Chapter 57.
Scorpion Parts 1 and 2.
(Scott POV)
I was in my holodeck program of home, My home in Beacon hill's as I was just sitting back watching the stars. Oh I missed seeing them from home. I know I will get home, But just not sure if I will get back to my own time.
"Chakotay to McCall," Chakotay said.
"Go ahead," I said.
"Captain, We need you in Engineering there's something here you should see," Chakotay said.
"On my way, Computer End program," I said as the Holodeck shut off as I headed for Engineering.
Once I got there I found B'Elanna and Chakotay.
"What's up," I said.
"Some bad news, The long range probe we sent out 2 months ago has stopped transmitting," Chakotay said.
"At first I thought it was a problem with the Communication grid, then I cleared up the last few seconds of Telemetry, Take a look at this," B'Elanna said as I saw a Borg Cube and I drone the the Probe must of be cut off.
"This could be it Captain, Borg Space," Chakotay said.
"Get a meet of the senior staff, Conference room 10 minutes, Move it," I said as I headed up there.
10 Minutes later everyone and I was in there.
"We don't know how many vessels are out there, But their space appears to be vast, It includes thousands of solar systems, All Borg, We are, no doubt, entering the heart of their territory, There's no going around it, But there maybe a way through it," I said.
"Before the probe was disabled, It picked up a narrow corridor of space devoid of Borg Activate," Chakotay said.
"We've nicknamed it the North West 200," I said. "Or more like Chakotay through of calling it, Passage,"
"Unfortunately, the passage is filled with intense gravimetric distortions probably caused by a string of quantum singularities," B'Elanna said.
"Better to ride to rapids than face the hive," Tom said.
"Exactly," Chakotay said. "We're going to set a course for that Corridor and go into full Tactical alert,"
"Where do we stay with Weapons," I said.
"I have reprogrammed the Phaser Banks to a rotating modulation, But I suspect the Borg will adapt quickly," Tuvok said. "I have also reprogrammed the Phase cannons as well,"
"We can use every edge," Chakotay said. "Ensign?"
"I've already configured the Long Range sensors to scan for Transwarp signatures, An early warning system, I've also got the Zero Point Modules on Standby in case we need them fast, I also have reconfigured the Hull plating to also match our shield strength also, But I don't know how long they will hold," Harry said.
"We can use the Edge on that also, Doctor, What about the Medical front?" I said.
"I've analyzed every square millimeter of the Borg corpse we recovered 3 months ago, I'm closer to understanding how their assimilation technology works, And I might be able to create some sort of Medical defense," Doc said.
"Redouble your efforts," Chakotay said.
"What about that ATA Gene," I said.
"I'm ready to try to give everyone on the senior Staff here, It see if it how's, I couldn't get it to work any better than before," Doc said.
"Good," I said.
"Neelix I doubt we can resupply the ship any time soon," Chakotay said.
"No problem, sir," Neelix said. "I'm working on a plan to extend our food and replicator rations,"
"We have to act fast, The Borg have captured one of our probes, they know we are out here, We'll do everything in our power to avoid a direct confrontation, But if and when we do engage the Borg, I'm confident that we'll be ready, I know we are going to get through this, Let's do it," I said Heading out.
As we got ready and we got the Phaser rifles out to for security.
Then I got Clara a Phaser just in case.
"Don't worry, Dad, I cover all of us, Naomi and Chloe," Clara said.
"I know you will," I said.
As I headed to the Bridge as Tuvok was with Kes. As he got back.
"How's Kes," I said.
"Unsettled and uncertain, Over the Past 2 hours, She has experienced several telepathic visions about the death of Borg and the destruction of Voyager," Tuvok said.
"Some sort of Premonitions?" Chakotay said.
"Possibly," Tuvok said.
"We can't just ignore her intuition, But I see no reason to alter our plan, Tuvok," I said.
"Captain, Long ranger sensors are picking up Transwarp signatures, lightyears distant, Closing from Behind," Harry said.
"Red Alert," I said As the Klaxons went Red. "Tom, Evasive maneuvers,"
Then we rumbling then it stopped.
"What's happening?" Chakotay said.
"We've dropped out of Warp," Tom said.
"Bridge to Engineering, B'Elanna what is going on?" I said.
"I'm not sure, Captain, Some kind of subspace turbulence is preventing us from creating a stable warp field," B'Elanna said as we shook again.
"Turbulence is increasing," Tuvok said.
"I'm reading 2 Borg vessel, Make that 3, 4, 5, 15 Borg vessels, Distant 2.1 light years and closing," Harry said.
"Shields to Maximum, All weapons on Standby," I said.
"They're in visual range," Tuvok said.
"On screen," I said as we saw a Borg Cube armada. "Holy Shit,"
"My god," Chakotay said. As they flew right by us.
Then One of them stopped.
"Captain," Chakotay said.
"I'm picking up a polaron Beam, We're being Scanned," Harry said.
"Come on, boys back off," I said then it stopped and went off.
"The Last cube has re joined the others," Tuvok said.
"Did we take any damage," I said.
"No, Shields held, Warp engines are coming back on line, All primary systems are stable," Harry said.
"Cancel Red Alert," I said. "Harry Keep a bloody sensor lock on that Borg Armada, they seemed to be in quiet a hurry, Didn't they, I want to know what they are up to,"
"Yes, Sir," Harry said.
"I'll take this near miss as a good omen, Resume Course, Tom," I said.
"If we needed any more evidence that we entered Borg space, I think we just got it," Chakotay said.
"Yeah, You got the bridge, I'll be in my Ready room," I said. As I headed in there.
Once the doors had closed.
"Computer, Bring up all Log entry's on the Borg," I said.
"Access to those files are restricted," Computer said.
"Override, Authorization McCall Omega 597," I said.
"Access granted, Displaying Log Enters," Computer said.
XXX
The next thing I knew was the Door bell ringing.
"Come in," I said.
As Chakotay did.
"We've just completed the lastest sensor sweep, So far so, good, the Northwest passage is still clear of Borg activity," Chakotay said.
"Makes me wonder why they have avoided it, I'd like to see a tactical update," I said.
