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Dark Frontier

BORG: A vessel has been detected.

Unimatrix 424, grid 116.

Activate.

Alter course to intercept.

BORG: Vessel identified.

Federation Starfleet, Intrepid-class.

One hundred forty three life-forms.

Prepare for assimilation.

We are the Borg.

You will be assimilated.

Resistance is futile.

Break off your pursuit or we'll open fire.

Irrelevant. Is it?

You've scanned our vessel.

You know we can match your firepower.

You will be assimilated.

BORG: Regenerate primary shield matrix.

Remodulate weapons.

Security breach.

Starfleet photon torpedo.

Disarm weapon.

[ALARM BLARING]

I thought we were trying to disable it.

The torpedo detonated near the power matrix.

It caused a chain reaction.

Survivors?

None.

Debris status?

There's a few components intact, but they're badly damaged.

Begin a salvage operation. Captain?

There might be something we can use, weapons, a transwarp coil...

I don't know about the rest of you... but I feel lucky today.

[THEME MUSIC PLAYS]

JANEWAY: Now, this is how I prefer the Borg, in pieces.

CHAKOTAY: Eight kilotons of debris, most of it hull fragments.

So far, we've recovered two power nodes, and a dozen plasma conduits, all in working order.

Their propulsion system, anything left?

B'Elanna found a transwarp coil.

It's lighter than I expected.

Must be some kind of polytrinic alloy.

Let's hope our little skirmish got back to the hive mind.

Maybe they'll think twice before they attack us again.

It was only a probe.

Next time, we might not be so lucky.

Captain!

Don't touch that.

What is it?

I don't know, but a few minutes ago, it was crawling around the floor.

I think it's some kind of auto-regeneration unit.

Thanks for the warning.

By my count, we've added at least two years to our journey by avoiding the Borg.

I'm tired of turning tail every time we detect a cube.

Better safe than assimilated.

Mmm...

Maybe I should go to Red Alert, and get it over with.

Commander?

You're about to drop one of your bombshells.

Now, what makes you say that?

The way you fiddle with your com badge.

You do it every time.

Well, I'll have to keep an eye on that.

DOCTOR: Eureka!

I was hoping to find one of these.

It's a servo-armature from a medical repair drone, laser scalpel, biomolecular scanner, micro-suture, all rolled into one instrument.

PARIS: No Federation Sick Bay should be without one.

This could revolutionize the way that I perform surgery.

Excellent.

Why don't you deactivate it for now, hmm?

TORRES: Remodulate the coil frequency.

No effect.

Try again.

The field regulator is fused.

What seems to be the problem?

We can't activate the transwarp coil.

When a Borg vessel is critically damaged, all of its vital technology self-destructs.

The coil is beyond repair.

At least the Doctor found a new toy.

Captain.

Data nodes.

One of them is a drone manifest.

The other contains tactical information.

Specifically?

Long-range sensor telemetry, assimilation logistics, and vessel movements for a radius of 30 light-years.

Well, let's take a look.

I'll need to convert the information to Starfleet parameters. Time?

Two hours. Do it.

I was able to recover 62 percent of the data.

This is an iso-grid of Borg tactical movements across 25 sectors.

Are there any dangers along our present course?

There are three cubes approximately nine light-years away, traveling on a trajectory parallel to our own.

They do not pose a threat.

What about that vessel?

It's a scout ship eight light-years away, traveling at Warp 2.

The ship is heavily damaged.

Was it attacked?

SEVEN OF NINE: No. An ion storm.

The sphere is presently regenerating.

That explains why it's traveling at low warp.

Limping home.

In a manner of speaking.

I want a detailed schematic of this vessel, down to the power distribution nodes.

I think we've just struck gold.

So what we have here in two simple words is...

Fort Knox.

Captain?

Tom, translate?

Fort Knox, the largest repository of gold bullion in Earth's history.

Over 50 metric tons worth over nine trillion U.S. dollars.

Keep going.

Well, uh, when the new world economy took shape in the late 22nd century, and money went the way of the dinosaur,

Fort Knox was turned into a museum.

And no one ever managed to break into that facility, right?

Well, a couple of Ferengi tried about ten years ago, but other than that, it's considered impenetrable.

Are you planning a heist?

As a matter of fact.

Except we're not chasing gold.

We're going to steal a transwarp coil.

Think it might come in handy?

If I could equip our engines with even one coil, we could shave about 20 years off this trip.

Do you believe the Borg sphere is damaged enough for us to penetrate its defenses?

Long enough to take what we want and get out in one piece, but we'd have to plan this operation down to the millisecond.

There would be no margin for error.

As I see it, we plan an intercept course that won't attract their attention, then create a diversion to keep them occupied, so we can send in an away team to obtain the technology.

CHAKOTAY: I'd like to see the data on that sphere.

We might be able to recreate parts of it on the holodeck, run a few tactical simulations.

JANEWAY: It's all yours.

TORRES: We need to mask our warp signature.

I've got a few Maquis tricks up my sleeve.

They're not exactly Starfleet-approved, but...

This is no time for protocol. Get started.

The sphere is three days away by maximum warp.

Set a course.

Chakotay, I want an outline for our heist by tomorrow morning.

We've proven ourselves against the Borg once before-twice before, but we're always the ones under attack.

I think it's time to do a little assimilating of our own, hmm? Dismissed.

I was hoping you'd be a little more vocal.

Any thoughts?

