ST: Pandora "All the Evils of the World"

[Episode 1.2]

Chief Science Officer's Log, Stardate 87715.0

It has been several days since I joined the crew of the USS Pandora and I've finished settling in. This is my first post in a non-research setting, but I'm excited. I am hopeful that here I won't have to deal with the nonsense and bullshit that is so common among academics. True, the facilities are much less than what I would prefer, but I know that I'll be able to do some good, real work out here. With that in mind, today I will begin conducting my interviews of the Pandora crew regarding their experiences with the strange Borg that attacked the Vega colony several weeks ago. I have decided to start with the bridge crew.

"Please, sit down Mr. Lok. You know why you're here, correct?"

War'en took a seat across from Lieutenant Matoya in her small lab. The Pandora wasn't equipped with a full-scale science laboratory, or even a medium-scale one, like a science vessel. It provided for only the most common and basic analytical tools that would be necessary for the kind of investigations that Starfleet tended to encounter in the vastness of space. He would have felt sorry for her if it wasn't for the fact that she had been surprisingly happy about her assignment to the Pandora since arriving. Then again, Margaret Matoya was unlike most scientists War'en had met. She even had Shrel talking about her, which alone was a herculean feat.

"Yes, I know. Also, feel free to call me War'en outside of work. I'm not big on social formality."

"Neither am I, War'en. Call me Maggie," she replied with a grin. "Now, just to let you know, this is being recorded by the computer. Are you ready to begin?"

War'en simply nodded. Maggie looked down at her computer console as she brushed a lock of wavy black hair out of her face, taking a comfortable yet authoritative position.

"Begin recording. Subject, Borg attack on Vega colony. Interviewee, Lieutenant Commander War'en Lok. Lieutenant Commander, please describe what you experienced when the Pandora responded to the distress call from the Federation colony on Vega."

War'en looked down as he gathered his thoughts. He had known that this was coming since Captain Oren-De had briefed them on it following Maggie's arrival several days ago, so he had spent some time in his quarters after his shift reflecting on the matter. It had been a strange change, because until then he had done his best to shut it out. Finally, War'en took a breath and began.

"When the Pandora received the distress call, I was in Engineering going about my rounds. Captain Jacobs announced over the comm system that Starfleet had received a distress call from Vega. The colony was being attacked by the Borg and Starfleet was sending us, as well as a number of other ships, to intercept and evacuate the colony if necessary. At that point, everyone went on alert and began preparing for the worst."

"The worst?"

War'en nodded, a sad smirk on his face. "You learn at the Academy that an encounter with the Borg isn't like with the Klingons, or the Romulans, or even the Dominion. Despite the technological leaps made by the Federation since our first run-in with them nearly a half-century ago, they're still way ahead of us. Even though I'd never fought the Borg before, I knew what to expect: heavy damage, lots of casualties, and a significant chance of death... or assimilation..."

Maggie noticed that War'en softly trailed off on that last part. His eyes seemed to defocus for a moment. She knew what was happening. She'd seen it in the other survivors that she had interviewed since beginning her work studying the Borg. War'en was remembering the sight of someone being assimilated. Maggie waited patiently until, a few moments later, War'en suddenly came back out of the memory and gave her an apologetic look.

"Sorry. I... got distracted there."

"Don't worry about it. Please continue."

War'en cleared his throat and proceeded, adopting a more formal tone. "When the attack began, Engineering was a flurry of activity. Most people would describe it as chaos, but there's actually a fine harmony underneath it all. Everyone knows their own responsibilities and skills, as well as those of their crewmates. Despite the ship taking significant damage, we responded well. The real chaos didn't start until the first Borg started beaming in. That was when 'all hell broke loose', as Chief Li used to say. For most of the attack, it was just us versus them. The first security detail didn't even arrive until five minutes in, probably because they were too busy dealing with the Borg en route. And we were one of the first priorities to secure. We eventually fought them off though. About another five minutes after the detail arrived, they inexplicably beamed off the ship, taking their... prisoners... with them. Chief Li was one of them... so... I became the new acting Chief. I was in command of Engineering for 30 seconds before I was informed that Captain Jacobs, along with many of the senior officers, had been killed or taken, and that I was the first remaining person in the chain of command. Hearing that, I went to the Bridge and... well, pretty much just did damage control."

Maggie looked at him quizzically. "Only 'damage control'? Weren't the Borg still a threat?"

War'en shook his head. "By that point, there were almost no active Borg ships. Most had been heavily damaged or completely destroyed. I didn't see the battle, so I was just as surprised as you were. Even down in Engineering, I wasn't doing much actual fighting. I got off a few shots, but most of the time I was taking cover and keeping power flowing to shields and weapons. It sounds cowardly, but have you ever tried to reroute power during a full-scale assault on your workspace? It's a miracle I wasn't killed or assimilated along with half of Engineering."

"I see. Do you have anything else to add, especially regarding the behavior of the Borg you did personally encounter?"

War'en thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Honestly... I don't remember too many specifics about them. The attack is really a blur. I guess... that's what makes me an engineer. I mostly remember the damage they caused and having to repair it."

War'en frowned and let out a sigh.

"Too bad there's some things that just can't ever be fixed."