"According to my Calculations, Neither of us has eaten since last night," Chakotay said. "Join me for Dinner,"
"No thanks, Got alot of work to do," I said.
"What about Clara and Chloe," Chakotay said.
"Got a call from Sam, They staying with her tonight," I said.
"I see," Chakotay said.
"I've been looking through the personal log entries of all the starfleet Captain who encountered the Borg, I've gone over every engagement, From the moment that piece of shit Q flung the Enterprise into the Path of that first Cube to the Massacre of Wolf 359, Every battle, ever skirmish, Anything that might give me an insight into the mind of the collective," I said.
"And?" Chakotay said.
"In the Words of Jean-Luc Picard, In their collective state The Borg are utterly without mercy, Driven by one well alone the will to conquer, They are beyond Redemption, Beyond Reason," I said. "Then Captain Amasov of the Endeavor, It's my option that the Borg are as close to pure evil as any race we've ever encountered," As Chakotay Chuckles a bit. "What's so funny,"
"Un nothing," Chakotay said.
"You're smiling, Obviously I've said something amusing, so Come on," I said.
"You sounded just like Amasov," Chakotay said.
"What?" I said.
"Just now while you were reading his log, you were using his inflections," Chakotay said.
"I did not," I said.
"Yes, you were, and before that you were doing a pretty good Picard," Chakotay said.
"Never tell him that, He would never let it go," I said.
"It's nothing to be ashamed about, Echoing the greats, Ensign Hickman in astrophysics does a passable McCall," Chakotay said.
"If we manage to survive the next few days, I'm going have a chat with Hickman that is something I want to see," I said. "This day was inevitable, We all knew it, And I've tried everything to get Voyager ready for a fight with them, We even tried to prepare ourselves for it too, But at what point is the Risk too great, At what point do we come about, Retreat back to Friendly territory, Could the Crew Accept living out the rest of their lives going in the Opposite direction, Out of this galaxy to another one, Same one with the Wraith come from till we can reach someone and get to a Stargate and go home, Then What We can't leave Voyager for anyone to find, I keep looking to all these Captains, my comrades in arms, But the truth is, I'm alone,"
"If that moment comes," Chakotay said. "We'll face it together, And we'll make the right decision, You're not alone, Scott, plus how long would we be searching anyway in that Galaxy,"
"Till we find the Right Planet and the Right city we need to make it home, In other words we find Atlantis, We got the Gate to get us home," I said. "3 Years ago, Didn't even know your name, Kathryn was alive, But she's not here, I am, Guess I can't imagine a day without all of us together, Only way we would win,"
"Captain McCall to the Bridge," Tuvok said.
"Now what," I said. As We headed out. "Tuvok, Harry,"
"Something strange is going on," Harry said.
"The power signatures of those Borg Vessels have terminated," Tuvok said.
"All of them," Chakotay said.
"They are Dead in the water, About 5.2 light years from here," Harry said.
"How?" I said.
"Unknown," Tuvok said.
"Tom Set a course for their position Warp 2, Red alert," I said. As the Klaxon went on red again.
XXX
"We're approaching the ships," Harry said.
"Slow to impulse, On screen," I said. "The Hell,"
"Life signs," Chakotay said.
"A few but they are erratic," Harry said.
"Captain, I am picking up 2 weapon signatures from the Debris, One is Borg the Other is of unknown origin," Tuvok said.
"Who could do this to the Borg?" Tom said.
"Someone more powerful then the Borg It's hard it Imagine," I said.
"But they did it, 15 cubes, We might have just found our ticket through Borg Space, An Ally," Harry said.
"Let's not jump to conclusions, Scan the Vicinity for other vessels," Chakotay said.
"There are none," Tuvok said.
"Wait, I'm picking up some sort of Bio Readings, They're coming from the other hull of one of the Borg ships," Harry said.
"Let's see it," I said. "Magnify, Harry, What is that,"
"It's definitely organic, But our sensors can't penetrate its surface," Harry said.
"Hail it," I said.
"No response," Tuvok said.
"This could be a space dwelling organism or a biological weapon," Chakotay said.
"I want to know what kind of weapon can destroy the Borg, Can we Beam it away from the ships," I said.
"I can't get a lock on it," Harry said.
"Tractor Beam," Chakotay said.
"No effect," Tuvok said.
"Whatever that thing is, It's impervious to our technology," Harry said.
"Tuvok, Are you reading an atmosphere in the cube," I said.
"Affirmative," Tuvok said.
"Chakotay, I want you to take an away team inside, try to get a short range scan of the Bio mass," I said.
"There are still Borg lifesign but they're unstable," Tuvok said.
"We'll keep an open Com link and An Active transporter lock, We'll pull you out of there at the first sign of trouble," I said.
"Tuvok, Harry," Chakotay said. "You're with me,"
"Bridge to Torres," I said.
"Go ahead, Captain," B'Elanna said.
"I could use you up here at Ops," I said.
"On my way Captain," B'Elanna said.
As the Turbolift opened and Clara came out.
"Dad, What's going on?" Clara said.
"That Bio ship you ever seen anything like it," I said.
"No, But it almost looks the same as how the Hives are built will grown," Clara said.
"I was afraid you were going to say that," I said. "Where's Chloe,"
"With Sam and Naomi," Clara said. "Need an extra hand,"
"Tactical," I said.
"You got it," Clara said.
"Just keep an eye on that Bio ship," I said.
XXX
Kes was eventually on the Bridge.
"Chakotay to Voyager," Chakotay said.
"Go ahead," I said.
"Captain we've found an entrance to the Bio mass, We think it might be a ship of some kind, Permission to go inside," Chakotay said.
"You have a go, Just be careful, Clara think that ship was grown just as the Wraith grow Hive ships," I said.
"Acknowledged," Chakotay said.
"B'Elanna you still got that lock," I said.
"Transporter lock is holding," B'Elanna said.
It must have been 5 minutes When.
"Captain, I'm picking up a lifesign or something moving towards the away team," B'Elanna said.
"Voyager to Away team," I said.
"Go ahead," Chakotay said.
