Ep 2

*Captain's Log USS Eclipse Stardate 87758.10*
Captain Sean Stanton reporting. I've finished with crew evaluations. My 1st Officer designation was a difficult one. The most qualified candidate is already pulling double duty as Chief Medical Officer and Chief Science Officer, but I really had no choice but to give him the XO position, as well. Ensign Suvik had no objections. He simply stated "It is the most logical conclusion." You really can't fault Vulcan logic. His mind is so restful. I find myself becoming very sure of myself with him around. Guess its this vaunted telepathy. Its still amusing to feel his reaction when I send PADs to him. Watching it float through the air, he gets this immediate sensation of shock, followed by annoyance. Norryn always makes some comment about an emotional reaction, followed by a usually hilarious comment by Tovin. Speaking of our resident Bajoran and half-Vulcan (respectively), I have designated Thal Norryn as Chief Engineer and Tovin as Chief of Security. Norryn and Tovin are my most ready friends on this ship. Both are gay, and both have wonderful personalities. It also doesn't hurt that both are quite hot. Tovin is especially interesting to me. He possesses the Vulcan logic, but has also somehow incorporated human emotionality into a quite unique persona. Its still kind of surprising to hear a Vulcan laugh. Norryn is quite another story. A Bajoran who grew up on a Cardassian rim world. He has the most heartbreaking stories. Makes you want to mount a relief mission to the area. Ahem. Moving on... My final designation is Sam Ezbrer as Chief Tactical. Its nice to have another telepath of my level on board. When in a combat situation, I don't have to give orders. The orders are responded to before the human voice could possibly finish a sentence. Admiral Quinn has remarked on the average response time of my crew with a great deal of surprise and pride. He said hes going to use my stats to "whip some discipline" into the rest of the fleet. Good luck with that.
*End Log*

Ep 1 - Earth Date: October 18th, 2406

* Exerpt from First Officer's log - USS Winchester NCC-90186*
We beamed down to an uncharted planet today for a routine survey. Our sensors had detected a faint energy signature that suggested a working fusion reactor on a planet that had no life signs. Sensors also detected a large chunk of refined aluminum with elements of hydrocarbon based polymers. Captain Arthur was personally intrigued as the specific composition of polymers suggested Earth origin. When we materialized, we were astonished by what we found. An early 21st century Earth satellite system had crash landed on a planet in the outer reaches of the Beta Quadrant. Remarkably, it survived entry into this planets atmosphere almost entirely entact. We entered the satellite structure and found several cryo-stasis chambers entact, along with a primative fusion power apparatus. Twelve chambers, with three still active and functioning. It was an incredible find. Last time something like this had been found was with the original crew of the Enterprise-D.
We beamed the chambers aboard and successfully awakened the occupants. Two females and one male. One female was a "fashion designer." She seemed more interested in one of the Bolian nurses than the fact that she was displaced by about 400 years. The other female was a medical doctor. She was immediately fascinated by our equipment. Most strange of the three was the male. Our doctor was baffled by his brain scans. The scans showed a heightened level of activity in his prefrontal cortex, and an extremely permeable hemispheric membrane. When he awoke, he greeted each of us by name, and seemed to know where he was and what year it was without any prompting. The doctor did some tests, which the patient only seemed amused by, and they showed him to be completely human, but with an extremely high Psi rating. I had never heard of such a thing, but the doctor was certain he had heard of a few cases of humans possessing such ability before. Just glad he was friendly. After some of the things I saw him do, I'm just happy we didn't have to fight him or something.
*End Exerpt*

*Captain's Log USS Eclipse Stardate 87758.08*
Acting Captain Sean Stanton reporting. I find myself reminiscing on my life in this time of troubles. I was born in 1972 on Earth. 1972... That seems so long ago. I've been through a lot in the years hence. I remember my entire time in that bloody cyro chamber. I have that thing sitting in storage on the ship here with me to remind me of where I have been and what I have to do to survive. All the tests they had to do on me at the Daystrom Institute. They actually wanted me to join them there. Seven of Nine was a rather interesting person. I like her. We see eye to eye on a lot of things. That reminds me. I need to write a letter telling her about my new command. She might actually want to come back to Starfleet after hearing that. Maybe not. I find using this log system oddly soothing, even given the fact that technically I don't need a log to remind me of anything. Except maybe that I ramble too much. Oh well, here goes. Lieutenant Sean Stanton reporting as Acting Captain. Admiral Quinn has authorized my full command of this vessel and I have accepted this challenge. May all the gods of the universe help us.
*End Log*

