I do not own Star Trek Picard. If I did, this probably would have happened in the show and I wouldn't be writing it as a fanfic.

Elnor listened as Hugh explained what he planned to do. This was a very different Hugh than the one Picard had known, and honestly, Elnor didn't blame him. He'd just watched five of his people, innocent victims, murdered in cold blood and he hadn't been able to save them. Elnor had come out of hiding and held him while he sobbed over their bodies, and it was then Elnor had decided to bind himself to the XBs and Hugh in particular. That seemed to ignite something in the former Director, for as he stood with Elnor's help, the Romulan saw fires in his eyes. Fires of pain, anger, and full on fury just waiting to be loosed on Narissa and the Jhat Vash and hold them accountable for what they'd done.

"We are going to take this cube away from them." Hugh snarled through gritted teeth, "For good."

"That sounds like a treaty violation!" Narissa declared as she stepped through the smoke in a doorway, at least two guards behind her. Her lips curled up in a malicious, twisted smiled as she glared right at Hugh.

"Which means, I have the authority to kill you now!" She seemed far too giddy about that prospect for Elnor's liking, and he shoved Hugh behind him mouthing 'Go' as he did. Hugh nodded.

Hugh was not a fighter, and he knew it. But as an XB, he still had his augmented strength from when he was a Borg drone, and it was this that helped him shove his way past a surprised guard and dart around the corner as he heard Elnor plead "...my friends, choose to live."

Narissa shrieked an order, but Hugh didn't hear it. He was faster than the guard and he knew the Borg cube better. Before long, he was locking the door to the Queen's chamber behind him again. He paused only a moment to catch his breath, then he raced to the console beside the Queen's platform. He didn't have time to think about what effect his current actions would have. Elnor wouldn't be able to hold off Narissa for long. He raced through the commands for the console and only knew it worked when he heard machinery behind him.

Hugh felt a sharp jab in between his shoulders, then another in the middle of his back, and a third just above his waist. He felt old familiar connections reforming within him, his mind connecting to something larger. But this was different. Unlike when he was a drone, suddenly he could actually understand all the voices he was hearing. Images from all over the Artifact flashed across his vision, and an assortment of sounds reached his ears.

And then he felt them. The drones themselves, waking up to his presence, awaiting his command, and he realized what was different now.

He, Hugh, was essentially a Borg queen.

"We are Borg." he growled in unison with his Collective.

Now that he could see with hundreds of eyes, he easily located Elnor and the Romulans, and he sent several drones to assist Elnor. Two drones had already dealt with the Romulan who had pursued him to the Queen's chamber and they now stood guard.

Through some drone's eyes, he saw the remaining XBs revolting against the Romulans who came to kill them. He felt a weaker connection to them and encouraged them to further retaliate, to drive the Romulans off the cube and purge their technology from its systems. Most of the Tal Shiar officers took the hint and fled, but the few Jhat Vash stayed longer until they were subdued and placed in containment cells.

All the while, Hugh had wormed his way into all the ship's systems himself, retaking them for the Borg. He found the navigation and helm systems and zeroed in on where he'd sent Picard and Soji. Nepenthe.

It amazed him how unchanged he was, despite being basically reassimilated. He was still himself, still self aware.

"I am Hugh." he said softly, in awe. Perhaps it was because he was in control and not a drone. Whatever the reason, he was grateful for it. Now that the Romulan threat had been neutralized, he opened the chamber door and prepared to disconnect.

"Wait!" Elnor called, "Not yet!"

"Elnor. The threat is gone. I can release them now." Hugh said.

"But if you disconnect, we can't fly the ship." Elnor pointed out.

Oh. Hugh hadn't thought of that.

"Besides, and I hate to suggest it, but...we may need the Borg again at some point." He was right, and Hugh knew he was right. That didn't mean he liked it.

"He's right, Hugh." came a woman's voice. Both of them turned to see Seven of Nine standing there.

"Anyway," she added, "you're doing better than I likely would have. It looks like you're still you."

"I am." Hugh nodded, "Just...with a lot more eyes and ears." Seven nodded back.

"Picard said in his logs after the incident with Lore that you were strong. Enough that the Borg couldn't reassimilate you. Basically, you fought off the entire Collective and won."

"How is that possible? I thought the Borg couldn't be stopped." Elnor asked.

"I don't know how I did it," Hugh admitted, " I guess my will was strong enough to resist the call."

"And that's why you're the perfect person to do what you just did, Hugh. You can resist the rest of them. Hell, if you stay like that, you might even be able to change the entire Collective itself." Now that idea appealed to Hugh. He could have the power to stop the assimilations, the destruction, the terror the Collective caused. He could turn their efforts instead to better causes like advancing science and medicine, or protecting worlds that had no defenses of their own. But he wasn't sure about himself in that position, and he voiced that concern.

"Well, someone's got to do it." Elnor stated, "These Borg need a leader to follow, to give them a purpose, and...I think you're a good one, Hugh. I don't see you ever becoming corrupted by the temptation of absolute power and immortality. I don't see you ever becoming a tyrant or a cruel dictator."

"I would easily fall victim to that," Seven added solemnly, "I could see myself using the Collective to exact revenge on people or carry out vigilante justice that could likely hurt more people than it helps. You wouldn't do that, Hugh. That's not the kind of person you are."

"But I don't want such power." Hugh protested.

"And that's why it wouldn't corrupt you." Elnor assured him with a hand on his shoulder, "You can do this, Hugh. Picard would tell you the same thing. If he had to have someone as the Borg 'queen' I'm certain he would choose you." He smiled reassuringly.

"All right." Hugh sighed after a while of silence with his thoughts. "I'll do it."

"Just don't call yourself a Queen. It could be confusing to some, and offensive to others." Seven warned.

"Don't worry, I don't want to be called royalty." Hugh assured them, "But, since I'm in command of the ship..."

"You're the captain. Sort of." Elnor finished.

"Good." Seven said. "Now then, where's Picard?"

"Nepenthe." replied Hugh and Elnor.

"I've already got the course plotted and laid in." Hugh added, "Is that where we want to go?"

"Please." Elnor said, "I think he'd tell you...'make it so'. I think." Hugh laughed and they felt a slight shift as the Artifact engaged its warp drive.

"Now if only I weren't stuck here." Hugh muttered. As if in response, several more cables and tendrils connected to him. Then their ends detached and draped themselves around Hugh's body, some of them attaching to him, others just hanging like a sort of cape down his back. All three watched them, until they seemed to settle, a few of the loose ones acting like extra limbs for Hugh, flexing and turning like arms, one of them shutting the console now that it was no longer needed.

"Well then. That's solved...Thank you. Both of you." Two of his back cables reached out like arms and pulled the two close to his sides. A sort of hug, just like he'd give with his arms, uniting the three silently in their cause to protect the XBs and stop the Jhat Vash. But first, to find Picard.

"Let's go to Nepenthe." Hugh said.