CHAPTER 14
The Delta Quadrant
"Report!" Neelix's voice boomed through the Alixian Command Deck positioned in the center of the Talaxian Asteroid Cooperative. He moved quickly to the display that showed the outlying sectors of their territory.
"Sir, the proximity alert in Sector Twelve," The young Talaxian at the command console tried not to let her fear show in her tone. But when the display cleared of the interference she couldn't help but feel a cold rush of terror that colored her voice. "It's Borg!"
"Red Alert!" Neelix powered up the shield grid as the others carried out defense protocols.
"Sir, they're… hailing us."
Neelix tried to prepare himself for the sound of the Borg as he made his command as fearlessly as he could manage. "On screen."
The man who appeared on the large display made Neelix let out a heavy breath of relief before he realized this individual wouldn't be here unless something dire was occurring.
"General Korok."
The imposing Klingon nodded his acknowledgment of Neelix, but he didn't and wouldn't ever have time for pleasantries. "There is an assimilated Federation vessel cutting a path through the Delta Quadrant. We must speak with Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine immediately."
A dark cloud of sorrow passed over Neelix's countenance before he put on an air of professionalism in front of his crew. "I—It is unfortunate that I must inform you that Kathryn Janeway was killed defending Earth from the Borg eighteen days ago."
Korok nodded once in condolences. "A mighty warrior."
"Yes." Neelix fought back the tears that threatened to fall as he cleared his throat. "We have two hours until contact will be made with Starfleet Command. You are welcome to come aboard our asteroid to tell us what has occurred."
"Agreed." Korok pressed his hand against the Borg panel before he transported in a phasing of green lights from his sphere to the Alixian Command Deck.
Neelix gripped as strongly as he could the other man's right forearm as his own was clasped in a hand still covered in metal mesh similar to Seven's. Aside from his hand and the large ocular implant that covered where his right eye used to be Korok looked as most Klingon did. Powerful and imposing, but somehow regal as well. The black thick outfit he wore, Neelix supposed sadly, probably covered up more implants that hadn't been able to be removed.
"What's happened, General?" Neelix led Korok to a more private setting than the command deck as he forewent the pleasantries he figured the other man would have no interest in.
"Two days ago one of the Resistance scout ships detected a Federation signal in the Nihydran Empire. The signal came from a Nebula-class starship marked U.S.S. Einstein." Korok handed a Borg data node to Neelix. "The battle was recorded and transmitted to the rest of the Resistance before the scout ship was destroyed by the Einstein. It—engulfed the ship."
"What do you mean 'engulfed'?" Neelix went to the transmission unit to transfer the information contained within the node to his own Talaxian systems.
"You shall see soon enough." Korok's voice was ominous and rumbling.
Neelix watched with stunned silence as the small Borg probe seemed to be literally absorbed by the assimilated Starfleet vessel. He let out an exhalation when the former Federation ship suddenly increased in size and energy output. "My gods, what is this?"
"It is beyond assimilation. We have never seen anything like this before." Regret filled Korok's gruff voice as he turned off the visual feed. "We have sent a contingent of our vessels to intercept it, but we don't know what we are dealing with. We are hoping that Seven of Nine will provide us with strategic information."
"I—I'm sure if she knows anything… she'll want to help." Neelix was still in mourning from the loss of Kathryn Janeway and now he was shocked once again by what he had just seen. He had thought he had heard the last of the Borg after Voyager had dealt it a crippling blow by destroying a transwarp hub. He regretted that he was wrong. And then he had a sudden realization. Seven hadn't said anything about the Einstein and either she had deemed it unnecessary to mention or she didn't know.
"It is… unfortunate your captain is dead, perhaps she would have insight as to how to handle this new Borg threat as she has had in the past." Korok thought back to the diminutive Starfleet captain that had allowed herself and two of her crewmembers to be assimilated by the Borg in order to liberate those like him who had been able to maintain their individuality in the dream world of Unimatrix Zero. Captain Janeway had been successful and now hundreds of Borg vessels across the galaxy were under the control of the Resistance.
Neelix could only manage to nod his head in agreement. He still couldn't come to terms with the fact that Kathryn Janeway was dead. That the Borg, who she had triumphed over numerous times alone, on a small scout ship, and unaided by anyone, would be able to get to her within the supposed safety of Federation space. That the indomitable woman he had known and loved dearly was gone. He cleared his thoughts as he told himself that wallowing in his own grief wouldn't help Korok or the rest of the Delta Quadrant. He reminded himself of four simple words: What would Janeway do? "Let's get all the tactical information regarding the Einstein ready for transmission. Eleven minutes doesn't give us a whole lot of time."
"Agreed."
Not for the first time, Neelix wished the Voyager crew were still with him. He could just imagine the whole senior staff together again working out this dire new problem. He smiled a little as he imagined himself there as well. If only that intrepid crew were in the Delta Quadrant now. "General? How quickly could one of your cubes get to Earth?"
A bemused look marred Korok's features before he nodded and laughed loudly in appreciation before he replied surely. "Within twenty-two hours."
Neelix smiled as he thought yes, this is what Janeway would do. Join the fight, damn the consequences.
CHAPTER 15
The Einstein
"Extraction from maturation chamber 001 complete. Removal of irrelevant bio-matter in progress."
The baritone voice that emanated within the Borg vessel seemed almost excited.
Two watched while the sounds of a cutting laser resonated throughout the small chamber. He stood a distance from the slab that was now covered in blood and other bio-fluids. The laser had done its job and now a pair of drones, one who used to be Mark Wacker and the other who had been Andy Brevoort, cleared the metal platform of the excess biological matter before they departed from the chamber to dispose of it. Two smiled, the generation was nearing completion.
Two experienced what could almost be classified as sexual pleasure as he watched robotic arms assemble the familiar and desirable form of his Queen. The head and upper torso that remained flaccid on the table fitted with the necessary bionic components, including the red lit spinal cord, was all the organic components necessary to allow the Queen to function. The completely synthetic form was soon joined with the partially organic upper torso and head by the robotic arms. Metal clamps soon embedded themselves into pale flesh made sickly green by the lights of the chamber.
Two smiled as a pair of thickly silver glassed eyes opened.
The Borg Queen returned his with a raise to her own lips as she rolled her shoulders and became accustomed to her new body. It was built stronger than any of the previous queens. She gleamed silver like a tactical cube and green lights imbedded in black mesh flickered across her slim mechanized body. She moved with a deadly grace and she felt intoxicated by the strength, the renewal she felt. She had been resurrected, but this time she was better, stronger, and faster. And best of all that troublesome voice that had so recently been her downfall was no longer there. She was free. To feast.
