Categories > TV > Star Trek: Voyager > A New Era
Chapter 5
When I started my regeneration cycle I found myself in the black void of my mind once more. I looked around and saw the former queen materialize in front of me.
“Why are we here again? Is there more that you needed to inform me of?” I asked.
The former queen smiled at me, her warm expression again bringing back images of my mother and tugging at my heart. “I am here to communicate the fact that while you are regenerating you can come back here to ask for advice and or ideas. I have learned that individuals share and develop ideas primarily through verbal communication. Personally I find the process inefficient and cumbersome, but I cannot deny the results that have come from this form of communication. So while it is true that you have access to my memories and those of the other previous queens through the collective’s memory, that would not provide you with the ability of the humans’ form of problem solving. So my AI will act as what humans call a… second head.”
“I understand; so I was chosen to be the queen because of my individuality. The Borg wanted and needed someone who could truly think like an individual. Consequently that is why I haven’t undergone the normal process that new queens go through,” I replied.
“You are correct,” the former Queen said. “You are truly unique. We chose you not only because of your individuality, but also because of your goal for perfection in your own mind. You wanted to be more like Seven of Nine; well educated, strong and powerful, to never allow yourself to be weak or powerless again. You might not have known it at the time, but you where striving for perfection. When we saw this in you, program 001 knew you would be perfect for the designation of queen.”
“I understand now,” I said.
“We must terminate this communication for now. There is a tremendous amount of data that must be downloaded into your mind. When your regeneration cycle ends you will know where every Borg ship is located without having to ask the collective, and we will start transferring data regarding the technology we are currently using, though this will take many regeneration cycles. Now then, as the humans like to say, goodnight Naomi of Borg,” the Queen said as she embraced me and I returned he gesture, feeling the ragged wound in my heart being healed with the soothing touch of the collective. “Sleep well.”
After the former queen’s parting words my higher brain functions shut down and the collective initiated data transfer subroutine 0231.83. I would only be awoken when my regeneration cycle ended or the collective needed me to be aware.
…
My regeneration cycle had taken ten hours and with a click the humming of the hidden power transfer module ceased and I felt myself becoming conscious again, a small smile still on my face. I sat up in my bed, and the first thing I noticed was that I had a lot of new memories that I did not have before. For example, I knew that right now I was in spatial grid 403 without using my link to check with the collective. Sphere 07287 had been in spatial grid 403 for the last eight point two hours. I cursed to myself and asked why I had not awoken when we had arrived
In my mind I heard the former Queen respond to my question. “You were in need of complete regeneration. Without full regeneration you would be less efficient. You will need to complete full regeneration cycles for eleven additional days as your primary and secondary power systems both need to be charged. I would not wish for you to collapse during the middle of your attack,” she said, and I felt her mental touch in my mind and smiled at the sensation.
I sighed in resignation, but I knew that the collective was correct. I should not rush things too quickly. I got up out of my bed and at the same time began stretching myself. I had not moved once in the last ten hours and loosened my stiff limbs as I made my way to my desk. With complete knowledge of where all of my ships where located, I decided I needed to make a few alterations. First I recalled over four hundred vessels to spatial grid 403, which would be the Collective’s base of operations for a while. I then ordered a select group of vessels to start replacing the communication arrays throughout the galaxy that had been lost. It was essential to maintain the collective’s link to all our remaining ships and planets. Finally, I ordered the rest of my ships to seek out and scan for species that would be worthy of assimilation and also to search for the resources the collective needed.
I was just now realizing how much damage the future version of Admiral Janeway had caused to the Borg. We had lost so much to Janeway’s pathogen. If it had not been for the actions of the former queen, we the Borg would have been completely destroyed. The former queen had terminated herself and initiated safety parameter 003 to stop the spread of the pathogen. That single action had saved the Borg, and I bowed my head in respect for what she had done for the collective.
