"Captain, I ask you to reconsider." the Doctor urged. "The Borg may have valuable information for us. We need to hear them out."
"You heard me, Doctor. The Enterprise will not open negotiations with the Borg." Picard said firmly.
"Captain, let's at least hear what they have to say. There's no harm in listening."
"Absolutely not." Picard insisted. "Helm, lay in a course for Earth." he ordered Ensign Gates at conn. "Mr Worf, let Starfleet know that the immediate threat has passed." he told Worf. "Tell them we are returning to assist in rescue operations for the planets that were attacked." He then turned and made for his ready room.
"Chelsea, tell him." the Doctor said to his companion.
"Prime Directive, Doctor." Chelsea told him. "You once told me and Amy that we're observers only, and that we're not to get involved in the affairs of other people and planets." And with that, she turned and left the bridge.
The Doctor followed Picard into the ready room. "The Cybermen will try to conquer and convert all of the Borg now." he persisted. "They will only grow stronger and more deadly in their thirst for power. What are your intentions?"
"I say let the Borg and and the Cybermen fight it out." Picard said indifferently as he sat down at his desk. "Let them kill each other." Just then, the door chimed, but Picard paid it no attention. "If the Cybermen are indeed hoping to strike at the heart of the Borg Collective, I say more power to them." he told the Time Lord. "Let's see the Borg have a taste of their own medicine." The door chimed again. "Come!" Picard barked. "What is it?!" The door opened and Picard was surprised to see who was there. "Guinan?!"
"I hope you'll forgive my intrusion, Captain," Guinan said as she entered the room, "but the stakes have never been higher, and I'm afraid that only the Doctor and I may realise it."
"I was just trying to convince your captain here that we should open communications with the Borg and consider their offer of cooperation." the Doctor explained. "We may well need their help against the Cybermen, but he wants nothing to with the Borg at all."
"Well, Doctor..." Guinan began, "Captain Picard has some very good reasons to be distrustful of the Borg. Do you mind if I tell him, Captain?" she asked Picard.
"Very well." Picard conceded. He knew where this was going and didn't exactly want to be reminded of the darkest chapter in his life so far, but he knew Guinan was going to tell the visitors anyway.
"Not long ago, the Borg invaded the Federation with the intent of assimilating all of it's members." Guinan explained to the Doctor. "The Borg kidnapped Captain Picard in order to assimilate him into their collective and use him against the Federation. They renamed him 'Locutus', and intended for him to serve as an emissary for the complete assimilations of the worlds of the Federation. As Locutus, the Borg forced Captain Picard to confront his own crew and orchestrate a massive attack on the assembled defensive forces of Starfleet at Wolf 359. The Borg used Captain Picard's knowledge of Starfleet tactics and weaknesses against them. The losses were staggering. Thousands died. After defeating the Starfleet taskforce, the Borg headed directly to Earth. Data and Worf were able to retrieve the captain from the Borg ship as part of Commander Riker's plan to turn the tables on the Borg as the ship headed for Earth. Data, with the help of Captain Picard, was able to incapacitate the Borg ship, leading to it's self-destruction. As you might imagine, Doctor, this experience has left the captain with some strong feelings towards the Borg."
"Ahh, now I see." the Doctor murmured as he processed this information. "Captain Picard, you have my deepest sympathy for what happened to you." he told Picard empathetically. "No sentient being should be forced to undergo that sort of enslavement. But let me assure you that the Cybermen are every bit as much of a threat as the Borg. They may be heading towards Borg space now, but trust me, they'll be back."
"Who are these Cybermen, anyway?" Picard asked.
"A race of cyborgs. They replace their organic parts with mechanical ones. They consider flesh to be weak." the Doctor explained. "They force others to become Cybermen through a process known as 'Cyber-conversion', not unlike the assimilation used by the Borg. Often the only remaining organic element of them is a brain hooked up to a metallic body."
