“Commander Gray, you wanted to see me?” asked a familiar feminine voice.

Gazing up from where he worked in main engineering on the Herschel, Reuben Gray smiled instantly at seeing his wife, Tanya, standing before him. “Ah, yes, commander, I do need your help,” He picked up a PADD and passed it to her after standing up. “I’m working on improving impulse efficiency, and I didn’t want to compromise helm control.”

Smirking back at him, Tanya took the device into her hands. “A sensible idea,” She said as she read his plan. Tanya Gray’s curly blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing her slender figure. “This looks fine, Reu,” she replied in an almost whisper as she passed the PADD back.

“Thanks,” Gray replied sincerely, “the captain told me yesterday about the Cardassian border war. If the Herschel gets sent to the frontlines, I want to give you enough power to outmanoeuver those Cardassian warships.”

She nodded in agreement. “He just mentioned something about it on the bridge,” Tanya sighed. “I really hope we don’t go into battle.”

Almost as if on cue, the universe had heard Tanya and had hit the ship hard. Gray caught his wife in his arms as she stumbled due to the lack of the intertial dampeners not compensating enough from whatever had rocked their vessel. Before he could ask if she was alright, the captain’s voice came over the intercom.

“Red alert, all hands to battle stations!” 

“I best get to the bridge,” Tanya said quickly before giving him a quick kiss. 

Gray wanted to saviour that kiss, that moment with her, but knew he had a job to do. Instantly, he called up a shipwide damage report to see that the Herschel’s sensor pod had been ripped off. 

What on earth had done that to them so violently? He asked himself. Gray handed out damage control repair orders before looking to see who had attacked them. They had been on the far edges of Federation space, performing deep space scans and conducting a survey of gaseous anomalies. Nothing too exciting. Had it been the Romulans waking up? Or was there a new threat facing them?

It was the former. Gray had pulled up the sensor readings to see what was attacking them so he could try and help with mounting a defence. Instead of seeing a ship he recognised, it was a ship he had never seen before. It was three thousand meters in length, height and width. It was a perfect cube shape. As it attacked the Herschel’s shields again, its menacing appearance seemed more apparent.

The captain had called down for power to be routed to the shields as they attempted to evade, but the ship was then held tightly by a powerful green tractor beam. Before anyone in engineering could respond to the captain’s orders, they were boarded. Transporter beams had delivered intruders. They looked like humanoids but were all wearing black. Gray looked at them again and shook his head in disbelief. He changed his mind on what he thought they looked like. Cybernetic zombies. They even walked like it with their technology attached to them. Screams filled engineering as people started to react. Phaser fire began to be poured out against the intruders. A few of them fell to the ground, and then they survived. Some sort of defensive screen appeared in front of their chests. 

As he tried to step away with the others, he ordered his staff to retreat. Gray was about to tell the computer to seal off main engineering and transfer controls to the bridge when he felt two powerful, strong arms seize him in a tight grip. He couldn’t move, and then he felt something sharp hit him in the neck. Was it a hypospray? Without being able to react, he found himself feeling weak, tired and helpless.

Tanya, he thought.

Then he heard the whispers.

The whispers got louder.

They turned into many voices.

Then, it was one voice.

One firm, unified, solid voice.

“We are the Borg” rang in his ears and mind.  

He felt at peace. 

He felt calm. 

He felt strong.

He was Borg.

USS Odyssey (NCC-80000), Kotaba Expanse, Swallow Nebula region, Delta Quadrant

Stardate: 78422.66 (Current Day – June 2401)

Instantly, Commander Reuben Gray woke up. He looked around his quarters and realised he had only experienced a nightmare. He could feel his heart racing, and his breathing was heavy. 

He sat up in his bed and looked around the dimly lit room, trying to shake off the lingering feeling of dread. Looking at the familiar objects in his quarters, he reminded himself that he was safe and that it was just a bad dream. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, focusing on the sound of his own breathing. Gray leaned over and tapped the button to deactivate his portable regeneration unit. 

After a few minutes, Gray felt his heart rate slow down, and his breathing return to normal. He got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom. Walking over to the sink, Gray splashed some cold water on his face and then looked up at the mirror. His reflection stared back at him, almost horrified at what he could see. The Borg ocular implant had left its mark on his face, with scars and other implants scattered across his body. A prominent implant adorned his bare chest, stretching across his shoulder, while another one could be seen on his left bicep, adding to the collection of modifications that spoke of a past filled with horrors and atrocities.

He was not truly human. 

He remembered what his body looked like without any of these implants there. Gray remembered working hard on his physical attributes, spending many nights in the ship’s gym. Whether he would weight train, swim or do some boxing, he had always kept himself fit and healthy. Gray’s chiselled abdomen had been a testament to his dedication to maintaining his physical fitness, and it also served as an impressive sight for those who saw him shirtless. Now, he would only work out in the privacy of his quarters. He wouldn’t show off his once-trimmed bare physique in public. He was too ashamed of what clung to his body. 

He was still Borg. 

Gray knew this. Others may have called him an exB, but he could feel the agony in his heart as there was nothing he could do to the scars that sat on him and in him. 

Taking one more deep breath, he decided he would wake up ahead of his alarm clock and get the day started.  

“Chief Security and Tactical Officer’s log, stardate seven-eight-four-two-two point eight. Our joint project with the Benthan Guard to establish a temporary hyper-subspace amplifier has been a security and tactical nightmare. Though the amplifier will be brought online today, trying to ensure others don’t attempt to steal the technology has been a headache.”

The Auditorium was filled with a steady stream of people bustling about, chatting and laughing. Keli could see the breakfast buffet table from a distance and noticed that a few people were standing in a queue, eagerly waiting to grab their first meal of the day. She joined the line, excited to sample the delicious breakfast offerings. Keen to have a mug of coffee, Keli asked the waiter for one before picking her own plate up to choose from the selection of food on offer. 

Shortly after, she had her breakfast tray and was trying to find somewhere to sit. Noticing someone sitting alone by one of the windows, Keli wandered over and asked Reuben Gray if she could join him.

“Please, be my guest,” Gray responded by pointing towards the empty seat opposite him. 

“Thank you, sir,” Keli replied as she sat.

Before placing a ration of bacon in his mouth, Gray scuffed at her. “Please, Keli, call me Reuben; I hate being called a sir.”  

She chuckled; she knew he wasn’t someone who kept to formality with other members of the senior staff in a social situation. Keli liked that about him. “You do technically outrank me.”

“Only by half a pip,” Gray reminded her after swallowing his food.

“True,” Keli said as she placed her napkin on her lap. “How are you doing today? Did you sleep much?”

Gray sighed and shook his head. “Not really; I’m certain it’s being back in the Delta Quadrant.”

Concerned by hearing that, Keli showed an expression of care to him. “Reuben, don’t you think you should go and speak to Counsellor Hilgan about this? I mean, it’s been almost a month, and you’ve not slept properly in that time.”

“Nah,” Gray shrugged it off. “It’s probably this project that has me stressed.”

Keli could appreciate that; she hadn’t slept well since Fleet Captain McCallister had informed them of the project after he and Flemen had spent time negotiating with the Benthans. Today would be the day when they would witness the fruits of their labour come to fruition. “Yes,” but she countered his point as she knew this was much more serious than the engineer was letting on, “You’ve been having the same similar dream of you being assimilated way before the Benthan deal was complete.”

“I’ll be fine once the amplifier is up and running,” Gray said, shaking it off. “The sooner it is up and running, the sooner we might be able to detect any signals from the Constitution. That’s something the captain is eager to see happen.”

Keli couldn’t deny that. The loss of the Constitution last month had been a blow not only to the entire squadron but, more importantly, McCallister. Using his authority as squadron commander, McCallister had assigned the Themis to find out what had happened, as he knew he was too close to it to be able to keep an objective mind. The loss of his brother’s ship must have been heartwrenching for their commanding officer. Keli knew if she had ever lost her sister, Kylieev, she wouldn’t be able to cope, and Keli wasn’t sure if she would be able to sit on the sidelines and let someone else conduct the search. She admired that about the fleet captain; he was someone who would step back and consider all angles if the situation allowed him. 

Returning her focus to Gray, Keli knew she had to do something, but she would now trust her friend’s instinct and watch from a distance. She wouldn’t be a good security chief if she didn’t care for her comrades. “When’s the final briefing?” Keli asked him. 

Gray paused himself from drinking from his mug of tea to answer. “Ten hundred hours in engineering. Are you attending?”

Keli shook her head. “Unfortunately not. I’ve got a meeting with the Benthan liaison officer to discuss final tactical preparations.”

“Sounds like fun,” Gray remarked with a smirk. 

“Jerrith is a kind spirit,” Keli stated, referring to the Benthan liaison officer. “Though he is a bit-”

“Clumsy?” Gray interjected. 

“I was going to say uncoordinated,” Keli said with a raised eyebrow. She had liked Major Jerrith and didn’t want to say something behind his back that unkind. “Though, there’s a sort of attractive quality about how he goes about it.”

Gray appeared staggered by that revelation. “Do you have a crush, Keli?”

“Absolutely not!” Keli quickly responded. She couldn’t believe that Gray would ask her that. “I just said-”

“His clumsiness is an attractive quality.” Gray quoted her. He smirked as he went back to his bacon.

Keli chuckled, knowing she would later regret saying that, but on the other hand, she was glad to get Gray’s mind off his sleepless nights and the dreams that chased him.

