Page 16

Stardate:201004.16 - Approximate time: 19:00 Hours

You hear crackling of static over the subspace lines and see the once beautiful bridge of the Nausicaan cruiser IKT Whirlaway filled with smoke. Coolant is leaking from lines hanging from the bulkheads. The human Captain Burgundy Jenssen, clothed in her traditional black sleeveless rock-climbing t-shirt and khaki canvas cargo pants with a beautiful Romulan Blooddagger strapped to her shin, is standing bloody and smeared in black soot from erupting consoles. She is still standing firmly and defiantly in the center of the bridge directing her crew.

Helmsman Jrell shouts, "They've got us in a tractor beam Captain!"

Security Officer Tellis shouts over the alarms, "We've got breaches on Deck 2 and 3, shield are at 15 percent, forward sections only. Borg are boarding the ship below the bridge.aft sections."

"Tellis, get ready to beam those last two torpedoes right in front of that tractor emitter on that cube." Jenssen squares her shoulders and stares at the viewscreen.

"Jrell, on my mark get ready to jump to Warp 9."

"But Captain, that will rip the ship apart!" Jrell's eyes widen at what he suspects his Captain is about to do.

"Mister, either we get away or we are going to be assimilated. I’d rather die then be assimilated, wouldn’t you?" Jenssen’s steely glare at her Bolian helmsman quickly sets him back to keying in the commands to the console.

"Captain, the autodestruct is completely inoperative. There is more damage in the circuits then can be repaired in the time we apparently have. Commander Dorran in Engineering reports the warp core manifolds are fused in their current open and engaged position. We can not self-destruct." First officer and science officer T'Laurn soberly reports from the Science Station at the back of the bridge.

"Thank You T'Laurn. We've all done our best." Jenssen calmly replies.

The silent nod from T'Laurn confirms what all of them have already concluded.

"Captain Jenssen to all crew, arm yourselves. We are being boarded by the Borg. In 30 seconds we are going to jump to Warp 9. Either we get away or die trying."

Jenssen's green eyes glare at the view screen betrays what she already knows. This brush with fate isn't going her way. 'Damn you to hell, Borg Queen!' She curses under her breath. "Tellis energize with those torpedoes. Jrell, set a course directly towards that cube."

"Energizing now." Tellis calls out stoically.

"Course locked", Jrells grim blue face betrays no attempt to counter his Captain's suicide course. They all know this is the only escape left. They cannot outrun the Borg now with the damage ATT Whirlaway has taken.

The torpedoes rematerialize and detonate on target, right in front of the tractor emitter. The tractor beam fluctuates, monetarily allowing the Whirlaway to rear up like a gallant war steed ready for the race of her life in an effort to break the hold of the beam.

"Now Jrell, and godspeed for all of us." Jenssen quietly commands her Bolian helmsman to ram the sleek corsair class ship through the Borg Tactical cube.

"Captain, they have adapted." T'Laurn reports quickly from the science station.

The tractor beam flickers back to life and the jolt of the re-engaged beam sends everyone careening off their feet on and out of their chairs the bridge. The engines whine at Warp 9, heading for an overload. Jenssen smiles mischievously and triumphantly. 'Yes! An overload, still there is hope to take them with us.'

"Shields are gone!" Tellis shouts over the rumble of the deck plates.

"Captain we have Borg in the engine room!" Engineer Dorran calls up from below deck on the comm. "They have interfaced with the warp controls and we can't cut through their shields. They are ejecting the warp core!"

The ship shutters as the warp core is ejected through the hull. Whirlaway's bulkheads scream like a steed with a burst heart as it bucks under the crew one last time. The constant pulse-like thrum of the warp drive now gone. Whirlaway is dead except for auxiliary battery power, seeping away like heat from a lifeless body not yet gone cold.

Dorran's screams are heard over the commlink, a blood-curling scream of agony. Other sounds of the crew yelling, screaming and the whine of phasers and pop of photon grenades are heard, before the link goes dead. Jenssen knows Engineering has been overrun and the rest is the ship is next. Jenssen's heart begins to pound in her chest. Dorran, Noble, Brams'No!'

