Reflections

Posted on Tue Sep 14, 2021 @ 9:09am by Commander Ajani Carter

Mission: Episode 5: Escalation
Location: Deck 9
507 words - 1 OF Standard Post Measure

Taking a deep, slow breath and held it for a moment before releasing it. Ajani looked out the window where the vast expanse of Illiran's capital city spread out below her. She was leaning on the window frame in her shirt, her jacket discarded on a chair behind her. She was starting to feel the pressure, she had done everything right, the Fleet's Anti-Borg taskforce was on route, her superiors had been informed, Illiran was gearing up to resist and her crew were working around the clock to get the ship ready for combat.

They had located the source of the airborne nanite virus and her crew were being 'cured' or vaccinated with Illiran nanites, but she knew so many visitors and aliens down below were already infected. The fleet was rounding up anyone who had left the system since the Illiran freight had put into port and under every condition they were winning, at least they were ticking all the boxes. So why did she fleet so out of touch, why did she feel so...

She let of a frustrated growl and thumped the thick glass windows before her. All that did was make her hand hurt, it revealed exactly zero of her frustration! No longer able to stand looking at what could very well be a doomed planet she spun and starting to stalk back and forth through the small room, her thought rapidly shifting the information that they had gathered, the reports of the senior staff who had encountered isolated hives and the battle with the Sphere. She couldn't help but feel that this was somewhat personal for them, and their anger was being taken out on her and Illiran.

She stopped suddenly, rocking forward a little. "Personal" she muttered frowning, "Bloody stupid idea Ajani" taking deep calming breaths Carter considered why it was stupid. "The Borg do not have personal vendettas" cocking her head to one side "But the Queen does, she had shown that first with Picard and then Janeway! So is this really about me? Or even Illiran or is my ship being her unintended? With the Illiran ship yards the Borg could build new ships quickly, it was far enough off the beaten path they would be detected until too late, yes as advanced as the Core systems."

But, she felt that there was something more to it than that. This was the first time the Borg had been seen since the end of the Invasion, so why were they here now. She was sure that something further reaching was happening. She had no earthly clue as to what that could be though, and if they had sent a broken sphere to deter the Eagle the collective must really be on its last legs. Surely though they could have rebuilt at least some of their forces by now?

Ajani closed here eyes and took a seat her head in her hands. She couldn't focus on finding the answers, her headache was returning and she still had a mission to plan.