A War For The Death of A Boy

"My Queen, it appears that not only did we arrive on the wrong ship, but all of our weapons that were in my pack from the arsenal, did not make it through at all."

"Beautiful!' Cyan sniped, "Eponie, you didn't happen to bring any of those fiercely battling books of yours, did you?"

"Very funny Cyan."

"Relax" the Queen winked, "just asking. What do we have?"

Eponie ran through the supplies she had in her pack, which consisted only of the basics. The Enforcer had a few things, but was limited to what had been on her person at the time of transfer. Cyan had her holo-image and computer data intact, limited weapons, but much to Eponie's surprise, she did have one of the experimental cloaking devices.

"Unless I've missed a lot of realm travel" Eponie said under her breath, "I was under the impression that the cloaking device was still non-realm travel tested."

"Well, what better place to test it out? We need to take a look around this ship and see if we can find the rest of the team. Might as well do it undetected."

Eponie helped Cyan hook the cloaking device onto the back of her weapons belt. "I have a bad feeling about this Cyan; but if you insist on using it, at least let the Enforcer or I try it out."

Cyan saw the look of commitment and concern in Eponie's eyes. As different as they were, Cyan had never doubted Eponie's willingness to forfeit her life to save her Queen. The battles against the gods and other evils the tribe had faced over the years, had been hard, but necessary. Cyan had no doubt that every one of the tribe was loyal to their cause and would die for their Queen. She had always been a great warrior; but the combined strengths of all the tribe had made her just short of invincible. Cyan had become infamous in many realms as the greatest of leaders; but she also knew she was the luckiest. Never had there been a tribe or race of warriors so loyal or skilled in all the realms; and never had there been a Queen who had been so well protected.

"I'll be fine Eponie, but thank you. I'm going to take a quick peak through their computers and with any luck, locate the rest of the team before Voyager even knows we stopped by." Cyan switched on the cloaking device and rose from their hiding place. She made her way to the front of the Cargo Bay until she stood in front of the glass chamber looking at the Borg. She'd have to be careful not to alter any of the controls associated with the environmental structure when tapping into the Voyager's computer. As she turned towards the control panel the Borg stepped out of her chamber.

"Who are you and what is your purpose aboard this vessel?"

Yup! This was going real well, Cyan thought. We're on the wrong vessel, (five people short non-the-less); a cloaking device that obviously still needed a few kinks ironed out; and now, face to face with cyber chick. The only thing that could have possibly made the moment complete would be the melodious sound of Eponie's continuous commentary.

"Seven to bridge" the Borg said.

"Yes Seven, what's going on?"

"I have discovered three intruders aboard Voyager in Cargo Bay 2."

"Tuvok is on his way. Bridge out."

Cyan thought about taking the Borg out, but the truth was that they eventually needed to all be located on this ship if they were to be able to complete their mission. Cyan saw no need to make unnecessary enemies; then again, she didn't see a need to tell them that either.

As Seven, Tuvok, and the security guards marched the Amazons towards the brig, the Captain's voice came over Seven of Nine's comm badge.

"Seven, please report to the bridge."

"On my way Captain."

The Borg disappeared down the next corridor while Tuvok continued to lead the way with his guards in the rear.

"Nice cloaking device! You were completely invisible... EXCEPT FOR YOUR ENTIRE BODY!" Eponie sneered.

"Please Eponie, no one likes an I told you so!" Cyan snapped. The Queen gave the Enforcer a hard stare for allowing the slightest of snickers to slip out after Eponie's comment.

"I mean here I was, all concerned for nothing. Why didn't you just tell me Queen 'now you see me, now you don't', had it all under control?"

"Oh, no....no....no.... Eponie, we're not doing this. So, DAMN the jokes......DAMN the jokes!"

Eponie turned and faced Cyan, "doing what? Who said that? Cyan is that you? I….can't….see….you!""

Cyan whipped around to face Eponie, her teeth clenched, "Would you have preferred we had a little sharing time, maybe a few minutes of quiet reflection while................"

The Enforcer, all but oblivious to the now customary bickering, continued walking until Tuvok came to a halt. "Are they always like this?" he asked.

"Like what?" The Enforcer said genuinely.

"Always bickering?"

"Oh, that? Well between you and me, we prefer to call it the aggressive pursuit of balance."

"Well do you think you can get them to pursue a balance between bickering and walking so we can get there in this lifetime?"

