Zion's Children - pt 11

"The first thing I want to do," Byrin stated after Alexander had left. He turned on his stool to face the woman that remained with him. Even with his mind on his task, he was still able to take note that she was a beautiful woman. "Is to rerun the blood tests. Do you still have the same samples, or do will we need to draw new blood?"

"The original samples remain." Miri could not hide the upset from her face.

"What's bothering you?" he asked, concerned.

She hesitated before asking, "Do you not trust Marcus' judgement?"

"What? Oh no, I do. I just want to run my own tests." Byrin shrugged. "I like to see things with my own eyes."

Miri nodded, accepting his reason. "I will fetch the samples for you."

"Thank you."

************************************************************

"Miri?" Byrin asked, several hours later. Only the first rounds of his tests were complete, but already he had run into a snag. "Do you by any chance know if these are all the blood samples that were taken?"

"Yes," she replied, coming to stand closer to him. "Why do you ask?"

"There aren't any control samples," Byrin replied.

"But, Doctor Alexander has taken three different samples from people who have shown no signs of the illness."

"Really?" Byrin looked up at her, struck by how brilliant her blue eyes were. "Then why aren't they with the rest of the tests results?"

Miri didn't hide her confusion. "They are. The control samples were numbered C-14B, C-15D, and C-16S."

His sandy blond eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're kidding. Miri, all three of those samples show active virus cells."

"What?"

"Here...look for yourself." He selected two slides. "This one is C-14B...and this one is V-1A." He set them side by side on the powerful microscope. He stepped to the side and motioned for her to look.

Miri took a step and then leaned down to look into the eyepiece. The two blood samples were nearly identical. 1A was clearly more advanced then the previous control sample, but the two samples showed active virus cells. She pulled away and straightened. "That is impossible."

"Yet - it is." Byrin didn't consider his next words very well. "How were these samples stored?"

Miri hesitated only a heartbeat before answering, "I left them out on the counter all these months."

"What?!" He hoped she was joking.

"Commander, I realize that I am not ConFleet personnel, but I still follow your procedures. The samples were quick frozen. The only time they have been at room temperature was the last time they were tested and the time before this testing."

Byrin sighed. "Miri, I didn't mean it that way."

"How did you mean it then?"

He struggled for words. "I just wanted to know how they were stored!"

"By suggesting that this facility was storing them improperly?"

"All right, I apologize."

Miri looked like she didn't believe him. "Perhaps we ought to be finding out why this has happened?"

"Yes, let's." Byrin took a deep breath. "We're going to need new blood samples. And I would like to find out whether the people who gave the controls samples have contracted the illness."

"Agreed. I can tell you that the one who gave C-14B is still quite healthy. I will have to check the paperwork to find out who the other two came from."

Byrin gave her a quizzical look. "How do you know the one off the top of your head?"

"Because it came from me."

Zion's Children - pt 10

"Miri's one in a million, Gold, "Alexander said with a pleasant smile. "If I were ten years younger, I'd seriously think about marrying her. She's bright and she works circles around others. She came in here one day, about four years ago and demanded to be allowed to help. This was before this sickness started. Her parents had died from illness when she was a little girl, and her grandfather Levi, who's the leader of this colony, raised her. I gather that her parents dying has a lot to do with her interest in medicine. Levi's a cross between a high priest and governor, and he can be as cross as a bear with a toothache, but I've seen him go all soft for Miri. He and Archie have some fine arguments, but they still go fishing with each other on the weekend."

"What do they disagree about?" Byrin asked.

"It would be better to say what they don't disagree about!" Alexander laughed. "The two spend more time arguing than agreeing. From supplies to Partnership. Archie firmly believes that Partnering with the Conglomerate would benefit these people, while Levi..."

"Grandfather doesn't think we ought to Partner with the Conglomerate because he feels that it would interfere with the people's faith," came Miri's voice as she entered the lab. "And here I would have thought that the two of you would have been in deep discussion about medical issues rather than political. Grandfather always thought you were more politician than doctor, Marc."

"It never hurts to know which way the wind blows, Miri," replied Alexander. "Besides, Byrin has all the information he needs on the screen before him."

"And it makes no sense," Byrin muttered. It was a little embarrassing getting caught discussing something other than the disease. He wondered how much the woman had overheard, and if she was angry over being part of the conversation. He couldn't help it if he found her intriguing, even in the midst of trying to figure out how to heal her people. "I can understand a virus weakening an immune system, even immune systems attacking itself. I mean, the Nazi Regime introduced viruses all the time to wipe out towns. But this virus isn't anything I've ever seen or studied before. It's not even a rogue mutation of anything known. And from what is here, you haven't found the trigger yet."

"This is why you were called in, Byrin. We're hoping you can see something we can't."

Byrin didn't answer. He did just scan the information, and from the looks of things, there were more files to go through. "How many people have died so far?"

"It has killed roughly half of the people in this region. I have not heard what the numbers are for the other two regions on the planet," Miri answered quietly.

"The numbers are about the same. The two villages are smaller than this one," Alexander said for Byrin's benefit.

Miri continued to speak. "We boil our water before drinking and cooking. We even boil the water we use for cleaning, and the water we bathe in. We have washed everything that's washable, and a few things that weren't. We disinfect everything with the supplies the Conglomerate sends. We maintain the highest possible sanitary conditions, and still we have people dying of fevers with no notice.

Doctor Alexander rose from his stool. "I shall return to tending the sick, and mollifying Archi and Levi. I'll leave the two of you to your work."

He left the two in a gloomy silence.

Zion's Children - pt 9

"The first ship landed here in 2039. They used the ship to build the first shelters, as most colonies did back then. Half the first shipment died within the first year due to starvation and exposure to the winter elements. Three more ships were sent here, overcrowded and low on supplies, before they started shipping the Exiles to Beta Talisman. It wasn't long after that the government was overthrown and these people were left on their own while Earth reorganized itself. Through hard work and some spilled blood, these people forged their own society. And you're right, it's mainly a mix of Jewish and American cultures."

"The Americans were a hardy lot in their day," Byrin commented when Alexander paused in his story. "Part of my family descends from late American Rebels."

"I know," remarked Alexander. "Information can be hard to get out here, but I do my best to follow your career. I remember well all the press reports when your heritage came out."

Byrin chuckled, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Yes, well, depending on which news channel you watched, I was either lauded for having heroes for ancestors...or 'rebel outlaws'."

Alexander made a snorting sound. "Those were tabloid scum that thought they could get higher ratings, boy. Everyone knows that if it weren't for the late American and French Rebels that the Hitler’s would never have been overthrown. The Nazi Regime was the bloodiest mess anyone ever saw."

"And if what you tell me is true, there's still traces of it left."

"Mostly attitudes," the white haired doctor said. "Some people feel that there would never have been a Holocaust if it weren't for the Jews, so they'd rather that the people just disappear. They don't seem to get that it's the same attitude of the government that they overthrew."

