[HR 2] Lt. Cmdr Robin Hopper: It Gets Worse? (Part 2)
Robin Hopper
((Turbolift, USS Artemis-A))
The lift jolted unsettlingly as it descended. Whether that was a consequence of some attempted interference by the assimilated crew, or a byproduct of fleet formation mode’s autonomous flying, or the ship taking fire from someone outside, Robin didn’t know. All she knew is that if the lift were to stop, they’d be trapped inside like fish in a barrel just waiting for the borg to finish them off – and that was not how Robin Hopper planned to end her Frontier Da–
Her own worrying and self-pity was cut off, perhaps karmically, by someone having a far worse day than she was.
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... 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. Now we’ve been targeted. Tell my family- =/\=
Then they too were cut off. There was a moment of grim silence on the lift, as the Starfleet Officers each processed the loss of the Excelsior and all her crew. None of them said it, but it was hard not to think that this was just the first of many – or to wonder if they might be next.
The Collective: =/\= Excelsior eliminated. All vessels secure. Fleetwide assimilation complete. A message to those who resist. Your armada has been added to our own. Your weak and wilful will soon be eliminated. Your strongest have already been assimilated. We are Borg. Starfleet now is Borg. =/\=
Leave it to the borg to assume victory. All one had to do was read the history books to see how often the borg had overestimated their own success and underestimated their opposition. As far as Robin was considered, it was far from over – and “all vessels” were far from “secure”.
MacKenzie: ::muttering flatly:: Bullshit. (beat) ::to the others in the lift:: We appear to have a new problem.
The Excelsior had tipped their hand – announcing that they had taken back their bridge before disabling Fleet Formation Mode had gotten them killed. But that meant that in order to retake the Artemis they’d have to both eliminate their borg infestation, but also completely disable FFM as well… Accomplishing the second goal would certainly be more feasible if they could work out that first kink.
Silveira: Let's solve one problem at a time.
Jovenan: Right. Um, the armoury is on Deck 8, so the drones might be more heavily armed than before. So far they haven’t been too concerned with taking cover, though.
Hopper: They see their victory as inevitable, just a matter of time. What’s it to them but a delay?
She knew she was right, but it felt hollow – and totally un-reassuring. As much as she hated the thought it was hard not to consider that the collective might also be right. They weren’t going to make it easy, but perhaps it was just a matter of time…
((Deck 8, USS Artemis))
The doors opened and all within the lift prepared themselves for a new onslaught – only it didn’t come. Robin hoped it would take a few minutes at least for the drones on the upper levels to make their way down to them and reinforce their brethren on this level. Down the hall and nearly around the corner, they could make out a group of assimilated crew occupied with something at what Hopper recognized as the Intel Hub, where she, Talos, and Char had been working on this exact problem over the last couple of days. She silently cursed the fact that in all that time they’d never quite reached the answer, though they’d come close. It had just seemed unfathomable.
MacKenzie: I count six drones… Who knows how many more are actually inside the suite.
Silveira stepped out of the turbolift and kneeled. Jovenan followed him out and took cover. So far, the drones hadn’t either noticed them or reacted to their presence. Whatever they were preoccupied with must have been of significant importance to their collective goals.
oO Good. Oo Robin thought. oO Then maybe we can interrupt and throw a hyperspanner in the works. Return the favour a little. Oo
Silveira: Same. And a possible friendly ahead?
There was indeed someone still fighting the Borg – though who or how many they were Robin couldn’t tell.
Jovenan: I don’t think we can have a shot from here without having her on the line.
Hopper: ::Slight shrug:: At least our phasers are set to stun. If we do nothing, those drones will just… Well, you know.
MacKenzie: Response
Silveira: Whatever we are doing we better do it fast. We should take the advantage of surprise.
Much like “careful”, “surprise” was becoming a relative term. With the borg controlling the bridge, Robin highly doubted that the Captain’s movements weren’t being monitored and shared with the entire onboard collective. If they managed any sort of surprise, it would rely more on the borgs’ desire for efficiency – completing one task before switching to another – than on catching them entirely unaware. Either way, it demanded fast action on their parts.
Jovenan: Can we trick them into going somewhere else or splitting up? Like by sending false comm messages or by leaving our commbadges somewhere? We should get rid of them anyway before they realise they can track us with them.
If they hadn’t already. But then, if they were tracking them using their badges, maybe that was something they could exploit after all.
Hopper: I’m with you, Lieutenant. ::Beat:: If they want the Captain, maybe we can send them on a wild goose chase…
Silveira: Sounds good to me.
Noting Silveira and Jovenan’s general concurrence, Robin glanced to MacKenzie, eyeing the CO’s combadge. The ship rocked – definitely weapons fire that time. Robin cocked an eyebrow. Time was of the essence.
MacKenzie: Response
Jovenan: The tricorder and combadge combination, for example, can fabricate a tactical conversation. I think we could try simulating that we’re going to Tactical, or put the badges in the turbolift and have them go somewhere in Science a deck below. The Borg might find us a priority target, especially if they think we have a plan.
Hopper: ::Nod:: I like it. Where would we be heading if we were trying to knock out Fleet Formation Mode? The Central Computer? We can send them there.
MacKenzie/Silveira: Response
Hopper: It’s a plausible destination for our group. I think they’ll buy it – at least at first. Besides, I think our next destination should be Sickbay. ::To MacKenzie:: We know a little about the borg tech that did this. Maybe with your CMO’s help we can find a way to counteract the effect?
She left unstated that, if they could not find a way to reverse the remote assimilation process, then they’d just be sending an army of borg drones to the next stop on their tour of the ships’ vital areas.
MacKenzie/Silveira: Response
Jovenan: Aye, sir.
Hopper: ::To Jovenan:: We can set our tricorders to emit false biosignatures. The signals will be weak, but the combadge can help boost the signals. ::To Mackenzie:: Your badge, Captain?
MacKenzie/Silveira: Response
Taking the Captain’s combadge, Robin removed the microfilament spanner from its sheath on her tricorder and used it to crack open the badge’s casing. While she was no engineer, her background in programming had at least leant her a rudimentary understanding of the computer hardware that did the processing. The adjustments were quick, attenuating the combadge to read the tricorder’s output as the Captain’s biosigns and generating a subspace feedback loop to amplify the signal were practically childs play. She just hoped the borg would fall for the simple ruse.
Passing the device to Lt. Jovenan, Robin motioned for the group to leave the turbolift behind and let the Science Officer enact the rest of her suggestion – sending “TriKenzie” on her way. As the doors slid shut, they turned back to the fight down the hall.
Savel/Delri’ise: Response
The sound of voices saying anything other than “Eliminate the unassimilated” was promising, and spurred the quartet’s movements down the hall. Fortunately for them, the drones here seemed set on holding the Intel Suite. Robin hoped that was just evidence that they deemed that goal as equally important to chasing their priority targets, and that other drones would still be waylaid by their trickery. Nonetheless, as they approached the Intel Hub they were met with the backs of several crewmembers in various shades of Starfleet uniform, all their attention aimed at the defending officers.
Under normal circumstances, Robin might have flinched at the thought of shooting another member of Starfleet in the back. But here, given the present situation, she had no qualms.
In a flash of phaser fire, the newcomers stunned the borg drones who had pinned down Savel and the other officer, whom Robin did not recognize.
MacKenzie/Silveira/Jovenan: Response?
Savel/Delri’ise: Response?
Hopper: No time for a meet and greet. Any idea what they want in the Hub, or how many there are inside?
Savel/Delri’ise: Response
MacKenzie/Silveira/Jovenan: Response
TBC
