"Ascension to the Throne" An Enterprise story outline (warning; Borg)

A long time ago while I was going through Memory Alpha I came across a page under the Enterprise sub menu detailing what ideas there had been for an Enterprise Season 5.

Now at the time I did not care for Enterprise as I felt that that series basically had killed Star Trek.
And though since then I have watched Season 4 which I feel is okay to somewhat enjoyable I in general still feel that a lot of that series was still detrimental to the franchise such as weakly written characters, plots, and dialogs. (especially Season 1 and 2 which I recently tried to watch again and I was immediately appalled by)

One sort of exception is a Season 2 episode called "Regeneration" which featured the Borg.
Now I don't the writers should have used the Borg as they do not fit the time period/continuity at all, and there was plenty of stuff in the episode I think clashed with earlier/later Star Trek (that is the annoying bit about a prequel, when you say 'early' you actually mean 'the future' of a universe) such as nanites bringing hundred year old corpses back to life (would have been made more sense if just the cybernetic parts were active just long enough to infect the scientists), I must confess I enjoyed this episode to a degree.

Hey it is a Borg episode and the Borg were a lot better used here than in the last of the Voyager series. (Scorpion and Hope and Fear ended them on a high note but Dark Frontier ruined them with the return of the Borg Queen)

Well back to what I was getting at. After having watched Season 4 I developed an interest in the suggested ideas by various writers. If it had been of the same quality as Season it would have been somewhat worth watching, and I started to play around with the idea of how I would have done some of these suggested ideas if I wrote them as stories.

One idea by Judith and Garfield Reeves - Stevens involved a Starfleet Medical Technician (played by Alice Krige) who would make contact with the Borg and become the Borg Queen.
Now I am not a fan of the Borg Queen as I think the Collective should not have a single drone clearly defined as a leader, especially not one that is driven by obsession and anger, because as the Collective often has made clear; emotions are irrelevant.
Such a drone would not be a strength but a liability, the Collective's greatest strength is that it is in essence untouchable, the drones, ships, bases and colonies are extensions of it, destroy these and you may damaged parts of the Collective but never completely destroy it. The only way to do that is to eradicate every Borg drone and piece of machinery everywhere throughout the Galaxy, that is how decentralized it really is.

But if the Borg Queen was to be used I wanted to make her as I think she/it should have been, not a leader but a central node through which the Borg Collective directs its though, like a walking Borg Vinculum.

With that in mind I decided to write an outline for a story I would one day like to turn into a full prose story as part of an Enterprise Season 5 as I would have made it. I have made up several more ideas since then, some based on suggested ideas and others completely my own but this so far is the only one which outline I have finished as this is an on and off project for me.

I have showed it to a fellow Star Trek fan who really liked it but I am curious to see what people here think of it.
Do remember that this is not a script nor a summary, more of a combination of elements of both which I put on paper to make a full prose story easier to write.

 

"Ascension to the Throne" An Enterprise story outline (warning; Bo

Star Trek Enterprise: Ascension to the Throne

A concept for a story by Marten van Wier​

A continuation on the Star Trek Enterprise Episode “Regeneration” and an idea for an series 5 idea pitch by Judith and Garfield Reeves - Stevens

Premise: a colleague of doctor Phlox may have developed the means to extract the nanoprobes left in Phlox's body after mysterious cyborgs injected them two years ago which doctor Phlox was barely able to deactivate with radiation.
However a medical technician assisting in this operation soon become infected by some of the nanoprobes and rapidly becomes assimilated, when doctor Phlox tries to save her he discovers there is more behind his colleague's wish to help Phlox, but neither of them realize the growing danger they and the Enterprise are in.

(all new character names are filler until a final decision is made)


Synopsis:

Act 1

As the story opens we see a vessel traveling at warp speed, the vessel is revealed to the space station from the episode “Dead Stop” that the crew of the Enterprise destroyed after they discovered the type of payments it took in return for its services.

The station has been modified in shape in order to function as a warp capable starship and the design now includes warp nacelles as well as weapon arrays.

In the main computer room where the brain of the station is located we see various computer screen with different readouts.
Some display star maps or views from space around the station while other show energy readings and signatures the sensors of the station are tracking.
One screen shows the Enterprise and it is clear that the station is looking for this ship.

The energy signature is revealed to be the warp trail of the Enterprise and the station AI is using this to track the ship down.

But then long range sensors detect the remains of another ship and on one of the screens we see this ship displayed (sort of representing the thoughts of the AI). It is the remains of the assimilated Borg transport the Enterprise destroyed in “Regeneration”

Little energy readings are detected from the remains but the AI still recognizes them containing advanced technology and it drops out of warp in order to get closer.
Once the station-ship has arrived at the debris field it uses its robot arms and tractor beams to take hold of some of the pieces, but as one of the robot arms grabs a piece Borg technology suddenly spreads from it and starts to 'contaminate' the robot arm.

In the computer room Borg computer code starts to run through the various images on the screens as it starts to override the AI.

On the outside of the ship Borg technology starts to 'grow' on its hull.

Two years and light years away the Enterprise the is moving through space, reassuming its mission of exploration and diplomacy after dealing with the recent missions involving the Klingon Augments and the related plague, and the events in the Solar System involving the Terra Firma terrorists.

The crew is in general relieved that they can focus again on what they joined the Enterprise mission originally for and there is a general positive atmosphere on board the ship as the crew has just completed a survey mission of a possible location for a starbase in the future and are on their way to explore several interesting stellar phenomenon on request of observatories back on Earth.

While doctor Phlox in general is in a good mood as well as the rest of the crew, on the moment he is rather grim as he performs medical research on himself in his sickbay.
Hoshi Sato enters the sickbay and Phlox at first does not notice her until she taps in his shoulder for his attention, surprising the Denobulan.

He asks her if there is any medical problem but she tells him that she came to him because they were suppose to have lunch in the mess hall and Phlox never turned up.
Phlox is stunned for a moment as he usually does not forget such appointments, a quick glance on the chronometers confirms that Sato is correct.

Sato notices that the doctor was previously pre occupied with something and she asks him if there is something wrong, and if so if she can help, or that the doctor is busy and that they should schedule another lunch together later.
Phlox somewhat regains his optimistic posture and tries to convince Sato to relax, there is nothing wrong but she isn't that easily swayed.

Sato's persistence proves to be effective as Phlox confesses what he has been up to; he has been studying the nanoprobes in his body that were injected by the Tarkalean cyborgs over two years ago.
Hoshi recalls that encounter and brings up the confrontation with the cyborgs on the transport again and how doctor Phlox prevented himself from being turned into another cyborg like those creatures by deactivating the nanoprobes through radiation. Sato asks if the nanoprobes are showing signs of reactivation and if that is what has Phlox worried.

Phlox dispels her worries and tells her that is not the case, rather he has been looking into how he could remove the nanoprobes from his body but without any risk that it could trigger the nanoprobes again, but so far he has not had any success.

However he has been in contact with colleagues on Denobula and Earth and one of them has been working on treatments since doctor Phlox informed him about it.
With Phlox own ideas for treatments exhausted he believes its time to contact this colleague and arrange a meeting. Phlox asks Sato if she could bring this up with captain Archer and if stopover at an Earth colony or a rendezvous with a transport could be arranged.

Sato tells Phlox she will do so.


Act 2

Doctor Phlox has contacted his colleague if he can come over to the Enterprise to work on possible treatments and captain Archer has arranged transportation for the doctor and any assistance to the Enterprise.
At a set rendezvous point doctor Terrence Clements and an assistant come over together with specialized equipment the doctor has brought along for this visit.

Captain Archer, first officer T'Pol and doctor Phlox welcome the doctor and his assistant Idylla Hart, the medical technician he has been working with for several years back at Starfleet Medical on Earth.

As the group travels through the corridor to the elevator Phlox tells captain Archer how he met Clements years ago on Earth during a conference and that he was impressed by the man's variety in fields and specializations including the still embryonic cybernetic prosthesis and medicine direction of medical research.
Some of Clements' work helped in creating better artificial arms and limbs for people who lost one appendage or more and that he is now working on mind-cybernetic interfaces.


Archer remarks that it sounds a bit like what he has seen in read in science fiction stories and shows, people being able to link directly to computers and commanding machinery through implants in their mind (he doesn't mention that two years ago he saw such a situation for real) but Clements tells him that that is not the goal of the work, at least not his goal. He is not interested in creating full cyborgs .

In the sickbay doctor Phlox discusses with doctor Clements how he managed to purge most of the nanoprobes in his circulatory system through conventional medical procedures but that some of the probes are deeply imbedded in his organic tissue such as his brain's cortex.
Other than some kind of miracle transporter that would be able to separate the machines from Phlox's body during the transit he saw no way to remove the probes safely.
In the meantime the medical technician is setting up machinery around a bio bed which will be used for Clements' proposed treatment.

Clements understand the problem, during his and his colleagues work back on Earth on cybernetic implants they also ran into the problem of how to extract nano sized implants once placed inside a patient without causing tissue damage during extraction.
Making them let go of the tissue or cells was one thing but the safely removing them from the body was another.

Doctor Clements found a solution in other fields of science and medicine, polymers that were created to envelop toxic and inorganic particles inside patients after which they could be 'flushed' out of the body.
Using a combination of directed EM pulses to make the nanoprobes let go and type of medical purpose polymer Clements' team has developed for cybernetic medicine, Clements wants to remove the remaining nanoprobes from Phlox.

He does add to it that if the nanoprobes had still been active the treatment would probably not have worked.

Before doctor Phlox decides to undergo the treatment he would like to spend the lunch with Sato as promised. Clements asks if he is worried that the operation will go wrong but Phlox tells him that he has every confidence in his colleague, it’s just something he owes Hoshi.
Clements tells Phlox that it’s no problem if Phlox has lunch as well as it will not affect the treatment.

After Phlox leaves sickbay Clements turns to medical technician Idylla Hart and asks her if all equipment is ready, she respond she is finished setting up and is putting the machinery through the test cycle first.
Clements nods and tells her that she should get lunch as well while he finishes up the work and join her later.

