Perfection, 27 of 28
"PERFECTION"
by Jim Smith
Fine print: I don't own Star Trek and I'm not claiming to. I just own the story. Ask me before you do anything with it.
Chapter Twenty-seven.
"I'm not getting any readings," Godavarthy reported to Captain Lancaster. "Whatever Unimatrix Zero's new weapon is, it's offline now."
Lancaster approached the viewscreen, which displayed Stormwind's aft view of the battle. With the omega mortar out of commission, the swarm of Borg cubes now tightened around Intercomplex 934. the Xhiryptyr'x ships continued to attack, but there simply weren't enough of them to punch through the Borg's lines. "Status of Zero forces?"
"They're in full withdrawal," Narb-Uzek answered. "They're abandoning the station. It's over."
"I beg to differ, Lieutenant." Ijhel had been on the bridge ever since the Stormwind dropped off Kreighen and Ajax. Lancaster was beginning to regret that he'd permitted this. "Captain, we must go back for them."
His response was coldly honest. "Doctor, this vessel barely made it through the battlefield to put them there. There's nothing more we can do to assist Commander Kreighen, and he knew that when he beamed down."
"Given there is nothing we can do," Mindek observed, "is there any point in holding our position?"
Lancaster released a heavy sigh. "The Borg will either assimilate the means to produce omega molecules, or trigger a subspace explosion. Either way, there's nothing we can do now but assess the threat to the Alliance. We will remain here for as long as possible, and gather all the information we can."
"Captain, as long as we're staying," Ijhel protested, "there's no reason not to try to recover your first officer!"
"Madam, your efforts are futile." Lancaster stared her down with an authority she hadn't yet encountered in a Starfleet officer. "At this range, the transporter system would never be able to lock a beam onto any individual life sign."
Ijhel refused to back down, and fully intended to tell the captain off. But there was nothing to say. He was right, and she knew it. There was nothing left for her to do but to leave the bridge, and contemplate fate--her own, and that of the galaxy...
***
By the time Kreighen caught side of Hardcastle again, he was in the same condition as Tirava--bleary-eyed and acting not of his own volition. There was no sign of Ajax, but then again he was in no position to go looking for the sergeant, with Tirava's weapon up against his back.
As he was led through the intercomplex, he saw Borg drones beaming in left and right. Clearly they had overwhelmed Unimatrix Zero. But instead of searching for the omega molecules, they simply stood and waited. It was curious behavior for the Borg...unless they knew that the task had been assigned to someone else in their ranks.
He was finally brought to an assimilation bay, where Jimenez and Vystir were loading a large storage container into the cargo hold of the Hrunting. Admiral Janeway and General Korok were also there--still alive, surprisingly, but as motionless as statues.
"You have to admit, Jake," Jimenez smiled as he returned from the shuttle, "I got you there."
"You did," Kreighen grudgingly admitted. "Though I'm surprised you didn't kill me as soon as you had the chance. Or anyone here."
"I considered it," Jimenez admitted. "But we decided their brain power was better put to good use. Besides, each of you possesses high-value intelligence. Sooner or later Merrani will be able to assimilate whatever's on your mind."
"Did she assimilate that Janeway thinks she contacted the Borg behind your back?" Kreighen wondered.
Jimenez grimaced. "Janeway has proven to be a tough nut to crack. But I already know about that, so there's no use driving a wedge between us. Really, it all worked out for the best."
Vystir wandered up to her lover's side and continued his train of thought. "As we've experimented with exerting control over others, my telepathic abilities continue to grow. We've even established contact with the Borg before they beamed--" she shuddered as though struck by a cold breeze.
"You'll have to excuse her, Jake," Jimenez explained. "The sight of you reminds her of some...intense experiences she found in Tirava's head."
But Kreighen was more ashamed for the pair than offended by them. "This is what you aspire to, Nathan? You and your girl getting off on other people's memories? Is that what you think is gonna happen if you join the Borg?"
"We don't have to join the Borg." Jimenez gestured to an empty space twenty yards away, and in seconds a squad of drones beamed to that position. "They're joining us."
"We petitioned the entity you think of as 'the Borg queen,'" Vystir elaborated. "But what you imagine to be her authority is simply the summation of the Collective's root directives. The highest of those directives is to assimilate the omega molecule. When Nathan and I secured control of it, we became their highest priority."
