Star Trek: Starbase 777

The little shit kept her pace quick, yet she was extremely careful to keep her steps light, as to not make any creaking herself, wherever possible. It was inevitable that she'd have to make at least some level of noise while walking -- so she just hoped it wasn't too loud...

Maggie followed in closely behind, using her tricorder to scan for anything of interest. “I wonder what they even need a hanger bay for.”

“Spheres, from what I’ve heard,” The doctor whispered as they continued moving.

Yeah but what do they even do with those?” She said with a small whisper back.

He walked normally, because the borg were tracking their life signs anyway. No need to be sneaky when you're already caught! "Same things we need shuttles for?"

It wasn't uncommon for the Borg to take in defeated ships, either, in order to use the materials for its own uses. What this largely said though, it that they were fairly close to the outside of the cube. There was likely one more "room" beyond this one through which ships were taken in, and beyond that, it was open space.

Thank you narrator, you wonderful guy.

“And to shoot at us, mostly,” Mavna’s eyes bounced around the massive hangar, trying to silence the echoing of her footsteps as the group kept moving.

"This is good. It means if we need to get off the cube and can't transport off, we've immediately got a second option." Not that he knew how to fly a Borg ship. Or if it was even possible to hijack one. Hopefully they'd figure it out if it got down to it.

Maggie took a breath as they walked. “I mean I guess, kinda hard though.”

Mind you, there is not currently a sphere in the hangar bay. It's actually kind of too small to house a sphere in. It's just an empty hangar bay.

“Maybe we can try and find some kind of communications console in here?” The doctor mused in a low voice, “Presumably there’s gotta be like…space traffic control...” She shrugged, turning toward the others. Maybe there’s a way to punch through the blackout by using Borg comms?

There's certainly consoles around! You could always try a few.

"That's a good idea. You're thinking we can get comms back up to try to contact the Eventide?" He moved towards one of the consoles. "Hopefully these aren't too difficult to decipher..." He powered it on, leaving room beside him in case the lieutenant wanted to join him.

Maggie scanned the area as the console powered up, checking for surprises.

Mavna slipped in beside Hal Gertie, appreciative of the space left for her, “Right. The cube probably wouldn’t be blocking its own frequencies. If we can piggyback off it, or jussst…use their frequencies in general, then we may be able reach the bridge,” It was more of a suggestion from her than something she knew would work. Her expertise lied in medicine, not communications, “It…might be a long shot, but it’s one we could take.”

Hearing all of the possibilities, Essen tumbled it all in her head before she spoke. "It's worth a shot," Essen recommended. "Let's see what we can find."

With renewed fervor to attempt it herself after the conversation with Vara’l, and with what little knowledge she still had from her comms class at SFA, Mavna started trying to find a comms frequency on this console. Surely she’d recognize it when she saw it.

"Let's secure a perimeter in case we have company," Essen said to the group. "Seiyya, cover us on the south side of the room, please. Hal, if you could please take the North. I'll help Mavna at the console." Internally, Essen was hoping everyone in both this team and the other teams were okay... (edited)

It took a while, and not at all because the GM was suffering from crazy leg spasms and got real distracted, no sir. Eventually though, they managed to connect, almost as if the system, which before had been actively trying to keep them out, had its shields fall away for just a moment too long, allowing the console to be accessed. The console wasn't communications specifically, but it was operations related (specifically with regard to the general use of the hangar bay, what with keeping track of incoming and outgoing vessels and the... procurement of materials from incoming vessels), and could probably be used for the purpose of sending messages.

“…alright…” She had been chewing on her lip for a few moments and finally let her teeth release it when they were in, “We can try to open something up on Eventide’s end, but…I dddon’t know how long this will last.”

"Worth a shot to me," Essen replied to Mavna. "How do you figure the best way to do so?" (edited)

“Since we don’t know how long it’ll be open, we should figure out what it is we want to say beforehand.” He looked around at the hangar bay, thinking through what had happened so far. (edited)

"Agreed," Essen replied to Hal. That was the deciding factor, how long they'd have to send a message to the Eventide. (edited)

“Yes.” She said, worried for the others.

The entire cube lurched as it took a hit from Eventide.

Mavna caught herself on the console as everything shifted, “…hm,” She hummed very worriedly.

Essen's body jolted with the lurch from the cube, and instinctively held onto the console to brace against the lurch. Immediately she hit her comm badge.

Hal Gertie grabbed onto the console with the two of them. “That can’t have been good. So: we found a hangar bay, there have been odd power surges, and one of the groups found a uniquely altered drone. Is that everything?” He was talking quickly, eager to make contact with the Eventide after the impact.

“They’re shooting at us?!” She yelled out. “What are they doinggggg!” She said, bumping into Hal and collapsing, comically before getting back to her feet.

The cube lurched again with another hit.

Maggie booked her head on a hall from another trip. “Owewe.”

“That’s everything,” Mavna said as she wobbled with her footing, “We gotta send something now. Liiike… ‘Hi, we’re alive, contact with drone, help!’” Her eyes swam away from the console as Maggie hit her head, “Lieutenant Roode, sit down. Essen, console,” She grabbed her medkit and made her way over to Maggie.

"Shit--or, shoot! Sorry!" Essen said, guilty about swearing. "You alright, Maggie?" When Mavna had Essen man the console, she nodded. "You beat me to it again," Essen remarked, and manned the console immediately. "Orders from CTO tr'Hara, let's see what else we can find with this console." As she tried to both hold onto the console while accessing it further. "Everyone else except Mavna and Maggie, brace for impact if you can do so safely. Leave the console to me for now." Please not another concussion please not another concussion please not another concussion... (edited)

Maggie was clearly a little dazed as she sat down. “Are you my mommy?” She slurred out.

“Stars-” Mavna crouched down in front of her and pulled out a small flashlight to check Maggie’s pupil dilation, “Essen, when you reach Eventide, say anything.” The doctor glanced at the junior grade before returning her attention to Maggie, “You’re staying still. If you need to walk, you’re leaning on me. Don’t nod. Just say yes.” (edited)

“Okayyyy!” She said, giving a thumbs up.

Essen's eyes widened in absolute horror. "No, no no no nonononono..." Why did someone else have to take the concussion?! Essen felt horrible for Maggie -- Maggie didn't deserve a concussion at all. But she had to take a second: in for 5, hold for 7, out for 8. "I think I got something," Essen tapped in a few last things before she tried to make contact. "Eventide, come in! This is the away team, come in Eventide! Do you copy?" Meanwhile, Essen felt responsible for Maggie getting a concussion -- she led the team into this. Her own mind replayed memories of her own concussion, and that caught her off guard briefly before she looked back to the console. Focus, Essen, focus! (edited)

Mavna took out one of the hypos from her medkit and pressed it to Maggie’s neck, “For the pain, before you feel it,” She gently patted the science officer on the shoulder, “You’re gonna be alright, Maggie. No worries,” Mavna is nothing if not patient.

She's gonna be alright?? Essen let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mavna, genuinely, thank you," Essen told her. She felt the need to. "I'm not getting anything on the console. I'll try again." Essen tapped again. "Away team to Eventide, come in, Eventide. Eventide, come in, do you read me?" As she waited again. Ergh... Why didn't they answer? (edited)

Maggie nodded softly, only to be hit with a rush of pain. “Owwwww. I’m going to be okay, I’m going to be okay.”

She opened her mouth to reply to Maggie, but she decided against it. Mavna was the doctor here. (edited)

“We’re gonna be jussst fine,” She said, both to Maggie and to Essen. She started packing her medkit up and sat back on her feet from where she was crouched, “Just fine,” That one was more for herself. Her thoughts turned to Ato and Vesta for a moment before she stood. The cube wasn’t being rocked by, presumably, torpedoes anymore, so her footing was less wobbly.

Essen took a moment to suppress a nervous GULP! before she nodded back to Mavna. If the doctor said everyone would be fine, it had to be true... it just had to. "No success thus far," Essen reported. "Is everyone else alright? Including Mavna?" Instead of panicking, Essen did as Vara'l instructed her to - she redirected her energy to more productive means, and cared for the team.

Before she knew it, Essen heard a scraping sound that seemed like it came from #inner-hall-south -- before it stopped. "Did anyone else hear that?" She asked. "Everyone who's combat ready, be on alert, don't fire unless it attacks first. I'll cover Mavna and Maggie."

Maggie gave a thumbs up. “Sounds good.”

Some words caught in Mavna’s mouth as the scraping. They’d been one step ahead of the drone for a while now. It only made sense that while they were sitting here it’d catch up with them, “Alright,” She tightened the strap of her medkit and turned back to the console, “We send a message, and we keep moving. Besides concussion protocols, that’s the most medically advisable thing I can think of right now.”

"Agreed," Essen replied to Mavna. "If we stay here any longer than we have to we're sitting ducks. Let's hope you have more success at the console. Everyone else, let's prepare to move. We may be able to get a message out to the Eventide or not, but we still have to move."

Operating on a few years of SFA removed, Mavna punched things into the console in a similar manner to Essen from earlier, “Eventide come in. Repeat, come in Eventide.”

No response whatsoever. Was that because the comms were blocked, or because they weren't there?

After hearing no response from the comms, Essen looked to the rest of the team. "We might have time to try once more, but after that, it's go time. Prepare to mobilize -- and Maggie, please only move when and how Mavna tells you."

Mavna stared at the screen for a few moments, feeling a spider’s silk worth of patience beginning to wear thin within her mind. She had started with quite a lot when the mission began…if she were still a teenager, this would be around the time she’d start crying out of frustration. Instead, when her eyes got a little watery, she just blinked, “Try again, try again…” She sent another message.

When nothing came back again, Mavna squeezed her eyes shut for a few moments and took in a deep breath. After exhaling, she stepped away from the console, “Maggie, I’m gonna help you up now, okay? How are you feeling?”

“Better.” She said, standing up to her feet with a breath as she wrapped an arm around the doctors shoulders. “Head still hurts.”

Twice, but no luck. Essen noticed the wateriness in Mavna's eye, and right away went over to her. "Hey, you gave it your best shot," Essen said to Mavna. Her voice wasn't patronizing, it was supportive and heartfelt. "Thanks for tagging along with us. Couldn't have made it this far without you." She made sure her words were a little rushed, because, ya know, there was a drone on their tail. Still, she felt it necessary -- that's what Vara'l wanted her to do. Be supportive of the team, and celebrate their successes -- that is, in a timely fashion given the circumstances. "Alright, everyone, let's move," Essen addressed the group, and started towards whatever seemed the closest possible pathway away.

The hangar bay seemed to have been sort of a dead end, unfortunately. The only way out was going back the way you came.

Essen looked for a pathway out -- zilch. She looked to the other side -- nothing. Indeed -- the only way out was the way they came. "No exits this side," Essen reported. "We have to go back through the main hangar bay doors how we entered. Look alive, people. We can do this." She paused for only a half-second, then... "We can do this." As she motioned for everyone to follow her back to the #inner-hall-south.

Mavna helped properly rest Maggie’s arm on her shoulders and gently held her forearm. They were gonna be slow, but if she needed to she could fireman’s carry the science officer. Well- She could try. Hal or Seiyya might be a better option. She gave Essen a small nod at her reassurance, “Well, like I said, might need a doctor, heh…” She took in a breath and started to follow Essen, making sure Maggie was keeping in step, “You tell me if anything starts hurting worse,” Mavna told her as they continued forward.

The hangar bay doors opened, and in went three shuttles. There were no drones here capable of processing the shuttles, but they were brought inside anyway.

Having set up camp in the hangar day, time seemed to both rush and crawl at the same time. There was no sense of time here beyond clocks on everyone's personal devices, since even the way the Borg kept time was an enigma. Perhaps they didn't even measure time at all, simply existing in the moment and acting in every millisecond only to prolong their own existence. Aside from the creaking and scraping of metal on metal that had characterised most of their ambiance inside the cube so far, the drone hadn't deigned to make itself visible at all. It was clearly around, occasionally showing shadows passing over the floor in front of the hangar bay entrance, but it was expertly keeping itself unseen. They were on the fourth day of their stay now, and most things were going fine, all things considered. But two major problems were starting to crop up: 1. It was unclear how long they were going to have to stay here, and food and water were a limited resource. Even if they used the replicators in the shuttles, there was no way to recharge those shuttles, and what if those were needed to escape, eventually? If that was even safe to do. 2. Lieutenant Maggie Roode had, over the past few days, slowly been losing any colour that made her look alive. She was breathing, constantly sedated with medical grade anaesthesia that was starting to run extremely low, but her visage became even more pallid than it usually was, losing the healthy pink undertones that any living human would have. Despite their best efforts, the nanoprobes were still doing work, and would still, eventually, manage to fully assimilate Maggie.

Anyone that was nearby would be alerted to the sound of Maggie’s laboured breathing, meaning that she was awake. Maggie could feel the nanoprobes in her system, she could feel them rewriting literally everything about her. “Just…get it over with and sedate me again.” She forced out, coughing roughly.

Aoife had only managed to get an okay sleep on two of the days they had been stranded. Tonight was not one such day as her nightmares came back in full swing. She was brought back to her time in the Klingon war after she had been captured on Cestus III. Cold sweats engulfed her as she relieved some of the worst moments of her life as Klingon 'guards' used all kinds of horrible methods to gain information from her. Abruptly she woke up screaming as the nightmare got to a particularly bad point. Covered in sweat and half awake she grabbed her rifle out of reflex before realising it was in fact all a dream. "Fuuuck" She groaned as she leaned back against a wall. While this was a normal occurrence for her in the privacy of her quarters she didn't like to show this part of herself to others.

Essen's eyes stared outwards. Not at anything or anyone in particular. She had only slept two nights -- with the other nights filled with tossing and turning, the overwhelming terror that she felt for Maggie starting to be assimilated, and the haunting memories crept back into her mind of her mother, Vara'l, Savva, and others. Essen had basically cried herself dry to this point. Her mascara and eyeliner, which had previously run down her face, was now fully dried. She couldn't even bear to look at Maggie -- or anyone, or anything. Over the last few days, she had barely said a word to anyone, keeping to herself. Most of the time she just sat there. Essen at this point was starting to lose all hope. She'd not been this low for years -- with the rest of the team being around her, that helped preserve at least a little bit of hope.

"Commander...? Y'alright?" Five's voice was soft, the weight of sleep still slurring words ever so slightly as she scooted a little closer to where Aoife had sat herself. She, too, had a bit of trouble sleeping — every time she closed her eyes, she swore she could feel the weight of cold metal implants grow heavier, tubules crawling along her skin and threatening to drag her back to the darkness. Five rubbed her eyes — even her eye patch had become too much for the sticky heat, so she'd opted to take it off when sleeping like usual — the lights of her implants flickering.

Tarsek had kept himself awake through the first 3 days. Keeping watch, he made sure others could have enough time for sleep or rest, each accordingly to their physiological needs. That is, the ones that managed to sleep at all, as it seemed nerves were running high. To at least give his mind some reprieve, he did take a few moments during this days for meditation. He needed to work on the distress imposed by their current situation in some way. It was only on the last “night”, that he allowed himself a few hours of shallow sleep, only to guarantee his performance would not be slowed down beyond what was acceptable. The Vulcan awoke with the Lt. Cdr.’s scream, jolting up in alert, and then realizing it was a product of the mind and not of their hostile company. “Commander O’Rielly, is there any assistance I might offer?” He watched her lean against the wall a few feet away from him. (edited)

Essen also looked over to where Aoife was, hearing the scream. She opened her mouth to say something -- and then just decided... What good would it do for Essen to say anything to anyone right now? After all that happened a few days before. Five and Tarsek, hell, anyone else was more capable. So, she kept quiet, and her eyes blurred back out into obscurity. After the scream, it felt deafening to hear Maggie's labored breathing. (edited)

Aoife was evidently a bit embarrassed that she lost control like that. And she tried very hard not to show it but in her current state it was still clear she was really embarrassed. "I'm, fine. It's... I'm okay." She said as she braced against the wall and stood up. "Bad memories of a time long past." Aoife said, being deliberately vague. "I'll be fine I just need some space." She said as she began to walk to a quieter part of the shuttle bay to clear her head, not wanting to scare the more junior officers who were with them.

Her brows knit together in a soft sort of sympathy, and she nodded. "Yeah, of course," she said, understanding completely — her own night terrors had ramped up tenfold, after all. Five didn't press any further, just let Aoife go, standing up to start stretching.

Hopefully with help from the other members of the medical team that were here, Mavna had set up a makeshift nursing and triage station just in case. Their only patient was still Maggie, and that was not going well. Mavna had been in the middle of reorganizing things when Maggie jolted awake, and the weary doctor swallowed whatever spit was in her dry mouth and lifted up another hypo. She was right. It would slow things down, but it wouldn’t stop it. They had to figure something out soon, or Maggie wasn’t going to be able to ask to be sedated the next time. She crouched down next to the officer and gave a meek little smile, “Have any good dreams..?” She asked, holding the hypo to her neck. She’d long since put on gloves when dealing with Maggie, which let her be a bit more personal.

Maggie looked at her doctor as she let out a shaky breath, her mouth hung open as she sat there. “A stupid fucking eye in a jar me and Paco found once. Called him Eyeo, that was all I can dream about. I’m just happy I didn’t borg out and assimilate dream Paco.” She said with a shaky gasp of air, her eyes watering. “If I had just left with my mom when she wanted to leave, maybe she would still love me….and I wouldn’t be a Borg….” She said, starting to cry.

Vara'l had struggled to get much rest at all,partially as he lacked what he still somewhat needed for that. So when the scream occured,Vara'l was snapped out of a half sleep fugue and blinked a bit as he Instinctively raised his hand phaser. Raised it as his heart raced with fight or flight response and however briefly his mind reminded him of disruptor fire. Of another ship,at least before with effort of sleep deprivation clawed at will he reminded it where he was and issued a soft. "Hrm." As he lowered his phaser and returned it to his holster. He then slipped to his feet,hopeful nobody had noticed any distance or..anything, Grey eyes fixed upon Aoife. Fixed upon her before he started on closer and softly asked. "..Nightmares?"

Considering the situation, Vesta had been doing alright. She decided that she needed to keep her strength up, her meals were small but satisfied her hunger, she drank when she was thirsty, and she slept when she was tired. Conserving food was on her mind, but she knew enough stories of officers found dead with plenty of rations to stop her from fully committing. She split her time in the past 4 days between each group, having hollow conversations that meant very little to anyone. She had not laughed since that first day with Mavna. Speaking of Mavna, they had not talked much, the doctor trying desperately to save their patient. Still, the promise of coffee lingered in her mind, something concrete to do once they got out of here. An unspoken promise that everything would be ok. But everything was got ok, Maggie was still turning into a borg. The way her skin color was changing and her being mostly sedated, with only small periods of being awake which were marred by confusion, it truly felt as though she was watching somebody die. Euthanasia continued circling in her mind, but she never suggested it. She had found herself pitying Maggie more and more as the days ticked by. Still, the moment she turned into a drone, she did not know what would happen then.

Paco gasped quickly shot up from his sleep awake when Aoife screamed, taking in deep breaths as he looked around to see what's going on. He thought they were being attacked, nearly drawing his phaser out, thankfully it wasn't the case. Still he couldn't help but feel bad. The scientist was about to say something as Aoife walked away, but decided it was better to just leave her the space and stay quiet. Although he was able to get some semblance of sleep consistently for the past few days, it was not very restful sleep. This was not like the camping trips or Anthropological Field Immersions he had underwent in the past, this was something straight from nightmares. Inside the hanger bay of a borg cube with limited resources, little communication with the outside, all the while witnessing one of your colleagues get assimilated. In either case, Paco signed up for this. No use complaining about anything. This was just like the science fair again... except exponentially worse. The fact he was somehow a very heavy sleeper was the only relief he had at the moment. "I miss Eyeo" *Paco weakly said when Maggie mentioned the coolest most fleshed out NPC in the server before he moved closer to her. *"Hey... none of this is your fault..."

“Hey- Hey, hey, okay, Maggie, look at me,” Mavna’s voice became a bit more softer as she put the hypo aside for a moment. She reached placed her gloved hand on Maggie’s shoulder and gently rubbed, “You’re not a Borg yet, and me and T’She, Lekraan, Ato…we’re doing everything to keep you right here, okay? Look at me- You’re gonna be okay.” She glanced at Paco when he offered some weak reassurances, giving a nod, “Exactly. It’s not your fault. It’s just…circumstance.” (edited)

"Nightmares." Aoife said with a soft nod in response. Glad it was Vara'l who came to talk to her, he had at least been around long enough to understand. "I've usually got a better handle on them but it's always worse when I'm stressed and sleep deprived.* She fixed her gaze into Vara'ls eyes in return as he looked at her. "How about you?" She asked knowing Vara'l probably wasn't doing too hot either.

Ough, Maggie... Upon hearing Maggie's words, Essen's body twitched a little. Upon hearing just how much Maggie was going through beyond this... It was as if the act of crying itself wasn't even possible. That tears refused to come out of her eyes, because those tears themselves had no hope left in them. Maggie... Why did it have to be Maggie? With all she'd endured, Maggie was innocent! Maggie had done nothing wrong, she was doing her best, and not only did she endure a concussion, but now the drone saw just how vulnerable she was. Essen had by this point forgotten what Mavna had told her. Essen assumed that she was responsible for Maggie's assimilation. As she reflected and stewed silently... While hearing Maggie's cries... A single tear, with barely any mass, began its slow crawl from her eye down her face.

Grey eyes looked at Aoife as she responded,fixed upon her as his mind mentally reviewed what he felt and saw here and now. The stuff a counsellor on the station had coached him in. "I understand, I'm similar." He softly responded. "But I rarely just have dreams." He elaborated little further than that as he simply nodded to the others then asked. "Want me to cover for you while you take a moment?"

Seiyya was trying to stay stoic. She didn’t want to be one of the ones to break down and destabilize the already crumbling group. But.. she couldn’t lie, the situation was getting to her. She could hardly look at Maggie. She just couldn’t. Every time she did, it reminded her of the hopelessness. She hadn’t gotten much sleep. She was always, always on guard, never saying much. Seiyya just wanted all of this to be over, so everyone here could go home. But.. seeing Essen cry, when she hadn’t really seen that from her before, was a lot. She made her way a bit closer to Essen, not saying anything but hoping the presence of someone a bit more stable would help in some way.

She looked up to Seiyya -- seeing someone was wanting to be closer to her. Well... At least she wasn't alone. Not that she was before. But she wasn't alone now that Seiyya was closer. Essen motioned for Seiyya if she wanted to join her, to sit next to her. "Maggie shouldn't be the one suffering," Essen barely muttered to Seiyya. "None of you should be. She doesn't deserve it. None of you deserve it."

“I know you are, and I’m really thankful for you all.” She said, her tears running down her now pale as snow face. “But I know your almost out of ways to sedate me, and I know my body. I only maybe have a day left, if that.” She said softly. “Please just….let me sleep. I probably only have one more as myself anyway.”

"You're in luck." Aoife replied, with a bit of a chuckle. A small coping mechanism. If she could have the choice to never dream again it was certainly something she'd consider. "Dreams are overrated." Aoife took over her purple striped uniform jacket as the humidity was now really getting to her. She was way more comfortable in just a vest. "No I'm good, we need to keep a brave face for their sakes." Aoife replied knowing how important it was for them as the senior officers to look like they had it together even if they really didn't.

“No one deserves this. Regardless of anything else.. this is a fate that I think no one could do anything to deserve.” She said quietly, taking Essen up on the offer to join her. She couldn’t lie, it was also comforting to her to be near to someone else. Seiyya, for her stoicism, was not a loner. She liked to be near people- she had never been alone in her life. She wasn’t a solo type of person, she thrived on helping people. “I’ve had run-ins before.. I thought I could handle this mission. But this.. this is something else.” She said, almost too quietly for anyone else to hear. By run-ins, she meant Borg encounters- she’d had a couple both as a cargo hauler and in deep space on her last posting.

Mavna did her best to keep up some modicum of stoicism as she reached over for the hypo, giving Maggie a little nod, “I’m gonna be right here when you wake up,” She said as she pressed the hypo to the science officer’s neck and injected, “Sleep well…” Another very dry swallow, and Mavna got up to set the empty hypo aside. She stood at the makeshift disposal zone, staring off into space for a few moments before her whole body twitched in…something. Rage, frustration, sadness…she wasn’t sure, but she had to stop herself from just screaming at the top of her lungs. Her body simply reacted to her swallowing the urge. After all was said and done, the dejected doctor made her way over to where Vesta was seated and sadly slid to the ground alongside the operations officer. She didn’t say anything yet, just continuing to stare off into space. (edited)

“Night.” She said softly as she passed into her last sleep free of the collective.

Essen looked to Seiyya finally, and only muttered loud enough for her to hear. "No... Seiyya," Essen replied. "You don't understand. The only thing I ever wanted for our team was to all come back safely. And to be proud of ourselves. To not have to worry about whether one of our members was--" Essen couldn't even say it. A long silent moment. "The Borg are the reason my father is dead. The Borg are the reason my mother suffered. The Borg hurt Vara'l, Five, One, Savva, I could go on. And now Maggie..." As she took another moment. "Maggie shouldn't be the one suffering." Another long moment. "I made a promise to my mother. To Vara'l. To everyone who is liberated, that I would fight for them. And all I ever wanted was for you all to feel like you could fight too. But because of me--" Essen's eyes shut instinctively, as another tear rolled down her face. She didn't even make noise when crying this time. She had no hope to. "It... This is something else, yes. I agree with you on that." (edited)

Vara'l smiled at Aoife slightly. He wouldnt have corrected her on what she might have assumed even if he had known for sure she had assumed that. Assumed his nights were free of everything. He especially would never have corrected that here.. "So I've heard." He chuckled. When the other declined his offer, Vara'l nodded slightly. "Agreed entirely." He then paused and looked away then back to her. So many things he wanted to say. So many things he decided not to say. "Back too it then or do you need a moment longer?" He inquired. "We are chatting,that'll cover it if you do."

The situation was… dire. Tarsek stood up, observing the small groups. The senior officers talking in a corner, a talk he did not find it wise to interrupt as it seemed of personal matters since Varal’l and Aoife knew each other and most likely had history. The younger officers around Maggie, clearly in deep emotional suffering upon watching their crewmate’s state. As a Surak follower, there was little he could do to help them in their distress. The notion of not being able to offer assistance did not sit well with the Vulcan. So then he simply watched, closer to the later group with the fallen officer, so if any opportunity to actually help made itself present, he would be ready.

Vesta’s translation setup could go over a week without recharging, but Vesta wanted to conserve that energy. As such has had turned it off for periods of time. She had it off right now, and with it off she had discarded the visor off to her side. She had also long abandoned her uniform jacket, just wearing the undershirt and she was heavily considering cutting her pants into shorts. She did not know if Mavna knew sign language, but Vesta didn’t want to put the visor back on just yet. She tapped Mavna on the shoulder and when she turned to see her, began to sign in ssl. “You’re doing everything you can.”

Mavna blinked at the tap, and turned her head toward Vesta. She watched her sign and translated it as best she could in the back of her mind. She’d taken some sign classes in SFA, part of the medical track to make sure future doctors could properly communicate with patients, but she hadn’t kept up with it. There was some small spark of synapses as she racked her brain for memories, “I know,” She shakily signed back, not all too confident that she’d gotten the right words. She let out a soft huff and leaned gently against Vesta, her head hung low as she stared down at her lap. Her ungloved hands looked foreign to her now, having been wearing them so often while helping Maggie that they almost felt like a part of her. She ran a few things through her thoughts and signed to Vesta, “Doesn’t feel like it.” (edited)

She sat, silently, as she listened to Essen. The Borg had hurt Essen deeply, that much was certain. It was.. it was horrific. All of this was just awful. This was the highest level of suffering Seiyya had even witnessed, since the literal destruction of her home planet. Here, in this humid, disgusting pit of hell, this was the most suffering she had seen since she was five. Everyone here was miserable, and she was too. It was hard to believe in hope anymore. Maybe that was what the Borg wanted. For them all to surrender. Seiyya would rather put her phaser to her own chest and go on her own terms than do that, though, if it came down to it. “Essen.. I don’t think I could say anything to even slightly.. lessen this pain. If I was better with words, I would. But it wasn’t your fault. I know that. Nothing you could have done would have stopped what happened. I’ve been replaying it over and over… I don’t see any way you or anyone else could have seen that coming at the moment, the way it happened. Hindsight is always clearer.”

Gladdened that nobody had noticed what had occurred earlier, Vara'l allowed his question to Aoife to Hand in the air for a moment without further comment from him. As he waited for her response he turned and watched the other officers briefly.

Aoife shot Vara'l a knowing look, she knew there were things he wanted to say and elected not to. She elected not to press it now, but she made a mental note to chat to him after. "Let's get back to it." She said as she pushed off from the railing she was leaning on. "We need to get sensors online, to figure out what happened. That or maybe the shuttles have a log in their own computers." She said suggesting a course of action.

She wanted to know, she wanted to be in the know. She wanted answers on what they were going to do with Maggie if she turned before they were rescued. She wanted to know what would happen if somebody else was assimilated and they didn’t have the sedatives to slow it down. She wanted to know what would happen if they ran out of food and water and medical supplies. She wanted to know all of these things, but she knew better than to ask Mavna in this moment. “I know.” She signed, tilting her head so she and the doctor were leaning on each other. “I know.” And then she played and hand on on Mavna’s hands.

"Night..." Paco greeted back as Maggie went back to sleep. He didn't really know what to do besides staying nearby. He couldn't get back to sleep, he was way past that now. He could only quietly look into space, still hopeful for something to go their way despite the circumstances. Because Starfleet... right?

Essen's tears flowed out now a little more, as Seiyya's words actually did help a little. Maybe there was hope. From the fact that Seiyya took the time to revisit the moment in her head, and the fact that Seiyya wasn't angry, maybe there was something to that that Essen wasn't seeing. "Heh, thanks," Essen replied meekly. "That... Means a lot, it really does. You don't have to be the best with words. It... It hurts even thinking of the possibility that I was the reason Maggie was assimilated. But hey... You're security, you have eyes like a hawk too, so. You saw it happen too. You're a really good friend, Seiyya. Thank you. You were and still are a valuable member of the team, and... You're a great friend." And by that, she meant it. Essen remembered what Vara'l taught her -- to still have hope for others, and to hype them up. Even when she didn't feel hope herself -- Seiyya still needed to hear it. (edited)

Saren was no engineer, but here he was, crouched down by one of the shuttles with his trusty tricorder and a tool kit by hand. He didn't have guard duty currently, and was not tired - so he was trying to figure out if there was any way to borrow some of the cube's power to feed it into the shuttles and their replicators. Might as well try and adapt to their current circumstances, just like the Borg do. And somehow, throughout these four days, Saren just... kept his cool. Perhaps he was just that good at subterfuge and pretending, or it's the fault of his history, but the scientist's demeanor stayed unwavering.

He wasn't as emotionally affected as the others. That wasn't to say he wasn't at all, but he didn't have as much Borg trauma as the others seemed to, and then there was that this was probably only the second worst experience of his life. The first put everything that had happened before and after into perspective. It also helped that he'd managed to improvise a tabletop RPG out of some metal shards, rock paper scissors, and his own brain, and had been playing it with anyone who felt like they needed to escape this dreary reality for a while. Sure, they couldn't beat this weird borg guy, but they COULD beat Kumridankainen, the evil necromancer!

Mavna took in a deep breath and just leaned against Vesta, rubbing a thumb up and down the back of the Trill’s hand as the two of them sat there. Her chest heaved and fell. She was doing her absolute best. She was a doctor. She was not a failure. Of all the missions for her to be stuck in after arguing with her mother about this exact thing…there was some attempt by Mavna’s body to cry, but the rationed water they had been passing around wasn’t allowing for that. She sat there, leaned up against Vesta, with weak little sounds escaping her.

Vara'l nodded once at Aoife suggested course of action as her knowing look encountered a tired grey hued drained gaze. "I concur, we need more data and we have supply concerns we also need to see to." The Romulan responded then before he looked away and focused on the feeling of sweat of everything that happened to be here and now. Focused on that,calmed the sleep strengthened roiling of emotions within him for a time. "Looking through the shuttles are a good first step."

Upon seeing new movement from Aoife’s part, now that her personal talk with Vara’l seemed finished, he approached. “There is only so much distress a mind can endure, and it seems our… companion is keen in psychological warfare, even if not deliberate.” He says. “I worry if we do not provide a source of good news and hope to our crew, we will face severe consequences. Restoring access to food and water could help to alleviate the load. Even if limited. I believe one of our officers commented on connecting on of the shuttles to the cube’s power net so as to use its replicators. Having our engineers available to help them might solve this issue.”

"How much cube is there left to explore around here..." *Paco quietly asked himself as he looked at his tricorder before he got up and started pacing around, mostly to distract himself. If anything, finding something that would at least turn the damn temperature down would be a nice change *

She couldn’t stop Mavna from crying, but she could help her. She took her free hand and dug out some of her water. Her hands were occupied, so she could not communicate, but the message was clear. Drink the water.

Vara'l looked to the Vulcan as his jaw worked a bit. "Can I delegate that to you putting officers on that power idea?" He asked the Vulcan before he added then. "I'd like to also take a look through the shuttles and their sensor records to get some Intel as well." Vara'l explained then before he added. "If we can get news on the Eventide, that may also aid morale." Vara'l then looked to Aoife. "We also need to periodically rotate sentries on the door given potential sleeplessness and stress."

The doctor gave Vesta a glassy-eyed look at the offer, knowing they were all rationing and she didn’t want to just take hers. But her mouth was noticeably dry, and she knew she probably wasn’t going to just give up. So, Mavna took the canteen from Vesta with a soft huff and took a sip.

Essen took a careful sip of her water before she looked up and blinked a few times to refocus her eyes. "Hey, listen, you and I, drinks after we get back, and I definitely owe you so much for being here for me," Essen said to Seiyya. Then, she got up to her feet. "No more whining from me." As she approached Vara'l and stood at attention -- as much as she could -- and awaited orders.

”I am no engineer, but I can coordinate the group.” Tarsek nodded. He proceeded then to gather any officers, engineers or not, who might have the ability to check on the data Vara’l mentioned and do the modifications needed on the shuttle, to either restore communications or allow them to power the replicators.

Aoife nodded in agreement when Vara'l mentioned sentries. "I'll make some kind of rota for the tactical and security officers, and anyone trained on phaser rifles." Aoife observed as Essen stood at attention, standing at attention was not something she used to do as a young lieutenant for sure. But her well practiced stone faced stare betrayed nothing to the Lieutenant.

Well that was perfect timing! As soon as Aoife mentioned tactical officers Essen was there. "Perfect timing, sir," Essen mentioned in a compliment. "I was going to ask what your orders were." (edited)

Thinking in familiar, biological terms... helped, in a way. He needed fresh energy to flow into the shuttles, and the Borg shuttle, while barely dormant, did have more than plenty of it. Direct transmission, however, would likely be harmful - like adding murky water to a clear aquarium. To avoid that, he needed something akin to a filter. He wiped his brow and stood up, to then approach the senior officers abroad - ignoring the fact that he, technically, was one. He needed to talk this plan out, because it had certain risks associated with it. "Sirs, I want to try to feed the shuttles energy from the Borg cube. And to avoid, ah-- any nanoprobe-related complications, I would need to filter said energy. Which means I need a lot of parts that have to be replicated, and if this plan doesn't work... it means we'll lose one of the shuttles."

"I am an engineer! Put me to task, please. My fingers itch." As much as he liked keeping everyone entertained, he also wanted to do his job. "I'm sure we can implement the Lieutenant's suggestion."

"I basically want to connect the shuttle to the hangar bay's chargers, with like... a long wire? But put a buffer zone in the middle of it that prevents most, if not any nano's from entering the shuttle's bloodstream," he explained to Serin, gesturing a little bit as he spoke. Dear god was he and his puppeteer bullshitting, but that's what most Trek science is anyways.

”This is the officer I mentioned.” Tarsek told the other Lt. Cdrs. then turning to Saren. “I believe the risk to be worth it. So does commander Vara’l. If we can restore food and water supply, we might boost morale and we will for certain boost the crew physically. We will need that if we have to explore the cube further or engage again with the drone.” Upon the enthusiastic approach from the other Lieutenant, the Vulcan nodded. “Your task shall be to assist Lt. JG. tr’Larerh then.”

"You are a command officer, Coordination is the name of the game." The Romulan confirmed then before he looked to Aoife. "Sounds perfect, you've my authority in this, if anyone protests." Vara'l then looked to Saren. "Aye, the commander ie correct, it's a good idea as long as you can filter it properly.. " He started then. "I would argue it's worth the risk given the circumstance,Lieutenant but ah...I think it might be a idea to get all the scanner data we can off of the shuttles first then if theres a risk of losing one."

