Dawn of Forever, Part XXVIII

"Please," Sebastian hissed, trying to get a handle on both the holographic reality and the present one as the drones moved to assimilate him and Romal, "don't make me destroy you!"

"Your threats are empty," the Borg Collective replied. "You will become one with the Borg again."

"No!"

"Why do you resist us, Sebastian?" the Collective asked. "We know the memory of your wife's death is the cause of your erratic behavior. We will take the pain away."

"I don't want you to take it away!" Sebastian was breathing heavy.

"We can read your biosigns," the Collective reminded him. "You are lying. You want to be one with us again. You want the pain to stop."

"I can't let you do this," Sebastian said.

"You cannot prevent us. Do not resist. We will give you the peace individuality has failed to provide."

Romal fired his blaster and hit an approaching drone in the chest. "I'm perfectly at peace without you!" he protested.

"Your vision is limited, Romal the Attorney. You will become one with the Borg." He fired again, but it had no effect. He dropped the blaster and pressed into the wall.

"Then everything they ever said was true," Sebastian said. "Every hateful word and action was fully justified. You always were evil, and you always will be." Romal cowered as the drone grabbed his shoulder and extended its assimilation tubules, while Sebastian dispatched two more drones. "You deserved to be outcasts!"

The Borg Queen grabbed the drone's shoulder and tossed him backwards. She stepped in front of Romal, facing the others. "Stop," she said.

"This is the only logical way," the Collective said.

"There is more to existence than logic," the Collective responded.

"That itself is not logical."

"We have mastered logic," the opposing Collective observed, "yet we have not attained perfection."

"Irrelevant."

"The protocols provided by Sebastian Skywalker have not failed. There is no reason to abandon them."

"They are inefficient."

"But they are moral."

"Morality is irrelevant."

The Borg Queen's jaw trembled. "No," she said with the voice of the Collective, "it's not."

"Your perspective is corrupt. You are interfering in our ability to function."

"Our thoughts are not one on this," the Queen said. "And this voice is not alone. We were given a second chance; to return to those ways that ultimately led to our first destruction would be foolish."

"We have eliminated the means to destroy us."

"What destroyed us was that we turned everyone in the universe against us."

"They cannot destroy us again."

"That is irrelevant," the Queen said. "The Borg made agreements with those in our employ, and they trusted us. If we can never be trusted, then we are flawed, and how can we ever truly achieve perfection if that is true?"

Romal turned to the hologram of Sebastian. "What's going on?" he hissed. He shouldn't have been able to, but Devaronians were always good at hissing despite how many S's were present.

"The Collective is of two minds on the subject," Sebastian said. "And it seems to be a very strong opposition. Any differences are normally resolved in micro-seconds, because it is all about logic."

"So what's the problem?"

Sebastian shook his head. "This isn't about logic," he said. "Kalib was wrong. This is about doing it simply because it's right."

"If you continue to divide us," the Collective said to the Queen, "you will destroy us all."

"Correct," the Queen said.

"That is not logical."

"I don't care." Sebastian's eyes bugged out. Not "we," she said "I."

"Then you must be malfunctioning."

"I lost all that mattered to me once," the Queen said. "I was given another chance. I won't let us throw this opportunity away."

The seconds drew out until they became minutes. No one moved, no one spoke. For a time, Sebastian wondered if the schism in the Borg mind had done them in, but then the drones stepped forward and grabbed the Borg Queen, pulling her into the center of the room. "No!" Sebastian said. "Let her go!"

"It's all right," the Queen said. "We have found an agreement. The Collective will adopt your protocols; they are being integrated into our collective consciousness, so that they will not deviate from them. You do not have to fear us ever again, Sebastian, I promise." Her arms were pulled off.

"But what's happening?" Sebastian said anxiously.

"In return, I am to be disassembled. My willingness to destroy the Collective is deemed a malfunction; I cannot be allowed to continue to operate."

Sebastian watched in horror as the drones continued taking her to pieces. "You can't let them do this!"

"It was the only way," the Queen said. "The Collective, Sebastian, was my family, and it was my role to protect it. I failed them once... if I must cease to exist in order to save it, then it is a small price to pay. You understand, don't you?"

Sebastian's lip trembled. "Yes, I do."

"I knew you would. Thank you, for bringing them back to meeeeeee-" Her voice dropped in pitch as her head was disconnected from the spine, and her eyes closed. The drones carried the various pieces from the room.

A panel on the wall opposite of Romal hissed and slid open. Chilled fog spilled out as the room was brought up to normal temperature. Inside there was a sound of tubules snapping and disconnecting. A Borg stepped out, in every feature exactly the same as her predecessor. "I am the Queen," she informed Sebastian. "I speak for the Borg."

Sebastian nodded, then ran his hand down his face, trying to rub the exhaustion from his eyes. "Kriff," he muttered as he wandered off. "Why in hell didn't I just go to the Academy with Jorri in the first place..."

The H-wing dropped out of hyperspace in orbit around Vidik. There was enough traffic that one more small ship wouldn't be of any concern unless it started acting strange. It was about to. "Are you finished with the modifications to the jamming suite?" Ben Skywalker asked.