CHAPTER 16
U.S.S. Voyager
"Sir?" Lyssa smiled as the transmission began to clear up and Neelix looked down at them from the large display. "We have contact."
"It's good to see you, Ambassador." Despite the smile of greeting and friendship Chakotay still held a heavy sadness in his chest that darkened his eyes.
Neelix had spoken his condolences days before, but he still allowed a sympathetic expression to grace his features before he turned to the matter at hand. "Captain, I'm sure you probably remember General Korok."
The Klingon moved within the imaging field, his voice boomed within the walls of the Astrometrics lab. "There is an urgent matter I must discuss with Seven of Nine and Starfleet. A vessel, designation U.S.S. Einstein, arrived in the Delta Quadrant two days ago. One of our scout ships intercepted it and it was… absorbed."
"The Einstein?" Chakotay felt the impact like a blow to his chest. "We thought that ship had been destroyed."
"I am sending you sensor data recorded during the battle." Korok nodded his order to someone off-screen before he turned his attention back to the shell-shocked captain. "We must coordinate our efforts to combat this new Borg threat. A Resistance cube can be in Sector 001 in less than twenty hours."
Cold dread landed in the pit of his stomach before it radiated out and clenched his chest. Chakotay brushed away his own feelings of fear to address the issue as he should as a captain. "General, I need to run this by Starfleet command. They don't take kindly to having Borg technology anywhere close to Federation space."
"Time is important, Captain. This new Borg vessel could undo everything the Resistance has accomplished. And if we fall then the quadrant will and it would not be long before they return to yours." Korok allowed his eyes to drift to the countdown clock. "You have six minutes to convince Starfleet command."
"Lyssa, contact Admiral Nechayev, priority one."
"Aye, Sir." Lyssa Campbell worked the panel efficiently despite the terror that was making her hands shake. "I—I have her. Patching her through."
The blonde haired woman with narrow Slavic features appeared in the central frame of the display while Neelix and Korok were in a much smaller box in the bottom right hand corner. Chakotay hated to admit it but Admiral Alynna Nechayev intimidated the hell out of him, not to mention his own residual animosity towards her from his time with the Maquis, though he kept any of these emotions hidden as he addressed her as respectfully as he could manage.
Nechayev's sharp blue eyes narrowed as she contemplated what the present captain of Voyager had just told her. The Einstein had survived and seemed capable of what the Borg cube had displayed. Absorption rather than assimilation, which was faster, cleaner, and more efficient. And that ship was now traveling rather aggressively through the Delta Quadrant where the majority of the Borg were located. If that ship gave that ability to the remaining Borg vessels it would be only a matter of time before the entire Delta Quadrant would fall under Borg rule and then they would come back to Federation space and finish what they had started when they had changed Kathryn Janeway into their Queen.
"Tell General Korok to proceed." Nechayev thought back to the old idiom: fight fire with fire. Who better to fight the Borg than former drones? As reluctant as she was to admit it, Kate had been right about Seven of Nine being an asset. Now General Korok and his comrades would assist the Federation in stopping the Borg threat. Once and for all. "I want the coordinates of the rendezvous site within the hour, Captain, I'd suggest a low-trafficked area. Tell Korok that the Enterprise will intercept the cube. Nechayev out."
"Bring Neelix back."
The frame that enclosed Neelix and Korok grew until it filled the middle of the screen once again. "Starfleet has agreed. We'll need to set up a place to meet your cube. The Enterprise will rendezvous with you."
"Captain, if I may make a suggestion?" Neelix practically raised his hand as a clever smile graced his lips.
Chakotay smiled at where Neelix suggested. It seemed only fitting. "Good thinking, Ambassador."
"Captain? Thirty seconds."
"Korok, assemble as much information on the Einstein's movements as you can. Try to avoid contact until we can figure out a way to counteract their absorption technology." Chakotay was aware of Lyssa quietly counting down. "We'll be in touch tomorrow, Ambassador. Voyager out."
"Lieutenant Campbell, contact Deep Space Nine. I need to speak with Captain Kira as soon as possible." Chakotay felt a surge of purpose fill him with anticipation as a quieter, more insidious feeling erupted within him: vengeance.
CHAPTER 17
Deep Space 9
"Captain, we are being hailed by Voyager."
"The Voyager?" Captain Kira allowed surprise to show for only a moment before she stood from her command chair to move next to Asil. "Put them through, Lieutenant."
"Aye, Sir." Asil tapped a few controls before she moved away from the screen to ensure the subspace communications antennae was working optimally. She disregarded her own curiosity as a man she had only met twice before appeared onscreen. The last time she had been in his presence was at Kathryn Janeway's memorial service.
"Captain Chakotay." If Kira thought it strange that a former Maquis leader and a former member of the Bajoran Resistance were both wearing Starfleet captain's pips she didn't indicate as such. "What can I do for you?"
"We have an impending situation that I need your help with, Captain." Chakotay took in the red-haired woman displayed on the large holographic screen. He almost smiled at how far Starfleet had progressed that two rebels like Kira and him could become captains. "The Borg cube that was destroyed eighteen days ago had an adjunct vessel, which we thought had also been destroyed. The U.S.S. Einstein is wreaking havoc in the Delta Quadrant. If that vessel makes contact with the rest of the Borg the Collective will gain unimaginable power."
Kira Nerys digested this information as she did everything else, quickly and without an overindulgent amount of emotional reaction. "Understood. How can we help?"
"There is a Resistance against the Borg. One of their leaders, General Korok, is en route to the Alpha Quadrant with a cube under his command. We need traffic to DS9 to be kept to a minimum." Chakotay already liked the woman before him, no-nonsense and determined. He ignored the sudden pain in his heart of how she reminded him of someone else. "The Enterprise will intercept their vessel at Sector 47 in twenty-one hours."
"The Badlands." Kira nodded her head in understanding. A Borg cube, despite who controlled it would cause massive panic throughout the Federation. "It'll take some time, but I'll make it work, Captain. Is there anything else we can do?"
"Yes. Keep a docking pylon open for us. Voyager will be there in ten hours."
CHAPTER 18
San Francisco
"Seven of Nine…"
"Admiral?" Seven smiled as soft, gentle hands roamed over her naked body. Her excitement at the touch caused her voice to come out breathy and low. "Kathryn."
Seven's heavily-lidded eyes took in the woman above her. The shoulder length auburn hair was mussed and fell over Kathryn's bare shoulders. Dark blue eyes, filled with desire and want, burned into Seven with as much intensity as the other woman's hands were trailing heat across her flesh.