"My crew, my friends.....we have cheated death many times and Lady Fortune has been our sister, but today....today, may indeed be a good day to die. Die well!" Jenssen quickly commands her crew in an unwavering voice with the honor and bravery of Klingon Warrior, but her Human heart has already settled into her throat. She already fears that there will be no impish, laughing and thumbing her nose at the galaxy in a flourish as she leaves the room this time.

In seconds, Borg drones bathed in the eerie green glow of a transporter beam overwhelm the bridge.

Jenssen grabs the first drone by the arm and slashes its throat with her Blooddagger. Then quickly flicks the dagger over to plant it deep into the drone's chest with both hands on the hilt. As the drone falls, she catapults over the body and roundhouse kicks the one behind it, landing both of her boots squarely in the second drone's chest. The second drones shields engage. Her kick only succeeds in knocking it back and it grabs Jenssen's leg as she falls. Jenssen twists, like a leopard caught in a leg snare, and grabs her phaser rifle off the deck, setting the frequency to rotate as she fires off a direct shot to the drone's chest. The drone drops her and staggers back with a phaser blast through the chest. Jenssen scrambles to her feet and glances about. Her bridge crew is putting up a heroic fight. Pride in her crew swells for a brief moment, but the odds are overwhelming for her ten crewmen on the Whirlaway. More Borg drones are pouring out of the turbo lift.

Jrell screams in agony as a Borg drone he's fallen on top of inject tubules into his neck. He falls to the deck, implants irrupting from his blue skin.

T'Laurn has taken out four drones, but now two have her pinned by the arms, a third is ready to inject tubules into her neck. Jenssen fires the phaser to draw them off, but it's too late. The Borg drones have adapted. T'Laurn’s eyes betray the fear the Vulcan can no longer suppress.

"Forgive me T'Laurn!"  Jenssen yells in Vulcan, as she flicks the phaser rifle to disintegrate and stares down the barrel at her friend and then hesitates.  Jenssen can’t pull the trigger on her own crew and one of her closest friends, "T’Laurn.... I.... can’t..... Oh. God, I’m sorry.."

T’Laurn nods and closes her eyes as the Borg assimilation tubes are injected into her neck. She doesn’t utter a sound as the implants irrupt all over her neck and face. T’Laurn she sags against the counsel trying to keep on her feet. The stoic Vulcan collapses to the floor clutching her head, overwhelmed by the voices.

A Borg drone grabs Jenssen shoulders from behind as she is horrified by the realization of the huge mistake she has just made allowing T’Laurn to be assimilated. Jenssen drops her right shoulder and grabs the drone's arm in an attempt to roll the drone over her back, but the drone’s weight is too much. Their combined weight crashes Jenssen's knees to the deck. She lands on her palms to prevent her fall. The phaser rifle spins across the deck, out of reach.

Tellis tosses a photon grenade into the turbo lift tries to duck down behind his console. Six drones are instantly knocked down and the turbo lift erupts in a shower of shrapnel. A piece of the tubolift door flies through Tellis' chest, stifling his scream to just a gush of blood as he falls to the deck, gagging for his final breath in front of her. Jenssen screams, "Tellis, NO!"  as she reaches out to touch his face.

A Borg drone hauls Jenssen to her feet, pinning her arms down from behind as another one advances on her. Jenssen looks the advancing drone squarely in its eyes, seeing only a blank, mindless stare looking back at her. With a steely resolve, Jenssen spits in the advancing drone's face.

The Drone doesn't waver, but instead tries to inject a tubule into her neck and it is repulsed by her ablative, 29th Century body armor, for the moment. Jenssen laughs mischievously, kicks the drone holding her in the knee, crumpling it over as she throws herself to the floor, taking the drone holding her arms with her and knocking the one in front of her down as they go. They fall into a pile of arms and legs and Jenssen rolls away from two drones, reaching for her blooddagger still lodged into the chest of a dead drone, only to be caught by the ankle by a third drone.

