The group gathered on the hill, staring at the sight of a Borg cube. Jeremy Agats stood in the front, scanning what he could with a tricorder. They had watched it for the better part of an hour, waiting for any sign of awakened drones that would stalk them for assimilation. Nothing had moved. The cube remained inert, and the world they stood on went on, quietly observing the stark sight of the mechanical nightmare crashed in the middle of an idyllic scene.

Gracie Lothan had a tricorder as well, but she was working her way along the edge of the hill, scanning as she walked. Nothing made sense, at least to her. Why did a cube crash here? And why are there no drones in sight? That was really bothering her. The Borg were never without their footsoldiers. She turned to Agats, “Where are the drones?”

He was as confused as she was. “I don’t understand. The scans from the cube show latent mechanical readings and some of the Borg characteristics, but there’s stuff here that isn’t normal. Like, beyond abnormal.” He looked up at the cube and then down at his tricorder. “I don’t like this.”

She walked over to him, her eyes searching the valley below for any kind of clue. “I’m with you. I think we’re going to have to investigate it. Like carefully, but we can’t just ignore this, Jeremy.”

His face scrunched up in annoyance. “No, we can’t. I-”

She interrupted him, “I’ll go. I’m faster than you are and smaller.” Her eyes stayed on the cube. “It looks like it’s been here for a few years.”

Jeremy let out a long sigh. “I’m never going to live down you beating me in every track event, am I?” Her smile could have melted a few Borg drones with its annoying sweetness. “Fine. We’ll keep an eye on you. Any sign of trouble, you run.”

Gracie could hear her heart pounding in her ears with each step she took on her run down the hill. The closer she got to the massive cube, the more her pits sweated. The sight of a Borg cube in the archive films was enough to rattle anyone. She’d heard stories of those who had witnessed it in person and lived to tell about it. The terror that was the Collective’s opening speech had replayed in her head in her nightmares. Now, she was nearing the very thing she had spent her life fearing.

The Borg.

She was shaking as she neared arm’s reach of the cube. The relative silence that was only broken by the soft whistling of the wind or the chirps of birds was paradoxical to the glaring monstrosity that stood before her. Gracie took a step forward, inching closer until she hesitantly reached out a quivering hand to brush against the metal. She closed her eyes as her fingers touched it.

Nothing happened.

No lumbering voice demanding her surrender. No flashing red light blinding her.

Just silence. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. She walked around and found a gaping hole ringed by black burns. “Well, there’s only one way to figure this out,” she said to herself. She stepped up and into the Borg cube.

Gracie walked slowly, frowning as she moved through the uneven hallway. They were tight, even for her. How had the drones been able to walk through any of this? She pushed forward until she reached an open area. Banks of what she imagined were central computers lined the drooping walls. Where she had expected to find recharging stations for drones was…nothing. Just more spaces for dead computer banks, twisted into that familiar Borg look. Gracie spent ten minutes searching the room, trying to find any sign of drones, but came up empty. A long hallway arched away from the room, so she followed it. The echoes of water dripping and metal creaking were the only sounds narrating the background. It was an unsettling symphony. She squeezed out into a larger area, stumbling into it and crashing to the ground. Jumping up, she backed away and gasped.

It wasn’t drones.

It was…something else. They were dead, clearly. They appeared to be enormous spiders with tool-like legs. Gracie remained unmoving, just in case. What kind of Borg was this? She inched closer, kneeling down to examine it. The tools were more than just one or two. There was an entire battery of tools built into the legs. Stepping back, she glanced around the room. She was going to have to bring this back. They wouldn’t believe her without it.

The group of cadets stared at the spider-like mechanical monster. Gracie finished relating what she had seen. “There’s nothing alive in there. Whatever attacked it took it out. I don’t think there’s a danger with scavenging parts for shelter. I didn’t find any trace of assimilation operations, systems, or tools. It’s weird.”

One cadet asked, “The scans aren’t lining up with what we know about the Borg either.” She looked at Jeremy,

“We’ve been talking since you were down there. We think we’re not in our reality.”

Gracie winced. It had been on her mind since they’d arrived on this planet. The Borg discoveries had added to the pile of evidence. It was getting harder to deny the reality. And that scared her. “Then we need to be ready to be here for a while. Or find a way off this planet.” It was her turn to look at Jeremy. “I can take a group to scavenge off the cube and bring back what we can. We’re going to need water and food.”

Jeremy nodded. “We’ll get to work on it.” The gathered group split off and headed off in their respective directions, leaving Gracie and him alone.

She shook her head in disbelief. “We’re going to have to get off this planet. Not enough food that I can see to last us beyond a certain point. Survival is one thing, but getting home is another.”

Jeremy crossed his arms. “You’re not wrong, Gracie. There might be other ships somewhere on this planet. If this one crashed, there must have been a battle. I’ll get some scouting parties together. You think that cube still has some engineering equipment we can use?”

Gracie frowned and then smiled slyly. “That’s not a bad idea. Lemme look around and get back to you.” She turned and ran to her team, shouting new orders. Jeremy felt a curious smile cross his lips.

Was he starting to like her, just a little?