"I love you, Kathryn." Seven's breath caught in her throat as two fingers brushed over her over-heated and moist flesh. The overwhelming pleasure caused her eyes to close of their own accord as her long, pale body arched like a bow.
"You are mine, Seven."
When Seven opened her eyes again she screamed. It was not a scream of pleasure.
"Warning: regeneration cycle is incomplete."
Seven took great gasps of air as she pushed herself away from the alcove that flashed green lights across her small living quarters. On uncharacteristically unsteady legs she rushed to her bathroom with one hand over her mouth and the other pressed against her unsettled stomach. After the contents of her last meal were disposed of she used a cleansing unit to remove the foul taste such a violent excretion left her in her mouth. She felt a new wave of sickness rush over her, which caused sweat to breakout across her skin despite the cold feeling dispersing through her body, when she thought about what she had just experienced in her dream, her nightmare.
Seven entered her shower still feeling the vile sensation of metal fingers embedded within her. When she closed her eyes and let the hot, almost scalding water, flow over her convulsing body she sobbed in anger and disgust. She could still see the Borg Queen looming over her, smiling a mutilated version of Kathryn Janeway's bright grin, as the woman she had loved pressed hard metal against her soft flesh.
"Seven!"
Time had stopped for Seven of Nine. The world had fallen away as she relived her violation in the solitude of her shower stall. She had long since stopped sobbing, but with her arms clutched around her knees she still rocked back and forth. It wasn't until the water stopped its unrelenting pounding against her flesh and strong hands pulled her to her feet that Seven realized she had lost herself. For how long, she didn't know.
"Seven? What happened?" After she called for the computer to turn the water off, B'Elanna Torres pulled a large towel around Seven's form as she gently, but determinedly moved the woman from the shower to the end of the bed in the adjacent room. "Seven? Can you hear me?"
Wide blue eyes shifted to B'Elanna's concerned expression. Seven looked at the features of the other woman silently for a moment before she spoke in a voice devoid of all emotion. "I had a bad dream."
If Seven wasn't scaring her so badly, B'Elanna would have laughed. But knowing Seven as she did she knew this "bad dream" was more than that. "Do you want to tell me about it? Sometimes that helps?"
As she watched B'Elanna settle gently on the mattress next to her, Seven pulled the towel closer around her form. She contemplated ordering B'Elanna to just leave her alone, but the truth was Seven didn't want to be left and the other woman's real presence was comforting.
"Kathryn was… making love to me."
A new understanding dawned on B'Elanna as she realized Seven's love for Janeway hadn't been like hers. Instead of a mother Kathryn Janeway had been an almost lover to Seven. B'Elanna almost yelled at the tragedy of it all, but instead she nodded her head, shaken as she was somehow she wasn't that surprised. She kept silent as Seven continued without the quiet reverence.
"When I opened my eyes again she was not Kathryn, she was the Borg Queen." Seven's grip around the terrycloth increased as she recalled the maniacal grin the Queen had possessed on the features that used to be filled with humanity and love. "I ended her violation of me when I disengaged from my alcove. I can still… feel her."
"My god, Seven, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." B'Elanna wasn't just sorry about Seven's horrific nightmare. She was apologizing for the bastard that was fate. And for Seven's own subconscious that would conjure such a horrific display. Not for the first time B'Elanna thanked whatever power existed that she had not seen Janeway so mutilated. The powers hadn't been as kind to Seven.
"I do not wish to dream again." The towel fell away as Seven stood from the bed. Indifferent to her nudity, Seven went to the outer room to her communications array. A red light indicating a priority one message deterred her from contacting the Doctor.
Her metallic optical implant rose as she saw who it was from. She opened the message to find the rather unfriendly face of Admiral Alynna Nechayev looking back at her. She barely acknowledged the robe that was placed around her standing form by B'Elanna before the half-Klingon sat at the desk behind her and the wall mounted computer interface.
Seven let out a breath to calm herself before she pressed the control to play the Admiral's recorded message.
Not one for pleasantries Nechayev explained in her commanding way what she wanted from Seven of Nine due to the new set of circumstances created by the existence of the Einstein. Under Nechayev's order Seven was assigned immediately to the Enterprise and was to be the Starfleet liaison to General Korok and the Resistance. In lieu of a visual message, Seven sent a written priority one message that simply read: "Accepted."
B'Elanna had watched with barely suppressed disquiet as Nechayev laid out the circumstances in which an alliance would be formed between the Federation and the Resistance movement, a group of freed former Borg drones that she, along with Tuvok, Captain Janeway, Seven and the rest of the Voyager crew who had been lost in the Delta Quadrant had helped set in motion. The fact of the matter was if the Einstein were to connect with the rest of the Borg Collective the entire galaxy would be in peril. Every defense the Federation had attempted had all been summarily dismissed by a single mutated cube. B'Elanna didn't want to imagine what would happen if thousands of cubes like that one converged on the Alpha Quadrant. Earth would fall in a matter of seconds.
"I must leave." Seven moved past B'Elanna into her bedroom to don a Starfleet uniform and pack a few items into a carrier bag.
B'Elanna, still seated at the desk, contemplated her life with her husband and daughter. It was a cozy existence, almost overly comfortable. She thought about the regret she had felt when she hadn't been fighting side-by-side with her former Captain. How she would always be haunted by the idea that perhaps she could have helped in some way. That Janeway could still be alive. She stood as Seven reentered the main room. B'Elanna's dark eyes held the conviction that also showed through her gruff tones. "I'm coming with you."
CHAPTER 19
The Einstein
The Queen stood in her chambers fully restored to her rightful place. As Two approached her she brought her fingers away from her mouth and tongue.
Two almost appeared to want to kneel before his Queen, but he was Borg after all so he merely stood rigidly in front of her. "She is ready."
The right corner of the Queen's pale lips raised in a grotesque approximation of the smile the woman she had once been would often wear as evidence of satisfaction. "Then let us begin. From whence it came."
CHAPTER 20
U.S.S Voyager
"Is it just me or does it seem crazy to anyone else that we're actually, voluntarily going back to the Delta Quadrant?" Tom Paris didn't add that he wasn't too keen on the idea of his wife being part of this mission as well, which was mostly why he was incredulous as to Voyager's place in this operation.
When B'Elanna had contacted him two hours ago to inform him that she was accompanying Seven to the Enterprise he had tried everything he could think of to stop her from going. She had scoffed when he had told her it was far too dangerous of a mission. She had been outraged when he had told her she lacked the expertise. He had even tried to use Miral, who was presently with his sister Moira, to guilt her into not going. That had been the last straw and she had ended the transmission with a few not so flattering things to say about his manhood.
