Path: newserv.ksu.ksu.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!uunet!newsflash.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!ac.dal.ca!vt102 From: vt102@ac.dal.ca Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: Revenge: Chapter 1 Message-ID: <1993Mar23.211426.12349@ac.dal.ca> Date: 23 Mar 93 21:14:26 -0400 Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Lines: 182 "Captain's log, stardate 8992.4. The Enterprise has been ordered to starbase 105 to pick up extra personnel and equipment. The purpose of this transfer of people and hardware has not been revealed to us yet, and I am anxious to get the reasons from admiral Steylen, who will be on hand to greet us." Picard ended the log recording, pushing the off switch on his desktop interface. Standing, he moved to the window that was set into the rear of his ready room, watching the stars streak away at warp 6. There were still two hours to go until they reached starbase 105. Keeping as a secret the purpose of pickups was not totally uncommon, but what was, was the fact that the Enterprise was not to deviate from course for any reason, not even emergencies. From this, Picard deduced that this could not be any ordinary scientific mission they were about to be assigned. This could have only two purposes. Either some disaster had occurred that the Enterprise was to take care of with the minimum amount of trouble, or it was for military reasons. As the Enterprise came out of warp near starbase 105, Picard came onto the bridge. On the screen before him was the gaseous giant, twice the size of Jupiter, that starbase 105 orbited. As the Enterprise approached, the massive doors opened, beckoning the Enterprise inside. Once she was inside the enclosed 'shipyard', the Enterprise moved to dock. "Captain," said Riker, "Isn't there a larger number of starships here than ordinary?" On the viewscreen were three starships. Under any normal circumstances, there would only be the Ark Angel, an Excelsior class ship that was assigned here. But there were the Zhukov, an Ambassador class vessel and the Hood, under Captain DeSoto. After the Enterprise had docked, Picard and Riker went to the Transporter room, to beam over to the starbase's command section to meet Admiral Steylen. As they materialized in the starbase's transporter room, the admiral moved towards the pad. "Hello, captain Picard, Commander Riker. A pleasure to meet you both." said Steylen, holding out his hand. Picard shook it, then Riker. "Greetings admiral. If you are ready, the transfer can begin when you are ready. However, I find it a bit odd the circumstances under which we were asked to come here. Perhaps you can shed some light on this?" asked Picard. "Yes, captain. I understand. If you will follow me to my office, I'll tell you." The admiral gestured politely, and they followed him to his office. He offered them drinks, Picard took a cup of tea, Riker refused. "Computer, Cola, five degrees." The drink appeared on the pad, and the admiral took it, and sat down behind his desk, taking a sip as he did so. "Cola, admiral? That's an old Earth drink, isn't it?" asked Picard. "Right you are, captain. I tried it once out of curiosity when I was young, and I've been drinking it ever since. I've come to like it quite a bit. But that's besides the point captain. I'm afraid I had to call you here because your next mission will require certain new equipment and personnel to operate that equipment. In addition, there are members of your crew who are, well, uniquely qualified to carry out some aspects of this mission. "That's all very well, admiral, but exactly what are we supposed to be doing, and why?" asked Riker. He was starting to look a little bothered by all this secrecy. "Yes. Well, commander Riker, Captain, The enterprise has been ordered to accompany the Zhukov and the Hood to starbase 235 in sector 453, there to meet with another starship that was constructed expressly to carry out this mission. Enterprise, Zhukov and Hood are to be her escorts." "With all due respect, admiral, that does not answer Commander Riker's question. What are we supposed to do?" asked Picard. The admiral hit a switch on his terminal, then turned it to face Riker and Picard. "Do you recognize this?" he asked. "God help us" muttered Riker to himself under his breath, an opinion Picard shared in earnest. on the screen was an orbital view of starbase 235, on the outer ridge of Federation space. It was a planetbound starbase, huge even if it were in one of the core systems. In all, the base would have spanned an area almost the size of Australia. Now, however, there was only a perfect triangular crater on the planet surface. As if the entire base had been scooped off the planet. "The Borg." Riker said, tones of anger in his voice. The admiral nodded, and said to Picard, "Captain, Now you must understand the importance of this mission. We received a distress call from starbase 235 three days ago. Their communications were extremely garbled. All we knew was that they were under extremely heavy attack from vessels that were apparently cloaked. Since starbase 235 is close to the border with the Romulan empire, we naturally thought that they were the ones behind the attack. That is, until the Romulan ambassador reported that a huge ship- a cube shaped ship, was moving through their space. undisclosed numbers of Romulan ships were lost in an attempt to stop them, and it is believed that the Borg must have assimilated the cloaking device." Picard tried to take this all in. "Admiral, if that is all true, then we have no way of knowing where the Borg will turn up next. They could uncloak in orbit of Earth." "That's right, captain, and that's why you will be going to the remains of starbase 235 when the transfer is done, and track the borg and destroy them. The klingons are sending one of their dreadnoughts to help you track them while cloaked." "What kind of equipment is being transferred on board the Enterprise?" asked Riker. "That's to be treated as a secret for now, but you will be given a list of the hardware after you leave for the rendez-vous. Most of the equipment is the same as that which is already on the Zhukov and the Hood, but there are a few extra items that will be on your ship alone. And now, gentlemen, you must be getting back to the Enterprise. The equipment will only take a few hours to load onto the ship, and installation will be done en route to starbase 235. Godspeed." The admiral stood, and Picard and Riker left. On the way back to the transporter room, they discussed the situation. "Number one, I want to leave the civilian crew here. If the Enterprise doesn't come back, I want there to be as little loss of life as possible." "Agreed. I'll also talk to Worf, see if he's come up with any new ways to modify the hand phasers so they can effect the borg for a longer time." "Good idea. I wonder if the Klingons will be carrying any surprises of their own?" mused Picard. "It's likely. After all, they lost a good part of their fleet last time, too. If I were one of them, I'd sure want to develop some new weapons." "You're probably right. Notify everyone that there will be a conference once we leave for the rendez-vous. I want there to be a coherent effort on this." "Understood, sir." Riker said. One hour later, the transfer was almost completed. In his ready room, Picard was desperately trying to force his stomach down out of his throat. There could be no avoiding it now, he would have to face them again. He tried not to think about it. Just then, the door beeped. Picard looked at it for a long moment, then almost whispered, "Come." The door opened, and Troi stepped in. "Captain, are you all right? I've been sensing an incredible uneasiness from you ever since you returned from your meeting with admiral Steylen." Picard looked up at her. "Counsellor, I have just been informed that the Enterprise is to be among a number of ships that are to investigate an attack on starbase 235 by, the Borg." he looked directly into her eyes, and had to fight to get the word out. as it was, it barely got past his dry throat. "As she heard the words, Troi also felt the feelings Picard attached to them, and was almost overcome by the fear he felt. She sat down on the couch by the wall, and looked at him. "And you feel that you have to face them, even after what they did to you?" she asked. He was very reluctant to talk to her about what happened to him when the Borg had temporarily made him into one of them, and hid his feelings from her. Now she understood why. They had pried into his soul, and in some ways, he had yet to recover from that ultimate rape of his body and mind. "There is no doubt that I must do this, orders are orders. But what I truly doubt is whether I CAN do this. Counsellor, I cannot think of the Borg without feeling what they did to me. I fear it may distract me from my duties." "Well, fear is a natural part of anyone's feelings toward this sort of thing. The fact that you were once temporarily made one of the Borg - She felt another mental wave of pain from him at this - should only be something that is a part of the past. And only by keeping it that way will you be able to perform your duties to the best of your ability." Just then the intercom beeped. Picard touched his communicator. "Yes?" "Captain, this is LaForge. All the extra equipment is here, and we're ready to begin installing it, but I have to say I don't like it." "What makes you say that, Geordi?" "Well, some of these things I've never even seen before, and the technicians down here won't tell me until it's all hooked up. And sir, some of these things have to be connected directly to the warp core for power. I don't like anything that takes that much power when I don't know what it is." Picard nodded to empty air. "Very well, Get the installation started, then get ready with what you do know. There's a briefing in half an hour, after we depart. Picard out." Picard touched his communicator again, then looked back to Troi. "Well, counsellor, off we go." With this, he stood up and moved onto the bridge, going to the command chair. "Ensign Roe, set course for starbase 235. Warp 9. Engage." In a flash of light, the Enterprise, Zhukov, and Hood warped out towards sector 453.  