“You said you were always looking for somethin’, Baron.”  Chief Counselor Milton Ford sat across from the newest member of the Olympic, Baron Leo Nine.

The former Borg Drone attempted a smile and found he liked how it felt.  “I remember pieces of my life on the colony.  I remember staring at the stars at night, wondering what was out there…what was waiting around the next planet.”  His stare grew distant, “My mother told me stories of faraway planets of every color and type.  I would listen to her until I fell asleep.  I never forgot those stories.”  He returned his attention to Ford, “I’ve always wanted to explore…and now I have that chance.”

Milty moved onto the next question, “You have the identity of three distinct personalities within you…how did you all agree to share?”

Nine shook his head, “It isn’t sharing, Doctor Ford.  It’s a…melding together of us.  We were three…and now we are one.  It was hard at first to accept this was the way forward.  At first, the Baron part of me wanted to be the only one.  His desire to live again…and be free blinded him to what was possible.”

Ford didn’t frown but noted on his PADD, “How was he made to see?”

“He wasn’t made to do anything…we sat together and worked through how to all survive.  He accepted it once he understood he would be a part of this new identity.”

“And Niner?”

Another smile, this one felt smoother.  “Once Baron agreed, he didn’t hesitate.  Baron’s sacrifice the first time impacted Niner.  It was humbling to him that the original owner of this body would do such a thing.  Presented with the chance to reward Baron for his kindness, Niner agreed.”

Milton ticked the last question off the PADD, “And you?”

The eyes of Baron Leo Nine blinked a few times.  “I do not know where I came from.”  He played with his hands, strewn with fading bandages.  “I…I appeared into the darkness with the other two.  I didn’t have a name…or a memory.  I was…just there.”  He frowned, “There was this feeling of space that needed filling.  I…felt pulled into it…and I was there.”  He looked at Ford, “I’m not sure what it means, Doctor.”

Milton made further notes, “I think you filled the space of the Collective, Baron.  The Syndicate filled that space with Niner after they disconnected him.  I’m a counselor, not a scientist…but I think you arrived at the right time in the right place.  Niner and Baron needed you.  And it seems like you needed them.”

Another pause in the conversation as Baron Nine processed the hypothesis.  He replied a moment later, “I…what does the future hold for me, Doctor?  I am something new…and something old.”

Ford stood and went to his bookshelf, searching the spines until he landed on what he was looking for, “There was a captain who wondered something similar.”  He searched the pages and smiled wide when he found the section he had underlined and handed it over to Baron who read as Milton continued, “Captain Kirk spoke those words after intervening in a conspiracy to throw the galaxy into chaos.  There was a lot of fear around the future with the Klingons and what that meant for the Federation.  Cooler heads prevailed.”  He nodded to the book, “Kirk and those with him understood what the future could and should mean.”

Baron Nine read aloud, “Some people think the future means the end of history.”  He traced the words as his eyes moved across them, “We haven’t run out of history quite yet.”  He read the remaining text silently, glancing up as he finished, “The future is The Undiscovered Country.”  He looked at the book, “You’re saying there is so much more to discover about me…and myself.  That the future is mine to be discovered.”

“Yes.  And we’ll be here to help you through it.  What do you think?”  Baron Nine asked if he could keep the book to read the rest, and Milton agreed.

“I think…I think that I am something new and undiscovered…and that my new mission is to understand who I am now…so I can find my way on that path.”  He stood, “Thank you, Doctor Ford.  Same time tomorrow?”  Ford nodded and Nine left the room.

Milton finished his notes and submitted them to the captain.  He didn’t know what the future held for Baron Nine or even for the Olympic.  

He did know they would discover it together.