Your plan is ambitious.

There are many variables, but it can succeed.

I'd like to narrow that list of variables.

I was hoping your parents might provide us with a few insights.

I've been looking over the records we found on the USS Raven.

Your parents kept extensive field notes, detailed journals.

There are over 9,000 log entries alone.

The information is irrelevant.

On the contrary, Seven.

They spent their careers studying the Borg.

They tracked a cube at close range for what, two years?

Three.

Well, I'd say that made them experts.

I want you to study their research.

Look for any data that might give us a tactical edge.

My parents were assimilated.

Obviously, their tactics were flawed.

Look... these records have been collecting dust in our database for over a year.

You say they're irrelevant, and I say you've been avoiding them.

You're the best person for the job, but I'll assign it to Chakotay if--

No.

The information belongs to me.

I will read it.

You're late.

Sorry.

It took longer than I expected to download these records.

This is only the first batch.

Your parents sure had a lot to say.

I organized the information by category, field notes, personal logs, biokinetic analyses.

I don't mean to pry... but is it true your parents were studying the Borg?

Yes. The Hansens were exobiologists.

Fascinating.

They must have been very courageous.

They were misguided.

A faded holo-image.

That's all I've got left of my family.

A picture of my sister.

Except, of course, what I keep in here.

What I wouldn't give for a treasure trove like this.

Well...

I'd better get started on the rest of those files.

MAGNUS HANSEN: Field notes, USS Raven, Stardate 32611.4.

It's about time.

The Federation Council on Exobiology

has given us final approval.

Starfleet's still concerned about security issues,

but they've agreed not to stand in our way.

We've said our good-byes, and we're ready

to start chasing our theories about the Borg.

GIRL: Zoom...zoom...

[DOOR OPENS]

Ah...put down the cube, muffin.

It's not a toy.

I won't crash it.

Come here.

Daddy wants to talk to you.

Come here.

Now... remember when I said that you, me and mommy were going on a very long voyage?

Uh-huh.

Well, we're leaving tomorrow, and we won't see Earth for quite a while.

Are we going to see the Borg?

If we're lucky.

Do the Borg have kids too?

Well, nobody knows.

We'll be the first humans to study them up close.

What do they look like?

Well, we're not sure, exactly, but we think they might look a lot like us, but with technology inside their bodies.

Cy-ber-netic?

[CHUCKLING]

Mm-hmm.

Are they friendly?

Well, they're different.

They don't talk like us, or even think like us, but... we're hoping to make friends one day.

I hope so too, Daddy.

MAGNUS: Field notes, USS Raven, Stardate 32623.5.

We've been tracking stray readings

for nearly eight months now,

but there's still no sign of a vessel.

I'm beginning to wonder

if the Borg are nothing more than rumor and sensor echoes.

Magnus?

We have to keep moving.

If we take the replicators offline, and run environmental systems at half power, we can go another 20 light-years before refueling.

We should refuel now.

The nearest dilithium is in an asteroid field just ten days from here.

That's ten days we can't afford to lose.

We're getting close.

If we stop now, we might as well just turn around and go home.

Home? To what?

We have deviated from our flight plan, crossed the Neutral Zone, disobeyed a direct order to return.

Our colleagues obviously think we are insane.

We have burned our bridges, Magnus.

[DOOR OPENING]

I can't sleep.

Come here.

Why can't Annika sleep?

The greatest scientific mystery of our time.

I have a hypothesis.

Her noisy parents are keeping her up.

Hmm.

Sounds plausible.

[CONSOLE BEEPS]

Triquantum waves, 600,000 kilometers off the port bow.

Subspace disruptions.

Field magnitude 2.9 teracochranes and rising.

Annika, bed.

ERIN: Power utilization curve is highly symmetric.

MAGNUS: Artificial source probability .98.

Now.

It's got to be a transwarp conduit.

Nothing else could generate these readings.

I'm taking us closer.

ERIN: It's a Borg cube,

2,000 kilometers starboard.

I've got a visual.

It's massive.

[CONSOLE BEEPS]

Twenty eight cubic kilometers, 129,000 life-forms on board.

[BEEP]

We're being scanned.

They haven't altered course.

This could prove our theory.

They ignore any life-form until they consider it a threat, or a target.

They're moving off.

Let's match their course and speed.

Keep a distance of five million kilometers.

CHAKOTAY: Seven of Nine to the Bridge.

[SIGHING]

On my way.

Have we been detected?

No, ma'am.

I have a visual. JANEWAY: On screen.

Magnify.

CHAKOTAY: Looks like they took a real beating.

JANEWAY: They could still pose a threat.

Let's not get too close.

Match their course and speed.

Keep a distance of ten million kilometers.

Aye, Captain. Seven, scan the vessel.

I want to know their current status.

Their weapons array is regenerating, but shields and transwarp drive are still offline.

How long until they have transwarp?

Approximately 72 hours.

We may not get this opportunity again, and I don't intend to miss it, whatever it takes.

Double shifts, 'round-the-clock simulations.

I want to be ready.

Bridge to away teams. You're six seconds behind schedule.

We are at the shield matrix. Stand by.

The primary shield generator, I've got it.

Spatial charges, here, there and there.

You've got 55 seconds.

Tuvok to Janeway. Charges set.

We are returning to the transport coordinates.

The transwarp coil is offline.

Tuvok, now.

TUVOK: Activate the charges.

