Lt. Commander John Carter," Another wrinkle."

[KENNETH COTTON]

(( Sick Bay- Deck Two - USS Kitty Hawk ))

Computer: Warning: Klingon Augment Virus detected.

Like they needed anything else to worry about at the moment....John looked at Wong...

Wong: ::Coughs:: …. What?

Blackwood: Want to clear that up for some of us, Doc? 

Carter: I think it would be helpful in the extreme Lieutenant...

Rahman/Jane (731)/Blake/Orrey/Sadar/Ylvor: response

Will clearly, despite his dislike for weaponry, seemed more than ready to shoot Jane, despite her surrender. John understood that. Revenge against enemies was as old as warfare itself. Emotions like that have fueled countless wars and cost millions of lives over the centuries, and hopefully, one more will not be added to the list. With his phaser, Will prompted Jane to move into a corner of the room, next to a biobed. Wong spoke...

Wong: Computer, what percentage is in this room right now?

The computer dutifully chimed in with its answer...

Computer: Klingon Augment Virus detected at 5%.

John had no idea what that meant, but he knew Wong was no Khan Singh. Wong spoke again...

Wong: Computer, redefine acceptable limits as 5%.

Computer: Acknowledged.

With Will occupied in keeping Jane literally under the gun, John spoke...

Carter: Anyone have any idea what this means. This Augment viris?

Rahman/Jane (731)/Blake/Orrey/Sadar/Ylvor: response

Wong: No. It’s 5%. It should *never* be at 5%.

There was ..a sound. One which John had never heard before...but the look on Wongs' face said everything...

Wong: *Huraaap!*

It wasn't the first time John had seen someone lose their lunch, but the stench could have burned the hair off his head, if he had any...

Ukinix: ::putting his elbow over his nose to block out the smell, muffled:: Is everyone alright?

Jane (731): Response

Ukinix: Shutup, you.

Carter: Not the first time I've seen someone jettison their stomach...

Rahman/Jane (731)/Blake/Orrey/Sadar/Ylvor: response

Wong: ….. Doctor Sadar, please take whatever samples you need and head to the labs with Orrey. I’ll join you soon.

At that moment, John was very happy he was not the one having to gather a sample. The stench was bad enough, but to have to bend down and....no thanks...

Orrey/Sadar: Response

Ukinix: Oh, and Jansen?

Orrey: Response

Ukinix: ::Eyes still on the Changeling:: Sorry to do this, but given the circumstances we’re going reinstate you as a Starfleet officer using the reserve activation clause Starfleet regulation. Welcome back, Lieutenant Commander.

Orrey/Sadar: Response

Ikaia made his way over to “Jane” and spoke...

Wong: Jane, correct? We need to talk.

Jane (731): Response

John walked away from Jane, and beckoned the blond woman whom he did not know, with Rahman close behind...

Carter: Sorry to meet you under these circumstances, Miss um...

Blake: response

Carter: Lt. Commander John Carter, Chief Counselor for Amity Outpost.

Rahman: response

Blake: response

Carter: I know I'm stating the obvious, but we need to get our ship back...

Rahman: Response

Ukinix: Captain, we could head to engineering and see if we can take control from there.

Rahman: Response

Ukinix: Aye ma’am. ::gesturing with chin to 731:: And what about this idiot?

Rahman: Response

Wil's emotions were boiling over, and while he understood it, he would have to keep an eye on him...and he hoped keeping Jane from finishing her Changeling assignment would keep her if not on their side, neutral...

Carter: She comes with us....

Jane/Blake/Wong: Response

((A few minutes later, turbolift, somewhere in the ship...))

It was a quiet ride in the turbolift, and a bit too close quarters if Jane decided to go rogue. The lights occasionally flickered, went completely out, then came back on. John knew that there had to be skirmishes going on all over the ship, and the only question was who was winning. Will spoke...

Ukinix: It could happen to any of us. The sudden appearance of dark veins, and it’s all over.

Carter: If it were going to happen to us, it would have happened already.

Rahman/Jane (731)/Blake: Response

Ukinix: They could be working out a way to assimilate the rest of us-

Wil was cut off by the comms...

Benbassat: =/\= Can anybody read me? Captain Benbassat of the Excelsior, broadcasting on frequency 99 Delta. To all who can hear, we have managed to retake control of our bridge… =/\=

Ukinix: Maintenance channel.

Carter: Must be the only channel that isn't controlled by the Borg...

Rahman/Jane/Blake: response

Benbassat: =/\= Hold on. Helm, what's happening? They're controlling us remotely. Taking us out of formation. No, no! We're being directed in front of the fleet. =/\=

Carter: Dear God...

Rahman/Jane/Blake: response

Benbassat: =/\= Now we've been targeted. =/\=

Everyone on the turbolift knew what was going to happen. No starship could survive what was about to happen to Captain Benbassat and his ship...

Ukinix: Oh no.

Rahman/Jane/Blake:response

Carter: Damn it all...there's nothing we can do...

Benbassat: =/\= Tell my family… ::explosion:: =/\=

John slammed his fist the wall of the turbolift, frustrated and horrified at what they had just bore witness to. Wil rested his head against the back wall. A more robotic voice filled the comm channel...

Collective: =/\= Excelsior eliminated. All vessels secure. Fleetwide assimilation complete. =/\=

(OOC: Thanks to Ensign Gnai for helping to transcript this dialogue into tags! Also note - it's unlikely The Collective were paying attention to this transmission. If a Borg is present in a scene where this is heard by Starfleet personnel, they should disregard it as irrelevant. With comms offline between ships in Starfleet, Maintenance Channel 99 Delta is the only communication method left.)

Ukinix: We’ve lost Starfleet.

John shook his head...

Carter: No...no...I'm not accepting that, and neither should you.

Rahman/Jane/Blake: response

Ukinix: response

Carter: We'll regroup. First thing, we need to retake Engineering. Then find some friendlies. What about your ride out here, the Miller? Maybe we can make contact if they are still in one piece.

Rahman/Jane/Blake: response

Ukinix: response

Carter::shaking his head:: Only know him by reputation. If half of what I've heard about him is true, any Borg on the Miller are getting way more than they bargained for.

Rahman/Jane/Blake/Ukinix: response

Carter: We need heavier weapons...

What they had was indeed insufficient. They needed to match force on force, which meant they needed phaser rifles as well...

Rahman/Jane/Blake/Ukinix: response

Carter: Then that's our first stop. Then on the Engineering.

Rahman/Jane/Blake/Ukinix: response

OOC: Hannibal sim coming soon......

TAG/TBC

Lt. Commander John Marcus Carter

 Chief Counselor

 Amity Outpost

 C238703HP0