Path: newserv.ksu.ksu.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!newsflash.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!ac.dal.ca!vt102 From: vt102@ac.dal.ca Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: Revenge: Chapter 2 Message-ID: <1993Mar23.212156.12350@ac.dal.ca> Date: 23 Mar 93 21:21:56 -0400 Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Lines: 411 "Captain's log, stardate 8993. The Enterprise's triad of starships has met the ship sent by the klingon empire, and has proceeded with us to starbase 235, where we met the fifth vessel assigned to this.. mission, the U.S.S. Valor, which I have just learned is the latest in a series of dreadnoughts, constructed for one thing - fighting a war. The commanders of each vessel is scheduled to beam over shortly to discuss the plans thus far, and to decide on a course of action." Picard stood up from the desk in his quarters and moved out into the hall. The idea of a group of ships hunting the borg down wouldn't seem so laughable if he honestly thought they stood a chance. After all, one borg ship managed to wipe out a good part of the fleets of both the federation and the klingon empire. Picard wondered if the klingons had been hit the worst, since they could only get one ship to the rendez-vous in time. And this supposed "dreadnought", thought Picard, "well we'll see what that thing can do when her captain beams over." "Captain, may I speak with you?" asked Data as he caught up with Picard, on his way to the bridge. "Certainly, Data, what's on your mind?" "Captain, is it true that the only purpose for this mission is to seek out the Borg ship and to destroy it?" "Yes, those were the orders. The Enterprise and these other ships are to investigate the remains of starbase 235, and hopefully track the Borg from there." "But sir, the only way we were able to defeat the Borg the last time they invaded federation space was by imposing a sleep command to them. Something that cannot be done without a captive Borg that is in full contact with its vessel." Picard winced inside at Data's calling an individual Borg an 'it'. "Well, Data, I suppose command thinks we can do something useful out here, or they wouldn't have ordered it. Perhaps they think that if we can't stop them, we can at least gather more information about them." Data looked at Picard. "Do I take it from your statement that you do not think there is much chance of being able to stop the Borg?" "Data, you know as well as I do that our chances of actually being able to stop the Borg in combat are very slim." said Picard as they entered the turbolift and he ordered it to go to the bridge. "What I'm really worried about is what starfleet thinks. Will they commit to a suicidal war or try to find some way of peace?" "Captain, in my time in starfleet, I have seen that the pre- eminent concern of command is always to find a peaceable solution to conflicts. However, I believe there can only be one course of action concerning the Borg." "What is that, Data?" Data assumed a look of thought as he explained. "Guinan has explained that the Borg wiped out numerous civilizations in their part of the galaxy, many of which were more advanced than the federation. How can we hope to succeed, where they failed?" Picard smiled at Data. "Well, we can only really hope for one thing. That even if the Borg destroy the federation, that at least some remnants remain to rebuild after they have left." The turbolift doors opened onto the bridge, and Picard and Data stepped out and went to their stations. "Captain, we just came out of warp in the Canaris system. We'll be at starbase 235 in about one hour." said Riker. "Very well, number one. I want a conference scheduled for ninety minutes from now, and invite the captain of the valour as well. I'll be in my ready room if I'm needed." Picard stood up, and went into his ready room. Riker watched him go, then turned to Troi. "Deanna, is the captain well? It seems like something's bothering him." he said. "Well, we are on a mission which is said to be exclusively to find the Borg and stop them, if we can. I don't think anyone could be relaxed about that." "Yes, but is there anything specific? I'm just as worried about this mission as he is, but is there something else about it for him?" Troi shifted in her seat. "I think that may be for the captain to say, Will. After all, I have to hold some form of confidentiality." Riker nodded. "All right, if I see that he seem too preoccupied, I'll mention it to him, but I'm concerned that whatever it is could take away from his duties." "Don't worry about that, Will. The captain is very.." Just then Worf's panel beeped, and they both looked up to see what it was. Worf looked down at them from his station. "Sir, the captain of the Valor is hailing us. He advises he will meet us and escort us to starbase 235." Riker looked at the screen. "One ship escort three ships and a Klingon battlecruiser?" Riker asked himself. "Isn't that a bit odd?" "I agree. No Klingon ship needs escort, nor does it ask for it." Worf said. he almost seemed angry at the idea. "How soon until the Valor meets us, Worf?" Worf checked his displays. "Twenty minutes, current speed." Riker touched his communicator. "Captain, The Valor has broken orbit and is coming to meet us in twenty minutes. Shall I move up the meeting?" Picard came out of his ready room. "Very well, Number one. Advise the captains of the other ships that the briefing is changed to thirty minutes from now." Picard sat down in the command chair. "Ensign Roe, adjust course to meet the Valor, please." "Aye, sir. Coming around to bearing 274, mark 67." Thirty minutes later, the conference began. In the room were Captain DeSoto of the Hood, captain Kranow of the Zhukov, Korn of the Klingon ship YAY BATLH, and Captain Wright from the Valor. Picard, Data, and Geordi were also there. "Greetings, gentlemen, as you know, I am captain Jean-luc Picard of the Enterprise." Picard sat down at the end of the wooden table. "Now then, captain Wright, do you have anything to tell us about the remains of starbase 235?" "Thank you captain." said Wright. "The Valor first arrived in this system on stardate 8984, to investigate a loss of communications with the starbase. When we got here, there was still evidence that the Borg had just left the area. Not wanting to engage them one-on-one, I informed starfleet and requested they send reinforcements to meet us along the way, but they told us to stay put instead. So, we beamed down and thoroughly investigated the site. There were all the traces of the Borg's actions that were present at other sites, but much more prominent." "Captain, wouldn't that just be because you got there right after they left?" asked Geordi. "I mean, were the traces more widespread or just more intense than they would be if they were older?" "The traces we picked up from the surface were twenty times more powerful than those from any other site the Federation has ever found." said Wright. Geordi sat back in his chair and whistled. "That's pretty suggestive of more than one ship, captain. With all the trouble we had with just one Borg ship, I'd hate to think of what we'd do about two, or even more." said Geordi. "And that's not to say they aren't already orbiting Earth while cloaked. You did say they picked up that from Romulan ships they assimilated, right?" Picard nodded. "That's right, Geordi. For all we know, the Borg could be anywhere in space by now." "Then that is all the more reason to find them now! And destroy them before they do the same to us!" captain Korn slammed his fist