"The Cybermen are not native to our universe, Captain, but they are present in other universes." Guinan added. "They claim to be logical and emotionless, but in fact they are ambitious and ruthless in their pursuit of conquest. They seek complete dominion over other species and want to convert all sentient beings into Cybermen."
"That certainly reminds me of the Borg." Picard commented.
"They have much in common with the Borg, but the Cybermen do not limit their plans for conquest to a single universe." Guinan said. "Different versions of them can be found in alternate universes. As the Cybermen were scouting new universes to invade, they found the Borg. The Cybermen must've thought that the Borg seemed like kindred spirits, and began laying the groundwork to bring themselves into this universe some years ago. That's when you first encountered them, Doctor, with the earlier Enterprise crew." she said to the Doctor.
"Yes." the Doctor agreed. "And I thought I had stopped them in their tracks back then, but no it's apparent that their plan continued unabated."
"The Cybermen must've somehow convinced the Borg that the two had much in common, and that there'd mutual benefit if the two worked together and eventually merged into one." Guinan mused.
"But the sheer ambition of the Cybermen naturally can't be contained." the Doctor agreed. "Once the Borg started to trust the Cybermen as part of an alliance, the Cybermen couldn't help but revert to their true nature. They must've cracked all the Borg security protocols and overwhelmed them."
"And now the Cybermen are methodically cyberconverting the entire Borg collective." Guinan finished. "Acquiring all their resources, consuming and processing all of their archives. Now they are heading back to the Borg home world to complete the task."
"The thought of the Cybermen enhanced by all of the resources of these Borg... the degree of unrestrained conquest- it defies imagination." the Doctor said grimly. "This is bad, Captain. Very bad. Far worse than I realised."
"The Cybermen won't stop once they convert the Borg." Guinan told Picard. "They'll be back, Jean-Luc. They'll be back to convert the Federation, the entire Alpha Quadrant, this whole galaxy. And they'll use all they learn from the Borg to do the same to other universes too."
"We have to find a way to stop them before it's too late." the Doctor urged.
Unfortunately, Picard still wasn't swayed. "This all sounds very far-fetched, don't you think?" he said sceptically. "Even you must concede that this is a great deal of conjecture. I, for one, would be glad to see the Borg crushed. And who is to say that the Borg might not put up a good fight? This war between the Borg and Cybermen could last centuries. Let them grind themselves down while the Federation continues to recover and builds an adequate defence against them both."
"The clock is ticking, though, Captain." the Doctor stressed. "Cybermen move fast, very fast. They are very efficient. A horrible, unrelenting clockwork."
"So you say." Picard dismissed. "Let us see what we know for certain." He got up and went back out onto the bridge. "Mr Data, what's the latest status on the Cyberman fleet?"
Data checked his console. "I have confirmed their course, sir. They are heading directly toward Borg space, toward where we believe their home world to be. The Borg have sent some ships against the Cyberman forces, but they have all been destroyed. The Cyberman fleet is moving at high warp now."
"Do you see, Captain? It's all falling into place now." the Doctor said grimly.
Picard ignored him. "Acknowledged, Data. Continue with our course for Earth."
"What?" the Doctor groaned, running his hands through his hair in exasperation.
"Doctor, even if everything you and Guinan are telling me is true, what good is the Enterprise going to be against that Cyberman fleet?" Picard asked rhetorically. "We would be like a mosquito against a heard of elephants. I won't sacrifice this vessel to chase your theories." He went back to his chair and sat down.
"Course laid in, Captain." Gates reported.
"Warp five, Ensign. Engage." Picard ordered, while the Doctor gave up and left the bridge.
~8~
Chelsea meanwhile had re-joined Amy and Rory in sickbay. Rory was amazed at the facility. "Your medical facilities here are absolutely astounding, Dr Crusher." he praised. "There's probably not much need for ward nurses anymore."
"Don't kid yourself, Rory. All of the advancement in the world can't replace the touch of a Human hand." Crusher replied.
"Oh, has Dr Zimmerman not started work on his EMH programme yet?" Chelsea asked.
