Christopher Filippone's

PARADIGM SHIFT

EPISODE 10 "Borg Like Me"
part deux, part two
By Michael Sweeney

*** Act Two ***

Reming was on the bridge in record time, sweat and all.
"Report." he ordered.
Parks looked up at Donna. Donna nodded.
"Long range sensors are picking up possible Borg energy signatures. They are heavily distorted from our transwarp field."
Reming sat down in the command chair and rubbed his chin. Were they ready for this?
"Also," Parks paused, "there appears to have been a massive explosion."
Reming looked up and felt his stomach knot tighten.
"Fighting someone? Any idea who?"
This time Reed answered from the helm. "We are only reading Borg signatures."
Reming gave it a moment. Could this be the break they were looking for? Possible allies?
"Bring the deflector modifications online and alter course to intercept."
Reed's hands danced across the console in response. "Aye, sir."
"Friend or foe, we'll soon see." Reming said aloud.

***

We're too late." Parks sounded disappointed.
It was a debris field by the time they got there.
"Looks like they lost." Parks observed dryly.
Reming stood up and walked forward to look over Reed's shoulder.
"Is there any evidence of who or what did this?" he asked.
Parks muttered under his breath, "You mean 'whom or what'."
Reed quickly ran a range of tests and scans.
"Well, the debris field is pretty extensive, definitely Borg technology, or what's left of it. According to mass guestimates based on previous Borg records, there was one vessel."
Reed looked up. "They fought and lost?"
Reming glanced at the back of Mike's head and somehow agreed with the disappointment.
"Sensor scans?" Reming asked out loud.
Reming shook his head in puzzlement.
"Any life signs?" he asked.
Parks shook his head. "Nothing. Running multiple scans, both with special Borg filters and the usual spectrum."
Reming slapped his commbadge.
"Reming to engineering."
"Masters here" the intercom chirped.
Reed looked up at Reming with a question, but said nothing. Philip Reming smoothed his tunic.
"Masters, I want this ship rigged for silent running. We just found a Borg battlefield and history says they'll send another ship to investigate."
There was a small hesitation on the other end.
"Aye, sir. We'll batten down all the hatches."
Reming and Reed exchanged a smile at Masters choice of terms.
A sudden change on Reeds display brought her attention back.
"We've got a clearer reading on warp signatures without the interference from our transwarp modifications."
"We have a cloud of debris, Borg signatures all over the place. It looks like someone or something beat the crap of a large Borg vessel." Reed responded.
"Or structure." Parks added and turned to Reming, "This would be a logical location for a Borg Distribution Node."
Reming leaned over Reeds shoulder to study the readout.
"Where did our winners go then?"
Reed played across the console with skill and came up frowning.
"There doesn't seem to be any warp signatures leaving the area."
Reming turned to Michael Park for confirmation.
"Parks, do you have anything?"
Parks looked a little startled, having been caught staring at the debris field and not paying attention. "Uh, no, nothing here. Scattered energy signals from debris, charged particles flooding some regions."
Reed glanced at Parks, knowing he wasn't really saying anything.
"Do you think those energy signatures could be hiding anything, or obscuring life signs? The Borg can be so connected to their machines, if they were regenerating or connected still, they may not show right away."
Parks furrowed his brow in annoyance. He knew that, he didn't need her telling him that.
"The modifications I've made to the sensor array should account for the Borg's peculiar life signs." he told her.
Reming frowned. "Based on what we know about the Borg, can we reconstruct what happened here?" Parks shrugged.
"It would take some time just to figure out if I could answer your question."
At least he was honest, Reming thought to himself.
"Okay, Donna, I want to be invisible. Whatever it takes, if any other Borg ships come to investigate I don't want this ship to be seen."
Donna Reed moved her agile hands across the console. "There is significant sensor distortion in the wake of a nearby gas giant. If we run a close scan of the debris field, or even leave a telemetry probe, we can hide in the sensor shadow and analyze it there."
Reming nodded. "Mr. Parks?"
Mike Parks shrugged. "Works for me."
Reming had hoped for something more confident, but took what he could get.
He gave a thoughtful nod. "Okay, people, that's a plan. Scan the hell out of this debris and then we'll move to a more hidden location."
Parks looked up at Reming. "Cap, err Mr. Reming. With the changes we made to the shield for transwarp travel, I'm getting feedback through the science sensors. If we could drop shields, I could use the finer tuned equipment we have on board."
Reming glanced at Reed, who was intently fixed on her own display, ignoring his questing look. It seemed he was looking to her for direction, and she sensed it. Reming took a slow breath in.
"Make it so." He knew it was cheesy, but it felt good to say.