A few seconds later I raised my head and started planning the attack on species 521. I wanted a perfect surprise attack so that our losses would be minimal. With a thought I had Sphere 07287 and Cubes 04589, 00483 and 01294 run a passive scan of the defenses of our target world. I reviewed the results quickly and learned that the planet had a very powerful planetary shield, but because of the power requirements it would only be activated during an attack. It would take forty two point three seconds to charge up and another two point six seconds to completely envelop the planet with a shield. The orbital construction platforms also had powerful shields, but because of the need for small construction pods to weave around the platforms their shields would be down as well and it would take four point four seconds for the shields to be raised on each platform. The last defense was an array of unmanned orbital energy cannons, most clustered around the planet's moon, and ground to space torpedo batteries.
With the gathered information I selected the most optimal locations for the Cubes to take. Cube 04589 would be in orbit at the northern pole where shield generator 1 was located on the planet and would also be in direct firing range to two of the five construction platforms. Cube 01294 would be in orbit at the southern pole where shield generator 2 was located on the planet and would also be in firing range of one of the construction platforms. Cube 04589 would be at a much further distance from the planet, which would place it in range of the remaining two construction platforms and would be dealing with most of the planet's energy cannon batteries.
To take both the planetary shield grid and the construction platforms’ shields off-line I had come up with a few modifications of our torpedoes. The collective was already adapting my modifications to a select number of torpedoes. The warheads would have an optimized blast field that would only disable, not destroy. I also added another surprise; the blast from the torpedoes would carry trillions of Nano Probes, assimilating everything in their path. I could not help smiling at that thought.
The last adaptation I needed was a way to disrupt species 521’s targeting scanners, which would make their defense systems largely irrelevant. Species 521 used a unique detection system that would lock on to a ships energy signature. In a battle it was almost impossible to cloak an energy signature, but I had a different plan. I would have the Cubes create a class three phase variance in their power grids, making it almost impossible for Species 521 to get an accurate target lock; they would be chasing reflections and sensor ghosts.
Now that all of the needed preparations had been completed, it was time to engage species 521. I was excited to see how my plan would work, and I found myself pacing the length of my chamber. Centering myself, I sent out a hail with a thought. A few seconds later my view screen was filled with the image of a tall humanoid alien with large beady eyes and black, scaly skin. “I am Second Dore Saythoth of the Shivolian Defense Corps. Please state your identity and what your intentions are.”
“Very well, I will comply with your request,” I replied, keeping a smile in check for the moment. “I am Naomi of Borg, Queen of the Borg. You will lower your shields and surrender. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.”
Dore Saythoth stared at me for a few seconds and then started laughing so hard he almost fell out of his chair. I was quickly getting very annoyed with this man, and a visible frown replaced my hidden smile.
After a minute Dore Saythoth calmed himself and looked back at me, breathing a bit heavy after his laughing spell. “While that was the best joke I have heard in months, you have violated our laws and can be sentenced to a year in one of our work colonies, which is no place for a little girl like you. But I must say that was an exceptional performance; you almost had me.”
I felt indignant at Dore Saythoth’s statement. I was not a liar, and as the Queen of the Borg I felt that I deserved some respect. I looked to the right and at that moment my three Cubes decloaked and released their torpedoes. A few seconds later I could see the room Dore Saythoth was in shaken by our attack. “Do you still believe that I am joking?” I asked, and I could see the fear begin to cross Dore Saythoth’s face. I took pleasure from that.
It took us less then a minute to completely disable all of species 521’s defenses. The cubes where now releasing atmospheric torpedoes which would disperse Nano Probes into the atmosphere, where they would begin to assimilate every person on the planet. I could already hear thousands of new voices joining the collective. I looked back up at my view screen and decided I would let Dore Saythoth witness the complete assimilation of his race, just to make sure he did not think of me as a liar.
With a thought I sent fifteen drones to the communications room that Dore Saythoth was in, and ten seconds later I joined them. I appeared in a large U shaped room chamber which was a silvery gray color. The room slightly resembled a Greek amphitheater. Steps lead up from the center of the room to where workstations where arranged on the second level dais. At the front of the room there was a very large view screen. I saw that Dore Saythoth was spinning around in circles with a weapon in his hand as he watched all of his colleagues being injected with Nanoprobes and beamed away.
