Unworthy - Kirsten Beyer [115]
Shaking her head, Eden ordered, “Mister Kim, arm photon torpedoes and target the vessel directly ahead. We have to get clear of the net they’ve thrown up around us. Gwyn, advise Hawking’s helm to be ready to follow our lead.”
“Aye, Captain,” Gwyn replied.
“Lieutenant Kim?”
“Making a hole, Captain,” Harry replied and fired.
Seven had been willing to accept the notion that from Galen’s sickbay there was little she could do to assist the fleet in this battle. She had immediately commandeered the nearest data interface and rerouted Galen’s visual display of the battle and the comm chatter that accompanied the conflict.
Voyager and Hawking weaved and darted through the Indign vessels. Though they greatly outnumbered their Federation foes, clearly their prowess in battle was not on par with Voyager’s . Their responses were too slow and their ships, once damaged, did not recover quickly. Twice as Seven watched, Galen was able to dash quickly through their lines and maneuver swiftly past Voyager and Hawking, no doubt retrieving overflow wounded who were, even now, being treated by the Doctor and his staff in the triage area.
The advantage of the Indign numbers, however, could not be denied.
Part of her analyzed the battle, regularly revising her estimations of the potential for success. A calm, clear space in her mind fretted over the single communication that had originated from the Indign: Return what you have stolen.
The Neyser Seven had contacted was panicked that the essences contained in the canisters could be unleashed. It was further pained at having failed to protect the remaining canisters from Meegan’s attack. The canisters contained the highly destructive engrammatic essences of Neyser who were deemed incapable of existing in civilized society. Seven thought back to their first communication with “Meegan.” She was inclined to dismiss her story as a tale spun to placate the fleet’s crew and buy herself the time required to make her escape.
One persistent memory of the meeting troubled her.
The Borg are our betters in every way. We hope one day to be worthy of their attention. Until then, we will strive to emulate and please them in all that we do.
It was possible that this statement in no way reflected the beliefs of the Indign, but the structure of Indign society. Their obvious, deliberate choice to refrain from communicating with other sentient life-forms suggested that “Meegan” was probably speaking a version of the truth. They had broken their silence only to secure the return of a weapon they could not re-create.
When the Borg had faced war with Species 8472, they had agreed to an atypical compromise because Janeway possessed a weapon that could destroy their enemy. The Indign had no way of knowing that the Borg had seen the tactical necessity of such an alliance. Seven found herself wondering if this piece of the Federation’s history with the Borg might be worth sharing.
The communication between herself and the consciousness that had possessed “Meegan,” as well as the individual Neyser, had been forced upon her. In the cavern she had opened herself up to the Neyser, but had not been in control of the situation.
Seven knew what she must do. Every moment she hesitated, however, the battle grew more desperate. She realized that one thing neither her human, Borg, nor Caeliar nature could countenance was succumbing to fear.
Turning to Counselor Cambridge, she said, “I believe I can assist the fleet from here.”
“How?” he asked.
“I intend to speak with the Indign.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What are you going to tell them?”
Seven paused for a moment before she settled on her response.
“Whatever it takes.”
Cambridge inhaled sharply, but maintained his composure. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Your last contact with the Neyser didn’t go all that well.”
“You would ask me to risk less than my friends to secure our safety?” Seven demanded