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Chapter1A s Sonya Gomez lay in bed and stared at the remarkably dull ceiling, she wondered, not for the first time, whether anyone would notice if she snuck into an airlock and shot herself into the void of space. Being the middle of shipboard night, she could probably do it. Alarms would go off once she did the deed, of course, and her gamma-shift crewmates would act quickly to beam her back once they realized someone was floating about in the frigid vacuum. Within ten seconds, she’d be beamed directly to sickbay, where valiant attempts would be made to revive her. They would, sadly, fail. At least, they would in this particular scenario of morbid speculation.Gomez sighed morosely and closed her eyes, giving her head a chiding shake in the process. No, that would be taking the easy way out. But how the hell was she going to face Fabian in the morning after what had happened? Or Corsi? Or herself in the damn mirror? What had she been thinking?It had started out easily enough—which shou
Chapter2G omez didn’t exactly take her time getting to the meeting Gold had called, but neither did she make any effort to move any faster than her regular stride. It wasn’t a race, after all, and she would get there eventually.As she rode the turbolift to the bridge, Gomez wondered if she’d blown things out of proportion with what had happened with Stevens. Was she overreacting? It had been an innocent mistake that had bloomed in the heat of an emotional moment between two close friends. Surely things like that happened all the time. In fact, if she were to tell Corsi about it in the mess hall a day or two from now, they’d probably both get a rousing chuckle out of it.Like hell. The lift came to a halt, and Gomez stepped out onto the bridge. Gamma shift was still on duty, and she nodded at Winn Mara at tactical on her way to the observation lounge. As the door parted, she saw that everyone was already assembled around the long conference table, minus the captain, their quiet chatter d
Chapter3W ith the prospect of exploring a Borg cube on her day’s agenda, Domenica Corsi had wanted to take a full complement of security personnel with her to the surface of the planet, armed to the teeth with phaser rifles and no-nonsense attitudes. The idea wasn’t at all out of line as far as she was concerned. Venturing inside one of the vessels wasn’t exactly a run-of-the-mill experience, particularly considering the unease and fear that was associated with the race of cybernetic bad guys. It was better to be safe than assimilated, after all, and despite all assurances that the site was safe and secure, Corsi preferred to determine that on her own terms. Besides, those cubes were huge, and there was no telling where a stray drone or two might be lurking in wait.In the end, however, Gomez granted her a team of two plus herself, citing again that the mission didn’t warrant so much security because there weren’t any living Borg on the cube to worry about. Corsi argued that it was bett
Chapter4T he first thing Gomez noticed when they entered the ship was the smell. It was not at all what she expected. Instead of the metallic scent she associated with the cube’s general appearance and the mechanical nature of the Borg themselves, the interior of the vessel had an earthy organic smell that was a testament to the extent the surrounding environment had absorbed the ship.The light from the three rifle lamps flashed about in the darkness, illuminating the gray equipment racks and slotted Borg alcoves that lined the walls in seeming perpetuity. Gomez saw flashes of vegetation everywhere, growing up from beneath the floor grates, or hanging in thick moist clumps where trees and other fauna had pushed their way in from the adjacent forest.“I’m still detecting no internal lifesigns beyond ourselves and the critters that call this place home,” Pattie said. Her scanning blade glinted in the light from the rifles as they moved slowly along one of the thousands of labyrinthian wal
Chapter5W ith the bright lamp on her phaser rifle guiding the way, Domenica Corsi stepped cautiously through the tunnel beneath the Borg cube and led her shipmates into the unknown. This was one of those rare occasions where she felt like both an explorer and a security officer—not only protecting the others under her care, but stepping headlong into a situation with variables she couldn’t account for or predict. She didn’t know what would be waiting for them at the end of the tunnel or what might pop out at them along the way. What she did know was that she’d be ready for anything.The air in the tunnel was cool and moist, a welcome change from the stuffiness above, and the scent of dirt that had been evident within the cube was stronger here, mainly because the tunnel she and the others had entered was carved right out of the earth. Corsi kept her eyes constantly on the move, scanning the ceiling and floor for any surprises while maintaining an attentive sight on the path ahead.At one
