Adam Allgood pianodrums@aol.com I have noticed that other authors post disclaimers before their stories. Here's one. Sailor Moon, and all related characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha, Bandai, Dic, etc. Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry, and all of it's related characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Any other characters were created by me. Star Trek: Sailor Moon Mutual Dilemma Chapter 7 Devon Huey brushed back his brown hair and slowly entered a building. It was his first day at Grass Valley Junior High school, and he was feeling a little nervous. He had just transferred to this school, and he knew no one. Upon entering the building, Devon quickened his pace. He put his hands into his pockets, and dried them. Why am I being so nervous? He thought. He continued down a long corridor that was flanked by doors. He occupied himself by counting down the numbers on the doors until he reached his own room. The odds were on the right, the evens were on the left. Devon's room number was three hundred and one. He looked to the right and counted. "Three hundred eleven... three hundred nine..." "Hello, Devon. The room is right over here." A tall woman, probably Devon's new teacher, beckoned to him. Devon blushed slightly, and walked towards the door. I guess the counting made me look stupid. He thought. He entered the room, and looked around. It was a typical classroom. On the far wall, there were four large rectangular windows that looked down on the courtyard three stories below. Most of the desks were occupied by students, but some vacant ones were spread almost evenly across the room. Devon moved toward the desk that was closest to the back. The students around him turned to look. "Hi, there! Aren't you the new student who was just transferred?" A tall brown haired girl had asked this question. "Yes...uh...hi." Devon stammered. He always stammered when unfamiliar girls spoke to him. "What is your name?" "I'm Devon. W-what is your name?" "I'm Clara. Its nice to meet you, Devon." "Thank you," Devon smiled. It never hurts to smile, even when you are scared. "L-likewise." The tall, brown haired girl smiled back, and then turned to her friends. Devon offered one more look in her direction, and then turned to look at the front of the room. Several moments later, the teacher reentered the classroom and motioned with her hand for silence. "Good morning," she began. "To start off, we have a new student here today. His name is Devon, and he just moved here from Osaka. I would like you to give him a warm welcome." The sleepy class muttered and mumbled words that faintly resembled "Hi." The teacher smiled, and reached into her folder. She pulled out her attendance sheet and began to call out roll. Devon matched each name with the student that called out. Everyone was present, except a girl named Mina. Devon noted the alphabetical seating arrangement, and discovered that the absent girl sat right in front of him. Devon shrugged and pulled out his notebook for the class. *** The five Sailor Scouts were missing school. However, none of them seemed to notice, or even care. Each one of their mothers were told that the scouts had spent a night at the temple. If the clever parents had any suspicions as to the validity of that claim, they were to be labeled astute. However, none of them would even be able to imagine where their daughters actually were. "This is amazing. This is absolutely amazing." Lita had been making such comments ever since the girls were transported aboard. The bald gentleman was taking them on a tour of the spaceship. After leaving the transporter room, the girls had visited places like an advanced hospital, (the Star Fleet captain called it "Sick-Bay") an arboretum, and the Engine Room. Now, the five-some entered a large room that was full of people in uniform. There were three colors. There were red uniforms, gold uniforms, and blue uniforms. Luna and Artemis followed the girls into the room. Commander Riker had convinced the captain to let the animals stay. The bearded gentleman had told his captain that these cats were "special." He didn't tell Picard why, however. That task he left to the scouts. Amy picked up her pad, and pressed a button. She was keeping a map of the entire ship. "We are at the very front of the ship, on deck number ten" the blue haired girl said. "That's why we call it Ten Forward." A new woman approached the girls. Unlike everyone else they had met, this woman was not in a uniform. She wore a purple tunic, and a very wide, triangular hat. "Hi there, and welcome to the Ten-Forward lounge." She said. "My name is Guinan. I understand that you girls are thousands of years old?" The five girls were surprised at the boldness of this woman. She carried herself like a woman that knew everything. Well, perhaps she did. Who knows? "Yes, we are." Mina responded to the question, even though the 'question' sounded more like a statement. "That is very fascinating. Would you care for a drink?" Serena