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Star Trek Athena: The Prophecy - crobato
:: 06/07/01 ::
Chapter 6
His restlessness thinly veiled, Boussard paced around the bridge. This scanning patrol was far too routine in his taste. There may be thousands of ships out there from Star Fleet to the mercantile and neutral ships that pass along inside Federation space. He was not the only increasingly being bothered with the visions. There were many in his crew that were saved from assimilation.
The new voices had become louder, like the whispers of patients in a mental hospital, like a distant swarm of locusts. He could feel himself drawn in, like a moth to a light. The infiltrators have gone into a stage of alertness, like for the first time, they felt fear, fear of being discovered, fear of being destroyed. Does the Borg know fear? No. What he was feeling was the natural instinct of self preservation that even the Borg kept programmed in their drones. It was after all, an instinct that was useful, and can be overridden if needed to. Self-regulating mechanisms such as emotions was one of the superior traits of biological intelligence over artificial intelligence, and he knew enough of the Borg's justified disdain toward pure artificial intelligence. He could feel the danger they sense, the alertness to respond. Silent hunters had struck them and ships had been lost. Who were these hunters from the dark?
He could hear them. Alerted by danger, the infiltrators were regrouping and consolidating their forces. They were called to gather and protect. But what? Where? Who made them anyway? Somewhere in the quadrant, there must be a Vinculum and supporting plexis nodes that provided their linking infrastructure. They must have a base.
If he could follow these voices...
"Hail the Genghiz," he ordered his Conn officer. "She's on screen," the officer responded.
"Captain Johnston," he said. "I am going off to break off our regular patrol pattern and begin a new one. Are you with me?"
"Didn't Admiral Hurst give that pattern to us?" Johnston said. "Isn't that bending his orders a bit?"
"The orders provided wasn't set on stone. It's only a guideline for a regular patrol." He replied.
"And what about the Normandy and the Lionheart? They're sticking to their regular patrol pattern." Johnston asked.
"I bet they won't mind," Boussard replied.
"I'm not really for the idea, but tt looks like I got to be around to keep you in check," Johnston jokingly replied. "Let's go."
Boussard turned to the ensign in the helm. "Bring a star map up." The map went up the screen. He pointed to a section in the map. "Now plot a course to these coordinates."
"Coordinates set, sir." The ensign replied.
"Change course. Increase speed to Warp 9."
"Aye sir!"
The Akira class starship banked, and immediately the smaller Steamrunner banked on the same angle and followed the same course change.
"Well, you seem to be in a hurry, Jacques?" Johnston said on screen from her bridge on the Genghiz. Johnston previously captained a Defiant escort, and this was her first time on a bigger ship like a Steamrunner. The Genghiz itself was new, with a new crew, barely out of her running trials. Greenhorn ship, a greenhorn crew, and a greenhorn captain, at least for a Steamrunner. Boussard wondered if she would be an asset or a liability should hostile fire occur.
Some time passed, but it was time Boussard never counted. He remained tense. The voices remained in his head. He wants to fight this, kill this, to stop the nightmare voices that lurk like demons in his subconscious. He wants to fight this not just for humanity and the Federation, but for his sanity. It was the same feeling that many of his crew had felt. The strain on his sanity had already caused him to lose some sleep and some of his weight. If this continued, he would be unfit for both command, Star Fleet service and inevitably a normal life.
"It appears our course is taking us close to the Siranau system," the ensign on the helm said.
"Didn't the system just recently become a member of the Federation?" Boussard asked.
"Yes," his First officer said.
This was way beyond his expectations. If the Borg would build a base for infiltration, he would have expected in some hardly visited area, the equivalent of a winter land for the Federation. It may be in some border or frontier. But not somewhere close to a Federation member planet.
"Two Federation vessels approaching on an intercept course." The ensign said.
"Can you identify them?" Boussard asked.
"The USS Guadacanal, sir. She's a Cheyenne class. The other is the USS Saipan. She's a Freedom class starship sir."
What an odd pair, Boussard thought. A four warp nacelle Cheyenne ship and a single nacelle Freedom class ship.
"We're being hailed sir. It's Captain Abraham of the Guadacanal."