When he saw me he spun around and sighted his weapon to fire at me. But I was quicker and with barely a thought I lifted my right hand and used my tractor beam to yank the weapon out of his hand, or that was my intention anyway. I ended up pulling him face first to the ground while at the same time crushing the bones in his hand and dislocating those in his right arm. Dore Saythoth started howling in pain, and I closed my eyes, reprogramming a newly formed Nano pellet. Then with a flexing of my hand the pellet shot out and hit Dore Saythoth in the chest. Within a few seconds the Nano Probes spread through his system, forming a Cortical Node which suppressed the pain he was feeling and allowed me to see his surface thoughts, although his individuality was still intact.
Dore Saythoth stopped screaming and sat up, cradling his right arm. I could hear him moaning in despair about the condition of his right arm and hand. “Stop your sniveling!” I snapped. “A simple amputation will cure that problem right up.” This only seemed to make things worst. I could feel a cruel smile cross my lips. This fool would learn that you did not get away with disrespecting me.
“Come on, stand up; you are missing my big day,” I said casually. With a thought the main view screen started displaying security images from elsewhere on the planet and aboard the construction platforms. I started explaining. “As you can see, the assimilation process is a bit different then before. With the use of my new designs, Bio-Implants are no longer rejected by the living body and so we no longer have to suppress the body’s immune system. This means that now we can create a perfect balance of organic and inorganic systems. Therefore my drones no longer need to look like living corpses.”
I turned a way from the view screen and saw that Saythoth was not even paying attention to me. He was just staring in horror at the view screen. “Are you even listening to me?!” I yelled. He turned to me and I could hear him thinking that I was totally insane. “Hold on a second, I will do a self diagnostic,” I said. I close my eyes and performed the diagnostic and found that my systems were running normal. “I have found that all my systems are running within normal parameters, which means I’m perfectly sane,” I smiled. He started backing away from me in pure terror.
“Please, just end it. Please, I will do anything, just stop this!” He begged me. I thought about his request for a moment and decided that he had suffered enough for his insult. “Very well, I will comply,” I finally replied. With another thought the Nano Probes in Dore Saythoth’s body started to assimilate him and his body was beamed away. I turned my attention back to the assimilation of species 521, which was proceeding with perfection.
When I started my regeneration cycle I found myself in the black void of my mind once more. I looked around and saw the former queen materialize in front of me.
“Why are we here again? Is there more that you needed to inform me of?” I asked.
The former queen smiled at me, her warm expression again bringing back images of my mother and tugging at my heart. “I am here to communicate the fact that while you are regenerating you can come back here to ask for advice and or ideas. I have learned that individuals share and develop ideas primarily through verbal communication. Personally I find the process inefficient and cumbersome, but I cannot deny the results that have come from this form of communication. So while it is true that you have access to my memories and those of the other previous queens through the collective’s memory, that would not provide you with the ability of the humans’ form of problem solving. So my AI will act as what humans call a… second head.”
“I understand; so I was chosen to be the queen because of my individuality. The Borg wanted and needed someone who could truly think like an individual. Consequently that is why I haven’t undergone the normal process that new queens go through,” I replied.
“You are correct,” the former Queen said. “You are truly unique. We chose you not only because of your individuality, but also because of your goal for perfection in your own mind. You wanted to be more like Seven of Nine; well educated, strong and powerful, to never allow yourself to be weak or powerless again. You might not have known it at the time, but you where striving for perfection. When we saw this in you, program 001 knew you would be perfect for the designation of queen.”
“I understand now,” I said.
“We must terminate this communication for now. There is a tremendous amount of data that must be downloaded into your mind. When your regeneration cycle ends you will know where every Borg ship is located without having to ask the collective, and we will start transferring data regarding the technology we are currently using, though this will take many regeneration cycles. Now then, as the humans like to say, goodnight Naomi of Borg,” the Queen said as she embraced me and I returned he gesture, feeling the ragged wound in my heart being healed with the soothing touch of the collective. “Sleep well.”
After the former queen’s parting words my higher brain functions shut down and the collective initiated data transfer subroutine 0231.83. I would only be awoken when my regeneration cycle ended or the collective needed me to be aware.
