A vessel has been detected.
Unimatrix 424, grid 1 16.
Activate.
Alter course to intercept.
Vessel identified.
Federation Starfleet;
lntrepid-class.
143 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.
lrrelevant.
ls it?
You've scanned our vessel.
You know we can match
your firepower.
You will be assimilated.
Regenerate
primary shield matrix.
Remodulate weapons.
Security breach.
Starfleet photon torpedo.
Disarm w*apon.
l thought we were trying
to disable it.
The torpedo detonated
near the power matrix.
lt 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...
l don't know
about the rest of you...
but l feel lucky today.
Now, this is how l prefer
the Borg-- in pieces.
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.
lt's lighter than l 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 att*ck us again.
lt was only a probe.
Next time,
we might not be so lucky.
Captain!
Don't touch that.
What is it?
l don't know,
but a few minutes ago,
it was crawling
around the floor.
l 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.
l'm tired of turning tail
every time we detect a cube.
Better safe than assimilated.
Mmm...
Maybe l 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 combadge.
You do it every time.
Well, l'll have to keep
an eye on that.
Eureka!
l was hoping to find
one of these.
lt's a servo-armature
from a medical repair drone--
laser scalpel,
biomolecular scanner,
microsuture--
all rolled into one instrument.
No Federation Sick Bay
should be without one.
This could
revolutionize the way
that l perform surgery.
Excellent.
Why don't you deactivate
it for now, hmm?
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.
l'll need to convert
the information
to Starfleet parameters.
Time?
Two hours.
Do it.
After nine hours
of staring at that debris,
l was beginning
to feel like a drone.
l could use a shower.
Do Borgs shower?
Neelix?
We need a couple of beers.
Name your malt.
Ktarian and replicate
a pint for yourself
because we are going to toast
the man of the hour.
Oh.
Yeah, it was Harry's idea
to beam over a photon torpedo
while they were remodulating
their shields.
l didn't think
they'd fall for it.
Ah, but they did,
hook, line and sinker.
l would have loved to have seen
the look on their faces. Boom!
Well, to be honest,
l wish the boom would
have been a bit smaller.
We were only trying
to disable them.
They were drones, Harry.
Mindless automatons.
We did them a favor.
Seven.
Um...
Look, l, l didn't mean
anything by that.
Your apology is irrelevant.
lt's impossible to offend
a mindless drone.
Cheers.
l 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 thr*at.
What about that vessel?
lt's a scout ship
eight light-years away,
traveling at warp 2.
The ship is heavily damaged.
Was it att*cked?
No. An ion storm.
The sphere is presently
regenerating.
That explains why it's
traveling at low warp.
Limping home.
ln a manner of speaking.
l want a detailed schematic
of this vessel,
down to the power
distribution nodes.
l 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 $9 trillion
US 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?
lf l 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 l 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.
l'd like to see the data
on that sphere.
We might be able to re-create
parts of it on the holodeck,
run a few tactical simulations.
lt's all yours.
We need to mask
our warp signature.
l'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, l 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 att*ck.
l think it's time to do
a little assimilating
of our own, hmm?
Dismissed.
l was hoping you'd be
a little more vocal.
Any thoughts?
Your plan is ambitious.
There are many variables,
but it can succeed.
l'd like to narrow
that list of variables.
l was hoping your parents
might provide us
with a few insights.
l'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, l'd say
that made them experts.
l 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 l say
you've been avoiding them.
You're the best person
for the job,
but l'll assign it
to Chakotay if...
No.
The information belongs to me.
l will read it.
You're late.
Sorry.
lt took longer than l expected
to download these records.
This is only the first batch.
Your parents sure had
a lot to say.
l organized the information
by category--
field notes, personal logs,
biokinetic analyses.
l 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 l've got left
of my family.
A picture of my sister.
Except, of course,
what l keep in here.
What l wouldn't give
for a treasure trove like this.
Well...
l'd better get started
on the rest of those files.
Field notes, USS Raven,
Stardate 3261 1.4.
lt'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.
Zoom... zoom...
Ah... put down the cube, muffin.
lt's not a toy.
l won't crash it.