I was very pleased to see this. Not only did they make this survey to gauge interest, but they're actually providing an immediate incentive to take it! On top of that, all of those suggested areas of improvement are all stuff that people have been asking for on the forums. Better crafting, bridge combat/functionality, ship interiors, and even more dialogue/diplomacy missions. I'm very pleased to see that Cryptic is actually listening to its consumers for once.

Thanks for the heads up on this one. Free points are awesome and was happy to give my feedback on this game. I hope it grows and thrives!

Mmmm. I want to see functional bridges and crafting changes....thanks for the link Brandon!

((That's it for this episode; Stay tuned for a crossover event that will impact the crews of both ships! Feel free to leave feedback below ooc. Thanks for reading!))

Edgar, Solek, Summer and Desmond inside the shuttlecraft waiting for any signal response from one of the Federation ships. “We aren’t missing a band range or anything, are we?”

“No, communication system is undamaged and working normally. They’ll contact us when they’re ready.” Solek replied, a hint of annoyance could be heard in his voice. Edgar frowned and slunk back on the patch of ground he had made into a seat.

“Captain, I’m sure that they’ll retrieve us soon.” Desmond reassured.

“It’s Lieutenant, Ensign,” Edgar stated, almost jabbing at himself.

“Sir?”

“My rank...is lieutenant.” He could tell Desmond wasn’t wrapping his head around it. “I was only captain because I had a ship. Now that I don’t have a ship, my official rank is my designation. Besides, after this nightmare I doubt I’ll get put back in command of anything until I have twice the standard commander’s experience.”

“Sir, either way, you did everything you could against an unbeatable adversary.” Summer complimented.

“Regardless in a single month that ship has seen more loss than any ship or captain should ever experience even with the worst luck in the quadrant. There is nothing that should downplay this massacre.” Edgar said, including the Borg encounter that ultimately put him in command.

“U.S.S. Pandora to shuttlecraft Pontchartrain, is anyone conscious down there?” A voice echoed over the communication audio.

“About time...This is Lieutenant Calvin, commanding officer of the late New Orleans. I’ve got three other officers down here, all conscious and well.” Edgar stood as he listened for the response.

“Thanks, Lieutenant. We’re transporting you now...” the voice said as the four reappeared in the Pandora. Edgar looked around and saw a transporter operator and a blue-toned Enhasan waiting there. “Welcome aboard the Pandora.”

“Thank you, sir. Do you have a count of the crewmen recovered from the escape pods?”

“The Kirk reports seventy five crewmen have been recovered, and we have recovered forty two.” Edgar and Solek looked visibly relieved that the count added up to the total surviving they hoped. It also meant all senior bridge crew were alive.

“Is anyone in critical condition?”

“I’ll be sure to have my chief of medical inform you if there are.” The blue Enhasan dismissed, wanting to move towards other matters.

“Sir, Lieutenant Edgar Calvin, commanding officer of the New Orleans.” Edgar stepped down from the transporter pad and extended a hand to the aloof captain. The captain accepted and the two shook hands.

“Captain Oren-De. Lieutenant, what happened to the captain and first officer onboard your ship?”

“I am the captain, sir. Admiral Quinn’s assignment. ” Edgar asserted, feeling the need to establish his former rank.

“Well, now that your ship is destroyed, you are just a lieutenant, correct? I’m sure you’d like to get to your quarters shortly, but I would like to discuss the last moments of the New Orleans for my report.” Edgar and Solek exchanged a glance of confusion.

“No, Captain, I will be making my report to Admiral Quinn and him only. If you wish to read the report, you can review it after such time. Excuse me, I need to see how my crew is coping with their losses.” Edgar said, asserting his status as a commanding officer to another commanding officer and leaving the transporter room.

