Chapter 11

Captain's log; stardate 58087.6: The final showdown with the Borg is beginning, and I intend on fighting to the end. If we, the remaining crew of the Orion's saucer, do not survive, let it be known than the following crewman have served with honor and bravery: Lt. Cmdr. Ulysses Francis Grant, Ens. Rikka Samae, Ens. Annika Hansen, and retired Lt. Richard Matthews. Also, to be commended is Sub-Lt. Ta'Sem of the Romulan military. It is an honor to serve with such people, and an honor to be the captain of the Orion. God speed to us all.

"Through here. This tube should take us to an access hatch on the starboard side of the bridge."

Sub-Lt. Ta'Sem was crawling behind Lindsey. "Have you done this before, Captain?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," replied Lindsey. "There are times when the turbo lifts simply don't work." Lindsey reached the panel and cut it open with her phaser. She pushed the panel in and crawled onto the bridge. As she stood up, she saw two drones standing still on the bridge. The drones ignored her. Lindsey waved the others on. "Frank, take tactical. Ta'Prim, you will take operations. Ens. Rikka, you have the engineer's station, once you have purged the bridge of interfering Borg technology. Start immediately. Ta'Prim can assist you. Sub-Lieutenant, you will stand guard."

"Who is taking the helm?" asked Ta'Sem.

"I will be," said Lindsey. "I am the only one here with training and experience, however little that may be."

"Captain, I have helm training," said Ta'Sem.

"Sub-Lieutenant, this is a Federation Starship, not a Romulan warbird."

"Allow me to clarify, Captain. I have training on Starfleet helms."

Lindsey looked at the Romulan woman in surprise. A glance around the bridge told Lindsey that Frank was also concerned, Ta'Prim was intrigued, and Rikka was confused. "Ta'Sem, would you care to explain how a Romulan military sub-lieutenant has training on a Starfleet helm?"

"No, Captain, I would not."

"If you are going to work on my bridge, Ta'Sem, I need to trust you."

Ta'Sem, took a breath. "I took Starfleet helm training through the Tal Shiar."

"Are you currently a member of the Tal Shiar?" asked Lindsey.

"Yes, Captain, I am. I was assigned to accompany Sub-Cmdr. Matech on a joint mission between the Tal Shiar, Donatra's military, and Tal'Aura's government. We all needed to know if the Borg threat was real and whether Starfleet was really on our side."

Lindsey stared hard at the Romulan woman. When she could find no sign of duplicity, Lindsey said, "Take the helm, Sub-Lieutenant."

"Yes, Captain," replied the Romulan woman.

"Got it," sounded Ens. Rikka's voice, as the viewscreen came alive.

"We have bridge control?" asked Lindsey in surprise. Rikka couldn't have purged the bridge circuits already.

"I don't have helm control," reported Ta'Sem.

"And I don't have tactical," added Frank.

"No, not that," said Rikka. "The major systems are still offline, but I have the 'irrelevant' systems functioning. I thought you would like to see outside." Rikka's face changed. "Uh, Captain."

Lindsey looked at the viewscreen. "We're dropping out of warp." Lindsey could see the stars settle into their normal patterns. Then she saw dozens of Romulan warbirds of different ages and styles drop out of warp in front of them as well as five Starfleet vessels. "Battle stations!" shouted Lindsey out of habit. "I mean, continue as you were. We need this ship operational ASAP."

"We've dropped out of warp," said Chef. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," said Ens. Hansen. "Stand by for transport."

Chef felt a strange sensation as his vision was blurred with green. When everything resolved he discovered that he was looking down a long corridor with eerie green lighting. "It worked."

"Yes, we are now on the Borg cube," said Hansen. "Our disguises should still work, but I advise you keep you weapons holstered."

"Agreed. Which way?"

Hansen walked over to a display panel and entered a few commands. "We are still on the outer portions of the cube. We must go deeper, closer to the center. This way." Chef followed behind the Borg woman, all the while cautiously watching each and every Borg drone they passed.

"All ships accounted for, Admiral," reported CPO Shelton. Henry had a assigned the sensor chief to report directly to Adm. Janeway. "Romulan and Reman fleets are moving into attack formation. The Valdore and Col. Xiomek's flagships are ready."

"Good," said Adm. Janeway. "Mr. Hickensen, bring the Orion into position."

"Shields up. Helm, forward at half impulse. Arm phasers and quantum torpedoes," ordered Henry. It had been Col. Xiomek's idea for the flagships to launch the first blow. Henry didn't exactly agree with it, but he followed orders."

"We're being hailed," said Shelton.

"Let's oblige them," said Adm. Janeway.

"We are the Borg. We have analyzed your offensive capabilities as being unable to defeat us. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."

"Let me talk to them," said Janeway. Shelton nodded, and Janeway continued, "Borg vessel. You are not welcomed in Romulan-Reman space. The Federation stands with its Romulan and Reman allies. Release our ship and return to your own space or be destroyed."

"No response, Admiral, to our message; nor to Donatra's or Xiomek's messages," said Shelton.

