CHAPTER 15

“Admiral, the Borg are here.”

The quietly phrased statement rendered the Starfleet officers linked to the call momentarily speechless. It did not, however, silence the former Borg drone accompanying them.

“How many ships, Lieutenant?” she demanded, “How many drones?” Seven of Nine accessed long-unused tactical assimilation data in an effort to try and predict where the Collective might strike.

“One vessel confirmed, but we are having sensor difficulties. The transwarp corridor may still be open and there may be other vessels on the way.”

Kathryn Janeway recovered her voice before the admirals. “What’s its course and speed? Can we project what system it’s targeting for assimilation?”

The Vulcan officer from DS7 who had initially reported the incursion was strangely silent. The urgency of the situation prompted Janeway to bark “Report, Lieutenant!”

“To the best of our knowledge, Captain, the Borg vessel is stationary.”

“Stationary? Are you trying to tell me that a Borg cube just popped out of a transwarp corridor in the Alpha quadrant and stopped?”

“According to our ships on site that is precisely what it did, Captain.”

Admiral Nechayev finally found her voice. Glaring at Seven as if she were somehow at fault, she interjected, “Has the Borg vessel made any kind of aggressive move? Has it attempted contact of any kind?”

“No, Admiral,” replied Lieutenant Sepik as he leaned slightly to his right to accept a PADD from Ensign Bel, the junior officer in DS7 Ops. He consulted it briefly before replying, “The Daran reports no communication on any subspace band and the Shenandoah, which was the first ship on site, says that is hasn’t so much as opened an airlock door. The Borg shields are up, but even when the Shenandoah fired on it, it did not return fire. When the Daran arrived they took up flanking positions around the vessel and are observing it.”

“What do we have on the way?”

Lieutenant Commander Tripp looked down to consult a PADD in his hand. “The moment we had confirmation of the Borg vessel’s incursion we issued a nine-sector alert. There are currently twelve ships – four battleships, three dreadnaughts and six destroyers – enroute to the scene at maximum warp. The first of them should arrive within a few minutes; they all should be on site within forty minutes.”

“We’ll need a site commander,” commented Patterson, “What ships are on the way?”

“The battleships Andromeda, Korolev, Proteus and Reliant. The dreadnaughts Belisius, Kearsarge and Niagara. And the destroyers Cochise, Fletcher, Honshu, Loki, Reprisal and Tangent.”

“The Reliant is Matt Shepherd’s ship, right? He’d be the senior commander,” commented Admiral Ross as Nechayev nodded in agreement. “Commander Tripp, relay instructions to Captain Shepherd to assume comman…”

“Excuse me, Admiral,” interjected Lieutenant Sepik, “But we’re getting a communication from the Borg Vessel.”

“On screen!” Nechayev commanded.

The familiar artificial voice of the Borg sounded harsh in the comfortable den of the Indiana farmhouse. The psychological effect of it remained as always; an unconscious frisson of dread that snaked into the guts. But as the message unfolded shock replaced dread and all eyes focused on the former captain of Voyager.

“WE ARE THE FREE BORG. OUR INTENTIONS ARE NOT HOSTILE. WE CARRY A MESSAGE FOR THE FEDERATION. WE MUST SPEAK WITH JANEWAY.”

Admiral Nechayev’s voice was icy as she stared at Janeway. “Explain, Captain!”

Janeway looked confused as she replied, “Admiral?”

“The Borg are in the Alpha quadrant. They demand to speak with you. There’s a Borg drone standing next to you. Connect the dots! I want an explanation and I want it now!”

“How would I know why they’re here?”  Kathryn asked in genuine puzzlement.

“What about the drone? Does she have an explanation?” snapped Nechayev.

“My fiancée doesn’t know anything more about this than I do,” exploded Janeway, “and I resent your implication that she does!”

“WE ARE THE FREE BORG. OUR INTENTIONS ARE NOT HOSTILE. WE CARRY A MESSAGE FOR THE FEDERATION. WE MUST SPEAK WITH JANEWAY.”

Seven knew the exchange could spiral out of control quickly and laid a gentle hand on Kathryn’s shoulder.

“Kathryn,” she said quietly, “the admiral is upset as are we all. We must put aside personal feelings and decide how best to respond.”

“Dr. Hansen, could you discern anything from the message?” asked Patterson.

“No, Admiral. It is not a standard Borg hail and I have never known the Collective to use anything but the hails with which we are all familiar.” She frowned slightly for a moment and then said with an audible intake of breath, “Unless…”

Turning to Janeway she said urgently, “Kathryn, they referred to themselves as Free Borg. Could it be from General Korok?”