Chapter6E xcept he didn’t fall.A laugh of relief almost exploded from the pit of Corsi’s stomach when Fabian bounced back and hung suspended in the void as though caught on a cushion of air. Stevens’s cry of alarm was cut short as he realized he wasn’t plunging to his death after all. He threw his arms out instinctively to grab onto something, even though it clearly wasn’t necessary. Emotions of shock, fear, and wonder fought for control over his face, and when he finally looked back at his friends on the balcony, a relieved grin spread across his face.“How about that,” he said, then made the unfortunate mistake of looking down. The grin changed into a sickly frown, and a groan burbled through his pale lips.“Hawkins,” Corsi said as she slung her rifle over her shoulder. Her deputy chief knew immediately what she had in mind and clasped her hand as she held it out to him. At the edge of the balcony, Corsi braced her right foot against his left, then leaned out into the chasm.Corsi stret
Chapter7“S age!”Sonya Gomez started as the guide’s voice rang out in the hall like a banshee’s call. In response, the conduits entwining the old woman brightened as though the power coursing through them was illuminated with the same light that was so prevalent in this underground world. And her blue eyes, still before now, turned to regard the group of people before her.“Why do you come?” Sage asked in a strong commanding voice that belied her physical appearance. She directed her question at Gomez, as though sensing somehow that she was the leader, and Gomez felt somewhat unnerved by the old woman’s piercing gaze.“We are from a Federation starship,” Gomez said, uncertain if “Sage” was the woman’s name or some sort of title. “We are explorers and came to this world to investigate the power that was draining from the ship above. We were not aware your society even existed. It was our belief that this planet was uninhabited.”“This perception is in error,” Sage said, her diction more dev
Chapter8O n the bridge of the da Vinci, David Gold sat in his command chair and had to force himself not to ask Lieutenant Shabalala if there had been any word from the away team. Gold had been on the bridge since Gomez’s last transmission, so he would have been aware of any subsequent messages. Asking about it would make little sense, yet this was the third time in the past ninety minutes that he’d felt compelled to do so. He wasn’t sure if his anxiety was the result of his natural concern for his people or the presence of the Borg cube, which, admittedly, had proven to be no threat at all. He preferred to think it was the former.To distract himself from his worry, he looked to the rear of the bridge where Tev and Soloman continued to work side-by-side in relative peace. The pair appeared to be working well, conferring with each other as they researched relevant data on the interior of Borg cubes. Gold rose and made his way over to where they sat.“Anything to report, gentlemen?”Soloma
Chapter9S tevens always found it fascinating to watch Soloman as he interfaced with an alien computer terminal. Once the little guy was hooked up and he zoned out, there was no telling what was going through his head. To actually have the ability to gain access to, and learn about, alien technology by joining with it in this manner was extraordinary. Though there was always a level of risk involved, Soloman was usually able to avoid it without complication.Of course, this is a bit different, he thought. Different, because this wasn’t just your ordinary run-of-the-mill alien computer with unknown security protocols and defense mechanisms that could potentially cause Soloman harm. This was a Borg computer, and although it was clear that the cube they were in was pretty much derelict and there were no living drones wandering about with their mechanical appendages waving about, the computer system was an entirely separate environment with its own dangers to consider. There was no telling w
Chapter10“I ’m all set up here,” Pattie said, perched atop Sage’s alcove machine. With Stevens’s help, they had connected the Borg power flow regulator she had retrieved from the cube to the conduits leading from the wall to the machine itself. In theory, once activated, the power would be redirected in a circular loop, keeping it from the machine itself and causing it to release Gomez. Once that happened, they would allow the power to flow back into the machine, and everyone would be happy.Again, in theory.“Power is life!” Sage-Gomez called out once more.“She certainly is unrelenting on that point, isn’t she?” Stevens remarked.Pattie looked down at her friend and crewmate and found it difficult to see Gomez in her present condition. The human looked so forlorn, locked in that vertical position and in her new state of mind. Pattie imagined that Gomez was aware of everything going on around her but was unable to break free of the machine’s conditioning.We’re coming for you, Commander, s
About the AuthorJEFF D. JACQUES (pronounced “Jakes”) first found success in the world of Star Trek fiction through the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds short story contest, which saw his tales “Kristin’s Conundrum” (with Michelle A. Bottrall), “Beginnings,” and “Solace in Bloom” find print in the fifth, seventh, and ninth volumes, respectively. He is pleased and proud to have taken his first command of the da Vinci crew, and thanks Keith R.A. DeCandido for the opportunity to do so in the first place. Jeff hails from Ottawa, Canada, where he continues to live and breathe to this day.
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