USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

ON: <USS Sentinel, Bridge, 1334, Day 3>

Lange paced in front of his command chair. Davenport had come to the bridge after the change in status from yellow to red alert and was sitting calmly in his seat. Lange wished Kilana was on the bridge, but she was preparing to beam over to the Sirion with the salvage teams if the security personnel reported everything clear. Daggerd was likewise off the bridge to prep the security personnel that would be beaming over in the first wave.

"Distance to the Sirion?" Lange asked as he turned to face Marot.

?15,000km Sir? Samas replied after glancing at the screen, but in the process of doing so something else caught his eye, he enlarged the screen that had attracted him and double checked the scans. ?I?m detecting an unusual radiation reading coming from that area...?

Lange blinked. He swung around the rail and walked up the steps to Ops. "Readings?"

?Well the radiation isn?t, it?s just the usual junk that gets poured from impulse manifolds, but look,? Samas brought up the last few minutes logs on the screen on the console and slid across to allow the Captain to see, ?the emissions are very precise and in discreet amounts...?

Lange looked at the readings as he leaned over the side of the console. "Someone had to have arranged that. Is it any kind of code you can decipher?"

The Lt spun his chair to face the back wall and accessed the linguistic and communication database. He was hoping to detect a pattern hidden in the radiation signal, which he did, the computer took barely a millisecond to make a connection and display the results, a result so simple that if the computer had emotions the response would have been in an unbearably patronising tone.

?Its Morse code Sir, it?s just two words repeating ?Stay Away?...?

"Stay Away?" Lange frowned. "So either the ship is hazardous in some way we can't detect yet... or... Lifesign readings. What's on that ship?"

?No way of telling at this range, not with the high levels of radiation from their engines, not to mention the Nebula is throwing out all kinds of interference, to be honest we can barely tell it is the Sirion.? Samas sighed slightly, annoyed at himself for not having a more concrete answer and worried about what dangers might lie over there for an away team if he couldn?t get the sensors to cut through the interference.

?We need to be closer, at thi...?, he paused as an idea came to him, ?We could launch a probe? The readings won?t be detailed in the Nebula, but it should be able to send us limited telemetry, might be able to give us a rough idea??

"Tactical, launch a Class 8 probe, configured for lifesign scanning. Secondary sensor package should be configured to detect Borg technology."

Ensign Sorele (NPC) nodded and tapped a command into the Tactical panel. A moment later she looked up. "Probe launched, Captain."

Lange looked back to Marot. "Alright, let me know as soon as we've got usable readings, Lieutenant."

There was an uneasy silence on the bridge, or at least that?s how it sounded to the operations officer, in reality there was the beeping of computers, hushed voices discussing the situation and the steady distant hum of the warp-core reverberating around the ship, but in Samas mind there was only silence, punctuated occasionally only by the soft beep from his console that signified the probe was active.

After 5 minutes that felt like 50, the probe arrived and readings appeared on Marot?s screen, accompanied by a series of confirming beeps that attracted the Captains attention once again.

"Got something?" Lange asked as he peered over the edge of the console again.

?Yes and No...? came the admittedly unhelpful reply, ?the readings are intermittent at best, but the probes detected approximately 30 lifesigns aboard the Sirion, and I?m certainly detecting Borg biosigns, but I can?t confirm how many of them might be unassimilated, might be twenty, might be two, might be none...Sorry Sir.?

"What's our furthest transporter range in this soup? Ten Thousand kilometres or so?"

?Maybe seven, seven and a half if you get lucky and have a whizz at the controls down there...?

"Thanks, Lieutenant." Lange turned and leaned over the rail, gripping it with both hands. "Mister Monroe, take us in to six thousand kilometres, and not one inch closer."

Lange turned and walked towards the Turbolift as he tapped his commbadge. "Lange to Daggerd. Get your team ready to leave immediately. I'm coming with you. Lange out."

"Captain!" Davenport (NPC) exclaimed, "I must protest you going aboard that ship before it's secure."

Lange fixed the commander with his coldest stare. "Obviously you don't know me very well yet, Commander. I'm going, that's final. Mister Marot, keep an eye open for Borg ships. Set up a sentry line of all of our Class 5 probes and however many Class 8 Probes you can modify to fit the Class 5 mission suite."

?I?ll get on it, I might need some help from engineering to modify the probes but it shouldn?t take long.? He paused, ?Good Luck?

"Thank you, Lieutenant, but hopefully I won't need it. Miss Keane should be able to supply you whatever assistance you need." Lange turned back around and stepped into the turbolift.


OFF

A JP By

Captain Lange
Commanding Officer
USS Sentinel

and
_________________
Lieutenant Samas Marot
Chief Operations Officer
USS Sentinel NCC-74673

ON:

<USS Sirion, Deck 1, MD03, 1326>

Jeff had made it onto the bridge. He had scanned every inch he could with the limited range of the tricorder. Finding the bridge abandoned, Jeff entered through the doorway that led from his office to the bridge. The forward view screen was still activated. Jeff thought to check the sensors quickly. He moved to the ops station.