Counsellor Hilgan couldn’t help but feel excitement and nervousness as he prepared for his first morning as Acting Chief Counsellor on the USS Odyssey. He had always felt that being a counsellor was his calling, and now he would be responsible for the mental health of almost two thousand souls. While Counsellor Horin enjoyed being a mother to her daughter, Jaxerlynne, Hilgan would undertake her job. It was a massive expectation for the young lieutenant, but he was prepared for it. He had been the Chief Counsellor on the Bellerophon, and he had managed the psychological welfare of one hundred and seventy crewmembers by himself with one aide. Now, he would lead an entire department with six others.

As he made his way through the ship’s corridors, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at the Odyssey’s advanced technology and sleek design. The ship was a marvel of Federation engineering, and it was an honour to be serving on her. He had to remember how lucky he was to be assigned to the Odyssey. Though he had gone from being a department head to a deputy, he didn’t see this move as a demotion. In his eyes, if he could do this, he would be in line for his own department on another assignment in a few years. It would open up the possibility of him being able to apply for a starbase role if he wanted it. Being assigned to a ship as large as the Odyssey was a dream for many Starfleet officers. To serve on one of Starfleet’s most prestigious ships, which had a massive reputation across the Federation, was worth him working in the shadows of someone like Louwanna Horin.

Horin was an impressive officer and one of the most talented counsellors he had met. Her knowledge and experience were backed up with wisdom and remarkable insight. Another trait that Hilgan liked about his new superior was how she was such a good listener. Though it came with the job, she would always take time to speak to everyone who worked for her and her patients. 

He knew he had to do the same; Hilgan couldn’t let her down.

When he reached his office, Hilgan took a deep breath and centred himself. He knew that his first day as Acting Chief Counsellor would be a busy one, with a full schedule of appointments with crew members from all departments. Later on, he would be meeting with Captain Duncan and Commander Court to review crew performance. Though his presence was requested, he wasn’t sure how valuable his input would be. He knew Duncan was the ship’s former chief counsellor before Horin, but Hilgan didn’t want his involvement to be tokenism. He had to contribute to discussions and decisions, but he had already decided he wouldn’t suggest anything unless he were confident it would be helpful.  

Walking over to his desk, he began by reviewing the files of those he would be meeting with, taking note of any concerns or issues raised. Wanting to ensure he was fully prepared to provide the best possible guidance and support to the crew, Hilgan liked to be thorough.

The door chime went off, and he looked at the time on the holographic clock that hovered just above the surface of his desk. His first appointment was twenty minutes early. 

“Come in,” Hilgan replied to his visitor.

The doors opened, and Hilgan was surprised to see Lieutenant Commander Keli entering.

“Sorry to disturb you on your first day, Kriz,” Keli said with a warm smile, but he could feel something sitting behind it that affected her.

“No, go on,” Hilgan encouraged her to take a seat on the curved sofa that was in the centre of the room. Opposite to it was a similar comfortable armchair which he took. “I’m listening,” He said, ensuring he did what Horin would do.

Appreciating the gesture, Keli made herself comfortable. “I promise you that I won’t keep you, but I feel I need to speak to you about Reuben.”

“Commander Gray?” Hilgan checked as he picked up his PADD and placed it in his lap to take notes.

She nodded. “I know I may be destroying Reuben’s confidence with me; however, I know he isn’t sleeping well at the moment, and most mornings when we’ve shared breakfast, he has told me about a recurring dream.”

Intrigued by that last part, Hilgan urged her to go on. “Do share, ma’am.”

“It’s about his assimilation,” Keli replied. Her worry for the former drone was etched clearly across her frown. “I’m worried it’s affecting his sleep.”

Hilgan nodded in agreement. “Such dreams and nightmares about one’s own trauma can plague the subconscious for a long time. They can manifest in our dreams as a strong reminder. Some would say it’s the body’s way of coping, while others may say it’s the mind’s approach to processing what happened now the person is in a safe environment. I’d imagine the commander has a level of anxiety since we’ve returned to the Delta Quadrant.”

“Oh, I believe so, though he said to me today it’s probably stress-related to the subspace amplifier project,” Keli added.

“It could be a combination of the two,” Hilgan said. “Do you think if I checked in on him today, he would be receptive to a session?” 

Keli shrugged. “I’m not sure, I’m just worried. I know I said to him earlier I wouldn’t say anything, but you never know with these things.”

“Without going into detail about the commander’s psychological records with you, which you know I can’t, I would say that we are seeing a classic sign of some sort of post-traumatic reaction,” Hilgan said.

“Is there anything I can do to help him?” Keli offered.

“Being a good friend, listening and being supportive will go a long way,” Hilgan answered. “In the meantime, let me check in on him, and I am sure Doctor Slyvexs will check in on his health soon; if not, I will request she does.”

Appreciating his time, Keli nodded a thanks and got up before leaving. Once she was gone, Hilgan completed his notes before returning to his desk. 

“Computer, open all Starfleet Medical records related to the suggestive psychological treatments for individuals liberated from the Borg Collective,” He ordered.

“Acknowledged, the first suggestive article is from Commander Deanna Troi, Starfleet counsellor, stardate four-four-zero-one-two point three.”

Hilgan sat down to read what Starfleet had observed and treated over the years with exBs. 

Standing around the pool table of engineering and discussing the final parts of their undertaking, Gray was finally pleased to see the end of this challenging work. The hyper-subspace amplifier project would only serve them and the rest of the squadron while they were in the Swallow Nebula region. Though the plan was ingenious in theory, he had reservations about it. It was based on a lot of experimental technology and the need for the Benthan Guard to assist in defending and maintaining it for them. 

“The interplexing beacon appears to be online and operational,” Tierra stated from the head of the table.

The Odyssey’s chief engineer had become a fast friend of Gray’s since he had joined the crew. Tierra knew her stuff and knew the Odyssey inside and out. Her engineering capability was impressive, just as much as the other two engineers who stood around the station with them. 

Beside Gray was his deputy, Jayshon, the Tamarian engineer who had served as the chief engineer on the Triton before it had been badly damaged during the Lost Fleet incursion and further ruined by the Frontier Day tragedy. Joining the Starfleet Corps of Engineers attached to the Odyssey Squadron as its second-in-command had been Jayshon’s request after turning down the chief engineer role on the Constitution. Thankfully, he had been with them or would have been lost when the Constitution went missing a few weeks ago. Gray had warmed up to him and was starting to understand more and more of his Tamarian metaphorical phrases. 

Then, there was Lieutenant Commander Carter Westerham. Husband to Captain Banfield, their second officer and chief science officer, again a former chief engineer himself, who had recently been rescued during Frontier Day as one of the many officers replaced by the rogue changelings. His doppelganger had held the role of leading the Cadet training unit on the squadron; it had been a bold bid by the changelings to ensure that as many younger officers were on the Odyssey, which had hosted many seasoned older officers. 

Westerham smirked at the marvel of their creation. “This may actually work.” He added.

“Arnock, on the night of his joining,” Jayshon said, pleased at their achievement.

Gray knew that Jayshon thoroughly enjoyed creating and building this type of work. He had to admit it himself; doing this type of thing was fun. Looking down at the display before him, he double-checked the test signal they were using. The fact that some of their design was based on Borg-inspired technology did resonate with him. Though those add-ons were his creations, he couldn’t help but find the irony in using Borg ingenuity to help them call home. The fact that the Borg had almost ruined the Federation, Gray wasn’t keen for another round with them. 

Looking up, Gray noticed Jonarom walking across engineering with pride plastered across his face. The young lieutenant was the epitome of optimism and a level of innocence that Gray envied. That said, Jonarom was extremely intelligent and how he saw the galaxy impressed Gray highly. 

“I told you all it would work,” Jonarom remarked as he joined the collective of engineers. “Science leads again!”

“Using a cyclic pulsar to increase our range of communication in this area is no new science, lieutenant,” Tierra reminded the younger officer.

“No, I know it’s not,” Jonarom replied, “However, this is the first time Starfleet has tried this attempt so far away from its other deep space sub-space relays, and if this continues to go well, then with help from the Benthans, the next phase of the project should go ahead without a hitch.”

Again, Gray admitted that Jonarom was right; the next part was more exciting. With help from the Benthans, they would test their theory of using folded subspace to assist in transmitting a data stream to Starfleet. Using a combined approach, they hoped to use a folded space compression wave to dispatch the data stream to the subspace relays in the Gradin Belt. 

He looked down at the console and was about to activate the following process in their test when he heard something in the back of his mind. Straight away, he stopped and looked around. Gray was sure no one called him. Shaking it off and putting it down to him being tired, Gray ignored it and pressed the button.

“Second test phase underway,” He said. 

“We…”

Again, this time, he heard the muffled noise of a transmission and a single word. It was almost like a broken echo. 

“We are…”

Again, Gray’s understanding was clearer.

“We are the…”

He went silent.

He fell sick.

He gulped as he could feel the sweat started to appear on his brow.

“We are the Borg…”

The familiar deep tones of the Collective were calling out to him in a shattered tone. The myriad of voices were there, but they were uncontrollable whispers. 

“Reuben!” 

Eventually, he snapped out of it to hear Tierra calling at him. Everyone was now staring at Gray.

 “Are you okay?” Tierra asked as she moved to his side, worry itched in her eyes. 

“Excuse me, I need to see Doctor Slyvexs,” Gray shared after a gulp and taking in a deep breath.

“You want me to come with you?” Tierra offered as Gray started to walk away.

Shaking just his head in response, Gray almost rushed to sickbay.

The voices in his head were growing more and more.