Oren-De blinked in surprise at the assertion, only viewing him as a lieutenant and not as an equal. Solek and the remaining New Orleans bridge crew exited as well, leaving Captain Oren-De standing alone and deeply concerned with what just happened.

The senior staff ran down the corridor, all scrambling to get to the shuttle bay among the other crew. “Sir before we left I set the ship to maneuver away from the planet’s orbit. Hopefully it’ll buy the escape pods some time to get inside the protection of the atmosphere.”

“Good work, ensign. In here.” Edgar motioned to a the shuttle bay doors. “Everyone inside the shuttlecraft.”

The group had moved through the shuttle bay to the only docked shuttlecraft, a type VIII. Desmond and Summer entered without hesitation, but Solek paused before entering the shuttle. “Sir, in the event the crew is captured or the shuttle destroyed, you should be on a separate pod.”

“Sol, the only reason I was captain was because there wasn’t anyone else to take charge and Quinn had a spare ship. Now that the New Orleans is about to be destroyed, I doubt that’ll be the case. Now get in!” Edgar said, putting his boot to Solek’s back and kicking him into the shuttle. He followed closely behind and Desmond soon piloted the ship out from the shuttle bay.

Edgar stared out the side window and watched the plasma torpedo impact the center of the hull, causing a chain explosion that consumed the entirety of the ship. Edgar looked down and took a moment to reflect on how he handled the situation. “So long, old friend; you fought bravely and died unfairly.”

“Sir, did someone not make it off the ship?” Summer asked, on the verge of breaking down.

“No, I was talking of the ship itself. I can only hope all surviving crew were as lucky as us.” Edgar sat down on a seat in the back.

“Eddie, the last known alive crew compliment was one hundred and seventeen. Once a rescue team gathers up the crew we can compare the number of present officers to that and verify they did. There’s no sense in worrying about it now.” Solek reassured from the co-pilot's seat. Edgar moved to relieve Desmond and fly the shuttle to the surface himself.

“I know, Sol...” Edgar sighed and gazed calmly into Solek’s eyes. “Thanks for being my sanity.”

“Ok, so how long...?” Summer said, leaning over to Desmond who had joined her in the back bunker. He turned and looked surprised at her.

“I think before they took command...can’t be sure though. And I could argue that it’s purely platonic.” Desmond whispered.

“Ensign I believe that a type VIII shuttlecraft is far too small for whispers to be lost between two conversations, especially to a Vulcan's or Romulan's superior hearing over humans. I can assure you both the captain and I are fully capable of keeping our friendship and professional relationship separate. Now if we can find move to another topic, we're entering the upper atmosphere. Please prepare for landing procedures and buckle up.”

“Yes sir, understood!” The two stuttered out as they strapped into their seats. Solek and Edgar began mashing every button possible to coordinate a landing procedure over a crash.

“Captain I’m picking up federation warp signatures entering the system.” Solek reported as he tapped the comm. and activated the first phase of the landing system.

“How many, Mr. Solek?”

“I’m unable to determine at this level of descent. I can confirm multiple ships however.”

“Good. Hopefully they can defeat that damn thing.” Edgar said, activating the final landing procedure. The shuttlecraft let out a number of flaps that allowed the vessel to slow in descent until it came to rest finally in a small meadow. “Ok, that was a bit rougher than I was hoping, but I think we’re ok. Let’s activate the distress beacon and wait to see what happens.”

It's going to be really interesting to see where they take game from here, and I do mean that in a good way.

Thanks for posting this!

Steve

thanks!

I'm hoping enough of us indicate memory alpha SUCKS, that they take a fast and hard look at crafting.

and the free points are swanky, too!

Thanks so much for posting this. Completed mine and gave my feedback. :) Looking forward to what changes come as a result!

http://www.startrekonline.com/survey

They seem to be interested in seeing what we want next. So Excited!

((love it!))

As the turbolift doors opened, another impact threw the ship forward causing everyone to fall. “Report!”

“Main power’s offline, we’ve lost shields and our weapons are gone.” Solek shouted standing up.

“Engineering: get shields back online now! Troi, take the helm and use whatever trick you have up your sleeve to dodge those torpedoes. Guyton, tell me what you can about that ship.”