"Yes, we should start with that," he nodded to Vara'l. "As well as relocate any other important things and equipment. I can do that, while an actual engineer makes the filter charger."

Vara'l nodded once then. "Sounds good." He responded as he pressed a hand against his tricorder and pressed his hand into it. "I'll help out with sentry work, unless you will need someone to parse Borg code at any point."

"I can work it out. Just need parts. That might require some borrowing of components from other places." Would be easier if they had access to replicators.

"We can use the test shuttle's replicators for that, which will probably fully exhaust them, but... we have to just risk it," Saren offered.

"I mean... If we need to risk it. If I can use parts we already have safely, I think I'd rather us have replicators we can use." He'd just have to be careful about what parts he borrowed from what places.

"Ah, understood. Well... I trust you to do just that," he nodded, and he meant it. In the meantime, he could scoop out any valuables out of their poor test subject, starting with the download of sensitive data and scans...

Vara'l nodded slightly then. "Sounds good, good luck both of you." The Romulan responded before he looked to Aoife then nodded to the door. "Shall we sort out sentries?" Voice clear as he queried that but shot through with the brittle remains of the calm he attempted to maintain. Attempted to do so as one hand pressed hard into the tricorder and the other clasped his phaser rifle.

“If you can guarantee an acceptable level of safety when using said parts, indeed it would be good to preserve all the replicators we have.” The vulcan consented. (edited)

"You'll just have to trust my Starfleet-certified skill for that one." A very confident thumbs-up. "If it looks like I can't do it safely, though, I'll use the replicators."

Five grabbed for her phaser. "I'll lend a hand keeping an eye out," she answered, following over to the entrance to keep her eyes peeled for any sign of the little freak skittering about. Or the very big freak. Not sure what size they were, really.

The "scoop out" phase was the easy part. As Saren moved some physical items into another shuttle, he would occasionally turn his head to see what Serin and others assisting were up to at that point of time.

After a moment Vara'l headed over to the entrance also. Vara'l's hand on the tricorder almost turned white as he moved from the pressure of his hand. He needed that pressure,needed it as he grounded and cared little of the pain the act caused. It was present, it happened to mean it was here. Though he stopped doing it as he realized others might see. Returned the hand to his phaser rifle along with the other as he started to watch, the question he had directed to Aoife allowed to hang as he kept watch. They could sort the next sentry shift out after this one, he reckoned.

"Holding up alright, sir?" Five queried softly, not pulling her attention from her sentry position. She'd long since pulled her hair up into a high bun to keep it from sticking to her neck — between that, the temporarily discarding of her eye patch, and her uniform jacket tied around her waist, she felt more like the femme fatale protagonist of a horror film than a proper starfleet officer. Whatever it took to stop sweating so terribly.. Ironic, wasn't it, that the two of them would end up here.

Grey eyes fixed out of the door as he scanned the vicinity with his rifles torch then pulled his tricorder out one handed. He then started to scan for non Starfleet life signs then as he softly responded. "I'm functioning at reasonably efficiency le-" His jaw snapped shut then. "....I'm fine, Lieutenant." He lied. "How are you holding up?"

Aoife went over to Vara'l as she was heading to one of the shuttles. "Come get me when your shift finishes and I'll take over. In the meantime I'm going to see if I can get telemetry from the shuttle." Aoife said as she crouched next to the pair to speak before heading off in the direction of one of the three shuttles. She wanted to if she could retrieve the sensor logs.

Vara'l nodded once at Aoifes request. "Will do, Lieutenant Commander." He confirmed then as he clutched the tricorder. "...We could use a second officer here to solely do scans.." He muttered as he hoped to ensure the earlier lie was obscured.

He was building the filter, a contraption he was referring to as The Sponge of Purging, which quickly became THE SPURGE. It was an amalgam of parts, not the most visually pleasing thing ever, but one that would do the job. The wire.... Looked like a wire. It didn't have a special name. Not everything needs one. It didn't take him long to get everything hooked up, with some help from anyone who wanted to assist.

Her brows furrowed gently at the abrupt cutoff, but she made no move to pry. "I don't expect you to be, you know," she answered slowly. "It's an awful mission to be assigned to when you've so recently been promoted. I imagine your ACTO isn't handling everything very well, either," she chuckled feebly, shaking her head. "This place.. It's bad for everyone involved, but us especially." She turned her gaze for the briefest second to offer Vara'l a small smile. It wasn't big, at all, nor was it wholly there — a bit shaky— but it was genuine. "Let's do our best to get through this together, okay?"

"How's it looking?" Saren approached to look at the whole contraption. The Spurge, if you will.

"I can do the scans, and anything else that could help" Paco offered to Vara'l, glad to see everyone on the up and up again for The Splurge... what ever that means.

Spurge, Paco. Spurge. For the love of any God, don't call it Splurge.

Tarsek put himself to the task of helping moving or acquiring any object necessary to assist the shuttle teams. He would not stand still while the teams worked, despite being the one responsible for the coordination that was not enough. While he would not be much help with the…. Spurge project – what a name – he could help as manpower.

"If you need help with sentry work or securing a perimeter so the scan work is uninterrupted, I can help on that front," Essen offered to Vara'l. "Or anything else as otherwise ordered." (edited)

While people worked on the Spurge Aoife went to the bridge of the shuttle they were using, better to get the logs from this one if it was going to be drained anyway. She woke up one of the panels in it's bridge and began downloading the sensor telemetry to her Tricorder.

T'She was keeping an eye on every member of the team, monitering them to make sure everyone was safe and healthy. That was what a medical officer did, after all.

On the other side of the medical bay, Maggie was starting to wake up, her condition was falling apart, the paleness was all consuming. “What’s…happening.” She said, getting up to her feet slowly.

Before she knew it she saw -- Maggie?! "Mavna? T'She?" Essen called out to Mavna and T'She.

The instant Maggie was awake, Mavna snapped to attention. She squeezed Vesta’s hand and quickly got up and moved, putting on another pair of gloves and scanning over Maggie, “T’She, I need fluids. Maggie? You need to sit back down.”

Maggie gasped out for air. “No I don’t! I don’t need to be babied, I’m okay!” She said, the nanoprobes throwing her emotions out of wack. “I can help!” She said, trying to slowly walk towards the group.

“No- No, Maggie, stop- T’She!” Mavna put herself between Maggie and the group, holding up her hands to grab her by the shoulders if she needed to, “Maggie I need you to sit down.”

Elements, elements alive, rumbled. Vara'l's mind declared as he struggled to keep emotion from face, returned his tricorder to its holster and first proceeded to say. "Yes please,Lieutenant Umali,we need a constant life signs scan looking for non-Starfleet signals." He started before be addressed Essen. "I want you on Commander O'Rielly's sentry shift please, Lieutenant..for now can you help her with getting Tactical scan data from. The shuttles?." The xB requested before he addressed what Five said. Before he angled himself in his position covering the door so she could he safely glanced at. Smiled slightly at, shakily at. "I'm the CTO now,Lieutenant." He stated. "Even when I'm not fine I have to be...and I put a newly promoted ACTO in the chair dealing with a Borg cube." quiet voice laced with deep guilt as he continued. "Together...get through this together, aye." He swallowed. "...Yes,let's." He then overheard the call out and saw. "Get the Lieutenant sedated again or stun her if you absolutely have to!" The Romulan called then.

"You need to rest," T'She said sternly as they pulled the requested item out of their medical bag. "You won't help anyone if you aren't in pristine condition."

“I’m okay!” She said, before backhanding Mavna, which as we all know means you are perfectly okay.

She held up her phaser and approached the group right away, holding it up. "Maggie... Listen to the doctors... Now."

Mavna stumbled backward and clutched at her face in shock, her eyes wide as they swam around the room. She turned toward T’She, and then turned toward Essen, “Stop, Essen, don’t. Threatening her isn’t going to help.”

An ominous echo rang out especially close to the entrance of the hangar bay, as if beckoning Maggie to follow.

Ato jumped up, a little bit late from exhaustion. His senses had been a bit dulled after a few days, but hearing and seeing Maggie’s hand connect with his friend’s face jolted him to attention. “Mavs!” He darted to her and started checking her over. “Hey, you good?”

“Wha…” Maggie said, as she started to stumble and shamble towards that echo. Her breath heavy. “I’m coming, I’m coming…” She said, before breaking into a sprint towards it, moving faster than the lanky nerd normally is able to.

Essen bit her lip and swallowed the urge to fire... And did as Mavna said. She holstered her phaser.

"Lieutenant Roode!" T'She called, taking a few steps before realising that they were no match for someone going that fast.

Hearing the commotion Aoife stuck her head out the back of the shuttle to take it in the situation. She sighed before pulling out her phaser pistol which was still set on stun. "Want me to stun her!?" Aoife shouted to Manva and T'She.

In the chaos, something slithered into the hangar bay along the ceiling, slowly and patiently so as to go unnoticed...

"Lieutenant Essen,if Maggie constitutes a threat to officers or to herself, stun her." The CTO ordered then before he returned his attention to keeping watch on the door with Five. As he heard the sprint Vara'l snapped around and pulled his hand phaser. He then fired a heavy stun shot at Maggie.

“Stop!” She held out her hand to Ato, “Don’t touch me right- MAGGIE!” The doctor’s eyes went wide at the officer sprinting, “Fuck!” She slumped back against the wall of the hangar, watching the pale Maggie disappear into the hallway, “…ffffuck! Fuck! FUCK!” Her body spasmed before she took in a breath, “I need sedatives. I need them now. You need to set some aside for me. If she’s- STUN HER!” She shouted, “If she’s in an assimilation state, you need to relieve me from duty.”

"Aye sir!" Essen brought her phaser back out and set it to stun, she fired at Maggie. "Not this time, drone. You're not going to get her this time." And she fired!

"I will scan you... that might be able to tell if something is wrong... right...?" They did not know why they were hesitating so much. They knew they needed to act and act fast, so they turned their trusty tricorder to Mavna to check for nanoprobes or something like that.

Maggie ducked as soon as she heard the shots, before crawling like a beast as she moved towards the noise. “JUMP OFF A CLIFF!” She yelled back, which hey, she wasn’t a full drone yet! Small blessings.

Despite all the chaos going on, he ignored all of it to not draw attention to himself. It was more important to him to protect the Spurge. It wouldn't be easy for him to put all this back together if important parts got damaged.

Seeing that Maggie was still running around Aoife started firing stun shots at her too!

Essen took a few more steps, but made sure to stay close to the group, and fired at Maggie. "Fight it, Maggie! Fight it!" Essen said, firing!

Mavna stood as still as she could as T’She scanned her, trying to keep herself calm, “Ato. Sedatives,” She nodded toward her friend.

“Hey! Take a deep breath, we can run scans for nanoprobes.” He said, his voice hitched a little bit but otherwise calm. “The other officers will take care of her, let us take care of you.” He backed off physically like she asked, but stayed close enough give a hypo , which he did after she asked again.

Maggie gasped out as she heard more shots, ducking behind some machinery. She was slippery in a very Daffy Duck way. Her brain was rushing, only with the thought of the echo in her brain.

She grit her teeth as she fired again and again, trying to nail down Maggie with a stun. Her hands gripped her phaser tighter, tighter, as a sort of battle cry emanated from her. The Borg were hurting someone... They were hurting someone... No! NO!! Essen took a few more steps forward, and fired over and over again. Follow orders... Follow orders!! HAVE TO! HAVE TO FOLLOW ORDERS!! (edited)

“You…let me sleep for a bit, just as a precaution…” She took in a breath as the sedatives worked through her system, “T’She, defer to…Ato for…now…” She’s out like a light.

T'She nodded quietly, looking to Ato and offering him a firm nod as well before they finished up their scan.

Hm. As he whipped out a phaser set to stun, his other hand took out the tricorder - he was going to watch the main drone, while also, similarly to Serin, lingering next to the filtration device.

Vara'l fired another phaser shot then as he moved to get the wall to his back. "Five watch the door, Umali keep scanning." He ordered as he discharged his hand phaser. "Tactical and security officers not on sentry duty, I'd advise you to approach and neutralise Lieutenant Roode by heavy Stun." Vara'l advised. "Keep working on records downloading or the filtration if you are doing so." The Romulan managed a shaky breath then. He had just fired and continued to fire upon the Lieutenent. Elements.. oh elements. Not again. Not again. "Status on Lieutenant Mavna?" He called out to the medical officers.

Aoife moved out of the shuttle she was using as cover and began moving toward Maggie while continuing to fire.

Maggie cackled, grabbing two bits and bobs from around her cover and tossing them out from either side to draw their fire, before sprinting again in a way she might never have been able to do few days prior, still heading towards that noise.

As Mavna surrendered to the hypo, he made sure she was able to lay down in a corner comfortably, at least as comfortably as was possible. Which wasn’t very, but hopefully he’d supported her head enough. And then he turned to T’She. “Alright, let’s monitor her for now.”

Essen fired a few more times before she followed Aoife, sprinting towards Maggie's direction, before she met up with Aoife and continued to fire at Maggie. "You let go of Maggie right now," Essen called out to wherever this drone was. "She's innocent. She did nothing wrong!!" Fire fire! (edited)

"Lieutenant Cabiaso is clear. No nanoprobes are in her system. If we let her rest, then she should be just fine." They gave their report with a small sigh of relief, having read off of the readings the scan had just done. (edited)

As soon as Maggie got in slight range of the door, one of the metal appendages that had been lying in wait along the ceiling came down at speed, grabbing her by the back of the neck as if scruffing her. Then, the tricorders started screaming, at the same time as a loud clang echoed through the room. The drone had jumped down from where it had been hiding several meters above the entrance to the hangar bay, and was now going to climb away again, one appendage down, but one drone richer. (edited)

"NO!!" Essen sprinted in the direction of where Maggie was yanked, and fired as many times as she could. "LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!!!" Essen practically yelled at the top of her lungs, firing like mad. Not again! No!!!

“Byeeeee!” She said as she was taken by her new best buddy!

Aoife didn't loose her cool in the moment she continued to fire at Maggie and then One of All when he made his appearance!

Seiyya, still in shock, shook her head to snap herself out of it, aiming her phaser at One of All and firing, at the strongest setting it could go to. They were down an officer- it was up to her and everyone else to ensure they wouldn’t lose anyone else. She knew by now there was little hope for Maggie or anyone else taken.

Essen's emotions cranked up to 11 as she continued to fire, her teeth now gritting as hard as they could, and her eyes in a scowl. As she kept on pressing the trigger, her grip got even tighter around the phaser, it was a miracle that thing didn't crush underneath the strength of her hand. Shot after shot after shot after shot came from her phaser, firing at anything that she could see left from the drone. She hated it... Hate... HATE!!! (edited)

"Stop firing—" Five stared out into the darkness, finding absolutely nothing. "She's gone. It's got her."

Vara'l fired both his rifle and the hand phaser at the appendages as they withdrew. Once they were nolonger a target he could cleanly have fired upon he stopped.

"We need to improve our defenses somehow. Does anyone have any ideas?" T'She called to the group, trying to think of ways that they could help as well.

Everything was a blur. She turning on her visor and threw it on when the commotion started, but it was hard to read what people were saying at watch everything that was happening at the same time. She watched Maggie, in some way it was easier to see her moving, but it was also scarier. The hook got her, took her away like it did for the original drone. Now they were gone, but the panic wasn’t over yet. Her attention turned to Mavna. In the confusion she wasn’t sure what had happened, she ran over to her an Ato. “Is she being assimilated?” She signed, face showing her concern.

The drone took one hit, then a second, before its shielding caught up, staggering it but still allowing it to climb away out into the darkness. Their away team was now one man down.

"Well. Fuck." Aoife said dismayed. She was certainly upset, angry, scared and tired but she couldn't let that show. The practiced stony expression returned to Aoifes face as she returned to the shuttle to continue downloading sensor logs.

The doctor was, for all intents and purposes, sleeping soundly after Ato had laid her down on the floor and propped her up against the wall. It was honestly shaping up to be the best sleep she’d had aboard this starforsaken cube.

"We need to destroy those arms. Anyone get a good glimpse of their material?" That way it couldn't crawl across the ceilings, at least.

"If we get more energy at our disposal, perhaps we can build up some sort of defense. But I won't promise much even if this thing works," he had a suspicion that even if his setup works, it's not going to be live-saving. Still... they needed to try. So he looked to Serin, wordlessly prompting the tech wizard (literally) to try and run the charger.

He did, in fact, try to run the charger. "Spurge, go!" He yelled, like it was a pokemon.

The charger worked fine, at least for now.

Once she heard Vara'l stop firing and saw the drone climb into the darkness, Essen stood there, phaser still raised, and her teeth still bared like a wild animal. She didn't fire anymore, but she didn't move an inch for a long moment. Almost too long. Before she finally holstered her phaser. She returned back to Vara'l, and looked up to him. "Sir, I am--" as she choked on her words. "Emotionally compromised. In failing to stun Maggie I disobeyed direct orders. I submit myself for disciplinary action upon return to the starbase. I will return to the duty as you ordered or pivot in any direction you see fit."

"Guys! Look!" Enough self-flagellation. Everyone come look at his and Saren's cool special thing that works now. (edited)

“Mavna is free from nanoprobes,” He said to Vesta. “She’s fine on that front. We’re just going to let her get some rest. She’s dehydrated and exhausted. She’ll be awake later.”

"Oh, fuck," okay, they need to be smart and fast about this. "Okay - what are the most important things we need, right now, that can be replicated from a shuttle replicator? We should also probably charge some batteries..."

Vara'l shook as he ordered. "Tactical officers watch the door" And then turned and glared at but through Essen briefly as for a moment he stared down at a mercy killed Imperial Romulan navy crewmen before he blinked. "Guard the Doctors Essen, learn from this, we will cross what bridges we need to cross related to this with once in a time more appropriate." The Romulan informed the other before he then added. "We understand, when Eventide arrives." He avoided the if. "When we get off of this,we will Liberate Maggie for now.. Hold on Lieutenant."

"Food and water. Immediately. Then batteries. Then some more complex parts. I want to see if I can make something that'll get us outta here." Nothing specific, mind you, just Something.

"Aye, sir, I will learn from this," Essen replied. "Acknowledged." As she moved over to the doctors, and guarded them as ordered. "Is everyone alright over here?"

Five, having gotten lost in the firefight, swiveled towards Saren and Serin. "That's incredible," she barely managed to breathe out, steadying her trembling hands as she made her way over. "You're both incredible, this is going to be a lot of help."

"We need to charge the power cells for the weapons. Start with rifles then the hand phasers. We should have a while before it's back. After that water and medical supplies, especially sedatives." Aoife yelled from the bridge of the shuttle that they were both in at the moment.

"We should prioritize supplies for ourselves over weapons—" they had plenty to spare, after all, but what good would weapons do if they all starved or bled out?

"I don't think Lieutenant Essen did anything wrong, sir," Senang spoke up, where he'd been standing watch over Serin and Saren. He hadn't been able to shoot without risking anyone else getting hurt, so he hadn't. "This is not something anyone could have foreseen. She hit it, right? Then she did all she could," he challenged, hoping to encourage Essen, too.

"Thanks, Five," he said, having probably learnt her name at some point over the last couple days. He then replicated food and water because it was HIS turn on the replicator and HE got to choose the song. The supplies, I mean.

"We-" Elements damn, his mind he silently growled at himself. "I believe she referred to not following through with the order to stun Lieutenant Roode, but...your point is taken.." Vara'l informed the Liuetenant Commander then. "And she did I believe, quite the shot too." The Romulan engaged then in a effort to pull himself together as he looked away. Inhaled then exhaled slightly. "You did your best Essen and that's what counts, worry about anything for later, later.."

Relief, that’s what Vesta felt. Mavna would be fine. “I tried to have her drink some water earlier, I think she took the rationing a little too far.” She signed to the medical officers. It was fine, they were all fine. Well, Maggie wasn’t, but at least they didn’t have to watch her suffer anymore. Backup would come, eventually, and they’d get her out and liberate her, and everything would be fine. She took a deep breath and started reading the other conversations in the room.

In hearing Senang, Essen's eyes filled with hope again. Senang... He didn't have to say that, but he did, and that made Essen very happy to hear. "Thank you, Commander," Essen replied to Senang. "That means a lot." Then Vara'l confirmed that he wasn't upset just by saying that she did her best. Essen nodded and bowed slightly to Vara'l. "Aye, sir. Later for later. Guard the doctors..." That's what she had to do. Guard the doctors. She couldn't disobey another order. No. Nonononono. Essen's emotions were at an all time high. In for 5... Hold for 7... Out for 8. In for 5... Hold for 7... Out for 8. In for 5... Hold for 7... Out for 8.

“She’s got a big heart,” Ato said softly, looking from Vesta to his friend. “I suppose in this moment maybe she was a bit too self sacrificing.” He sighed and nodded to Vesta. “We’re gonna be alright.” He was trying to keep up the hope. There wasn’t much else he could do at this point.

Aoife kept trying to get the shuttles systems online to download the sensor data from before it was taken into the cube. Anything they could find onboard could be a big help to them getting the hell off the cube. She stood half hunched over the console, scar on her back clearly showing now that she was just wearing a tank top due to the extreme heat in the cube.

Vara'l swallowed slightly as he discovered that island of calm he had enforced upon his mind was gone. Emotion a roiling mess of doubt, guilt, pain and many other things that danced about his mind. Elements, another officer lost to the Borg when he happened to be in a important position responsible for defence. 'Why had he put Shane in the chair why had he done this what had he done wrong?' Questions his mind bombarded itself with as he nodded at Essens bow. "We have to keep on going, Lieutenant, survive until reinforcements arrive." Vara'l managed to add before he'd then stalked over to resume sentry duty.

"Aye, sir," Essen acknowledged Vara'l. "Keep on going until reinforcements arrive." In alternating her breaths, in for 5, hold for 7, out for 8, Essen kept her eyes around guarding the doctors. "We're gonna be alright," Essen echoed Ato. What else could she say? As another tear leaked from her eye, Essen just kept on repeating that. "Learn from this, guard the doctors, we're gonna be alright..." She didn't want to say anything else, not even her own words, so that she didn't risk disobeying another order. Not once. "Learn from this, guard the doctors, we're gonna be alright..." Every time she repeated it from then on, it was inside her head. If it was still audible it would have almost sounded crazed at some points. But she kept on reminding herself, and stewed again as she guarded the doctors, and learned from this. Everything was going to be alright. (edited)

Aoife managed to download the logs from the shuttle. Sadly they didn't tell her much that was of use. Only that the shuttles were sent with the intention of breaking through the shields and that the mission failed. She stuck her head out of the shuttle and yelled to Vara'l. "Vara'l! I've got sensor logs!" She realised after the fact that she had called him by his first name instead of rank and surname, she hoped that he would let her away with that slip up considering the circumstances.

Medicine, food that is nutrient-rich and hearty, batteries to store some of this energy... "What could help us defend our camp while we're out here?.." he pondered out loud, perhaps prompting a discussion.

"Big wall." Yep. Something like that. Small shield generator, maybe.

"Grenade launcher, plasma mortar, personal shields or a big dome shield?" Aoife said thinking out loud.

Vara'l initially didnt respond, at least he didnt before his mind booted him in the mental arse with the fact he had been addressed. "What did the logs say?" He asked then as he ignored the dropping of his rank. When defence was discussed, Vara'l posited. "Better scan fidelity so as to detect the limbs, shields and some way to blind its sensor access in at least some areas." The Romulan mused as he watched outside and ensured his torch also periodically bathed the ceiling in light as he continued to keep watch.

"I am never asking any of you any suggestions ever again..." he sighed, half-serious.

"Nothing good." Aoife replied before handing Vara'l her Tricorder. "Looks like Captain Lawson sent shuttles that should have gotten through the shields to pick us up after they lost contract. They got grabbed by tractor beams and that's about where it ends." Aoife said with a sigh, we should try get sensors online somewhere cause these logs aren't useful.

"What? I was serious. It can't grab us if there's a big wall. We could even make it so it's a shield that block solid objects but lets phaser shots through." Probably. Was that a thing in Trek?

"Okay, shields is... hm. I'll have to look into our options for that, but that could work," he pondered for a bit longer. "Is there... anything we can get from the replicator that can help us with assimilation issues?.."

"Yes, a plasma mortar. Won't have assimilation issues if we vaporise the assimilationist." Aoife replied going full sarcasm.

"A full-body suit of armour?" Gotta keep all your skin covered so the Borg can't stick any probes in there! Knowing how Serin spoke, though, this may also be a genuine idea.

"I meant things that can slow the process down or something like that..." he furrowed his brows, trying to remember anything from the Academy lessons about Borg and the liberation processes...

"We should do all we can to avoid anyone else getting hurt. Everyone, as it is right now, is alive and can be saved," Five said quietly, prosthesis self-consciously squeezing at her flesh-y arm. "Sedatives are our best bet for right now. It held Lieutenant Roode over for four days, at least... Is there anything in the same vein we can use?"

Vara'l accepted the tricorder with a hand that briefly shook as he then inhaled, frowned and listened to Aoife as he held his rifle one-handed and checked the tricorder. Checked it and struggled to keep himself together, to keep himself here and keep how he felt concealed. "At least that gives us part of the picture of the engagement between Eventide and the cube." Vara'l managed then before he frowned and huffed. "We need more data on the outside engagement and we nee-" He blinked then swallowed as his hand tensed upon the tricorder. Tensed as that title impacted against the scrap of that island of calm he still maintained, impacted him with a hail of guilt once more as he struggled onward. "We need to find some way to level the playing field a bit, its sensor access is highly problematic, if we can blind its eyes." The Romulan lapsed into a moment of silence then before he glanced to Saren and proceeded to say. "On the defence suggestions thing, Lieutenant tr'Lareth, scan fidelity, shields and blinding its sensor access would all be things that...might help." He swallowed then and then continued. "Sedatives are probably our best bet, the assimilation process once nano-probes are in the blood stream is very difficult to inhibit without the tools of a full sickbay." Vara'l stated then as he then absent-mindedly offered Aoife the tricorder back. Did so as he returned both hands to his phaser rifle then turned to look back out again. Turned as he forced his breath to say to that rhythm of slowly inhaled and exhaled breaths. Emotions could be allowed to do this to him now, he couldn't be allowed to break now, he was the CTO. He needed to at least look like he had it together. He needed to remember this wasn't IRW Arrenhe. He he- oh elements. Part of him missed that sureness, that calm-ish purpose the drone in him had strongly yearned for when first liberated.

She watched the exchange, catching every second; pauses between words, cutting himself off, the deep breath in and out. Their gaze followed his hands to his rifle. Still white-knuckling his grip. "Just a moment Commander," Five ducked behind the shuttle in one swift motion, taking Vara'l by the arm to pull him alongside her. She set both hands firmly on his shoulders, making direct eye contact — Five was not one for touch, but it helped ground people? Sometimes? She kept close, voice softening to a whisper; "Where are you right now, Vara'l?"

Aoife stood there stunned for a moment as Five grabbed Vara'l and took him behind the shuttle. She was tempted to go and check on him but decided that Vara'l. A very proud man. Would prefer the privacy. Instead she stood near enough the shuttle to ensure Five and Vara'l could talk without other officers coming to bother him. Vara'l would see her blocking him from the view of the rest of the away team.

One officer down, gone with the drone. One second was all it took for hell to break loose. One second of hesitation. All the “ones” that repeated into Tarsek’s head as he analyzed the situation. He contemplated where they were, how they were. Chances were they would not survive before more were assimilated. This drone was cunning, and it would come back for more. Maybe Roove would too, to assist it. The replicator had been successfully activated, however the morale boost he had calculated to be subsequent was completely vaporized now that Roove was gone. Instead his teammates were closer to the edge than before. One more than others. He approached the area were the doctors were, along with them the person in question. “Lt. JG. Essen…” He started, formally, his posture straight, and then took a millisecond of hesitation. “How… are you feeling?” It almost seemed as if he was trying to make his voice softer, gentle, less flat than his logical Vulcan usual. It was strange, specially accompanied with the query about her emotional status.

Vara'l almost started to speak again before hands grabbed him. Instinct a wild serpent that tensed muscles at the touch, at the pressure of a hand, a borg hand as it latched onto him, prepared a body inchoated with years of training with the programming of a Tactical drone. Prepared it to follow a mind that reeled first with surprise and certainty, the ship no-he must not be assimilated the team w-which team, needed him. Certainty forged ready for moment, ready to follow a mind that, in that second, realized who's hands it was. Realized who had pulled him aside. Heard those words. Heard Fives words as corridor became hanger bay, as eyes focused upon her, upon the shuttle and its hull plates. He allowed his phaser rifle to fall loose gripped only by the hand on the barrel then. Grey hued eyes fixed upon hers. Fixed there though it took a moment before he replied. "On a cube, leading a away team from Starbase 777." The Romulan softly responded. "...How long and...was it noticed?" Desperation not shown in a voice from which tone had dropped away from, but there. Had he failed a team again? Had he? Oh elements.

Fives nodded as Vara'l just barely softened, reoriented himself in the here and now. "That's it. You're here, and your team is here—" minus Maggie, but oh well— "I... " Hm. Who had noticed and how long... That was a question she didn't know the appropriate answer to. She knew something was off all along, but something told her that wasn't the answer he wanted right now. "... I know you have to keep your guard up as our leader right now. I know you have to be strong," gods, she understood very well, from her brief time as ACOO, "but you need to remember to take care of yourself, too. If you bottle it up and let this take you over, you won't be able to act in the moment it counts." She exhaled a soft sigh, glancing off to one side. "I noticed. Because I know you. You are doing all you can, and that's all you can do right now. All any of us can do. Alright?" Five did her best to quell that quiet desperation, that need to not show anyone just how bad it was. "I trust you. Everyone does. But you have to trust yourself, too. Can you stay here with me?"

"Here." He repeated as his grey hued eyes focused upon her as his mind struggled with what he had almost had done. Focused in as he took in what was here what was now. Grounded, back here now, here in this present. In a Borg cube. Here as Five responded, as Five responded as they did, considered all they had said as thoughts struggled through sleep and trauma clawed at thoughts. "Morale is already struggling.." He'd started then before he lapsed into silence. Struggled. Struggled and considered their words. "...W-.." The xb winced then. "I'll try to remember that." Forced himself to keep his words calm and managed. "I'll...try." Even as part of his mind yearned again, yearned for the sureness of purpose of the Collective. Yearned for the enforced calm of it, enforced over the quiet horror and screams part of his mind retorted but-but. No. He focused, he listened to her as she sighed then spoke further. "Alright." The word bled of the quiet calm as it was uttered and then added too. "I-" He swallowed then. "I'll try, I'm here and...I'll try." Vara'l then lapsed into another moment of silence before he softly added. "I have to stay." Before he turned away, inhaled then exhaled, swallowed. "I'm sorry, I-" He lapsed into silence then, swallowed, sighed and then settled on "...Thank you.." Two words full of meaning, two words which harboured farm more than he could have-would have ever admitted. Emotion was inefficient, emotion clouded logic, emotion wasn't something he had managed to regain that full understanding of. He loved Telim, he knew that, but so much so much stuff. So many things. So many things and no counsellor to uncork the bottle in safe privacy. Not here, where they were stranded, in danger on a Borg cube. Oh elements, what had he almost done before he'd snapped back. No. He needed to focus. He needed to try as he'd promised. He remained the CTO.

00:48

Fact could not be resisted. "We'll try to take care of ourselves...." He swallowed as he looked back toward the entrance, looked up and peered into the dark. "..I will try." He deeply inhaled again, held the breath for a moment then exhaled. "N-need to get back to it." He managed as he looked to her.

"Trying is all you have to do. You don't need to be sorry for being alive," Five answered gently. Vara'l was a strong, stoic force; he was not without kindness, but he was steady. Dependable. And witnessing that start to break down in real time, with him stumbling over his words and struggling to catch his breath, was a little distressing to say the least... but at least he was starting to grasp at himself again. That's all she could ask for, really. Her stomach twisted — prolonged physical contact was not good, not good at all, but she'd done her best and her best seemed to be fine enough. Five smiled wearily, releasing him with an affectionate pat on the shoulder before wandering off to aid wherever she could. She hoped he knew he could always count on her. (edited)

He didn't say what immediately came to his mind, when the other responded as she did. No, even to a mind that struggled a mind like his that had.. buckled had returned to where it had been. That first thing that arose in his mind, wasn't something he would have ever allowed himself to utter. Not in the presence of Five, in the presence of the Ghosts of lost friends, of a IRW TAC team the Vara'l of before the Collective had ended with. The thing he'd whispered in the dead of night, as regularly experienced nightmare had released him into awareness's claws and the protests of the Regeneration unit he'd sometimes utilized. Whispered to the ghosts, the cost of command by which he was haunted. The apology, for being the one who'd survived, the uncle who'd ended up the father to a son- Telim who he loved, the commander of circumstance who'd promised. Who'd re-assured them all. We'll get through this. No. What he initially wanted to stay died unspoken as Grey hued eyes watched the other. Unspoken as he instead proceeded to say. * "..I'll keep trying.. I'm sorry about this.. and thank you for." *He paused. "..Pulling me back." The Romulan briefly twitched then. "And I know how...physical contact is." His jaw worked as he struggled, struggled to find the words. "..I don't have the words for the gratitude and for the understanding of what that took, all I can say is...thank you." He then moved off to resume his duties as he started to take up position to support whoever had assumed sentry on the door. (edited)

Essen was pacing back and forth, moreso lost in her thoughts as Tarsek addressed her. When he did, Essen snapped back to reality and her eyes widened in embarrassment. "Sir! Hi! Commander, I presume!" Essen addressed him. "I'm guarding the doctors, sir! I'm learning from this and everything's gonna be okay, sir!" The exact words that she had been repeating over and over again in her head. But after a moment, the facade dropped. Essen's face lost hope again. As she looked at Tarsek, Essen's eyes filled with tears again. "I'm... Stretched thin, sir," Essen replied. "I've failed Commander tr'Hara. I've failed my mother. I've failed Five. I've failed so many others who are liberated Borg. Doesn't matter that I'm not a senior officer. I made a promise that no one else, including those I cared about, would get assimilated if I had a say in it. Now look what's happened... Because of me. It's all my fault." (edited)

Vesta, reading all of the conversations happening around her while waiting for orders, stayed close to Mavna. She could not help but wonder if Essen would feel this way if somebody like her had gotten assimilated instead of Maggie. The promise was that nobody she cared about would be assimilated, and they woman would have no reason to care about her. She pushed the thought out of her mind, it didn’t matter whether some officer would feel bad if she was assimilated, and it was all speculation anyways. She sighed and continued to wait for orders, rubbing Mavna’s hand idly as she did so. (edited)

And she took a moment, with a deep breath, she continued. " I should have taken it instead of Maggie," she said. "No one else deserves to suffer the way that Maggie is suffering, the way that the CTO suffered, the way that my mother has suffered, the way that Five suffered. As long as everyone else is able to live a normal, healthy life, A life where they're not just a number in a system, that's all that I ever wanted. But because of me... Someone's life will never be the same again." (edited)

He listened attentively to the younger woman’s confession. First her try to remain professional, trying to show not that she was okay but that she would be okay, that she had taken this as a lesson. In some ways, she reminded him of the cadets he once tutored back at STA. Then, her true thoughts bursted out. And how painful he thought they must be to her. Although Essen was Vulcan, she was clearly not a follower of surakian discipline, and so her strong emotions run rampant. He held her in no particular lower regard for this, philosophy was a personal choice after all. He waited until she was done. Until she had unpacked all she could at the moment. Only then he spoke. “You have chosen a heavy load to burden yourself with, lieutenant. The burden of all the liberated… does it truly belong with you?” He asked first. It was an important question after all, to be asked.

As Essen heard the man speak, and his voice carried along, she took in that simple question. Huh. "Maggie, definitely," Essen replied. "Everyone e-else...? M-maybe... Maybe not?" She wondered. "The Borg are the reason my father is dead and that so many have suffered before liberation. This... It's personal. I... I don't want to call it revenge. But..." With a sigh, she shut her eyes briefly, before she looked back up to Tarsek. "No, sir, I guess you're right, it doesn't belong with me. It... It doesn't belong with... Really any singular person."

