Characters and concepts related to Doctor Who and Star Trek, and related marks, are trademarks of the BBC and CBS Studios Inc., respectively. This work of fan fiction is written purely for entertainment purposes, and is not to be used in trade of any kind.To go back and read Part Seven, click here, or to go to the beginning, click here. Part Eight begins after the jump.
Doctor Who and the Borg
by Mark Baker-Wright
Part Eight
Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge looked over the proposal in Engineering with the Doctor and Captain Picard. "Yes, Captain. This might work. Understand, though, that this hasn't been done in decades. Warp technology has changed dramatically since the crew of the original Enterprise attempted time travel."
"Is the procedure dangerous?" Picard asked.
"Well," Geordi responded, "it was considered very dangerous 100 years ago, but with our engines and with Data at the helm, I don't expect any problems."
"How do we get the Borg to follow us?"
"Honestly, I don't think we'll even have to try all that hard. If move the Enterprise to a position just barely outside of the star's orbit, the Borg will have to arc over the star rather than come after us directly. When they position behind us, we kick on the warp engines at just the right speed, navigate around the star, and jump forward in time just a few seconds just as they begin to follow us. If everything goes right, the Borg ship will get caught in the sun's gravity while we travel safely past the sun's corona while in time warp."
"Perfect!" exclaimed the Doctor. "Make it so!"
Picard waited anxiously on the bridge while his crew completed their assigned tasks. As Data finished with the calculations, he confirmed with engineering that they were ready to begin. "All of the preparations have been made, Captain."
"Good. Enter coordinates and engage."
Everything happened according to plan. The Enterprise moved back from the star, and the Borg appeared. The Borg moved around the star to intercept the Enterprise, and the Enterprise engaged warp drive. A few seconds later, the Enterprise came to rest in orbit around the star, only to find that the Borg were still there.
Data was the first to speak up. "It appears that our attempt was not successful."
"What happened, Mr. Data?" Picard asked.
"It would seem," Data began, "that the Borg broke off pursuit as soon as we disappeared."
"Indeed," Picard muttered to himself. They pulled a wild card, and it didn't work. Now what would they do?
It happened again.
The Borg were pursuing the ship, when all of sudden, it simply disappeared. With nothing in front of them to follow, the Borg ceased pursuit. The ship then reappeared in the same location a few seconds later. A cloaking device perhaps? The Borg should have been able to penetrate any cloaking device: many of their absorbed civilizations used such devices. They had always proven useless. What, then, was so special about these two ships that the Borg had now encountered? It didn't really matter. When the ships were assimilated, the Borg would have their answers.
The Doctor returned to the library computer, frustrated. The time jump should have worked. The reaction speed necessary to break off pursuit in time to have avoided being torn apart by the star's gravity well was infinitesimal. Obviously, the Borg were no normal species. Apparently, this race had achieved a computer efficiency even beyond that of the Daleks and the Cybermen.
The Doctor arrived at the computer terminal where he had left K-9. "K-9, what have you discovered?"
"Inconclusive, Master. Historical references begin to diverge towards the late-twentieth century, but I have been unable to locate exact time and cause of divergence."
"Keep working at it, K-9," the Doctor said as he approached another terminal. "I'm going to find out some more about these 'Borg.'"
To Be Continued...
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