"Then tell them to surrender to the Federation," Kreighen suggested. "War's over, problem solved."
Vystir cocked her head. "You overestimate the extent of our influence...for now. It will take time to expose all of the Borg to our message."
"And that message isn't in support of the Borg or the Federation, Jake." Jimenez seemed to glow as he described it. "There's a third way now. We can teach the Borg that they can exist in perfection and assimilate the universe without hurting anyone. You won't have to fight them anymore."
"I just have to let them absorb my culture and my society, right?"
"Your society is small, and thinks in small terms," Jimenez retorted. "The Borg aren't perfect either, but at least they can adapt. And now they'll adapt to service us."
Kreighen crossed his arms. "I don't think the Queen will just roll over and let that happen."
"She will not comply," Vystir agreed. "But we will possess omega, and the secrets of Species 10538."
Jimenez could see that got his attention. "You didn't think we wouldn't figure that out, did you? The Borg wait until they have all the facts before they reach a conclusion, but we don't. The Xhiryptyr'x are potentially the next great power in the Delta Quadrant. That distinction is going to belong to us."
Kreighen's worst fears hadn't even covered this possibility. It was getting harder to maintain a brave, defiant stance in the face of defeat. "If you two have it all figured out, why waste time telling me?"
"Because it's our time to waste," Jimenez gloated. He walked up to Kreighen, and put his finger on the commander's temple. "We've won, Jake. All that's left is to find out what you're hiding in there. What you really know about the Xhiryptyr'x. How you suddenly showed up in that prison without a starship. Why Merrani hasn't been able to read your thoughts..."
Jimenez's eyes widened, and he turned to Vystir seconds before she spoke. "Keniclizene," she whispered. "He was injected with keniclizene...but it's wearing off..."
"Nobody's used that stuff in centuries," Jimenez said. He grabbed Kreighen by the collar, and pressed him for more details. "Who gave it to you? How did you even know you'd need to defend yourself against invasive telepathy?"
Kreighen struggled against his grip, but the phaser at his back ensured he didn't resist too much. "They...they didn't tell me I would..."
"Who?" Jimenez thundered.
Five feet behind him, Vystir shut her eyes tightly, and concentrated. "I've...almost...he's resisting. But I've found where he's hiding...a single word...syllable...a letter..."
Before she could uncover the secret, she lost consciousness. In an instant, Jimenez sensed it and turned away to Kreighen to see what happened. What he found was Vystir's body, limp, but supported by some unseen force. And then that force revealed itself, as color flooded into photonic fields, and made Ajax visible once again. His fingers were still on her shoulder, applying a Vulcan nerve hold.
Jimenez only had a second to realize the magnitude of this. With Vystir unconscious, he could not extract any secrets from Kreighen's mind. He could not apply his own mental capacity to powerful telepathic abilities. He could not restrain Janeway or Korok. And most importantly, he could not control Hardcastle or Tirava.
Panicking, he swung around to face Kreighen again, only to find that Tirava was one step ahead. Her mind and body had been usurped for the last time, and any friendship they once shared would not stop her from having revenge. Her phaser fell to the floor as she ran up and leaped at Jimenez, to beat him with her bare hands.
Kreighen, for his part, could only stand there gaping at Ajax. "What--how--when were you gonna tell me you could do that!?"
Ajax lowered Vystir to the ground, and shrugged at him. "Stealth isn't very important when you're fighting Borg."
"It certainly won't help now," Hardcastle added.
His point reminded Kreighen of the garrison of drones that had just beamed in, who were now lumbering across the room to protect their masters. Along with Janeway and Korok--who by this time had both regained their senses--they backed away, gathering together in a tight formation. As Tirava continued to pummel Jimenez, Kreighen gave her a tap on the shoulder, bringing her out of her rage long enough to notice the situation.
"I don't understand," Janeway muttered. "He can't control them without her..."
Jimenez managed to sit up and wipe the blood from his face. "We're not like you," he spat. "They follow us because they choose to. You won't win..."
As, Ajax, Tirava, Hardcastle, Janeway, and Korok huddled alongside him, Kreighen realized that most of them were unarmed. It would take the Borg a few seconds at the most to capitalize on that fact. "Everybody head for the shuttle," he said quietly. "Don't look back, just run."
As they turned to flee, Jimenez continued to assert his victory. "It doesn't matter if you get away or not!" he shouted. "You can't punch your way out of this, Jake! None of you can!"