“Sir it’s a Tethys Dreadnaught. Primary weapons are plasma based including the ability to fire heavy plasma torpedoes with a high yield.” Summer stated in a growing concern. “One more hit from a one such torpedo will destroy us, sir.”

“Send a high emergency distress signal in all directions. Tell them what we’re fighting.”

“Message sent, sir, and the dreadnaught is firing another heavy plasma torpedo.” She informed.

Edgar stepped over a bulkhead towards the captain’s chair. “Do we have anything we can put between us and the torpedo?”

“Sir, we could use the shuttle. It may buy us enough time.” She suggested.

“No, we’re gonna need that if we have to abandon ship...Mr. Troi, turn the ship away from the torpedo and try to extend the gap. Solek, open cargo bay one and let it decompress the contents into open space.” Desmond barely pulled the ship around in time for the contents to explode against the plasma torpedo. “Bridge to engineering, respond!”

“Ishii here...make it quick captain.”

“Where are my shields ensign?”

“Captain, the weapons and shield systems are fried and the consoles are fused. I can get you torpedo launch systems in five minutes but there’s no targeting control possible.”

“Fine then. Get it working, Mr. Ishii.”

“Captain, the dreadnaught’s firing another heavy plasma torpedo...two this time!” Edgar’s face went pale and his heart sank.

“Time to impact?” Edgar croaked.

“Just under a minute; not enough time to launch a torpedo.” Summer said, knowing the statement could seal the ship’s fate.

“Engineering, eject the core.” Edgar said through his breaking voice.

“Sir, if we eject the core, we will lose auxiliary power and the ability to set the autodestruct sequence.” Solek reminded.

“Mr. Solek, if either of those torpedoes hits us, we won’t be setting our own autodestruct. Our best option is to hope the core takes them both out.” Edgar sighed. He was clearly running out of options. The crew waited nervously to hear the results.

“Sir, the warp core has detonated against one of the plasma torpedoes, but the other is still locked and closing.” Summer said as her heart sank with her words. Everyone knew that there was nothing to be done. “...time to impact is 30 seconds.”

“Options?” Edgar nearly cried. His bridge crew was dishearteningly silent. Solek shook his head.

“Activate escape pods; all hands...abandon ship. Repeat; abandon ship. Detonation expected to occur in less than thirty seconds. Drop what you’re doing now.” Edgar glanced around the bridge as he hopped the obstacle course to the turbolift. “That goes for the senior staff too now get going!”

The two tactical officers followed their captain down the path chasing after the Undine. The brush cover got dense enough to slow down the group, increasing the gap between the monstrous creature. “Sir, over here.”

Edgar looked where Desmond’s weapon was trained and saw the Undine rustling through a wooded area moving towards the clearing below. Edgar looked at the two and motioned to flank using hand signals. Desmond and Summer moved around as Eddie sneaked closer. The Undine creature was silent for a moment sensing the movement of the Starfleet officers. “Dez...flush it into the clearing.”

Desmond looked to where his captain stood through the coverings and nodded to him. The sudden volley of phaser blasts hitting the creature were enough to startle it where they wanted it to go, but none of them expected it to beam out once it reached the clearing.

“Where’d it go?” Edgar shouted looking at the spot that the transporter beam had taken the creature. Desmond and Summer began scanning the area.

“Sir, I’m picking up some unusual transporter readings, I need a moment to analyze the data to determine the signature. Captain...I’m picking up another reading on here...Klingon lifesigns.”

“Klingons? I thought you said you secured the area.” Eddie yelled. Desmond shook his head.

“These were secured. They must have handled a triage to get back in the battle.”

“Fine, fine...where are they?” Edgar said, holding his rifle to fire at a moment’s notice.

“Surrounding us, sir.” Desmond said, fumbling to put away his tricorder. Edgar spun around looking for a cover area. “Sir, over there.”

The trio moved quickly to a nearby building just in time to see four Klingons appear from the woods surrounding the clearing. “Let’s see if we can’t even the score a bit...”