immediately took this statement to heart, and stepped forward. Apparently, all of this mystery was distracting her from her loss. However, Rei did not move. Her eyes were fixed on the bold, but friendly hostess of the Enterprise. Even though Guinan was not facing Rei's direction, she seemed to 'feel' the eyes, because she turned and returned the stare. Rei suddenly snapped out of her trance. "A-a drink...sure!" Rei stammered, visibly embarrassed at being caught staring. Captain Picard smiled, and extended his arm towards the bar. "That concludes the tour of this ship." He said. "I would like to hold a meeting with you in an hour. Until then, you are free to enjoy the hospitalities of the Enterprise. "Captain," began Amy, timidly. "Is it possible to see the command section of your ship? Data called it the 'Bridge.' I would very much like to see that." "I'm sorry, but I cannot do that right now. However, you may be able to see it later." Captain Picard nodded, and left Ten-Forward. Luna immediately jumped into Rei's arms. Rei lowered her head to listen. The cat spoke softly, because she didn't want to attract more attention than they were already being rewarded with. A talking cat would probably raise an eyebrow or two. "What's wrong?" whispered the cat. "This hostess is giving off some strange vibes!" Raye whispered. "She is very different from everyone else on board. She is even stranger than the 'Kleengahn,' or whatever they called Worf." Raye stole a glance at Guinan, who was currently pouring drinks for Serena and Mina. "Is she evil? What is different?" "I don't know if she is evil or not, but she is very old." "She certainly doesn't look too old." "I know, but neither do we, and we're old. I'm telling you, she can easily be hundreds of years old." Raye stopped and looked around. Nobody appeared to notice the conversation that she had just had, but Guinan was affording her a glance. Raye moved to the bar. "That is a nice cat." Guinan said. Raye thought: I hope she didn't hear Luna talking! Guinan continued, oblivious to Raye's silence. "I had a cat once. He was black and yellow, with hair eighteen centimeters long!" Raye looked at the bizarre hostess. "What kind of cat was that?" "Well, I guess 'cat' wasn't the best term to describe him." Guinan smiled, and sat opposite to Raye. "Who are you? I mean, can you tell me about yourself?" Raye grew increasingly curious. "My people are listeners. By listening, we acquire vast amounts of information. All I can tell you is that I have been around for a while." Uh oh, she might have heard Luna and me! "Wow, that's fascinating. It's nice to meet you, Guinan." Raye smiled politely, and moved towards her four friends, who were all now slurping on drinks. Mina and Lita were laughing together about their recent experience with telling Captain Picard about Luna and Artemis. Commander Riker had left the job to them, and they performed it amicably. Never have they seen a poor man's face contort in such a manner! Amy had politely informed him of the cats' talents. The rational captain of the Enterprise was immediately skeptical. He requested proof, and he definitely received it! Luna's exact words were... "Good day, Captain. Is this all right for proof?" At that point, both of Picard's eyebrows shot up. His eyes widened to an alarming size, and his mouth dropped open. In a desperate attempt to keep his composure, the captain had begun to clear his throat loudly. His tugged on his uniform tunic, and muttered something like... "My word! You actually do talk!" Now Amy joined Lita and Mina in laughter. Raye watched this exchange with a neutral expression on her face. The incident was funny; actually, hilarious may have been a better term for it. However, Raye didn't feel like laughing. There was too much going on at the present time that was serious. She didn't know what to make of Guinan, except that she was not an ordinary person. Sooner or later, the scouts, and the Star Fleet officers would have to engage the Borg, a battle that Raye was not looking forward to. According to Riker, at least what he said at the meeting at the temple on Cherry Hill, the Borg had captured Tuxedo Mask in order to gain access to valuable information on the Sailor Scouts. This disturbed Raye. She could tell during the meeting that Luna was disturbed by this as well. Tuxedo Mask seemed to know just about everything on the scouts. However, this was not the only thing that upset Raye. Even though she no longer pursued Darien romantically-Darien was destined to be with Serena-she still harbored feelings for him. His abduction caused her pain that she would be extremely embarrassed to reveal to the other scouts, especially Serena. But Raye, the expert observer of her friends, could also see their pain for the loss of Tuxedo Mask. When they laughed, it wasn't with full force and abandon. Their normally animated gestures were kept to a minimum. However, they seemed to be at this moment all right with the situation. Raye then looked to the right of the laughing trio. Serena sat apart from her friends, and she looked absolutely drained. She nursed a glass of clear liquid, and occasionally took a sip. However, she never looked up and around, and she didn't laugh along with the others. Raye instinctively moved toward her friend. "Hi, Serena." It was a decent beginning, considering the amount of emotions pouring through each of their minds. "Hi." "I thought you would like some company, perhaps a friendly ear." Raye sat to the right of Serena, and smiled at her. It was a custom to try and cheer up the depressed with a smile. Raye, at this point in time, felt that she needed to be cheered up. But it was her way to consider others' feelings before her own, even if that person was a brat. