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STAR TREK: THE THIRD GENERATION on Shadowlands BBS Created and Edited by Rebecca J. Anderson Ver. 2.0 (93/01/01) EPISODE #4: "The Omega Hour" (Part II) -------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARACTERS: WRITTEN BY: Acting Captain Jacqueline Picard...........Rebecca J. Anderson Commander (Dr.) James N'Dok................Tim Ingram Lt. Commander Barnabas Cole................Warren Postma Lt. Commander Nikctalos D'pyrann...........Geza A. R. Reilly Lt. Commander Mac Scott....................Dan McMillan Counsellor T'Pryn..........................Rebecca J. Anderson Centurion Salek............................Adam Gilchrist Lt. Maverint Slike.........................Steve Mahler Lt. (JG) Konnu.............................Russ Foubert Moriarty...................................Rebecca J. Anderson -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Cmdr. Barnabas Cole Salek, Mordon, Amburil and Commander Cole walked quickly towards the transporter room. "We have little time," breathed Barnabas, "but it will have to do". An ensign ran up behind them, with four hand-held consoles. "Sir," she said, "we have prepared your computers for you. Each one has a resident copy of the Nanite distributor. We cannot tell how long it will take for each Nanite cell to make a successful infection, nor can we ensure that the Borg will be unable to combat this security breach." She handed one hand-held to each member of the away team. "Thank you, Ensign T'Keyn. Dismissed." "Good luck, Sir." she added, and she was gone. They reached the transporter pads and stepped up. A hint of sadness entered Barnabas' voice as he spoke. "Anyone who does not wish to come on this sortie may be excused without any further consideration," he said, "and there are significant risks to be taken before we return to the _Enterprise_." He looked around to Salek, standing at attention on the transport pad. He did not flinch. Mordon stood behind him. Mordon shifted his feet and then opened his mouth. "Permission to speak frankly, Sir?" he asked. "Granted." Barnabas turned around to face him. "Sir, if you had not chosen me, I would have volunteered. I did not join Starfleet to just walk around the decks of a Starship, sir, I wish to be of service to Starfleet." "I will note that in my report, Mordon." Barnabas almost smiled. Mordon snapped back to attention, and Barnabas turned back around to face the transporter technician. He stood motionless for a second, waiting, and then nodded to the technician. "Very well then, energize." The technician had been given randomized parameters, so that they might potentially land on any of the upper decks of the vast Borg cube. The _Enterprise_ flickered out of sight and just as quickly the away-team found themselves surrounded by the dull metallic webwork of walls around them in the Borg ship. "Location please, Amburil." Barnabas asked, as he went down on one knee and started typing on the screen of his console. "Sir, we seem to be on the 137th level, in the top left corner of the Borg cube." She paused. "Relative to the position of the _Enterprise_, that is." Barnabas watched as fear and excitement danced in the back of her eyes. The away team glanced up and down the long corridors. Amburil's eyes settled on the nearest Borg unit and as she surveyed its greying flesh and the apparent rigor mortis around its sallow cheeks and blackened eyes she shuddered slightly, and then pulled her eyes away. Barnabas drew himself up from the floor where he had been unpacking the computer equipment and looked at her, and at Mordon who was slowly mastering himself as his facial expression fought between fear and confidence. The fear heightened their senses and their eyes often jerked suddenly to the ends of the corridors as the massive ship hummed and pulsed around them with a sort of syncopated heartbeat. Barnabas spoke. "It is not a pretty sight, is it? That one that Amburil was looking at seems to be of Terran origin, possibly even an addition from Earth during the Borg's voyages. We must, however, get down to this fast so don't worry about him, or any of the others." Salek began to speak. "Until we become a priority problem, our presence will remain irrelevant to them. This is no compliment to us, of course, but we will be free to do our work without any interference from them. At least for a while. It is safe to assume that the Borg have no agitated state. They are much like the old Terran 'binary computers'; One or Zero, On or Off, relevant or irrelevant. However if we are successful, we will soon become a threat to them. Caution is advised." Barnabas nodded. "We will have to split up four ways. If we only give the Borglink one infection of Nanites to deal with, it is possible they could decrypt the Nanite microcode and block their activity. I have just patched the generator code for each of our consoles to use a different algorithm. Mordon, your Nanites have been encoded using the Enigma device. Salek, your Nanites have been encoded with a variant of the Level Two Starfleet Encryption Standard. Ensign Amburil, you have a little number that Ensign T'Keyn has developed herself. Encryption is her hobby, it seems. My own console has been impregnated with a live version of the Romulan Cyberspace Worm carrying Nanites as a child process." Salek looked up at Barnabas, his eyes flashed with great interest and slight apprehension. Commander Cole guessed what he was thinking and nodded his head. "Yes, the very same Worm that was unleashed by a certain young Romulan who will forever remain nameless." Salek looked back down at his feet again. "Sir, will they not be able to decode these? Stopping the Nanites once the encryption is gone would be possible even for the technicians on the _Enterprise_. The distributed computing power of Borg makes the _Enterprise_'s ship's computer look like an abacus." He was plainly uncomfortable. "Hopefully they will not have time. Once each of us has made the initial infection..." Barnabas paused, as his silvery complexion pulled itself into a brief moment of consideration. "No, I do not believe they will. The Nazis never did crack the Enigma." Something clicked inside Amburil's head, and she nearly fell over. She began to speak. "Sir, the Nazis did not crack the Enigma, but they did capture those who did know how to decipher the Enigma. The Borg may try to capture information about our cryptography from our computers, from the _Pach'Iw_, or even from another Starfleet ship if one comes into range." Barnabas frowned suddenly, and tapped his communicator. "Barnabas to the Bridge, Come in Jack." His voice was agitated. The crackle subsided as the communicators moved away from the channels that were blocked on the lower decks of the Borg cube. "Jack here, Barnabas you should have maintained silence... What's wrong?" Jack's voice betrayed concern, however it was still as even and composed as ever. Barnabas dropped his shoulders and let out a deep breath. "Jack, I'm worried. They may try to access the _Enterprise_'s computer, and gain information about the encryption algorithms we've used here. Perhaps we can keep them out... But if we do they may find another source around, perhaps the _Pach'Iw_, or another hapless ship in range for computer link. If they decrypt the Nanite code they will be able to stop them. My plan was to give them four kinds of Nanites to stop instead of one. Even that may not be enough." The comm