuse us," I said as the Doc and Tuvok left.
"I don't know what to say, except, I'm sorry," Chakotay said.
"Based on what the Doc told us, It's clear you were acting against your will," I said.
"Maybe so, But somehow that doesn't make me feel any better," Chakotay said. "I helped them repair their communications array, And I told you they were sincere,"
"Helping others, Chakotay, That's part of who you are, Given everything you believe in, I don't see how you could've behaved differently," I said.
"But I couldn't have been more wrong about them could I," Chakotay said.
"I don't know, I'm not saying I'm happy about what happened, But so far they haven't acted like typical Borg, They saved us from that cube and they let you go," I said.
"But they didn't hesitate to impose their collective will on me when it served their interests did they," Chakotay said.
"No they didn't," I said.
"I wonder how long their ideals will last in the face of that kind of power," Chakotay said.
"Who knows," I said.
That's all for this chapter.
More to follow.
Stay Tuned and safe.
Love Y'all
PEACE!