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be dragging you down with me. You don't need to comfort me, go laugh with everyone." Serena looked up at Raye with moist blue eyes. She tried her best to smile, but a depressed non-frown was all that she could manage. "I'm fine." "Hey, Serena, I don't really feel like laughing either. Let's talk for a while. It'll make us both feel better." "All right." Serena exhaled loudly, but the sigh was inconsistent and jagged. "Raye, what do you suppose those monsters are doing to Darien? I can't sit here and imagine what terrible things are happening. I feel like we have to save him!" "We'll get that chance. However, we have to be ready for anything. I will not be one to coddle you Serena, so I'll tell you the truth." Mina shifted her weight on the stool. Lita, Amy, and she were trying to alleviate the seriousness of the situation by telling anecdotes. It seemed to be working, for some of them. Mina noticed Raye move over and begin a conversation with a depressed Serena. She felt a slight twinge of guilt. The emotional well-being of the scouts was a task that she usually attended to. When she saw herself laughing, when Serena was so sad, well, it just didn't seem right. Mina considered going over to join Raye, but soon decided against it. She noticed Raye grow suddenly more serious. Tears began to fall from Serena's eyes. Raye suddenly stood up and hugged Serena. The girl's long ponytails flailed outward as her tears gradually lessened. Mina correctly guessed that Raye probably told the girl about Tuxedo Mask's potential assimilation. "Feeling a little down?" The new voice to her left surprised Mina. She turned to see the unusual hostess to her left. "Yeah, just a little." Mina shifted her weight again, allowing her slim legs to fall. Her toes brushed against the ground. "Yes, I know the feeling. Losing someone you treasure can be very difficult; especially if he was taken away piece by piece, the way Tuxedo Mask was." "Wait, how do you know about this?" Mina regarded the reserved hostess with a quizzical expression. "I have special ways of obtaining information." "Raye told you?" "Perhaps." This response provoked an even more defined look of puzzlement on Mina's face. Why was this woman seemingly playing games? "Did she not?" "Actually, I didn't find out from your friend." "Then how did you know all of this?" "I just know." "Oh." Mina got a crazy idea into her head, that both amused and frightened her. Perhaps this strange bartender knew everything. It was a silly thought, but it fit the facts. "I was just speaking to your two feline friends. They are actually quite nice, but a little shy around strangers." Mina's silly thought became less silly. Luna and Artemis jumped up onto the bar. How did Guinan know that they spoke? "Who are you...really?" asked Mina, in a voice of incredulity. Roshalon of Borg moved with even steps through the bowels of the Borg sphere. Upon obtaining the necessary information regarding the five warrior-girls, actually called the Sailor Scouts, the Collective formulated a plan. Roshalon would definitely be used as a speaker for the Borg. The unit, according to the Borg's prediction and probability algorithm, would compromise serious resistance on the part of the Sailors, particularly the leader, Sailor Moon. Due to the former relationship with the human known as Darien, Sailor Moon posed little physical threat to Roshalon. However, before returning to the planet, the Borg Collective decided to assimilate the crews of the Federation Starships in orbit. However, there were some modifications needed on the unit called Roshalon. The unit seemed to periodically malfunction slightly. The commands from the Collective were interrupted by some unknown resistance. That would soon be irrelevant, because the Borg meant to eliminate any such resistance before the confrontations. The chime on the door to Picard's ready room chirped. "Come." Captain Picard was leafing through Commander Riker's mission reports, particularly where it pertained to the five mysterious girls. Actually, 'leafing' may not be an appropriate term, because all of the document was contained in a computer pad. The doors slid open, revealing the Bridge of the Enterprise. Five girls waited patiently outside the doors. Picard