In the mess hall Hoshi meets up with doctor Phlox and they talk about the future operation, Phlox's connection with Dr Clements and other subjects.
In the meantime Idylla also arrives and prepares a meal at the kitchen counter before she takes a place at an empty seat near one of the windows.

Someone asks her if he can join her, Idylla looks up and into Lieutenant Malcolm Reed's face, telling him that the chair in front of her is free but that her superior Dr Clements will probably join up in a moment.

Malcolm smiles and responds that that is no problem as he sits down in the chair on the opposite side of the table where Hart sits. Somewhat pretending that he forgot about it he as yet introduced himself as Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, Enterprise's tactical officer and reaches out with a hand.

Hart gives a polite smile back and shakes Malcolm's hand, introducing herself as Idylla Hart, medical technician first class from Starfleet Medical.

Malcolm tells her that he had heard of the coming of the doctor and the medical technician to help doctor Phlox but that his duty on the moment wouldn't allow him to leave the bridge to officially meet them at the airlock.
He asks her how the prospect for the operation looks, he does not seek to pry into doctor – patient confidentiality nor intrude into Phlox's personal matters but he wants to know if it looks well.

Hart tells him that Dr Clements does not expect any complications as Phlox has done most of the work already himself, all the operation will really do is scrub out the remaining nanoprobes in Phlox's body.
Reed responds that that is good to hear and switches over to a more open subject, asking if Hart can tell a little about Dr Clements, herself and the work they do at Starfleet Medical, specifically cybernetic medicine.

Hart tells Reed the same what Clements told Phlox, trying to go into detail of the more complex details of medical cybernetic and how it could change medicine, perhaps even human existence in the future before she realizes she is slightly over his head.
Realizing it she carefully switches over to asking what Reed does and Reed realizes that he was somewhat gaping during Hart's explanation. Hart tells him that being a tactical officer onboard Starfleet's flagship probably comes with its own complexities on which Reed smilingly responds

In the meantime Dr Clements also has come into the mess hall, gets a lunch meal himself and joins Hart and Reed at their table.

When it is time for doctor Phlox to undergo the operation Hoshi asks if Phlox would like it if she stayed in sickbay during the operation but Phlox tells her that it would be better if she just went to the bridge, but he appreciates her concern about his well being and tells her not to be worried. He certainly isn't.

Once in sickbay doctor Phlox takes place on the converted bio bed and Idylla Hart attach diagnostic equipment to Dr Phlox while Dr Clements prepares an precision pulse emitter attached to an 'swivel arm' (it somewhat resembles some kind of energy weapon), moving it over Dr Phlox and aiming the emitter point at Phlox's head.

Phlox does have to gulp when he sees the weapon like emitter above his head but Hart tells Phlox just to relax as getting nervous will slow down the operation. She prepares a hypospray with Dr Clements' compound and injects it into Phlox's neck.
In the meantime Clements is looking into a telescope like visualizer that allows him to precision direct the emitter to remove the nanoprobes in Phlox's head.

Hart attaches transfusion tubes on various places on Phlox's arms and neck and connects these to another device that sort of works like a dialysis machine, removing impurities from doctor Phlox's body. Hart turns the machine on and then takes position behind a console that monitors Phlox's condition.

The imager Clements is looking through gives a combination of various medical sensor scans of Phlox's body, allowing him to see various parts of Phlox's inside or just particular images such as Phlox's nervous system.
Using the controls placed on one side of the telescope like imager Clements searches for the largest clusters of nanoprobes and targets them, the moment the pulse hits the nanoprobes they let go of the tissue they are attached to and the polymer encapsulates them, preventing them from damaging sensitive neural clusters.

As Clements continues the dialysis like machine extracts the nanoprobes as it cleans Phlox's body.
Hart monitors an increase in blood pressure, and asks Phlox to relax and if he would like a mild sedative but Phlox responds that he is fine, just that this all brings back some bad memories from years ago which he rather would forget.

As more and more nanoprobes are removed Clements has a harder time finding all of the remaining ones and some of them are very deeply lodged inside Phlox.
At some point an unforeseen problem takes place but Clements and Hart quickly intervene and soon after Phlox has been given clean bill of health, his system is now completely free of the nanoprobes.

With some relieve Clements and Hart help Phlox up from the bed after which Idylla removes the diagnostic equipment and the transfusion tubes. Phlox comments on Clements that he almost had the idea that it was touch and go there but Clements remarks that Phlox should have some faith in him.

The operation over Phlox uses the comm console in the sickbay to call the bridge, telling Hoshi and captain Archer that the operation was a success and that he would like to celebrate it tonight in the mess hall.
Most of the bridge crew with the exception of T'Pol cheer and captain Archer tells Phlox that they will be there tonight to celebrate the good outcome.


Act 3

As doctor Phlox and his colleague and the crew of the Enterprise celebrate the successful operation his medical technician Idylla Hart returns to the medical bay which is now empty of people.
Once there she immediately heads to the machine that extracted the nanoprobes of doctor Phlox's body and takes out a receptacle from a compartment in the machine and quickly moves it to a small isolation tank intended for micro organism and virus studies.

After she has entered the receptacle into the tank, she puts her hands in the gloves installed in the tank for the handling of petri dishes and medical equipment inside the tank while she looks through an enhancement imager microscope that is attached to it.

Through the microscope she observes the retrieved nanoprobes which now float inactively around, carefully she moves them with precision tools to study them, taking some apart while recording this on the recorder of the microscope for more detailed research back on Earth.

Its when Hart starts to use a powered precision tool that the nanoprobes suddenly become active, before Hart knows what happens the nanoprobes form an assimilation tube that rises from the petri dish, pierces the right handling glove and injects Hart with them.

Hart pulls her hands out of the isolation tank and stumbles back in shock, throwing several items on the floor and scaring the creatures in Phlox´s medical bay.
She tells them to be quiet as she immediately grabs a sterilizing tool and holds it over the spot on her right hand which the assimilation tube pierced.

Perhaps she fears that someone might have heard her as Hart tries to clear up as much mess as she can before leaving the medical bay with the container containing the other inactive nanoprobes, and heads back towards crew and guest quarters section.
She seems to either forget or ignore all her medical training including the one regarding contamination with an unknown agent but it is clear that she does this for another reason than just shock and fear.

In the mess hall captain Archer, Hoshi Sato, Malcolm Reed, Charles Tucker, Dr Phlox, Dr Clements and several other crew members are celebrating the success of the operation, making a toast on the doctor's health.
While it is not customary of course captain Archer feels that small events like these need to be celebrated to keep people's minds of the worse things they sometimes encounter and experience.
Phlox asks if commander T'Pol will also join them but Archer tell him that T'Pol preferred to carry out an extra bridge duty shift. Phlox puts it down as another example of Vulcan stoicism.

Doctor Clements is very pleased with the results as he has never had the chance before to remove complete alien technology from a patient using a treatment devised for conventional nano cybernetics. But during this conversation the issue of the nanoprobes removed from Phlox is also brought up and doctor Clements tells Archer and Phlox that he plans to take them back to Earth for further analysis at Starfleet Medical.

This revelation changes the atmosphere in the mess hall as Phlox tells his colleague that the nanoprobes should be destroyed as letting them continue to exist would allow the risk for new infections and another situation like what happened to the scientists on Earth two years ago.

Doctor Clements tries to wave of the danger and tells Phlox that he is not dealing with a first year student, he also tells Phlox that the nanoprobes should be studied as they could provide new innovations and progress for medical treatments and who knows what else, perhaps even starship building.

But Phlox sticks with his opinion and insists that the nanoprobes are to be destroyed immediately and captain Archer joins him in this. To be sure that they are destroyed Archer wants it to happen on the Enterprise.

Doctor Clements protests, calling these actions the behavior of ignorant people who fear progress.
Archer stops him on that, telling him that as a Starfleet officer he is a proponent for the gaining of new knowledge that leads to progress and advancement of all, recounting his own father´s role in the development of faster warp drives.
However when some technology is too dangerous and people can not control it, it is better to leave it alone for the time being, comparing the nanoprobes with genetic augmentation.

As Hart wanders through the corridors of Enterprise the nanoprobes inside her start to assimilate her. Movement can be seen under her skin and veins on her hands and neck start to darken as her skin loses its flesh pink color.
Idylla realizes now that something is seriously wrong and that she needs to reach Clements' quarters with the intention of waiting for him there, she can not risk being seen by Enterprise crew members or ask help over the comm system as that would expose what she had been doing in sickbay.

For a moment it seems someone is whispering to her and Hart turns around but sees no one in the corridor behind her, she continues on to Clements' quarters.

By now Phlox realizes that while perhaps his colleague's real reason was to help Phlox get rid of the nanoprobes in his body, doctor Clements’ intention was always to get them and he devised the treatment method also to get a sufficient number of them to take them back to Earth.
He now feels that Clements' desire to experiment with this technology is only inviting great risk, reminding Clements again what happened two years ago with the scientists of the Arctic expedition.

Doctor Clements comments that the incident with the Arctic expedition scientist was indeed a tragedy but that no one could have foreseen the consequences when they made their discovery and that that should not stop professionals such as Phlox or himself to try to get some good out of this sad history that might benefit all species one day.
The destruction of the nanoprobes what Phlox and captain Archer are proposing would only make those lives taken lost in vain.

Archer asks Clements if he thinks that family and friends of the humans and Tarkaleans that have died would feel any better about their losses if Clements starts tampering with what killed them in the first place. Clements reacts that it was Archer who gave the order to kill the two Tarkaleans on Enterprise and blow up the cyborgs' transport, if he wants to look for someone to blame he should look in the mirror rather than blame it on technology.
Archer winces back as he knows that Clements is right about that, he still carries guilt for that with him along with many others.

Even if Clements would now fully comply with Archer and Phlox's opinion about destroying the nanoprobes would not change a thing as many people know about the nanoprobes and what they represent.
This surprises Archer as knowledge about the incident with the cyborgs is on a need-to-know basis, only a handful of people on Earth and amongst the Vulcan council do.

Doctor Clements brings up that he is not the only one, other parties including Starfleet Command have shown interest in getting the nanoprobes after having reviewed what happened two years ago, including the reports from captain Archer and doctor Phlox.