link crackled again. Jack rose to her feet. The comm link was broken. The Borg's electromagnetic shielding was cutting off the communicators. She closed her eyes and put her hands out over the console in front of her. The comm link did not reopen. The bridge crew watched her silently. Her mouth tensed and then her face relaxed again. Perhaps she was praying. Barnabas tapped his communicator again. It came to life and then shut off again. His chiselled features took on a harder look than any of the away team had yet seen on him. He flipped down the lid of his console and put the unit under his arm. "Mordon, find the nearest gangway and climb down as many levels as possible. I will be following you and I will climb up as many levels as I can muster. Amburil, you will run down that gangway. You should be able to get at least one-third of the way down that corridor. Salek, you are no doubt the most fit person among us. I am counting on you to get as far as you can. "In exactly five minutes you will all stop where you are and energize the photon induction beam. Affix your unit on the wall of the ship, pointing the beam into the conduit. The carrier signal for the Nanite programs will hopefully appear to the Borg to be part of their own communications. We cannot tell how long each of our units will take to infect the Borg's systems or if it will work at all. We will not meet again here. If the Borg systems are paralysed then they will most likely be unable to prevent us from being beamed back." "What about resistance?" asked Amburil. Salek pulled his phaser out of his belt and showed it to them. "The phasers should be set on the lowest of the Kill settings. That should be enough to disable one or two of the Borg before they can shield themselves from it. After they have learned about us, we should be able to kill one or two more with the phasers on their highest setting. If in grave need, set your phaser on overload. The blast should be enough of a signal to the _Enterprise_ to get them to beam us back, in the event that our communications do not return. It may be that our communicators will function on the higher levels as well. The Borg seem to take a compartmental view of security." "Enough for now. Five minutes, and God speed you." Barnabas wheeled around and tapped Mordon on the shoulder. "Let's go." Amburil ran down the corridor, keeping to the left side and crossing the intersections with as much care and stealth as was possible. She stopped and listened after what seemed like several minutes of silent running. Her watch indicated that only two minutes had elapsed. She could not be certain where she was, because all of the corridors appeared the same. She turned to go down one of the corridors to her left, and her heart stopped. She looked in and saw a low table. A wounded Klingon was surrounded by four Borg units. Over the table was a high intensity light that was shining straight down onto the table, as if it were a focused spotlight piercing fog. She pulled her phaser and fired at each of the Borg units. Three fell immediately, disabled but still writhing, and the last one standing blocked her shot and turned around to face her. "Resistance is Irrelevant. Drop your weapon." it intoned. She flipped the phaser on to its highest power level and shifted frequency bands. She fired twice at the Borg's head. A sickening smell surrounded her, and the charred headless body of the Borg fell. It did not move again. Running to the side of the Klingon she found him unconscious. It occurred to her that she had never heard of Klingons going unconscious before, but perhaps it was possible. His forehead was burnt open by a low level Laser burn, and he was bruised from the scuffle. His left leg was cold, but otherwise he seemed intact. His phaser, uniform, and ceremonial sword were lying in an open drawer on the far wall of the chamber. Already her pricked ears picked up the faint rhythmical marching of more Borg on the way to replace the ones she had killed. She shook the Klingon's shoulders but he did not yet stir. Her watch bleeped, and she looked down at it. Four minutes up. She had not gotten far. It would have to be enough though. "T'Keyn, I hope you're as brilliant as Number One thinks you are," she breathed. She stood up on the table where the fallen Klingon lay and reached above the lighted hood that illuminated him. She hid the unit behind a mass of wiring and flipped the power switch. A faint hum rose out of audible range, and the beam turned on, evidenced only by a tiny dot on the surface of the energy conduit that ran along the ceiling. She smiled to herself and began to step back down. A strong arm grasped her around the waist and lifted her down. Caught. She tried to twist in her captor's iron grip but was unable. Looking down she saw the dark brown skin of a Klingon warrior. It was not the Borg. She was safe, then, perhaps. The Klingon spoke. "Your coming was fortunate. It would have been better to die than to suffer the dishonour of becoming one of them. Yet, I find I owe my gratitude to a woman. You have killed four of them here, I see. And the one in the corner will surely trouble no-one again. There must be some Klingon blood in you!" He laughed in the bellowing way of the Klingons and released her. He sank back down onto the table. Amburil noticed he was wincing with pain, and that the leg that had been cold was still limp and lifeless. She got him his uniform, phaser, and other effects and smiled. "No Klingon blood, but my Grandmother used to say that our family descended from a long line of Royalty." "Then surely it is so. You fight with great courage. I thank you." He was already dressed again, and he put his klingon blade back into its sheath. "Can you walk?" she asked. "We shall see." He said, standing. He wobbled and then stood, and then limped to the doorway. Even limping he carried himself with dignity. "We will go now." he said. "We have been cut off from the _Enterprise_, my communicator is dead. We cannot be beamed back to the _Enterprise_." she explained. "Perhaps my communicator will function, even so." He spoke into his wrist in harsh Klingon syllables. "Two to beam up, I believe you would put it," he said to Amburil, "You will come back to the Bird of Prey then, with me." She hesitated and then agreed. Their plan was cut short by the whirring and clicking of approaching Borg. "I must restore my honour" he said to her swiftly, and went into the corridor. He returned and wiped his blade. "There was only one," he said. He tapped his wrist again and speaking two syllables that she did not understand the Borg ship faded out of her sight and she found herself in the dark interior of a Klingon Bird of Prey. From: Lt. (JG) Konnu Konnu rubbed the freshly sealed wound on his shoulder. He looked at Kate Tanthis. "Thank you. You are familiar with Klingon medicine?" he asked. "Why, Konnu you don't remember... I fused a broken arm of yours only two years ago." "The... Salk? Yes. I remember now. Are you still...tlhogh... married to him?" "Of course. Not even the Borg could tear us apart." Kate smiled as she offered a slightly battered tricorder to Konnu. "This was tucked under your tunic." "Yes. It has important information on the Borg. I hope." Konnu got off of the bed and looked into the adjacent area of the sickbay. A Borg soldier was being treated by a doctor and a vulcan. Konnu had heard that a Borg would be present on the _Enterprise_. "Lt. D'pyrann is having a tough