Worlds Without End, Part XXXIX

Main Unity Worlds Without End

Luke did one last assessment before departing his quarters for the final briefing on their mission. He walked double-time, because then perhaps he could take a moment to think before this started, before he went on that station. "You cannot escape your destiny," the words of Obi-Wan said, "you will face Darth Vader again." He hoped like hell it wasn't going to be now, but the knot in his gut was telling him otherwise. This straightforward mission was likely to be anything but, and he wished Leia would have stayed behind.

Luke turned the corner and almost walked into Captain Janeway for the second time. He gave a terse greeting and kept going, but she called after him, so he stopped. He tried to put on a pleasant face, but it wasn't easy. It never seemed easy when she was nearby... something itched at his brain, but he couldn't figure it out. "Yes?"

"I have something important I need to ask of you."

"I'm sorry, but I have to prep for this mission-"

"That's what I'm talking about," Janeway said, pulling out a PADD.

Luke wasn't sure how to phrase this. "Your opinion about blowing up the Death Star is admirable, but-"

"It's not about that," Janeway said. "To tell you the truth... I really don't know what came over me at the briefing. It's-" She stopped, then raised the PADD. "A former member of my crew is missing. After a careful examination of the evidence, I have reason to believe that she's a prisoner on the Death Star."

Luke struggled for the words. "If I could," he said, "I'd free every prisoner... I'd get every last person, Imperial or not, off that station before it blew. But we're going to be very hard-pressed for time."

"I realize that," Janeway said. "But please, if you can try..."

Luke saw the image on the PADD and did a double take. "Seven of Nine?" he said under his breath in mild shock.

Janeway seemed equally surprised. "You know her?"

"Not really," Luke admitted. "I saw her at the Tsunkatse arena..." And elsewhere, he didn't add. "I can't risk the mission looking for people," he said. "But I promise that if there's a chance I can save her, I'll do whatever it takes." He rushed to the meeting; Leia was the only one there, thankfully. After a few words, he decided to tell her about his vision.

"A year ago I'd have called it an amazing coincidence," Leia said. "But now, after all I've learned about the Force..."

"I can feel it," Luke said distantly. "The Borg, those two women; I can feel their destiny intertwined with mine."

"Will it be on the Death Star?" Leia asked.

"I don't know," Luke said. "But if Janeway's right, and she's on there, we have to help her."

"The mission comes first," Leia said. "We'll do what we can, but the Death Star is too dangerous to play around with." She pushed on when he started to protest. "If she's there, then I know exactly what she's going through. I want to help her, Luke, but not at the cost of the mission, and I don't think she'd want that compromised either."

Luke didn't really know Seven of Nine, but he felt like he did. And Leia was right, from the way he thought of her, she'd be the first to make the sacrifice, to do her duty because it was right, just like she'd let a Wookiee beat her within an inch of her life rather than kill him. "If it doesn't endanger the mission," he said, "we try."

"Okay," Leia said. "But we have to be careful. There's no telling what the Empire might have done to her."

"She's strong," Luke said without doubt.

Leia hesitated. "But everyone has their limits, Luke."

Seven was tossed into her cell; despite the ordeal she managed to avoid falling, and stood there impassively as the stormtroopers sealed the door. It was only then that she sat on the edge of her cot and began crying in quiet despair. She curled up and wept at the situation, because she knew the horrible experience of the day was only the beginning... that soon enough they'd try again and again, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop them. Like being forced to kill, dealing with capture and interrogation wasn't really covered in her preparation to become an officer, and she was completely over her head her. Despair had overtaken her, and she was starting to wonder if she'd just be better off finding a way to kill herself.

"Unpleasant, isn't it," said the familiar voice. There was no smugness to the tone; on the contrary, there seemed the slightest hint of sympathy. "To have to face such suffering without the Borg to support you... none of the speeches Picard or Janeway gave could have prepared you for this, could they?" Seven couldn't bring herself to even speak or look at him. "Do you think you could endure it if that wasn't Picard out there?" Q inquired. "Does that make it worse? Or does that make it easier? I can never tell with humans."