“But they act on these attitudes?” Byrin asked, betraying his ignorance of the machinations of the government he served.

Alexander reminded himself that the young doctor had probably spent more time in labs and hospitals than in current events. “Shipments to Colony Worlds that haven’t partnered with the Conglomerate are routinely delayed. They’re often incomplete and damaged. Food supplies that are meant to feed the colonists are often spoiled, while the rations for ConFleet aren’t. I’ve even known of shipments that never arrive. As you can see, we are short staffed. Once a Colony World, such as Beta Talisman is partnered, such things generally stop. But not always.”

Conversation lagged for a moment as Byrin was caught up in the old test results. Initial symptoms were hard to spot, as the mimicked the flu. Byrin shook his head; so many deadly viruses mimicked the flu in the early stages. And from what he was seeing from the viral construct...it was something new. It wasn't even a mutation. From the initial achiness and dizziness, the body's temperature began to rise as the virus took over healthy cells and either transformed the cell into a new virus cell, or consumed it for energy. It didn’t seem fair to Byrin that this world had to deal with a deadly disease on top of the injustices that Doctor Alexander had voiced.

"I never answered your question, did I?" Alexander mused, interrupting Byrin's study.

"Which one?"

"About Miriam."

Byrin turned his head from the computer screen before him to look at the other man. "No, not really." He smiled in anticipation and once again, waited for the doctor to share.

Zion's Children - pt 8

"This is a vicious disease," Doctor Alexander said, sitting down on a stool in the lab he had taken Byrin to. "High fever, with delirium. As far as I can tell, their immune systems are turning against them and attacking the healthy cells."

"Have you found the trigger?" Byrin asked, looking around. The high tech equipment they had brought with them hadn't been set up yet, but he could see that it would contrast almost violently with the quaint room, as did the equipment that was already present. There was a healthy array of equipment set up among wooden tables and chairs as well a as mixture of wooden and metal cabinets. At least the Conglomerate coloring was absent.

"You wouldn't be here if I knew what the trigger was." Alexander sighed tiredly. "I can't find anything in the water. The air is fine, better than anything you'll find on Earth. Pollen and mold counts are the same they've been since I landed here with the Admiral. Their food is better than the highly nutritious ConFleet ration bars. I'm fresh out of ideas."

"All right," Byrin wisely ignored the sarcasm he detected in some of the other doctor's comments. "Do you mind if I go over your data? Just in case you missed something?"

Alexander smiled roguishly. "If that were to come from anyone other than you, Gold, I'd be offended. It's all on the main computer." He waved toward the longest rectangular table and the machine that sat upon it. "Go for it. When Miri gets here, I'll leave the two of you to work on your own. And don't worry, she's well acquainted with our technology."

Byrin centered himself in front of the main computer and began to access its files. "What is it with her? I mean, you've set her above ConFleet officers and seem to prefer her. Doesn't anyone mind?"

"Other than your Lieutenant, no one minds. Because I'm not the only one that prefers her. Everyone here can see her potential, along with the countless others we have working with us. If this planet were a full partner in the Conglomerate, she'd have been sent of to the Academy before she'd finished high school. And she's just one woman. This planet is full of untapped potential. It's a waste."

"I heard the Admiral say the same thing." Byrin scrutinized an early test as he spoke. It didn't escape his attention that the older man hadn't exactly answered his question. Even if this planet was full of untapped potential, that still didn't explain Miri's favored status.

"That doesn't surprise me," replied the other doctor. "Archie's been trying to get this colony turned into a full Conglomerate partner for years. He's their biggest supporter."

"I gather as much. What seems to be the hold up? With the partnership, I mean."

"Left over anti-semitism."

Bryin turned his gaze to look at the other doctor. "Excuse me?"

"You don't know?" Alexander sounded shocked. "Zeta Muria is one of the first colonies ever formed."

The younger doctor cursed. "Which means it was formed primarily of Jews and Americans."

"Ah, so you do know a bit of history."

"Some." Byrin turned his gaze back to the computer screen, but his attention was divided. "Tell me more about the colony."

Zion's Children - pt 7

Although their backs were turned to her Miri nodded her head at Doctor Alexander's instructions. She watched their departure with interest, then turned back to regard Lily Bennett with curiosity. "You're not really upset, are you? About not working with the handsome doctor?"

Lily smirked. "Miriam, my taste finds Doctor Alexander far more handsome than Gold." Which was true. She preferred the calm authoritative men to the pompous ones. His white hair made him look older than he was, but he was still handsome.

"Then why did you question Marc's decision?"

She shrugged. Why indeed? "Old habits die hard," was all Lily decided to share. It would be embarrassing to admit that it was jealousy of the other woman.

"Yes," Miri agreed. She almost smiled. "Sometimes the old nature doesn't want to admit that it was crucified on the cross."

Lily blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Are you not a Christian?"

Now Lily frowned. "ConFleet regulations prohibit religious witness."

Miri gave a knowing smile. "ConFleet regulations prohibit their officers from sharing their faith, with each other and the people they serve. Yes, I know. I've worked closely with Confleet these past several years and know their regulations rather well. Of course, it helped growing up with them. Nurse Bennett, the regulations state that you cannot start the conversation and that you cannot proselytize. I started the conversation, and I am already a Christian. We are well within the regulations, regardless of whether my assessment of you is correct."

"Indeed, we are." That could explain why the woman had seemed familiar to her earlier. She had heard of the phenomenom before, of Christians being able to recognize one another on sight, but had never experienced it herself. "How is it you're a Christian? I mean..."

Miri chuckled. "Three quarters of this colony held to the Judeo-Christian faith long before the first ConFleet ships set down and announced that there was going to be a military outpost on this world. I've been told they were quite surprised to discover that, along with the fact that we had some semblance of 'civilization'. Come, we'll talk more as we walk and work. Marc doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Lily gave a friendly smile. This was a likable woman, and she knew they were going to be great friends.

Zion's Children - pt 6

Authors note: sorry this has taken so long, moving was a regular pain in the butt. Literally! Back to our story...


"Good!" Doctor Alexander rubbed his hands together briskly. "Now that all the introductions are out of the way, let's get to work! Gold, you'll come with me to the lab and I'll brief you. Miri, you show Nurse Bennett around. I want her to take your place so that you can assist Doctor Gold."

"Excuse me? I was under the impression that I would be assisting Doctor Gold," Lily spoke up with a firm voice. By no means was she going to allow herself to be displaced by an unschooled colony girl who had gained the favoritism of the head doctor!

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Marc, if she'd rather work with the doctor, I don't mind," said the younger woman softly.

