Atonement

by Kirsten Beyer

  “Voyager destroyed the Borg’s transwarp hub as stated. Like you, Rigger Meeml, we feared the Borg. We risked our lives and our ship in an effort to limit their ability to expand their network of transwarp tunnels and to continue assimilating innocent people throughout the entire galaxy. We were never, however, as Mister Prilch suggested, in a state of détente. Every time we met the Borg, the choice was to either destroy them or be assimilated.

  “There is one other extremely significant fact Mister Prilch somehow forgot to mention. A few years after we destroyed that hub, the Borg amassed an armada of thousands of vessels. Using previously undetected subspace tunnels, they entered the Alpha Quadrant. They did not come to assimilate. They came to annihilate. They attacked dozens of planets, destroying many of them. The Federation was engaged in an existential struggle. There was no doubt that the Borg were intent on wiping out every living being. Had we failed, the Borg would now control vast areas of the Alpha, Beta, and Delta Quadrants.

  “We did not fail, nor did we destroy the Borg. During the invasion, one of our vessels, the Titan, discovered an ancient civilization and a species that called themselves the Caeliar. They were catomic beings, effectively immortal, and had evolved to a point where they were composed entirely of programmable matter. They existed in a gestalt, a shared communal reality where all were one while absolutely retaining their individuality. Through that encounter, Starfleet learned that the Caeliar had unwittingly spawned the Borg thousands of years earlier. That act had been accidental, but also a result of a contact between the Caeliar and the Federation’s forerunner, over two hundred years ago. In a way, our ancestors were as responsible for the existence of the Borg as the Caeliar. The first Borg, created on a distant planet deep in the Delta Quadrant, were hybrid life-forms born when a single Caeliar, near death, effectively merged with an officer of the United Earth Starfleet in order to sustain its existence.

  “Despite the Caeliar’s intensely xenophobic nature, one of our captured Starfleet officers, Captain Erika Hernandez, worked tirelessly to help the Caeliar understand their greater responsibility to the universe in regards to the Borg. Ultimately the Caeliar chose to use their technology, which was advanced beyond the Federation’s, to transform the Borg. They were able to make contact with the entity that had always been at the heart of the Collective, the essence that was incarnated countless times as the Borg Queen. They were able to contain her and, once her control of the Collective was severed, welcomed all of the Borg into their gestalt.

  “The Borg were not destroyed. They evolved. They became Caeliar. The Federation witnessed that moment. We were essential in bringing it to pass. But we were not its instigators. And in the days between the beginning of the Invasion and that moment, the Federation lost sixty-three billion citizens, several planets, and hundreds of vessels.

  “Once it was done, the Caeliar advised us that they intended to pursue what they called their ‘great work’ beyond the borders of our galaxy.

  “The fleet I command has returned to the Delta Quadrant with many objectives, but the primary one has been to confirm that the Caeliar and the Borg are truly gone. Although there is much territory left to be explored, everything we have seen thus far leads us to believe that they are.”

  Janeway paused to check the faces of the panel members. For once, even Emem was at a loss for words.

  Finally Rigger Meeml found his voice. “If what you say is true, my people, all people of this quadrant, are in debt to your Federation and these Caeliar.”

  “Everything I have said will be confirmed by the logs that should have been transmitted to you by now,” Janeway assured him.

  “We look forward to reviewing them,” Meeml noted.

  FIFTH SHUDKA

  “Sixty-three billion?” Cin asked softly.

  “Yes, Presider,” Chakotay replied. He then removed a padd from his jacket pocket and offered it to her. “I anticipated Admiral Janeway’s intentions. This padd contains all of the fleet’s reports and logs on the Caeliar.”

  Cin accepted the padd hesitantly, almost as if she feared to touch it.

  “Are you still willing to allow this trial to continue?” he demanded.

  Admiral Janeway began to speak again, and Cin returned her eyes to the screen, her golden skin paling visibly.