Grey eyes remained fix upon the doorway, upon the task of occasionally ensuring his torch-light was panned up as he monitored for the Drone. Monitored for their manipulators also even though part of his mauled mind murmured that the Drone may well be busy with Lieutenant Roode. Continued to do so as he asked. "If there's a science officer free, can we get scans going on the door, not just for life signs but for metals and material common in Borg drones perhaps their power sources too?" Vara'l inquired. A thought then struck him, impacted into the mind that remained grounded upon a island of thin threadbare calm. A island consciousness had been pulled to by grounding pressure, by the hand of Five of Eight. "If we can get the shuttles sensors online and keep their power up, that should give us a early warning system if the drone attempts to infiltrate with manipulators only again." He added then as he proceeded to remodulate his phaser rifle then shifted the rifle to one hand and remodulated his hand phaser. Did so with the mechanical precision of a mind that relied on training, that clung to it like a drowning man who'd discovered temporary relief from the watery abyss. Then as he glanced around, he spotted Essen. Spotted them and noticed, oh how he noticed those signs. Looked to them and then looked back to the abyss beyond the door, continued to monitor it even while he tapped his combadge.

Mavna stirred from a rather…dreamless sleep. While sedated, nothing had bubbled into her mind. If anything, she was honestly happy that it was just nothing but darkness she was floating in while asleep. She had no doubt any dream she ended up having would turn into a nightmare. She blinked a few times as she shifted, her eyes readjusted to the low green light of the hangar. They moved down to her hand, finding Vesta’s holding it, and slowly traced her arm up to her face. Her gaze lingered on the Trill for a few moments before she very softly said, “…can I have some water…” (edited)

”I do not know of the circumstances regarding her assimilation… but I find it hard to believe it would be your fault.” He continued then, seeing as she did not take his first question with negativity. “Whether we wish to admit it or not, we all took the risk of being assimilated or killed when we came here. Lt. Rooge chose to take that risk. You chose to take that risk. I chose to take that risk. We still are under said risk, in fact.” He was trying hard to be perceived as sensitive, but his “matter of fact traditional Vulcan way” still shone through. He hoped Essen would understand. “Even if you feel guilty of her actual condition, even if you are, which again I find hard to believe, you have not lost yet.” He stated the encouraging fact. “She is still alive. The Borg may change her, may have changed many, but for as long as there is life, there is living. I see it in Commander tr’Hara, I see it in lieutenant Five. Changed, but not gone. She might need to adjust, she will need support. But she will be with us. You will get her back lieutenant. This is not a matter of revenge, but of bringing her back to where she rightfully belongs.” He concludes and waits for the younger one’s reaction.

As the older Vulcan man explained that life-risking missions were part of the contract for Starfleet, Essen's mind reeled back to a bit more of a critical way of thinking. Sleep deprivation definitely didn't help -- but this man had such a wise way of explaining it too. "I mean, it was because of this being so personal to me, but... Yeah, I guess you're right," Essen agreed with him, her voice shifting tone slightly. "As long as there's life... There's living," Essen parroted at first. But then she found the meaning in that. "Not revenge... Because revenge just... Makes things worse. You're right, sir. It's about saving who we care about. It's about saving what we are fighting to protect."

Ato looked up from staring at his hands in his lap when he heard Mavna's voice asking for water. She was awake, still dehydrated, but awake. This was a good sign. It had to be. He took a deep breath and offered her smile. It was probably a little unnerving, the cheerfulness on his face, even though under his eyes was a little darker blue than normal and crystals from his sweat sat on his skin. "I hope you're feeling a little better now," he said, quietly.

Mavna did not move her hand from Vesta’s as she shifted, glancing at Ato and giving a little shrug, “Hot and sweaty and…groggy,” She sat up a bit, leaning slightly against Vesta for support as she did so, “I need some water…how are my scans? I’m…” She looked down at hers and the rescue officer’s hands, “…guessing they’re clear?”

Vara'l lapsed into silence then, words exhausted as his consciousness his self struggled on that thin island. Tried. Attempted to continue, even as the others words, that everything would be okay, clawed at that calm. Reminded him of a past, of a corridor. A corridor... he was not in. A corridor long lost to the past, to the lost defence. To a Vessel who's intended purpose had ended not long after the individual existence of designation Vara'l tr'Hara of the IRW Arrenhe. A individual CTO Lieutenant Commander Vara'l tr'Hara happened to not entirely be. That man who'd never have yearned for the Collective existed only as mostly intact memory. Not the man who'd made the promise he'd made to Five, pulled back at he had been. Pulled back before he'd promised. He'd try. Promised that. Promised he'd try, try to stay here. Stay the CTO, a promise he roared into his minds unhearing silence that he'd keep. He'd not loose himself to that corridor again, he resolved. He'd not, no. He'd keep to what he'd promised. He would do his sworn duty. So he watched, he composed himself as best he could...and he tapped his com badge again as he continued to stay on guard at the door.

The diplomat nodded and at first he did not say more, choosing to observe the lieutenant. Like a bug under a magnifying glass, she could see he was studying her in some way, his blue icy eyes staring, betraying no thoughts or impressions. Then he finally broke the silence. “Do not burden yourself with tasks impossible to fulfill. And choose wisely those you think you can fulfill. Know that even when you are sure, mistakes will happen. Learn to accept it as a condition of trying and analyze how to do better.” He advised. “To be specific, I am not talking about Lt. Roode’s assimilation or abduction, I am talking about your mind and your reactions. One failure does not make you discardable, in fact it makes you even more needed to deal with the consequences. You will not stop being needed until we are out of this cube. Do you understand?” In the end, if they all hoped to make it back to Starbase 777, they would have to endure. They could not break, they could not give up, they could not lose sight of their objective.

Vesta couldn’t help but smile. Even though everything was terrible, the fact that someone had gotten though an assimilation scare unscathed gave her just a little bit of hope. “Nanoprobe free.” She signed, unfortunately having to remove her hand from Mavna’s to communicate. She reached over from her side and came back with a bottle of water. “Here,” She signed, and then began to help the woman up into a sitting position. It felt good, to finally be able to help somebody, even if it was in a small way. It made here feel useful, present in the situation rather than being a passive bystander, which she had been feeling like for a few days now.

Essen's body felt as if a weight were starting to become lifted off of her. It was true -- Essen hadn't been in such an emotionally taxing situation as this in a looooooooooooooooooooooooong time. Years, even, likely since she met Kaylee. So she blinked a few times before she took a breath in for 5... held for 7... and out for 8. "Aye, sir, I understand," Essen replied after she listened fully without interjecting. "You're very kind to me, sir, thank you for your guidance. If... if you couldn't tell. I don't follow Surak. So controlling my emotions isn't my strong suit. Especially with something like this. I'm working with the CTO for leadership training, and this... may be the first practical lesson I've endured. How you say, sir, my mind and my reactions when making difficult decisions like this, especially under pressure or in half a second."

She took in a deep breath and let it out when the words ‘Nanoprobe free’ were spoken. Thank the stars…she happily took the bottle of water from Vesta and took a few sips, pursing her lips together as she sat there and tried to collect her admittedly dulled thoughts. The sedative sure did do its job, and as she had surmised, this was probably the best sleep she’d gotten aboard the cube since they got here. She took another sip of water and swished it around in her mouth, trying to get the taste of sleep out of it before swallowing and clearing her throat. She posed a few questions to Ato and Vesta, “Where are we at, supply-wise? Did theeee…did Saren and Serin, did - Hah,” A soft laugh at the similar-sounding names, “Did they get the replicators up and running?” She paused, “…did we lose track of Maggie?”

Ato nodded. "I think we're all starting to feel it, to varying degrees. This isn't the kind of camping I'd envisioned. Had I known we were going to be here, I would have actually gone on Shoreleave at the same time as everyone else. Alas..." He let out a dry chuckle, trying to hold space for laughter in such a bleak situation. He, and everyone else, really couldn't be sure they were going to be safe. It wasn't looking good at the moment, anyway. But he had to trust that they were all smart, capable officers and that they'd find a solution. If they could just bide their time long enough... He was pulled back with more questions from Mavna. "Oh, yeah. Serin and Saren are working on a couple different things right now from what I heard. I've mostly been over here with you, but it sounded from a greater discussion that they were considering some sort of shield to protect us from...assimilation." His face looked a bit grim, now, his antennae bobbing more downward than their usual upright demeanor. "Maggie...was taken. We've got people on guard right now, and I think a few tactical officers are troubleshooting getting her back."

“Shore leave’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” The doctor muttered, though she filed something away next to her plans for shore leave next year to maybe go camping with Ato. Anything would be better than heading back home, and anything would be better than here…but, for the moment, that was a moot point. She hadn’t looked perky all day, so her face didn’t have very far to fall when finding out what had happened to Maggie. She sat up a bit straighter and fidgeted with her hands before she started to get up. “I need to start replicating some more medical supplies,” She said as she got up to her feet. She was slow, the remains of the sedative still working through her system, but she was determined.

”Yes, I could tell.” He stated plainly. ~~What a great response from our Vulcan diplomat, the pinnacle of sensibility.~~ “You will learn. Surak’s path to logic might be the traditional way, but there are others that could help with keeping strong emotions at bay.” A few decades ago, this was not an answer Tarsek would have given to anyone. In the years when he still lived under the full influence of his clan. “You seem… young. I do not know your age, but you have time ahead of you to mature and learn.” (edited)

Vesta was surprised to see Mavna attempt to get on her feet. In some rescue situations Vesta had been in, the patient getting up to their feet could be helpful, but in this case, it was not. “Hold on,” Vesta signed quickly, getting to her feet to support the doctor. When she was sure the other woman wouldn’t fall, due to wrapping an arm around her, she signed in a one handed variant of sign that she knew and could be translated, but didn’t prefer. “You just woke up from a sedative and you’re still dehydrated. The other medical officers can hold their own, they did it while you were out.” She stated, bringing her other arm around Mavna to guide her back to the ground to sit.

Essen finally let out a bit of a chuckle -- the first time she had really done so all mission! And the first chuckle she actively let herself have. Her eyes widened when she did so -- she was supposed to take this whole thing seriously! But after a moment, Essen reconsidered -- Tarsek was trying to make her feel better. And right now? He was succeeding at it. "Yes, sir, I have a counselor back on the starbase, he's taught me breathing techniques and other methods for regulation. I just... Got caught up in the moment," Essen sheepishly admitted about her going too far. "I'll keep that in mind though. I might want to connect with you once we all get back to the station, actually." Essen's smile appeared again as Tarsek noted her appearance to be young. "Heh, I am, sir, if you count 25 as young," she replied. "I'll be the first to admit I don't know everything. I used to think I knew everything. But hey, if and when that drone comes back. I'll prepare myself for it. So that I don't risk losing control like I almost did."

Mavna shifted some of her weight over to Vesta, a part of her thinking that she was offering help before it became clear that the doctor’s little plan to throw herself back into her work had Trill and Andorian/Romulan-shaped obstacles. She gave Vesta a weary little look and took in a breath, “…I- Yes, I know, but-” She let out a huff, “…fine. Fine, fine, fine,” She let the officer lead her down to the ground and sat. She didn’t look too pleased about it, “We need more sedatives, fluids, our cooling methods are dwindling…” She buried her face in her hands for a moment, “…we need a lot…” (edited)

"Wait," Ato said, echoing Vesta. "Yeah, T'She and I have got it. T'She has been helping. You need to rest right now." His brows were furrowed, not used to seeing Mavna be so self-sacrificing. They'd still not caught up after shoreleave and she'd seemed stressed lately. They reaaaaally needed to get coffee; he was starting to worry about her. A brief pause, watching Mava react. It was normal. They were in a high stress situation. Anything could happen. "We do need supplies. But that's in the other officers' hands right now. Saren and Serin are accomplished officers. Serin already has a device made. We'll have what we need soon enough. Right now, it would be better for all of us to preserve our energy for when we need it most."

Mavna slid her hands down her face until her eyes were free, peeking at Ato from her fingertips. She took in another breath and let out a slow, quiet huff, “…alright,” She pushed her hands down into her lap and leaned back against the wall, looking between Ato and Vesta, “…what now, then?”

Tarsek raised a perfectly angulated brow at the sound, but did not reprimand her. It was good that she got out of the dark place her mind previously was in. “Yes, as I expected quite young. You may contact me on the starbase if you think I might be of any assistance.” It would not be very different from the students he taught a year ago. It seemed that wherever he went, the pattern would repeat. It did not bother him. “We will persevere lieutenant.”

In hearing briefly what the doctors discussed, Essen turned her head around slightly to see Mavna was conscious again. And from the fact that nobody was panicking or calling for someone else to stun Mavna, that was a telltale sign that Mavna was clear. Essen let out a sigh of relief when she noticed that. Upon looking at the doctors and Vesta, Essen opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it. The doctors knew what they were doing. All she was doing was guarding them. They probably needed to focus and recharge their energy as Ato said. It made her happy to see that the doctors and Vesta were alright, and so Essen turned back around to Tarsek. Essen began. "Felt the need to check in on them," Essen said to Tarsek. "They're really perseverant too. I shouldn't barge in on them. They're overloaded enough right now as it is." As she then responded to Tarsek properly. "Just like you say, sir. We will persevere. I... Thank you. Not only for the little pep talk. But... Just. Stopping by to check on me in general. It was very kind of you to do so. Is there anything I can do to repay the favor?" (edited)

”Repayment is not needed.” Tarsek would not tell at this time, but he too had taken a heavy burden that many would say did not belong to him, as illogical as it sounds. However, that decision had been sound and logical. Some burdens had no owners, some were shared by all of society. As a member of society, a piece of that load belonged upon his shoulders. “I am merely exercising my duties as your superior officer. And as your elder.” Some traditions he would die with, it seemed.

A moment, to be able to process the kindness this superior officer gave to Essen. Then, she smiled. "You're a gentleman, sir, thank you," Essen replied softly. "I'll put in a good word for you with CTO tr'Hara. Once we get back. Which... We will. All of us will."

Ato made a half smirk, half grimace, his lips pursed in a thin line. “Wait, mostly.” He knew what Mavna was feeling. It was a sort of helplessness that shook you to your core. Maggie was out there somewhere with a Superdrone getting assimilated and there they were, sitting on their hands and hoping Saren and Serin could pull some Starfleet miracle and create a shield or replicate rations. He heaved a sigh too and leaned up against the wall next to Mavna, throwing her and Vesta a sidelong glance. “We’re going to get through this.” He didn’t know what else to do, but try to will that reality into existence.

Mavna met Ato’s eyes with a similar glance. The two of them were very likely on similar wavelengths, being doctors stuck in a truly terrible situation with not much to do beyond…hope. Her time aboard the Bering Strait wasn’t this bad, even with it being an emergency response ship. She pressed the back of her head against the wall and leaned slightly against Vesta, giving Ato a rather weary look, “I know,” She took in a breath and let it out, “I know…we’re…gonna be just fine…”

Ato managed a smile, his antennae twitching happily at Mavna's affirmation. "That's the spirit. We're in good hands. Seven Seven Seven's officers are some of the finest in the Fleet. Plus, now that we've got access to the shuttlecraft, we'll have some extra med supplies soon enough. And maybe even a biobed. I can't remember, depends on what kind of shuttle it is. But see, that's even better than how we started. So, we're going in the right direction." He nudged her with his shoulder and winked, bringing an idle hand up to wipe some sweat off his forehead and falling silent because there really wasn't much else to say unless he changed the topic, and he wasn't (for once) in the mood for probing questions.

Aoife had heard enough of Vara'ls conversation with Fives to confirm what she already knew. Vara'l was tittering. That left her with a rather grim responsibility to assess if he had been compromised or not. She took no liking to the conversation she was about to have, but she did take some solace in the fact that she knew if the roles were reversed he would do the same thing. A few moments later she approached Vara'l at the door with two field rations and some water for the pair. The selection had grown fairly meger by now with most of the good ones gone. She found the least bad of what remained for the two to eat, some kind of vegetarian stir-fry for Vara'l, and a rather depressing looking club sandwich for Aoife. She made sure to telegraph her approach, footsteps echoing in the eery hanger as she approached. She certainly could have shown up with no sound of warning but in the current situation that was a good way to get shot. Now just behind where Vara'l was holding the door she finally spoke, in a soft tone. She didn't have the energy left the yell anyway. "Commander?" She said quietly before holding up the two meals and gesturing toward a quiet part of the hanger where the two could chat without being bothered.

When she had a moment, Essen thought to herself. Considered everything that occurred... Tilted her head a little bit in reflection. And pondered: maybe this was worth a shot. So, she made sure she had enough battery on her PADD left, and used it sparingly: opened up a drawing section where she could doodle. However, instead of drawing, or making a 'log' of sorts, she started to journal. Both what her mind told her was the truth, and the actual truth which Vara'l, Tarsek, Mavna, Seiyya reminded her of. She instead of typing elected to use her fingers and draw the actual words. Typing it just... Didn't feel the same. If she was going to make the most of her down time, likely, it wasn't by crying or ruminating in fallacies which her own mind concocted. So, instead, she wrote it all out. She may have gotten the idea from a certain counselor, hint hint. Anyway, if it looked like Essen was actually drawing, she wasn't -- she was journalling. (edited)

After seeing he actually managed to help the lieutenant settle her nerves, Tarsek went to the shuttle currently connected to the cube’s power net. They better not waste the opportunity Lieutenants De-Sieth and tr’Lareth gave them with their idea. Weapons and shields could prove valuable, but they would not be of any use if they were incapacitated, or dead, by hunger and thirst. There was also the imminence of injuries. Inputting the orders, the Vulcan calculated enough rations and liquid for at least a week. He also a ordered a few sachets of an electrolyte rich powder, proper for full hydration when diluted in water. Better to be prepared in case they needed it. When it came to medical supplies, he was no expert. He approached again the doctors group. “It will be wise to replicate whatever we can now. We do not know how long we will have this power source. I have already replicated rations, but I will leave the task of medical supplies to you, doctors.” He adressed Mavna, Ato and T’She.

The hangar bay was ringing with quiet. Saren used that moment of stillness to step away for a moment, just in time for the Vulcan officer to replicate essentials; he, in the meantime, took his uniform jacket off and discarded it by the shuttle's entrance. His hair was in a bit of a disarray, he realized with a slight twinge of dissatisfaction. Unsurprising, considering how much time has passed, and the rough environment. Saren used the shiny surface of the shuttle's side as an approximation of a mirror, and used his hand to slick the hair back, and, and-- Ah. "I so don't look forward to getting older..." he uttered out, barely audible, as he let some of the strands fall to the side and break the illusion. Tarsek's exit prompted a swift straightening of his back, and the scientist let the Vulcan pass by to the medics, only to re-enter the shuttle again. By that time, he would spot Fives. "Lieutenant, are you able to give me a hand?" Saren called out, hand reaching out to the replicator to signal her what his intentions were. (edited)

Fives made her way over to Saren as she was called, a lot less chipper than she had been (obviously), but overall still doing fine enough. "Aye aye, sir," she answered, making her way into the shuttle with her gloves tucked carefully into her pocket. As much as she wanted their comforting familiarity right now, it was far too hot for that. She felt twice as vulnerable as a result. Ugh... "Want some help carrying everything out as it comes, or replicating?" She picked up one of the boxes Tarsek left behind effortlessly (hwough), balancing it on her hip to start distributing in a moment. Oh, "We should give everyone their own supplies, right? In case anyone else..." .... "Gets separated."

"That does sound like a good idea, yes..." he, too, lifted a box. Bisexual fanservice time, I guess? "After that, we should figure out what to replicate next. Batteries would be a good shout, as well as some defense measures."

After issuing the directive to the doctors in question, Tarsek came back just in time to hear the sugestion. “It is a good idea, Lieutenant.” He nodded. “However, I believe we wont be able to personally store all of the supplies. Give the officers what they can carry, but we will need to think of a way to store and protect all of the supplies that are left after the distribution. I have asked the doctors to identify what they need and replicate it as well.” Nutrient bars would be easy, but the litters of fluid might slow the group down in case they kept carrying it with them at all times. Medical supplies as well, if the doctors decided to replicate a big quantity of medicine and equipments. He then proceeded to take one of the boxes himself with ease. ~~A bissexual feast yep~~

Vara'l, when Aoife approached and telegraphed that approach as she did, angled himself slightly as he maintained his watch. Did so before he glanced back, fixed her with grey eyes that betrayed little of the turmoil that mind that struggled upon its thin island of calm experienced. "Commander." He stated by way of greeting then before eyes fixed upon the meals then her. "Tactical or security or anyone." he then called out off into the hanger to the groups closer. "Can someone please relieve me on Sentry duty for a moment?" He requested. Vara'l looked to Aoife then and murmured. "Talk and eat once relief comes." Before he added. "I suspect we both know what you are going to be asking Commander, I'd be doing the same thing."

"You got it." Five moved to start passing out rations among those still left, as well as whatever other essentials had already been put together. Easy enough, and would be over with relatively quickly!

Aoife looked around for someone to take over as sentry for a few minutes. After a sec Commander Senang arrived to take over. "Cmon, food." Aoife said as she gestured for Vara'l to join her.

"Alright, Commander." Vara'l nodded once then before he started to follow Aoife. Senang knew how to keep watch well enough. He trusted the commander would check the ceiling and the like also with the need to be prompted. Once they were in the corner, Vara'l placed his rifle to one side. He then asked. "Was I right, regarding why you wanted the chat?"

As they distributed the rations, it would make just enough time for the medical officers to replicate any needed supplies. Saren suspected that the majority of them would be the sedatives. "Shuttles will have to work for storage," not that they had any other space to store things in, really... while he wasn't sure if the drones would express any interest over their supplies, he wasn't in any particular mood to test that out.

Aoife handed him the stir-fry, it was... edible. She kept her own sandwich which really did look depressing, like it came out of an only half functional replicator. She sat down across from him and nodded. "Yeah I think you can guess." She said as she too put her rifle to one side. "Permission to speak freely?" She asked hoping to drop ranks for a brief moment so they could discuss like equals.

She sat, almost aimlessly so. Conversations and expressions blurred in her vision as her antennae began twitching. Her eyes seemingly darted across the hangar bay, staring at supplies, the shuttles, a patch of bare wall, but never settling for long. It was as if she was searching for something, something that was long gone. She doesn’t even know half of these people. They were just faces to her. Faces that blurred together. That didn’t make her feel any better. At least she wasn’t here. At least she’s back on the station. Not like then. The Andorian clutched her arm, her bones feeling tighter and colder. The air felt difficult to breathe in, the whispers getting too close for comfort. It was getting too familar.

There was a face Essen saw earlier in the mission and didn't know. As Essen continued to journal, her eyes looked up to this officer. She saved her journal entry, and looked over at the officer who was Yaveru. "Hey," Essen addressed her softly. She didn't say much else, not yet -- and she gestured for Yaveru to join her. "You need someone to talk to? I'm just guarding the doctors but I can give you some company if you want it."

Five nodded in agreement. "Keeping everything in the shuttles will have to do for now, yeah. Maybe we can find a more permanent solution later, but for now, we have at least enough to satiate us." At least they weren't teetering on the brink of starvation. She flashed Saren a small, reassuring smile, lingering by the replicator. "What else was it we needed to do, again..? Batteries, aaaand..."

Vara'l slipped down to the floor also then,phaser rifle moved into easy reach. "Yes." He confirmed then before at her question he nodded once. "Of course,nobody else is around, proceed." He then stated as he granted that permission to speak freely. Granted it as he fully expected the nature of the question that would soon be uttered.

"Batteries and shielding," he finished her thought, not smiling in return, but nodding. The peculiarities of Lareth expressions strike again. "Medical part has been covered my medical officers, we just need to wrap it all up."

"Got it." Boop boop beep boop. Replicatin' timeeee. Prioritizing the battery, just in case a shielding device Somehow wasn't possible. "That should do it?"

"It should, for now..." he wasn't unfamiliar with survival. Being born on a runaway colony just taught you certain things. "I want us to stock up on the batteries specifically."

She seemingly twitched a little when she was addressed, blinking for a second, her expression clueless. “It’s fine. I can protect myself.” She tapped her phaser. A brief, hardly enthusiastic smile flashed for a moment. It just seemed like she was lost in her own mind, as if not fully concious. Thinking without knowing what her own thoughts were. “You should stay with the doctors. They need you more than me.”

As if right on cue, the moment the batteries left the replicator, the charger stopped working. It didn't break, but it did stop working. It seemed it had finally been noticed, and shut off.

Noticing the senior officers had been relieved of sentry duty and walked to a corner, Tarsek decided to take one of the last boxes in the shuttle and went to their direction. Both to provide supplies and updates. Stepping out of the shuttle, he started to walk to where they were, a simple motion. Made not so simple by some cables and pieces lying around after the Spurge had been assembled. Not noticing his foot had gotten a little entangled, the cable in question held him mid-way. A single second of stillness in the air before gravity made itself known and Tarsek came down like a tree being cut. Gladly, he did not sustain damage, as he supported the fall with his arms, however, the sound that echoed with a loud BANG of the box also hitting the metal ground certainly broke the silence.

"Vara'l, I." She paused not exactly sure how to word this. "I heard enough of your conversation with Fives." She paused again, fixing her gaze on him, studying his facial expression with a steely and well practiced gaze. "I need to know if your command abilities are compromised." Aoife heard Tarsek fall over and shot him a glance that said 'give us two seconds of privacy or I swear I'll scream.'

"Yeah, there's only so much power I've got left before I—" Oh. The charger shut off. Not good. Not good at all. " Become useless," she finished, flexing mechanical fingers. " Damn it... At least we got as many supplies as we could? "

"Ah! Seems our leeching has been noticed," how the hell was he stating that so calmly? "We've got a good haul. Now what really matters is using it all smartly."

Essen wasn't the only one who was hopeless like this, far from it, although it was a somber thing to hear someone else echo that. "Hey, that's alright," Essen replied to Yaveru. "Just know I'll be here for you if you need someone--" BANG! Tarsek's box hit the ground. Essen flinched and looked in the direction of the noise -- thankfully it seemed Tarsek wasn't injured. She let out a sigh of relief.

"We can always try exploring and see if we can pull power from somewhere else, but I'm worried whatever we cut into will go into what we have left of life support." She pulled on her backpack with her own portion of supplies, frowning. " Or if there are any other ways we can save on supplies... "

"Speaking of that... I've wanted to pull up a fleet archive and see if there is anything useful for us in regards of Borg cubes," Saren briefly gestured, as if holding an invisible PADD. "I want to know how this thing works and ticks."

Expectation of the question somewhat shielded him from those claws of guilt again. Face blank as she informed him she had overheard. Was about to answer before the bang resounded out and instinct snatched up the rifle as he turned. Turned and looked around him then focused on Tarsek for a moment. "Lieutenant Commander, you okay?" He asked then as he returned to his sat down position and placed the phaser rifle back next to him.

"I'm sure there are plenty in the archives," she agreed, nodding. "We just have to be careful about how else we use what we have left of the shuttle power. I don't think that'll take too much out of it, thankfully..."

Her arms moved on their own. Before she knew it she was pointing her phaser at the shuttle, at a fellow officer. Her whole body seemed to just… stop for a moment. She couldn’t help it. She couldn’t move. After what felt like a century, her arm fell limply to her side, her breathing shallow and short. “Sorry.” She muttered, not sure who she was apologizing to.

Seeing that Tarsek falling over had grabbed Vara'ls attention she attempted to gently redirect his attention to her question before talking to Tarsek. "Vara'l?" She posed gently, hoping to get something out of him. Even a non answer would be helpful in determining his state of mind. Her stelly gaze pierced as she almost looked into his soul.

As he was more focused on getting back on his feet and reorganizing the supplies back into the box, the Vulcan did not notice Aoife’s glare, nor its warning. After dusting off and with the box back in hands, he heard the question. “Yes commander, I have not sustained injury.” He did not comment, but he had noticed Vara’l had readied his riffle before seeing it was just an accident.

Vara'l turned to look at her then once he had settled down,food clutched one handed. "No." He responded then before he looked to Tarsek briefly then turned to Aoife. "N-" The rest was snapped off unstated before he turned to look to Tarsek. "I am happy to hear that Commander, are you looking to speak to myself or Commander O'Rielly?" He inquired.

"If you need quiet company while I do that, you can join me," he wasn't going to offer Fives to go through the archives as well. Saren had the annoying habit of seeing and noticing things going on around him, and Vara'l's behavior nor the way Fives acted some days ago, didn't slip past him. No need to make her feel obligated and expose herself to things that are clearly traumatic. Saren would not feel all too peachy himself if he was going through Tal Shiar related documents. "I can also lend an ear if you need to get something off of your chest."

'No?' Aoife wondered to herself. Her brow momentarily furrowed at his answer, not satisfied with his brevity, but it was an answer at least. She looked to Tarsek then back to Vara'l after he had began to speak for a second time before abruptly stopping. Vara'l clearly had more to say to her so she decided to bide her time and hope Tarsek would pick up on the vibe of the conversation as a private one.

"I don't have anything I want to say, really," she admitted sheepishly, but was more than grateful for the moment of quiet offered. Five shrugged, wiping sweat off her brow. In truth, she'd become more accustomed to the space around them as time went forward. Almost like she was slipping back into routine. "I'm not doing fantastic, I'll admit that much, but I'll be alright. We all will, soon enough... Let's just focus on seeing what we can find, for now. Thank you. "

Tarsek nodded and started with his update. He seemed strangely collected for someone who just basically face planted themselves into the floor. But again, when was he not collected? “Sir, while you were on watch, the group managed to replicate enough supplies for 7 days. We are distributing what can be carried of the rations and water. The rest will be stored in one of the shuttles. Medical team has also replicated what they needed and engineering managed to store batteries as well. I came to give you both your share.” He was brief and objective. He did pic a while ago that Vara’ls recent conversations were mostly of private nature and he had no intention to intrude, death glare from Aoife or not. “I can leave the box, commander.” He started to put it down next to the two of them.

"That's good to hear, thank you commander." He responded initially before glanced to the box and then to Tarsek as he stated. "If that's okay, Commander, it would be appreciated." Before he added. "Thank you."

He just nodded again, but at the same time the Romulan gave Fives a Look. "I understand. I'll be by the shuttle, then." Okay! Step one - getting a PADD and seeing if it can access the libraries. If it does, step two would entail scrolling through and scoping out what is available.

Aoife looked to Vara'l once again with a look that said. 'I know you have more to say' before turning to Tarsek. "Yes thank you Commander. The supplies will do some good for us all."

There was some information on the Borg in the shuttle's library, though from most of the information on drones, it seemed that whatever their current opponent was, it wasn't normal, maybe even never seen before. It offered no explanation for why it was the way that it was. At least there was information on what they could likely expect of Maggie, once she was fully assimilated. On the vessel though, it was a lot more helpful. Based on diagrams, descriptions, and images of other Borg vessels, it seemed incredibly obvious that this cube was indeed run down and in a state of unimaginable disrepair, compared to every other vessel ever encountered. There were diagrams of propulsion nodes, tactical nodes, shield nodes, communication nodes, of assimilation chambers and regeneration alcoves and all sorts of modules and consoles that made up the crevices of the vessel. There were translations for certain pieces of Borg script, and guides on how to operate consoles. And there was information here about something called the "Vinculum". Hidden deep in the inner parts of the vessel, there would be one copy of the node that connected all Borg drones with one another, and with the rest of the collective. It allowed information to be freely shared between cubes over great distances. This was the only part of the vessel of which there was only one. There was no information on how to access it, or how to get there.

"... Good call on the archives, sir," was all Five could really manage, a little breathlessly. This was going to be something massively useful. "Endlessly thankful for the reclamation project for helping us access all this kind of information..."

Well call him the archivist, or something like that. Saren decided to re-read and compile all of this information into notes.

Vara'l fixed Aoife with a brief look that both confirmed that and past that betrayed little. Betrayed utterly little as he waited for Tarsek to put the box down and to leave. Waited, not wanting to damage morale more than part of him whispered he had. Waited sat there with the sad looking stir fry as he devoted mental effort again to the task of ensuring he stayed here. Stayed in the cube, not in the corridor. Continued to try as he promise, even as he noted that given all that had occurred, he might deteriorate further if-no he couldn't think that way- when, the Eventide returned and they were rescued. Noted that as the clawed at calm of his mind, of the conscious self struggled and considered. Fought and considered, work a shield grasped at as he allowed his mind into Tactics and strategy, into what duty here demanded of him as he waited for Tarsek to leave and/or Aoife to speak once more. Considered how to address a enemy like they faced here, with the data-gathering advantages it possessed, with the knowledge it had assimilated by now from Maggie. Considered that, dwelt briefly on what it happened to now know if it hadn't before. That it knew who the senior officers were, had whatever snatched pieces of strategy Maggie had overheard. Its tactical advantage against the away team had deepened further, expecially as.. Maggie was still Maggie at least that would be how she looked to the others. A inefficiency of emotion, as the Borg regarded it he suspected, that might be utilized by the odd drone.

Tarsek left quickly after setting down the box. There were other things to tend to. “Whatever you cannot carry with yourselves, bring back to the shuttle, please.” Was his only remark.

Vara'ls expression betrayed frustratingly little for Aoife to work with, apart from the fact that he was clearly trying very very hard to keep his stony expression going. Once Tarsek turned to leave she spoke again in a hushed tone. "You had more to say." Aoife was not asking Vara'l, she was stating fact. She knew there was more going on inside his head, demons that needed to be excised.

"We will, thank you commander. " The xB responded then before th-he turned his gaze on Aoife. Focused on them, idly ignored the signs that indicated he needed more sleep, indicated he needed a aid that wasn't safely accessible for the xB here. That data remained less relevant at present, given the conversation and given it wasn't something he could have affected any solution too now. Other things had been and remained more pertinent at present. "I'm functional and my command ability isn't presently compromised." Vara'l responded simply and in a hushed tone then before he added. "Whether w-I remain so, i-once we get off the cube, I can't say for sure, but that's not pertinent." The xB observed simply then as he fixed the other with those grey eyes that betrayed little. Concealed the mind that murmured how it still wasn't fully sure the name of the man who he was not entirely wasn't fully his. Felt that way at least. That struggled with that as emotions roiled once more about the edges of a island calm mental present those hands had pulled him onto. Pulled him back to the present, out of that corridor that belong to a placed lost to memory to the IRW Arrenhe. "But, my command ability is not currently compromised, should it become that way prior to returning to Eventide." He paused then. "I trust you're aware of chain of command and command succession." His jaw worked a bit then before he admitted. "I'll admit, I'm a tad concerned at present." He paused. "Concerned about the drone's growing intelligence data advantage though, it'll know our command structure now and Lieutenant Roodes former place within it pre-assimilation." Vara'l trailed off then and huffed. "It may have sufficient data, should it be a Tactical drone, to seek to further disrupt away team cohesion."

If she was able to not use as much battery, Essen could continue journaling. So, she opened her PADD again, and began writing. But instead of writing about her own feelings... She began writing about everyone around her. How scared everyone else seemed. How at a loss of hope everyone was. Essen saw Vara'l and Aoife out of the corner of her eye; as she was farther away, she couldn't hear their conversation. But she could definitely still see them both. And she noticed just... How different Vara'l seemed to her. Maybe she was wrong. But she wrote it down. What was Vara'l thinking? How was he feeling, in addition to what he told her? Same with Aoife -- was Aoife doing okay? Or was she feeling scared too? She made predictions, and wrote them down. The conversation they had was lost on Essen given she didn't hear it, plus it wasn't hers to hear, so she didn't glance at them for too long. She only wrote down what she thought Vara'l and Aoife were feeling. What sort of pressure they were under. How much pain they could be in. divider

18:02

Then she switched over to others like Five, Saren and Serin, and Senang. They must have had just as much pressure, Essen wrote down. But judging from the fact that they could replicate supplies, their intelligence and quick critical thought allowed the team to extend their resources. And she admired them for it. How everyone just continued to work like clockwork, at least to her, despite sleep deprivation and fleeting morale, not to mention the doctors! Mavna, Ato, T'She, Lekraan! She complimented each of them in her journal, writing down the wins each of them had, at least, those that she was aware of. The team was making progress -- despite all of the fleeting morale, progress was being made. And Essen had such a strong respect for each and every member of the team. She wrote it down, all of it, before she saved the entry. Things were going to be okay, genuinely. (edited)

Aoife listened intently to Vara'l letting him finish his entire train of thought before speaking again. She was, for the moment, satisfied that he was there in the here and now and in the headspace to command. Whether he or any of them stayed that way was still uncertain. The longer they stayed there the worse people's mental states would deteriorate, she was already feeling the effects herself. A Borg cube was slowly but surely rising in the rankings of her nightmares. The longer she stayed on the cube she worried her reality would become even worse than her dreams. Cestus III nearly broke her, yet the cube had a way about it that was even worse. It's unfeeling nature got under her skin, at least Klingons had a passion to them and there was feeling to their actions. This was cold, analytical, monolithic in it's casual barbarity which made her feel like an ant facing off an exterminator. Vara'l mentioning chain of command and succession brought her back to the here and now. If the drone knew he was in charge and then things got messy after that it would make Vara'l it's main target. Her intelligence mindset turned back on when she spoke. "It can't get it's hands, claws, nano probes or whatever into you." She stated flatley, saying out loud what the two already knew. "You're command codes and inside knowledge can't be compromised..." Aoife trailed off as she realised the value of the information in her own mind, analysis, strategic reviews of Starfleet's posture in the region, where their defence was weakest and their enemies strongest. "Neither can mine, my security clearance means I know far too much actionable information for the drone to get." Aoife said as her gaze went to their rifles, wordlessly communicating what had to be done if either of them were compromised...