…
My regeneration cycle had taken ten hours and with a click the humming of the hidden power transfer module ceased and I felt myself becoming conscious again, a small smile still on my face. I sat up in my bed, and the first thing I noticed was that I had a lot of new memories that I did not have before. For example, I knew that right now I was in spatial grid 403 without using my link to check with the collective. Sphere 07287 had been in spatial grid 403 for the last eight point two hours. I cursed to myself and asked why I had not awoken when we had arrived
In my mind I heard the former Queen respond to my question. “You were in need of complete regeneration. Without full regeneration you would be less efficient. You will need to complete full regeneration cycles for eleven additional days as your primary and secondary power systems both need to be charged. I would not wish for you to collapse during the middle of your attack,” she said, and I felt her mental touch in my mind and smiled at the sensation.
I sighed in resignation, but I knew that the collective was correct. I should not rush things too quickly. I got up out of my bed and at the same time began stretching myself. I had not moved once in the last ten hours and loosened my stiff limbs as I made my way to my desk. With complete knowledge of where all of my ships where located, I decided I needed to make a few alterations. First I recalled over four hundred vessels to spatial grid 403, which would be the Collective’s base of operations for a while. I then ordered a select group of vessels to start replacing the communication arrays throughout the galaxy that had been lost. It was essential to maintain the collective’s link to all our remaining ships and planets. Finally, I ordered the rest of my ships to seek out and scan for species that would be worthy of assimilation and also to search for the resources the collective needed.
I was just now realizing how much damage the future version of Admiral Janeway had caused to the Borg. We had lost so much to Janeway’s pathogen. If it had not been for the actions of the former queen, we the Borg would have been completely destroyed. The former queen had terminated herself and initiated safety parameter 003 to stop the spread of the pathogen. That single action had saved the Borg, and I bowed my head in respect for what she had done for the collective.
A few seconds later I raised my head and started planning the attack on species 521. I wanted a perfect surprise attack so that our losses would be minimal. With a thought I had Sphere 07287 and Cubes 04589, 00483 and 01294 run a passive scan of the defenses of our target world. I reviewed the results quickly and learned that the planet had a very powerful planetary shield, but because of the power requirements it would only be activated during an attack. It would take forty two point three seconds to charge up and another two point six seconds to completely envelop the planet with a shield. The orbital construction platforms also had powerful shields, but because of the need for small construction pods to weave around the platforms their shields would be down as well and it would take four point four seconds for the shields to be raised on each platform. The last defense was an array of unmanned orbital energy cannons, most clustered around the planet's moon, and ground to space torpedo batteries.
With the gathered information I selected the most optimal locations for the Cubes to take. Cube 04589 would be in orbit at the northern pole where shield generator 1 was located on the planet and would also be in direct firing range to two of the five construction platforms. Cube 01294 would be in orbit at the southern pole where shield generator 2 was located on the planet and would also be in firing range of one of the construction platforms. Cube 04589 would be at a much further distance from the planet, which would place it in range of the remaining two construction platforms and would be dealing with most of the planet's energy cannon batteries.
To take both the planetary shield grid and the construction platforms’ shields off-line I had come up with a few modifications of our torpedoes. The collective was already adapting my modifications to a select number of torpedoes. The warheads would have an optimized blast field that would only disable, not destroy. I also added another surprise; the blast from the torpedoes would carry trillions of Nano Probes, assimilating everything in their path. I could not help smiling at that thought.
The last adaptation I needed was a way to disrupt species 521’s targeting scanners, which would make their defense systems largely irrelevant. Species 521 used a unique detection system that would lock on to a ships energy signature. In a battle it was almost impossible to cloak an energy signature, but I had a different plan. I would have the Cubes create a class three phase variance in their power grids, making it almost impossible for Species 521 to get an accurate target lock; they would be chasing reflections and sensor ghosts.
Now that all of the needed preparations had been completed, it was time to engage species 521. I was excited to see how my plan would work, and I found myself pacing the length of my chamber. Centering myself, I sent out a hail with a thought. A few seconds later my view screen was filled with the image of a tall humanoid alien with large beady eyes and black, scaly skin. “I am Second Dore Saythoth of the Shivolian Defense Corps. Please state your identity and what your intentions are.”
