[Blockbuster End] Captain Addison MacKenzie - Open the Doors

[Addison MacKenzie]

((Bridge - Deck 01 - USS Artemis))

The trio managed to retake the bridge and the Artemis thanks to the work of Jovenan and Genkos below decks, incapacitating the drones as they moved to help clear the path. Now that the immediate threat of violence was gone, they needed to quickly ascertain the status of the ship and where the Borg were in their assault on Earth. With Talos at the helm and Vitor at the tactical station, MacKenzie slipped into her chair. The work was only just getting started.

MacKenzie: Stabilize the ship – thrusters only. I don’t want to draw any attention.

Dakora: Thrusters, aye. Stabilizing. ::He paused as he nudged a few controls before announcing their updated status.:: Holding formation.

Silveira: Redirecting power to weapons.

She waited for the pair to execute her commands, knowing that the next item on the agenda would be to get any sense of who might still be alive and under Starfleet control, and what their next move might be. As she slowly scanned the bridge, her eyes settled on each of the murdered officers slain by their former comrades. There would be a lot to sort out when this was all over…

MacKenzie: Have the Borg opened fire on Earth yet?

Silveira: Negative, they have it targeted but are still firing at Spacedock

Dakora: Right. They still seem to be focusing on finishing off the Spacedock. ::He stared at the severely damaged but, still surprisingly whole installation.:: Holy strokes, that thing is tough.

She nodded slowly. Perhaps there was still time.

MacKenzie: Is there anything that might give us a tactical advantage?

An isolated channel appeared off to the side of the viewscreen.

Dakora: I may have something. ::He pointed to the screen:: An old Maintenance frequency, 99-Delta has some traffic… I think… Yes! It’s survivors on other ships trying to coordinate!

Silveira: We can use our position in the Fleet formation to do some real damage once we fire, but they will quickly turn on us so… Not sure it's much of an advantage.

MacKenzie: What’ve we got?

The frequency lit up and Dakora let it play out loud on the bridge.

Voice: This is Senior Chief Gordon O’Malley on the USS Oberon…

The gravelly voice of a seasoned old-timer continued through the improvised frequency.

O’Malley: We’ve lost the ship to the Borgy-Youngsters, but I’m holed up in Main Engineering, ‘bout to give the warp core the boot. We’ve got survivors barricaded in our lounge on Deck 06. If there is anyone out there please–

Another signal crackled through, stepping on O’Malley’s transmission.

Voice: Mayday! Mayday! ::The panicked voice continued.:: We’re stuck in observation tower four on the spacedock, I don’t know how much longer the blast doors will hold. Please. If anyone is out there, please help us!

Talos turned the frequency down and turned to the others.

Dakora: We could try to help, but even if we don’t get noticed and destroyed, they’d still have to contend with our Borglings…

MacKenzie: We can’t just sit here and watch everything get blown to high hell…

The comment was purposefully ambiguous, yet contained all the instructions she knew either of them would need.

Silveira: I found the Oberon.

MacKenzie: Distance?

Dakora: Response

Silveira: I better be the one to say it. We can’t help them. We shouldn’t help them.
Let’s take care of ourselves before we consider helping anyone else. ::There was an old expression from the time of commercial flying that he always found interesting:: We put the oxygen mask on ourselves first, before placing it on the children.

She took a long, hard look at Vitor. The response wasn’t the one she expected – if anything, she was sure he would have advocated for rushing in to try to save the others despite all odds… Yet, here he was offering a voice of reason; of practicality.

He really had grown from the brash, aggressive man she’d first met on the Resolution.
She nodded slowly.

MacKenzie: We get our own house in order. Quickly.

Dakora: Response

Silveira: Understood Captain.

Just as Vitor turned back to his station, the sound of a transporter beam could be heard, and a shimmering light appeared in front of the viewscreen. It was Chevalier. Vitor quickly grabbed his rifle from the floor beside his station, just as Chevalier fell to his knees, attempting to catch his breath. After a moment, the heavy breathing stopped and he stood, his black eyes resting in his eye sockets like obsidian orbs.

Thirteen of Thirteen (Chevalier): That was not a good idea to silence One of Seven on the bridge, Dakora of MacKenzie. Your resistance is futile.