Sensors showed vessels approaching...but because the Borg had already adjusted the sensors to their liking, he couldn't tell exactly what kind of ships were approaching.

"What am I going to do now? If I enter the command codes, the Borg might detect my activity on this board. That's sure to get some troops, or drones, up here. But...I've got to warn those ships off!"

Jeff mulled over his options, few as they were. Moments later, he set himself to the task at hand. He entered the command codes and the override code he'd installed as the ship was being boarded.

"Damn!" He slammed a fist onto the control panel. "They've figured out the command codes and already reset them! They've got total control of the ship! Damn!"

He looked back towards the turbolift, thinking he heard something. Jeff turned his body around and slowly raised the type II phaser towards the turbolift. The lift had been activated by something. He quickly moved towards an aft station, phaser raised and level at the turbolift doors. The doors swished open and a tabby cat ran onto the bridge.

Jeff let out a huge sigh of relief and started working on another plan. He remembered the Impulse Engine Control room was on Deck one. If he could somehow adjust the Impulse Thrust Exhaust, perhaps he could send a message to the incoming ships.

Jeff went through the door to the auxiliary conference room and into Impulse Control. Impulse Thrust Exhaust was a minor system that hopefully wouldn't still require a command override to access. Jeff scanned the room for Borg Drones, tricorder in one hand and the phaser in the other. Jeff passed a panel that had been turned into a mirror of sorts by some of the engineers prior to the ship's last port of call.

"Man, I really look worse for the wear." he said.

Jeff sat down at the controls, not quite sure exactly how to adjust the exhaust without being detected and at the same time give off some type of signal. "Morse code!" he said aloud. He looked around the room to make sure he was still alone, more of a habit of late.

He set to work on the exhaust controls, hoping perhaps whoever was closing in would have their sensors on full scan.

"I hope this works." said Jeff.

OFF
______________

LCR Jefferson Stevens
Executive Officer
USS Sirion
_________________
LCR Jefferson Stevens
Mission Advisor
Second Officer
USS Peacekeeper

ON: < USS Sentinel ? Armory ? 1330 hours ? Mission Day 3 >

Lieutenant Blake Daggerd stood in the Armory before a small group of his finest security officers about to address them on the both dangerous and important mission they were about to embark on.

Only moments ago he was sitting on the bridge but once Ensign Sorele arrived he handed the post over to her so that he could prep the away team.

For the away mission Blake had selected security officers Petty Officer Anna-Lucia Rodriguez (NPC) and Warrant Officer Kaj Vronn (NPC) to accompany the team. Blake also decided to allow Petty Officer K?Pak (NPC) to accompany them because even though he was a tactical officer he was still one of the strongest combatants on the ship.

?I?m sure by now you are all aware that the mission you are about to embark on may result in confrontation with the Borg. Since you are the best the Sentinel has to offer I?m not going to try to make this mission seem any less dangerous then it is. You have all been sent reports on how to combat a Borg assault. Remember your mission is to protect the team, as long as you do not pose a threat the Borg will ignore you so keep your phasers down until they attack and then get the team to safety that's it..?

With that the three officers grabbed their respective phaser rifles off the racks and headed out the door. As they departed Blake saw that K?Pak was armed with an unusual blade in addition to his issue knife this made Blake smile because if K?pak was taking this seriously nothing could stop him.

Just as Blake departed the Armory and headed for the Bridge he received a comm signal ?Commander Davenport (NPC) to Lieutenant Daggerd? so Blake responded ?Daggerd here? and a second later Davenport responded ?the Captain is planning on accompanying the away team? with that Daggerd knew what Davenport wanted . The commander was extremely by the book and according to regulation it was Blake?s duty to accompany the Captain on all away missions. So Blake responded ?Understood? and headed back to the armory.

By
_________________
Lieutenant JG Blake Daggerd
Chief Tactical Officer
USS Sentinel NCC-74673

OFF: This is a back post

ON: <USS Malinche, Chief Operations Officer's Office, 2000, Day 2>

Peters walked briskly down the corridor to Roh's office, Akios shortly behind him. He had a few ideas for ways to stop the Borg from accessing their systems, and he was sure Akios had several as well. Now it was time to find out what they each had come up with... and what they come up with together.

Stopping in front of the door, Peters pressed the chime, then waited.

He had no idea who was calling but, he decided not to be an upstart, "Come in," said the young Ops officer. He was pleased to see that it was Lieutenant Peters, Chief Engineer of the USS Malinche. "Come in, come in, come in. Can I get you anything, sir?"

"No, thank you," Peters replied as he took one on the seats in front of Roh's desk. "Have you met Ensign Akios yet?"

After seeing Peters in the doorway, Roh figured out what it was he was here for...the Borg situation. Luckily, Roh had just come from a meeting with his own staff including his chief of computer analysis, Petty Officer 1st class Alexander Grey. Officer Grey was an extremely intelligent man.

"Actually, Lieutenant, I have not had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Akios," Roh said.

Akios followed Peters into the COO's office. "Nice to meet you, sir," he said, taking a seat beside Peters. He couldn't help but notice that the COO was on the short side for a humanoid. The difference between his height and Roh's was more than a foot. He waited for the two senior staff to get started before saying anything else himself.