This drone has adapted and Captain Jenssen can tell now that the intimate knowledge about her known only by her assimilated crew has been processed by the hive mind. It yanks her black ankle boot off, exposing only her ankle and foot. A shiny silver and garnet ankle bracelet sparkles with a blood red light, revealing the energy source and power switch for her ablative body armor. The Drone presses the key garnet to deactivate the body armor. Jenssen kicks it savagely in the face repeatedly with her other boot, suddenly feeling exposed and helpless to prevent what she knows is to come. A cold sweat is pouring from her brow at the discovery of her weakness. The Borg know everything that T’Laurn knew. Jenssen suddenly laughs a humorless laugh at the irony of the Universe and the absurdity of all the sudden stray thoughts racing through her mind at this moment.

‘Is this what having your life flashing before your eyes is like?’ Jenssen ponders as she instantly realizes like the ancient Greek Hero Achilles, she will fall today, pierced in the heel by the onslaught of an overwhelming force. What a Warrior Bard tale that would make! One she sadly acknowledges, she will not around to tell.

The Borg drone doesn't blink at the onslaught of her kicks, but instead injects an assimilation tubule into her ankle. Jenssen screams and tries to twist away. The drone lets her go. There is little more Jenssen can do now. Her ship is dead, her crew dead or assimilated, her own blood dagger and phaser rifle out of reach.

Jenssen pulls herself up off the deck and staggers to the console next to her Captain's chair on the bridge, leaning heavily on it. Borg implants begin to irrupt on her neck and bare arms. She's still human enough for the moment to send a short message to the Delta Quadrant. Assimilation is not merciful or quick.

"Mayday! Mayday! Captain Burgundy Jenssen to all Colonists in the Delta Quadrant. My crew and ship have been assimilated by the Borg. do not attempt to rescue us....do not risk your ships." Jenssen screams and claws at her neck as another implant erupts at the back of her head. A lock of her long blonde hair falls away into her hand and she stares at it momentarily, "Arm yourselves well and seek alliances to help you. Aaaahhha the collective is speaking to me, No... shut up, Shut up! ... can’t think..."

Jenssen clutches her head, "Dearest Ten Bears the Wise, Solstice, Que, Vinzahn, Boog, and brother Tor'Cha, do not avenge me, my bravest men of men, save yourselves don't get assimilated! Aahhhhh. it....makes Klingon.... pain sticks... look... like 'Tt-t-ttickle Me Elmo' dolls! G'uy, Dred, Erchni, Bijik, Temak'Clan, JJ, Roark, Koval, Robic, Jarm'en, Kreel, Fischer, Q', Admiral McGraw, Admiral Mudd, Aislin, Sally, all my friends and acquaintances; I regret have no time to list you all there are so many; sing, dance, drink heavily and be merry for me. Raise a mug and offer a toast in my honor."

Another implant erupts over her shoulder and on the back of her hand. "Aaaaaaa oowoww!! -- Q'apla sisters Ka'Ra, and Na'ReRa and all my Klingon brothers and sisters!" Jenssen howls in defiance and sags against the console, out of breath and shivering from the effort to just to stay on her feet. Stubbornly refusing to give in until her last breath. The voices, ahh , shut-up! NO! NO! I can’t!... I won’t!

Over half of Jenssen’s body is now covered in Borg implants.

"I am to be.... the... new... Borg Queen...No!...NO! Damn you,... no! I will resist...I will resist....I...will....ressssii," Jenssen gasps as her steely green eyes start to glaze over and turn to the silvery color of liquid mercury.

Jenssen has only enough strength left to launch the log buoy and bridge recorder for Whirlway that contains this final heroic battle of its crew.

As Jenssen’s limp body slumps to the floor. One of the Borg drones picks her up carefully. The other drones retrieve the other assimilated members of the crew of the Whirlaway and quickly beam off the dead ship in an eerie green glow. A lonely red alarm sirens continue to beckon as the last of the power drains out of Whirlaway’s lifeless hull. The screen goes blank to a faint audio of a song left automatically playing on the bridge. "Who wants to live forever.....who wants to live forever....."

