Where No Jedi Has Gone Before-done! Survey on page 9

[Mikey]

Also, midi-chlorians don't exist here. I personally hate the concept.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, Striker.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Mikey-Thanks. Although I'm surprised you didn't comment on my use of TR-116's against the Borg and giving Starfleet actual soldiers. Real-time comm might be coming, though. The NR has it, after all.

Nick-Adapt? Maybe, maybe not. And thanks.

Vic-Heh. Don't forget the Alamo. Thanks for reading.

Mark-There's a training mode for lightsabers, where it won't cut you but it'll hurt. Also, no midi-chlorians. Announcement about lightsabers coming up.

Stitch-You're lucky I haven't been playing my Village People while writing this.

Mikey-LOL, yes. I suppose Anakin would've been floored at Mustafar there. And... thank you?

Author Announcement!

In this fic, the Borg will not be able to adapt to lightsabers. Kinetic energy+the Force+author fiat+rule of cool=Sliced up Borg.

Here we go!

*****
Captain's Log, supplemental. The Defiant has returned to Coruscant with Jedi Master Kyle Katarn and a Borg drone. The drone has been kept in stasis until it can be returned to Enterprise. Hopefully we may be able to learn how the Borg entered this dimension and what their plans are.

Lieutenant Lusa looked at the image before her. Although the ship was on yellow alert, she still had her duties as a science officer. And one of those was studying the effects of Borg nanoprobes on the various species of her galaxy. Sadly, they worked quite well on the beings she shared the galaxy with. She let out a sigh of frustration and prepared another sample when the com system chimed.

"Lieutenant Lusa, please report to science lab three."

The Chironian tapped her combadge. "I'll be right there, sir."

Five minutes later, Lusa walked into the science lab. This one was specially designed for dealing with Borg drones and featured a workstation that could be surrounded by a force field. There was a also a miniature armory near a console.

She saw Doctor Crusher examining the drone Luke had rescued. Some of his prosthetics had been removed and he had an artificial eye in place of the Borg reticule. It was green, like his original.

"Lieutenant Lusa reporting, Doctor Crusher," she said smartly.

Beverly looked up and smiled. "Good timing, Lusa. But please, call me Beverly."

Lusa nodded, then stepped out of the way as two more people entered. She recognized Commander Data immediately, but the second person was who was it?

He looked positively ancient, yet he radiated strongly in the Force. His hair was shock-white and his uniform hung loosely off of his frame. He also seemed quite full of life. "I don't care what scientific gadgets you got, Data! You have to examine the patient with your eyes and your hands. They can catch what scanners miss!"

Data nodded and spoke, a tinge of awe in his voice. "I see, Doctor McCoy."

Lusa gasped. A living legend walked before her, the Luke Skywalker of Federation medicine. She stammered a bit. "It-it's an honor to be working beside you, sir!" She stood up straight in front of him, saluting.

'Bones' head bobbed up and down as he looked at her before extending a hand. "And it'll be good working with you "

He trailed off, prompting Data to speak. "This is Lieutenant Lusa, the Jedi Knight I sponsored at the Academy."

Bones nodded while Lusa finally accepted his proffered hand. "What shall I be assisting you with?" she asked, eyes wide.

Bones walked over to the drone. His green eyes tracked the pair. "Resistance is futile," he drawled out. He touched the force field surrounding him with his left arm, producing sparks.

"Poor boy," Bones muttered. "Starfleet's been trying to develop a sort of antivenin to Borg nanoprobes but have had little success. There's been a new theory put forth that looks promising, but it needs refinement." He looked over at the Chironian. "That's where we come in. You up to the task?"

Lusa nodded. "Absolutely, sir!"

Bones chuckled at her enthusiasm. "You remind me of myself at that age, kid." He picked up a PADD and looked over some information on it. "Let's get to work."
*****
Picard entered ten forward and quickly located Luke. He walked over to the Jedi Master and found him gazing out at Coruscant. "My wife and I have an apartment down there," Luke said. "We're hoping to have a child soon."

Picard nodded and looked out at the cityscape. "They shall not reach here, my friend. We beat them back before and we can do it again."

Luke leaned against a support column. "I was wondering if I could use your ship, Jean-Luc. I wish to call a convocation of some of the Jedi in order to make plans."

Picard nodded. "The Enterprise is yours. I can set you up with a comm-""

The Jedi Master held up his hand. He closed his eyes and concentrated. "It's done," he breathed out.

Picard's mouth dropped open a bit. "So much power," he muttered.

Luke straightened up. "And so much temptation to misuse it. And I still must use your communications array to contact Jacen, Tenel Ka and Deanna. They're in your dimension."

Picard shook his head. "Deanna's on the Titan, and they're monitoring the Borg offensive against the Romulans."

Luke glanced at him. "How bad?"

The captain sighed. "Romulus has fallen. Both Starfleet and the Klingon Defense Force are mobilizing, but the Borg haven't made a move against us-yet."

Luke grimaced. "Unless we can find a way to stop them, they will."
*****
The summoned Jedi arrived at the Enterprise in groups, pairs and single people. Most remained behind on Yavin IV, Ossus and Dantooine to guard the children against any threats and to continue lessons. But other Jedi Knights and Masters made their way to the Enterprise.

The Jedi gathered in ten forward. Luke, Mara, Kyle and Lusa stood up front while everyone else sat. Picard and his senior staff, meanwhile, took up positions at the bar with Guinan.