"Well, no point in dilly-dallying," Peters said. "We need some kind of defense against the Borg for our computer systems or any boarding action by the Borg will result in us having to fight our own ship just to survive. Any ideas on that score?"

"Well sir, I was thinking we used a recursive algorithm is order to keep them out at least for a few minutes until we can find something more permanent," Roh said.

Peters nodded. "I was thinking along similar lines. We might also want to cover the simplest base and change the computer prefix code to disallow remote access to the ship. Also, we could have a cascade virus or an invasive paradox program loaded in the computer in case the Borg do manage to crack whatever safety measures we put up. It would at least slow them down."

Peters shrugged. "If nothing else works, there's always Emergency Procedure Alpha Two... manual control of all systems from a secure location... probably the bridge or engineering."

"There is that. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. Wait, I have another idea. I was thinking that if we went MVAM, that would present another roadblock for the Borg."

"Begging your pardon, sirs," Akios interrupted, "I'm concerned that MVAM may increase our vulnerability to Borg incursion. MVAM coordination requires computer communication between the sections of the ship. They've already used just about every trick in the book to secure the channels and prevent them from being jammed, and there are protocols to maintain coordination if communications are briefly interrupted, but if we have to separate the ship, it might be best to have the sections operate independently. Beta and gamma sections would be on a par with the Defiant class, and alpha section only a little behind that."

"Good idea, Mr. Akios. I was thinking the very same thing. It shouldn't be a hard thing to setup. Even though, I am not at all familiar with ships that separate having never served on one in my career," Roh said. "What all would that entail, Lieutenant?"

Peters thought for a moment. "In theory, and keep in mind that I've never seen Multi-Vector Assault Mode actually used, but in theory all it should require is to have a crew in the Auxiliary Bridge in each section taking over control at the time of separation. That would then eliminate the need for any communications other than voice commands from the Captain to go between sections."

"I guess we'll need to double check the auxiliary control systems and make sure they're ready," Akios said.

"That sounds like a plan then. I still suggest we got with our other plans, just to be safe," Roh said.

OFF:

A JP With

Ensign Turu'asta Akios
Engineering Officer
USS Malinche

&

Lt JG Traven Roh
Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche

<USS Malinche, Gamma Section Control, MD03, 1350>

The Siron was visible on the viewscreen now, it was almost silhouetted against the vivid colours of the nebula and it was looking out from the fog, it looked like it was purposefully trying to hide. The nova class was listing to port when compared the orientation of the Malinche and Sentinel, main power seemed to be offline, the nacelles lacking their normal glow and the lights from the window seemed to be emergency lighting at best.

The lights on what was essentially the bridge were dimmed and the alert lights filled the room with a periodic red glow, even the LCARs displays had switched to a more ominous colour scheme.

Jack continued to work at his display, he only had his academy training to fall back on when faced with these controls but he was able to read the sensor readings and in this situation that was what was important.

While the ship was in visual range now he was still having trouble getting accurate readings on the ship, he was hoping the superior sensors on the Sentinel were having more luck cutting through the nebulas interference.

He glanced up and looked back to the view screen, even if he had no idea what was going on, what was to come, he would see the image, the darkened ship shrouded by a nebula, electrical discharges lighting the ship from behind, and know, there and then, that a storm was coming...

<<USS Malinche, Alpha Section Bridge, 1344, Day 3>>

"Ms. Holtman (NPC), open a channel to the other two sections," Isabel ordered.

Caitlyn nodded and tapped at her console quickly, "Channel open ma'am."

"Commander Hunt, Lieutenant Quaid, are you picking anything up on sensors?" Having been an Engineer, and still with the engineering mindset, Isabel liked to have as much information as possible - unfortunately, dealing with the nebula would limit that a great deal.

Hunt turned in his seat at his panel, the LCARS displayed nothing but the nebula itself.

"Captain I have run a detailed scan on both long and short range scanners. Nothing has turned I am afraid but then again this nebula has a dense ratio of point 9.5 on the scale." Said Hunt.

"It's hard to tell Captain," Quaid said as his hands frantically worked the Helm console. "The Sentinel's distance from us and her proximity to the Nebula is causing several sporadic sensor ghosts, I'm trying to compensate by filtering those readings with passive tachyon pulses though the navigational array... but the effective range is only 50'000 kilometers."

"Confirmed Captain, we shouldn't rule anything out at this point we should err on the side of caution," Said Hunt.

Mason was more at ease than he had been for sometime now. The images and sounds were down to a minimal, however they still appeared. Somehow he could not explain it but they were more focused.

Isabel nodded, "Alright, let's go to MVAM pattern Three Gamma and continue scanning. I imagine the Sentinel would be most likely to find the Sirion, but we may get lucky." Turning to the officer at the Flight Control console, Isabel said, "If you would, Mr. Sychorski(NPC)."

He nodded, then turned back to the console, his fingers dancing across as he inputted the command. The Alpha section moved into position; Gamma section was moving closer to the nebula now, and the Beta section was between the Gamma section and Alpha section.

