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SCORPION Episodes 68 & 69 Part D

The crew can only watch amazed at what has just happened - all those Borg cubes rushing by and none of them stopping to try and assimilate Voyager!

Chakotay draws Janeway's attention to the viewscreen: "Captain." There is one last Borg cube to come, but it is not moving. It sends out a Borg scanning beam.

The scanning beam begins to sweep across the Bridge. Kim: "I'm picking up a polaron beam. We're being scanned."

The beam continues its sweep, from Voyager's port to starboard.

As the scanning beam passes across Chakotay he flinches.

As it gets to Janeway she mutters wrily: "Think good thoughts."

Then the beam finishes and the Borg cubes races off. Tuvok: "The last cube has rejoined the others." Janeway: "Did we sustain any damage?" Kim: "No. Shields held, warp engines are coming back online, all primary systems are stable." Janeway: "Stand down red alert."

Janeway: "Harry, maintain a long-range sensor lock on that Borg armada. They seemed to be in quite a hurry, didn't they. I'd like to know what they're up to." Kim: "Yes, Ma'am." Janeway: "I'll take this near-miss as a good omen." To Paris: "Resume our course."

Chakotay: "If we needed any more evidence that we've entered Borg space, I think we just got it. Janeway: "I'll be in my Ready Room." She leaves.

Janeway is at her desk in her Ready Room, concentrating on reading Starfleet records about the Borg. The door signal sounds. door signal "Yes, come in." standard doors Chakotay enters, carrying a PADD. Chakotay: "We've just completed the latest sensor sweep. So far, so good. The Northwest Passage is still clear of Borg activity." Janeway: "I'd like to see a tactical update."

Chakotay hands her the PADD and turns to leave, but he senses she is troubled and tries to lighten the mood. "According to my calculations, neither of us has eaten since last night. Join me for dinner?" Janeway: "No, thanks. I'm not hungry. I've got a lot of work to do." Chakotay: "I see."

Janeway: "I've been looking through the personal log entries of all the Starfleet Captains who encountered the Borg. I've gone over every engagement, from the moment Q flung the Enterprise into the path of that first cube, to the massacre at Wolf 359, every battle, every skirmish, anything that might give me an insight into the mind of the Collective."
Chakotay: "And?"

Janeway: "In the words of Jean-Luc Picard: 'In their Collective state, the Borg are utterly without mercy, driven by one will alone: the will to conquer. They are beyond redemption, beyond reason.' And then there's Captain Amasov of the Endeavour: 'It is my opinion that the Borg are as close to pure evil as any race we've ever encountered.'" She trails off when she sees that Chakotay is smiling. "What's so funny?"

Chakotay: "Nothing." Janeway: "You're smiling. Obviously, I've said something amusing." Chakotay: "You sounded just like Amasov." Janeway: "What?" Chakotay: "Just now, while you were reading his log. You were using his inflections." Janeway: "I did not." Chakotay: "Yes, you were. And before that, you were doing a pretty good Picard." Janeway: "Was I?"

Chakotay: "It's nothing to be ashamed about, echoing the Greats. Ensign Hickman in astrophysics does a passable Janeway." Janeway smiles at that. Chakotay has disarmed her with humour and, for a moment, some of the tension she feels melts away. She banters: "If we manage to survive the next few days, I'm going to have a little chat with Ensign Hickman. Imitating the Captain, huh? Surely that violates some kind of Starflect protocol."

She stands, feeling serious again. She moves over to the window and looks for a moment out into deep space. "This day was inevitable. We all knew it, and we've all tried to prepare ourselves for the challenge ahead. But at what point is the risk too great? At what point do we come about and retreat to friendly territory? Could the crew accept living out the rest of their lives in the Delta Quadrant? I keep looking to all these Captains, my comrades in arms. But the truth is: I'm alone."

Chakotay: "If that moment comes, we'll face it together. And we'll make the right decision. You're not alone, Kathryn."

She breaks into a warm smile, appreciating him. His quiet solidarity is reassuring. "Three years ago I didn't even know your name. Today I can't imagine a day without you."

They are interrupted by a com. signal. comms. signal Tuvok's voice: "Captain Janeway to the Bridge."

Janeway and Chakotay enter the Bridge from their conversation in the Ready Room. Janeway: "Gentlemen." Kim: "Something strange is going on." Tuvok: "The power signatures of those Borg vessels have terminated." Chakotay: "All of them?" Kim nods. "They're dead in the water, about 5.2 light years from here." Janeway: "Cause?" Tuvok: "Unknown."

Janeway: "Mr Paris." Paris: "Captain?" Janeway: "Set a course for their position - warp two."

Kim: "We're approaching the ships." Janeway: "Slow to impulse. On screen." The viewscreen shows wreckage - the ships of the Borg armada which had rushed past Voyager earlier!

Chakotay: "Lifesigns?" Kim: "A few, but they're erratic." Tuvok: "Captain, I'm detecting two residual weapons signatures in the debris. One is Borg, the other is of unknown origin." Paris: "Who could do this to the Borg?"

Slowly Voyager cruises through the cemetery of the remnants of the Borg cubes. It is a graveyard of large starships blown to pieces. All that is left is debris, chunks of hull and flotsam.

Janeway: "Someone more powerful than the Borg. It's hard to imagine."

Kim: "But they did it - fifteen cubes! We might've just found our ticket through Borg space - an ally."
Chakotay: "Let's not jump to conclusions. Scan the vicinity for other vessels."
Tuvok: "There are none."

Kim: "Hold on. I'm picking up some sort of bio-readings. They're coming from the outer hull of one of the Borg ships."

Janeway: "Let's see it."
On the viewscreen they seen a small organic-looking bio-mass on the hull of a Borg cube.
Janeway: "Magnify, Mr Kim."
Kim: "It's definitely organic but our sensors can't penetrate its surface."
Janeway: "Send a standard greeting."
Tuvok does so then reports: "No response."
Chakotay: "This could be a space-dwelling organism or a biological weapon."
Janeway: "I'd like to know what kind of weapon could destroy the Borg. Can we beam it away from the ship?"
Kim tries. "I can't get a lock on it."
Chakotay: "Tractor beam?"
Tuvok tries. "No effect."
Kim: "Whatever that thing is, it's impervious to our technology."
Janeway: "Tuvok, are you reading an atmosphere in the cube?"
Tuvok: "Affirmative."
Janeway to Chakotay: "Commander Chakotay, I want you to take an away team inside, try to get a short-range scan of the bio-mass."
Tuvok: "There are still Borg lifesigns, but they're unstable."
Janeway to Chakotay: "We'll keep an open comlink and an active transporter lock and we will pull you out of there at the first sign of trouble."
Chakotay acknowledges. "Tuvok, Harry, you're with me."