After Ato and Vesta had let her actually get up (which was much later than she would’ve preferred, but she wasn’t in much of a mood to argue), Mavna had busied herself by restocking the medkits that the group had access to with the supplies that had been replicated. Hers, T’She’s, Lekraan’s, Ato’s, Vesta’s…anyone else’s. There was a little staging ground she’d set up on the floor where she’d organized all of the supplies. She was running through a list of supplies on her PADD like a checklist, making sure everything was where it should be and that they were prepared for whatever the cube was gonna throw at them next. Well, admittedly, as prepared as they were gonna be. A medkit can’t stop assimilation, that much was clear. She stared at a hypo of sedatives in her hand, twisting it to get a good look at it before putting it into one of the medkits. She lingered for a few moments before getting back to work.

When Aoife mentioned that, stated what was in every way fact even if his codes might well have been suspended if things had proceeded smoothly, Vara'l nodded slightly. "Though its likely command codes will have been suspended, if everything's proceeded correctly.." The xb started then before he inhaled then exhaled slightly. "You're right, we've both played too much of a hand in the organisation of the defence here." He paused them glanced to Saren. "Though I suspect Lieutenant tr'Lareth could...keep on." His eyes followed hers to the rifles. "I hope it'll not come to that but." Grey eyes flicked back to her. "Aoife, I keep a PADD a letter in it and a number of files in my desk drawer, If something happens I trust you and a friend of mine Elohae." The Romulan lapsed into silence for a moment then. "You take my meaning?" With that, Vara'l then moved onto work stuff. "..A thought, on lighter things. " He paused and inquired. "Think the shuttle sensors might be able to pick up drone plating and energy sources?" Before he added. "It slipped through our sensor perimeter utilizing manipulators so as to not trigger proximity alarms as at the time we were life sign scanning." Grey eyes flicked to the door and the sentries on guard then. "If we'd more powerful sensors plugging that gap, we'd have a strong point to range out from and fall back too as needed, it'd still have eyes on us but well." He huffed then. "One thing at a time."

"Well, this is peculiar..." he murmured, putting that last dot down. Before standing up and addressing the others, however, he lifted his gaze to look at Fives: "Do you know what a "Vinculum" is, sir?.."

Five sucked in a breath, exhaling it through puffed-out cheeks. "Her beating heart. Cut it off, cut the drones off from the collective, including each other. It's bound to be the most heavily guarded, dangerous point on the whole cube." It would be a piece of work even if the one drone on board wasn't hopped up on steroids, but, hey.

"Of course it is," he didn't seem to be surprised by that information, not in the slightest. "And there is no information on where it is, or how it operates. There is an array of schematics pertaining to the cube itself, though..." With a small sigh, the Romulan stood up, PADD still in hand, before looking left and right, trying to figure out what was going on in the camp. How many were capable of listening, right now.

"It might be down in her depths. Maintenance tunnels, things to that like," she murmured, though stopped when Saren got up to go, moving to follow!

Being Deaf, Vesta was in fact incapable of listening. She could read what was being said though her visor though.

Mavna was still restocking things, but she could listen while in the process. (edited)

In one hand, Paco saw that Aoife and Vara'l were having a private moment as probably the two people in command over the away team; best not to bother them, he thought. An the other hand he looked over to the others to see how they were doing and, for the most part, he had also been organizing the supplies or whatever task he could help around with. He wished he could've been more helpful though. After a while, Paco went off just take some time to take a break by himself and pray to the Prophets. Not only to get back home and hope their counter parts in 777 and Eventide come up with something miraculous, but just to simply live at this point. His hands trembled slightly from the ordeal he and the rest of the away team had gone through thus far, the fire fights, Maggie's assimilation, the sight of One of All. As much as he would like to just find a way to escape the damned cube right now, Paco knew there was a reason why it's here and they must figure it out. They're Starfleet after all. The young Anthropologist took a deep breath, prayed for guidance and protection, and sighed. "Just another day in hell...." He quietly remarked to himself before heading back to the others in the camp. He was all ears to listen to anything that can give some hope. "Hello" He greeted Vesta in sign with a smile. "How're you holding up?"

Vesta was somewhat surprised that Paco was addressing her, they were on the same count team before everything went from bad to worse, but they hadn’t really talked then or since. Well, if nothing else they used sign language when conversing with her, and she found that a really nice gesture. “As well as I can,” She signed back, with a small sigh. “You?”

Aoife looked a bit stunned when Vara'l told her about the PADD. She wasn't expecting so much trust from Vara'l, she appreciated that he was showing her a lot of trust. "PADD, desk drawer." She said before repeating it once or twice to burn its location into her mind. When Vara'l mentioned the Shuttles she nodded along. "Yes that could work but the power won't last forever, even minimal sensors will be power hungry." She said while thinking. "Maybe one of the engineers can think up a way to lessen their power impact?" Aoife stated as she stood up and took a bite out of the sandwich, it was disconcertingly stale and soggy at the same time, but beggars couldn't be choosers. She continued to much on it rather quickly when she realised how hungry she actually was.

Dr. Hopeful was also standing off to the side, helping Mavna replicate med supplies, and listening intently to whatever plan was being made.

"Can I get your attention for a moment, please?" he raised his voice, just a tad bit, so that it could be heard in their small camp - and read, too, as he briefly glanced at Vesta. "I've searched through the available archives, and have gathered some information on the Borg and the cube itself."

The doctor stood from where she was crouched, having been counting through how much IV fluid they still had before Saren raised his voice. She moved over to where Ato was stood, folding her arms over her chest and giving the science officer an intrigued look, “What all did you find?”

The Vulcan, journaling at the moment, quickly saved her journal entry as she heard Saren raise his voice. Putting her PADD away, she looked up to him, eager to hear the progress.

Ato pulled his eyes away from the medical supplies he’d been sorting, meeting Mavna’s for a moment before gazing at Saren. He raised a curious eyebrow, his antennae bobbing toward the young Romulan curiously while he waited for Saren to say more.

"Around the same to be honest Maybe a bit worse off, but I think I can handle it for another day or two" Paco signed back. "If I have to be honest... this is the first time I've been on a borg cube... wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Under other circumstances of not this cube, though still scary as hell, would've kinda cool in some twisted sense." Paco admitted to Vesta before looking over to Saren and listening in.

"The drones themselves, first. First, I haven't found any records of similar drones as to one we've witnessed here, which makes me think that we can call our case a unique one," his slender fingers briefly rap-tapped against the PADD's back. "But on the bright side, the information provided here can potentially help us deal with Maggie's case. I have written out the specific paragraphs, that I encourage everyone to read and familiarize yourselves with." "Next, the cube itself. This archive has provided a vast array of schematics, which anyone can familiarize themselves with. There is also Borg script translations, or at least partial ones, which can help the rest of us with console operations," he briefly paused, likely to take a breath. "The most interesting part, however, is the mention of "Vinculum". From what I've gathered and what Lieutenant Five of Eight has reaffirmed, it is the core of this cube, responsible for it's utmost important functions - and, namely, it's the... thing, that connects the drones together. The downside is that no information on it's location is available, and even if we knew where to look, it would be protected - probably by the cube itself, and also our octopedal friend."

Mavna was eager to give the paragraphs a few reads the moment the implication that they could help Maggie out while they’re stuck here. Her gaze bounced over to Ato for a moment before returning to Saren as he continued, and she let out a hum, “So we’d nnnneed…a team to head out and try to find it?”

This was a unique case? And the information provided COULD potentially help them deal with Maggie's case! Vinculum... The core, and what held the drones together. "Cut off the snake's head and the whole thing goes down," Essen mused. "Although that's not going to be simple given the Vinculum is protected." Then Essen heard what Mavna said. "And whoever finds it and gets past the defenses, disables the Vinculum?"

"We still don't have a full map the cube, right?" Paco asked out of curiosity, reading through the paragraphs about the Vinculum and console operations. "So we still need to find consoles in order to expand what we know and where to go."

"We need to look for signs of something being well-protected. Higher energy usage, more shields, that borg hanging out there more often... You know, all those sorts of things. The best thing to steal in a burglary is probably the thing locked up tight in a safe, after all." He was fiddling with some metal parts in his hands, though it was unclear for what purpose. Stimming? Fixing something? (edited)

"All the while the drone and probably Maggie are watching all of us," Essen added to Serin.

"That transmogrified octopus is a strange one. Why does it simply not attack all the time? We must either have the advantage of numbers or it doesn't want to leave the vinculum alone. Or, perhaps, it needs to repair and recharge somewhere. Maybe a mix of all factors." As he rambled, he gestured with the metal piece.

Huh... A repair and recharge point. "That could be something," Essen said. "We somehow cause it to move to that point, leaves the Vinculum wide open aside from other protective measures. Are you suggesting a distraction of some sort?"

"We've already discovered the alcoves," Five mentioned. "That's what they're there for, to regenerate."

He laughed. "I was suggesting nothing, merely making observations. Do with my ramblings what you wish!"

Vara'l nodded slightly at what Aoife stated. "True and perhaps." He'd agreed then as he munched on the sad stir fry then continued. Continued as he surrendered in part to one of the demands of his body that could be fulfilled. "It's worth looking into." When Saren called out as they did, Vara'l turned his focus first to the sentry at the door, to confirm that their attention remained upon keeping watch. Once he confirmed that was the case, he had turned his focus to Saren. Listened as they spoke and conversed with others and tensed at the mention of the Vinculum. Though he didn't speak loudly, as he wanted to eat and needed the time, Vara'l eventually spoke to Aoife again in hushed tones. "They're right related to the Vinculum." Paused then before he added. "It sounds like a conversation we should head over and join in on, if we're going to be locating then breaking through to it."

"Did my eyes deceive me, or did one of the appendages, ah-- crawl around on it's own, before grabbing Maggie?" listen, he could be seeing shit. Just making sure he didn't.

"The ones we found didn't appear to be in use, though. Upkept, yes, but I don't know if the drone actually uses them at all, which calls into question just where they're resting... " she added, also, frowning. "Yeah, it did. That's how it slipped past us undetected, I'll bet. "

Oh yeah... The arm crawling around on its own... "I'm guessing, then, Five," Essen mused. "The drone could see right past the distraction if it's able to have arms that move on their own, like being in two places at once. Or is there something we could do to gain its full attention?"

Aoife nodded when Vara'l mentioned Sarens speech. "Yes, let's join them. Any new information is a good thing." She concurred before standing up and grabbing her rifle again. She held out her hand to help Vara'l up, if he wanted.

"Fascinating," he murmured under his breath. What? It was! "As for the Vinculum - it would be a fantastic win to find it and deactivate it, but the issue of not knowing where it's located, as well as how it looks like, and the heightened security measures... it is proving to be a hard task." He briefly glanced at Fives, then Vara'l: "Do even the drones know where it is located?.. Feels like a well kept secret, rather than a mere section of the cube. "

"It has to go under routine maintenance like the rest of the ship, otherwise it would wear away and sever the connection like that node we found," Five mused, inclining her head to one side as she thought. "It could be what the drone is focusing on, letting other things degrade in the process. And they could be trying to assimilate more people to get the cube back in shape. So... Likely?"

"If only our buddy would be so kind to show us the location," he sighed half-heartedly.

"Unfortunately, I am a little out of touch with my borg mating dance," she joked, sighing wistfully.

"Hm, that part was not mentioned in the archives," now you're just being an ass, Lareth.

As Essen listened to both Saren and Five, things started to click. "Since we don't know the location of the Vinculum, like you say, Lieutenant tr'Lareth," Essen said. "What steps can we take to find it? Besides searching for it on foot. If we are able to distract the drone, and use all of it focus just like Five said, the drone's focus could degrade on other things, some of us could bait the drone while the rest of us head for the Vinculum. It may be too risky, though, to have the searching team not have the location of the Vinculum -- or its defense systems -- yet." (edited)

He laughed at Five's joke. Considering the circumstances, the man appeared to be in high spirits. "I'd like to access a console. Look at the sensor data. If the cube can track us, it probably knows where that borg is. I'd like to follow its movement history, see what areas it likes to hang about in the most, other than where we are when it's attacking us." (edited)

Everyone laughing at her little joke made her feel a little lighter. Yay :-) "Don't forget, Roode is under the collective now. The drone isn't acting alone anymore, they can very easily be in two places at once," she pointed out.

Vara'l grabbed his own rifle as he wolfed down the rest of his food and accepted the hand up. "Aye, though we'll still be dealing with this all with a intelligence gathering disadvantage, even if we work out a way to use shuttles sensors to secure this as a base camp during our searches." The Romulan mused then as he was helped up and looked over there. "If only we could cut its access." As they headed off toward Saren and co, Vara'l noted the glance in his direction. Given they'd located somewhere somewhat private and had started their walk there, he'd not heard everything of what had been asked but he'd heard enough. He even moved to respond to it, before Five and Saren said what they said and he only partially suppressed a grimly amused chuckle. "We've got a reasonably well secured base camp here, if we can establish something to help us detect the manipulator arms as well as the actual drone." Vara'l started then. "Sensor data access would really level the playing field, even if it's movement history doesn't give all we need, its a piece of the puzzle." Vara'l nodded then at Fives pointing out what she pointed out. "That's true, also the drone may well have access to all of their knowledge related to us too, which is something that needs to be considered." The Romulan pointed out then carefully.

"Two places at once," Essen mused at Five's point. "Roode and the drone being at two places at once." Then she realized something. "Well... They may be able to be in two places at once... But they can't be in three at once."

“Unless they assimilate another person.” Vesta pointed out to Essen and the group as a whole. “It grabbed her and took her away, but maybe it can only do that once the assimilation has fully taken hold.”

"Exactly," Essen replied to Vesta. "Plus the doctors have sedatives we just replicated. So there's a way to keep anyone who's assimilated sedated."

"...keep them in one of the shuttles?" Paco suggested, there were 3 of them afterall, but he was sure that wouldn't be a good idea either.

"Can the shuttles be, uh..." how does he say this and not sound stupid? "Affected by a drone? There's also the risk of a fresh drone's friends coming in and breaking them out."

"If Kinaen was anything to go off of, tech can be corrupted by Borg, yes." Hopefully this one wouldn't become sentient, though. Five exhaled, fiddling with her fingers. "They do have a nasty habit of co-opting vessels."

"True, and even if we could get those shuttles in the air, the Borg likely could still take control of them remotely," Essen mused with Five and Saren.

"Kinaen... yes, true," not the GM of the White Whale events fucking forgetting about Kinaen. I'm so sorry, my baby. Jesus Romulan Christ. "Unfortunately we don't have any tech that could encapsule the drone and hold it in a temporary brig."

"I figured just as much, but what if we... not scuttle, i dunno a better term, but strip one of the shuttles to be non-functional?" Paco suggested, looking around for other possible solutions.

"... It'll take quite a while to do that in a way that doesn't end in explosion," Five answered, looking around for any other engineer-aligned folks. Was it just her? Damn. "But I guess I can try?"

Vara'l nodded a bit at Saren's question. "Speaking from experience, Borg can corrupt technology in largely the same way as they assimilate people." The CTO confirmed then before he lapsed into a brief silence then looked to Essen then. "I'm not entirely sure if they could breach the shuttles remotely, that's not my specialism, though I'd not post a electronic attack past the collective." Vara'l then looked to Paco then back to Five as he listened to what was being discussed there. This wasn't something he happened to be experienced in so, he listened instead of putting a verbal foot in it.

"You're thinking of using a shuttle as a cage, Paco?" Essen asked to be on the same page as Paco. "If we get the Borg inside it, if it's not functional, the Borg might not be able to do anything to get it back up and running." Before she turned to Vara'l. "If the remote access to the shuttle is a factor, perhaps... If we can commandeer one without the Borg being able to do so, we use one of the shuttles to take a look from the outside and find the Vinculum." (edited)

“How would we lure the drone inside of the shuttle?” Vesta pointed out. “It doesn’t seem very confrontational. My only idea would to to use somebody as bait, but it’s had plenty of of opportunities to assimilate us, and it only tried once when I got Maggie.”

"........what the fuck?" Paco stared at Essen blankly. This is one of the few rare times Paco used a swear word "No.... I-... I'm saying we can use the shuttle as a quarantine room... for if anyone else gets assimilated...."

"If we try take a shuttle outside, the drone will likely use a tactical node and destroy it, Lieutenant." The Romulan proceeded to say then. "I'm not confident in its long term survival chances at all." Vara'l concluded then as he watched her. "I'd personally argue we'd find better use in their sensors trying to maintain a perimeter in here alongside a tricorder peremiter to have a secure base camp to retreat to and push out from and to store supplies we can't carry."

A head tilt and a Vulcan raised eyebrow. Paco did have a point. "Or a quarantine room for anyone who is assimilated," Essen mused.

"A quarantine room... sounds like a logical enough idea, that way we can minimise potential assimilation." T'She said with a nod, agreeing with Paco.

"Having one of them for that purpose does seem appealing." He nodded slightly then before. "The Lieutenant has a point there, though shuttle sensors assisting with keeping a peremiter in here, would also be highly valuable alongside that." Vara'l once again stated then.

“I would suggest we disconect the shuttle that was connected to the borg power completely, as it is no longer functional, and do the modifications on it. We have already exhausted its power with the replicators. That way we save the other two shuttles for sensors and storage.” Tarsek said. (edited)

Essen nodded to Vara'l. "Aye, sir, makes sense," Essen replied. As Vara'l mentioned the sensors inside... She got an idea. "Sir... The mention of sensors gives me an idea. All the while, this drone. It's been watching us. Studying us. If it's in our capabilities, maybe we should study it. Not only where it goes, but when, and how fast." As she took a moment. "If we understand its habits, we can better predict how it would react when trying to search for the Vinculum. This watching game doesn't have to be on the drone's side alone. If sensors aren't an option, somehow we should be studying it back, so we can better prepare. If we do end up using some sort of bait or distraction, we'll know exactly what it is drawn to the most." (edited)

"We can't get the shuttle outside of the cube. They control access to the hangar," Five said, shaking her head. "We're stuck in here until we're rescued, unfortunately. But — while I like your plan, Lieutenant, the problem is that the Borg don't particularly process the same things we do. They are strong, and they are clever, but their priority is always to assimilate as many as possible into the collective, and to protect their hive."

”We may not be able to get the shuttles out, but that does not render the sensors useless. In fact, we can still use them inside the cube and extend our reach beyond our tricoder’s capabilities.” He then commented. “We are not being blocked inside the cube, the sensors should work.”

A head tilt and another strangely Vulcan eyebrow raise. "Ah, good point," Essen replied to Five. "Priority-- priority. That stands out to me. Priority. Their priority is to assimilate and protect their hive. That... That could be something we could use against the drone. If its sole focus is protecting the hive and assimilating others." As she looked at Five. "Would a Borg drone drop everything they're doing if it meant they could assimilate someone?" Essen asked Five.

".. No, not really. They still act in the way of the preservation of their collective, and most certainly the Vinculum." Rip. Good shot though.

"If the sensors on the shuttle are more powerful than those of tricorders, my thought with them is in essence." He paused then as he considered the Lieutenant Commander and Essen. "Can they detect the plating of a drone and the power sources within a drone and its manipulator arms that they retain from the Alcove between regenerations." Vara'l explained then. "It'd assist the tricorder scans in helping us keep bay secure from the drones."

A somber head shake. "They really are that smart," Essen lamented. "I guess I'm resorting to the mind games aspect of it. But the drone can out-think all of us. I felt like we could play those same mind games back and catch it off-guard." As she listened to Vara'l, she nodded in understanding -- that potentially could work! (edited)

"Huh... why didn't I think of that." Paco said to Taesek's idea. "We can also possibly use the shuttle sensors to path us a way to the Vinculum, though I'm not sure how far we would get."

"I don't know about sensors really. Using the shuttle's sensors seems like a plausible idea, though. Regardless," he glanced at Mavna and then back to the group. "When we decide to send a search party, I'll go. I feel ok, despite being a little tired. I can run quickly, so maybe even though that thing was freakishly fast I could keep up? At least, slightly better than folks with shorter legs."

Mavna…grimaced at the idea of Ato heading out, but she had to admit that a medical officer going along would make sense. She was in no position to be in a search party, having just been sedated and having put herself in charge of the medical team, more or less. She took in a breath, “I can help with quarantine measures. I have some experience with them from my previous posting.”

Essen nodded with Ato. "Guard the doctor, CTO's orders," Essen offered. "Unless I'm needed somewhere else, I can keep you safe." Until then she got another idea. "I mean... It may be obvious to say this. But if the Vinculum is as highly protected, it's a weak point. Everything in the universe has at least one weakness. Think about it: the drone played upon our weakness: Maggie's concussion." As she looked to Five and Vara'l. "Sirs, do you think... That there could be any other weak points that we could target? Not necessarily with weapons. But something to either slow the drone down to buy us some time, or scare it -- if it even can be scared?"

"Well, it..." Five exhaled, leaning forward as she thought. "It doesn't work that way. The vinculum is the core of this sector of the collective, and everything around it is built to protect it. You can switch out as many pieces of the cube itself as you like — they are all sealed off independently— as long as the heart is intact. The vinculum is all that matters."

Another lamented head tilt. "So it really isn't a weak point how someone might think of a weak point," Essen mused in realization. "The Borg planned for that in making the pieces of the cube independently sealed. Backup plans to their backup plans." As Essen pointed slightly to Serin. "Like Serin said, what we do have on the drone and Maggie is numbers, although that will change drastically if the drone or Maggie assimilate any more of us. Shuttle sensors may be the best thing we can use as an immediate action. Right now there are too many unknowns. Where the Vinculum is, the methods the drone and the cube would use to protect it aside from assimilation, how many layers of protection." (edited)

"I agree, we can risk a bit of power for a scan. Searching for excess power consumption, as was suggested," Five nodded. " I don't think we'll know just what we're up against until we get there."

Conscious his idea may have been obscured in the noise and what Essen kept on saying, Vara'l nodded a bit and then spoke again. "You're correct about the unknowns and the Sensors do present some options for use that may be valuable to us." He paused for a moment. "Try and map a bit toward the Vinculum as stated with one shuttle, use another to help reinforce our perimeter here and then have the third converted for quarantine use." He mused before, at what Five said, Vara'l looked thoughtful and proceeded to query. "With doing either or both of the sensor ideas, if we utilize the sensors, is there any way we can in essence try to reduce that power draw somewhat to give us more time with the sensors?"

"We can't reduce any power draw to the vinculum unless we access its power banks directly, I imagine, which may be twice as difficult as accessing the vinculum itself." She shook her head. "The best thing we can do is scan, prep for the journey, and hope for the best."

"Hey, sir," Essen asked Vara'l. "I think I heard you ask about something with the scanners to help us keep the drones away from base camp? Can you please elaborate a little more?" (edited)

Vara'l reckoned then he'd been miss-understood and clarified as Five said what they said. "To clarify, I'm wondering if there's a way to reduce the power strain on the shuttle scanning to give us more time to scan to map for the journey." The Romulan clarified then before he continued on to say. "As to the other idea." He paused then as his jaw worked a bit, a battle still fought in a mind that was exhausted and still struggled. "I'm conscious that we might be here for some more time and was wondering about including one of the shuttles sensors into detecting things life-sign scans won't detect." The Romulan continued then before he'd elaborated, struggled with the words a bit as he did. "Its not something I'm familiar with fully, but if we can detect the metal of the drone and whatever power storage it has for maintaining the energy it gets from regeneration we-" Vara'l swallowed then. That Stir fry had been filling but wouldn't be something he recommended to anyone who wasn't hungry. "Might be able to detect and more actively prevent another attempt by the drones to get manipulator arms in." He briefly paused then quickly added. "That is if that's something the shuttle sensors can detect."

"Analogously, do you think the shuttle scanners could pick up nanoprobes, if Maggie or any one of us who is assimilated tries to get into base camp?" Essen asked Vara'l.

"I'd assume medical scanners would be best for that." The Romulan responded at the question. "I'm not thinking scanning too far a-field with permiter scanning with a shuttle." He continued. "I'm thinking trying to in essence detect if something enters here that isn't alive or Starfleet." Vara'l silently bemoaned the mess his mind was in then, mourned the lost calm as he struggled and continued to try. Continued to speak again after a brief pause as his jaw worked. "This is, through the metal moving and power sources or some such thing.."

As she nodded, and took in Vara'l's ideas. "Ohhhh for the metal arms we didn't detect previously," Essen got the picture. "Maybe then if we could redirect some power from the quarantine shuttle into the base camp's scanner shuttle, and use it as a sort of a control center which looks out with both the shuttle scanners and medical scanners. That takes care of the drone, Maggie, and the metal arms."

Ato listened as everyone discussed possible strategies to both find and disable the Vinculum. "Vinculum is an interesting word," he mused aloud, not really with the intention of commanding attention like Saren had done earlier. Mostly just...thinking. "Was that a translation? Or is it what the Borg actually call it? Because, in the body, a vinculum is a connective tissue in fingers and toes... it connects tendons to the phalange bones. It's a very tactile thing." He looked to Mavna and T'She. "Maybe this Borg vinculum is similar? Maybe the drones function as the fingers in this metaphor..." Was he onto something? "Severing a humanoid vinculum disables the use of that phalange, which we already plan to do if we can find where it's located. But maybe we can work backwards to find the vinculum by following the phalange... If there is a way to track this...superdrone? Then maybe we can find some sort of...repeating power signature or something - whatever is connecting them to the Vinculum." He was really going now, looking back and forth between T'She and Mavna, sometimes glancing at the greater group. "I don't suppose we have data on how the Vinculum is connected to the drone, just that it is? How they are engaging back and forth, how it connects the drone to the rest of the collective and the cube's systems?" These were not rhetorical questions, but he didn't expect there were good answers either.

"Like I said earlier: I'd like to see if I can use a console to access the cube's sensors. Look at the Borg movement history, look at energy distribution, etcetera. Might have to hack it or something like that, though." Admittedly, not his best skill. He was an engineer, not an intelligence operative. Sure, he could have a go, but it would be difficult, especially considering he wasn't familiar with Borg systems. "Might have to... Ah..." He suddenly realised he wasn't using as much made-up wizard lingo as usual. He must be getting tired. "Might have to get one of the exbees to do that."

Ato nodded at Serin, thinking even harder. "What if when the team went out to search for Maggie, we set a trap. A bait trap..." His face was grim, but determined. "It's not...great, but. If someone could get close enough to the drone, someone could perhaps attach a tracking device or a combadge to them... Then the drone's movements could be tracked. If one you two," he said, pointing at Saren and Serin "could make a tracking or homing device that wouldn't tip the drone off... maybe I-" he stuttered. "Maybe someone could get it on them."

The doctor standing beside Ato elbowed him lightly at his offer of self-sacrifice. The only member of this medical team throwing their own needs under the bus was Mavna, goddamnit, and she was planning on keeping it that way, "Hush," She hissed quietly at him.

Futuristic airpod device must be baby shit to a sci-fi engie. "That's pretty easy, but it'd have to be someone really good at being sneaky or the borg'll just take it off again. Although... For it to not be noticeable, I'll need some really small parts, and small tools, too... I'll figure something out." He might have to improvise a really tiny pair of tweezers.

"Could you make it small enough to put it into a hypo?" He asked, ignoring Mavna's nudge, laser focused on Serin now. "Maybe synthesized somehow to be identified as a nanoprobe? A Trojan horse, of sorts..." Maybe not. He was grasping at straws.

Vara'l had nodded to Essen then. "Indeed." He'd confirmed before he then frowned a bit. "If we're going to use that other shuttle for quarantine it'd need to be stripped of any form of technology that could be assimilated." Vara'l stated then. "If we could separate the power source safely from it during conversion for Quarantine use, your plan would still work in part, linking its power source to the other two." He'd started to speak further before Ato had stated up. Grey eyes then turned and fixed upon Ato as they said what they said. Watched them as they spoke, noted what they suggested. Listened to the Engineer when they spoke, but didn't respond to them as Ato then suggested...that. That. Struggled with that suggestion as he stared at them, briefly through them before he blinked and looked from Ato to the other Lieutenant. "That would be incredibly dangerous and risky, one touch and you'll likely be assimilated." Vara'l started then before he proceeded to remind people. "The drone." He winced then before he continued. "Drones, have full sensor access and will detect your approach." Lapsed into silence at their next query as he forced his mind as it struggled to keep on task. Not yet. Not yet, he demanded of it. "The risk of loosing another officer to assimilation is far too great."

"That small? Er, no, not with what we have. Nanotechnology requires nano-sized tools." Goddamnit. If only Onion's other character who was an ex-borg who was an expert in nanotechnology specifically was here! "Nanotech can't even be seen by the human eye. It's an invisible kind of magi - of tech - of, well, you know."

Ato sighed. Ok, nanotech out. Of course. He was tired, that was an exhaustion mistake. But they had to figure something out. At the moment, they didn't have an actual plan on how to find the vinculum OR to get Maggie back. "Right, nano-tech, nano-probes. I'm tired, please forgive me." A frown crossed his face for a split second, nodding at Serin before turning to face Commander tr'Hara. "Commander, is that an order? And may I have permission to speak freely?" (edited)

"I could make, perhaps, a very small wand, from which we might fire a small, low-tech tracker from a distance next time the squid fellow turns up, using parts from my tricorder." You just want to make a wand, don't you, Serin?

Vara'l looked between the two Lieutenants then to Ato. "No order, just the state of affairs tactically, unless there is a way to conceal someone approaching a drone from shipboard sensors, its very likely the drone has us under sensor surveillance." The Romulan informed the other before his gaze softened and he angled his head to one side slightly in a gesture he realized little about. A slight slip of the mask he maintained as he wandered at their next words then looked to Lieutenant de Sieth. "That could work and does as proposed by the Lieutenant." He then looked to Ato. "You may, do you wish to talk privately or here, Lieutenant?"

Actually, it's Lieutenant Serin-De-Sieth. That was his whole last name. His first name is actually Serin-Eshi. This means that if you call him Serin, you could either be calling him formally by his last name or informally by his first and there's no way to tell the difference. "Hmmm... Kind of a chunky wand, though... Maybe I can..." He was just mumbling to himself.

"Here is good." He said, nodding. "Thank you, Commander." A brief pause. Ato's expression was still determined and intense, his antennae standing at attention. "I know the drone would be able to sense someone approaching. Which is why I was proposing a bait trap - luring the drone to US, or one of us, anyway." Another pause, and his head cocked to the side in thought. "I also think if we shoot something at them and they feel it attach to their body, they will know to remove it. I think we could potentially convince the drone that a we weren't approaching them, but that we were lost or something like that. Draw them out to us, you know? They make a move to assimilate someone, and while they are...distracted with that task, the officer would be able to place said homing device, hopefully without notice." His eyes burned with determination. "And it would only a last resort, of course. I just think trying to shoot the homing device at them will tip them off to what we're doing. I don't know what's best, tactically. I just...am very worried about Maggie, and the rest of us, really, and we haven't got many other tactical plans at this point. Obviously it's up to you and the other senior officers of course."

Vesta heavily considered Ato’s suggestion. “I’m not opposed to self sacrifice, though I don’t believe that a medical officer should be the one committing it.” It should be somebody who had very little to contribute to the overall mission. Somebody like herself. “But we don’t know if the Drone would even take the bait. It’s had plenty of opportunities to assimilate us, but it only took Maggie.”

"I wouldn't ask anyone else to do this, sir. But I am willing. I just happen to have long legs, and a doctor's touch and precision." He glanced at Vesta, not trying to dismiss them. And, he understood why losing a doctor could be very detrimental. And yet...

Mavna did not look pleased with how Ato and Vesta were talking, the arms folded over her chest becoming tighter, “I agree with the CTO,” She muttered, before lifting her voice a bit, “The current medical team is only four officers strong. We need all the help we can get.”

Grey eyes fixed upon Ato as they said here was good and explained what they were doing. His full attention here and now as he mentally reminded himself this was now, this was here. Reminded himself of that as his mind clutched at the new information it was presented with. Continued its struggle to keep above water as Vara'l sheltered in the structure, in his role, in protocol. Sheltered there in the full knowledge of what he courted, of what likely waited if this was something he survived and they made it to the Eventide once more. If it hadn't been destroyed, that is. A potential outcome his mind constantly reminded him of as a mind sculpted for purpose by the Borg, by training over years as a officer in this or that navy, dissected the situation. Dissected what it knew, the weapons of the Eventide, the capabilities of the cube. Dissected that in a corner of his mind as eyes remained upon Ato, as he listened to their words.. Listened as they twisted his gut with the risk to a officer they posted. Listened as grey hued eyes concealed the roaring struggle that roiled behind his eyes, concealed the mind that struggled to remain here. That knew full well the fact that it relied continued to rely on duty, on task on structure here and now would likely be something that later ended up its undoing. "Thank you for the clarification, I-" Started to respond before he spotted Vesta's sign and turned slightly to ensure they were included in the conversation. "It struck for Lieutenant Roode as it'd laid the groundwork to strike from concealment and withdraw before it received too much fire." The Romulan both spoke and signed as he responded for the benefit of both officers involved in the conversation. "It's clearly aware it's outnumbered and we've a significant weapons advantage here." He lapsed into brief shaky silence then before he recomposed himself. "The risk of loosing a officer is far too great, Lieutenant."

Aoife was perched on top of one of the shuttles watching the current discussion unfold with an indecipherable expression that simultaneously read 'am I on drugs?' and 'they can't be serious' when had self sacrifice ever been a good idea ever? Absolute best case they had an angry borg drone without the facilities to liberate them, worse case they loose someone and a doctor at that! She couldn't help but bury her head in her hands in a very uncharacteristic display of emotion as she wondered how the hell they were gonna last several more days with ideas like that already circulating.

Ato stood at rapt attention as Vara'l spoke, taking in the commander's words. "I understand. I'll drop it, for now. There are a few other avenues to pursue, maybe someone will come up with something else. I just want you to know that if it comes to it, and it's the only option, I'm up for the task." He met Vara'l's gaze, and the Romulan would be able to see how serious he was. "For now, maybe we could focus on making the homing device and resting as much as we can, while we can?" He held back a shrug, but let himself heave a sigh. It helped to regulate the nervous system.

"There will be no self sacrifice, every member of the team is important, and has something to offer. And every time we lose someone, our adversary gains someone," They finally said, hoping that their voice would be... reasonable... enough.

He cleared his throat. "Before we continue down this spiral of self-sacrifice, I would like to mention that even if we were to get any device I make attached, there's no guarantee I'd be able to trace the signal. For one, I'd also need to make a receiver, and the connection could be jammed by the borg or the cube, or even the walls if it's too weak, or... Etcetera. I'd rather use the cube's own sensors. Worst thing that happens is we fail to hack 'em and we're in the same position we were already in." (edited)

”Your arguments for it to be you one of the considered for self-sacrifice are sound.” Tarsek started, looking at the doctor. “However, that would imply we consider self-sacrifice as a necessity now. And at least I can speak for myself when I say I do not consider it.” Tarsek broke his usually monotone to emphasize the words.

"Why are we even entertaining self sacrifice when we can just, you know." She picked up her rifle from the roof of the shuttle and pointed it in the air, making her point clear. Better us than them.

"Because we can't just, you know." He made a pew pew gesture. "This borg is imbued with the most powerful of magical shielding, AND has big fucking robot limbs."

Vara'l's jaw worked a bit then as he glanced to Aoife then found that she'd buried her head in her hands. Discovered he lacked support in this from another commander, resolved he'd need to struggle on further. "Lieutena-" He started to say before Lieutenant commander 'V'hgai proceeded to speak. He'd then turned his grey hued gaze upon them. "Remember, we're dealing with the Borg, the Borg prefer to assimilate over killing." The Romulan stated simply then, the enforced calmness of tone he maintained something that cracked slightly at the edges then. "Every self-sacrifice that draws you close to a drone, every act that allows them to touch you to get nano-probes in system means the Collective grows." The Romulan lapsed into silence a moment then. "I-" His jaw snapped shut upon what he'd been about to say as he then turned to Aoife then then to Serin-De-Sieth. "Modulation after two shots should assist with defeating that." He paused then. "As to the Limbs and the like, we don't know how phaser impacts against them fared, it withdrew rapidly."

