บท 72: When the Mighty Fall
Thankfully, Fate, or rather Tori's pantheon, were kind enough to allow Janeway to come up with the same idea for an alliance with the Borg as she had in the show. Chakotay was predictably conflicted by this decision and even called us after the briefing to make sure that this was what we expected to happen. He was not happy about the decision, which he told to both Janeway and me, separately, of course, but I assured him that Species 8472 was a bigger threat than the Borg currently and they would retreat to their own domain after they used the nanoprobe torpedoes a few times.
Things continued to play out like the episode. Janeway was able to strike up a shaky alliance with the Borg. Tuvok joined her on the cube so that they could start working to create a prototype, and had their minds momentarily connected to the Collective. Kes was visited, in her mind anyways, by Species 8472 where they discovered information about nanoprobe weapons from her.
When Chakotay reported that bit of information to us, I thought for a moment that we had gotten lucky. They had not gotten the information from Katye or Raven, so they would not have a counter against the specialized nanoprobes. All we needed was for Voyager to hurry up and create the weapons, so that we could overpower Species 8472. It was all too easy, so I should have known that there was a significant change coming...
Voyager and a Borg cube were traveling at warp speed while the Fae Dragon tagged along behind, hidden by our cloak. Chakotay had warned us about Species 8472 learning about the weapons only two hours ago, and I had not even been the one to talk to him since Echo handled it without me. Every ounce of my concentration was spent on suppressing my mana, except within my bones where white blood cells, the knights of the immune system, were created. Katye had passed on some of her knowledge which had helped me combat the infection, but it only gave me a small help to slow down the spread. The tendrils were creeping towards my left eye and most of my upper body was covered in them. While I certainly looked horrible, the infection was still more of a minor problem than life-threatening, but of course, that could change if I was forced to exert myself... a perfect, god damn, set up!
Thankfully, I had already ordered Fae to alert me if any sign of Species 8472 appeared, so I had been able to see everything unfolding. A quantum singularity opened not too far away from our ships. While we sped past it, not one bio-ship emerged, as had been the case in the show, but rather, nine! They flew out one by one, but then took up a formation that I remembered from the show which destroyed a planet. If that bolt of energy hit the Voyager, Species 8472 would not need a second shot to destroy the ship. With an annoyed sigh, I stood up and summoned my exo-suit.
"Fae, keep a transporter lock on me and alert the others... Tell them, that I'm sorry for worrying them," I ordered before teleporting myself outside of the ship.
Immediately, I transformed into my Dragon form and flapped my wings. I had no speed when I entered space, so everything rushed past me at warp speed, but combining my Dragon form with the exo-suit, I could achieve low-warp speeds. I raced after all of the ships, releasing my Chaos Storm unconsciously, as I was desperately trying to reach the bio-ships before it was too late.
If I could see myself, I would notice that the green and yellow tendrils of my infection were present, sticking out between my scales, and they were visibly growing while I was transformed. It did not matter now; I could see the bio-ships, and they had just started linking their ships together to fire the world-destroying blast.
One, two, three... it took less than a second for each one to link up, but the distance between me and them was shrinking quickly. Six, seven, eight... All of them linked as I stretched my Chaos Storm like an arm to smack the back of the main bio-ship and disrupt its aim. The energy beam fired right as it started to spin, missing the Voyager, but cutting through the corner of the cube before twisting back at me. I was forced to meld with my storm clouds to avoid the beam, but thankfully, my attack damaged all of the bio-ships with a backlash.
Most were disabled, but the Borg made sure that they were destroyed by flying their cube into the ships, just as they had on the show. The explosions shook my storm, but they did little damage to me directly. What was hurting me, however, was the infection running wild within me as it fed off my mana, and now that I was forced to meld with the storm, transforming my body into pure mana, every part of me was infected, not just the surface layer as it had been. I converted the mana from my Chaos Storm to push everything away from me with a powerful blast of wind mana in all directions as I transformed back to my normal appearance.
"Damnit, Rebecca! You are in no condition to be fighting!" Raven yelled in my ear as I linked the suit back to the ship's communications.
"It would have destroyed Voyager if it hit, but I'm at my limit," I replied hoarsely. "Next one is on you guys."