could see some of the young male ensigns at OPS admiring the scout's beauty. Upon realizing that the captain had seen them, they quickly looked back into their panels. "Please, come in." Picard motioned for the scouts to enter. He had five chairs laid out on the other side of his desk. Each girl took a chair quietly. Picard continued. "Welcome to the Bridge, Amy." The blue haired scout blushed slightly. "Thank you, sir." "I'm sure that you have been briefed on everything that has happened prior to our encounter." The scouts nodded. Picard continued. "Now, we have four Starships in orbit that are fully functional. The others are still undergoing major repairs. Let me tell you that this is probably not enough to defeat this sphere. It may be enough for all we know, but we really need your help to do this. Can I trust you?" The scouts nodded again in unison. Picard continued. "Please do not give me any reason not to trust you. On this ship, we are equipped with security devices that would prevent any attacks. I do not intend to say that we don't trust you, but we must be sure." Mina spoke up. "You can rely on us, sir." "I want you to know that you may disagree with some of my orders. I'm sorry to hear about your loss. However, I will take the safety of this ship, and this planet, and the other ships, before your friend. If I give the order to fire, we will do so without hesitation." This provoked a gasp from Serena. "I'm sorry, but in all truth, death would be better than continued existence as a Borg. We will make all efforts to save him, but I cannot guarantee success." Tears formed in Serena's eyes. Picard grew uncomfortable. It was so much easier to discuss things like this with his adult officers, not these, these children. "With all due respect, sir," began Lita. "I would like to attempt to rescue Tuxedo Mask before we go and kill him. If you don't want to risk your men on that ship, fine. But send us over there, because we won't let him go. He has saved us too many times for us to just give up on him." "But you'll be killed!" Why couldn't these girls see reason? Would they allow everyone of themselves die to save one man? "Sir, Tuxedo Mask has been assimilated by our enemies in the past." Amy chimed in with some ammunition that no other scout had even thought of. "While we were fighting the Negaverse intrusion into our universe, Darien was captured by Queen Beryl. He was under their control in a similar manner that he is probably under the Borg's control. We have a device that may deactivate the Borg's potential controlling implants." Amy indicated Serena's scepter. "Yes, that may work" said Picard. "Unfortunately, the Borg implants are wired to self-destruct if they are separated from the Collective. You have to find some way to reprogram the implants." Mina leaned forward in her chair. "Sir, weren't you assimilated by the Borg too? How did you escape?" "Data wired himself into the Borg Collective through my implants, and sent an order to the Borg Central Mind." Picard grimaced at the recollection of his own assimilation. "What was that order?" Mina asked. "Data sent the Collective into their regeneration mode. The units 'went to sleep.' Eventually, due to the fact that the regeneration was an error, the rerouting of power created a feedback loop that blasted the cube apart." "Great! Why can't we do that here?" Raye asked. "The Borg probably set up new command access codes for the regeneration commands. We couldn't possibly deactivate them in time." "Then what can we..." Mina was interrupted by a high pitched summons on Picard's console. The captain pressed a key on his computer, and said... "Picard here." "Bridge to Picard." The deep bass voice of Worf rose up from the computer. "The Borg sphere has moved to intercept us. They are closing fast." "Estimate time to intercept." Picard's face darkened, and the Sailor Scouts instinctively moved backwards in their seats. "Three minutes, sir." "I'm on my way!" Picard immediately stood up in his seat, straightened out his tunic front, and moved towards the exit of his Ready Room. The scouts stood up behind him, and followed him out. Picard swiftly traversed the distance to his command chair, and assumed his seat. Commander Riker jumped up to allow him to sit. Riker then took the seat to the right of his captain. The turbolift doors opened, revealing a woman in a low cut, purple Star Fleet uniform. She introduced herself as Deanna Troi, and assumed the chair to the left of Picard. Data, the gold faced android, moved over to the station at the front of the Bridge. The officer immediately stood up to let the robot/man sit. Things ran so smoothly on the Bridge, that one hundred things could occur in only ten seconds. The scouts then realized why Captain Picard did not like visitors on the Bridge. They disrupted the smoothness of the activity. Well, that was tough, because the scouts were not in the way, and they weren't leaving. Picard began to bark orders as soon as he sat down. "Status report, number one." "Enterprise at