Rolly-Polly Deathmatch #11: The Penultimate Battle for Penultimate Destiny

[The Widowed]

This is a multiple choice poll!
Please limit yourself to no more than three votes for three candidates.
(Yes, Grae, this means you. )

The long battle had finally ended. The Galactic Empire had received a most telling warning, under no uncertain terms, that the Delta Quadrant was the dominion of the Borg, and no other civilization could intrude unchallenged.

Inside Borg Cube 17 of 46, the walls of the vessel seemed alive with cybernetic whines and mechanical clacks as the remnants of the depleted and battle-damaged crew attended to the Cube's functions, functions placed under great demand as the assimilation of the ISD Impervious and her Imperial personnel continued.

The Borg Commander could no longer feel emotion, but he would smile with triumphant contentment if he could. Instead, he coordinated his crew impassively. "Report."

"Assimilation of the Star Destroyer Impervious is 89.7% complete," an attending Borg Engineer answered. "Assimilation of the Star Destroyer's surviving crew is 71.1% complete. Short-range scans reveal 168 lifeforms of Species 5618 unassimilated aboard the Star Destroyer."

The Borg Commander was not content with partial success, nor was the Collective. "Continue with the assimilation."

"Complying."

Without warning, an unearthly wave of vibrations rolled through the bowels of the Borg Cube. Electromagnetic arcs crossed among the Cube's many internal supports as one orb of black nothingness opened...then another...and another....

"Alert!" the engineer called across the platform to where the Commander stood. "Three space-time anomalies have manifested within the perimeters of this vessel. Correction: Four space-time anomalies...six space-time anomalies...."

The Borg Commander shifted through his entire assortment of visual modes as he rose and surveyed the expansive deck below. "Locate and identify the cause of the space-time anomalies."

The engineer tapped into a nearby neuronode, searching the Cube's countless sensors for an answer. "The source of the anomalies cannot be found. The space-time anomalies appear to be wormholes, transpatial and transchronological in nature, no more than two meters in width and no more than 83.77 megajoules in magnitude."

"Assign designations to the wormholes in order of manifestation."

"Complying. Alert! Eight space-time anomalies...."

The second Borg Engineer on the bridge chimed in with a warning as well. "Alert. Four lifeforms of an unidentified species have emerged from Wormholes 7, 8, 9 and 10 on Deck 17."

The Borg Commander and his engineers proceeded to the edge of the bridge platform, looking below to Deck 17. The reptilian humanoids drew an assortment of primitive melee weapons and glanced about their new surroundings warily.

"Dude," barked the orange-clad humanoid, readying a nunchaku in both hands, "I get the feeling we're not in the Shredder's hacienda anymore...."

"Look sharp, gang," grimaced their blue-clad leader, bringing a well-honed katana into each of his hands as he laid eyes on the Borg Commander and the engineers five decks up. "We're being watched."

The Commander's orders were predictable. "Assimilate the intruders."

More warnings sounded from the Borg Engineers.

"Alert! One lifeform of Species 5618 has emerged from Wormhole 5."

"Alert! Two lifeforms of unidentified species have emerged from Wormholes 11 and 12. Lifeforms appear to be large animals adapted for survival in polar climates...."

Somewhere in the belly of the Cube, Captain Malcolm Reynolds frowned and drew two stunt pistols on seeing two massive, white-furred beasts bellowing with primal rage as a score of cyborgs began to converge on them.

"Well, this sure the hell ain't right. And the locals sure as hell ain't the Alliance...."

"Alert!" sounded Engineer 8 of 10. "Two moving forms detected emerging together from Wormhole 1. Forms possess no biological signatures, no bioelectic signatures, no electromagnetics. Unknown form of negative energy detected."

Turning on his heels, Mal faced down another wormhole which loomed and crackled scarcely fifty yards from where he stood. The din of heavy hooves alighting on unyielding alloy pealed well before the mounted newcomer rode in through the wormhole. The horseman's steed greeted Mal with a great, resounding noise which was less a neigh and more an infernal scream. But Mal could not make eye contact with the axe-brandishing rider, for no head was there to be found.

Without warning, the engineers began to call their warnings together as a biocybernetic chorus.