"Standby for Transport we are getting you out of there," I said.
"Good Idea," Chakotay said.
"Energize," I said.
"I can't get a lock on them," B'Elanna said.
"What's the problem?" I said.
"It looks like Bio electric interference from whatever's coming towards them," B'Elanna said.
"Narrow the Confinement Beam," I said.
"No effect," B'Elanna said. "I'm going to try a Skeletal lock,"
"A what?" I said.
"I think I can get a lock on them by the Minerals in their bone tissue, I just came up with it but I think it might work," B'Elanna said. "And got it, Energizing, We got them Captain,"
"A Skeletal lock they should add that to the Transporter manual," I said.
"Captain, The Bio ship is powering up," Tom said.
"Dad, It looks like it's charging some sort of weapon," Clara said.
"Tom Get us out of here Maximum warp," I said As I catched Kes who was about to Fall.
As we were going then it hit us. Knocking us down As I managed to Get to the conn and Get us to warp.
"Tom," I said.
"We clear, The Alien ship is not pursuing," Tom said. "Nice,"
"Thanks, Kes, What is it what did you get from it," I said.
"I could hear its thoughts, the pilot of the Bioship was trying to Communicate with me, They're a telepathic species, I've been aware of them for some time now, The Premonitions, Scott It's not the Borg we should be worried about. It's them," Kes said.
"Why what they say," I said.
"It said, The weak will perish," Kes said.
"Tom Get us a good distant away then all stop," I said.
"Aye Captain," Tom said.
XXX
"Captain's Log, Stardate 50984.3, It's been 12 hours since our confrontation with the Alien Lifeform. There's no sign that we're being pursued, And we've had no further Encounters with the Borg, I've decided to hold our course, The Northwest 200 is only one day away, And I won't allow fear to undermine this crew's sense of purpose even if that fear is justified, Clara was right when she saw it, It was a Weapon of some sort, Lucky that only hit our shields, Or who knows how much damage that could have done, End log," I said
As I headed down to Sickbay.
"The infection is spreading," Doc said. "What began with a few stray cells contaminating the chest wound is now infusing every system, in his body," Doc said.
"It looks like he's being transformed in some way," I said.
"Not exactly, The alien cells are consuming his body from the inside out, In essence Mr. Kim is being eaten alive," Doc said.
"But he's still awake Doc," I said.
"I tired giving him a sedative, but it was rejected immediately, In fact every treatment I've tried has be neutralized within seconds, These are alien cells, Each one contains more than a hundred times the DNA of a Human cell, It's the most densely coded life form I've ever seen, Even I would need years to decipher it," Doc said.
"They have an extraordinary immune response, Anything that penetrates the cell membrane, Chemical, Biological, Technological, It's all instantly destroyed, That's why the Borg can't assimilate them," I said.
"Resistance in this case is far from futile," Doc said. "Nevertheless I believe Borg Technology is the key to saving Mr. Kim,"
"You planning to unleash an army of modified Borg Nanoprobes into Harry's Bloodstream, Hoping they destroy each other and Let Harry heal," I said.
"Yes," Doc said. "But I've only made a few prototypes,"
"How long do you need to do that," I said.
"Several Days," Doc said.
"But does Harry have that time," I said.
"I wish I knew," Doc said Heading off.
"Fight it Harry, That's an order," I said.
As I headed for the Bridge.
XXX
"The Northwest Passage," I said.
"It's clear of Borg activity for a very good reason," Chakotay said.
"Dad, I'm picking up 133 Bioships, More are approaching," Clara said.
"From where," I said.
"They seem to be coming from a quantum singularity," Tuvok said.
"I'm localizing the gravimetric distortions," B'Elanna said.
"On Screen," Chakotay said as we saw a rift of those ship coming out.
"Kes," I said. "Anything,"
"Yes, I can hear them, They're in a place where they're all alone, Nothing else lives there," Kes said.
"Some kind of Parallel Universe," Chakotay said.
"I don't know, I feel Malevolence, a cold hatred, The Weak shall perish," Kes said.
"This is a bloody invasion, They're going to destroy everything, Tom Reverse course Maximum warp, Get us 5 light years out and hold position," I said.
"Aye Captain," Tom said.
"Maintain Red Alert, Chakotay," I said. Heading into my ready room. As The Door closed behind him. "That moment it's here any thoughts,"
"Only one Flying into the corridor would mean certain Death," Chakotay said.
"Agreed, The Northwest 200 isn't no longer an option, So now the choice is between facing the Borg in their space or go back the way we came Head back into territories fight past the Kazon again just to get out of this Galaxy into another Galaxy, On thing I'm not accepting yet," I said.
"We could find another way home," Chakotay said.
"I'm Not going to walk onto that bridge and tell the crew we're quitting, Damn it, I can't do it, Chakotay Not yet," I said. "There must be something,"
"Scott, You haven't slept in 2 days, Try getting some rest and clearing your head, We're safe for the moment, We can tell the crew tomorrow if we have to," Chakotay said.
"See you in the morning," I said. As Chakotay left.
After a while of sitting in my ready room, I had enough and Went for the holodeck and went into it, With my Beacon hills program, Where I went and sat down on the mountain.
Then I felt someone come and sit down next to me.
"Dad what is it?" Clara said.
"There has to be a way, But what," I said.
"Dad maybe there is something but I doubt you are going to like it," Clara said.
"What," I said.
"Make a deal with the devil," Clara said.
"You mean make a deal with the Borg," I said.
"What other option is there, Going back, Head into the Pegasus Galaxy go fighting against the Wraith till we Find Atlantis," Clara said. "Not to mention going against the Kazon again,"
"I don't know," I said.
"Dad, It could be our only chance of getting home," Clara said.
XXX
In the Morning, All of us were in the Conference room apart from Harry. Clara was there to, Since she loves being on the Bridge with me, She also knows Voyager's Tactical station too.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but our only way through would be having an Alliance with the Borg," I said.
"An Alliance with the Borg," Tom said.