"Captain, incoming transmission from the USS Sentinel," Caitlyn announced.

"On screen," Isabel replied. A few moments later, James appeared. "Have you found something Captain?"

"We've found the Sirion," Lange replied succinctly. "She's adrift inside the nebula."

"Ensign Borlat(NPC) transfer sensor scan relay omega 9433 to this station." Hunt ordered watching her make the transfer and then looked back to his screen.

"Odd and confirmed it is the Sirion. Both the engine and shield frequencies match up." Said Hunt.

"Sensor scans are muddled, but there is definitely someone aboard. There are life-signs, as well as signs of Borg technology. Someone also adjusted the impulse emissions to send out a warning in Morse code. It seems to have been a recent change, so there's likely someone still alive aboard the ship." Lange shrugged.

"Further scans show multiple hull breaches but they are being contained by emergency force fields. Some power fluctuations on several decks including engineering." Said Mason.

"I'm preparing to lead a security team over to assess the status of the ship and look for survivors. We're also taking precautions in case there are active drones aboard. If and when it's clear, we'll signal for the Engineering teams to be beamed over." Lange looked off to one side and nodded to someone off-screen.

Isabel nodded, "I'll make sure our Engineering team is ready to go."

"I've also ordered all of the Sentinel's Class 5 Sensor Probes and as many Class 8 probes as we can modify without compromising our torpedo magazine to be launched in order to form a sensor net around us." Lange paused for a moment before continuing on. "Hopefully that will extend our sensor range enough to give us advance warning of any Borg vessels approaching while inside the nebula."

A part of Quaid wanted to be on one of those teams, beaming aboard the Sirion to possibly face a swarm of Borg Drones. He cleared his head of such thoughts quickly and piped in. "Sirs, if we combine the class 5 probes of both ships, the early warning system would be approximately 75% more effective. The Malinche's probes will have to be launched now in order to move them into position along the outer edge of the Nebula..."

Pausing a moment to consider the idea, Isabel replied, "Let's do it. In this case any additional effectiveness and earlier warning could make all the difference. Commander Hunt, Lieutenant Quaid, prepare to launch probes - I want them launched in the next five minutes."

Hunt nodded and turned to his panel.

?Ops, bring 5 of our class 5 sensor probes online. Also modify them to link up with the ones from the Sentinel highest possible signal. Patch any and all sensor data to both ship?s tactical and operations consoles.? Said Hunt rapidly tapping on his console.

Mason got up and turned to Kersare.

?Captain I would like to recommend if our people are heading over there to have the transporter rooms on both vessels keep a transporter lock and the away teams keep an open comm channel in case we need to pull everyone out in a pinch.? Said Mason.

Isabel nodded, "I was actually going to suggest a holographic transmission link be sent with the team, but yes, those would be appropriate as well. Let's get Engineering on that immediately."

Lange nodded again. "The Sentinel's probes are being launched as we speak. I'll make sure Lt Marot forwards all sensor telemetry to all three sections of the Malinche."

"Section Gamma's probes are away," Quaid reported as he finished programming their destination co-ordinates into the computer. "The probes should be transmitting data to all Malinche sections and the Sentinel now."

After a few moments, torrents of data streamed onto the main display on Jake's console. "According to these readings there are no Borg vessels within sensor range sirs," he said, addressing Kersare, Lange and Hunt. "If we're going to carry out this away mission, I suggest we do so now."

"Let's get started," Isabel replied. "We'll await word from you to send our Engineering team in, Captain Lange."

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Captain James Lange
Commanding Officer
USS Sentinel NCC-74673

and

Commander Mason Hunt
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Lieutenant Jake Quaid
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

<USS Sirion, Deck 1, 1340, Day 3>

Jeff hoped his message had worked. He wouldn't be able to tell and it was time to leave. Jeff headed back to his office. He needed to grab that knife he'd obtained from a Marine as a parting gift some time back. It might come in handy.

"Well, perhaps we should revert back to old earth fencing rapiers or something against these borg in hand to hand. Edged weapons seem to be the only lethal thing they haven't been able to adapt to overcome."

He rummaged through a drawer on the left side of his desk, keeping an ear open for signs on movement on the bridge, outside his office.

"AH. Just where I left it." said Jeff. He picked up the combat knife and laced it up, tying the sheath onto his left leg. It felt odd. Jeff had never really spent much time in the hand to hand combat training but he did at least know how to use the knife.

"Ok smart guy. This ship is overrun with Borg drones. Now what?" he asked himself aloud.

Heading out of his office, Jeff noticed something was amiss on the bridge. He started getting that gut feeling that he needed to get off the bridge quick. Jeff ducked back into the hole he'd made in the office wall and tried to be as quiet as possible in the back service area. The hallway, if it could truly be called a hallway, was littered with debris and tools, partial bulkheads and other nondescript items.

Through the hole, Jeff could hear commotion on the bridge. The borg had entered the bridge.