Captain's Log, Stardate 87723.2

We have picked up a number of new crew assignments to the Pandora at Starbase 117. It is comforting to no longer be in command of a starship that is operating on a skeleton crew, but is instead fully staffed. Of course, this also means that we have received our first standing order from Starfleet. I must admit, given the conversation I had with Liuetenant Matoya upon her arrival, I am surprised at their nature. However, I must admit some relief that I will have more time to prepare this crew for the work I believe Starfleet has in mind for us.

Oren-De entered the conference room and allowed himself a small smile at the sight. All six of his bridge officers were present, and it was a reminder that he was finally in command of something more than a skeleton crew. The Pandora now had the necessary resources to conduct its work for Starfleet, and it gave the Enhasan no small amount of satisfaction to know that. It just felt right, and Oren-De was confidant that the ship and her crew would soon be operating at peak efficiency. War'en in particular noticed Oren-De's grin and raised an eyebrow at it, though he could only wonder at what was the cause for this rare show of emotion. Sometime he found himself wondering if Enhasans weren't just Vulcans with cranial bone grafts and skin coloration.

"Lieutenant Matoya," he began as he took his seat, "what is the status of your interviewing project?"

Maggie was practically beaming as she looked around the table. "I'm pleased to report that in the last few days I was able to complete all the necessary interviews. I'd like to thank everyone for being so cooperative, especially given the difficult nature of the subject. I know that these memories aren't pleasant for any of you."

Redwing couldn't help but glance over at Talona, who was now looking down intensely at her padd. However, he was more surprised to notice, out of the corner of his eye, that Shrel was also looking at her. If he hadn't known better, he could have sworn it was out of concern.

Wow... maybe the big lug actually does have a shred of empathy in there.

Oren-De didn't seem to notice the exchange between his officers as he moved the meeting on. "I am glad to hear that, Lieutenant Matoya. On a related note, I have been impressed with how well this ship has been functioning since I came aboard. I was initially worried there might be some problems with the crew working together with the recent influx of new personnel, but I am relieved to see that has not been the case."

The officers nodded but didn't verbally respond to the compliment. From behind his visor, Will looked around the room. Despite, or perhaps because of, the unique way that he saw the room, he wasn't entirely sure that Oren-De's assessment of the crew was correct. Still, this wasn't the time or place to be disagreeing this his new captain, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Our standing orders have come in from Starfleet," Oren-De continued. "We are to assist with patrol of sectors along the border between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The Klingons and their allies have taken advantage of the distraction afforded by the Borg attack on Vega, and Starfleet feels that an increased presence is needed to protect worlds and ships in that area. We are currently enroute to the Eta Eridani sector. With that in mind, all departments should be operating under hostile patrol protocols, as we may have little notice prior to a Klingon encounter. Are there any questions?"

The staff shook their heads. The rest of the meeting continued with little incident, much to Oren-De's satisfaction.

Following the meeting, Maggie returned to her lab and continued going over her notes from the interviews she had conducted with the bridge crew. After a time, she looked up from the padd and decided to replay one she had recently been reviewing.

"Computer, activate holoprojectors and replay interview file 'Borg Attack on Vega Colony, Dr. Chet Redwing.'. Begin at the chapter 'Attack on Medical'."

The computer chirped an affirmative and created a holographic version of Redwing in the chair he had been sitting in when Maggie had originally conducted the interview. Maggie's own disembodied voice began the reprisal with a question.

"So you were in the Pandora's medical bay when the Bord began boarding the ship?"

Redwing nodded and his eyes drifted slightly downward as memories of the attack came flooding back. "Yeah. Dr. T'vol and I were taking care of people who had been injured as a result of ship-to-ship fighting. Without warning, Borg started appearing in the medical bay. I remember Dr. T'vok and I immediately looking at each other and knowing we were thinking the same thing: Crusher Manuever."

"Crusher Maneuver? A flight pattern?"

Redwing let out a laugh and shook his head. "No no, not that kind of maneuver. The Crusher Maneuver is a name that we jokingly give to a standard procedure used in case of Borg attacks on a medical bay. You activate the holographic crew and have them distract the Borg while the organic staff and patients escape through a rear escape route. For reasons that aren't entirely understood, the Borg can't seem to recognize that its just a hologram. It doesn't work very long, but it buys precious seconds, especially now that we have holographic security details that can wield weapons. Dr. Beverley Crusher came up with more than 30 years ago and its been taught at Starfleet Medical ever since."

"Ah, I see. So you activated the ESH detail in the medical bay to counter the Borg invasion. What happened next?"

"Well, actually, we activated the EMH and handed him a phaser. The Pandora's medical bay doesn't have the holographic projection capability for an entire security detail. Anyway, with the Borg already in Medical, we had to do instant triage. All walking wounded were directed toward the rear exit, which thankfully the Borg hadn't beamed in front of. I grabbed a wounded patient that could walk with assistance and helped them to the exit. Dr. T'vol went to do the same... but... she was intercepted by a drone. I... I couldn't do anything, so I got my patient into the exit and locked it behind me. Seven patients got out... the other five were assimilated along with Dr. T'vol."

"Assimilated? That's unusual. Borg boarding parties don't usually assimilate small groups of individuals, especially not those deemed to be a threat."

"They also don't normally board and invade the medical bay. When they do..."

