“I’m more human than I am, Vulcan.  Biologically and mentally.”  Theodora Walker-Halsey smiled at the Olympic’s Chief Science Officer as she sat across from her in the science lab, “You seem…shocked.”

Sadie Fowler felt a slight smile tug at her lips.  Walker-Halsey was more than just the wife of their new Chief Medical Officer – she’d taken over the civilian science operations on the Olympic.  Her resume was extensive.  Fowler felt like she didn’t measure up to the woman.  “It’s just…weird to see someone with those…ears…smile and laugh, ma’am.”

Theodora smiled wider, “Weird is a good word for it.  I could tell you stories of growing up and learning to navigate life, love, and…well, everything else.” She turned to the console and display screens, “But…we have a mystery to unfold, don’t we?”

They did.  The ongoing Fourth Fleet operations with the unusual Borg activity had pulled the science and medical ship into action. The Olympic was on its way into the Beta Quadrant to investigate an old station that had, until recently, had significant Borg activity.  The sector had been scoured and cleared.  The Walker-Halsey tapped at the console, “The signals they detected up to the vanishing are interesting, dare I say…fascinating.”  She pointed at the large display above them, “There was a surge in both collective communication and this other mysterious grouping of signals,” she separated the unusual signal, “…it looks unlike anything we’ve seen from the Borg.”

Fowler leaned forward and scanned the signatures, “Those…look like probe sensor reports or something…not Federation…or any of the big players.”  She frowned, “That’s not anybody I’m familiar with.”  Sadie was annoyed.  She’d taken more time on her off hours and downtimes to dig into materials and studies around many science topics.  Her posting to the Olympic meant she had to know more about more.

Theodora agreed, “I’ve run it through everything on my side of the house…and nothing’s coming up.  I had a few of our veterans speculate, and they couldn’t sort it out.  We’ve got ourselves a proper mystery.”

“Station KGI698781.”  Fowler stood in the transporter room, her tricorder out and scanning.  The Hazard Team had landed ahead, cleared the immediate area, and kept eyes, ears, and phaser rifles out as they slowly continued down the corridors ahead of the away team.  “Originally, a science outpost doubled as a sensor outpost to keep track of the outer reaches.  Retired and then overrun by Borg…and now abandoned by them.” She moved forward as the team leader, Lieutenant Commander Milton Ford, stepped through the corridor, his phaser rifle up, armed, and ready.

Ford mused, “Lots of mysteries in that briefing, Chief Fowler.  The Borg were here…but someone else was.”  He gestured to the assimilated portions of the station with disgust, “Of all the rogues gallery. I hate the Borg the most.”

The Hazard Team waved them forward as they entered the center operations area of the small station.  Some stations had dead Borg equipment arrayed across them, while others were conspicuously clean, free of anything that would suggest the Borg had even been here.  Fowler couldn’t resist asking, “Why?”

Milton walked around the center, phaser rifle holstered on his back and tricorder scanning.  “They’re hard to beat.”  He tapped at one console and continued, “Almost damned near impossible.  It’s as close as we’ve come to losing the Federation and our galaxy.  Every time we’ve faced them…we have to sacrifice so much of our own until we get lucky…or someone’s smart enough to find a way to beat ‘em.”  He motioned over an ensign to download the data from the console.  “The universe is filled with darkness just waiting to come after us…we’ve explored so much with still more waiting.  There’s bigger and badder out there somewhere…I hope we never find them, and they never find us.”

Fowler understood where the chief counselor was coming from. He had seen more than she had.  She had a healthy fear of what lay beyond the edges of what they knew.  She felt like she needed to adjust that level of fear as her mind began to unpack his words.  “You don’t think we’re ready?”

Ford chuckled, “Chief, we weren’t ready for the Romulans.  We weren’t ready for the Klingons.  Humanity’s future has been put to the test year after year.”  He stopped and turned to her, “It’s what we do after the unthinkable arrives on our doorsteps…that’s how we keep surviving generation after generation. Ready or not, we seem always to find a way to push back against the darkness.”

She frowned, unsure if she wanted to ask her question. The others had moved away to examine the systems while she stood alone with Ford.  She went for it, “What happens if we can’t find a way?”

His eyes sparkled at her question, “That’ll be the day.”