Worlds Without End, Part III

The Napuli System was, for the most part, a strategically useless area of space. Little mineral wealth, no known colonies or life, and a hundred light-years from a settled system, it was as important in the grand scheme as a blade of grass is to a wheat field. However, the fact that the first fleet engagement of the Borg War was taking place here showed that things can change in an instant.

"All TIEs stand by," Thrawn ordered. "But do not launch unless I give the word." Despite the seriousness of the situation his voice was calm, but firm. He had learned a great deal about these Borg, but most of it was second-hand. Still, Thrawn had experience using little bits of information to his advantage.

"Admiral," Captain Jarrol said anxiously, "We're receiving a communication. They-"

"I know what they want," Thrawn interrupted, his eyes never leaving the three vessels. He was very quiet. "All turbolasers on the center cube," he finally said. "From all vessels."

Jarrol hesitated for a moment, but only a moment. To him, it was insane to ignore two-thirds of the opposing forces when they could try to incapacitate all three, but he'd learned more than once to follow his commander's orders regardless. Immediately their weapons began tearing into the central cube. He kept his eyes on the sensors, watching the devastation. The first cube they had encountered had taken little time to destroy, and this one didn't look different, until. "Lieutenant," he said with obvious confusion, "is there a problem with the sensors?"

"Negative, sir," the lieutenant reported from the crewpit.

Jarrol turned away and stepped over. "Then why do the instruments insist our weapons are doing less damage?" he said with obvious irritation.

"It's not the instruments," Thrawn said quietly, his eyes never leaving the tactical display. "It's them."

"What do you mean?" Jarrol asked. "Sir," he quickly added.

Thrawn looked back at the ship and then the display, and when he spoke, it was as if he were discussion the duty roster. "The Borg, captain, have adapted."

"Re-route power to the shields," Janeway ordered. "Evasive maneuvers. Load all torpedo bays."

"Captain," Tuvok said, a calm center on the storm of the bridge as always, "the Borg appear to be focusing solely on the Imperials."

"Then give them something else to think about," she replied. "Torpedoes, full spread."

One after the other the torpedoes exploded from the tubes and impacted on the Borg ship. When the series completed itself, the space glowed from the discharged plasma. But..."No effect," Tuvok said.

"Bring us around," Janeway said, taking her seat. "Attack along the same vector as the Imperials; we might be able to punch through."

"Captain," Chakotay said quickly, "maybe we should leave this to the Imperials. They were more than a match last time."

"The Borg hadn't adapted yet," Janeway countered. "This time they will, and the admiral will need every ship he can get." Chakotay opened his mouth, but Janeway cut him off before he could even start. "We brought them here. We are obligated to stop them. Tom, bring us around."

The Intrepid-class starship weaved into the conflagration between the titans, phasers and torpedoes trying to breach Borg defenses. After a few minutes the combined efforts blew the cube to pieces. A few words of encouragement were said, then the group moved on to the next cube. "Torpedoes, full spread," Janeway ordered as the tiny Federation ship dodged the Borg's energy weapon and closed in.

"There are only two torpedoes left," Tuvok informed her. "Do you wish me to fire them?"

"Not yet," Janeway said. In the heat of the moment she'd forgotten how the previous battle had seriously reduced their limited supply. "Try to find an opening, then launch it down their throats."

"Sir," Captain Jarrol said as Thrawn continued looking between the battle and the tactical display, "the Lucinda's shields are failing. The Borg have been-"

"They're using a shield draining weapon," Thrawn finished. "Set the jammers to a randomized pattern."

"Yes," Jarrol said as he passed on the order, but his confusion was obvious.

"If the jamming is regular," Thrawn said, even though his attention was focused on the battle, "they might find a way to minimize it and use their transporters. We mustn't let that happen. Launch all TIEs." He tapped the console as he watched the reports coming in from the Lucinda. The Borg had ganged up on it in precisely the same manner as the star destroyers. Shields were failing. "I want TIEs to target all tractor beam emitters. The Borg can't be allowed to assimilate any part of the Lucinda; not one member of the crew, not so much as a wrench. Are my orders clear?" They were; Thrawn was not one to resort to hyperbole.

"Captain!" Ens. Kim shouted with concern. "I'm reading hundreds of ships, too many to get a precise count."

"More Borg?" Janeway asked, her heart in her throat.

"No," Kim replied, more restrained, "they're from the Imperial ships. They appear to be large shuttles."

"They're not evacuating, are they?" Janeway asked Chakotay in confusion.