down on the table, threatening to break it. "All this talking is useless! While we decide that we should fight them, they have already killed our families! Destroyed our people! Captain Picard, let us end this waste and leave orbit! let the hunt begin now." "Captain Korn, please. Before we go and look for the Borg, wouldn't it be best to try and figure out where they would have gone?" said captain DeSoto from his end of the table. "That should be relatively simple to deduce, Captain DeSoto." said Data. "From all that we know about the Borg, and based on their past actions, their most likely destination is Earth, with possible deviations along the way in order to assimilate any planets or vessels they deem worthy. They have learned that Earth is the centre of a large organization in this part of the galaxy, and by assimilating the computers there, they could easily learn the locations of countless other civilizations worthy of assimilation." "Data and I agree on this, sir." said Geordi, as he activated the display on the wall. "Working on plots of this part of Federation space, and assuming they really are on a heading for Earth, then they might stop to attack these locations we've marked. Our recommendation is to proceed along this course, and get there before they do." Picard took this in. "And assuming we did get there first, what would we do? Captain Kranow, you're the only one here who has been briefed on the systems in the cargo hold of all our ships. Could you explain now what some of them are?" "Thank you, captain Picard." Kranow turned his chair to the screen and activated the screen by remote. Several diagrams appeared on it. "As you can see here, this is an isolated field generator. As one of your crew members suggested, I believe, Picard, We have developed a specific type of nanite that will hunt down and consume any kind of electronic device. Naturally, they would wreak havoc on any starship, so they've been placed in isolation until an opportunity opens when they can be beamed over to the Borg ship or ships, and do their worst. The second system," he hit a switch, and another set of diagrams came up on the screen. "is a kind of warp bomb. Basically, it is a small power source and warp coil, which can be attached to any structural member in the Borg ship, and possibly tear it apart by inducing opposing warp fields on it. Judging from the size of the last Borg ship we encountered, at least three of these would have to be attached to be effective. The Enterprise, Zhukov, and Hood each carry five of them." "But captain Kranow, couldn't the Borg just block any attempts at transporting by raising shields against it?" asked Geordi. "Good that you should mention that, mister Laforge. When the time comes for this course of action, mister Data will be transporting to the Borg ship using the dimensional shift device that you discovered in use by the Rutian rebels." Everyone in the briefing room shifted uncomfortably at this thought, because of the fact that it was this same method of transport that had almost destroyed the Enterprise when they had attached a bomb to the warp core. "The dimensional shift will be untraceable, or at least enough so that Data will be able to place the bombs and get out of there in time. And no known shield can stop it." Everyone seemed to settle down. Data was the perfect choice, since the effects the dimensional shift had on human DNA would be no threat to him. "In addition captain, your first officer has told me of an interesting new modification to the hand phasers." said Kranow. Riker nodded. "Yes. Worf and I went over the fire control chip Wes designed last time we fought the Borg. With the phaser randomly changing harmonics over a wide range, the Borg adapted by shielding themselves against all harmonics in that range. But if we set the phaser to change harmonics within a limited range, then we could simply change over to a new one when the Borg adapt. It should give us much more time than before. Time we may just need if the Borg try to board the Enterprise, or any other ships. "That is not all." said Korn. "I have several matter- antimatter warheads on the Yay Batlh, which our engineers have fitted with their own cloaking devices. They used to be used for mines, but if fired against a Borg ship like a photon torpedo, we may be able to pierce their shields so that your own battleship can attack." Korn nodded to Wright. "Picard, the Valor is equipped with two main sensor arrays, as you already know. But only one is in use. The other is a dedicated emitter of the energy beam you tried to use against the Borg the last time. However, this one won't burn out. It was made for this, and this alone. My engineers are also working on replicating these warp bombs, but we have to take power from the warp core to do it." Picard looked concerned. "How long will you be without power?" Wright thought for a second, then said,"I don't think more than a few hours. We'll continue on impulse power, and can catch up when we're done." DeSoto shook his head. "Not good enough. We'll be under way at maximum speed, and you couldn't catch up in time to do good. We have to stay behind and protect each other while you're doing that." "I agree." said Korn. "Even a fool does not go into battle with his forces divided. If this delay will get us more weapons to use against the Borg, then let it be so." Korn drew his lips back and flexed his fist, the leather in the gauntlet stretching tight over his knuckles. "Very well, then. We will assume defensive positions around the Valor and proceed on full impulse, then go to warp as soon as they have power back." said Picard, standing up. "Questions?" The room was silent. "Good then. Dismissed." as everyone stood and moved out of the room, Picard looked to the far end of the room. "Number one, Data, I want to see you in my ready room please." A few minutes later Picard settled down into his chair. "Number one, why wasn't I informed about the plan to have Mister data transporting to the Borg ship?" Riker looked at the floor as he sat down in the chair facing Picard's desk. Data stood by the couch. "Well sir, Data and myself only found out about it ourselves just before the meeting. Data agreed, of course. I however, don't like it any more than you do." "But commander, since the Borg would be blocking attempts to use the transporters, the dimensional shift is the only option if the warp bombs can be used. Also, since I am the only crew member on any of the ships that is not affected by the dimensional shifting, then the only logical choice for the planting of the bombs can be myself." Data said as he looked at both Riker and Picard. Picard leaned forward on the desk, his hands open. "But Mister Data, the fact that you are to be the one to board the Borg ships is not the premier concern in my mind. There is of course the fact that you will be over there alone, as well as the fact that at such a time, we will have to be in close proximity to the Borg ship, meaning that you may be needed here. On the Bridge." Picard stopped, thinking for a second. "I do of course realize that you are the only logical choice for this. But I can't help having reprehension about sending one of my best officers alone, onto a hostile ship." "I sympathize with your apprehensions, captain, but I will not be defenceless. I will have the new hand phasers, and my superior reflexes and motor neuron speed will allow me to plant the warp bombs in a shorter time than any human could. I estimate that with minimum interference from the Borg, the devices could be planted in no less than twelve minutes." Picard took this in, still worried about Data. All the speed in the world cannot outrun a particle beam, he thought to himself. "That's not all captain. " said Riker. "While he's on the Borg ship, Data will have a beacon so that we can trace him at every moment, except when he shifts. If he gets hurt, we can shift him out by remote." "I see. Well then that's that, is'nt it? Stations please, gentlemen." Picard said, and followed Riker and Data out onto the bridge, where they sat at their post for that shift. "Geordi, anything to report?" "Nothing captain. We assumed position above and behind the Valor, and we're on full impulse power. The valor says they can be back on full power in another ninety minutes." Geordi said as he moved up to the engineering station, behind Worf. Picard nodded in acknowledgement of Geordi's report. "Data, maintain course and speed, notify me of any necessary changes, please." "Aye sir." said Data as he turned back to the ops panel and punched up a status display. Checking them over, he frowned. "Captain, my readings are outside out of the norms for the external scans." Picard leaned forward, Riker began checking his own panel. "Can you elaborate, data?" "Negative, sir. The readings only show a small distortion of the subspace field at bearing 64 mark 03." Riker looked up from his