Edgar knelt down and tapped a few buttons on his control gauntlet, bringing up a small holographic control menu. A few more motion sweeps and a phaser turret and shield generator appeared out of a transporter glow. The sudden appearance captivated the Klingons’ attention and they began firing at the shield. Summer returned fire first and began funneling the attackers towards the steps and into the turret’s line of sight. Desmond took advantage of the grouping and threw a photon grenade. The resulting explosion knocked the Klingons back a few feet and onto their backs. None of them stood.

“Calvin to New Orleans Solek, get us back onboard.” Edgar said, moving to the middle of the clearing. Desmond’s tricorder chirped a warning. As he opened the device to examine the new data his face went pale.

Onboard the New Orleans Desmond turned to speak to his captain. “Sir, I’ve got a reading on the ship that transported the Undine...it was an Undine ship.”

Edgar grimaced at the slightly obviousness in the statement but had a bigger problem at hand. “Calvin to Bridge: Raise shields! Troi, Guyton: to the bridge with me.”

The trio hadn’t moved very far when a devastating impact rocked the ship and knocked main power offline. The red alert klaxon blared as bulkheads blocked the way back to the transporter room. As they stumbled through the corridor to the turbolift, another heavy explosion impacted, causing the ship to lose attitude control.

Edgar finally reached the turbolift and stepped in with Desmond and Summer. “Bridge!”

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

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.

((Nice! And I think you definitely seem to know what you're doing! :D ))

"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.

Edgar peeked around the corner of the abbey and watched the ambassador interact with his security team. “Solek, verify last statement. Did you say they found his body?”

“Yes sir. It appears the Klingons were correct...Sir? Eddie...What should we do?” Solek pressed the question while Edgar just stared at the ambassador.

“I don’t know anything about the Undine...Notify Starfleet. We’ll attempt to detain the creature down here.”

“Sir...Be careful.”

Edgar returned to the group clearly pissed off. He grabbed the nearest security officer’s rifle and pointed the charging weapon at the ambassador, “What the hell are you?”

“Captain!” the entire security team, including Desmond and Summer, shouted in horror and fear.

“Lower your weapon, Lieutenant.” The ambassador ordered. Edgar responded by training the weapon closer to the Vulcan’s eyes.

“What are you doing? This is a Vulcan ambassador!” A monk protested. Edgar flinched for a moment and looked at the monk. “Do what he says and lower your weapon.”

Edgar lowered the weapon from the ambassador’s face, but kept it trained on his chest with his hand on the trigger. “I just got a message from Starfleet. There was a body found in the quarters where the ambassador stayed on the planet. The individual was ambassador Sokketh. I trust Starfleet’s message, and the Klingons’ claims are now supported by that statement. Even a Vulcan must comply with that logic. Now answer my question. Who are you?”

Everyone was frozen in fear as Edgar’s words settled in their ears. Even the monks were visibly agitated. The delay in response brought the phaser rifle back to the ambassador’s face. Edgar was practically shouting the order. “Answer the question!”

“Why should I? It’s clear you’ve already decided your answer. You have no interest in what I have to say or what I do. It is understandable; your lack of discipline to control your emotions has driven you to rage and violent behaviors. Your might have overcome this if it was simply your human heritage, but look at what a half-breed like yourself has done with the wreckage of the grand failed attempt of holding onto emotions that was the Romulan Emp—”

Edgar had pulled the trigger. The phaser pulse had little time to clear the discharge crystal before the pulse impacted on the ambassador’s face, devastating the Vulcan’s face and knocking him down on the ground. The phaser was still set on kill, and the burns on his face made Sokketh’s face unrecognizable. Summer and Desmond gasped in shock at the blast. Edgar looked around at the security team. “He was monologing.”

“But...captain, the ambassador hadn’t answered your question.” Summer protested.

“Oh he did. His refusal to answer the question and the emotion in his eyes told me all I needed to know. He was an imposter.”

“Is sir...look.” Desmond said, raising his phaser rifle. The shape of an inhuman creature rose from the body of the ambassador and stood on its legs at a stance three meters high.

“Fire everything, take it down!” Edgar screamed raising the rifle once again. The Undine creature threw two of the security officers a few meters and they tumbled down the steep mountain. It did nothing but enrage Edgar. His response was nothing short of an overloaded phaser blast. Finally after killing one more red-shirted security officer, the creature scampered away down a mountainside path. “Get after it!”