After scattered discussions died down, Luke's blue eyes gazed out at the crowd. "I thank you for gathering here. A new threat has emerged in our galaxy. The Borg has already taken several outposts along the border of Known Space and the Corellian System."

Kyp stood up from his seat, balled up his left fist and smashed it into the open palm of his right. "We must go in and fight them!"

Kyle glanced down at the Jedi Master and chuckled. "Go right ahead, Kyp. I'd love to see you assimilated. It took all of my skills not to get those nanoprobes shot through me like glitterstim spice, and I can guarantee you that you won't last a day."

Kyp sat back down, chastised and feeling his face flush.

Luke crossed his arms. "Kyp's right." He held up his hand at Kyle. "We do need to take action. The Borg are ruthless and won't stop."

Near the back, Raynar Thul stood up. "Hey, why don't we send in a team of Jedi to Corellia on an infiltration mission? We could sneak in rather easily."

Kyle gave him a withering stare. "'We'? I hope you don't mean yourself, Raynar."

The merchant Jedi shrugged. "Well, someone's gotta go back in there."

Luke nodded, his usually boyish face twisted with a grimace. "You're right, Raynar. A team of Jedi shall infiltrate the Corellian System. The Defiant will bring us in."

Mara felt a sudden stab of panic. "Oh, no. Wait just a damned minute, Luke. There's no-"

The Jedi Master cut her off. "Yes, Mara. I'm leading it. Kyle and Lusa will accompany me."

The Chironian bowed her head. "I won't fail you, Master."

Luke shook his head. "I'm not concerned about that, Lusa. I simply hope that I don't fail you." He then looked out among the other Jedi. "I'll need more. Any volunteers?"

Jacen and Tenel Ka both stood up. "We would be honored, and that is a fact," Tenel Ka said.

Jacen half-smiled, although everyone could feel his nervousness. "Hey, we gotta do something."

Next to them, Jaina and Zekk stood up. "We're going too," she said, a gleam in her brown eyes. "This is an impossible mission, and Rogues excel at impossible missions.

Lowie also stood. [Honor demands that I accompany you.]

Luke nodded, a small smile on his face. "Captain Picard, please contact Admiral Sisko. We'll be leaving in three days."

Picard nodded and raised a glass of ale in salute. "May the Force be with you, Luke," the stately captain said.
*****
Lusa held a test tube up to the light and gazed at it with her chestnut-colored eyes. "I hope this works," she murmured.

Off to the side, Bones shrugged. "I'm a doctor, not a soothsayer." His blue eyes gleamed for a second. "Actually, I believe that's you." He picked up a small ampule that held the same liquid and inserted it into a hypospray. "I hope this works. This poor lad deserves more than to be a pawn for some damned computer."

The drone looked down from the station he occupied. More of his prosthetics had been removed, and his subspace transceiver, his link to the Collective, lay on a table next to him. Still the desire to assimilate ran through his veins right along with millions of nanoprobes. "You will be assimilated," he would occasionally say.

Lusa glared at him, but said nothing. She turned and picked up another hypospray, this one preloaded with the mixture. The Chironian Jedi then trotted over to an implant removed from the drone. She injected the mixture into it while Bones checked nanoprobe levels.

"I think it's working!" he said. A bar representing the number of nanoprobes in the implant lowered.

Lusa glanced at the drone. "I hope we can use this to help him."

The older doctor tottered over to the drone. "I don't think so, Lusa. If we use anymore than small injections, then most of the implants keeping him alive will be destroyed as well. And I don't want to kill him."

Lusa nodded at that. She reached out with the Force and levitated a PADD into her hand. "We'll be taking him with us to Corellia. There's a chip inside him that will let us know what the Borg entail, but we can't remove it yet without killing him."

Bones pursed his lips and nodded. "First, do no harm," he quoted. "So, any idea what's on it?"

Lusa snorted. "Oh, please. I'm a Jedi, not a computer programmer."
*****
Jacen lay on his bed, hands folded behind his head and brown eyes locked on the ceiling. His thoughts wandered to Corellia, Yavin IV, Mom, Dad, Uncle Luke and then settled on a woman heading his way. "Come in, Tenel Ka," he said, ratcheting himself up to a sitting position.

The Hapan princess entered his room and gently sat down on his bed. Her gray eyes flicked around the messy enclave. "I did not know you listened to the Gray Siders," she said, settling on a stack of music discs.

The young man smiled rather goofily. "Dad introduced me to them. They were his favorite post-Endor band."

He cleared his throat, but before he could say anything, Tenel Ka turned to him and reached out with her prosthetic left hand. "Jacen, I am scared."

Jacen's mouth opened, but no sound came out. "Of all the things that might come out of your mouth, that was the last one I expected."

Tenel Ka's hand gently took Jacen's left hand in her own. "Kyle Katarn barely survived there, Jacen. We are Jedi Knights, but we are not on his level."

Jacen thought about that. "True, but we're not too bad. Remember that little trek we did to Berengaria? That was full of peril!"

Tenel Ka allowed a small grin to crack her stoic exterior. "I will never get the image of you riding that dragon out of my mind. It was spectacular."

An arm wrapped itself around Tenel Ka's shoulders and pulled her close to Jacen, an arm more powerful than she expected. She leaned to the side and placed her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. "I wonder if the Borg know of love."