panel. "Confirmed, captain. There's definitely some distortion or interference at those co- ordinates." "On Screen." ordered Picard. "The distortion is on main viewer now, sir." said Data. The screen changed from an image of the space at bearing 64 mark 03. There was nothing visible, but the sensors enhanced the image by showing a faint flickering of the stars at those co- ordinates. Picard looked at the screen for a moment, then nodded to himself. "Lt. Worf, hail captain Korn. Ask him to scan that sector and confirm our readings." "Yes sir." said Worf as he went to the com panel. He almost ignored the beeping from the tactical board, until he saw what it was beeping about. "Captain! Borg vessel de-cloaking in sector 64!" Worf immediately raised shields as he said this. "Red alert!" yelled Riker, looking to Picard. Picard jumped out of his seat and moved to the centre of the bridge, between and just behind Data and Roe. "Move us between the Valor and that Borg ship!" "Captain, the Valor says they don't have enough power for shields or weapons!" Worf said, then went to his panel for a second. "Phasers and Photon torpedoes ready. The YAY BATLH advises that they can fire matter-anti matter torpedoes also. " "The Valor is diverting power to the shields, captain, but they're only up to ten percent so far!" said Geordi. "Sir, the Hood and Zhukov are requesting permission to fire." said Data as he manouvered the Enterprise into position to defend the Valor. "The Borg ship is firing!" Said Worf. On the screen, a green beam erupted from the upper corner of the Borg ship and blew the Valor's left warp nacelle off. The second shot punched through the Hood's shields and struck her on the upper side of the saucer section. Both ships immediately started drifting, and the Valor drifted away from the rest of the fleet. "All ships fire!" said Picard. "Worf! Target the source of that beam and fire the multi-harmonics phasers. Divert power from life support if you have to, but destroy that weapon!" The Enterprise's primary phaser array lit up, pulses of energy moving from each end of the 300 degree ring that was on the top of the saucer section. The pulses met in the centre, and a multi coloured beam destroyed the emitted of the Borg weapon. The YAY BATLH fired a spread of her torpedoes, which disappeared as soon as they were fired, their cloaking devices automatically engaging. The Borg ship fired a spread of its own weapons to match, but only got about half of the Klingon torpedoes. They detonated against the Borg ship, and blew a hole in it two hundred metres long, which almost instantly started to repair itself. The Hood launched a full spread of photon torpedoes into that hole, as did the Enterprise and the Zhukov. They detonated inside the hole, causing the Borg ship to be blown back from the fleet by the force of the blast. "Captain, the Valor reports that the Borg are boarding her, and taking the crew back to their own ship. Captain Wright estimates that he has lost two hundred people so far." said Data. Picard looked at Data, then at the Borg ship. It was rotating, moving its damaged section away from the fleet. As it did so, it fired again, and pierced the Zhukov's shields. It cut away the bridge, and used a tractor beam to pull it into itself. "Captain, I am receiving an automated distress call from the Valor. She is launching lifeboats and trying to clear the area on impulse power." said Data. "Mister Worf, continue firing. Data, get me the Valor on screen." said Picard. The Valor appeared, one warp nacelle gone and her saucer section covered with marks where shots had hit her, and one entire section of the engineering hull missing. Her impulse engines glowed red erratically, trying to push the battered ship out of the danger zone. Just then the Borg ship fired again, hitting the Valor amidships. She broke in two at the point where the saucer section is joined to the engineering hull. The two pieces drifted for a second, then exploded in a blinding ball of fire. The screen then switched back to the Borg ship, as it fired on the YAY BATLH, piercing her hull near the left warp nacelle. She was blown out of the formation, and slowly started moving back. "Mister Worf, launch everything we have! Data, advise the other ships that can to do the same!" Picard said. Data sent the message. The Enterprise, Zhukov, Hood and YAY BATLH all fired their entire arsenals. Phasers, torpedoes, and anti-matter torpedoes all were fired at the Borg ship. They were spread evenly over the surface of the ship that was facing the fleet, and the torpedoes detonated simultaneously while the phasers were all directed at the centre of the ship. After the detonations, Picard called for a scan to see what damage had been done. "All sensor scan report no damage done to the Borg ship, sir." Said Data as he checked the readings. Picard looked at him in disbelief. "What do you mean, no damage? There was enough destructive force in that barrage to destroy a planet!" "Apparently, the Borg have adapted their shields, or increased the power output of them." said Data. Picard looked at Data. "Mister Data, get down to cargo bay four as quickly as you can, and prepare to transport." Data nodded, then got up and ran to the turbolift. Picard then addressed the ships. "All ships, this is Picard. Fire only in return. Data is now attempting to plant the warp bombs." A minute later, Data was in cargo bay four, strapping on the armband that controlled the dimensional transporter. The warp bombs were beside him, three six-foot long cylinders in a rack that was equipped with a transport control that was slaved into Data's so it followed him when he shifted. The Enterprise rocked, as the Borg's shots struck her for the fist time. "Bridge, this is Data. I am ready to shift. Picard's voice came out of his communicator. "Good luck, Mister Data." With that, Data touched the control unit on his armband, and both he and the rack holding the warp bombs disappeared as a hole opened up, washing an intense light over them, then closed, taking Data and the Bombs with it.  Path: newserv.ksu.ksu.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!uunet!newsflash.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!ac.dal.ca!vt102 From: vt102@ac.dal.ca Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: Revenge: Chapter 3 Message-ID: <1993Mar23.214346.12351@ac.dal.ca> Date: 23 Mar 93 21:43:46 -0400 Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Lines: 144 Data appeared on the borg ship, in a spot as close to the centre that the dimensional transporter could place him. He quickly looked around, then opened his tricorder and started scanning with one hand, and touched his communicator with the other. "Data to Enterprise, come in please." On the Enterprise, things were almost too busy to reply to Data's message. "Data, this is Riker, Report?" "I am on the Borg ship now, sir. Scanning for integral structural members." He walked slowly, the three warp bombs following him on they were mounted in. He stopped, then closed his tricorder and placed it in his belt pouch. "This is Data. I have located a suitable place to mount the first device. I am proceeding now." Data then took one of the bombs from the sled, causing it to rebound upwards a little from the decrease of its weight. He took the bomb over to the member and placed it up against it, the magnetic locks clamping on. Data then turned on the power generator. The small matter-antimatter reactor had enough fuel for a short time only, so he had to plant the bombs as quickly as he could. Checking his internal monitors, he noted that he was already moving at three times the normal human speed. The Enterprise rocked as another hit from the Borg ship struck her. "Captain, we can't last in this pounding much longer! shields read at only thirty five percent!" yelled Geordi, from engineering. "How much longer do we have to hold this defensive position?" "When Data transports back, we'll get out of here, mister LaForge, until then, keep power to the shields!" Riker told himself to calm down. He had been in more desperate situations than this, the only exception being that this one promised to get far worse. Just then an explosion came from the Zhukov. Picard hit his comm switch. "Zhukov! This is the Enterprise! do you read?" The response was crackling static for seconds before the reply came through. "Enterprise, this is Zhukov. Captain Kranow was killed when the Borg destroyed the main bridge. This is commander Lands, I assumed command, and I am speaking from the emergency bridge." The voice got a little sadder then. "The last hit took out our shields. I've lost a quarter of the crew, and phasers are out. All we have left is photons." "Fall back behind the other ships, commander. We'll try to protect you." Picard cut the connection. "In another few minutes we won't be able to protect ourselves. Mister Worf, notify the transporter room to be ready