Bridge, their shields are down.

Energize.

Tom?

I've got a lock.

CHAKOTAY: Target obtained.

You're out of time.

[ALARM SOUNDS]

[GASPS]

They've adapted.

This way.

Seven!

Bridge, stand by for transport.

Hurry!

Energize.

I've got them. Transporter Room 1.

Beam them out of here.

I can't get a lock.

They've adapted to our transport frequencies.

Computer, freeze program, both holodecks.

[SIGHS] What happened?

They tapped into our transporter beam.

Chakotay to Holodeck 2.

We got the transwarp coil,

but we also picked up some uninvited guests.

What was our time?

Two minutes, 12 seconds.

Twelve seconds too late.

Once we disable their sensor grid, we only have two minutes until it regenerates.

Did you run into any problems?

None.

We were efficient.

What if we try to beam directly into the transwarp chamber?

There's too much shielding.

Perhaps we could modify our transporters.

I've already explored that option.

It won't work.

Twelve seconds...might as well be an eternity.

The Hansens...they were able to remain inside a Borg cube for several hours without being detected.

How?

I'm not certain.

Well, keep investigating.

Yes, Captain.

We've run enough simulations for one day.

Let's work on refining our tactics.

Anything we can do to shave a few more seconds off our little heist.

Computer, end program.

I don't know about you, but I'm glad to be back on Voyager.

Borg vessels make my skin crawl.

It was a holodeck re-creation.

Close enough.

We've just spent the last three hours dodging drones.

It didn't bother you?

Your point?

You seemed a little nervous in there.

The last time I was on a Borg vessel,

I was a drone.

The re-creation was unsettling.

You were reluctant to look at your parents' research, and now I sense you're a little reluctant to go on this mission.

Maybe I'm pushing you too fast.

I'll adapt.

It's easier said than done.

It's been over two years since you came face-to-face with the collective.

Are you sure you're up to it?

I need everybody working at peak efficiency.

You doubt my ability to function?

No. I'm simply voicing my concerns.

They're unjustified.

I hope so, because the next time, we won't be on the holodeck.

Understood.

[DOOR OPENING]

Naomi Wildman.

I had a bad dream.

Can I stay with you for a while?

Where is your mother?

She's working in Engineering, and Neelix is on a duty shift.

Please? I won't bother you.

Very well.

It looked just like this.

What did?

In my dream.

There was Borg stuff everywhere.

Elaborate.

I went on the mission, the one my mom told me about, the Borg sphere... but it didn't work.

Everybody got assimilated.

Nightmares are caused by irrational fear.

They're not real.

They can't damage you.

Try to ignore it.

Mom said we're going to steal something.

A transwarp coil.

Will you be on the sphere?

Yes.

Are you scared?

We will succeed.

But what if you don't? What if they make you a drone again?

Naomi Wildman, you agreed not to bother me.

What's it like to be a drone? Does it hurt?

You will terminate this line of questioning.

Do the Borg have kids?

What do they look like?

Are they friendly?

Return to your quarters immediately.

Resistance is futile.

[WHIRRING, CLANKING]

Seven of Nine to Security.

Intruder alert.

BORG QUEEN: They can't hear you.

Who are you?

I am the Borg.

Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct

of Unimatrix Zero One, you've become weak.

This is a dream.

I'm regenerating.

It's not a dream.

We've accessed your neural transceiver.

Our thoughts are one.

We know about Voyager's plan to invade the sphere.

It will fail.

If that's true, then why haven't you assimilated them?

We've come to make you an offer.

Rejoin the collective and we'll spare Voyager.

Why me?

Because...you are unique.

MAGNUS: Field notes, USS Raven, Stardate 32629.4.

After three months of tracking our Borg cube,

the vessel entered a transwarp conduit.

We followed in its wake.

Our sensors tell us we've traveled all the way

to the Delta Quadrant, the Borg's native territory.

ERIN: Magnus, you're breaking up.

MAGNUS: It's just some bioelectric interference. Stand by.

Is that better?

Much.

How's Junior?

He took a real beating when that plasma conduit blew out.

He's regenerating.

Wait a minute. Something's happening.

Bill and Needle Fingers just arrived.

This is odd.

They're making repairs to Junior.

I thought drones from different subunits didn't interact.

Looks like we were wrong.

They deactivated him.

ERIN: Why?

Maybe he was too badly damaged.

They're dismantling him.

They must be salvaging the components.

Your biodampener is losing power.

It's time to come home.

I've got another minute or so. Stand by.

We may not get another chance to observe this behavior.

SEVEN OF NINE: It prevented the Borg from detecting them.

They referred to it as a biodampener.

The device creates a field around the body which simulates the physiometric conditions within a Borg vessel.

Camouflage.

Precisely.

We need four of these devices.

How soon can you replicate them?

I'll have to tailor each unit to its user's physiology.

A few hours at least.

Begin immediately.

I'll inform the Captain.

Ingenious design.

The Hansens were resourceful.

Sounds like you're warming up to your folks.

It was merely an observation.

This is an important stage of your social development, Seven.

Try not to think of it as simply a research project, but as an exploration of how you were raised.

My parents underestimated the collective.

They were destroyed.

Because of their arrogance, I was raised by Borg.

[PANTING]

JANEWAY: Captain's Log, supplemental.

Operation Fort Knox is ready to proceed.

All departments are standing by,

and I've given the order to begin at 0600 hours.

