“Is there anything you’d like me to have do while you’re gone?” I arch an eyebrow at her, attempting humor in the face of evil. “Carpets cleaned?”
A wry smile forms on her face. She’s beautiful…she smiles so little anymore. Her hand extends, over the console that separates our chairs. Small. Pale. Yet with more strength then anyone I’ve ever known. I take it, clasping the fingers within my own. We stand together. “Surprise me.”
Kathryn, please don’t do this.
She knows me too well; she knows what I want to say. Our hands are still clasped. It’s been so long since we’ve touched. It takes all my training and discipline not to gather her up in my arms, kiss her hair, do something…I look at her with what I hope is worry, but I know the feelings that run deep within me for her are coming out. It’s in my eyes. Dammit.
I should be doing this, not you. You don’t deserve to do this to yourself. Even if it is the Borg. At least I got through your thickheaded stubbornness to convince you that you weren’t going alone, by hell or high water you would take Tuvok and B’Elanna with you. True, it took threatening you with being removed from duty, but the result was the same. If Seven weren’t the only link we’d have to you Kathryn, it would have been her that went instead.
She walks off of the bridge, never breaking the eye contact as she leaves. I see the emotions that play across her face; the fear, and the determination. The determination to destroy the Borg at all costs. It’s not like before; it’s not vengeance, when she went after Ransom and his crew for the atrocities they’d committed. No, this is for a cause we all appreciate. Even those that aren’t on this ship.
Tuvok enters the turbolift after her, after a small glance that says volumes. He promises through his dark eyes that he’ll take care of her. I know he will. Friends like him don’t often come along. All right, I’ll admit that I hated him for finding out he was a spy that infiltrated my Maquis crew…but that seems so long ago. A different lifetime.
The doors close. She’s gone.
I’d argue with you if I could find a use for it. But would it have changed your mind, Kathryn? I doubt it.
Come back safely, Kathryn.
Maybe that’s what really worries me. Not that the plan itself might fail but that she’ll sacrifice herself to make it succeed. Or to make sure of the safety of Tuvok, and B’Elanna. That’s not a maybe, she’d do it if she had to, in an instant, and with no regrets.
On her part. But not on mine. Or theirs.
There’s nothing more to be said; we know what we have to do. If this virus works, then the Borg will be destroyed. Hopefully Kathryn won’t be as well.
It begins; our part is to provide cover for the small Delta Flyer while they get within transporter range. The cube is already firing on us, their weapons are far superior to ours, it’s a tactical cube after all…one rigged for fighting. It was the only cube in the area, and she wouldn’t wait around for another to pass by.
You never did anything the easy way, did you Kathryn?
Somehow I manage to keep my footing while ordering Tom to keep firing. He wants to bail out, to leave, but we have to stay. We have to. I’d have stayed throughout the entire thing if I knew it wouldn’t mean the lives of everyone on this ship and condemning them to a fate worse then death.
I know it’s too late, but…why in the hell did I ever agree to this in the first place?
The Delta Fyler explodes. My heart is in my ears and wracking my ribs even as I hear the doctor tell me that they’re inside, the transport was successful, they didn’t die needlessly in an explosion. Now the questions shift, from can they do this? to how long can we hold out? We’re all thinking it. Everyone’s thinking it. It’s in the air.
Come on, Kathryn, come on…just a bit more…I know you can do this. It hurts, but you can do this. If anyone can, you can.
Jolts are rocking the ship. We can’t take much more of a pounding. Our shields are collapsing. Consoles are exploding all over the bridge. Hopefully navigation remains in tact, at least enough to get us the hell away from that monstrosity gracing the screen.
“Their life signs are destabilizing!” The doctor is furiously checking the panels. My chest tightens. Every one of us that knew what was happening, even though we knew this was the desired result, didn’t like it one bit.
I’d say congratulations, Kathryn, but I don’t think they’re the right words right now.
“Ok, Tom, you can get us out of here.”
I feel the shift under my feet; the antigrav plating that tells me we’ve made the leap into warp even though the stars would have told me that as well, they’re already streaking in front of the viewscreen. Tom didn’t need me to tell him a second time. The cube isn’t pursuing us. They have what they wanted. And so does Kathryn. My hand steadies on Tom’s shoulder.