to beam any survivors on board, should the crew of the Zhukov have to abandon ship." "Yes, sir." Worf hit a few buttons in between dodging shots from the Borg. The hole that was blown in her side was likely regenerated by now, and there would be hell. Another shot came from the Borg ship, and hit the Enterprise. The lights went out on the bridge for a second, then flickered back on. "Damage?" asked Riker. Worf checked his panel. "Major damage in the civilian sector of the ship. That section was evacuated at starbase 105, There are no casualties." Picard nodded to himself in relief. "Ensign Ro, report on the rest of the ships?" "The YAY BATLH is still active sir, her shields are holding but weakened, the same as ours. The Hood is damaged, but can also hold station. The Zhukov has fallen in behind the Hood, sir." "Captain, I am picking up an energy surge on the Borg ship. reported Worf. Picard could only start to ask what kind of buildup, when the Borg fired on the Enterprise again. The bolt of energy shattered the ship's shields. Explosions came from the ops panel, and both science stations at the back of the bridge. The ensign manning the ops station in Data's place was killed by the blast. Reports instantly started flooding in from other parts of the ship. Suddenly the Enterprise was as crippled as the Zhukov. "Captain, this is engineering! That last blast destabilized the warp core! I have to shut down the entire engineering section, or we'll lose the antimatter containment field!" "LaForge, any chance of repairing the damage?" asked Riker. "Not under these circumstances, sir. And the whole ship has to be shut down, except for the saucer section!" Picard and Riker looked at each other. "Number one, you know what must be done?" "Yes sir." Riker went on the intercom. "Attention all hands! Evacuate the engineering section and prepare for saucer separation! Ensign Ro, make the preparations." Riker sat down next to Picard. "You know that Data will be returning to cargo bay four, in the engineering hull?" "It can't be helped, number one." Picard hit the comm switch again. "Hood, this is Enterprise. We have to jettison the engineering hull, can you take us in tow?" "Affirmative, Enterprise." said Captain DeSoto. " But captain, we can't keep the Borg occupied like this. We have to disengage and escape, try to enable repairs!" "Captain DeSoto, My second officer could be lost if we leave the sector like this!" Picard said. "Picard, we'll all die unless we disengage now!" Picard sat back in his chair. Ro had just announced that the saucer separation was completed, and the Hood was manouvering, under heavy fire, to take the them in tow. "Come in, Enterprise. This is Data. Do you read me?" Data frowned and went back to his work, placing the third and last warp bomb. So far, the Borg had left him unmolested as he placed the bombs in the ship. He lifted the last device from the sled, but before he could clamp it to the beam he had scanned, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he saw that Borg were closing on his position from three different directions. Drawing his phaser, he checked his internal monitors again. At five times normal human speed, he blasted the first four borg in each of the approaching lines, giving him time to clamp the warp bomb to the beam and magnetically seal it. Turning to face the Borg again, he shot three more before the fourth blast was stopped by shields. Data switched to the second range on the phaser. There was one left after this range had been adapted to. Firing at the Borg, he managed to eliminate one advancing line completely, and took out half of the other two before they adapted to his new range. Switching over to the last range, Data turned on the power on the last warp bomb, and started its automated startup. Once that was done, he could shift back to the Enterprise and they could escape while the bombs were engaged. The shields automatically went up around the Warp bomb, which was supposed to happen if a small motion detector on the end of the bomb detected any moving thing besides Data. The only thing left to do was for Data to hold his position until the bomb beeped, showing that it was functional. He shot more Borg as they tried to get close to him, but they adapted to this range faster than the others. Data dropped his phaser and drew his second one, adjusted it for full power. It would only be able to fire a few shots at this setting, but hopefully that would be all that was needed. He eliminated eight more Borg before the warp bomb beeped, signifying its readiness. Data immediately hit the return button on his armband, and the dimensional hole opened and closed by him, taking him off the Borg ship and materializing him in cargo bay four. All the lights were out, and there were no vibrations coursing though the deck. Data went to a wall panel. "Computer, please state current condition of the Enterprise." No reply. He touched communicator. "Data to Picard...Data to Riker...Is anyone in range of this transmission?" Data retrieved a flashlight from the emergency kit near one of the cargo transporters, and turned it on. Moving the light along the transporter pad, he saw that it was burnt out. the panel had also overloaded and exploded. The condition of the Enterprise was apparently very bad. He moved out into the hall, and used a service accessway to get to engineering. There, he activated one of the small science terminals, on stored power. There was only enough time on the power cells for him to find out what had happened to the engineering hull, and that the rest of the ships had disengaged and left the sector, limping to starbase 185, which was as close to the Borg's advance through federation space as they could get.  Path: newserv.ksu.ksu.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!uunet!newsflash.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!ac.dal.ca!vt102 From: vt102@ac.dal.ca Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: Revenge: Chapter 4 Message-ID: <1993Mar23.214457.12352@ac.dal.ca> Date: 23 Mar 93 21:44:57 -0400 Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Lines: 168 "Captain's log, supplemental. Stardate 8996.2. In battle with a Borg ship, The U.S.S. Valor was lost with all hands, save those that were taken from her by the Borg before she broke up and was destroyed. The Enterprise's stardrive section had to be abandoned, and all other ships were damaged badly before we had to break off. The Hood is towing us to starbase 185 where the lost stardrive section will be temporarily replaced by another that was intended for one of the Galaxy-class starships under construction there. The Hood and YAY BATLH were able to carry out repairs en route to starbase, but the Zhukov will be left there. My condolences go out to the crew of the Valor." Picard sat in the dimmed light of his quarters. His ship was in pieces, although that would be remedied soon if the stardrive section at starbase 185 could be mated to the saucer section in time. Worse than that was the fact that their most powerful ship had been destroyed, and another had to be left behind. The door chime sounded. "Come." said Picard. The door slid into the wall, revealing Troi standing in the corridor. "May I come in?" she asked him, sounding almost timid. "Yes counsellor. Please." Picard stood, gesturing to the couch that he had just been about to lay down on. "What seems to be on your mind?" He said as he sat in the chair facing the couch. "Captain, I thought we could discuss your feelings concerning the battle. " Picard shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. "Counsellor, I really wouldn't like to discuss that now." He stood, and moved to the far wall. "Tea. Earl Grey, hot." He said, and took the cup as it materialized on the pad set into the food synthesizer. "Well, I've been sensing a wave of, well, dread every time we so much as mention the Borg. Is it because you were one of them?" "I thought I asked you not to discuss this with me." Picard stared at her from the far end of the room, the cup in his hand. This time it was Troi's turn to fidget. She decided to try another tack. "Alright then, how do you feel about the loos of Data? " Picard sighed. He sat down in the chair by the couch again. "Well, since you seem so singularly determined to get me to talk to you, I feel the loss that anyone would feel at losing a friend. We should not have abandoned him on that ship, we should have stayed within transporter range of the stardrive section to beam him over if he got off the Borg ship." "But if we stayed that close to the stardrive section, we could have been killed if it exploded." Troi sat back on the couch. "Captain, you're feeling that you should have stayed in a danger zone, where thousands of people had already died, for the hope of saving one more. But if you had stayed, you would have put countless others in danger of death also." "And that's not all." Picard