"Okay More like an exchange, We offer them a way to defeat their now enemy, in return they give us safe passage through their space," I said. "In Developing a treatment for Harry, The Doc has found a way to attack 8472 at a microscopic level,"
"It's still the experimental stages, captain," Doc said. "I've only made a few prototypes,"
"Nevertheless if we teach the Borg how to modify their own nanoprobes, they'd have a blueprint to create a weapon to fight 8472," I said.
"In theory yes," Doc said.
"B'Elanna it's clear from the Borg Database, They know almost know nothing on 8472," I said.
"That's right, The Borg gain knowledge through assimilation, What they can't assimilate, they can't understand," B'Elanna said.
"But we don't assimilate, we investigate, And in this case, that's given us an edge, We've discovered something they need," I said.
"But the Borg aren't exactly known for their diplomacy. How can we expect them to cooperate with us," Neelix said.
"Normally the answer would be no, but if what I've learned from the aliens is true, The Borg are losing this conflict," Kes said.
"In one regard, The Borg are no different than we are, They're trying to survive, I don't believe they're going to refuse an offer that will help them do that," Clara said.
"What makes you think the Borg won't attempt to take the information by assimilating Voyager and its crew," Tuvok said.
"Because that won't get them anywhere, Doc, You are the only one onboard with full knowledge of the Nanoprobe modifications, I want you to transfer all of that research into your holomatrix," I said.
"Certainly," Doc said.
"You're my guarantee, If the Borg threaten us in any way, We'll simply erase your program, But it won't come to that Doc, It's in the Collective's own interest to cooperate, Voyager is only one ship, Our safe passage is a small price to pay for what we're offering in Exchange," I said. "B'Elanna Assist the Doc with his Transfer,"
"Aye Captain," B'Elanna said.
"I be on OPS till B'Elanna is doing that," Clara said.
"Tom, Locate the Nearest Borg Vessel and set a course they shouldn't be too difficult to find," I said.
"Aye Captain," Tom said.
"Dismissed," I said.
As Everyone but Chakotay head out.
"You were awfully quiet," I said.
"I didn't want to others to hear this, But I think what you're proposing is too great a risk," Chakotay said.
"How so," I said.
"There's a story I heard as a child a parable, And I never forget it, A Scorpion was walking along the Bank of a river," Chakotay said.
"Then I fox shows up, The Scorpion asked it to take it across, But Halfway over the Scorpion stings the Fox," I said.
"Yes, But As the Poison filled his veins he turns to the Scorpion and ask why did he do that now we both drown too, The Scorpion said, I couldn't help it, It's my nature," Chakotay said.
"I understand the risk, And I'm not proposing that we try and change the nature of the beast, But this is a unique situation, To our knowledge the Borg have never been so threatened, They're vulnerable, We can take advantage of that," I said.
"Even if we do somehow negotiate an exchange, How long will they keep up their end of the bargain, it could take months to get across Borg Territory, we will be facing Thousands of system, Millions of Vessels," Chakotay said.
"But only one Collective, And we've got them over a barrel, We don't need to give them a single bit of information, Not until we're safe," I said. "We just need the courage to see this through to the end, It's this or we turn tail and Run,"
"There are other kinds of courage, like the courage to accept that there are some situations beyond your control, Not every problem has an immediate solution," Chakotay said.
"So we turn around," I said.
"Yes," Chakotay said. "We should get out of harms way let them fight it out, In the meantime there's still plenty of Delta Quadrant left to explore, We may find another way home, Or another Ancient outpost which has what ever you called it,"
"Hyperdrive," I said.
"We could find another way home," Chakotay said.
"Or we might find something else, 6 months, a year down the road, After 8472 gets through with the Borg, We could find ourselves right back in the line of fire, and we'll have missed the window of Opportunity that exists right here and now," I said.
"How much is our safety worth?" Chakotay said.
"What do you mean?" I said.
"We'd be giving an advantage to a race guilty of murdering billions," Chakotay said. "We'd be helping the Borg assimilate yet another species, just to get ourselves back home it's wrong,"
"Tell that to Harry, He is barely alive thanks to that species, Maybe helping to assimilate them isn't such a bad idea, We could be doing the Delta Quadrant a Favour, I would set the Borg up to get after the Wraith," I said.
"I don't think you really believe that," Chakotay said. "Maybe with the Wraith, I think you're struggling to justify your plan because your desire to get this crew home is blinding you to other options, I know you, Scott, Sometimes, you don't know when to step back,"
"No Cause the only thing I see is 8472 beating the Borg then basically do exact what the Borg have down, But Killing everything in their path, Eventually they reach Earth, The Federation, Everything we know. Gone. That's what I see if they aren't stopped, I would give the Borg what they need to end 8472 than allow that to happen," I said. "Do you trust me Chakotay?"
"That isn't the Issue," Chakotay said.
"Oh but it is, you know that can happen to, There is no grantee 8472 would just go back to they own space after they finish with the Borg. Only yesterday, you were saying that we'd face this together, that you'd be at my side," I said.
"I still have to tell you what I believe, I'm no good to you if I don't do that," Chakotay said.
"I got your insights but the time for debate is over, This is what we have to do, We can't take a chance that 8472 won't go after everyone else once they are through with the Borg. I've made my decision," I said. "Do I have your support,"
"You're the captain, I'm the first officer, I'll follow your orders, But that doesn't change my belief that we're making a fatal mistake," Chakotay said.
"Guess I am alone after all," I said. "Dismissed," As Chakotay left.
XXX
I was on the Bridge as we were at Red Alert. We were coming up to a planet.
"There are 3 planets in this system, Inhabitants all borg," Tuvok said.
"Dad, a vessel is approaching," Clara said.
"All stop, Shields up," I said. "Weapons to standby,"
"They are hailing up," Tuvok said.
"Open a Channel," I said.
"We are the Borg, You will be assimilated, Resistance is futile," Collective said.
As We got locked on with a tractor beam.
"They've locked on to us with a tractor beam," Clara said.
"Borg Vessel, This is Captain McCall of the Starship Voyager, I have Tactical Information about Species 8472, I want to Negotiate," I said.
"Negotiation is Irrelevant, You will be assimilated," Collective said.