He tells how the admirals back home were amazed and intrigued by the rapid speed the cyborgs managed to upgrade a relative low tech transport into a high tech ship capable of matching the most advanced ship at the time and surpassing it, they believe that if the cyborgs had continued their modification work that it would have led to technological advancements scientists and engineers have not even perceived yet.

Archer comments on the fact that apparently none of these interested parties got the idea of salvaging the wreckage of the modified transport on which doctor Clements tells Archer that they actually tried but could find no remnants of it on the location where Enterprise destroyed it.

This revelation visibly worries Archer.

Idylla Hart in an attempt to reach the mess hall to see Dr Clements is stumbling through the corridors of the Enterprise, she seems almost feverish as she is sweating and has difficulty holding her balance.
The whispering she heard earlier is getting more and more louder in her head and she has difficulty separating her own thoughts from what she now perceives as alien thoughts. She seems on the point of breaking down.

When Hart hears someone coming the alien thoughts drive her to head into the other direction, when she comes across another corridor intersecting the one she is in she quickly goes around the corner and hides behind one of the 'arcs' that separates the corridors into section pieces.

Two Enterprise crew members stop at the same crossing, discussing with each other the power fluctuation problem Chief Engineer Tucker sent them here for to fix. One of them opens the maintenance door in the outer wall that leads to the maintenance corridor and maintenance tubes and both men enter it.

While Hart listen to this all she doesn't take notice of the cybernetic implants that has started to grow out of her skin on her hand and on her face.

As Phlox enters the sickbay he is met by the sounds of some of the more agitated creatures that he keeps for medical treatment. While trying to soothe them he looks around in the sickbay and realizes that someone has been here after Phlox, Clements, and Hart left the sickbay after completing the operation. Despite someone's hasty attempt to clean up, various pieces of test tubes and petri dishes together with some instruments lie scattered over the floor.

Phlox immediately checks out the machinery that was used to extract the nanoprobes, quickly studying it until he finds the compartment that is supposed to hold the receptacle for removed foreign matter but the canister is missing. Then Phlox notices the isolation tank he uses for micro biological research is on and takes a quick look through the attached microscope, finding several of the nanoprobes in the petri dish that is placed under it, the nanoprobes are active.

Realizing what is at stake Phlox immediately goes to the comm panel in the medical bay and calls the bridge, telling captain Archer that there is a possible security risk onboard the Enterprise and that he and commander T'Pol should immediately come to sick bay.

When Dr Clements enter the sickbay captain Archer, commander T'Pol, Malcolm Reed, Dr Phlox and two security officers are waiting for them. Clements immediately feels he needs to be on the defensive when he sees Reed and the security people but Archer reacts that they are not here to arrest Clements unless he is directly involved with what has happened.
The security forces are here because Archer has put the Enterprise on tactical alert as there might be a dangerous infection loose on the ship.

Clements asks what happened and Dr Phlox answers that someone has broken into sickbay while they were all in the mess hall earlier to celebrate. Most likely it was Clements’ assistant Idylla Hart as she left early during the small party and the crew has not been able to find her when a member were sent to her quarters and discovered them to be empty.
The recording on the imager shows that the nanoprobes became active again after the person responsible accidentally re-energized them and that they infected him or her by piercing one of the handling gloves.

Worry can be read on Clements’ face when hears this but Archer on his turn brings up the fact that Clements' assistant Hart entered the sickbay to study the potentially dangerous nanoprobes while the crew of the Enterprise were distracted and he asks Clements if he had instructed her to do so in case Archer and Phlox would disagree with Clements' desire to study the nanoprobes and bring them back to Earth.

Clements says that is not the case, while he and his assistant were eager to have a close look at the nanoprobes once they were removed from Phlox's body he made it clear that he was planning to discuss it with Archer first to prevent any misunderstanding.

Archer knows he can not accuse Clements of orchestrating this without proof and the doctor did openly inform him during the party for Phlox what his plans were. Still he is wary of the doctor after what Hart has done but right now that is a matter for later.

With Hart and the container being somewhere on the Enterprise but its internal sensors unable to detect her Archer instructs Reed to have his security people and the MACOs form search parties and go through every part of the Enterprise.
Archer asks T'Pol if she and Tucker can modify the internal sensors so that they can detect Hart as yet. He makes it clear to all that their goal is to find Idylla Hart before she is completely changed so that they can help her, but that they may have to resort to force in case she is too far gone

Doctor Clements asks if he can help search for Idylla Hart but at first Archer denies his request and feels more like locking him in his quarters, but Clements responds that he has not broken any laws or regulations despite Archer's feelings on the issue.
Plus Idylla Hart is part of doctor Clements’ staff and he feels responsible for her well being so if she is infected with the nanoprobes he wants to help her.

Archer understands that but suggests he and Phlox work together instead of trying to devise any potential medical treatments if the crew is able to find her before she is completely transformed and is no longer human.

After Archer leaves Clements wonders why Hart is hiding instead of coming to him in case she got infected, she has always acted like a strict professional even in hazardous situations and this behavior is totally unfitting of her. Phlox tells Clements that Hart might no longer be in control of herself, the cyborgs Enterprise faced two years ago seemed to be controlled by a larger group mind that overrode any individuality and this might already have happened to Hart as well.


Act 4

Armed Enterprise security personnel and the MACOs search the Enterprise deck by deck, at some point a MACO team consisting of two members enters one of the maintenance corridors were normally people don't come.

They quickly discover evidence that someone has been there not long ago but when they try to reach the bridge through the nearby communication console and their personal communicators they get only static, someone is jamming the frequencies.

The one of the MACOs sees someone move in the dark and immediately aims the torchlight on his arm in the direction, clearly illuminating the under body of a woman wearing a medical technician's uniform.
The second MACO raises his rifle but the first one pulls it down as he addresses the technician, he tells her that captain Archer and doctor Phlox think she might be 'sick' and that they are here to help her. He asks her not to be afraid and come to them, they will not harm her.

In response the technician completely moves out of the darkness of the corridor so that the torch can fully shine upon her.

By now medical technician Idylla Hart starts to resemble a Borg more and more, she has lost most of her hair and her face has become smooth and almost wet like, her veins on her head can be seen and more implants have started to 'grow'.

The MACOs are stunned by the transformed technician's appearance, taking a step back as she move towards them. The MACO with the torch shines it in her face, clearly showing that her eyes are completely black.

The being that was once Idylla Hart tells the two MACOs that she is not sick, she is more better than ever, and that she can hear them, singing to her, urging her to join them. And that they want the MACOs to join them as well.

For a moment the MACOs don't know what to say but the leading one takes the word again and tells Hart that they are not joining anyone and that she is coming with them to the sickbay to see the doctors.

Hart simply seems to smile at them, for a moment unnerving the MACOs before they try to move on to her.
Unknown to them are the two crew members Hart ran into earlier in the maintenance corridor and assimilated, that appears besides them. The men-now-turned-drones attack the MACOs and take one out immediately, the other one tries to swing his rifle around but it’s knocked out his hands, then the drones firmly hold on to the MACOs as Hart approaches them.

Hart tells the MACOs not to be afraid, because fear is irrelevant and soon the two men will make the first step towards perfection. She then injects both MACOs with nanoprobes.

Having ensured her personal safety Hart, now almost clearly the image of the Borg Queen (minus the cybernetic body) communicates with the four Enterprise and MACO members in their collective gestalt. Five voices speaking as one decide that they must go out to increase their numbers and that they need to take control of Enterprise.
Their target will be the ship's main computer core that regulates both primary systems such as weapons, life support and propulsion, and secondary functions such as communications both internal and external.

In the meantime on the bridge T'Pol and Tucker have finished their work on the internal sensors and ask captain Archer to join them at the main table console in the back of Enterprise's bridge.
T'Pol tells Archer that they are unable to truly fine tune the sensors to give a direct position of Idylla Hart as a recently raised scrambling field makes this impossible but they are able now to point down to a general section of the ship where she might be based on the field's strength, making the search easier for the search parties.

Sensor readings indicate that she is most likely somewhere on C deck, close to Enterprise's main computer core and emergency generators as Tucker points out, a relative good hiding spot because of the various conduits and access tubes that run through that deck.

Malcolm who has resumed his position behind the tactical console immediately asks Hoshi to contact all the security people and MACOs who are currently searching for Hart on that deck to report in.
Most of them report in with updates that they have not found any trace of Hart's presence but when one team does not respond to the calls it confirms Archer's worries.

Archer tells his fellow officers that they must assume now that Idylla Hart has been completely taken over by the nanoprobes and most likely is no longer in control of herself, performing actions against Enterprise to slow the crew down and now probable also has infected the two missing MACOs with the nanoprobes, turning them into cyborgs.

As the crew are discussing this suddenly lights and console go on and off and Malcolm reports fluctuations in the power grid throughout the ship, according to his readings someone is trying to get control of it.

Tucker immediately calls engineering, asking for a status update. In engineering commander Kelby, Tucker's second in command tells him that they are trying to gain control of the situation but as Malcolm on the bridge already mentioned, someone is rerouting all command protocols regarding power distribution and other systems to another part of the ship, the engineers can't do anything from their side.

Tucker asks Archer if it is okay if he leaves the bridge and joins his people there, he feels he can be more useful in engineering in this situation. Archer asks Tucker to delay that decision, it is clear that Idylla Hart and the nanoprobes are the cause of this, most likely like the Tarkelean cyborgs from two years ago they are taking control from the Enterprise from another location in the ship, installing their own hardware to subvert it. They need to take that control node out to regain full control.

Realizing that that is the case now Tucker agrees, they need to know where the possible breach into the ship's systems is so that Tucker and his people can get down there and undo whatever Hart has done.
Together with T'Pol's help Tucker quickly tracks down the problem on the table console, determining that its on the same deck where the two MACOs went missing. He calls up engineering again and orders several technicians to meet up with him at the deck. Archer tells Tucker that he and his people should arm themselves and take some of the MACOs to escort them.
If they run into the cyborgs, they should shoot to kill.