"Voyager isn't necessarily going with the cube, but we have information that no other Federation vessel has." Captain Chakotay was seated at the head of the table and even after a year of being the commanding officer of Voyager he still felt at odds with the position. In his mind Voyager would always be Kathryn's ship. He allowed only the faintest amount of grief to affect him as he looked gravely at his senior staff. "I want each department to compile all the data we have on the Borg and the Delta Quadrant. Jarem, I need you to contact the Doctor. He knows more about nanoprobes and combating assimilation than anyone. Not to mention the neurolytic pathogen he devised that killed one of the Borg Queens. Harry, I need all the sensor data regarding the ablative hull armor and the transphasic torpedoes, not everything could have been destroyed by the Department of Temporal Investigations. Lyssa and Vorik, if the Federation is going to the Delta Quadrant they need to know as much about it as they can. Get to work on creating a territorial layout of the Quadrant including species that Voyager has encountered both hostile and friendly. We'll need allies if things turn bad. Tom, I need the Delta Flyers prepared for transport if need be and the interfaces to be more Starfleet ready. You know what I mean. We'll be docking at DS9 in six hours so use all your people on this. Dismissed."
After a smattering of "aye, captains" Chakotay was left alone in the conference room. He tried not to think about how many times he had sat in this room as Captain Janeway's first officer. How he had spent years watching her command her crew with just the right mixture of authority, warmth and humor. He tried not to envision her, to feel the pain of seeing her in his mind's eye affect him and he managed to succeed for about ten seconds after a few shuddering breaths.
Despite not wishing to feel the pain that thinking about Kathryn caused him, Chakotay couldn't help but wonder what she would think of his rather passive-aggressive inclusion into the fray. He doubted she would be very impressed. She probably would have told Nechayev that despite the fact that Voyager was and always has been a scout ship not made for heavy combat or deep space missions it was joining the Resistance cube, damn the torpedoes full speed ahead. And what was he doing, compiling reports.
He rubbed away the moisture from his face before he exited the conference room to the captain's chair. He imagined her seated where he was and him in the empty first officer's chair to the left. Her voice filled with determination and just the faintest hint of trepidation sounded in his mind.
"Guess I'd better be going huh?"
He looked at her then and for the first time he saw her quaking under the weight of what she was about to do. He knew she was facing one of her greatest fears, but he also knew that wouldn't stop her in the least.
"Anything you'd like done around here while you're gone? Gravity plating recalibrated, carpets cleaned?" He tried not to show his own fear as he lifted his voice to a humorous tone. The thought of what could happen. How the mission to free the renegade Borg of Unimatrix Zero could go wrong. How he could lose the woman, who he had loved for so many years, to the Borg. What stopped him from voicing any last minute objections was the fact that she was doing what she knew was right. She was helping people in need.
He stood as he always did, with her. He was surprised when she held her hand out to him, but he didn't hesitate for a moment in grasping it with his own. He perhaps squeezed a little too forcefully, desperately, as he tried to commit this moment to memory for it quite possibly would be the last time he ever saw her.
"Surprise me. You have the Bridge."
With her voice still sounding in his head, Chakotay was startled back to the present by Ensign Lang's clear alto voice from the Ops station.
"Captain, Klingons off the port bow." Despite the alliance between the Klingons and the Federation there had been nervousness in Lang's voice. A Chancellor-class heavy cruiser would have that effect on the sturdiest of Starfleet officers. She almost sighed in relief when a light flashed on her control panel. "They're hailing."
"On screen." Chakotay stood from the command seat unconsciously echoing a move Captain Janeway had done a million times before. He walked to the helm where he instructed Ayala all stop.
Even as far as Klingons went, the captain who appeared onscreen was daunting in his size. Not for the first time Chakotay was glad to have the mighty race on the Federation's side.
"Voyager, I am Captain Klag of the I.K.S. Gorkon." The deep baritone voice resonated through the absolutely silent Bridge of the Federation Starship. "We have come to join you in battle."
"I see." Chakotay wasn't just startled by these sudden allies, but also the fact that the Klingon Defense Force had been made aware so quickly the Federation's plan to join with the Resistance against the Borg in the Delta Quadrant. And that the Klingon Empire extended such a consideration as to send such a mighty vessel. The answer to all of his questions came in the petite form of a Starfleet admiral.
"Captain Chakotay, the Klingon Council has deemed the Einstein a threat to the Empire. They've agree to send the Gorkon with the cube to the Delta Quadrant." Admiral Nechayev's voice was explanatory, but there was something that seemed hidden beneath her casual tones.
Perhaps, Chakotay considered, it was a bit of anxiety due to the mission or the fact that she had twenty large battle-ready Klingons in her midst. Somehow Chakotay thought it was the former since she didn't seem that put-off when Captain Klang absently brushed past her to the imager.
"Captain, no member of my crew has ever fought the Borg. Tactical data will need to be transmitted to ensure that my warriors are prepared for the threat these… machines pose." Klag's tone almost seemed hesitant. The usual bravado was gone.
The Empire had been left in ruins from the Dominion war. And due to the recent Tezwan conflict the Empire had barely been able to rebuild to its previous power. The Klingon Council had seen from a distance the devastation one lone Borg cube had been able to accomplish and had been suitably aware that they could not stand against such a threat alone though they had no desire to allow the Federation to protect them as if they were defenseless animals. There was no honor in that.
"Of course, Captain." Chakotay already felt a kinship to the other captain. They were of different species of course, but their motivations were exactly the same. The safety of their crew, their people. "Actually, we could show you."
"Computer initiate program Fort Knox Alpha One."
The gray metal room lined with yellow grids vanished only to be replaced by a holographic display of the interior of a Borg sphere. The program had been created as a representation of a damaged sphere that the crew of Voyager had stolen a transwarp coil from nearly five years ago.
Chakotay ignored his own disquiet at being just within a simulated Borg environment. He could tell the Klingon Leaders and Bridge officers following him through the belly of the sphere were alert, but not apprehensive though they did hold their holographic weapons at battle-ready.
"Prepare yourselves." Chakotay held his phaser pointed to a power distribution node. "Firing."
The red phaser blast destroyed one of the power nodes, which immediately alerted every single drone within the simulation that there was a threat onboard the sphere. One which the Borg converged on in force.
"Don't fire until you have to or they'll adapt!" The group Chakotay led that consisted of Captain Klag and his Leaders and senior staff dispersed as a hundred and fifteen drones walked in their slow, but menacing way towards them. Their unhurried steps seemed to indicate that they thought no threat was too great for their numbers, which was usually the case.
