The Gathering Storm - Part Two

Posted on Mon Mar 9th, 2020 @ 2:33am by Captain Daniel "Karass" McKnight & Captain Javier Morales & Fleet Captain Racheal Yamaguchi & Commander Ken Noros & Lieutenant Commander Tressa Rikan & Commander Jiao Anderson-Smithson & Commander Zheng Jet & Zuko Omakan & Commodore Teyo Kemoke & Fleet Captain Torilla Yamaguchi & Fleet Captain Marie Yamaguchi & Commodore Siaxx "Bluemoon" Dvald-Vaxx MD

Mission: Mission 60: Atlas Falls
Location: Neutral Space near the Federation and Cardassian Borders.
Timeline: 1510Hrs, Local Time - April 8th, 2392

Meanwhile in the Briefing Lounge. Rachael pulled out a chair and sat down, she sighed happily as she was thankful to be off of her feet for the first time in many years. "Mmm.. comfy." as she placed her feet up on the table before settling in for what she knew to be a long wait.

Ryuukei already headed into the briefing room, and though he was sure to avoid showing it, he was definitely on guard. Though seeing a borg queen sitting in the briefing room chair with her feet on the table had him pretty surprised, though he avoided showing it.

Selgae followed McKnight into the briefing lounge. She had her sidearm as she knew that against the power of a Borg Queen. Should things get hostile she had nothing that could take her down, one on one. "Now this... is worth a picture..."

"Take two my dear." The Queen spoke. "I will not be offended."

"I just... never expected to see a Borg, let alone a Borg Queen seated like this..." McKnight stated aloud.

"Thats to be expected. But I did not come here for a chat.. I bring news.. Good for you... but very bad for me...." The Queen spoke. "I have come under a flag of truce on a mission of mercy, such as this is.... Mercy for myself and the drones under my command." she spoke. "The Borg have encountered a new enemy, Species One Two Six Nine Five is what we call them... They have succeeded in sundering the Collective and we have fallen." as she rose to her feet. "May I use your computer... I promise no hostile action..." she regarded McKnight and his sidearm. "I also bring a gift..."

Zuko still wasn't fully trusting of what was going on, so he pulled out one of the smaller notebook computers from a nearby desk, "Here, use this."

"Thank you." The Queen accepted the small computer as she produced a Borg data slate. "Now... Unfortunately the information is second hand from another cube but... It should tell you something about our enemy.." as she activated the display, the borg text along the bottom was automatically translated into Federation English. A borg cube appeared on the display before it took three hits from torpedo like projectiles then the ship attacking it began to slice into it with an odd colored beam weapon before the cube exploded moments later.

"We have no name for these people... Only that we called them Species 12695.." the Queen watched as the same strange ship turned and began to engage a second cube, only this was a Tactical cube, however this one was already taking fire from another half dozen smaller ships that looked like the first ship. "We have not been able to assimilate any of these species... and they have undone the Collective."

"So... you want our help.. to ... what?. Defeat them?" Selgae inquired.

"No... My connection to the Collective has been severed and I am who I was before I was assimilated all those years ago." the Queen explained. "I was assimilated by the Collective on Stardate Four Four Zero Zero Two point One.."

"The battle in the Wolf System... You were part of Admiral Hanson's Fleet.." McKnight said aloud. "I always wondered... if there were survivors.."

"I was at the Wolf System Commander..." The Queen responded. "I was assigned as the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Goodson."

"So... If you don't mind my asking.." McKnight responded.

"What is the gift I bring you ask..." The Queen responded.

"Yes.."

The Queen paused. "That cube has a backup of the Borg Collectives entire database. Everything we have and know... It is yours now. If you wish it."

Zuko then asked the question that was on practically everyone's mind.
"And what of you and your drones."

"Well.. that depends on what you wish to do with us..." the Queen shrugged. "I wish for them to go home and live full and happy lives in peace... Since every single drone was once a Starfleet officer or a Federation citizen at one point or another." the Queen explained. "As for me.. I know who I am, my name, my service in Starfleet and my family... I know they are still alive and well." she indicated the back wall. "Your light carrier is commanded by one of my relatives.. as it so happens.."

Meanwhile on the bridge of the lead Cardassian ship, the Cardassian commander present didn't know what to think. The Federation and the borg ship were well within range of each other and yet they weren't firing at each other, so she decided to hail the federation ship to find out what was going on."

On the Dreamcrusher. Jen Nettles was seated in the center seat as Lieutenant Hsirr turned to face her. "Sir.. The lead Cardassian vessel is hailing us."

