What's Past_ Many Splendors (Book 6) - Keith R.A. DeCandido [30]
As soon as engineering was back online, Geordi came back along with Data and Wes, and shared with the others the plan to modify the deflector dish to emit a high-EM phaser blast big enough to take out the Borg cube. What was left of all three shifts of engineering was tasked with this, and some people from security were brought in to assist.
Still, the names flashed in Sonya’s vision, but she refused to let it get to her, not when they were forced to leave the nebula, not when the Borg subsequently attacked them, not when the Borg kidnapped the captain, and not when the Borg cube broke off and made a beeline for Earth.
We’ll have time to grieve later.
Shelby had taken a team over to the Borg cube to get it out of warp drive, and possibly rescue Picard. Once they were at impulse, the ship’s warp power had to be transferred to the deflector so they could use the weapon. Sonya was standing at the warp core, her hand hovering over the control that would execute the program she and Reg Barclay had hastily written to perform the transfer. For now, they were pounding away at warp nine-point-six just to keep up. In less than an hour, they’d have to shut down the warp engines anyhow, just to keep the structural integrity field from failing. As it was, Kieran was standing over the SIF readout with the same nervous tension that Sonya hovered over her console, keeping an eye on it to make sure it didn’t break down sooner.
Then the Borg ship went out of warp. Wes took the ship to impulse, and as soon as the warp engines stopped, Sonya ran the program. “Power being diverted to the deflector.”
Kieran smiled grimly. “SIF reading nominal.”
From the tactical systems station, Marguerite Sherman said, “Deflector at seventy percent power and rising.”
A feed was coming in from the bridge. Sonya had been barely paying attention to it until the away team reported back. What caught her ear were Worf’s words, in reference to the captain, whom they did not rescue: “He is a Borg.”
Oh my God.
Reg shot a nervous look at Sonya. “He—he is a Borg? What does—what does that mean?”
Sonya shook her head. “I wish I knew.” She shuddered. “No, I take it back, I don’t wish I knew. Not even a little.”
Riker was arguing with Shelby and Crusher about getting the captain back versus firing the weapon—with Riker on the side of firing the weapon—when the Borg hailed the ship.
The voice technically belonged to that of Jean-Luc Picard. It was the voice that Sonya still heard in bad dreams about hot chocolate saying, “Yes, Ensign, it’s all over me.” But now, the voice that had distressed her a year and a half ago was a dull, mechanized montone.
“I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service us.”
Riker’s voice followed. “Mr. Worf—fire.”
Marguerite said, “Power’s building. Energy discharge in six seconds.”
Everyone in engineering moved to stand behind Marguerite to see the weapon that would devastate the Borg.
The energy beam hit the Borg cube.
And had no effect.
“No,” Sonya muttered.
From the bridge, Worf confirmed: “The Borg ship is undamaged.”
“It can’t be.” That sounded like Shelby.
“We’re losing the coolant!” Reg said.
That was followed by the computer’s confirmation, which was scarier in its matter-of-factness than Reg’s hysterical ranting. “Warning: Warp reactor core primary coolant failure. Warning: Exceeding reactor chamber thermal limits.”
Marguerite said, “Warp engines shutting down—weapon powering down,” which matched what they were saying on the bridge.
“They couldn’t have adapted that quickly,” Riker said.
“The knowledge and experience of the human Picard is part of us now. It has prepared us for all possible courses of action. Your resistance is hopeless, Number One.”
Hearing Locutus’s dry, mechanical tones speak with Picard’s voice chilled Sonya to her toes. We’re dead.
Kieran said quietly, “The Borg ship’s leaving.”
Or not. Sonya wasn’t sure why the Borg didn’t finish them off, but gift