"Sure." The Enforcer said with a slight smile, as she quietly muttered under her breath, "just be thankful you have only a lifetime, try being immortal." She winced at her own joke. Eternal bickering........ now that was an ugly thought!

Cyan, Eponie, and the Enforcer had only been in the brig a short time before Seven of Nine reappeared in the doorway. Captain Janeway had wanted Seven to get a feel for what the three intruders wanted before she spoke with them. The Captain had seemed very curious about the women, and Seven had to admit, she herself had become quite intrigued by their sudden presence aboard Voyager. Seven walked through the surrounding force field and into the cell holding the women.

"I am Seven of Nine, crew member of the Starship Voyager"

"I thought you looked familiar" Cyan said with a smile "Nice trick with the force field."

"The Borg are immune to frequency force fields. We simply compensate by adjusting our by bio-transmitters which alter the force fields integrity. The Borg's technology is far superior to that of the individual, eliminating all need for 'tricks' as you call them."

Eponie turned to look at Cyan and with the flash of a smile said, "Wow! Now that's a mouthful. How do I become a Borg?"

Cyan laughed, "Eponie, you are much too much of an individual to become a drone. They would expel you collectively the first day. Stick with us," Cyan smiled, "we'll make ya famous!"

The three Amazons burst into laughter at the thought of becoming a drone; while Seven of Nine became more and more impatient.

"Your opinions of the collective are irrelevant to this discussion. You are however familiar with species 8424, and various star fleet linguistics. You will state your purpose aboard Voyager immediately."

As the three stopped laughing, the Enforcer rose to respond to Seven's request; but the Queen stopped her "Allow me Olympia."

"My name is Cyan, and I am in charge of this mission. We mean the crew of Voyager no harm, and my only concern right now is finding the rest of my away team."

"Explain" The Borg said.

"Our technology is quite a bit more advanced than that of Voyager's" Cyan began "unfortunately, we are subject to computer error no differently than anyone else. In our calculations of the transfer coordinates we had not detected Voyager's presence and beamed aboard your ship accidentally." Cyan hoped she had included all the appropriate Star fleet lingo she and Eponie had practiced the night before. The Borg seemed partially appeased, but certainly far from satisfied.

"I have checked the ships log and we detected no alien vessels within 20 light years of Voyager's sub space. You could not have beamed aboard this vessel unless your technology is superior to any known species in either the Alpha or Delta quadrants. We have also conducted a full thermal heat scan and deck by deck search of the entire vessel; no other entities were discovered."

"Must have gotten the cloaking devices that worked." Eponie mumbled to the Enforcer. The Enforcer smiled, but was already digesting the ramifications of Seven's news. Where was the rest of the team she wondered?

"Mind if I ask a question now?" Cyan motioned to Seven. Without waiting for a response, she continued "What exactly were you doing in that astro-aquarium of yours?"

"The Borg require a system of regeneration to survive. The chamber in Cargo Bay 2 has been altered to provide sufficient regeneration equal to that of the Collective. My cycle of regeneration had just been completed when I detected your presence aboard Voyager. Of course, this took little effort, as you had obviously used insufficient means to disguise your designated location."

"You may wanna tweak up that personality knob a smidge during your next cycle." Cyan grumbled. Eponie and The Enforcer both smiled at the Queen, while Cyan once again turned her attention towards feigning moderate interest in Borg Biology and Boredom 101.

Seven's little lecture and interrogation had just about knocked the Queen out; but still, amongst her occasional napping, Cyan had learned what she needed to know: this Borg could become a serious obstacle for them.

Seven of Nine had not let them out of the brig before she had left, but had assured them that the Captain would be down to see them shortly.

"Well, she certainly gets right to the point, doesn't she? Very efficient." The Enforcer said somewhat impressed.

"I doubt she's even capable of mistakes" Eponie commented. "Stud Boy mentioned her abilities for astrometrics and galatical data, but he seems to have slightly underestimated exactly how good she really is."

"Well, she's definitely going to be high on the list of crew to isolate, but I've got a feeling that our Captain Janeway will still come out on top" the Queen continued, "Besides, she may be efficient in a lot of areas, but certainly not in all of them. Take the fashion thing for instance…..Man! I thought some of our tribal outfits were bad, especially the ones for the ritual dances, but they can't hold a candle to that outfit! She's got a set of heels 8 feet tall she can't possible run in, let alone fight; and a Lycra one-piece uniform that I find difficult to believe is Star Fleet issued. How the heck does she even go to the bathroom on the fly? We'd be waiting all day for her in the battle with the gods - no wonder they had to develop better weapon technology! And the suit, it's so tight, it's like……….Saran wrap. Hmmm, you know, that has a familiar ring to it…"

Seven entered Captain Janeway's ready room and stood with her arms behind her back. "Captain."