time of it. The Borg are really lashing into him." Kate said. Her concern was evident in the tone of her voice. "He bears his pain well." Konnu put his torn and bloodied tunic back on and made for the exit. "Konnu, don't you want a new uniform?" Kate asked, fearing what the Captain might say. "I do not have time to change clothes, I am needed in battle. Thank you once again." With that Konnu walked out of the door and into the hall. He spent several minutes wandering the halls, looking for the turbolift. "jiHtaHbogh naDev viSovbe'... (I'm lost)" Konnu muttered to himself. Suddenly, a panel in the wall beside him began to speak in Klingon. "/* Do you require assistance? */" asked the computer in a masculine voice with some strange sort of human accent. "English will do." "As you wish. Are you looking for the turbolift my fine Klingon gentleman?" "I am not a gentle-man!" Konnu started to get upset. "Just direct me to the bridge." "No need for anger, but I suppose that is easier for some..." The voice paused for a second. " Turn left at corridor 22-E. The turbolift is 6 metres away from that corridor." Konnu grunted and began walking away. The aft turbolift on the bridge hissed open. Konnu stood within. "Lt. Konnu reporting for duty. Permission to come aboard Captain." "Well, I can't really object as you are already here. Welcome aboard Mr Konnu." Jack said. Konnu recognized his friend Maverint Slike seated at the Conn. "I'm sorry I haven't had the time to review your file in detail Mr. Konnu, what areas are you specialized in?" "Tactical and security, Captain." "Perfect..." a small grin appeared on Picard's face. Konnu was quickly brought up to date on the plan to introduce nanites into the Borg. "So when their memory is destroyed by the nanites, what will happen?" Konnu asked. "Like any computer that runs out of memory, they should simply stop everything, we hope." informed Jack. Suddenly a communication was broadcast on the bridge. "Cole to bridge." "Bridge here." Picard responded. "We have the nanites in tow, and are ready for transport." "Very well, proceed." Jack thought for a second and then added, "Maintain an open channel Number one. I want to know what's going on over there." "Aye Captain. We are beaming over now." "Good Luck. Mr. Konnu, take the tactical station, until Salek returns." Picard finished giving orders for the moment and sat down in the chair. `Very strange...' thought Konnu. ` A Romulan weapons officer?' He ignored this oddity for the moment and dumped his tricorder's information into the main computer. He began analyzing the sensor scans of the Borg ship. Suddenly, a blip from the tactical control panel diverted his attention. "Captain! The _Pach'Iw_ is uncloaking for another attack!" Konnu reported. As the crew watched, the Klingon battle cruiser de-cloaked and everyone could see the energy discharge forming around the tip of the ship's powerful disruptor cannon. Before the shot could be released, however, a force beam from the Borg ship lashed out and neatly cut off the right warp engine. This made the battle cruiser go out of control, spinning slowly like some kind of strange disc. The _Pach'Iw_'s shot was discharged. Everybody on the bridge of the _Enterprise_ cringed in anticipation of a direct hit, but fortunately, the powerful ball of energy missed the ship by several kilometres. The _Pach'Iw_ narrowly managed to regain directional control as it brushed past the Borg ship. The Klingons engaged their cloaking device, but their presence was occasionally betrayed by plasma sparks trailing from the ship's severe wound. "Time to Borg regeneration?" Jack asked. How long did Barnabas and Salek have? "Approximately 4 minutes Captain." Konnu replied. An ensign who was monitoring the science station spoke next. "Captain, I'm picking up some strange readings from the Borg ship..." the ensign reported. She nervously moved aside as Picard walked over. "Looks like they're trying to raise their electromagnetic shields again." Jack tapped her communicator. "Mr. Cole how much more time do you require?" "Just another minute, or two... We have to be thorough or the nanites won't accomplish anything! We are trying to sssspppkkkk..." The channel was overcome by static. Konnu attempted to reopen communications. He smacked the control panel in frustration. "No good Captain. The Borg have raised their electromagnetic shields. We cannot beam them back or communicate with them." "Shuttles would be too risky..." Jack was already looking for alternatives. "Actually Captain," Konnu said, " my tricorder scans of the Borg ship have revealed the locations of their weapons hard points. We could fly 2 shuttles inside the Borg shields, and close enough to their ship to be inside the minimum range of their weapons. We would only need some covering fire from the _Enterprise_..." "Good idea, but why 2 shuttles?" Jack asked. "A shuttle's transporter can only safely transport 2 persons at a time." "Good thinking. Get out there Mr. Konnu." "Aye Captain." Konnu turned for the turbolift door but stopped as he heard Maverint Slike's familiar voice. "Captain, I request permission to be assigned to this duty." Slike said. "For what reason? I think you'd better serve us here..." "Because Ma'am, I've been in a shuttle piloted by Lt. Konnu before..." "That was a long time ago Lt. Slike!" Konnu barked. "I see. Very well, just make sure you all come back." Picard turned and stared at the viewscreen as the turbo lift doors shut. Konnu and Maverint got off of the turbolift and began running for the shuttle bay. "bipivHa'law' (you look terrible)" Maverint growled as they ran. "You are improving. The last time you spoke in my language you told me I had dirt under my fingernails." "I meant to say you had honour..." "Honour! You speak of honour when it was you who won 50 credits from me in a poker game and you never gave me a chance for a rematch!" "I was busy getting married at the time... Rematch tonight if we get outta this?" "Be prepared to lose." Konnu and Maverint arrived at shuttle bay 2 and met the two people who would pilot the other shuttle. Ensigns Martinez and Wolffe fired up the shuttle `Fermi' while Maverint and Konnu manned the `Galileo-12'. As the shuttles left the _Enterprise_, Konnu turned to Maverint. "How have you improved your Klingon accent so much?" "Oh, it's easy. I just pretend a Klingon is jumping on my chest." "Hahaha. Your sense of humour has improved as well!" From: Lt. Maverint Slike "_Enterprise_, this is shuttle Galileo 12. We are 100 kilometres from the limit of the Borg electromagnetic field. We will cross the barrier in 1.4 minutes." "Understood, Galileo." "So you took a tour of duty aboard the _Pach'Iw_, Konnu?... I thought you'd never leave a post of power aboard a battlecruiser like the Sovereign Class..." Maverint said rather slyly to his friend. "It proved to be... tiring." Konnu replied bluntly, then quickly turned his attention to making minor course corrections. "Tiring?!" Mav smirked. "I never thought I'd hear that word come from a Klingon mouth." "I was being polite..." Konnu lowly rumbled. "I held my post with honour, but it proved to be below my abilities. I wanted something more... challenging." "Having an older brother for a superior officer is about as challenging as you could get, I suppose..." Maverint trailed off, realizing the slight faux-pas he made with the mention of Krador. "We are about to pass through the electromagnetic barrier. Shuttle Fermi, what