Coffee?

You look like you could use some.

No.

It's a human vice you might want to try one day.

Keeps you sharp.

One day.

I've been fine-tuning our game plan for tomorrow morning... and I've decided to reassign you to the Bridge.

Captain...

I'm concerned about Voyager's safety, and if the sphere decides to attack,

I'll need your expertise at tactical.

I should be on the away team.

B'Elanna will do just fine in your place.

You may encounter unexpected obstacles, force fields, encryption codes.

I'm the only member of this crew who can anticipate them.

You underestimate the rest of us?

And you underestimate the Borg.

This is more than just a question of tactics.

I'm concerned about your well-being... and your ability to perform on this mission.

Your concern is unwarranted.

Is it?

I'm not the only one who's worried about you.

Chakotay, Neelix, the Doctor, we've all noticed changes in your behavior.

You are preoccupied, agitated, and you're making mistakes.

Don't get me wrong.

I appreciate your efforts, and we couldn't have come this far without your help... but it's obviously taken its toll.

[SIGHING]: If I'd realized how those journals were going to affect you,

I never would have pushed you to read them, and I'm not about to ask you to face the collective in your present frame of mind.

The past several days have been difficult, but I must join the away team, and I assure you I will not make another mistake.

I've made my decision, Seven.

If I don't go, this mission will fail.

You sound awfully certain about that.

I know the Borg.

And I know you.

There's more to what you're saying. What's wrong?

Over the past two years, I have become familiar with the individuals on this vessel.

Voyager is my collective now.

Your survival is important to me.

I am willing to risk my own well-being, if it increases our chances of success.

Assign me to the away team... please.

Thank you.

Seven.

You've made remarkable progress as an individual... and as a member of this crew.

For what it's worth...

Voyager wouldn't be the same without you.

BORG: A vessel has been detected.

Unimatrix 424, grid 03.

Activate.

BORG: Vessel identified.

Federation Starfleet class-2 shuttlecraft.

Three life-forms.

The sphere's maintaining course.

Move the shuttle in closer.

PARIS: The Borg are still ignoring it.

[SIGHS]

Bridge to Transporter Room 2.

They're not taking the bait.

Shuttle status?

All systems go.

False bio-readings are holding steady.

How about a phaser shot across their bow?

Might grab their attention.

No. The shuttle would be perceived as a threat and they'd destroy it.

Commander, increase the energy output of the shuttle's warp profile.

That should present

a more inviting target.

[ALARM SOUNDING]

BORG: Warp signature detected.

Prepare for assimilation. Relevant technology.

Engage tractor pulse.

They've got it.

They're pulling it in... toward a docking port along the central radius.

500 meters...

200...

They're dropping shields. Energize.

They're in.

Biodampeners are stable.

They're as good as invisible.

The sphere?

TORRES: The shields are back up.

They're assimilating the shuttle.

Keep a sensor lock on the away team.

Maintain course.

BORG QUEEN: Never forget who you are.

JANEWAY: Seven...

[GASPS] Are you all right?

Proceed.

Primary shield generator, got it.

Spatial charges, here, there and there.

Tuvok to Janeway. Charges set.

Returning to transport coordinates.

The transwarp coil is offline.

Tuvok, now.

Activate the charges.

Their shields are down.

Lock onto the coil and energize.

CHAKOTAY: Target obtained.

BORG QUEEN: Seven of Nine...

Seven, keep moving!

No. I wish to stay.

I intend to rejoin the collective.

I can't let you do that.

You have no choice.

Keep moving. That's an order.

Go!

CHAKOTAY: Chakotay to away team.

The sphere has detected Voyager.

They've altered course to intercept, and they're charging weapons.

We've got to get you out of there now.

Four hundred thousand kilometers and closing.

Full power to weapons.

I'm not leaving without you.

Then you will be assimilated.

TUVOK: They can see us.

How?

I don't know.

Bridge, we're in position. Three to beam up.

CHAKOTAY: Three?

Energize!

Where's Seven?

She had a change of heart. Report.

The sphere's changing course.

They're retreating.

Their remaining transwarp coils are online.

Pursuit course.

Target their propulsion system.

They're gone, Captain.

[INHALES, EXHALES]

Welcome home.

You've changed.

Your exo-plating... your ocular implant.

They've taken you apart... and they've recreated you in their own image.

Hair...garments... but at the core, you are still mine.

The Borg have changed as well.

I expected reassimilation, not conversation.

I see they've also given you a sense of humor.

My humor is my own.

Spoken like a true individual.

The last two years must have been a remarkable experience.

You are unique.

My experience will add to your perfection.

Yes.

That is why you removed me from Voyager.

That is why we put you there in the first place.

You believe that Voyager liberated you from the collective.

Did you really think we would surrender you so easily?

Explain.

You must be tired.

It's time to regenerate.

We've adapted an alcove just for you.

Go. It will help order your thoughts.

When your cycle is complete, we will continue our conversation.

Comply.

CHAKOTAY: No sign of Borg activity.

We made a clean getaway.

The sphere?

It hasn't shown up on long-range sensors or subspace telemetry.

It could be anywhere in the Quadrant by now.

Launch a class-5 probe.

Scan for residual transwarp signatures.

Understood.

Why choose this moment to rejoin the collective?

Maybe she'd been planning it all along.

She's had any number of opportunities to leave before now.

But never direct access to a Borg vessel.