Now, with his uniform jacket off and sat up straight on one of the biobeds in sickbay, Gray was trying his hardest to block out the voices that were ringing in his ear while Doctor Slyvexs scanned him.

Muttering to herself, Gray could hear Slyvex’s annoyance with her tricorder as she adjusted it before scanning him one more time.

She sighed. “I’m sorry, Reuben, but your proximity transceiver has somehow repaired itself and is active.”

Gray sighed heavily. 

“We are the Borg…Resistance is…”

“Can you please deactivate it?” Gray pleaded. 

Slyvexs nodded. “I can, but it would seem I will need to extract several nanoprobes that are regenerating it.”

Accepting his fate in the doctor’s hands, Gray took another deep breath. “We should tell the captain in case I become a security threat.”

Slyvexs agreed with that idea and tapped her combadge before placing him behind a security force field with her on the outside. 

Trying to focus on her voice and not on the other millions of echoes he could hear, Gray closed his eyes. Slyvexs had contacted the captain and told him about what was happening. 

Gray knew that if his proximity transceiver was active, that also meant that Borg were nearby.

Seconds later, the captain’s voice was heard across the ship’s intercom as he called for red alert. 

Gray now hated himself. 

But as he closed his eyes one more time, he could see something that only existed in his nightmares. A Borg structure, somewhere deep in what looked like a nebula. Opening his eyes straight away, he then felt his stomach wanting to empty what little was in it as he was sick from the site of the Borg.

They were nearby and something was happening. 

He knew it. 

“JP, I’m sorry to inform you that despite our efforts in scanning the entire region for almost four weeks, we have not been able to detect any signals or signs of the Constitution. Our deep space probes have also failed to pick up anything of significance. We’ve checked and double-checked our data, but unfortunately, the results remain the same,” Cambil explained solemnly before giving out a sigh. Her call came through via the holographic console on his desk. The image of her sitting in her ready room reporting to him the disappointing news was heartwrenching for her, but more so for him. It was his brother’s ship. Noticing her change in tone, McCallister was impressed she tried to come up with something positive. “We’re going to see if we can tigh in the deflector in with the long-range sensors to-”

Waving his hand to dismiss that idea, McCallister shook his head as well. “Thanks, Bexa, but I think it’s time we face facts.”

“I’m sorry, James, but whatever happened to them is something our sensors can’t detect or even give us a clue where to look,” Cambil replied. McCallister could hear the tone of deflation in her voice, but he didn’t want her to think that had let him down. 

McCallister smiled to show appreciation for her and her crew’s hard work. He couldn’t blame her. “Bexa, just finish what you’re doing, and I want you and the Themis here at your earliest convenience.”

“Understood, we’ll be on our way in no time,” Cambil replied. “Do you want me to submit the report to Starfleet?”

Pausing for a moment, McCallister considered her offer before nodding. “Do it,” He said. They finished the conversation, and McCallister tapped the button on his desk. Running his hands over his face as he leant backwards, he wondered how he would explain Horatio’s missing to his family. 

The door chime then went off, bringing McCallister back to his reality. “Come in,” He replied. 

His first officer stepped in after the doors opened. It was evident that Duncan knew that McCallister was having a very difficult, a very upsetting conversation with his predecessor. Again, McCallister appreciated his right-hand man in knowing when to check in on him. It’s what made him one of the finest counsellors and now one of the finest first officers in the fleet. 

“Max, everything okay?” McCallister asked after the door had closed behind him. 

Duncan hesitated to answer at first, and instead, he turned the question around. “I take it Bexa didn’t have good news?”

McCallister just shook his head.

“I’m sorry, James,” Duncan said as he stood before his desk. “Do you want to-”

Knowing what Duncan was about to offer, McCalister shook his head and interrupted him. “No, I can’t spend any more time or energy on this.” McCallister straightened himself out. “What was it you wanted, Number One?”

Duncan replied straight away. “Just to let you know, our engineers have started their first test of the hyper-subspace amplifier.”

“That’s good,” McCallister said and stood up. “Let’s see what they’ve achieved.” Gesturing for them to return to the bridge, McCallister was quick in wanting not to think about the loss of the Constitution for now. He wanted to focus on something that may be positive. Maybe something that will help find his brother’s missing ship.

Duncan followed him out as they made their way across towards their chairs. Rising from the centre chair, Commander Court smiled at McCallister before shooting a look at his husband. McCallister noticed the exchange between his first officer and the senior officer of the watch and knew they meant well. They had supported him when the news of the Constitution had first come through. Straight away, Court knew the bad news had arrived.

“Slyvexs to Fleet Captain McCallister,” came the voice of his CMO on the intercom. 

Tapping his combadge, McCallister answered, worried about what Slyvexs would share. “Go ahead, doctor.”

“Sir, I’m with Commander Gray, and his proximity transceiver has gone off,” She reported.

Hearing that revelation made McCallister’s gut twist tightly. He turned to Duncan, who had the same look. “Understood, doctor, standby,” McCalister replied before he opened a ship-wide communication channel. “All hands, red alert!” He turned to Duncan and told him to start scanning for Borg. Returning to his conversation with the doctor, he asked her to put Gray on. “Reuben, do you know where they are?”

McCallister heard hesitation from the engineer at first before he stuttered a response. “I think-I-think so, sir. I may need to use the astrometric lab.”

“I’ll have Corella meet you there,” McCallister said before indicating to Court to call her.

“Thank you, sir,” Gray responded.

After a second to breathe, McCallister looked at Duncan. “Damn, Borg, again.” He muttered. 

Hearing that a Borg signal was coming from a nearby nebula, Keli felt the shivers going up and down her spine. She was trying to remain calm and professional (while on the inside, flashbacks of Frontier Day haunted her memories). That said, her heart also reached out to Gray over the fact he had become the beacon of the bad news. Everything he had shared with her over breakfast had been linked to all this. 

Now, most of the senior staff were in the Astrometrics Lab listening to what Gray and Banfield believed they had discovered. On the central wall console and holographic projectors, long-range scans of the nebula that Gray had detected a Borg signal coming from were being shown. After Banfield had revealed that it was coming from a Class Nine nebula

“In the last datastream from Fourth Fleet Intelligence, there were several reports of unusual Borg activity in the far edges of the Beta Quadrant and some spots of the Gradin Belt,” Tomaz briefed everyone assembled. “This could be linked to those reports.”

Intrigued and worried to hear that the Borg may not have been destroyed after Frontier Day, Keli knew that what everyone had dreamed was not a reality. 

“What were the Borg doing from those reports?” Banfield asked. Her question was valid to understand what the Collective’s intentions were. If there was a Collective.

“Similar to what Reuben has experienced,” Tomaz replied. “Homing signals being activated from implants, devices and other Borg technology that was once thought dead. In some cases, especially in the Gradin Belt, some of their ships have moved from once was their former territory to retrieve whatever was emitting the signal.”

“What do we know about the Borg in this region?” Duncan asked. 

“Not much,” Tomaz answered. Being the chief strategic operations officer, he had spent ages researching everything that they had on the Swallow Nebula region. “We know the Collective has entered this area from the species they have assimilated, but during its time here, Voyager didn’t encounter the Borg besides the crash remains of an assimilated Starfleet corvette.”

“We shouldn’t exclude the Collective’s ability to appear anywhere,” Keli reminded her colleagues.

No one disagreed with her assessment about that. 

“So what do we do about this signal that Reuben hears?” Duncan asked next.

McCallister, who had been leaning against one of the consoles, stood up straight with his arms crossed against his chest. “We should investigate it,” He replied. 

Keli knew he was going to say that. 

The captain continued his rationale. “If something is out there that could draw attention from the remnants of the Borg, then it puts a serious threat to the inhabitants of this area of space.”

“We’ve got one of our deep space multi-spatial probes close to that nebula; why don’t we have it swing by and take a look for us?” Banfield suggested. 

“It will take us a few days at high warp to reach the nebula,” Gray shared. 

Keli could see that McCallister was considering his options. She predicted he would send the probe and have the Odyssey jump to maximum warp to get there.

“Let’s do both,” McCallister said. 

Keli smirked to herself, pleased she had been able to predict the captain’s reaction. 

“I’ll have the Themis join us there, too,” McCallister added.

She was surprised to hear that. After the loss of the Constitution, Keli wasn’t expecting McCallister to change his policy of their squadron undertaking exploration efforts independently from one another. Maybe he wanted them closer to avoid something going wrong.

Turning to his first officer, McCallister looked at Duncan. “Strength in numbers and all that jazz, yeah?”

Duncan nodded in agreement, but Keli noticed something more between the two men. The unspoken theme of the loss of the Constitution was itched across their faces, more so Fleet Captain McCallister’s. She couldn’t blame him; none of them could, especially if they were about to engage the Borg.

“Keli,” McCallister said, grabbing her attention immediately. “Place the ship on twenty-four-hour tactical alert and start organising battle drills for every shift. I want this ship ready.”

 She got why he was taking that precaution. The last time they faced the Borg, they hadn’t been prepared. This time, McCallister wasn’t going to let their guard down.

“Can we pinpoint more precisely where this signal is coming from?” Duncan asked next.

Banfield nodded and adjusted the holographic projector. “It’s coming straight from the centre, but with it being a typical class nine, our sensors can’t penetrate it without us being in it. That said, we are detecting intermittent graviton flux at the centre, too. Without getting closer, I can’t be certain what’s there that’s creating it.”

“I could look at finding a way to disrupt the signal?” Jonarom offered from the aft of the lab.

