I've posted a version of the following story here years ago but I just finished revising it and there have been a lot of new people that have joined the BBS who might not have read that piece. This is something that I wrote for my Grade 11 creative writing contest and helped win my first and so far only writing award. This version is drastically different from the original version which was wrote in 1998 and did not contain material from "Star Trek First Contact" and "Star Trek Voyager" regarding the Borg. So without further preamble here is "Remember Us?"
*
A Star Trek The Next Generation Short Story Written By Adam C. Young
Based on Best of Both Worlds Parts 1 and 2 Written by Michael Piller
Based on Material Depicted in Star Trek First Contact Written By Ron Moore and Brennan Braga
Based on Material Depicted in Star Trek Voyager Created by Rick Berman, Jeri Taylor, and Michael Piller
Based on Star Trek Created by Gene Roddenberry
Final Draft
To: Rear Admiral Norah Satie, Starfleet Command
San Francisco, California
Earth
Sol System
Stardate: 44001.8
Earth Calendar Date Jan 14, 2367
From: Lt. Commander Deanna Troi
Ship’s Counselor USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D
Ship’s Counselor’s Report: Re Mental Status of Captain Jean Luc Picard
I have spent the last two weeks conducting extensive mental analysis and rehabilitation with Captain Picard who continues to show no overt signs of being effective by his recent traumatic experience with the Borg Collective. While the physical scars have nearly healed themselves, his mental ones still give me great concern. In our sessions the Captain continues to be abrasive but cooperative. My empathic abilities tell me that he is deeply affected by what the Borg did to him but is not yet ready to speak about it openly on an emotional level and that will take time. He has given me detailed descriptions of what happened to him physically though and I’ve attached that report in addition to his own reports filed on the incident last week. It is my opinion that time away from the ship and crew will do the Captain some good but he hasn’t voiced any desire to leave the Enterprise and has delved into the ship’s repairs and upgrades here at McKinley Station. I do not believe that his experience with the Borg will affect his ability to command the Enterprise however I am concerned that prolonged self isolation will lead to a complete breakdown will occur if he continues to avoid this subject.
Stardate 43989.1
Captain Jean-Luc Picard remembered the last time he had felt this much fear. It had been back at Starbase Earlheart after graduation at Starfleet Academy. He’d been playing domjot with friends and got into a fight with three Nausicaans that resulted in them stabbing him through the heart which later required him to be fitted with an artificial heart. A sense of that fear crept up inside of him as four mechanically enhanced Borg drones escorted him down an eerie, dark corridor. Jean-Luc took a few moments to observe his surroundings. It was nearly pitch black with only a little lighting. Regeneration alcoves were lined on either bulkhead with glowing green and yellow energy readings on their vital status monitors. There was also the absence of any kind of odor that surprised Picard, he’d never been aboard an odorless ship before. In his experience of conducting and participating in away missions aboard exotic planets and starships there was always the smell of the place he was in. That there wasn’t such a thing onboard this vessel unnerved him all the more. Everything on board the monstrous cubed vessel seemed cold and sterile. They continued marching down the corridor, boot prints clanking against the grated metallic deck plating. The corridor came to a sudden end and Picard gasped as a large—very large—chamber was revealed.
Its vastness took Picard’s breath away. He looked around in all directions and saw nothing but Borg. Decks upon decks of them, there must have been hundreds of thousands if not more. This was the epicenter of the massive ship, the place where central communications took place among the collective consciousness. The uncomfortable silence ceased as suddenly the eerie, mechanical voice of perhaps millions of Borg began to address him. They spoke as one.
“Captain Jean-Luc Picard. You lead strongest ship
in the Federation Starfleet. You speak for your
people.” the Borg announced
Jean-Luc stood in his uniform quite confused by their statement as he did during their earlier communication to him on board the Enterprise. Their sudden interest in him personally was unfounded from previous encounters. It was extremely unusual for the Borg any sort of interest towards a single person. It wasn’t what they had come to understand about their nature. Was it possible that in the year and a half since Q had introduced them to the Borg they had changed their tactics? Picard doubted it. Their sole agenda was the assimilation of entire species…but this was indeed strange. He needed more information from them. He chose to forsake caution and go with a direct approach, the chances were high he would be assimilated anyway.