said. "Not only did we lose Data when we abandoned the stardrive section of the Enterprise, but we may well have lost our last, best chance of defeating the Borg as well." "What do you mean?" "This was supposed to remain confidential, but the warp bombs Data was planting on the Borg ship were meant to be engaged by a remote signal. And the apparatus that would have transmitted the signal was in cargo bay four, along with the dimensional transporter. So you see Deanna, we lost more than Lt. Commander Data when we jettisoned the stardrive section. The transmitter was the only one of its kind made, so that if the Borg assimilated any other ships, they would not know the plan." "I was never informed of any plan." said Troi. "Exactly. Each of the ships was carrying a different piece of apparatus, so that if the Borg assimilated the information in one ship's computer, they would only learn how that one ship was equipped. You see, the Valor had her second sensor array, the klingons, their matter-antimatter torpedoes. But each ship was only meant to hold the Borg at bay, and provide the distraction and time for Data to plant the warp bombs. And with the detonator-transmitter gone, it would seem we now have no chance at winning this war." Picard said the word, 'war' with distaste. "But couldn't we put the Borg to sleep, like the last time?" Troi said. "I was confused as to why we didn't try this at first anyway." "The reason that was not attempted again was because it was only possible to do it the first time because we had captured a Borg who was intended to be the spokesman for the Borg on the Enterprise, and as such was still fully tied in to the Borg's communication nets. If we captured a Borg that was not meant to be on the ship, then it would be cut off." "I see. thank you Captain." Troi stood up and left Picard's quarters. Now she was sure. Picard's reference to himself, when the Borg had captured him, as "Just another Borg" was the convincing factor. Picard was trying to hide from himself and what the Borg had done to him. "Docking authority, this is the Enterprise." said Riker. "Request permission to dock." "U.S.S. Enterprise, this is base control, you are cleared at docking bay twelve, please proceed on one-quarter impulse." "Ensign Ro, if you please." Riker said to Ro from the command chair. Once they had docked, the new stardrive section would be joined to the saucer section, and after stress test, the Enterprise would be whole again, at least temporarily. On the viewscreen in front of him, Riker watched as the Hood docked at bay five, for her repairs, and the YAY BATLH was just finishing hers. The Zhukov was outside of the station, awaiting total shutdown of the warp core before she would be allowed inside the station itself. It was a miracle she had made it this far. "Commander, we're docked now." said Ro. "Very well, Ensign." Riker touched his communicator. "Captain?" "Yes, number one?" "We're docked at starbase 185 now, and the stardrive will be mated in three hours." "Time to the finish of repairs of the Hood?" "Another four hours yet, sir, but the YAY BATLH is ready now. Sir, do you wish to inspect the stardrive section when it's installed?" "Negative, number one. We'll leave station as soon as all repairs on the Hood are finished. And I'm on my way to the Bridge. Picard out." Two hours forty minutes later, The Enterprise was whole again, and stress test were being carried out to ensure that the two sections were perfectly mated to one another. Picard was in his ready room when the door chimed, and Riker came in. "Captain, any news regarding Boro station?" He was referring to a scientific research station in orbit of Boro 9, one hundred fifty light years from Earth. "Yes, number one, there is. The survivors who managed to evacuate before the Borg got there were picked up by the Victory. They were reported as 'in good health' by Captain Varnes." Riker nodded. "How far have they gotten?" "A freighter was reported missing along their path two hours ago. About a hundred light years out." "I see." Riker scratched his beard. "That puts them far enough from Earth for us to catch up when we have the repairs finished. " Picard looked up at Riker. "Yes, we may be able to catch up to them, but how do we stop them when we do?" "I've been thinking about that." Riker sat at the chair opposite Picard's, putting his hands on the desk. "What if we dumped the warp core, along with the Hood. We could use tractor beams to direct them at the Borg ship, and the impact would detonate them. The detonation would be equivalent to two starships ramming that ship. Getting the cores through their shields would be a problem, but I'm sure a full power burst from every available phaser array on both ships would take care of that. After, the YAY BATLH can either tow us back home, or we can use the auxiliary cores." "Number one, what if that didn't work? We'd be adrift until we could get auxiliary power, and that would leave us totally defenceless." "Defenceless against a single Borg ship, or at full power in a galaxy under the Borg's control. That's what will happen if we don't stop this ship." Riker and Picard's eyes met. "I would rather die than have the Borg reach Earth, and this is our best chance to prevent that now." "Picard gazed at his lap for an instant. "Very well, number one. I'll consider it." He looked at Riker. "But only as a last resort. I'll inform Captain DeSoto and Korn." "Aye sir." Riker got up and went to leave. "But number one." Riker turned. "Yes, sir?" Picard tried to hide the beginnings of a smile. "I want you to be the one to tell Geordi that you want to blow up his beloved warp core." Riker smirked, and left. Picard sipped his tea, then put the cup down, and swivelled his chair to face the window. He crossed his hands on his lap, and wished either of two things: That If Data escaped from the borg ship, he would find his way back home. If he hadn't, then he hoped Data was dead.  Path: newserv.ksu.ksu.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!uunet!newsflash.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!ac.dal.ca!vt102 From: vt102@ac.dal.ca Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: Revenge: Chapter 5 Message-ID: <1993Mar23.214703.12353@ac.dal.ca> Date: 23 Mar 93 21:47:03 -0400 Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Lines: 232 "Enterprise, Hood, and YAY BATLH, you are cleared for exit in that order. You may proceed on one eighth impulse power." "Roger, control. Proceeding now." Said Ro as she piloted the Enterprise out of dock, her lost stardrive section replaced by one that was originally intended for the U.S.S. Discovery III. The Enterprise Glided out of the immense hangar that made up the upper third of starbase 185. "We are clear, captain." said Ro. "Move us ten kilometres out, Ensign, and wait for the Hood and the YAY BATLH. " said Riker. "Captain, commander Lands of the Zhukov sends his best wishes for our mission, and the Sutherland as well." said Worf. The Zhukov had finally been allowed to enter the station, where she docked alongside the Sutherland. It was undergoing an intensive overhaul, which her captain tried desperately to abort once he heard the Enterprise and her entourage were in need of ships. "Sir, the Hood and YAY BATLH are free and ready to warp." said the ensign who was manning the ops station. "Ahead warp nine. Engage." The three ships warped out. their destination was Beta Soris, seventy-five light years from Earth, and the site for the final stand between the Borg and the Federation. "Time to the Beta Soris system, Ensign?" inquired Picard. "Twelve hours, thirty minutes, captain." replied Ro. "Very well. Number one, I want a conference in ten minutes." Picard stood up and went to his ready room. Ten minutes later, Picard arrived in the conference room. Present were LaForge, Riker, Troi, Worf, and Ro. "Mister LaForge, are you satisfied that this scheme with the warp cores will work?" "Well, there's definitely enough explosive power in two warp cores to take out a small planet. What I'm worried about is whether we'll be able to outrun the explosion on impulse power." "Do you think we can escape?" asked Picard. "Well I think we can, but only with a little bit of help." said Geordi. "Explain." Geordi went over to the screen on the wall. "If our plan to use the warp cores works, then the YAY BATLH can take us in tow with her tractor beams, but when we dump the cores and throw them at the Borg, there won't be time for that, so I came up with this." He activated the screen. "This is a diagram of the warp field the YAY BATLH usually generates when she jumps to warp speed. However, if we can extend the field, then the Enterprise and Hood can hitch a ride along with her." Riker leaned forward. "But won't that cause an instability of the warp balance? Three ships riding in the field of one?" "Yes, there is a problem with instability, but we'll only need