"So, How are our guests?" Janeway said as she turned to look at the Borg.

"They are contained inside of the brig, and appear to have arrived on Voyager completely by accident."

"By accident?" Janeway asked.

"Yes Captain. Apparently where they are from, technology is advanced enough to allow considerable spatial travel. After further examination of the data, I believe that their explanation may be suffice."

"Are you suggesting that they are more technically advanced than any of the other species we have come across?" Janeway asked incredulously.

"So they claim."

"You don't believe the them Seven?"

"I'm....not sure Captain. Some of their story seems to fit, but yet at times they appear quite elusive and vague in their explanations.

"So, may be we have a mix of half truths in there somewhere... very interesting."

"Captain, you should not forget the lack of success Voyager has experienced with futuristic technology. We cannot be sure as to their true origin or nature of their mission."

"Oh, come on Seven" the Captain said as she leaned forward putting both hands on her desk, "this is an opportunity for us here on Voyager. There is so much we might be able to learn from these people that could help us cut light years off our journey home."

"Yes, but they could also prove dangerous to the crew of Voyager; it is not a logical risk."

"Are you saying that you think they are a threat Seven; or just typical Borg logic?"

"Their actions have all been non-threatening; yet they do appear calculated. I do not feel they have intentionally come to cause us harm, but they are alarming Captain."

"Alarming? Please explain that Seven" as Janeway moved closer.

"At first glance the three appear to be quite competent in many things. They are remarkably similar to the crew of Voyager in the acknowledgement of rank, order and structure. However, upon watching them more closely I noticed several disturbing facts."

"Go on" Janeway said, as she watched the Borg closely.

"Their level of awareness and communication are far superior to any species I have ever encountered; even amongst the collective. They show no signs of emotional strain, panic or indecision; yet they obviously appear stranded aboard Voyager. They are very similar to perfectly trained........" The Borg thought for a minute "......machines."

"You make them sound less than human Seven. Are you sure you're not overreacting?"

"You may see for yourself Captain. You are a very efficient and resourceful leader, you will understand. Regardless of your decision Captain, I do object to their continued presence aboard Voyager for the safety of the entire crew."

"Objection noted. That'll be all Seven. Thank you."

Seven of Nine left the ready room and Captain Janeway with a lot of unanswered questions. Very seldom did she see the Borg rattled by any situation, so unless Seven was becoming more of an individual than the Captain had realized, she would need to be cautious. Janeway exited her ready room and out onto the bridge.

"Chakotay, you have the bridge. I'm going to go have a little chat with our new guests. And unless Seven is over exaggerating, we may have our work cut out for us."

"Would you like me to come with you?" Chakotay asked.

"No, stay here. I'm not expecting trouble........just answers." Janeway said with a smile.

Captain Janeway entered the brig and looked across the room at the three individuals being contained within the force field. None of them appeared to give the slightest interest, or even remote recognition, of her arrival. Even from a distance the Captain had no difficulty believing that Seven of Nine's description of the intruders had been completely accurate. All three of them exuded a certain presence and air of confidence without even moving. Intimidating, she thought, even to a Borg. "Open the door to the holding cell Tuvok."

"Yes Captain."

"Terrific!" Cyan mumbled under her breath as she sensed the approaching figure.

"What is it?" Eponie whispered.

Cyan drawled out her next words, "Red..Head...No one ever mentioned she was a redhead."

Eponie finally acknowledge the uniformed woman coming their way, and she certainly did look determined, if nothing else.

"I'm Captain Janeway of the Starship Voyager, and you would be?"

"The Enforcer," as she got to her feet to match the Captain's progress.

Great! Janeway thought to herself. With a name like that I'm sure things are gonna go along just swell. But before the Captain could reply, she was rescued by the woman on the right.

"...... and I'm Eponie, and this is Cyan, our.........."

"...... last in motion as usual" Cyan jumped in. "Please forgive my rudeness of not getting up sooner Captain."

"Of course." Janeway said "I'd like to have a talk with the three of you and see what we can do in regards to getting you back on your way. I realize you have a mission to complete."

The Enforcer glanced at the Queen, then responded, "Your help would be most appreciated Captain."

"Then why don't we get you folks out of here and talk someplace more comfortable?"

".......like a tavern with a couple of beers" Cyan mumbled under her breath.

