“That went well.”  Captain Wren Walton turned in the center chair as the away team stepped back onto the bridge, “We got a twofer threat on Cardamon and us.”

Commander Park moved to the operations station, “We can put them on the ‘do not call’ list.  I wonder if their claims are true.”  She had thought she’d seen a flash of fear in Voreth’s eyes.  Reading the Voth’s facial expressions had become more accessible with Cardamon aboard, but it wasn’t easy.

Cardamon sat in the left chair in the command circle, “My brethren are effective liars…it is part of why I broke from them.  They are also good at building effective and powerful weaponry – it is an instinctual knowledge we all have within us.  I do not doubt there is at least some truth to their statements and beliefs about facing the Borg.  I worry it is misplaced and will be their undoing.”

A rude beep from communications interrupted their discussion.  Oscar Reede ran his hands over the console, “We’ve got another distress call – this one is close.”  He listened to the message, “A small colony has the Sphere on its long-range sensors and is requesting evacuation.”

Walton turned in her chair, “Population?”  500 was the answer.  “Sphere’s distance?”

Reede read with relief, “Six hours.  Must have gone back home for brunch or something.  We’re an hour away.”  He felt like there was a chance in all this for some good. He was desperate for something good to happen.

Wren didn’t even have to think about it, “Helm – get us there as fast as possible.  Park – get with the quartermaster and his team – we need the cargo bays converted on the double.  Everyone else – pull out your evacuation procedures for colony operations.  We might get to save someone in the Delta Quadrant for once.”

Commander Park walked the streets of the fledgling colony, PADD in hand, as her earpiece was filled with reports.  They had arrived ten minutes ago, and the operations team had fanned out with engineering to ensure as much of people’s belongings were collected.  The request from the colony had been unequivocal – they didn’t want to remain in the Delta Quadrant even if the Borg passed them over.  The threats from the various groups had become too much.  The Sphere’s appearance had pushed them over the edge.  She checked in with the intake team working through the line of evacuees.  Each person had their identity input into the system along with a blood sample that was checked for vaccination needs along with anything that needed attention.  They were then equipped with a wristband with a communicator and assigned space in the cargo bays.  Once they were transported aboard, cadets and crewmen from all departments were put to work, escorting them through the maze of corridors on the Mackenzie to their temporary home in one of the cargo bays.  For the new crew, it felt comforting to have something to do that was making a difference in the face of the specter of the Borg.

Wren sat in the center chair, a PADD in hand, as she worked through the final reports of the refugees, “200 in Cargo Bay 1, 200 in Cargo Bay 2, and 100 in Cargo Bay 3.”  She complimented her XO at the operations station, “Good work, Park.”  A small smile from her friend and subordinate was the reply.  “Let’s connect to their camera network and wait for our old friends to arrive.  Helm – let’s make our move behind the moon.”

Ensign Gabriela Castillo accelerated the Mackenzie into the predetermined course and intercept location.  Thasz at science had evaluated the system for a place for them to hide and decided the third moon would provide cover.  The colony had given them access to their surveillance system, and the images of the colony soon filled the main screen.  Castillo reported they were in place and secured.  She felt her heartbeat echo in her chest.  They were going to be close to the Sphere again.  The Flight Control Officer had input an escape course as ordered, and her fingers held over the ‘execute” command in anticipation of the need to vanish.

Kondo De Fontaine spoke from tactical as he accessed the sensors, “Borg Sphere coming into the system now.  Sensors are actively scanning the area.”  The yellow lights bathed the room.  They weren’t taking any chances.  The bridge remained focused as Kondo reported the Sphere was entering orbit, something it had not done previously.  

A harsh tone sounded from where Thasaz sat, and she narrated with an edge in her voice, “The Borg have transported drones to the planet’s surface.” The crew collectively turned to the viewscreen as the various cameras showed the arrival of the Borg on the colony streets.  They moved as Borg moved – slowly and deliberately.  The drones moved from street to house, scanning the ground and buildings.

Walton leaned forward in her chair, fascinated at watching the Borg in action, “What are they looking for?”  They moved in a row-by-row search pattern until they reached the colony’s center.

Thasaz theorized, “Not what, captain…who.  Look.”  The drones had begun to tear into the buildings, smashing down walls.  “They’re trying to find the people who were there.”  The destruction continued apace until there was a pause in the work.  Slowly at first, and then with speed, the drones turned to face the camera that was closest to each of them.

Park muttered, “Oh…shit.”  The drones marched to each camera, and the green scanning light covered the lenses.  “Captain…”

Wren was watching.  She wasn’t going to take chances, “Cut the feed.  Helm – get us out of here.  Now!” Castillo’s hand slapped the console, and the Mackenzie swerved out from behind the moon and leaped to maximum warp.  She gripped the arms of her chair, “Thasaz…are they pursuing?”  Her heart was racing now, her palms starting to sweat.  They’d pushed too far with the Borg, she realized.  They should have fled when they had the chance.

The Romulan Science Chief watched the long-range sensors pinging the Sphere.  She held her breath as the Sphere drifted at impulse speed for a moment…and then was off like a shot towards them.  “They are in pursuit.  They will overtake us in fifteen minutes.”

Walton muttered, “That’ll be the day.  Red Alert.  Activate battle stations.  Castillo – open up the throttle – redline our engines.”  The red alert klaxons sounded as the call for battle stations sounded on all decks.  Wren set her jaw, and she stood and walked behind Thasaz, “We need a place to hide… preferably something that’ll screw with them just as much as us.”

A tap of the console pulled the short and long-range maps of the sectors and systems around them.  She set the filters as some crew left the bridge hurriedly for their stations, and others slipped through the doors to take their positions.  She made note of the four heavily armed security officers who took posts equidistant from each other.  She realized they were there in case the Borg took the bridge.  She forced her full attention to the task at hand.

Castillo gripped her console, the panic rising.  The Borg were closing the distance.  She confirmed, “Captain, Borg Sphere is closing distance. Seven minutes.”  She had put the engines at maximum.  They couldn’t go any faster.

Thasaz desperately searched the filtered results for answers until she spotted it, “There.  That nebula.  It’s four minutes away..and it’ll play havoc with their systems and ours.”  Wren ordered the helm to adjust their course, and the Mackenzie swerved towards salvation.

Moments passed as the red alert klaxon sounded softly in the background.  Walton walked from station to station slowly, speaking soft encouragements to each of her bridge crew, her eyes glancing at the screen and the clock above it as it ticked down how close they were to their saving grace.  Across the Mackenzie, word had spread.  Already tested nerves were nearly fraying in the face of a Borg Sphere inching closer and closer, a faceless demon with a genocidal reason behind the hunt.

At the helm, Castillo was glad to see the approaching nebula alerting on her console, “We’re in range…dropping from warp.”  The ship flashed into the area and immediately banked at full impulse for the outer edges of the phenomena.  A shrill alert sounded from multiple consoles, and she reported it, “Borg Sphere is entering the system.  She will intercept us in one minute.  Thirty seconds to the nebula.”

Every officer on the bridge held their breath.  In corridors, departments, and offices across the ship, eyes turned to screens.  The Borg were hunting.

They were hunting them.