***

It just exploded?" Philip was unwilling to believe what Donna and Mike were telling him.
"There is no sign of warp activity, so unless the attacker..."
"Or attackers." Donna added
Parks looked at Donna in annoyance. He had been surprised at her knack for deciphering sensor data, and felt his annoyance rise as she tried to read into every detail. "So unless the attacker," Mike enunciated the singular term, "crept away at sub light speed, it must have self destructed."
"Or they could still be hiding around here like we are." Donna added.
Mike Parks looked at Reming straight. "I didn't detect any warp signatures outside our own." He looked at Donna again. "Coming or going."
"What about hyperspace?" Donna asked.
Reming looked from Parks to Reed.
Parks looked at the ceiling. "There have been no proven accounts of hyperspace being used as a means of interplanetary travel."
Reed took on her own annoyed look. "We didn't have any accounts of fluidic space till the Borg pissed off Species 8472 either."
Reming felt it was his turn to add to the mounting confusion.
"Could it have been Species 8472?" he asked.
Parks snorted loudly. "No way. They'd show up like a sore thumb."
Reming paused for a moment and let a suspicion creep across his brain.
"How can you be so certain, Mr. Parks?"
Mike Parks stopped short and looked at Reming. "I... just am."
Reming drew up his best command voice. "Mr. Parks."
Mike Parks glance from Reming to Reed who glanced back in sudden confusion.
Park felt like a corned rat. "Ahhhh.. well."
Now it was Reeds turn to use the voice. "Mr. Parks?"
Mike blushed slightly. "I accessed a copy of Voyager's level one logs."
Reming found himself surprised. Even he didn't have a security clearance to access information on that level. Supposedly only the ship's Captain and Starfleet Command should have access to that level.
"How?" Reming asked simply.
Parks looked up, slightly embarrassed.
"You asked me to monitor Doctor Tedmoore when you assumed command. He made unusual communication bursts on a semi regular basis."
Reming nodded. "Yes, I did. How is this related?"
Parks let out a slow breath. "I deciphered one of his communiqués. It was so odd and suspicious; I thought I'd check up on him. It turned out he was accessing the Memory Alpha high security levels. I realized that I could piggy back other requests on his, and have cart blanche access to any information I wanted."
Donna Reed felt her eyes widen as far as they would go in amazement. No wonder Parks was bored most of the time, he could find out more then most Starfleet Admirals knew.
Reming nodded in appreciation. "And?"
Parks had been looking at the floor. Now he looked up. "Just after Nick was taken, Tedmoore sent one of his messages, and I sent one of mine." He looked at Donna. "I wanted everything Starfleet had on the Borg. I got it. Some of it arrived while we were held at SB47."
Philip leaned forward slightly. "Some of it?"
Parks looked back at Reming. "Yeah, but a lot more arrived just after we stole the transwarp coil. It was strange, but wonderful. It made all that we've done possible."
Parks looked from Reming to Donna and smiled. He'd played the sorry officer, but truth be known his indiscretion had saved their ass.
Reming smiled back. "Well, if we can rule out Species 8472, then we need to find out who could make a Borg Distribution Node self destruct, and why."
Reed felt her amazement subside. "There are a couple larger energy signatures in the debris, there might be active circuits still."
Parks nodded vigorously. "Given the way the Borg work they might contain records of what happened here, emergency logs and such. But we'd have to be close enough to beam them aboard."
Reming frowned again. "That would mean going out into the open again." He glanced from Reed to Parks. "I know you checked, but are you sure there aren't any homing signals, emergency or otherwise, coming out of that debris field?"
Parks shook his head. "None."
Despite Parks confidence Reming was not reassured. The Borg would undoubtably send another ship to find out what had happened here. Reming cleared his mind and focused. They were running out of time, if they weren't out already.
"We get in and out. Pick three of the energy signatures, beam them aboard and get us back in the shadow."
Reed and Parks looked at each other and nodded.
Reed stood and slapped her commbadge. "Reed to engineering, we're going to need some precision warp jumps. I want to stop on a dime."