Jacen shrugged. "Probably not like this." He suddenly got to his feet, letting Tenel Ka fall to the side and almost to the floor. "I've got something for you," he said, walking over to a desk half-buried in junk. While Tenel Ka kipped up and glared at him, he pulled out a box and opened it. The princess could feel nervousness mixed with anticipation emanating from him.

"Jacen-"

He looked over, his brown eyes wide. "Tenel Ka, please. Let me speak." Jacen walked up to her, dropped to one knee and took her right hand in his. "Now, I'm not doing the whole 'tomorrow we may die' thing because the Defiant doesn't leave for thirty-six hours, and we're not dying, understand?" He flashed her a trademark Solo grin. "We're all coming back. You, me, Jaina, Zekk, Lusa, Admiral Sisko, Lieutenant Tenmei. Heck, even Bones is coming back."

Tenel Ka blinked her gray eyes several times in order to stop the tears from falling. "Jacen " she whispered. Jacen looked up, winked and placed a finger to his lips.

"The point is, I love you. Yeah, you and I already know that. Now, I want everyone to know it." He pulled out a ring and held it up. "Tenel Ka Djo, will you do me the extreme honor of becoming my wife?"

Tenel Ka nodded. "I will, and that is a fact."

Jacen let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding and slid the ring onto her finger. He then got to his feet, cupped her face with his hands and pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss.
*****
In ten forward, Luke raised a glass of milk. "To young love. No thing in this universe or the other one can stop it."
*****
Lusa checked the station one more time before tapping her combadge. "Energize."

A silvery column of light appeared in the Defiant's sole science lab. When it faded, a partially assimilated human male stood in the alcove. "It's all set here, sir," Lusa reported. "The drone has begun remembering events from his life before the assimilation. We even have a name of the species he was with." She paused and glanced over the PADD she held. "Apparently he was with something called the 'Chiss Ascendancy'."

On the Defiant's bridge, Admiral Sisko's eyebrows arched. "What the hell is the 'Chiss Ascendancy'?"

Down in the science lab, Lusa's brown eyes rolled. "Sir, I'm a Jedi, not a political analyst."

Sisko steepled his fingers and sighed. "Remind me to separate Lusa and Bones, Old Man."

At the science station, Lieutenant Commander Ezri Bashir turned her head to her old friend. "Oh, like that's possible. I remember when I met him as Emony. He was as irascible in the mid-twenty third century as he is now."

Sisko chuckled at that, then swiveled his chair around just as the turbolift door opened. Luke, Commander Vaughn and an absolutely huge humanoid exited.

The Jedi Master walked over to Sisko. "My team is aboard, sir. We're ready to ship off anytime."

The admiral nodded and looked over at the humanoid. He wore a black jumpsuit with several pieces of equipment fastened to a belt. He also had an ax strapped to his back and a disruptor rifle hitched to a shoulder strap. His skin was scaly, and his chin was lined with small spikes. Lifeless green eyes peered out from armored eyebrows. "The MACOs are ready, Admiral Sisko. I stake my life on it," First Taran'atar of the Jem'Hadar said.

Sisko nodded. "Good work, Taran'atar."

The honored elder nodded and thumped his chest. "Victory is life!" he said before leaving.

Luke glanced back at him and suppressed a shiver. "That person is scary."

Sisko nodded. "His entire species was genetically engineered to be the ultimate killing machines, but he's also a pretty fair Cajun chef." Luke's eyebrow arched at that, but he said nothing, allowing Sisko to contact the Enterprise and Coruscant Orbital Control. "COC, this is the Defiant, requesting permission to leave orbit."

A female voice came over the speaker. "Permission granted, Defiant. And may the Force be with you."

Sisko glanced up at Luke, standing there in his black jumpsuit and cape. "It most certainly will be."

Picard's voice then came through. "Good luck, Ben. Give them one for me."

Sisko's mouth turned up in a feral grin. "I'll tell them Locutus gave his regards." The admiral then looked down at the conn. "Lieutenant Tenmei, set course for the Corellia System and engage on my mark."

Tenmei's skilled fingers danced across her console. "Course laid in, sir."

"Engage."

The Defiant gracefully exited orbit above the city-covered world and made a sharp turn to starboard. The impulse engines flared, kicking the battle cruiser away from the planet before the nacelles flashed, warping space and sending the Defiant hurtling to Corellia.
*****
In ten forward, Mara Jade pressed a hand to a transparisteel window and concentrated, sending her husband a message. Come back to me, farm boy. Life would get dull without you.

The reply came almost immediately. I'll be back, love. The whole Collective stands no chance.
*****
The Collective analyzed all information coming into its mind. Debates happened, but were more exchanges of knowledge until a consensus was reached. In orbit of the Five Brothers, new cubes and matrices were being constructed. All five planets were able to provide abundant sources of drones and raw materials. The areas between the planets were cleaned up of debris and provided clear paths for navigation. The Collective turned its eyes to the rest of the New Republic, the Imperial Remnant and other territory.

The Remnant was weaker by far and would provide excellent raw materials. However, the New Republic had to be dealt with. The Borg knew how effective attacking capital planets was in the past, so a decision was made. The Imperial Remnant would be invaded by the bases in the Unknown Regions while an invasion would be launched at Coruscant from Corellia.

Meanwhile, the conquered Romulan territory had to be consolidated. Invasion of the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire was delayed, but not for long.

