[Hour 2] One of Eight (Chevalier) - That Minute When Excelsior Chose to Die
CPT Arianus
(( Bridge, USS Artemis-A ))
The echoes of their desperation reverberated through every combadge and corridor. They could beg, call for help, or hope in vain for help. They needed to hear voices, scream into communications, and hope. One of Eight and every drone onboard submitted to the authority of the Collective's voice. They had no need for communications. Their communication was Collective. Their voice was Collective.
One of Eight listened to the Collective, their voices, concentrating on those seeking companionship. Heard the plea of lonely voices joining their flock, the ones who initially resisted and submitted unwillingly.
One of Eight (Chevalier): *Ten of Ten, tertiary Unimatrix 65-7. Listen to the sound of my voice. Let your mind relax. Let that thoughts drift. Let the bad memories fade. Let us envelop you. Comfort you…*
Ten of Ten (Kel): *Response*
One of Eight (Chevalier): *Imagine somewhere calm. Imagine somewhere safe. Imagine yourself in a Borg Collective.*
Ten of Ten (Kel): *Response*
One of Eight (Chevalier): *We are the Borg. Follow your tertiary Unimatrix to Deck 8. Secure the Intel Suite. Eliminate all unassimilated.*
Ten of Ten (Kel): *Response*
One of Eight left the voice of Ten of Ten. Another voice was bright as a beacon, calling for attention. Deck 15. Engineering.
One of Eight (Chevalier): *Eight of Twelve. We congratulate you. At last, peace reigns in the heart of Artemis. At last, the resistance of unassimilated fades from Artemis. At last, we are whole. We are the Borg.*
Eight of Twelve (Yellir): *What is our objective?*
One of Eight (Chevalier): *Divert your unimatrix to the Communication Array. Secure the deck. Eliminate...*
Another voice distracted One of Eight. They called for attention. Help. They were not from Artemis.
One of Eight (Chevalier): *...all unassimilated.*
Eight of Twelve (Yellir): *Response*
One of Eight left the voice of Eight of Twelve. Voices from afar faded, one by one. They were under attack. One of Eight followed the matrix of voices to find their origin. Collective gave him an answer before the comms did.
The Collective: *Excelsior. Eliminate unassimilated.*
One of Eight (Chevalier): *Target Excelsior. Alpha strike. Fire.*
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- =/\=
Excelsior vanished in the blaze of assimilated Starfleet vessels' barrage. One of Eight activated the ship’s internal comms for those who still resisted to hear.
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. =/\=
The loss of Excelsior was a reminder for One of Eight the resistance was still not over. They needed to finish the directive. They needed to eliminate all unassimilated. He focused on the voices of those who faced futile resistance from Starfleet onboard. Deck Four. Deck Eight…
One of Eight captured voices in a Collective that was... disjointed. Feral. Deck Six. They were the voices of drones, but… something was wrong with them. One tried to connect to those voices.
One of Eight (Chevalier): *We are the Borg. State your designation.*
Voices answered, but One did not hear their voices speak, he felt them. He sensed the anger. He sensed the hate. He sensed their desire to follow the…no, it was not anger, it was… wickedness. And then joy -- simple joy over cruelty. They were eliminated unassimilated.
One of Eight (Chevalier): *WE ARE THE BORG. STATE YOUR DESIGNATION.*
First among those voices focused on One of Eight’s voice. The answer was like an animal hiss. But they were not animals, they were like…
Feelings of dissonance and contempt flooded One of Eight's mind, and those voices tried to push his voice out of their Unimatrix. One pushed back.
One of Eight (Chevalier): *WE ARE THE BORG.*
Feral drones: ::hissing:: *Eliminate…unassimilated.*
One’s mind was flooded with images of dead crewmen. He faltered in his concentration, and the children's voices almost pushed him out, but at the last moment, they bit into his mind with vigor as they sensed something that interested them. They heard what he heard. It hurt. He felt as if a drone was hit and faded out at Deck Three. He saw the faces of attackers. Richards. Dakora.
Feral drones: ::hissing:: *Unassimilated. Eliminate! Eliminate…unassimilated!*
They were excited, looking forward to it, and wanting to hunt. They saw their prey, and their voices felt joy. They felt…happy.
Their voices faded as they left his mind.
One of Eight was sitting in the captain’s chair, trying to comprehend what had happened.
TAGS/TBC
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One of Eight
formerly known as
Ensign Jaseb Chevalier
Operations Officer
U.S.S. Artemis-A
A240009JC1