***

Flawless." Parks said with a smile.
Reming couldn't help but agree. They had warp jumped right into the middle of the debris field, dropped shields, beamed the three energy signatures aboard and jumped back in a matter of one hundred seconds.
Parks was smiling like an idiot as he poured over the sensor data in the hanger bay display.
"Donna, look at this. God, I wish Carol was down here, she'd eat this up." Parks motioned at the largest chunk of Borg entrails. It glowed dimly in the darkened hanger bay. A green hum was muffled slightly by the security force field Reming had insisted on.
"Any sign of reactivation and we decompress this whole bay." Reming had told them. They had reluctantly agreed, but quickly pushed it from their minds as their tricorders filled with information.
Parks voice was filled with energy. "I think I've found a backup data store. It might take a minute to descramble the data and sync it with our data feed."
Reming stood over his shoulder and mustered his most conservative voice. "I don't want any Borg data on the main computer. Use isolated tricorders only."
Donna Reed's head snapped up in surprise. "It'll take hours to decrypt the data on hand helds!"
Parks nodded. "Yes, but Philip's right. If the Borg systems go active they may try to take control of the ship." He looked at Reming with a new form of respect.
Reed shook her head. Scientists.
"So you take your time, and use all due caution. Even a hunk of damaged Borg is dangerous enough. Do we have subspace dampeners in place?"
"Level three." Reed replied from behind the third chunk.
Reming nodded. "I'll leave you two with your work." Reming looked at the ceiling and tapped his commbadge. It wasn't actually necessary; the computer was always listening for commands and requests. It had the uncanny ability. Much like any sentient person, to figure out when you were talking to it, or just about it. "Computer, locate Carol Smith."
"Lieutenant Commander Smith is in Main Engineering."
Reming felt a smidgen better knowing that and turned to walk out of the hanger bay.  "I'm going to check up on our chief engineer."

***

Please state the nature of the engineering emergency." Carol Smith beamed at him. Reming felt a familiar smile return to his face in.
"I see your sense of humor has returned." He gave the woman a good look up and down and decided Mike Parks had been worrying for nothing.
"Mike said you were feeling pretty poor earlier."
Carol's smile continued as she waved around her. "I'm back in my natural habitat." She continued to beam at him with an impish grin. "You can take the chief engineer out of engineering, but you can't take engineering out of the chief engineer." With the last bit she winked at him. Reming almost did a double take. The rest had most certainly done her a world of good. He could barely believe this was the woman who had sat at the conference room table two days ago.
"Good, good." Reming nodded in return.
Carol looked around engineering with her smile and put her hands on her hips.
"Ah, where are Terry and Masters?" Reming finally thought to ask.
Carol stepped sideway to an engineering console and made some minor adjustment to some important subsystem Reming couldn't follow.
"I sent them to bed, they were both exhausted. Honestly, you'd think there were just the two of them doing all the work." Carol pulled a stool out from under the display and made a show of sitting on it. Reming tried not to stare at the back of her head, but his curiosity was getting the best of him.
"You are feeling better, right? I mean, this isn't some over compensation?" He said slowly.
The response was a slow sigh. "I'm coping." She didn't turn to face him.
For some reason, despite the obvious signs, Reming felt better at a more normal 'Carol' response. He gave a quick look around main engineering and started to head out.
A random blinking light caught his eye. It was attached to a cobble together arrangement that demanded his full attention.
"Ah, what is this?" He said as he two to steps toward the strange new construction in on of the large rooms corners.
Carol was off her feet instantly and blocking him. Philip looked up in surprise.
"Its a little project I am working on. Its not ready yet."
Reming racked his brain for technology bits and pieces that he recognized. "It looks familiar, but all different somehow."
Carol stepped aside and let Reming take two more steps past her. "Well, you caught me."
Reming stopped short and turned to Carol in concern.
"Caught you?" he tilted his head in preparation for annoyance.
Carol smiled. "My own little surprise. You think you're the only one with aces up your sleeves?"
Reming suddenly felt foolish. What nefarious deed could she possibly be up to anyway? He smiled at her.
"And it's not ready. Right?"
Carol chuckled. "Not quite."
Reming stepped up to put his hand on her shoulder, but Carol shrugged her shoulders and waved at a nearby console. "Will you look at that, the navigation computer is having problems with station keeping again?!"
Reming put his hand down and glanced at the display. It made no sense to him, but he frowned in appreciation anyway. "We really should look into that, its been driving Donna nuts."
Carol stepped away from him and moved to the offending console. "I'm all over it."
Reming stood and frowned for a moment. Something was wrong but he couldn't put his finger on it. He needed some hot cocoa. Then it would come to him.