.........static........static...........

The screen shifts to a view of an ornate office at Prestissimo Station. A desert landscape with stunning vistas is seen outside the window. Flags are seen flying at half-staff. A large golden dragon moans and roars longingly in the distance.

You see a thin, elderly human male in a well-fitted tan survival jacket and khaki shorts standing beside an ornately carved sandstone deck. His icy blue eyes are puffy and red, but is stands strong with a youthful resolve to overcome all odds. He is the kind of person Jenssen would want to lead the Alpha Tau Colonies in her absence. His salt and peppered hair looks disheveled from grief and the untold worries of a colony on edge. On the desk in the mouth of a gold statue of a luck dragon is Jenssen’s beloved Romulan Blooddagger.   He starts talking to the viewscreen with a slight Australian drawl.

"My dear Delta Quadrant Colonists and our other Galactic neighbors, I am Gavin Renquest, Magistrate of Solfeggietto, a desert planet in the Alpha Tau Colonies. What you have just witnessed is the remains of a log buoy we received two days ago. It has been confirmed by finding the ATT Whirlaway adrift in space. Our Colony Leader, Captain Burgundy Jenssen, AKA J'Ssen, to our Klingon brothers and sisters, and the entire crew of the ATT Whirlaway have been killed or assimilated by the Borg. The news has come as a shock to us all. Burgundy was the daughter I never had and her loss has hit me and the other Governors of the Alpha Tau worlds very hard. We are all working very diligently to keep her visions of a strong and thriving Colony alive, but we have to now go into seclusion for our safety and the safety of all our friends and neighbors."

We have recovered the Whirlaway and the bodies of those who perished in the attack. The ship will be restored to her former glory and sit in orbit on our principle world, Alpha Tau, until such time as our Colony Leader can return to Captain her. No other ship Captain will pilot her.

"I regret to inform you that the Alpha Tau Colonies are now all on Red Alert and have enacted a trading freeze. Our large complement of Scientist, Engineers, Ship builders, Plant workers, farmers and soldiers are even now preparing for what we fear may be the worst. We strongly suggest you do the same on your worlds. Captain Jenssen had many friends and dealings with other Colony leaders in the entire Galaxy. No doubt the Borg now know everything Captain Jenssen once knew. "

"There will be no further trading or visitation of our planets, as Captain Jenssen had knowledge of all of our coordinates and access codes. Our codes have been modified to prevent infiltration by the Borg, but we fear our colonies may become a target for assimilation. Do not approach our colonies. I cannot stress this enough. Do not approach our colonies or territories. Keep your ships and yourselves safe."

"A short Memorial Service for our dear leader and her valiant crew will soon be held at Ironsides in the Jousting Dome in a closed ceremony for our Colonist only. We regret that we cannot extend the offer to our off-world friends as this time. If you should feel the need to remember Captain Jenssen in your own way, I might suggest you do so by telling a story, preferably over a strong drink at the local pub. Some of her favorite places of gathering included the Targ’s Head, Vic’s Lounge and the pubs of the Terran Empire. That is how she would have wanted to be remembered; with humor and wit, not sadness. We hold out a small sliver of hope that one day she may be able to escape the clutches of the Borg. We have faith that 'The Fair Lady Fortune' will smile upon our most honorable and gracious leader again, allowing her to come home to us. Gorp, Stelvok, and Grewell as well as Captain Rhoades and Captain Vel’Tera have sworn an oath to destroy the Borg Collective to bring Jenssen and what crew we can recover, home. Though Jenssen did not believe a ex-Borg drone could be rehabilitated, our excellent Medical staff, including Dr Nibbert, want to try to do just that for all the crew of the Whirlaway. I invite the rest of the galaxy to join us, if you feel it is safe to do so, to try to recover our Warrior Bard and return her to us so we can hear more of her stories. I am sure that if we are successful, she will have even more to stories to tell. "

"Until such time, I bid Captain Burgundy Jenssen; Warrior Bard, Trader, and our Colony Founder, as well as the glorious crew of the Whirlaway, Godspeed my friends."