As I nodded to B'Elanna. "Borg Vessel what you are receiving is a sample of the knowledge we possess, If you don't disengage your Tractor beam immediately, I will have that knowledge destroyed. You have 10 seconds to comply," I said. "We know you're in danger of being defeated, You can't afford to risk losing this information, Disengage your," As I got Beamed over to the Cube.
"State your demands," Collective said.
"I want safe passage through your space, Once my ship and Crew are beyond Borg territory, I'll give you our research," I said.
"Unacceptable," Collective said. "Our space is vast, Your passage would require too much time, We need the technology now,"
"If I give it to you now, you'll assimilate us," I said.
"Species 8472 must be stopped," Collective said. "our survival is your survival, Give us the technology,"
"No, Safe passage first or no deal," I said.
"State your proposal," Collective said.
"Let's work together, Combine our resources, Even if we do give you the technology now, You still going to need time to develop it, By working together, We can create a weapon more quickly. If you escort us through your space, we can perfect the weapon as we," I said as the Cube shook. "What was that," As It shook again.
(Clara POV)
"Where did that ship come from," Chakotay said.
"A Singularity 20,000 kilometers," I said. "The Bioship is heading directly toward the planet, We got to get Dad back,"
"The Borg Shields are weakening," B'Elanna said. "We might be able to break free of the Tractor beam,"
"Can you get a lock on the captain," Chakotay said.
"Not yet," Tuvok said.
"We have too and soon," I said. "You got to be kidding me, Chakotay there's 9 more bioships coming out if the singularity, They heading for the Planet,"
As I saw them combine their firepower and was firing at the Planet, As I saw Debris hit the cube.
(Scott POV)
"What the hell is going on?" I said. As the Cube shook twice. "Oi you lot still there,"
"We are," Collective said. "Your ship is trying to beam you out,"
"Do you agree with my proposal," I said.
"We do," Collective said.
"Hail them let me talk to them," I said. As a screen came down and then Chakotay showed up. "Commander cancel the Transporter beam,"
"Captain," Chakotay said.
"You heard me," I said as I saw him nodded to B'Elanna. "I have reached an agreement with the Collective, We're going to help them design a weapon against 8472. In return, They've granted us safe passage through their space,"
"Cube is altering course, They heading towards the Alpha Quadrant," Tom said.
"That's part of the Plan, We'll work on the weapon en route, Once we're across their territory, We'll give them the Nanoprobes, They appear to be holding up their end of the Bargain, I suggest we do the same," I said.
"How do you propose we being this collaboration," Chakotay said.
"I'm going to work here on the cube, They have technology that'll make the job go faster," I said. "I'm taking advantage of it,"
"It's not necessary for you to stay there, We can set up a comlink with the Borg," Chakotay said.
"It's part of the deal, I work here," I said.
"All right," Chakotay said. "As long as we're cooperating, Maybe the Borg would be willing to disengage their Tractor Beam, We can match their course without a leash,"
"I propose it, Tuvok Transport to my Coordinates," I said.
"Dad," Clara said.
"Back before you know it," I said.
"Understood," Tuvok said.
"We're going to make this work Commander, McCall out," I said. As the Comlink cut off. "Are you willing to disengage the Tractor beam on my vessel,"
"Once your crewmember has beam over to increase chances of a successful beam over," Collective said.
"Very well," I said.
As Tuvok beamed over. As we got taking to the section where we are going to be working.
"May I ask where we're being taken?" Tuvok said.
"Grin 9-2 of subjection 12, Our very own workspace, It's near the center of the cube," I said.
"These are my tricorder readings of the bioship we examined, I believe that Clara was correct. Even with the Doctor's Analysis. Many of the cellular structures are identical," Tuvok said.
"8472 and their ships are made of the same organic Material," I said.
"Apparently so," Tuvok said.
As we headed on.
"You have entered grid 9-2 of Subjunction 12, Proceed," Collective said.
"All right," I said. "We've analyzed one of the Alien vessels and it appears to be constructed of organic material vulnerable to the modified nanoprobes, I suggest we being thinking about a large scaled delivery system, A way to infect their ship and destroy them at a," As I got grabbed as did Tuvok.
"We will begin," Collective said.
"What are you doing," Tuvok said.
"A neuro Transceiver is required for maximum communication, We will work as one mind," Collective said.
"That wasn't the agreement," I said.
"The Neural link is temporary, you will not be damaged," Collective said.
"I don't care, I rather Talk verbally thanks," I said.
"Your primitive communication is inefficient," Collective said.
"On the Contrary, We work better with out individuality intact, Surely we've proven that to you by now," Tuvok said.
"Irrelevant, You must comply," Collective said.
"We must do nothing, Order your drone to remove the Transceiver, What about choosing a representative," I said. "A single Borg we can work with and talk to Directly?"
"Elaborate," Collective said.
"You done it before when you Transformed Jean-Luc Picard into Locutus, We will not be Assimilated choose a Representative Or this deal is off," I said.
As they took it off both me and Tuvok as We got up.
As a door clangs opened.
"I speak for the Borg," She said.
"I'm Captain McCall, this is Lt Tuvok" I said.
"We are aware of your designations," She said.
"What's yours then," I said.
"7 of 9, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 0-1, But you may call me 7 of 9," 7 said. "You are proposing a large-scale weapon, We concur,"
"I thought you might," I said.
"We could encase the nanoprobes in some of out photon Torpedoes, In essence turn them into Biomolecular warheads," Tuvok said.
"Your torpedoes are inadequate, They lack the necessary range and dispersive force," 7 said.
"Got a better idea," I said.
"We are Borg," 7 said.
"I take that as a yes," Tuvok said.
As we walk to her.
"A multikinetic neutronic mine, 5 million isoton yield," 7 said.
"An Explosion that size could affect an entire star system," Tuvok said.
"Correct, The shockwave will disperse the nanoprobes over a radius of 5 lightyears," 7 said.
"That's somewhat large than I had in mind, You're proposing a weapon of mass destruction," I said.
"We are," 7 said.
"I'm not, You'd be endangering innocent worlds," I said.