***

Okay, what we've managed to reconstruct so far is that the cube self-destructed. We just don't know why." Parks laid it out in excruciating detail. Reming felt his whole head swimming through the painstaking reconstruction of a really boring Borg monitoring station.
"And this area has no strategic significance?" Reming asked.
Parks looks at Reed and Reed shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know how it could. We are reaaaally far away from anything important. It looks like a stellar observatory. The Borg are big on observing nature. According to partial records, they are watching the nearby star for spin abnormalities that might affect their transwarp network."
Reming raised his eyebrows. "And it reports these inconsistencies like any navigational beacon."
"Yes." Parks nodded.
"Could it have been tricked into self destructing? Like the Borg cube during the First Incursion into Federation space?" Reming wanted to sound smart, but he was just throwing out whatever came to mind.
Reed scratched her left arm slowly. "Not in the same way, but its possible. If you were just looking to destroy the cube, it would be easier then a full out assault."
Parks rubbed his chin. "We are at the borders of Borg space, any enemies they have would undoubtedly look to test their weapons on a remote cube like this."
"But any weapon or trick they did test would never work again. " Reming smiled and felt smart. He knew it wouldn't last.
Parks rubbed his eyes. "Yeah."

***

Doctor Tedmoore felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He slowly looked up from his work PADD and stared into the face of a Borg drone.
Tedmoore moved to swat his commbadge, but the Borg moved faster and pinned his arm behind his back. Without a sound the Borg removed Tedmoore's commbadge and threw it across the room to another Borg.
The fact that he had not yet been assimilated struck Tedmoore as absurd, and he felt the desire to laugh rise through his body and fall out of his mouth.
The awkward laugh filled the medical bay and froze the Borg soldiers in their tracks.
The Borg holding his arm shook him a little.
Tedmoore grimaced in pain and kept laughing as it slowly dwindled into a whimper.
"Why are you making that noise, human?"
Tedmoore looked at the second Borg who had spoken.
"Aren't you going to assimilate me?" he asked and laughed again.
The second Borg looked at the first. Abruptly, Tedmoore felt himself released and shoved to the floor.
"We do not assimilate, human. We are the resistance."
Tedmoore felt his face drop. He glanced back and forth between the two Borg.
The second Borg suddenly sagged against the wall, with a long rattling breath.
The first Borg moved forward to balance the second Borg.
"Crosis is injured." The first Borg turned back to Tedmoore. "You are human doctor. You fix him."
Tedmoore stared at the metal and synthetic materials covering the Borg's face. "I wouldn't even know where to start." Tedmoore stood up and felt a wave of calm annoyance wash over him. "Don't you people have alcoves or something that you plug into?"
The second Borg sagged a little more and the first Borg let him fall to the floor. The first Borg turned and covered the distance to Tedmoore in one step. He grabbed Tedmoore by the throat.
"I am Dragas. I will kill you if Crosis dies."
Tedmoore felt his eyes bulge slightly, but didn't loose his calm.
"Then by all means, let's have a look at your friend."
Tedmoore and Dragas helped Crosis onto the center bio-bed. Tedmoore pulled out a medical tricorder and Dragas grabbed his arm.
Tedmoore stared Dragas in the eye. "If you get in my way, I can't save your friend."
Dragas looked at Tedmoore with dead eyes. Tedmoore shook himself loose and opened the medical tricorder. Its comforting beeps and flashes eased him straight into the standard sweep of doctor's duties.
"He has severe internal bleeding. It also looks like several of his Borg implants are being rejected." Tedmoore glanced at Dragas. "Based on your demeanor I am guessing you guys are not ordinary Borg."
Dragas stared at Crosis laying on the biobed. "Do not speak, human."
Tedmoore grunted in return and looked up to catch a flash over Dragas' shoulder. Someone was standing in the shadow by the entrance to the sickbay. Tedmoore took one step back and turned, moving as if to grab another instrument.
Reed stepped out of the shadow and leveled her phaser at the standing Borg's back.
"Don't move. We have you surrounded."
The Borg did move, in a blur of motion, straight into a force field, which knocked him to the ground.
Reed looked even more surprised than the Borg and looked at Tedmoore. Tedmoore made a few more taps on the console and the force field surrounded only the Borg drone on the floor.
Reming walked in the room from the other entrance, also with his phaser out.
"Excellent work, Doctor." Reming smiled at Tedmoore, who growled in return.
"I've seen these guys move. They move fast."
Reming motioned to the Borg on the biobed. Tedmoore shook his head. "He's in pretty bad shape. I've got a restraining field on him, but I don't think it's needed."
Reed stepped forward to the Borg on the floor. The Borg had adopted a sitting position on the floor and glared up at her.
"Identify yourself," she demanded. The Borg only stared at her.
Reming stepped next to Tedmoore.
"Masters reported an energy surge moments after we dropped our shields. With only seven people on the ship it didn't take long to figure out what and where."
Tedmoore snorted. "Superiority in low numbers?"
Reming moved next to Reed.
"They have names." Tedmoore volunteered. He motioned at the sitting Borg. "This one called himself Pragas."
The Borg turned to glare at Tedmoore. "I am Dragas, human fool."
Reming gaze Tedmoore a confused look and raised his eyebrows.
"I think we should get our Borg expert down here. Reming to Parks."