"Magistrate Renquest out."

Renquest turns to accept a digital padd one of his aides is rushing into the room to hand him. You catch a glimpse of sparks from the welding of tritanium reinforcements being placed in the governmental offices in preparation for a Borg onslaught as the screen fads to black, displaying a solemn casualty listing of the Whirlaway .

Captain Burgundy Jenssen Warrior Bard woke up a to cottony feel in her mouth. Jenssen tried to swallow and moved her tongue around. Trying to wet her parched mouth with what little saliva she could find. She tried to move to sit up and open her eyes but she suddenly realized she’s pinned down, unable to move at all. What happened on the bridge of the Whirlaway? Did the bulkhead collapse?....Was she pinned under debris? It was totally dark..then a voice .

"Captain Jenssen?....Jenssen?  Burgundy,,,,."

Jenssen struggled to reply in a rasping voice, "T’Laurn? I can’t see.....is that you?"

Someone took her face in their hands. Jenssen could feel it but she couldn’t see in the dark.
 She tried to blink and knew her eyes were open.

Jenssen repeated, a little more urgently, "T’Laurn?.....I can’t see..where are the lights?"

"Just wait a moment. The interfaces are not complete. Let the nanites complete the process." The sultry voice that was definitely not T’Laurn replied.

As Jenssen’s vision cleared a little, she saw a fuzzy, green glow. Suddenly, Jenssen could smell the acid, metallic, quality of the space around her. Her heart should have been racing at the sight that came into focus clearly now, but it didn’t. Fear welled up inside her as Jenssen realized it wasn’t just a bad dream she was having about being assimilated by the Borg.

Jenssen’s sight cleared and she found herself standing in a Borg regeneration alcove. She was held paralyzed by the regeneration field. In front of her stood the old Borg Queen as commanding as ever in her sultry stance. The old Borg Queen didn’t look well. The biological fresh on her face and neck had many discolored areas. One cheek had degraded to the point that her metalized teeth were showing though the gaping hole in an almost comical smirk. Jenssen tried to struggle loose from the alcove, but there was no way she could move. Her body would not respond. Jenssen glared at the Borg Queen, at a loss for words for the moment.

"You're angry and afraid aren’t you Burgundy?" The old Borg Queen purred at Jenssen as she inhaled. It was a jesture not unlike smelling a bouquet of flowers, "Ah it is so much like another time in your life isn’t it? Skecks also made you feel this way didn’t he? Defenseless, helpless, no longer in control of your own destiny." The Borg Queen stepped up to the alcove and brushed Jenssen’s face with a metallic hand that was cold and hard. "You don’t like that feeling do you?"

Jenssen glared at the Borg Queen.

"Oh no, you do not have to speak....I know your thoughts and you know mine, if you concentrate hard enough. Oh, you do want to kill me, destroy me, don’t you? That will change." The Borg Queen purred again.

"Why am I here? Why haven’t you completely assimilated me yet? How long has it been?" Jenssen finally blurted out in sheer frustration.

"You’ve been rengerating for two days. Your body needed the time to adjust to the implants. It is in excellent condition, as is your mind. You will greatly add to our perfection. I was going to completely assume your body for my own, however I have considered another option. As you can see, this body I have now is no longer perfect for our needs. The biological components do have a limited lifespan before they completely degrade. The cells in this body have reached a point we can no longer regenerate the inferior biological components. It is of no use any longer. Your body is young, strong, well cared for." The old Borg queen ran her hand down Jenssen’s face. Jenssen glared at her, detesting the caress.

The old Borg Queen turned back to her main display dias in the middle of the room. "Your body can withstand many regeneration cycles. It might last 300 years with our advanced technology. We have selected a personal medical Droid to facilitate its care." The Borg Queen closed her eyes briefly and a drone advanced from another alcove. It was a medical Drone. Its left hand had been replaced with a set of medical and mechanical implements.