"I don't think so, Captain," Tom Paris said as he pointed to the display. They watched as the ships swarmed around Voyager and swooped in at the cubes, their weapons tiny pinpoints as they fired at the massive ships.

"It looks like Thrawn had a little surprise planned," Chakotay remarked.

"Hopefully this will turn the tide," Janeway remarked as they joined in the attack with the fighters.

"I don't think so, Captain," Kim said, his disappointment transparent. "They've begun assimilating one of the star destroyers."

The bridge was a buzz of controlled activity as the task of running a warship and coordinating a battle continued with the fine precision Thrawn demanded of his officers. The admiral himself was silently weighing the factors in his cold mind. The difference between Thrawn's thinking and a military computer's was that the computer was not aware of the moral consequences of its decisions. The difference between Thrawn and most officers was that he didn't allow that to influence his thinking.

"Give me Captain Tamez," Thrawn said. Activity in the room quieted slightly; the admiral rarely spoke with the other vessels directly during combat. "Captain," Thrawn said as the hologram appeared on the bridge, "can you raise your shields?"

"No sir," Tamez replied, doing his best not to display any emotion as the Borg tried to carve his ship apart around him.

"Captain, I want you to ram the port cube." He spoke as if it were a minor course correction.

"Say again?" Tamez replied.

"The Borg are assimilating you," Thrawn said. "They want to take you and your crew and turn you into brainless slaves. If you don't destroy them, this will happen."

"We have them outnumbered-"

"You won't last that long," Thrawn said, "and we are short on time. You can die a slave or die fighting to save the Empire. I suggest you choose the latter."

Tamez obviously didn't like either choice. "Admiral-"

"Ramming speed," Thrawn said. "Those are your orders."

Tamez took a deep breath through his nose. "Yes, admiral." He tried to put as much pride into the words as he could, and the hologram faded. The bridge remained quiet as Thrawn's order seemed to hang in the air.

Thrawn stepped back to his position in front of the tactical display. He could explain to them that anything the Borg assimilated could be used to learn about the Empire and how to destroy it, and that even obliterating the vessels wouldn't keep that knowledge from being passed on to the collective. Of course, he was also the admiral, and he explained to no one but the Emperor. "Unless we wish to share their fate," he said evenly, "we must focus on the task at hand."

The bridgecrew of Voyager watched in shock as the star destroyer and the cube collided in an explosion so energetic they were flashblinded. An energy wave struck and knocked them off balance. When Janeway managed to right herself she was able to make out the shattered remains of the cube; the star destroyer was vaporized.

"Death before assimilation," Chakotay said grimly. "I'm sure a few Federation captains had similar thoughts."

"Earth," Janeway said quietly. She looked at Chakotay, and noticed the odd way he looked at her. "Captain Riker was prepared to do the same thing to save Earth when the Borg first came." She shook her head. "We have more in common with these Imperials than physical appearance." She called out orders for battle to finish off the remains of the final cube, but part of her couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.

Luke looked on with some concern as Leia held the lightsaber tightly in her hands. He could sense her fear, which was an important concern. His family didn't have a good history with the dark side. "Relax," he told her, "Don't try to force it. Just let it happen." He activated the remote, which began to move with a series of small, deliberate motions. Every few seconds a beam would lash out - not strong, just enough to sting. Leia swung the blade, but missed. This repeated until Luke could sense her frustration. "I know it seems hard, but that's just it. It only seems hard because you think it is. Stretch out with your feelings, and don't worry about whether you block or not. Just let your instincts guide you."

"Easy to say," Leia said through gritted teeth, "hard to do." The blade was brought up, almost blocking the latest bolt.

"Like all things, it takes practice and patience." Which was true, but there was no sense in going too hard on her on her first day. Luke stretched out with the Force and turned the remote to a lower setting. He felt a flash of anger.

"I don't need you to go soft on me," Leia told him. "I just need to get the hang of things."

Luke nodded with a small smile. "How did you know?" he asked.

Leia opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it. "I don't know. I just... just knew."

"Now you're starting to understand," he said with approval. "Trust your feelings, don't second guess them."

Leia took a deep breath then held the lightsaber out in front of her, eyes fixed on the remote. It fired, slow at first, then faster. The green blade slipped through the air with a quiet hum as it snatched at each sliver of energy, bouncing it away harmlessly. Luke switched it off and clapped his hands a few times. "You've taken the first step," he said with approval. "But there's something you must always remember. Take these steps only along the proper path." He paused, realizing that it was only a week ago that he was the pupil. He wished Master Yoda was there to train her, to give the guidance that Leia needed to avoid the trap their father had stepped into and that he nearly succumbed to as well. That was Yoda's last warning to him, something that, even as he died, he wanted Luke to remember. He would face his father again; would he face the dark side again as well? And more importantly, could he find the strength to refuse it, or would he give in to temptation?

