Stardate: 71010:1800
Title: The Hard Voyage Home (Part 2)
Author: Ensign Sparky
Time: After "The Hard Voyage Home (Part 1)"
Scene: The Past, Present-day Renna and the Horizon


=/\= 200 Years Previously, 30 Days After 'Part 1' =/\=

The recent deployment of Augments was in response to an increase in Borg aggression in the area. They had begun to attack several planets at once. Three planets had come under attack, but one was only being attacked by one cube and 5 smaller vessels.

It was this location that was decided upon for a counter attack, and with this in mind the attack force was deployed.

Unfortunately for them, this had been the Borg plan from the start; within seconds of the attack force's arrival ten cubes appeared, using a form of travel unknown to most races; a form known as a Transwarp Conduit.

The Queen was attempting to capture one of the Augments.

"Shields are failing. They are boarding our ship" the Tactical Officer reported.

"Very Well. Initiate hand-to-hand combat. Once we repel them we will board their vessel."

For several hours the Augmented crew battled the never-ending tide of the Borg boarders. Unfortunately for the augments, the Borg had discovered what they were and how to deal with them, and slowly they began to fall to the Borg. However, they were all dying when assimilation was attempted; the Borg Queen was attempting to adapt to their technology in order to assimilate them.

Four hours after the boarding had begun there was only one Augment left. This one was different than the others, and he seemed to fight with one goal in his mind; the destruction of those that harmed his crew. Every Borg that came was quickly killed. They had tried to stun him with no effect. He had seemed to have taken the Borg's own technology and turned it against them and he had several million nanites in his body, but they were not assimilating him. They seemed only to be helping him. The Queen, having detected this, called off the attack. Instead she had him surrounded and transported to his vessel.

"You are not like the others of your kind. You are an individual among many. So am I," came the Queen's sensual voice.

"You are Borg. There is no 'I' in the Borg. You are a Collective; a collective parasite that must be destroyed."

"We are no parasite. We only seek perfection. We seek to bring Order to Disorder. We seek to bring our perfection to all species."

As she spoke she was processing what her sensors were reading from the nanites. When she found what she sought she acted, and with a thought she took control of the nanites in his body. In a scream of extreme pain he collapsed.


=/\= Present Day =/\=

With a scream of pure rage and fear Three solidified. He immediately felt the presence of Rennas drones near him. What had first been a thought to avoid had become a thought to destroy. He quickly moved towards the drones, and when he came upon them he dove into them and began to rip them limb from limb. His screams of rage mingled with the sounds of pain and horror that emanated from the Rennas as they died.


=/\= Horizon Bridge =/\=

"Captain, we just picked up a strange energy burst from the planet's surface. If these readings are correct it has a temporal signature. I am also reading a massive energy signature that seems to be moving towards the Banquet Hall," Ensign Khalid reported. "I am also reading one Borg lifeform entering the Banquet Hall. There are 15 Rennas ahead of it, although they appear to be running from it." Ensign Khalid Paused for a second as he followed Three's progress. He was horrified by what he saw. After a few second he slowly looked up to the Captain before he spoke.

"He is ripping them apart, Sir. There are some very strange readings coming from his body," continued Ensign Khalid.

"Lock onto him and have him transported to a holding cell. Make sure that the cell is set with a level ten forcefield configured to this frequency. Alert Commander Matthews that he will be needed at that cell," ordered the Captain.

"Yes, Sir," responded Ensign Khalid.


=/\= Horizon Brig =/\=

Within seconds Three had been beamed into the cell. He had been in the middle of a strike towards one of the Rennas drones, and the strike completed into the bulkhead, his blade stuck firmly.

Three turned to the forcefield. "Let me out of here now!" Bellowed Three in an unearthly-sounding voice.

If it wasn't for the forcefield the security personnel would most likely have drawn phasers. As it was they simply jumped back in fear. No one on the ship had ever seen this side of Three. He had shown it before, but only when he had first been freed from the Collective. It had taken the station's crew several attempts to find a forcefield frequency that would hold him until they could calm and sedate him.

This was part of the information given to the Captain. This and much more.

In his current condition Three was a serious liability. Unfortunately, due to his temporal burst his old personality had taken control. This was an after-effect of his assimilation by the Borg and the nature in which it had been performed. Either fortunately or unfortunately, Three would never remember this as the nanites inside him would remove the events from his mind...


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Ensign 'Sparky'
Tactical Officer
USS Horizon
NCC-72400
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