Five minutes later, the first sounds were heard.
"Status ?" Commander Markos ordered.
"All ship systems are returning to normal. We've got a couple of plasma conduits that have blown out, but automatic fire control has been activated." Porat reported.
"We're still in orbit Commander." Tricia announced from the helm.
"All weapon systems report normal, shields are at fifty percent and rising." Nige reported from tactical.
"Did the Gemini device work ?" Kira asked.
"Affirmative Commander. There's a Defiant class vessel three hundred metres off our port side." Lieutenant Tyran reported. "They're hailing us."
"Put it on screen." Kira ordered.
[So I guess the device worked.] Kira (D) said as he appeared on the viewscreen.
"How do you feel ?" Kira asked his duplicate.
[A little funny actually. It's hard to believe that I'm a duplicate of you.] Kira (D) remarked.
"That's just what I was thinking." Kira replied. "Commander, was the Gemini device duplicated on your vessel ?"
[No. It looks like the device is either designed not to duplicate itself or is too complex to duplicate. You hold the 'keys' to the only Gemini device Commander.] Kira (D) replied.
"I thought that would be the result, but I had to double-check." Kira remarked.
[Shall we get down to business.] Kira (D) asked.
"I've been puzzling over how we can approach the sphere without being detected." Kira stated.
"What about using the cloaking device ?" Nige remarked from Tactical.
"The Borg would probably detect us long before we got within firing range." Kira replied.
[Not if we inter-linked the two cloaking devices together and flew in close formation. The Borg may detect one vessel approaching, but not two, at least we'd have some element of surprise.] Nige (D) offered.
"It could work, it would require some very careful flying, travelling at warp in close proximity to each other is dangerous. Doing it whilst cloaked will be even harder. We'd need to keep the two vessels within about a hundred metres of each other." Nige replied.
"We could inter-link the flight systems of both ships into one console, I could fly both ships from here and let the computer systems compensate for the variations." Tricia replied from the helm.
"What do you think Commander ?." Kira asked of his duplicate.
[Sounds like a plan, I'll get McQueen (D) to start working on the inter-link, I'd suggest you do the same.] Kira (D) reported [We'll talk again when the link is established.]
"Ronin out." Kira said as Porat cut the transmission.
"Kira to McQueen. We're going to create an inter-link between the two ships, can you get on it ?" Kira asked.
[Already making the adjustments Commander, we should have the link fully operational in five minutes.] McQueen replied.
"Ronin to surface." Kira announced.
[This is Doctor Jin. Glad to hear your voice Commander, is everyone alright ?]
"Fine Doctor and the Gemini device worked fine. Maybe now we have a fighting chance. We should be leaving orbit within ten to fifteen minutes, but I just thought I'd let you know that we are all OK." Kira replied.
[It's always good to know Commander, good luck. Jin out.]
[McQueen to Bridge. Commander, the inter-link is in place.]
"Good. McMillan, how are we doing with taking control of the duplicate Ronin." Tyran asked.
"It's sometime since I've piloted a vessel remotely and I've never remote piloted anything as big as a Defiant class starship. I'm making the adjustments to the computer control system to compensate." Tricia replied, her hands working feverishly over the controls.
"Commander, the other Commander Markos is hailing us again." To announced.
"Put him through." Kira replied.
[We're about ready to go. Tricia (D) tells me that you've got full flight control of this vessel from here on in.] The duplicate Commander Markos started.
"We'll be ready to leave orbit in five minutes, as soon as we clear this system, engage your cloaking device and we'll do the same. Once we reach the sphere, we'll concentrate our fire on the equator of the sphere. When we attacked it before, we appeared have found a structural weakness in that section of the sphere." Kira explained.
[Commander, you don't have to explain every little detail remember. I am you and you are me, we have the same thoughts, the same memories. We are both aware of our strengths and weaknesses. We'll see you when we engage the sphere.] Kira (D) replied. [Ronin out.]
"Ok Tricia it's all yours, take us out of orbit and back to the last known location of the sphere." Kira said, relaxing in the command chair. Although he hadn't realised it at the time, ever since the meeting in the conference room three hours ago he hadn't sat down at all.
Slowly the Ronin started to move away from the planet below, with the duplicate close behind.
"Manoeuvring the duplicate into position." Tricia announced.
Suddenly the whole ship started to vibrate.
"What's happening ?" Kira shouted over the noise of the hull 'creaking'.
Then everything stopped, the noise the vibrations.
"Damn." Tricia exclaimed.
"What the hell happened Tricia ?" Kira asked.
"Our warp fields are too powerful, they're acting like giant magnets, repelling then attracting each other. Each time they push away, they try and take a section of the hull with it. Any other vessel would have been ripped apart by the forces, it's only because of the way this ship's built that we're still in one piece." Tricia explained.
"Bridge to McQueen." Kira stated.
[McQueen here Commander. I think I know what you're going to say and short of shutting down one of our warp drive, I have no ideas.] He replied from Engineering.
"Commander, I may have a suggestion." Fenris announced from the Science station.
"What is it ?" Kira replied.
"The Proletarian battle cruiser where I was stationed use two identical warp cores to operate the ship. One was more than sufficient for most needs, but both were kept operational as a backup. As such, they encountered problems when entering warp because the two warp cores interfered with the sub-space bubble. If I remember correctly, they managed to somehow synchronise the two cores." Fenris explained.