Nettles paused. "Forward the message along to the Conference Lounge. I'll let the skipper take this one."

McKnight tapped the display, the face of a Cardassian commander appeared. "I'm Commander Daniel McKnight... Can I assist you?" he inquired.

The Cardassian woman introduced herself, "I am 6th Legate Yukrin Karav,..." Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of the Borg Queen in the briefing room. "Uh, there is a Borg in your briefing room. Why is there a Borg in your briefing room?"

McKnight shifted to look at the Borg Queen who looked back at McKnight. "I am honored to meet you Legate Karav." The Queen stated. "I am here to foster relations... My connection to the Collective has been severed... You may pass the word back to your government.. I am the last Queen the Collective will know... the Borg have fallen before a species we can't assimilate, called Species One Two Six Nine Five.." the Queen explained. "As soon as it is safe to do so... I will see to it that you government is informed of the situation.."

Legate Karav replied. "OK then, well, do you need any assistance then."

Zuko nodded. "Yeah we do, we are looking at removing subspace relays from half a million borg drones, and we need to find a way to render the nanoprobes in them safe, that way so there isn't an accidental release of borg nanoprobes and they go around assimilating things. Plus eventually many of these former drones may want to have all their implants removed, and any cardassian drones may want to be repatriated, so yeah, we will definitely need medical officers and a lot of them."

Karav nodded. "Alright I'll have to get in contact with Defense Force Headquarters then, but I can send you any medics I can spare right now, and offer medical facilities."

"That would be appreciated," Zuko replied, thankful for the help." We are quite overloaded with the ongoing Ferasian refugee crisis."

The Queen turned. "I will keep my drones on my cube but I will need for you to supply a large subspace dampening field to prevent subspace coms from getting out." she paused. "I have no way to know if the Collective got my last set of orders before my connection was severed." she explained.

Zuko nodded," Alright, but either way, I would prefer we go back to the B Kayor system, if your ship is able too, but as a precaution I would ask that as long as you and your drones retain those subspace comm implants that you remain either on the cube or if your aboard here, you don't go without escort. Its only a precaution its not that I don't trust you, but as long as you or any of your people still have those subspace implants, any parts of the collective that may have survived without your knowledge could reassert itself over you or your people. Plus there is still the hazard of the Nanoprobes in your bodies, if they somehow get out, they do like to assimilate any nearby technology, so I would especially ask that you not be on any akurian vessels until the nanoprobes are either removed or rendered safe."

"Acceptable. We can depart as soon as I am back aboard the cube.. However you will need to provide me with coordinates of your base am I am not familiar with that systems designation." the Queen responded with a soft smile as she closed her eyes.

The com system beeped. "Nettles to Zuko. We're we're receiving a data download, its massive... sixty million terra quads of information.."

"Medical data..." The Queen commented. "Its being sent to you and to the Cardassians. "How to de-assimilate drones from the Collective without problems."

Zuko then tapped his combadge, saying. "Bridge, plot a course to the B Bayor system and send the coordinates to the Borg Cube and the Cardassians, let them know to meet us there."

The voice of Lieutenant Kameron Yamaguchi came back. "Aye skipper... We're on our way."

Meanwhile on the bridge of the Courageous. Torilla had watched and waited while the situation had developed. "Sir. We're being ordered to stand down and prepare for transit back to B Kayor." Anderson turned from her post.

Yamaguchi regarded the cube on the viewscreen in silence. "Acknowledge the order and then land our birds. Time to go home I guess.." she responded.

Meanwhile back on Dreamcrushers bridge. "Sir... we might have a problem?" Yamaguchi commented. "If the cube activates its transwarp system and pops up inside Federation space. command will have a panic attack considering the first incident was out here."

McKnight paused. "We could use all the ships in our group to generate a large enough conduit for the cube.."

Yamaguchi nodded. "Yeah.. I and the other conn officers can make that work.. Easily." he paused. "It'll just read as something unusually massive.."

Zuko sighed and replied. "Fine, then let command know first, OK."

McKnight nodded. "I'll handle it." he responded as he went over to his post, he sat down and composed a message when he then sent to Nettles for sending.

Nettles sent it moments later. "I've sent it to Starbase 67. Its the Command base for Commander, Starfleet Forces, Alpha Quadrant." she explained. "They've receved.."

"Excellent... Lieutenant, whenever you're ready... take us home."

Yamaguchi smiled as he proceeded to do just that, with the various ships in the small force all turning and entering slipstream flight with the Borg cube behind them.