Cubes left orbit and set course for Coruscant. And in the Unknown Regions, cubes lined up for a strike at Bastion, Yaga Minor and other systems in the Imperial Remnant.
*****
Admiral's log, Stardate 58139.4. The Defiant is traveling under cloak to the Corellian System. To be frank, I'm not sure what Skywalker intends to do once we get there. I'm not even sure he knows.

Lieutenant Lusa and Lieutenant Commander Data, meanwhile, have determined that the former Borg drone is now relatively harmless and that interaction with the crew will aid in its-sorry-his recovery. We also have a name for him, Jagged Fel.
****
The mess hall on the Defiant was almost always crowded. Unless the ship was on red alert or docked at a Starbase, there were always people in there. Today was no exception.

However, there was one human sitting alone. He had a small band of metal above his emerald-colored left eye and his right arm below the elbow was a prosthetic limb. He looked about the mess hall and could hear people whispering about him. An Andorian pointed at him while talking to another officer.

The main doors slid open, letting in six beings who were in the middle of a reunion. "And so I said to the Nausicaan, 'you don't want to rob us.' And he kept right on walking," Lusa finished even as she knelt down at a table.

Lowie, Jaina, Zekk, Jacen and Tenel Ka sat with her, each with a tray of food. "I must say, the uniform looks good on you," Jacen remarked.

Lowie roared in agreement. [You do the Jedi Order proud, Lusa. I have read of what you've done in nanoprobe research.]

The Chironian blushed at that. "Oh it wasn't that big of a deal."

Jaina chuckled, but she caught Zekk staring at someone. She turned and followed his gaze to Jag Fel, sitting alone at the table with a tray of food in front of him.

Zekk got to his feet, walked over and sat down in front of Jag. "Hi, my name's Zekk. What's yours?"

Jag looked up at Zekk and opened his mouth. It was several seconds before he began to speak. "I am Sixth-"

Lusa was over at the table in an instant. "No, you are not a number! You are Jag Fel of the Chiss Ascendancy, understood? You're a person, an individual. And the Borg can never take that away from you!"

Silence reigned in the mess hall as every eye turned to the table. After a few more seconds, the scraping of a chair leg against the deck broke the silence. Tenel Ka rose and walked over with her hand extended. "I am honored to meet one rescued from the Collective. You are strong, and that is a fact."

Jag looked up at her for a moment before smiling. "Thank you."

Jacen, Jaina and Lowie joined them. All six sat down at the table while normal conversation resumed. Jaina glanced around with her brown eyes and felt a low level of hostility to Jag. "What's with these people? I thought Starfleet types were a lot more I don't know. It just seems weird to feel this much hate."

Lusa snorted. "Jaina, it's not right, but it's understandable. I remember history class at Starfleet Academy on Betazed and the discussions of Wolf 359 and the Battle of Typhon Sector, not to mention the destruction of outposts along the border with the Romulan Empire. To many cultures in the Federation, the Borg are anathema to every belief and value that they hold."

Jaina shook her head. "Okay, it's understandable." She crossed her arms and muttered. "It's still not right."

The com chimed and Bones' voice came over. "Lieutenant Lusa, please report to the science lab. We got some testin' ta do."

Lusa tapped her combadge and responded. "On my way, sir." She looked down at her half-finished meal and sighed. "Why did I order hasperat today? I can never finish it."

Jacen smiled and scooped up a piece of the Bajoran burrito. "Do you mind?"

Lusa smirked. "Be my guest." And with that, she rose and trotted out of the mess hall.

Jacen opened his mouth and bit down even as Tenel Ka's gray eyes flashed. "Jacen, beware!"

The young Jedi bolted from his seat, his cheeks beet-red and his eyes watering.

Lowie picked up a piece of hasperat and sniffed it experimentally. [This is powerful enough to stop a rancor!]

The Hapan princess picked up a piece with her prosthetic hand even while Jacen ran to the replicator. She took a bite from it and shrugged. "I taste nothing wrong with it."
*****
Mara, Han and Leia sat in ten forward, each nursing a beverage of their choice. Mara's gaze kept wandering out to the large windows at the bow. Han, meanwhile, was sipping a glass of whyren's reserve.

Leia merely sat there and glowered at the both of them. "Neither one of you can just sit here and do nothing."

Han looked up from his glass. "Actually, I can. Until the military gets off its butt and gets a plan together, there is nothing I can do."

Leia's mouth dropped open in shock. "Han, I never thought I'd hear you say that."

Mara shook her head. "I gotta agree with Leia. What happened to the man who shot through the Hoth Asteroid Belt and told Zsinj to kiss his Wookiee?"

Han drained the last of his reserve and placed the empty glass on the table with a thud. "To be honest, I'd love nothing more than to go there with Chewie and kill every single Borg drone there. Hell, from what I hear, I'd be doing them a favor." He motioned to a waiter to bring him another glass. "However, the small part of me that remembers my Imperial Navy training knows that the Borg are firmly entrenched and defeated a numerically superior force. They also have an established supply line to the Unknown Regions and Force knows how many cubes there."

Mara's eyes widened in surprise. "Han, this is a side of you I've never seen."

The former smuggler took another glass of whyren's reserve from the waiter, took a slug of it and slammed the glass onto the table. "It's a side I don't bring out too much. Bad memories usually accompany it." Both ladies felt a stirring of emotion from him and decided not to broach the subject. Han looked over at Mara. "So, how's the hot chocolate?"

The Jedi Master shrugged. "Not bad, although I'll admit to developing a taste for earl gray tea." She leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Late night fencing sessions with Johnny inevitably lead to tea drinking, and that leads to me trying it."