As Tucker leaves the bridge Archer asks Hoshi to have all non essential crew members check in, he wants to know if anymore people have gone missing before he put the ship under tactical alert.

Two security men stand guard outside of the entrance to the room where Enterprise's main computer core is located, things seem relative quiet as all non essential personnel has been ordered to return to their quarters.
Then one of the guards hears a sound and as he turns to see the direction it’s coming from he sees two of Enterprise's assimilated crew members, now turned into complete Borg drones walking towards him.
The security man and his colleague quickly draw weapons and order the drones to stop, the drones of course do not respond or act despite weapons being aimed at them and head towards the two men.

Having no other choice the guard who noticed the drones first fires his weapon at the drone, the beam impact forces it to take a few steps back but it’s not serious injured and quick recomposes its posture and resumes its march.
Another shot is fired and this time it does go down.

At the same time the other security guard fires at the other drone but already his weapon is less effective as the Borg drone's shields are adapting to it. Both security men continue to fire until the drones are down, only to hear footsteps behind them from the other side of the corridor and see two other drones heading towards them.

They fire at the drones but their weapons are no longer effective as the drones' shields absorb the energy harmlessly.
One of the security men immediately grabs his communicator to inform the bridge that they have encountered several hostiles and that they need back up.
What the man doesn't notice is that one of the earlier defeated drones is standing back up, not having truly been disabled moments ago and he immediately grabs the security man who is calling the bridge.

His colleague is surprised by this development and the two drones in front of him use this moment of confusion to grab him.
Both security men try to resist but it is to no avail as the each of the drone that holds them raises their arm to the security men's necks and injects them with nanoprobes after which they let them drop to the floor.

As the security men do a last feeble attempt to struggle and stand up Idylla Hart (referred to as the Borg Queen from now on) comes from one side of the corridor two of the drones emerged from earlier, she does not take notice of the two men who are lying on the ground but simply heads to the door that leads to the computer room and tries to open it.
When the console next to the door does not react to her command one of the drones next to her penetrates the panel with its 'tool arm', forming a direct connection with the simple command circuitry and forces the door to open.

The single individual inside the room, a computer technician was already alerted earlier by the sounds of weapons fire and fighting outside the room and has taken a position next to a comm panel, calling to the bridge that the hostiles have made it inside the computer room.
Then the drone that opened the door earlier moves towards him, the Borg Queen behind it still standing in the door frame, simply watching as events take place.

Escorted by MACOs Trip Tucker and several of his technicians enter the maintenance room, Trip immediately notices all the Borg modifications that put into Enterprise's regular systems, tapping directly into the ship's controls.

He comments to his people that it is much worse than the last time when the cyborgs were on Enterprise and that they will have to go through all the modifications one part as a time to find out how it is intertwined with the power grid and data network in order to make sure that they do not trigger any potential booby traps.

On the bridge Archer and the others have been following the call from the security men and later on that of the technician in the computer core. When the last contact breaks down he immediately orders Malcolm to gather his security people and have all the remaining MACOs join him as well.
Archer wants that deck sealed down to ensure that the cyborgs do not get of it and usurp control of any other parts of the Enterprise or infect any more people.

With that done he turns to T'Pol and asks her to secure the Enterprise's computer from their side, running as much of Enterprise's primary systems through other computer systems on Enterprise. T'Pol hurries to do so but already experiences that she is losing control of the systems. She tells Archer this as she tries to bypass and hack her way through the coding that is infecting the computer but it is just going to fast.

Finally T'Pol manages to secure some systems such as key life support in sections of the Enterprise, emergency power, limited sensors and limited control over the propulsion system, but she is locked out of every other part of the ship's systems.
Archer remarks that they are now essentially sitting ducks for anyone who might come across them.


Act 5

Tucker and his people are busy on the Borg modifications when Archer calls them in, he informs Trip that a number of cyborgs are now on Enterprise and that they have taken control of Enterprise's main computer core, locking the bridge out of several systems and having only limited access to other systems.

Archer wants to know if Tucker can do anything from his side. Trip responds that he will see what he can do once he and his people have undone the mess the cyborgs did to the power and data grid.
He can probably disconnect the main computer from the rest of Enterprise which should help the crew regain control of the ship but he will have to do it physically as otherwise the cyborgs could probably overcome anything he would do.

In the sickbay doctors Phlox and Clements have been following the development in the other parts of Enterprise while working on possible treatments and procedures, going through the databases Clements has brought with him to the Enterprise.

Phlox believes that some of the procedures that Clements and his people have been working on at Starfleet Medical might be workable to remove the most severe of implants but the main problem remains is that the doctors can not do anything as long as the nanoprobes in the cyborgs are active. If they would try to operate them now they would risk getting infected themselves.

Clements remarks that it is unfortunate that they can not use doctor Phlox's treatment of using Omicron radiation as the dose Phlox subjected himself to would be lethal to a human being. Phlox was lucky that he came out alive himself.

Phlox wants to bring up of how they may be able to use Clements’ polymer to envelop the active nanoprobes but Clements continues on how fascinating he finds these turns of development.
He asks Phlox what it was like when the cyborgs tried to communicate with him. Phlox responds that it wasn't much of a communication at all, rather than being an equal amongst others he felt as if he was losing his thoughts, that his mind was being absorbed by a much greater one.

He wrote it all down in his reports which Clements read back on Earth. Clements acknowledges this and found it fascinating reading material, it both scared Clements but it also intrigued him as he felt that the work he has been doing and that of others might lead to similar developments.

Phlox stops with his work when he hears this and asks Clements to go in deeper detail about it.
While Clements’ main work is focused on helping disabled people through cybernetics he also believes that it could be used to advanced people, humans but perhaps also other species.
When he read years ago about the genetic engineering programs during the 20th and 21st Centuries that resulted in Augments and the Eugenics Wars he came to the conclusion that genetics might not be the way to improve humanity.
The incident with the Augments, both the humans and the ones the Klingons which he read about only strengthened his belief that perhaps cybernetics are the future.

In turn Phlox brings up that Clements told him and captain Archer that he was not interested in creating complete cyborgs when he told them earlier about his cybernetic medicine work.
Clements admits that that is true but he also said that he felt that because human and non human research into organic-cybernetic fusions has not reached the point yet that something truly practical can be created.

Such a cybernetic being would be more of an attraction, something to put on display rather than being seen as a revolution in science.

He also believes that people would fear such beings in their society, seeing them as humans in the past saw the Augments while it could be so much more.
It could not just change a species, it could also change society. Clements asks Phlox to imagine what it would be like to have a society where everyone can have access to all information at any moment.
Where decisions on a political level are not made by a select elite few but by everyone, a true consensus of the people.
That combined with physical cybernetic augmentation could create a society of truly equals.

Phlox brings up that what Clements is describing is much like what the Bynars have accomplished but to a less severe degree than what Clements’ vision seems to be.
Does Clements really think that he can improve humanity through cybernetic augmentation when the past he mentioned and had studied during his college and university years shows what such programs can lead to.

For a moment Clements is silent as he knows that Phlox is right but he is not so quickly dissuaded from something he has been thinking about for a long time. Of course it should not be handled like genetic augmentation was he responds, people specially selected for such a program, it only would lead to new classes of have's and have-not's, something he wants to avoid.
Rather it should be available to the people directly, without any government or organization standing in between to prevent people from doing so if they want.

Augmentation should not automatically lead to conflicts and hatred, that such technology can be used for good can be seen in Denobulan society where genetic augmentation is practiced.

Phlox brings up that Clements seems to speak rather easily about a decision that is both philosophical and moral, the Denobulans didn't just adopt genetic augmentation without there being serious debates about it. There were many arguments against it backed up by very good reasons and not just the ignorance Clements likes to accuse people off who disapprove of augmentation of any kind.
Even today its a decision the Denobulans carefully consider whenever they apply genetic engineering on one of their people if it is the right thing to do.

Humanity has had its own experiences and reasons why they decided to ban rather than try to regulate augmentation after the Eugenics wars. They had learned that they could not control such technology as they knew that it would sooner or later lead to abuse of it for darker goals.

Just putting it out in the open so that everyone can use it without thinking of the consequences seems like an excuse not to want take responsibility when such technologies are used for something else than they were intended and it results in casualties or worse.

Clements tells Phlox that perhaps instead of trying to cure the infected people that they should try to find a way to communicate with them, he admits there are risks involved but what they can gain from study of these beings and their collective consciousness far outweighs the possible danger.
They could have a glimpse at the future.

Phlox tells Clements that he saw a glimpse of the future these cyborgs offered and it was nothing what Clements thinks it is like, not a utopia where people can develop themselves to the degree of their own wish but rather enslaved to one single ruthless will that has no use for individuality or the privacy of one's mind.

If Clements has the idea that the people who have been turned into these cyborgs are happy with what has been forced upon them he should tell Phlox now. Because Phlox will not work with Clements if his goal is actually to preserve the cyborgs so he can study them rather than seeing them as victims and patients who need help.
One of the people who is infected is his assistant Idylla Hart, did Clements want to search for her to help her or to use her as an object of study, something to be stared at.

Clements is taken aback on Phlox's use of his own words against him and doesn't immediately know what to say. All he can do is apologize but he still adds that they must not dismiss what they could learn from the cyborgs before they try to help them become humans again.

Phlox responds that Clements apparently hasn't listened to anything he said and that he feels that he made a mistake when he asked for Clements’ help to get the nanoprobes out of his body.
He does not accuse Clements of being like doctor Soong but Clements is not far off, being obsessed with his own idea of improving humanity.

Clements says it’s still a goal worth pursuing even if Doctor Phlox thinks otherwise, progress sometimes comes through difficult decisions but it can not be stopped.
But for now Clements suggests that they focus on what captain Archer asked them both to do, something Phlox agrees with as he is more than tired of this debate.

As Phlox turns his back to Clements he does not notice his colleague taking a hypospray from the table and fitting it with a sedative. Just when Phlox is about to ask Clements something about modifications to the polymer Clements injects him in the neck and grabs and lowers him gently to the floor.