"How ? Do you remember how ?" Kira asked.
"Commander, I'm a security officer not an engineer, maybe McQueen can figure it out." Fenris replied.
"McQueen, is there any way we can synchronise the two warp cores." Kira requested.
[We could introduce a modulated graviton pulse into both cores, with any luck the pulse should smooth out the warp fluctuations and give us a stable core. I've seen it done on shuttles, but never with a warp drive this powerful, we could blow the outer casing right off.] McQueen explained.
"Do it." Kira ordered.
"Kira to Ronin."
[Commander, we appear to have a problem ?] Kira (D) replied.
"We have a suggestion on how to fix that problem. We're going to try and introduce a graviton pulse into the warp core to get a more stable reaction. Have your McQueen liase with ours on finding the right frequency." Kira explained.
[I will. Ronin out.]
Ten minutes later the two Ronin's were positioned to make another attempt at attaining warp. This time things when smoothly and within an hour they were approaching the Borg sphere once more.
"Any indications that we've been detected ?. Kira asked.
"The sphere has made no sudden moves or increase it's power output. Their shields are regenerating fast, but they're not showing signs that they've got propulsion back yet. The area that we damaged in our first attack appears to have been left alone. It appears the Borg haven't thought it a high priority." Lieutenant Tyran announced from the tactical station.
"Then we have a chance." Kira remarked. "Target the equator of the sphere and inform the other vessel to do the same."
The two Ronin's spent the next half-hour attacking the sphere, causing damage to it, but still it remained intact.
"That's the last quantum torpedo." Nige announced, "I think the duplicate has exhausted their supply as well. Commander, we're still no where near defeating this sphere, it just keeps taking the hits."
"It's a shame we can't just drag it towards the Syterious black hole. With their propulsion still down they'd never escape. They'd be drawn in and crushed." Tricia stated.
"Wait a minute. Can anyone give me a good reason why we can't just do that. The black holes only half a light year away, we have two small but powerful ships." Kira asked.
"Commander, the Borg sphere is six times our combine mass, we'd never be able to drag such a large object using tractor beams, plus the Borg would most likely evade or deactivate the beams before we got them close enough." Fenris announced.
[McQueen to Bridge. I have a suggestion.]
"Go on chief." Kira requested.
[We could create a warp wake.] McQueen announced.
"A what ?" Kira remarked.
[A warp wake. We'd need to fly both ships close together on a straight and parallel course, towards the sphere. If we convert the rear tractor emitters to send out graviton pulses, we can disrupt and shape the two warp bubbles behind us. With any luck, we should be able to fly past the sphere and the wake should be enough to 'pull' the sphere along behind us. At warp eight, we'd only need about ten minutes.] McQueen explained.
"Are you saying that you're going to turn us into a giant fishing net." Nige exclaimed.
[You could look at that way, yes.] McQueen replied.
"What if the sphere decided to make a run for it ?." Commander Markos replied.
[The wake will create a large amount of gravimetric distortion that should disrupt their propulsion systems. They probably won't be able to put up much of a fight.] McQueen answered.
"What's the odds of this succeeding ?" Kira asked.
"Three million two hundred and eighty six to one against, Commander." Fenris announced. "What the Chief has failed to mention is that the same gravimetric distortions would probably rip both our vessels to pieces, if they got too close.
"If it's the only way to defeat this sphere, then it's the only way." Kira stated. "McQueen, get to work."
[We should be able to attempt it in five minutes.] McQueen replied.
Five minutes past very quickly aboard both ships.
[Commander, we're ready to go.] McQueen announced.
"Helm, set a course warp eight for the Syterious black hole." Commander Markos ordered.
[The wake is forming, this is going to work.] McQueen exclaimed.
"Approaching the sphere." To announced.
Both Ronin's stopped for a brief second in space, then carried on as the sphere became entangled in the Warp wake.
"We have the sphere in tow." Nige announced, I'm reading a power surge in their propulsion systems, they're trying to escape."
"McQueen we need more power to the engines." Kira announced.
[I'm already running the core at one hundred and five percent. Anymore and she'll overload every system on the ship.] McQueen replied.
"Take power from any none-essential systems, replicators, lie support, scrape the ions off the sonic showers if you have to." Kira barked.
"Approaching the Syterious black hole. One minute until we reach the event horizon." Tricia announced.
"McQueen, start tightening the wake up." Kira ordered. "Tricia, prepare to make the course change in thirty seconds."
"The sphere's beginning to break away." Nige exclaimed.
"Tricia, increase speed, give us everything we've got." Kira ordered.
[Bridge, we've lost the wake.] McQueen reported.
"Commander, the Borg sphere is still heading towards the black hole... and US." Nige exclaimed.
"Tricia, evasive manoeuvres now." Kira ordered. "Brace for impact."
Quickly the small ship swung to starboard, the duplicate making a similar manoeuvre to port. The Borg sphere meanwhile headed straight on towards its destruction.
Unfortunately the sphere's gravitational influence was still strong. As it passed between the two smaller vessels, the debris field that was being carried along with it began to hit the shields of the smaller vessels. Both Ronin's were hit, causing each ship to spin out of control in opposite direction, before the sphere fell into the gravitational pull of the black hole and was crushed.