Off

LCR Jeff Stevens
XO, USS Sirion
_________________
LCR Jefferson Stevens
Mission Advisor
Second Officer
USS Peacekeeper

<<USS Mailnche, Alpha Section Bridge, 1358, Day 3>>

After the com channel with the Sentinel was closed, Isabel sank back into her command chair. Her mind raced with everything that needed to be accomplished. The probes would have to be monitored, as well as the various long range scanners. Preparations would have to be made for survivors or an attack by the Borg....

She stood, joining Britney (NPC) at the railing. One thing she didn't like about the Prometheus class bridge was that there were no extra chairs. Granted, most people would be standing at their stations, but if Mason or, in this case, Britney, were also on the bridge they had to stand. It had always unnerved Isabel to be sitting when others were standing around her.

"Something wrong Captain?" Britney looked over at her.

Isabel gave a slight smile at her yeoman's concern, "No, at least nothing other than the current situation we're in. I was just thinking that perhaps the next time we're docked I should look into a few modifications to the bridge."

"Ah, I see. Do you think the Engineering teams will have much trouble?" the young Direidian looked worried.

"Well, they certainly won't have it easy, not with the Borg on the Sirion. It'll depend on how badly infested with Borg the ship is and which areas...as well as whether any other Borg vessels are in the area," Isabel replied.

Britney nodded, "I hope things go alright. Do you think the...holographic transmission link will be helpful?"

"I hope so," Isabel tried to give her a reassuring smile before tapping her comm badge, "Kersare to crew. The Sentinel is currently sending a Security team over to the Sirion. Sickbay and counseling should be ready for survivors, partially assimilated crew, and various other injuries. Security/Tactical, be prepared for a Borg attack and for a potential away mission to the Sirion. Flight Control, be ready for evasive maneuvers and attack patterns."

Isabel paused a moment before continuing, "Science, keep an eye on the nebula, probes, and scanners for any fluctuations or the Borg. Engineering, prepare a team to go over to the Sirion and also work with any departments necessary to get that holographic transmission link ready. Intel, find out if there's anything relevant we may have missed regarding this area and see what information you can find regarding a Borg presense here and any updates on their technology. Let's get to work and be prepared, Kersare out."

Some of what she mentioned theoretically should've already been started, but somehow she felt better reaffirming what everyone's duties were. Perhaps it was just the thought of making sure everyone's priorities were on the same page, but it seemed to help.

What wasn't helped, however, was the thoughts of her husband that kept swirling through her head. Looking over, she spotted Nora and walked over to the woman, "Counselor, do you have a few minutes?"

OFF: Tag Zeral, crew

ON:<USS Malinche Gamma Section Bridge, Day 3, 1347>

Cheetara listened to the conversations going on with all three sections. Knowing that the engineering department would start working on the holographic transmission links, she started working on the sensor array configurations. She knew this was going to be a tricky situation to get them working. However, she started to remember her new found training. She figured that if she lowered the confinement and added some borg algorithms, it might increase efficiency by at least 40 percent.

She began tapping buttons on her assigned station on the Gamma Bridge. Slowly she was making progress in her attempts. She decided to try and use the deflector dish of beta section to help boost power for the sensors.

Cheetara opened a link to beta section and continued her calculations and computations until they were finished.

"Lieutenant, I've finished the boosting the sensors. I'm sending the data to the other sections." Cheetara stated flatly.

She tapped a few more buttons and sent the data stream to the other sections with the modifications already completed.

"The sensors have been increased by 75 percent to cut through the nebula and record more accurate readings", she explained. "Check your readings now"

OFF: Tag Crew

<USS Sentinel, Deck 10, MD03, 1346>

Samas walked with determination, his tool case in hand and every spare operations officer he had in tow, modifying the Class 5?s to act as sentries was easy and a software job, however refitting the Class 8 probes would pose more of a problem, some had specifications with would require modifying to fill the same role as the larger and more advanced Class 5?s.

Even then they would have limitations in terms of range and sensor resolutions, as such Samas had already resolved to using the smaller probes to fill the gaps in the net, to supplement the 5?s but still provide an secure early warning system against any incoming Borg ships.

He had called ahead to engineering to request assistance in the probe storage bay and as he arrived at the large doors that lead to the room he found them open and an engineering team already getting down to work...

Kilana turned as the doors to the probe storage bay opened - it was Samas and his team. Once she got the message from Samas, Kilana had hurried to find an Engineering team to help out with the probes. She knew the job would be time critical and quickly sent them down to the probe storage bay. "We're ready, Mr. Marot, what've you got for us?"

?A problem,? he replied setting his case down, and then spoke louder, addressing the entire room, ?Ok people, we have to make as many of our Class 8 probes here,? he patted a probe he was stood next to, ?work to the same mission profile as the Class 5?s here,? he patted a probe on the other side.

"Intriguing problem. What specifically have you done with the Class 5's?" Kilana had a good basic idea of what kinds of modifications had been made, but wanted to know more before just jumping in.

?The 5?s are specific, their mission profiles are limited, we?re going to need to cannibalise them and moosh them together,? there was confused look from many in the room, ??moosh?, it?s a technical term people, moosh them together to get enough parts to make them work in the nebula.? Samas knew this would mean using up all the probes designed to function in nebulas, as well as modifying any used in gas giants and the like.