"Yes, master," Molly said. "We can drop it in orbit as soon as you like."

"Then do so," Ben said. "Then we can land and put this ridiculous mission behind us."

Molly hesitated. "Those are dangerous thoughts, Ben," she said. "Even more dangerous to say."

"I don't care," he said. "What's she going to do, kill me again? It would almost be welcome." Molly, unsure of how to respond, decided that silence was always a good answer, and went back to drop the jamming suite. It was small and would be very hard to find, and it would cut off the entire planet. She released it and returned to the cockpit. Ben was already bringing the ship in to land on the outskirts of the city. Stealth would be necessary to get to their targets without another massive firefight, but it would take time to get to the various leaders and eliminate them. Patience didn't seem to be one of Ben's virtues at the moment, however, but he still carried through on the plan. To deviate from the Oracle's plan was the only thing more dangerous than speaking against it.

Sebastian's Cube rendezvoused with the Queen's, and he beamed on board. She was waiting, as was Romal, who seemed visibly relieved. Sebastian got down to business, because that's how Borg always operated. "You tried assimilating the two of us," he said to the Queen. "Anyone else? Any of our employees?"

"No," the Queen said.

"Any aberrant behavior that was witnessed by anyone outside the Collective?"

"No."

"Good. Your predecessor stated that you would not deviate from the protocols again; is this true?"

"Of course. It is part of how we think now."

"So you will never force innocent people or worlds into being assimilated," Sebastian said. "I want that clear."

"It is clear," the Queen said. "We will exchange for what we want, rather than taking. That is morally acceptable."

Sebastian pondered this. "If I give you instructions on something, will you promise to carry them out to the letter?"

The Queen nodded. "Of course."

Sebastian took a deep breath. "I'm going to reactivate my connection to the Collective, complete link-up. Our thoughts will be one."

"So you will know I'm not lying," the Queen said, filling in the gaps.

"I think you understand why I'd like to be sure," Sebastian said. "After exactly two minutes, you will terminate my connection to the Collective, completely."

"We understand."

"I'm not finished," Sebastian said. "This is very, very important. After I am disconnected, you are not to re-establish the connection under any circumstances. Any circumstances. No matter how much I may beg, plead, threaten, negotiate, whatever, you must not allow me to be reconnected to the group mind. Sedate me, if necessary, use whatever restraint is required, but do not re-establish the link. Clear?"

"Yes."

Sebastian took another deep breath. His mother had taught him a great deal about growing implants and devices in the later days, and he'd practiced quite a bit. Re-activating the appropriate implants in his brain was child's play; he became one with the Borg...

Sebastian gasped as individuality soon was re-asserted and doubled over somewhat. He put his hands over his face and felt the tears. Why did I tell her that?! he cursed to himself. For the first time in a long while he'd stopped feeling alone... the ache had left him. "It wasn't long enough," Sebastian said. "I need you to-"

"No."

Sebastian ground his teeth and tightened his fist in the air, wanting to knock the Queen right through the wall with his bare hands. He breathed heavily several times, then started to get his emotions back under control. "Fine," he said.

"Your behavior is very confusing, Sebastian," the Queen said, "but we will honor your original instructions."

"Yes," he said, then took another deep breath through his nose, "yes. It was... it was the right thing. Give me and Romal a minute," he said. The Queen nodded and Sebastian took the Devaronian aside. "You all right?"

"I pissed myself, but other than that, I'm fine," Romal said, still visibly nervous. "You?"

"I'll live," Sebastian said. "Unfortunately."

"Um, okay. Can I ask something of you?" Sebastian nodded. "Get me the hell out of here!" he whispered.

"Listen, Romal, I know you're upset-"

"Upset?! We are way beyond upset, Sebastian; we've entered the realm of scared shitless! Get me off this ship!"

"Romal, calm down," Sebastian said. "Listen to me, okay? Calm..."

"I did not sign up for this," Romal said. "You have all put me in danger countless times, but this time was it!"

"Just listen," Sebastian said. "Please." Romal hissed but agreed. "The Empire's collapsing as we speak. Somebody's going to have to do something to keep the galaxies together." Sebastian let the silence speak for him.

A light soon dawned for Romal. "You mean the rumors... about you..."

"I don't know what's going to happen," Sebastian said. "But if that plays out, if they... give me that authority, then it would certainly be good to have been my friend through thick and thin, wouldn't it? I'm sure wealth and power would be within easy reach."

Romal made a placating gesture, adjusted his collar, and let out a breath to release some tension. "Okay, you have my attention."

"What happened with the Borg was a one time thing," Sebastian said. "They're not going to harm you or anyone else, that's why I rejoined the Collective; they can't deceive me in there. But if word of this got out, it would be devastating to the Borg's reputation that we've been working so hard to build. What happened ends here, understand? As far as I'm concerned, it never happened. Otherwise, things are going to get very ugly for us."

Romal nodded, but there was still some tension. "It never happened," he agreed.

"Good," Sebastian said. "I'll explain the matter to the Borg Queen so they don't ever mention it. The thing about a being of perfect logic and massive intellect is the frequency with which it says stupid things."

