Chương 68: Borg on the Horizon
Janeway sent out a long-range probe at my request, though things remained quiet for another two months. My group had taken my warning to heart and redoubled their efforts on training while listening to my suggestions on what to focus on. Raven was already our ace in the hole with the Borg, so I asked her to focus on how to modify nanoprobes and, possibly, a method of blocking them, which could be given to the crew. I asked Katye to focus on learning the Borg language, and also her mental magic, since she was the strongest among us in that branch of magic. Echo was in the same boat as me with nothing specific to work on other than our resistance to mental attacks; thankfully, she was still behind me on that, so I did not feel completely incompetent.
No episodes had popped up during this time, so my concern only mounted. I knew that we were missing episodes and minor plot lines, which could only mean that the 'big' events were getting even bigger. Any free moment that I had, Fae or my Council of Chaos would train me to withstand mental attacks, but it was a slow process for me, unfortunately. I was not satisfied with my progress, but Time stops for no man, no matter how much you distort it...
"Janeway to Rebecca. Report to my Ready Room," Janeway's voice echoed through my comm badge.
"Yes, Captain," I replied with a tap of my badge.
I had been in the middle of harvesting the fresh vegetables, so I stopped where I was and headed out of the Aeroponics Bay. I stopped by the Mess Hall and dropped off what I had to Neelix, and then kept on my way to Janeway. When I saw the pensive look on her face as I entered the room, I knew something was wrong.
"Not a social call then," I remarked.
Janeway gave a strained smile as she gestured to a chair across from her and turned her computer to face the spot. I sat down and she tapped a button that started the footage. There was no mistaking the Borg cube, but then it showed the inside of it, and finally, it showed the drone as it got injected with nanoprobes. The feed was cut off there, but it was obvious enough where we were entering.
"We've reached Borg space," Janeway stated, hoping to get me to say something.
"It seems so," I sighed.
"Rebecca... I need more than that," Janeway replied.
"I know, Kathryn; I could tell you the decisions that you made to get this ship through Borg space, but without seeing everything for yourself, you won't understand why you made them in the first place. My group and I are powerful, but we can't take on the entire Collective ourselves. If we don't follow your original idea, I'm honestly not sure how we will make it through," I said solemnly.
Janeway sighed and turned her computer back to face her.
"If it helps ease your concerns, I've instructed my group to focus on what I believe would be the most helpful to Voyager for the last few months, ignoring any other type of training they might do. Raven is specifically looking into methods to control nanoprobes, and Katye is learning the Borg language in hopes that she'll be able to come up with a way to hack their systems. For now, I need you to forget that you have us as a resource while trusting that we will help anywhere that I think it's possible without compromising the events. I'm not going to abandon you to face this alone, but my knowledge can do more harm than good currently," I warned.
"Compared to your past, how concerned are you for what's ahead?" she asked.
I frowned since it was a difficult question to answer. Species 8472 were dangerous, especially to me. Mental attacks were my greatest weakness and that was their main ability on the show. Tori could abuse that weakness to the point of possibly turning me against everyone, turning me into the challenge that my group would have to overcome. Honestly, I could see it playing out anytime that I thought about the future, which was why I had been so concerned about the future.
"I'm not sure," I said eventually. "It all depends on how strong my mental fortitude is. The biggest danger that you now face is if I lose myself to the Borg, or something else. I'm training every moment that I can, but how would you fend off the Borg if you were assimilated?"
Her fingers drummed on her desk for a few minutes as she weighed my words. Eventually, she asked, "This decision I make... do you believe in it?"
"I believe it is the best decision that you can make against impossible odds," I replied carefully. "In a 'perfect world', you would not have been pushed into the corner that you will be, but you are a lone ship stranded in the Delta Quadrant, and Fate has no mercy for those that it leads."
She looked at me for a few moments then sighed and said, "There is a senior staff meeting at fourteen hundred hours. I want you to report on the efforts of your group."