Leia's brown eyes sparkled. "Well, just make sure that fencing's all you do."

The former Emperor's Hand stared at Leia in shock. "You did not just say that."

Leia tried valiantly to keep a straight face, but she soon dissolved into giggles. Both Mara and Han soon joined her.

Leia wiped away some tears. "Well, now that you've both stopped moping, let's go down to Coruscant and get some work done."

Han smirked at his wife. "You had this all planned out, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

The princess gracefully rose from her seat, followed by Han and Mara. "I think she tricked us," Mara said.

Han glanced over at her. "You complaining?"

Mara shook her head, sending her long reddish hair swirling about. "No. As my future niece would say, just stating a fact."

*****

Please read and review.

[Nickswitz]

I love it, one thing I would love, Q again. Haha

[stitch626]

Only thing I have an issue with, lightsabers don't have any kinetic energy, the blade is massless.

[Mark]

I have to disagree. Lightsabers carry the kinetic energy of the swing. We've SEEN Luke and Vader struggle to hold back a powerful blow.

[Mikey]

No, that's why lightsabers are supposed to be limited to Force-sensitives (except when they're not. ) Supposedly, the massless-ness of the blade requires the user to add the influence of the Force to control the weapon.

[Nickswitz]

No, that's why lightsabers are supposed to be limited to Force-sensitives (except when they're not. ) Supposedly, the massless-ness of the blade requires the user to add the influence of the Force to control the weapon.

I think that it was that it was nearly impossible to control except by those who are very strong physically, and that the force made it much easier to use it.

[stitch626]

I have to disagree. Lightsabers carry the kinetic energy of the swing. We've SEEN Luke and Vader struggle to hold back a powerful blow.

Thats the direct force of the sabers on each other. Which is caused by the force of impact of the two... fields or whatever holds the saber together.

And IIRC, the only non force users who have used a lightsaber in combat are either highly skilled or droids.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

I'm gonna leave the lightsaber discussion alone. To be honest, I love seeing my readers talking like this.

Thanks to Nickswitz, stitch626, Mark, and Mikey. You make this worthwhile.

Here we go!

*****
Chapter Three: Positioning for Battle
Captain's log, supplemental. The Titan is back in Federation space and has been made flagship of Admiral William Ross and Leonard James Akaar's task forces. We'll have close to twelve hundred starships in position within twelve hours, not to mention the Klingons, Romulans and Gorn. Still, I am not confident in our ability to fight off the Borg after they conquered the Romulans.

Riker closed his log and massaged his temple. Ross and Akaar, two of the best admirals in Starfleet today were in the observation lounge, coordinating the fleet. He rose to his feet and left his ready room, entering the bridge.

Commander Vale stood up and half-shouted, "Captain on the bridge!"

Riker suppressed a smile at that and sat down in his command chair. "Anything to report?"

Vale handed him a PADD. "Admiral Ross reports that the Klingons have massed an armada at their border with the former Romulan Empire. The Gorn and Cardassians will also be sending ships."

Riker's right eyebrow arched at that. "The Cardassians? Last I heard, they only had about thirty battle ready ships."

Vale shrugged. "If we fall, there'll be nothing stopping the Borg."

Riker nodded at that. "All or nothing, Christine. All or nothing."
*****
Bastion
The warning came quickly from outposts along the border with the Unknown Regions-until they fell silent. In the bridge of the ISS Chimaera, Gilad Pellaeon examined the tactical situation with unblinking brown eyes. "Ready the Soul Reaper and the Sixth Fleet. I want Yaga Minor defended at all costs."

Captain Vana Dorja ran up to him. "Sir, message from Yaga Minor. The Borg forces there are bogged down, but we are taking casualties." She hesitated. "The Judicator has been destroyed."

An old curse escaped Pellaeon's lips. "I assume Brandei went down fighting?" he asked.

Vana nodded, her normally sharp and angular feature softened by the sad news.

He patted Vana on the shoulder. "Get some sleep, Captain. You've been running at full speed for nearly thirty-six hours."

She began to protest, but a single glance from the Old Man silenced her. "Yes, sir," she said, tossing him a salute before leaving the bridge.
*****
Yaga Minor
"Hold them off! For Bastion and the Empire, hold them off! Let none pass the line!" Captain Lasq Brenney shouted as the deck plating under his feet heaved. His star destroyer, the ISS Victory, was caught in the middle of a pair of Borg cubes.

All around the planet, Borg cubes and Imperial ships dueled. TIE defenders swarmed around the cubes, using their superior maneuverability to dart in and out. Still, most of the dry-docks were floating scrap. Lasq had read a preliminary report on the Borg when Corellia fell, but he had no idea that they could be so powerful. He had chalked up Corellia's fall to New Republic incompetence, but now he knew how superior they could be.

The eight main turbolaser batteries, four on each side of the burnt and holed command tower, fired off a broadside at the scarred cubes. The blood-red batteries bore holes into the superstructure and weapons emplacements were blown off with each hit. The Borg responded with their shield-draining tractor beams, locking onto the Victory with the greenish energy beams and sucking power from the only things protecting the Victory from destruction.

Lasq's gray eyes stung from smoke in the air and his ears hurt from the constant explosions, but he shut out the discomfort. The tactical officer shouted, "Sir, shields are near collapse."

Lasq nodded. "Fire off ion cannons, full spread."