“I have nothing to say to you and will resist
you with every last ounce of strength.”
“Strength is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. We
wish to improve ourselves. We will add your
biological and technological distinctiveness to
our own. Your cultures will adopt to service us.”
Well that was as useless as he thought it would be, but it proved that they are still interested in assimilation. It would seem that they wanted to use him as a type of liaison. His fear increased as he realized the genius of their plan.
“Impossible. My culture and those I represent are based
on freedom and self determination.”
“Freedom is irrelevant. Self determination is irrelevant. You
must comply.”
There was only one obvious question left to ask them, a question he was really dreading but couldn’t avoid anymore.
“What is it you wish of me?”
“Your archaic cultures are authority driven. To
facilitate our introduction into your societies
it has been decided that a human voice will
speak for us in all communications. You have
been chosen to be that voice.” Answered the Borg
A chill shivered down Jean-Luc’s spine as he finally grasped the Borg’s actions and intentions with him. The four Borg escorts then grabbed his elbow and forced him away from the vast chamber and back down the corridor where they had come from. It was an ingenious strategy, one that would work. Their plan was not just to assimilate him but all of his Starfleet operations knowledge as well. Years of security codes, fleet schematics, tactical weaknesses and strengths of starships, combat tactics of many of his fellow captains, they would use it all to disable or destroy the fleet. Not only was Captain Jean-Luc Picard scared, he was angry and helpless.
The Borg drones led him through several corridors until they reached a room that resembled Doctor Frankenstein’s laboratory only considerably more gothic and mechanical looking. It was dark like the rest of the ship. Situated in the middle of the room was a long silver metallic surgical table. Sharp looking needle devices hung above the table in a complex apparatus that looked menacing as anything Picard had ever seen before. A few meters above the table was a console that had scrolling Borg hieroglyphs, it looked like some kind of status reader. Before Jean-Luc could react, a drone lifted his arm and injected tiny thin black nanites into his bloodstream, piercing his neck. If you were to examine them under a microscope these mechanical creatures would resemble microscopic spiders.
Jean-Luc gasped and reached upwards for his neck as he felt his body quickly convulse before becoming numb. He felt like he was choking violently but he wasn’t. Veins grew extremely visible all across his body as it seemed like it would burst with internal pressure. The tiny devices inside of his body quickly swarmed through his bloodstream and clamped onto his cells beginning the process of assimilation. Across his face black smudge began to form, as it did along his arm. On the left side of his face a small spider-like device pierced his cheek and extruded outwards clamping on to his skin and extended its micronized pincers into his skin. Jean-Luc Picard ceased moving after several minutes of this process and dropped to his sides, motionless as the Borg dragged him up and onto the table. Everything in his mind started to become dark and before he lost consciousness Jean-Luc Picard managed one final scream that no one could hear.
His eyes were wide open but there was no evidence of surface awareness in them. Still in the crimson and black shoulder striped Starfleet uniform, Picard was attached to an alcove. Right now the device was amplifying the assimilation process and monitoring his biorhythms He was also essentially asleep with the rest of the Collective and would receive prior modification when the cycle was complete. The tiny nanites were clamped on to his blood cells and converting them with Borg programming data. They were also wiring mechanical “software” into his body so that the drones could attach the “hardware” onto it later on. The collective hive mind was also in the process of extracting Picard’s Starfleet knowledge from him already but encountering significant resistance from him. It wouldn’t matter he would break and they would get what they wanted. Resistance was futile. They also were writing his new personality and identity, what he would be known while serving as their speaker to humanity. Picard…or what was left of Picard was lost in his own mind. A mind that was being overwhelmed by the multitude of so many thousands of voices, they were transferring data to each other and to a central location, and a common thread was repeated over and over again. One that Picard would have interrupted if he was conscience as a name, that name was spoken to him in a whisper, “Locutus”.