"It would be efficient," 7 said.
"We would need approximately 50 trillion nanoprobes to arm this mine it would take the doctor several weeks to replicate that amount," Tuvok said. "You are losing this conflict, Are you willing to risk further delay?"
"Right now, Your enemy believes it is invulnerable. If we create smaller weapons using our torpedoes, and Destroy a few of their bioships It may deter them, Convince them to give up this war," I said.
"You are individuals, You are small and you think in small terms," 7 said. "But the present situation requires that we consider your plan, Voyager's weapon inventory, photon torpedo complement 32, class 6 warhead, Explosive yield 200 isotons,"
"How did you obtain this information," Tuvok said.
"We are Borg," 7 said.
"Naturally," Tuvok said.
"Let's get to work," I said.
XXX
"Enhance this grid, I want to take a closer look at the Detonator," I said.
"We must analyse the bioship, your data," 7 said. As I passed it.
As we followed.
"You're human aren't you," I said.
"This body was assimilated 18 years ago, It ceased to be human at that time," 7 said.
"I'm curious, what was your name, before," I said.
"Do not engage is in further irrelevant discourse," 7 said as there was a buzzing. "We are being hail by your vessel," As She turned on a monitor.
"Commander what is it?" I said.
"It's Kes, The Doctor believes that the aliens are accessing her memory," Chakotay said.
"If that's true, Then they will know what the hell we are planning," I said.
"Clara has been running scans for Bioships. Nothing so far," Chakotay said.
"We should alter course, Try throwing them off," I said.
"Agreed," 7 said. "Our course and heading have been changed,"
"Match them and keep me apprised of any chances in Kes," I said.
"Chakotay out," Chakotay said.
"We now require one of your photon torpedoes and the Nanoprobes," 7 said.
"One step at a time, We're not safely across your territory yet," I said.
"We must construct and test a prototype now, The risk of attack has increased," 7 said.
"Irrelevant, We have an agreement, You're asking me to give up my only guarantee you won't assimilate us, I won't risk it," I said.
"Are you willing to risk a direct confrontation with us?" 7 said. "If we transport 500 drones onto your vessel, do you believe you could offer sufficient resistance,"
"We'd die trying," I said.
"That won't be necessary, We must construct a launching system to accommodate this design" 7 said.
(Clara POV)
I was still at Tactical. I knew I couldn't sleep not with Dad on that cube. Then I hear to Turbolift opening and Harry came out.
"Glad you could join us, Mr. Kim," Chakotay said.
"Harry welcome back," Tom said.
"Thanks, Reporting for duty, sir, The Doctor gave me a clean bill of health, Did I miss anything?" Harry said.
"Not too much," Chakotay said. "Take your station Ensign,"
"You've still got a tendrill up your nose," B'Elanna said. As Harry went up to his nose and found nothing.
"Really B'Elanna," I said as my console beeped. "Chakotay, we got a problem, I'm picking up gravimetric distortions, 12,000 kilometers aft, It's a singularity, Wait, I'm picking up one Bioship, To closing fast,"
"Battle Stations, Standby weapons," Chakotay said. As the Klaxon went off.
(Scott POV)
We were working and than there was an alarm.
"What's that?" I said.
"We are under attack," 7 said.
"Voyager has taken heavy damage," Tuvok said.
"We cannot let the nanoprobes be destroyed," 7 said.
"Beam anyone that you can over to Cargo Bay 2. Then use the cube, it should take it out," I said.
"You are willing for Borg to be on your vessel," 7 said.
"Only that Cargo bay," I said.
"Agreed," 7 said. As the Cube shook. As a energy discharge bounced off the wall and hit me.
"Ow, Damn it," I said. As we beamed over. Then everything went black.
(Clara POV)
Voyager shook hard.
"The Cube," Chakotay said.
"Destroyed and it took the bioship with it," Tom said.
"No," I said. Dad.
"Tuvok to Chakotay," Tuvok said.
"Go ahead Tuvok where are you?" Chakotay said.
"I'm Cargo Bay 2, along with the Captain, and a number of borg, We were beamed over just before impact, Require assistance," Tuvok said.
"Tuvok, Tuvok," Chakotay said.
"Harry seal off that Deck," I said. "Security to Cargo Bay 2,"
"Paris you have the Bridge," Chakotay said As I got a phaser and we headed down.
Once we got there we headed in. Where we found them.
"Dad," I said. As I saw him, But he was hurt. "Dad, Talk to me,"
As Chakotay went on.
"We got to get him to sickbay," The Medic said.
"Let's go," I said.
We got to Sickbay. After a few minutes, Tuvok was awake again, But Dad he was hurt bad.
"Clara," Dad said.
"Dad," I said.
(Scott POV)
"Hey, kiddo," I said. "How bad is it,"
"Bad," Clara said. "Dad,"
"Stop, Just keep an eye on her won't you," I said.
"Always, Dad," Clara said. "I love you,"
"Love you too, Clara," I said.
"For now they're contained, They've assimilated Cargo bay 2 and are drawing energy from the secondary power couplings," Chakotay said.
"But they've gone no further," Tuvok said.
"Not yet," Chakotay said. "I've sealed off Deck 9, through 13 and post security details at every access point,"
"I suggest we increase security around sickbay as well," Tuvok said.
"Already done," Chakotay said. "How far did you get on the weapon,"
"We are ready to construct a prototype," Tuvok said.
"This is bad Captain, If I can't find a way to fix this," Doc said.
"What can you do," I said.
"Only thing I can think of into to put you into a coma, Till I can find a way to fix the Damage to your neuro pathways," Doc said.
"I want to Talk with Chakotay," I said.
"Aye Captain," Doc said.
"Dad," Clara said.
"Listen to me, Watch yourself and your sister, No matter what, Keep yourselves safe, Promise me, Clara," I said.
"Dad," Clara said hugging me.
"Love you too, Clara," I said.
"What do I tell her?" Clara said.
"Tell her, I'm just sleeping for a bit," I said.
As Clara kissed me then headed off and out the door.
Then Chakotay came over.