is your status?" "We are following 4.5 kilometres behind you, sir, on a parallel course." came the reply from a young ensign. "Good." Maverint acknowledged. "Once you pass through the barrier, proceed to the coordinates in your flight computer and locate any of the away team in your section of the Borg ship. Do not power your engines for any reason. It will make you stick out like Taklian phlea on a poodle. Galileo out." "An earth poodle would never be able to withstand the weight of a Taklian phlea seeing as they outweigh an average human by 200 pounds." Konnu remarked. "Oh... I see... Maybe I was wrong about you acquiring a better sense of humour..." The shuttle shook slightly as its hull passed through the 'shield' surrounding the Borg ship. "We have passed through the electromagnetic field." Konnu reported. Maverint tapped his communicator. "Away team, this is Lieutenant Slike. Respond please." As Konnu fired thrusters to bring the shuttle to a full stop, Mav got his reply. "Lieutenant." came Barnabas' voice, his tone posing the question he needn't ask. "The Borg have put up their electromagnetic field around the ship. I am aboard one of two shuttles positioned out of the Borg's firing arc sent to retrieve your away team." Maverint replied. "Our nanite infection has caused significant damage to the Borg's operation. The power conduits are radiating more sporadically in the passing minutes." Barnabas said, the odd pulsing hum in the background giving proof to his conjecture. "Understood sir. The on-board computer has locked onto your coordinates. Are you ready for transport?" Maverint asked. "Have you located the other members of the away team?" Maverint looked over at Konnu who was noting the incoming communications from the other shuttle. "Shuttle Fermi reports they have beamed aboard Mr. Mordon" Konnu replied. "Did you copy that, sir?" Maverint asked. "Acknowledged, Lieutenant. You have a positive lock on Mr. Salek and Ensign Amburil?" "The computer is unable to locate Ensign Amburil's signal on board the Borg ship, sir. According to the shuttle's sensors, her signal is 4000 kilometres away." Konnu looks up from his panel. "Her signal matches a point on the projected flight path of the _Pach'Iw_. She must be aboard." "Bring us aboard the shuttle then, Lieutenant." In seconds Barnabas and Salek were aboard the Galileo 12. Maverint pivoted the shuttle with the thrusters and fired the nacelles enough to get them to the _Enterprise_ before powering them off again. It was when he looked up at the viewport to see the progress of the Fermi that his heart jumped. Missing the communication panel the first try, he opened a channel to the Fermi. "Ensign Martinez! Shut down your engines! Before..." The cutting beam sliced through the hull of the Fermi and in seconds it was gone, the sparks of its destruction snuffed out in the vacuum of space just as fast as they appeared. On the bridge, Jacqueline saw the explosion. "Ensign! Fire a Riker spread!" she ordered quickly. Anti matter crackled around the shuttle as the Borg cutting beam continued to discharge on and off, searching for it. Konnu powered the engines and Maverint piloted it through the spread. Half a minute later, the shuttle touched down inside the hangar bay and Barnabas, Salek, Konnu and Maverint made their way to the bridge. * 44 ---^ From: Cmdr. Jacqueline Picard Jack stood motionless, staring out at the charred wreckage of the Fermi as it drifted past the main viewer. Three good crewmen... the faces of the dead formed themselves automatically in her mind, and she shut her eyes against the pain of it. Martinez, with her black curls and sparkling brown eyes, small face glowing with excitement, ready to take on absolutely anything. Wolffe, grave and bearded, dependable almost to a fault. Morden, boyish in appearance, but a brave and impressive fighter, willing even to give up his life in the service of Starfleet. All of them dead, within seconds. They would never come back, never. Just one shot from the Borg ship had ended their dreams, their plans, their lives. "Captain?" said a voice. She turned and saw Barnabas coming down the ramp. His uniform was torn and filthy, and his eyes were even more haunted than usual. Konnu and Maverint followed close behind him. Salek resumed his place at the Tactical station. "Where is Ensign Amburil?" said Jack. "She is on board the _Pach'Iw_, sir," Konnu replied. "As long as she is safe. Mr. Cole, your report, please?" Barnabas took a deep breath and began to reply... From: Counsellor T'Pryn "This is going to be the last one, I think," grunted James. "If I cut off any more of these receptors, I might kill him." T'Pryn glanced at the readout of Nikctalos' vital signs. It was hard to tell how well he might be; the body temperature of a Borg was always so low, a two-degree increase might not be anything to worry about--or it could be a raging Borg fever. Nikctalos himself remained motionless and silent, and T'Pryn's knowledge of his condition extended only to his mental discipline. That was still strong, thanks to her intervention, and would hopefully be stronger still when the last receptor to the Borglink was shut off. "Counsellor. Is this safe?" asked James. "Your pardon, Doctor," said T'Pryn. "My mind was occupied. Yes, I believe this will be safe. You may proceed." "You get a lot more Vulcan in a crisis," noted N'Dok as he prepared another betaparazine injection. "It is calculated," said T'Pryn. "It would not be logical to allow emotion when it could be detrimental to my efficiency as an officer." "Makes a certain amount of--gods!" James jumped back as Nikctalos' body began to convulse violently. T'Pryn's hands were torn from the Borg's skull; she staggered back and caught herself just in time to keep from falling. "Computer! Activate restraint field!" shouted James. A red glow surrounded Nikctalos' body and the convulsions stopped, but the readings on the scanner continued to fluctuate wildly. "Counsellor! What's happening to him?" T'Pryn took a deep breath, stepped forward and laid her hands on Nikctalos' head once more. "Chaos," she said. "An enemy attacking from within, like a disease. Hundreds of thousands, multiplying, growing..." She snatched her hands back before she began to share Nikctalos's pain. "I believe the Borglink is sensing the intrusion of the Nanites into their central system. Nikctalos feels it too. He is... dying, Doctor." James's boyish face took on a look of unusual grimness. "Are you sure?" "I am certain. He will die." "Not if I can help it," muttered N'Dok. He whirled and shouted, "Kate! Bring me 3 more cc's of betaparazine!" "What do you intend to do, Doctor?" asked T'Pryn as the Chief Medical Officer's Second hurried over with the requested injector and pressed it into James's hand. "If he's going to die anyway I've got nothing to lose," said James. "I'm going to kill the rest of those receptors." He scrutinized the neural scanner a moment, then crouched down and pressed the injector against Nikctalos's temple. For a moment nothing happened, and the Borg's vital signs continued to flicker. Then everything seemed to stop dead. "Is--" began Kate. "Shhh," said James, watching the scanner. Bleep. Body temperature began to creep back down. Bleep. Heartbeat stabilizing. Bleep. Blood pressure decreasing to normal. "I did it!" James gave a whoop and threw the injector up in the air. He grabbed the startled Kate and whirled her around in a dance of joy. "He's alive!" "He