"But I do." Doctor Alexander replied, his face as firm as Lily's tone had been. "Nurse Bennett..." He paused to look at the rank pips on the woman's uniform collar, even though her rank had already been given. It was a decidedly polite, if stern, silent reminder for the nurse to remember her place. "Lieutenant, I don't know what you were expecting, but I am the senior ranking medical officer assigned to this delightful rock. I am here in the midst of this situation and have been since the start...given that, ConFleet fully recognizes that I might be a little better equipped to make command decisions than some desk jockey in the high rises on Earth. Grand Admiral Kensington herself said that I would be free to reassign as I saw fit."

Lily nodded, recognizing authority and submitting to it. Not that the doctor left any room for argument. "My apologies, Doctor. I misunderstood my orders."

"Feel free to come to me when you have questions, Nurse Bennett, then we can avoid these embarrassing moments." Alexander turned to the taciturn Freeman...who looked as uncomfortable as a cat in a dog kennel. "Jonathan, thank you for your services. Tell Archie we're hard at work."

"I'll do that. Good day." Freeman turned and left. Quickly.

Silence once again descended.

"You were going to show me the lab?" Byrin prompted the other doctor.

"Yes, so I was. Miri, when you're done with Nurse Bennett, come find us. This way Gold." He gave one last quizzical look at Lily, then turned and walked away.

Zion's Children pt 5

There were no private rooms in this infirmary, instead a series of large rooms that served as wards. There were rows of cots filling the main ward, each filled with a sick colonist. Lily assumed that originally the sick had been separated by gender, and maybe age, but sheer volume had pressed the need to use every cot. Some of the filled cots had covers pulled up over their faces to indicate that they had expired. From what she could see, the cots were filled as soon as they were emptied, the new patients waiting nearby for the sheets to be changed.

Both ConFleet nurses and female colonists were moving among the cots, caring for the sick. The male colonists seemed reserved for the removal of the dead bodies, though that could be a quick assumption. One woman, obviously not ConFleet, paused in her duties to watch the three officers move through. Lily looked at her as long as she could. The other woman was shorter than Lily, with waves of long brown hair cascading down her shoulders. Her eyes were piercing, even at a distance and Lily thought they were blue. The colonist wasn't as thin, but she wasn't fat either, just solid with womanly curves.

Lily didn't know why, but there was something strikingly familiar about this woman. She as certainly attention grabbing. Maybe if she had a chance, the two would meet while caring for the patients and Lily could learn more. Not that it mattered, as she didn't come here to make friends.

"Do you notice that there aren't any ConFleet among the sick?" murmured Byrin to her and Freeman.

"We've noticed," Freeman said as softly, his eyes demanding Byrin's silence.

Lily took a closer look, and was shocked to see that the men were right. How could a deadly illness that was so contagious not be spread even to ConFleet personnel? While they were highly immunized, there was no immunization for this disease.

"Ah, here's Doctor Alexander." Freeman hurried his steps and came to a halt in front of a tall man in white robes. "Doctor Alexander! Here is the doctor ConFleet has sent us to help you."

The man turned and Lily could see the strain about his eyes. He was an older man, with a shock of white hair that made him seem older than he actually was. His hazel eyes were sad and compassionate, even though they were lines with both stress and fatigue. His eyebrows climbed his forehead as he took in the newcomers.

"No one told me they were sending Doctor Gold!" Alexander exclaimed. He held out his right hand and gladly shook Byrin's hand. "Well, well, well. Maybe now we'll get someplace."

Byrin, used to having to introduce himself before he was recognized, let his hand be shook and said solemnly, "Pleased to meet you, Doctor."

"Doctor," interrupted Freeman. "This is Lieutenant Lily Bennett, one of the nurses they sent."

"A pleasure to meet you," Lily said, trying not to be offended at his lack of recognition of her. But then, why should he? Unlike the doctor, she was just another medical officer and Gold was a genius.

"Likewise." Alexander grinned broadly, a new glimmer in his eyes. "Now you, my flower, can call me Marcus. Let's see, where has Miriam gotten off to?" He turned to a nearby nurse. "Eva, quick, find me Miri and bring her here."

The nurse nodded, and went to find the one requested.

Alexander turned back to the new comers and further explained saying, "Miri isn't ConFleet, but there's no one I'd rather have in charge of my nurses."

"That's highly unusual," Lily commented. "Don't the officers complain?"

"No, they don't," the white haired doctor answered. "Put simply, everyone loves Miri and gladly follows here orders. Not that she has to actually order people around."

Lily wasn't sure she liked the idea, as she would now be the ranking nurse, but wasn't presently in an atmosphere to comment. Maybe later, when there wasn't such a audience.

"Ah, here she is!" Alexander beamed as brightly as any proud father could have. "Miri, this is Doctor Byrin Gold and Nurse Lily Bennett. Gold, Lily, this is Miriam Brightfame."

To Lily's delight, it was the very woman that had earlier caught her attention.

"Pleased to meet you," Miri said sincerely. She smiled, her blue eyes crinkling prettily at the corners, and held out her hand to be shaken.

"Likewise," said Lily, unable to stop her own smile as she shook the offered hand.

Byrin shook her hand as well, but he only smiled at her.

Zion's Children Pt 4

Lily Bennett sighed in relief as she set her bag on the soft-carpeted floor of her assigned rooms. Unlike the commander, she welcomed the sight of the furnished room. Her first fear upon being told of her new assignment was that she would have to live in primitive conditions. She hadn’t told the brash young doctor that she had grown up on a colony world much like Zeta Muria.

There were colony worlds, and then there were colony worlds. Political dissidents established the very first colony worlds, as well as those sent into exile, often against their own will. Zeta Muria was one of them, as was her home world of Beta Talisman. Her ancestors had been herded into a ship along with other religious zealots and sentence to death among the stars. Their ship had drifted for untold years after the hyperdrive had failed them, and they had eventually been forced to land on the first inhabitable planet they found. If it hadn’t been for the earthquakes it would have been ideal, but they’d had no choice. People who had been used to some level of comfort suddenly had to become frontiersmen.

Shaking off her melancholy, Lily set about unpacking her bag and arranging the few mementoes she carried with her. The past was the past and no amount of prayer could change it. She wanted nothing more that to cure these people and return to the civilization of the Core Worlds.

After showering in a real shower and changing into a fresh uniform, the solemn nurse returned to the front desk. Freeman was still waiting there and looked as though he hadn’t moved the entire time she’d been gone.

While they waited for the doctor, Lily decided to make some conversation as it felt too awkward to her to stand there in silence.

“How long have you been here, Lieutenant?” she asked.

“I came out with the General fifteen years ago.”

“You’ve been here fifteen years? Do you ever get home?” Lily couldn’t fathom being in one place that long.

Freeman looked confused. “This is my home.”

“Ok,” she said, drawing the word out in disbelief.

“I was born in space,” Freeman explained. “I never had a home until I was assigned here. My family comes once in a while, but they never stay long. They don’t like being tied down.”