"I will betray you."

That's what she said two years ago when you disconnected her from the hive.

Two days ago, she told me

Voyager had become her collective.

NEELIX: Captain... we've cleared out most of the debris, but before we vaporize it,

I'd like to melt down the larger fragments and extract the polytrinic compounds.

Makes sense.

That leaves just one item,

Seven of Nine's alcove.

It requires a lot of power, over 30 megawatts.

Should I deactivate it?

No, leave it alone.

JANEWAY: Computer, isolate the sensor readings for time index 114.6.

Identify source.

COMPUTER: Random subspace energy fluctuations.

Isolate the sensor readings for time index 166.2. Source?

Random subspace energy fluctuations.

Computer, run a transpectral analysis on all subspace fluctuations.

[DOOR CHIMES] Yes?

A member of the crew has requested an appointment with the Captain.

I informed her that you were occupied, but she was insistent.

Whatever it is, I'm sure Commander Chakotay can handle...

Request granted. Send her in.

Permission to submit a proposal for your review.

Proposal?

It's a rescue operation for Seven of Nine.

Oh...

You created this plan all by yourself?

Yes, Ma'am.

You see, if we change our long-range sensors to Seven's cortical implant frequency, maybe we can find her.

The Delta Quadrant is a very big place, and Seven could be thousands of light-years from here.

What if we boosted our sensor range with power from the main deflector?

You've been spending too much time in Engineering.

I'm afraid it's not quite that simple, but thank you, crewman.

Your initiative is duly noted.

Captain?

You're not going to give up, are you?

There are three things to remember about being a Starship Captain, keep your shirt tucked in, go down with the ship...

[QUIETLY]: ...and never abandon a member of your crew.

[COMPUTER BEEPS]

COMPUTER: Transpectral analysis complete.

Take a look at this, Naomi.

What do you see?

Sensor logs.

JANEWAY: These aren't random energy fluctuations.

They're Borg com signals, and they were all directed at Cargo Bay 2.

You mean the Borg were talking to Seven of Nine?

It sure looks that way. Come on.

[MACHINES BUZZING, COMPUTER WHIRRING]

BORG QUEEN: Good morning.

My visual cortex... it's been altered.

We've enhanced it with Borg technology.

You've seen through human eyes long enough.

It's a neural processing adjunct... designed to increase your synaptic efficiency.

Remove it.

You prefer to remain small.

I prefer to remain unique.

Don't be afraid.

We won't turn you into a drone.

You're much too valuable to us with your individuality intact, but you've left humanity behind.

Try to abandon their petty emotions as well.

Fear...anger...vanity.

They've corrupted you... but the damage can be repaired.

You've expended significant resources to capture me.

Why?

Isn't it obvious?

You're going to help us assimilate humanity.

We failed in our first attempt to assimilate Earth, and we won't succeed the next time unless we understand the nature of their resistance.

We want you to be our eyes.

Let us see humanity.

While I was regenerating, you assimilated my memories.

Our thoughts are one.

Then you already possess all of my knowledge.

What more do you want?

You are the only Borg that has ever returned to a state of individuality.

We want to keep you exactly the way you are.

Otherwise, you would lose your human perspective.

We don't want another drone.

We want you.

I will resist.

I know.

What's happening?

Our vessel is disengaging from the Unicomplex.

We're setting a course for grid 532.

State our purpose.

Assimilation.

Our presence is not required, but I thought the experience would be... a rewarding one for you.

Species 10026.

How many life-forms?

Three hundred and ninety two thousand.

You're experiencing compassion, a human impulse.

You've forgotten what it means to be Borg.

Those lives will be added to our own.

MAGNUS: Field notes, USS Raven, supplemental.

It's been a busy week.

The cube linked with another Borg vessel

and received over 50,000 new drones.

We now begin the dangerous task of identifying the newcomers.

ERIN: Species 6961...

Ktarian.

Tritanium infrastructure.

He's a tactical drone.

Take a look at his proximity transceiver.

Let's check his previous designation.

Three of Five.

Tertiary Adjunct of...

Unimatrix One.

I want to keep an eye on this one.

Let's tag him.

Bring me the subdermal probe, will you?

Is he special?

Very special.

We think he used to work near the Borg queen.

If he ever goes back there... we'll be able to track him now.

Does the queen have a throne?

Nobody knows. ERIN: We think she's more like the queen of an insect colony.

She helps coordinate all the other drones.

[ALARM BUZZES]

His regeneration cycle's almost complete.

We better get him back.

Bye.

[CONSOLE BEEPING]

He's in his alcove. Nobody missed him.

Enough drones for one day.

Anybody hungry?

Me.

You two go ahead.

I want to read through his cranial transceiver logs, see if he was ever in direct contact with the queen.

Don't be long.

[♪♪♪]

CHAKOTAY: It turns out his hunch was right, the drone had been receiving direct commands from this... Borg queen.

I analyzed the com signals.

Look at the transpectral frequencies.

They match the ones that were sent to Seven.

What did the Hansens learn about this queen?

I'm afraid they never got a chance to find out.

One thing is certain, she contacted Seven of Nine, and the next day, Seven rejoined the Borg.

Obviously, she exerts some influence.

You think Seven was instructed to leave Voyager?

Instructed... coerced.

She insisted she join the away team.

She was adamant that if she didn't board that sphere, our mission would fail.

Sounds to me like she was being threatened.