"It's to take over a ship. But these Borg didn't stick around. Other crew members I've interviewed have all said that the Borg boarded, attacked, and then beamed back out."

Redwing nodded. "Yup. I noticed the same thing when I talked to others after the attack. There's one other item I noticed that you might be interested in. You've checked the crew manifest, right? To see what members of the crew were abducted by the Borg?"

"Of course. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. All crew that were abducted were taken from the areas the Borg beamed into: the Bridge, Engineering, Medical, and Security."

"That's right. Here's the thing though: cross-reference that with the inventory that was taken when we got back to Earth Stardock. There were huge numbers of supplies missing from Engineering, Medical, and Security. I found that out after doing my inventory of Medical and finding a bunch of stuff missing. My interest was piqued and I looked at the entire inventory when it was completed." Redwing cocked an eyebrow. "Haven't you read my report yet?"

"Well... no... not yet. I haven't had time. I wanted to get this out of the way first."

"Well, take a look at it. You'll also discover that the Borg beamed into another area that no one noticed, because no one was there at the time: the cargo bay."

"The cargo bay!?" came Maggie's disembodied voice with an incredulous tone. "That's... highly improbable. That has never been a target in any recorded Borg boarding."

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I've observed. Either that was the Borg, or someone on board is a an opportunist without a shred of scruples. Between those two choices, I'm going with the Borg."

Maggie looked away from the hologram of Dr. Redwing and back to her terminal. "Computer, end playback. Display all ship items that were indicated as 'missing' after the Borg attack on the Pandora."

Maggie's terminal blinked to life with a list of items and quantities. She examined the list carefully, looking for any trends or abnormalities. The first thing that struck her was that a number of the stolen items, especially from the cargo bay, were very common and not remotely close to contraband. There were even a number of high-nutrition food packs that were taken, which had practically no value even in legal transactions. Most of the engineering supplies were pretty mundane as well; plasma conduit packs and the like.

"If this was the work of an opportunistic thief, it's a really bad one," she muttered. "This is more like a... no, that's impossible."

She scanned the list a few more times, but she kept coming to the same conclusion. This wasn't the haul of a thief looking to make a quick buck. This looked more like the work of someone who was trying to survive.

Redwing was sitting at his desk in Medical when War'en entered. He was so absorbed in what he was reading on his computer display that he didn't even notice when War'en approached the desk. After a moment, War'en placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, can you spare a moment?

Redwing let out a surprised yelp and spun in his seat, which caused War'en to jump back. When Redwing saw who had touched him, he immediately calmed down and grinned. "Wow, sorry. I didn't even hear you come in. What's up?"

War'en glanced around before looking back at Redwing. "Well, something, actually. Do you have time to talk?"

"Yeah, of course," Redwing said, his voice adopting more of a concerned tone. "What's wrong?"

War'en took a breath and thought for a moment before he continued. "It's Captain Oren-De. I'm becoming very concerned with the way he's... acting."

"You mean how he led that away team mission back at the science outpost? Because while I agree it was definitely a bit weird for a captain to do that, you have to admit he knew what he was doing."

"No, it's not that. Hell, Shrel actually commended his skill with a phaser rifle to me. Voluntarily, even. I don't think I've heard Shrel complement anyone before."

"So what is it then?"

"It's the fact that he seems to be completely ignorant of the crew's morale and emotional state. You heard that comment during the meeting today, right? He thinks the crew is operating well, because there isn't any conflict between the old and new personnel. Meanwhile, he doesn't seem to even care how the crew is dealing with the very reason why we needed the new personnel."

Redwing nodded and let out sigh. "Yeah... I don't think he's even noticed Talona's state."

War'en shook his head. "How is she doing, by the way? I keep trying to get her alone to talk to her, but I'm pretty sure she's desperately trying to avoid that."

"Ditto. I can tell she's bottling it up and you don't need clincal psychology experience to tell you that's a recipe for disaster. But, even though I do have that experience, there's nothing I can do if she won't even start to open up."

"Actually, Dr. Redwing, you could order her to..."

"Nope, not until I see some evidence of it significantly impacting her performance. Showing signs of stress doesn't really cut it. Until I see something more substantial, I can only intervene as a friend."

"See, that's just it. Captain Jacobs would have noticed by now. He would have been calling her into his ready room to talk to her about it, if only to let her know that he cared. That man constantly had a read on how the crew was doing. Hell, when you and I started dating, he practically knew the second after our first kiss."

"Well, it was a pretty hot kiss."

War'en gave him a look. "While that is true... it doesn't change the fact that Captain Oren-De is so ignorant of this crew that he can't even tell half of it is on the verge of a breakdown and the other half is sure that he hates them. He barely even acknowledges anyone who isn't a senior officer."

"Well... yeah, that's true. However, cut him a little slack. He is an Enhasan, after all."

"So? Being an Enhasan, or any race for that matter, doesn't excuse him for treating the crew the way he does."

"No, but it does at least explain why. I mean, think about the culture he grew up in. It's a far cry from anything on Earth, Trill, or really any member planet of the Federation."

War'en's blank expression caused Redwing to look at him quizzically. "You do know what I'm talking about, right? The whole 'meritocracy' thing?"

"Well... I... haven't really had time to read up on it..."

"War'en! Are you serious!? He's your captain, and you don't even know the first thing about where he comes from!"