"The Doc explained my condition. You are in Command," I said.
"I understand," Chakotay said.
"They'll push you, Threaten you, But they need you, They need this alliance, you have to make this work, I want you to make this work, Get this crew home," I said.
"I must begin," Doc said.
As He did it and I fell asleep.
(Clara POV)
I was in the Conference room with everyone but Dad.
"A 5 day trip back into the heart of Borg Territory, It's too risky, with those drones and the Nanoprobes on board, We might as well have a bull's eye painted on our hull, We're a prime Target for Species 8472, We'd never survive another attack," Chakotay said.
"What is the Alternative?" Neelix said.
"I'm going to end this alliance here and now, We're going to drop the borg off on the next uninhabited planet, Give them the Nanoprobes and take our chances alone, They can wait for a borg ship to pick them up and finish the weapon, I'm in command now and I have to do what I think is best for this crew, Tom I want you to scan for the nearest uninhabited planet and set a course," Chakotay said.
"Aye sir," Tom said.
"I must caution you, Commander, the Borg may not go quietly," Tuvok said.
"We'll see," Chakotay said. "Bring that female drones to the Ready room, Dismissed,"
XXX
We were coming up to a planet where we were going to drop the Borg off. Dad was still in a Coma. I haven't left the bridge, If I needed anything I go into the Ready room. The only place I can go without Chloe seeing this. The only place I can see Dad I can't go down there. Just watching him on that bed. That is something I can't do. Not unless the Doc can get him back.
"Class H moon, Oxygen argon atmosphere," Tom said.
"It'll do take us out of warp and enter orbit," Chakotay said.
"Aye sir," Tom said.
"Tuvok, Stand by to transport the Borg directly from the cargo bay, after they're on the surface have security run a sweep for," Chakotay said.
"I'm reading power fluctuations in the Deflector array," Harry said.
"Cause," Chakotay said.
"It looks like the Borg have accessed deflected control. They're trying to realign the Emitters," Harry said.
"Lock them out," Chakotay said.
"No Good, They've bypassed security protocols," I said.
"They're emitting a resonant Graviton beam, It's creating another singularity," B'Elanna said.
"Reverse course," Chakotay said. As we shook.
"We're fighting intense gravimetric distortion. I can't break free," Tom said.
"I can't shut down the Deflector," I said.
"Bridge to Cargo bay 2. Stop what you're doing, or I'll depressurize that deck and blow you out into space," Chakotay said. "This is your final warning," As we shook again. "Do it,"
Eventually the Deck was completely Depressurized.
"Decompression cycle complete," Tuvok said.
"I still don't have deflector control," Harry said.
"Chakotay, One of the drones survived," I said.
"We're being pulled in," Tom said.
As we went through and the Ship stopped shaking.
"Report," Chakotay said.
"We appear to have crossed an interdimensional rift," Tuvok said.
"We've definitely left our galaxy, No stars, no planets," Tom said.
"Let's see," Chakotay said as I activated the viewscreen.
"I'm recalibrating sensors, The entire region is filled with some kind of organic fluid, This isn't space, It's matter," B'Elanna said.
"Commander Chakotay, We have entered the domain of Species 8472, report to the Cargo bay," The Drone said.
"Clara, Repressurize Cargo bay 2, Tuvok," Chakotay said as they left and I got it repressurized.
(Scott POV)
I woke up.
"Doc," I said.
"Easy, Captain, I need to scan you first," Doc said.
"Once I got dressed," I said as I went and got changed and came back into where the Doc was as he did his scans. As Well as he filled me in on what happened.
"Doctor to Chakotay," Doc said.
"Go ahead," Chakotay said.
"Report to Sickbay at once," Doc said.
"On my way," Chakotay said.
Eventually Chakotay came in.
"Captain," Chakotay said.
"Ah as you can see, I've repaired his neural damage, Ensign Kim the Captain I'm 2 for 2," Doc said.
"Doc, if you'll excuse us for a moment," I said.
"Oh gladly, Computer Deactivate EMH Program," Doc said as He vanished.
"The Doc brought me up to speed, But he couldn't tell me what I really wanted to know, Why," I said.
"The Collective ordered me to Reverse course, travel 40 light years back the way we came," Chakotay said. "What would have you done,"
"I probably either Reversed course or get them to Get a ship to us instead, Maintained the Alliance as long as possible," I said.
"In my mind, the alliance was already over," Chakotay said.
"You never trusted me, You never believed this would work, You were just waiting for an opportunity to circumvent my orders," I said.
"Trust had nothing to do with it," Chakotay said. "I made a tactical decision,"
"And so did I," I said.
"They've been taking advantage of us from Day one," Chakotay said.
"We made concessions so did they," I said.
"They lied, The Borg started the war with Species 8472," Chakotay said. "We've only got one Borg left to worry about, We should try and disabled her and get back to the Delta Quadrant, We might be able to duplicate the Deflector protocols they used to open a singularity,"
"No, I won't be caught Tinkering with the Deflector when 8472 attack," I said. "There is no other way out of this, Chakotay, It's too late for opinions, It's too late for discussion, It's time to make a call and I'm making it, We fight 8472 In full cooperation with the Borg,"
"I was linked to a collective once, Remember, I had a neuro transceiver embedded in my spine, I know who we're dealing with, we have to rid of that last Borg and take our chances alone," Chakotay said.
"It's won't work, and this isn't working either, There are 2 wars going on the one out there and the one in here and we're losing both of them," I said.
"It will be your undoing," Chakotay said.
"What," I said.
"Our conflicted nature, our individuality, 7 of 9 said that we lacked the cohesion of a collective mind, that one day it would divide us and destroy us and here are we proving her point," Chakotay said.
"I'll tell you when we lost control of this situation, We made our mistake, It was the moment we turned away from each other," I said. "We don't have to stop being individuals to get through this, We just have to stop fighting each other,"
XXX
I was on the Bridge as Clara was happy to see me being back. And We had a plan ready to go.
As the Turbolift opened.
"Captain McCall," 7 said.
"I've relieved Chakotay of his duties and Confined him to the brig, I'm back in command," I said.