Red Alert condition, with shields raised. The other three operational Starships report Condition Red. Borg sphere closing; now at forty thousand kilometers." "Hail them, Worf." said the captain. "Sir, they are hailing us," said the Klingon. "On screen!" Everyone turned to the large screen at the front of the Bridge. The planet Earth swirled below them, and a small spherical object seemed to be taking a bite out of the decent view of the planet. This picture was replaced by a view of some kind of hall. The scouts could see back for meters. On both sides of the hall, standing next to each other, going off into the distance, were the cybernetic creatures that the scouts had engaged earlier. In their midst, walking slowly towards the viewer, each step causing a resonating clang, was a silhouette of a Borg. It slowly stepped forward, out of the shadows. Serena screamed and fell back, hands going to her mouth. Stray tears flew from her eyes, moistening the carpeting of the Bridge. She tried to speak, but no words escaped from her mouth; only incoherent sobs. Picard immediately regretted not having ordered the girls off the Bridge. It was too late now. Mina quickly moved to Serena's side. Serena quickly took another glance at the viewer, and cried again. "No! Oh no! I can't believe it, dear Darien, No!" Serena started to collapse because she was overcome with vertigo. Mina caught her, and Serena buried her face into the bend of her friend's arm. Muffled cries arose from her. The other scouts looked at each other, each one of their faces were wet too. They had tried to prepare for this moment, but nothing they had imagined could prepare them for what they saw on the viewer. Serena's arms, which were encircling Mina's back tightly, suddenly relaxed. The girl slipped down, and crumpled into a heap at Mina's feet. Mina's legs were wet from the tears that were on Serena's face as it rubbed against Mina's legs. The blonde haired girl stooped down and turned Serena over. She was unconscious. Mina leaned down, and unfastened the collar on her friend's shirt. She turned her over, so she was lying on her back. Picard called Sick Bay. "Medical team to the Bridge!" The Star Fleet officer, and his crew returned their attentions back to the view screen. The scouts were so horrified, that they couldn't look at it at all. Instead, they attended to their unconscious leader. Darien was on the viewer. Instead of his tuxedo, and his warm, human expression, the man on the screen was wearing a black tunic, and a cold, glassy, inhuman expression. The flesh on his face was as white as death, except for some areas near the temples, which had a green tint to them. Only one eye was visible, because the other one was encased by a red lens that gave him a fiendish look. Most of Darien's beautiful black hair was gone, replaced by machinery that fit over his head. A red laser beam lanced out from the side of his head, and his cheek was swollen, because a large tube protruded from it. When the man spoke, it was with an inhuman, cold, metallic voice. The voice of Darien was chorused by hundreds of other voices, or so it seemed. None of the other Borgs' mouths moved, as they had before. Darien spoke. "I am Roshalon, Roshalon of Borg." The laser beam crossed the viewer, blinding the crew temporarily. The intake of breath from the Star Fleet officers was joined with the gasps of the scouts. "Your life, as it has been, is over. From this time forward, you will service us." Roshalon's face filled the viewscreen. Raye stepped forward, outstretching her arms. "Darien, don't you remember? It's me, Raye!" "Raye, human species. Transforms into the warrior Sailor Mars. We had not anticipated this premature alliance with Star Fleet. That is irrelevant. You too will be assimilated." Roshalon cocked his head to one side, a protruding device on his head twirling in response to newly acquired information. "But I do not want to be assimilated, Darien." "What you want is irrelevant. Darien is irrelevant. Your technology is insufficient to withstand us. You will disarm all of your weapons systems, and escort us to the planet's surface where we will begin assimilating your culture, and your people. If you attempt to intervene, we will destroy you!" "Our technology is sufficient to destroy you!" Picard shouted at Roshalon. "You will never succeed!" "Locutus of Borg," said Roshalon. "Your unit is not functioning. We will reincorporate you into the Collective." "That day will never come! Worf, fire!" The four girls immediately protested. "No! We have to save him!" "He'll die!" "Don't shoot! We can still save him!" "Darien is in there! Let us..." Worf hit the firing key on his pad. The girls watched in horror as a large glowing bomb burst forth from the Enterprise. It closed the gap between it and the sphere in seconds, exploding on impact. The blast covered the entire sphere, blocking the vision of the scouts and the officers. The sphere pushed through the shockwave undamaged. Picard turned to the four girls, a look of anger on