"Well, not all of us are as fascinated by xenography as you are!" War'en bristled.

Redwing instantly regretted the sharp tone he had taken when War'en retorted. War'en apparently did as well and took a breath. "I'm sorry. It's just... being both first officer and Chief of Engineering hasn't left me a lot of free time to look into it. I've been meaning to but... stuff keeps coming up."

Redwing stood up from his chair, placed his hand on War'en's shoulder, and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I know. Want me to give you a quick run-down? It will be just the important bullet points, and you can even stop me if I start to ramble."

"Yeah, I'd like that," War'en said, offering the other man a small smile. Redwing grinned broadly in return before moving over to a panel next to a large display that occupied one of the wall's of his office. After a few taps, the image of a verdant class M planet came into view. War'en noticed that it also had a ring, but it was much more sparse than other ring systems he had seen. Redwing motioned to the image before he began.

"This is Enhasa. It's been an allied world of the Federation for nearly a century. It can never be a full member world because its system of government violates one of the equal rights clauses of the Federation charter. Specifically, it's caste system."

War'en looked at Redwing quizzically. "What's a caste system?"

"It's a social system where the people are organized into well-structured tiers and mobility between them is practically impossible. While common in pre-warp cultures, they're absent from most space-faring civilizations. Caste systems tend to oppress a vast majority of the population, and by the time a civilization develops warp drive, that majority has usually revolted and established a more egalitarian system of government. That's why you never really hear the term tossed around. However, there are exceptions, and the Meritocracy of Enhasa is one of the most famous.

"There are two main castes in Enhasan society. The upper caste are called the 'Ya-Shin', or 'those of the sky', and the 'Udu', or 'ground-dwellers'."

War'en cocked an eyebrow. "That seems rather insulting."

"In Enhasan society, it's also very literal. With very few exceptions, the Udu live on the surface of Enhasa while the Ya-Shin reside in an expansive network of orbital stations."

The image of Enhasa blinked out and was replaced with an image of one of those orbital stations. It looked almost like the saucer section of most Starfleet ships, though significantly larger. "There are literally thousands of these spread out in orbit above the planet in a ring. In fact, they house nearly one-third of Enhasan society."

"So, which one of the castes would our captain be from?"

"He is in the Ya-Shin caste, as are the other Enhasans that serve in Starfleet. However, it's more complicated than that. The two main castes are divided and sub-divided into specific niches that specifically define an individual's role. On top of that, the entire system is determined by the central government of the Meritocracy. It is constantly evaluating every Enhasan from the moment of birth, and determining the caste and role that each will occupy based solely on their aptitudes and skills; hence the 'meritocracy' name. Enhasan society is regulated and controlled by its government to a degree that is unheard of in nearly every other culture the Federation has been in contact with."

"That sounds... awful, to be honest."

"Well, it's not my cup of tea either. When I was a kid, no one would have even guessed I'd become a doctor, let alone a Starfleet one. However, it does explain a lot of the captain's actions. Think about it, War. He comes from a society where everyone is organized by skill. On top of that, it's a caste system, so that in turn determines who he socializes with. He just hasn't been brought up to talk or even empathize with those who aren't his immediate peers. The problem is that, on a starship... there's not really any peer to the captain."

War frowned as he turned over all of this information in his head. Taking what Redwing had told him to its logical conclusion painted a very bleak picture for the crew's relationship with its new captain. Not only would Oren-De be adverse to socializing with any members of the crew, it might actually be impossible for him to do so. In War'en's eyes, that was exactly the wrong type of captain that the crew needed right now.

"No wonder he seems so ignorant of everyone else."

Redwing nodded. "Yup. On the plus side, Enhasans are the best organizers and delegators in the galaxy. They have a knack for immediately determining a person's abilities and the job that is best-suited to them."

"That's not very useful when the crew is too frightened or depressed to function."

"Well... War, that's where you come in."

"Huh?"

"You're the first officer. If the captain is missing something, it's your job to bring it to his attention, right?"

War'en nodded. He had known for some time that he was going to have to speak with Oren-De about this. It didn't mean he was looking forward to it, though.

"Thanks. I think I know what I need to do."

Redwing grinned. "No problem. After all, someone's got to he--"

He was suddenly interrupted by red lights and klaxons going off around the medical bay. Redwing and War'en looked around in alarm at the sudden outburst from the ship, which was followed momentarily by the sound of Oren-De's voice on the comm system.

"Report to battle stations immediately. Prepare for engagement wit--"

This time it was Oren-De's turn to be interrupted. For a second, there was only white noise. However, the dissonant chorus of cold voices that followed sent a chill down the spines of everyone on the ship.

"We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. Your biological and technological resources will be added to our own. You will be made to service us. Resistance is futile."

Shortly before...

In addition to her research project from Starfleet Intelligence, Maggie still had her responsibilities as the Chief Science Officer for the Pandora. Those duties currently had her on the bridge of the ship, monitoring readings from the surrounding space of the Yarnell system, which the Pandora was currently patrolling. The initial sensor sweep had picked up nothing that would indicate a Klingon presence, so now she was waiting for a more detailed sweep of the immediate area to finish. As she waited, her mind drifted back to her project and, specifically, the interview she had had with Shrel a few days ago.