Keli turned around to see the young communications officer standing back from the main body of officers. 

Gray instantly responded to Jonarom. “No, if I lose it, then we will lose any chance of discovering what the Borg are doing.”

McCallister looked between the two officers and agreed with Gray’s decision but turned to the communications officer. “However, Jonarom, I want you to start to work on a plan to disrupt the signal once we’ve found whatever is broadcasting it. We may have to stop the Borg from finding whatever it is.”

Jonarom just nodded in response. Keli could see that the younger officer wasn’t keen to see a repeat of Frontier Day either.  

After a lull of silence, as everyone digested the seriousness of what they were about to do, McCallister spoke up. “Okay, let’s take this one step at a time. I want constant scans for Borg energy signatures, and once the probe enters the nebula, we’ll decide from there what we do.” The captain looked around at everyone and then ordered them to dismiss.

Keli instantly approached Gray and placed a reassuring hand on his elbow. As everyone started to file out of the lab, he turned to her and smiled.

“You okay?” She asked.

Gray shrugged his shoulders, and Keli knew the answer straight away. 

“Why don’t you go and speak with Krizon about this?” Keli offered.

Gray shook his head. “Not unless he wants to get drunk.”

Pausing for a second to react, Keli smirked. “What if we had a drink with him? You need to process this, Reuben.”

Rubbing his face, Gray then nodded. “Okay, you’re right,” He admitted.

Keli smiled and went about organising when she, Gray and Hilgan would catch up, but first, she had to prepare the ship for engaging the Borg.

The mood in the Barn was calm, subdued, in fact. Gray preferred it that way. Everything was his fault; he knew it. If he had never been posted to the Herschel, then he wouldn’t have been assimilated. If he hadn’t been assimilated, then his Cube would have never crashed against the Class D planetoid, and if he hadn’t been saved by the Odyssey crew, then he wouldn’t be here at this point in time. 

Pondering these thoughts, along with wondering what his life would have been like if he hadn’t been assimilated, tormented Gray’s mind. He had only realised that he would have been an old man if he had lived a normal life without the Borg. Instead, nanoprobes had kept him rejuvenated and almost ageless. Now that had changed, Gray knew he would live the normal human life he was robbed of. It would take him another forty years or so to catch up. Though expecting a normal life was too farfetched, he felt. He was an exB, and that was it. 

As he looked around the new crew lounge, one that he had helped build, he could see every Starfleet officer strapped with a phaser by their side. The ship was at twenty-four-hour tactical alert and ready to engage the cybernetic beasts that chased him in his nightmares. 

It was certainly his fault that they were in this situation now. Gray could not shake that feeling, that regret, that frustration that everything was on his shoulders. If something went wrong here, if someone got hurt or worse assimilated, it would be because of him. 

“Reuben!” called out Keli from a booth on the far corner. 

After Gray walked over, he sat down on the opposite side of her and beside Hilgan. The two of them already had drinks in front of them.

“So, is this an intervention or an off-the-book counselling session?” Gray asked his companions after ordering his drink.

Hilgran answered before Keli could respond. “I don’t do off-the-book stuff, commander,” The Trill officer assured him with a smile. 

“And if it was an intervention, I’d have more of us here,” Keli added after allowing Hilgan to go first. 

Gray sighed in appreciation just as his drink arrived. “Where do we start then?”

“We don’t have to start anything, Reuben,” Keli replied. “I thought we were going to get drunk?”

That idea did sound good, Gray thought; old him would have done that with his engineering staff when something affected one of them, or he was celebrating some miracle they had solved. “This is wrong,” He shared after taking a pretty large swig of his drink. “We shouldn’t be chasing after the Borg.”

“I disagree,” Hilgan replied. “They are a sworn enemy of the Federation, who have caused us too much distress and hurt, especially recently. We need to know what they’re doing.”

“So where do I stand? Am I an ally or enemy, counsellor?” Gray asked, taking another gulp of his whiskey. 

Hilgan took a deep breath and realised he had spoken out of turn. “I didn’t mean you directly, commander.”

“It’s okay, Krizon,” Gray said, waving his hand dismissively. “I was being an ass.”

Hilgan looked at Keli, both exchanging a look that Gray noticed. Keli cleared her throat. 

“Reuben, as someone who has served under Fleet Captain McCallister, I want you to know he takes his job seriously. If there is a Borg threat out there,” She pointed towards what lay beyond the large bay window near them, “Then he wouldn’t want to ignore it. If it wasn’t us dealing with it, then some other crew would be or even worse, they could be attacking the races that live in this region.”

“Commander, with your proximity transceiver being activated again was not in your control, but now Doctor Slyvexs has a better understanding of how it happened; she can prevent it,” Hilgan explained.

“Is that true?” Gray asked him.

He nodded. “I spoke with her earlier. She’s running through some simulations to be certain, but her preliminary results were promising.”

Gray appreciated that. He took another sip of his drink before ordering another one. 

Keli smiled at him. “For all we know, the signal is something so minor, a remanent perhaps from a damaged vinculum.” 

“Or a hidden unicomplex,” Gray retorted as his next drink arrived. 

“Whatever happens, we’ll face it together as one ship and one crew,” Keli said, placing her hand on top of his. 

“Absolutely,” Kilgan said, placing his hand above Keli’s. Eager to prove to the engineer that he wasn’t alone.

For once, Gray appreciated the gesture and sentiment.

“Senior staff to the bridge,” announced Commander Tomaz over the intercom. “Our long-range probe has picked up something of interest.”

“Oh jeez,” Gray grunted as the three officers downed the drinks before heading to the bridge at once. 

As the senior staff gathered on the bridge, Keli could sense McCallister’s displeasure at Tomaz’s revelation. 

“How many ships?” McCallister asked, standing before his chair.

“At least half a dozen,” Tomaz answered. Keli took comfort in the sound of Tomaz’s calm voice, which had a soothing effect on her nerves. As she listened, however, she detected a subtle edge of concern in his tone that made her wonder what was on his mind. Having worked together on countless tactical missions, Keli and Tomaz had developed a unique rapport that enabled them to anticipate each other’s thoughts through the slightest changes in inflexion or body language. It was a bond that had saved their lives more than once and that Keli valued more than anything else. “And all of them are heading to the nebula.”

McCallister muttered under his breath, “Damn!”

“I didn’t think the Malon operated this far out?” Duncan asked from his chair beside McCallister’s.

“It’s the Void,” Banfield shared. 

“Care to explain, captain?” Duncan asked Banfield.

Keli had always liked Banfield; she was fiery, confident and got straight to the bottom. Sure, she ruffled some feathers when she was assigned to the Odyssey over a year ago. However, since then, her transition from being this scary liaison from the Department of Temporal Investigations to being the ship’s chief science officer and second officer had mellowed her image with most. 

Banfield manipulated the image on the large widescreen by showing the feed from the multi-spatial probe they had sent to the nebula. She shrunk the image of the incoming six Malon ships to show a detailed map of the Void. 

Like everyone else on the senior staff, Keli had attended one of Tomaz’s briefings about this particular section of the Delta Quadrant. It was a vast area of space spanning over two thousand five hundred light years, devoid of any stars. Twenty-six years ago, Voyager had stopped a single Malon ship from using it as a dumping ground for their antimatter waste. High levels of theta radiation had not only prevented ships crossing it from seeing what was beyond with their long-range sensors, but it had harmed the indigenous species that inhabited the Void. Voyager had stopped that single ship and had collapsed the Malon’s use of a vortex to enter the Void. 

Banfield spoke up for everyone to hear her. “I did some digging about the Void, and it would seem that its thick theta radiation clouds haven’t been quite dissipating as we had imagined after Voyager left.” She pointed to one area of the Void. “By its far edges is where the thickest amount of theta radiation can be detected. The concentration levels here are higher than twenty-five years ago.”

“Rumours had reached the Markonian Outpost that other Malons had gotten word about the Void, and some were using certain locations on its perimeter as a dumping ground again, while some others were known to cross it in large groups as part of their commerce attempts to gain further trade links with species located in the Swallow Nebula area,” Tomaz added.

“Strength in number to fight off the Void’s residents,” Keli said from her station.

“Precisely,” Tomaz agreed with her. 

“So the question still remains, why are they heading to this nebula?” Flemen asked. “The Malon are known to exploit anything that can help them dump their pollution far from their territory. Does this nebula have something that will help them with that?”

Banfield shook her head before answering. “I don’t think so; besides the heavy graviton flux and sensor interference properties, it’s not an area that could hide their mess from others.”

“Also, isn’t it quite far away for them to travel to?” Marova asked from the helm.

Keli hadn’t considered that point until Marova had mentioned it.

“Another point to remember about the Malon is they will do anything to help cut their expenses; perhaps there’s something of value in the nebula that will do that?” Hilgan suggested. 

“It’s the Borg signal,” Gray said after remaining silent for so long.

Tierra turned to him, where they sat at the engineering stations. “How can you be certain, Reuben?” She asked him. “Unless they have a Borg transceiver, how can they know what we’ve detected?”

 “Borg technology is advanced compared to Malon technology,” Gray replied bluntly. “They’ve had the chance on many occasions to use radiometric converters to stop living the way they live. Instead, they’ve focussed on the greed of their waste export industry and, if it collapsed, the massive impact it would have on their economy. So whatever is there will certainly help them if they retrieve it.”