Janeway’s eyes popped. “Korok! My God, I never thought…” she spun to face Nechayev on the COMM screen. “Admiral, you can cross-reference information on General Korok in Voyager’s logs of Stardate…” she looked up questioningly at Seven.

“Stardate 54014.4,” supplied her fiancée promptly.

“…of Stardate 54014.4: subheading Unimatrix Zero. In the meantime might I suggest we buy ourselves some time? Contact the Borg vessel: tell them that I’m on my way into Headquarters and will contact them when I arrive there. How they respond to that will give us a pretty good idea of their intentions.”

Admiral Patterson broke in. “It’s a good idea. Tripp, you make contact; we’ll monitor their response from here. And Commander Tripp?”

“Yes, Admiral?”

“Launch a couple of shuttles to my coordinates. There are quite a few of us here who will need to make the trip into Headquarters.”

“Aye, aye Admiral.” Tripp looked to his right and nodded at the unseen officer there. “Very well, Lieutenant.” Swinging back to face the main view screen he continued, “Admiral, we’re ready to transmit our reply at your command.”

“Proceed,” ordered Nechayev flatly. The screen switched to a view of the Borg vessel. Seven of Nine and Janeway looked at each other. Seven quietly gave her relevant information.

“It is a tactical probe, Kathryn. Complement, 150 drones. Like the one we inadvertently blew up trying to immobilize it.” Janeway nodded and the admirals looked at them questioningly.

“Long story; I’ll tell you on the shuttle,” said Janeway returning her attention to the COMM screen. Starfleet’s reply echoed from the speakers.

“This is Starfleet Headquarters. We have received your transmission. Captain Janeway has been notified of your arrival and is enroute. She will contact you when she arrives. We repeat. Transmission received. Janeway is enroute and will contact you when she arrives.” All eyes were glued to their screens and collective breaths were unconsciously held.

“ACKNOWLEDGED, STARFLEET. WE WILL HOLD POSITION UNTIL CONTACTED BY JANEWAY. STANDING BY.”

Breathing resumed and tense shoulders relaxed. “Understood. Starfleet, out.”

Nechayev glared at Kathryn. “Get here immediately. We’re setting up in the conference room adjacent to the Command Center. Nechayev out.” The COMM unit went blank.

Kathryn swiveled the chair to face the complement of admirals behind her. “Well, I guess I’d better get into uniform, hadn’t I? Seven, could you get B’Elanna and Tom and Harry and the EMH? I want as many of our senior staff with us as possible. The more people we have at HQ who have actually dealt with the Borg the better.”

The group headed back out to the party only to be brought up short as Janeway stopped dead in the living room. Her senior staff was seated around the room having been gathered there by Ensign Radcliffe, her aide.

“What’s going on, Captain?” inquired B’Elanna for the group as they rose to their feet.

Owen Paris spoke up. “B’Elanna, you’d better give Miral to my wife; we’re going to need all of you at Headquarters. A Borg probe just popped out of a transwarp conduit near DS7 and they apparently wish to speak with your former captain. Shuttles are on the way.”

“Yes, sir!” replied B’Elanna, grabbing Tom as the officers and Starfleet brass headed back into the yard.

“Dammit!” snapped Janeway, rubbing her chin in annoyance.

“What is the matter, Kathryn?”

“I just realized I don’t have a uniform here and Mom’s replicator won’t handle clothing. I’ll have to wait until I get to HQ to change.”

“We have more pressing concerns, Kathryn.”

“What?”

“We are going to need to explain to your mother and sister why we are leaving our own party. And we have to pack.”

“Oh, shit!” The two women raced upstairs.

Outside in the yard Phoebe watched the senior officers of Voyager make their excuses to family and friends as she listened to the sound of the arriving shuttles. She wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulders and sighed heavily as they watched Kathryn and Seven approach with their carryalls on their shoulders.

“Well, at least they stayed long enough to eat.”

* * *

The flight to Headquarters was short but the conversation was spirited as Janeway brought her staff up to speed on events near DS7. Everyone avoided speculating on why the probe was there. Instead, they focused on the events surrounding Voyager’s fight with the Collective over Unimatrix Zero assuming it would become a popular topic once they arrived at HQ. Ensign Radcliffe soaked up every word like a sponge.