Come here.
Daddy wants to talk to you.
Come here.
Now...
remember when l 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?
lf 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?
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.
l hope so, too, Daddy.
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.
l'm beginning to wonder
if the Borg are nothing more
than rumor and sensor echoes.
Magnus?
We have to keep moving.
lf we take
the replicators off-line
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.
lf 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 b*rned
our bridges, Magnus.
l can't sleep.
Come here.
Why can't Annika sleep?
The greatest scientific
mystery of our time.
l have a hypothesis.
Her noisy parents
are keeping her up.
Hmm.
Sounds plausible.
Triquantum waves-- 600,000
kilometers off the port bow.
Subspace disruptions.
Field magnitude
2.9 teracochranes and rising.
Annika, bed.
Power utilization curve
is highly symmetric.
Artificial source
probability .98.
Now.
lt's got to be
a transwarp conduit.
Nothing else could
generate these readings.
l'm taking us closer.
lt's a Borg cube--
2,000 kilometers starboard.
l've got a visual.
lt's massive.
28 cubic kilometers,
129,000 life-forms on board.
We're being scanned.
They haven't altered course.
This could prove our theory.
They ignore any life-form
until they consider it a thr*at,
or a target.
They're moving off.
Let's match
their course and speed.
Keep a distance
of five million kilometers.
Seven of Nine to the Bridge.
On my way.
Have we been detected?
No, ma'am.
l have a visual.
On screen.
Magnify.
Looks like they took
a real b*ating.
They could still pose a thr*at.
Let's not get too close.
Match their course and speed.
Keep a distance
of ten million kilometers.
Aye, Captain.
Seven, scan the vessel.
l want to know
their current status.
Their weapons array
is regenerating,
but shields and transwarp drive
are still off-line.
How long
until they have transwarp?
Approximately 72 hours.
We may not get
this opportunity again
and l don't intend to miss it,
whatever it takes.
Double shifts,
'round-the-clock simulations.
l want to be ready.
Bridge to away teams.
You're six seconds
behind schedule.
We are at the shield matrix.
Stand by.
Primary shield generator--
l'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 off-line.
Tuvok, now.
Activate the charges.
Bridge, their shields are down.
Energize.
Tom?
l've got a lock.
Target obtained.
You're out of time.
They've adapted.
This way.
Seven!
Bridge, stand by for transport.
Hurry!
Energize.
l've got them.
Transporter Room 1.
Beam them out of here.
l can't get a lock.
They've adapted
to our transport frequencies.
Computer, freeze program,
both holodecks.
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.
12 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.
l've already explored
that option.
lt won't work.
12 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?
l'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.
l don't know about you,
but l'm glad
to be back on Voyager.
Borg vessels make my skin crawl.
lt was a holodeck re-creation.
Close enough.
We've just spent the last
three hours dodging drones.
lt didn't bother you?
Your point?
You seemed a little nervous
in there.
The last time l was on
a Borg vessel, l was a drone.
The re-creation was unsettling.
You were reluctant to look
at your parents' research,
and now l sense
you're a little reluctant
to go on this mission.
Maybe l'm pushing you too fast.
l'll adapt.
lt's easier said than done.
lt's been over two years
since you came face-to-face
with the collective.
Are you sure you're up to it?
l need everybody working
at peak efficiency.
You doubt my ability
to function?
No. l'm simply
voicing my concerns.
They are unjustified.
l hope so,
because the next time,
we won't be on the holodeck.
Understood.
Naomi Wildman.
l had a bad dream.
Can l stay with you for a while?
Where is your mother?
She's working in Engineering,
and Neelix is on a duty shift.
Please?
l won't bother you.
Very well.
lt looked just like this.
What did?
ln my dream.
There was Borg stuff everywhere.
Elaborate.
l 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.
Seven of Nine to Security.
lntruder alert.
They can't hear you.
Who are you?
l am the Borg.
Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct
of Unimatrix Zero One,
you've become weak.
This is a dream.
l'm regenerating.
lt's not a dream.
We've accessed
your neural transceiver.
Our thoughts are one.