"And I only had it set to the basic kill setting." Aoife chimed in again. "Good shot on a new frequency with it set all the way to the max? It should vaporise more or less anything." She would know of course, even a charging gorn couldn't stand up to a phaser on max charge. The only reason she didn't always use it on its max settings was simply because it was too power hungry under normal circumstances.

"Phasers don't historically kill Borg drones. And what about Maggie?" He said, his voice tense. It was very obvious he disagreed with her suggestion. (edited)

Vara'l looked from Aoife to Ato then. "They do, but not for long." He stated simply before he continued. "And as for Maggie, heavy stuns might have some effect to slow her down but we lack the facilities to do much." The Romulan lapsed into silence for a moment then. "We'd likely have to heavy stun her and sedate her then try and render her disconnected from the hive and for that a sickbay's what's really needed.."

"We can't just blast our problems away, it's not that..." He glanced at(o) Ato, looked away, and then rapidly looked back again, squinting his eyes behind his glasses. Wait a second........... "You!" He said, pointing.

It wasn’t really self sacrifice if you could be saved at a later date only slight worse for wear. Well maybe not quite, it was still assimilation, but whatever, the conversation had moved on. “I have a pretty strong plasma cutter, it may be able to damage, maybe even sever one of the mechanical limbs. Especially if an engineer can juice it up.”

"And we don't have one of those," he stressed. "We have hypos. We have dermal regenerators. Rations. That's basically it. We're less supplied than we would be in the field on a normal day. We have to sever the connection to the hive. And we can't just vaporize people. Do no harm." Ato's respiration had increased. The man needed to sit down and take a fiver, but then Serin shouted, and pointed. "Yes, Serin?" He asked, eyes wide, confused.

He had a big grin, like he'd just had some delightful revelation. "Axe-thrower! We know one another! If I'd known our second date would be on a Borg cube, I would've dressed in my finest of robes." (edited)

"What about Maggie?" Aoife replied bluntly. Naturally she'd rather not kill her but if it came down to them vs the Borg she wasn't going to hesitate, crewmate not. Aoife was clearly going increasingly frustrated with the non tactical officers by this point.

“We consider Maggie lost over enemy lines and in need of rescue,” The doctor replied to Aoife, just as bluntly, “We do what we can before we do what we must.”

It seemed that Vesta wasn’t alone on the maybe having to kill Maggie front, but at least Vesta had only considered it as an act of mercy before she was fully turned. Now that it had happened, well Vesta didn’t even really want to kill the drone that was behind all of this, let alone a crewmate. Even if she had been kinda annoyed earlier.

"We have phaser rifles, we have sedatives and we've got hand phasers." The Romulan stated then to Ato as he watched the Lieutenant. "And we're trying to save a fellow officer and aid the drone, while also defending ourselves." His head then snapped to Serin then to Aoife then to Mavna. Recognized some of what was in him in Aoife, noticed the lines of conversation as they occurred, hunkered down against the storm of emotion in his own mind. Not yet, not yet came the repeated mantra. Not now, it couldn't be now, the mantra as he struggled through as he tried, as he continued and battled to keep. his. word. To try as he'd promised, to stay here and not in that corridor lost so long ago. Oh how he struggled to do that, a struggle concealed by those grey eyes, by the well practised mask that had cracked only slightly. Battled to keep those cracks from widening as he continued. "We're not-" He swallowed. "We are going to do all we can to save Maggie, to help the drone, while defending ourselves."

Ato was, despite having said he felt okay moments earlier, running almost entirely on adrenaline and delirium. He’d been awake for the better part of four days, worried about Maggie and the rest of the crew, and rations didn’t make your stomach full. So, unable to really mask his surprise, his face flushed a deep blue when Serin mentioned their date. He hadn’t really been thinking about that at all, very intent on being present and hopefully finding a solution to this grave situation. “Y-yeah? I’d have preferred literally anything else to this as a second date, but maybe if we survive this we can grab a drink or something… for now, I just appreciate your creative engineering.” He let out a nervous laugh, opting to let Mavna argue with Aoife. He wasn’t sure he had the emotional bandwidth to list out every single reason killing anyone at all was a horrible idea in his mind, as a doctor whose whole ideology was bent on saving lives in a crisis.

"We have to remember that is our crewmate. However far gone she is now, she is still one of our officers. She is, for all intents and purposes, a prisoner right now in her own mind. " Five wrung her own hands, metal tight around flesh, remembering to ground herself. "She is not in control of herself. No more than I was. And, hell, it can be argued the same goes for the drone trapping us here, but it... If nothing else, we have to do what we can for Roode. She can be saved. We just have to try. "

"O'Rielly," Senang called out, waving her over from where he was still standing sentry by the door, never having moved from his place.

Vara'l stepped away slightly then as he turned his focus to check upon Senang, looked toward the door. Looked up at the roof as well, looked anywhere that wasn't the situation for a moment as he forced himself to confirm the perimeter was still being manned, forced himself to take that moment to ensure he was composed once more. He needed to be, with what he'd spotted in Aoife, with the conversation that meant he might likely have to ha-. The Relief that touched him then when Senang called out was something he struggled to tolerate then as, recomposed, he turned back to the situation at hand. "Lieutenant Commander O'Rielly, I believe Lieutenant Commander Senang wants a word." Vara'l managed then.

"Right on it." Aoife called out snapping back to some kind of reality now that she was needed. She hopped down from her perch on the shuttle and went to relieve Senang.

Five exhaled a shaking breath, swallowing. "Let's just .. focus on getting a concrete plan, for now."

Instead of moving from their place once Aoife arrived, they patted the top of an outcropping in the wall that would let Aoife sit down, but still watch the entrance vigilantly. "Come on. You weren't helping." This was Senang's effort to remove Aoife from the conversation that had raised her hackles like a traumatised, feral dog. "Sit down."

He laughed apologetically. "Sorry, I have a hard time remembering people." Seemed forgetting and being forgotten was a theme in his life. But it wouldn't happen to him ever again! After all, you'd forget a man, but who could forget a wizard? "Thanks, though. I regret that my arcane talents don't extend to improvised nanotechnology, but I'd prefer a less sacrificial plan anyway."

The xB watched Aoife go then. Watched them briefly before he turned to the others, waited for Aoife to be out of earshot as they talked with Senang. "Lieutenant Five of Eight is right and we're going to try." He stated then. Stated before he lapsed into another silence as he struggled onward. As he analysed himself, reviewed all he'd experienced and was experiencing, recalled all he'd been told as best it could be recalled by his mind right now. Reviewed that as, at Fives words, he nodded slightly. "Agreed yes, lets." He then inhaled then exhaled slightly as his mind noted the assessments it made, considered them in the privacy of his mind. "I believe it'd been suggested we use a shuttle's sensors to try and map the area further." He started then. "And that one of the other two be converted for quarantine use." He paused then. "We'd also discussed potentially using the third's scanners to try and augment the tricorder scans monitoring the door in." He summarised.

T'She wanted a break, they were on edge, even if they were trying to radiate calm and composure. They knew they needed to set an example for the other medical staff (they were a Lieutenant Commander after all, even if they were a nurse). They needed a break, and seeing Aoife leave for Sentry duty, they decided to follow. "I... apologize for interrupting." They spoke quietly, they were as able to do sentry duty as anyone else there, and more eyes were probably better.

“Reasonable.” He said, a bit short but mostly because he was running on fumes. “I’ll do whatever is useful. I think, at the moment, a break, water and food are going to be imperative for the health of the crew. We can think better if we have nutrition. And we were able to replicate some rations before the battery was drained.” He glanced over to the pile of food and water.

Aoife was, fairly surprised that Senang just told her to sit. She only began to process what she had been saying when she sat down on the outcrop of wall. She placed her rifle next to her, a small tremble in her usually steady hands caused her a good deal of concern but she suppressed that emotion as she tried in vain to stop them from shaking. "Was I that bad?" She asked quiet as a whisper.

"Commander T'She, feel free to join," Senang commented, their posture open to invite T'She into the conversation. She was unlikely to give up sentry duty for the time being, even if she could eat. She turned back to Aoife. "No, I agreed with you. The difference is that I know not to speak when my answers do not please." Senang recognised that their idea of acting for the greater good often clashed with what Starfleet thought. Only in times of war were her particular methods of preserving the safety of the greatest amount of people appreciated, and these did not count as times of war. Not yet. "And these people are soldiers too, in their own ways. They just fight differently." More kindly, some might argue. More riskily, Senang would reply.

T'She found a spot to stand, tricorder at the ready to provide a little more warning (though a fat lot of good it had done so far). Really, they were trying to think of something to say -- especially when their own ideals often clashed in their own mind, let alone the minds of others.

After a few moments had passed and a few of the group had dispersed to other positions, Ato moved to grab the rations and the water packs and started distributing them to people, not waiting for them to go get them. First was Serin. “Since you’re super smart and tasked with pulling ideas out of your wizard hat.” He offered a tired smile and tentative antennae wiggle as he offered up the food and drink.

Vara'l looked to Ato as the other spoke then looked to Five. He otherwise remained silent at the moment, he'd summarised things things as best as he remembered them. Done that and...assessed things in another respect Assessed them and considered what he'd noted about Aoife. Noted that they may well not be in a state to keep operating, recognized them what he'd recognized in himself before Five had pulled him back, recognized in a sense now too. Considered that, reviewed the conversation he'd had with them and arrived at what he'd said, at the fact he'd revealed the letter. Remembered something else, elements he'd seen of her file pre-transfer Oh elements. He suppressed a swallow then even as his struggling mind had mentally kicked itself. As he'd turned away and glanced over to the sentry lot again and turned back to watch what was going on closer too with a face of enforced calm. Watched for a time before he moved off to one side, close enough so if the planning resumed he'd hear it but far enough away he hoped Serin and co could talk without his presence being something that...marred things.

"At least I haven't gone completely mad if someone agreed with me." She said, half heartedly. She took a moment to look around the room as Senang continued to speak, observing the rest of the away mission. The numerous faces, numerous young faces. Faces, that would never be the same. As Senang continued to speak her mind got hung up on the mention of soldiers. How could they be soldiers? What did they know of war? What could they know about the unfeeling, uncaring meat grinder that rewarded resourcefulness with more suffering and death. There was a part of Aoifes mind deep down that had begun to surface the longer she stayed on the cube. A dark and long forgotten corner of her psyche that wished she was killed on Cestus III, that wished she did was she had to do to avoid capture. "These aren't soldiers Seanang, their kids who don't know any better. And that will get them killed."

"Wrong." Senang held up a finger at Aoife. It wasn't accusatory, but worked to grab her attention. "We have two former members of the collective, and several Lieutenants and Lieutenant Commanders who would have been active during the last Federation-Klingon War. And even for the younger ones, you can't comment on their experiences. You'd know tr'Lareth better than I do, but I've heard some about his experiences on the station, and I know Essen's mother is xB too." Senang looked at T'She, who had only recently made LCDR despite being older than Aoife. "And some of the people you look down on for being young are older than you think. You're barely three decades yourself, you know." He looked at her more seriously now, night-dark eyes penetrating as if looking straight through to the core of her. "If this vessel could leave, it would have done so. As it stands, we aren't difficult to find, and as long as we stay together and don't do dumb things, we will be easy to rescue, too. All you have to do to make that happen is keep your head on straight. The real killer is hazed hesitation born from a clouded mind. We will live, as long as we make a good plan and follow through with it decisively, and without second-guessing every decision."

He took the pack of dehydrated whatever the fuck - wow, how appetising - and thanked Ato with a nod. "Smart enough to build the Spurge, not smart enough to remember your face, it seems."

"Whoa, hey, you're not not-smart because you didn't remember my face. It's been like, what, six months? It's fine. No need to criticize yourself." He gently nudged Serin's shoulder with his elbow, because he was very, very tall next to Serin as they had discovered before. "I'm sorry the food isn't so great. Uh, that one's supposed to be savory I think." He grimaced. "The salt will help with this heat."

"Are... are we the kids in this context?" Paco asked Vesta in sign as she tapped on her shoulder, it was the quietest way to communicate without interrupting. Paco had just came back from prayer and only heard bits and pieces of this. His roleplayer took too long to type this. "what did I miss?" Paco signed

"I... served during the Iconian war. That was my last posting. A warship. As Commander Senang said, many of us have been through things, struggles of our own that have made us who we are today." They added, divulging a little bit about themself. It might not be enough to make them seem like a soldier, but it was something all the same. "We need to make a plan, and through that plan, we will be able to make it through this. Hopefully with minimal casualties. Part of that plan should be getting adequate rest... the mind starts fraying, with sleep deprivation."

"Ah, I wasn't that serious, don't worry." Little nudge back, probably on Ato's... Waist? "Now go! Distribute the means of nutrition!"

The Vulcan had, honestly, lost sight of all the conversations that were taking place. In between all those ideas, some good plans, some completely illogical and borderline insane, some officers dispersing, others again feeling exalted, Tarsek was ready to admit that the tension and lack of proper rest was starting to affect his mind as well. He needed focus. And since there was no time or space for him to practice the privilege of meditation at the time, he chose the next best thing, something he practiced since he was a child hiding in the caves of The Forge after feeling overwhelmed by the clan life. He walked to one of the shuttles, sat down and crossed his legs. Still alert to his surroundings but giving himself a bit of distance. Then he started humming. Maybe an odd sight. Maybe not. It would depend on the observer. The song had no words, at least none pronounced by the Vulcan. It seemed to follow a pattern, a scale that would repeat, modulating in different tones. More an exercise for the vocal cords than an actual melody to be appreciated. As he allowed himself to be grounded by the sequence of notes he accessed his own physical health. Tired, but not exhausted. Not hungry as he had taken one of the ration bars one hour ago. Maybe thirsty…. Yes, thirsty indeed. He took his bottle of water and took a few sips, interrupting the sounds and then returning to hum once his need was sated. He continued to self-access, mapping as well as he could.

Senang and T'She's words world to help bring Aoife back from the cliff edge she was standing on. It wasn't her duty to lead everything with an inexperienced crew looking to her for leadership like it had been on a battlefield long past. The people here were professionals they knew what they were doing. They had to. Clouded mind, sleep deprivation. Those phrases split Aoife in two as she suddenly recalled that this was nearly her third day without real sleep. Usually her nightmares kept her from sleeping. Vivid memories of Cestus III, watching friends cut to bits by knives and bath'lets. Blown apart by disrupters and grenades. But worse were the screams, each unique and blood curdling. She knew who each scream belonged to, she remembered the pained and terrified final expressions on their faces. Her still trembling hand wandered to the long scar along the back of her neck. It ran all the way down her back and was now clearly visible since she was wearing only a tank top. It was a permanent reminder of the war, of the comrades she'd lost. But something else gnawed at her. Something that revived a primal sense of fear. For once she was more afraid of her current surroundings than her memories. "I thi.. I think I should sleep." She at last managed to say out loud. Before slipping off the bit of wall she was sitting on and repositioned to sleep using the wall as a makeshift head rest.

"I think so too, Commander. Rest well." Senang nodded as she left. This was the optimal outcome. They shot T'She a grateful look for their efforts.

T'She was glad that their words worked more than anything, and they waved Aoife off before they looked at Senang. "How are you holding up?" They asked, genuinely concerned.

"I could eat, but I've had worse. Logic dictates we will be rescued, so we simply need to hold it together until then." The statement was a bit of a nothingburger, but quite telling nonetheless. It revealed that Senang did believe they would be rescued, regardless of the fate that had befallen Eventide. It revealed that they weren't unaffected by the situation, though they declined to share precisely how. And it revealed that despite all of that, they would not allow themself to feel anything until they were safe again. "And you? You came to join us for a reason, I think."

Essen had talked a lot, and her mouth was getting dry, so she kept quiet for now. The conversations about self-sacrifice... they definitely silenced her. What was it morally worth? T'She was right, and it echoed what Vara'l and Mavna and especially Tarsek had told her. But at the same time... Essen was willing to give herself up if it meant the safety of everyone else. The urge to defend others. Memories of when she saved Kaylee, when she couldn't save herself from how she got her scar. Kaylee deserved to live. Erra deserved to live. Vara'l deserved to live. Both sides battled for dominance in her head. Essen stood still, in the exact same position she had been. All of the other conversations just went in one ear and out the other. It was not a blatant disregard for anyone's ideas... Essen was getting lost in her head again. This time, she recognized it. In for 5... hold for 7... out for 8. Follow orders. In for 5... hold for 7... out for 8. Follow orders. But....gahh! She had to! She had a duty to serve to ensure everyone else was safe! She needed to---NO! ARRRGH! Learn from this, we're gonna be alright. In for 5... hold for 7... out for 8... if the drone was wanting to commence psychological warfare on those who were emotionally susceptible, it was definitely giving Essen a fight. (edited)

"Understandable. That is how I see things. It is a when not an if," They sighed again before they shook their head. "It was the talk about self sacrifice... that was starting to get to me. I know I should be above all that, but... at the same time... the thought of one of our comrades willingly sacrificing themselves to protect the rest of us...? That just about terrifies me..." They shook their head before they checked the tricorder again, taking comfort in mundane actions.

"It is an illogical option. If it came down to a choice, of course I would rather myself experience that than someone else. But designing a fragile plan to revolve around someone's reckless sacrifice... I cannot agree to it. If it comes up again, I will speak up," he promised, glancing over to T'She as if trying to see whether or not his words brought any comfort at all.

Essen hadn't heard the conversation between T'She and Senang. Although, in rather bad timing, Essen walked away with her head hanging low back towards the doctors right when T'She and Senang mentioned self-sacrifice, inconveniently not knowing they did so at all. Guard the doctors, learn from this, we're all gonna be alright. Guard the doctors, learn from this, we're all gonna be alright. Essen sat down first, and wrapped her knees in her arms as she stared out into nothingness. At the end of the day, Tarsek, Vara'l, T'She, Mavna, they were all right. Self-sacrifice didn't fix anything. It was a difficult thing to accept and to grapple with, as Essen was so used to thinking she'd give her life for others, especially when it had to do with the Borg. She couldn't bear to think about Kaylee being assimilated, or her mother being re-assimilated, or Vara'l being re-assimilated, or Five being re-assimilated. It was a complex emotional tug. (edited)

"Thank you, I felt like... nobody was listening to me for a moment..." They looked back to Senang with the hint of a small smile on their lips. "Thank you, for hearing me out, it helped a great deal. If you ever wish to speak of your own concerns, I... am willing to be a shoulder to support you." They offered as their shoulders relaxed just enough to allow them to breathe easier.

"I will keep that in mind," Senang answered, though the depth of his honesty would remain a mystery until it came up another time. "Thank you, too. The calm in my head holds its shape much better when there are people present who I know I can rely on."

"I will make sure I can be someone that you can rely upon." They finished with a nod, remembering something that they were told once -- 'All that I can ask of you is your best, and I will expect nothing less.' Those were the words that they held themself to.

As the others began to disperse, Mavna found herself standing in the middle of the room for a few moments longer before she huffed and turned back to the task she'd assigned herself. As she was moving back to the replicated medical supplies, she peeled her jacket off and tossed it aside, her undershirt having already been soaked through. She had made the mistake of sleeping in her full uniform, but she was in a bit panic and had gotten sedated, so she's permitted a little bit of silly thinking. Nevertheless, large dark grey stains extended down the sides and neckline of her otherwise light grey tank top, and her green skin was slick. She began to pack up Vesta's medkit and hefted it upward, making her way over to the Trill and holding it out to her. She lingered there for a few moments, before saying, "I...mm," She hummed, "I understand a specialist rescue officer's probably gonna be really helpful in a search party, but I wouldddd...be worried." (edited)

After a few minutes of... basically staying still, Essen unzipped her jacket and took it off. She folded it up neatly, so that it was small enough to act as a pillow. Laying it down on the ground, she set her head down on it, so she could easily look back and forth between the doctors and the rest of the base camp. Essen decided... Just as so many had told her... Maybe she was worth saving. The first instinct was to stay up all night in case someone decided to pop in uninvited. But as she reconsidered it? Since others were getting sleep. She needed it too. 'In life there is living,' after all, as Tarsek guided her. Even from a less-than-comfy jacket pillow. Not ready for bed just yet, she glanced around herself once more, wondering if anyone nearby was wanting to hang for a bit before she hit the hay -- or in this case jacket. (edited)

She was walking around the hanger bay, in slow, deliberate loops. Anything to keep her mind off things. From the outset, her expression seemed... at least somewhat composed. Her antennae, on the other hand, were too stiff. They didn't even seem to move. Her eyes seemed to be fixated on the exits, her left arm clutching her phaser a little too tightly even if it wasn't out of its holster. It was strange. It felt too similar. She didn't really know anybody, and yet if they were just at the corner of her eye, she swore she saw her old crew mates. Huddled, restless, wounded. Especially during that final assault. Those.. they just kept firing, hounding, murdering mercilessly. She was the last to close her eyes, but she was lucky enough to reopen them. She didn’t feel lucky though. She didn’t return home until the end of the war. She sighed, her breath feeling like molten ashes in her throat. Unnatural, unwilling. Muttering something under it, perhaps a prayer.

Bedtime, huh... They had an outline of a plan, one that would likely be executed when more of them were rested. She propped herself up closer to the back of the hangar bay, crossing her arms as she leant back against the shuttle. Hopefully she could find some solace in subconscious before she took her turn on the watch.

Vesta wasn’t alone waiting around. It felt that that was all she did on the Borg Cube, just wait, wait, wait. The waiting was broken up though by Mavna, handing her the med kit. “Thank you,” She signed, stowing it away in her backpack with the rest of her supplies. She read what Mavna said as she did so. “Yeah, maybe.” It wouldn’t exactly be a rescue mission, and she wasn’t exactly sure if she would be helpful to the mission. In fact it might be better for her to stay here, go in a bail the team out of needed, and yet…. That would be more waiting, and she didn’t want to do any more waiting. “Yeah,” Vesta agreed, while a smile trying to lighten the mood. “If somebody gets hurt they’ll need to be carried out!” She signed, before raising her right bicep to flex it. It was toned and glistened with sweat like the rest of her, and it showed clearly the burn scars from the accident back at the academy. After a few seconds she lowered it to sign again and her expression returned to its normal, slightly sullen state. “Don’t worry about me, Mav. I’ll be ok, and if in not, then you’ll just have to fix me up.” A slight smile again. “Just don’t let Commander O’Rielly vaporize me if I get assimilated.” She joked, knowing that it was rather inappropriate, but not knowing what else to say. (edited)

The doctor let out a little laugh at Vesta’s flexing. Her heart skipped a beat just slightly, and her eyes definitely widened, but she is but a simple transbian, “Like I said, you’d be helpful. Big, strong people are needed, from what I’ve heard,” She said with a little smile. In contrast, though Mavna had been busying herself with whatever she could, she was quite willing to just sit here and wait in the event things went awry. That’s what a fair majority of doctors did, after all, and Mavna was patient. Despite four days of stress wearing on her psyche saying otherwise, she really was patient. Or perhaps she was stubborn, and was really digging her heels in. She didn’t like how up for throwing himself at the drones Ato was. Her smile fell a bit when the seriousness of the situation returned, and admittedly her expression became quizzical at the joke before she just let out a little, “Hah…” She shook her head, “I’lllll…do what I can about O’Reilly, Vesta,” She said, her smile eventually returning, “But I’ll fix you up,” She met Vesta’s eyes and let that promise linger in the air for a moment before continuing, “And, sorry, but I’m gonna worry about you. Doctors are great at worrying.” (edited)

Vara'l remained perched where he'd moved too as conversations continued around but not near him. Remained there as he continued to keep one hand on his rifle and the other placed on the ground next to him. The cool surface and its presence here and now something that for the moment, as the Romulan continued to hold to structure to what was required of him as CTO here and now, helped him somewhat. Helped him remain grounded in the present. Remain grounded in it despite the guilt that whispered through him and joined the rest. Oh elements, why had he done that. Joined it even as part of his mind cried out that this was something that had happened, a mistake that couldn't be addressed here and now. Clawed at him as his mind pushed to mull over the plan again and again even as sleep clawed at it more. He needed sleep, but hadn't all he needed to make of that something entirely useful. So he addressed other things first, swallowed a mouthful of water then visually checked the room to see if anyone clearly needed anything that he could be of aid in. When he arrived at the decision that things seemed mostly in order for now, he then turned his focus back to what had been planned so far. *Not all of them could remain in here, they'd be outlasted by the drone without supply replication. So the Vinculum plan seemed to be the way forward, but to Vara'ls eyes they also needed to protect the camp. Needed to ensure the drone-no the drones didn't get in, assimilate the shuttles and destroy what couldn't be carried. After all, he reckoned they might be here for a while, especially if the Eventide had been- He squelched that thought unfinished. *

From what Paco can tell from listening to everyone, the final most updated plan is to use the sensors built into the shuttle to either A) Track down where the scary borg-topus is and scream bloody murder when it some how shows up in incognito mode and assimilates another member of the away team; B) Use the sensors to track down where the Vinculum and work on what to do from there, either destroy or try to disable it; or C) Quarantine assimilated peeps inside a stripped down shuttle while A and B are being done. Although there are 3 shuttles and all 3 plans can probably be used for each, it would be more practical and simpler to do one of the plans to minimize risk. Paco did hear about talk about self-sacrifice being a potential thing because of the risks involved. Although that was the least ideal scenario, it was one Paco had accepted, and in his opinion, if anyone were to do any self sacrificing, it should probably be him ideally compared to the others. Low-ranking science officer within a scientific field near completely disconnected from anything core of Starfleets political-security interests. What would the Borg do with knowledge about Klingon Opera, Bajoran Religion, and Denobulan Horticulture? Nothing... Plus he played Borg for one of his cousin's projects in the Holodeck, so in a poetic way, he kinda deserved it. It's not like he's contributing anything useful here anyways, or in general... Definitely not a sobering thought one should have within the depths of a Borg Cube... speaking of, here's another one that didn't really pop up until now: was a few days ago there was a fire fight between the Cube and the Eventide, booms and jostling happened, and now the Eventide's not here anymore.... so there are two possibilities there... and one of those might be.... oh no... Those sound's like thoughts Paco should talk to a friend or colleague about. divider

11:57

On that front, Paco would speak with Vara'l or Aoife (the latter he felt he was closer to from Guinness) but he could sense that under this amount of pressure from these circumstances, they would be dealing with some really deep shit with some possibly additional stuff from previous Borg/trauma related experiences, so it would probably be more appropriate for Paco to be the one asking how they are doing to not put more weight into them. Aoife especialy appeared to have a lot of in her mind suddenly resurfacing. Paco then turned over to where Vesta, but she seems to be having a moment with Mavna so.... to be polite, best to not disturb them either. Maybe... no?? Who could he talk to right now???? Everyone's either busy doing something useful, or asleep, or about to go to sleep but going through their own thing based on the events of Eventide going bye bye, Maggie getting Borg'd, and the prospect of either one of them bring next in line. After a few minutes, Paco can be found just pacing around in circles a while for a while as he muttered Bajoran prayers to himself, his hands trembling, unable to stay clasped. He was nervous going into this, as anyone would reasonably be from going into a Borg-Mission for the first time, and in a way, he was sort of excited for it. But now, especially in how the past few days have played out, he had a hard time describing what's going on in his head right now other than shit.... Vara'l appeared to be free though... maybe he could try seeing how he's doing first... he thought as he slowly walked over.

Tarsek did not spend so long in his humming. His goal was not to meditate, but to bring some center through physical assessment. And so, 27.4 minutes had been more than enough. He looked around, noticing some had decided to rest, this including Aoife. Good. After the time when he saw her woke up because of nightmares, she had not slept again. He expected her performance to increase with the rest. But again, he had expected their overall performance to increase with food and water. Things were not progressing well. They were dispersed. There was too much despair and not one healthy and effective way to work through it available. It would not be long before they lost sight of their goal. He rose from the shuttle and walked over to Vara’l. Commander tr’Hara. A man who had proven trustworthy, but as any of them was not invincible. And Tarsek had seen the cracks. He saw it in his breathing on the first day. He saw it in some seconds of hesitation when everybody was, a few moments before, discussing, questionable, strategies. He saw it in the way he held his weapon, in the way he was always ready to shoot if surprised. Up till now, he had been able to stop himself, but for how long? The young lieutenant, Umali, seemed to have had a similar idea. Tarsek elected to join and let him speak first. There two things to be adressed. The second, it was not wise to address with Umali present.

Grey hued eyes remained fixed on nothing at all as he considered the tactical situation and dissected each element of the plan, searched for some way to further lessen risks. Searched but kept on impacting on the fact that the drone remained able to constantly ensure they were survielled. That the drone also happened to have access to everything Lieutenant Roode happened to know. How could they deal with that strategic advantage outside what could be done to try and ensure the base camp was more secured, he wondered for a moment. Considered before he became aware that someone had started to approach him. With a blink then, Vara'l turned to look at Paco then and affected a polite smile then as he analysed how the other was, noted some points that concerned him. "Hello Lieutenant." He started then as he forced calm into his tone once more, struggled onward as he'd promised even as things clawed at him, even with what he'd assessed about him self being a constant thing that loomed over him in his mind. "Are you wanting to chat?" He asked then as he gestured to a patch of empty metal alongside him. "I'm afraid its not the most comfortable perch, but its something." Vara'l noted then the approach of the Lieutenant commander as well as grey eyes flicked at them and he considered the other then flicked back toward Paco. It seemed like the Commander had something that needed to be addressed, but they'd not spoken yet, so he assumed it was a private matter. Assumed that as part of his mind raised the potential that the other had noticed as well, that yet another one of the officers he was responsible for had noticed. Though that clawed at him, he soldiered on, focused on Paco as his mind silently repeated that mantra. Not yet.

Oh, how she hoped Vara'l was doing okay right now. Even with somewhat of a plan in place, she only imagined the situation, the pressure, was still getting to Vara'l. At the very least, Tarsek and Paco were there to join him. Vara'l didn't deserve to be alone in this, especially given he was both the highest ranking senior staff present and an xB. Essen was worried the cracks in Vara'l's resolve were getting bigger. This mission was putting a considerable portion of the away team under an immense amount of strain -- not to mention Maggie. Another few moments of looking in their direction. Just to see if they were okay. All three of them. Before her eyes scanned over the base camp as a whole, and everyone there that was in her field of view. Everyone was -- well, as okay as they could be, she supposed. At least there was a beginning to a plan. She had to commend the research team for being so prompt and getting as much information as they did, so fast. She wondered -- maybe she ought to do something as an act of kindness for each of the members when everyone returned. Flowers, perhaps. Wellness cards, definitely. So that, in addition to what she assumed would be mandatory counseling, everyone could heal both physically and emotionally once they settled back into station life. She pondered that... And after one final glance over to Vara'l, Tarsek, and Paco, she laid her head back, and closed her eyes. Time for sleep. Zzzzzzzz... (edited)

"H-Hi Sir..." He greeted, nervously. Okay. This is actually going to be harder than he thought. Paco took in a deep breath, not really good at hiding feelings but clearly trying his best to keep some level of composure. He had a lot in his head and didn't know how to unpack it as he nodded to his second question. "It's okay, I don't really mind. Better than nothing, at least." Paco weakly answered as he sat down, tired both physically, emotionally, and spiritually some what as well. He would've been fine just sitting there in silence, but seeing Tarsek there sort of pushed him to start making words come together in his head since he didn't want to waste time of something potentially more important. He was having a mini panic attack of talking to a xB Romulan while a Vulcan looms close by, both of whom are his superior officers and probably have more important matters to discuss that Paco need not be there to hear. "Uhm... how have you been feeling lately, sir?" The scientist asked out of curiosity as he wiped the sweat of his brow with the sleeve of his uniform jacket because, he may be born in a very tropical climate, but this constant heat is ridiculous. "I feel that, with everything that has been going on...uh... you and Commander O'Rielly must be under a lot of pressure..." (edited)

Grey eyes remained fixed upon Paco as they proceeded to speak to him. His assessment earlier confirmed now as he noted yet more that suggested that Paco happened to be struggling. That this was something he might also have struggled at. Confirmed that and in a way confirmed also that this was not someone things could be admitted to in any way. He needed to remain here, he needed to remain composed. He needed to keep to what he'd promised Five. Especially in the face of someone he reckoned might be having a panic attack. "Thank you for your concern, Lieutenant." The Romulan started then before he continued. "You're right that both myself and Commander O'Rielly have been...dealing with a lot, given the Borg presence." He smiled a bit then. "I'm functioning, I think that's as best as it can be put, Lieutenant." The Commander responded then as he watched the other carefully. "Commander Senang and Commander Aoife chatted somewhat before Aoife fell asleep." Vara'l paused a moment then. "How are you doing, Lieutenant?"

A few hours passed, allowing people to eat, sleep, and get their bearings before hopefully starting to make their way to the Vinculum today.

Yeah, no, she hadn't slept a wink for the first time in days. She made sure she'd had food, stretched, and was all geared up, and ready to go. "Who wants to do the honors?" she asked the now awake group, gesturing to the shuttle.

Essen had already woken up and put on her jacket, standing with the group, and nearby to Five. Who wanted to do the honors? "I volunteer," Essen replied. "Unless I'm needed elsewhere. I'm ready to go with the scan team into the depths of the cube." Was that dangerous? Absolutely. But Essen wasn't going to be alone. (edited)

"Be my guest, Lieutenant." She gestured to the shuttle, stepping aside to let Essen through. (edited)

"Aye, sir," Essen replied as she gave a smile to Five. As she walked past Five to board the shuttle, she gave Five a nod with a newfound determination -- getting sleep certainly helped. But her mind was clearer now, and she was ready to go into the deep end. She continued into the scan shuttle, awaiting the rest of the scan team. (edited)

"uh... I volunteer" Paco raised his hand slightly as he took in deep breaths and stood up. Crying quietly does help you sleep like a rock, at least for some people. "Someone has to help with the sensors."

T'She debated for a moment as to what they should do. "A medical officer is needed." They added as they stepped forward to join the scan team.

"Okay, Lieutenant Umali and Lieutenant Essen. That seems more than enough people scanning to me," she joked, ushering him forward as well. No more volunteers for the actual scanning, but people could still join the expedition.

As she looked back at Paco and T'She, Essen's body relaxed further. Knowing Paco as a friend, and knowing T'She as the doctor who treated her concussion gave her another level of comfort in this team just as the first team did. "No more concussions from me this time, T'She, I promise," Essen said to T'She, half-jokingly, but internally Essen meant it fully. "You alright?"

"I am fine, as long as we stick to our plan, I will continue to be fine." T'She said with a nod -- no smile this time, but they were doing their best.

Paco didn't say anything, just deep breaths, nodding, a weak smile, and a two thumbs up in agreement as Paco calmed himself down and prepared to go into doing this. (edited)

Having been engaged in first one then two deep conversations, Vara'l had only managed to snatch a short nap. Not that that helped much. He needed something that wasn't here, not that he relied on it entirely now. Thanks be to the elements he'd started to transition away from regeneration. Not that that had warded him from the nightmares that had hounded him throughout that nap. But that was normal, that was expected. "If another rifle is needed in the group, I'll accompany the scan team as well into the cube." Vara'l started then before he added. "Otherwise, I'll stick here to help monitor the perimeter and help guard the supplies that can't be carried."

Essen was horrified at the idea of Vara'l leaving the base camp, but he was right -- if another rifle was needed, he certainly had the skills to use it against the Borg. "If you tag with us, I've got your back, sir," Essen promised Vara'l. "You can count on me."

Five kept her gaze fixed on the scan as it processed, jaw clenched and expression unreadable. This very well may be a suicide mission, but she was determined to get it over with. They all had to make it home.

Seiyya also raised her hand. She’d rested as well as she could, and eaten some, so she was in pretty good shape to be going out on the scan team. “I volunteer to go out with you guys, if you think you can use some more security.”

Paco also kept his gaze on the scans. This was the only thing keeping him from thinking about the worse, and also probably the only way for the away team to have some chance of getting out of here assuming the Eventide....... no! nonono! nope! not thinking about that today!