My instincts told me she was holding something back, but I...

I didn't pursue it. I let her go.

If you hadn't, we might all be drones by now.

What's running through that collective mind of yours?

You've got thousands of species to choose from, billions of individuals.

Why Seven of Nine?

You should've assimilated us while you had the chance.

Captain?

I want you to keep analyzing the Hansens' database.

Compile a list of every technology they created to track the Borg.

Assemble a team of engineers to assist you.

If you're planning a rescue mission, that research will only take us so far.

Oh?

I've studied their log entries long enough to realize that as brilliant as the Hansens were, they made a fatal mistake.

They became overconfident.

We won't make the same mistake.

JANEWAY: This will be a long-range tactical rescue.

It could take days, even weeks, before we find our missing crewman.

Lieutenant Torres is equipping the Delta Flyer

with the transwarp coil.

It'll allow us to cover more territory.

An away team will take it into transwarp space,

where Tuvok believes we can track the sphere

that abducted Seven of Nine.

Thanks to the Hansens, we'll be

well-prepared for an encounter with the Borg.

Their multiadaptive shielding will make the Flyer

virtually invisible to Borg sensors,

and narrow-beam transporters

will allow us to penetrate the sphere.

Mr. Paris, you'll man the helm.

Commander Tuvok, tactical.

Doctor, there's no telling what condition

Seven will be in when we find her.

You'll come along.

Yes, Captain.

I'll be leading the away team.

The rest of you will remain on Voyager, and maintain position at the threshold of our transwarp conduit.

We may need tactical support when we return.

You'll be taking your orders from Commander Chakotay.

We'll be searching for one individual among thousands of drones...

But she's one of us... and I'm not about to let her go.

Let's get started.

All systems go.

We're ready for the jump.

Bring the coil online. Prepare for transwarp.

Power output fluctuating.

Compensating.

We're at critical velocity.

Engage, Mr. Paris.

Transwarp in four... three... two...

We've crossed the threshold.

Steady as she goes.

Doctor... are you all right?

Just a little motion sickness.

I'll need to adjust my matrix to accommodate for extreme velocity.

TUVOK: I'm detecting residual transwarp signatures.

They match the Borg sphere.

Adjust our course and follow it,

Mr. Paris.

I believe the Captain's order was "steady as she goes".

Full speed ahead.

We've arrived.

Are you ready?

I have familiarized myself with the species.

Tactical weakness?

Their vessels lack maneuverability.

Tactical strength?

They've developed a modulating phaser pulse that can penetrate our shields.

How do you propose we adapt?

You are the Borg. You tell me.

Thirty nine of their vessels are converging on our position.

They're firing weapons.

Our shields are failing.

We will be destroyed.

How do you propose we adapt?

Triaxillate our shield geometry to absorb their phaser pulses.

I was thinking the same thing.

Adaptation complete.

They're no longer a threat.

Go to the primary assimilation chamber.

You'll monitor the bio-extraction process.

You look reluctant.

Maybe I've been pushing you too quickly.

You can assist with the repairs to our shield matrix instead.

Seven of Nine... be efficient.

[DISTANT YELLING]

[YELLING CONTINUES]

[EXPLOSION]

[GRUNTING]

[GROANS]

[FEMALE SCREAMING]

[MALE SCREAMING]

[GASPS]

[MALE SCREAMING]

[LABORED BREATHING]

[SCREAMING]

Assist me.

I am not Borg.

I will help you escape.

Assist me.

I'm detecting one of your vessels.

It's heavily damaged.

The crew is dead.

The Borg are ignoring it.

Its propulsion system is still functioning.

I will transport you aboard.

Remain there until the Borg leave orbit.

Then set a course on a heading of 121 mark 9.

Do you understand?

[SCREAMING CONTINUES]

BORG QUEEN: Congratulations.

Regarding?

Assimilation is complete.

Three hundred thousand individuals have been transformed into drones.

Should they be congratulated as well?

They should be.

They've left behind their trivial, selfish lives, and they've been reborn with a greater purpose.

We've delivered them from chaos...into order.

Comforting words.

Use them next time instead of, "resistance is futile".

You may elicit a few volunteers.

You cling to sarcasm because you are afraid to see the truth.

Species 10026 is already adding to our perfection.

You can feel their distinctiveness coursing through us... enhancing us.

Stop resisting.

Take pleasure in this.

I will not take pleasure in the destruction of a race.

Human sentiment... compassion... guilt...empathy... they're irrelevant. Not to me.

"Me"?

There is no "me".

There is only "us".

One mind.

My thoughts are my own.

We've overlooked something, a ship... four life-forms.

They're trying to escape.

How do you suggest we proceed?

Destroy the vessel... or assimilate it?

Neither.

There are only four life-forms and the vessel is heavily damaged.

It would be an inefficient use of our resources.

We should ignore it.

In this case, our thoughts are not one.

If those individuals are allowed to survive,

Species 10026 will survive, and continue to resist us... but that's what you were hoping for, wasn't it?

You tried to mask their life signs... but I detected them.

Release the vessel.

I'm sorry this lesson has to be so painful for you, but you are a difficult pupil.

Abandon your human frailties.

They are the cause of your pain.

Let them go.

Please.

I thought compassion was irrelevant.

MAGNUS: Field notes, USS Raven, Stardate 32634.9.

The Raven was hit by a subspace particle storm.

We took heavy damage and our multiadaptive shielding

went offline for 13.2 seconds.