We know about Voyager's plan
to inv*de the sphere.
lt will fail.
lf 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.
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.
Magnus, you're breaking up.
lt's just some bioelectric
interference. Stand by.
ls that better?
Much.
How's Junior?
He took a real b*ating 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.
l thought drones
from different subunits
didn't interact.
Looks like we were wrong.
They deactivated him.
Why?
Maybe he was too badly damaged.
They're dismantling him.
They must be salvaging
the components.
Your biodampener
is losing power.
lt's time to come home.
l've got another minute or so.
Stand by.
We may not get another chance
to observe this behavior.
lt 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?
l'll have to tailor each unit
to its user's physiology.
A few hours at least.
Begin immediately.
l'll inform the Captain.
lngenious design.
The Hansens were resourceful.
Sounds like you're
warming up to your folks.
lt 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,
l was raised by Borg.
Captain's Log, supplemental.
Operation Fort Knox is ready
to proceed.
All departments are standing by
and l've given the order
to begin at 0600 hours.
Coffee?
You look like you
could use some.
No.
lt's a human vice
you might want to try one day.
Keeps you sharp.
One day.
l've been fine-tuning
our game plan
for tomorrow morning...
and l've decided to reassign you
to the Bridge.
Captain...
l'm concerned
about Voyager's safety
and if the sphere decides
to att*ck,
l'll need your expertise
at tactical.
l should be on the away team.
B'Elanna will do just fine
in your place.
You may encounter unexpected
obstacles-- force fields,
encryption codes.
l'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.
l'm concerned
about your well-being...
and your ability to perform
on this mission.
Your concern is unwarranted.
ls it?
l'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.
l appreciate your efforts
and we couldn't have come
this far without your help...
but it's obviously taken
its toll.
lf l'd realized
how those journals were going
to affect you,
l never would have pushed you
to read them,
and l'm not about to ask you
to face the collective
in your present frame of mind.
The past several days
have been difficult,
but l must join the away team,
and l assure you
l will not make another mistake.
l've made my decision, Seven.
lf l don't go,
this mission will fail.
You sound awfully
certain about that.
l know the Borg.
And l know you.
There's more
to what you're saying.
What's wrong?
Over the past two years,
l have become familiar
with the individuals
on this vessel.
Voyager is my collective now.
Your survival
is important to me.
l 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.
A vessel has been detected.
Unimatrix 424, grid 03.
Activate.
Vessel identified.
Federation Starfleet
class-2 shuttlecraft.
Three life-forms.
The sphere's maintaining course.
Move the shuttle in closer.
The Borg
are still ignoring it.
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 sh*t
across their bow?
Might grab their attention.
No. The shuttle
would be perceived
as a thr*at
and they'd destroy it.
Commander, increase
the energy output
of the shuttle's warp profile.
That should present
a more inviting target.
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?
The shields are back up.
They're assimilating
the shuttle.
Keep a sensor lock
on the away team.
Maintain course.
Never forget who you are.
Seven...
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 off-line.
Tuvok, now.
Activate the charges.
Their shields are down.
Lock onto the coil and energize.
Target obtained.
Seven of Nine...
Seven, keep moving!
No.
l wish to stay.
l intend to rejoin
the collective.
l can't let you do that.
You have no choice.
Keep moving.
That's an order.
Go!
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.
400,000 kilometers and closing.
Full power to weapons.
l'm not leaving without you.
Then you will be assimilated.
They can see us.
How?
l don't know.
Bridge, we're in position.
Three to beam up.
Three?
Energize!
Where's Seven?
She had a change of heart.
Report.
The sphere's changing course.
They're retreating.
They're bringing their remaining
transwarp coils on-line.
Pursuit course.
Target their propulsion system.
They're gone, Captain.
Welcome home.
You've changed.
Your exo-plating...
your ocular implant.
They've taken you apart...
and they've re-created
you in their own image.
Hair... garments...
but at the core,
you are still mine.
The Borg have changed as well.
l expected reassimilation,
not conversation.
l 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.
lt's time to regenerate.
We've adapted an alcove
just for you.