The shuttles touched down a few minutes later in a hardened, underground hangar adjacent to Headquarters. They were greeted by a grim-faced security detail whose leader assembled everyone, tapped his COMM badge and ordered “Energize!” They rematerialized in the conference room next to the Command Center. Several seconds later the ionized blue sparkles brought the admirals from the second shuttle to join them. Admiral Nechayev came through the door with Lieutenant Commander Tripp and everyone took a seat. Tripp passed out PADDS to everyone explaining that they contained Voyager’s logs pertaining to the events surrounding Unimatrix Zero.

Nechayev opened the briefing by asking Janeway to summarize the Unimatrix Zero confrontation with the Collective. As she recounted events Seven and the rest of the senior staff added additional events and perspectives to the narrative. When they had finished Nechayev began the questioning.

“And you never heard from this Korok again?”

“We maintained communication as long as we could. We knew that he had linked up with another Borg vessel which had been taken over by freed drones from Unimatrix Zero and that they were planning on continuing the fight against the Collective, but beyond that, no. We never heard from him again.”

“And you suspect that this, what did you call it …this tactical probe bears a message from him?”

“Admiral, we won’t know anything definite until we talk to them.”

Admiral Ross broke in. “Alynna, she’s right. She’s given us everything she knows. Until we understand what they want it’s all speculation anyway. Captain Janeway needs to make contact and learn what this is all about.”

“I agree,” commented Admiral Patterson. “Until Kathryn sits down and talks with them all we’re doing is playing a guessing game. It’s time we got some hard facts.”

Admiral Nechayev nodded, although it appeared reluctantly. She tapped her COMM badge and issued a terse order. As she rose from the table a security officer entered the room.

“Seven of Nine stays here. Everybody else can watch on the secondary view screens in the command center,” she said as she gathered her PADDS.

“You wait one damned minute!” bellowed Janeway in a fury. Propelled violently backward by her leap to her feet, her chair crashed into a credenza. The muscles in her jaw bulged as her teeth clenched. “I’ve had enough of your attitude! Seven is a senior member of my crew. Her insights saved our lives against the Borg more times than you’ve even seen the Borg. She gets an apology right now and is standing next to me when I talk with the Borg or you can have my resignation!”

“As you were, Captain!” barked Nechayev, freezing Kathryn in place. “Do you honestly think I’d let a former Borg drone with a functioning interlink node into our COMMAND center while you talk with other drones? That’s a security nightmare waiting to happen!”

“Attention! Fleet Admiral on deck!” barked Radcliffe springing to attention from his seat along the wall. Everyone in the room rose to attention as Neil Quinn, Chief of Operations and Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet, entered the room with his adjutant close behind.

“As you were,” he said easily as he took a seat at the conference table. “I understand the Borg came calling. Where are we doing about it?”

“Sir, we’ve got twelve fast attack ships either on site or very close to being so. The Borg vessel is holding position, waiting to speak with Captain Janeway. The runabout, Shenandoah, fired on the Borg vessel when it first exited its transwarp corridor, but the Borg vessel has not returned fire. So far, it’s a standoff,” replied Admiral Nechayev.

“And we don’t know why they want to speak with the captain? Why Captain Janeway and not Seven of Nine? Forgive me, young lady, or do you prefer Dr. Hansen?” The commander of Starfleet smiled engagingly at Seven as he asked the question.

“Seven of Nine is sufficient, Admiral Quinn. We believe that the Borg vessel may carry a message from Korok, a Klingon general and former drone. We severed his connection to the hive mind when we infected the Collective with a virus on Stardate 54014.4 and he has been fighting a civil war within the Collective ever since.”

“So it’s possible that whatever these Borg have to say could be either very good or very bad news for the Federation. Well, we’ll never know until we talk to them. Are you ready, Captain Janeway?”

 “Yes sir, I am. But I won’t speak with them unless Seven is with me. Her experience with the Collective will be critical.”

“I assumed she would be with you. Seems kind of…inefficient… to waste such a valuable resource. Why? Was there some reason you thought she wouldn’t be?”

Janeway refrained from glancing at Nechayev. Instead, she opted for a more generic comment. “Let’s just say her reception from Starfleet hasn’t been very warm to date.”

“I suppose I can understand why you’d say that. Why don’t we try to start over since she’s going to be a major player this evening? It would make everyone’s life a lot simpler if animosity wasn’t thrown into the mix.”  Rising, he strode around the table to stand next to Seven of Nine and extended his hand. “How do you do, Dr. Hansen? I’m Neil Quinn, Chief of Operations for Starfleet. Welcome home.”