Seven continued crying quietly, and Q paused. "Would it have been easier if that were your Rebel friend? If he said that he loved you and would spend his life with you because you are a worthy companion, could that compel you to endure this suffering?" He leaned down to her. "In other words, would that make it worth it? Would even the best things emotions could possibly offer you make all the pain worth having?" He waited. "I'll take that as a no."

"Leave me alone," Seven said pitiably.

"It won't end, you know," Q said, and her whole body shook with the sobs. "Not until Picard gives in, and he won't. He can't. If it's any consolation I doubt he could ever look himself in the mirror again, but that won't change the fact that he knows he has to keep the secret to try to save Earth. So you will suffer, Seven of Nine." He nodded. "You will suffer because you are a human... because you are an individual... because you are small." He sat down opposite her. "Of course, there's another way..."

Seven raised her head out of the ball she'd curled up in and looked at him with tear-stained eyes. "I don't want to," she said, just above a whisper. She never said what she was talking about... all there was was the sound of hollow defeat.

"I can help you," Q said finally. "Just a snap of my fingers. All you have to do... is ask." Seven tucked her head back in. "But it's up to you. You can try to endure it, be stoic in the face of torture... or take me up on my offer." Seven finally nodded her head. "Yes? Yes what?"

"Help me," Seven said from deep inside her bundle. "Please help me."

Q nodded. "I'm not without some mercy," he said, and snapped his fingers.

7 of 9 uncurled on the cot, then sat up. "Clearly you did this as a part of your so-called 'test' of humanity."

"That's right," Q said. "And you've proven that you feel human convictions should take a back seat to the necessity of the situation."

"That is only logical," 7 of 9 said. "Unfettered by emotion, I will be able to formulate an escape plan. Should that fail, I am capable of enduring pain far more capably. Whether you deem this a failure or not is of no consequence."

"Really, Ms. Hansen-"

"Do not address me by that name," 7 of 9 said sharply.

Q slowly slipped into a lop-sided grin. "Of course," he said with a voice like oil. "I don't think you grasp how this works. The Q aren't going to simply wipe you out of existence because you make a wrong choice. You will merely have to live with the consequences of your actions. There are two very important decisions that you, personally, will have to make before this ends. Make the wrong ones... and humanity will fail, and fatally."

"My choices will have the far greater chance for success," 7 of 9 said. "I am unburdened by emotion, and thus can act objectively. This will ensure success."

"We'll see," Q said coyly, and vanished.

Dr. Crusher touched up Data's make up, then put the hat on him. "What do you think?" she asked Riker.

"I want to strangle him, so it means it looks perfect."

"Excellent work, doctor," Data remarked.

Luke walked in, also dressed in an Imperial officer's uniform. "Ready?" he asked. "We'll be at the rendezvous point soon."

"Yes, commander," Data said, but when he got up to leave Riker grabbed his shoulder, and led him away from the others. "Is something wrong, sir?"

"You've heard the rumors that Picard is on board?" Riker asked.

"Yes sir. Captain Janeway spoke of it; and Seven of Nine as well."

"Yeah, well, the Empire's welcome to her," Riker said bitterly. "But regarding the captain... I've been friends with him a long time, and so have you, but this mission is too important to let personal feelings get in the way. Your orders, Data, are to get that shield down by whatever means are necessary, no matter what the sacrifice. You understand?"

"Yes sir," Data said. "And let me assure you, my feelings for either of them will have no effect on what I will do."

Han slipped past the two men sitting in the navigation chairs, and took his seat. Chewie was already completing the flight check; Han checked communications with the gunners in the dorsal and ventral positions. For probably the first time in a decade, the ship was fully manned. Who'd have thought? "Pre-flight checklist?" Chewie acknowledged, and Han fired up the engines, easing the ship out of the docking bay and into the atmosphere, heading for space to join the rest of the fleet.