Go. lt will help
order your thoughts.
When your cycle is complete,
we will continue
our conversation.
Comply.
Progress?
We were having trouble
modulating the coil
to our warp field.
But l had an inspiration
this morning.
lnstead of trying to adapt
the coil to our technology,
we should be adapting
our systems to theirs.
With any luck, we should have
transwarp capability by 0600.
lmpressive.
Actually l can't
take all the credit.
l did some digging in Seven
of Nine's personal database
and l found some designs
she'd been working on
to enhance the warp drive.
With a few adjustments...
Work with Mr. Paris
on a flight plan.
l want to make our first
trial run tomorrow afternoon.
Right.
And B'Elanna...
don't access personal databases
without my authorization.
Captain?
There are protocols for
observing privacy on this ship.
No offense, but Seven of Nine's
not on this ship anymore.
l realize the two of you
weren't exactly close.
Regardless, we just lost
one of our own.
She was never
one of our own, Captain.
Didn't she just prove that?
l don't know what happened
on that sphere,
and neither do you, Lieutenant.
Carry on.
No sign of Borg activity.
We made a clean getaway.
The sphere?
lt hasn't shown up
on long-range sensors
or subspace telemetry.
lt 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.
''l 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.
Captain...
we've cleared out
most of the debris,
but before we vaporize it,
l'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.
lt requires a lot of power--
over 30 megawatts.
Should l deactivate it?
No, leave it alone.
Computer,
isolate the sensor readings
for time index 1 14.6.
ldentify source.
Random subspace
energy fluctuations.
lsolate the sensor readings
for time index 166.2. Source?
Random subspace
energy fluctuations.
Computer,
run a transpectral analysis
on all subspace fluctuations.
Yes?
A member of the crew
has requested an appointment
with the Captain.
l informed her
that you were occupied,
but she was insistent.
Whatever it is,
l'm sure Commander Chakotay
can handle...
Request granted.
Send her in.
Permission to submit a proposal
for your review.
Proposal?
lt'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.
l'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...
and never abandon
a member of your crew.
Transpectral analysis complete.
Take a look at this, Naomi.
What do you see?
Sensor logs.
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?
lt sure looks that way.
Come on.
Good morning.
My visual cortex...
it's been altered.
We've enhanced it
with Borg technology.
You've seen through
human eyes long enough.
lt's a neural processing adjunct
designed to increase
your synaptic efficiency.
Remove it.
You prefer to remain small.
l 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?
lsn'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 l 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.
l will resist.
l 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 l thought the experience
would be
a rewarding one for you.
Species 10026.
How many life-forms?
392,000.
You're experiencing compassion--
a human impulse.
You've forgotten
what it means to be Borg.
Those lives will be added
to our own.
Field notes, USS Raven,
supplemental.
lt'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.
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.
l want to keep an eye
on this one.
Let's tag him.
Bring me the subdermal probe,
will you?
ls he special?
Very special.
We think he used to work
near the Borg queen.
lf he ever goes back there...
we'll be able to track him now.
Does the queen have a throne?
Nobody knows.
We think she's more like
the queen of an insect colony.
She helps coordinate
all the other drones.
His regeneration cycle's
almost complete.
We better get him back.
Bye.
He's in his alcove.
Nobody missed him.
Enough drones for one day.
Anybody hungry?
Me.
You two go ahead.
l want to read through his
cranial transceiver logs,
see if he was ever
in direct contact
with the queen.
Don't be long.
lt turns out
his hunch was right--
the drone had been receiving
direct commands
from this... Borg queen.
l 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?
l'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?.
lnstructed...
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 l...
l didn't pursue it.
l let her go.
lf 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?
l 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.
lf you're planning
a rescue mission,
that research
will only take us so far.
Oh?
l'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.
This will be a long-range
tactical rescue.
lt could take days, even weeks,
before we find
our missing crewman.
Lieutenant Torres is equipping
the Delta Flyer
with the transwarp coil.
lt'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.
l'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 l'm not about to let her go.
Let's get started.
All systems go.
We're ready for the jump.
Bring the coil on line.
