Star Trek: Defiant

"Slivers of Glass" - Part Seven

Written by Brian Bedard

Final Movement:

"I am Lord Locutus of the Borg!" Locutus screamed, "You will obey me."

"You are an imposter. You will be destroyed." Locutus got madder by the second, and he hardly saw his pet return.

Bruticus was shivering in a corner, "You never said this would happen. You had it all under control." the ex-Bolian said.

"I do!" Locutus shouted, and began pacing the deck trying to come up with a plan.

* * *

Bedard called up to the bridge and reported. "Captain, there's a slave circuit rigged up. Einsteins' being controlled remotely."

"Damn!" Bridges said. He tapped his badge.

"Team 2 to Team 1."

"Team 1 here," Barak replied.

"Where's Bishop?" Bridges asked.

"Putting together a Trojan Horse." Barak replied.

"What?"

"Don't ask."

"Listen, Barak, Einstein is under remote control. My guess is that Locutus is controlling her." Bridges said.

"Aye, aye, sir. I'll tell Bishop. Team 1 out."

An idea occured to Mendelin, "Captain Bridges, Locutus may have control of the main engines, but he can't have control of the RCS thrusters."

"And that will help how?"

"We can at least do something."

"You're right." Bridges replied.

* * *

Locutus stopped pacing infront of the terminal set up to control the Einstein. He had a plan.

"Borg vessel." Locutus said, "I am not your Locutus. I'm from a parallel universe."

"Theories are irrelevant. You will be destroyed."

"I can prove it!" Locutus yelled. He activated the terminal. On the viewscreen, the Einstein turned around and headed deeper into the Valora Nebula.

* * *

"Damn!" Mendelin shouted. "All we can do is alter course slightly."

"That could be enough." Bridges said. Behind him, Gilpatrick and Lebin returned.

"We are now, Borg free." Gilpatrick said.

"Good, now let's get the crew awake." Bridges said. He opened a channel to the Defiant.

"Commander Hardin. Prepare to beam over Einstein's crew." Bridges ordered.

"Yes, Captain." Hardin replied. Bridges heard the hiss of gas as a neutralyzing agent entered the bridge. Around him the crew started to stir. Five minutes later they were wide awake.

* * *

Bishop nodded as Barak passed on the captains report. He gestured for the team to prepare to move out.

* * *

Locutus watched as the Einstein moved closer to the event location. His finger waivered over the detenation button. He saw his pet saunter up to him.

"Well, Sturm," he began, "We are about to see the dawn of a new era for the Borg." The animal growled. A sound clanked from below the deck. Locutus looked around for the source. He was startled to see his beloved pet rear up and take the form of a grizzly bear. A huge paw crashed down on his head.

Bruticus raised his weapon arm to defend Locutus. A panel swung open in the floor and Terrans appeared. Bruticus saw the Borg known as Bishop and turned to fire.

Locutus raised an arm to protect himself. He and the bear hit the ground fighting.

* * *

Bishop ducked as a beam of energy flashed by him. Using a football tackle move, he brought Bruticus down. Lunging his hand towards the Borg's face he yelled, "This is for Bedard." His hand crunched the Borg's nose, sliding bone and cartelidge up into the Borg's brain. Bruticus spasmed and died.

"Matute, finish him already." He yelled.

The bear expanded and enveloped the Borg Lord. Locutus peered out through the semi-transparent material surrounding him. He knew he was defeated. He pressed a button on his arm. Matute formed a head.

"Bishop, he's set a self-destruct." she said.

"Let go, and step back." Bishop ordered. Matute brought herself together and reformed into her regular appearance. She moved back.

Locutus smiled a cruel smile and lunged for the remote control board. He was going to finish his mission. Bishop saw it and fired his phaser at the board. It crackled and sparked, the surface sunk in.

"Captain, I burnt the remote, do you have control?"

"Yes, thanks." the voice of Captain Bridges said. On the viewscreen the Einstein veered off and headed back the way it came.

Lord Locutus of Borg stood there as his mission crumbled. He sighed, and looked at Bishop "Et tu Brute" he said. The Defiant away team looked on as the Borg disintigrated.

* * *

The two cubes halted their advance. Sensors indicated that the imposter was dead. Thoughts relayed back to the collective. "What now?" The response, "Come Home. Will sort out situation." The cubes opened a transwarp conduit and disappeared.

* * *

8-Forward was bustling. A party had been thrown to celebrate the victory. Standing before the huge viewports, Jen Matute watched the stars with her counterpart from another universe.

"What are you going to do now?" Matute asked.

"I don't know. I've never been free." the other changeling said, "But I want to explore, there is so much out here. I want to know it all."

"There's one place to start." Matute said.

"Where?"

"Deep Space Nine. Ask for Odo. He'll help you, like he helped me."

* * *

The observation lounge aboard USS Albert Einstein, was dark. Captain Mendelin had just finished informing Ensign Trudway's parents of his death. In his current mood, he wanted it dark. He looked across the stars to the Defiant 1200 kilometers away. He had been invited to a party, but he had declined. Now he was content just stargazing, a pleasure he hadn't really indulged since he was a child. He heard the door open and guessed who entered even before she spoke.

"Frederick, can a I call you that?" Gilpatrick said.

"Please call me. Fred." Mendelin replied.

"Okay, Fred. Engineer Peters reports that we only have twelve more hours of repairs left." Kristin said.

"Thanks, Kristin. You know, I've cheated death twice now."

"Twice?" Gilpatrick said.

"Someday I'll tell you about the first time. Suffice it to say, before, I didn't know if I had what it takes to be a captain. Now, I'm still not sure, but I do know that I can do it." Mendelin said.

"Sometimes, thats all it takes." Gilpatrick said.

* * *

Captain Bridges sat in his ready room, trying to write an incident report. His door chimed.

"Come."

Commander Bedard entered.

"What can I do for you, Chief." Bridges said.

The Bolian looked at him.

"Do you think I will ever be like Bruticus."

"No, and do you want to know why. It's because if you do, I'll have to kill you." Bridges joked.

"Is that a promise sir." Bedard said seriously.

"I know what you are thinking. I'm not so sure I'd want to live in that kind of condition. It makes me glad to be human. Even though we have our occasional failings, we know that as long as we try to be the best we can be, we'll always come out on top." Bridges tossed the padd aside.

"Come on, I hear there is a party in 8-Forward. Join me?"

"Sure."

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