Star Trek: Starbase 777

Ten arrived at the sickbay ready to work. He set down his medkit on a counter and the coffee atop it. He leaned on the counter taking a breath as he settled, and knew he was where he needed to be. He munched on his toast finishing it up before going to the replicater and ordering a bamboo stick. He ate the stick as he poked around in the sickbay, opening every cabinet and drawer making sure everything was well stocked and he knew exactly where everything was, restocking what needed it.

Not too far behind was none other than Matryx, whose disposition seemed much more alive, awake and alert. A portable med kit in hand, Matryx quickly glanced around the sickbay, familiarizing himself with the area before approaching Ten. "Good day lieutenant," Matryx greeted him. "Report, please, how's it looking in here?"

Ten smiled at the officer. Before standing upright, he straightened his shirt, it was at this point he noticed it was on backwards, however he ignored it as to not make a fool of himself or perhaps out of embarsment. "Greetings sir, everything is in order, I have fully restocked the cabinets and ran a Level 5 diagnostic on all systems, they are in order." He grabbed the away kit from the counter and slung it across his shoulders and tightened his away belt which he had already clipped a few hyposprays to. "I have a fully prepared away kit, my belt and of course Tricorder, I was about to head to the transporter room to beam down with the away team."

Matryx smiled, hearing that all was in good working order. "Good, very good, lieutenant, thank you," Matryx commended him. "It sounds like you won't be the only one from Medical going to the away team - I'll be heading down with ya. Thought it would do me some good to stretch the proverbial old muscles." He said with a chuckle. "If you have everything ready, I'm ready to head down to the transporter room with you."

Having been there, most definitely yes, Twelve turned to the other Lieutenant commander as they entered. They'd busied themselves with carrying out some of the other duties needed in the sickbay such as preparing aid kits in case of hostile action or additional need of medical aid on the ground before Matryx had entered. "We've also gotten additional aid kits and supplies readied in the event of the location of persons in need of medical aid or other eventualities as well, everything has been readied." Twelve reported as she watched the two other officers. "We intend to remain here unless ordered to accompany the away team."

Turning to see Twelve, Matryx approached her with another kind smile. "Very good, commander, thank you as well," Matryx said. "No worries, I'll need at least one to remain behind and keep watch. You've got medical." Before looking to Ten. "Lieutenant, with me, let's be off!" Before he headed to #etd-transporter-room with Ten!

Ten followed Matrix and gave Twelve a smile and signed thank you to them. (edited)

Ten entered the sickbay and sat down on a chair near Twelve. It was clear he had been crying and was in distress. He didnt say anything he just stared at them for a moment before speaking. "How is everything up here?"

"Everything is functioning correctly." Twelve responded calmly as Ten entered while she continued to work around the sickbay. At least for a moment, then she picked up on their tone, on what that sounded like and turned slightly..then turned fully. Ten seemed to be in distress, that was for sure, with that noticed she started over toward him. "Are you okay, have you been hurt at all?" She asked, her normally not very emotional voice coloured with a level of concern that happened to..not be too normal for the liberated Borg.

"I am not injured but I am not sure if I am okay." He sighed and swallow a lump in his throat. "Down on ISHAI V, there is... was, a colney it was destoryed, leveled. It made me remember what we did while in the collective, the innocent people we killed." Ten looked straight at Twelve it was clear be 'we' he meant the two of them. "How do we wash this blood off our hands, Twelve?" He leaned over and began crying again. (edited)

Twelve looked the other over as they talked, nodding to indicate she was listening as they continued to speak. Sure after a visual inspection that the other most certainly wasn't in a state to be on duty and needed assistance. Twelve was...more Borg than she was individual in some ways.. which didn't help as she listened to the others comments and initially mentally scrambled to try and work out..what to say. To them this was..simply what they'd been directed to do as a drone, they'd not had any free will. They'd not been a individual, the individual they were now was both.. culpable for that in some respects but.. also not. After all, they'd been a drone in the collective..but they'd also been a individual trapped in that collective, one who's body was used and did those things. Even if they...she remembered.. pretty much nothing about.. who they'd been. "I see." She initially responded as she looked at them, the mental effort made to refer to herself in the singular. A effort that continued as she took a breath.. and continued to speak. "I wont claim to be the most tactful of people, Ten." She then began. "My personality came into being in Unimatrix Zero and shortly after my Liberation, with the help of another hive mind, the Cooperative." The Liberated Borg explained. "..All I remember is the collective, periods of time free of it and my time post liberation." She trailed off then. "So I'm..not well versed in this myself." The El-Aurian sighed slightly, looking pained for a moment, unsure how to help. "But..Ten, you were a drone then you're a individual now." She paused a moment then..before she continued on to say.. "..The blood that was was shed when you were a drone was shed by the collective using the drone you, you had none of the free will you did now, not really." A pained look crossed her face then, memories of her own time with the collective making themselves known.

02:00

"Thats more..blood on the collectives hands than yours." She continued softly as she tapped on the PADD she held in one hand. "..Which in a way makes it harder to deal with.. and is why Starfleet assigns liberation counsellors to newly liberated Borg." She paused before she continued. "They were kind enough to assign me one, also when I transferred from the Cooperative." Sensing she'd departed from the point a bit..she turned back to her point. "Dealing with..that horror will be a process, one your Liberation counsellor can help you with, working to process what the collective did using you while you were a drone." Twelve sighed a bit. "..Not everyone arrives at the same answer as to how to deal with it but, I personally feel..that as medical officers, we're working to..make up for some of what occurred with ever person we help."