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.
l'll need to adjust my matrix
to accommodate
for extreme velocity.
l'm detecting
residual transwarp signatures.
They match the Borg sphere.
Adjust our course and follow it,
Mr. Paris.
l believe the Captain's order
was ''steady as she goes.''
Full speed ahead.
We've arrived.
Are you ready?
l 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.
39 of their vessels
are converging on our position.
They're f*ring weapons.
Our shields are failing.
We will be destroyed.
How do you propose we adapt?
Triaxillate our shield geometry
to absorb their phaser pulses.
l was thinking the same thing.
Adaptation complete.
They're no longer a thr*at.
Go to the primary
assimilation chamber.
You'll monitor
the bio-extraction process.
You look reluctant.
Maybe l've been
pushing you too quickly.
You can assist with the repairs
to our shield matrix instead.
Seven of Nine...
be efficient.
Assist me.
l am not Borg.
l will help you escape.
Assist me.
l'm detecting
one of your vessels.
lt's heavily damaged.
The crew is dead.
The Borg are ignoring it.
lts propulsion system
is still functioning.
l 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?
Congratulations.
Regarding?
Assimilation is complete.
300,000 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.
l 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.
lt would be an inefficient
use of our resources.
We should ignore it.
ln this case,
our thoughts are not one.
lf 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 l detected them.
Release the vessel.
l'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.
l thought compassion
was irrelevant.
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 off-line for 13.2 seconds.
Unfortunately,
it was long enough
for the Borg to perceive us
as a thr*at.
l found something-- a nebula.
Class?
Mutara.
Distance: three light-years.
l'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.
lt'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?
A transwarp conduit,
2.3 light-years starboard.
lt's a cube
heading right for us.
Time to intercept?
One hour, maybe less.
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 a-simulated?
Not if l can help it.
Go back to sleep.
Your mother and l
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.
l want to go home.
Soon.
Papa?
Will it hurt to be a drone?
Sleep.
Captain.
Hmm?
l'd like to suggest
a few modifications
to the com array.
Yes?
l've been studying
Seven's cranial schematics,
and l'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.
l'll give you a hand.
The Hansen diaries--
not exactly light reading.
l've been poring over
their last log entries
for any details
we might have missed.
l 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.
l 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.
Captain, l've got a fix
on the sphere's location.
lt's in a region
about 200 light-years from here.
Red Alert. Bring the multi-
adaptive shielding on line.
Set a course
for those coordinates,
and prepare to disengage
transwarp drive.
Report.
l'm detecting thousands
of integrated substructures,
trillions of life-forms...
all Borg.
There's a cube coming up fast
off our port bow.
Did they detect us?
l don't believe so.
Any sign of our sphere?
Yes, ma'am.
lts ion signature leads directly
to that... whatever it is.
Take us in, Mr. Paris.
Minimum thrusters.
Begin scanning for Seven, Tuvok.
Aye, Captain.
l have a task for you.
We're planning to deploy
a new mode of assimilation,
designed for highly
resistant species.
l want you to program
the nanoprobes.
Your technology has changed
since l left the collective.
My knowledge is insufficient.
Your knowledge for the target
species is invaluable.
Species 5618.
Human. Warp-capable.
Origin: Grid 325.
Physiology: lnefficient.
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.
lt 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.
lnefficient.
The virus would take
years to proliferate.
We've waited this long.
lnterface
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.
l will not assist
in their destruction.
We all originated
from lesser species.
l myself came from Species 125,
but that's irrelevant now.
We are Borg.
l 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.
lt'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.
l am Annika Hansen, human.
l remember Annika.
Does she remember us?
She wasn't afraid.
Why are you?
You att*cked us.
You m*rder*d my family!
We did no such thing.
We gave them perfection.
Papa?
Your family's here.
You're here.
Be one with us again.
Seven of Nine,
we're searching for you.
Try to hang on.
Captain.
What did you say?
Nothing.
Janeway.
Our transmission's
being deflected.
By whom?
l'm not certain.
l'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.
A cube has altered course.
lt's heading straight for us.
They've detected us.