Clements apologizes to the unconscious Phlox, probably more to ease his own conscience than that he truly has the idea that Phlox would be able to hear him. Clements would rather not have done this but he can not risk losing his one chance to study true cybernetic life, something that could change everything.

After this Clements quickly exist the sickbay, telling the security men at the door that he needs to retrieve something from his quarters that is needed for his work.
Once out of their sight Clements starts to look for a maintenance tube hatch that can lead him to the deck where the cyborgs have installed themselves.

When Malcolm and three security men arrive on C deck where the cyborgs have barricaded themselves they are greeted by the MACOs that were already present. Their commanding officer tells Malcolm that his people have been evacuating all other people who were on this deck to prevent friendly fire accidents and more people getting infected.

Malcolm praises the officer for his quick thinking and then suggests that they all form up. Two of the security men are to remain behind to safeguard the elevator in case they need to retreat, the others are to come with Malcolm as they will try to retake the computer core room.

As the armed men and women move towards the computer room they notice how the lighting in the corridor has changed and how the atmosphere seems more humid and hot, almost like a greenhouse. The now in green covered light with the occasional dark sections make it difficult to see things clearly.

Malcolm tells his people that this reminds him of the modified transport he and captain Archer transported on board on in order to sabotage an EPS manifold. At least so far they have not encountered any serious modification of Enterprise itself unlike the transport which interior was drastically altered.

Suddenly one of the MACOs sees movement in a corridor that crosses the one they are walking through and is ready to shoot until he hears a man shout not to do it.
Dr Clements appears with his hands raised in the air, telling again to the armed men and women not to shoot him.
Malcolm immediately approaches him and asks Clements what he is doing here, Archer ordered Clements to stay in sickbay and help Phlox on a possible treatment for the infected.

Clements admit that he abandoned his post but he strongly believes that he can help, he has great understanding of cybernetics plus he hopes that something of Idylla Hart still exists in whatever kind of being she has become. Perhaps he can reach that part of her and convince her to give up peacefully.
Malcolm tells Clements not to have any hope for that, Archer tried something similar two years ago and it was clear that the cyborgs were beyond any humanity, only purely driven to carry out whatever was on their mind.

However he has no time to escort Clements back to the elevator and tells the doctor to stay amongst his team for his own safety. He should be prepared to take cover when it comes to a firefight.
Clements nods and does what Malcolm tells him.

Once Phlox regains consciousness he immediately realized what has happened, Clements drugged him in order to leave sickbay so that he could study the cyborgs at close hand.
As strength slowly flows back into Phlox's legs he reaches for the comm console and informs captain Archer what has transpired.

He fears that Clements is doing something foolish, trying to get near the cyborgs in order to study them. He apparently has it in his mind that he could find a way to communicate with them.

On their way to the computer control room one of the MACOs tells Malcolm that he is rather surprised that they have not run into any resistance yet. Surely the cyborgs would have guards to ensure that no one reaches their base of operations.
Malcolm tells the soldier that when he was onboard the modified transport the cyborgs there ignored both him and the captain until they started to actively interfere in the cyborgs' activities.
As long as they do not cause problems the cyborgs apparently ignore them.

The MACO finds it spooky, facing a hostile who half the time does not even take notice of you even if you stand in front of them, and when they do come for you that they won't stop until they either get you or you manage to take all down.

Malcolm agrees, makes you wish you face Klingons, Xindi or Suliban, at least they acknowledge your presence, even if they just shoot at you to show it.

Clements also listens to this and tells Malcolm that after reading the reports from the Enterprise's crew that he formulated the theory that the cyborgs are only capable of one task at a time until their collective mind tells them to do something else. A single mindedness that can have its uses but is also a possible weakness.

Malcolm asks Clements if he has also has determined any other weaknesses that might be of use to him and his team but Clements confesses that he doesn't know. The cyborgs' strength is their ability to rapidly adapt to any situation because its collective mind can think and make decision much faster than a human can and it is not concerned about losing some of its numbers unlike humans sometimes are.

To Malcolm that sounds almost like Clements is admiring the cyborgs and he asks the doctor if he does.
Clements answers honestly that he does not approve of their actions towards others but that their nature should not be a reason to immediately demonize them. As a Starfleet man Malcolm surely must have encountered alien lifeforms whose nature is very different from that of humans.

While that is true none of those species violated you in the way these cyborgs do is Reed's reaction, Malcolm has faced plenty species that were hostile to humans and while some like the Orions do indeed practice slavery, abusing the rights of other sentient beings, at least they could never truly take your own will, your soul if it were.

In Clements' eyes Malcolm is being over dramatic.

As the group led by Malcolm approach the junction where the computer core room is located they notice more and more of the Enterprise's systems and structures being modified by the cyborgs' alien technology. Malcolm quickly advises them not to touch it when he sees Clements wanting to have a closer look at it.

In the corridor where the door is located the group finally comes in touch with the cyborgs. Four of them are currently modifying the section of Enterprise with new hardware but they do not take notice when the MACOs and the security man aim their rifles at them.

Malcolm instructs the armed men and women on his team to stand by as he will try to open the door to the computer core, from his experience he knows that the cyborgs will react when they considered them having become a problem.
The MACOs and the security men do so and keep their weapons ready as Malcolm approaches the lock, only to find the controls smashed.

Having to bypass the broken control to get the door open, Malcolm pulls it loose from the wall and takes a tool from his work set to work on the exposed circuitry.

The tampering with the door gets the cyborgs' reaction as they stop what they are doing and turn towards Malcolm and the others.
Clements points this out as he watched the cyborgs move towards them, not that it was necessary as the armed men and women already saw this.

Malcolm knows that he has to make this quick and tries to hurry but it does not go as planned and he drops the tool he was using during this rush.

The cyborgs have come too close to the MACOs preference and one of them shoots at the closest drone. It goes down quick but the other drone resists the first attack, forcing the MACOs to increase the strength of their weapons.

Its now that the MACOs weapons start to lose effectiveness as the third drone is hardly affected by the weapons fire of two MACOs and it continues moving on as does the fourth.

One of the MACOs urges Malcolm to hurry who responds that he is going as fast as he can, when he finally gets the door to open two other drones are behind it.
With no way of being able to complete their mission now Malcolm immediately orders all of them to retreat, with their weapons useless they do not stand a chance.

While a security man will try to give them cover Malcolm, Clements and the MACOs retreat, when all of a sudden emergency bulkheads slam down closing off the three sides of the junction and Malcolm, Clements and the security man are trapped inside.

The cyborgs are directly focused on the three men. Wanting to protect his superior and an unarmed civilian as he has been taught during training the security man takes a position in front of Malcolm and Clements, telling them to stay back and try to get the bulkhead they are near to open.

Malcolm wants to tell the man not to risk his life for this but he knows the man wants to give him and Clements a chance to escape while he tries to keep the cyborgs of them for a few precious moments.

Clements in the meantime immediately starts looking for any mechanism that can unseal the emergency bulkhead and make it open. He finds it in the side next to the door behind a panel and starts pulling on the lever, the bulkhead raises slightly in response but not long enough to be able to crawl through the opening, let alone be able to slip a hand through it so one can pull on it.

Malcolm tells Clements to start pulling over and over while he tries to force bulkhead back into the ceiling of the corridor. The MACOs who got stuck on the other side realize what Malcolm is trying to do and two of them start pulling on their side of the bulkhead to make it go up.

The security man in an attempt to keep the cyborgs away from the others starts to swing around with his rifle as a club, the problem is that the cyborgs are not intimidated by the display as they keep marching forwards.

One of them receives a blow from the makeshift melee weapon and perhaps stops for a millisecond but when the security man wants to hit it again it grabs the rifle and uses the momentum to make the security man loose his footing slightly making him take a slight turn in the direction of the cyborg.

The cyborg immediately grabs him and pulls the security man against itself while holding his arm in a lock to prevent him from escaping. The cyborg raises its other arm and two injection tubes quickly emerge from the top of its hand, piercing the neck of the security man and injecting nanoprobes in his body which can be seen moving under his skin.

Having done so the cyborg lets go of the security man who apparently no longer can hold his balance as he drops on the floor and makes spastic movements while the nanoprobes start taking control of him.

Malcolm and Clements have made some slight progress thanks to the sacrifice of the security man but both can not help being temporarily distracted by the events taking place.
Then that progress is undone when emergency bulkhead closes again when the sealing mechanism pressurized again. Malcolm, Clements and the people on the other side barely avoid having their fingers crushed off by the metal slab.

There is no chance that they can escape any more in time.
(My main idea is that the mechanism is designed to close again after a while if the air is not pumped out of it, the mechanism would be pure mechanical in design and not electric)

On the bridge the news that Malcolm and two other people got trapped by the cyborgs when they triggered the emergency bulkheads comes in hard.
But Archer is also angry when he hears that one of the other two people is doctor Clements and he rhetorically asks what the doctor was thinking of going to that deck in the first place.
Is his obsession for the cyborgs so big that he is willing to risk his own life?

Not putting to much time in this train of thought Archer orders the MACOs to get cutting tools from one of the nearby storage rooms and try to cut a hole through the bulkheads in order to get to the computer core room.

Archer then asks for Hoshi to patch him through to Phlox to tell him the news.
Phlox is saddened by Clements' foolishness of going to the cyborgs in an attempt to try to communicate with them but he tells Archer not to feel too responsible about the doctor's fate, this was Clements' own choice.
All they can hope now is that the MACOs can get to the three men in time in order to save them, if that is still possible.
Archer responds that is the only hope worth going for.

Having witnessed how the security man is infected by one of the cyborgs both Malcolm and Clements know what is going to happen to them when two drones approach them. Both are grabbed by the cyborgs and they raise their other arm from which the injection tubes emerge but then all of a sudden the cyborgs stop, waiting in mid action as if they are getting new instructions.

They let go of Malcolm and Clements but make it clear that they are to come with them. The security man in the meantime has stopped making spastic movements, his face having taken an eerie hollow look as all color in it seems to disappear.
Assisted by the cyborg that infected the man in the first place as well as the fourth cyborg the security man is pulled on to his feet and joins them as they walk to the door of the main computer core room.