Gray’s speculation on the Malon’s intent certainly made everyone go silent for a bit. Keli felt a gnawing sense of unease, a feeling that something wasn’t right. She knew they needed to get to the bottom of things to find the answers to their questions. With a deep breath, Keli steeled herself and spoke up, determined to push forward in unravelling the mystery. “Then shouldn’t we move on in sending the probe further into the nebula? Isn’t it sitting on the periphery?”

Jen, who was sat at ops, agreed with Keli’s point of view. “We should, who knows what awaits us there besides the Malon.”

“We could increase power to the probe’s subspace radio, improving the telemetry by using the probe’s emergency power supply,” Jonarom suggested. “We would better understand what the Malon want there.” 

After considering the situation, McCallister recognised the rationale behind the plan and gave the green light to send the probe further into the vast and mysterious nebula. Keli knew they needed to know what was calling out to Gray, especially if that meant stopping the Malon from getting their hands on whatever it was.

Banfield had changed the output on the main viewscreen towards the live feed from the probe as it entered the nebula. 

Everyone waited with waited breath as the probe pushed through the pinkish and purple clouds. This class nine nebula was causing some static interference with their uplink. 

“It looks like the Paulson Nebula,” Doctor Slyvexs remarked from where she stood behind the captain’s chair. “Let’s hope we don’t have to endure any more temporal shenanigans.”

Keli smirked at that remark and was joined by a few others, including McCallister.

“I’ve got something coming through from the centre of the nebula besides the intermittent graviton flux,” Banfield reported after a few more minutes. She looked up, and her expression showed only concern. “High neutrino emissions.” 

“Doesn’t that mean…” Court started to ask from one of the mission ops stations but was stopped by Banfield.

“A wormhole.”

Hearing that news made everyone, Keli herself as well, look up from their stations.

“Marova, increase speed to maximum warp,” McCallister ordered the pilot before turning to Banfield. “Do the same to the probe; increase its speed to reach the centre. Let’s see what’s there.”

It only took a few more minutes for the probe to reach its destination. As clear as a crystal, the image of the nebula’s centre was now displayed for everyone to see. More silence filled the bridge, and Keli couldn’t take her eyes off what awaited them. 

A Borg Transwarp Hub.

“Fleet Captain’s log stardate seven-eight-four-two-four point five. The Odyssey has arrived at the class nine nebula that we have confirmed contains a Borg transwarp hub. We are now conducting further reconnaissance to ascertain its status. In the meantime, the Malon fleet continues to approach.”

Once again, the senior staff convened to develop strategies to address the existing and impending threats the ship now faced. Stuck between a rock and a hard place was undoubtedly the right mindset for them all. It was getting late, and most of them had been working for almost twelve hours now, and McCallister couldn’t blame any of them if they weren’t working at their best. Most of them were holding onto coffee or tea mugs to help them stay awake. 

“I’m getting a secure telemetry link from the probe,” Banfield finally announced from the central console. 

Pleased to hear they would finally know the hub’s state, McCallister sighed slightly before gesturing for her to share what their probe had discovered on the main screen. Straight away, a three-dimensional diagram of the sensor readings the probe transmitted appeared before everyone. After sending the probe in and directing it to return so it could share what it had found, they had to wait for the probe to return to a safe distance to transmit its findings without being blocked by any of the nebula’s natural interference. 

“Am I reading that correctly?” From where he stood, Duncan asked, leaning across one of the aft central consoles with a mug of tea in both hands. His husband stood beside him, sipping on a raktajino. 

Banfield nodded. “It’s not fully functional,” She breathed a sigh of relief, similar to what McCallister had done only a few seconds before.

“It’s still active, though,” Tierra pointed out as she took a closer look at one of the side stations. “I’m detecting active power nodes, shield generators and at least two construction vehicles being used.”

“Any vessels that pose a danger to us?” McCallister asked next. He hoped someone would not report anything as he didn’t want to deal with a Cube. 

“There appears to be a single Borg Probe operating nearby, too,” Tomaz shared. 

The screen was altered to show the location of the Probe. It hung near the transwarp hub. Unlike the other transwarp hub that Voyager had destroyed many years ago, this one only appeared to have six operational apertures. 

“So why are the Malon racing here?” Jonarom asked aloud.

McCallister thought it was a fair question, especially as the Malon ships heading in their direction weren’t a battle fleet. 

“They’re going to capture the hub,” Flemen replied. Everyone turned to him, McCallister too, intrigued by the diplomatic officer’s take on the situation. “Think about it: if they take control of the transwarp hub, they could open transwarp apertures anywhere in the galaxy and dump their radiation anywhere they like.”

“Six of their ships could easily overwhelm or even destroy that Borg Probe,” Tomaz added.

“Surely taking control of a Borg complex isn’t that easy?” Court questioned. He turned to Gray, “Reuben, surely a structure like this, one of the Borg’s most significant tactical advantages, must have some impressive security behind it?”

“It does,” Gray acknowledged. The SCE unit leader stood on the raised platform, reviewing the sensor information with crossed arms. It was almost like he was admiring the work of his former oppressors. He turned to the others, “However, this structure isn’t complete, and I’d imagine it is still damaged after the neurolytic pathogen.”

“So it’s an easier target?” Court confirmed.

Gray just nodded.

“Even a damaged Borg is dangerous,” Hilgan said from the back of the room. “Surely the Malon aren’t that stupid in attempting to take it?”

“Wouldn’t you?” Slyvexs retorted. She had sat on one of the stools near where Hilgan stood. The Denobulan doctor stretched her back as she spoke further. “If the Malon weren’t trying to take it, let’s be honest here, wouldn’t we?”

Jen spoke up in agreement with her. “The doctor is right; if we could get our hands on this, it would revolutionise Starfleet’s research into transwarp technology.”

“We wouldn’t need to depend on the Turei for their underspace,” Flemen added.

“The Barzan and Bajoran wormhole would become obsolete too,” Banfield stated.

“The Federation would become the envy of many species across the galaxy,” Keli said. “If the Federation took ownership of this and developed its potential, then other powers would either need to become our allies or members of the Federation.”

“We could probably see peace in our time,” Marova remarked.

“We can’t,” Gray shot their optimistic look on the Hub’s possibilities. “No one should have access to this level of Borg technology. If the Federation and its allies are to survive, then we need to develop those technologies off our own backs. We’ve seen what can happen when we try and use their technology to our advantage.”

“He’s right,” Duncan agreed solemnly. “Defending such a structure would require the resources of the entire Fourth Fleet. We would probably have to move both Starbase Bravo and Avalon Fleet Yards to it.”

“And the Jankata Accords strictly forbids territorial expansion into another quadrant,” Flemen reminded everyone. He turned to McCallister, “Sir, I know relations with the Malon have never been great, but I think we should attempt to open some sort of dialogue with them. Even if it’s to warn them away. They may not know what they’re heading towards.”

“Craigen’s right,” Duncan supported his former protégé. “They may just be heading to this nebula for other reasons unknown to us.”

McCallister couldn’t help but agree with their statement. “Alright, let’s try the diplomatic approach with them, but in the meantime, let’s start looking at the state of that hub. We may need to look at bringing it down before they arrive.”

“Sir, if we’re to deal with the Malon, I’d like to head to sickbay and start preparing large amounts of arithrazine. Just in case we are exposed to large amounts of theta radiation.” Slyvexs remarked. 

McCallister agreed with that idea, and after she was gone, he indicated for Jonarom to open a channel to the lead Malon vessel. He moved himself so he stood in the centre of the raised platform in front of the large screen. Duncan and Flemen had joined him on either side while everyone else continued their work behind them. 

Once their communication had been established, McCallister introduced himself. “Good day, I’m Fleet Captain James Preston McCallister of the Federation starship, U-S-S Odyssey.”

The Malon leader looked like every other Malon that they had records of. Scraggly hair, blistered mustard-looking skin, dirt and sweat pouring over their face while wearing an isolation suit. Not much had changed for the Malon since their first encounters with Voyager. “I’m Controller Frelk, what do you want?” 

Remaining calm after hearing that less-than-friendly response, McCallister kept his tone steady as he spoke. “We noticed your convoy of ships on our long-range sensors just before we started to map this nebula. I wanted to reach out and share a warm welcome.”

Frelk grunted at that response. “I suspect that’s not the case, fleet captain,” He extended his neck to rub it. “I know of your kind, and I know you disapprove of our way of life.”

“If you’re referring to your waste export industry, then it’s not a matter of disapproval,” McCallister said. “It’s more out of concern for the health and development of your people. We would only want to help your people reduce their need for managing theta radiation like you do.”

“Lies!” Frelk countered. He started to jab his finger in McCallister’s direction. “Now I suggest you move along, or when we arrive, I promise you that shiny ship of yours won’t be able to stand up against six of our top-of-the-line hauliers.”

“Is there any need for threatening language?” Duncan imposed.

“Ha! You think me a fool that your presence isn’t one that is hostile,” Frelk replied. “As I said, I know your kind.”

“The Federation’s mandate is to peacefully co-exist with all species in our galaxy. We do not seek conquest,” Flemen said.

Frelk chuckled further. “Ah, Fleet Captain McCallister, your officers are well trained in the art of subterfuge and diplomacy, I’ll give you that. Now, I suggest you take your clean vessel and leave our nebula straight away.”

McCallister crossed his arms against his chest. “Last time I checked, the Malon Consortium does not hold any territorial rights in this region of space.”

“You really want to see how long your ship can last against six of ours?” Frelk challenged. “Let’s cut to the chase, captain; you know about the wreckage of the Borg Transwarp Hub as much as I do. So I suggest you stand aside so we can take claim to it.”