"You're not very talkative, are you Lieutenant Shrel?"

The Bajoran responded first with a look of mild annoyance before he opened his mouth. "I am merely efficient with my speech."

Maggie took the curt answer in stride. Shrel was far from the first gruff Security officer she had had to deal with. "I understand. I just have one more thing I want to ask you about. It concerns the inventory of missing items following the attack."

She could have sworn she heard a low growl come from Shrel's mouth, though she couldn't tell if Shrel meant it for her or for himself. Regardless, the look of frustration on his face was unmistakable. "As I mentioned in my report, a large number of items were missing from specific ship departments. Ship holographic recording systems were knocked out during the fighting, but it was definitely the work of the Borg drones that invaded the ship."

"Why do you say that?" Maggie asked with an eyebrow raise. "Couldn't it have been a member of the crew? Starfleet has seen an increase in internal corruption, and Intelligence has determined that the Orion Syndicate seems to be using coercion and blackmail as a weapon against the Federation."

Shrel shook his head. "There's no way. Computer records show that all transporter activity out of the ship that would arise from moving that much material occurred during the Borg attack, and occurred while the Borg were known to be in Security, Engineering, and Medical. In order for a crew member to have done this, they would have had to do it in the midst of Borg drones. They would have been assimilated first."

"But the Borg normally don't assimilate lone individuals unless they pose a threat."

"As I also mentioned in my report, these Borg did not behave 'normally'. In addition to targeting areas of the ship with that housed no systems critical to ship function, such as Medical and the cargo bays, they were targeting senior staff for immediate assimilation. The standard protocol for dealing with Borg invasion of a ship is to prepare for energy fire, not nanoprobe injection. Nanoprobe injection tends to only be a consistent tactic when they invade a large civilian area, such as the colony."

Maggie smiled at Shrel. "Very good, Lieutenant Shrel. It's refreshing to see someone with such a good grasp of Borg behavior. Most of that's fallen by the wayside since Starfleet disbanded the Borg Task Force."

The compliment received no response from Shrel, so Maggie simply continued. "However, I do have one other question. According to your report, you weren't on the bridge at any time during the Borg attack. You were part of the security detail sent to Engineering. How do you know that the Borg were deliberately targeting senior staff?"

Surprisingly, Shrel briefly looked unnerved. It reminded Maggie of the way a child looked when caught in a lie, but Shrel had been telling the complete truth. She had enough reports from other members of the crew to confirm every word. The Bajoran quickly recovered though.

"I had to file a report, so I talked to everyone I needed to. That included the one person left alive or unassimilated by the time the bridge was secured."

"You never mentioned such a person in your report, Lieutenant Shrel. Who?"

Shrel looked at Maggie for a moment before looking off to the side. "Lieutenant Talona Roberts. She... witnessed the entire assault on the bridge."

"Roberts? Wait, one of the senior staff was also named Roberts."

The look Shrel gave her could have cut down a hundred Klingons. "Yes. As I recall, that tends to be the case with a husband and wife in Human culture."

The memory brought Maggie back to the present. From her station at the rear of the bridge, she looked over at Talona who was manning the Ops station to the left of the viewscreen. While Maggie wasn't known to be one of the more tactful officers in Starfleet, she could have kicked herself for not putting the pieces together regarding Talona. She had the same last name, still-fresh Romulan grief tattoos on her face, and an awkward air of loss that surrounded her wherever she went.

Maggie's console started beeping, alerting her to the end of the scan. Her eyes drifted back to it and casually scanned down the readout. Half-way down the list of data, her eyes widened.

"Captain! I've picked up energy patterns which indicate at least one cloaking device, used relatively recently. The ship must still be in this area!"

The bridge crew looked over at Maggie in surprise, including Oren-De. "Are you positive? Klingons aren't normally that careless."

Maggie looked up from her console with a nod. Oren-De noticed with surprise that the color had somewhat drained from her face. "That's because they're not Klingon. A second energy pattern in the same spot is unique to Borg technology."

Oren-De reacted immediately. "Red Alert!" As the bridge crew immediately prepared, Oren-De sat back in his chair and tapped a button on his console that activated a shipwide broadcast.

"Report to battle stations immediately. Prepare for engagement with the Borg."

As Oren-De finished his announcement, the comm system was suddenly cut into by the chorus of drone voices that heralded the arrival of the Borg. "We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. Your biological and technological resources will be added to our own. You will be made to service us. Resistance is futile."

Maggie looked back at her console, this time quizzically. The Borg used a standard hail that had varied little since the first encounter with the Enterprise-D over 40 years ago. Maggie had heard it hundreds of times, mostly in ship communications logs. This hail, though, had a key difference. Resources? The Borg have never demanded 'resources' before...

"Three ships decloaking directly ahead!" reported Talona.

"Onscreen!"

The bridge crew's attention flew to the viewscreen. The characteristic distortion of a cloak distorted the field of stars as three ships faded into view. Two were Klingon Birds of Prey. The third, however, was a Federation Miranda-class vessel. All three had patches of Borg technology decorating their hulls, which let off a uniquely eerie green light.

"All three ships are powering weapons, sir!" reported Talona.

"Evasive maneuvers and direct power to forward shields. Concentrate all fire on the Birds of Prey," ordered Oren-De, who had mostly regained his calm demeanor after the initial shock at the composition of the makeshift Borg force. "Lieutenant Matoya, what are we dealing with here?"