appears to be still connected to the Borglink in a subtler way," observed T'Pryn. "If he were wholly cut off from their influence, I do not believe he could survive. But the conscious part of their interference has disappeared. He is still of Borg, but more himself than I believe any Borg has ever been. And his consciousness is returning. He will be exhausted and need time to regenerate, but he will recover." She withdrew her hands from Nikctalos' brow. "Your performance has been quite adequate, Doctor. The Captain will be pleased." "She'd better be!" said James. From: Barnabas Cole "It worked", said Barnabas grimly, still gazing at some indefinite point in space. The viewscreen still showed the Borg ship, now paralysed, but the shuttle was gone. Forever. "We split up, and I haven't communicated with Amburil since we split up, but Salek, Morden, and I went together a little ways until we found a very long shaft. There were no rungs, but there was a large metal pole which must have been used for the elevator, but the elevators were not in sight. Morden climbed onto it, and quickly slid out of sight. "Feedback to the ships computers show that his unit was the first to infect the Borg, and his unit did the most damage. He got almost to the relative bottom of the ship. I got up three levels, climbing up slowly by holding onto conduits and access holes, decided to run lengthwise until I felt I had reached the centre of the ship or at least nearly. "The Borglink didn't accept the handshake from my unit, so I shut it off and ran over one more corridor. I encountered a Borg unit, and shot him. I didn't see any more of them. Morden radioed me to tell me that he had set his unit up and that it seemed to have taken root. He also said he hadn't run into any of the Borg on his level, and he thought perhaps he had reached an engineering or computer room. We don't have maps of the cube's layout, so we can only guess. I didn't hear from Salek or Amburil. "I set my console up a second time, and this time they cracked my code. They stopped my Nanites. I wrote the cypher on that one myself, and I had thought it was a good one. They got back 'inside' my own computer and deciphered its logic. I don't know how they did that. If it had run, the Borglink would have overflowed sooner, and they wouldn't have been able to squeeze off that shot." He cursed himself inaudibly. Jack sighed. "I know what you're thinking" she said, "and you're wrong. There is nothing more that can be done, and as much as this hurts us, we could not have done anything else, in good conscience." Barnabas looked around, his face was now forcibly calm but still grim, and his wrinkled forehead was sweaty. His eyes betrayed worry, something he didn't normally allow himself to show. "You don't have any Betazoid blood in you, by any chance?" he asked. He did not smile, but his lips lost a little of their bitter curl and the hard lines on his forehead softened. He knew she couldn't read his mind, but she knew him well and it didn't take telepathy to tell he was deep into a personal battle with his own regret. "I want to sink into bed and not wake up for a long time" he added, "but we still have this ship to deal with. I think we've got them in deadly embrace, and we could systematically destroy the ship." Barnabas did not think she would give the order to fire. _In war, who can judge right and wrong?_ he asked himself. _Yet the Borg would kill us all without hesitation if it suited their purposes._ Their cold activities seemed to leave them no room for guilt or ethics, yet they did seem capable of reprisal. For what could the shot at the shuttle have been but a last attempt to inflict damage? The _Enterprise_ stood over the crippled Borg ship, as if poised for the coup-de-grace. "How is Nikctalos?" Barnabas asked, quietly. From: Lt. Konnu/Capt. Picard "_Who_ is Nikctalos?" asked Konnu. Jack shook her head. "He's a Borg. Believe me, it would take too long to explain." "Not the Borg I saw in Sick Bay?" "Yes." Konnu raised his eyebrows. "A Romulan at Tactical and a Borg in Sick Bay--this is the strangest ship I have ever been on. Well. You say, Commander--" he looked at Barnabas-- "that you think the Borg ship should be crippled by now. But we have no way of knowing how far the Nanite infection has spread." "True," said Barnabas reluctantly. "According to our previous calculations, the Nanites would have infiltrated the whole Borg network by now _if_ all of the hand-helds had operated at optimum efficiency. We can't be sure how effective the Borg have been at stopping this infection. All we can say is that they appear to be crippled and that they have not fired a shot since the one that destroyed the Fermi." "So any second now, the Borg could be tearing this ship apart!" Konnu looked grim. "We need to distract them until we can be sure the Nanites have done their work." "Captain," Mac Scott reported from the engineering console at the back of the bridge. " The cloaking device will only operate for another 5 minutes until I have to shut it down." "Well," Jack addressed the bridge crew, "any suggestions?" "Captain," Salek turned around from the Ops station. "We could lead the Borg on a high warp chase. It would buy us time..." "Bah!" Konnu almost spat out a racial slur until he checked himself. The Romulan was a higher ranking officer. "Perhaps the Klingon has a better suggestion?" Salek spat. "That will do Centurion." Picard was getting upset. The Klingon and Romulan were already exchanging deadly looks. "Well Mr. Konnu, have your say." "We could make for the Lodge asteroid cloud. Once there, we could use the asteroids to our advantage! We could hide amongst them and wait for the time to attack the Borg!" "That might not--" began Jack, but Salek interrupted her. "Captain! Incoming transmission... It's being forced to the screen!" The crew gasped as they watched the form of a Klingon-Borg appear on the main viewer. "G'arecth!" Konnu shouted after recognizing his old friend in this new, hideous form. "The G'arecth unit no longer exists. I am Laboitor, of Borg. Your preparations are irrelevant. Your attempts to harm us with small creatures are irrelevant." "He's bluffing!" said Barnabas. "Bluffing is irrelevant. You will now unconditionally surrender to the Borg. We will reclaim the Borg unit we seek, and you will all be assimilated. Any further resistance will result in the destruction of your vessel." Jack made a slashing motion across her throat to cut communications. The main viewer returned to showing the outside of the imposing Borg ship. "They may or may not be right about the Nanites," she said. "Mr. Konnu, I think we're going to have to take your suggestion. Mr. Slike, take the helm; I'm counting on you to keep this ship from colliding with any of those asteroids. Estimated time to the Lodge asteroid cloud?" "Five minutes at Warp Nine, Captain." "Plot cours 127 bearing 280 mark 7. Cloaker to half-power, Mr. Salek, and... engage." Jack turned and sat down in the Captain's chair as the _Enterprise_ wheeled and shot off into the void, the Borg vessel in lumbering pursuit. "It appears to be barely able to keep up with us, Captain," said Barnabas. "I think the Nanites aren't quite as irrelevant as the Borg thought they were." "Good," said Jack. "Let's see how long it takes before they're _really_ relevant..." From: Capt. Jacqueline Picard "Borg vessel remains in pursuit," said Maverint. "Now entering the Lodge asteroid belt." "Steady