=^=We’ve completed the site inspection.  There’s nothing left living or powered there.  We’re taking the equipment that somewhat survived the destruction for inspection and research to figure out just what happened here.  The USS Colorado was inactive when we boarded her, and no trace of the presence of this so-called ‘Death’ was found.”

Halsey sipped at his coffee as the commander of the clean-up crew ran down the report of what they’d found since arriving late yesterday afternoon.  He’d ordered the crew off duty, and given that several ships of various classes were now operating in the sector, it was safe to assume they wouldn’t be seeing action for a few days.  “Thank you, Commander.  Keep us updated.”  The channel closed, and Leopold sat back in his chair. He’d asked Starfleet for the crew to have some time off, and they’d compromised on two weeks.  The Mercy would head to Earth tomorrow, and most of the crew had been scheduled to sit down with a counselor at Starfleet operations to talk about what had happened.  The Betazoid crew had been added to the top of that list, along with the away team.  What they had seen gave Halsey chills every time he read through the details.  A Borg drone had somehow been captured by the station’s intelligence and become a part of it.  It was a wild tale, and he was certain the reports would be examined in detail for months to come.

The door chime rang, and he tapped them in.  Theodora stepped into the room and headed for the couch, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand along with a PADD.  “It was a good call to give the crew mandatory downtime.  It was a helluva thing, Leo.”  She was talking to him not as her superior officer but as her husband.  “I did not think I would experience a Borg in my lifetime.”

Leopold nodded, “The good news is the collective was never contacted or aware of their wayward drone. Still, it begs the question – how many more of those wayward drones are out there?  And who has control of them?”

A shrug, “I do not wish to attempt to estimate such a scenario.”  She held up her PADD, “You will need to find a chief science officer.  I am not willing or able to continue in the position, Leo.  I am not a command-level officer.  I’m a scientist.”

Halsey had long ago learned arguing with a half-Vulcan wasn’t a good idea. “I’ll put out a posting, Thea.”  He held the silence for a moment before asking, “How are you doing?”

She sat on the couch, considering the question.  “I am able to reconcile most of what we saw and experienced on the station.  There are things I will need assistance in addressing.  Ruby’s situation…and her fate.  That is a hard thing to understand.  The child I had to remove the brain of…is another.  We were asked to do terrible things for a terrible being.”  She glanced up, feeling her emotions swirling, “I do not enjoy no-win scenarios, Leo.”

He stood and joined her on the couch, putting his arm around her and pulling her gently closer, “Nobody like them, Thea.  We survived it.”

She shuddered in his embrace, “Our bodies did…but our minds are another subject altogether.”

USS Mercy – Bridge – 8.16.2400 @ 0800

Halsey sat in his command chair as the USS Mercy dropped from warp and the Sol system lay ahead of them.  “Helm, take us home.”  The Mercy steamed through the planets until it entered the Earth sector.  All eyes on the bridge were on the screen as Earth grew larger and larger.  Starbase 1 filled the screen.

“Starbase 1 reports ready for our docking.”  Captain Halsey gave a nod, and the Mercy was soon sliding through the station and into her docking moor with a thud, click, and clank.  The bridge was quiet as Leopold stood, “Open a shipwide channel, please.”  A nod from the communications officer and he continued, “Crew of the USS Mercy – you are, as of now, on a two-week rest from duties.  Each of you has been assigned a meeting with Starfleet Counseling in your time away.  You have been given instructions on what you need to communicate with your chiefs regarding where you’re going.  You are dismissed.  Command team – your final reports are due to me before you depart at 1000 hours.  Halsey out.”

He turned to the bridge crew and shooed them, “Get on your way, the lot of you.”  Soon enough, the bridge was empty save for Halsey, and he walked slowly from station to station, thankful for the various crew who had occupied those stations.  There would be the next mission, but they would all get a chance to breath and heal.