”It is logical to also spare some security for the group that stays.” Tarsek comments. “Since we are dividing the crew, we will be more vulnerable. There are two drones now, nothing is stopping them of also splitting up. We cannot let the staying team and our supplies be attacked.” He stopped seeming to think. “Since we will be using the shuttle sensors, is it possible to produce a shield of some type around it, even if limited, to be activated in case a drone comes to this location? The team would be able to buy themselves some time if an attack happens.” (edited)

Sleep was strange. She knew that she had slept at some point simply because time had passed awfully fast while she had her eyes closed. Sadly this had not resulted in her being particularly well rested. If Saeihr had not already been tense the very understandable overall bad mood in the group would have easily done the job. Sitting on the floor, since she had just woken up, she was hugging her knees. Her back hurt from lying in a bad position. Wasn't that supposed to happen to old people? She wasn't old... or experienced, and painfully aware of the fact. Surely any other officer would have been more useful than Ensign t'Llairne in this situation... Clearly age was not an indicator of competence, comparing herself to some of the younger people on the station was enough proof of that. It should not hurt as much as it did, being bad at what she did. She should be used to it, but she despised how it made her feel a child. Too old or too young, either way Saeihr never felt as though she fit, not that that was anything new either. Those thoughts were useless, she knew that. She just had to try to pretend she was sure of herself, perhaps it would stick eventually. After getting up to her feet she stretched and carefully checked that her gear was still in place. She was not friends with any of these people, and the few she was familiar with she was not comfortable approaching for one reason or another. The majority of this mission so far she had spent in silence, so when she spoke up her voice sounded embarrassingly out of use. "I can also contribute a rifle... if it is wanted... or needed. Wherever, I don't mind."

"Shields are too big. They won't fit," she answered, rubbing her eyes. "Sticking to the shuttles themselves could always buy some time. Borg are strong, ridiculously so, and especially this one, but I doubt it can rip through tons of metal..." She shrugged.

"Holding the door and utilizing tricorder scans and potentially shuttle sensors seems to me like it'd make for a better first line defence." Vara'l commented then before he elaborated. "Weight of fire upon a drone as it attempts to breach the doorway, same with the manipulator arms, benefitting from that would stand a chance of holding it there or buying time." He then considered the shuttles. "With withdrawal if too hard pressed to hold to the shuttle if it does breach buying further time still."

"Plus, communications are still on, so if anything happens we can always rush back.." Yay. Five sighed in something like relief. Everything was finally coming together.

”Indeed.” He nodded. “I must ask. Are our orders to take the drones down? Use lethal force upon attack?” Tarsek made sure to use the plural when asking Vara’l. Killing the original drone did not seem to be an issue. Officer Roove on the other hand, was a colleague. “This directive must be clear, and we all must comply, sir.” He emphasized. It was the decision of the one in charge, they could not have doubts or hesitate if they had to follow through. (edited)

The scans took a little while to map all the nooks and crannies of the vessel, but they were significantly stronger than the tricorders and could map the entirety of the vessel. The Vinculum was located in almost precisely the center of the cube, where it was the most protected. There were several long hallways, crammed corridors, and a variety of rooms of undetermined use that would need to be crossed, and aside from being almost three kilometers away, it was slightly elevated, meaning they would have to climb, too.

Five remained silent at the query, but cast an almost pleading glance at Vara'l. If someone else could be saved...

"Oh, we're splitting up?" He frowned. Wasn't numbers one of the few advantages they had? He must've missed the memo.

"Hooo boy," Essen remarked at seeing the scans. "That's difficult. Not impossible, but difficult."

"I feel like I will be most useful in an expedition team," as Saren said that, he lifted his chin ever so slightly up - as if expecting someone to argue against that. "So I would prefer to follow it."

“I’m staying put,” The doctor said, arms folded as she leaned against the shuttle with the rest of the group, “Some of the medical team needs to stay here to make a staging ground for when you all come back if there are any injuries.”

“I’m of more use in the expedition team than anywhere else.” She said simply, stretching after spending that amount of time asleep. At least she was well-rested for the mission, if she was of more use away than at the shuttle.

Aoife had been standing in the back as the group made a plan of action. She was uncharacteristically silent considering they were coming up with a tactical plan. After her, small, breakdown the previous night the strangest thing had happened to her. She slept, and slept well. That fact alone was more than enough to freak her out. Disconcerting to say the least. "I'll stay here, you'll need a rifle or two to hold the fort." Holding forts was her speciality after all, 20 days and 20 nights under fire during the war. And for 20 days and 20 nights she held her ground. Not one step back.

"Well, we can't all be on the expedition team. I'm staying here." With the Spurge. RIP.

17:31

"...Wait." A thought occurred to him. "Unless the expedition team doesn't have an engineer?"

"Heavy stun to be utilized against Maggie Roode at first, with tactical discretion granted regarding settings depending on the effect of the blasts on her." He proceeded to shoot a glance to Senang and Tarsek then as he uttered those words. Calm as he considered the situation. "If heavy stun works on the Lieutenant, then it works, it'll have to be played by ear, we don't have enough data." Considered it then spotted Fives pleading glance. "As for the other...souped up drone, Heavy stun didn't do much, I'm authorising set to kill." His jaw worked a bit then. "I don't expect it'll immediately kill, we'll have to see what it does." The Romulan fell silent again for a moment then as he considered things then added. "I'd suggest targeting priorities for the souped up drone should be the manipulator arms primarily, if engaged from longer ranges, we want to inhibit the drones mobility." When Saren stated what they did, Vara'l moved to speak but stopped as Aoife stated they'd remain and just nodded. "Understood, Lieutenant." Vara'l looked over to Aoife then as he considered her, grey eyes impassive as he considered how she looked how silent she'd been. Considered that and struggled with what he'd identified previously. About the letter. The letter who's location he shouldn't have shared with her. "That's true related to the team's and numbers." He responded at their first comment. "...Does the expedition team have a engineer yet?" Vara'l then asked.

"Well.." Five shrugged. "I can do my best. I'm pretty handy, especially with this sort of thing. Everyone, make sure you have your supplies, as well as batteries in case of emergency," she called out, glancing around the group. "Is there anything else we need to go over?"

One thing struck him then as Five asked that. "Remodulate after two shots at most, if you have to fire." Vara'l stated simply. "That will be about all you get before the adaptation catches up, if that." Vara'l continued grimly. "And remember, do not." He looked around. "Do not let them touch you, watch your surroundings as you go and remember you're dealing with a ambush specialist, it may hide up high or around corners so keep regular scans up and stick together."

"Alright. But tell me all about the vinculum when you get back!" It sounded like an incredibly interesting piece of tech. As a warp core specialist, he always did like things that were kind of like the 'heart' of machinery.

"Not letting it touch us is going to be the most difficult if it gets in close range," Essen remarked. "Especially since it could have more insight on us with Maggie's mind in the mix. It's stronger physically and mentally." (edited)

"Yeah, of course." Five exhaled, squeezing the straps of her backpack to hide her trembling hands. "We'll do all we can. Anything else?"

He shrugged. "Bring us a souvenir?"

"Given that our only choices for souvenirs are nanoprobes and implants, I'm gonna say a solid no for that one, unfortunately..." she laughed nervously.

"Do all you can, Lieutenant." The Romulan responded as he looked to Essen. "Maintain perimeter and trust in your colleagues for support, you've all been trained for this." Looked to them as he hoped she'd catch his trust in her and her training, in her as a officer. As a friend. Vara'l then looked to Five of Eight, understanding plain is his briefly pained tired eyes before the mask of calm returned and he looked to them all. "Good luck to you all, we'll try and keep in communications contact." He then paused and looked to Serin-De-Sieth and Five of Eight, smiled slightly though he forced his own nerves not to show. "I think I agree with that firm no there, Lieutenant." He observed as he looked to Lieutenant Serin-De-Sieth.

A nervous twinge in her stomach before she nodded to Vara'l. "Aye, sir, we will be sure of that and more," Essen replied to him.

Ato waited patiently for everyone to chime in before looking between Mavna and everyone else. “I’ll go on the away team. We need more than one medic.”

Mavna grimaced slightly before giving Ato a nod, “…yyyeah, yeah, more than one medic,” She couldn’t help worrying, but she knew that something like this would need more than just one pair of helping hands.

She met Vara'l's gaze for perhaps a second or two too long, betraying any worry she still carried in a glance before it was gone. "Very well, then," she deferred to Senang, "I believe we're ready when you are, sir."

Vara'l met that with the briefest hint of a smile when he spotted it. Once that understood the worry about the team and what was being faced. Once that... also understood that Five might also be worried about him. Though he trusted she'd know he'd fight to keep his word, to try and hold on. Hold on until this was sorted, the Vinculum reached. He'd turned and smiled at Essen then. "Good." He responded as he watched briefly then looked to Ato. "Very well, Lieutenant."

Looking over the group, it seemed that Senang had the lead. Aoife and Vara'l were staying behind, which made him the most senior tactical officer, and it seemed it was easy to defer to their resolute calmness. "I want people at the front who can shoot, to help protect those who have the map as they lead the way. I will be at the back to oversee everything. Is everyone ready to move?"

"Aye, sir." Thank the gods she didn't have to be in the line of fire. Five was famously a terrible shot. She could use a phaser fine, but aiming... Not her strong suit. She'd stick to the back, thanks.

With a quick roll of her neck, Essen loosened herself up. "Aye, sir," Essen replied. She definitely had sharp shooting skills -- the front it was.

Considering Seiyya was a phaser specialist, she was going in the front. Which.. that was alright to her. She was here to protect others anyhow. That was what her phaser was for. She wasn’t any use in the back, away from where the danger was. She was there to shield others, not to stay behind them. “Aye, then I’ll be at the front.”

When Seiyya did so, Essen moved to the front of the group next to her, and waited for the signal from Senang to move. "You got this," Essen whispered to Seiyya in encouragement. (edited)

T'She was ready to go, and vocalised this with a simple nod. They knew that they probably would not be at the front of the group -- it only made sense for them to be in the middle, able to help at a moment's notice.

“Understood,” he replied to Senang before taking a spot in the middle, opposite T’She, so they’d both be able to reach someone in the front or the back at a moment’s notice. He met their eyes and nodded, a bit gravely. “We have been on many missions together so far, commander. Thank you for always being an enduring spirit. I am glad to have you and the rest of our team by my side.” (edited)

"I am just doing my best," They responded with the barest hint of a smile on their face. "I am glad to have you to rely on as well." It sounded much too close to a farewell for T'She's taste, but even sentimentality had its place.

It wasn't consciously a farewell. Ato wasn't much for those, really. He preferred a cheery 'see you later,' to a goodbye. "I know." He said, voice mostly soft, with just a hint of exhaustion. "Everyone is. Your best just happens to be... calming. After some sleep, what you said really...sunk in. I appreciate it." He was being genuine. Before sleeping, he'd been willing to...well, sacrifice himself. With sleep, he hadn't changed his mind, but he was open to other ideas and grateful they'd been figured out.

Mavna lifted herself up from the lean she’d been in as Ato and T’She geared up to get going, not wanting to let them go without first saying something. She slid beside Ato, “Hey,” She said quietly, looking between her best friend and a damn good nurse, “If anything happens out there, you send me a comms message, and I’ll come find you,” She grabbed Ato’s hand, “If that doesn’t happen, I’ll see you both when you come back, okay?” (edited)

Ato squeezed Mavna's hand as she slid it into his palm. "Of course. I know you would. Don't worry, we're going to be ok. We're smart, and I'm fast. It'll be in and out and we'll be back before you know it." He managed a small smile and bumped into her gently, affectionately.

People who could shoot included her... right? Aiming torpedoes was what she was better at, but she was a decent shot with handheld weapons, at least compared to her classmates at the academy, she had not been shooting with any of the people here. Saeihr was not entirely sure what skill level was required exactly to fit the requirements or if it was just a round about way of saying tactical and security officers and the like. She decided it might be strange to ask and just moved to the front, slightly to the side and behind Essen and Seiyya. She considered waving at Ato as she moved past him, but he seemed to be in a discussion and she didn't think it would inspire confidence to draw his attention to the fact that one of the people meant to do the protecting was someone he had seen break a wrist by stumbling over a carpet.

"You better be, " he interjected, "We've still got to go on a third date!" He and Ato weren't exactly sitting on either side of a candlelit table; they'd probably just eaten rations together at some point. Still, he seemed determined that this apparently counted as a second date. (edited)

Vara'l moved off toward Aoife then after he looked the group over again, memorised faces and noted who conversed with who. Noted all the faces, considered them and wished he knew more to say, wished he knew what to say to Five to others. Wished that even as he struggled on further, continued to do as promised, as he glimpsed those ghosts that always haunted him in his dreams. Blinked them away as he focused upon the walk toward Aoife. Toward the conversation he expected to have. Focused on the here and now even as his mind re-assessed how he was, mapped out the road ahead and considered the morale of the team, or teams as it'd soon be. Considered that and arrived once more at the consideration he'd arrived at previously. Arrived silently to it again as he concealed such with his calm mask as best he could despite the cracks he happened to know would be present. Concealed that and approached Aoife. "Lieutenant Commander." He then started before he glanced off to somewhere more private as he issued a unspoken question.

The doctor squeezed Ato’s hand back and gave a nod, bumping against him just as affectionately before she separated and saw the small team off. When they’d all gone, Mavna’s gaze lingered on the hallway for a few moments before she steeled herself. She had a shuttle to turn into a makeshift quarantine, and turned her attention to that.

As he would stay behind, Tarsek made a point to bid the exploring team good luck. Even though he did not believe in the concept, he had long learned it was a common way of expressing one’s wish for another to succeed and so, he had added it to his vocabulary. “Come back safe, all of you. And remember…” His eyes met Essen’s. “Clear minds and clear objective.”

Aoife turned around from the wall she was currently empty headedly, looking at when Vara'l approached her. "Oh, commander. Sure let's go." She said with a nod as she went to follow Vara'l to somewhere less busy.

Vara'l nodded a bit at Aoife's response and followed them somewhere less busy. Once they reached there, Vara'l fixed the other with grey hued eyes. "Speak freely?" He'd then asked.

"Yeah go for it." She replied, Aoife had a feeling that she was about to be on the receiving end of the conversation she had with Vara'l yesterday. Aoife leaned against the wall of the hanger and looked up at Vara'l as he towered over her. Her bright red hair had grown increasingly unkept over the last few days. It's usual tight and high bun a shadow of it's former self as it grew increasingly loose and messy. She ran her hands through her hair feeling how greasy it had gotten after several days without a sonic shower.

Grey eyes fixed upon Aoife then as he looked unintentionally down at them and considered everything about them. Considered that even as he idly partially undid his uniform jacket finally. "I trust you understand why I, like you had to with me, have to ask this." Vara'l started when Aoife proceeded to say then as he struggled to but succeeded in keeping his voice calm as he looked at her. "Aoife, are you still fit for duty?" He asked her then as he watched her.

Aoifes face betrayed little, the stony face of an intelligence officer ever present. But after days on the cube there were cracks to be seen, fatigue, stress, frustration. But she did look better than she had the previous night, sleep did her some good. "I'm good." She replied simply with a nod. Glad that it was him who asked. "Sleep did me some good." She replied expanding a little bit, it was ironic how something that had plagued her for so long was now a smaller ticket item. To flip the script in shakespeare, her present fears were more then her horrible imaginings.

Grey eyes watched Aoife carefully as the other responded, watched and noted everything with how they acted. Noted the cracks he saw but also noted, blessed be the Elements, the signs that sleep had improved things for her at least somewhat. "Alright." He responded initially. "I'm glad sleep somewhat improved things there..." His jaw worked again then, while he was with it, the Romulan had noted that well, words remained somewhat a struggle at points and he was not at his best. "..Are you okay to talk bay defence or do you want me to handle sentry and sorting that out, for now?" He proceeded to say after a moment as he moved onto buisiness but also offered Aoife a bit more time to just...recover if it was needed.

She blinked, her antennae dropping over to the point they were nearly level with her brow. Yaveru couldn’t help but lean against the wall. She wasn’t really sure if anyone else was awake, but then again her vision was blurring at the edges. The engineer had thought of discussing ideas with the others, but something in the back of her mind made her hesitate. The last time she said something, the Klingons got through their defenses. What should’ve been an upgrade backfired. They kept saying it wasn’t her fault. How wasn’t it her fault? She should’ve known better. And yet, she was too young to know anything then. She yawned, her eyes looking over at the others. Some were resting. The other’s were probably out of sight. At least she was standing guard, even if a lone phaser could do nothing much against a swarm of drone. It was the least she could do.

After a brief time in which he either conversed or didn't converse a bit with Aoife, a thought struck Vara'l and he looked around. "I've just had a thought, hopefully one that'll work. " He, as he spotted a engineering lieutenant, then glanced to Aoife briefly and affected a smile before he headed straight for Lieutenant Zh'hrass. "Lieutenant." He then started as he angled himself to allow the other to be able to keep focused upon the door and for him to join them on sentry duty. "I've a engineering Idea i'd like to run past you." He started before he launched into it. "Do you think it'd be possible to utilize one of shuttles we're not using's sensors to augment our peremiter lifesign scans?" The Romulan inquired as he snapped out his tricorder and started to scan for non-Starfleet lifesigns as before. "Potentially looking for Borg power sources and material moving and attempting to get into the hangerbay, alongside lifesigns?" He inquired.

Lekraan was here! He moved where Mavna pointed, three hands in steady rhythm—beacons set, quarantine film smoothed, triage kits squared. Between tasks, he leaned to the viewport, skimming the crowd by sight alone: pallor, posture, chest rise, limps, clenched hands, temple sheen, eyes that wouldn’t track. In his head: clear / watch / pull, making mental notes with the checks. He sealed the barrier, spun up the scrubber, and passed supplies down the line without a word. Outside: steel. Inside: a taut wire of fear. He pinned it, braced on three legs, and kept the rhythm—glance, note, act.

She looked up, nodding as Vara’l addressed her. “Possible? Yeah, definitely. It might be a bit difficult to exactly distinguish between life signs if the shuttle’s scanners are inherently indifferent, but it’s not impossible.” She paused for a moment. A feeling of familiarity flowing through her veins. It was almost- “Hmkh.” She muttered, snapping out of her train of thought. “Borg power sources? I think so. It would probably be easier to distinguish Starfleet signals, then assume the rest as Borg. It all depends on the state of these shuttles, really. If they’re good enough, anything’s possible.”

"Would you be able to do it?" The Romulan inquired as he watched the other for a moment then returned his focus to the door. "If you can, I'd like you to get the shuttle sensors up and running to augment the perimeter scans." Vara'l stated then as he looked to them. "However you can manage it, I'd like to make sure that if the manipulator arms try and get in here, we'll have warning of them as we do about the approach of a conventional drone."

“Can do.” She nodded, grasping her utility belt. It was a bulky piece of equipment, but useful. “Although I have a feeling most drones here aren’t conventional.” She began to walk off towards the shuttles, looking at them from a distance just to gauge their condition. It was serviceable, she reckoned. Yaveru had worked with worse.

Vara'l nodded once then hummed as he conceded that point of the Lieutenants. "Thank you Lieutenant and that's true, but our tricorders did detects the drone before, just...not the arms." The Romulan observed before he turned toward the door and assumed sentry duty. Assumed it and allowed himself to just think, analyse the situation as he watched the darkness and listened for the alert sound from the tricorder. He turned on his rifles torch then and played it into the darkness, the roof something he checked every so often. Allowed himself to focus on the role, gladdened for the fact nobody had seemingly noticed more about how he was yet. Medical and the others needed to be focused on their tasks, not on him.

She sighed, tapping the side of the shuttle as she entered it inside. Everything on this damned cube was dark, darker, yet darker. She popped out a few of her tools, and laid them out on the floor. It wasn’t long before she opened up the maintenance hatch. The screen on the console came to life not long after, a troubleshooting setup appearing in place of the usual displays. Yaveru tapped away at it, before kneeling down to tinker with it.

The younger doctor appreciated some of the help with setting up the quarantine, having very obviously come to a standstill at a certain point after she did perhaps too much heavy lifting while still just slightly dehydrated and sweating out the water she had actually drank. Mavna took a heavy seat on the shuttle’s ramp and took a few sips of her canteen, glancing back toward Lekraan as her three-legged colleague continued the work, “How’re yoouu…holding up?”

Vara'l stiffened as he heard what he heard. Stiffened as he turned and called. "Lieutenant Commander O'Rielly!" Then looked off to the medical officers. "Medical officers present, get the quarantine shuttle finished and prepare for casualties!" His world a rush of action, observation, order and order and order as he acted as he tapped his badge. As his mind raced with recriminations, with assessments, with questions. Oh elements oh elements they shouldn't have left, they shouldn't th-. Raced with thoughts about his mind as he spoke, called upon Paco, as he battled battled to stay here, forced himself to stay here. Not yet. Glimpsed the ghosts the ghosts that never left, elements why would they ne-. Blinked as he moved closer to the entrance way and waited for a response to his message. Waited as he forced his body to stillness, forced the shakes away, pushed on, knowing full well what he purchased with this stubborn choice. Options assessed, no other highlighted as viable, especially if the worst of outcomes arose from that. From the desperately uttered. 'Help.' Not yet, his mind cried into the roil of emotion that cared little for sense, for demand or words. Not yet his mind growled even as the thought whispered through it. Oh elements, what did I authorise. What has it cost. What have I authorised to be done?

Aoife came running when Vara'l shouted, she had heard the same message over Comms which could only mean one thing the expedition had gone bad. "Shit, how bad?" She asked Vara'l as she began setting her rifle to kill. And looking for places they could set up lines of fire in the hanger.

No rest for the wicked. The doctor perked up from where she was seated and quickly set her water aside and moved to put her uniform back on. Yes, it will be hot. Yes, she’s already sweating her ass off. But she wasn’t about to let protocols get tossed out the window in the event that someone’s been assimilated or anything else. She snapped some gloves on and just kept moving, “Quarantine should be up and running…” Should be. Should be…

"One down, Lieutenant Umali with one assimilated." The Romulan responded to Aoife, voice bleached of anything but focus, but the stubborn demand of a mind that refused to break yet. "Lieutenant Five of Eight." He added then, a soft shake betrayed briefly before Vara'l squelched it, squelched it as that voice whispered within his mind. 'We would not have done that, when still Borg.' Our judgement wouldn't be impaired, if we were still Borg. "Opinion on a fighting withdrawal back to the Hanger bay?" The Romulan then inquired as he tapped his com badge again.

"Dangerous and irresponsible sir." She replied quickly as she began making preparations to do exactly that.

She wasn’t too sure how much faith she had in what was, admittedly, a ramshackle quarantine. Lekraan helping her out definitely gave her a little more faith in it, considering he specialized in disaster medicine, but it was still just…a shuttle, and an assimilated Five of Eight was building off the implants she already had. She was worried about the enhanced strength, the way the Borg commandeered technology…she was worried about a lot of things, but she had pushed this all aside as she laid out everything she needed from her medkit to help patch Umali up.

"Prepare to cover their retreat, given the lack of response and initial sitrep, there is a high likelihood withdrawal to the hanger bay is immanent." The Romulan informed Aoife then as he glanced out of the doorway as he assessed the surroundings. "If they withdraw, we meet them part way and guide them in and try to repulse the Borg follow through." Assessed them as colour, as tonality departed as every once of his mind was devoted to the task, to staying together. Staying together as part of him grasped at that slim desperate hope that perhaps the team had secured Five as well as Umali. "If they penetrate the perimeter once we're back in, we fall back to the shuttles." Clung to it as one hand drummed a rhythm on the rifle and the other remained clasped tightly near the trigger. "Doing so under the cover of your explosives if we must." He'd glanced to Aoife then. "Do you concur with that plan?" (edited)

Aoife nodded along as Vara'l came up with a plan of action. "We'll have to be careful with the explosives I don't have much to work with." Aoife readied her rifle as she got ready to move out. "Lieutenants Cabiaso and Zh'hraas! You're both with us. Grab your gear and extra sedatives!"

Fuck- Okay. Lekraan can handle the quarantine, she trusted the guy. She just met him, granted, but the reputation spoke for itself. She grabbed her medkit and shoved three more sedatives into it, rushing over to where Aoife and Vara’l were as she was in the midst of strapping the kit across her chest, “Sir, ma’am,” She said, before holding out two pairs of surgical gloves to the intelligence and tactical officers, “Mmmight be helpful if we need to take anyone back here who’s at risk of assimilation.” (edited)

Silver eyes flicked down to the gloves for a moment as the lieutenant offered the gloves to them. A brief pause following as he considered that before he then accepted the gloves. "Fair enough, thank you Lieutenant." The Romulan responded then as he forced his tone to remain a calm one, battled against his mind as he then looked back out there. "Should there being anyone undergoing the assimilation process Lieutenant, sedate them or stun then." Vara'l then started then. He then looked about the bay and focused on Lekraan then looked to Lieutenant commander Tarsek. "Lieutenant Commander Tarsek!" The Romulan called out then. "We need you to take up sentry position, we're preparing to move out to support the expeditions fighting withdrawal back to the Hanger Bay." Vara'l informed Tarsek then before as the com call came in, he stiffened a bit. Vara'l, as he then tapped his badge and responded, idly wished he'd had more time to just speak to Aoife. Wished he'd had the chance to ask them to slap him or some such if he snapped before Eventide, though part if him also reminded itself Aoife happened to be..in a rough state too. Reminded himself of that as emotion roiled, as he replied and that voice in his mind continued to join itself with that constant refrain 'Not yet' howled into his mind. Inefficient, imperfect. Individuality, your individuality and judgement will get people killed, the voice whispered. Responded as one hand briefly shook as he reacted to what was said. Brief but there as his guilt danced about the fragile island of calm of his mind. Warred against focus, against compartmentalisation and control, against a mind focused on keeping going until it could be allowed to let go. Until the danger had passed, bet that Eventide or if some other thing resolved it. Not. Yet.

One down, one assimilated. Re-assimilated. How come every time they seemed to be moving a meter forward, they were thrown 20 meters back? Two less with them. He remembered how his former captain talked about a certain “law of Murphy”. A concept not far from luck. Therefore, illogical. There were things they were not seeing. Things they had not noticed, flaws or advantages alike. They were tired, on the edge of a precipice and moments before they fell into the waves bellow. He found himself thinking of Cpt. Neto. Of Garcia and of Shelly. He wondered if he would have worked better if this was his former crew. Evidence pointed that yes... It had been his mistake to accept such a risk with a crew he barely knew. Were it Marcelo and not Vara’l, he would have had noticed sooner the distress. He would have had space to speak freely. If Garcia lost foccus, he knew how to bring her back, how to bring all of the Drumond’s crew back. He stopped, noticing where his mind was going. Fear and regret. Illogical. He took a step back, mentally. He had already known this, that this would be harder. That he had to adapt. That he would adapt, like he always did. It was illogical to question what could have been. It was illogical to regret a past decision, now unchangeable. It was logical to face the consequences. He heard himself be called, received his orders, and with nothing more than a confident nod of his head he took his phaser in his hand and took sentry position. If a drone wanted to reach his colleagues they would have to pass over him. Over. His. Dead. Cold. Logical. Body.

Grey eyes fixed upon Tarsek as the reacted, noddeded as they did. Watched them with the knowledge of one who knew that the other knew how he happened to be. Knew but lacked all that was needed to do anything about it. In the battlefield that was the mind of the Liberated Borg, the song of that part of him that remained the sculpted mind of the tactical drone pulled from the collective and 'repatriated' to the Free State from the Federation clawing at it, none of the needed words remained. Stripped away, ground ceded in the name of time. Perhaps if a opportunity had arisen earlier, he'd have still harbouted what was needed to say what he wished to say. Perhaps if he'd known them for longer, but all that was and remained in the past. Now he waited for Senang's response on the call. Turned as he waited, trusted in the Lieutenant Commander to hold the peremiter when they moved out to guide those who headed to the hanger bay in and shield their withdrawal back to it. All there was now was duty, was the effort, was the promise extracted from him by a friend that had been assimilated. Was the structures his mind struggled to cling to as he waited for them to respond. The structures he sheltered within as emotion roiled, as his mind struggled and he waited for those words through the badge that'd see him begin to move once more.

Leading the team back into the hangar bay, Paco over one shoulder, rifle slung over the other shoulder and phaser in that hand. They'd not seen the first drone at all on the way back, though its ominous echoes had followed them all the way back to home base. Senang dropped Paco off with Mavna and Lekraan, unable to do anything for the human himself. Then, without speaking, he took up sentry duty by the door once more, once more taking his rifle in hand, staring out beyond the entrance with a straight face.

The doctor leapt to action, checking over Paco and doing everything she could with the supplies they had to get him in a stable position. He’d taken a lot of shots, and Mavna was so caught up in getting the guy awake that she’d yet to ask about where Five was.

As the officers approached into view, Vara'l signalled for Aoife to join him as he moved to better cover those of the expedition team that arrived as they entered. While he might have at another point raised the matter of the unanswered comms and the fact nobody had been directed to respond to him as Senang had had his hands full, Vara'l noted what-who the Lieutenant Commander happened to have his hands full with and decided that all mattered little at all. The situation they were in, what had occurred? All of that to Vara'l seemed reason enough for professionalism to have slipped. So it remained uncommented upon. Once he was sure the last person who had entered had entered, Vara'l glanced to Senang. Glanced to them as he shielded his mind from the emotion that roiled with assessment, with task after task, consideration after consideration. "Lieutenant's Essen, Ato and Lieutenant Commander T'she?" Vara'l started to ask then. "Have they all gone to convey Maggie to the Alcoves?" Asked that as he noted how few people had headed that way and glanced very briefly to Aoife. Glanced to her as his mind arrived to the conclusion that it most certainly happened to dislike the numbers when it came to the team that'd headed to the Alcove. Not that he allowed that show right now as he looked for the engineer he'd discussed certain things with earlier and waited for Senang or someone's response.

She had just finished with the modifications needed to the shuttles when she noticed that the others had come back. The work took longer than expected, but she was mostly working alone. Yaveru stepped outside, watching the others as she tried to gauge the situation. Not pretty, that’s for sure. She walked up to the main group, primarily to report back to Vara’l. “Shuttle’s all done. Took longer than expected. I assume the situation outside isn’t… looking very good.” Her voice trailed off towards the end, the words falling out off her tongue rather being fully pronounced.

As Lt. Cdr. Senang dropped the wounded young officer with the medical team and approached, Tarsek, without any visible reaction, opened space for a new formation where both of them could guard the only point of access to their temporary base.

Vesta trudged into the hanger bay silently. Her burns from her encounter with Maggie were starting to blister painfully, and she was sore and bruising from being thrown against the wall. Despite that she didn’t grab the attention of a medic, simply tossing her backpack with the plasma cutter off to the side and the sliding down to sit against one of the shuttles away from the group. How the hell had everything ended up like this?

He observed the situation with an unreadable expression. "Ah. So I'm assuming you all didn't reach the vinculum, then?"

Seiyya was silent, but she shook her head no at Serin’s question. She was tired, and the last bits of hope she had were fading. She wanted to sit down somewhere and rest after being shot in the chest and thrown to the floor and generally being tossed around by two extremely disturbing Borg drones.

Vara'l's gaze swept the room around him as he remained in position, one hand had clasped on his tricorder as he scanned for non-starfleet lifesigns and the other upon his Phaser rifle. Each element of the scene about him assessed quietly as he looked over the aftermath of a attempt made that had failed, beheld the signs of morale dropping further. Beheld as silver eyes alighted upon the engineer as she approached. Fixed upon her as she spoke to him. "That's good, Lieutenant, what matters is it's done now." When they asked about the situation, he glanced out of the doorway then back to the Lieutenant. "We continue to have a secure strongpoint here, Lieutenant." Vara'l started then before he continued. "It could be better but it could be worse, we can hold in here against two or three drones." He informed them, his voice that forced ice of calm as his mind dived into assessment, the role of CTO what sheltered them from the Roil. "We will hold, Lieutenant, you've helped with that with the shuttle's sensors to augment the sensor perimeter." He continued on to say. "If you're alright with it, I'd ask if you can take a look and see if you're able to try and get us more time with the peremiter sensors." Vara'l requested then before he elaborated carefully, part of his focus fixed on all that occurred around him, poised for if his tricorder chirped a warning. "I'm given to understand, though correct me if I'm wrong, that the shuttles will be operating on battery." He lapsed into silence for a moment then before he then proceeded to say. "I wondered if we might get more time with the shuttles sensors augmenting the perimeter if we can do something to lessen the power draw." His jaw worked a bit before he added. "Give us more time out of what we've got." Left why more time might be needed unsaid. "Would you be able to look into that for me, Lieutenant?"

"Hmm. The shuttles could still last maybe a few days. 3 or 4, if we limit our usage. I've already disconnected anything non-essential to our survival. We could potentially siphon off energy from the cube itself, but that's too much of a risk in my opinion." She sighed, her hands clasping together as her antennae stiffened. "Essentially, all we have is all we got. Without any other form of energy generation or a way to tap into the Borg's supply without risk, we just have to conserve and limit the range of these sensors." The less we know, the longer we last? It made her uneasy, but there wasn't much they could realistically do without endangering themselves.

Mavna had become increasingly frustrated as she continued patching Paco up. She didn't know where T'She and Ato were, and Lekraan had more important things to do with Yaveru to make the quarantine even work, but what was the point of that now if Five isn't here? She grit her teeth as she put another hypo to Paco's neck and looked over her shoulder, shouting, "I need a nurse, now! One of you!"

Vara'l nodded slightly at what the engineer proceeded to say then. "I understand." The Romulan responded then before he continued. "Given that we've attempted the Borg power thing and it was cut off, I suspect that we'll not get anything further through that avenue." Vara'l considered then before he stated. "I'd say limit the range to the door itself and no further, we want to know if anything comes in that isn't Starfleet." He decided. The Romulan then glanced sharply at Mavna before the com clicked and he tapped his combadge sharply. He then looked to Aoife and Senang. "T'she and Essen coming in hot, prepare for hostile contact." (edited)

Mavna didn't hear the comms message Essen sent, and it's for the better, "Tarsek!" She shouted, "Give me that hypo now!" She pointed before turning back to Paco, tossing the empty one aside. She needed a stimulant, as soon as possible. She paused in movements for a moment when she realized Vara'l didn't say Ato's name, but kept at it, "TARSEK!" (edited)

Vara'l proceeded to take up a firing position near the door as he placed his tricorder behind him as it continued to scan. He was ready for the duo to have been followed in by a drone, given that Five had been assimilated...and now Ato was being assimilated.

As Essen brought in T'She, she brought T'She over to a place where she could support themselves or stand up straight. Ensured of this, before Essen held up her phaser towards the entrance of the hangar bay, awaiting any unwanted company to arrive...

Knowing sentry would not be completely abandoned and with the new emergency at hand, Tarsek rushed as fast as his legs, which was admittedly fast, could allow him into the med tent. Taking the hypo indicated he quickly delivered it directly into the doctor’s hand. “Anything else, doctor?” Seems like he was on medical assistant duty now.

She grabbed the hypo from Tarsek's hand and quickly applied the stimulant to Paco, "I need a status on T'She, are they injured? Is Vesta? If the both of them are, I need you to stay here. As soon as Paco is stablized I need to move to the next injured party, and I can't do it with one pair of hands," She emptied the hypo and moved to the other supplies, moving in a whirl, "...and where's Ato?" She asked lowly, taking Paco's pulse. (edited)

He looked around spotting T’She where Essen had left them. “Lt. Cdr. T’She what is your status?” His voice carried, loud and deep and slightly less monotone than normal. He did not leave Lt. Cabiaso side at first, but should T’She need help to reach them, he would assist her. He then looked for Vesta in the middle of the chaos. (edited)

"Only thing we could do for power is make another Spurge. I'm unsure if I could pull that off a second time, though." There was a very convenient wire he could interfere with last time. (edited)

Vesta was around, still silent, still sitting against one of the shuttles. She hadn’t conversed with anyone since the team had returned from its ill fated outing. From what Tarsek could see, she was holding her own. She had dug out the med kit from her bag and seemed to be giving herself a hypospray.

"I... was shot in the shoulder. I will be fine. I can walk. I can function." T'She said quietly before they shook their head. "I... need to keep working..." They finished as they stepped forward to hopefully help with the medical effort.

Grey eyes remained focused on the entrance to the bay as the Lieutenant raced in. Focused and betraying little as they fixed upon the door, fixed there and waited to see what pursued the duo. Waited to see if anything followed them. Waited in the enforced outward calm even as his mind roiled, as guilt grief and pain howled their discordant melody in his mind. Waited as he retreated further and further into role, into purpose into duty and into the promise made to someone now assimilated. Battled to stay with it, now the situation had deteriorated further. Certainty a seed that had blossomed upon a fragile island, certainty that if he collapsed now, the effect would be seriously detrimental. As much as those ghosts hounded him, as much as they clawed at him in every nightmare he experienced, he owed it to them. Owed it to them not to fail another team. Owed it to them not to loose another team to the Borg again. Owed them, even faced by his failure in slow degrees, faced by the deterioration of morale, of communications discipline. By the loss of officers, the loss of a friend. Oh elements, Oh bloody elements, Five. FIVE. What had he authorised what had he in this cursed self-doubting individuality authorised. Five Assimilated, Ato assimilated, Paco down at least one other injured. Probably more. ELEMENTS. Could he do nothing right? Could this individual do NOTHING right? All he'd managed to do was ensure a strongpoint was established. He didn't even know if EVENTIDE had been destroyed or not. Now as he listened, as he watched at the door and listened for the sound that indicated Borg pursuit, he heard the crack of morale as it deteriorated further. Heard it as his mind returned to Five. Oh elements. As he glanced to the Lieutenant. "What are the risks of trying again, lieutenant Serin-De-Sieth?" He inquired then, his voice laced with a forced calm that he lacked.

