Star Trek: The Next Generation: Before Dishonor by Peter David

Author:Peter David
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science Fiction, Star Trek, Fiction
ISBN: 9781416527428
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2007-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

16

The Borg Cube

THE BORG QUEEN, DEEP WITHIN THE CORE OF THE cube, sensed rather than saw the armada that had been arrayed against them.

“Impressive, said Two. He was not with her; he was on the bridge of the science vessel Einstein. He did not need to be in the same room with her, however, to be able to communicate with her. The Borg queen was in the heads of all her drones, a number that had increased significantly since the Thunderchild had been absorbed. The Thunderchild s former captain, Nine of Eighteen, was currently in the midst of running routine diagnostics to ascertain the cubes continued operational status.

Three dozen starships of various sizes and shapes were coming in from all angles toward the Borg cube. The moment they were within range, they commenced a withering phaser and quantum torpedo array launched with such ferocity that one would have thought they actually believed they had a chance of triumphing. The Borg queen knew that wasnt at all the case, but she also knew that humans were singularly stubborn and, well, sometimes they needed to find out these things for themselves. Meanwhile the energy barrage simply swelled the strength and resources of the Borg cube. She noted with detached amusement that a number of them were concentrating fire upon the previously discovered weak point of the Borg cube, the one that Picard had pointed them to at the Battle of Sector 001. How sadly predictable. Perhaps they figured that, although the gambit had failed for the Thunderchild, all they really needed was a lot more vessels and increased firepower to accomplish their end.

They were wrong. But their end was definitely going to be brought about.

“Absorb them, ordered the Borg queen.

This time the Borg cube didnt even bother with a tractor beam. It suddenly accelerated, heading toward the closest swarm of ships. The ships tried desperately to counter the movement, to get out of the way of the massive oncoming vessel. Some succeeded. Most did not. The Borg cube plowed into them, but they did not shatter or bound away or even have protection afforded them by their shields. Instead each and every one of them was absorbed into the surface of the cube and, within seconds, had vanished. As this happened, the Borg cube grew. Not a great deal, but nevertheless visibly, and a shimmer of energy coruscated around the surface.

Like a ravenous child, it reached out, this time with its tractor beams, in all directions. Ships continued to fire upon it, telling themselves that they were doing everything they could and not realizing that they were doing nothing they should. The cube snared half a dozen ships, and the Borg queen could hear the cube, feel the cube, was the cube, rejoicing in its strength, eager in its hunger. It dragged more ships toward it, insatiable, and one by one or several together, it kept pulling them in. The Borg queen could hear their screams as they became one with the Collective.

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