As the away team, consisting of Commander Lionel, Chief Science Officer Lieutenant Commander Amara, Chief Engineer Catersha, Tactical Junior Officer Lieutenant Tom Bradley, Engineer Assistant Ensign Lisa Nguyen, and two security personnel were all lying unconscious in a holding cell. Commander Lionel was the first to wake up. He groaned from the painful aftereffects of a heavy stun setting.

“Ouch, those weapons pack a punch on a stun setting,” Aramis said more to himself than anyone else.

He looked around and saw his team was starting to arouse, shaking off the aftereffects.

“What the hell happened?!” Catersha exclaimed as she was the first to see they were in some kind of holding cell, a Borg holding cell at that.

Everyone else quickly stood up and looked alarmed, looking around for a way to escape. Their cell was solid Borgified stone walls and a force field emitter and Borg style archway. Two guards stood outside, watching them. Aramis walked to stand near the field, reaching out to touch the field with his finger. As his finger made contact with the force field, it zapped him. He reacted like he had been electrocuted.

“Damn it! That hurt!”

Catersha snickered at him. “Dummy, it’s supposed to hurt.”

He glared at her and she just smiled back. Lieutenant Commander Amara was examining the Borg technology, as was Ensign Lisa Nguyen. Aramis looked at one of the guards.

“Who are you? Why did you capture us? We are Starfleet Officers. I want to speak with your leader,” Aramis demanded.

One of the guards simply replied, “She is coming.”

“She?”

Aramis tried to get the guard to say more, but he simply stood still, watching.

Meanwhile, the leader of the exBorg was walking back to the holding cells. They looked eerie, the metallic sheen of the walls seems to pulse with a rhythmic, mechanical cadence, echoing the assimilation that has transformed this place. The air is heavy with the weight of transformation, a palpable sense of rewriting reality itself. The leader has grown accustomed to this surreal landscape, but it still sends a shiver down her formerly Bajoran spine.

The female leader has been notified that the prisoners have awakened, and she feels that she is curious. The cluster of crystalline structures, like glittering, mechanical flowers, blooming from the rocky floor seems to glow with an otherworldly light, as if sensing her presence nearby. The fiber-optic tendrils spilling from the iridescent fissure in the wall seem to slither and twist, like living serpents, as if echoing the turmoil that lies within the holding cells.

As she walked this path, between the command center and the holding cells several times, the fusion of organic and synthetic elements still captivates her, as her organic emotions have been coming back slowly. It’s a reminder of the journey she and the others have undertaken, shedding their Borg shackles to forge a new path. The prisoners now stir, their minds awakening to the reality of their captivity. She knows she will soon face them, and the weight of their shared pasts hangs in the balance. With each step, she prepares herself for the confrontation, her cybernetic heart beating in anticipation.

She reached the holding cells and walked to stand in front of the newly filled cell. She spent a minute examining each prisoner, sizing them up tactically. Catersha noticed her out of the corner of her eye and tapped Aramis on his arm. Commander Lionel turned around and stepped to the force field. Both leaders stood there, staring at each other, wondering who would give in first. Both shared the same scowl at the other, clearly both dislike the other. Aramis decided to break the silence.

“I am Commander Aramis Lionel of the Federation Starship USS Carlsbad. We come in peace and friendship. We are on a rescue mission, looking for the missing crew of the Federation starship USS Thunderdragon. We detected and tracked two lifeboats. One crashed near the ruins of an alien city.” Then Aramis stared straight into the exBorg leader’s eyes, driving his next point home. “Why have you attacked and imprisoned us?!” He said the last part more like a growl.

She stood there, staring back at him, then replied.

“My name is Kaelara, I am the leader of this colony of 25.000 exBorg.” She said ‘exBorg’ like it was a curse, clearly showing distaste on her face. “We have decided to call ourselves the Kyrennei and this planet is called Nexarion. We have built this colony so that we can start a new life for ourselves away from the Borg and rediscover our individuality and enjoy freedom. We owe our new lives to the one who was free. His name was Hugh.”

Aramis and Catersha clearly reacted with surprise at what Kaelara had just said. The away team started murmuring among themselves, when there was a commotion from behind Kaelara, in a different holding cell.

“Ara…Aramis? Is…is that…that you” a weak female voice came from the other occupied holding cell behind Kaelara.

Puzzled, Aramis called out. “Yes, this is Aramis. Who are you? I can’t see you.”

Kaelara nodded to the other guard. Both guards went and deactivated the force field to the other holding cell and then entered the cell, reached down, grabbing three humanoid figures and half dragged them out. The guards half shoved, half dropped the three other prisoners. The three other prisoners were a human female in a red uniform, a male Andorian in a good uniform, and a male humanoid. Aramis looked over the three, started with the male human, then the male Andorian, and his eyes locked onto the female human. Catersha walked up next to Aramis, gasping loudly.