  MANTICLE

  Admiral Janeway’s words had produced the exact effect she had intended. The Neyser essences masquerading as Kashyk, Odala, Veelo, and Dhina appeared stricken, while Rigger Meeml’s eyes held a new respect for her. He had likely been co-opted like the others, but something in him, a distinct lack of animus, suggested that he might not.

  Thus far, her plan seemed to be working, but the riskiest part was still to come.

  “If I may continue to beg the panel’s patience, there is one other critical piece of intelligence I believe the Kinara and the Confederacy should learn before any verdict is rendered,” Janeway said, again addressing herself to Meeml.

  “Rigger Meeml,” Kashyk interjected. “This is nothing but an attempt on the admiral’s part to stall for time. She is toying with this panel, and it will end now.”

  Meeml fixed his silver eyes on Kashyk, clearly offended. “We are each permitted to question the admiral,” he said pointedly.

  “What is your specific question?” Kashyk asked, his unflappable courtesy straining.

  Meeml settled his eyes on Janeway again. “What other critical intelligence would you share with us, Admiral?”

  Kashyk seemed ready to protest further, but Janeway rushed into the opening Meeml had provided. “Thank you again, Rigger Meeml. The intelligence of which I speak is more recent than the Borg Invasion. Almost as soon as the fleet I now command returned to the Delta Quadrant to begin its explorations, they encountered a cooperative collection of species known as the Indign.”

  “Like the Borg?” Meeml asked.

  “No,” Janeway replied. “The Indign were composed of six distinct species, one of which was humanoid, called the Neyser. Each Neyser functioned in coexistence with the five other species. They communicated telepathically and over time had developed a deep reverence for the Borg. Unlike most civilized species, they did not recognize the threat the Borg posed. They believed the Borg’s collective existence was the pinnacle of sentient achievement.

  “They were an aggressive species when it came to defending their territory. They sought to please the Borg in all they did, hoping to one day be worthy of assimilation. Most of their technology, however, was not on par with ours, or yours, if my analysis of our recent battle is correct.

  “They did possess, however, one unusual weapon. They sent it to Voyager, hoping that it would destroy the ship. It has taken some time, but it is possible that the Indign are about to succeed.”

  “I don’t understand,” Meeml said. “What sort of weapon was it?”

  “It was a canister that contained the consciousness of an ancient Neyser.”

  “Rigger Meeml,” Kashyk interjected. “If you insist upon listening to the ramblings of a desperate woman, I will indulge you, but this tribunal will stand in recess until the admiral agrees to either directly address the charges against her or any panelist offers a question specifically related to those charges.”

  “Inspector—” Meeml began.

  “The transmission will be terminated until the recess has concluded,” Kashyk ordered.

  VESTA

  At some point during Admiral Janeway’s remarks, both Captain Farkas and Doctor Sal had risen to their feet. They stood side by side, arms crossed over their chests, watching in fascinated dread as Janeway slowly began to turn the tables on her accusers.

  The moment the word Indign had fallen from her lips, Farkas realized that the admiral’s plan was far more ambitious than any of her fellow officers had suspected.

  It was also far more likely to result in Janeway’s death.

  “Excuse me, El’nor,” Farkas said softly, and moved swiftly toward the door.

  As soon
as she entered the bridge she heard “Kashyk” ordering the termination of the transmission. His face loomed large on the main viewscreen, and immediately after the order had been given, the image began to flicker.

  “Jepel!” Farkas bellowed.

  “One moment, Captain.”

  It felt like an eternity, but seconds later, the image stabilized.

  “Mister Roach, take us to red alert, extend our shields around Voyager, and order the Galen to stand ready.”

  “Aye, Captain,” her first officer replied.

  FIFTH SHUDKA

  “Why has the transmission resumed so quickly? And who are the Indign?” Cin demanded of Chakotay.

  Now that he truly understood Kathryn’s strategy, Chakotay was both shocked and impressed. He’d been right that she intended to use the truth as her weapon. He just hadn’t figured on the size of the weapon she’d selected.