Maggie had already initiated a sensor scan of the ships, and now her hands were flying over her console as the data started to come back. Her mind raced to put it all together as the Pandora began its engagement with the ships.

"Captain, the Federation ship is the USS Iowa. That ship was reported as MIA and assumed destroyed following the Borg attack on Vega. I'd guess that the Borg commandeered it during the battle, which is nearly unheard of. The only recorded example of such a tactic was, of course, on the Enterprise-E when that ship encountered the Borg in the pas--"

"Lieutenant Matoya, please be concise," Oren-De ordered tensely as the ship shuddered under the energy barrage from the three ships. Maggie grimaced as she realized she had gotten carried away.

"Sorry, Captain. Basically, all three of these ships have been captured and modified by the Borg. Additionally, the Borg have assimilated and adapted various technologies from each ship and added them to the others. The Iowa has a cloaking device and all three ships have a mixture of disruptor, phaser, and plasma weaponry. There is also Borg-specific technology present in systems identified as assimilation, drone support, and... teleporters!"

Suddenly it all made sense to Matoya. All the pieces fell into place, both regard to the ships the Pandora was now fighting and the data she had gathered on the Vega colony attack.

"Captain, we need Security details at Engineering, Medical, and on the Bridge, now!"

Oren-De turned to look at Maggie with skepticism. "Standard protocol only calls for Bridge reinforcement with the Borg, and I've already ordered Security up to the Bridge."

"The standard protocol doesn't apply here, sir!" Maggie exclaimed, standing up from her seat. She began making expressive motions with her hands, as if lecturing to students instead of reporting to her superior officer. "These are likely the same Borg as those that attacked Vega, and everything I've gathered on them says that they're not operating on the standard Borg MO of 'conquest', but instead 'survival'. You heard it yourself in the hail, sir. They're after 'biological and technological resources'. They're going to board the ship and try to commandeer it, like the Iowa, but failing that they'll try and take any supplies and personnel they can. I don't know what's necessitated this change sir, but I'm sure that's what they're going to do!"

"Captain, shields down on the aft Bird of Prey!" reported Shrel, cutting in on the report.

Oren-De didn't miss a beat as he took in all the information. "Quantum torpedoes, high yield, Lieutenant Shrel. Captain Oren-De to Security, send details to Medical and Engineering. Prepare for Borg boarding parties on decks with vital personnel and supplies."

"Direct hit, sir! The Bird of Prey is experiencing multiple hull breaches."

"Captain, I'm reading Borg intruders on the ship! They're in Engineering, Medical, and multiple cargo bays!" reported Talona, her voice reaching a high octave in alarm. Oren-De didn't seem to notice as he stood up from his chair.

"Everyone, phasers out and set for random modulation. Prepare for Borg on the Bridge!"

No sooner did Oren-De issue the order than multiple green columns of light appeared throughout the Bridge, heralding the arrival of Borg drones. Thanks to Maggie's warning and Oren-De's calm order, the Bridge crew was ready and fired their weapons as soon as the drones materialized. Most of the drones fell immediately, collapsing to the floor of the deck as they were hit with the phaser blasts. A small grin crossed Shrel's face when he saw the efficiency with which the Bridge crew was fighting off the invasion... until he looked over at Talona.

The blond half-Romulan was standing and had backed up into her console, her phaser long-since dropped from her slack hands. She was staring up at the Borg drone in front of her with a mixture of intense emotions on her face. By now the Borg was practically on top of her, and was raising one if its hands towards her neck. Maggie had noticed as well and was yelling at Talona to snap her back to reality.

"Talona! Get away from it! It's going to assimilate you!"

Shrel and Maggie were both bringing their phasers to bear on the drone, and by now Oren-De had shifted his attention from the rest of the Bridge to see what Maggie had been yelling about. With lightning-reflexes, his phaser was pointed at the back of the Borg's head. He, Shrel, and Maggie were about to fire when Talona finally gasped out a single word.

"... Michael...?"

Shrel faltered in shock. Maggie's eyes widened at the recognition of the name from the reports she'd read. Oren-De didn't flinch one bit and fired at the drone's back, causing it to stiffen and arch before collapsing to the floor. Talona screamed in protest as the drone fell and she moved forward to catch it. The weight was too much, however, and she fell with the drone to the ground, landing on top of it. The drone hit the floor face-up, and immediately Shrel recognized the man under all the Borg implants.

"Mike..." he said in a low voice, his face a mixture of sadness and shock. Maggie looked at the Bajoran in surprise, as it was easily the most emotion she'd seen him express in the short time she'd known him.

Oren-De, more concerned with the well-being of the ship than the emotions running rampant on his bridge, turned toward Will. The helmsman had gone back to his post immediately after downing the drone that had materialized next to him, and had his hands full keeping the Pandora going during the battle. "Helm, report!"

"The other ships are still attacking, sir. Shields are steadily dropping on all sides though. I don't know how much longer she can handle this!"