As the sky slowly changed from blue to black, he saw them all. A huge mass of Federation vessels stood in position, taking their lead behind the Overlord. On the far left flank he saw the beautiful Mon Calamari Star Cruisers - ships that had been converted from luxury liners to weapons of destruction. On the opposite flank were the large Romulan warships, the D'deridex if Han remembered correctly. Interspersed between were the other various cap ships: the Corvettes, the Galors, the Keldons, the modified Transports, the Frigates; all primed and ready for the attack. Encircling the group was a collection of fighters and T'lix ships, as well as the Defiants. Han pulled into formation.

"Ship coming out of hyperspace," said one of the officers behind Han. "It's the Enterprise."

"Let's hope they got there all right," Han said, a twinge of worry in his voice.

"Enterprise confirms that they were delivered to the rendezvous," he replied.

"See," Han said to Chewie, "no problem. I told you there was nothing to worry about."

The ramp lowered, and Luke, Leia, and Data walked off the shuttle. The Rebel operatives had provided the necessary notification to get them through security without a problem, and they slipped into the station itself. They'd chosen an area of the Death Star with little traffic in the hopes of better avoiding detection. Data led the way, Luke and Leia looking about apprehensively; neither had had a pleasant experience on the previous Death Star. "How much time?" Leia asked.

"Sufficient time," Data said. His emotion chip was off, but there was still just the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. "Don't worry. Everything's going exactly as planned."

Picard was tossed into his cell, stumbling and hitting the floor hard. He deserved it. For ten hours he'd been forced to sit and watch them torture Seven, and he could have ended it any time with just a few words. But he couldn't, he knew he couldn't, but the sight of her, the pleas... he hated himself for it. She'd probably despise him now, despite what she said; he'd forced her to endure this. He hoped he hadn't destroyed her chance to fully reclaim her humanity.

Picard pulled himself up; Q was sitting on the bunk. "How was your day?" he asked.

"This really is a bad time," Picard said, sitting across from him. Q's smile somehow managed to make him feel even more miserable.

"Oh come, come, Picard, I'm here to cheer you up. You stood up for your convictions, and you should feel proud of yourself. Of course, your buxom Borg friend seems to have a different view on the subject..."

"Go away Q," Picard muttered, but there was no enthusiasm to it.

"Now now, don't be so glum," Q said, rising to his feet. "You did the right thing. If you had given away the location of the base the Empire would have wiped them out and your efforts would be for nothing, and the Federation would be destroyed. Of course, you haven't exactly prevented that either, but at least you managed to not be a contributing cause. That is a moral victory, isn't it?"

"Hardly feels like a moral victory," Picard said under his breath.

"Yes, the drone felt the same way when I spoke with her just now."

Picard wasn't sure if he should, but asked anyway. "How is Seven?"

Q tapped his lips as he paced. "Well, let me see..." And an image of Seven appeared on the cot, curled up, crying pitiably. "No, I don't think that qualifies as taking it well."

Picard's stomach tightened into a knot at the sight. "Take her away, please." Q snapped his fingers. "All we want is to be left alone," he said quietly.

"Now that's what you want," Q said. "You changed your mind, now that you know what you've gotten yourself into." He took his seat again. "But I'm not without some mercy."

Picard looked up at him, too suspicious to even hope. "What kind of mercy?"

"I'm omnipotent, Picard," Q said. "Your problems are child's play to me. I can destroy every Imperial ship and kill every single Imperial within the alpha quadrant, right now. Every last one, even the Emperor. Of course, with you and your arm candy officer on board, you'd both die too... but I'll even spare your life, Picard. That leaves just one friendly casualty, in exchange for winning this war in one moment."

"You are perverse," Picard said darkly.

"Moi?" Q said with indignation. "You'll subject Seven to endless torture sessions to aid in a futile effort at resistance, but to have her die a quick and painless death to end the war is perverse?"

"I'm not responsible for what the Imperials do to her!"