Jenssen gasped as she recognized the outline of the Drone, "T’Laurn??...NO!....God no....I am so sorry." Jenssen whispered

The Medical Drone that had been T’Laurn stared, unrecognizing, into to space at her.

"I thought perhaps it would be more comforting if you had someone you knew and trusted as your body’s personal attendant. You can still talk with her, once you understand the way to do so through the neural network within the Collective." The Borg Queen smiled a humorless smile.

Jenssen glared at the old Queen with murder in her eyes.

"Yes, I know." The Borg Queen responded to Jenssen’s unspoken treat. "But you will not have that opportunity. Your body will be mine to control. Your mind, your consciousness, I wish to keep intact.for now. We have failed on multiple occasions to assimilate Species 5618, Humans. You possess ways to convince them to join us. Your skills at negotiation, persuasion and your reactions to our efforts to assimilate various species are to be catalogued and studied so that we might better understand how to assimilate Humans and other difficult species."

As the Borg Queen talked, a 3-D hologram of the Human species appeared in mid air and revolved slowly for Jenssen to look at. An image of the galaxy with the Coordinates of Earth also appeared at the old Borg Queen’s mere thoughts. Various other dots and inscriptions popped up on the 3-D hologrid of various target species and technology. Multiple spheres and cubes were sitting idle ready to investigate various items of technological interest. It was very apparent that the Old Borg Queen was in total control of the Environment in this ship. She was fully integrated, as one, with the vessel, the collective and all its drones. But her biological body was failing and with it her strength to control what was left of her fleet and her collective. The Borg were weak now, as weak as the Queen’s old body, but still a very formidable force. It was apparent to Jenssen exactly why the old Queen wanted her now. Jenssen’s body and strength of will was needed to grow and expand and once again look to assimilate those items and cultures of interest in a single pursuit of perfection. A goal even Jenssen, in all her human failings, realized could never be obtained. All the destruction the Borg caused was ultimately futile and irrelevant, though the Borg could not see it or break the code so ingrained in their very existence.

"I’ll never help you." Jenssen spit at her.

"Oh yes.....You will....." The Old Borg Queen purred again, approaching the regeneration alcove with a seductive, arrogant, sway to her step.

The Borg Queen closed her eyes once more and two more drones appeared dragging what appeared to be an individual that was not Borg. The small frame spouted a bright red tousle of hair and was dressed in ripped coveralls. Jenssen instantly realized it was Ensign Amelia Noble. Amelia had not been assimilated yet.

Jenssen looked up and saw the two Drones dragging Ensign Noble into the Queen’s chambers had once been Lt. Commander Larry Dorran, her Chief Engineer, and her Bolian Helmsman Jrell.

"Let her go!" Jenssen screamed in a command voice to the two drones. Jenssen’s voice was unable to contain her fear and anger for Amelia’s safety, even though Jenssen had resigned herself to the fact that she, herself was beyond saving now.

"Captain Jenssen?" Amelia sobbed at seeing Jenssen still in control of her own consciousness.

"Yes Amelia, I’m still here, what’s left of me.....I’m a bit of mess it seems." Jenssen replied to her, trying to smile but knowing she was only to try to make Amelia less anxious for what precious few moments she had left. Jenssen searched her mind for any trick, any hint of a way to get the old Queen to let Amelia go, but her head was filled with a constant, monotone chat, ‘resistance is futile, you will be assimilated, resistance if futile, you will be assimilated’. Jenssen gasped, trying to mentally squash the overwhelming chat of the entire Collective.

Amelia stared at her Captain now.

"Jenssen...Your eyes ma’am....They are so strange....speckled your normal color of green and silver...none of the other Drones are like that. If you are still in there, please, help me." Amelia whimpered.

"Let her go." Jenssen repeated to the drones, her former officers, staring at them.

"That’s right." The Borg Queen purred at Jenssen, "You can help her, just concentrate."