The corner of Seven’s mouth quirked upward in amusement as she shook the offered hand. “I am very pleased to meet you, Admiral Quinn. It is good to be…home. Please call me Seven of Nine.”

“I certainly hope we can count on your help tonight, Dr. Hansen…Seven. We haven’t had much luck in the past where the Borg are concerned.”

“I will do all I can to assist, Admiral Quinn.”

“Thank you,” Quinn headed for the door. “Now, shall we listen to what the Borg have to say? Captain Janeway, if you and Seven will come with me we’ll get started.”

“Sir?’ interrupted Nechayev. “She still has a neural interface. If there are any drones on that vessel still connected to the hive mind there is a strong possibility that Seven of Nine could be…inadvertently…linked back with the Collective. It poses a security risk.”

“I cannot interface with the Collective through my interlink node. For it to function through the hive mind would require implants which have been removed from my body. The first of which was my neural transceiver. I cannot reconnect with the Collective unless I am re-assimilated.” Seven smiled her small smile at Nechayev. “And Admiral, I have no intention of ever being re-assimilated. I will die first.”

“That’s good enough for me,” replied Admiral Quinn, “Now let’s get down to business. I, for one, would very much like to hear what these ‘Free Borg’ have to say.” Those still seated rose and followed them into the Command Center.

Janeway and Seven took seats in front of the main view screen as the rest of the group gathered around secondary screens at one side of the room.

“We’re ready when you are, Captain,” said one of the COMM officers quietly at a nod from Quinn.

“Open a channel, Ensign,” commanded Janeway. When the image of the Borg probe filled the view screens she hailed the ship. “This is Captain Kathryn Janeway. I have Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01 with me. Why have you come to the Alpha quadrant?”

“WE ARE THE FREE BORG. WE CARRY A MESSAGE FOR YOU AND YOUR FEDERATION FROM GENERAL KOROK.”

“Is there an individual in command of your vessel?”

“RONNIK COMMANDS THIS VESSEL.”

“May we speak with Ronnik directly? Communication between individuals is easier for us than with a collective.”

“WE WILL ESTABLISH THE LINK.”

A moment later the screen resolved into what would be considered the bridge area of the Borg probe. A Hirogen appeared on the screen, heavy scarring on his head and face gave mute testimony to where Borg implants had been removed.

“Greetings, Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine. I am Ronnik, Alpha of Vessel 6982. Korok sends greetings and news.”

“Hello, Ronnik. How is Korok? And how goes the fight against the Collective?”

“When we began our journey to the Alpha quadrant Korok was strong and hunting Borg. The Free Borg now command over 400 ships and Korok has a strong fighting force of nearly twelve million. Our warriors continue to free drones from the Collective. But there are reports of the Borg gaining strength in some areas of the quadrant. Reports of new assimilations are coming in.”

“Why is it news that the Borg are assimilating? The Borg have always assimilated,” replied Seven.

Ronnik appeared uneasy with her logic. “You have not been in the Delta quadrant since you destroyed the transwarp hub. You have no knowledge of the effects of your attack.”

“We would very much like to know the effects of our actions, Ronnik,” prompted Janeway.

“I have tactical data from Korok and logs from his vessel since you parted after freeing us from the hive mind. If you study them you will understand why I have been sent here to warn your Federation about the Borg.”

“Will you transmit those logs to us?”

Ronnik gestured to a drone to his left. “Transmitting now.”

Seven of Nine had not missed the tone of Ronnik’s report. “Is there something else which troubles Korok? Another reason he sent you here, Ronnik?”

The Hirogen nodded as he reached for a PADD nearby. “We received this report upon freeing a cube and the drones on it ninety-six hours ago. Their tactical updates indicate that the hive mind is once again under the control of a Queen. We found a working vinculum at the heart of the cube.”

Janeway and Seven looked at each other in alarm. To their knowledge the neurolytic pathogen which Admiral Janeway carried had infected the Collective and destroyed the Queen. That there was a new Queen in place who had apparently regained control of the hive mind was disturbing news. So much so, it appeared, that Admiral Quinn caught Janeway’s eye and pointed at himself. She nodded her understanding.

“Ronnik, I’m sure you can see that there are other senior officers of Starfleet present. Would you be willing to answer some of their questions if you can?”

“My instructions were to deliver these logs and the message to you, Captain Janeway. But if your Alphas have other questions I will try to answer them.” Quinn and Nechayev made their way to the front of the room next to Janeway and Seven and Janeway introduced the two flag officers.