“Very well, I will comply with your request,” I replied, keeping a smile in check for the moment. “I am Naomi of Borg, Queen of the Borg. You will lower your shields and surrender. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.”
Dore Saythoth stared at me for a few seconds and then started laughing so hard he almost fell out of his chair. I was quickly getting very annoyed with this man, and a visible frown replaced my hidden smile.
After a minute Dore Saythoth calmed himself and looked back at me, breathing a bit heavy after his laughing spell. “While that was the best joke I have heard in months, you have violated our laws and can be sentenced to a year in one of our work colonies, which is no place for a little girl like you. But I must say that was an exceptional performance; you almost had me.”
I felt indignant at Dore Saythoth’s statement. I was not a liar, and as the Queen of the Borg I felt that I deserved some respect. I looked to the right and at that moment my three Cubes decloaked and released their torpedoes. A few seconds later I could see the room Dore Saythoth was in shaken by our attack. “Do you still believe that I am joking?” I asked, and I could see the fear begin to cross Dore Saythoth’s face. I took pleasure from that.
It took us less then a minute to completely disable all of species 521’s defenses. The cubes where now releasing atmospheric torpedoes which would disperse Nano Probes into the atmosphere, where they would begin to assimilate every person on the planet. I could already hear thousands of new voices joining the collective. I looked back up at my view screen and decided I would let Dore Saythoth witness the complete assimilation of his race, just to make sure he did not think of me as a liar.
With a thought I sent fifteen drones to the communications room that Dore Saythoth was in, and ten seconds later I joined them. I appeared in a large U shaped room chamber which was a silvery gray color. The room slightly resembled a Greek amphitheater. Steps lead up from the center of the room to where workstations where arranged on the second level dais. At the front of the room there was a very large view screen. I saw that Dore Saythoth was spinning around in circles with a weapon in his hand as he watched all of his colleagues being injected with Nanoprobes and beamed away.
When he saw me he spun around and sighted his weapon to fire at me. But I was quicker and with barely a thought I lifted my right hand and used my tractor beam to yank the weapon out of his hand, or that was my intention anyway. I ended up pulling him face first to the ground while at the same time crushing the bones in his hand and dislocating those in his right arm. Dore Saythoth started howling in pain, and I closed my eyes, reprogramming a newly formed Nano pellet. Then with a flexing of my hand the pellet shot out and hit Dore Saythoth in the chest. Within a few seconds the Nano Probes spread through his system, forming a Cortical Node which suppressed the pain he was feeling and allowed me to see his surface thoughts, although his individuality was still intact.
Dore Saythoth stopped screaming and sat up, cradling his right arm. I could hear him moaning in despair about the condition of his right arm and hand. “Stop your sniveling!” I snapped. “A simple amputation will cure that problem right up.” This only seemed to make things worst. I could feel a cruel smile cross my lips. This fool would learn that you did not get away with disrespecting me.
“Come on, stand up; you are missing my big day,” I said casually. With a thought the main view screen started displaying security images from elsewhere on the planet and aboard the construction platforms. I started explaining. “As you can see, the assimilation process is a bit different then before. With the use of my new designs, Bio-Implants are no longer rejected by the living body and so we no longer have to suppress the body’s immune system. This means that now we can create a perfect balance of organic and inorganic systems. Therefore my drones no longer need to look like living corpses.”
I turned a way from the view screen and saw that Saythoth was not even paying attention to me. He was just staring in horror at the view screen. “Are you even listening to me?!” I yelled. He turned to me and I could hear him thinking that I was totally insane. “Hold on a second, I will do a self diagnostic,” I said. I close my eyes and performed the diagnostic and found that my systems were running normal. “I have found that all my systems are running within normal parameters, which means I’m perfectly sane,” I smiled. He started backing away from me in pure terror.
“Please, just end it. Please, I will do anything, just stop this!” He begged me. I thought about his request for a moment and decided that he had suffered enough for his insult. “Very well, I will comply,” I finally replied. With another thought the Nano Probes in Dore Saythoth’s body started to assimilate him and his body was beamed away. I turned my attention back to the assimilation of species 521, which was proceeding with perfection.
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