They transported me back to the ship and Echo was at my side, ready to catch me. Thankfully, they placed me in our bedroom, so she laid me down and helped pull off the suit. Raven ran into the room and started helping her, but I could only tell by sensing her mana. My face was covered by the tendrils, as was nearly all of my upper body, and it was spreading lower now. I could hear them talking but everything was muffled to me. Even my senses were starting to fade, except for the pain...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What is she thinking?!?" Raven yelled after Fae notified them that Rebecca had left.
"That this is probably her last chance to help the crew and us if she doesn't act now. She would rather fight than wait to die," Katye sighed.
"But we..."
"Look at the rising energy levels of that weapon, and it's in the first stage! The Fae Dragon can't handle the blow of something that can destroy a planet!" Katye snapped. "You don't think I'm scared or worried for her? I am, but I also know that all we could do is sacrifice our ship and beam over to Voyager. If she has an idea that she is willing to risk her life for, we need to believe in her!"
Thankfully, Rebecca's plan was simple, quick, and efficient, saving Voyager and letting the bio-ships be destroyed by the cube. Raven held her breath when the ship spun to slice Rebecca's Dragon form in half, but her body vanished into the storm clouds as the beam cut through the silver mist. All of the flames and debris were launched away by a black, rapidly expanding bubble and in the center was Becca floating in her exo-suit.
"Damnit, Rebecca! You are in no condition to be fighting!" Raven yelled as soon as she connected to Rebecca's suit.
"It would have destroyed the Voyager if it hit, but I'm at my limit," I replied hoarsely. "Next one is on you guys."
"I'll transport her to the bedroom. Echo, can you go? I need to talk to Raven for a minute," Katye said.
Echo nodded her head and headed off the bridge. Raven was ready to start a fight, but Katye immediately took the wind out of her sails with a single request.
"I need to channel Alkatyenia if we are going to save Becca, but the strain will knock me out for quite some time, probably close to two months, and it will rely on Danara's understanding to make the immune suppressor because I'll only be able to channel her for less than thirty minutes. In that time, Alkatyenia will have to study Danara's memories and figure out how to do things in the 'logic' of her knowledge and what she knows from our past lives to adapt it for Danara. It's your call, Raven, so long as Danara agrees to help, though I'm sure she will... We can keep trying, or we can try a 'Hail Mary' to save Becca, and then the rest is on yours and Echo's shoulders; What do...?"
Katye was cut off by a beeping console and, checking it, both of them knew that Chakotay was hailing them.
"Well?" Katye asked.
Raven sighed and replied, "Talk to Danara. I'll make a decision after I see her."
"As you wish."
Raven walked off the bridge as Katye pulled up Chakotay on the main window.
"Rebecca?" he asked.
"Her life is in danger, but it's due to the infection rather than an injury from the exchange. We are just a bit behind you," Katye replied.
"A group of Borg have beamed into Cargo Bay Two along with Janeway and Tuvok. They are both injured and I'm on my way to find them," he explained.
"Don't start a fight. They have Janeway's permission since they sacrificed their ship to destroy the bio-ships, and they will play nice for now. Everything is still on track, but I need to talk to Danara after you secure Janeway and Tuvok. Rebecca won't survive much longer without more help, and I think she has the skills we need to complete the cure for her," she warned.
"I'll hand over the bracelet you gave me once I see her," he promised.
"Thanks."
He nodded his head and shut off the connection. Katye sighed with anger and slammed her hands on the console in front of her. What she hated most was feeling inadequate and useless, and this whole situation with Rebecca's infection was making her feel just that.
"Damnit, Tori! Are you just doing this to make her suffer?!? I know you aren't going to let her die!" Katye shouted at the air around her.
"I told you how you could save Rebecca two days ago after she was first infected, but you were the one to ignore my advice," a certain overdressed naga replied, appearing on the bridge.
"And abandon Raven and Echo on the Chance that it will work?!?" Katye snapped.
"They rely on you and Rebecca, sheltering under your wings... Do you understand the true gift that they represent? Their love and loyalty are true towards you both! Having someone you can truly trust when you are most vulnerable is a rare thing. You can stifle their growth by coddling them, or you can push them towards your level so that they can actually support you when you leave Istar's protection. This 'Universe' is nothing more than a backwater 'World' in the standards of the Endless Firmament, so why should we fix this problem for you? Would you also like us to restart your time here in Voyager, so you can perfect everything?" Sancu mocked.