Jean-Luc Picard was becoming nothing but a faint memory. The entity that now assumed his form was aware of nothing else but the constant chatter inside of his mind. While other beings might perceive this as being somewhat chaotic, the being formerly known as Jean-Luc Picard had a sense of calm about them. He had now being stripped of his uniform and was wearing a black body suit that had wires and cables along with Borg machinery on it. On his left cheek a face plate had been attached, an external data port that could be manually upgraded by a drone or receive upgrades while in the alcove. He had emerged from the alcove and been given instructions to report to an observation port. The USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D was on approach and preparing to attack them or at least attack had been anticipated. Transporter detected. Drones escorted Locutus down the corridor and he was about to turn a corner when he heard a voice in his direction that seemed vaguely familiar.
“Jean-Luc!”
Locutus stood still and observed what was happening. There were intruders. Two human Starfleet officers and one Klingon. Officers from the Starfleet ship. Through a swift command through the collective Locutus ordered intervention and protection. He quickly analyzed that they had come to find out what had happened to the human Picard. Drones marched single file towards them and were fired upon by their phasers. The first and second drone fell. Locutus heard retrieval orders being given now. Those Borg would be taken and repaired or salvaged for their parts and knowledge reassimlated back into the collective. The third drone had adapted and the Starfleet officers noted it as the personal shielding device was erected around the drone and absorbed the phaser blasts. The Klingon foolishly decided to charge it and was immediately thrown backwards by the discharge. Locutus once again detected the matter/anti-matter conversion activity, ordered the shields back up but observed as the three officers were beamed back to their vessel. Locutus received reports that the ship was departing and he ordered pursuit.
The Starfleet officers managed to inflict minimal damage as well as temporally bring them out of warp speed. External sensors detected a high energy build up originating from Enterprise’s main deflector dish. Locutus was standing in an observation port viewing the other ship. From knowledge extracted from Picard he knew that the ship planned to use the dish as a modified weapon, it would prove futile as the Borg adapted to it using that knowledge. He provided suitable measures knowing of the cube’s defenses to adapt to the attack. The collective gave orders to hail Enterprise, Locutus was to confront Picard’s shipmates. The hive mind was curious to see their reactions. A moment paused and the viewscreen was activated displaying the great ship’s bridge. Locutus stepped forward to address the bridge crew.
“I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life
as it has been is now over. From this point forward
you will service us.”
There were looks of shock among the bridge crew as they saw that their captain had been turned into a Borg, they exchanged quick glances with each other before Commander William T. Riker stood with a determined look on his face and gave the only order Locutus knew he would…
“Mr. Worf…fire.”
*
A Star Trek The Next Generation Short Story Written By Adam C. Young
Based on Best of Both Worlds Parts 1 and 2 Written by Michael Piller
Based on Material Depicted in Star Trek First Contact Written By Ron Moore and Brennan Braga
Based on Material Depicted in Star Trek Voyager Created by Rick Berman, Jeri Taylor, and Michael Piller
Based on Star Trek Created by Gene Roddenberry
Final Draft
To: Rear Admiral Norah Satie, Starfleet Command
San Francisco, California
Earth
Sol System
Stardate: 44001.8
Earth Calendar Date Jan 14, 2367
From: Lt. Commander Deanna Troi
Ship’s Counselor USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D
Ship’s Counselor’s Report: Re Mental Status of Captain Jean Luc Picard
I have spent the last two weeks conducting extensive mental analysis and rehabilitation with Captain Picard who continues to show no overt signs of being effective by his recent traumatic experience with the Borg Collective. While the physical scars have nearly healed themselves, his mental ones still give me great concern. In our sessions the Captain continues to be abrasive but cooperative. My empathic abilities tell me that he is deeply affected by what the Borg did to him but is not yet ready to speak about it openly on an emotional level and that will take time. He has given me detailed descriptions of what happened to him physically though and I’ve attached that report in addition to his own reports filed on the incident last week. It is my opinion that time away from the ship and crew will do the Captain some good but he hasn’t voiced any desire to leave the Enterprise and has delved into the ship’s repairs and upgrades here at McKinley Station. I do not believe that his experience with the Borg will affect his ability to command the Enterprise however I am concerned that prolonged self isolation will lead to a complete breakdown will occur if he continues to avoid this subject.