"I didn't expect one," said Janeway. "Commander, engage."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Henry. "Helm, full impulse. Weapons fire on my mark."

"That's the Orion's stardrive," said Frank.

"Yes, it is," agreed the Captain.

Frank watched as the stardrive and two other ships dealt the first blows to the Borg cube. The damage was minimal. Frank felt his heart leap, when he saw the cube hit the Orion's stardrive with a tractor beam. But seemingly out of nowhere the Resistant and the Courageous came to the rescue, firing their impressive array of weapons. Behind those two Defiant class ships came the Lakota and the Hercules. Both of them provided heavy fire. Then the Romulan and Reman fleets converged on the cube from all sides.

"They've done some modifications to my ship's propulsion," said Lindsey.

Frank indeed noticed that the other half of the Orion was preforming some very nimble maneuvers. He also saw the damage its phasers were doing. "Looks the weapons have been upgraded as well."

Lindsey nodded but turned to Ens. Rikka Samae. "Ensign, status?"

"Not good, Captain. This is far more complicated than the external sensors. I'm having trouble. Why couldn't Ens. Hansen have stayed here?"

"Her job is much more important, Ensign," answered Lindsey. "But I need you to give me control of my bridge."

Chef followed Hansen through the confusing maze of Borg corridors. Hansen on the other hand seemed at home in the cube. He wondered just how many of these corridors Hansen had traversed when she was a drone. "Are we near?"

"Asking that question will not bring us closer, Mr. Matthews." Chef felt insulted to be treated like a child, but he pushed it away. Hansen continued, "We are nearing the center of the cube. The vinculum should be through these doors."

A set of doors opened, and Chef followed Hansen inside. There he saw a large crystal-shaped green device hanging in the center of the room. "Is that it?"

"Yes," said Hansen. "Please keep an eye on the drones. If they detect my work, I may be assaulted before I can finish."

"You can count on me." Chef pulled his phaser and disruptor pistols from his belt and stood by Hansen. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, his mind was clear. There was nothing else to think about except the enemy and his crewmate whom he was to protect.

"The cube has the Lakota in a tractor beam!" shouted the ensign at operations.

"Ryan, maneuver Luis. Ser'rek, fire on my mark," Henry lifted his hand. "Fire." The Orion fired phasers to destroy the tractor beam emitter and a few quantum torpedoes for additional damage.

"The Lakota is free."

"Ryan, evasive maneuver MacArthur." Henry held on as the stardrive dipped, rolled, and banked away from the Borg cube. "Ryan, how is the Orion handling?"

"Great, sir. I feel more like a fighter pilot than a helmsman," replied Ryan. Indeed, the Orion's maneuvering was completely different than before. Between the reduction in mass from losing the saucer to O'Hara's impulse and thruster modifications, the Orion was behaving like a different ship. Henry, Ryan, and Ser'rek had come up with a whole new set of maneuvers based on Federation fighters and the Defiant class ships. It had been Henry's idea to name the maneuvers after the fallen offices of the old Orion. A first name indicated a port maneuver; a last name, a starboard maneuver.

"Keep up the good work, Ryan" encouraged Henry. Seeing that he had a break, Henry looked over to the science station. "Lt. T'Sel, have you done a sensor sweep of the Orion saucer? Is there any of our people over there?"

"Yes, I have done a sensor sweep," said the Vulcan scientist. "But I have not detected any of our people. The only lifeforms I detect are Borg."

Henry's gut sank, but he forced himself to continue. Lindsey was gone. There was nothing more he could do for her, except command her ship and avenge her death.

"Romulan warbird in distress!" shouted the ensign again.

"Ryan, attack pattern Theresa. Ser'rek, weapons on my command." Henry leaned forward in his chair. This was going to be a long battle.

Seven dropped her tool on the ground. She bent down and picked it up. "Ensign, are you okay?"

"I am fine, Mr. Matthews. But this is more challenging than I expected," replied Seven.

"How so?"

"The Borg have adapted their vinculi since the last time I saw one. It is making this difficult."

"That plus your handicap."

"What handicap?"

"Miss. Hansen, you haven't regenerated in days, and only two hours ago you were shot by a phaser."

"That phaser was set to stun."

"It still affects you."

Seven indeed could feel the fatigue on her Borg implants. "You are correct. My reduced abilities are making this harder. I am having a more difficult time anticipating the Borg. But I am still the most qualified for this job."

"Undoubtfully," said Matthews. "Take a deep breath and calm your mind. Focus on one problem at a time. Work as quickly as you can, but not so quickly that you lose efficiency. 'Haste makes waste' as the saying goes."

"Efficient reasoning," agreed Seven as she returned to the console she was working on. She took a deep breath and applied the tool to the appropriate unit. One Borg defense protocol was broken, and she could proceed to the next one. One step at a time, and she would succeed.

Janeway looked out at the Borg cube. It was damaged, but not nearly enough. They had to constantly adapt the weapons as they quickly became ineffective against the Borg. The Romulans and Remans were having an even more difficult time. Two Reman warbirds and one Romulan warbird had already been destroyed. A number more had pulled out of the battle. Janeway hated to retreat, but she remembered her mistake in the last battle. At what point should she have everyone pull back and try another strategy?