“I see.” Personally, Lily could understand the feeling. She never wanted to be tied down to one place or person. She didn’t have time for sentimental foolishness. She couldn’t.

“Ah, here comes Doctor Gold,” declared Freeman as he spied the approaching doctor.

As the three set off on another trip, Lily looked slyly at the doctor. Truly he was a good-looking man, even if you didn’t like his type. He was tall and his blond hair had natural red highlights in it. His blue eyes were strikingly sharp and open. Gold’s features were fine, as if his face had been chiseled to create the angles and then sanded to soften the edges. And his smile could stop a woman’s heart if he wasn’t careful. She almost regretted that he wasn’t a Christian and therefore considerable for her, but given his love of the frontier, perhaps it wasn’t a bad thing.

The infirmary, three blocks away from the housing, and was as she expected…primitive. It was a whitewashed one-story clapboard and stone building whose only redeeming quality was that it was large. It easily covered twice as much ground as the Housing building. The interior reflected the exterior, but at least it was clean and had good lighting. Even above the smell of disinfectant, there was the overriding smell of death.

Lily wanted to go home.

Zion's Children Pt 3

The general had been a fat man once, but now he was a skeletal figure. His skin sagged grotesquely under his chin, and his beige uniform was clearly too big for him. There were dark bags under his eyes, and his over all pallor was almost a match for his uniform. To Byrin, the man looked like death warmed over. He wondered if the man had been ill recently, and if he had been...what had he suffered from?

Looking up from his desk, Hiawithus blinked rapidly as he took the two in. "Only two? I thought Command was sending more! We're not a small colony for Pete's sake!"

"There are two more on the ship still," Byrin volunteered. "They were indisposed and told us to go on ahead of them." Which was true enough. "Sir, I am..."

"I know who you are, Gold," interrupted the general, in a tone that was far from friendly. His tone changed only slightly for the better as he looked at the one woman in the room. "And you by your pips would be Bennett. I've always thought that the Conglomerate was against this outpost, indeed against this very colony since it's uncovering. Now...I know it." The general stood and walked sadly away from his desk to the room's small window. "Gold, I don't care that you are the most brilliant doctor this galaxy has seen in a hundred years...you're only here for show. Once this colony is destroyed by this abominable plague, they will be justified to withdraw this outpost and point to you and say 'We gave it our best, but it just wasn't meant to be'. What a waste. These people are a precious lot and no one cares what happens to them."

"I care, sir," Bennett said softly.

"I don't doubt that you do. I've studied your file, Bennett." For a moment, the general's tone soften. But not for long. "Yours too, Gold." His tone suggested that he was far from impressed with the young doctor. "Jonathan, show them to their lodging and then to the Infirmary. I want them tending to these people at once and I want them working on finding a cure."

"Yes sir," Freeman answered, snapping off a tired salute that his commanding officer didn't even see. He turned and left, clearly expecting the doctor and nurse to follow.

They had no choice but to do exactly that. Byrin glanced down at Bennett, but the nurse wasn't even looking at him. She hadn't looked straight at him since he'd suggested four days into the trip that she share his quarters with him. The woman had acted like she'd never been hit upon before. Byrin sighed at the memory and returned to inspecting the scenery as they left the building.

Not only was the sky here bluer than Earth's, almost purple, but the clouds seemed to have a bluish tint as well. Byrin saw birds gliding on high thermals and wondered what kind they were. The few trees he had seen so far were bare and he wondered if this part of the planet was in its autumn or winter. It seemed too warm to be that time of year, but then he wasn't overly familiar with this planet.

The trio walked across the street, or what served as the main street. Far to the left, Byring could make out what he thought was a glimmer of water, and wondered if they were on the edge of a large lake or small sea. This road had been paved once, but it had clearly been some years since it had been maintained. They walked by several potholes, some of them large. The building they were heading for, just a bit up the road from the general's office, was a large three-story red brick building that boldly claimed that it was "Conglomerate Housing".

"Wait, Conglomerate Housing? But the General's office is in a clapboard building." Byrin often had issues with the style and comfort the Conglomerate insisted on, even in frontier territory, but wondered at the discrepancy. Even if the general was eccentric, it made no sense to him.

"Where would you rather live?" Bennett asked acerbically. "I'd much rather live in comfort and work in hell than the other way around."

Byrin picked up on the biting tone of her voice and winced. Yes, he had discovered a lot about his companions on the trip out here. All three of the women with him disagreed with him on many topics, including a frontier assignment.

As they climbed the steps to the building, Freeman spoke. "Yes, this building and our other office building is rather out of place on this quaint world. And the general's preference does seem odd, but now would not be the time or the place to discuss it."

Freeman saw that they were given their room assignments at the front desk and said he would expect them back in half an hour.

Byrin sighed as the lift doors closed behind Bennett as she got off on the second floor. He was eternally grateful that they'd been assigned to different floors. For a brief moment he wondered where the other two nurses had been assigned.

With an indifferent attitude, he stepped out onto the third floor landing. He took in the Conglomerate decor without a second glance. The colors were the same on a thousand worlds; golden yellow and sage green, often with a dash of navy blue for accent.

The young doctor found his room easily and unlocked it with the pass card he'd been given downstairs. He stood in the doorway for a moment, wondering what he had expected. A small living room greeted him, with a fully furnished kitchenette visible to the right. There were two doors off the the left, presumably entryways for the bedroom and bath. The living room sported a long yellow and green couch with two matching armchairs all around a fetching glass coffee table. There were, of course, various accents of flowers and artwork scattered about. The large window on the wall across from the main doorway looked like a Picture Window, one that could be set to show whatever view from whatever planet you desired if you didn't like the natural view out the window. In the right corner near the window was a workstation complete with desk and computer. If he was of a mind to, Byrin could probably dial up his mother on the Earth/Lunar Colony and let her know that he'd arrived safely.

And the people outside the building were dying.

Zion's Children Pt 2

As the mismatched threesome made their way across the landing field, Byrin was only vaguely aware of Bennett at his side. He liked the nurse and knew that, had certain things been different, they would have been sleeping with each other long before the trip out here had ended. However the blond woman was vehemently opposed to sex outside of marriage as she was a diehard Christian. When on a ship as small as the Solar Winds and on a trip as long as they were, you learned a lot about your shipmates. Not only was Bennett a Christian, the other two women with them were lovers and the captain of the ship had loud flatulence. Given the thin nature of the walls, it had been a long trip indeed.

The doctor sighed, wishing to banish all thoughts of the past trip from his mind. Glancing around, he took a deeper look at the area surrounding him. The landing pad was situated on top of a hill, and the valley below gave evidence of what used to be a prosperous village…city? At the edge of the inhabited area, he had no trouble spotting the ConFleet buildings. They were simply the most modern buildings present.