?Oh and here?s the biggy, we need to limit the engines in these things to only go a certain distance in there, some of these have no reverse engines..?

Kilana nodded, "We should be able to design a circuit/program combination to accomplish that - it'll take some guess and check work and creativity... How many of these do we need?"

Samas glanced around the room, racks of probes lining all 4 walls, ?How many ya got?...?

"Plenty," Kilana grinned. "Alright everyone, let's break up into teams of 2-4 and get started. If you think you've got something useful, let either Mr. Marot or I know."

?Hop to it people, I see anyone not pulling their weight I?ll...well I?ll shoot you a stern look!? There were chuckles from the grouping as they all turned to their tasks, Samas picked up his tools and set to work himself.

Kilana looked over at Samas, "Shall we go retrieve a probe for ourselves?"

?Ooo, but which one should we choose, I?m like a kid in a candy store!? He smiled at the Chief.

"Well, I must say I've always been keen on the ones from the aft side....they seem shinier I think..." Kilana grinned. It was nice to be a bit light-hearted, especially considering the nature of the mission and the stress associated with it.

They walked to the aft wall and chose the shiniest probe they could find, ?Hello there,? Samas said as he knelt down, ?I shall call you Herman?

"Herman?" Kilana quirked an eyebrow.

He looked up from the probe to Kilana, ?Yes...say hello to Herman...? he had a stern look but couldn?t hold it and smiled.

"I can tell this will be interesting....," she smiled. Kilana opened up her toolkit, kneeling down, "Alright, Herman, we have to open you up now....it won't hurt a bit..."

OFF:

A JP by

Chief Petty Officer Kilana Nira
Captain's Yeoman, Chief of the Boat, Acting CEO
USS Sentinel NCC-74673

and
_________________
Lieutenant Samas Marot
Chief Operations Officer
USS Sentinel NCC-74673

<<USS Mailnche, Sickbay, 1400, Day 3>>

<<snip>>

"Kersare to crew. The Sentinel is currently sending a Security team over to the Sirion. Sickbay and counseling should be ready for survivors, partially assimilated crew, and various other injuries. Security/Tactical, be prepared for a Borg attack and for a potential away mission to the Sirion. Flight Control, be ready for evasive maneuvers and attack patterns."

Isabel paused a moment before continuing, "Science, keep an eye on the nebula, probes, and scanners for any fluctuations or the Borg. Engineering, prepare a team to go over to the Sirion and also work with any departments necessary to get that holographic transmission link ready. Intel, find out if there's anything relevant we may have missed regarding this area and see what information you can find regarding a Borg presense here and any updates on their technology. Let's get to work and be prepared, Kersare out."

<<snip>>

Dr. O looked at the monitor on his desk. He'd been going over the latest technology in use to "de-borg" a crewmember. What he was puzzled by was the lack of anyone who'd actually survived being de-borged.

"They want me to use this technique on these kids....oy!" Oliver stood, placed a medical tricorder in one pocket of his doctor's smock and a hypospray in the other pocket.

He headed out of his office, turning right to follow Ensign Marsid. A lovely woman, Ensign Marsid might have been an enjoyable companion - ten years ago. O knocked that thought out of his mind.

He walked into Sickbay and motioned for the staff to join him by the entry. He nodded to everyone and smiled, but it was a poor smile. Milling his head about, waiting for everyone to join him, he took the staff to what he thought was some sort of conference room adjoining his office.

"Look people. I'm good for a joke or two just as much as the next man", he looked at Quarterstaff," or woman. Now's not the time. We've got a ship getting ready to attack the Borg. Now, if you've been through anything even remotely similar, you will know what to expect. If not, let me lay it on the line for you."

Dr. O looked at each and every staffer in the room, one by one; keeping eye contact.

"This is going to be nasty. The borg have designed their nanoprobes to almost instantly start transforming a victim into a drone. If by some chance we do actually get people in here, it is important to isolate them. We may have to use force fields, knock them out with a hypo, whatever it takes. We're going to see limbs cut off, body parts no longer attached to their owner, a host of things. IF you can't cut it, let me know now and I'll assign you to the research lab. Only problem is, EVERYBODY, and I DO mean everybody, including research, will probably end up down her. SO...there really is nowhere to go...."

He noticed a couple of the younger nurses starting to turn green. Smiling, he continued.

"If you can't cut it here and we make it out alive, pack your bags, brush your teeth and comb your hair because I WILL transfer you to some nice little research station on the edge of the Federation. Now, let's get ready to treat some wounded."

Everyone left the room, various staffers talking amongst themselves. Some didn't know how to take the newly arrived CMO. Others were relieved he wasn't hiding under his desk. Little did they know that was where Oliver wished he was.

<USS Sirion, somewhere, MD03, 1400 hrs>

*Those borg drones sure are tenacious!* thought Jeff. He'd managed to sneak off Deck One, but didn't have a clue where he was at now. He had gone through various access points and crawl spaces and it seemed every junction point had been burnt. He couldn't tell what section he was in. Jeff looked at the section and junction ID that was on the wall, but he couldn't make it out.