Clements can not help but take mental notes of this, formulating a variety of questions in his mind as he sees this process of conversion, but he also wonders if he will be able to get out of this.
The cyborg behind him quickly snaps him out of his thoughts as it moves against him to make him move on.

Led by the two drones that seem to escort the infected security man, Malcolm and Clements are guided into the Enterprise's main computer core room, followed by the two other drones that after going through the door each assume a position behind Malcolm and Clements.
Though they are not held by the drones both Malcolm and Clements understand the situation, under no circumstance make any suspicious movements or actions.
With no other option all Malcolm and Clements can do is look around to see what the cyborgs have done to the room.

The computer control room has gone through a serious redesign. The computer core itself, located in the middle of the room has been physically altered, now being a blend of Starfleet technology and Borg technology with new parts added that arch into the ceiling, large cables running along these.

Borg alcoves have been installed into the sides of the room and Starfleet issue control consoles have been replaced with those of Borg design.
Where once the main computer operating console to the computer was located, now a surgical table has been placed that is currently empty.

This sight only reminds Malcolm more of the modified transport he was one and though he does not say it he can not help feel cold shudders run over his back.

Without any need for exchange the infected security man and his escorts walk towards the surgical table that starts to assume a vertical position out of itself. Once it has done so the security man turns around and takes place on it.

Malcolm and Clements watch how the infected security man is strapped on the table by the two Borg drones after which it resumes its horizontal position again. Immediately the cyborgs start to operate on the man, first removing his uniform and then cutting into his exposed chest.
Despite him giving the appearance of being conscious the assimilated crew man does not react at all, simply staring at the ceiling.

The Enterprise tactical officer and Federation doctor can not help but feel sick as they watch this but can't do anything as they are guarded by the two drones behind them.

Then a voice speaks to both Malcolm and Clements, telling both men not to feel sad or concerned about the security man on the table in front of them, he is not being mutilated for any emotional reason but rather he is elevated to a higher form of being. Already his presence is making the Collective stronger and in turn the Collective is making him stronger.


Slowly a MACO crawls through a maintenance tube, holding his rifle in front of him as he moves on his free hand and legs, following behind him is Trip Tucker who has his phase pistol holstered and a tool kit slung over his back. Another technician and another MACO follows him, the last MACO from time to time stopping to check if there is no one behind them.

Tucker tells his companions that they are nearly at the access room just under the computer core from where it is connected to the rest of Enterprise's systems, and if the cyborgs just ignore them for now everything will go quick.

The MACO in front stops at the access hatch that leads to the room, he opens the hatch controls next to it and quickly gives the open command. The hatch door opens without problems and slowly the MACO comes out, keeping his rifle ready the whole time. Much to his relief there is no one in the room.

All the while keeping his rifle aimed at the hatch door of the other side of the room the MACO helps Tucker out of maintenance tube, and Tucker on his turn helps his technician. The second MACO then exits the tube but keeps his rifle and eyes on it the whole time.

The MACO that led team tells Tucker that he and his colleague will watch the entrances while Tucker and his man do their magic on the computer.
Tucker responds they will and asks the technician to help him while he removes the panel that covers the distribution cables and circuitry that is placed inside the wall located between the two access hatches.
Tucker starts to pull out chips while the technician prepares a laser cutter to cut the cables.

 

"Ascension to the Throne" An Enterprise story outline (warning; Bo

Act 6

Searching for the source of the voice Malcolm and Clements direct their head to the opposite side of the main computer core that stands like a pillar in the middle of the room.
Behind it a female form appears, still wearing a Starfleet medical technician's uniform but for the rest resembles more a smooth sculpture of a woman than a human woman.

Malcolm is taken aback by this appearance, barely recognizing the woman he spend lunch with almost a day ago, talking about the intricacies of the revolution of cybernetics or being a tactical officer on board a starship.
With somewhat great difficulty Malcolm manages to swallow.

Dr Clements on his turn does not know what to say as he sees the fully transformed Idylla Hart, she no longer at all resembles the woman he has worked with for several years.
She has lost all her hair and her face and skin has taken on a white gray color with dark colored veins clearly visible on her neck and sides of her head.
Implants and tubes can also be seen all over her body with several of them extending from the back of her head.

However he manages to get his earlier posture back and addresses the Borg Queen as Idylla Hart, asking if she is still her.
The Borg Queen responds back, telling Clements that she is no longer Starfleet medical technician Idylla Hart, that individual has become part of something greater.
Despite how strange this might sound Clements seems to understand in a way and he asks her who she is then and how he should address her.

The Borg Queen tells Clements that she is the voice of the Collective.

Clements asks the Borg Queen why it looks so different from the other drones she turned Enterprise crew members into, and why he is able to address her in a direct way while the other drones barely seem to acknowledge his presence.
Her response is that she brings order into chaos, her purpose being the conduit of unified minds and voices. Something that is beyond the understanding of those who are not part of the Collective.

She tells Clements that the Borg through Idylla Hart know Terrence Clements and know what he wants to accomplish, what he wants to reach, and she asks him if he wants to embrace the clarity the Collective can offer him, giving him the knowledge and understanding he desires.

Without even a single hint from the Borg Queen to do so the Borg drone that stands behind Clements raises an arm close the doctor's neck.

A slight hint of fear can be read on Clements' face but he manages to respond to the Borg Queen's offer, telling her that although he is intrigued by what she can give him he is going to have to decline, preferring his individuality, how small and insignificant it may be than become part of the consciousness of the Collective.
As Clements says this to the Borg Queen he occasionally glimpses at the security man on the surgical table whose operation is nearly completed.
The Borg Queen seems to give the impression that she is disappointed, for a moment she thought Clements would be willing to join the collective out of his own choice, something the Borg in general never witness amongst those it assimilates.

But the Borg have seen fear and doubt before in those who were offered perfection and wanted to reject it because of those simple thoughts and emotions, limitations the Borg freed them from as well as other individual obsessions such as greed, power, reproduction. Instincts that prevent them from reaching a far greater potential.

The Borg Queen tells him that despite his fear that the Collective will help him see and achieve that potential as beings with a drive of their own to seek to understand it such as him possibly deserve it the most.

Malcolm tells the Borg Queen to leave Clements alone, what gives her the right to force her perfection upon those who do not want it.

The Borg Queen comments that forcing her perfection upon others is sometimes the only way to help these individuals grow.
By making them part of the collective individuals add more than just their distinctiveness, they impart on the collective their accomplishments, their possibilities and in return the collective preserves their memory long after they are gone.

She brings up to Malcolm that the individual he once knew as Idylla Hart now is forever immortalized through the collective, true immortality unlike what is promised in the superstitious belief systems that individuals seem to practice.

Malcolm retorts if Idylla would feel that way right now if she still had her own thoughts rather then them being forcefully merged with those of the collective, and be able to see how the collective uses her body like a puppet and her voice to speak to him.

Idylla came to the Borg herself the Borg Queen responds, she took it upon herself to study the nanoprobes in Phlox's sickbay. She may have been on orders from Clements to retrieve them but the Borg know from Idylla's personal memories that she then went her own way, already seeking to become something greater than her superior.

Clements is rather surprised by this revelation about his assistant but still admits that he had seen that Idylla had it in her to become a great medical researcher herself one day, he can not blame her for having those ambitions but sure would wish it had turned out in a different way than this.

One floor below Tucker and the others have been following what is going on inside the computer core room while working on disconnecting the computer from Enterprise's systems.
He knows he can not directly help the men that are held by the cyborgs but he can do something to give them a chance.

Tucker quietly contacts Archer on the bridge through his personal communicator, having to boost the signal to overcome the Borg Queen's jamming field.

On the bridge Archer and T'Pol listen to Tucker's report and his idea of what he can do to help Malcolm and Clements. Tucker tells them that if his idea works it will be a surprise for the cyborgs but it is also going to do a serious number on the computer core.

If they do manage to make it in the end Enterprise will have to get a new one as this one will be ready for the scrapheap. Archer approves of Tucker's plan and tells him to do it and then get out before the cyborgs react.

Tucker closes his communicator and tells his technician to help implement his idea, they are to cause an energy buildup by redirecting all of the deck's energy into the computer's power grid.
The trick is to get a charge strong enough that it can overcome the computer's surge protectors before the cyborgs notice it.
If things go as planned it will blow the computer core's grid, causing quite some pyrotechnics that should confuse the people in the room, not to mention trigger the fire suppression mechanisms if they have not been tampered with.

The conversation with the Borg Queen seems to be over and Malcolm and Clements are about to be assimilated when suddenly the power in the room seems to drop, making the Collective through the Borg Queen take a moment of pause.

Before the cyborgs can act Tucker's plan comes into fruition as the power surge runs through the computer circuitry, to powerful for the surge protectors to handle the energy build up causes panels and components to blow off the machine as other parts catch fire.

While the drones do not show any immediate reaction to this the Borg Queen does and for a moment the drones' grip lessens, allowing Malcolm and Clements to pull themselves loose.

Almost at the same time the fire suppression kicks in and fills the computer core room with fire extinguishing gas specifically designed to deprive fire of oxygen to burn.
The Borg drones may not need oxygen but their vision is temporary impaired by the white colored gas, making them stumble around as the two men move between them towards the entrance door.

Just as they are about to reach it Malcolm is grabbed by the Borg Queen but before she is able to get a better grip Clements strikes her with a fire extinguisher he pulled from the wall, making her let go.

Quickly Malcolm opens the door that fortunately still works and once outside back in the corridor Reed thanks Clements for coming to his rescue. Clements tells Malcolm to thank him later once they have managed to reach true safety. Malcolm could not agree more with the doctor.

With access to the corridors still sealed by the emergency bulkheads the Borg used earlier to trap them with, Malcolm opens a hatch in the floor and tells Clements to get down and hurry before the cyborgs get after them.
Clements complies with Malcolm's orders and quickly climbs down the chairs after which he is followed by Malcolm. Just as Malcolm is about to close the hatch he sees two of the cyborgs emerge from the computer control room and head towards him.
As he climbs down he quickly seals the hatch above to prevent the cyborgs from following both men. It doesn't seem to deter the cyborgs as they immediately try to open the hatch with force, punching dents into the material with their bare hands in an attempt to break it.
Clements can't help but go faster as he hears the sounds above him, he wants to get away from the cyborgs as fast as possible.