That was it; McCallister knew his poker face was no longer needed for this exchange, “We won’t let you take any of the Hub. Furthermore, we know it is partially active. By the time you arrive, it will be destroyed! Do you honestly think we came unprepared?”

“You wouldn’t dare, plus you are only one ship; you cannot take on the might of the Borg,” Frelk stated.

Remaining confident, McCallister replied to the Malon’s words. “As I said, we came prepared, and this wouldn’t be the first transwarp hub that Starfleet has dismantled; we kinda experts.” 

“Yes, the legends of your Kathryn Janeway and the mighty Voyager are well known among my people, especially how they exited our quadrant. So, let me guess: your ship is equipped with transphasic torpedoes and regenerative ablative armour generators? I suppose that’s standard for your ships along with quantum slipstream drives?”

Not admitting they didn’t have that, McCallister used that false intelligence to his advantage. “I won’t confirm or deny, but let’s just say by the time you arrive, that hub will be gone, and you will see us only as an echo in your long-range sensors.”

“I won’t let you take what will be the biggest economic breakthrough for my people,” Frelk threatened. “We will stop you, even if you can destroy an entire Borg armada. My people can be just as cunning.”

“The biggest breakthrough for your people would be to accept our offer of helping you develop radiometric converters for your entire fleet and take your place as one of the many peaceful, loving people that reside here in the Delta Quadrant,” McCallister paused. “That offer is always on the table. Consider it before you arrive.” He looked to Jonarom behind him and signalled him to cut the channel.

Once Frelk was gone, Duncan exhaled a bit. “Let’s just hope that Mister Frelk doesn’t get close enough to realise we have none of that technology on us.”

“At least it put some fear in him,” Flemen added.

“It might not be enough,” McCallister said as he turned around to walk off the platform and looked at the others. He was eager to move on after taking a stab at diplomacy with the Malon. Though it may have wasted their time trying, it at least confirmed their suspicion of what the Malon intended. McCallister was pleased that at least they knew something. “Right, we need a plan to take out that Hub before the Malon or anyone else try to plant a flag on it.”

“A signal has been detected. Unimatrix four seven one seven grid nine three.”

“Activate.”

“Signal identified. Transwarp Hub Delta Two Point Five.”

“Alter course to investigate.”

“A vessel has been detected. Current position spatial grid seven two eight six. Trajectory one one two mark five.”

“Vessel identified. Federation Starfleet, Odyssey Class, one thousand six hundred lifeforms.” 

“Prepare for assimilation.”

Gray automatically opened his eyes and realised there was something more coming for them. Rushing to his bathroom, he emptied whatever was left in his stomach and knew that he had to warn the captain.

The bridge was dimly illuminated by a deep red shade emanating from the warning lights, casting an eerie glow on the control panels and equipment. The crew members were on high alert, their nerves frayed by the palpable sense of danger that hung in the air. Every sound was amplified, every movement scrutinised, as they worked tirelessly to keep the ship on course and navigate through the treacherous depths of the Borg-infested nebula.

The Odyssey inched closer towards the nebula’s heart as Marova’s voice echoed through the bridge. “We’re approaching the nebula’s centre now,” The pilot lifted her gaze from the helm, mesmerised by the breathtaking view displayed on the main viewscreen. Shades of pink and purple clouds surrounded the spacecraft as it entered deeper into the unknown.

Fleet Captain McCallister oozed a sense of calmness and composure, his posture unwavering as he sat in the central command chair of the bridge. His steadfast gaze was fixed ahead as the image slowly appeared, revealing the colossal and ominous structure of the Borg’s half-built Transwarp Hub. The sheer scale of the structure was enough to send shivers down the spine of any seasoned space explorer. 

As the ship approached continued to creep forward, McCallister’s heart raced with anticipation, though his expression showed the opposite. Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity, as he knew their success depended on swift action. However, the situation had taken a turn for the worse. The incoming Malon fleet was now the least of their worries, as a massive Borg Cube was moving swiftly and would appear on the scene soon, threatening to thwart their carefully laid plans. McCallister knew they had to move quickly and decisively to achieve their mission against such formidable foes.

As a slight croak appeared in his voice, the captain asked Jen if the away teams were ready.

“Everyone’s in position, sir,” Jen replied from operations with a confident nod.

“Have we been noticed?” McCallister asked next, looking over his right shoulder to where Tomaz stood at the tactical station. 

He checked his readings and shook his head. “So far, the Borg construction vehicles appear to be ignoring us.”

“What about the Probe?” McCallister asked next. 

“Still on the far side of the structure,” Tomaz confirmed. 

McCallister calmly ordered Marova to take them within transporter range. Seconds later, they were in position, and he then contacted the transporter rooms to beam their away teams.

“Transports complete,” Jen announced. “Our away teams are aboard.”

“So far, so good,” McCallister said with some relief. “Lukiz, start the countdown, and Marova, take us back into the highest concentration of the nebula’s cloud formation.”

McCallister closed his eyes briefly, hoping that what they had planned would work.

As Captain Duncan materialised within the confines of the corridor on board the Borg Transwarp Hub, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. The lack of sound was eerie and oppressive, and the darkness that shrouded the area was almost suffocating. Duncan expected to see a hoard of Borg Drones heading in their direction, but instead, he was surprised to find complete silence. The corridor seemed almost pitch black, and Duncan strained his eyes to make out the surroundings. Despite the lack of light, it wasn’t completely dark, and he could see the faint outlines of the walls, floor, and ceiling. It reminded him of some of the haunted house rides he had been on as a kid with his father, but he was expecting to see something moving or happening. The stillness was overwhelming, making him feel like he was walking through a ghost town.

“Not quite the welcoming I had in mind,” Tierra muttered, lowering her phaser rifle and taking her tricorder out to scan their surroundings. “It would appear most of this section is under regeneration.”

“Well, doesn’t that make our job easier?” Jisaraa asked after securing their landing zone with members of her Hazard Team. 

“It does, and it doesn’t, lieutenant,” Duncan reminded the Orion woman. He quietly reminded her that a sleeping dragon can always wake up to take a scratch. Duncan wanted to get on with their mission, so when Tierra pointed out the direction they needed to go, he quickly ordered Jisaraa and her experts to start moving towards their target. 

As they passed each alcove, Duncan couldn’t help but glance at each drone that appeared to be in a state of still regeneration. Their frozen postures made them look like statues from various museums he had seen over time. Within a second, they could break their mould and come to life. Keeping his phaser rifle close to him, he was pleased that after several intersections, they reached their first target.

“Here we go, the primary shield generator for this manifold,” Tierra said as she walked around it with her tricorder pointed at it. 

Before Duncan had a chance to say anything, Jisaraa was already taking out her plasma charges. 

“Set the charges, but make sure they’re placed in locations that will do the most amount of damage and then let’s get moving on to the next one,” Duncan said.

The Orion security officer did as she was told, and a few seconds later, they were moving across to their next two targets. Continuing to look behind his shoulder, Duncan was keen to get out of there as soon as possible. 

Returning to the confines of a Borg interior had not been at the top of his wishlist since he was rescued. However, Gray knew this structure too well. It was like a twisted homecoming for the engineer. Turning around to determine his location, Gray could hear Captain Banfield issuing orders to the rest of the team. For a moment, her voice seemed far away as memories of his own assimilation flashed back to him. 

“Reuben,” a friendly voice said close to him. It was firm enough to snap him out of his daze. Shaking his head slightly, Gray saw Keli before him. “You okay?” She asked.

He nodded with a smile. “Yeah, just acclimatising to our new surroundings.”

“Are you ready, commander?” Banfield asked him.

Gray nodded again as he took out his tricorder from his utility belt. The strong wraparound support from his incursion body armour. Not that it would stop Borg injection tubules, but if they engaged any tactical drones, it might save them from a plasma shot or two. Though he had his tricorder out, he could hear the whispers of the Borg. They were in a mess. In chaos. Through it all, though, he knew which way they had to go. Taking the lead, Gray moved swiftly, knowing that they had three targets to get to. 

Minutes passed, and after successfully setting up charges around the first two shield generators, the final one created some problems. It was the generator for the central interspatial manifold. Hearing and noticing the regenerative force fields surrounding it, Gray knew that it would take a lot more for them to get bypassed.

“Problem?” Keli asked as she approached him. Her rifle was high up in her hands.

“As I guessed, the regenerative force fields in this section are active,” Gray stated. “Only a drone can get through it.”

“Can we deactivate them?” Keli inquired just as Banfield approached them.

“From in there,” Gray said, pointing to a nearby wall console. 

“Could we not set the charges up around the perimeter?” Banfield questioned as she looked at their surroundings. 

Gray shook his head. “No, not if we want to be sure the generator is taken out. Otherwise, the next stage of the phase would fall apart. The interspatial manifolds would still have shielding that Odyssey would struggle to disable.”

“Suggestions?” Banfield then asked them both.

Keli took out her own tricorder, trying to see if there was something else she could see that would help them.

“Let me go through,” Gray stated calmly.

“You’re not actually a Borg drone, Reuben,” Keli reminded him.

Banfield appeared uneasy at the idea, but Gray noticed that her reluctance was overridden by the need to complete their mission. She proceeded to indulge Gray in his idea. “Is there enough Borg technology left in your body to let it adapt?”

Gray was confident he could do it. “If you can help me activate the appropriate nanoprobes, then I could modify my bio-electric field. Nevertheless, my cranial implant would need to be adjusted.”