as she goes, Lieutenant." Jack rose from her chair and began slowly to pace the bridge. "There is no time to call an official council on this matter, but I would like your input. Lieutenant Konnu, you may consider yourself part of this council for the moment." "My thanks, Captain," said Konnu. Jack gave him a short nod of acknowledgement. "It seems clear that the Nanites are doing their job. The Borg ship is unable to maintain a prolonged pursuit and has made no effort to fire its weapons." "Electromagnetic shield strength is decreasing steadily," said Maverint, his eyes on the helm readout. "That's consistent with the projected results of a late-stage Nanite infection," said Barnabas. "I think there can be no doubt that our operation has been a success." "In that case, we have the potential to destroy the Borg ship," Jack continued. "The question is: should we?" "If you will permit me to suggest, Captain," said Salek from above, "such an attack upon a crippled vessel might be considered grounds for an all-out war between the Borg and the Federation." "And if the Borg decide to make a war out of this," Barnabas added sombrely, "we won't be able to use the same tricks on them again. They learn from every battle. They'll develop a complete defense against future Nanite infiltration, and a resistance to detonite explosives, and we'll be no better off than anybody who'd never met the Borg before. We'd be dead in the water." "It is certain that the Federation could not withstand an all- out Borg assault," rumbled Konnu. "One ship was able to destroy six Federation vessels during the last encounter with the Borg. The reappearance of another Borg ship suggests that they may have a great number of other vessels which, if employed in this battle, could conceivably destroy the Federation as we know it." Jack looked grave. "I am aware of that, Lieutenant. However, the danger of not destroying this ship may be just as great." "What is the purpose of the Borg in invading this sector?" Konnu asked, heavy brow furrowing. "They do not seem to be bent upon conquest. They treated the _Pach'Iw_ as if it were a mere obstacle to their real goal." "It was," said Jack. "They want the Borg unit you saw in Sick Bay--Nikctalos D'pyrann. However, he is a Starfleet officer, and I do not intend to let him go." "Is one Borg worth the lives of three crewmen?" asked Salek in astonishment. "For once I find that I agree with a Romulan," said Konnu. "This does not seem to make sense." "When I entered this battle," said Jack tightly, "it was not my intent to lose _any_ crewmen. The fact that we have lost three is indeed a blow to the _Enterprise_. However, the Borg are a threat which must be dealt with. They are not known for compassion: who is to say that, given Nikctalos, they would not immediately destroy this vessel and move on to conquest of the entire sector? That is a risk I am not inclined to take, sirs. No, Nikctalos will remain, and we _will_ finish this battle." An asteroid tumbled past the screen and on into the reaches of space. "That looked a little close, Mr. Slike," said Jack. "Sorry, sir. Electromagnetic fluctuations from the Borg vessel seem to be altering the trajectories of these asteroids. Recommend we exit the field as soon as possible." "Recommendation accepted," said Jack. "It would be extremely embarrassing to beat the Borg and then be pummelled to death by asteroids." Maverint laid in the new course. "The Borg's electromagnetic field is off, Captain. They seem to have experienced major power loss to their systems. Regeneration rate has dropped to 10% of normal capacity." "They're dying," said Barnabas. "They're no threat to us now." "Agreed," said Jack. "Mr. Salek--" "N'Dok to Picard," crackled James's voice through the communicator. Jack touched her badge. "Yes, Doctor?" "I've just managed to isolate Nikctalos D'pyrann completely from the conscious part of the Borglink! Or so Counsellor T'Pryn tells me." "That is correct," confirmed T'Pryn's quiet voice. "How is he?" asked Barnabas. "He's pretty ragged out, but I'll say he should be back to normal within a couple of days." "That's good news, Doctor," said Jack. "Keep us posted. Picard out." "Captain!" said Maverint. "Energy levels increasing on the Borg ship!" "Communication coming through," said Salek almost at the same moment. "Open channel," said Barnabas. The half-Klingon, half-Borg Laboitor appeared on the screen. One hand was clutched to his chest as if he were suffering the advanced stages of a heart attack; the other gripped the metal pole beside him for support. "Borg unit 889 349 246 345 001 has been terminated," he rasped. "It has become irrelevant." "So it has," said Jack crisply. "And so have you. Mr. Salek, prime all weapons--" "Captain!" shouted Maverint. "The Borg ship is about to self- destruct!" "Warp Eight, Lieutenant! Engage!" Maverint's hands flew across the console. The _Enterprise_ veered and shot out of the asteroid belt like an arrow from Orion's bow, just as the Borg ship convulsed, glowed white-hot and exploded like a supernova. Chunks of flaming debris hurtled past the _Enterprise_, and the ship rocked. "Captain! Aft shields down by 30%!" came Mac Scott's voice over the intercom. "Transfer all power to the aft shields!" shouted Jack. "Lieutenant, increase to Warp Nine!" "Increasing... we've made it!" "On screen, Mr. Slike." The main viewer filled with the image of the vast black reaches of space, what had once been the Borg ship now a mere twinkling star among a thousand. Jack took a deep breath. "Drop to Warp Two, Lieutenant. Lay in course for Starbase 643. Mr. Salek, open a frequency to the _Pach'Iw_." "Hailing frequency open," said Salek, and Jack found herself looking at the weary face of the _Pach'Iw_'s Captain. "Captain Krador," she acknowledged. "May I congratulate you and your crewmen for their valiant efforts in the service of the Klingon Empire and of the Federation. And may I also extend my condolences on the loss of your crewmembers. We too have suffered losses in this battle, but as you can well see the struggle was not in vain." "Indeed," growled Krador. "We have your Ensign Amburil on board our ship. She was responsible for the rescue of one of our officers. For that you have our gratitude." "We will rendezvous at Starbase 643, if you are amenable to the arrangement," said Jack, "and we will retrieve our Ensign there. You would also be very welcome to stop and refresh yourself, and I feel certain also that the Starbase will be glad to provide you with whatever resources you will need to repair your ship for the journey home." "Our thanks, Captain Picard," said Krador. "We will meet you at the Starbase. Krador out." His image vanished. Jack let out a long breath and turned to see Barnabas looking at her. He looked more tired than she had ever seen him before. "Mr. Cole," she said quietly, "you are dismissed. Go and get some sleep." Barnabas looked as though he were about to protest, then nodded slowly and trudged up the ramp to the turbolift. Jack turned to Konnu. "Lieutenant, I appreciate your great service to this ship, but you are no longer required for the present: I offer you the freedom of the _Enterprise_. If you wish, quarters will be provided, or you may wish to engage in a battle simulation on the holodecks--" Konnu bared his teeth in a slow Klingon smile. "You know your Klingons well, Captain." He saluted her and headed after Barnabas. Jack watched him go and then collapsed into her