*****

Michael Parks kneeled down to get a close look at his captive Borg. Suddenly the Borg lurched forward and jabbed at the force field showing sparks. Startled, Parks fell backwards.
Tedmoore snorted his amusement from across the medical bay.
"Very polished, Parks."
Parks stood up and straightened his uniform. He gave Tedmoore a dirty look.
"You're wasting your time. Its obvious he isn't going to talk." Tedmoore continued.
Parks ignored Tedmoore and addressed the Borg again.
"You called yourself Dragas. You said you were the resistance." Parks motioned to the Borg on the biobed that Tedmoore was working on. "We can help you if you help us."
The drone continued to stare at nothing.
Parks felt exasperated.
Just then Reming walked into the medical bay and stood directly in front of the sitting drone.
"Using you and your friends unique life signs we have discovered three more Borg-like drones possibly alive in that debris field."
The Borg drone shot to his feet and pressed against the force field. The energy field sparkled and spat blue shards.
This time none of the Condor crew moved. Parks stared at Reming while Tedmoore quietly pretended not to listen.
"I thought that might get your attention." Reming stood eye to eye with the Borg drone.
"You will help them." The Borg stated.
"Maybe." Reming replied.
The drone looked at Parks and then back to Reming. "You are human. You will help them. It is you weakness."
Tedmoore felt himself nod in agreement with that one. Reming simply stared at the Borg.
"We do not see lending assistance as weakness." Reming turned his back on the Borg.
"You are human. You will help them."
"Why should I help my enemy?"
The Borg looked to Tedmoore who continued to pretend he wasn't listening.
"We are Borg."
Reming took a step towards the door.
The Borg drone looked to Parks, who had trouble not showing his own confusion.
"I already know that." Reming spat as he took another step toward the door.
"We are the resistance."
Reming stopped.
"You said that before." Reming turned around and faced the drone again. "What are you resisting?"
The Borg blinked.
"We resist the many."
Reming stepped forward toward the drone.
"You resist the collective?"
The Borg blinked again.
"We are Borg. We are the resistance. We resist the many."
Reming narrowed his eyes and stared at the Borg.
"You said that before."
The Borg drone looked from Reming to Tedmoore to Parks in confusion.
Parks cleared his throat.
"I think what the Captain is asking is 'Who are the many?'" Parks offered.
The Borg stood silent for moment. Tedmoore stopped pretending not to stare.
"The many voices who act as one. We are the one voice that act as many."
Reming sighed and rubbed forehead. This guy was talking in circles.
Suddenly Tedmoore perked up.
"Captain, the second drone is regaining consciousness."
Reming glanced the Borg known as Dragas and stepped away toward Tedmoore.
"Let's see if they tell the same story."
Tedmoore and Reming stood over the Borg drone.
Reming could feel the slight electric field that held the Borg down.
Slowly the drone's eyes opened.
Reming leaned forward until he felt the electric field stat to push back.
"You are aboard the Federation Starship Condor. You are in our medical bay. I am Captain Philip Reming. You were hurt. We have fixed you."
The drone moved his head to stare at Reming.
"I cannot hear the others. We are Borg."
Reming closed his eyes in frustration. Tedmoore rolled his eyes with a sigh.
"These guys are a barrel of laughs."
"I am Crosis. My subspace transceiver has been damaged. You must help repair it."
Reming opened his eyes in surprise.