"Admiral, I am concerned about the Orion's strategy," said Cmdr. Hickensen, speaking right into her worry. "We are becoming too predictable. The Borg have surely recognized our methods and our new maneuverability and firepower. I fear that we cannot continue for much longer."

Janeway was about to answer him when Chief Petty Officer Shelton shouted out another distress signal. "The Heracles is hit! They are caught in a tractor beam. They report their weapons are offline and shields are failing."

"We don't have a choice, Commander," said Janeway.

"Agreed," replied the young man. "Ryan attack pattern Gonzalez."

The Orion dived once again in a rescue mission. But the cube suddenly released the Heracles and latched on to the Orion with its tractor beam. "We're stuck!" shouted the helmsman.

"Weapons are offline," said Thrim.

"Shields are dropping!" said the panicked operations ensign.

"Remodulate shields!" ordered Hickensen.

"No effect!" replied the ensign.

"Chief, signal the Resistant and the Courageous," ordered Janeway. "We need assistance."

"The Courageous is reporting a hull breach," stated CPO Shelton. "They have pulled out of the battle. The Resistant is on the other side of the cube. The Lakota is coming."

"I doubt they will get here in time," said the operations ensign. "Shields are failing."

Janeway wasn't about to give up. "Signal a Romulan or Reman ship. We are in desperate need."

"Ensign!" shouted the Captain.

Samae replied with a Bajoran curse word. She had just cut the Borg device free only to watch it regenerate itself instantly. "I need more time, Captain."

"We don't have any more time!" shouted the Captain as she pointed to the viewscreen. "That's my ship!"

Samae looked up to see the Orion's stardrive caught in a Borg tractor beam. "I almost have these sequencers figured out, but there are so many of them. This isn't lab work! It's not even engineering! This is surg…" A light bulb went off in Samae's mind. "Computer, activate the EMH."

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency," said the holographic doctor as he appeared on the bridge.

"Surgery," said Samae as she walked up to the doctor, grabbed his shoulder, and led him to the access panel she had been working on. "The patient has a severe parasitic infection. The parasite is inhibiting the patient's normal functions. We need to remove the parasite immediately."

"What species is the patient? And what kind of parasite are we dealing with?"

"Galaxy class and Borg tech," answered Samae. "Your patient is the Orion, and here are your surgical tools." Samae handed the doctor the engineering tools.

"You must be joking. I'm a doctor, not…"

"Spare me, Doctor. All I need is a set of steady and precise hands. Do you have those or not?"

"Well, yes. I will have you know my manual control was program for the most precise surgeries," said the EMH with pride.

"Good," said Samae. "Come here. I need to cut here, here, here…here…here, and here in quick session. I will cut here and here and pull the Borg device out. Ens. Ta'Prim and Lt. Cmdr. Grant, I need you two to destroy this device as soon as the Doctor and I remove it. Is everyone ready?"

Samae got three nods. "On three, Doctor. One, two, three!" The EMH worked with precision. Samae made her two cuts. Then she grabbed the Borg device and with all her strength heaved it out of the access panel. She tossed it over her head. It landed on the deck plating and was instantly hit by four particle beams from the weapons of Grant and Ta'Prim. The device exploded.

The two drones on the bridge reacted instantly. They turned, walked towards Samae, and spoke in unison. "Drone, you are defective. You must cease your activity and report to maintenance."

"Um?" Samae backed against one of the wall stations. The two drones approached.

"We cannot hear your thoughts, drone. You are defective. You must comply." A red and a green beam struck the drone on the right. Grant fired a second time, but the drone on the left shielded itself. "Danger present on the bridge. The problematic drones must be destroyed."

Grant was trying to change his weapon, but Ta'Prim grabbed the Klingon blade strapped the back of his belt and lunged forward. She buried the weapon in the drone's shoulder, rolled on the ground behind the drone, pull her arms around its neck, and snapped. The drone fell limp in front of Samae. As Samae looked up at Ta'Prim, the Vulcan woman sank to her knees, shaking with uncontrolled emotion. "Thank you," was all Samae could say.

"I still don't have helm control," shouted Ta'Sem.

"I don't have tactical control, either," added Grant.

"One second!" yelled Samae. She ran back to the access panel and patched the Starfleet circuitry back together. "How about now?"

"The helm is responding."

"I have tactical control," said Grant. "Charging phasers and arming quantum torpedoes."

"Target that tractor beam emitter with phasers!" said the Captain.

"Ready."

"Fire!"

Henry readied his hand phaser for another fight with Borg drones. Once the shields were down, and that wouldn't be long, he was sure they would beam on board. This time there would be no evacuation. If he was lucky, he would get the Admiral in an escape pod, but he would go down with the ship.

Just as Henry was ready for his final fight, three phaser beams came from somewhere off the viewscreen's left edge. They struck the tractor emitter, and suddenly the Orion was free. The phaser beams were followed by a volley of quantum torpedoes.