Also easy to spot were the body bags lining the field outside of a long building only a mile from the modern buildings. Piles of them. As they came down the winding path, Byrin watched as a mixture of ConFleet personnel and native colonists loading the filled bags onto the backs of old gasoline engine trucks. Their destination was as easy to spot as the bags. Off to the west of town, was the graveyard. The bare ground showed the new graves and the falling trees showed how the forest was being cleared to make room for more.

Other than that, there were few people to be seen. Byrin counted perhaps a dozen. He wondered if that meant the others in this area had run away, or if they were already dead. It was a disheartening thought, and he wondered if he had been sent to save only a dozen people.

He didn't have time now to ponder the source of the different spots of thick smoke on the far side of the valley, but he made note to find out what was going on there. He hoped they weren't burning bodies; the very thought was distasteful.

Freeman led the two past the first ConFleet building, and into a small clapboard building across the street. It looked no different than the buildings around it, right down to the faded whitewash. It was a one-story building resembling a box with windows and looked more suited to Earth’s American pioneer era.

“Why are we going in here?” Bennett asked.

“Because this is where the General keeps his office,” Freeman replied as he opened the door. He took the time to sign them in on an electronic notepad at the front desk.

“Are you serious?”

Byrin looked at the nurse with impatience. “So, the General's eccentric. Is it any of your concern?”

Freeman cleared his throat. “Follow me.” He led the way again, this time down a narrow hallway that caused them to walk in single file even though it was unnecessary. The office farthest back, indeed, at the very end of the hallway, had a dim gold plate attached to the door bearing the unlikely name and title of ‘General Archibald Hiawithus, III’. On this door, Freeman knocked firmly and awaited the barked command to enter.

The general’s aide opened the heavy door and announced, “I’ve brought them, sir.”

Zion's Children - Pt 1

Zion's Children
by - R.A. Slater

This is a piece of originial fiction, from start to finish.

He was born to be a doctor, and he was born to doctor on the frontier. That's why he had jumped, almost literally, at this chance to be posted on the remotest of the Fringe Outposts. The people of Zeta Muria were in the midst of battling a violent plague and needed the galaxy's best medical mind and the Conglomerate's best technology. He was that mind, and Byrin Gold brought with him every scrap of the latest technology HQ had allowed him to bring.

Byrin had worked hard in medical school, and twice as hard at his internship, but none of that had prepared him for what he found when he stepped off of the gangplank of the G.C.S Solar Winds that first afternoon onto the reddish soil of Zeta Muria.

Bennett, the highest ranking nurse sent with him, said it best as she came to an abrupt stop by his side. She looked across the valley below them and sighed deeply. "They've sent us to hell."

The commanding officer in Byrin took over. "Belay that Lieutenant." He might agree, but that didn't mean he was going to freely broadcast his opinions. A ConFleet officer just didn't do that...at least, not in public where opnions could be overheard by superior officers or civilians. The young doctor shouldered his dufflebag and began walking briskly across the gravel of the open landing field. He looked briefly at the outlying scenery and decided that if it weren't for the obvious colorings of death, this would have been a beautiful world with it's red soil and not quite purple sky.

A tall man, flanked by a beefy looking woman, both CF officers, met them mid field. It was the man who spoke, his words fired rapidly as though he were afraid of interruption. "I am Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Freeman, aide to the General." His darker skin hinted at his families background. "Are you the doctor?"

"I am," Byrin asnwered. He waved his hand towards Bennett. "This is Lieutenant Lily Bennet, my ranking nurse. There are two more nurses, but they are still on board."

The good doctor didn't mention that the two women had turned out to be frailer than they looked and were probably still in the head puking their guts out due to the rough atmospheric entry and the ground landing that hadn't been much better.

"Very well," Freeman said, said, his manner relaxing. "I will leave First Ensign Talzman to escort them and will take escort the two of you to the General myself. He is most anxious." The man nodded curtly to the woman with him, and had barely received the 'Aye sir' from her before turning and taking off at a quick pace.

Both Byrin and Bennett were left with no choice but to follow after him.

The Next Undiscovered Country...

I've got a couple different directions I could go next, story wise.

• Zion's Children - What if Hitler wasn't defeated as quickly as he had been in our time? What would have emerged? In this alternate timeline, Hitler's regime wasn't taken down until years after space flight had been developed, allowing him and his regime to ship Jews and other dissidents off planet and into the deep reaches of space. As these castaways struggled to build a working society and just plain survive in the wildernesses where they landed, Hitler's Regime was finally defeated. But was the defeat as thurough as they thought, or did the anti-semitism live on? Dr. Byron Gold begins to question this as he is faced with a dying planet...a plague that targets only those with a certain DNA code. He struggles to find the cure, as the people he has begun to know and love continue to die around him. {This one has the most work done}

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Pressed for Murder - CSI fan fiction. Instead of finding the plates for his next job, the pressman finds his co-worker bloody and nearly unconsious. The video surveillance tapes have been altered, leaving a blank window when anyone could have walked in and out of the room unseen...but otherwise show only her and the pressmen leaving and entering. Follow the crime scene crew as they try to find out who tried to kill her. Her attacker will be only one of the surprises revealed. {not as formulated yet, still in theory}

• After Sanctuary - Would be a look back on Q as Ian and Virginia's first time after the Sanctuary District. How did she end up there, what happened to her there, and why don't they talk about it that much?
  

Not sure which story I'm going to start posting next, but look for the next post of...whatever...soon. Any thoughts anyone? :)

Resistance Is Futile - Epilogue

Captain's Personal Log:

The Borg are gone. I felt their demise...their whisper in my mind is gone. Simply gone. It as though for the first time since my assimilation, I am alone in my head and no longer have to look over a mental shoulder. Oddly enough, I did not feel their complete end until Virginia was in sickbay.

With the Borg gone, the Federation faces as new day. The War Council has largely been disbanded, some members staying on to form a new council. Aside from StarFleet's normal mandate of space exploration, we have added a Reclamation mission. The Enterprise will be but one of several ships heading into what was Borg space to see what remains and what can be reclaimed.

It has been barely 2 hours since the departure of Virginia and Q, and the Empress and Ambassador...though I now have the strange compulsion to refer to Q as Ian.

I am looking forward to dinner with Beverly tonight, with only a small amount of anxiety. I cannot deny the arguements that have been made. But there still resides in my memory a glimpse of what Guinan called a 'future imperfect'. She claims that future that Q shuffled me back and forth through is but one glance of what could be...the future is liquid she says, constanly shifting depending on the choices we make. It brings to mind the experiences we've had with parrallel universes...pictures of how our lives could have been had different choices been made. Perhaps a romance with Beverly need not end badly.

Sometimes I wonder...is there a parrallel universe where Will Riker survived Soran's attacks...or a universe where the Borg prevails? It is sometimes a disturbing thought, wondering such things. Which reality is more real, I wonder? Perhaps it doesn't matter...to just make the most of the reality I am in.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 55

"Even now, the Oryon Council is being arrested," Empress Rixa said. "I shall serve the rest of my time without a Council, Virginia shall appoint a new one when she assumes the thrown."