Unfortunately, it was long enough

for the Borg to perceive us as a threat.

I found something, a nebula.

Class?

Mutara. Distance: three light-years.

I'm setting a course.

The particle density's too high.

Our hull would breach.

We can reinforce structural integrity.

We'll find somewhere else to hide.

There's no time. It's been three hours, and the cube hasn't found us yet.

As long as we can keep masking our warp trail...

The entire collective knows about us by now.

They'll send more ships.

The nebula's too dangerous!

We've had close calls before.

This is no different.

Remember when the transporters failed?

And you had to spend the night in the maturation chamber with 52 neonatal drones?

[ALARM SOUNDING]

A transwarp conduit, 2.3 light-years starboard.

It's a cube heading right for us.

Time to intercept?

One hour, maybe less.

ANNIKA: Papa?

Be right there, Annika.

Start looking for an M-Class planet.

We'll abandon ship if we have to.

Hey.

Are we going to be assimilated?

Not if I can help it.

Go back to sleep.

Your mother and I have work to do.

Are the Borg mad at us?

No.

Then why are they chasing our ship?

They're curious about us... like we are about them, but don't worry.

We won't let them get too close.

I want to go home.

Soon.

Papa?

Will it hurt to be a drone?

Sleep.

DOCTOR: Captain.

Hmm?

I'd like to suggest a few modifications to the com array.

Yes?

I've been studying Seven's cranial schematics, and I've isolated the frequency of her interplexing beacon.

When we catch up with the sphere, we might be able to send her a brief message.

What if she's already been linked to the hive mind?

Every drone has its own translink signature.

Only Seven will be able to hear our message.

I'll give you a hand.

The Hansen diaries, not exactly light reading.

I've been poring over their last log entries for any details we might have missed.

I want to make sure history doesn't repeat itself.

They should have quit while they were ahead.

Ten million teraquads of data, three years in the wild.

They could have studied the Borg for another three decades, and still have barely scratched the surface.

I agree their methods were unorthodox, but that's been true of most great explorers.

Most explorers don't take their four-year-old daughter along for the ride.

We'll get her back, Doctor... with her parents' help.

[CONSOLE BEEPING]

Captain, I've got a fix on the sphere's location.

It's in a region about 200 light-years from here.

Red Alert. Bring the multi-adaptive shielding online.

Set a course for those coordinates, and prepare to disengage transwarp drive.

Report.

TUVOK: I'm detecting thousands of integrated substructures, trillions of life-forms... all Borg.

PARIS: There's a cube coming up fast off our port bow.

JANEWAY: Did they detect us?

I don't believe so.

Any sign of our sphere?

PARIS: Yes, ma'am.

Its ion signature leads directly to that...whatever it is.

JANEWAY: Take us in, Mr. Paris.

Minimum thrusters.

Begin scanning for Seven, Tuvok.

TUVOK: Aye, Captain.

BORG QUEEN: I have a task for you.

We're planning to deploy a new mode of assimilation, designed for highly resistant species.

I want you to program the nanoprobes.

Your technology has changed since I left the collective.

My knowledge is insufficient.

Your knowledge for the target species is invaluable.

Species 5618.

Human. Warp-capable.

Origin, Grid 325.

Physiology, inefficient.

Below-average cranial capacity.

Minimal redundant systems.

Limited regenerative abilities.

Our previous attempts to assimilate them were all direct assaults.

They failed, so we've created a more surreptitious strategy.

You intend to detonate a biogenic charge in Earth's atmosphere.

It would infect all life-forms with nanoprobe viruses.

Assimilation would be gradual.

By the time they realized what was happening, half their population would be drones.

Inefficient.

The virus would take years to proliferate.

We've waited this long.

Interface with the central alcove.

Begin programming the nanoprobes.

Be sure to enhance the viral sequencers.

You've been involved in hundreds of assimilations.

This is no different.

To you, perhaps.

Part of me is still human.

I will not assist in their destruction.

We all originated from lesser species.

I myself came from Species 125, but that's irrelevant now.

We are Borg.

I am an individual.

You're only repeating their words.

You sound like a mindless automaton.

Comply...or we will turn you into a drone.

Proceed if you wish.

You're torn between your desire to be one with us... and your loyalty to them.

It's time for you to complete your task.

All of your emotions, grief, guilt, remorse, compassion, will be irrelevant once humanity is assimilated.

Forget Voyager.

They were never your collective.

I am Annika Hansen, human.

I remember Annika.

Does she remember us?

She wasn't afraid.

Why are you?

You attacked us.

You murdered my family!

We did no such thing.

We gave them perfection.

Papa?

Your family's here.

You're here.

Be one with us again.

JANEWAY: Seven of Nine, we're searching for you.

Try to hang on.

Captain.

What did you say?

Nothing.

[GASPS]

Janeway.

Our transmission's being deflected.

By whom?

I'm not certain.

I've isolated Seven's position.

She's inside a large infrastructure, approximately 600 kilometers away.

Set a course, Mr. Paris.

She's close.

Her com signal originated within this spatial grid, but we can't detect her vessel.

He knows why.

Your father designed the technology

Captain Janeway's using, multiadaptive shielding, your perfect defense against the Borg, but we assimilated that knowledge, didn't we?

We will adapt easily.

[CONSOLE BEEPING]

A cube has altered course.

It's heading straight for us.