"Not to be ungrateful, but where did that come from?" asked Adm. Janeway.

"Ensign?" asked Henry to the young man standing above him.

"It came from the Orion, sir; I mean our saucer."

"What?"

"We're being hailed by the main bridge, sir," said Chief Shelton.

"On screen," ordered Janeway.

To Henry's disbelief, Lindsey appeared on the screen. "This is Capt. Lander of the Orion. We have taken back our bridge. But we have a ship full of Borg drones that probably have figured out we are here."

"Lindsey, how are you alive? We can't detect your life readings," said Henry.

"I know, but I can't explain now. We have a plan in motion. We need to buy more time." Lindsey began to make hand gestures, which consisted of a sequence of her closing her fist and flattening her hand.

"What kind of plan?" asked Janeway.

"One that you would like, Admiral, but I can't discuss it. The Borg maybe listening. We will try and give you additional fire support, but our weaponry is limited, and I need more security officers. I don't know how long we can hold the bridge."

"Understood," said Janeway. "We will do what we can."

"And, Henry, tell O'Hara her husband is alive. Lander out." Lindsey disappeared.

"Mr. Thrim, can we beam security personnel on to the saucer?" asked Janeway.

"No, Ma'am. They are rotating their shields. Without knowing their shield modulation, we cannot beam aboard."

"We could reconnect the stardrive and the saucer," suggested Ryan. "Security can walk right on to the saucer."

"Or the Borg could come on to the stardrive," replied Janeway. "We cannot allow that. I wish I knew what kind of plan Lander is hatching. We could help."

"If I may, Admiral," said Henry. "She told us."

"What do you mean?"

"Or more accurately, she told me. Her hand singles: fist equals short tone; flat hand…long tone: Morse code. We both memorized it at the Academy. It would be irrelevant to the Borg."

"What did she say?" asked Janeway.

"Literally '7 of 9 on cube.'"

"Cmdr. O'Hara," came Hickensen's voice over the combadge.

"I know the phaser emitter is burnt out. I have people replacing it in thirty seconds," replied Alivia.

"O'Hara," came Hickensen's voice again.

"The strain on our impulse engines is high, but I think it will hold," continued Alivia as she checked the warp core. "The warp core is still running at peak performance. All in all, the Orion is doing well."

"Alivia! Stop talking!"

"What?"

"Alivia, your husband is alive," replied Hickensen's voice. "Cmdr. Grant is on the Orion's main bridge."

Alivia was stunned silent for a moment. Her husband was alive! Then she thought of Henry. "And the Captain?"

"She's alive, too. But they are still in danger. I need everyone to continue to perform at their best. Just maybe we will come out of this alive."

"You can count on me, Commander," said Alivia. She returned to her work with a new determination. She was going to do everything she could to see her husband once again.

The Lakota shook with the impact. "Shield status!" shouted Capt. Benteen.

"Shields are at 20%. We need to pull back, Captain."

"Negative. Route the remaining auxiliary power to the shields." Benteen knew next time her shields fell she would have to take power from another part of the ship. The Lakota was a fine ship, refitted for combat against the Dominion, but it was also an old ship, and she was showing her age.

Benteen had been overjoyed when she had heard Capt. Lander's voice. Benteen was Lander's supervisor, and Lindsey had become a good friend. But Benteen also knew that the addition of the Orion's saucer would make little difference in the battle. They desperately needed something to go their way.

"A Romulan warbird has just lost propulsion!" shouted a bridge officer. "The cube is pounding it."

"Use the tractor beam. Pull it to safety," ordered Benteen. The Lakota grabbed the warbird with its tractor beam and began to tow it away from the cube. The cube in turn fired upon the Lakota.

"We're taking hits," said Benteen's first officer. "That warbird is like dragging an anchor. We can't take them with us."

"The tractor beam is losing power," reported Lt. Vladimir Kustov, the engineer Benteen had taken from the Orion.

"Boost power to the tractor beam and impulse engines."

"There is no power to spare, Captain," replied Lt. Kustov.

A rapid-fire stream of quantum torpedoes hit the Borg cube. Benteen could see a Defiant class ship come from above them. The Borg cube focused on the greater threat as the Lakota retreated with the warbird in tow. Benteen opened a channel to their rescuer. "Thank you, Resistant."

"You are welcome, Lakota," replied Capt. Shelby's voice.

"We are safely out of the cube's range," said Benteen's first officer.

"Good. Release our Romulan friends and prepare for another assault," ordered Benteen.

"Are you sure that is a good idea, Captain?" asked her first officer.

"No, Commander, I am not; but it is what we are going to do," said Benteen. She looked out the viewscreen at the battle. They indeed needed something to go their way.

Lindsey fidgeted in her chair. The battle was raging. The Lakota had barely escaped destruction, the Courageous was out of the battle, the Orion's stardrive was no longer surprising the Borg, and the Resistant and the Hercules were not all that effective. The Romulan and Reman ships were not much better. To top it all off, the Orion's saucer wasn't able to do much damage. There was little that Lindsey could do in this battle.

"Captain, we're out of torpedoes," reported Frank.