All he had with him was the small light and he didn't want to give himself away more than he had too. By now, he was totally drenched in sweat and had dropped his phaser four times. He finally put his phaser in the holster, thinking if he ran into a drone in these enclosed spaces, a few seconds wouldn't matter because he'd be assimilated anyway.

"I've just got to keep moving." he said aloud, to himself. Jeff felt the now several days old beard that was growing on his face. "Jeffrey Stevens, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were starting to look like an old grizzly bear at Aunt Ida's farm."

Jeff heard a knocking sound coming from the hatch ahead of him. It was morse code. *SO..somebody else is alive. Go figure. Guess I'm not going to be the only one.*

He reached the hatch and the emergency lever. Pulling out his tricorder, his fears were allayed. "Human!" He opened the emergency hatch without a moments hesitation. Starring at him from the other side was Lieutenant Emilio(NPC), one of the senior engineering staffers.

"Commander! It IS you!" said Emilio.

"Well, smack me silly and call me putty! I was beginning to think I was the only one with brains enough to hide from those monsters." said Jeff.

Emilio laughed. "Well sir, it seems there are more of us than you think. I've got about five from engineering and security and I have a report of another group of about ten that are trying to move around and gather."

"Well, we've got a starship closing in and I'm afraid it may be lights out for them. I tried to send them a warning message using the impulse engines, but I don't know if they got it or not." replied Jeff.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get the hell out of here." said Emilio.

"Lieutenant, my thoughts exactly. I was headed to matter/antimatter storage, or so I thought. Where are you headed?"

"Well, they assimilated the Chief Engineer and some of the engineering staff and I just ran into a jeffries tube with what I have here. I was just trying to get away from Main Engineering."

"Well, where are we right now?" asked Jeff.

"Sir, we're on deck Three." replied Emilio.

"Figures...all this time, spent what seems like hours crawling and I've only gone two decks." said Jeff, grimacing. He looked at the chronometer on his tricorder. "Well, it's actually only been about twenty minutes."

Emilio smiled.

LCR Jeff Stevens
XO, USS Sirion
_________________
LCR Jefferson Stevens
Mission Advisor
Second Officer
USS Peacekeeper

<USS Malinche, Gamma Section Control, MD03, 1405>

It hit him like a dull thud in the chest, as if he had just been given some bad news, only he hadn?t...

Jack had started pouring over the Intel on the area, trying to find anything of any use he might have missed before. As he checked the latest updates from Starfleet Intelligence his eyes were draw to a word, a seemingly meaningless word in the middle of a sentence, a sentence it had no business belonging in. It was tucked away in an insignificant report about Klingon Dilithium Pirates, staring out at him;

?Arcturus?

Something about the word triggered something in him, it wasn?t a memory that was long since forgotten, less than that, just a feeling, a vague sense that the word was bad, some connotation that he couldn?t quite put his finger on, as if he could see it in the fog but with every one step towards it, it took two back into the mist.

All he knew was that it made him feel uneasy, more so than he was already feeling, why was the word in there? What did it mean? Why did he persist in asking himself questions he clearly didn?t know the answer to...

He glanced at the screen again, the word had vanished, the sentence had returned to its original form, but Jacks thoughts hadn?t, he realised he had come out in a cold sweat and decided to stretch his legs, he rose from his console, handing it off to the relief Ops officer and left the control room...

<< USS Malinche, Beta Section. 14.00, Day 3>>

Caz listened to the transmission from the Captain and instantly her stomach began to knot. The whole situation stunk more than week old Gagh. Something just didn?t feel right. She wished she was accompanying the Sentinel team over there, right now standing at her console she felt useless and impotent. Her concentration focused on the view screen she couldn?t help but wonder what the away team would find. As a security officer it was her duty to be their protecting her fellow officers. Instead the best she could do was monitor communications and hope that everything over there would go well.

Nodding towards one of the Beta Sections ancillary security officers to take over her console Caz moved across the bridge finally coming to a stop against the edge of the helm console in front of the view screen.

?Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you.? Caz stated looking direct at the Sirion. That was the strange thing about the Borg, they were both the monster and the abyss and although Nietzsche made a good point about how when you fight one monster you become the monster yourself she doubted he ever thought it could be interpreted by such a literal translation. Battle the Borg and nine times out of ten you lost and you became the Borg and that was a thought that almost terrified her. Turning to look at the rest of the assembled Bridge crew she offered them all a smile. ?Well as we?re not being over run by drones at this present moment in time, anybody for coffee??

<tags>

<<USS Malinche, Alpha Section Bridge, 1408, Day 3>>

What wasn't helped, however, was the thoughts of her husband that kept swirling through her head. Looking over, Isabel spotted Nora and walked over to the woman, "Counselor, do you have a few minutes?"

"Captain," Nora said in a hasty greeting, somewhat startled. The tense emotions from the crew were nearly overwhelming, and she had been concentrating on not letting them overwhelm her or distract her from her duties. "Of course," she agreed with a tentative smile, feeling grateful for something new to occupy her thoughts.

Isabel nodded, "Let's go to my Ready Room then." She led the way, glancing back just briefly before entering. After a quick look over to her desk - not very inviting at the moment - Isabel moved over and took a seat on the couch. She tried to decide what exactly to say and how while Nora took her seat.

