“We only found out afterwards that a rogue faction of Changelings had infiltrated Starfleet,” Taes said.  “They were the ones spreading misinformation about the Dominion invasion of the Deneb Sector.  They lowered the Federation’s guard, taking advantage of Doctor Marl Trojet’s horrific mistake in unlocking that fleet of Jem’Hadar ships from their bondage in the Bajoran wormhole.  They put a Changeling aboard Constellation.  Aboard my ship.  Seeking revenge for the Dominion War, that Changeling reprogrammed our transporters, taking advantage of the development of young nervous systems.  The invasive transporter code made every young officer aboard Constellation susceptible to tele-assimilation by the Borg.  Their minds were primed to receive a signal, transmitted to them from the final Borg hiding on Jupiter, and they were immediately assimilated.  All of them.  It happened all over the quadrant, all over the fleet.”

Clutching Kellin Rayco’s communicator to her chest, Taes took two steps in the direction of the med bay’s largest treatment alcove.  She only made it two more steps and then she looked away, sucking in a ragged breath.  She leaned against one of the biobeds lining the central compartment.

Taes’ attempt to maintain a steady tone of voice required massive concentration and all of her energy.  The retrospective fear and disgust roiled through her being, but she was keeping that to herself.  That self-despair was hers alone to savour.  It was like a masochistic treat.

“The Borg among our crew beamed me and the other unassimilated into the observation bay of our drydock facility,” Taes said.  “Our going theory assumes the remnants of the Borg sought to assimilate the Avalon Fleet Yards.  Avalon was meant to be the birthplace of a new fleet of Borg cubes.  I was locked out of Constellation’s computer systems by the Fleet Formation software and out of the vessel itself by the shields being raised by the Starfleet drones.  Yuulik’s plan of attack was reckless as always.”

In an undertone, Taes remarked, “Although I’ll admit, I am proud of her for influencing crewmembers to follow her.  They were thrilled to initiate her plan, which involved loading Yuulik inside a probe casing and launching her at Constellation through the explosive decompression of a drydock airlock that was already positioned within the ship’s shield envelope.”

“My plan was far more reasoned,” Taes said, embracing the irony of her next words.  “I kitted myself in an environmental suit and rode one of the drydock’s industrial gamma welders, like it was a Pacifican sea-horse.  Destroying one of the nacelles was my mission.  I couldn’t stomach the Borg taking command of Constellation.  Before I could accomplish anything, Avalon’s own assimilated crew took command of the drydock.  The gamma welder lost power and Yuulik was locked in an airlock.  I fear the Borg were simply penning us until they would be able to synthesise assimilation nano probes.”

“In the end, Cellar Door succeeded in sabotaging the ship,” Taes said, retelling the events of Frontier Day.  “The Starfleet drones overlooked him because he was young enough to be assimilated but his brain lacked the biological components needed for this method of DNA assimilation.  Cellar Door managed to fool the warp core’s internal sensors into believing there was a coolant leak and a breach was imminent.  The computer had no choice but to eject the warp core automatically.  After all the damage the ship has taken the past month, most of the primary systems crashed.  A Starfleet crew in the Sol system managed to defeat the Borg at Jupiter and all of our officers were released from assimilation.”

“I’ve had to cancel shore leave for our crew,” Taes advised.  “The fleet yards are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of starships ravaged by the Dominion and the Borg.  We’re going to need all hands working together, supporting the yard crew, to mend Constellation until she’s ready to fly again.  It’s… it will be good.  Fitting.  Give the crew a shared purpose after what the Borg did to so many of them.  We’re going to have our own hands full, leading such a fractured crew from here.”

“I don’t…” Kellin Rayco started to say and then he stopped himself.  Taes’ executive officer was tall for a Trill.  His body was made for a Starfleet uniform; broad across the chest and sturdy legs.  Contained behind a forcefield in the med bay’s treatment alcove, Kellin was sat on the floor, hugging his knees close to his body.  His curly auburn hair was longer than Taes had ever seen it, hanging heavily over his eyes with his chin dropped to his chest.

“I don’t understand,” Kellin said with an edge of panic in his voice.

“We talked about this, Kellin,” Taes replied.  She kept her voice low, speaking in rounded, soothing intonation.  Rallying her strength, Taes took one timid step towards the forcefield again.  

Taes said, “They found you in a stasis pod.  You were locked away in an access tunnel aboard Deep Space 17.”

“Thank you,” Kellin said without looking up.  “Thank– yes, you’re right.  I do remember that.  I, uh, I don’t understand why I’m here.“

“Where else would Starfleet bring you?” Taes rhetorically asked.  She encouraged Kellin by saying, “This is our ship.  You’re the north star of our Constellation.“

Hugging his knees tighter, Kellin spat, “Plesae don’t mock me.”

Stepping back, Taes said, “Kel, now I don’t understand.”

“Did you bring me here to do it yourself?” Kellin asked.

“Do what?”

“Punish me?” Kellin insisted.  “Execute me?”

“Stop that!” Taes snapped back.  “They brought you home!  Don’t you understand?”

“Don’t.  Don’t make this harder,” Kellin said softly.  “If they brought me to you.  If you can see me, that means you know.  You already know.  I told him.  The Changeling with my face.  I told him things.  Too many things.”

Dropping to her knees outside the forcefield, Taes said, “I don’t care.  None of that matters now.  The Borg are dead.  The Changelings are gone.  I only care that you’re alive!“

“Don’t lie to me!” Kellin riposted.  He raised his head, but only slightly.  Just enough to level his half-lidded gaze at Taes.  “I gave them the prefix code.  I’m a traitor, captain!  I tried to stop– I promise– I tried to keep quiet– I did but– they kept– they wouldn’t stop, Taes.  Why wouldn’t they stop?”

As Kellin keeled over on his side, curling in on himself, Taes said, “You’re home now, Kellin.  You are my home.”