his face. "Never question my orders, or you will be off my bridge before you can open your mouths, clear?" The scouts looked at the captain with a look of contempt. They didn't say a word. They didn't have to. Suddenly, a blue beam of light shot out from the sphere. It crashed into the shields, creating a brilliant light display. "Borg attempting to lock on with their tractor beam!" called Worf from the tactical station. "Shields are being drained. Ninety percent...eighty!" "Modulate shield frequencies, and fire forward phasers!" Picard turned back to where the four girls were standing. "Brace yourselves, this is going to get rough!" Raye and Lita sat down on the floor. Amy grabbed the nearest panel to her. Mina knelt down beside Serena, and held the girl's limp form still. "Fifty...forty!" Worf punched the controls. Red beams of light, similar to the phaser-gun beams that the Star Fleet officers used, intercepted the sphere right on the source of the tractor beam. "Thirty!" The turbolift doors opened, and four Star Fleet officers clad in blue jumped out. The leader, a woman with red hair, carried a box with a symbol of a staff encircled with snakes; obviously a medical team. The red haired woman, the scouts recalled her name as "Doctor Crusher," was followed by a woman with large, pointed ears. The alien doctor was followed by another woman, an oriental. The forth, a man, carried a stretcher. They moved to where Serena and Mina were. "Shields have failed!" Worf called out. Suddenly, the blue beam cut through the resistance and smashed headlong into the ship. The scouts were suddenly pitched backward by a tremendous impact. The ground beneath them shuddered, as the viewer showed the sphere growing larger and larger. The scouts realized that the sphere wasn't coming towards them, they were being pulled towards it. "Engines on full reverse! We can't fire with our shields down until we get at least fifty kilometers away! The other ships can't fire without destroying us also!" Picard gripped the armrests of his chair, and angled it slightly to the right. The howling of the engines could be heard over the roar of the trembling deck. Meanwhile, Doctor Crusher tended to the limp form of Serena. "She appears to have just fainted from the trauma." the doctor said. "I'll administer a slight dose of medication to stabilize her." She removed a long instrument from her box. It was angled at the top, and it tapered to a point. The doctor placed the point on Serena's neck, and pressed a button. There was a sound of hissing air. Suddenly, the deck pitched downward, and the artificial gravity fluctuated, giving everyone a sudden sensation of falling. Doctor Crusher quickly retreated to a safe hand hold. "The Borg are firing!" Worf called out. A green, extremely thin beam of energy erupted from the center of the sphere. It collided with the Enterprise, and the results were disastrous. Crewmen were blown from their stations, and crashed against the far wall. An awakening, but still dazed Serena began to slide towards the new center of gravity. Mina immediately pressed herself on Serena, and held her still. Raye was thrown to the ground. Ever since the battle began, she had been intently watching the crewman that occupied the weapons control. She was carefully memorizing the control panel, even though the words were in English. She quickly discovered that the locking mechanism for the weapons was displayed by a graphic. It was just like a video game! The key that was colored in red was depressed every time the captain ordered phaser fire. Raye sounded out the English before losing her balance. "Ph (oh yeah! That weird p+h=f rule!) Faiser...Faizer, ah! Phaser." The other word was simple, and Raye already knew its meaning: "Control." Raye felt that she could use those controls. Amy was caught completely off guard when the panel that she was leaning on exploded. She released her handhold, and was immediately ejected from her seat. Luckily, Lita broke Amy's fall. Lucky for Amy, that is. Both girls crashed and rolled, and Amy ended up lying full length on top of Lita. "Ouch! Get off of me!" cried Lita. Amy pulled herself up and stared at the sizzling panel that once served as her handhold. Data, who was manning the OPS panel next to weapons control, suddenly turned in his seat. "Ensign! You must get away from that panel immediately! A fuel conduit is about to..." The seat under the crewman exploded, and the poor ensign was ejected, and thrown forward. His limp body crashed into the viewer, and lay still. Doctor Crusher and her med.-team quickly ran to him. "We need a stretcher here on the double!" cried the doctor. The other members of the med.