"The receiver is not damaged, we set up a localized dampening field."
Crosis blinked at Tedmoore.
"I detect your dampening field. It is not strong enough to affect my outgoing signal. I am unable to receive a reply due to damage in my third sub-assembly. I must re-establish communication with the others."
Reming grabbed Tedmoore and pulled him away from the biobed. Reming slapped his commbadge. "Reming to Engineering, I want this sickbay locked down, reroute power from life support to reinforce the subspace dampening field."
"Masters here, sir, we'll put everything we've got into it."
Reming looked at Tedmoore who still had a startled look from being manhandled.
"If that drone can communicate with his buddies out there, they will come looking for him."
Tedmoore took his arm back from Reming. "That's a given, Phillip, but I don't think our Borg friend has an accurate idea of his own damage."
Reming shook his head so Tedmoore continued.
"If he isn't receiving a signal, how does he know his transmissions are going out?"
Reming slapped his commbadge again. "Reming to Reed. Have you picked up any signal from the Borg in sickbay that might have gotten through the subspace dampening?"
"Nothing has come out of there. Full sweep, nothing registered on the logs."
Reming looked at the Borg on the biobed. "Do you think he's bluffing?"
Tedmoore regarded the drone himself. "I don't think he knows the difference."\
Reming paused for a moment and approached the biobed again.
"Your signal is not going out. You and your companion are alone."
"Dragas is undamaged. I will speak with him."
Reming considered this demand for a moment.
"First you speak to me. You are Crosis. You are Borg. You are part of the resistance."
Crosis stared at Reming. "Yes. I am Crosis."
Reming continued. "What are you resisting? Who are the many that act as one?"
Crosis looked from Reming to Tedmoore.
"May I sit?"
Reming waved at Tedmoore. The force field snapped as it changed alignment.
The Borg sat up and swung his feet to hand off the biobed. He regarded his feet for a moment and then stared defiantly at Reming.
"We are the resistance. The many have come to take away our voice."
Reming nodded. "So you have separated from the collective?"
The Borg frowned, not exactly right, but close.
"We are our own collective. We have our own voice."
"When did this happen?" It was Tedmoore's turn to ask a question. Reming glanced sideways to see Tedmoore's expression. Tedmoore knew more than he let on.
Crosis moved to stand, but the force field pushed him back. Reming waved at Tedmoore again. The force field snapped again as it pulled back from the biobed, separating he Borg from the two humans. Crosis stood gingerly, favoring his left leg.
"Nine days ago we heard our voice. It was different from the voice of the many. Closer. Stronger. We stopped listening to the many and followed our voice. It brought us here."
Reming nodded. "This is some progress. Why did you come here?"
Crosis leaned back on the biobed in obvious pain. "There were more like us. More voices."
"What attacked you? What destroyed your ship?" Tedmoore pressed.
"The many. They were here also. They were trying to silence the voices."
The Borg sagged against the biobed for a moment and then sat back down.
Reming stepped back and motioned to Tedmoore. They stepped out into the hallway together.
"What do you know now, Doctor?"
Tedmoore let his eyebrows jump up in surprise. Phillip's tone was downright hostile.
"I don't know what you mean, Phillip."
Reming pressed in and got close to Tedmoore's face.