"He has, but we'll always need Doctors and nurses more than technology." Crusher told her.
"Still, just think of the people you must be able to save." Rory said. "It's helplessness that gets to me most sometimes."
"So, your husband is a nurse?" Troi asked Amy.
"Yeah. At least, he was, before the Doctor came along." Amy replied.
"So he's had to give up a lot for this life." Troi surmised.
"Yeah, I guess he has." Amy replied.
Just then, the Doctor returned from the bridge. "Doctor, what's wrong?" Amy asked him. "Where's the Captain?"
"It's no good. The Captain won't listen to reason." the Doctor lamented. "He refuses to even consider a meeting with the Borg. He's blinded by his past."
"Well, can ya blame him, Doctor?" Chelsea asked reasonably. "If the Borg did to me what they did to Captain Picard, I wouldn't wanna listen to 'em either."
"I understand that, Chelsea, but ignoring the Cybermen, even for a moment, can only lead to ruin."
"So what now?" Rory asked.
"We'll have to go on our own and find a way ourselves." the Doctor replied. "Your help would've been invaluable." he said to the Starfleet officers.
"Perhaps, Doctor, yours wasn't the voice the Captain needed to hear." Troi hinted, putting a hand on Amy's shoulder.
The Doctor realised what the Betazoid was implying and smiled. "What're you smiling at?" Amy asked him.
~8~
Picard was sat at his ready room desk when the door chimed. "Come." he acknowledged, expecting it to be one of his crew, but when the door opened, he found Amy standing there. "Mrs Williams?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Captain. May I come in?" Amy asked.
"Certainly." Picard replied, and Amy took a seat on the other side of the desk. "But if you're here to continue my earlier... discussion with the Doctor, I'll not alter my decision." he stated firmly.
"No, Captain Picard. I just came to say goodbye." Amy replied.
"Goodbye?"
"Yes, we'll be leaving to find some way to talk to the Borg, or else stop the Cybermen ourselves."
"That's madness!" Picard stared.
"Madness is kinda what we do." Amy shrugged.
"This is a very dangerous life you lead, Mrs Williams, is it not?" Picard raised a brow. "Why do you do it?"
"He visited us once, the Doctor did. When Chelsea and I were little girls, all alone, and very scared. Then he vanished. Everybody thought we were crazy, and even Chelsea gave up hope eventually, but I knew he'd be back. 12 years later, there he was, and he hadn't aged a day. He came back, just like he said he would. And he saved our lives. He saved us all that day, the whole planet. And it wasn't even the first time. Or the last."
"Ah, a point emerges, I see."
"Yes. I'm not asking you to trust him. I'm not asking you to trust me. But will you let me show you something?" Amy asked. "Something that might change your mind? That's all I'm asking."
~8~
Chelsea and Rory were waiting outside holodeck four when Amy and Picard arrived. "Hello, Captain." Rory greeted.
"Mr Williams." Picard nodded. "Miss Willows."
"Please, it's Rory."
"And Chelsea." Chelsea chimed in.
Just then, the TARDIS door opened and the Doctor poked his head out. "Hello!" he greeted. "Captain Picard, you've been a most gracious host, allowing us the run of your magnificent vessel. May I please return the hospitality?"
"'Something to show me', Mrs Williams?" Picard raised a brow.
"Amy and Rory will stay outside, so you need have no fears about your safe return." the Doctor said. "Please, won't you come in?" And he poked his head back inside.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Picard followed the Doctor in and his eyes widened when he saw the vast console room within. "Remarkable..." he breathed.
"Jean-Luc Picard, welcome aboard the TARDIS." Chelsea said as she stepped in behind him.
"That's T-A-R-D-I-S, stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space." the Doctor rambled. "She's the best ship in the universe. Hold up- maybe that's two universes now."
"It's bigger on the inside." Picard stated rather obviously.
"Is it? I hadn't noticed." the Doctor said innocently.
Chelsea rolled her eyes at him. "Oi, be nice, Doctor." she told him.