"Scan the two ships," Boussard ordered his Operations officer. "Bring him on screen." Boussard ordered to this helm ensign. "This is Captain Jacques Boussard of the USS Hiryu. We are on a routine patrol mission. Is there anything wrong?"
"This is Captain Joseph Abraham of the USS Guadacanal. Greetings. We regret to inform you that this area of space has been quarantined. No Star Fleet vessel is allowed to enter the area without any authorization."
"Is there anything wrong?" Boussard repeated.
"Currently issues are confidential, and on a need to know basis. You, in particular, don't need to know. We request that you turn back at once. I repeat. This sector of space has just been declared quarantine and off limits to standard Star Fleet ships and personnel."
"Very well then, we shall turn back. Boussard out." The screen returned to the starry background.
"Neither the Guadacanal nor the Saipan are listed among Section databases. Unless there is another Star Fleet faction we are now aware of..." His first officer said.
"We have a positive reading on the Borg nanoprobe scans, sir. Both ships are assimilated." His Operations officer said.
"Two complete starships?" Boussard asked in complete surprise. If this was true, the extent of infiltration could be deeper than he thought.
Suddenly he could feel an excitement in the voices, fear, tension, and the need for battle-and of further assimilation.
"Get an encrypted message out to the Genghiz! Raise the shields. Go into red alert, arm phasers, load torpedoes on maximum yield. Evasive maneuvers now!"
A green holding beam suddenly shot out of the Guadacanal. Even though a Cheyenne class is smaller than an Akira, the Guadacanal was able to hold the Hiryu on its tracks. No Federation ship or technology could do this on this scale. It only has to be-
Borg.
Patches of Borg technology and implants began to grow and spread all over the Guadacanal's surface. That very moment, the same horrifying metamorphosis was happening to the USS Saipan.
"We got Borg drones on the ship!" His First officer shouted. Aha! But the Hiryu, courtesy of the Borg Containment program being developed on the Tacticus shipyards, has a Borg containment team on board. So does the Genghiz.
"Quantum torpedoes on random modulation and maximum yield. Fire!" Boussard ordered. A volley of torpedoes shrieked out from the hull of the Hiryu. Given the short range, all of them smashed against the shields of the Guadacanal. Most of the torpedoes were blocked, but some must have gotten through. The Guadacanal emitted fire and the holding beam faded. The Hiryu broke free.
"Impossible! That thing just took enough firepower up close to destroy even a Sovereign." Boussard said. But then, as he saw, the Cheyenne class ship appeared heavily modified with Borg implants.
"Borg infiltration team had been contained and placed in a stasis chamber." His First officer reported.
"The Saipan has locked on to the Genghiz with a holding beam!" His Tactical officer reported.
On the screen, Boussard watched the Genghiz vainly struggle against the holding beam with volleys of phasers and torpedoes thrown at the Freedom class Saipan.
"Lock phasers on the Saipan. Concentrate on the holding beam generators!" Boussard ordered. The Genghiz had already weakened the Saipan's shields, and the Hiryu's phasers got through and disabled the holding beam. Like a fish escaping its predator, the Genghiz quickly broke free.
"We got three Federation ship signatures coming to our position," his Operations officer said. "We got a Korelev class starship and two New Orleans class starships, identities unknown."
"There is no way of knowing if they're on our side or the others, and we're not going to take the chance." Boussard said. The one thing he hated doing was to retreat from a fight, but he was not going to be stupid either. "Evasive maneuvers! Plot a course for withdrawal and get the hell out of here, maximum warp!"
The Hiryu and the Genghiz streaked out as fast as their warp engines could go. "Conn, send out an encrypted message readable to only Section ships, informing them of our 'situation'."
"Not sure if there is any other Section ship nearby." The Conn officer said.
"Just do it!" Boussard insisted.
"Bad news, Captain, five ships rapidly gaining on us!" The Operations officer said. "We're confirming nanoprobe presence on the Korelev and New Orleans class ships. Those ships are far from the latest, and yet they have more than kept up with us. What are they running on?"
"Borg hot rod special." Boussard snapped back. "They got good mechanics, all right? Keep your attention on your consoles."