Bat'leths and mek'leths flew high and true. The cacophony of the ensuing battle filled the simulated Borg environment. And at the very moment the Klingons thought victory was truly theirs, despite how the muscles of their backs and shoulders were fatigued from forcing metal into metal for the last twenty minutes, more drones entered the fray. This time there were more than a hundred and fifteen walking towards them with thousands of lasers flashing across the green tinted area.
The Klingons roared against their eerily silent combatants with their blank expressions and heavily scarred sickly pale faces. Some of the warriors regretfully recognized various Alpha Quadrant species within the mass of machinery and distorted flesh.
Each time a Klingon warrior fell or was assimilated he was immediately taken out of the perceptual subroutines of the program. Many of those who had fallen would rub their necks as surreptitiously as they could though it was an insistent motion that didn't dispel the feeling of two thin tubes entering their necks. The horror was in what they would quickly become if the reality around them was real. Or the very real truth that the Borg, despite their slow motions and sluggish fighting abilities, were a great threat posed mostly due to their ability to adapt, their immense numbers, and their unrelenting strength of purpose that would never be deterred.
The regenerative shield that protected the drones from all but the very first blasts from the Klingon disruptors should not have surprised the cadre of warriors due to their study of the Borg, but it did. Energy weapons were again discarded and more physical assaults with bladed weapons was heavily favored due to their effectiveness. The drones were strong, but even they began to fall beneath the might of Klingon strength. But it wasn't enough. More drones came and more warriors fell, until eventually every Klingon was taken out of the simulation. With great honor Klag was the last to be expelled.
"Computer, end program." No one, not even his closest friends, would have been able to detect in Chakotay's even tones what the last half an hour had cost him.
Just being in a simulated Borg sphere made Chakotay think about her. Not Kathryn, but the being which the Borg had perverted her into. He could not imagine a more horrific hell for Kathryn Janeway than what had been her fate. She had been the Borg Queen responsible for the death of thousands of lives and he knew the Queen had gained glee from it. He had hoped that Kathryn would have been relieved of the knowledge of what was transpiring by the thing that possessed her body and mind but he knew from Seven that she hadn't been spared that mercy. That was perhaps a worse reality than her death. That she had full knowledge of what she had been forced to become. Her worst enemy became herself and she wasn't even given a fighting chance.
"Captain Chakotay, that your crew bested these machines is a testament to your strength as a warrior." Klag walked tall and imposing next to Voyager's captain as the other man led him and his warriors through the overly lit corridors of the small Federation vessel.
"Not my strength." The response was filled with both pride and regret. "It was Captain Janeway who had been the… she was the mightiest warrior I have ever known."
"Jane-way." Klag had only once encountered the diminutive Admiral, but he had seen strength in her that made him nod his head in understanding. He thought back to the encounter that had occurred shortly after the Tezwan incident had been resolved.
The departure of the I.K.S. Gorkon from Deep Space 9 had been delayed under the orders of a Starfleet admiral which the station's captain had little choice but to uphold despite Klag's vehement protests against such a sign of mistrust. He had been making his protests quite known to Captain Kira when the admiral who was responsible for his stay made her presence known.
"Captain Klag, I'm Admiral Janeway."
If Klag thought this tiny human would be intimidated by his imposing mass, he was mistaken for she came within a hair's breadth of his standing form. He nearly took a step back himself.
"I'll get right to the point, Captain." Her husky voice was as cold as her steely expression and unwavering gaze. "In the last few hours three Starfleet ships have been fired upon by vessels that belong to the Klingon Defense Force. Revenge for the 'stealing' of Kahless."
"The Gorkon has fired on no Starfleet vessel." Klag was actually offended that Starfleet would have so little trust in him especially considering that the "Kahless" these renegade captains were defending had been a false being, a hologram.
"Yes, I know. That's why your ship is still in one piece." Janeway's tone wasn't so much threatening as it was matter-of-fact. "Chancellor Martok sees these captains as rebels and promises they will be dealt with accordingly, which is where you come in. The Bej'jog, JorwI'Hegh, the QueloDmI, and the NaS'puchpa' are all considered enemy vessels. Their captains are to be apprehended and brought to Qo'noS."
"One Qang against four Vor'chas would be a short battle." Klag was glad that none of his crew could hear his admission.
"I'm aware of that, which is why I've brought a few friends along with me." There was a glimmer of humor in Janeway's blue-gray eyes despite her expression remaining neutral as she handed him a small gray PADD.
Klag's dark eyes widened as he took in the number of Federation warships that would be assisting him in capturing the renegade ships' captains.
Admiral Janeway possessed a small lift to her lips when he returned his eyes to her. "They won't know what hit them."
And in fact the four renegade vessels hadn't been adequately prepared for the onslaught the squadron of Starfleet warships led by Admiral Janeway and the Gorkon along with its sister vessel the Kravokh had dealt them. Klag had been correct in predicting the battle would be short.
"You knew her?" Chakotay shouldn't have been surprised. Kathryn Janeway had her hands in more things than Chakotay had ever known any admiral to, and she probably had dozens of other operations he wasn't even aware of.
"Briefly. We fought side by side in battle." Klag thought back to some of the maneuvers that had been executed by the Defiant-class vessel the Admiral had been on. "She was unusually… without fear."
"Reckless," Chakotay smiled in his sudden feeling of kinship with the other captain. "I believe is the term."
Klag nodded in kind before he recalled a significant piece of information he had received from Krytak, one of his Leaders, eight days prior. "I regret that she is unable to join us in the battle to come."
Unable to stop the heat in his chest from expanding and catching his voice in his throat, Chakotay could only nod in agreement and thanks for the note of sympathy in Klag's baritone voice.
"We will drink in her honor." Klag clasped the other captain's shoulder in fellowship. "Then you will tell me all you know of these… Borg. How Jane-way led the Voyager into many battles and came out victorious against such a foe. And what it is that awaits us in the unknown quadrant where we will gain victory or die in battle."
Chakotay had tried not to commit himself or his crew to journeying back to the Delta Quadrant despite the great threat within it. But as he looked upon the determined visage of Captain Klag he knew he had made the decision the moment the communiqué with Neelix and General Korok had ended. He knew Klag would probably agree that there was little honor in hiding safely in the Alpha Quadrant waiting for others to maintain that security. And what was more honorable than fighting to avenge the death of a loved one? That was humanity's greatest strength against the Borg. Emotions. Something to live for, to fight for, to die for. That was why resistance was far from futile.
CHAPTER 21
The Hierarchy
Despite the screams of terror and pain that emanated from the brown masses garbed in dark gray overseer uniforms, her voice rose above the sounds of the Hierarchy being summarily slaughtered by dozens of drones, some of which used to be their own people.