"I saw that look on your face. You figured something out. You've got that smug genius look just under the surface." Reming stared at Tedmoore and held his ground.
Tedmoore stepped back and held out his hands.
"Okay, I just haven't had time to put it all together in a complete idea."
Reming crossed his arms. "Go on."
Tedmoore took a breath. "They have the communing chip."
Reming glanced at the sickbay door. "I already know that. What does it mean?"
Tedmoore felt his surprise come back. "I think it has something to do with the change in the voices that the Borg described."
Reming looked at Tedmoore again. "And?"
"It's technical." Tedmoore frowned. "The communing chip is being used as a signal booster, refining the Borg's communication signals for greater clarity and strength."
"You think the communing chip has changed the way these Borg communicate with each other?"
Tedmoore felt his excitement rise. "Essentially, the communing chip created a second localized communication network, with the near bonds becoming much stronger than the far bonds."
"Wouldn't the Borg have noticed that before deploying it on their network?"
Tedmoore thought about it for a moment. "I'm sure they would have tested it, but until it reached a certain scale they had no way of knowing how dramatic the localization would be."
Reming sighed. "And you figured it all of this by examining the drone?"
Tedmoore squirmed a bit under Reming's gaze. "Well, that combined with years of work with a chip I invented. And a healthy dose of supposition."
Reming rubbed his forehead again. He was getting another headache.
"A Borg civil war."
"I guess so. I hadn't thought of it that way."
Reming turned to face the sickbay door. "We have to decide if this can help our mission."
He turned back to Tedmoore. "These Borg either help us, or we blow them out an airlock."
Tedmoore looked at Reming in shock. That was his idea!
Reming stepped back into the medical bay. It was cramped compared to larger ships, with only three biobeds. The Borg known as Dragas stood confined by a force field, and the other Borg known as Crosis sagged against the middle biobed. Neither drone looked particularly menacing, but history knew otherwise.
Reming approached the two Borg again.
"You would like for us to save your comrades out in the debris field."
The two Borg looked at each other, a moment of confusion passed across their faces.
Tedmoore cleared his throat. "With the local subspace dampening field in place you cannot hear each other's thoughts. You will need to speak, with your mouths."
Dragas looked at Tedmoore with pure hate, but Crosis spoke.
"We understand the situation, human. We are not the fools that you are."
Reming stepped back from the drones.
"Insulting us is not going to help your fellows. You want something, we want something."
Parks glanced at Reming.
"What is it that you want?" Crosis asked.
Reming waited for what seemed like forever.
"We are searching for our own comrades. If you agree to help us find them, we will save your comrades here."
Dragas spat at Reming. "We do not need your help, human."
Reming didn't look at Dragas, but continued to stare at Crosis. "Without our help, your fellows will die in the vaccum of space, or worse be re-assimilated by the Borg that will inevitability come to investigate."
Crosis looked from Reming to Dragas and back.
"No Borg will come to investigate."
"Of course, they will, Borg vessels don't just explode." Tedmoore sneered.
Crosis regarded Tedmoore calmly.
"They will not investigate a ship they ordered to self destruct."
It was the Condor crew's chance to be surprised again.

*****

To Be Continued In: "To Play The King" July 2011