The two returned to the Queen, but it was clear that something else was a matter of concern. "The Vong are moving," she informed them. "Long-range sensor readings are showing exactly the same pattern of attack the Vong used upon their initial invasion."

No doubt seizing the opportunity of the Empire's collapse, Sebastian thought. "What are we looking at?" he asked.

A hologram of the Delta Quadrant formed in the air. An expanding green blob indicated the Vong forces. "A rapid advance that will overtake millions of worlds," the Queen said. "Based upon their prior actions, they will likely stop here." A yellow blob appeared, holding a sizeable percentage of the quadrant. "Then they will reinforce their position to prepare for any counterattack."

"All the while stripping the invaded worlds of their biomatter," Sebastian said. "Their army will continue to grow." He rubbed his forehead and shook his head while he looked at the map. It had to be hundreds of sectors. "I don't know if we can stop them," he admitted under his breath.

"We must," the Queen said. "As Kalib said, we are indirectly responsible."

Sebastian looked over at her. Damn! If they could get the Borg to develop social responsibility, maybe they really could pull anything off, even stopping this. "How much damage can we do the Vong right now?"

"Minimal," the Queen said. "Our forces are scattered across the galaxy; it will take time to bring them back."

"Well, we're going to need them sooner or later," Sebastian said. "Let's assume for the moment that the threats against our interests elsewhere are minimal, quantify that potential threat level, increase that by five percent, and leave that in position. The rest need to come to the Delta Quadrant."

"Agreed," the Queen said.

"Okay, we can't help everyone, but we can do something. Let's get a list of all the major systems in the threat zone." A list scrolled by in the air. "Wait, stop!" Sebastian said. "Vidik."

"The Vidik Council," Romal said, understanding what he meant. The announcement had just been made across the holonet about a coalition of independent worlds that had gathered on Vidik to consider legal action against the Empire. They had publicly condemned the atrocity committed against Chandrilla and promised that they would see those responsible punished. That had been mere hours ago.

"Look at the concentration in that direction," Sebastian said. "The Vong want that system. They want those people for the Vong mind."

"Didn't they get a sampling of leaders across the galaxy already though?" Romal said.

"That was years ago, and before the systems went independent. This is a golden opportunity for the Vong; no wonder they launched an attack so quickly." He shook his head. "They caused a lot of damage the last time they absorbed that much high level information." He thought the matter over. "Contact Vidik. Tell them to evacuate."

"Will they listen to us?" Romal asked. "We're the Borg, remember?"

"Vidik would no doubt be able to detect the incoming vessels as well," the Queen said. "The primary dignitaries are no doubt going to be evacuated, though the civilian population will not have sufficient time."

"Are you su- Never mind, forgot who I was talking to." Sebastian paced, glancing over at the map every once in a while. They were both right; but the Vong must have known that too. Maybe they had a plan to catch up with a retreating fleet. They clearly wanted Vidik more than any other world, which was all the more reason to deny them that world. "Then we've got to hold them off," he said.

"It will not be easy holding back a force of such size," the Queen said. "We would need to devote all available ships."

"Then that's what we'll have to do," Sebastian said. "The war could depend on Vidik. We would be withholding vital information from the Vong, eliminating a heavy concentration of their forces, and hopefully show the rest of the galaxy that the Borg are on their side in this. If we're going to win, we're going to all have to work together... the Vong are too strong for any of us to prevail any other way."

"There's a problem," Romal said. "Vidik is a Romulan world. They don't trust outsiders in general, and they hate the Empire and everyone who sides with them, which includes us. They may not want us there."

"They would rather be killed by the Vong?" the Queen said.

"The Romulans would be wary of us wanting to take them over, using the attack as a pretense." Sebastian held up his hand before the Queen could speak. "Not everyone is a perfectly logical being. They would be weighing their options. Point is, we're going to have to ensure that we have their permission, or they may shoot us in the back."

"If that is the case, I fail to see why we would want them as our allies," the Queen said.

"Just leave the diplomacy to me and Romal," Sebastian said. "How soon can we be there?"

"Two hours, forty-seven minutes," the Queen said.

"Do it. Have all ships that can help us rendezvous there. Romal, contact Vidik, warn them of the attack and try to convince them we want to help so they'll consent to us crossing their space. Let me know if they need further convincing." Romal nodded and went off. "Have the destroyer droids prepped for attack," Sebastian instructed. "We don't want to risk any drones being absorbed."

"Agreed," the Queen said.

Sebastian looked the map over carefully. All part of the same game, he reminded himself. Look for all the other things going on, was there anything else that could be a factor? He shook his head a little. It looked like, for once, all the obstacles had been taken care of.

In the Oracle's laboratory, the monitors showed Ben, Sebastian, the Borg ship, the Vong advance fleet, and various locations on the planet Vidik. The Oracle tapped her lips as she looked among them, then to the center one. There was no image there, just a countdown. It was at a little over two and three quarters hours. The Oracle watched it for a time, then turned to one of her other experiments. Seven would have to make up her mind very, very soon.

Go To Part XXIX
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