The Akira class ship reached warp 9.99 on over boost, and the Steamrunner not too far behind. But the newly commissioned Genghiz was far from a fully tested ship and with an inexperienced crew, she started lagging behind. Boussard started to feel that his decision to bring the Genghiz along was beginning to be a mistake. Green beams lashed out from the pursuing ships, torching the rear shields of the Genghiz. The Genghiz returned fire from her rear phasers, but it was futile act against the reinforced shields the Borg had placed on the pursuing ships.
His mind was telling him to sacrifice the Genghiz to its fate, keep running, keep the Hiryu alive so it can warn the rest of the section.
No way. The lives of the Genghiz will not be upon his conscience, not again. No Borg will do assimilating today, not when Jacques Boussard was around and alive. "Turn around, and engage enemy ships!" he ordered. "Usual random modulation routine." The decision was not met with any resistance, and instead with enthusiasm. The crew of the Hiryu was lousy at retreating anyway.
The Akira swung around, torpedoes flying, phasers lashing, just as the Steamrunner fired all its weapons against the lead assimilated ship. The Cheyenne class Guadacanal broke up from the combined fire, unable to adapt to the combined firepower in time. But the other four ships fired at the Hiryu, leaving only a thin eggshell left of her shields. A renewed attack would have destroyed her easily.
Boussard could almost feel that this was it. Was this how Custer felt when all those Sioux indians surrounded him? He could use the Cavalry just about now.
"Captain, we got four ships coming down at Warp 9.9, and two other ships close behind." The Operations officer said.
Boussard felt certain that his fate was decided this time.
"Signature identified on one of the ships. It appears to be a Prometheus class." His Operations officer said.
Can it only be?
"The other ships appear to be Aegis class. We also have an Ambassador class coming in with a Niagara class."
Is there a God in Heaven? The question was just answered.
Streaking against the darkness, the USS Athena unleashed a full volley of torpedoes, and phasers lanced towards their targets. The three Aegis class ships were right behind, unleashing their own stream of torpedoes and angry phasers. Their target was the second Borg lead ship, the assimilated Freedom class. Two torpedoes missed, but the rest slammed into the invisible shields, causing it to glow brightly green with each impact. The Borg modified shields held off half of the torpedoes, much more than what an original Freedom class could hold, but not even the Borg could perform miracles of adaptation as the other half smashed through. The assimilated ship went up a huge ball of light and fire, parts of the Saipan's saucer section hurtled in all directions, each trailing smoke that quickly dissipated in the vacuum.
Taken aback with the momentary tactical inferiority, the three other ships, two New Orleans and the Korolev class, quickly turned around and made a retreat. The database cannot identify the three ships, and no determination can be made if the ships were assimilated or if the Borg were making brand new replicas.
"We got a message from the USS Athena," the Conn officer notified.
"Bring it on screen," Boussard said.
The face of Admiral Hurst appeared on screen. "I see, captain, you found the hornet's nest ahead of us. You know you could have waited for us."
"I needed to follow a hunch." Boussard apologized. "It is my responsibility that I left the standard patrol pattern."
"And you nearly got yourself and another ship killed for that reason. I will have to talk to you later on that." Hurst said. "Apparently we're going to have more trouble."
"Scans!" Boussard shouted. His hunches had gone overtime with their warnings.
"Captain, the Borg has returned with a large fleet. Apparently they don't intend to let us leave the party without saying a big goodbye." His Tactical officer said.
"Let's beat it kids!" Hurst shouted through the conference window. Just when the cavalry came in for a big save, the enemy called in their bigger cavalry. Even on equal numbers, they would be facing a major tactical disadvantage. The eight ships sped out on the highest warp numbers they could manage.
* * *
Aboard the USS Athena, Hurst had sent out encrypted messages for other Section task forces, calling for a quarantine and blockade of the entire sector. They will have to think of a major excuse to cover up the operation. His escort squadrons of Defiants, Sabres and Novas were on their way to a rendezvous point to assist and reinforce the containment operation.
The Section had experience in dealing with internal matters of member or faction dissension. This was one of the unfortunate tasks the Section was created and designed to handle for, an internal policeman or enforcer. Despite the utopian image painted to the public, unknown to them, the sheer size of the Federation had opened holes in the fabric that allowed for factions and dissension movements among member worlds. Unpopular relocation policies brought against colonists and non space faring races had been one reason for the dissension. Others come from the disproportionate power and membership of Sol system humans in the Federation council and Star Fleet. Not the least had been unecological locations of research bases, where mad experiments that involved meddling with subspace and the space time continuum had brought severe effects to the rest of the star system.