"T'She, if you're shot in the shoulder, sit down," She pointed toward one of the portable stretchers they'd set up. Her expression was rather serious, she was in no mood for the nurse to start forcing themself. As she had thought earlier, the only member of this medical team being self-sacrificial was HER, goddamnit! "I need your hands, not your legs," She turned back to Paco but continued to speak to Tarsek, "Where is Ato, Tarsek." (edited)

Once she was sure it was safe, Essen holstered her phaser... took a couple huffs while her eyes blurred and unfocused out into nothingness... and after a few steps towards a dark corner of the hangar bay... she collapsed to her knees. The anger... the dread... the anxiety... the terror... the devastation. From Maggie, to Five, to Ato, and her being so emotionally charged that she didn't remember what Tarsek told her... Essen ripped off her jacket, and folded it up into a wad. Her veins were popping out of the sides of her neck, and her breathing became deeper, and quickened in pace. The emotional overload was finally too much to handle. Her body trembled... visibly... as the energy had no other outlet. As Essen buried her face into her jacket to muffle the noise... the culmination of all of this, the shame, the guilt, the devastation... it burst. (To the tune of "Khaaaaaaan!") "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!" She screamed into her jacket, and pushed it up as far as she could to cover the noise... and, actually, the noise was dampened quite well and the result on the outside was no louder than a speaking voice. Still, it was evident that Essen was still ripping at the seams, her hands clenched into fists as a subtle green hue underlined her skin. Once Essen removed the jacket from her face, it revealed a sobbing face, with tears streaming down it, as her breathing continued to huff, huff, huff... as her eyes had a watery filter over them, and her teeth were bared. How others like Saren could keep their cool in something like this, Essen didn't know... from the outburst of emotional energy, Essen collapsed onto her back, and her eyes shut as she sobbed... (edited)

”Doctor, Lt. Kuzeed is by the shuttles and seems to be self-medicating. I have no visual of Lt. Th’zhaloth. Your orders?” Tarsek knew better than to take any sort of medical decision. Mavka would have to direct him. (edited)

The doctor pursed her lips together very tightly when Tarsek said he couldn't see Ato. There's two answers to this question, and both are terrible. One: Ato is lagging behind and is soon to be assimilated. Two: Ato is already assimilated. She paused, completely stark still as she stood over Paco, letting Tarsek's question linger in the air as she stared into space, just above Paco's head.

T'She sat on one of the portable stretchers, rather easily stopped from working for the time being -- they needed their shoulder worked on, or at least checked out. "I couldn't bring him back. He... I should have been able to do something..." Their voice was almost frantic before they pressed a hand to their temple.

"Check his pulse," She said to Tarsek before moving to T'She, grabbing another hypo and grabbing T'She's wrist to move it down so she could access their shoulder, "T'She," She pressed the hypo just above the wound, meeting the nurse's eyes, "Don't start apologizing. You were shot, we are all in a terrible position, we are all tired and we are all running on fumes. You did what you could," She emptied the hypo, "How is the pain?"

She returned not long after to shorten the range further, muttering something under her breath. Things seemed to be sprialing a bit, but they had this area for protection, at least for a while. She sighed. She didn't like this, to be surrounded by the enemy for what was the 3rd time in her life. To see the pain and suffering of her fellow officers. It was starting to get to her head. They were losing them, the headcount shrinking day after day. Yaveru blinked, the echoes of memories cause her head to twitch for a second. No. No. Not again. She took a raged breath in, before stepping up behind everyone else, watching as the returning personnel scrambled around. "Commander." She muttered, addressing Vara'l. "All done with the shuttles. I... I'm made it sure it could last a bit longer." The words hardly escaped her mouth. It felt more difficult to speak, what with the sight infront of her eyes.

"The pain will pass. It will pass sooner now..." They were not talking about how bad their pain was -- a pointed decision. The pain was there, but they would live through it. They had to live through it. They stopped apologizing at the very least. "The Lieutenant has been assimilated, at least... the drone had taken him."

The screams, though she didn’t actually hear them, were agonizing for Vesta. She noticed that the team that had went off to take care of Maggie had come back with one less person. That person being Ato, one of their few doctors and as she had learned over the past few days, Mavna’s friend. She ripped of her visor and buried her face in her hands. If only she hadn’t used that damn plasma cutter then they wouldn’t have needed to stop the expedition and take Maggie to the regeneration alcoves where Ato had been taken. She had messed this whole thing up. Everything that had gone wrong from the moment she aimed that plasma cutter was her fault. She wanted everybody out of the Borg cube, especially those where were assimilated, hell at this point she didn’t even care care if it meant that she didn’t join them.

The sound of the intention of a scream but the intensity of normal speaking made to his ears and Tarsek turned his head to spot Essen. Sobbing. Tears streaming continuously down her face, soaking the jacket she had, he assumed, used to muffle her distress. He could see her face contour into fury and despair as she collapsed. Unfortunately, his orders had been issued, and as much as Essen’s mental state was important, she was not under death risk. And so, the Vulcan searched for Paco’s pulse, finding it steady though somewhat weak. He kept monitoring it until he deemed it constant enough. He reported his findings to Mavka. “Doctor, the pulse is steady, only a bit diminished in intensity. Arterial blood pressure might be low, even with the stimulant.” He had no way to check with his hands alone.

Mavna's eyes almost bored through T'She for a moment when they say Ato had been assimilated. She knew that was the answer to her fear, but getting it confirmed made it finally feel real. She steeled herself. She can't...she won't go blaming anyone for this. It's circumstances, it's no one's fault, just like she and Paco had told Maggie when she was breaking down before she was fully infected. Her eyes flicked away from T'She as she stood, "...alright," She muttered softly, "...I...I think we have a splint for your arm, I'll...go get that," She began to move, leaning out into the main camp to shout, "If anyone is seriously injured, I want you here now!" She went to find the splint as Tarsek spoke, "There's blood packs in that medkit, get an IV ready. Find a vein in his left arm."

Grey eyes flicked about the hanger bay again as he listened to the tricorder, as th-he idly wondered if he should have linked them to his hearing aids again. Looked around as that thought joined the rest, joined the hail and roil of guilt of second-guessing of everything as he forced himself on further. Forced himself to keep going. Forced themselves past the cracking, clutched hard to the role, to the duty. Clutched to what was needed to do his duty. Needed to stay here. Needed to keep the promise he'd made to a friend he'd lost. Forced himself to- And then eyes rested upon Essen. Saw what he saw. Forced the words through lips that wanted to do little to nothing, through a body that wanted to cry but couldn't right now. The evidence wiped away swiftly as he'd turned to briefly to look away from other officers. Looked away then looked back. "Lieutenant Commander Lekraan, Lieutenant Essen requires assistance." Voice bleached of feeling, though it tremored now upon 'Assistance'. A brief shake as he'd turned to look to the Lieutenant. "Thank you Lieutenant." He'd responded then as he forced himself to smile at them, a tired smile that concealed so much. "If you've any other ideas relating to further securing the perimeter and the entrance way, I'm more than willing to hear them." He stated then as he ignored the ghosts of lost memory-things that whispered through the crowd briefly. Grounded himself as forced his mind into another tactical analysis. (edited)

Doing as he was told, Tarsek separated all of the materials needed and fetched the blood pack. After cleaning the area on Paco’s left arm, he slowly inserted the needle trying to access an acceptable vein. The low blood pressure and perfusion made the job harder, but with patience the Vulcan was able to complete the task and ready the IV, checking if the catheter had any obstructions before connecting it to the blood pack and allowing it to run. “Done, doctor!” He alerted.

"Watch him, keep track of his pulse. Check the dilation of his eyes, he might be in shock," She grabbed the splint and moved over to T'She, beginning to strap it around her arm and shoulder as she applied another hypo, "T'She, when the pain is gone, and I mean gone, then you can get back to work. I mean it." (edited)

CW brief depressive, harmful self-talk Essen practically didn't even hear Vara'l call Lekraan for assistance. Everything was just muffled by her own mind. First Maggie, which now she was fully convinced she was responsible for... then Five... then seeing Maggie nearly die, a position she wouldn't have been put in if it wasn't for Essen... and then seeing Ato get captured and assimilated... as the tears burst from Essen's eyes, her stomach rose and fell in staggered, jagged breaths. All of this... all of it was her fault. She could have prevented all of this. If she'd just been a little more careful. And she tried -- no joking, no laughter, no smiles, nothing -- she wanted to get what she craved. A chance to avenge her father, and to fight for her mother, for Vara'l, for Savva, for Five, for Maggie, for Ato... and she failed. Every time. She failed. She was a failure. SHE was the problem. SHE was the reason Maggie, Five and Ato were assimilated. This was all her fault. 'I'm a failure...' Essen repeated over and over again in her head. 'I'm a failure... my fault... all my fault...' (edited)

"Of course. I will let you know when the pain is gone." They said quietly, their eyes closing as they tried to keep their head on straight. Now that they couldn't work, they couldn't be useful.

The last thing Paco heard before getting knocked out, was the sounds of phaser fire and the words 'You will be assimilated'. Much beyond that was quite blurry. He felt himself being carried for a moment, then it all went blank after that. This probably wasn't the first time, Paco had taken a few beating before in past events, but none were as bad as this... well except maybe for that one time he was stuck in the turbolift with Nirral during the science fair, but that's for another time. Paco's pulse had been rather fast, breathing heavy and staggered. Over time it had stabilized somewhat. The burns hurt like a bitch though. He just rested, that is until he felt a prick of a needle being pushed into his arms, which he reasonably reacted by swatting Tarsek's arm away a bit.

Noticing during the procedure the human started to react he communicated this to Mavna. “Doctor, Lt. Umali is coming around.” He then turned his attention back to Paco. “Lieutenant, can you hear me?”

"...no..." He groaned. Well there's your answer.

Thank the Prophets. She spun around and gave Paco a once over. Hypos for the pain had already been applied, so the shots that he'd taken shouldn't be bothering him at the moment. The doctor felt some weight melt off her shoulders when Paco said something, and nodded to herself, "Welcome back, Paco," She said with a little smile, before getting back to being serious, "We'll monitor you for a bit and then get you moving as best we can," She lifted her medkit up and swung it over her shoulder, turning to Tarsek, "You saiddd...Kuzeed is self-medicating?" (edited)

"Did we wi--" Paco paused himself when he finally looked around at the chaos around him "We didn't..... i think this needle's inserted wrong..."

”The lieutenant injected herself with a hypospray, I do not know of its nature. Maybe analgesic.” He answered.

The call from Vara’l was enough—Lekraan moved before the words were finished, already in action Three arms worked in rhythm as he crossed the hangar: one keeping the medkit anchored, another unclipping his tricorder, the third free for contact. The cybernetic lens swept her over quickly—respiration shallow, muscle tension high, peripheral tremor in the hands. He closed the tricorder without reading the full data. This wasn’t about numbers yet. A steady hand settled on her forearm, another came to her shoulder. “You’re safe in this space,” he said, voice low and deliberate, letting it cut under the Cube’s hum. He angled slightly so her view was of him, not the chaotic background. “We’ll take this a moment at a time. Can you find my voice?” *He let the question hang, then gave the first cue: *“Tell me one thing you can feel right now. Anything—your boots on the deck, my hand here—just one.”

The stifling of her tears, as well as the sniffling from it all, was overwhelming Essen, as she blinked to see a doctor approaching her -- it was Lekraan! Essen took a moment, as she sobbed... to think about what he was saying. "Erm," Essen sniffled. "My... back against... m-my jacket?" Essen asked, unsure if she was doing it right. It helped that Lekraan reached out and touched her forearm and shoulder -- it seemed to ground her, instead of her feeling like she was in a sort of void inside her mind... (edited)

The instant the words 'injected herself' left Tarsek's mouth, Mavna was on the move. She slipped out into the main camp and beelined for Vesta, finding her with her face in her hands up against one of the shuttles after searching for a few seconds. She wilted at the sight, and crouched down next to the operations officer. She tentatively reached out a hand and patted Vesta on the shoulder to get her attention, before signing a small, "Okay?" It was one of the few words she remembered in the midst of her brain being on fire.

She recognized that shake, that forced smile. That expression. The very same T'chell had, the day they died. The day she had to take over command of her squad. So little of anyone left. It terrified her. It was as if she was back, back in that winter hell, the cries of dying officers begging to be rescued. The exhaustion plastered on everyone's faces. Her eyes twitched, what little composure vanished for a moment. She froze, fully, unable to move. The phaser blasts, the screams, the blood. It all came rushing back, crawling up her spine. And then her own blood, what was merely sweat now feeling like the blood that poured from her antennae before she saw black. "I-" Her voice crackled, her hands clenching and twitching. "I-" Her eyes couldn't focus on him, she was seeing face of her commander, and the face of a dead friend all at the same time.

“Good,” Lekraan said, steady as ever. His grip on her forearm didn’t tighten, but it stayed constant—reassuring, unmoving. *“Your jacket. Solid. That’s one.”The hand on her shoulder gave a slow, deliberate squeeze, then eased.* “Now find one sound, besides me. Doesn’t have to be pleasant—just real.” He waited, letting the moment stretch without crowding her, his own breathing slow enough to set a rhythm in the space between them. The cybernetic eye flicked briefly to her vitals readout on the tricorder, then back to her face—choosing presence over staring at numbers.

Essen thought about it... not really sure what to pick besides... "Hough...m-my breathing?" She asked. "That's definitely a sound..." And in that moment she was a little bit more conscious of her breathing too!

Upon being alerted to somebody’s presence, Vesta put her visor back on. Mavna was the one trying to communicate with her. The doctor had asked if she was ok. “I’m fine.” She signed back, though she was looking worse for wear. She had small burn covering her face, neck, and arms, and bruises were starting to appear on her arms and back. A bruise was also starting to appear on her neck. She also generally just looked run down. That was her physical state, her mental state didn’t seem to be much better. “Took a pain killer.”

Mavna stared at her, clearly not taking 'I'm fine' as an actual answer as she sat down next to Vesta and started to sift through her medkit, "You need a dermal regenerative for the burns, and potentially more painkillers as the bruises start to grow, and you do not need to be applying hypos yourself," She said firmly, lifting her eyes up to meet the Trill's. She wasn't going to ask her about Ato. She'd gotten her answers, "I told you I'd fix you up, didn't I?" She said, her expression softening alongside her words.

“Exactly,”Lekraan said, the faintest nod acknowledging her choice. “Your breathing. That’s yours. That’s two.” His thumb traced a small circle against her forearm—not absent-minded, but measured, just enough to keep her attention anchored. “Now, last one. Find something you can see—anything, near or far. Let it be the only thing you look at for a moment.” He let the pause breathe, not filling it with more words. His own chest rose and fell in slow, even rhythm, matching hers now that it had steadied a little. The medkit stayed cradled against his side, one hand still on her shoulder, the third arm ready but unintrusive.

Slowly but surely, Essen's breathing calmed down, and so did her mind with all of those previously racing thoughts. As Essen thought about it for a moment... what could she see? She looked around... and in looking around, found one of the lights in the room. "Ummm... one of those lights up there? That one," she said as she pointed upwards. "That one right there." Lekraan's presence was certainly soothing now, as Essen, eyes still watery, didn't cry anymore at the moment. In blinking away those tears, Essen found comfort in this moment. Finally, some peace again.

"...no walking for Paco..." Paco said as he looked down to where he got shot in the leg "...Dang..." Paco laid back down.

Vesta swallowed. “That was before.” She signed, her eyes betraying a tiredness that hadn’t been there before and her expression not softening. “I’m trained in first aid, I was in pain and there weren’t medics around. It was the right thing to do.” She signed, looking away from Mavna as she finished. She wanted off of the cube so horribly bad.

"And this is now," She replied, lifting up her dermal regenerator and gently taking hold of Vesta's chin to turn it toward her so she could start on the facial burn, "I keep my promises, Vesta. I'm stubborn. I come from a pirate family. My words are binding," She moved the regerator down to her neck, "You're lucky I didn't make you pinky promise..." She mumbled as she continued.

He felt a little... Odd. It was hard to determine if it was a bad kind of odd. Of course, in a situation like this, he was bound to feel a little of the Bad Oddness, but it was a downplayed Oddness. It wasn't fear or misery, but a secret third thing. Resignation? Yeah, resignation. It was like some part of him had already mourned everyone in here in advance and moved on, even Ato, just to save him the future pain of severed attachment. He wasn't sure if it was a good or bad coping mechanism. Maybe it was the Vulcan emotional suppression techniques kicking in. Either way, he kept out of the way of the medics unless they needed him to hand them something, since he could do little else to help, and continued maintaining a calm front as he kept an eye out for eight-legged creatures. (edited)

T'She was sitting there, eyes closed, seemingly meditating, that was, until they weren't. That was until brown eyes snapped open and they all but jumped to their feet. They needed to move, they needed to do something, but they couldn't, so they simply paced back and forth around part of the perimeter, away from the others. It was the most they could do as they reflected, the most that they could do as half-baked memories forced their way to the front of their psyche. It started with the CMO of the Thanatos, back when they were called to be instruments of war instead of peace. 'I can expect nothing less than your best'. Words that T'She had lived by for years. (Be a good nurse, be the best that they could be. Be a good Vulcan, be the best that they could be.) It started with the words of their Grandfather, telling them that they needed to be doing more. (He was always pushing them, pushing them further than what was possible most times, T'She never knew how proud of them that the man was). Then the words, the memories, the flashes of what had once been came like a flood, an overwhelming flood. But one voice rose above the rest. Ato. 'Thank you for always being an enduring spirit. I am glad to have you and the rest of our team by my side.' They had let Ato get assimilated. They had failed him, in an attempt to help another member of the crew -- a member of the crew who had been assimilated already. They had done nothing to help Five, their friend, when they could have sedated and brought them for quarantine. 'Run, run and don't look back.' the words came again, this time in Five's voice. T'She Tamura had failed. They should have done more, more MORE but what they did never seemed to be enough. It would never be enough.

Lekraan followed her gesture, giving the barest nod, letting his work consume him and solely focus on it. *“Good. That one’s yours to hold onto for now.” *His hand lifted from her shoulder just enough to guide her arm back toward her side, but the contact at her forearm stayed constant—warm, steady. “That’s three,”* he said quietly. “You’ve got your footing back.” *He angled himself so the Cube loomed behind her and the curtained alcoves of the mobile stretcher area lay ahead. *“Let’s move to the stretchers—slow pace, nothing abrupt. I’ll keep step with you. Every step, you still have those three anchors,” *he murmured as they walked. “Jacket. Breath. Light. You can come back to them anytime, you need them”As they started to make their way to the cot

”Lt. Umali please refrain from trying to move and spare your strenght. Do you think you are in need of analgesics? I can call Lt. Cabiaso.” The Vulcan assessed the man. Despite the burns and the questionable conscience stage - talking in third person was an oddity - he seemed stable for now.

As Essen slowly rose to her feet, she revisited each of the anchors -- jacket, breath, light. "Yeah... Jacket...breath, light," Essen parroted, grasping the grounding nature of the exercise. She walked slowly, at a comfortable pace. It was actually quite nice to be able to take things slow for a bit. Not have to worry about anything else. "Yeah... Jacket, breath, light," Essen replied to Lekraan. When she finally made it to the cot, she gently sat on the side of it first as leverage to hoist the rest of her body onto it, before she laid back on it, with the jacket as a pillow behind her head. (edited)

"Paco is also trained in first aid...." Paco quietly said in background from Vesta, still laying down. He wanted he could do something, but just being okay should suffice for now... Was Paco destined to be the one asexual in the background of most lesbian couple memes? Probably. He's happy for them tho, if he's seeing Vesta and Mavna correctly. He's been around Maya, also a gay, a lot so he understands this to a degree. Paco turned over to Tarsek when he started talking to him "...no-- actually yes please, thank you." Paco wished had a rifle so he could just get all of this over with guns blazing with and go home.

Lekraan’s mouth curved in a small, approving smile as they reached the cot. He steadied her with one hand while guiding her down to sit, then eased her back until she was settled. From the satchel came a neatly folded thermal blanket, which he drew around her shoulders with quiet precision. The tricorder was already in his other hand; a brief scan for later, to confirm everything was okay. “Jacket, breath, light,” he echoed back to her in that same calm cadence. *“Keep them with you while you rest.” *His hand lingered a moment on the blanket’s edge before withdrawing. “I’ll be close, keeping watch; you can sleep.”He softly said, moving away, but not too fast or too slow. As he went out to take a look at everyone else, it was a state right now and Lekraan was trying to focus on work

”Stay put. I will communicate your need.” Tarsek got to his feet and walked over to where Mavna and Vesta were. The doctor seemed to be taking care of the woman’s burns. “I am sorry to interrupt. Lt. Umali has expressed the need for analgesics, doctor. He seems stable aside from the pain.”

"oh no Paco interrupted the lez beans!" For anyone who has spoken to Paco in the past under casual circumstances, he does refer to himself in the 3rd person at times, especially when tired. "I'm sorry"

Essen nodded in Lekraan's direction. "Mm-hmm," she replied. "Th--thank you," Essen replied. "I owe you one when we get back." And then, she revisited each of the anchors a few more times. Some out loud, some in her head. "Hmm. Jacket. Breath. Light." And as she kept on doing so, she felt safer and safer, her energy already depleted but now she felt like she was so much more grounded than before. And the weighted blanket helped so much too... Essen did start to feel a little drowsy as the anchors lulled her into a peaceful state of mind. She did end up closing her eyes... And soon, the Vulcan girl who previously had let out an agonizing scream of despair and devastation, was now peacefully asleep. So many thanks to Lekraan's kindness and gentleness.

Mavna grimaced when Tarsek arrived, having moved her regenerator down to Vesta's arm when the command officer had arrived. It hadn't sunk in just yet that she'd been ordering an officer her senior around in a panic, and using his first name at that. She was not exactly operating at peak 'respect for the chain of command.' T'She would get it. Hopefully Tarsek would, too, "Just- One second, I'm working with a dermal regenerator here, I can't stop abruptly," She flushed a little bit at Paco's comment. She was glad to see he's doing better, and the dark green on her cheeks was quickly pushed aside, "One second, Umali!" She called out, turning attention back to Vesta, "We're gonna be...just fine..." She echoed some of Ato's words. (edited)

He stayed nearby, scanning the hangar from just beyond the cot area. It wasn’t long before movement in his periphery drew his attention—a science member in pain, the wince in his face enough to flag a pain spike even without a scan. A quick glance at Essen confirmed she’d already slipped into the easy rhythm of rest, anchors still with her. With one last check to be sure she was settled, Lekraan stepped away at a measured pace, turning toward Paco’s side of the bay. *“Alright, let’s see about that pain,”he said as he approached, medkit already in hand, ready to help*

"Nooo! Ignore Paco! Pretend Paco dead. Continue being gayyy" Paco quickly, but weakly, protested against Mavna. It was only for a moment though as he calmed down then Lekraan arrived "Okay... it hurts when I lie on my back... and think about walking"

“Please stop saying that Paco,” The doctor said in a whisper as she exhaled. He was just loopy from the shock, that’s all, and she was just making sure Vesta was okay. That’s all. Coffee date this was not. Her hand slid to the Trill’s wrist as she moved the dermal regenerator down the length of her upper arm.

Vesta shivered as the doctor tended to her wounds. It was so very tender and Vesta did not feel like she deserved the gesture. It was made infinitely worse by Paco’s comments. She blushed slightly and averted her eyes from the both of them. So much of what had gone wrong was her fault, and yet… she brought her free hand up and brushed it against her chin, where Mavna had held her and told her that she kept her promises.

Grey eyes watched as the Lieutenant watched him. Watched as the others composure vanished. Realized, he had in part been what caused that. Had harmed a officer under his command, cause the mask had slipped. Harmed them, with the inefficient emotion that roiled about his mind. The product of individuality pushed upon him by those who had 'repatriated him' to the Free State. Emotion, the knowledge of distant sons,a ex wife and friend, Mir dead, officers lost assimilated or Wounded. Emotion. His emotion Vara'l tr'Hara's inefficient function degrading emotion had harmed another. Painful guilt a spear that joined its fellows, tolerated without visual display of how it slammed home. Tolerated as a voice of calm, a voice coloured with concern but still torn at by everything, his voice asked. "Lieutenant Zh'hraas, are you still with me?" Asked then. "Where are you right now." As he turned, struggled in silence, demanded of himself not yet. Not here. Not yet. Not with the situation deteriorating as it continued to do. "I need a medical officer here, as soon as possible." Then looked back at the Lieutenant. "Lieutenant." (edited)

“E-Ensign.” She muttered, her eyes unfocused and jittery. It was as if she was correcting him. “The Lieutenant’s gone. We’re at Sector… 7, the power generators.” She mumbled. “The others… tried to rescue the wounded. They haven’t… they didn’t…” The words failed her, her antennae still stiff. Her eyes looked at his, staring, and yet she didn’t see him. Whoever she saw, they were long gone. Her breathing became ragged, audible, vulnerable. Her lips trembled, but it was as if she was blind to her own state of being. Her jaw moved to speak, but all that left her were crackled bits of words disjointed and muffled. She twitched, as if reacting to a shot nobody in the hanger bay had fired. “They’re- They’re h-here. I-“ She choked, her hand grabbing her wrist tight as if to find something, anything, to hang on to.

As the other responded as they did, Vara'ls gaze flicked off again and he called. "I need a medical officer over here now!" And as the other's state worsened he moved slightly closer to them, moved there as he glanced to Senang and then to Aoife. "Keep watch." Then back to Aoife as guilt clawed over and over at him, as his own heart rate peaked and things slipped again. Slipped as his mind whispered. We would not have done this, look how your emotion has harmed another. As self-doubt crashed against walls and battlements of duty, of ordered protocol and proceedure. "Yaveru, Lieutenant." Offered the other a hand as he attempted to usher them away from the door, turned slightly as he did so as he turned his focus to this person. Trusted in the fact others watched. "I need you to come back to me lieutenant." Offered the other that hand as he approached slowly, in part as he attempted to help her and in part as he happened to be aware that like them all, she was armed.

"...Doc?" Paco looked up to Lekraan with a question on his mind that had weighed on him while he was knocked out, still feeling some pain in his back and leg. "Do we have to shoot to kill the people the borg assimilate?" Paco very quietly ask, not sure if Vara'l would live overhearing that one based on.... the last time he asked him a deep question.

Once the shit had hit the fan a switch flipped in Aoifes mind. The tedium of waiting which allowed all kinds of thoughts to flow had suddenly ended. Her back straightened, pupils dilated and she began to take deep regulated breaths. She was a professional and now was the time to lock the fuck in. "I want this perimeter tight and the shuttles sensors online with someone watching! Docs get ready for more combat trauma, tactical and security get ready to repulse an assault!" The writing was on the wall, the winds had shifted now that there were four drones, an attempt to overrun their weakened position had to be next. It is what she would do after all.

The yell from Aoife was strong enough to disturb the sleeping Vulcan, even though it was only for a few minutes, it felt like a much needed rest which gave Essen clarity once more. Her eyes opened, and her body jolted awake, as she hopped off the cot, placing the blanket beside it. "Gotta go, commander! Thanks for everything!" Essen said to Lekraan. She sprinted over towards Aoife and Vara'l. "Ready to help repulse an assault, sirs," Essen stated.

Vara'l looked about as Aoife called out her orders and nodded then. "Get tricorder scans going as well, I want officers providing scan support for Tactical and security in cover away from the door and lines of fire." Vara'l called then as he looked over to Aoife then, hoped she'd see his trust even as he turned back to the Lieutenant, still trusting as he returned his focus to them in other to ensure his back was watched. "Come back to me, Lieutenant." He glanced to Essen briefly then, then over to Lekraan. "Commander Lekraan or any other medical officer available, I've a officer in need of assistance here!" Grey eyes then focused on Essen. "Understood Lieutenant." The Romulan stated initially before he added. "Are you okay?" And asked. "If you'd not fit for duty at present tell me, while given the situation I'm... restricted on what I can do, I need to know."

Essen thought about it for a second, and took a deep breath before she looked back to Vara'l. "To be frank, sir, I don't think really any of us nor myself are 'okay,' but that isn't stopping us from duty," Essen replied. "On any other day I'd say I'm not fit for duty. But right now, we don't really have a choice. If it's worth anything... like we discussed. Redirecting my emotions into the proper outlet. I can do it this time. It won't be easy. But I'll do it."

She looked behind Vara’l, but nobody was there, not really. “Where- Where’s Sin-? Where is she?” She stammered, her eyes looking around at ruins that didn’t exist. Yaveru could faintly hear something, she could faintly hear Vara’l, but in that moment she couldn’t recognize him. All she could think about was her girl. The starlight girl. The one she… knew. She shook her head, her ragged breathes turning into gasps as tried to calm her racing heart. To her, phaser fire was grazing against her skull, Klingon war cries piercing her ears, and... Yaveru lost track of her. She lost track of the only person she wouldn’t dare see die. Her eyes began to tear up a bit, her sweat cold and crippling. The screams, they were getting louder, and louder, and louder. Despite all of that, his voice was still there. Somewhere. The voice calling her back. She blinked, as if trying her hardest to recognize him, to see beyond the fog of memories. “I-“ She muttered. “Here. I’m… here.”

Lekraan was here! He slid to Paco’s cot first, tripod-legs standing over Paco. One hand checked pupils and pulse, another eased a pad under his knees to take pressure off the back, the third readied a low-dose, non-sedating analgesic. “Pain scale?” A beat. *“Good. Small dose.” The hypo hissed; he watched Paco’s face for the wince fading. “Side-lying, not flat. Toes—wiggle. Any numbness, you tell me.” *Paco’s question landed low and tight. Lekraan kept his voice even but he whispered the answer. “No—your job isn’t ‘shoot to kill.’ It’s ‘stop the threat and survive.’ Drones are victims; if command orders lethal, it’s because there’s no other option. Follow Vara’l and Aoife. Stay behind cover, give sensors and callouts. Breathe with me—six slow.” He guided two breaths, set the medkit they had within reach. “If pain spikes or your foot goes numb, call my name.” Vara’l’s shout cut across the deck. *“Got it, sir.” *Lekraan moved from Paco and went to the other officer, three strides to the officers side. He settled without crowding, one hand warm at her wrist, steady pressure; another raised the scan; the third held a ready hypo but didn’t use it. “With me. Say your name.” A beat. *“Feel your boots on the deck. You’re in the hangar with me now; .” *He matched her breath, low and even. “In for three… out for four.” *If her gaze skittered, he tried to anchor it back to him. * (edited)

"Good Lieutenant, good." Vara'l looked to Lekraan as they arrived and informed them quietly as he angled clsoer to them. "Lieutenant Zh'hrass his having what looks like a dissociative break, I've gotten some response." He then looked to the Lieutenant. "Can you listen to the commander's words for me, Lieutenant?" Vara'l asked then. "Focus on them, come back for me, for them, for the team?" He then looked to the commander. "This part of the bay isn't secure, can you get the lieutenant closer to the shuttles?" He asked then as he observed all of how they acted and his mind silently identified the elements of how he himself acted that someone who happened to have the sort of experience it seemed this man had probably had spotted. Noted that as the voice whispered further, as he ignored the ghosts of the lost he glimpsed now and then, grounded himself in the here and now. Logged it under potential morale risks or stressors and filed it away in a mind that struggled for later addressing, if it ended up pertinant while the situation persisted. While he persisted, struggled to keep to the promise he made, battled to do his duty. Battled as he turned to Essen. "Lieutenant Essen, take position to offer supporting fire, as soon as targets are visually acquired all officers should commence firing." He looked about them as he moved to give Lekraan and the lieutenant some room so Commander Lekraan could work. "You are all likely going to encounter officers who have been assimilated, friends." He then started. "Do not hesitate to fire upon them, set to kill for the souped up drone, tactical discretion on the assimilated officers." Vara'ls jaw worked again. "If they come, do not let them touch you and do not hesitate, Tactical and security we hold this perimeter." He glanced to Aoife and to Senang then. He knew they probably had arrived at the train of thought he'd arrived at. Knew that as his heart raced. NO. Not. Yet.

Essen bit her lip as she took in the orders from Vara'l. That was the hardest. To fire upon her friends. But this was the only thing she -- and everyone else on the tactical side of things -- could do. "Aye, sir, I recognize that now," Essen replied. "Assuming position to offer supporting fire. I won't let them touch me and I won't hesitate." As she took a breath -- instinctually now -- she remembered. Jacket, breath, light... clear mind, clear objective. Jacket, breath, light... clear mind, clear objective. (edited)

"Pain scale? ...five?" Paco nodded as he simply followed as Lekraan instructed, letting out a sigh of relief as the analgesic dose hit his system. The breathing exercises definitely did help Paco feel a bit more grounded... or rather bedded, he wasn't quite sure how long it would be until he could be back on his feet and get to actually helping out and being useful. "Okie Doke... thanks Doc." He said with a soft smile and a nod before Lekraan left. He looked over to Vara'l and the other officer preparing to either head to help the expedition team or set up a security perimeter and couldn't help but think about how the rest of the team are doing... How Maggie and Five must be doing, not realizing Ato also got assimilated.

When Mavna had finished with the regenerator, she set it aside and pulled out a small tube of burn lotion alongside a hypo of painkillers. She applied it to Vesta’s arm, emptied, and applied it to her neck. It was all rather…routine, which was a welcome change of pace given everything that had happened. Aoife yelling, though, caused her to speed up in the process. She placed the lotion in Vesta’s hand, “Apply this when the painkillers stop, or the adrenaline wears off,” She said, before meeting the Trill’s eyes, “Told you,” She upheld the promise of fixing Vesta up. A little smile grew across her face before she stood up, her medkit slung over her shoulder once more, “Med team, let’s get it moving!”

Vesta felt a little better now that she was healed up and in considerably less pain. She set down the ointment in her lap and signed. “Thank you.” She read what Commander Vara’l was saying, use tactical discretion, do not hesitate. She had certainly done that. Though she didn’t think that her tactical discretion was any good. She hung back though, not quite ready to rejoin everyone.

Seiyya nodded, standing up and putting on the bravest face she could. This fight wasn’t done yet, and neither was she. That was the whole point of being Security. Her job wasn’t done until everyone was home on 777 and safe. Until then.. she had to keep going. Shove the feelings down until the battle’s over. Then go back to 777 and scream into a pillow. That seemed like a plan to Seiyya. She would hold onto this perimeter with everything she had.

Saeihr had not said anything since they returned, which to be fair was nothing too unusual for her and therefore didn't ring nearly as many alarm bells as some of the others' reaction. Judging by what she had seen she was actually doing rather well in comparison. Somehow she had not gotten shot, or in fact hurt in any other way. She was holding onto her rifle for dear life, blinking rapidly as she recalled the shot that passed her face by mere centimetres. It was odd, despite knowing that their situation now was much worse than it had been previously, her initial terror had passed leaving her feeling quite numb. She nodded in response to the order and focused her attention on the entrance.

"Good, Lieutenant." Vara'l responded to Essen then before he settled into a position of his own as he watched the entrance "Stay sharp." Was all he stated to Essen as he focused on that entranceway, focused as his mind roiled and guilt along with other emotion melded into a medley of emotion of torment that smashed against those walls of calm. Smashed against it as he stilled one hand shake as he tightened it upon his phaser, played the torch light out of the doorway and illuminated elements of it. Occasionally poked it up toward the ceiling outside as well, conscious that one of the drones happened to be able to climb on walls and such stuff. Conscious of that as he blinked a bit, cleared away from his view what he knew still was not real. Banished the ghosts back to his mind where they clawed all the same. Forced himself to keep going on even as he retreated further and further into duty, into order into protocol and structure. Retreated then even as he remembered his self-assessment, remembered it and reviewed command succession. Reviewed how things were now. Considered that, filed all he had found as he dived into another tactical assessment as he attempted to assess and plan for what they expected. Attempted to work out what to do if..or when the borg arrived at that door and launched their assault. Shielded the fraying rope of his mind from the claws of inefficient liberation-forced individual emotion with task with tactical function. Your individuality, your judgment over the hivemind, authorised the expedition mission. Five was assimilated, Ato was assimilated. Others were wounded, the voice in his mind whispered. Whispered as part of his mind called up the names. Remembered the faces, remembered the dust and ash covered faces and eyes that had looked to him as a long ago lost ship had groaned under the Borgs punishment. Remembered them but for now, struggled on as he remained here. Not. Yet.