"You kept your mouth shut because you know that to spare her pain is to lose this war," Q said with accusation. "You can rationalize it away if you like, Picard, but her every moment of agony was borne in you!" Picard's jaw trembled with the pent up fury of the day, but there was nothing to say, because he couldn't deny the truth. He'd let Seven suffer... and as much as it killed him, he'd keep doing it, because it was what he had to do. "I'm offering another way, Picard," Q said finally. "A snap of my fingers, and this war ends right now. All you have to do is ask."

"Ask to kill my friend," Picard said with a shake of his head.

"Do you know what Col. Jarls has planned?" Q asked. "He's seen that subtle methods don't work on you, so he's going to try something a bit more... brutal." He leaned down and whispered in Picard's ear. "Next time he'll resort to permanent damage to your young friend. I'm afraid the IZ-3 droid is quite nasty with a scalpel."

"I can't murder one of my officers," Picard said finally. "I can't!"

Q sighed heavily. "All right, fine, I will spare her. I forgot how much you enjoy watching her Borg spheres bounce around your bridge," he added under his breath. "Another person then, one you've never met. Luke Skywalker."

"Him?" Why did this man's name keep popping up? "Why him?"

"Why not him?" Q asked. "Is there someone else you'd rather kill? You have no emotion invested in this individual, Picard. It's simple numbers; I'll kill all your enemies here in exchange for the life of one stranger. This is not a hypothetical, this is a promise. All for just one. All you have to do... is ask."

Despite himself, Picard had to admit he was sorely tempted. Defeating the Empire seemed an impossible task, and with the power of the Death Star and the persistence of the Emperor, he couldn't see any path to victory. But killing an innocent man to do it, that was-

Was against his human convictions.

"No, Q," Picard said. "I won't ask. Your offer is rejected."

Q smiled and nodded with approval. "Good work, Picard. You've stared Mephistopheles in the face and refused his offer... I told them you would."

"So we have passed then?"

"You haven't yet failed," Q said. "If you would have agreed I would have done it, but the consequences in time would have been horrendous. You'd have only delayed judgment, Picard, and then humanity would have been wiped out. Your convictions have bought you some time to solve this problem, and I'll offer you what I hope will be some comfort: you have made all the right choices for humanity to survive... you've passed. However, you are not the embodiment of your species. Two others also must make the right choices..."

Picard was surprised to hear his own voice speaking. "You are a very noble individual." "That she can so easily forgive tells me there's a better person than I under all that Borg-induced fear." "I told her that if anyone can find a weakness in its defenses, it was you two. You are the best."

And then Picard remembered Q's "final exam" question: Do the best lack all conviction? "You're testing Seven and Data as well," he said quietly.

"Why not?" Q said. "After all, you've worked so hard to impress your human convictions on them. Why don't we see how well they stick?"

Picard looked up with concern. "You said you spoke with Seven?"

Q offered a very unpleasant smile. "Oh yes.... She accepted Old Scratch's offer."

Picard was on his feet and grabbed Q's shirtfront. "What did you do?!" he demanded, the strain finally getting to him.

"I gave her what you refused," Q said, his voice full of accusation. "I gave her a way to escape the pain."

"You took advantage of her!" Picard roared. "She was pushed beyond all human limits-"

"If your convictions can only hold up at the best of times, then what good are they, Picard?"

"She's just a-"

"Just a what?" Q demanded. "Just because you like to think of her like a daughter doesn't make her a little girl, Picard. She was out assimilating species without you holding her hand."

"You had no right!"

Q had a look of annoyance, and Picard was seated back on his cot. "I told you, I have every right in my court, and that's what this is, Picard. We'll see how well all your talk has paid off, how well they listened to everything you droned on and on about. Your odds aren't very good, Jean-luc: One has thrown in with the Empire, and the other has rejected her humanity." He shook his head pitiably. "But it's out of our hands now; we're just left to watch and let things play out. Will they follow human convictions, or will they doom your species to subjugation or extinction? The moment is at hand, Jean-luc. One wrong choice, just one... and your world meets its end."

Go To Part XL
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