Several turrets along the Victory's flank swiveled and elevated before firing off azure lightning at the cubes. Lasq stumbled over to a console and called up sensor readings. His mouth dropped in shock at the power readings from the Borg cubes. "By the Emperor, power levels are dropping!" He looked up. "All batteries, fire at will!"

Dozens of turbolaser bolts leapt from the Victory and struck the two cubes. The gray hulls withstood the onslaught, but only for so long. The ion bolts shorted out power systems across the cube while the turbolaser bolts ripped into the hull. After ten minutes of pounding, the two cubes were reduced to slag. The Victory was in very bad shape, though. Both shield towers at the top of the command tower were blown off and there were close to thirty perforations in the hull. The dagger-like bow was sheared off.

Lasq glanced at the damage reports and grimaced. "Tell all hands to abandon ship."

The subordinate nodded and placed her hand to the earpiece in her lobe. "All hands, abandon ship! I repeat, all hands abandon ship!"

Klaxons sounded as personnel made their way to the escape pods. Panels along the hull blew off, allowing the pods to detach and speed off from the doomed warship.

Lasq was the last on board. He sat at the com station powered up the transmitters. "This is Captain Lasq Brenney of the ISS Victory. Borg cubes are vulnerable to ion cannon bolts. I repeat; Borg cubes are vulnerable to ion can-" Lasq tumbled out of his chair as a cube locked onto his ship and fired several cutting beams. The first one cut off the command tower, letting the rectangular box float off. The rest carved into the battered hull, slicing the ship into jagged bits.

The cube targeted a lone Carrack-class cruiser with photon torpedoes, battering down the shields with but a few hits. The 350-meter long ship fired off maneuvering thrusters, trying to dodge the tractor beams while letting loose with ion cannon bolts. Several struck the cube's hull, shorting out systems and weapons. Unfortunately, the cruiser's luck ran out. A cutting beam sliced through the main bridge in the bow, leaving the ship unable to steer. Before anyone could regain control, drones began transporting aboard the ship. The crew had absolutely no experience whatsoever with transporter technology and was quickly assimilated.

Fifteen minutes later, the Carrack cruiser slowly turned on its axis and formed up with the cube. Green circuitry began sprouting on the yellowish hull.
*****
Coruscant
Admiral Ackbar reviewed reports from long-range scouts near the Empire. His eyes swiveled and noted the advancing positions of the cubes on the holographic map floating in front of him. Wedge, Garm Bel Iblis, A'baht and Traest Kre'fey stood by him.

"They're bogged down at Yaga Minor, but several cubes are near Bastion," Iblis remarked.

A'baht's whiskers twitched. "How come they're holding Yaga Minor? What do they know that we don't?"

An aide ran up to Ackbar, saluted and gave him a datapad. The Mon Cal's eyes, already bulbous, seemed to bug out even more. The other four senior officers noted Ackbar's mood shift. "Problem?" Kre'fey asked.

Ackbar's left eye swiveled over to regard him. "Approximately two hundred fifty ships have left the Corellian System and are heading straight for Coruscant. They'll be here within six hours."

A'baht growled. "And how many of those ships are former members of the Fifth Fleet?"

Wedge placed a hand on his shoulder. "Those people onboard are dead, Etahn. We'll just be killing the thing that took them over."

The Dornean's mottled skin flushed. "I'll be getting the Endurance ready." And with that, he stalked off.

Ackbar read further down. "Hmm, it also says that a transmission from the star destroyer ISS Victory was intercepted. It was something about ion cannons and the Borg."

Kre'fey stroked his chin in thought. "Wait, the Borg are cybernetic beings, right?"

Wedge nodded. "Yeah " He abruptly slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Oh, Wes is gonna have a field day with this one."

Kre'fey smirked, then looked over at Ackbar. "What of the Enterprise and those three Defiant-class ships?"

The Mon Cal admiral hesitated. "I'll talk with Picard and Janeway. They know the Borg better than anybody."

Wedge and Kre'fey nodded. "Time to get to the Ralroost," Kre'fey said, referring to his personal flagship. "May the Force be with you," the Bothan said before hurrying off.
*****
Corellia
The Defiant exited warp and sped through the Corellian System. Lieutenant Tenmei steered the ship around a maze of Borg ships and space stations. "I think they've been busy," she remarked.

Shar looked up and over from his science station. "They have been. Corellia's atmosphere has worsened. Selonia, Drall, Talus and Tralus aren't much better either."

Sisko let out a growl, then slapped his combadge. "Sisko to transporter room. How's it going down there?"
*****
Lusa finished snapping an armband around Taran'atar's right forearm. "The nanoprobe antivenin is ready, sir." She looked over everyone. Taran'atar, Commander Data, Hox and his squad of MACOs, Jag, Jacen, Tenel Ka, Jaina, Zekk, Lowie, Kyle and Luke all stood in the room. She had to admit, it was slightly crowded. "All right. If you get hit by assimilation tubules, press the green button on-Jaina!"

The young woman looked up from examining the armband. "Sorry!" she said.

Lusa glared at her with her chestnut eyes. "As I was saying, hit the green button within a minute of being hit by them. And be careful, okay? There's only enough for two infections."

Everyone nodded and donned gas masks. Lusa also hefted a TR-116 rifle and her lightsaber.

Before anyone could go to the transporter platform, Taran'atar hefted his axe and spoke. "As of this moment, we are all dead."

One of the MACOs shouted., "Get on with it!"