The Borg now realize their position is compromised and with the main computer now useless they need to find a new location that offers both security as well as control over the ship.
The two drones that tried to force the hatch in the floor open through which Malcolm and Clements escaped stop their actions and now move to the nearest emergency bulkhead that sealed off the main corridor that leads to the elevator.

Back in the computer core room two other drones help the Borg Queen up and one uses the medical tool in its arm to repair the damage that was done to her when Clements hit her with the fire extinguisher.
The Borg Queen does not even acknowledge what happened to her and once the damage is fixed she heads towards the main corridor followed by the three drones that are with her in the room.

Once outside they take defensive positions around her while they wait for the two drones that are making a hole in the emergency bulkhead to finish their task.

When Malcolm and Clements arrive on the bridge they are greeted by an angry captain Archer who immediately steps towards Clements. Archer tells Clements that Phlox told him what he did in sickbay and how he endangered his own life and possibly that of others with his recklessness.
If it had been possible he would have sent Clements immediately to the brig and keep him there until Enterprise is due for its next maintenance stopover at Earth.

Malcolm intervenes and tells captain Archer that while Clements has indeed ignored Archer's orders Clements has also saved Malcolm's life from the Borg Queen when she tried to stop him from escaping.

Archer asks what the Borg Queen is but Malcolm tells the captain that Clements would be the better person to ask as he seems to have a greater understanding about its nature.
Clements explains that after Idylla Hart got infected by the reactivated nanoprobes that they turned her into a type of spokesperson for the cyborgs, not really their ruler but rather like a control node through which the cyborgs direct their collective thoughts.
It seems to have a degree of self awareness, giving the impression that it is an individual but that it like the other cyborgs serves as an extension of the collective, be it a more important one.

T'Pol asks Clements if one can reason with the cyborgs through the Borg Queen but Clements has to disappoint her on that. The entity is absolutely ruthless and only seeks to further the goals of the cyborgs, taking control of technology and seeking to infect or assimilate others in order to increase its numbers.

Clements however does believe that if the Borg Queen can be taken out that it might weaken or stop the other cyborgs onboard Enterprise as they seem depend on her.

Archer listens to all of this and orders Hoshi to open communication with all the security and MACO teams on the Enterprise, reluctantly he gives the order that they have to find and kill the being that Idylla Hart has transformed in at all costs if they are to save Enterprise and her crew.


As Tucker and the technician enter main engineering he finds everyone in it busy rerouting crucial starship systems through the secondary computer core. Kelby comes to him telling him that he really hopes Tucker will not blow up the main computer core often in the future as one time already gives him a headache but he is glad to see that the chief of engineering is safe and sound.

Tucker manages to give a quick smile before he asks for a status report. Kelby tells him that they managed to regain access to most their systems when the main computer core got disconnected but that they have re-install their own command protocols in order to get full control again.

Tucker tells them to get busy as he does not know how long this luck is going to last before the cyborgs try to assume control once more. He immediately takes a position behind one of the command consoles and starts working.

Back on the bridge Hoshi puts a call through from one of the MACOs who is stationed on the deck where the cyborgs are located. He tells captain Archer that the cyborgs have broken through the emergency bulkheads that surround the computer control room and are on the move through the deck.

He and his people together with Enterprise's regular security are trying to slow them down but their regular weapons are no longer effective and they can not risk using explosives due to the damage it could do to the ship.

Archer asks them if they have seen the Borg Queen amongst them but the MACO reports that he has not seen any transformed woman so far.

Knowing that if those men and women try to hold the deck that they will risk infection so Archer orders them to pull back to the elevator, they are going to lock down the deck in an effort to stop the cyborgs from getting off it.

T'Pol informs Archer that attempting to lock down the deck might not help as the cyborgs have demonstrated that they can quickly move from another part of Enterprise to another despite barriers. Archer then wants to know if they could decompress the deck like with the Tarkalean cyborgs two years ago, vent them into space.

The officer behind the engineering console shakes his head, so much of the deck controls are in a mess that they can not remotely seal the deck completely from the bridge, decompressing now could lead to other decks losing their atmosphere.

Archer sees only one last option and makes Hoshi call the sickbay, Phlox responds with asking how he can be of service. Archer tells him that the cyborgs have adapted to their anti personnel weaponry and are advancing through the deck, he wants to know if the cyborgs will be susceptible to the same omicron radiation that Phlox used to deactivate the nanoprobes in his body.

Phlox responds that he will need to do some tests on the nanoprobes he still has in his lab but he assumes that the tactic might still be workable. But he also adds that the dose of radiation necessary will be lethal to human beings.
The nanoprobes will be deactivated but the hosts will be killed.

Archer understands but tells Phlox that that might be their only remaining plan left.

Hoshi then puts Archer through to engineering and Archer is relieved to hear that Tucker and his people made it back safely. Archer tells Tucker of his plan to use omicron radiation to stop the cyborgs and he wants to know if Tucker can set up field emitters to do so.

Tucker tells Archer that he can but the only field emitter that is capable of emitting the range and strength Archer wants is the structural integrity field emitter, and it will require precision calibrations to affect just a single deck, any off and the field is either to small or will cover additional decks
With the state Enterprise's systems are now in due to the lack of a main computer he is not sure if he can generate such a precise omicron radiation field.

(I am using the SIF emitter as plot device rather than the 'Swiss army knife' deflector cliche as that has been used to often for pulses of various kinds while it makes no sense as that is not one of its purposes or capabilities. It would also be weird if Enterprise has emitters standard installed onboard throughout each floor to flood the ship with various types of radiation on a whim of its crew. Phlox imaging chamber would not make any sense either as its medical tool and not a 'dirty bomb' like device. At least the SIF has the word 'Field' in its name)

Just when Archer thinks that they can not have more bad luck the officer behind the tactical console reports to Archer that their sensors are detecting a ship that is heading towards them.
For a moment she stops as she double checks the information on her screen, then she tells Archer in a surprised tone that the ship is traveling at warp factor 9.

Not even Vulcan ships can reach warp factor 9 so the ship that is traveling to them must be someone new, or captain Archer worries the cyborgs on board have friends who have decided to drop by.


As Tucker makes the preparations for Archer's plan in engineering one of his engineers suddenly calls for Tucker's attention. As Tucker looks away from what he was doing to see what the reason is he sees it in the frame of one the doors, one of the cyborgs.
In the sublevel above him in engineering another one of the cyborgs has appeared and walks onto the catwalk that surrounds the warp core.

Security men try to take out the drone on the floor of engineering, preventing it from reaching any of the control panels but it's to no avail.

Tucker curses that he did not go through all the trouble to disconnect the computer core just so that the cyborgs can try again in engineering and he grabs one of the tools that is normally used to fuse hulls.
Setting it on its highest setting he fires it at the cyborg which immediately pulls back from the console and stumbles, Tucker quickly gives it another dose that takes it out permanently.

On the catwalk the other engineers have taken notice of Tucker's alternative combat tactics and as the cyborg moves towards them one of them pulls a power cable loose and jams it directly into the cyborg's chest. Sparks fly of him as gigawatts run through his body, then it's over as the cyborg drops down onto the catwalk, smoke coming off him.

While engineers and technicians celebrate their success Tucker calls the bridge, when Archer responds Tucker tells him that he has bad news, some of the cyborgs made it of the isolated deck and have made an attempt to take over engineering.

By now the unknown ship has arrived and drops out of warp close to Enterprise, moving towards it on impulse. On the screen Archer observed recognizes the all too familiar shape; the cyborg modified transport the Enterprise faced two years ago, only now even more modified and larger.

Unable to polarize the hull armor, arm Enterprise's weapons or go to warp all the crew can do is stand by as the transport approaches them and captures them in a green tractor beam, sending a shock through the ship as it takes hold of the Enterprise.

Sensors are unable to detect how many cyborgs are on board as they can not make any distinction between the cyborgs and their ship nor can they determine what its defensive capabilities are. All T'Pol can get is a rough image of various power nodes throughout the ship and their power output, but if these are correct than the transport is more powerful now than all of Starfleet's ships combined.

It wouldn't make much of a difference even if the transport was still the same as the first time the Enterprise faced it Archer responds, without weapons or the means to get on board to sabotage the ship from the inside they are left to its mercy, if the cyborgs on the transport understand what that word means.

For what it is worth Archer orders Hoshi to send the message to all people on Enterprise to arm themselves and be prepared to deal with intruders.

Rather than transporting on board like two years ago the first Borg appears out of the elevator.
Immediately one of the stationed security men aims his rifle at one of the drones and fires but to no effect, he tries to go melee with the cyborg using his rifle but the Borg drone simply swaps him away with its arm as if he was a fly bothering it.
From the stairs located to the left and right from the main viewscreen that lead to deck B two more drones appear on the bridge.

All three drones head towards the different command stations and Archer quickly grasps in what kind of situation they are, he orders his people to get out of the way in order not to get the same treatment as the security man.
In the meantime one of the other officers on the deck has come to his aid and has taken one of the emergency aid kits to treat him.

The three drones insert their 'tool' arms into the navigation, tactical and engineering console, rerouting all controls to their own system.

With their weapons now useless Archer instructs his people that they are going to leave the bridge and head to the command center to try to retake control of Enterprise from there.
But before anyone can use the elevator it closes and goes to a lower deck again, Archer suggests that they use the stairs to get down but then hears the emergency bulkheads close. The Borg want to keep Archer and his crew on the bridge, most likely to turn them into cyborgs as well.

Archer immediately uses his personal communicator to call for assistance from the MACOs and Enterprise's security people but throughout Enterprise Borg drones start to transport on board and engage the armed men and women while they try to cover the retreat of their fellow crew members who are unarmed.
However their weapon fire has no result and the crew members are forced to move back further and further until they are trapped by Borg coming from the opposite direction.


Act 7

While throughout the various decks the crew is fighting for their lives Archer, T'Pol, Malcolm, Hoshi, Mayweather, Clements, and the others are trapped by the drones who have sealed off all the regular exits.