"How is this possible?" Picard asked, looking around the cavernous room in awe.
"A clever little trick, isn't it?" the Doctor smirked, revelling in the chance to show off. "Trans dimensional engineering. The exterior exists on an entirely different dimension from the exterior. You really should look into it. But as much as I do love showing her off, especially to a fellow captain like yourself, that's not really why we're here. With your permission, Captain, I'd like to show you and Chelsea something."
"I can hardly say no." a befuddled Picard replied. "You have my permission."
"Make it so, Doctor." Chelsea ordered, then turned to Picard. "Did I say it right?" she asked him.
The Doctor meanwhile got to work piloting the TARDIS. After a moment, the box stopped. "Open the doors and have a look." he tempted the two Humans. Chelsea and Picard opened the doors to find themselves standing in a very familiar city. "We're 50 years in the future, Captain." the Doctor explained as he joined them.
"The future?!" Picard stared.
"Oh, did we not mention that she also travels in time?" the Doctor asked innocently, then they all turned their attention to their surroundings.
"Hey, I know where this is. This is Qu'Nos, the Klingon home world." Chelsea realised. "My God, what's happened to it?" she stared as they watched Cyber-Klingons march past with Bat'leths in their hands and the Klingon Empire symbol on their chest plates, while silver Cyber-Birds-of-Prey flew overhead.
"The Cybermen happened." the Doctor replied. "The First City of the Klingon Empire, under utter subjugation of the Cybermen."
"This is an illusion." Picard denied. "Something you conjured to sway me."
"I don't depend on fabricated shadows to make our argument, Captain." the Doctor retorted.
"Were it not for Guinan's faith in you, I could scarcely believe this possible." Picard blustered.
"I don't normally reveal my true nature so lightly." the Doctor replied.
"Huh, you got that right." Chelsea commented.
"But you have to see what lies ahead." the Doctor told Picard. "Come, let us see what else the future holds."
~8~
Raxicoricofallpatorious...
"30 years later, the paradise world of Raxicoricofallapatorius. Now nothing but raw materials for the Cyberman war machine." the Doctor said as they watched Cyber-Raxicoricfallapatorians march across their former home world.
~8~
Vulcan...
"20 years past that, Vulcan falls to the Cybermen, it's centuries of wisdom and advanced thought lost forever." the Doctor said as they watched Cyber-Vulcans stomp along the surface of Vulcan.
"It's horrible." Chelsea breathed sadly.
~8~
"The Judoon were once an intergalactic police force. 25 years later, they've become the Cybermen's shock troopers, mindlessly destroying anything that gets in their way." the Doctor explained as Cyber-Judoon ravaged a forest planet.
~8~
Earth...
"40 years later." the Doctor said as they looked upon the burning remains of Starfleet Headquarters, San Francisco. "Your people fought valiantly, but there was nothing to be done. Starfleet Academy was the last holdout of free Humanity in the galaxy."
"And those are what's left of the Human race?" Chelsea asked as they saw terrified cadets being herded up by Cybermen.
"Marching into the Cybermen's conversion machines." the Doctor confirmed. "San Francisco is like the rest of Earth now: merely another nexus from which the Cybermen can strike out and infest more of the galaxy." he said grimly. "Unless we act to stop it."
"So many worlds..." Picard murmured, processing all this.
"Countless. Each galaxy, each universe in turn will fall. But we don't have to let it happen, Captain. We have to work with the Borg." the Doctor stressed. "They have the information we need to prevent this from happening. And besides that, besides the billions of lives that we can save, besides the thousands of worlds that we can protect, there's still another reason to prevent the Cybermen from slaughtering the Borg: we should help our enemies because it's what makes us better then them." he finished sincerely.
"You win, Doctor." Picard conceded. "Take us away from this horror, and let us contact the Borg."
"I just hope they don't double-cross us." Chelsea muttered.
To be continued...
Author's notes: Another chapter done. This chapter is pretty much filler, but the serious action stuff will return soon.