Chapter 6: The Harbinger of Death
Kara Thrace was one of the few people who like going on patrols along what the Federation called the Alpha Quadrant. The rest of the fleet called it a waste of time but Admiral Adama continued to send Raptors out on patrols with both humans and Cylons and Picard didn't try to stop him. Kara supposed Picard was just humoring the old man. The patrols were kinda boring but still it was better then doing nothing all day. The treaty had yet to be signed. The Quorum was fighting over stupid little things. They hadn't even agreed to let the Cylons attend the meetings yet. At this rate she'd be an old lady before the damn treaty was signed.
It was funny though even thinking that way. A few months ago the thought of even growing old was foreign to her and now…it was nice. Sam and her….growing old. She didn't even care that he was a skin job. She would have a year ago, o r even six months ago, but not now; not anymore. She just wanted him to wake up so they could grow old together, and maybe have some skin job kiddies.
It was an interesting thought.
Finding out that Roslin was a Cylon was the thing that freaked her out the most, even more then Saul Tigh. Two people who screamed "I hate Cylons!" the loudest turned out to be Cylons. Could you say irony? Or maybe the Gods really were just that crazy. Kara Thrace wasn't even going to think about the whole Borg reveal. That was just going to drive her mad. Mad. Mad.
No. Kara Thrace was just going to pilot a Raptor around the Alpha quadrant like a good little soldier and not think about anything much at all. Yes, that was exactly what she was going to do.
Captain Picard sat at his desk reading over the latest draft of the peace treaty between the Cylons and the Colonist. Roslin had managed to get them at least at the same table together. Riker might not like her but she did have a way about her. She was a good leader. She got things done. Picard was just worried about how far she was willing to go to get things done.
The latest reveal about whom and what she was worried him. The Cylons and the Borg were connected. That worried him a great deal. If it got out before the treaty was signed it could be disastrous for everyone involved. Hell, if it got out at all, it could be very very bad.
Councilor Troi rang the buzzer for their scheduled meeting and he asked her to come in. He had some questions for her. He was starting to worry about the Colonist and the Cylons. Maybe Will was right. Maybe Roslin was more trouble then she was worth, or maybe now he was the wrong person to set up the initial meeting for the treaty. He was too close. Too involved. His dealings with the Borg made him the wrong person to deal with Laura Roslin. Maybe he should step back and let someone else deal with her.
"What do you think, Deanna?"
"I think you know yourself better then you think you do, Jean Luc."
"What about the President?" He said after a moment changing the subject.
"I think she isn't telling us something."
"You sensed it?"
"No?" Troi paused, "I still can't sense much of anything from any of the Final Five, so I am resorting to basic counseling skills here. She is keeping something back. Not telling the whole story. That is all I can tell you. There is something missing."
"But is it important or just embarrassing?"
"More embarrassing then being part of a species that destroys entire words?"
"That's the eight million dollar question, and what we need to find out."
Bridge to Captain Picard.
"Picard. Go Ahead Number One."
We've just got word that one of Admiral Adama's Raptors has disappeared.
"Which one."
The one piloted by Kara Thrace.
Guinan was one of those people who tended to know more then she was supposed to. She listened to gossip. She heard things and sometimes she just "knew" things so she wasn't all that surprised when Laura Roslin, Saul Tigh, Tory Foster, and Galen Tyrol came into Ten Forward one night and sat at a table and talked quietly amongst themselves.
She pretty much knew what they were talking about. She heard the rumors. They were Borg. When she had heard that it had surprised her like little had in her long lifetime. The story that she had been told had been surprising and yet it had made sense.
Even the Borg had to have come from somewhere.
From something.
Even the Borg had to become.
And now sitting at a table in a far corner of her bar were four…people who were what the Borg had once been before they became what destroyed her people. What destroyed countless people throughout the universe. They were what the Borg had once been before they were the Borg.
She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
"So how bad is this?" Saul Tigh asked.
"What the Cylons did to the Twelve Colonies." Roslin paused, "The Borg have done throughout the universe."
"Frak." Galen Tyrol. "This is just great."
"And we didn't think it could get any worse." Tory snorted.
Roslin was about to respond when the bartender Guinan walked over with their drinks. Roslin nodded absent-mindedly and went to grab hers when Tory gave her an odd look.
"Don't worry, it doesn't have alcohol." She smiled at her former aid, "Stupid magic baby."
Galen, Tory and Saul all looked at her strangely and she just burst out laughing, "I missed you Tory."
Guinan was cleaning the bar top when Laura Roslin sat on one of the stools. Guinan looked around to see that her companions had left. She smiled at Roslin.
"Can I get you anything Madam President?"
"No, I thought maybe you would have some questions for me."
Guinan was surprised at that, "Why would you think that?"
"I know who…what you are. I could probably take a guess at the number the Borg assigned to your species."
Guinan nodded and briefly turned her back on the President not to be rude but to throw some dirty dishes and cups in the waste disposal unit. That's when she realized it was broken again. She had called Geordie several times in the last few weeks to fix it but it kept breaking and it was low on the priority list so she made due. , "How do you know this, from the story I heard you left the Borg long before they even discovered my people?"
Roslin got up from where she was sitting and walked behind the bar, "Let me try something."
Guinan watched as Roslin put her hand on the waste disposal unit. After a few moments Roslin snickered and then began talking, "I know because Locutus knows. By the way this thing needs to be fixed so often because one of the wires is frayed and needs to be replaced completely. Also I think the replicator doesn't like making those Terranmoonbursts."
"Wait, the replicator talked to you."
"Uhh, yeah. This machine thing is going to take some getting used to."
"And Locutus…Captain Picard knows about me?"
"Locutus does…As to what Picard knows you have to ask him."
Guinan was about to ask more when a red alert sounded.
President Roslin to the Bridge.
Roslin turned to Guinan, "Oh this can't be good." And then left Ten Forward and Guinan with a lot to think about.
"We have to go after her." Lee said simply.
"We don't even know if she's still alive."
"She hasn't died yet." Lee turned to his father, "She's a survivor dad, you know she is. At least let me take a Raptor…."
Captain Picard, Laura Roslin, Lee Adama, Saul Tigh, Will Riker and Bill Adama were in Picard's Ready Room discussing options on what to do about the disappearance of Kara Thrace.
"She might show up, we don't even know she is really missing." Will said simply,
"Starbuck isn't a flake." Lee said upset.
"He's right." Saul said simply, "Starbuck is many things. A flake isn't one of them. If she is missing there is a damn good reason for it."
"Yes, but we don't know where she is." Picard said simply, "Our sensor's haven't picked her up anywhere…"
Captain Picard to the Bridge….
Sam Anders' eyes opened suddenly, "The dying leader will lead them to earth to find Locutus of Borg. Locutus holds the key. Kara Thrace is the harbinger or Death. She will lead them to their end. We are Borg."
Both Geordie and Data turned to the Captain from their seats but it was Geordie who spoke, "Captain we've lost control of the Ship."
Sam's eyes turned fire red, "JUMP! WARP 10!"