"Resistance…" The Borg Queen smiled broadly as she watched the bloody massacre unfold. "Is so wonderfully futile."
CHAPTER 22
The Enterprise-E
"Welcome aboard, Doctor."
"Thank you." The holographic commander smiled broadly at the red-haired CMO of the Enterprise-E as he stepped off the transporter platform. He extended his right hand in greeting and respect, which Beverly Crusher shook without hesitation.
With a brisk pace, Doctor Crusher led the way from the transporter room to the turbolift that would take them to her sickbay. "The Enterprise will be rendezvousing with Voyager and the I.K.S. Gorkon at Deep Space Nine in five hours. In the meantime I'd like to see the specifications for that neural suppressant you devised."
"Well, I can't take all the credit." The Doctor smiled what he hoped was a humble expression. "It was Axum, one of the members of Unimatrix Zero, who created the nanovirus. I just modified its program to nullify the cortical inhibitors that suppress individuality after assimilation."
"In any case, we'll probably need it."
With a rather troubled nod of agreement, the Doctor remained silent on that point. "I've also brought the specifications for the neurolytic pathogen a future me invented. It's what the Admiral Janeway from the future had used to infect the Queen so that Voyager was able to destroy the transwarp hub."
Beverly detected the barest hint of sadness in the Doctor's proud tones. And aside from feeling empathy for his recent loss, she wondered at the authenticity of his emotions. If she hadn't known he was a hologram she would have just assumed he was human like her. Like Data, he had outgrown his original programming and despite his composition the Doctor was a Starfleet officer with the same privileges and responsibilities afforded to any who wore the uniform.
"Quite a feat of engineering by your future self, Doctor."
The Doctor smiled quite boastfully as he was led into the sickbay. "Yes, it was, wasn't it."
"Look at them." Lieutenant Commander B'Elanna Torres rolled her eyes as she regarded the small team of engineers in the midst of integrating Seven's regeneration unit into the Enterprise's power relay system. "It's as if they've never seen a Borg alcove before."
Seven was either ignoring her or didn't hear her for she remained silent and still. B'Elanna figured it was the former. The other woman had been leery about bringing an alcove onboard the Enterprise, but had seen the necessity of it which overrode any apprehension. And considering the fact that the Enterprise itself would be transported to the Delta Quadrant within the belly of a Borg cube the Starfleet crew had better be a little less jumpy about Borg technology if this alliance with the Resistance and the overall mission were going to be successful.
The soft hum of the alcove and the green flickering light it created across the small guest quarters indicated that despite the engineers' own trepidation regarding Borg technology they did their jobs well.
Kaplan tried to maintain an even, professional tone as he addressed Seven of Nine and Commander Torres. "Energy output at thirty megawatts and stable."
"Acceptable… thank you." Seven had almost forgotten the note of gratitude that for some reason seemed important for her to have remembered before the doors to her assigned living quarters closed behind the quartet of engineers glad to be away from the horrific green light of the Borg.
"How're you holding up?" B'Elanna received an irritated look from Seven that someone who hadn't been on the receiving end of as much as the half-Klingon had might have withered tremendously under. "Yeah, that's about what I figured."
The venom in Seven's aggravated expression lessened considerably and turned to mild surprise when B'Elanna did something she had never done with Seven in all the years they had known each other.
Seven's metallic occipital implant raised in bemusement as she gazed down at the dark mass of hair positioned underneath her chin. "Commander Torres, what are you doing?"
"I'm… hugging you." As if slightly surprised by her own behavior, B'Elanna quickly extracted herself from what she had in fact initiated and took a few steps away as she crossed her arms across her chest. There was a flush to B'Elanna's cheeks either from embarrassment or frustration or both.
"I… appreciate your concern, but it is unnecessary." Seven kept her voice even, but gracious. "This mission is my first priority, my welfare is irrelevant. We must succeed."
B'Elanna cooled her emotions completely as she nodded her head in understanding and agreement. If this mission failed, humanity would fall. "In that case, let me take a look at your specs for this… thing you've been working on. What's it called?"
"The Infinity Modulator." Seven moved away from B'Elanna to her makeshift workstation.
A free-standing, silver flat-panel monitor rose up from the desktop when Seven activated the small control panel embedded in the desk. After she entered her access codes thirty thousand gigaquads of information flooded the computer screen.
"Catchy name." B'Elanna's tone was as sardonic as her grin as she moved to the desk and seated herself in front of the monitor. Her dark eyes grew big while her grin faded completely. She paid Seven a look of utter astonishment before she turned all of her attention back to the complex information on the screen. "Is this even possible? The energy output alone is immense. I'm not sure how long a hand-held weapon like this would last until it completely exhausts its power cells."
"Forty-two seconds."
B'Elanna's incredulous expression matched her voice as she turned to look at Seven. "Forty-two seconds?"
"I am working on extending that time." Seven looked almost abashed, as if she had been expected to pull off a near impossible feat already.
"I'll bet." B'Elanna turned back to the monitor to examine the data with a critical eye on increasing the energy stores. A thought struck her and she wondered why it hadn't occurred to Seven. "What if we decrease the plasma flow to the phaser emitters by a factor of ten?"
"Set the phaser to stun?" Seven wondered worriedly why she hadn't thought of that. And then she realized why she hadn't. She wanted the Borg to be dead, all of them. She tried to maintain a neutral tone lacking any emotional resonance. "It would be more efficient if we were to destroy the drones immediately."
"But we wouldn't have to, would we?" B'Elanna almost couldn't believe what she was saying. Less than five years ago she would have been happy to see the entire Collective destroyed, all the drones killed, but now she didn't have that bloodlust within her and frankly she thought she was better for it. "It'd be enough if they were just taken out of the picture, right? Enough time for us to beam out if we do end up boarding the Einstein."
Seven paused as she waged an internal conflict regarding the fact that she thought the destruction of Borg drones would be wanted and beneficial. But there was a certain logic to what B'Elanna Torres was saying. Forty-two seconds was not by most people's perception a very long time. "The seventy percent decrease in plasma flow will enable us to utilize the Infinity Modulator for forty-seven minutes before the power cells are completely depleted."
"How long will it take to construct a prototype? It's not like we have a whole lot of time." B'Elanna knew the Enterprise only had a little over four hours until it reached Deep Space Nine and then Voyager would be there waiting for them so that they could devise a strategy, a plan, for a threat they had very little information on other than it seemed to have developed the same absorption abilities as the Borg cube that had threatened Earth and the Federation only eighteen days ago.