Janeway let out a loud laugh, "that can be arranged too." The Captain tapped her comm badge, "Captain to Seven of Nine"

"Yes Captain?"

"Tell Nelix we're on our way down, and I would like you to meet us there."

"Yes Captain."

"Maybe it would be best to talk over a meal?" The Captain said with one raised brow and just the hint of a smile.

"Fine by me" Eponie piped up. No need for me to miss out on a nice meal, especially if we might be here awhile, she thought.

The three Amazons and Captain Janeway left the brig to head for a meal in another part of the ship. Along the way, Cyan, Eponie, and the Enforcer made mental notes of all pertinent statistical data and information that might be useful. Matt and Stud Boy had done an exceptional job in the layout design of the Voyager holo-image. If only there was some way to find out what had gone wrong in their transport calcualtions.

As Cyan walked in the back of the group she picked up the faint signal of Matt on her Telopathamitter; or TPM as they called it. "My Queen, I am hoping you can hear this. I am unsure as to the degree of interference on your TPM. I have isolated the coordinates of the rest of the away team; but have been unable to raise them on Eri's TPM."

Cyan attempted to match Matt's signal and transit. "TPM on" Cyan thought "Matt you are barely audible, but I am able to receive data. Give me the coordinates of the other team, and new grid locations on the Starship Raptor. We have been unable to detect the vessel since missing the intercept point and arriving aboard the Voyager. TPM out."

Matt's response was slow in coming, which should have been Cyan's first clue that the news was not good. The news that did eventually come was almost so overwhelming she could barely get her mind around it.

"Bare with me Cyan, but here's all the information I have. The other team is currently located at the same grid coordinates as the Raptor. In other words, they all ended up on board as planned."

Cyan's breath caught in her throat, and she was sure Eponie had sensed her flinch; but instead she continued on to catch up with Captain Janeway and strike up conversation. "That-a girl!" Cyan thought.

"My Queen, the best I can figure is this. We had assumed the two ships were always within the same galatical time lines, but the way it appears now, the Starship Voyager did not enter that sub-space until seconds after you walked through the portal. The chances of that even happening are virtually impossible."

"Well, there's a relief" the Queen thought, as her she rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.

"You, Eponie, and the Enforcer crossed through the portal threshold on to Voyager completely by chance. In those same seconds it appears as if Voyager and Raptor virtually shared the same galatical sub-space; but different time lines. By the time the next four people were through, Voyager had already made the time leap and the portal became a door on to the correct ship. Voyager must have been traveling within a slipstream and hit a galatical time wrinkle; causing them to fall out of slipstream mode right into their current sub-space. The whole thing took less than five seconds."

Cyan's head was reeling and her mind on the verge of sub-space itself. "Like ships passing in the night, so to speak?"

"Exactly! It's actually ALL quite amazing when you think about it!" Matt proclaimed.

"Yes Matt, so true! My own amazement exists on many levels right now! So, basically this is what we got..............Three of us all on the wrong ship, which eventually was suppose to become the right ship, we just got here too soon; we have no contact with the other team to let them know how our current location or situation; (Cyan's thoughts got louder and louder, as if picking up speed) grid coordinates to a ship we were eventually suppose to destroy but CAN'T because our own people are still on board; an un-supervised Stud Boy roaming the galaxy on his first mission; an Enforcer just itchin' to knock anyone out that even looks at me wrong; a Princess determined to save a boy not even on the same ship as her; a cloaking device that couldn't disguise the wind; a Barbie Borg just dying to assimilate us; a Captain 'call me action' Janeway who wants to help us on our mission; and then to top it all off, the coffee makers are with Corde and Saran on the other ship! Is there ANYTHING, I mean ANYTHING, that I could have possibly left out!?!"

After several minutes of silence, Cyan heard Matt's voice come through somewhat hesitantly, "Well you did neglect to mention that because the other team does not know the circumstances of where you are, you only have a very limited amount of time to solve all the problems, or Voyager, once again, will be destroyed; but this time with you on it."

Cyan's head fell, and her shoulders slumped.........she would have to find a way to tell Eponie that although the rest of the team had been briefed on her 'mission of redemption' for the boy, Cyan had made backup plans just in case something should go wrong, (and things definitely had). If the other team could not be contacted, Eri herself would carry out the elimination of the boy they would never call Vadar........

Cyan dragged her hand slowly down the front of her face, "........… And… the hits.… JUST..… KEEP ON.....COMIN'!"