“Sophia?!” Catersha exclaimed. “Are you ok?”

Sophia nodded slightly, her eyes sunken and her skin pale, betraying the exhaustion and pain she was trying to conceal. She was holding her right arm in a makeshift sling, fashioned from a torn piece of fabric, which was clearly improvised to immobilize a broken limb. The male human, whose rugged features and worn clothing suggested a life of hardship, was gently tending to her injured arm, his hands moving with a quiet confidence that belied the concern etched on his face.

A faint bruise was beginning to form on Sophia’s cheek, and a small trickle of dried blood had crusted at the corner of her mouth. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were torn and stained, evidence of a violent struggle. Despite her fragile appearance, Sophia’s eyes still held a spark of determination, a testament to her unbroken spirit. The male human’s eyes met hers, and for a fleeting moment, a look of deep concern and compassion passed between them, a silent understanding that spoke volumes about their shared ordeal.

Aramis’ face was deadly stern at Kaelara as he asked what happened. Kaelara held a hand up as she spoke to Aramis, feeling his deadly stare on her. Kaelara spoke calmly, trying to establish some diplomatic connection.

“Before you accuse me of what happened to these three, let me inform you that we did not mistreat them. The injuries were present when we found them. We tried to tend to them the best we could without the risk of assimilation. We now despise the Borg Collective.”

Commander Lionel stood there puzzled. “How can you survive without the Collective? I thought disconnecting from the Hive mind is almost deadly. I don’t understand.”

Kaelara tried to explain what happened, how she and the others in this colony came to be here. She said that after the Queen was killed in the destruction of Unimatrix One, many drones managed to break free of the confused and leaderless Collective then. Most of these people here were once in Unimatrix Zero and were inspired by a former drone, 7 of 9. Once the former drones broke free, they searched out for other ‘freed’ drones. Personally, I ran across the original leader and builder of this colony, Hugh.”

“Hugh?!” Both Catersha and Aramis said that together.

“Yes.”

“That is incredible,” Aramis said. He looked at Sophia., then back to Kaelara. “Can you release us to take care of our comrades and contact our ship?”

Kaelara seemed to think it over, then nodded. Two other exBorg walked in with the away team’s equipment and comm badges. She walked to the control panel and entered her access code, then deactivated the force field. The field shimmered then winked out as it shut down. Catersha ran to kneel next to Sophia. Aramis stepped out of the cell and in Kaelara’s face. Sophia tried to say something but Catersha saw that Sophia was looking at Aramis, trying to get his attention. Catersha tapped Aramis’ leg. He looked down at Sophia, then knelt as well. The exBorg handed the equipment to Lieutenant Commander Aramis and Ensign Nguyen.

“What is it, Sophia,” Aramis asked her.

“Where…where is Ki…Kirok?”

“On the ship. I’ll explain everything later Sophia,” Catersha said.

Aramis stood up and again was in Kaelara’s face.

“May we contact our ship and get these three medical attention?” Aramis asked politely.

Kaelara responded to his question, “yes you may. I also request to go to your ship with you to speak to your leader. A sign of good faith. What happened to your missing ship, the Thunderdragon, also has happened to one of ours.”

Aramis considered it, then said, “I’ll have to ask my captain.” He tapped his comm badge. “Commander Lionel to Carlsbad, come in.”

“Skyrunner here, away team. Report status? You are several hours late on checking in. Also, be aware, we are at Red Alert. A Vaadwaur ship has arrived in the system. They haven’t detected us yet.” Captain Skyrunner reported to the away team.

Commander Lionel reported to Captain Skyrunner. “Captain, request immediate transport for the whole away team plus eight more. Request security and medical be present for the visitor’s. I’ll explain everything once we get on board sir.”

Kirok replied, “permission granted Aramis. Medical and Security are standing by. I’ll see you in the transporter room. You got me curious.”

Aramis replied back, “oh trust me, this is gonna shock you. Away team out.”

Catersha and the male human that was with Sophia helped Sophia to her feet as the rest of the away team gathered around. Aramis looked at Kaelara, gesturing to her to lead the way. Kaelara led the whole party from the holding cells, through the command center, and outside the cave. Once everyone was gathered, Aramis tapped his comm badge.

“Lionel to Carlsbad, lock onto Catersha’s comm badge for the first group to be beamed up. Have the medical team ready for them.”

Catersha stood ready with Ensign Nguyen, the two security guards, Sophia, the Andorian, and the male humanoid. That whole group then dematerialized and rematerialized in the transporter room onboard the Carlsbad. Aramis then signaled that the rest of the away team plus five visitors were ready. They also dematerialized and rematerialized on the ship. Aramis knew that Kirok was gonna be shocked for sure when he gets down here.