Keli showed the same hesitation that Banfield had.

Banfield asked him what he needed them to do to help with his implant, and Gray told her immediately. After taking out a microfilament from the engineering kit, Gray presented it to Keli. 

Turning his body to the side, Gray looked at Keli with confidence. “You will need to cross-link the third and sixth nodules.” 

Keli accepted his guidance as she began working carefully on his implant. “Tell me if I hurt you,” She offered. 

Being so close to her, Gray could hear Keli’s heart beating hard and fast. The adrenaline rush was high for them both. He closed his eyes as he listened to her work. After several more seconds, he felt the work complete and opened his eyes. “You’ve done it,” Gray said with satisfaction.

Keli stood back as she saw him step forward, put his hand out and watch it fizzle through the force field. He picked up the final bag of plasma charges and put them over his shoulder. Stepping through it, Gray eventually got himself through the other side. 

He turned to the rest of the team as he heard an alarm go off. “My presence may have been detected. Take up a position that keeps you safe from any incoming drones. Quickly!” Gray whispered.

Keli shook her head. “We’re not leaving you alone!” 

“Go, Keli!” Gray insisted.

Banfield stepped forward. “He’s right, commander; let’s find somewhere safe to avoid the local residents!” She pulled on Keli’s arm as they retreated further away from Gray.

He was now alone. 

Picking up his pace, Gray rushed towards the console but stopped in his tracks as he saw the central primary shield generator. Though the intruder alarm had been tripped, a single Borg drone was connected to it, and it remained there. Frozen still. Like a stone guard, it didn’t flinch or react to his presence. Knowing this would be more complicated than anticipated, Gray changed his plan. Instead, he took out the plasma charges and placed them strategically around the generator. If a drone was attached to the shield generator, just like how Voyager had destroyed the previous transwarp hub, this one required a drone to regulate its shield. Usually, it would have been a Borg Queen, but the neurolytic pathogen had damaged the Collective so much that the drones here had adapted and placed one of their own in that position. Looking at the drone, automatically, Gray recognised the species of origin. 

Species 2461. 

Brunali. Male. In his early 20s. 

Knowing that if this drone was linked to whatever Collective mind was in use here, Gray was forced to access him instead of the wall console he had initially identified. Raising his hand at the drone’s neck, Gray activated his own tubules and injected them into it.

Security breach. 

Unknown presence.

Species identified. Species 5618.

Drone designation confirmed.

Three of Eleven, Primary Processor of Unimatrix Two.

Confirm your intentions.

“No,” Gray said in the void he had entered. It was dark and green, just like any Borg ship.

Resistance is futile.

“Is it? I resisted; I found my individuality, now let me in,” He barked at the Collective will. 

Immediately, Gray was confronted with hundreds, if not thousands, of voices calling out. All standing around him. Surrounded. He closed his eyes and placed his hands over his ears before he realised this was their way of bringing him in. 

The chaos.

The destruction from the pathogen.

No order.

Opening his eyes immediately, he found what he was looking for. The regenerative force field emitters. Reaching out, he was about to deactivate it when Gray felt a hand on his arm.

Turning, he saw the drone he had injected.

The young Brunali man. 

No longer was he covered in Borg implants. He was his normal self.

“Stay,” He whispered as he tried to breathe. “Help!”

Gray stopped and just nodded. 

Starring at the reflection before him, Gray knew this wasn’t real. This figure standing at him was a mirage. An echo. Someone who was but was not now. 

“Who are you?” Gray asked.

“Jaceon,” He answered before shaking his head. “No, Nine of Eleven, tertiary adjut-”

“No, it’s Jaceon,” Gray said, stepping forward, placing both hands on each arm of the Brunali. “Don’t let them take that from you.”

Jaceon shook his head, “I cannot-I-I-I-I cannot remember.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Gray assured him.

For a moment, the chasm between them was filled with silence. The voices of the disrupted collective that once surrounded them died down. 

There was nothing.

Silence.

Holding back a tear, Jaceon took a breath. His Brunali raised cranial ridge shifted slightly upwards as his scared expression was apparent. “I want to go home to play pala.”

Gray nodded. “Then let me help you.” The engineer knew what to do. “Help me, help you.” He raised his hands up to the young man.

Jaceon appeared anxious at first, but then somehow, looking at Gray, he nodded and surrendered to his idea. He reached out and grabbed Gray’s hand. The moment his hand touched his, electricity ran through their bodies, and Gray felt the complete control of the Collective under him.

This was no ordinary Collective. It was a sub-Collective within the Collective. There was some chaos. Gray searched further within Jaceon’s memories. He could see the pathogen working its way. Then, by some means (one he couldn’t ascertain), these drones were disconnected and reestablished a second Collective, one that was protected by some sort of protection from the pathogen. Once the pathogen had infected the entire elements of the Collective, that defence was dropped. Searching further, Gray couldn’t make out all of the imagery he was seeing. Was this the Collective’s last stand? An attempt to save what they had just lost. A last-ditch effort to hide and protect their biggest advantage. He couldn’t be sure. All he knew was he had to take it down. 

Now.

Jaceon showed him further within the Collective. Shielding him from the others. 

“This needs to stop. Help me, Jaceon,” Gray pleaded him. For a moment, the young man looked at him with hesitation. “Comply,” Gray insisted in a firmer tone.

Nodding, Jaceon helped him.

The force fields dropped.

The shields dropped.

Gray thanked him, and as he disconnected, he pulled Jaceon with him.

USS Odyssey (NCC-80000)

“Time is up, sir,” Jen announced from operations.

Holding tightly onto his chair’s arm, McCallister took a breath before giving out his next set of orders. “Thank you, Lukiz,” He looked at Tomaz, “Commander, send in the calvary.”

“Aye, sir,” Tomaz said as he tapped the orders. After a few seconds, his computer beeped back at him. “They’re underway, captain.”

“Let’s join the effort, too,” McCallister said, a sense of eagerness coming through his tone. “Marova, alter course and bring us out of our shelter.”

The pilot nodded in acknowledgement.

McCallister tapped the panel in his armchair and opened a shipwide intercom. “All hands to battle stations!”

The Odyssey roared around on its axis and headed back to where it had flown from. As it performed its manoeuvrer, the ship’s forward flight deck doors opened and the ship’s starfighter squadron launched. As they disembarked, the Telemachus also launched, joining the starfighters. In formation, the Starfleet ships all marched forward towards the target. 

Back on the bridge, McCallister finished issuing his orders as they pushed through into the centre of the nebula.

“Sensors indicate that the shield grids around each of the interspatial manifolds are down,” Tierra announced from engineering. 

“The Borg Probe has detected us, sir.” Tomaz reported.

“Odyssey to Telemachus and Starfighters, execute phase four,” McCallister ordered over the secure channel that Jonarom had just opened for them all. 

The Odyssey opened fire with a spread of quantum torpedoes before it pivoted away from the incoming Probe. The six torpedoes hit home on target just as the starfighters all opened fire. 

“Telemachus to the Odyssey,” sparkled the voice of Captain Reyas over the bridge’s speakers. “We’ve retrieved our packages.”

Pleased to hear that, McCallister ordered his wife to take the support ship to help Rosle and her fighters distract the Probe while they completed the next phase. “Let’s keep an eye on the status of our fighters, but Marova take us in.”

Marova replied. “Aye, sir, heading straight for the central manifold.”

A proximity alarm then went off at Tomaz’s station. “Sir, the Malon fleet has just entered the nebula.”

“Then let’s get this done,” McCallister said as he stood up. “Fire tricobalt devices!”

From the underbelly of the Odyssey’s saucer section, a number of bright white bolts exited and landed hard against the unshielded Borg structure. Their immense firepower overloaded the transwarp apertures that were partially formed. More tricobalt devices were fired at the other manifolds, and eventually, each structure crumbled.

“Multiple direct hits, sir,” Tomaz shared. “The transwarp hub is destroyed.”

“Good, signal our forces to return to the ship, then lay a course out of here!” McCallister commanded. 

It was over. He hoped. 

“Fleet Captain’s log stardate seven-eight-four-two-eight point five-six. Though we were successful in our recent mission against the Borg Transwarp Hub, to err on the side of caution, I’ve ordered the Odyssey to move far away from the nebula that hid it. We’re at maximum warp on a course to rendezvous with the Themis to finish what we started with our Benthan friends.”

“Are there any dangers along our present course?” McCallister asked as he looked up at the massive wall screen in astrometrics. 

Banfield tapped a few buttons and shook her head. “I’m not detecting anything at the moment. For now we are in the clear.” 

“Our last readings of the nebula showed the Malon attempting to flee as the Borg Cube arrived,” Tomaz added. 

“Would either of them be able to retrieve anything of the hub?” McCallister asked. He was concerned that even though they had destroyed the hub, could either the Malon or the remanents of the Borg Collective gain access to materials to salvage to restart rebuilding efforts? If he had a whole fleet of starships, he would undoubtedly feel better about leaving in such a hurry. 

Tomaz was confident in his response. “We used the maximum yield in our tricobalt devices. All that would have been left is pure dust.”

“Very good, commander,” McCallister said. Though he felt assured by Tomaz’s response, when it came to the Borg, he didn’t like to take chances. That said, McCallister was still bothered by the Malon. 

“We’ll keep monitoring long-range sensors for anything else, sir,” Banfield stated. “I suggest we launch several more deep space probes to monitor the surrounding area and to detect transwarp signatures.”   