"We can assemble the main components utilizing the replicators while on the Enterprise within three hours." Seven entered a series of commands which enlarged the internal structure of the weapon and brought it to the forefront. A distinct green hue emanated from the interior of the Infinity Modulator. "However, Borg components are necessary to complete the power distribution array and to reinforce the structural integrity."
"Let's hope the Resistance likes to share with others." The Commander's voice had a cutting tone before she grunted derisively.
B'Elanna questioned whether the Resistance would be fully cooperative with giving technology to Starfleet since they hadn't given Voyager a transwarp coil even after Captain Janeway and her crew had risked their lives to free thousands of drones. Well, B'Elanna had to admit, the sphere only had one functional coil and it would have left Korok's vessel at a major disadvantage if he had given it to them. Captain Janeway had known this and that's why she hadn't asked for it or anything else in compensation.
"General Korok will do what is in the interest of the Resistance." Seven shrugged without moving a muscle. "With his assistance construction of the Infinity Modulator will be completed within the time it takes us to reach the Delta Quadrant."
"Well, I've been doing a bit of research myself." B'Elanna handed Seven a PADD which contained the schematics for a silver colored hand-held weapon labeled as The TR-116 rifle. "It was decommissioned by Starfleet Security, access to it was restricted to top brass until the Tezwan incident and it and the TR-120 were brought back into service for Starfleet's peacekeeping interim on Tezwa."
Seven's eyebrow rose as she read the data. A weapon that fired a projectile of tritanium bullets instead of nadion particles wouldn't work on tactical drones whose infrastructure are constructed of the same alloy, but it would be the best possible weapon against standard drones. Although unlike B'Elanna's modification of her Infinity Modulator; the TR-116 would most likely be used as a lethal weapon. Seven appreciated that.
A voice sounded in Seven's mind as she followed a rambling B'Elanna Torres from the guest quarters. A voice that was so full of vehemence it hardly sounded like Seven of Nine. The voice told her that there was nothing but death for the Borg. That she should seek them out and make the Collective pay for all that they had taken from her. That she should destroy them all. No matter what.
CHAPTER 23
Ledos
The Overlookers' bug-like rust-colored ships enhanced by Borg technology that covered their hulls with black circuitry and green lights descended over the energy barrier that protected the Ventu from their technologically advanced brethren the Ledosians. The dome of protection around the hunter-gatherer society quickly crumbled under the onslaught of phaser fire.
Two beings appeared in a flash of green light on the coastline of a stream with three waterfalls gushing into its clear depths. The beautiful landscape was ignored by both of them. Instead their attention was on the curious people who approached them tentatively.
"Ledosian ships are approaching." The being that had been known as Captain Howard Rappaport, now designated "Two", turned his attention away from the group of technologically primitive but physically noteworthy beings to his queen awaiting her instructions.
"Destroy them all. I have no use for them." The Borg Queen never took her eyes off the young creature who gazed up at the Queen as if she was somehow familiar.
The Borg Queen had once been known as Kathryn Janeway, so she possessed memories of how Chakotay and Seven had crash landed upon this planet and how Seven had taken an unexpected interest in the wellbeing of the primitive Ventu. This young girl might have facilitated that interest which in turn intrigued the Queen. Anything having to do with Seven of Nine, who had been hers for eighteen years, interested her.
"Come closer." The Queen motioned with one silver hand for the young girl to approach her.
The girl traced the gleaming circuitry of the Queen's hand as if remembering something that had greatly affected her. The Borg Queen for her part smiled. To the untrained eye it seemed a gentle, kind expression.
The twenty-one green lights that appeared across the clearing startled the Ventu. But they had no route of escape since Borg drones now encircled them.
"Assimilate them all." The Queen held the little girl who had lost her curiosity and now bore an expression of abject terror. The pale lips of the Borg Queen lifted to show the delight she felt regarding the trembling fear she had reduced the young Ventu girl to. The Queen pressed the girl close to her body, seemingly wanting to push the girl into the silver and liquid black of her torso. As the young Ventu screamed in agony and horror the Borg Queen did exactly that.
Gleaming silver panels lifted away from the Queen's torso to enable the tar like substance to reach out with thick viscous tentacles to pull the little girl into the dark abyss of the Borg Queen's depths. Unlike the Einstein, the Queen did not increase in size but was nourished in much the same way. The little girl's body was quickly dissolved within the black substance which in turn gave the Queen enhanced strength and access to the young girl's memories.
"Seven."
Images of a disheveled Seven of Nine flashed across the Queen's mind's eye. One side of the Borg Queen's mouth was quirked up as she reveled in the beautiful visions the little girl had given her. "My Seven, oh how I can't wait to tell you what became of your little friend."
CHAPTER 24
Deep Space Nine
Captain Kira Nerys didn't allow any of the trepidation she felt show on her features or in her stance as she stood rigidly in the command center of the Cardassian made space station positioned on the edge of Federation space. Kira watched on the large display monitor as two Federation starships and one Klingon battle cruiser were shown at station ready on the outskirts of the Badlands.
"A transwarp corridor is opening."
Kira appreciated Asil's unemotional tones as she watched unblinkingly as the screen displayed the green illumination growing brighter, which denoted the imminent arrival of a Borg vessel. Despite having the knowledge that the massive Borg cube was under the control of an ally against the Collective, Kira couldn't help but feel uneasy as she watched a green lit tractor beam first pull the Enterprise-E into the bowels of the cube, then the I.K.S. Gorkon, and finally the Voyager.
Kira silently said a prayer for safe travel as she watched the transwarp corridor reopen. The cube might as well have never been there it was gone so quickly. She turned her attention to Asil.
"Lieutenant, encrypt all visual logs of the cube's existence near the Badlands." Kira knew the Vulcan didn't need to be reminded, but the hardedge to her voice told Asil she was not to speak of this to anyone. The last thing the Federation needed was mass panic. They would have enough problems to contend with if this mission failed. Hell, Kira mused begrudgingly, there probably wouldn't even be a Federation to worry about for very long if the Borg gained similar power the cube that had engulfed Pluto, destroyed a Starfleet Armada, and threatened Earth had possessed.
Asil hadn't said much to Kira regarding her leave to attend Admiral Janeway's memorial service, but the captain was astute enough to know that despite the Lieutenant's unemotional façade the Admiral had meant a great deal to the Vulcan woman. Kira had heard through the constant murmurings and gossip that circulated throughout the space station that Janeway had been killed while onboard the cube that had almost destroyed Earth. Something about the scenario and the lack of information didn't sit right with Kira. She couldn't say exactly why, but she felt there was more to the story than just the newsfeeds that said simply that the great and legendary Admiral Janeway had been lost in battle with the Borg.