Remodulate the shields,
evasive maneuvers.
lt 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.
lf you've captured their vessel,
you've assimilated them by now.
l would sense their presence
in the collective.
Captain Janeway is eluding you.
The chamber is
too heavily shielded.
l can't get a lock on her.
Can we beam into one of
these adjoining corridors?
l 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?
l can disable the force field,
but it will take
several minutes.
Do it.
Tuvok, give me
the subdermal probe.
lt's not too late to save them.
As you wish.
They've isolated
our shields again.
Three vessels are converging.
l'm remodulating.
You underestimate them.
lt's time for a more
aggressive approach.
l thought they couldn't see us.
They can't.
They're f*ring blind.
Wake him.
lt's transmitting.
l've got it.
Field modulation is 324.95.
Proceed.
lt's off-line.
You'll be detected.
Then l'd better hurry.
You've got to disable
the shield matrix
around that chamber.
lt's no use.
They've locked on
to our shield modulators.
They're adapting the second
we change frequencies.
We are the Borg.
You will be assimilated.
Resistance is futile.
You have failed them.
No.
We believed you
would be an asset to us.
We were wrong.
You are weak.
Don't listen to her, Seven.
She's irrelevant.
Call them off
or l'll destroy you.
Your weapons are useless.
Don't be so sure.
My Tactical Officer is disabling
the shields around this room.
Tom, status.
We've targeted the chamber,
Captain.
Let her go,
or l'll give the order to fire.
You would be destroyed as well,
along with your crewman.
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.
A dispersal field just activated
around the chamber you're in.
We can't get a lock.
Seven, shut down that field.
Don't listen to her.
She's poisoned your thoughts
long enough.
l'm giving you an order.
One order, one voice.
lnsignificant.
Tom, energize.
She's adapting.
The field went up again,
Captain.
l can't beam you out.
You will assist the collective
as drones.
Assimilate them.
Captain, target the power node
directly above this alcove.
lt 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.
lt's not enough.
l'll need 30 teradynes at least,
or we'll lose transwarp.
How long
to the rendezvous coordinates?
2.4 minutes, but we'll drop out
of transwarp in less than one.
Reroute power from life support.
Captain?
l'd rather suffocate
than vaporize. Do it.
l'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.
15 seconds.
They're trying to lock
on with a tractor beam.
Remodulate shields.
Threshold in eight...
seven... six...
They're locking on.
l've repolarized the shields.
lt's being deflected.
Three, two...
They're through.
Voyager to Delta Flyer.
Report.
We've got Seven,
but there's a Borg vessel
right behind us.
B'Elanna, target
the threshold perimeter.
Photon torpedoes, full spread.
Commander?
lt should destabilize
the matter stream
and implode the conduit
for at least a light-year.
Torpedoes locked.
Fire!
Voyager, report.
We collapsed the conduit.
No sign of Borg activity.
Clear us for docking.
We're coming home.
Commander, l'm picking up
Borg signatures--
lots of them.
Source?
The conduit.
l thought you collapsed it.
So did l.
Stand by weapons.
Captain, raise shields.
We've got company.
Here they come.
Captain's Log, Stardate 52619.2.
We got
another 20,000 light-years
out of the transwarp coil
before it gave out.
l figure we're
a good 15 years closer to home.
l 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.
l will comply
when my work is completed.
Borg tactical data?
During my time at Unimatrix One,
l acquired
a vast amount of knowledge.
lt may prove useful
in our future encounters
with the Borg.
l am downloading it
into Voyager's database.
The Borg believed l was unique,
that l understood humanity.
They were obviously mistaken.
How so?
l betrayed the crew of Voyager,
threatened you
with assimilation.
l did not expect you
to return for me.
Looks like you still have
a few things to learn.
Time to regenerate.
When l am finished.
No.
Now.
That's an order.
Yes, Captain.
Sweet dreams.
05x15 - Dark Frontier
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Kathryn Janeway is the captain of a starship that is lost in space and must travel across an unexplored region of the galaxy to find its way back home.
Kathryn Janeway is the captain of a starship that is lost in space and must travel across an unexplored region of the galaxy to find its way back home.