Though the Borg were a great power, conquering and assimilating thousands of worlds and species,
in their never ending quest for perfection, the late 24th century, saw a number of significant
defeats and catastrophes, dealing a significant blow to their ranks, and crippling their continued
efforts for expansion.
One such catastrophe, came in the year 2373, when the Borg discovered an extra-dimensional
realm they called Fluidic Space, and there found a new species whose physiology they
described as the Apex of Biological Evolution.
Eager to add their biological and technological distinctiveness to their own, they sought
to assimilate the aliens and prepared an invasion fleet.
To break through the dimensional barrier, the Borg used a modulated graviton beam to
create a quantum singularity allowing them to pass through.
The species they designated 8472, were the sole occupants of Fluidic Space, so when the
Borg invaded their territory, they saw it as an invasion of their realm, and set out
to exterminate the threat.
The Borg were unprepared to face the mighty armies of Species 8472, as they had evolved
to possess a great number of advantages such as telepathy, great physical strength and
size, reaching 3 meters tall, they did not require sleep, were able to survive in the
vacuum of space, produced a biogenic field which made them nearly invisible to sensors
and possessed an immune system that destroyed any foreign substance that entered their body.
This made them immune to assimilation and nanoprobes, the main weapons and tools of
the Borg.
If ever in close range combat, Species 8472 fought with their claws, lashing out in the
hopes of merely making contact so their cells might infect the enemy and consume them from
the inside out.
If captured, or in terrible pain without hope for rescue or recovery, Species 8472 was even
able to end its own life, by releasing a cellular toxin into their bloodstream.
Their ships, were organic beings, heavily armoured and shielded, capable of warp speed
and operated by a single pilot.
The Borg were entirely outmatched in their first encounter, losing every ship they sent
into fluidic space.
But with Species 8472 now aware of the Borg, they followed them into the Delta Quadrant,
and began waging an aggressive war of extermination against them.
Unable to assimilate the species or its technology, the Borg could not adapt and proved completely
incapable of effectively fighting back, taking massive casualties during the 6 month conflict,
losing ships, planets and even systems.
Yet as the war intensified the Federation Starship Voyager entered Borg Space.
At first they only hoped to pass through unnoticed, but soon found themselves in the middle of
a warzone.
In their first encounter with Species 8472, they discovered 15 destroyed Borg Cubes.
And a seemingly abandoned 8472 bioship.
Sending an away team to investigate, they found that the Borg had been destroyed by
a new species they could not identify and set to examining the alien ship.
However the ship’s pilot soon reappeared injuring and nearly killing Ensign Harry Kim,
before they could beam back to Voyager.
The Creature then powered up its ship, firing at the federation vessel before going to warp.
Kes, a telepathic member of the Voyager crew, informed the Captain that this new species
was extremely hostile and bent on cleansing the galaxy of impure races.
Janeway then set her crew to learning all they could in order to defend themselves against
this new threat.
In treating Harry Kim and examining the remains discovered at the battle site, Voyager’s
Holographic Doctor discovered a way to modify borg nanoprobes, so they might neutralize
the infectious cells of their enemy.
Janeway then took Voyager directly into a Borg system, where she negotiated with the
Hive mind, offering to share their newly discovered technology to aid them in their fight against
Species 8472.
In exchange, the Captain asked that her ship and crew be allowed safe passage through Borg
Space.
The offer was accepted, and for a time they work together, creating weapons and defenses
to use against their common foe.
A Borg representative, designated 7 of 9, tertiary adjunct of Unimatrix 01, was even
assigned to work on Voyager, in a crew exchange which allowed their collaboration to be more
productive.
To safeguard against Borg treachery Janeway refused to share all the details about their
work and had the Doctor’s program ready to be deleted, destroying the technology.
Species 8472 then launched an attack against them, and so the Borg sacrificed their vessel,
evacuating a small group to Voyager so they might escape and continue their work.
Seven of Nine then stated that the loss of their ship changed the perimeters of their
deal, stating Voyager must travel to their nearest ship, which was a 5 day journey deeper
into Borg Space.
However by this time, Captain Janeway had been placed in a medical coma after suffering
injuries in a bioship attack.
And so Commander Chakotay, Janeway’s first officer took command, refusing to alter course,
thereby breaking their treaty with the Borg.
He was convinced that they could not risk the journey, fearing that the Borg would eventually
break the agreement and assimilate the crew.* Species 8472 then launched a massive attack
in the center of Borg space, destroying over 4 million drones, and so Seven of Nine took
desperate action, accessing voyager’s systems to open a rift and launch them into Fluidic
Space.
In this way, Voyager would have no choice but to defend themselves against attacking
enemy vessels.
Captain Janeway then awoke, angered by Chacotay’s decision to break their agreement, choosing
to once again work with the Collective, through there representative 7 of 9.
With Voyager’s weapons and shields modified with the new nanoprobe technology, they at
last were able to defeat Species 8472, eliminating 4 of their ships.
7 of 9 then brought Voyager back to the Delta Quadrant, and they once again engaged the
enemy, destroying another 13 bio-ships.
Janeway then demanded they return to their realm or else face further casualties.
Defeated, the remaining bioships travelled back into Fluidic Space, ending the war with
the Borg and Voyager Crew victorious.
With the war over, the Borg no longer required their federation allies and so Seven of Nine
attacked them, attempting to assimilate their ship.
Having anticipated this betrayal.
Chakotay had set up a neural link with Seven of Nine, an ability acquired during his time
on a world populated by former Borg drones, escaping the collective.*
He used this link to distract and disrupt 7 of 9, just long enough for the Voyager crew
to short out her station and knock her unconscious.
Janeway then ordered the ship to continue its journey to the Alpha Quadrant, with 7
of 9 confined in sick bay.
In the aftermath of the Borg-Species 8472 War, a single member of the Fluidic Space
species was left behind after their retreat.
Trapped in the Delta Quadrant, the creature was pursued for months by Hirogen hunting
parties, until encountering the Voyager crew, who captured it, hoping to return it to Fluidic
Space.
But 7 of 9, the former Drone now member of the Voyager, refused to allow it to escape,
instead sending it to a Hirogen ship, so it might be killed.
In addition, when the Borg rebellion began, and a number of drones regained some part
of their individuality to fight against the collective, the rebels spoke of possibly reaching
out to Species 8472, so they might unite against their common enemy.
Species 8472, shaken and greatly disturbed by the creation of Nanoprobe Warheads, became
convinced Humanity would one day enter Fluidic Space and exterminate them, and so prepared
an invasion force, building an exact replica of Starfleet Headquarters on Earth, and using
their technology to assume human form, so they might learn to mimic their enemy and
plant their agents at the heart of Federation Space.
But the Voyager Crew discovered one of these site, leading to negotiations, and the understanding
that Species 8472 was only ever trying to defend themselves, implying that the harsh
words spoke during their initial encounter, were merely words of war, spoken against what
they perceived to be an invasion force threatening their very existence.
They then agreed to a technology exchange, ending the hostilities between their species,
at least temporarily, and so Species 8472 returned to Fluidic Space.