to hitch a ride like this for the few seconds it'll take to outrun the explosion, so I can't foresee anything going wrong." "Comments?" Picard asked of the officers at the table. "I am in favour of this plan." said Worf. "If there is no hope of defeating the Borg, then let us die honourably in combat, rather than running from them." "Anything else?" Picard asked. No one spoke. "The captains of the other two ships are having this same conference with their senior officers as well. If we do not succeed in this last effort, Earth will proceed with a total dump of every scrap of information in every computer in the solar system. There are eight starships in orbit of Earth, ready to defend it to the last breath. Let's hope it doesn't come down to that. Dismissed." Everyone filed out of the briefing room, and took up their positions again on the bridge, and Picard went back to his ready room. "Will, may I speak to you for a moment?" asked Troi. Riker stood from the command chair, and ushered her to the back of the bridge. "What is it?" he asked in a whisper. "It's the captain. I'm worried that he may have some kind of vendetta against the Borg for what they did to him. " "Deanna, what are you trying to tell me?" "I think the captain will try, or is trying to get revenge on the Borg. When I talked to him in his quarters, he was evasive on the Borg, and only talked about Data." Riker crossed his arms and leaned against the bulkhead. "All, right, do you think this could interfere with his duties? That he may take unjustified risks in fighting the Borg?" "No, its not that," Deanna tried to find the proper words to express herself. "It's just the opposite. I think he's repressing deep-rooted feelings about the Borg, and maybe letting him destroy the ship will be the element that will help him to come to terms with it. Perhaps letting him do this is the most therapeutic thing for him right now." Riker looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you telling me this if you don't think it'll affect his abilities?" "Well, I want to be sure you know all the facts if you see he may be enjoying it too much if we stop the Borg. And, not everyone can be accurate in their diagnoses all the time." Riker and Troi's eyes met for an instant. Then they went back to their seats, and tried to find some way to pass the time until they met the Borg. "Commander, I'm getting a report from Starfleet. The Borg are attacking another colony world." said Worf. "Where?" asked Riker. "Remel four. " "What? That's totally off the course the Borg are supposed to be taking." "The transmission comes in the proper code, commander." Riker hit the intercom. "Captain to the Bridge." he said. "Ensign Ro, change course to proceed to Remel four, maximum warp." "What's the problem?" asked Picard as he came out of the ready room and sat in the command chair. "The Borg are attacking another colony on Remel four, sir. We've altered course to intercept at maximum speed." "Ensign, time to Remel four?" "Only twenty minutes at this speed, sir." said Ro. "Put me through to the other ships." Worf worked at his panel for a second. "On screen, sir." The screen changed from the view of space to a split screen of DeSoto and Korn. "Captains, the Borg are attacking another outpost, we can be there in less than half an hour." "We've gotten the same report, Captain." said DeSoto. "Picard, the YAY BATLH will provide cover fire with all her remaining weapons while you and DeSoto attempt your honourable strategy, and will allow you to escape by sharing our warp field. But be warned. If this plan does not work, we will not be able to protect you." "Understood, Korn. We'll try our best to defend ourselves if this plan fails." said DeSoto. "We're coming up on Remel four now sir. Visual range in a few more seconds." said Ro. The captains of the Hood and YAY BATLH ended transmissions. "On screen." said Picard. The screen was filled with a quarter of the planet Remel four, and orbiting above it, seemingly connected to the planet by a bright blue beam, was the unmistakeable cube shape of the Borg ship. "Red alert!" yelled Riker. The lights of the bridge dimmed, and the sirens started to wail. Riker and Picard went back to their places. "Range of the Borg ship." said Picard. "Twenty thousand Kilometres." reported Worf. Picard hit the intercom. "Mister LaForge, prepare to dump the warp core." "Acknowledged, captain. we're ready." "Mister Worf, I want to fire everything we have at that ship before we dump the warp core. Charge every phaser array we can bring to bear, load every torpedo tube." "Yes, sir. YAY BATLH is moving into position to extend their warp field." On the screen, the Borg ship grew larger and larger. Suddenly, the beam it was firing at the surface stopped, and the side that had been facing the planet turned to face the approaching ships. "Time to optimum firing range." queried Riker. "One minute, thirty four seconds." said Worf. "Engineering here, captain. We can dump the core at a moment's notice." The three vessels raced at the Borg ship, which simply sat there, in orbit of Remel four. Worf's panel started beeping. "Optimum firing range, sir." he said. "Fire, full power, tight dispersal." said Riker. The Enterprise and Hood fired everything they had. In all, the barrage contained thirty-eight photon torpedoes, and nine multi-harmonic phaser beams. The YAY BATLH emptied her tubes of antimatter torpedoes, all cloaked, and momentarily shut down every power drain except the antimatter containment fields, and diverted it to her phasers. The Borg ship was hit bluntly by enough power to destroy a sun. Its shields held under the punishment for three seconds, then faded by approximately forty percent. "The Borg ship's shields have been weakened, captain." said Worf. "Dump the core." ordered Picard. On the engineering hulls of the Enterprise and the Hood, emergency hatches blew away from the hull. On each ship, the shudder was felt as the cores that housed the matter-antimatter reactors were ejected. Instantly, each ship went to auxiliary power, and tractor beams from each ship threw the cores at the borg cube-ship. "Now!" roared Korn. The YAY BATLH then went to full warp, her warp field distended around the two other ships. As they fled the area at hundreds of times the speed of light, The two warp cores smashed against the Borg ship's shields, detonating in a supernova-bright flare of pure energy. Two light years away, the YAY BATLH dropped out of warp speed, also halting the Enterprise and Hood. The Enterprise and Hood turned to face the direction from which they had just come, their warp engines now cold and dark. "Report." said Picard. "There is too much interference at the moment, from the detonation of the warp cores." said Worf, as he checked his tactical display. "Clearing now... I am reading nothing, sir." Picard sat back in his chair, releasing air that he must have had in his lungs since they first sighted the ship." "Think we got them?" asked Riker. "I hope to God we did." said Picard. "Ensign Ro, plot a course to starbase 185, warp fi..." "Captain! Borg ship de-cloaking behind us!" yelled Worf. "On screen!" Behind the three ships, the Borg ship appeared, wavy at first, then solidifying into sharp, terrifying reality. It fired a white beam, punching through the YAY BATLH's shields. She listed to one side as the beam crossed the ship from port to starboard, cutting the ship in two. The beam then moved to the Hood, where it cut straight through her saucer section, and finally cut one of the warp nacelles from the Enterprise's new stardrive section. "Damage report!" Yelled Picard as the bridge filled with smoke from fires at three stations, and the lights dimmed and almost went out. "Port nacelle gone, heavy casualties in secondary hull." said Worf. "Engineering! Do we have power for phasers?" screamed Riker. "Negative, commander! I'm having trouble keeping life support going!" "Worf! What about the torpedoes?" Worf surveyed his panel. "Trying sir." he attempted to re- direct the commands, then shook his head at the display. "Controls not responding." "Hood, come in! Do you read us?" shouted Riker into the com panel on his chair. There was no response. The Enterprise shook. "Worf, are they firing at us again?" asked Picard. "Negative sir. There is a beam focused on the saucer, section twelve. All decks in that section no longer reporting in." "Put that section on the screen." said Riker. On the screen, a beam was cutting into the saucer section, and removing a cylindrical piece of the Enterprise. "They're cutting us to pieces, just like the first time we encountered them." said Riker. "Worf, do we have shields?" asked Picard. "Negative, sir." Picard turned to face the screen. "Then we're totally at their mercy." he said heavily.  Path: newserv.ksu.ksu.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!newsflash.