Jenssen stared at the drones, willing a thought to Larry and Jrell to let Amelia go and back off. The Drones slowly complied with her thoughts. Jenssen gasped and blinked at the effort it took to force her will on the drones. Jenssen wasn’t sure how she had done it exactly. Jenssen was quickly developing a migraine behind her eyes at the stream of thought that was becoming a torrent of information from thousands upon thousands, almost millions of streams of thought and data overlapping and twisting through her brain. New neural interfaces were still being forged by the nanites.

Amelia stood alone in the middle of the chamber, unsure of what to do now.

"Captain?" Amelia advanced timidly on Jenssen’s alcove. Amelia took Jenssen’s hand in hers and stood staring up at her. "Can you move?"

Jenssen could barely feel Amelia grab her hand. Jenssen quickly realized she really couldn’t feel any of her body but her fingers and toes. Jenssen gritted her teeth at the effort to try to at least squeeze Amelia’s hand in an act of comfort and compassion. It was the best she knew she could do for the frightened young Ensign. Amelia was not a Starfleet trained officer. She was a civilian ‘Technorat’, not trained to deal with the Borg like this. Jenssen felt sick that she had lead someone so young here, into this mess. If nothing else, Jenssen wanted only to let Amelia know she understood her fear and shared it.

The Borg Queen slid up beside Amelia and put an arm around her shoulders. Amelia cringed and drew back, afraid of what her intentions might be.

"Oh, do not fear me child". The Borg Queen purred at Amelia, "I am no longer a threat, but your Captain, now that is a different story." With that the Borg Queen blinked and Jenssen’s hand clamped down on Amelia’s wrist. Jenssen’s other hand shot out and grabbed Amelia’s shoulder in a crushing grip. Amelia screamed and continued to struggle to get away, but under the grip of Jenssen’s Borg enhanced body, Amelia’s struggle was irrelevant.

Jenssen glared at the Borg Queen and growled, "I will not assist you to assimilate Humans or anyone else."

The old Borg Queen released her grip on Amelia’s shoulders and came to stand beside a large consol at the alcove.

"You have no choice. Your cooperation is inevitable, just as the death of this underlying biological body is inevitable. Now dear Burgundy, I will show you how you will help us."

The old Borg Queen injected assimilation tubules into the large panel bathed in green. The old Queen’s body sagged as the data transfer completed. Finally after about 30 seconds, the injection tubules retracted automatically. The old Borg Queen’s lifeless body hit the floor with a dull thud. The drones of Dorran and Jrell, quickly picked it up and handed it to a recovery drone which began immediately taking vital components off the corpse.

Amelia stood terrified, wretching at the sight of the components being removed without regard for the biological body at all.

Jenssen gasped as the consciousness of the Borg Queen invaded her mind. Efficient as a computer program, it pinned down every independent thought she had.

Like a running three dimensional chess match in her mind, Jenssen tried to evade the capture of every thought, every feeling, every memory. One by one the escape routes were boxed in, like rooks cornering the king, the Borg Queen was there waiting.

‘Self-determination is irrelevant.’ The Borg Queen laughed. ‘You are the Borg. You will comply.’

The new Borg Queen stared at Amelia and dully replied in Jenssen’s solid and clear voice. "Resistance is futile. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. You will be assimilated."

The new Borg Queen, injected assimilation tubules into Amelia’s neck. Amelia cried out in pain and fell to the floor. Implants irrupted all over her arms and face. The Borg Queen stepped down from the regeneration alcove with a metallic click as the energy clamps holding her body in place released. She stepped over the writhing body of Ensign Noble on the floor and proceeded down the corridor to the tactical station on the sphere. The Borg Queen breathed in deeply, stretching the underlying muscles and firm skeleton of the Warrior Bard, now covered in black and metallic implants she had assumed. She could feel the information flowing from all her drones, all her ships, and all her colonies. The new neuro-links in this body were fully established. It was time to begin once again seeking perfection.

Jenssen’s consciousness faded with a silent scream of frustration into helpless oblivion for the time being, to await the regeneration cycle.