"Then she's still going to be Empress?" Picard asked.

"Of course. It is futile to resist prophecy...and destiny," Rixa said, her eyes on Q and Virginia. Her eyes suggested that she sensed something far beyond the physical. Raven-Cloud's eyes suggested the same. "Our people have stagnated for years, Picard...and Virginia is the stick that has stirred the waters and upset the 'status quo' of our lives. And there have been many that have resented that...many have resented her very birth. Some have said that because she was concieved by coersion she should never have been allowed to be a legitimate heir, or even to live. Regardles of how life is concieved, it is still an act of God. He is the lifegiver." Rixa sighed. "I don't expect you to understand, any of you, the politics that have plagued her life...simply because I allowed her to be born. Her mother...her mother understood, even though she hated the child as much as she did the father. Perhaps more. I will never understand why she insisted on raising Virginia, but since it was the only way she would allow the girl to be born, we had little choice. Virginia's upbringing has been a source of much contention."

"So wasn't Ian's," remarked Raven-Cloud softly.

"As it is with all hybrid's," Rixa said. "They are a much..."

The soft sound of Virginia's voice drew there attention to the bed where she lay. Her body bore no marks from being assimilated, both of her cobalt blue eyes were there as her lids fluttered open.

"Ian," she had whispered, and now whispered again.

"Yes, my love?" his voice almost but not quite hoarse.

"Sanc...sanctuary..." Her hand came up to touch his face, to run her fingers through his black hair. "Can you take me to where we went after the Sancuary Discrict? Please?"

"I would love to, but I have no idea what condition it's in, sweetheart...I haven't been there for years..." he answered, his hands caressing her face as well. Brushing hair that wasn't there before away from her face, he delighted in the smile on her face.

Both were oblivious to their audience. Until Rixa interrupted, saying, "I've seen to its care, Ian. It's fine. Go ahead and take her. You have a year before anyone will bother you."

Q/Ian took his eyes off Virginia for a heartbeat to look at Rixa in surprise...and then thanks. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Then the two disappeared in a flash of light.

"Showoff," Rixa said with a smile.

"That was beautiful," commented the long silent Deanna Troi. The other two women with her voiced their quiet agreement.

"There is nothing more beautiful than true love," Rixa said. "The kind that last years of seperation...real or imagined. The kind of love that perseverse through trials. And cannot be resisted." She looked pointedly at Picard, barely glancing at his red-headed flame. Then her eyes waxed reminiscent. "Those two are like opposite poles of a magnet. They were meant from each other from the beginning, I think, even more than Marcus. He was a good man, but Ian understands her far better. At any rate, we must be going." Rixa turned her blue eyes back to Picard and smiled. "I'll try to give you more warning before I visit again, Picard. I know how you don't like surprises like this. And think about what I said."

"I will Your Majesty, but before you go...I thought Q said you were dying?" Picard asked, his curiousity piqued.

The sparkle in her eyes was nothing short of pure mischief, and the captain knew where Virginia got her love of innocent mischief from. "Aren't we all? Part of the charade, my dear captain, to flush out the true feelings of the Council. And what better way than a dying queen to see whether they want the hieress or not? They were the ones being tested, not her. Come Raven-Cloud. Good-bye Captain...and crew." She gave them all a solemn nod, then she and Raven-Cloud disappeared in a much more subdued flash of light.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"I like her," Doctor Crusher decided.

"So do I. She reminds me of Virginia," Deanna said.

"What did she mean, Jean-Luc? About you were to think on what she said?" Crusher asked, not quite as innocently as she seemed.

Picard looked a little uncomfortable, but then relaxed. "Why don't we discuss it over dinner, Beverly?"

"I think that would be lovely." She flashed him a bright smile.

"Now, since this crisis is over...I have to inform the War Council of the proceedings. I do hope that the Empress or the Ambassador remembered to clear Virginia's year with Q...Ian...with StarFleet Headquarters."

"I doubt they would say 'no' to her," remarked Guinan.

"I don't think I'd have it in me either. She strikes me as a formidible woman." Picard looked at Beverly. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yes Captain."

"Deanna, please come with me. I'll need a statement about what happened out there."

"Aye sir."

The two left, leaving Guinan alone with the doctor who returned to her duties after a brief word of parting.

Guinan smiled. Things felt...right. In this she was comforted as she returned to Ten-Forward.



All that's left is an epilogue

Resistance Is Futile - pt 54

Q/Ian shut out the conversation behind him. He barely registered the fact that the Empress herself had made her presence known. He stilled at the head of Virginia's bed, his heart filled with echos of her pain. She was perilously balanced between life and death, and he knew that her link to him was probably the only thing saving her life.

"I'm here, sweetheart," he said softly, his hands coming to both sides of her head. Closing his eyes, he deepened that link...reaching to her through their Bond.

It was violent, the sensations he had to push through...which he shouldn't have had to do, there should have been no resistance at all...but then he remembered the Borg and how they did things. Not only had they assimilated a drunk Gandraleayian half-breed...but one who was Bonded to another of her kind...one who wasn't drunk. Belatedly he wondered how much of a role he had played in the demise of the Borg. Probably more than he realized, but less than he would have liked. Because he had felt that other Presence as well, and knew He had far more to do with their demise than either he or Virginia. They had both been vessels.

Jars of clay...

Virginia? It had been her thought. There was no doubt in him about that. Q/Ian chased it down like a bloodhound on the scent.

Broken jar...light shines through better...

Her presence met him halfway. Virginia...his thoughts were an intimate whisper.

Help me...

Follow me...Clinging to her presence, feeling her clinging to him with a strength he had forgotten she had, Q/Ian led her back through the miasma of pain left behind by the Borg...

Why is this still here? I don't understand Ian...I felt them die...

I don't know, sweetheart...

*Perhaps we didn't all die quite like you think!* came a third voice, sinister and cruel, its seductiveness long lost.

In this mental netherworld, the Bonded pair had run into the remains of the Borg Queen.

There was stunned silence.

Well...

...isn't this an interesting turn of events?

*Why shouldn't it be? You have a strong body....I think I like it...*

Don't get used to it. The two thought together. Had there been smiles in this world, they would have shared one now. Instead, they shared the feeling that would have went with the smile. The comfort of knowing that they were together, finishing each others thoughts...as 'one' as two people could become and still remain themselves.

Once again minds were pitted against each other. Only this time, the Borg Queen was squaring off against the combined minds of Virginia and Q/Ian...and of course, the God that went with them. It didn't last long. The Queen died quickly and quietly.

I'm confused...Virginia asked in the silence...the painless silence that ensued. Why did she survive our last battle? Why didn't she die with the rest? Why did God...?

Perhaps so that we could win together? Come dear...follow me out...