Stardate 43989.1
Captain Jean-Luc Picard remembered the last time he had felt this much fear. It had been back at Starbase Earlheart after graduation at Starfleet Academy. He’d been playing domjot with friends and got into a fight with three Nausicaans that resulted in them stabbing him through the heart which later required him to be fitted with an artificial heart. A sense of that fear crept up inside of him as four mechanically enhanced Borg drones escorted him down an eerie, dark corridor. Jean-Luc took a few moments to observe his surroundings. It was nearly pitch black with only a little lighting. Regeneration alcoves were lined on either bulkhead with glowing green and yellow energy readings on their vital status monitors. There was also the absence of any kind of odor that surprised Picard, he’d never been aboard an odorless ship before. In his experience of conducting and participating in away missions aboard exotic planets and starships there was always the smell of the place he was in. That there wasn’t such a thing onboard this vessel unnerved him all the more. Everything on board the monstrous cubed vessel seemed cold and sterile. They continued marching down the corridor, boot prints clanking against the grated metallic deck plating. The corridor came to a sudden end and Picard gasped as a large—very large—chamber was revealed.
Its vastness took Picard’s breath away. He looked around in all directions and saw nothing but Borg. Decks upon decks of them, there must have been hundreds of thousands if not more. This was the epicenter of the massive ship, the place where central communications took place among the collective consciousness. The uncomfortable silence ceased as suddenly the eerie, mechanical voice of perhaps millions of Borg began to address him. They spoke as one.
“Captain Jean-Luc Picard. You lead strongest ship
in the Federation Starfleet. You speak for your
people.” the Borg announced
Jean-Luc stood in his uniform quite confused by their statement as he did during their earlier communication to him on board the Enterprise. Their sudden interest in him personally was unfounded from previous encounters. It was extremely unusual for the Borg any sort of interest towards a single person. It wasn’t what they had come to understand about their nature. Was it possible that in the year and a half since Q had introduced them to the Borg they had changed their tactics? Picard doubted it. Their sole agenda was the assimilation of entire species…but this was indeed strange. He needed more information from them. He chose to forsake caution and go with a direct approach, the chances were high he would be assimilated anyway.
“I have nothing to say to you and will resist
you with every last ounce of strength.”
“Strength is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. We
wish to improve ourselves. We will add your
biological and technological distinctiveness to
our own. Your cultures will adopt to service us.”
Well that was as useless as he thought it would be, but it proved that they are still interested in assimilation. It would seem that they wanted to use him as a type of liaison. His fear increased as he realized the genius of their plan.
“Impossible. My culture and those I represent are based
on freedom and self determination.”
“Freedom is irrelevant. Self determination is irrelevant. You
must comply.”
There was only one obvious question left to ask them, a question he was really dreading but couldn’t avoid anymore.
“What is it you wish of me?”
“Your archaic cultures are authority driven. To
facilitate our introduction into your societies
it has been decided that a human voice will
speak for us in all communications. You have
been chosen to be that voice.” Answered the Borg
A chill shivered down Jean-Luc’s spine as he finally grasped the Borg’s actions and intentions with him. The four Borg escorts then grabbed his elbow and forced him away from the vast chamber and back down the corridor where they had come from. It was an ingenious strategy, one that would work. Their plan was not just to assimilate him but all of his Starfleet operations knowledge as well. Years of security codes, fleet schematics, tactical weaknesses and strengths of starships, combat tactics of many of his fellow captains, they would use it all to disable or destroy the fleet. Not only was Captain Jean-Luc Picard scared, he was angry and helpless.
The Borg drones led him through several corridors until they reached a room that resembled Doctor Frankenstein’s laboratory only considerably more gothic and mechanical looking. It was dark like the rest of the ship. Situated in the middle of the room was a long silver metallic surgical table. Sharp looking needle devices hung above the table in a complex apparatus that looked menacing as anything Picard had ever seen before. A few meters above the table was a console that had scrolling Borg hieroglyphs, it looked like some kind of status reader. Before Jean-Luc could react, a drone lifted his arm and injected tiny thin black nanites into his bloodstream, piercing his neck. If you were to examine them under a microscope these mechanical creatures would resemble microscopic spiders.