  “My people are keeping the channel open, Presider. We suspected that the Kinara would be unwilling to share all of the proceedings with the Confederacy, but we wanted to make sure that you and the rest of the Kinara didn’t miss a moment of it.”

  “An interesting precaution,” Cin noted.

  His thoughts now racing to keep abreast of what was about to devolve into a highly unstable situation, Chakotay said, “Presider, I already know the story Admiral Janeway is about to tell. It is my belief that once she’s done, your interest in maintaining the cease-fire will have vanished, and if you do intend to attempt to rescue the admiral, you’re going to have to move quickly.”

  “Captain Chakotay, I sincerely apologize for the actions of my first consul that led to the admiral’s capture. I have ordered General Mattings to marshal every resource at our disposal to make this right. Over the past ten hours, a hundred CIF vessels have entered the area under cloak of our protectors. Thirty are in position to move immediately on the Scion. Another ten have surrounded your Federation vessels and will defend them to the death. The others stand ready to destroy the remaining nine Kinara vessels. The Third Calvert, now under the general’s command, will take point in the operation intended to board the Manticle and retrieve your admiral and her security officers.”

  Chakotay released a deep sigh of relief.

  “That should work,” he conceded.

  MANTICLE

  “I don’t give a fij who hears the rest of her story, Inspector,” Meeml said, “but I intend to listen to every word of it.”

  Kashyk looked to Odala, and only when she nodded slightly did Janeway continue.

  “At the time of our encounter, the Indign possessed eight of these canisters: eight separate individuals. It is our understanding from the Neyser, who later provided us all of the intelligence we have on ‘The Eight,’ that these individuals had, long ago, attempted to secure immortality for themselves. They were capable of transferring their consciousness from one person to another, and once a transfer was complete, they effectively controlled that individual. They could not be killed. The threat they posed to ancient Neyser society was so great that they were captured and incarcerated for what was meant to be eternity.

  “The entity that was sent to Voyager was unintentionally released and took control of a hologram, a medic in our sickbay. Her name was Meegan McDonnell. Because she is a hologram, she has the ability to change her appearance at will. Initially, the entity that possessed Meegan pretended to offer Voyager’s crew assistance. She claimed that her only purpose was to facilitate communication between the crew and the Indign. She then proceeded to steal one of our shuttles, retrieve the other seven canisters that the Neyser held, and depart the area.

  “We were unable to follow her, but for the last several months, we have searched for any clue that might guide us to her. I believe we have finally found her.”

  “Where?” Meeml asked.

  “Here,” Janeway said, casting her eyes over the rest of the panel. Kashyk’s face had paled. Dhina’s and Veelo’s eyes darted between one another and Kashyk’s. Odala, on the other hand, seemed completely composed, amused even. Her eyes held Janeway’s, almost daring her to continue.

  “Can you prove this?”

  “For now, my only evidence is circumstantial. But there are other simple scans my people and probably yours can perform that would confirm my suspicions. The foundation for these suspicions is quite solid and based largely upon the presence of the Vaadwaur, Turei, Devore, and Voth among your Kinara.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was surprised to learn that the Vaadwaur and the Turei had become allies,” Janeway went on. “The enmity that existed between them was so old and so deep, there was nothing I or my people could do to mend it when we first encountered them. Indeed, as the record shows, I intentionally exploited it to ensure my ship’s survival. Both species displayed unwarranted hostility toward us, but their hatred for one another was the only thing that could surpass their desire to take my ship and kill my crew. There was nothing I could imagine that would have convinced them to become allies with one another, let alone any other species.

  “The Devore, likewise, were an intensely aggressive species, hostile to outsiders, particularly those that did not share their disdain for telepaths. They did not form alliances. They conquered. They, too, were an unlikely candidate for joining your Kinara.