Silveira: Is it? We are still resisting you. Assimilation is futile.

Dakora: Response?

Thirteen of Thirteen (Chevalier): MacKenzie of MacKenzie, submit Artemis to Collective or die.

MacKenzie: ::flatly:: Some options.

Thirteen of Thirteen (Chevalier): Resistance is futile, MacKenzie of MacKenzie. We will add the Federation's biological and technological distinctiveness to ou-

A Bajoran woman in a gold uniform made her way onto the bridge, locked her rifle on the drone, and promptly discharged the weapon. The beam hit its target, sending Chevalier to the ground.

CPO Ral: Yeah, yeah, resistance is futile, et cetera et cetera. Prophets... this one was quite chatty, hm?

Silveira: Thank you Chief. I was getting tired of their speech. Next shore leave I will buy you a drink for that.

MacKenzie: We all will. Now, where were we?

Dakora/Silveira: Response

MacKenzie: I think we have to try to-

Borg Collective: Command signal interrupted. Continue last directive.

And then, silence.

The commanding officer of the Artemis blinked, the beeping from each station suddenly slicing through the air with crisp clarity. On the viewscreen, weapons fire from all the Federation ships suddenly ceased. The communications chatter from all the ships had ceased. Everything was still, and yet, if she could hear the sound of space, she was sure she could hear the sound of metal crunching and buckling, remnants of the savagery that had just taken place.

Several of the formerly assimilated and incapacitated members of the crew started to awaken, moving slowly like broken shells of their former selves. Their link to the Collective was broken, but unlike that link, the memories of all that occurred while their actions were beyond their control would remain. And the work needed to heal their traumas would last a lifetime, even for those unassimilated.

Addison blinked several times, her eyes looking around the bridge with hesitation, before she finally reached down and pressed the button on her armrest that activated external communications. She looked once more at both Talos and Vitor before she spoke.

MacKenzie: =/\= This is Captain Addison MacKenzie of the USS Artemis, is anyone out there? =/\=

The ensuing silence was deafening. What were likely only seconds felt like days.

O’Malley: =/\= This is Gordon O’Malley of the Oberon, Captain. We read you. =/\=

She closed her eyes and collapsed slightly in her chair, exhaling. As she spoke, her voice broke a little.

MacKenzie: =/\= Good to hear you, Mr. O’Malley. What’s your status? =/\=

O’Malley: =/\= Seems like the Borg don’t have control of the ship any more, and we’ve managed to stabilize the warp core… but we’ve got a lot of wounded over here. =/\=

MacKenzie: =/\= Sit tight, Chief. We’re on the way. =/\=

Addison stood slowly and made her way to the front of the bridge until she was standing just behind Talos. She patted him twice softly on the shoulder, unable to speak, until finally she just pointed at the blip on the viewscreen identifying the Oberon, and then patted his shoulder one more time.

MacKenzie: Just open the doors.

She avoided eye contact with the officers on the bridge who were coming out of their assimilated state as she made her way to her ready room. When the doors parted, she was met by a gaping hole where her observation window and desk used to be. In its place, a bright blue forcefield, glistening every time a piece of small debris bounced off it.

She quickly turned back toward the man sitting at the helm, her eyes narrowed.

MacKenzie: Seriously?!

 

Tag, and End Blockbuster for MacKenzie!

(OOC: And herein lies the end of our participation in the Blockbuster! All formerly assimilated should consider themselves released from the Collective’s control. As mentioned, our shore leave will take place on Earth as we explore the ramifications of the assault and assimilation both in the present and in the coming months as the fleet is rebuilding. There will be an opportunity to continue to write with the guests who have joined us, and I would also encourage you to reach out to writers from other ships who have participated in the blockbuster to craft JPs and share experiences between your characters. In the meantime, please take the next few days to wrap up your respective scenes, and start to process interacting with the formerly assimilated.

I cannot stress enough how proud of everyone I am for your fantastic creativity and the way you have handled the increased volume and pace at various points over the last few months as we attempt to write our characters’ and fleet’s experiences of events that happened on screen in Trek canon. I hope you all take a moment to reflect on this mission and how special it is to be in the 118 community!)

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Captain Addison MacKenzie, M.D., Ph.D., FASFS
Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A
Captains Council Member at Large
V239601AM0