“Scan for theta radiation, too,” McCallister said. Keeping his focus on the recent scans appearing on the screen before them, the captain knew from tales from Voyager how the Malon were known to be a nuisance when it came to them wanting to dump their poison in someone else’s backyard if it increased their profit margins and cut the time it took to dump their waste. Had McCallister now placed a target on his back and the rest of his crew for destroying the Hub? Would the Malon hold a grudge and want revenge? He hoped not.

Standing up straight from where he leant, McCallister thanked both officers and left astrometrics swiftly. 

Moments later, McCallister stepped into the sterile environment of sickbay; he noticed Slyvexs sitting in her office. He approached his chief medical officer, knocking gently on the open doorframe to grab her attention. The Denobulan doctor lifted her eyes from the PADD she was engrossed in, and a friendly smile immediately spread across her face as she recognised McCallister.

“Captain, please state the nature of the medical emergency.” She said in an almost tuneful way.

McCallister smirked at her optimism. “No emergency, Slyvexs; I’m just checking in on our latest guest.”

With a gentle push, Sylvexs pushed her chair back and stood up, her eyes fixed on her visitor. She motioned him to follow her down the carpeted corridor that led to the private treatment rooms. As they walked, the soft sound of their footsteps echoed off the walls, and Slyvexs updated the captain on her patient. “He is resting at the moment, but he is responding well.” 

As McCallister entered the treatment room, he couldn’t help but notice the numerous security officers stationed both inside and outside the room. Commander Keli was also present, keeping a watchful eye over Slyvex’s patient. The only biobed in the room was occupied by Jaceon, the young Brunali man whom Gray had saved from the clutches of the Borg. Jaceon looked drastically different from the last time they had seen him when he was beamed to the sickbay after the away teams were rescued by the Telemachus. He was no longer covered in his Borg armour, and the scars from where the implants had been removed were visible on his bare body. Jaceon was fast asleep, covered up to his chest with a reflective blanket. The sight of him reminded McCallister of his own sons, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of empathy for the young Brunali. Many decades ago, the Borg had brutalised many races in the Delta Quadrant, including the Brunali. Even with one soul saved, at least their race would continue to survive for now.  

“I’ve been able to remove almost seventy per cent of his Borg implants,” Slyvexs explained in a quieter tone. “I will be able to fully restore his original appearance once I have removed more of his implants, but like so many former drones, he will require extensive psychological treatment.”

“Make sure you include Counsellor Hilgan as part of his recovery regimen,” McCallister instructed.

“Krizon has already visited and is planning a few things,” Slyvexs confirmed. “And I believe Craigen has started work on tracking down any family members that Jaceon may have with the D-E-I, but with the Brunali so few in numbers, it may not happen quickly.”

Keli then spoke up. “I think Reuben would be happy to help Jaceon out.” 

McCallister turned to his chief security and tactical officer, “Reuben is certainly the best mentor for him.” McCallister looked around the room. “Where is Reuben, by the way?”

“Resting, sir,” She replied. “In his quarters.”

McCallister thanked Slyvexs for her time before he gestured for Keli to join him in the corridor outside the treatment room. “Keli, is everything okay with Reuben?”

  She appeared to hesitate at first in answering him and then replied through a deep exhale. “I think the mission brought up some bad memories for him. He mentioned that while he was connected to Jaceon, he detected a sub-collective within the Collective.”

“A sub-collective?” McCallister questioned, confused by that remark. “Was it just isolated to the hub?”

“It’s a possibility,” Keli said as she crossed her arms against her chest. “Reuben thinks that it may have been some sort of protection from the neurolytic pathogen for those drones positioned on the Hub.”

“A way of ensuring they complete their task?” McCallister wondered.

Keli nodded. “It’s one possibility, but Reuben will need time to reflect on what he saw. In the meantime, I’d like to assemble a team to review the data we downloaded from the various data nodes and analyse their contents. We may be able to find more answers.”

Agreeing with the idea, McCallister told Keli to get on with it. “Apart from dealing with what he saw while connected, will Reuben be okay?” McCallister asked out of concern.

“I hope so, sir,” Keli replied honestly. “However, don’t worry, sir; a few of us will meet later for drinks and have a darts tournament. I plan to drag Reuben to it.”

Smirking at her plan, McCallister nodded in appreciation for Keli having Gray’s back. “Just take it easy on him, then.”

“I will, sir, I promise,” She replied. “If you’re free later, then you and Captain Reyas are always welcome to join us in the Barn.”

“Thanks, commander, but the captain and I are planning to have a quiet night in,” McCallister said with some hope. “As long as we don’t have to engage a Borg Cube between now and then.”

“I have my fingers crossed, sir!” Keli exclaimed as she showed her index and middle fingers crossed on both hands.

Thanking her again for her efforts, McCallister stepped away and made his way towards the exit of sickbay. As he crossed over the threshold, his combadge went off.

“Bridge to Fleet Captain McCallister,” spoke Jonarom.

McCallister tapped his combadge as he continued walking down the corridor. “Go ahead, lieutenant.”

“Sir, you have an incoming hail from Captain Cambil on the Themis; she’s marked it as critical.”

Intrigued to know why Cambil was calling him with such urgency, McCallister ordered Jonarom to transfer the call to his quarters, which he was closest to, so he could take her call. He hoped she was about to share some good news. 

The Barn was a dimly lit establishment, with only a few patrons scattered around the room. Seated at a small table in the corner, Commander Reuben Gray took a sip of his Aldebaran whiskey, relishing the smooth taste that danced on his tongue. The silence that enveloped him was a welcome change from the usual noise and chaos of his daily routine. Finally, the ringing in his ear had subsided, allowing him to fully enjoy his drink and the tranquil atmosphere. Gray was grateful that no particular event or entertainment was planned for the evening, which meant the Barn wasn’t attracting a large crowd. For once, he could simply sit back, relax, and relish in the peacefulness of the moment.

The silence was endearing. Ever since Gray and the others had returned from their away mission from the Borg Transwarp Hub, the echoes of the Borg Collective had hung in his mind for some time. The choir of voices of the Borg Collective had haunted his mind ever since. Now, finally, the incessant chatter of the Collective had subsided, leaving Gray with a newfound sense of peace and tranquillity.

It felt good, just like the whiskey he was enjoying. Pure, tasteful and enjoyable. But he sighed. Gray felt like something was missing. The warmth it brought. The summoning of the Collective’s will was alluring. It was intimate and sensual. Gray felt needed with them in the back of his mind. It was a unique experience, one that he found both personal and desirable. As their presence had once filled his mind, he had felt a strong sense of belonging, as if he was an indispensable part of their collective consciousness. The feeling was overwhelming, and Gray couldn’t help but relish in the thought of being needed and valued in such a profound way. It was a moment that would forever be etched in his memory.

However, he couldn’t do it. Gray knew he couldn’t go back. He had to resist.

Resistance Is Futile.

He knew returning to the will of the Collective would mean his end. He would no longer be Commander Reuben Ashton Gray. He would be Three of Eleven, Primary Processor of Unimatrix Two. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. The nightmare of assimilation haunted him on one side of his mind, while on the other, the Collective’s might was intoxicating. 

“There you are,” spoke Keli as she approached him from the far side of the bar.

Gray managed a small greeting, trying to hide the knot in his stomach and the twisted thoughts in his mind. 

“I’ve been trying to find you for ages,” Keli shared as she sat opposite.

Gray held up his combadge, deactivated. “I just needed some time to myself.” He appreciated her sentiment in caring for him. However, he truly wanted to be alone.

Keli nodded, showing she understood his position, and then sipped her drink. “Jaceon’s recovery is on track.”

“That’s good to hear,” Gray said nonchalantly. 

“Krizon said he’ll be starting his first lot of therapy tomorrow,” Keli added.

“Great,” Gray replied, still remaining calm.

Noticing the tone in his voice, Keli showed Gray her concern as she leaned forward. “Have I upset you, Reuben?”

Kicking himself for behaving like that, Gray knew he wasn’t being his usual friendly self around Keli. She had been a good friend to him. In fact a great friend. Sighing, he shook his head in answer. “No, I’m sorry, it’s just-”

She waved a hand to stop him. “It’s okay, I get it. The last few days have been quite eventful, more so for you than anyone else around here.”

Appreciating her understanding, Gray nodded. “I suppose I’m going to have to get used to being Odyssey’s early warning Borg detector.”

“Every time you hear the Collective, we go to red alert?” Keli asked, trying to lighten the mood. 

Gray smirked. “It’s not really the direction I envisioned my return to Starfleet going.”

“As the captain always says, weird comes with the job!” Keli said with a smirk. She then took a gulp from her drink. “Now, talking of the captain, I promised him I would get you completely drunk tonight.”

Sighing at hearing that, Gray shook his head in protest. “No, no, not again!” He pleaded.

“I’m afraid so; plus, I looked at tomorrow’s roster, and both of us, funnily, aren’t on it,” Keli stated as she took one final gulp of her drink and encouraged Gray to do the same thing.

Following her lead, Gray closed his eyes and downed his whiskey. The stinging sensation hit the back of his throat quickly. It made him shiver from how quickly he took it. Before he could react again, Keli took him by his hand and dragged him across the room to the main bar. Waiting for them were Hilgan, Rosle, Tierra, Jisara, and Jayshon. 

Keli smiled back at Gray as they handed them more drinks and showed him he wasn’t alone. 

For the first time, Gray wondered if he had found his own collective here on Odyssey.

He knew he couldn’t resist any of them. 

Resistance was futile, especially once Keli had organised a night filled with drinking.