Oren-De looked back at Talona, but it was clear that she was in no condition to be resuming her duties. He found the closest crewman who seemed to have composure and pointed at him. "Take Ops, now. I want a report on the status of this ship and the Borg invasion." The crewman, though shocked to be given the duty, snapped to attention and ran to the Ops console, somehow stepping over Talona and the drone she was on top of. Meanwhile, Oren-De continued to wrest back control of his bridge. "Lieutenant Shrel, resume firing all weapons on the other Bird of Prey. Lieutenant Matoya, I want information that will help us deal with these ships and how we might get the Borg off the Iowa."

The two looked at their captain and nodded, but it was obvious that the sight of Talona, who was now silently crying over the form of the drone, was making them feel conflicted as to what they should do. Oren-De was about to order the drone beamed to the brig and Talona beamed to Medical when the crewman at Ops started delivering his report.

"Engineering and Medical report they they have been secured with minimal casualties and no loss of life, sir. Also, we've been receiving a hail for the last minute now, Captain. ... Captain, it's the USS Kirk! They're warping into the system!"

Oren-De looked at the crewman in surprise. "What!? Why is the Kirk here?"

The crewman was about to respond when a brilliant barage of phaser fire streaked across the viewscreen, striking the second Bird of Prey. The USS Kirk sailed into view, unleashing a volley of torpedoes at the ship, breaching its now-exposed hull and sending it into death convulsions. No sooner had the ship exploded than all of the Borg drones on the Bridge suddenly vanished in the green light of a Borg transport. Talona howled in protest as her body fell through now-empty space and onto the floor of the ship, openly sobbing.

"Captain, all Borg drones have been teleported off the ship and back to the Iowa. The Iowa is changing coarse and going to warp, sir!"

"Fire all weapons! Destroy the ship before it goes to warp!"

Shrel looked at Oren-De in surprise. Oren-De looked at Shrel as he hesitated and his frustration began to mount. "I said, fire all weapons on the Iowa, Lieutenant Shrel!"

"Ye-yes, sir!"

"NOOOOOOOO!" screamed Talona as she launched herself from the floor and towards Shrel, attempting to tackle him away from the Tactical console. The move caught Shrel so off-guard that he and Talona both went tumbling to the floor. Shock filled the Bridge as the scene unfolded. Oren-De looked from it all just in time to see the Iowa warp out of the system. There was nothing but silence as Oren-De turned back toward Talona and Shrel. No one was sure exactly how the Enhasan would react to the direct defiance of his orders.

"Lieutenant Shrel. Please escort Lieutenant Roberts to Medical immediately, and inform Dr. Redwing of the situation. Lt. Roberts is obviously emotionally incapacitated," he said, his voice strained with control. Shrel looked up at his captain and only nodded, before picking himself and Talona up off the floor. By now Talona was crying into his shoulder, muttering something but it was too unintelligible for anyone to make out. Shrel moved her to the turbolift, and the doors shut behind them, finally removing the sound of Talona's weeping from the Bridge.

"Uh... sir?" pipped up the crewman at Ops uncertainly. Oren-De turned to him. The crewman swallowed nervously before continuing. "The Kirk is hailing us, Captain. However, its on a heavily encrypted frequency."

More silence passed as Oren-De processed yet another surprise. Finally he turned and began heading towards his ready room. "Patch it through to my personal terminal. Lieutenant Matoya, you have the Bridge."

"Yes, sir," Maggie said simply as she watched Oren-De disappear into his ready room.

Chief Science Officer's Log, Stardate 87724.1

Following the incredible encounter with the assimilated ships, Captain Oren-De alerted the senior staff that the USS Kirk had been ordered to escort the Pandora back to Earth. It appears that the results of my studies on the Borg cure are being requested, and I am to deliver them in person. The existence of this program is still sealed from the senior staff, so it has caused some confusion as to why exactly we are returning. It has also forced me to step up my research timeline and recruit the help of Dr. Redwing sooner than expected. Unfortunately, I'm sure that I won't be able to have his undivided attention due to the recent episode involving Talona, who has now become his newest patient.

Maggie entered Medical to find it surprisingly quiet. She had expected that following the attack by the Borg-commandeered ships that there would be more injuries, but apparently the attack had done little damage to the ship or crew. Maggie made a mental note to, once this was all over, more fully document the response of the Pandora's crew to this new type of Borg attack, as apparently the crew had been quite effective in holding them off.

"Dr. Redwing?" she called out as she looked around for him. The medical officer popped out from his office and made a motion with his hands for her to lower her voice. He pointed over to a bed in the far corner of the medical bay, where Talona lay sleeping in a curled position. Maggie grimaced when she realized her error and ducked into Redwing's office.

"I'm sorry," she said in a lowered voice. "I didn't notice any patients in here at first."

Redwing shook his head. "She cried for a while before finally falling asleep, and I'd like to let her rest for as long as possible. Looks like she's still asleep though." He looked out of one of the clear walls of his office at Talona's sleeping form and gave a sad sigh. "If only she had let me in, I could have helped her before it got to this point. Even after the incident on the Bridge, she still refused to talk to me about any of it, which means I can't help her."

Maggie frowned. Of course, she wanted Talona to overcome this, but it was obvious that she was also going to be a significant distraction to Redwing. She'd been wrestling with a decision since Oren-De informed her of why the Kirk was escorting them back to Earth and it was now clear she'd have to take ethically questionable action. However, with any luck, everyone would benefit from it, including Talona.

"Dr. Redwing..."