"And you understand the situation," 7 said.
"Completely, Tuvok, Give her the nanoprobes work with her, Build as Many warheads as you can, And start modifying our weapon systems, I suggest we think about enhancing our defense as well, If we're going to fight this battle I intend to win it," I said.
"We are in agreement," 7 said.
"Good," I said. "This is the plan, We engage the enemy here in their space, we show them what they are up against, If they have any sense of self preservation, They'll back off Pull they ships out of the Delta Quadrant, That's provided the weapons are effective if they aren't. It was nice working with you. We've got to get this ship armed and ready in under 2 hours, We're going to war,"
XXX
It has been 2 hours.
"Borg Modifications are completely," Harry said.
"Bring them online," I said.
"Torpedo launch tubes activate, Hull armour engage shield enhancement stable," Harry said.
"Biomolecular weapons are ready, 13 standard Photon torpedoes and 1 Class 10 armed with a high yield warhead," Tuvok said.
"All hands, this is the Captain, Ready your stations, seal all emergence bulkheads and prepare to engage the enemy. Stand by for my orders," I said.
"4 Bioships have entered sensor range," Clara said.
"Battle stations," I said As the Klaxon went on again.
"I've got a visual," Harry said.
"On screen," I said. "Kes anything,"
"I can hear them they want to talk through me, They say we've contaminated their realm," Kes said.
"Tell them we have no choice we were only trying to defend ourselves," I said.
"They said our galaxy is impure, It's proximity is a threat to their genetic integrity," Kes said.
"Tell them we have a weapon. A Devastating weapon, That can destroy them at the cellular level and if they don't stop their attack on the Delta Quadrant, We use it," I said.
"They said your galaxy will be purged," Kes said as they hit us.
"Report," I said. As the Klaxon were going again
"Shields and weapons are offline," Harry said.
"Rerouting emergency power to the launchers," Tuvok said.
"They are coming around for another assault. I've lost thrusters," Tom said.
"Use RCS, Harry ZPM 1 to structural integrity," I said.
"Aye Captain," Harry said.
"Biomolecular warheads are charged and ready," Clara said.
"Fire," I said.
"Direct hit on all 4 vessel, No effect," Tuvok said.
"They're charging weapons," Harry said.
As we shook.
"The Nanoprobes were successful if not prompt, All 4 ships have been destroyed," Clara said.
"I think we proved our point on open that singularity and get us out of here. Tom As soon as it's open go," I said.
"Aye Captain," Tom said.
As we went through and got clear.
"Captain," Tom said as I saw another group of Bioships behind us.
"Kes are you still in contact," I said.
"Yes," Kes said.
"Tell them if they continue their attack, We're fire it again," I said.
"They're not Responding," Kes said.
"Evasion maneuvers," I said.
"Aye Captain," Tom said. "They're in pursuit,"
"Arm the High yield warhead aft torpedo bay," I said.
As we got hit.
"Ready, Captain," Tuvok said.
"Fire," I said.
As we launched it and it hit them blowing up a fair few.
"13 Bioships have been destroyed, the others are in retreat," Tuvok said.
"I have regained full contact with the collective," 7 said.
"What are they saying," I said.
"All remaining bioships in the Delta Quadrant are returning to their realm. The Borg have prevailed" 7 said.
"With a little help form us. Now it's time for you to fulfilled your end of the agreement, Tell the Collective we expect safe passage from here on out, We'll give you a shuttlecraft and you can head for the nearest borg ship," I said.
"Unacceptable, this alliance is terminated, Your ship and it's will adapt to service us," 7 said as she went for Tom as he tried to shoot her. "Resistance is futile," Knocking him away.
"Captain, She's taping into helm control She's trying to access our coordinates," Harry said.
"Shut her out," I said.
"I can't," Harry said.
"Bridge to Chakotay, Scorpion Now," I said.
Then Eventually she sparked out.
"Her link to the Collective has been severed," Tuvok said.
"Get her to Sickbay, Bridge to Doctor, Report," I said.
"Commander Chakotay's going to be all right, Although he may wake up with a bit of a headache," Doc said.
"Tom, Set a course out of Borg Space, Maximum Warp," I said.
"Yes Sir," Tom said as we went to Warp.
XXX
"Captain's Log Stardate 51003.7 3 Days and no sign of Borg or Bioships, We appear to be out of the Danger, But the Entire crew is on edge, and so am I Not even being on my Holodeck of Beacon Hills Mountain is enough to clear my mind, End log," I said As I was sitting down watching the moon.
"Am I interrupting," Chakotay said.
"No," I said. "Just watching the moon and the stars,"
"The Old way," Chakotay said.
"I wanted to get as far away from Bio implants and fluidic space and this always felt more human," I said.
"I hate to spoil the mood, but you might want to take a look at this engineering report, it'll take at least 2 weeks to remove the Borg Technology from our systems, B'Elanna did note that the Power coupling on Deck 8 work better with the Borg improvements," Chakotay said.
"Leave them, How's our Passenger," I said.
"The Doctor says she's stabilizing her human cells are starting to regenerate," Chakotay said.
"I wonder what's left under all that Borg Technology, if she can ever become human again," I said.
"You plan to keep her on board," Chakotay said.
"We pulled the plug, We are responsible for what happens to her now," I said.
"She was assimilated at a very young age, The Collective's all she knows, She might not want to stay," Chakotay said.
"No, She will," I said. "We have something the Borg could never offer, Friendship,"
"I want you to know that disobeying your orders was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do," Chakotay said.
"I understand," I said. "And I respect the decision you made, Even though I disagree with it, What's important is that, In the end, we got through this, together, I don't ever want that to change,"
"Agreed," Chakotay said.
"Good, Well, It think it's time we got to our Bridge," I said.
"No argument there," Chakotay said. "You missed it, Here,"
"Yeah, It's home, Spent some of the best moments of my life here, on this mountain, doubt it won't be the last," I said. "Computer End program," As We headed for the Bridge.
That's all for this chapter.
More to follow.
Stay tuned and safe.
Love Y'all
PEACE!
Season 3 over, Now Season 4.