JANEWAY: They've detected us.

Remodulate the shields, evasive maneuvers.

It flew right past us.

We won't fool their sensors much longer.

Tuvok?

Seven is inside a large chamber.

Can you get a lock on her?

Not at this distance.

Take us to within transporter range.

We have their ship, a Federation shuttlecraft, three life-forms, one hologram.

If you've captured their vessel, you've assimilated them by now.

I would sense their presence in the collective.

Captain Janeway is eluding you.

The chamber is too heavily shielded.

I can't get a lock on her.

Can we beam into one of these adjoining corridors?

I believe so.

Time for the biodampeners.

Tom, hold our position.

Target that chamber with full weapons.

Stand by to fire on my command.

Ma'am, won't you be down there?

Do it.

This way.

Try to locate the shield matrix.

Tuvok?

I can disable the force field, but it will take several minutes.

Do it.

Tuvok, give me the subdermal probe.

BORG QUEEN: It's not too late to save them.

As you wish.

[ALARM BEEPING]

They've isolated our shields again.

Three vessels are converging.

I'm remodulating.

You underestimate them.

It's time for a more aggressive approach.

I thought they couldn't see us.

They can't. They're firing blind.

Wake him.

It's transmitting.

I've got it.

Field modulation is 324.95.

Proceed.

It's offline. You'll be detected.

Then I'd better hurry.

You've got to disable the shield matrix around that chamber.

It's no use.

They've locked on to our shield modulators.

They're adapting the second we change frequencies.

BORG: We are the Borg. You will be assimilated.

Resistance is futile.

You have failed them.

No. [GRUNTS]

We believed you would be an asset to us.

We were wrong.

You are weak.

JANEWAY: Don't listen to her, Seven.

She's irrelevant.

Call them off or I'll destroy you.

Your weapons are useless.

Don't be so sure.

My tactical officer is disabling the shields around this room.

Tom, status.

PARIS: We've targeted the chamber, Captain.

Let her go, or I'll give the order to fire.

You would be destroyed as well, along with your crewmen.

Better than being one of you.

Tom, high-yield torpedoes, full spread.

Fire on my command.

Captain, they've disengaged

the tractor.

Hold your fire. Beam us out of here.

PARIS: A dispersal field

just activated around the chamber you're in.

We can't get a lock.

Seven, shut down that field.

BORG QUEEN: Don't listen to her.

She's poisoned your thoughts long enough.

I'm giving you an order.

One order, one voice.

Insignificant.

Tom, energize.

She's adapting.

PARIS: The field went up again, Captain.

I can't beam you out.

You will assist the collective as drones.

Assimilate them.

SEVEN: Captain, target the power node directly above this alcove.

It will disrupt her command interface.

Our thoughts are one.

Welcome back.

Three vessels closing fast.

Direct hit to our tactical array.

Weapons are down.

Bring the coil on line.

Prepare for transwarp.

Tom?

Transwarp in four... three... two...

A vessel entered the conduit with us just before it closed.

They're targeting our engines.

Maintain course.

Direct hit on the port nacelle.

We're venting plasma.

Rerouting emergency power.

It's not enough.

I'll need 30 teradynes at least, or we'll lose transwarp.

How long to the rendezvous coordinates?

Two point four minutes, but we'll drop out of transwarp in less than one.

Reroute power from life support.

Captain?

I'd rather suffocate than vaporize. Do it.

[CONSOLE BEEPING]

I'm picking up transwarp signatures.

There's a conduit approaching...

30,000 kilometers off our port bow.

Battle stations.

We're 20 seconds from normal space.

The Borg vessel?

Still in pursuit, closing rapidly.

Fifteen seconds.

They're trying to lock on with a tractor beam.

Remodulate shields.

PARIS: Threshold in eight... seven...six...

They're locking on. PARIS: five...four...

I've repolarized the shields.

It's being deflected.

Three, two...

They're through.

Voyager to Delta Flyer. Report.

JANEWAY: We've got Seven,

but there's a Borg vessel right behind us.

B'Elanna, target the threshold perimeter.

Photon torpedoes, full spread.

Commander?

It should destabilize the matter stream and implode the conduit for at least a light-year.

Torpedoes locked.

Fire!

Voyager, report.

CHAKOTAY: We collapsed the conduit.

No sign of Borg activity.

Clear us for docking. We're coming home.

Commander, I'm picking up Borg signatures, lots of them.

Source?

The conduit.

I thought you collapsed it. So did I.

Stand by weapons. Captain,

raise shields, we've got company.

Here they come.

JANEWAY: Captain's Log, Stardate 52619.2.

We got another 20,000 light-years

out of the transwarp coil before it gave out.

I figure we're a good 15 years closer to home.

I see you picked up some bad habits.

Captain?

The Doctor told you to regenerate for at least two days.

You're violating a direct medical command.

I will comply when my work is completed.

Borg tactical data?

During my time at Unimatrix One,

I acquired a vast amount of knowledge.

It may prove useful in our future encounters with the Borg.

I am downloading it into Voyager's database.

The Borg believed I was unique, that I understood humanity.

They were obviously mistaken.

How so?

I betrayed the crew of Voyager, threatened you with assimilation.

I did not expect you to return for me.

Looks like you still have a few things to learn.

Time to regenerate.

When I am finished.

No.

Now.

That's an order.

Yes, Captain.

Sweet dreams.

[THEME MUSIC PLAYS]