The Jem'Hadar rolled his eyes and sighed. "We go into victory to reclaim our lives." He raised his weapon high and shouted. "Victory is life!"

Jacen shook his head. "Is he always that serious?"

Richardson leaned in and, with barely contained laughter, responded. "This is one of his better days. You should've seen him when Admiral Sisko taught him baseball."
*****
Five minutes later
The last of the team materialized on Corellia's surface. Jaina let out a gasp at the brown haze and dead foliage all around. "Dad took me to that park," she said, pointing to a grove of leafless trees.

Zekk placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll get it back, Jaina. They can't stop us."

Jaina tried to smile at that, but the malaise of death in the air clung to her. She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to clear it.

Hox held up a tricorder and scanned the area. "There's a concentration of drones moving to our position." He looked over at Luke. "Ah, what do you intend to do, anyway?"

Luke smiled behind his gas mask. "I intend to stop them, Hox." His blue eyes scanned the area. The group was in a clearing. Ahead lay a few groves of trees while large rocks and a small building were behind.

"I think we should make a tactical withdrawal," Kyle observed.

Hox nodded. "That building 50 meters aft hasn't been affected by Borg technology. I say it's our best bet." He motioned to his squad of nine and Taran'atar. "Taran'atar, Richardson, Jackson and Weilo, you and I will take point. Jedi cluster in the middle and the rest take the back."

Tenel Ka spoke up. "Actually, that would not be wise to have us in the middle. We can use our lightsabers to deflect disruptor bolts and telekinetically push the Borg back."

Hox's tricorder began beeping. The Suliban checked it and swore. "We've got about thirty drones headed our way." His eyes glanced up at Luke. "Well?"

"It's a good plan," the Jedi master said. Suddenly, Luke ignited his lightsaber and raised it, deflecting a silvery disruptor bolt that was aimed at his head.

Richardson swore. "They're here!" He then knelt, aimed his rifle and fired off a round. The small slug struck a drone in the chest and blew a hole clean through. The familiar snap-hiss of activating lightsabers was heard as Kyle, Tenel Ka, Jacen, Jaina, Lowie and Lusa readied their weapons.

Several Borg stepped forward.

Jaina noted that both of their arms had been replaced by prosthetics. "I've got a-"

Lusa interrupted her. "Don't say it, Jaina."

The drones raised their arms and bright-red plasma blades emanated from their arms. Zekk's mouth dropped open in shock. "Are they allowed to do that?"

Richardson shrugged before firing off another round. One of the drones raised his lightsaber, but was too slow, getting a transuranic slug in the chest. He fired again, sending several slugs into another group of drones and cutting them down. "Now that's adaptation," Richardson quipped.

A pack of drones surrounded Luke. The Jedi Master's cape fluttered as he turned and regarded them. "You don't wish to fight me," he said, waving his hand at them.

The drones paused for a moment-but only a moment. Two drones moved in from the front and thrust their plasma blades at Luke. He dodged two of them, parried another with his green blade and telekinetically shoved the final blade away.

A drone swung its blades at Luke, but with a deft flick of his wrist, he destroyed one of the emitters and blocked the other blade. He let the Force flow through him and pushed the drone back, disengaging and ducking a swing from a drone behind. He kicked the drone behind him, sending it tumbling back while skewering the one in front.

Jag stood next to Hox, his breathing labored and his green eyes wide. "You won't take me back. You won't take me back! I don't want the voices anymore!" he shouted, screwing his hands over his helmet.

Hox turned and saw a drone approach the young man. "Get down!" he shouted. Jag dove out of the way as the Suliban sergeant skewered the drone with a blast from his TR-116 rifle. His slit eyes looked around as he took everything in.

The MACOs had taken position near a group of rocks and were using them for cover. Taran'atar was using his battle axe to liberate Borg limbs from their sockets. Unfortunately, he already had several disruptor burns in his torso. The Jedi were scattered in groups or were alone, but they seemed to be holding their own. He tapped his combadge and spoke. "Everyone, fall back to the cabin!" He shot another drone before grabbing Jag by the arm and leading him to his squad.
*****
Coruscant
Anakin ran down the corridors of the Enterprise to transporter room three. A few minutes ago Mom contacted him and told him to beam over to the Falcon. "I want you on the Falcon," she said. And so Anakin ran down the corridor. The cubes would be at Coruscant within the hour. Their approach actually bypassed the other planets in the system, coming from the 'south'. So intent he was on getting to his destination, the young man didn't even notice the young woman in front of him.

"Oh!" she cried.

Anakin tried putting the brakes on, but he failed miserably, skidding on the deck plating.

The woman started falling to the ground, but she never made it. Her violet eyes widened in surprise when she didn't feel her head hit the deck plating. "Ah, why don't I have a concussion?"

Anakin smiled faintly at that. "It's because your head never hit the deck." He slowly raised her back to a standing position through the Force. "Sorry about that," he said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

The young woman waved him off. "It's okay. I was off in another galaxy." She smiled and extended her hand. "My name's Hotaru Tomoe."

Anakin wiped his hand on his pant leg before grabbing her dainty hand. "I'm Anakin Solo." He noted the blue shirt underneath her jacket and the two solid pips on her collar. "Are you in science?"

Hotaru nodded. "Yeah. I'm friends with Lusa." Her dainty face scrunched with an expression of concern. "I hope she's all right."