"Alert! Intruder emerging from Wormhole 13 on Deck 11. Electromagnetic scan indicates that the intruder is robotic in nature yet is encased in a living epidermal layer mimicking the appearance of Species 5618...."

"Alert! Two lifeforms emerging from Wormhole 2. Lifeform 2-1 is an altered form of Species 5618...wings appear to be organic and functional...multiple types of unknown energy signatures detected. Lifeform 2-2 is of unknown species. Both lifeforms possess aerial capability...."

"...One lifeform emerging from Wormhole 6 in proximity to forward energy core. Error: multiple mismatches detected in Lifeform 6-1's genetic coding and biosignatures. Multiple bioforms of Species 5618 detected...one lifeform...error. Unable to identify intruder."

"...One lifeform emerging from Wormhole 4 on Deck 7. Lifeform 7-1 is of Species 5618 yet appears to command intensified manifestations of photonic energy resonating in the green visual range...."

"...One lifeform emerging from Wormhole 3 in proximity to Distribution Node 5. Lifeform 3-1 is a variant of Species 5618, unusually large in size. Unknown form of energy detected in Lifeform 3-1...."

"Borg Soldier 11 of 12 disabled."

Distribution Node 5 trembled beneath the impact as a hapless Borg Soldier's midsection was crushed between the distribution node and the mighty intruder's titanic fist. Two more Borg converged on the intruder but were struck aside with a powerful swat, a swat which easily overmatched their personal defensive shields.

"You robopunks wanna assimilate me, huh?" the intruder snapped with a growing, defiant anger. "Well, you'd better bring a lot more to the table than this! Otherwise, you won't have even the slightest chance of stopping the Juggernaut!"

"Alert! Lifeform 2-1 has opened multiple space-time wormholes through unknown means. Multiple lifeforms of multiple unknown species emerging...."

The shotgun rocked in the T-800's hands, pumping a load of .00 buckshot into the thorax of the charging minotaur. No sooner had the minotaur collapsed in a shower of blood and torn sinew than two more minotaurs stomped forth with greatswords leveled to greet the Terminator.

Insightfully, the Terminator analyzed the scene and came to its analysis. Ignoring the minotaurs, the Terminator fired on the horse and rider which rose into the sterile oxygen-heavy air behind the growing horde. But the acquired target was nothing more than a displaced image, and the buckshot rang off the distant hull of the Borg Cube as a sorcerous blast shook the plated floor, stripping layers of blood-weeping skin from the robotics beneath and toppling the T-800 from its footing.

"Foolish golem!" lambasted the circling horseman, spreading his wings and wreathing his hands with arcane fire as his steed descended on the suppine Terminator. "No one attacks the person of Venger and escapes with his life...."

"In brightest day, in blackest night..."

A great emerald blast struck from behind, sending Venger and his demonic horse scattering past the Terminator. Descending from the heights of the Borg Cube, Hal Jordan clenched his fist and readied his ring, which shone with a sharp, rising green radiance. "...no evil shall escape my sight!"

Yet so focused was the Green Lantern on his dark, mystic foe that he failed to notice the steely fingers prying up a large piece of the floor. But when the T-800 hurled the sundered floor panels and struck him squarely in the abdomen, he noticed.

"No problemo," the Terminator blurted mirthlessly, levelling his shotgun on the fallen figure of Hal Jordan as it approached. "New objective: terminate the Green Lantern...."

"Wanton destroyer of man!"

The lurching patchwork man hefted the T-800 aloft and slammed him headfirst through the floor, ignoring the near-miss of the shotgun blast as Adam Frankenstein leaped downward, pursuing his quarry. "A machine so intent on ending the sacrity of life! And men call me abomination?"

Following the will of the Collective, the Borg massed and began their counterattack against the intruders. And for once, the Borg Commander began to feel a glint of forgotten emotion. And that emotion was a twinge of desperation.

"Assimilate. Assimilate. Assimilate all of them!"

...

You know what? That's waaay too much flavor text as it is. Screw the rest. The short form is that everybody shows up and they all fight. Don't worry about the why and wherefore of it; a big fight breaks out on the battle-torn Borg Cube, and There Can Be Only One. Unless we get another tie. Simple, huh?

Here. Have a thousand words.