Kira hadn't thought it proper to ask any of the Voyager crew, and Captain Picard certainly wasn't a man who provided any information he didn't very intentionally want you to have. But she knew there was something more, something that the high brass in Starfleet wanted to keep secret.
Captain Kira could think of nothing that could have happened to Admiral Janeway, certainly not the circumstances of her demise, which would warrant such high secrecy. As she left the control room to go to her office in order to sign off on a dozen PADDs to get Deep Space Nine open for business again, Kira's keen mind kept gnawing at the problem.
It was perhaps uncouth of her, but she couldn't let the mystery surrounding the Admiral's death go. If Admiral Janeway had been assimilated, which made logical sense, Kira thought, then why would Starfleet keep that information classified? It wasn't as if the Admiral would have been the first high-ranking Starfleet official to be assimilated. No, there was something more. Kira knew she was missing a big piece of the puzzle. Was the information damning to Janeway or to Starfleet? Kira suspected the latter. She was still cynical despite the fact she wore the uniform and the four pips of a captain.
With her brow furrowed Kira considered what Starfleet would deem so damning to them that they would keep all records of Janeway onboard the cube restricted to only a few high ranking Admirals. It wasn't as if they had ordered the cube not to be destroyed under false pretenses of safety and security. It wasn't as if they knew the cube was merely inactive, lying dormant until Janeway went there onboard the Einstein, and that once she was onboard it would activate again. That would have meant Starfleet had sent Admiral Janeway there to take control of an extremely dangerous piece of technology, and the mission had simply gone awry. Even Kira wasn't distrustful of Starfleet enough to believe that conspiracy theory.
So, Kira wondered, what did that leave? Kira considered the fact that so many Federation officials and scientists had studied the thought-to-be-dead cube and had no incident while onboard. But apparently when Admiral Janeway stepped one foot inside the cube it reactivated. Kira could only think of one plausible explanation. The Borg had been waiting for Janeway. But why? And how did the Collective know Janeway would come aboard the cube in the first place?
Kira considered that she didn't know enough about the Borg, or about Janeway for that matter, to truly answer those questions. But she could guess. Perhaps the Borg had sought out revenge. As conflicting as that idea seemed when it came to the unemotional automatons, perhaps that was why the Borg had waited. They had wanted Janeway because she had done so much damage to them in the past. Kira also knew that Janeway wasn't just a freshly minted Admiral and good PR for the Federation, she also had ties to Starfleet Intelligence and ties to more covert operations within Starfleet that the Borg would want to possess. But even if Janeway's secrets were given to the Borg, that hadn't been the Admiral's doing, so why would Starfleet keep her assumed assimilation so ambiguous?
Kira's mind wandered to the information on the PADDs she was signing off on until she realized she didn't quite remember even coming into her office. Perhaps this double-shift she was pulling wasn't sitting well with her. She signed off quickly on the last pile of PADDs before she left her office to call it a day. She had just seen a Borg cube, so Kira figured she deserved the rest of the night off.
The lights of Captain Kira's empty office turned on once again before two brilliant flashes of light heralded the entrance of two men, similar enough in appearance that if they were truly the humans they appeared to be most people would rightly discern they were father and son.
"Playing with Kira Nerys' mind like that wasn't particularly kind, Q." q watched his father shrug his shoulders indifferently. q himself didn't actually care about the Bajoran's mind, but he did care about why his father had gone out of their way to mess with it.
"She's much too inquisitive for her own good." Q reclined further in the leather bound chair as he projected an air of superiority and nonchalance.
Knowing his father didn't require or want a response q stood before the desk, a serious expression gracing the features that he had conjured to appear as though he was a simple bipedal specimen, a human male age twenty-five. "It's begun."
"Son, it's been beginning since the birth of the cosmos." Q's voice wasn't unkind. He was actually quite the proud father. But his son was far too linear in his thinking sometimes. His son was a Q. Time was a subjective term to beings that had the ability to bend it.
"Why can't we just stop it? We could save them." Despite being the offspring of two nearly omnipotent immortal beings q still didn't understand the Q way of thinking at times.
"And be reduced to single-celled organisms?" Q scoffed as he removed his feet from the desk so he could stand haughtily. "Oh no, my boy. We are far too important for such a menial existence."
The non-intrusive policy into the lives of mortals was all well and good for the mortals when nothing immensely important and dire was occurring, but the Q's power would help a lot of people if the courts hadn't ruled it a crime against the Continuum to do so on a grand cosmic scale. So instead Q and q had to rely on more minor changes in order to achieve their purpose: to save the galaxy, the Universe, and in turn the Q-Continuum from what the Borg were in the process of becoming. If it weren't for these pesky Federation types, Q might have just let the Universe sort everything out itself but he knew he couldn't leave these mortals to such an ugly fate. It wasn't what destiny had in mind for them. So instead Q and q were players in destiny's match against the disruptions within the chain of fate that had been caused by the assimilation of one minor, arrogant, stubborn, little primate who had simply been known as Kathryn Janeway.
A sometimes insufferable woman that Q regretted was no longer clinging to the mortal coil. He knew he should have warned her of what was coming, but his pride had prevented him. The last time they had spoken she hadn't seemed particularly pleased to see him or receptive to what he had to say. But she was the godmother of q and he had thought a friend of sorts to him. Okay, he considered, perhaps "friend" was an overstatement. They were amicable at least, which was more than he could say about Picard. He should have warned her. Regret for a Q was unusual, so Q tried to shake it off.
"But a lot of people are going to die." q didn't add the fact that someone he cared for immensely already had.
q hadn't been told of Janeway's impending demise. If he had known he'd probably be an Oprelian amoeba feasting on paramecia for he would have surely have found a way to save his Aunt Kathy. It troubled him now that he couldn't find her. Even in death the essence of a person could still be found by a Q. But hers was hidden from him and he wondered why. He had asked his father if he knew. q knew his father had told him the truth when he had answered that he didn't know where she was. Q had looked for her too.
"That's what mortals do." Q shook his head in disgust. Such a short pointless existence and yet the damage a single mortal was capable of causing was devastating. And now the Continuum had called upon their greatest champion, him, to right what went wrong and set things back on track, so that destiny's wheel could keep turning smoothly. They didn't know that he had ideas of his own. It was far too calm in the Continuum as of late. But he wouldn't involve his son in his scheme. If only he could find Kathryn Janeway. Even in death she was without a doubt the most maddening creature he had ever known. And for a Q that was saying quite a lot.
