The long silence on the bridge was broken by a chime from the main tactical station, bringing Captain Kirby out of deep reflection.  He was glad for whatever report was coming, even if it was bad news, as his thoughts had become dark over what the presence of a Borg ship could mean.  His mood matched the lower light settings on the bridge which were part of running the Eagle at low power to appear as less of a threat.

“Borg vessel is entering the Calus system,” said Iziraa.

“Helm, keep our distance,” said Kirby.

“Aye, sir.”

“Captain, we’re receiving a planetary distress signal from Calus,” said Iziraa.  “They’re pleading for anyone in the area to help them.”

“Ignore the call,” said Kirby.

“Sir?”  Iziraa’s antennae were leaning slightly forward.

“If the Borg think we’re responding, they could consider us to be a threat.  We have orders to not engage them.”  Kirby could see the Andorian tactical officer was not happy about that.

“Yes, sir.”

The bridge lapsed again into silence, but this time Kirby could clearly sense the frustration coming from the others.  They all wanted to do something to help the people on Calus, even if they knew it would ultimately fail.

“The sphere is now in low orbit over Calus,” said Iziraa.  “They’re scanning the planet.”

“The Borg are in a pattern that will allow the greatest coverage in the least amount of time,” said Ohtani from science.  “It’s quite efficient.”

Kirby saw Iziraa scowl at Ohtani’s comment, but he understood what the science officer meant.

More silence.

Kirby wondered if they would end up having a front-row seat of the Borg attacking and wiping out the Romulan colony.  It both angered and made him feel sick over being so helpless.

=====

“The sphere is leaving Calus and heading out of the system,” said Iziraa.

“Lieutenant?” said Kirby.

“”They didn’t launch an attack or beam drones to the surface,” said Iziraa.  “They just conducted a detailed scan and left.”

“Do we know what they were looking for?” said Kirby.

“Impossible to tell from this distance,” said Iziraa.

“Track the sphere and determine where they’re going now.  Helm, in ten minutes, take us to Calus,” said Kirby.  This was turning from suspecting a massive Borg attack into a mystery that needed to be solved.

=====

Kirby put on a submissive air as the governor of the Calus colony read him the riot act for not responding to their distress call.  Kirby’s explanation that it wouldn’t have mattered and everything worked out anyway, fell on deaf ears.  Looking at the view screen, he waited patiently for another chance to speak.

“Captain, I assure you I will report this to the highest authorities in Starfleet!”

“That’s fine, Governor, but in the meantime, what can you tell me about what the Borg did?”

“They orbited our colony and scanned the planet.”  The governor was still upset.

“Is there anything special or unique about Calus?  Resources, minerals, technology?  Anything that would give them a reason to scan you and just leave?” said Kirby.

“No, Captain, we’re just people trying to live our lives in peace.  There’s nothing here other than that.”

According to the information in their database, there wasn’t anything else.  Either there was and the governor was hiding it or the Borg were searching for something specific.  Not finding it on Calus, they simply went away.

“Thank you for your time, Governor, but we have a Borg sphere to follow.  I’m glad you’re all okay.  Iziraa.”

The image on the screen went from the governor’s exasperated face to a view of Calus from high orbit.

“Are we still tracking the sphere?” said Kirby.

“Based on its current trajectory, the Borg are heading to Alpha Brama,” said Ohtani.  “I’m sending the colony information to your station now.”

Through all the stress and trepidation, Kirby could always count on Haia to get the job done.  “Helm, you know what to do.”

“Yes, sir.”

Letting out a bigger sigh than he probably should have, Kirby went back to reflecting on their assignment.  Based on what happened with Calus, the logical conclusion was the Borg were searching for something.  It was frustrating not knowing what that was, but it was also a relief they most likely weren’t interested in another attack.  Hopefully that would turn out to be true.