"What do you mean 'we're out'?"

"I emptied the tubes. With the Borg tech messing with our systems and such a small crew, there is no way to reload them."

"Continue firing with phasers."

"Yes, Captain. But I am not able to adjust their frequencies very quickly. I am not that good at this."

"Understood, Commander. But I need your best."

"Captain, we have another problem," stated Ens. Rikka. Lindsey turned towards the scientist. "The Borg drones are attempting to access the bridge. I disabled the turbo lift, but I don't think that will hold them."

Lindsey looked back at the battle, specifically at the cube. "Seven, if you are going to do anything, you need to do it now."

Chef watched a Borg drone walked right past him. Like the others, it took no notice of him. But Chef knew that could change at any second.

"Mr. Matthews," Chef turned and faced Ens. Hansen. "I have accessed the vinculum, and have tried three times to subtly plant my techovirus, and I have failed three times."

"You can't download the virus?"

"I said that I cannot do it subtly. I think the time has come to 'throw caution to the wind.'"

"Okay, why are you telling me this?"

"Once I insert the virus, there will be sometime before it can take full effect. The Collective will become aware of it."

"Then what?"

"Worse case: the Borg adapt to it, and the virus is ineffective," stated Seven of Nine matter-of-factly. "Best case: this cube and all its drones are severed from the Collective, but not before it finds out and is able to issue final orders."

"Meaning every drone on this cube will know that we are here," added Chef.

"Precisely. You should go now. I will remain with the vinculum. They will come after me, and you will be free to escape."

"Absolutely not!" replied Chef. "My job is to protect you."

"I outrank you," said Seven. "I order you to leave. You will comply."

"I'm a civilian. You cannot order me. If it is a matter of orders, then my orders come from the Captain. Besides, I retired as a lieutenant senior grade. It is I who outrank you, Ensign. I am staying here. We are leaving together. And that is final."

Seven sighed. "Stubbornness. A most annoying human quality. Very well. Watch the drones."

Chef turned his back to Seven and watched the drones. After a few seconds, Chef spotted one drone walking from Chef's left to his right. The drone came to a sudden stop. Chef side stepped away from the vinculum as the drone turned directly towards Seven. "Defective drone, you will cease your activity. You will comply."

Seven was still doing something to the vinculum as the drone approached. The drone got three feet from Seven, when Chef grabbed it from behind and disabled it. He dropped the limp drone to the deck plating. "The cat's out of the bag. They know we're here."

"I am finished. I estimate that the virus will take full effect in the next forty seconds."

"Then let's put as much distance between us and that vinculum."

"This way." Seven led Chef out of the vinculum chamber, and they both started running.

Two of Ten felt a change in its mind. The voices had become erratic. Just before they completely disappeared it heard the voice of its queen. "Kill Starfleet!" Then everything was silent.

Two of Ten stopped. "The voices, they are gone. We cannot hear the Collective."

Six of Ten also stated, "We also cannot hear the others."

"Irrelevant!" stated One of Ten. "The Collective will reestablish the link. But we must kill Starfleet. Those are our orders."

Two of Ten complied and followed One of Ten. But the order 'kill Starfleet,' bothered Two of Ten for some reason. Two of Ten looked at its surroundings. It knew these corridors. They were important to her. "This is the Orion."

"This ship has been assimilated. It is Borg. Its designation is irrelevant," stated One of Ten.

Two of Ten stopped. "The Orion is our home."

One of Ten stopped and faced Two of Ten. Six of Ten also stopped. One of Ten spoke. "You are Borg. You have no home but the Collective."

"We are Borg?" asked Two of Ten. "But we are Ba…Ba…Bajoran. The Orion is our home. We are Starfleet."

"You are Borg," stated One of Ten again.

"No, we are Bajoran. We…I am Rikka…Rikka Nolean is my des…my name. I am Lt. Rikka Nolean of Starfleet."

"You are Borg, and you must comply," ordered One of Ten.

"We are Romulan," said Six of Ten looking at its feet. "Our ship was the Terabon. I am Trindak, Centurion Trindak of the Romulan Military."

"I have a sister," said Two of Ten. "Her name is Samae. Samae is my sister. I love my sister."

Six of Ten looked up from his feet. "The Borg attacked my ship. They assimilated me, my captain, my crew. I hate the Borg."

One of Ten now turned to Six of Ten. "You are Borg. You will comply. You must kill Starfleet."

Two of Ten could handle it no more. She lifted her heavy mechanical arm and smashed the skull of One of Ten. Six of Ten looked at her but did nothing. Rikka said to him. "I will not comply. I will not kill Starfleet. I will defend the Orion. Will you help me, Trindak?"

Six of Ten nodded. "I also will not comply, Nolean. I will kill Borg. I will avenge the Terabon."

Rikka Nolean continued walking. Trindak followed her. Together they found a cluster of Borg drones and began to fight.

Lindsey sat forward in her seat. "What just happened?"

"What do you mean, Captain?" asked Frank.

"That last volley from the cube. Did it hit us?"

"No, they missed."