Jean-Luc gasped and reached upwards for his neck as he felt his body quickly convulse before becoming numb. He felt like he was choking violently but he wasn’t. Veins grew extremely visible all across his body as it seemed like it would burst with internal pressure. The tiny devices inside of his body quickly swarmed through his bloodstream and clamped onto his cells beginning the process of assimilation. Across his face black smudge began to form, as it did along his arm. On the left side of his face a small spider-like device pierced his cheek and extruded outwards clamping on to his skin and extended its micronized pincers into his skin. Jean-Luc Picard ceased moving after several minutes of this process and dropped to his sides, motionless as the Borg dragged him up and onto the table. Everything in his mind started to become dark and before he lost consciousness Jean-Luc Picard managed one final scream that no one could hear.
His eyes were wide open but there was no evidence of surface awareness in them. Still in the crimson and black shoulder striped Starfleet uniform, Picard was attached to an alcove. Right now the device was amplifying the assimilation process and monitoring his biorhythms He was also essentially asleep with the rest of the Collective and would receive prior modification when the cycle was complete. The tiny nanites were clamped on to his blood cells and converting them with Borg programming data. They were also wiring mechanical “software” into his body so that the drones could attach the “hardware” onto it later on. The collective hive mind was also in the process of extracting Picard’s Starfleet knowledge from him already but encountering significant resistance from him. It wouldn’t matter he would break and they would get what they wanted. Resistance was futile. They also were writing his new personality and identity, what he would be known while serving as their speaker to humanity. Picard…or what was left of Picard was lost in his own mind. A mind that was being overwhelmed by the multitude of so many thousands of voices, they were transferring data to each other and to a central location, and a common thread was repeated over and over again. One that Picard would have interrupted if he was conscience as a name, that name was spoken to him in a whisper, “Locutus”.
Jean-Luc Picard was becoming nothing but a faint memory. The entity that now assumed his form was aware of nothing else but the constant chatter inside of his mind. While other beings might perceive this as being somewhat chaotic, the being formerly known as Jean-Luc Picard had a sense of calm about them. He had now being stripped of his uniform and was wearing a black body suit that had wires and cables along with Borg machinery on it. On his left cheek a face plate had been attached, an external data port that could be manually upgraded by a drone or receive upgrades while in the alcove. He had emerged from the alcove and been given instructions to report to an observation port. The USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D was on approach and preparing to attack them or at least attack had been anticipated. Transporter detected. Drones escorted Locutus down the corridor and he was about to turn a corner when he heard a voice in his direction that seemed vaguely familiar.
“Jean-Luc!”
Locutus stood still and observed what was happening. There were intruders. Two human Starfleet officers and one Klingon. Officers from the Starfleet ship. Through a swift command through the collective Locutus ordered intervention and protection. He quickly analyzed that they had come to find out what had happened to the human Picard. Drones marched single file towards them and were fired upon by their phasers. The first and second drone fell. Locutus heard retrieval orders being given now. Those Borg would be taken and repaired or salvaged for their parts and knowledge reassimlated back into the collective. The third drone had adapted and the Starfleet officers noted it as the personal shielding device was erected around the drone and absorbed the phaser blasts. The Klingon foolishly decided to charge it and was immediately thrown backwards by the discharge. Locutus once again detected the matter/anti-matter conversion activity, ordered the shields back up but observed as the three officers were beamed back to their vessel. Locutus received reports that the ship was departing and he ordered pursuit.
The Starfleet officers managed to inflict minimal damage as well as temporally bring them out of warp speed. External sensors detected a high energy build up originating from Enterprise’s main deflector dish. Locutus was standing in an observation port viewing the other ship. From knowledge extracted from Picard he knew that the ship planned to use the dish as a modified weapon, it would prove futile as the Borg adapted to it using that knowledge. He provided suitable measures knowing of the cube’s defenses to adapt to the attack. The collective gave orders to hail Enterprise, Locutus was to confront Picard’s shipmates. The hive mind was curious to see their reactions. A moment paused and the viewscreen was activated displaying the great ship’s bridge. Locutus stepped forward to address the bridge crew.
“I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life
as it has been is now over. From this point forward
you will service us.”
There were looks of shock among the bridge crew as they saw that their captain had been turned into a Borg, they exchanged quick glances with each other before Commander William T. Riker stood with a determined look on his face and gave the only order Locutus knew he would…
“Mr. Worf…fire.”