There were times the Section had been successful, such as containing the worm alien that took over the minds and bodies of a considerable number of high ranking Star Fleet officers, creating a secret faction among them. Originally discovered in an incident involving Picard of the Enterprise, Section uncovered more evidence of the worm alien infestation, and dealt with it in the most stern way. And there were times the Section had been unsuccessful, where a minor insurrection fanned and eventually caught the mainstream Star Fleet into a major war against itself and its conscience. That became the infamous Maquis rebellion. After decades, the Section had suffered considerable neglect and with it, weakness. After the Dominion War and the uncertainties it brought to the Federation and surviving empires, the Section had secretly regained much of its power, especially among the young captains and officers brought to replace the old generation of principled veterans that were mostly killed during the War.
When the Section confronts a 'situation', Section task forces apply stern measures. The entire area would be quarantined off even from normal Star Fleet vessels. If the situation cannot be defused diplomatically, then force will be applied, erasing the problem and cleaning the 'situation'. The press will never hear of it, and history will never record it. The public will go on their happy ignorant ways. Only the precious, secret archives of the Section knew the truth.
Section laboratories have always worked on things unpalatable to the Federation council and the do good wishers of the Federation hierarchy. The most notable were pathogen or nanoprobe warfare, such as the infection used against the Dominion founders. Yet it so happens these same laboratories were also working with pathogen or nanoprobe weapons against the Borg. Is it deemed morally acceptable to use pathogens against the Borg but not the Founders? Some of the Federation do gooders maintain a double standard like this, but the Section only applied the same standard for all enemies. Section also covered pathogenic or infiltration attacks against the Federation from foreign powers. Recently, the Section's responsibility increased to cover temporal incursions. The secretive nature of the Section lent well to the containment of potential time line changes from such incursions. The incursion of the Enteprise G and the Borg infiltration were all textbook Section priority cases, but the extent of the case will for the first time, stretch Section resources to the limit.
Previously on his orders, Athena had obtained the list of Federation diplomats and starships that visited the Siranau system. Someone placed the list on a high level security access that normally wasn't accorded to mere engagements of diplomacy and public affairs. Why the secrecy? The fact that such a list had to be closely guarded was already troubling. The list had been sent to the Section, where agents will scan and investigate all members and ships within the list. If found, the agents would execute any number of alternatives. The first will be to capture the infiltrator to learn more about the biology and technology used in these infiltrators. The subject will be de-assimilated, but if the subject cannot be recovered, they will be terminated or transferred to Section laboratories for further research. If the infiltrator resisted during the capture attempt, agents terminate the subject. The Section will find means to cover up the assassination of the subject.
Hurst watched a dozen Borg assimilated vessels heading their way to intercept his fleet. Had the infestation been that deep? A whole planet, infested? How?
"Captain?" Athena asked. "I don't think we can outrun the Borg fleet. I don't even think I can even outrun the Borg myself, and I'm the fastest vessel around here."
They found the hornet's nest and the hornets were all stirred up. "We got to hold on a bit longer till we can meet the rendezvous point. The escort squadrons will be waiting for us there." Hurst said.
Conference windows went up in the Athena's bridge screen.
"We're not going to make it," Shelley said, in a pessimistic way.
"Yes, we can, if we can hang on," Maeda said.
"No we won't. Someone has to delay them. Admiral, my shields have regenerated. Let me go and engage them," Boussard said.
"No heroics, Boussard!" Hurst ordered. "Maintain course! Our reinforcements will be here."
"My scans show old ships like Miranda, Excelsior and Merced classes. These are antiquated ship classes, Admiral," T'pak observed. "And yet, they're traveling faster than Athena's maximum warp speed."
"They only look like old Federation ships to fool you," Shiner said. "Inside the shell, it's all Borg. I have a feeling the Borg may also be deliberately constructing clones of Federation vessels. It would make sense to for them to clone ships in addition to the ones they assimilated if they want to infiltrate Federation space."
"The conspiracy thickens," Garret said.
"We got energy readings," T'pak said. "I believe the escort squadrons are approaching, sir."
"Good, reinforcements. It will give us a fighting chance," Hurst said.