-team quickly went to work. No replacement was moving to the vacant weapons control panel. "Somebody man the weapons!" called Picard. Nobody was coming to the job. "Who is on duty?" Raye instinctively moved to the panel, and took a seat. Picard looked at her incredulously. "You can't possibly man that station!" "I've learned the controls, sir!" There was no time to argue. "Fine! When we reach fifty kilometers from the sphere, I need you to blast them away! Don't hesitate because of your friend, is that clear?" "Very, sir." The Enterprise struggled against the force that was drawing them in. Suddenly, the ship shuddered and vibrated in a totally new fashion. "Report!" said Picard. "A new tractor beam has locked onto us! It is attempting to pull us away from the sphere!" "What?" "A Star Fleet ship is trying to pull us away!" It was a cosmic game of tug-of-war. Two beams of energy met upon a single metal hull, and threatened to tear it apart. Fortunately, the hull broke the stalemate by favoring the new beam, and the Enterprise inched away from the sphere. "Forty-eight kilometers from the sphere, and increasing." said Worf. The cutting beam activated again. This time, it moved over the Stardrive section, in an attempt to deactivate the resisting engines of the Enterprise. There was a thunderous explosion. "Warning...Outer hull breach. Decompression danger on decks thirty-six through forty." The female voice of the computer added its imput to the already tense situation on the Bridge. "Evacuate those decks!" cried Picard. "Forty-nine kilometers from the sphere, and increasing." said Worf. Loud voices and shouts began to fill the comm channel as the engineers rushed to evacuate Engineering. The isolation doors began to drop, threatening to trap people who didn't escape. "Divert engine power to the aft shields!" said Picard. "Hopefully, our inertia will carry us the rest of the way." The Enterprise cut her engines to strengthen her hide. The Borg's stinger was getting too painful. As if in response, a second Star Fleet tractor beam joined the first. "Fifty kilometers from the Borg sphere, Captain!" "Target the source of that beam, and fire!" cried the captain. Raye took the joystick like device and adjusted her aim. She pressed the red key. Phaser beams lanced out from the Enterprise, and struck the Borg in the mouth. The other Fleet vessels closed in, joining the Enterprise's fire. Five solid red beams hit home. There was a large explosion, and the Enterprise was free! Devon Huey concentrated on the Algebra lesson. The teacher was discussing conic sections, and higher degree functions of x. He basically understood the lesson, but he wasn't sure how to plot the foci of a hyperbola. Suddenly, the class was interrupted by a loud siren. It wasn't the usual fire drill bleat. Suddenly, the class grew fearful. They looked into the sky. Bright flashes of light, and moving objects could be seen. The teacher dismissed the class, and the students ran to the bottom level of the school for shelter. It almost looked like there would be an air raid, but who would want to attack Japan? Devon followed the students out the door. "Reroute power back to the engines, and take us out of here at warp nine!" ordered Picard. "Course, captain?" Data asked. If a Starship went to warp without a course set, especially in a solar system, (actually, you're not supposed to move at warp in a solar system) the results could be devastating. "Set a course for Sol, Data, and engage!" "Captain, the sun? How will we sur..." "Engage, Data!" Data pressed the engage key. The Enterprise leapt away from Earth at superluminal speeds, driving towards the Sun. "Captain. we will enter the corona in twelve seconds!" "Data, set shield parameters to conform to the experimental multiphasic setting, and take us into the corona." Data complied. The viewer showed the bright sun growing closer and closer. The scouts screamed as the ship plunged into the corona. "All stop, captain." Data announced. "Hull temperature at four thousand degrees Kelvin." "Very good, Data. Let's see if the Borg can follow us in." Picard allowed a smile. Any defeat against the Borg was worth a smile or two. Roshalon was quite surprised. Actually, surprised may not be an accurate term for it. Emotions are irrelevant. The Borg adapt to new situations, and attack. It was that simple. The Star Fleet vessels' resistance proved to be greater than anticipated. When the Enterprise flees the corona of Sol, the Borg would disable the engines. Scouts will be beamed aboard for immediate assimilation of the crews. Roshalon will be beamed aboard the Enterprise to neutralize the Sailor Scouts' resistance. For some reason, it was difficult to adapt to their unusual weaponry. However, the leader, Serena a.k.a. Sailor Moon, lost consciousness at the very sight of the unit Roshalon, so the Borg were confident that victory would be theirs. Roshalon moved into the Collective center of the Borg sphere. (the 'abyss') He overlooked the Collective. Almost two seconds later, a hand rested on his shoulder. He turned to see his queen, the Borg, smiling at him. She took him by the arm, and led him towards another section of the ship. The Borg were running low on units, and required propagation. Roshalon, who was completely submissive, followed his queen. However, the unit's mouth suddenly grimaced, and it mouthed a word: Serena.