chair. "This has been the longest day of my life," she said. From: Doctor James N'dok James was busy at work. He had just managed to sever the new Starfleet Borg completely from the Borg-consciousness. A report was due and... "James!" It was Kate. N'Dok wheeled around to come face to face with a Borg. "Abduction is irrelevant. Return our malfunctioning unit." James was getting angry. "Wanna know something you piece of tin? YOU'RE irrelevant." He raised his phaser and fired at the Borg, apparently killing him. "And so are the Borg," he added. "N'Dok to Picard!" "What's up, Doctor? How's our patient doing?" "Just fine Captain, but we've, uh, had a vistor." "A visitor...?" Jacqueline paused. "A Borg?" "Yes sir. I killed it." There was a brief pause. James concluded that Jack was checking with the bridge staff to confirm. "We didn't detect it, Doctor." "Uh oh. This doesn't seem good, Captain." "I agree, Doctor. Senior Officers meeting in 10 minutes." "Yes sir." James took a moment to reflect. "I hate this..." he muttered. From: Capt. Jacqueline Picard "The Borg Dr. N'Dok shot may have been the only one," said Jack. "But we can't be sure of that. Our sensors aren't telling us anything." Silence. She stopped pacing around the council table and gazed at her officers. Barnabas, having enjoyed precisely thirty seconds of sleep before the meeting was called, sat at the far end of the table looking like the creation of an unusually inventive taxidermist; James was a little wild around the eyes after his encounter with the Borg; Salek and Konnu were busy exchanging baleful glares; and even the effervescent Mac looked sombre. Jack herself felt like she'd been dragged backward through a Tigellian harvester. The only one who seemed to have it all together was T'Pryn--but then with Vulcans, one never knew. "I've tried modifying the sensors to pinpoint the Borg," said Mac wearily, "but nothing seems to pick them up. They've got to be wearing some sort of sensor-jamming device--or maybe it's built into them. Or there aren't any more Borg on board, but for some reason I kinda doubt that." "So do I," said Salek dryly. "It would seem logical--" T'Pryn glanced at him sharply, then smiled-- "that if the Borg were able to transport any units off the ship before it exploded, they'd do so. Not as we would, to save individual lives, but rather in one last attempt to destroy us." "How many Borg do you think would have made it here, then?" "There is no way to be certain," growled Konnu. "Except to make a complete manual sweep of all decks." Jack nodded. "Mr. Salek, coordinate Security and make it so." As Salek rose from his seat and headed toward the door, Konnu said, "May I be permitted to participate in the sweep, sir? I would like to familiarize myself with this vessel." "And you'd hate to miss a good fight, no doubt," said Jack with a half-smile. "Proceed, Mr. Konnu. Oh, and both of you--" Salek and Konnu stopped and looked back. "Try not to kill each other, will you? It's the Borg we're supposed to be fighting, not ourselves." The grin that tugged at the Klingon's mouth was a little bit sheepish, Salek's raised eyebrows equally so. The door hissed shut behind them and Jack continued, "Well. The question is--" "I have a question," said Mac abruptly. "If there are any Borg units left on board, how are they functioning? On board their ship they depend on a computer network, so they can act together. Without that Group Mind, they're useless." "In fact, they generally die," added Barnabas, who was starting to look somewhat less stuffed and more like his old self again. "Right," said Mac. "So how are they functioning now?" Barnabas looked at Mac. Mac looked at James. James looked at T'Pryn. T'Pryn looked at Jack. And a single word came from five mouths at once: "Moriarty." "Did you call me, Captain?" came the familiar cultured British voice over the intercom. Now, however, it sounded unusually strained. "My pardon, but I am finding myself somewhat taxed at the moment." "I imagine you are," said Jack crisply. "How long ago did they penetrate your system?" "Approximately fifteen minutes ago a Borg unit appeared in Holodeck One and jacked itself in." "Is it still there?" Moriarty's voice had a catch in it. "I--don't know, Captain. I have been cut off from assimilating any sensor readings. Jacqueline, is this what it's like to be blind?" The plaintive note in the last sentence made Jack's throat tighten, but she refused to let it show. "Can't you fight them?" "I am making every effort--Jacqueline, I have no time to speak to you! My pardon! Moriarty out." "Mr. Scott," said Jack. "I want an Engineering team working on restoring sensor functions. Give Moriarty all the help you can." She touched her communicator. "Mr. Salek, you may find a Borg unit in Holodeck One." "...Aye, sir. Proceeding." Jack took a deep breath and sank down into the Captain's chair at the head of the table. "Well, Mr. Cole," she said to the silent, brooding figure beside her, "any further suggestions?" "If you don't mind, Captain, I'm going to steal James, and we'll go have a look at Nikctalos's internal schematics. We might be able to figure out some sort of chemical compound to release into the ship's atmosphere which would paralyse or kill any Borg on board, but leave us unharmed." "Of course we'd have to put Nikctalos in a quarantine unit first," put in James, with a lopsided grin. "Can't forget that, can we?" "I should say not," said Jack. "But the idea sounds an excellent one. Make it so. Counsellor T'Pryn, you may accompany me back to the bridge... This meeting is adjourned." From: Lt. (JG) Konnu Konnu could feel his adrenaline rush as he and Salek ran into the first armoury they came across. The two began selecting several weapons they could use to remove the Borg from Holodeck One. Konnu wedged a Type IIB phaser into his belt, and picked up a Klingon combat blade from the ship's limited supply of Klingon weaponry. Salek holstered a Type III phaser rifle. Salek looked from his rifle to Konnu's blade and smiled. "The knife is a good weapon!" Konnu growled. Salek's smile turned into a small chuckle. "Bah!" Konnu turned and began running down the deck towards the Holodeck. Salek followed, trying not to laugh. The two were met outside the Holodeck by a small security force. "Lieutenants!" the leader of the security team, Ensign Stone, shouted. "The Borg is inside... jacked into the computer!" "What is he doing?" asked Salek. "Nothing sir. He's just ignoring us." Stone answered. Indeed, as Konnu and Salek stared into the open holodeck, the Borg was standing just inside the `arch'. A small cord was connecting his sensor arm to the computer console. Konnu and Salek prepared to fire. "Sirs!" Stone protested. "Aren't we supposed to give a warning..." "FIRE!!!" Konnu and Salek said in unison. The Klingon, Romulan, and five-member security team fired at the Borg. To Konnu's dismay, the familiar Borg shield sprang up and absorbed the phaser blasts as if it had been water hitting a thirsty sponge. Not to be daunted, Konnu ordered the computer to clear the safeties on their phasers. All Federation issue phasers and phaser rifles were tied into the ship's computer system, and an automatic safety program would not allow any of the phaser's to fire on a setting greater than a setting of 7, unless overridden. "Maximum power!" Konnu shouted. "FIRE!" Once again, the yellow-orange beams of energy lashed out at the Borg, and once again the blasts were absorbed by