"But we have another reading...." T'pak said. "I believe it can only be the Enterprise G, but I have no familiarity with this vessel."
"Bring it on screen," Garret said.
The ship was a gracious hybrid of Sovereign and Miranda class concepts, a ship identifiably as Federation in its design lineage, and yet nothing like anything that existed in the Federation before.
"Yup, that's the Enterprise G." Shiner said.
"And it's heading one versus twelve there!" Ka'nal said. "That lady in that ship got a lot of guts."
"She probably has one hundred years of Federation technological advancement to back her up." T'pak said. "But that is still one ship against a dozen."
"She's not going to fight alone," Boussard spoke from the conference window. "The Hiryu does not run from a fight and nor does not it leave other ships alone to carry the battle."
"The Hiryu and the Genghiz have broken off the formation," Drudge said.
"Permission to engage sir!" Athena said.
"Not you too." Hurst said. "That Boussard is a loose cannon. If he wasn't one good warrior captain, he would have lost his commission. Don't be like that, okay Athena?"
"But?" Athena asked. "Can't leave them fighting alone."
"Sir?" Garret asked. "She's right. We need to engage. We can win this, but not if the Borg pick us off one by one."
"Alright then, I am not going to win this running," Hurst said. "Formation break off and engage at will. Captain Wu. Captain De Witt. Everyone, use your attack shuttles!"
Already the Enterprise G was caught in a chaotic exchange of phaser fire and energy beams. The Hiryu and the Genghiz ran full speed to join her, torpedoes shrieking, phasing lashing. Eight Venture class attack shuttles came off from the Hiryu's rear, with four Type 12 shuttles from the Genghiz joining them. As they turned around, the rest of the ships, with the exception of the shuttle less Athena, began disgorging Venture class, Type 9 and Type 12 shuttles off their rears, creating additional attack wings that can either draw off more of the Borg fire, or attack weakened sections of their shields turned away from the main ships. From a distance, four wings of Defiants, Sabres and Novas were bearing in.
"We got word that more Section ships are arriving in the area shortly," T'pak said. "Unfortunately, the Borg had been aroused and they are being joined with more of their ships. Not only are the Borg ships Federation, but also Klingon, Romulan and Cardassian ships."
"All copies or assimilated, I presume." Hurst said. "It does not matter what they look like; underneath they're all Borg. We can safely assume at this point that Siranau may be their central base of infiltration operations."
"Now the plot thickens. My scans are showing Klingon, Romulan and Cardassian fleets approaching Siranau." T'pak said. "We're being hailed from lead Negh'Var battleship."
The image came online. "Admiral!" Ka'Vagh greeted with a loud, hoarse voice. "Have we crashed your party?"
"Not at all, I thought your help will come in handy." Hurst said.
"We have traced a Borg infiltrator ship to this sector. Then we find that you're involved in a battle without inviting us in. Ahem, I apologize for entering Federation space without your permission with an armed expeditionary force." Ka'Vagh said. "But as you see, it was for the good of everyone. I am sure I am, ahem, speaking in behalf of my colleagues in the Obsidian Order and Tal Shi'ar as well."
"Under normal circumstances, coming into Federation territory with an armed fleet without permission can be a near act of war and certainly a violation of treaties." Hurst said.
"Then we request a formal permission to enter battle," Raek said from a D'Deridex class Warbird. "The fate of the Romulan Empire depends as much as on this battle as the Federation and Klingon Empires. As much as I dislike sharing my battles with the Klingons, I am willing to overlook that disadvantage for the good of the Star Empire."
"My feeling exactly, when I brought you in," Ka'Vagh retorted.
"Count us in," Merak said, aboard a Hutet class battleship. "But of course, we will attend to our normal business as soon as the Borg interloopers are eliminated."
"This is shaping to be a glorious battle." Drudge said. "My scans are showing formations of Bird of Preys, Talon scouts and Hideki assault fighters behind their main line."
"Granted this is Federation territory, but we can appreciate any help we can get for the moment. Permission granted. Make yourselves happy. Hurst out." Hurst said. A knifing gesture on his neck told the Conn officer to cut off the screens.
"I don't mind them dying for our cause after all. This will lessen our casualties and shift some of the burden to our guests here."
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