Hours became days, days became weeks, but finally, Ko could walk independently again. She had faced a near-death experience by sacrificing herself to protect her crew member. Did she do it to be seen as a hero, like most crew saw her right now? No, she did it as an obligation to protect her colleague from harm. The Borg were unpredictable, especially regarding the state of mind they were in being affected by that virus. She leaned on the wall momentarily, feeling the pain in her shoulder, and took a deep breath. 

Ko gave a brief nod to officers passing her by in the hallway and smiled when they asked if she was okay. Ko had ignored Doctor Ibrix's repeated demand for her to rest. How could she rest knowing that her crew was sent into the next madness? She might be off medical duty, but it didn't mean she couldn't get involved with the progression of the mission. Her walk brought her to the scientific lab, and with a deep breath, she entered. 

Inside, the science crew was busy with the assigned assignment that was given to them. They needed to find out the current condition of the pathogen, plus how to deploy it. Ko could notice the amount of stress that was hanging in the air. Did Starfleet really cross the border with this assignment? Ko knew that they were desperate but at what end or cost? Her eyes stopped after searching the room at the focused scientist. She smiled softly, respecting the dedication to his work. “Lieutenant, got a status update?” Ko stopped at the side of Behrad.

Looking briefly up upon hearing the voice at his side, he looked back down at the microscope information. “The pathogen that we retrieve from the broken cube is about 45% useless, and the rest is useful, and we got data from it. It will take months to collect all the required information on how this pathogen affected the Borg and to what degree.” He took a deep breath, looking at Ko. “Are you not supposed to be resting?”

“I believe you are not my doctor?” Ko countered.

“No, but I can inform the medical staff of a certain person not taking their rest?” Behrad looked back at the console in front of him.

Shrugs as Ko nods. “You play dirty, Lieutenant, I respect that. Then see this as a voluntary gathering of information” She crossed her arms and looked at him waiting for his response. 

A soft smile appeared on his face as Behrad nodded, “I can live with that, and it is a plausible defense of the revenge of Doctor Ibrix” He turned back at Ko. “Like I said, the pathogen is fairly workable but outdated. I need more time to collect the data and potentially make it more adaptable to the current Borg. The problem is that this graveyard or broken cube is disconnected from the main collective. Outdated information in the collective can be fatal for us” 

“What do you mean by that?” Ko looked a bit confused at him.

Taking a deep breath. “During the period that Voyager was deployed, the pathogen spread throughout the collective like wildfire. But we are working with a blind spot of 23 years. We do not know what happened to the Borg during that time. But this pathogen we retrieve is a treasure of information, as it gives us a look into those 23 years in the broken Borg.” Behrad shrugged a bit. “We basically are taking a dangerous gamble by doing this with the current Borg that Starfleet wants us to test on” 

“We do not know how they react to this pathogen when we deploy it again. They might overcome it?” Ko concluded, struggling with the idea that their mission might be in danger before it started. 

Leaning back on his chair “But I am not saying it is impossible. The factor of the unknown can play to our advantage as well. For example, if the Borg had decided to cut off the pathogen, they might not be able to learn from it, and they simply would not be as well defended against it as they should be. Might also be the reason they have not shown their face to us for so many years, a fear?"

Thinking for a second, Ko tapped her arm with her finger. “That is an assumption, seeing we had the Borg Queen working with the renegade Changelings on that faithful Frontier Day. But at the same time, no report has come forth that the Queen placed any drone into the field” 

Behrad nodded. “At the same time, you got to make the observational note that Captain Picard killed the queen before, Captain Janeway did so again, and now the retired Admiral Picard did it again. So the Borg is more complex in their organizational build-up than we actually know. Is the Queen really the boss? Or just a command protocol to drive the collective in a certain direction?” 

It were valid observations and questions about the collective and the queen. A doubt was growing in Ko that this mission was really going to be as effective as they needed it to be. “I need to talk with Commander Towalr. How long will it be until we reach the designated target?” Ko was getting ready to move out.

“I think about three days or so, but I think it is better for you to get some rest first. If Doctor Ibrix finds you here then we both will be grilled for it” Behrad stated with a shrug. “And to be fair, while the nanoprobes are out of your body, you are still a potential liability to the safety of our crew” Behrad took a deep breath and smiled. “Towalr is at the bridge if you desire to talk to him, but it is at your own risk”

Giving away a soft smile, Ko nodded. “I will pay attention to the hawk eyes of our doctor. Hopefully, it will not be lurking at every corner to find me" Ko was actually suspecting she was already hunting her. “Alright I am off” Ko gave a nod in his direction and walked out of the lab.

“A gamble indeed” Behrad shrugged looking at the data of the pathogen.