Resistance Is Futile - pt 53

Deanna Troi joined Picard and Guinan on the edge of the activity in Sick Bay. "How is she?"

"Doctor Crusher is still working on her," Picard replied. "She hasn't told us anything yet."

The three stood in silence.

"She's in so much pain," Deanna whispered. "But it's deeper than the physical pain. She's lost in a sea of...Borg."

"But they were destroyed," Picard said. "We saw the explosions."

"I don't know how else to describe it, Captain. Whatever is left of them...is in her..."

Crusher approached them then. "That would explain why I can't revive her."

"Can't revive her?" Picard asked sharply.

"No. She's been extracted from their machinery, and it will take some time before we can do the grafts that were begun for her...but her mind is...rebelling. I've never seen anything like it."

Deanna sighed in frustration. "Where is Q? She was trusting him to show up."

Guinan raised a hand, halting further conversation.

"Guinan?" Picard asked.

"They're watching."

"Who?" asked Crusher.

"She is no doubt referring to the Oryon Council," came a measured voice.

The four turned in the direction of the voice and beheld two men. Q they knew, but the man holding him by the shoulder wasn't as familiar. He was taller than Q, with darker hair and a darker complexion.

"Their eyes are riveted to this moment," continued Ambassador Raven-Cloud.

Picard left his crew and walked up to Q. "Please...you have to heal her...I know you can...either one of you."

"It's not that simple," Q replied, his own eyes were riveted to Virginia's prone form.

"But you love her!" argued Picard. "What simpler reason could you have for healing her? And she loves you."

"I know," whispered Q.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Picard turned to the ambassador, a man he'd only ever seen in news releases. "Please, you must let go of him. She's destined to be your ruler...you can't just let her die."

"What do you know of her destiny?" questioned Raven-Cloud, truly curious.

"I know the prophecy that surrounds her. 'Born of Sol and Gandraleay, bloods mixed to form a new Star. She shall rise from the ashes of death, heralding the dawning of a new age for Gandraleay. As a pebble ripples water, so shall she bring change to her people both near and far.' There are more. You can't just let her die because the change she brings frightens you."

Sick bay was silent save for the sounds of the medical equipment.

"Our prophecies are not common knowledge," Raven-Cloud commented, not offended but troubled.

"I shared them with him," said Guinan, coming to the captain's side.

"And how do you know them?" Raven-Cloud asked.

"Virginia told me."

Raven-Cloud sighed. "That is one of the very reasons why the Council distrusts her. If she cannot keep something confidential..."

"They distrust her because she brings change," argued Picard. "She threatens the way you've always done things. And that...is why they want her dead." He looked at Q, made sure he had the others attention. "And that is why they're keeping you from healing her."

Q looked at Raven-Cloud, whose face was as shocked as his own.

Raven-Cloud let go of Q. "Go to her."

Q wasted no time with questions, but moved quickly across the room to the woman his heart beat for.

"How did you know?" Raven-Cloud asked Picard.

The Enterprise captain shrugged. "Do you deny it?"

"Of course he doesn't," answered a strong feminine voice. "He and Ian have been working for centuries to uncover this plot."

Picard, usually ruffled at unexpected and sudden visitors, turned calmly at the new voice. The family resemblance was uncanny, but he asked anyway, "And you are?"

The tall woman smiled, "Why, my dear captain, I am Rixa Champlagne, Empress of the Gandraleayian Empire and more importantly, Virginia's grandmother."

Resistance Is Futile - Pt. 52

Hours had passed since the shuttle Andromeda had crossed over into Borg space.

Picard was ill at ease, to say the least. Not that he showed it at all. Had Ro turned around from Conn, or Crusher from Helm, they would have seen the picture of calm control. Had Worf given up his faithful glaring into the view screen, he would have thought his captain immovable. Had Deanna sat at his side, she would have felt the unrest and unease inside of him and would have asked him what was wrong. No doubt she would have asked to speak with him in his Ready Room. But she wasn't here.

What had they been thinking? Sending two women into a battle zone with no back up. Boothby would have his hide if he was still alive.

"Captain," announced Data from Tactical. "Sensors are showing a widespread disturbance in Borg space."

"A disturbance?" Picard rose to his feet. "Onscreen."

"At maximum magnification, clarity will be somewhat of an issue," said Data, his fingers flying across the controls. "I will attempt to clean the images."

The view wasn't clear...but it was clear enough to see tiny explosions dotting the star field.

"Where's the Andromeda?" Picard asked.

"The explosions are causing interference," Data answered. "I am unable to ... the Andromeda is hailing us."

"Data..."

"Aye Captain."

Deanna's voice filled the bridge, broken up with static. "...prise, this is ... meda. Mission accom..."

Then nothing but static.

"Captain," interrupted Worf. "At Warp one we can signifigantly reduce..."

"Agreed. Make it so." Picard barely heard his first officer voicing the orders to go to Warp speed as he left the bridge. "Sickbay," he instructed the turbolift. Tapping his commbadge he said, "Transporter room 1...prepare for emergency medical transport as soon as the shuttle is within range."

"Aye Captain," came the feminine reply. "We will be in range in just under two minutes."

"That quickly?"

"Yes sir. Admiral Hamilton and Reg, er...Lt. Barclay did some upgrading before she left."

"I see. Very well. As soon as you can." Picard terminated the conversation and waited as the turbolift carried him closer to sickbay.

He arrived in time to see a half-borged Virginia materializing on a specialized bio-bed. Her body had been butchered, he could see that even from across the room.

Guinan stepped up beside him, her normally tranquil face pained. "I would guess that Doctor Crusher wouldn't wants us to get in the way."

"Probably not," replied Picard. The two stepped closer anyway listening as Crusher calmly issued orders and wielded different instruments. Stopping at a safe distance, the two watched.

"Now...we wait," commented Guinan.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 51

In that dark dimension where Q had hidden himself and later been joined by Gandraleayian Ambassador Raven-Cloud, Q - that cynical menace - was on his knees with tears streaming from his face.

"Please...let me go to her..." Q begged.

There were tears on Raven-Cloud's face as well. He was an empathic being, and he could feel his old friend's pain he restrained him. Truthfully, the restraint hurt him as well. "Not yet."

"Why?" He had followed her lead and lowered the Muting on their Bond. He wanted to reach out to her, especially when the Borg began to assimilate her, but he had sensed her need to just know that he was there. He had to wait for her to reach out to him. And then...he had never imagine such pain. Fire running across his skin wouldn't have hurt as bad as the Borg asserting their will over Virginia's. He couldn't feel her now. Their Bond hadn't been Broken, he could feel that much and that meant she was still alive in that husk of a body. But all he could feel was numbness...and he couldn't even tell if it was her pain or his own.

"He has to be moved by her sacrifice," Raven-Cloud answered. "He has to make a plea for her life."