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!ac.dal.ca!vt102 From: vt102@ac.dal.ca Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: Revenge: Chapter 6: Final Chapter Message-ID: <1993Mar23.235044.12359@ac.dal.ca> Date: 23 Mar 93 23:50:44 -0400 Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Lines: 174 "Captain's log, supplemental. Our power is gone, and all other ships that were to fight the borg alongside the Enterprise are destroyed or equally inoperative. The Borg are now cutting up the Enterprise like a turkey." Picard watched helplessly as the section was removed from the saucer section, and the Borg ship started cutting another piece, then a second beam started cutting yet another. "Engineering, what do we have left?" asked Picard, after hitting his communicator. "The auxiliary power's completely useless, sir. Even the batteries are going to go in a few minutes." "We can't even start a self-destruct countdown." said Riker. "Not with the warp core gone, but perhaps..."Picard got up, and moved over to the helm. "Ensign Ro, do we have manouvering thrusters?" Ro checked her console. "Yes, but I any kind of delicate motion is impossible. With the main computer gone from lack of power, there's no way to monitor the delicate course corrections." "We won't need sophistication for this manouver, Ensign." said Picard as he went back to his command chair and sat down, followed by Riker. "Captain, are we going to ram them?" asked Riker. "Affirmative, Number one. Perhaps we can finally do them some last bit of damage." "Like the meal biting its consumer's tongue. But the ship will be destroyed. No one could survive this." "It can't be helped. If we allow the Borg to assimilate the Enterprise and her crew, then we will all turned into Borg. At least this way, The Borg won't find out any more about the Federation..." Picard's voice trailed off to a whisper, "And we can die with some dignity." Riker sat back in his chair, and looked over at Troi. She was sitting with her head lowered, and Riker could see that her lips were moving in the dim light of the bridge. He looked away as the tear rolled down her cheek. She was praying. "Thrusters ready, sir." said Ro. "Launch the log buoys, Mister Worf. Ro, try to direct us as close to the centre of that ship as you can." Picard wearily eased himself back into his chair, putting his hands on the small elevated panels at each end of the chair's arms. "May God have mercy on my soul for what I am about to do." He whispered. "Ahead full speed, Ensign Ro." Ro touched the controls on her panel that activated the thrusters. Slowly, The Enterprise eased forward, gradually gaining momentum as the thrust was maintained. The Borg ship merely continued cutting away pieces of the Enterprise. "Sensors indicate that if the Borg raise their shields before we get inside, then the Enterprise will not be able to damage them." Said Worf. "Range and time to impact." "Twenty thousand kilometres, impact in fifty seconds." On the bridge, all eyes went to the Borg ship as it grew on the screen. "Captain, my sensors indicate another vessel approaching at high warp." said Worf. "Confirmed." said Ro. "Must be reinforcements starfleet managed to pull together." said Riker. "One ship won't be able to succeed where five failed, number one. Mister Worf, which vessel is it?" Worf looked at his panel in disbelief. "Captain, the ship's identification beam says it is the Enterprise!" Picard jumped up. "On visual!" The screen switched from the growing Borg ship to the vessel that was approaching them. It only appeared as a small dot. "Increase magnification." The image jumped and clarified to show the abandoned stardrive section of the Enterprise. "What the Devil? Mister Worf! How long until that ship gets here?" "It is within range of the Borg ship now, sir." The stardrive section of the Enterprise, which was abandoned and replaced after the Enterprise's previous battle with the Borg, swept into the Borg weapons field, her shields holding as it launched fourteen photon torpedoes and fired three phaser beams from the emitter on her underside. It passed over the Borg ship, and caught the Enterprise and the Hood in its tractor beam. A moment later, it fired a high energy phaser pulse at the source of the beam that was cutting into the Enterprise, destroying it. It then pulled the Enterprise and Hood away from the Borg ship, and launched a shuttle from its bay. It then warped out, and stopped along with the Enterprise and Hood, one light year away. "Put the Borg ship on screen." ordered Picard. On screen, The Borg ship was pulsing, parts of it apparently increasing in size, other shrinking. For a moment, it looked as if it were made of rubber, and was being squeezed through a small hole. Then it exploded in a mass of light and radiation. No matter was left of the Borg ship. As the nova-bright image slowly faded on the Enterprise's screen, Picard lowered his arm from in front of his eyes. He turned to face Worf. "What just happened?" Worf scanned the area, then reported, "The Borg ship was destroyed. The effects just before the explosion are consistent with the activation of the warp bombs." "Hail the stardrive section." "There is a reply coming in." "On screen." The screen changed to a view of Data, alone on the battle bridge, but with a cluster of wires running from one side of his head, which he had exposed. He was sitting in the command chair, behind what looked like a jury-rigged control panel. He looked at the screen. "Greetings, captain. I apologize for not having informed you sooner that reports of my demise have been exaggerated." "Mister Data? How did you repair the damage to the stardrive section?" "I did not, captain. The damage Lt. Commander LaForge reported was a large radiation leak that would have killed the crew of the Enterprise if the warp core had not been shut down. Since I am not affected by Radiation, I was able to get underway for this point, where the warp bombs could be engaged from a shuttle that I had placed the detonation transmitter on." "And you piloted the entire ship here with no help?" asked Riker, a broad smile crossing his face. "Not totally unaided, Commander. I linked my higher brain functions directly into the computer, and was able to control it as if it was an extension of myself. The connection proved to be very exhilarating. Furthermore, I believe that a study of the..." "Ah, yes Mister Data. Later. Beam over here as soon as possible. Can the stardrive section be repaired?" "Yes, sir. I believe so." "Very well. Worf, get over to the Hood with a medical crew. Mister Data, once you return, start working with Mister LaForge about getting your stardrive section repaired." "Captain's log, stardate 9000.1. The Enterprise has been repaired and has towed the Hood to starbase 105, where she will remain, pending a full refit. The Enterprise's repairs are almost complete, and we now have time for more productive activities." "It is my honour to present to Lt. Commander Data, second officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the medal of valour. For actions on or around stardate 8999.3, wherein his heroic actions saved the crews of two starships, and possibly the entire Federation." With this, Admiral Steylen stepped up to Data, and pinned Starfleet's highest honour on his chest. Data looked down at the medal on his chest, and turned to face the applause of five thousand beings, from the Enterprise, Hood, and the crew of starbase 105. Also awarded were the medal of valour, posthumously to the captains of the Valour and the Zhukov. In the Klingon empire, Captain Korn was posthumously given the NuqDaq yuch Dapol, their equivalent of the medal of valour. Back on the Enterprise, Data was in his quarters. He walked in, then locked the door behind him. Taking the medal off his chest, he walked over to his small case, which held the other medals he had been awarded. He moved to put this newest addition into the case, hesitated, then sat at his desk with the medal in hand. He looked at it for a second, then at the small, octagonal crystal on the corner of his desk. Turning it so that the switch on its base faced him, he hit the switch. The small crystal lit up, projecting a hologram of Tasha Yar, smiling, her hands clasped together in front of her. Data put the medal down in front of the image, and sat back in his chair, looking at them both. Picard paced uneasily in his quarters. "Computer. what is the time?" "It is fifteen hundred hours, Enterprise time." said the computer." "Damn." said Picard. Just then the door chimed. Picard half jumped, then tried to settle down. "Come." The doors slid open, and Troi stepped inside. "You asked to see me?" she said. "Yes, counsellor. um, please sit down." Piacrd gestured nervously at the couch. After she sat down, he sat beside her. "I would like to talk to you for a while." Troi relaxed. "About the Borg?" "Yes." said Picard, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. THE END