"Please, call me, Red," he said to her, a small smile on his face.

"Red. I have some info that might help you with that."

"Oh?" he said, his expression one of surprise and interest.

"I have a holographic recording of Talona's interview with me. She doesn't 'open up', but it might still be useful to you."

Redwing gave her an incredulous look. "Ms. Matoy--"

"Maggie."

"Maggie... that's a confidential interview, correct? Isn't that a breach of standard confidentiality agreements?"

"It wasn't a medical interview and it's not classified. Additionally, given what I've seen Starfleet medical personnel pull in terms of removing officers from duty and getting access to data that's "critical to the well-being of the patient", I'm sure you could get the interview from me, now that I've told you it's relevant."

"Er... that's probably true, but..."

"But? Why can't you just accept my help?"

Redwing studied her for a moment, then finally gave a sigh in surrender. "Alright. Can you play it for me now?"

"Of course. Computer, activate holoprojectors and replay interview file 'Borg Attack on Vega Colony, Lieutenant Talona Roberts.'. Begin at the chapter 'Bridge Attack' and position over Dr. Redwing's chair."
A hologram of Lt. Talona sitting in a chair appeared overlayed over Red's desk chair. Maggie's own voice sounded out of a speaker.

"So, you were on the Bridge at the time of the attack?"

Talona nodded, her eyes looking downward and avoiding contact with Maggie's. "Yes. The usual officer at Ops during that shift, Lieutenant Commander T'gon, was resting in her quarters with a case of Andorian flu. I had worked the night shift sometimes to stay up on my Bridge training, so Captain Jacobs had me stand in for her."

"Could you please go over what happened?"

Talona nodded again, though this time it seemed more jerky. Her hands fidgeted as she began recounting the events. "When we arrived in the system, the Pandora entered an engagement with a Borg cube that already involved a number of ships. I think... five others. At first, the battle was going well. For some reason, the Borg ships were not as strong as those that I remember going up against during simulations at the Academy. Definitely nothing like the one in the Wolf 359 simulation, at any rate. However, as the hull of the cube started taking heavy damage, the ships in the area started reporting Borg boarding parties. Just as I was reporting it to the captain... they transported onto the Bridge. Captain Jacobs immediately called for Security and the Bridge crew started firing at the drones. The first few drones fell quickly, but..."

"But...?"

Talona looked up, her eyes starting to tear up. "They... they just kept coming. For everyone that got taken down, another one beamed into it's place. They got to Captain Jacobs first... then... Helmsman McKenna... then... Mi-..."

"Who?"

Talona took a breath and seemed to compose herself. Her face stiffened as she looked focused back down at the table. "Lieutenant Commander Michael Roberts, our Chief Science Officer."

"Your... husband, correct?"

Talona looked up in surprise. After a moment, she nodded and continued. "He... he got in front of a Borg drone when it got close to me. He tried to push it away, but it got those injectors into his neck. He went slack, and... and..."

Talona's hologram could no longer hold the tears in. They began flowing down her cheeks as she continued recounting the attack, her guard completely down.

"... he fell to the floor, his eyes just staring up at me. His body was starting to twitch and... it looked like he was... you know, dying. The drone... it... stepped onto him as it tried to reach me, but another officer took it down. It fell on top of Michael. I pushed it off of him... I tried to get him to snap out of it. I was calling for someone to beam him to Medical, but I guess by then they had evacuated. I couldn't get him any help and... then he vanished. They took him from me."

She ahead with a desperate look on her face. "They took Michael from me... and now he's..."

"Computer, stop playback," ordered Redwing suddenly. The hologram vanished from its position in his chair. Red looked back out of his office toward Talona.

"It happened all over again. She had to relive it all over again."

Maggie nodded, but didn't say anything. After a moment, Redwing spoke to her. "Thank you, Maggie. This will help. It's still going to be difficult for her, but I think I can at least help make it easier for her."

"I'm glad. Because I need you to help me, as well."

Red looked at her in surprise, then suspicion. "What do you need?"

"I need your assistance in studying something classified. It's why we're heading back to Sol. You cannot breathe a word of this to anyone. The only people on this ship cleared to know about this are you, me, and Captain Oren-De. Is that clear?"

Redwing's suspicion now became mixed with an irrepressible curiosity. He leaned forward and couldn't completely hide the eager look from his face. "What is it?"

"A possible cure for Borg assimilation; a computer program that disconnects drones from the collective. It was used for the first time during an attack on Vega, and I've been asked by Starfleet Intelligence to study it. However, I need your medical expertise to determine how exactly it affects a physiology and neurology."

Redwing's eyes widened. "Wait, that actually exists!? There's been rumors throughout Starfleet Medical about that since the Vega attack. Hell, even War'en heard about it from his engineering friends."

"So I can count on your complete assistance? I need to have as much work accomplished by the time we arrive at Sol."

Redwing nodded, his expression tempering somewhat. "As much as I can give you. When I'm not dealing with patients, I'll be working on this."

"Excellent. I'll get an encrypted padd with all of the files on it to you, ASAP," Maggie said with a smile. With any luck, the trip to Sol would be smooth enough to allow her and Redwing to devote their (almost) undivided attentions to the program.

((That concludes this episode of Star Trek: Pandora! I hope you enjoyed it!))

((love it!))