the Borg's shields. "What!?!" Salek said in disbelief. He switched the rifle to rapid fire and began peppering the Borg with phaser blasts. The Borg shields annulled them all. The Borg continued his assault on Moriarty, totally ignoring the trigger happy people outside of the Holodeck. "Are you quite done, sir?" Konnu barked. "I don't understand! Even on maximum power..." Salek looked at the rifle. It had overheated and had automatically shut down. "The Borg is tied into our computer. It knows the frequencies of all our weapons." Konnu explained. "Of course... why didn't we think of that. What now?" Salek asked. He had thought about trying to rush in and use physical force to remove the Borg, but he had heard what could happen in a holodeck when the safety measures were overridden, and no doubt, the Borg knew about such things now. "Well," The Klingon turned his back to the Borg and drew the Klingon blade from the ceremonial sash he wore over his uniform. "We could surrender and prepare for assimilation..." Konnu pressed a button on the knife and two smaller blades popped out from either side of the sharp, larger blade. The Borg spoke: "Assimilation is relevant." "Yaaagh!" Konnu spun and quickly threw the knife, not at the Borg, but at the Borg's lifeline to the _Enterprise_'s computer. It neatly sliced the cord in two. The Borg shorted out. Electricity arced all over the cyborg's body for a brief moment, and then the man/machine fell immobilized to the floor. Small puffs of yellow smoke rose from his ears. Konnu looked at Salek. "The knife IS a good weapon." Konnu cracked a rare Klingon smile. "I still liked the rifle." Salek pouted. "It isn't bad..." Konnu tapped his communicator. "Konnu to Captain Picard..." "Picard here. Report Lieutenant." "The intruder in Holodeck One has been... dealt with." Konnu noticed that Salek smiled at this interpretation of events. Perhaps this Romulan was different from the rest of the lowly race... From: Capt. Jacqueline Picard "Good work, Lieutenant," said Jack from her seat on the bridge. "Centurion, have you found any other Borg units on the ship?" "I've ordered the Security teams to do a full-deck sweep," said Salek. "So far we have received no reports of Borg encounters, but there are still several decks to be explored." "Acknowledged. Keep me posted." Jack turned the intercom off and raised her head. "Moriarty!" There was a long pause. "Moriarty! Respond, please." When the silence persisted she rose from her chair and headed over to the empty Ops station. Her fingers flashed across the touchpad, and her lips tightened in a frown. "It would appear that the Borg have rendered Moriarty deaf as well as blind," observed T'Pryn. "More or less. He's suffered full sensor shutdown." Jack tapped her badge. "Picard to Scott." Mac's voice echoed in the stillness of the bridge. "Captain?" "What's the status in Engineering? Have you been able to isolate any further Borg intrusions into the system?" "For all we know there might still be a Borg somewhere in here. I've got a couple of ensigns crawling around the power conduits with randomized phasers, but they haven't found anything so far. We're working on restoring sensor functions, but there still seems to be a lot of butter in the works." "Some crumbs must have gotten into it," murmured Jack. "You shouldn't have put it in with the bread-knife." "But it was the _best_ butter." She heard the laugh in Mac's voice. "Didn't think you'd pick up on that one so fast." "I must have played _Alice in Wonderland_ on the holodecks about a thousand times as a child," said Jack. "I could hardly miss it. Very well, Mr. Scott, proceed. Keep me informed on your progress. I _need_ Moriarty back." Mac sounded faintly surprised. "Okay, Captain... Scott out." Jacqueline sat down at the Ops console, lips folding between her teeth as she concentrated. If she could just get some sort of line of communication open between Moriarty and herself, he might be able to tell her where the rest of the Borg might be, or how many there were, or something. She rapped out: PICARD TO MORIARTY. RESPOND. A long moment passed. Then the reply crawled hesitantly across the screen: --MORIARTY HERE--HOW MAY I ASSIST YOU?-- WHAT'S GOING ON? --I AM TRYING TO BREAK THE CODES INTRODUCED INTO MY SYSTEM BY THE BORG--BUT THE BORGLINK IS STILL IN USE-- YOU MEAN THERE'S A BORG STILL ALIVE? OR MORE THAN ONE? HOW MANY, MORIARTY? --I AM UNABLE TO DISCERN HOW MANY THERE MAY BE--PERHAPS ONLY ONE--JACQUELINE--I MUST GO-- << END OF LINE >> Jack touched her communicator. "Mr. Salek!" "Yes, Captain?" "Have you found anything yet?" "Nothing, sir. So far all teams have reported the decks clean." "Moriarty says there's still a Borg jacked in somewhere. Keep looking, Centurion!" "Aye, sir. Salek out." Jack took a deep breath. She needed to relax a little. She needed to think. There was nothing more she could do now; her crew was doing everything that could be expected of them. "Lieutenant," she said to Maverint Slike, "You have the bridge for the time being. I'll be in my Ready Room." Slike nodded, rose from his seat and moved toward the Captain's chair; Ensign Yarno took his place at the conn. Jack took one last glance at the bridge to reassure herself that all was well, walked into the Ready Room-- --And came face to face with a Borg. It was jacked into the mini-console on her wall, and it paid her absolutely no heed. Jack whacked her badge so hard she just about stabbed herself to death and barked "Security to the Ready Room on the double!" The Borg's head swivelled around. "Acting Captain Jacqueline Marie Picard, offspring of Locutus of Borg. You will be terminated." "I think not," said Jack between her teeth. But the Borg had jacked out. It moved between her and the door. She backed up slowly as the Borg approached, reaching for the emergency phaser clipped to the side of the desk. Then she remembered that it would be of no use to her whatsoever; the Borg was shielded. _Think, Jack! Think!_ But her thoughts were in fragments. She took another step back and bumped into the wall. The Borg reached out-- Then all at once she knew what to do. With a sudden surge of adrenalin she ducked away from the Borg's grasp, darted behind it, grabbed the two power couplings at the base of its neck and pulled with all her might. The Borg screamed--a high, inhuman, metallic whine--and convulsed. Sparks flew, burning Jack's hands, jolting her away from the Borg. She fell to the floor, just as the door burst open and Konnu rushed in, wielding a huge Klingon dagger. He hefted it and threw it with full force at the Borg unit. It buried itself in its back. The Borg dropped to the floor, still twitching but otherwise lifeless. They stared at it. "Captain," came Mac Scott's voice through her communicator, "the Borglink has gone off-line. We're breaking up the new code and restoring normal computer functions. Internal and external sensors should be on-line within the hour." Jack had to take a few deep, heaving breaths before she could reply. "Acknowledged... Mr. Scott. Good work. Picard out." Salek reached out to help Jack to her feet. She shook her head and stood up on her own, brushing dust from her uniform. She felt eerily calm, but when she looked down at her scarred and bleeding hands she saw that they were shaking. "Well done, Lieutenant," she said to Konnu. "Mr. Salek, I would be obliged if you would accompany me to Sick Bay--" And then, for the first time in Jack's life, she fainted.