Even before they entered the Captain's Ready Room Nora had been aware of some of Kersare's obvious agitation. It was not, she realized, resulting from their current mission alone. Realizing that her skills as a counselor were likely needed, Nora thought it best if she broke through the silence first. "Is everything all right, Captain?" she asked gently, her expression calm and serene. "I don't mean to be invasive by any means, but I can sense some of your distress. Would you like to talk about it?"

Taking a deep breath, Isabel looked over at Nora. "Have you read my file, Doctor?"

The counselor nodded slowly, tucking a length of hair behind her ear. "I had the opportunity to review your file just after I learned of my new assignment. You may have to refresh me on a few things," she added with a soft smile.

Isabel nodded, "The last time I dealt with the Borg's destruction, it was when I was Assistant Chief Engineering Officer aboard the Cheyenne. Derek...my husband...was Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer. There was a ship - it seemed abandoned, but it wasn't. The Borg were there. Derek was leading the away team. He was going to be assimilated, but one of the other away team members...spared him that fate."

Nora listened attentively, her smile slowly fading away. "I am sorry for your loss, Captain," she offered sincerely but understood that sympathy was not what those with loved ones lost desired. "It would be only natural that meeting the Borg could bring you more than just trepidation or fear. There is old pain, anger, even regret." Her words were meant to inspire Isabel, to allow her to reflect on whatever feelings or memories plagued her.

"It's not just that...," Isabel began, "I feel...guilty about putting others in the situation my husband was in. I'm the Captain of this ship - I'm supposed to be protecting my crew. How is sending them to a Borg-infested ship accomplishing that?"

It was not a question that Nora could answer easily. The Captain was absolutely right; it was unquestionably perilous to face the Borg to any degree. "What if it was the Malinche out there, waiting for help?" She speculated instead.

Sighing softly, Isabel clasped her hands together. This was one of those times when being a Captain was very trying for her. She did her best to remain strong in front of the crew, but it was difficult.

Nora felt impressed to speak frankly, and she did so without pretense. "I've only been on this ship for a few hours, but I do have a number of impressions that, given my abilities as a Betazoid, I believe are fairly accurate. To begin with, you have a loyal crew. I've sensed great camaraderie and contentment with all of the people I've interacted with. I would be willing to bet that most of your crew members, myself included, are more than willing to face the Borg or any other danger if there's a chance we can save lives. It is what we'd want if we were the ones facing such a threat and waiting for a rescue that may never come."

Isabel nodded, "Very true...." Silence filled the air as she considered her own thoughts along with Nora's. Finally, she spoke again, "I know it is our duty to complete this mission, and I know that as StarFleet Officers we are bound to encounter dangerous and difficult situations. In this case though it's something that is, even after four years, a situation I'm not sure I'm ready to be in again. I'm a little concerned that I may react to our current situation based on my feelings from what happened in the past."

"I'd be lying to you if I told you that wasn't possible," Nora admitted. "There are some that are not equal to the task at hand, that cannot keep the events from their past from interfering with their present. If it's any consolation, I don't perceive that that's the situation with you, though."

"I'm trying my best to stay strong for the crew and lead them well, but my thoughts keep turning back to Derek," Isabel said, a bit quieter.

Nora held back a moment before responding, "If you cannot keep your thoughts in order, you can always use them to your advantage, so to speak. This may be a bit of an unorthodox suggestion, but I'm going to put it out there all the same. You loved your husband. You miss him, you grieve his passing. It's natural that you can't stop thinking of him, but you can use those thoughts to propel you forward. If you don't think you can stay strong for the crew, perhaps you can stay strong for Derek."

Isabel sat still for a few moments, contemplating Nora's words. Slowly, she nodded her head, "I hadn't considered that before, but you're right. I know Derek would want me to be at my best and lead the crew. Between wanting to be at my best for the crew and not wanting to let Derek down, I can handle it."

"I know you can," Nora smiled. "You always could. You just needed a little reminder, that's all."

"Thank you Doctor," Isabel said, giving her a small smile, "I think I needed to get that off my chest. If you do think I may be reacting to a situation based on my feelings from the past, please pull me aside....I don't want to jeopardize the ship and crew....any of the ships or crews." Apparently Nora's transfer to the Malinche had been an added blessing in disguise. The Malinche had been without a head counselor for far too long.

Nodding, the counselor rose smoothly. "Of course," she agreed. "It was my pleasure to speak with you. Oh, and Captain," she added as a kind of afterthought, taking a step toward the desk. "As it mentions in my file, the first ship I served on faced a Borg Cube and, to put it gently, lost. That being said, I have some extensive experience helping those who have faced the Borg. I'll be working with any survivors we find, but if there's any other way I can help, please let me know."

"I will. I suppose we should head back to the bridge," Isabel stood and headed towards the door, pausing briefly to look at a picture of herself with Derek. She arrived at the door just after Nora and gestured for the counselor to go ahead of her. Time to go back to the current situation...

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Lieutenant JG Nora Zeral
Chief Counselor
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and