"They missed?!" asked Lindsey. "Since when do the Borg miss. All credit to our helmswoman, but we were not engaging in any evasive maneuvers. Yet, they missed?"

"You think…?" asked Frank.

Lindsey turned to Rikka Samae. "Ensign, compare the current efficiency and accuracy of the Borg cube with five minutes ago." Lindsey waited for the Ensign.

"Captain, Borg efficiency has dropped drastically." The Orion shook. "But they can still fight.

Lindsey barely withheld a whoop of joy. She turned back to the viewscreen. "Sub-Lieutenant, face us directly towards the cube. Grant, keep up the phaser fire. Once you find a phaser frequency that works stick with it. I doubt the Borg will be doing anymore adapting."

"We make a pretty easy target, Captain," said Sub-Lt. Ta'Sem. "Even for disconnected drones."

"We just need to present a harder profile. Roll the ship, clockwise. Ensign open a channel to the stardrive." Ens. Rikka gave Lindsey the nod, and Lindsey spoke. "Adm. Janeway. We have successfully introduced a virus into the Borg cube. The cube and its drones are disconnected from their Collective. They are individuals. We have no idea how long it will take for the Collective to adapt, so I suggest we take advantage."

"Excellence, Captain," replied Janeway. "Where's Seven?"

"Our away team is still on the cube, and our transporters are down. Ens. Rikka will send you the frequency of their transporter arm bands." Lindsey continued, "We still have drones here on the saucer. They are disconnected from their hive, but they are still dangerous…"

"…The best way may be to reconnect the stardrive and the saucer," suggested Capt. Lander.

"Agreed," said Janeway. "Make it so, Commander."

Henry stood from his chair and made his way to the tactical station, speaking in his combadge. "Lt. Mackwel, organize the security teams." Henry reached tactical and spoke to the Andorian officer. "Lt. Cmdr. Thrim, take a team to secure the main bridge. Once you are there, relive Lt. Cmdr. Grant and let our security chief do his normal job."

"Yes, sir." Thrim yielded his tactical station to another officer.

"Commander," said Adm. Janeway. "Let's put this ship back together."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Sir, the saucer's automated docking systems are offline," reported Ryan.

"Looks like you get to do your manual docking after all, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir," said Ryan with a smile.

Apparently, it was too much for the ensign at navigation "You're going to perform a manual docking, under fire, while the saucer is spinning!"

"Aah," said Ryan in a dismissive voice. "Spinning saucer is easy. We match their spin, then it's like no one is spinning, except the stars around us. Being under fire will make this interesting. The real trouble is coordinating with the saucer. Lt. Luke Ryan, helmsman, to Sub-Lt. Ta'Sem, really to put this ship back together?"

"Ready when you are, Lieutenant," said the Romulan woman from the main bridge. "Stabilizing our spin into a slow roll."

"Commander?" Ryan looked back at Henry.

"Alright, Ryan, bring us up behind the saucer." Henry stood over Ryan's shoulder as they came up behind the saucer which was holding position yet spinning on its longitudinal axis, all the while still firing phasers at the Borg cube. Green Borg warheads were flying by. Even with the Borg's decreased accuracy it was still dangerous. "Cut impulse. Let our inertia bring us in. Compensate with thrusters. Match the saucer's roll."

Ryan cut power to the impulse engines, and the stardrive coasted towards the rear of the saucer. Ryan then used thrusters to roll the stardrive. The stars could be seen spinning around the viewscreen, but the saucer appeared to stop rolling.

A green Borg projectile struck the saucer. "Hit!" came Ta'Sem's voice. "Compensating with thrusters."

Recognizing the precision required, Henry decided to remove himself from the operation and trust his helmsman. "Mr. Ryan, proceed at your disgression. Sub-Lt. Ta'Sem, Lt. Ryan has the lead. You answer to him."

"Yes, Commander," said the Romulan Sub-Lieutenant.

"I got this, Commander," said Ryan.

Henry watched as there was another near miss by the Borg. He sat in his chair and looked at Adm. Janeway. She was watching with great attention. The Borg scored another hit. Henry could see the saucer shake from the impact. He could also see the thrusters fire as Ta'Sem tried to keep the saucer steady. Henry was growing nervous. "Lieutenant, this is taking a while. Increase speed at your discretion."

"I am having a difficult time keeping this thing stable," said Ta'Sem. "If you want to speed this up, I suggest that I come to you. It will be easier for me if this thing is moving."

"Agreed," said Ryan. "Reverse thrusters, Sub-Lieutenant. Easy now."

"Reconnecting while both ships are flying towards each other!" said the Ensign at navigation.

"Silence, Ensign!" ordered Henry as the saucer grew larger in the viewscreen. Another green projectile flew by harmlessly. "All stations, prepare for reconnection with the saucer."

"Steady as she goes, Sub-Lieutenant," said Ryan. "Leave the major corrections to me." Ta'Sem verbalized her acknowledgement. The top of the battle bridge viewer was now entirely filled with the saucer. "Extending locking clamps," stated Ryan. "Reconnection in five, four, three, two, one." The Orion shook as its two part came together. "Locking up the clamps and securing the airlocks." Ryan turned towards the command chairs. "Commander, Admiral, reconnection of the Orion is successful."