Anakin half-closed his blue eyes and reached out with the Force, tracking the life of his friend. "She is alive, but in distress." He sighed. "I wish there was something I could do for her."

Hotaru patted on the shoulder. "We do what we can, Anakin." She gasped. "Oh, I've got to get to my station!" She dashed off, shouting, "goodbye!" at him.

Anakin waved before turning back and hurrying to the transporter room. A few moments later, he materialized on the Falcon. Chewie stood at the transporter console of the freighter. "Where do I go?" he asked the Wookiee, looking up at him.

Chewie bared his fangs and roared. [You shall man the dorsal ventral turret, Anakin. Go and bring death to the drones.]

Anakin frowned at that. "I don't want to kill them, but I will if I must."
*****
The cubes approached Coruscant even as the New Republic forces and the Enterprise's task force readied itself. The Enterprise itself was out in front, flanked on starboard and port sides by one Defiant-class cruiser each. The third Defiant-class flew on 200 meters in front and to port. The Falcon and a Delta Flyer-class shuttle were nearby.

On the Delta Flyer, Admiral Janeway and Annika Hansen took up their positions. Janeway glanced up and out the main viewport. "Didn't we just leave this party?" she quipped.

The pilot, Lieutenant Commander Thomas Eugene Paris, looked down at a photo of his wife B'Elanna and their daughter Miral. "I just wish they'd stop inviting us," he responded. He glanced over at the Falcon and let a 'hmm' escape his lips. "I wonder how she'd do in a race "
*****
On the Enterprise, Tirsek looked up from her console. "Captain, the Borg are hailing us."

Picard, who was standing and talking with La Forge, tugged down on his uniform before turning to the screen. "Put it through," he growled.

A voice came through the speakers of all ships in the area. It sounded like trillions of people speaking at once, all with no emotion or soul left. "Citizens of the New Republic, we are the Borg."
*****
Wedge adjusted his right glove with his left. "Keep talking while we reload." The general had opted to lead Rogue Squadron into battle. Eleven X-wings flew in formation with him.

"Any quips, Wes?" Corran asked.

Wes' voice came over the com, sounding quite sober. "None for this occasion, Nine. Let's just get the job done and go home."
*****
"Life as you know it has ended."
*****
A'baht's eyes looked over the tactical overview on the Endurance's main viewscreen. His mouth went dry as the tactical computer identified several ships formerly under his command. "The Kenobi the Invincible the Bria " His eyes narrowed. "Arm all batteries and stand by to fire. Our comrades shall be avenged."
*****
"Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own."
*****
Han gripped the Falcon's controls and flipped a few switches. "They do like the sound of their own voice." He looked over and saw Leia. He skin was a bit paler than usual and her mouth was moving. "Sweetheart, you okay?"

She suddenly sat up straight and swallowed. "All these minds cry out, Han."

Behind her, Chewie growled. [They shall be avenged, honor sister.]

Han shrugged and contacted the two people manning the gun turrets. "Anakin, Mara, you two all set?"

Mara touched her hand to the radio set at her ears as she sat in the dorsal gun turret. "Nice work on the guns, Han. Did you supercharge them?"

Han smiled at that. "It was nothing, Mara." A growl from Chewie got his attention. "What? Scotty was a big help with the retrofit!"

Anakin's voice then came through. "All set here, Dad."

Han smiled. "Okay, son."
*****
"Resistance is futile."
*****
Picard flashed back to System J-25, Wolf 359, the Neutral Zone and Typhon Sector. "That will be the day." He glanced to port and Tirsek. "Lieutenant Commander, get firing solutions for all cubes. When they're in range, fire at will."

The Andorian's antennae shot up and she flashed a feral grin "Aye, captain."
*****
"You will be assimilated."
*****
Mara targeted the lead cube and scowled. "Never," she said before squeezing off a round. The laser bolts dissipated long before they reached the lead cubes, but it still felt good.

Ackbar's voice came through the speakers. "This is Admiral Ackbar. Starfleet task force, break off and head in. Task Force One and Two, break off and head for starboard. Three and Four, break for port."

The ships of the New Republic Navy broke formation and began maneuvering while the Borg cubes advanced. The slate-gray ships showed no outward sign of preparation, but looks were deceiving.

The Headquarters Frigate led the charge even as starfighters darted about. As soon as the lead ships reached firing range, Ackbar settled back and spoke.

"All ships, fire at will!"
*****

Yes, Hotaru Tomoe is from Sailor Moon. *Clears throat* Please read and review.

[Nickswitz]

Excellent! I love the interaction we get with the two time periods, and I have to say, the borg are a good villain in any Sci-fi setting...

[stitch626]

Wait... borg with lightsabers... scary.

[Vic]

Bones? Leonard James Akaar? A TOS reference? I love you man!!


Ahemermm, , I mean, good job!

[JudgeKing]

Bones? Leonard James Akaar? A TOS reference? I love you man!!


Ahemermm, , I mean, good job!

Leonard James Akaar is also a reference to post-nemesis treklit as he is a starfleet admiral in the novels.

[Mark]

Yes, Hotaru Tomoe is from Sailor Moon. *Clears throat* Please read and review.

Are we going to see any sailor powers?


Borg with lightsabers......that sounds about as useful as a flamethrower on a starship. Visually appealing thought though!

[Nickswitz]

Borg with lightsabers......that sounds about as useful as a flamethrower on a starship. Visually appealing thought though!

Actually, since they can't adapt to the lightsabers it may actually be a very useful tool for them.