"Understood," I replied, standing up. "Kathryn... I know you feel alone with all of this weight on your shoulders, but I'll stand by you through everything, and support you however I can."
"Thank you, Rebecca," she said with a soft, grateful smile.
I gave her a nod before leaving the room. The meeting was only an hour or so away, so I needed to get some data from Fae about Katye's and Raven's progress, and review it quickly. Despite the fact that Raven had been working on understanding Borg technology for the past five months, she had only made minor progress as it was a slow process. She could convert nanoprobes to her control with her mana, but it was extremely difficult and there was a limit to how much she could control at one time. Katye was able to practice against holo-graphic representations of Borg cubes on our improved holo-deck and even managed to create some minor tricks that could give us an advantage, but just like conventional phasers, the Borg would adapt to her tactics if she used them too many times.
With the information in my hand, I made my way back to the Bridge, and headed straight to the Briefing Room. No one else was in the room, but everyone started trickling in a few minutes later. Neelix and the Doctor ended up sitting on either side of me, while the rest spread out around the table.
"We don't know exactly how many vessels are out there, but their space appears to be vast. It includes thousands of solar systems... all Borg. We are, no doubt, entering the heart of their territory. There's no going around it. But there may be a way through it," Janeway explained then gave a look to Chakotay who stood up.
Making his way over to the main screen in the room, he pulled up a map of the region and said, "Before the probe was disabled, it picked up a narrow corridor of space devoid of Borg activity. We've nicknamed it, 'The Northwest Passage'."
"Unfortunately, the passage is filled with intense gravimetric distortions probably caused by a string of quantum singularities," B'Elanna added.
"Better to ride the rapids than face the hive," Tom remarked.
"Exactly," Chakotay agreed. "We're going to set a course for that corridor and go into full tactical alert. Rebecca, the Captain said that your group has been working on preparing things to use against the Borg."
"Yes," I responded with a nod. "While Echo's and my talents don't lend themselves to be much more than muscle against the Borg, Katye and Raven are different. Currently, our predictions show that Katye should be able to 'hack' into the command system of any Borg cube that engages us and issue certain minor commands, the most useful so far can disrupt their power systems for a short period of time, but it can only be used a handful of times before they adapt, though Raven might be able to help her boost these numbers with some luck. I directed Raven another way, having her focus on controlling their nanoprobes, and while she has had some success, she can only control roughly five thousand at a time. She can't reverse an assimilation immediately by any terms, but if the person is incapacitated for a few minutes, she can use the nanoprobes under her control to destroy the Borg technology from the inside."
"That can certainly help. Where do we stand with our weapons?"
"I have reprogrammed the phaser banks to a rotating modulation, but I suspect the Borg will adapt quickly. We also have a full complement of the V-model torpedoes, fifty of each, though they have yet to be tested against the Borg," Tuvok answered.
"We can use every edge. Ensign?"
"I've already configured the long-range sensors to scan for transwarp signatures, an early warning system," Harry replied.
"Good work," Chakotay praised. "Doctor, how are you coming on the medical front?"
"I've analyzed every square millimeter of the Borg corpse we recovered three months ago. I'm closer to understanding how their assimilation technology works, and I might be able to create some sort of medical defense," the Doctor stated.
"Redouble your efforts. This is your top priority. Neelix, I doubt we can resupply the ship anytime soon. "
"No problem, sir. I'm working on a plan to extend our food and replicator rations aside from the incredible help that Rebecca can give to food production," Neelix replied.
"We have to act fast. The Borg have captured one of our probes. They know we're out here. We'll do everything in our power to avoid a direct confrontation, but, if and when we do engage the Borg, I'm confident that we'll be ready. I have faith in each and every one of you. Let's do it," Janeway said, giving us a last-minute pep talk.
We ended the meeting there and went our separate ways. Over the next few days, the ship became a flurry of activity as everyone did their best to prepare for what was coming, stocking weapons, reducing time to lock down a section, and setting up battery banks in key locations all over the ship. While a lot was accomplished, it did not take long before Kes started having her visions, and she was not the only one...
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