“Ronnik, this is Admiral Quinn and Admiral Nechayev. Admiral Quinn commands all of Starfleet and Admiral Nechayev commands operations in the Terran Sector.” Both admirals nodded a greeting to the Hirogen Alpha. Quinn spoke first.

“Ronnik, we appreciate your coming all this way to alert us that the Borg appear to be on the rise again. But how exactly is that a warning for us?”

“The Collective had six transwarp hubs scattered throughout the quadrant. They led to all quadrants of the galaxy and all areas of those quadrants. When Voyager destroyed the Queen and one transwarp hub, three more were destroyed when Borg cubes transiting them self-destructed on orders from the Queen. But two of the hubs remained intact, although there was no Queen to control the interspatial manifolds. They remained intact, and the new Queen knows how the Collective was nearly destroyed. She knows Voyager used one of her hubs to return to the Alpha quadrant. She knows Janeway. And the Borg have wanted to assimilate your Earth since Locutus of Borg was added to the Collective. The Queen is building her forces to invade your quadrant and assimilate Earth.”

Stunned silence met this declaration. Quinn, Nechayev and the other admirals exchanged worried looks as the Chief of Staff returned his attention to the view screen.

“Ronnik, do you have proof of these claims? I do not mean to doubt your word, but if we are to plan a defense or a preemptive strike to stop the Borg we’ll need more information.”

“We carry the logs of over two hundred vessels and the tactical data from them. You may examine these logs and we will help you decipher them if you require it.” Ronnik leaned over to support the Brunali crewman next to him who suddenly doubled over. Quinn noticed.

“Ronnik, is your crew ill? Can we be of assistance?”

“We are not ill, Alpha Quinn. But the suppressing medications we must all take to control the rejection of our implants can sometimes cause negative side effects.”

Quinn made a snap decision. “Ronnik, we have physicians who are very skilled at removing Borg implants; two in particular. Would you consider bringing your vessel to our Terran sector? That way we can decipher the logs and develop a threat assessment and our physicians can give you all the assistance available. I also have another idea I would like to discuss with you when you arrive here, if you’re willing to do so.”

Ronnik considered the offer for a moment. “Thank you Alpha Quinn. My crew would appreciate any help you can offer and we will help you to understand the threat facing your world as best we can.”

Quinn issued orders for the Daran, Andromeda and Reliant to escort the Borg ship to McKinley Station. As acknowledgment came from their commanders that they were standing by he sent coordinates and course headings to Ronnik’s vessel and bid him a safe journey. When the screen went blank he turned to Janeway, Seven and the other admirals.

“Well, they’re on their way here. We’ve got seventy-two hours to decide how we’re going to deal with this possible threat before our guests arrive. I suggest we adjourn for the evening and reconvene tomorrow morning in the third floor conference room at 0900 hours. Captain Janeway, Dr. Hansen, I want both of you to join us. Your expertise will be invaluable. Any questions?”

At the mention of Seven, Nechayev scowled but kept silent. Janeway noticed her reaction, though, and bristled slightly.

“Admiral Quinn? May I suggest that members of my senior staff attend the meeting as well? All of them are very experienced in dealing with the Borg. Their input might give us additional data.”

“I agree, Captain. Have them here as well. Can you think of anyone else we ought to have with us?”

“Not offhand, sir. But I –“

“Admiral, may I make a suggestion?” interjected Seven quietly.

“Of course, Dr. Hansen. What would you suggest?”

“Captain Picard and Captain Riker should be recalled to attend. They also have experience in fighting the Borg.”

“You’re absolutely right. Thank you for reminding me of those valuable resources.” He turned to Nechayev. “Alynna, please see to it that Enterprise and Titan are recalled immediately. I want Picard and Riker with us when we talk with the Borg.”

Admiral Nechayev nodded her acquiescence and decided to play a trump card of her own. “I think Commander Shelby should also be in attendance, Admiral.”

Quinn frowned for a moment as he tried to remember to whom Nechayev was referring.  When the memory surfaced he smiled and nodded in agreement. “Yes, she is considered our resident expert on the Borg, isn’t she? Well, make sure she’s here too; if nothing else she’ll learn a thing or two from the folks who’ve actually dealt with the Borg. See to it, Alynna.”

With that he bade everyone in the room good night and left, pointedly ignoring the look of extreme displeasure on Admiral Nechayev’s face.