  “None of these species, apart from the Vaadwaur, had any immediate designs on expanding their territory. They had more than enough to deal with to sustain their current holdings. The only thing they had in common was a bad first contact with the Federation through Voyager. To find them here defied explanation until several of my officers reported significant concerns to me.

  “Some of the species that are part of the Federation are telepathic and empathic. Several serve the fleet. They have detected what they call ‘divided minds’ within Inspector Kashyk and, quite likely, several of the others present here.

  “If Meegan successfully released other Neyser into the bodies of high-level Devore, Vaadwaur, and Turei officers, and baited those they led with the opportunity to exact revenge on the Federation, that could easily account for their presence here. Even the Voth did not seem to hold lesser species in high enough regard to consider alliances. Nothing short of intervention like I have described could have brought them here.”

  For the first time, Janeway saw fear on Rigger Meeml’s face. Whether it was for himself, or of the others, she could not say.

  “This is absurd,” Kashyk finally blurted out. “This is nothing more than a blatant effort by the prisoner to divide her accusers.”

  “No,” Janeway said softly. “This is an opportunity. Technically, the holographic matrix that ‘Meegan’ now possesses is Federation property. It is very advanced and not something we can allow to be exploited by others.

  “You may execute me. But the Federation fleet will be obliged to continue engaging the Kinara in negotiations, or battle, until that technology is returned to us, or we are certain of its destruction.

  “The Kinara has indicated that they have long-standing grievances against the Confederacy. The presider of the Confederacy has already stated that she is willing to negotiate with you to put an end to the conflict that has beset this region for years and to grant you access to the streams the Confederacy now controls. The Kinara’s newer members, the Turei, the Voth, the Devore, and the Vaadwaur, may share the same goal, but my suspicion is they have other motives for joining this alliance and, whatever they are, could complicate your agenda.”

  Janeway turned again to Odala. Unlike Kashyk, Dhina, and Veelo, she remained completely calm. “It would be easy to allow this situation to dissolve into further conflict and loss of life. We could fight one another to the bitter end. We could allow transgressions from the past on all sides to blind us to the possibilities of a better future.

  “But that is not the only potential outcome. The Federation’s highest goal is the peaceful coexistence of all sentient spacefaring races. Anything we can do to facilitate this, any diplo
matic aid we may offer, we stand ready to give. We are not here to conquer, to coerce, or to annex territory. We are here to explore and to learn.

  “Please, let us help you.”

  FIFTH SHUDKA

  “Is this true?” Presider Cin demanded of Captain Chakotay.

  “Yes, Presider,” he replied. “It has been confirmed by reports of two of our telepathic and empathic officers. It is the most logical explanation for the presence of the Vaadwaur, Turei, Devore, and Voth among the Kinara. The only thing these four species have in common is their shared mistrust of the Federation.

  “The Neyser entity that possessed our hologram was thousands of years old. When she found herself alone in unfamiliar territory, she used the only data at her disposal to cobble together a group of some of the most powerful species in the quadrant. She might have been able to sway a single one to her cause if her diplomatic skills were sharp enough, but the only way all four would join her efforts is if she took control of at least one high-ranking official among them.”

  “But if she is a hologram, how can she survive or exist outside of one of your holodecks?”

  “A long time ago, we acquired an extremely advanced piece of technology that can contain and project an entire holographic matrix. That technology was duplicated and is at the heart of her program.”

  “Which one is she?” Cin asked.

  “We believe the entity we refer to as ‘Meegan’ is currently projecting herself as the Voth minister. This suggests she probably had to kill the real Minister Odala, and it is likely the Voth aren’t even aware of it.”

  Chakotay looked back to the screen to see Kashyk raise a weapon and point it toward Meeml before the transmission began to distort as if suddenly jammed.

  Cin did not waste another moment before activating her comm system. “General Mattings,” she ordered, “disperse your protectors. Your first priority is to board the Manticle and ensure the survival of Admiral Janeway. Destroy any ship in the vicinity that hinders your efforts.”