The only remaining exit is an emergency escape tube located behind the captain's chair and Archer immediately takes steps to open it while his people watch the drones for any reaction to it.
But as Archer opens the hatch and instructs his people to go through it the elevator arrives again and the Borg Queen as well as two recently assimilated Enterprise crew members walk out of it onto the bridge.

Archer and most of the bridge crew would never have expected that the entity known as the Borg Queen would resemble the being that stands in front of them with the exception of Malcolm and Clements who had seen her earlier down in the computer core room.

The Borg Queen thinks little of Archer and the other people on the crew until she notices the hatch Archer opened, immediately the two drones at her side move towards Archer and the people close to it.

When she sees Malcolm and Clements she comments that it is time that they and the rest of Enterprise's crew give up on their attempts to resist and join the Collective. She recalls how Enterprise's mission was to go out and gain new knowledge from the stars but when the Collective is offering what they seek and much more they turn back, seeking safety in their ignorance.

Archer responds it is not ignorance but rather it is caution that is keeping humans from embracing what the Collective is offering them. He and his crew have seen the price that is asked for the knowledge and it is not one they are willing to pay.
Humanity will find its own way to get those answers, why should the Collective's way be the best one.

The Borg Queen remarks that thousands of species have said the same thing to the Borg, claiming superiority of themselves, their way, and their technology, but when the Borg tested their resolve they all eventually fell and are now Borg, humanity is not that different at all in that aspect.

Perhaps humanity such as his crew is not that different is Archer's response, but like those species they won't give up that easily. If the Collective wants them they are going to have to fight for it.

The Borg Queen is not at all impressed by Archer's attempt at bravado, and all the drones turn their attention to the crew now.

Its at this moment that Tucker calls the bridge and Archer immediately responds, asking Tucker if the structural integrity field is ready to emit the omicron radiation field. Tucker says it is ready for use whenever Archer wants it. Archer tells Tucker to set the field as wide and as strong as possible as they no longer have anything left to lose.

The Borg Queen asks if Archer so determined to stop the Collective that he is willing to sacrifice himself and his crew to take them with him in the foolish act of self termination on which Archer responds that he and his crew would rather prefer to die immediately than be assimilated by the cyborgs and become part of their collective.

The Borg Queen remarks that in every time period humanity continues to resists the inevitable, blind to realize that the Collective is the only logical next step in the development of organic sentience.
Archer responds that he does not know what the right next step for organic life is, perhaps humanity will indeed become like the Collective in the future, but it will be their own decision and not that of the Collective, and they will continue to resist the Collective as long as it tries.

“Perhaps” the Borg Queen replies, right now humanity has not developed enough yet to be truly of use to the Collective but it will return once humanity reaches a point when it becomes worthy of assimilation, then Archer's challenge will be put to the test and determine what will be stronger in the end.

For now the Collective will give Archer and humanity a moment of repose but the Collective will be watching, waiting for them. And should humanity challenge them before they are as prepared as Archer claims they will be the Collective will finish what it halted today.

With that the Borg Queen and the drones throughout Enterprise beam over to the assimilated transport. With what it came for on board the transport starts to move away from the Enterprise and moves to warp speed, destination unknown.

The Enterprise has set course back to Earth for repairs of the damage the cyborgs have done to the ship but also to get help for the crew members who have been 'damaged' by the cyborg attack in a way that is more difficult to repair.

Archer mentions in his log that this event will probably leave deep wounds with some of his crew including himself as he does not take it lightly that he has lost several crew members as well as Idylla Hart and that it weighs heavy on him that he can do nothing to save the crew members the cyborgs took.
He would not be surprised if some of the affected crew members will request assignment to a ship closer to Earth or perhaps leave Starfleet.

He wishes he could do something for those crew but in truth he himself is also rather shocked by what has happened and like with the Xindi mission some of his beliefs have been thoroughly shaken by this encounter.


Still Archer wants to carry on as he feels his mission, the Enterprise's mission is now more important than ever.
Its now just the knowledge and experience that they are looking for amongst the stars, but its also to be prepared for what is out there.

Phlox is working in sickbay when Clements enters. He tells Phlox that he will be leaving soon but that he would like to talk with Phlox before he does.
Phlox does not turn around to face Clements but he tells him that he is listening.

First Clements wants to apologize for sedating Phlox, telling the Denobulan doctor he should not have done that. At the time he felt very strong about his convictions, believing that the cyborgs should be studied and their technology could be harnessed for the good of humanity and others.

But now he no longer is that sure anymore after what he witnessed when he and Malcolm were held by the transformed Idylla Hart in the computer core room. He would not define it as evil but he still witnessed something truly ruthless in its motivations and actions, a will unhindered by any kind of compassion or sympathy. That is not what he wants for humanity.

Clements will continue his work on medical prosthesis and implants but he will no longer continue on research on cybernetic modification to improve humanity.

By now Phlox stops what he is doing and turns around to face Clements. He tells that Clements got a chance to see what can happen when ambition precedence over reason but that he should not give up on his wish to help humanity become better through his work, just do it with the wisdom he has learned here.


Epilogue

Back on Earth doctor Clements travels to an unremarkable office building in San Francisco, once inside he heads towards the elevator and takes out a card from his pocket which he inserts into a hidden slot of the elevator controls.
The elevator takes him all the way to the top of the building where he exists onto a floor that looks part office and part penthouse.

Sitting behind the desk in the middle end of the floor next to a big window is Harris, the head of Section 31. Clements approaches and greets him, handing over a recording padd before he tells Harris that this was all he managed to salvage from the fiasco on Enterprise.
He was unable to get the nanoprobes for Section 31's research.

Harris simply nods as he looks through the content of the padd and responds that neither Clements nor he himself could have foreseen this turn of events.
Still they gained some information about the cyborgs which is more than they had two years ago.

Clements then tells Harris that in the future if he or Section 31 wants Clements' assistance again on this subject that he will not respond. After what he has witnessed onboard Enterprise he has come to the conclusion that captain Archer and doctor Phlox are right about the technology of the cyborgs.
It can not be used for the good of humanity and its allies and any attempt to do so can only result in disaster. He strongly advises that Section 31 gives up its plans to gain and harness nanoprobes or other technology though it is mostly like that Harris and the others will not listen to reason.

Clements now has Harris' attention as Harris looks up from his padd. He tells Clements that there have been moments of doubt and uncertainty before amongst members of Section 31 regarding their plans and goals, but that through perseverance and understanding that only they could do what had to be done they have come this far.

Clements comments that he heard those words before, and they sounded hollow to him then as well. He may have once thought like that but now he asks Harris how far he is willing to go, what he is willing to sacrifice to achieve what needs to be done.
He has seen now where such a mindset can lead to, something he will no longer be a part off.

Harris suggests that Clements is probably still in shock about what has happened and that he should take some time to recuperate, after that they can always talk further.

But Clements tells Harris that he gave his opinion. After saying goodbye (not sincerely) Clements turns around and walks to the elevator.

Harris does not bother to try to convince Clements to change his mind and simply watches as Harris enters the elevator car after which the doors closes, a few seconds before he returns his attention to the padd Clement gave him earlier.
He moves through the various pages of information and pictures of the assimilated Idylla Hart and the Enterprise crew members before he transfers the information to the console in front of him, saving the information under the file designation 'Borg Collective'.

 

Re: "Ascension to the Throne" An Enterprise story outline (warning; Bo

Very nice. Seems more suited for an Enterprise novel than an episode, or even a two-part episode, just purely based on length.

I like that there's just enough of the U.S.S. Makeshitup principle in play, as well as any Section 31 is good Section 31 (wait, what?).

I will say too that at points it does feel a bit too much like the final third of the First Contact film, with the Enterprise being transformed.

Well done in general, though.

 

Re: "Ascension to the Throne" An Enterprise story outline (warning; Bo

Hello BeatleJOWL

Thanks for the response and the feedback, I was already starting to think at this point "Hmm, perhaps I should have done a Classic Star Trek story or a TNG one, it seems people don't really like Enterprise related fan fic that much" (which I can understand as I loathe seasons 1, 2 (exception being Regeneration, and 3, season 4 seemed to be the only somewhat decent one)


>Very nice. Seems more suited for an Enterprise novel than an episode, or even a two-part episode, just purely based on length.

Because of the ending of the story, with the Enterprise seriously damaged I have come to see the story as kind of an alternative ending to Season 4, replacing These are the voyages which I to this day still refuse to watch along with the Stormfront double parter. (Nazis winning World War 2 and conquering the USA, * sigh * )

It would explain why at the start of Season 5 the Enterprise was back in dry dock and now receiving the massive upgrade in form of a secondary hull. (http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net...-01_refit_quarter.jpg/revision/20140801213424)

I am honestly curious now what the audience's reactions would have been if this had been the season ender.


>as well as any Section 31 is good Section 31 (wait, what?).

Someone else suggested the idea first that Section 31 covered up all the evidence on the Borg (and perhaps before Voyager financed the Hansens' research into the Borg).
Now I am not a fan of that sort of theory for various reasons (for one it leaves the Federation unaware of a threat which they should really prepare for in the two centuries they are given) but as I already went this far with rewriting Star Trek history "Ah why not? Might as well throw in a conspiracy sub plot for the readers to feast on.

It did make me think afterwards on how Section 31 would be studying the Borg threat (or any other threat posed by advanced technology and machine intelligences) which actually is kind of fun to ponder on.


>I will say too that at points it does feel a bit too much like the final third of the First Contact film, with the Enterprise being transformed.

I agree, after I finished the first draft I was looking back at it and my first thought was when I read that third part was that it seemed I was channeling First Contact a lot.
It wasn't my intention initially but it felt like a good way to raise some hell on the Enterprise, forcing the crew to deal with a situation which in all likely hood they can not win

Also, I also have to confess that now looking at my opening post I kind of failed with what I wanted to do with the Borg Queen, I wanted to make her more of a conduit than the leader of the Borg but she still somewhat ended up like that. I hope it is at least not on the level of Unimatrix Zero and Endgame but if I write another Borg story again I have to keep an eye on that. (or not use the Borg Queen at all)