"Beautiful work, Lieutenant," said Janeway. "I only wish my former helmsman, Tom Paris, was here to see that."

Henry began issuing orders. "Thrim and Mackwel, secure the main bridge. Sub-Lt. Ta'Sem transfer helm control to the battle bridge…"

"Excuse me, Commander," came Lindsey's voice. "I believe I am the captain of the Orion; assuming the Admiral's approval."

"You have command, Captain," said Janeway.

"Transferring helm control to the battle bridge. Operations should also be with you. We will keep tactical up here at the main bridge. If we lose commlink, all controls are to revert to the battle bridge."

"Copy that, Captain," said Henry. "And my apologies."

"Any news on our away team, Captain?" asked Janeway.

"I was hoping you had news," replied Lindsey. "Did not the transporter frequencies I gave you work?"

"They haven't," said Janeway. "The transporter chief has also not been able to pick up their bio signatures."

"And she won't be able to," said Lindsey. "They will read as Borg, just as I and my bridge crew do."

"I need everyone to keep working on it," said Janeway, and Henry could see the concern on her face. Henry went to work with determination. Janeway had helped him get Lindsey back. Now he was going to do everything he could to get the Admiral's friend back.

Richard fired another shot an approaching drone, dropping it to the deck plating. Seven of Nine did likewise. What the drones had lost in efficiency and communication, they had gained in tenacity and anger. It was like the whole, uncoordinated hive was after the two of them.

"Did you try the armbands again?" asked Richard.

"Yes, we may still be too deep in the cube." Seven tried working Richard's armband. "Or maybe the Borg have blocked Federation transporter frequencies."

"Either way, we are running out of time." The cube shook violently. Richard reach out to steady Seven. Her coordination didn't seem at its best. Richard wondered if the Borg woman's lack of regeneration was finally getting to her. "If the Borg don't kill us soon, it will be our friends when they destroy this cube."

"We need to get closer to the outer shell," suggested Seven.

"And risk being hit by friendly fire?" asked Richard.

"Do you have an alternative suggestion?" asked Seven, but Richard had no reply.

"Can we confirm what Adm. Janeway told us?" asked Cmdr. Donatra to her second in command.

"Yes, Commander. The Borg's performance has fallen drastically. They appear to be in disarray."

Donatra nodded her head. She had learned a long time ago to never underestimate the Federation and Starfleet. They were more crafty and clever than most Romulans would admit. And they had an annoying knack for finding a way to succeed. She smiled as she remembered Picard crashing his own ship into Shinzon's Scimitar.

"Commander, a transmission from the Orion." Donatra gave her communications officer a nod.

"Attention Reman and Romulan ships," spoke Adm. Janeway as she appeared on the Valdore's viewer. "We still have two crewmen on board the Borg cube. They are the ones responsible for weakening the Borg. We need more time to locate them and extract them."

"Open a channel," ordered Donatra. When the comms officer nodded Donatra spoke. "Adm. Janeway, we will be forever indebted to those brave and heroic members of your crew. But I cannot give you extra time. Can you guarantee that these Borg will not regain their connection to the Collective? We are still in Romulan space, Admiral, and I cannot allow a single drone to survive. They must be destroyed now."

"We may only need a few minutes," said Janeway.

"I am sorry, Admiral, I truly am. And I am sorry for your losses. But my answer is the same." Janeway gave a sad nod and cut the transmission, which left Donatra pondering another peculiar Federation behavior: their unwillingness to leave a man behind.

Donatra turned to her comm officer. "Signal the fleet and give the order: All available ships, attack and destroy the Borg cube. I want every drone accounted for. We are taking no quarter."

Ser'rek Thrim came onto the bridge and reported. "Captain, the Borg drones have been driven away from the bridge. Lt. Mackwel is securing the rest of the ship."

"Good," said Lindsey absent mindedly.

"Cmdr. Hickensen ordered me to relive Lt. Cmdr. Grant, so that he can coordinate the security forces. Do you object?"

"No, Commander. Take tactical. Frank, secure entire ship." Lindsey stood from her chair and looked out the viewer at the Romulan and Reman ships pommeling the Borg cube. Large chucks of the cube were now floating free in space. "Have we tried everything to reach Chef and Seven?"

"Lt. Cmdr. O'Hara-Grant and every engineer she can spare are working on it," said Rikka Samae.

"Was the Admiral able to convince our friends to put a pause on their assault?" asked Lindsey.

"No," said Thrim. "Both Donatra and Xiomek are bent on destroying the cube."

Ta'Sem suddenly stood up. "Captain, I may have a way to rescue them. But I would need access to your communications."

"Communications?" Lindsey felt uncertain about letting the Tal Shiar operative have anymore access to her ship than she had already allowed. But one look back at the dissolving Borg cube and the memory of her friend overpowered her uncertainty. "Come here, Sub-Lieutenant." Lindsey led the Romulan woman to communications station. "Use this station."