Katye gritted her teeth with frustration but held back her tongue as the guilt welled up in her. He had come to her and proposed this method but gave it a twenty percent chance of success. Why she refused originally was that he promised her that if she gave up two months' worth of time and he would only guarantee fifty percent chance of success. That was the God of Chance, Luck, and Fate promising a fifty percent chance that the Rebecca's consciousness would survive.
Unlike the others, especially Rebecca, Katye understood what being trapped in Tori's Inner Realm meant. Their True Souls would remain, but every mistake, every death, he could just wipe the slate clean and place our two True Souls in a new 'life' where we would start over anew. This was not even Dystina's first time being reborn, let alone Alkatyenia's, so she had been sure to drill this fact into Katye's mind. Dystina's original seal on her True Soul was eroding away with each time that she was reborn, and it would not be able to last much longer. If they could not master their powers properly, they might as well restart in Istar's mindset, but Katye understood the real danger that was ahead of them. If Dystina's Embodiment of Chaos broke free, it would be a lot worse than the infection that was attacking Rebecca's body, and for trillions of lives.
"Our Souls are both at the limits of what Tori can control? Am I wrong?" Katye asked.
"Alkatyenia's final guarantee has been used. Rebecca has been the slowest 'heir' to accept the Chaos Dragon legacy... Istar's prediction still has her failing in less than fifty years. You simply aren't enough to stop her meltdown if any of the anomalies appear," Sancu said with brutal honesty.
He vanished after he said his piece, leaving Katye to stew in her anger. As much as she did not want to admit it, she relied on the effect of her past life with Rebecca to build their relationship. Yes, she loved her without any doubt, but she also realized that she relied on Rebecca too much to solve their problems. This 'life', the last... Rebecca had always been the one to throw herself into the fight first, but there were repercussions for letting her act that way. She would not last long without some help from their past lives, but was that truly what she wanted? For both of them to be nothing more than shallow copies of their previous selves?
Katye talked with Danara and Chakotay shortly after Sancu disappeared. Janeway's condition was just as bad as it was in the show, so she would release the blocks on Janeway's and Tuvok's memories once they returned to Voyager. The main danger was that the Borg would discover them when Janeway and Tuvok linked to the Collective, so things should be fine as long as they were careful.
While Katye was talking with Sancu and then Danara and Chakotay, Raven hurried upstairs to the bedroom where Rebecca and Echo were already present. If it was not for the horns on her head, Raven would not have been able to recognize her lover as the tendrils covered every exposed inch of skin on Rebcca's head and arms. Only her chest when it raised and lowered slowly with her breaths was the only proof that she was still alive.
"Becca..." Raven sighed with concern.
"I'm not sure if she is conscious; she at least hasn't responded to me," Echo said, softly, as she continued to pull off pieces of Rebecca's exo-suit.
Raven sighed heavily, but joined Echo on removing the gear, which only served to worry her more, as she saw how far the infection had spread. Echo did not say anything, but for those who knew her, they could see the concern in her eyes as she looked down at the person who she believed to be the strongest, and who she wanted to surpass the most. Neither of them could stand to see Rebecca reduced to such a state.
"Katye has a method that could possibly save Rebecca, but it's not a guarantee, and Katye will be knocked out for two months from the strain. She told me that I could decide," Raven said, sitting on the edge of the bed, next to Rebecca.
"And?" Echo asked simply.
"My first thought was to agree, but I didn't give her an answer yet... Two months is a long time in this crazy universe. We know that Kes somehow sends Voyager out of Borg Space, but not really how, nor do we know what's coming after this. Even if Rebecca survives, we could end up getting ourselves killed in whatever pops up next," Raven said dejectedly.
"So, you're scared?" Echo retorted.
Raven huffed but did not argue. It was true; she was scared. Rebecca and Katye led every plan and situation that popped up, often overcoming impossible odds. Could the two of them really do it? Could she overcome some impossible challenge?
"What's the worst that can happen? We all die? Are you willing to sacrifice Rebecca because you fear death?" Echo asked, flatly.
"No!" Raven snapped instantly.
"Then you have your answer. They have shielded us for long enough," Echo replied.
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