"Are you all right?" Leia asked.

Luke tried to put on a cheerful face. She was definitely growing in her powers. "I'll be fine," he assured her. "Let's continue with your exercises."

"Are they gone?" the Emperor asked.

"Yes, your highness," the hologram replied. Mara stopped her exercise, her instincts telling her that something important was going on. After a few seconds she recognized the hologram as Thrawn, one of the more gifted military commanders, but nevertheless an alien. However good they might be, never trust an alien, or so the Emperor had taught her; and he was right. Thrawn may command in his navy, but the Emperor did not for an instant allow that to cloud his judgment of the creature.

"What do you know about this Federation?" the Emperor asked.

"They are but one of thousands of minor powers located in their galaxy," Thrawn replied. "Many have little knowledge of the existence of most of the others. Communication on the galactic scale is virtually non-existent."

"That can be used to our advantage," the Emperor replied. "What of the leader you spoke with?"

Thrawn chuckled. "Janeway is extremely naive. She seems to take everything at face value. After the Lucinda was destroyed she gave us all tactical information they had on the Borg, no matter how obscure. There is a multitude of details we can use to deduce information about tactical and strategic possibilities against a great deal of powers in their galaxy. And of course, the information on the Borg itself will be extremely useful."

"Indeed," the Emperor said. "What is your assessment of these Borg?"

"They are obviously a threat, you highness," Thrawn replied simply. "They no doubt want to assimilate us as well, and since it's impossible to negotiate with them, armed conflict is unavoidable."

"Then you are recommending that we prepare for war," the Emperor replied.

"Your Excellency, I suggest that we deter them from that course. A retaliatory strike into their territory as a direct response to their invasion would demonstrate that further conflicts with the Empire would not be in their best interests."

Mara could sense the Emperor's mood sour. Was Thrawn attempting some duplicity? "I thought you said these Borg are unreasonable."

"Your highness, the Borg cannot be reasoned with, but they are, in the end, beings of logic."

The Emperor was silent for several minutes, but Thrawn said nothing, a wise choice as far as Mara was concerned. Her master was right, this alien couldn't be trusted. However, the Borg were definitely a threat if they could cause the destruction of a star destroyer. "I want you to take command of a task force of vessels from the nearest space station, and cross into this Milky Way galaxy."

"Yes, your excellency," Thrawn replied.

Mara could sense the Emperor's irritation. He had no doubt been expecting Thrawn to presume he would command the war effort, and thus humiliate him by denying it. "I want a station built on the other side of the wormhole to serve as a launch platform for our efforts and to maintain communication throughout the conflict. See that it is built quickly and protected from the Borg."

Thrawn nodded and the hologram faded. The Emperor turned towards Mara, his gaze causing her to wither slightly. The more she grew in her power, the more she could sense how great the gap was between them. He noticed her reaction, as he noticed everything, and a smile drew to his lips at her fear. "Good," he said slowly. "Fear is the path to strength. Terror, hatred, passion, these are the things of power. Embrace them, my young apprentice."

"Yes, my master," she replied with a slight bow. She hesitated, unsure if it was her place to speak with him of such things. "Master, do you really trust such an important matter in the hands of the Chiss?"

The Emperor waved the remark away as he returned to his throne. "He is an able planner and a skilled tactician, but I would not be so foolish as to trust him with this campaign. Darth Vader's fleet has the most capable officers in the navy; they will deal with the Borg."

"But what of the rebels," Mara replied. "If they attack while the fleet is gone-"

"The rebels will not attack," the Emperor replied. "And if they were so foolish, the battlestation is shielded, and no army in existence can equal the one I have placed to guard the generator. No, my young pupil, the rebels are no threat."

Mara nodded her agreement, but the Emperor could sense her thoughts. He chuckled. "Yes, you are correct child. One must never underestimate one's enemy, no matter how nearly vanquished they might be." It was a lesson her master had impressed on her from day one; a lesson one of her predecessors had learned from a lightsaber point. "The rebel support will wither once my battlestation is operational, lest they suffer the same fate as Alderaan. You need not always battle to win, young Mara, you can succeed merely by using your enemy's fears against them."

"I still don't understand."

The Emperor smiled, and Mara could sense he was thinking about the Federation and its neighbors. "You will child. You will."

Go To Part IV
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