Ta'Sem entered in a strange comm frequency and then spoke. "This is Sub-Lt. Ta'Sem of the Tal Shiar in a priory message for Cmdr. Donatra. Two allies on an enemy vessel in distress."

Richard fired his disruptor pistol at another drone. As it fell, he saw three more drones coming towards Seven of Nine. She tried to take them down, but one of them grabbed her left arm and pulled her to the ground. Matthews shot and killed the other two drones. By the time he got to Seven, her attacker had tried to smash her head in with its mechanical arm, but Seven had dodged the blow. Richard managed to pull the drone off of her and was ready to engage in a wrestling match.

At that moment, a violent fireball erupted further down the corridor. The fire was immediately snuffed when the air began to flow out of the corridor through the new breach in the hull. The drone that had attacked Seven lost its footing and followed the air out into the vacuum of space. Richard braced himself against a bulkhead. He saw Seven grabbed another bulkhead with her strong Borg left arm. Then with her free hand Seven pushed the button that closed the emergency hatch. The door slid close, and the atmosphere stabilized.

"That was too close," said Richard as he helped Seven down the corridor. He allowed her to sit down for a moment. "I think we have to face the truth. Either these things don't work," he said, fiddling with his transporter armband. "Or there is no one left on the Orion to rescue us."

"I know," said Seven. But she shook off Richard's arm and stood up. "But if there is one thing I have learned from Adm. Janeway, it is to never give up."

"Alright," Richard stood up. "We keep trying. But if we don't make it, I am at peace. We did well, Miss. Annika 'Seven of Nine' Hansen."

"Yes, we did, Mr. Richard 'Chef' Matthews." After sharing a mutual nod, Seven led Richard around another corridor. Suddenly Seven stopped. "What is that sound, that beeping? It is not Borg."

Richard looked around for a second before he realized that something he was carrying was emitting the beeping noise. He searched his pocket and pulled out the statuette that Ta'Sem had given him. The small figure of the woman now had a blinking red light flashing from her feet. "What the…"

Richard felt a transporter lock, and his surroundings vanished. When he rematerialized, it was not where he expected. The transporter room was certainly not Starfleet. A Romulan man approached. "Commander, transport was successful. We have two humans on board."

"Excellent, Centurion." spoke the voice of a Romulan woman. "Make sure our guests feel welcomed until we can return them to their people. We owe them a great deal."

"Of course, Commander," replied the Centurion. He then approached them. "Ens. Annika Hansen, Mr. Richard Matthews, welcome on board the Valdore, Cmdr. Donatra's flagship."

Richard looked down on at the Romulan statue in his hand. "The goddess of luck?"

The Centurion looked at it. "Romulans don't depend on luck. They make their own."

Richard smiled. "In this case, I am glad they do."

"This is Cmdr. Donatra. We have your people safely on board the Valdore, Admiral."

Lindsey heard Janeway's voice. "We are indebted to you for rescuing our people."

"They saved all our lives. We were just returning the favor. We will return them to you once the area is secure." The viewscreen returned to the forward image of the destroyed Borg cube. The Resistant as well as Romulan and Reman ships were sorting through the wreckage. Lindsey turned towards Ta'Sem.

"Excellent work, Sub-Lieutenant. You will have to tell me how you planted a transmitter on Mr. Matthews."

"He thought it was a good luck charm," replied Ta'Sem. "I am just glad it worked." Lindsey looked at the Romulan woman with curiosity. She seemed genuinely relived that Seven and Chef had survived. Lindsey wondered why, although she could guess.

Ser'rek Thrim reported, "Captain, Cmdr. Grant reports that the Borg drones are being subdued. Without their ability to work together or adapt, they are not much of a challenge."

"Any word on assimilate crewmen?" asked Rikka Samae.

"No, Ensign," said Thrim.

"Captain, I am requesting permission to leave the bridge," asked Rikka.

"For what reason?"

"I want to look for Nolean. She's my sister, Captain."

"Go. Find Grant and have him help. I believe Nolean was a friend of his."

"Yes, Captain. And thank you." Rikka left the bridge.

Lindsey let out a sigh of relief. The Borg were defeated, her ship was retaken, and her people were safe. Now it was time to turn her attention to lesser matters. "Ta'Prim." Lindsey turned, but the Vulcan woman wasn't where she expected her. "Ta'Prim?" Lindsey looked all over, but the Section 31 agent was nowhere to be seen.

"Did you say 'Ta'Prim'?" asked Ser'rek, who had at one time worked closely with the Vulcan spy.

"Yes, she was on the Orion. She helped us retake the bridge, even if she was an obstacle at first. Let us not speak more of her."

"Ah, the mysterious, emotional Vulcan," said Ta'Sem. "I suppose the Tal Shiar will have to be content with not figuring out that mystery."

"Sub-Lieutenant, you have earned my respect and my limited trust," said Lindsey. "Let's not push it too far." Ta'Sem responded only with a sly smile. Lindsey allowed herself to smile in return. The Borg were defeated, and the day was won. Now she could go back to worrying only about the Romulans.