"Why isn't my plea good enough?" Anger kindled deep in Q. He was tired of the meddling ways of his people. Always meddling. They couldn't leave well enough alone to Fate and destiny and God.

"Who better to plead the case of a half-breed than a full-blooded human?"

"I am! I've been by her side since the beginning...the only one who's known her longer as a friend is Rachel and Rachel forfeited her position long ago when she made the case against me. No one knows her strengths and weaknesses better..."

"And no one is more impartial than you are." Raven-Cloud wiped the tears from his face. The backlash of emotions coming from the pairbond was near staggering. "Dammit, Ian...Picard isn't stupid..."

"If Picard hasn't learned anything yet, and lets her die..."

"I'm telling you it won't happen. He'll figure out what the Council is waiting for. He was able to figure out that she's being tested."

"Tried by fire, you mean."

"Trust me..."

"Trust you? If it wasn't for you none of us would be in this position in the first place!"

"Ian...you have to believe that I've changed. One can't work with Virginia for any amount of time and not end up changing."

Q had no reply. Deep within, he felt something begin to whither...life. She was leaving, she was dying, and he was being held back. He could only scream in frustration and despair.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 50

One hour stretched into two, and then three. Deanna stood a vigilant guard at her station, never once leaving or letting her eyes waver. Although the Borg were a Collective body, there was still a myriad of emotions from the various Cubes that assaulted her senses. She knew that she didn't have to have her mental shields lowered, but she didn't want to miss a single nuance of the events happening around her.

Each time Admiral Hamilton's vital signs spiked at all, her hand would hover over the controls ready to beam her superior officer over at the first sign of trouble. But each time, the readings would stabilize. Until they must have started assimilating her. Then the heart rate and breathing remained high for several long minutes, occasionally spiking higher, until they all of a sudden dropped and evened out into what Deanna knew to be normal readings for a Borg.

Deanna could not stop herself from tensing. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn't her own emotion, but that of the Borg. She glanced at the other screen the Admiral had pointed out and was surprised to see it alive with readings. The Borg were in turmoil. She wondered what the Admiral was doing to cause such a thing. She took a deep breath to steady herself and reached out Empathically ---- but she was too far away to sense anything more than turmoil and fear and anger.

A Borg Cube suddenly exploded, causing Deanna to jump. It was close enough to rock the shuttle gently. She looked at the readings on both screens, and saw that the Admiral's life signs had slipped lower and that Borg Cube after Borg cube were beginning to explode. She of course could see no pattern to it, though she was sure that there must be.

Virginia's life signs were still above the level she had indicated, but Deanna wasted no time in beaming her back. The half-borged woman had barely finished materializing on the platform when that Borg Cube exploded as well. Deanna turned in time to catch the falling woman, barely able to hold onto her. Borg attachments were heavy.

"I am Borg...I am Borg..." issued out of the Admiral's stiff mouth over and over again in a bland monotone. Her one eye had a dead look in it, beyond that of a Drone. Her body was limp and unmoving except for a twitch that coincided with the word Borg as she spoke.

"We have to get out of here Admiral," Deanna said, more for her own comfort. The emotions issuing from her though were nothing close to being dead...the intensity being so strong that Deann threw her mental shields up in defense. She struggled to get Virginia away from the transporter pad, but decided to leave her there. She flew to the pilots chair as the shuttle rocked from the continuous explosions. For a moment, her eyes were riveted to the exploding Cubes. "My God," she muttered by reflex.

Shields were holding strong and steady, no doubt something else the Admiral and Reg had "tweaked". Deanna wasn't the best pilot, but she was more than adequate. It was easy for her to turn the ship around and kick it into Warp.

Opening communications, she contacted the Enterprise. "Enterprise, this is shuttle Andromeda. Mission accomplished..."

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 49

Perhaps because she was expecting the pain, it didn't hurt as badly as she recalled from Picard's memories...or perhaps because she was more used to pain, it didn't hurt as bad. Or maybe the pain was so bad that she was actually in shock and it just didn't register. Virginia didn't know.

They had strapped her down, something that made sense because one certainly didn't want the subject to suddenly bolt when they saw the wicked looking assortment of instruments brought out. The long needle they were presently wielding her way particularly terrified Virginia and she closed her remaining eye. They had already taken the other one, though they hadn't plugged the new improved version in yet.

Lt. Haskas had tortured her with needle when she had been his prisoner in the Eugenics War. Slowly, methodically tortured her over a matter of several days. She hadn't liked needles before that...but afterwards, she abhorred them.

The needle bore deep into her, delivering a powerful serum designed to weaken her mental facilities and allowed the Collective Consciousness to indwell her.

There was nothing gentle about the intrusion of the Borg consciousness into her mind. One moment she was alone in her thoughts, save for the comforting Presence, and then suddenly they were there. There was no order to the cacophony of voices suddenly in her head. It was worse than her normal telepathy, a thousand times worse. She struggled against them...struggled to retain her identity, her self...it wasn't an easy thing for her to give control of that type over to anyone. Her body might be immobile, but her mind fought and clawed for survival.

And beneath the pain, beneath the voices, beneath the drugged obedience of the Borg consciousness...there lay an undercurrent of despair and anguish. Loved ones that had been left behind, or killed, when they had been assimilated by this madness. Guilt for having done the same to thousands of other people who had their own loved ones. Grief for the worlds they had devastated. Muted, far beneath the layers, but she sensed it. And compassionate woman that she was, Virginia grieved for them....grieved for the broken dreams, for the lives stolen and destroyed...

"Lord," her heart asked. "Is there no way to save them? Free them?"

Most of them have been dead for years, their bodies kept alive and used by this machination evil. For the rest, their only freedom can be found in death.

Then the Queen came into the struggle. "I thought you wanted this?" she mocked. "Oh, they all fight at first..."

Mid sentence, Virginia seized the Queen's mind with her own. "I will not rest until you are destroyed!"

Wordlessly the Queen fought back, trying to assert her will over the other woman.

Virginia dug deep, accessing the despair and the guilt the Borg felt...and she threw it into the face of the Borg. "Do you see what you have done? This is not order, this in not optimum...this is evil...we were not created for this..."

"The Borg were created to conquer and assimilate...we are Optimum," argued the Queen. "We are perfection..."

"You...are...an experiment gone wrong!"

The two fought...minds sparring in the dark void...until at last, The Queen was overcome when a third presence entered into the fray. A Being so powerful, so frightening. It wasn't the Q...those she knew. She wasn't afraid of them, they had never bothered her. But this Being that came with the half-breed was more powerful than the Q. He was someone she knew from a memory of a memory...memories of memories as she was filled not only with her own memories, but those of thousands upon thousands of drones. She had long ago rejected Him, before she had ever been assimilated, as had many of her drones. She rejected Him now, even as the other woman clung to Him.

One by one, the Borg were overwhelmed...and then the order to self-destruct was issued...