Paco would love to lay on his back and be very angsty while staring up at the ceiling, but he couldn't do that due to the burns on his back. He could also roll off the cot, but that wouldn't achieve anything sadly aside from a broken nose, which he doesn't want. If Paco could walk, and suddenly started running, he sensed Vara'l would stun him down, so no. Paco's phaser is probably nearby and in arms reach, so that's a good piece of assurance if something bad happened inside within the Hanger bay at least. Here's a little thought. In most things there are two general sides to being in Starfleet. The one where you're doing the cool sciency things went boldly into the unknown, met new species, and traded stories under alien skies. That was the Starfleet Paco had signed up for. And another side that was just the reality of working for a force so expansive and politically powerful as the UFP, which has seen its share of existential threats and enemies over its existence. More often than not, Starfleet’s missions were about keeping those threats at bay. Threats like this Borg cube, which he had actively chosen to be stranded in for the past few days. Why? Not just the Cube, why even choose to stay in Starfleet... Those were thoughts for definitely not now. He liked being in Starfleet, and being stranded in a hot and humid ass Scary Death Rubrik's Zombie Cube to witness your colleagues get assimilated or die with the increasing chance that you will be next is.... part of the job.... Paco did the breathing exercises Lakraan earlier instructed him and just watched the rest of the team to distract himself.

As soon as T’She was good to go and Lekraan had been briefed, Mavna began to move through the hangar bay with medkit in hand, making sure everyone who needed to be was in…well, as good of health as they were going to be with the supplies they had. She didn’t want to view this as a last stand, but days had passed and they’d lost three of their own within two days. She didn’t know how she was going to react to see Maggie, Five, and Ato as little more than drones…she didn’t want to dwell on it. The doctor made her way over to where Vara’l stood, setting up the current perimeter, “Sir?” She prompted, “Theee…med team is ready to go, and the quarantine should be in working order,” She stood with her arms behind her back, which was admittedly the most serious the doctor had looked through all of this. Standing like an officer should also accentuated how awful she looked. There were dark green bags under her eyes, her hair was matted and wet, her skin shimmered with sweat. She nevertheless kept her jacket on, if only for medical safety. Speaking of, “…in…in my medical opinion, sir, I’d rather put the quarantine to use than have to turn a shuttle into…a morgue for…for our missing team members.” (edited)

Vara'l turned to fix Mavna with grey hued eyes as the other approached him and delivered their report, affected a smile that was somewhat forced given all that raged and roiled within him as he'd proceeded to speak. "Hello Lieutenant and thank you for the report." He'd started then as he'd then looked them over, struggled to hide the shake of his hand as concern softened his gaze briefly. Briefly before enforced calm returned. "I understand, Lieutenant." The Romulan responded then after a moment then before he continued on to say. "I promise you we're going to do all we can to save our assimilated crewmembers." Vara'l stated carefully then as guilt wailed as its slamed against walls of control once more. Howled within him as Vara'l betrayed little to nothing of it. "I've got to protect the officers here, but they're our friends and crewmembers too." He lapsed into a moment of silence then as he squelched down grief, pushed down the voice that howled names. Howled FIVE! Ignored the voice that whispered, questioned the judgement of the individual who here struggled. "I'll do my best to see your quarantine put to use as a Quarantine, Lieutenant."

The doctor nodded. She understood the position he was in, the position the both of them were in. She swallowed and extended a hand outward, holding it gently against Vara’l’s arm as the two of them stood, “Promise,” She said softly. That conversation she’d had with Vesta while patching her up was still fresh in her mind, “I like the sound of that plan, Commander.”

Vara'l reached out a ribbed metal hand and placed it onto the lieutenants then. The brief shake of the hand perhaps briefly glimpsed before it was squelched again. "Aye, you've my oath-promise on that, Lieutenant, I'll do my best." He promised then before Vara'l smiled a bit at what they stated then. "I'm glad, Lieutenant."

Oh, Mavna noticed the shake, that’s for sure, but she wasn’t about to say anything. She returned her hand to her side when Vara’l released, and gave a smile and little nod, “Here goes nothing,” She said softly as she started back to the med team, idly wondering about Vara’l…as soon as they were off of this starforsaken cube, she was recommending him for a medical check-in. (edited)

Paco definitly feels Vara'l is not fine. He likely couldn't hear what Vara'l and Mavna are talking about, but Vara'l is probably not doing okiedokie.

The soft hiss of air echoed in the room sealed apart from the group, followed by the gentle click of machinery as the runabout slipped smoothly into place, and the soft hiss of pressurization. A few moments, and a runabout slipped into the bay, settling somewhere near the shuttles as if guided by invisible hands.

"The hell!?" Aoife yelled as she looked at the runabout from her perch on top of a shuttle.

The doctor was in the midst of doing some last minute checks over the quarantine when the runabout began to move in, and her eyes widened at the sight, “…Prophets, holy shit, oh my fuck-”

Seiyya, being a Romulan with very good hearing, instantly snapped to attention at the hiss of air. There was a runabout in the bay. There was something else here. Something with intentions she didn’t know about. That could mean danger. She raised her phaser, all attention on whatever might happen next. “What the-“

Vara'ls gaze snapped to what was going on and he called. "Maintain the perimeter!" then added tapped his combadge as he called. "Keep watch on the entrance way!" Conscious they might still be attacked even as he proceeded to speak into the combadge.

His eyes immediately turned to the sound, his keen hearing alerting him of the arrival of a new unknown variable to their current predicament. His hand went to the phaser in his belt, as he readied himself for a possible conflict by the orders of the commander.

The instant phasers were pointed in the direction of the runabout, Kiadras hopped up from her position at the co-captain console and moved at speed toward the back of the runabout. With a hiss, the cargo doors opened, and she slipped out in full armor and hands up, “Woah, woah, woah!!!” She called out, “Everybody breathe!!!”

Behind Kiadras was Eicran, clad in the white armour of a medical officer. Phasers had been pointed at the runabout team, and so he raised his phaser rifle back. From behind the sights of the rifle he scanned the away team - firstly for threats, and secondly to assess their state. "Don't worry," he stated, lowering the rifle slightly but still being prepared, "we've come to get you out of here."

Vara'l remained positioned with a rifle on the entrance as he called out. "Weapons discipline, they're friendlies, maintain the permiter around the entrance way!" The CTO called out then from his position near it as he watched the shadowy void of the cube beyond it and illuminated parts of it with his rifles torch. Tapped the badge then at what he heard.

Seiyya carefully lowered her phaser. These.. they weren’t Borg. They were Starfleet! She and everyone else would get out of here!

Paco may have taken that literally as he took in a deep breath and tried reaching for his phaser, but alas, it was just out of reach and he glad he couldn't reach it "THANK THE PROPHETS! ITS STARFLEET!"

Kya popped out behind Kiadras, phaser rifle held out as she looked around. “Clear of Borg, at least for now.” She said as she looked around, making sure that no one else was assimilated.

His phaser was immediately lowered at the sight of the Star Fleet uniform. They did it. They managed to reach the Cube’s interior. The Eventide must have retreated and then made it back. They would have not had ways to monitor the outside with the constant attacks and failed plans. Never mind. Their comrades were alive and had come to help.

Karavix was humming along to one of the songs Khamlet had been singing, already starting to unload some of the supplies they'd brought. Not all, most could stay safely within the runabout, mostly medical supplies for now. She wasn't using it as an excuse to wander around and marvel at the technology within the bay, nope.

Twelve stepped off the runabout and belined straight for where she identified there as being medical officers. Once close enough to Mavna they proceeded to state. "We are Lieutenant Commander Twelve of Twenty, we have additional medical supplies and a full medical kit, how may we be of assistance?"

"Are you guys just nuts or are you suicidal?" Aoife asked, shocked that an away team would be insane enough to come to the cube.

Kiadras pulled his helmet off and shined a massive smile at everyone, perhaps the most brilliant the Trill could manage given the situation as he put it beneath his arm and moved toward Vara’l, “Commander tr’Hara! You’re a sight for sore eyes,” He chuckled softly, “Lieutenant Commander Kiadras Vrii, reporting for duty. Captain Lawson sends his regards.”

Mavna was tearing up just a bit at the sight of fellow officers, and especially fellow medical officers. She beelined for Eicran and Twelve and stood at attention upon meeting Twelve halfway, “Lieu- Um, Lieutenant Cabiaso Mavna, follow me.” (edited)

“Neither! We’re just that good!” Kiadras beamed at Aoife.

"Both, perhaps," Karavix answered simultaneously.

"THEY'RE STARFLEET, AOIFE!" Paco answered, still loopy from all the things

”They are Starfleet. As are you and I.” Tarsek answered Aoife.

Kya hummed as she looked around. “If it makes you feel better O’Rielly, I was at least semi open to blowing this place up.” She said with a sigh. “Who are we missing? Who’s been taken?”

Tavek stepped out of the runabout, looking around. Certainly these guys had been through hell. He was glad they’d come not a moment later than they could.

He winced at Twelve beelining straight for the officers. They might have been amongst friends, but this was still a Borg cube. If three people had been assimilated then there was still a threat. With firm footsteps, eyes constantly scanning the area and rifle at the ready, he followed after Twelve. "Can you give us a sitrep?" He requested to Mavna who had reported to the two of them. "Both in terms of crew welfare and of any confirmed danger aboard."

Vara'l focused out at the shadows as he remained ready to fire before he heard another officer as they approached. He turned then as guilt hammered at him along with so much else as he warred against emotion to stay up and standing, to continue as he carefully responded. "Captain Lawson?" Grey eyes fixed upon the other as their levity was not reciprocated by a person and mind that really couldn't do much else than operate within their role and duties right now. "it's good to see you all, though what brings you here?" He asked then. With that then asked he added. "And what did you bring with you and what's the proposed plan to resolve this situation?"

“Maggie Roode, Five of Eight, and…Ato Th’zhaloth are assimilated,” Mavna called over her shoulder as she led Eicran and Twelve to the little medical area. She very noticeably grimaced at the final name she shot off, “We’ve got uh…Paco’s been shot, Vesta’s burnt and bruised, T’She’s shot in the shoulder…” She swiped a hand across her forehead, getting some sweat away from her eyes, “…I’m…dehydrated, but I’ve been moving as best I can.”

Kya hummed as she nodded towards Manva. “Understood, we’ll try to get them back.” She said with a hum. “How many drones are we dealing with outside of them?”

“Temporary Captain. Don’t worry, he’s not gunning for your job just yet, Vara’l,” She patted the Romulan on the side of the shoulder, “Eventide gave the cube a scan before we were dispatched, we’ve got a PADD in the runabout with that information. We’re here to help you all shut the cube down from the inside and get everyone back to base,” She steeled herself, “And I mean everyone.”

Given the weapons Twelve had noted aimed at the one ingress point, Twelve noted but disregarded the look the other Lieutenant commander engaged in. They simply nodded and followed the, as they listened to the situation report. "We have additional water." Twelve then stated at the end of what Mavna stated as they offered the lieutenant a bottle of water. "Are any patients currently critical, further what treatment has been affected so far?" The El-Aurian inquired then.

Things were not going great. Ever since the failed attempt at reaching the vinculum, Saren was swinging between two tasks - helping out the medics, having at least some skill and understanding to help, and fervent (fruitless) research, perhaps in a misguided attempt to make up for their failure, as if it was his fault. He knew it wasn't, logically. But Saren was no Vulcan - he was a Romulan, and Romulans were ruled by emotion. And he just... couldn't help himself but connect some dots. By some very long red lines. He was hunched over a PADD when his ears picked up the approaching runabout, confusion evident on his face as the people just... poured out from both sides, eyes skimming over the newcomers ~~(and not finding his cousin, which did not sting, not at all),~~ before breathing a "oh thank fuck" and just sort of. Sagging by the nearby wall. Just a little bit. Still standing, but ever so slightly overwhelmed. "We're glad to see you," he voiced at some point, nodding at Kiadras. "When you're ready, I can offer some information on what we've tried to do and what we know."

Mavna took the bottle of water and took a few sips before continuing, “Paco is still a little delirious from shock, but it’s nothing critical. We’ve managed to keep things as…relatively safe and sound as we can,” She said with a soft hum. ‘As we can’ was, well, as we can, “Lieutenants Serin and Saren managed to charge up one of the shuttles, so we got to replicate some medical supplies and work from there…we’ve been hunkered down here for four, five days?” She had lost count somewhere along the way. She took another sip of water, “Every member of this medical team deserves commendations…it feels a little wrong to say, since I’m including myself, but…Prophets.”

“You’ll get them or I’ll leave the fleet.” She said towards Manva. “Just rest up for now, everyone who’s not helping the survivors move to form a perimeter.” She said as she moved. “Let them rest up.” She said as she took guard.

Vara'l's eyes briefly fixed upon the hand as Lieutenant Commander Vrii patted him on the shoulder, assured himself that this wasn't a Borg hand. Forced his mind to stay on task as the humour was dismissed as a irrelevancy "So the proposed plan is to sally out again to attempt to neutralise the Vinculum." Vara'l mused then as he glanced to the runabout and then to the Lieutenant Commander. Fixed them with those grey hued eyes again as he stated. "Good, I'm not leaving here until we've got our officers and ideally also retrieved the drone." Before a thought struck his mauled mind as he ignored the ghost behind Kaidras and he added. "If what I'm overhearing of your officers getting sit reps from away team personnel is a indication, may I ask if you'd like a sit rep, Lieutenant commander?" He asked then as he resumed his position and watched the entrance way. "And if so, would you be amenable to joining me here for now?" The Romulan lapsed into silence for a moment then before he added. "I note your in armour, did you bring more equipment and other stuff?" He inquired then. "We could use additional water."

"Paco's definitely fine and fit for duty!" Paco protested. not really to Mavna, he couldn't hear what she's saying from where he was. "Roll me to the BORGuignon room! I can shoot'em"

“That’s the plan, Commander, and get us all back to base,” He had a lot of hope, especially seeing that a fair majority of the group was still up and at ‘em, “We brought everything we could fill the runabout and the pattern buffer with safely,” He said with a little nod to Vara’l, starting to lead him toward the shuttle, “You put me where I’m useful, Commander, that’s why I’m here. Pok and I would love a sitrep.”

"Understood." The El-Aurian replied then before she proceeded to look around then, then looked back to the Lieutenant. "Statement, we do not believe it is wrong for you to say that referring to yourself, Lieutenant." Twelve observed then before she proceeded on to ask. "Considering your own statements and if the wounded are stabilized, may I propose that water be distributed now and we then distribute replacement medical supplies to replenish away team medical personnel stocks and see to the wounded?"

“Water, yes, we’ve been…sweating our asses off for five days,” She said with a small huff before pausing, “Apologies for the informality…” There was a little bit of hope returning to her eyes, and with Twelve’s reassurance she felt a little less worse about saying she deserved commendations. (edited)

"I think you've earned the right to some informality," he mused. Shrugging the large medical kit off of his shoulders, he set it down and extracted a medical tricorder. "For the most dehydrated we can administer fluids by hypospray. You said that some officers had been shot, or burned. What's the mechanism of injury?"

"Oh-h-h, so the grim and evil aesthetics are kept on the inside as well?.." Kairos' gait as he got out of the runabout was not a saunter, but it was damn close enough. The stretch he did was purely artificial as well, perhaps a subconscious urge to lull the people around him into a false sense of security regarding his... fleshiness. As if the eyes and the teeth and the everything else aren't right there for the world to see. "I'll do what Intelligence does best and go comprehend a bunch of words real quick!"

Kya looked towards Mavna. “Your okay, rest up.” She said before resuming watch.

“Borg weaponry…a small expeditionary team had an encounter with the drone and Maggie, which is when they lost Five and Ato…” She took a well-deserved seat on the ground against one of the shuttles at Kya’s prompting, “That’s all I have for the moment,” Another sip of water, “Thank you,” She said softly, looking up at Eicran and Twelve with some teary eyes.

"Communications from our position to anyone outside the cube cannot be established on any method. However person to person communications are still active as I can ping everyone's comm-badges" Drezoz reported from the shuttle. He visually scanned the Bay the shuttle was in while still standing on the shuttle as he was apprehensive about stepping off the small vessel.

Vara'l nodded slightly then as he considered the situation then looked around the area and didn't move. Well, he declined to move at first as he called. "Can I have a tactical officer to relieve me on watching the door?" The Romulan asked as he then glanced up to Aoife to check to ensure she still remained in position. His eyes paused on Twelve then, on a friend before with a stutter-pause he looked to Kiadras then and started to move toward them. Started once he'd double checked to make sure the door was still guarded. "Then we need to see to distributing water and armour to everybody while ensuring a rotating cover of tactical and security officers on the entrance way while we distribute the equipment." He then turned to the sitrep. "I believe Commander Pok has already acquired a sit rep from another officer, as to the situation." He lapsed into a moment of silence then. "While the meat of it'll be detailed in my log, sufficed to say when it became apparent we'd be staying for a bit we elected to take position in a hanger bay that had been located during initial investigations." Vara'l swallowed then as he idly noted he needed water, reached down to his bottle and then remembered it was empty. "Since then we've been attacked multiple times here, Lieutenant Roode was assimilated during a hanger-bay attack and made an attempt to push for the Vinculum ourselves that ah." Vara'l looked briefly distant then before he sighed. "Went poorly, the team deployed was engaged by the Borg and forced back with causalities." A pause followed then. "Lieutenant Five was assimilated then, Paco I'm told went down at that time also but the drone who was Lieutenant Roode was also rendered inactive." Another moment of silence passed after that. "Lieutenant Th’zhaloth was assimilated during the effort to get her to a alcove to save her when the team was ambushed."

"Disruptor based if memory serves." The El-Aurian observed then before she sated then. "Rest, we'll get them back Lieutenant." Before they then stated. "We concur with your assessment Lieutenant Commander." As the xB turned to Kehal. "We'll prepare some hyposprays and begin water distribution, do you wish to assist or divide the task and see to the wounded?"

He was not sure what he could really do on this mission, as a Diplomat and not as any sort of tactical or medical personnel. But... something told him that he had to do something to help, and so he had signed up for this mission, ready to do whatever he could to to help the rescue effort. At the very least he was decently strong, and fast on his feet, and good at talking -- but... what use is trying diplomacy with the Borg? Well... it was too late for all of that second guessing stuff now, he supposed.

Seiyya was grateful for the much-needed water, she’d felt herself getting dehydrated and she needed to get back into good condition to be of any use. She felt better now that a rescue crew was here.. but still, she knew that the fight wasn’t over. Not until they got back their -entire- crew.

Having given his PADD to the... peculiar, Intel officer, Saren just kept hanging out by the wall, overlooking what was happening. From his vantage point, the runabout's exit was in clear view, and he tried to calm his jitters by counting the officers steadily exiting it, and-- *Ah. Ah, fuck.*

"I'll take a look at the wounded," he replied to Twelve, "see what's been done so far and if we can do anything more with the equipment we have. It sounds like everyone has done very well, though. Looking after one another and with such limited equipment... It isn't easy." He cast a look over the wider group, paying attention to those in particular without armour on: those who had been stranded aboard the cube. He looked forward to learning more details of what had happened here. For now, though, he went to check up on the injured officers and see if there was any further way to help.

Zhi'rev had exited the shuttle by this point, and was looking around, mostly to see who was there, and who might need help -- or just someone to talk to. His gaze settled on Saren for a moment before he decided to instead turn to the perimeter, taking his phaser with him to help there.

He held the gaze, felt compelled to really, only to angle his head back until it met the wall behind him with a gentle "thunk", sighing out what could've passed for a nervous chuckle in a better situation. A family reunion in the Borg cube? Gods, he really had the worst luck. Perhaps it was punishment for his cowardice?

"Understood." The El-Aurian responded to Commander Kehal then before too looked around and stated. "We agree with your assessment in this matter." And headed off to go prepare hypospray's to help those too de-hydrated and to retrieve more water bottles as she launched into the task of seeing water distributed and people hydrated.

He would not be much help with the wounded now that the other officers arrived, so he left the doctors and nurses to their devices. Taking his phaser he looked around analyzing if there was anything in particular that he could help with. If not, he would wait new orders after the two groups had settled and properly integrated. As he moved, he noticed a familiar face. There were not many, considering he had just arrived a few weeks prior. “Lt. tr’Lliehn, it is good to see you, despite the circumstances.”

Kiadras nodded along to the rundown Vara’l gave her. She did extend her own canteen to him upon noticing his was empty, continuing to listen as she moved inside of the shuttle with Vara’l in tow, “…well, glad we showed up when we did,” She said with a soft huff, “Ah- Ensign Rex!” She called out of the ramp, “If you’d come here for a moment?” She turned back to Vara’l, “New intelligence ensign. Helping us out on the scan of the cube front. And this is Commander Vac,” She pointed toward the OPS officer, “Communications. Lieutenant Khamlet is at the pilot’s console.” (edited)

He waved to the incoming Lt Cdr he’d met before all this shit went down. Quite an interesting conversation they’d had, he’d remembered what he’d had to say about being a part of history. Now, that was.. depressingly accurate. “Commander V’hgai, good to see you too. I do agree.. circumstances could definitely be better. But, we’re here to get you guys out of here.”

Timi stood at the back of the group, surveying the scene. With so many people in one place he was bound to get overwhelmed, his subtitling was not going to be able to keep up. He'd get the details from Kairos or D'rthrek later, he would simply wait for now until the plan had been sorted out. He just waved at Senang, whose face was as severe as he'd ever seen it, and who he therefore assumed was wise in not mixing in the conversation too much, either.

Hearing his name, said ensign turned himself towards Kiadras with an honest to god computer-esque chirping sound. What the fuck. "Something I can help with, Commander?" he asked when he strolled up closer, PADD in his hands.

”That is a most welcome turn of events. We would not have been able to hold much longer on our own.” The Vulcan revealed. “As you can see, the situation is dire. Though your arrival has raised our chances of success significantly.” Tavek could notice the battered uniform, so far from the formal impeccable robes the man had worn when they first met, and the lines that confessed exhaustion despite his stoic emotionless mask of always.

Vara'l accepted the canteen once offered, took a swallow then offered it back as it wasn't his. "The primary drone of the engagement's so far is abnormal and it's made for very difficult going." The Romulan stated then as he met the huff with silence and continued on to say. "It moves by way of a number of manipulator arms and is a ambush and Guerrilla warfare specialist seemingly displaying adeptness at small scale combat." Though he trusted that Senang and co remained watching the door, Vara'l briefly back peddled to glance out before he followed the other the rest of the way in. Followed them and then watched as they called names. "Understood." He stated initially before he looked to Commander Vac then to Lieutenant Khamlet. "Jolan tru both of you." After a moment in which he idly slipped his rifle into ready rest hold as he then asked. "If you've any armour going spare, mind if I grab some?" Asked that as he clasped one hand on the rifle the other on the gun and concealed his shakes. Concealed them as he looked to the Klingon briefly again. "You new to tactical?" He'd asked then before he looked to the Ensign. "Jolan tru."

This ensign was…odd. But, who was Kiadras to judge? Trill were always odd! The idea that Kairos could be an android had yet to pass through his mind, “Ensign Rex, this is our CTO, Vara’l tr’Hara. If you wouldn’t mind giving him a rundown on the scans Eventide performed on the cube?” He gave a nod and turned to Vara’l, “I’ll get some armor for you, just one sec. Be back in a blink!” He was off into the cargo hold.

Having completed her preparations related to the hyposprays, Twelve briefly headed into the runabout. Once she'd retrieved a collection of water bottles, Twelve started to distribute water as she headed first to Tarsek. Headed to them first as they were the first person Twelve spotted. Once the El-Aurian was close enough, Twelve offered them a water bottle and then stated. "We apologise for interrupting the conversation in progress, we are distributing water at present, do you require additional water bottles?" Twelve asked then before she added then. "Further, how are you hydration wise?"

Essen had been here the whole time, of course, she held the perimeter as ordered by Vara'l, but had really not much to say when the Eventide team showed up... Thank the gods Starfleet was here, and there to save them. But she didn't really have the energy to speak to the Eventide team. She just kinda looked at them while everyone else spoke. She didn't want to talk about what happened... Not like this. What would she tell them? How could she confess to all this? So, she stayed quiet, unless addressed. (edited)

“Happy to help. This isn’t my first rodeo with a rescue mission.. but it is with the Borg. I.. Is there anything that I should know?” He asked, the falter conveying just the faintest sense of worry. Tavek was not an unfeeling machine, as much as he wished he was sometimes. He felt stress, and fear, and he could only tamp those things down in the actual heat of battle. Pre-battle was a different story. He could see that Tarsek looked like a mess, he was a man on the verge of cracking. “You doing alright? I know you probably wouldn’t say much if you weren’t, you don’t really seem the type to talk a lot about that stuff- I’m the same, by the way, but something like this would send anyone to a pretty dark place mentally.” He said, not wanting to assume anything but he did want to check in on the man he’d met before and rather liked.

"Commander tr'Hara, the jamming is the biggest issue I can see, as with both the inability to communicate with anyone outside of the Cube, but also we cannot get the injured out." Drezoz reported. "I can use a tricorder to try to track the source of the Jamming so we can find it and disable it to at least get the injured to safety" He suggested.

He considered the question. “I have no reason to hide my current state. My mental fortitude is down by 53.7 percent. Much due to inadequate meditation and lack of proper rest. I am still functional enough to carry on with the mission considering our situation. The last 4.5 hours have been trying. We lost two more to the Borg and several officers were wounded. A considerate number of our team has been emotionally compromised.” He revealed. It was illogical to withdrawn information on his performance status. It was bad, but not nearly as bad as others. He still had his discipline by his side. “Avoid direct contact with the drones at all costs. They need to be close in order to assimilate. The main original drone is very agile and can climb through the walls and ceiling. Keep your eyes up and open.” He then advised when Tavek asked for insight on their enemy.

Grey eyes flicked to the Ops commander as his words were considered. "I understand your suggestion commander." He commenced. "However, Borg cubes decentralise the majority of their operations." The Romulan said as he started into a explaination. "We'd be in a running engagement with four Borg drones while working to neutralise enough nodes to make a hole." He then paused then before he allowed himself to add. "If you're able to track down the cause of the jamming and propose a countermeasure to it or get a fix on nodes actively involved in the shields or whatever else is engaged in the jamming." Vara'ls jaw worked a bit then. as he continued. "The intelligence will be useful to the team, though the Eventides suggested plan of action is to push to the Vinculum and neutralise it." Vara'l shifted his grip on his rifle then as he idly wished he'd taken more than a single swallow of water. "Which should deal with the jamming, if it does not it'll make the situation more favourable for location and disabling of the systems responsible."

Emotionally compromised? That was an understatement. Essen was feeling a little better, thankfully, and she remembered jacket, breath, light... So she was at least grounded as she stood and listened to everyone else. She stayed close to Vara'l especially in case, since the Eventide was here now, if he had new orders for her.

"Mm-hm, let's see..." Eventide scans, Eventide scans... ah! "We have scans of the cube's interior which, from what I see, line up with the information that you already know. Aligning them with the maps, it seems that there are two drones in assimilation chambers, and then another two hanging around the regeneration alcoves." The Trill offered Vara'l a look, two twin voids observing the man with god knows what going on in that silver-haired noggin of his. "Vinculum, hmm? Have there been any attempts to locate it?"

“It’s understandable that this horror cube isn’t exactly the best place for rest or meditation. Hopefully we won’t be here much longer.” He said, more of a solemn expression on his face. Though Tavek seemed emotional- and he was- he never really spoke about his own mental state. If he was feeling something- happy, sad, angry, whatever- you’d see it on his face. Anything deeper? You’d never see it at all unless he cared to reveal it. And considering he never fully trusted anyone he hadn’t known from the Resistance.. he never revealed such things if he had any other option. To him, showing fear, pain, any sort of weakness, was a good way to be targeted. “Thanks for the information. I’ll definitely keep my eyes upward.. that drone sounds disturbing. I.. I was supposed to be with you all.. someone got injured on the station and I had to fix them, so that didn’t pan out. I supposed it was only right that I come back for you guys. But I doubt I would’ve fared as well as you, especially since I use a fair bit of energy to charge and it seems you’ve had to ration that.”

Vara'l's grey hued eyes flicked to the ensign then as they started to speak. "We managed to get access to one of the shuttle databases and through that and myself and-" He paused very briefly as he weathered sharp guilt and grief. "Lieutenant Five of Eight putting together what we remembered, we identified it as a priority to neutralise and mapped a route with shuttle sensors." The Romulan lapsed into silence for a moment. "A team headed out and attempted to get to it Ensign, but were repulsed with multiple wounded and two assimilated." Vara'l then considered the information they had and mused. "Its possible Lieutenant Roode, one of the drones, is still regenerating from the wounds sustained in a combat engagement against the away team and is being monitored by a drone." The Romulan's jaw worked a bit then before he stated. "The two in the assimilation chamber are likely waiting to repulse a renewed push toward the Vinculum, thats our first attempt was repulsed at."

Kiadras popped out from the cargo hold and moved to Vara’l and Kairos, “There’s plenty of suits of tactical armor down in the hold, sir, fresh the from the pattern buffer,” She said, having spent the better part of Drezoz and Kairos getting Vara’l updated getting a fair amount of suits ready for the able-bodied officers that were still good to go. She heard the last little bit of the conversation, though, and glanced at Kairos’ PADD, “So…we expect heavy resistance from three drones at first when we go to the Vinculum, as the fourth is still regenerating.”

Timi got a wave from Aoife as soon as she saw him. By god was she glad to have him around. Mood instantly lifted.

Mavna had, as water was passed around and the burden of the medical team was lifted off of her shoulders, wandered her way over to wherever Vesta was with another bottle of water from Twelve for the rescue officer. She held it out to her and gave a small smile, “Are you feeling better?”

Vara'l looked to Kaidras and said simply at first, as he retreated further into function, role, decision. "Good, that'll be the next item on the list then, getting all able bodied officers into armour." He then paused then and considered. "I'll defer to medical on getting any armour onto any of those who've received wounds." At the comment about the drones, Vara'l shook his head. "I've not got the full picture on that as the retreat from the Alcove area was in....a hurry and-" He paused as he reconsidered what he'd been about to say. "I've not received any form of report from surviving officers involved, I'd say we expect heavy resistance from four drones to cover for the event of their regeneration having been completed." Vara'l paused then as they mentally reviewed and considered the situation with care, or as much care at least as could be mustered by a mind that was as mauled as his. Not yet, the deadline's in sight, his mind mused to itself even as part of it assessed himself then. Each symptom grimly noted as he continued to speak. "The drones have range weapons capability, disruptor classification, exo-plating as standard with the souped up drone having manipulator arms with extensive mobility capability and strength." The Romulan informed them. "Adaptive shielding all round as normal also, so it'll be heavy to very heavy resistance with a requirement to modulate after two shots." Guilt dancing around his mind, oh elements, oh elements how he'd failed, dancing as he'd continued on to say. "This against drones headed by a ambush and guerrilla warfare specialist."

”Kaiidth. What is, is.” He commented as the android revealed he was supposed to be part of the original team. “You are here now and your help will be appreciated, the help of all our present colleagues likewise.”

Drezoz stopped what he was doing and his hand hovered over the console for a moment. He then turned to the Lieutenant Commander and slowly looked up in thought. " Sir, could the Vinculum be moved" Drezoz asked with a curious look. "If a push to the device has already been attempted then would they not move it and lay a trap" he asked further. "If I was in their position that's what I would do, among a number of other things. Further more, if crew have been assimilated then that might mean that they would know or deduce we would make another attempt at the device" Drezoz explained. He had even dome something similar to the pirates in his past while collecting the parts he needed.

"The heart is in a fixed position," Karavix explained flatly. Nothing against Drezoz, she just spoke like that. All the time. "The vessel is built to protect and contain its heart. I do not imagine it can be traded as easily as all other parts."

“But- But, you have a good point, Vac,” He bobbed his finger up and down in Drezoz’s direction, “Whatever amount of the Collective is active aboard this cube now has access to Roode, Five of Eight, and Th’zhaloth’s thoughts and memories. They’d be able to anticipate another attempt at the Vinculum, but they’d have no idea there’s another group present…for the moment. It’s likely the cube would’ve reported a shuttle being taken in…but, the point is, there’s a good chance they’re preparing for the amount of survivors they knew of when the recent two were assimilated. Therefooorrre…we might have a fairly upper hand against the tactics they’re going to use.” (edited)

"The cube knows we are here. And it likely knows that you are here too. Earlier in the mission, when we accessed a computer, we found scans of... all of us. Likely done when we entered. These scans were... extensive, to say the least." T'She finally spoke, voice virtually devoid of emotion.

“…hm,” T’She’s words gave her pause. She must’ve missed the nurse appearing in the shuttle while she was down in the cargo hold. Some of her confidence left her for a moment before she shook her head, “Regardless, the two new drones are likely reporting the current state of the survivor group. Extensive scans, sure, but they’re expecting injured, beaten-down Starfleet officers. And the best thing we can do right here and now…is have faith. We push forward, we fight, we get everyone home. The Collective aren’t ones for spirit, for hope. That’s part of why this runabout came here in the first place,” She looked to Vara’l and T’She, “Because we’re going to get you home.” (edited)

Khamlet had nodded when addressed by the commander of the team that they had arrived to rescue, but otherwise had focused on the various things needed when securing the shuttle. In truth, he was expecting a quick dust-off: get the survivors here on board, upset the tractor-beams with a graviton resonance in their emitters, and leave. Leave a few ordnance behind to detonate and provide further cover for their return to the Eventide. However, it would seem from what he could hear the officers were more interested in disabling the Cube more completely in order to… Free the assimilated Borg? He didn’t see the point of that, better to kill them and send them to a good death, but he held his tongue except for a low growl. (edited)

"The petty officer is correct related to the Vinculum, as far as I'm aware." Then he turned to Kiadras and nodded then. "Indeed." Nodded as he blinked and turned to T'she lingered on them as he first mentally kicked himself that he'd not noticed then entry. Then lingered on the lack of emotion in the Lieutenant commanders voice. Lingered on that as he then turned to Kiadras and listened to them. * "Agreed lieutenant commander, with one caveat, its quite possible that the drones have detected yourself and the other new arrivals." *Vara'l lapsed into silence for a moment then as his mind forced its way through thought, mulled things over and over as he mulled things over and over. "Though your point largely still stands, while new arrivals may have been detected they only know of the wounded you're all unknowns." The assurance Kiadras had issued largely unaddressed as he turned grey hues on Khamlet. Fixed them on the Klingon as they growled. Initially mulled over a...comment on the fact the other had declined to say anything. Honestly surprised by the fact, he'd have expected that out of a Romulan, from the Lieutenant he'd have expected for what they wished to say to have been said. Thankfully he remained just about with it enough to not call a Klingon on such a matter as that, when he reckoned himself to have the tact of a brick. Despite the roil of emotion, Vara'l arrived at the conclusion after a moment with that that well. He might have just insulted bricks, if such things could have been insulted. (edited)

Having posted someone else (probably Timi, considering the man's desire to stay out of as much of the chaos as possible) by the door, Senang dove into the cargo hold too, to retrieve some armour for himself as well as food and water, something he'd not had too much of the past few days to give other people the chance to eat. But now that their rescuers were there, as he'd predicted, he was going to make the most of it, stewing in his bloodlust where it couldn't bother anyone.

“We could have a few of the first team go in first, preferably the tactical ones who are okay to fight, while the rest of us come in from another angle to back them up.” Kya suggested. “That way we can catch them off guard and press them at the same time. Outside of Roode, were you able to damage any of the remaining drones?”

"We'd need to review the maps to determine a potential second route and." He paused then as he considered the situation, mulled over things again and again and again. . "We've a number of people not fit for combat duty, so will need some officers present to hold this space and protect the wounded." His jaw worked a bit then. "If we've sufficient numbers to deploy with both teams, its a idea to consider.." When Kya then asked about the drones, Vara'l frowned a bit. "Roodes the only confirmed, but I'm given to understand the abnormal drone has been struck more than once." He reviewed the information then, as emotion crashed against control. "So can't confirm their status for sure, as to the Lieutenant-" The Romulan paused then as guilt twisted the spear it had hammered into his mind. "Five of Eight and Th'zhaloth drones, I've no reports of us encountering them in combat yet so I believe they're undamaged."

Khamlet saw the Romulan turn their gaze onto him, appraising and insulting all at once, and he stood up and got closer with his teeth showing sharp and bloodthirsty in his violence-loving grin. These were just the words of an exhausted ghISnar, nothing really there behind them, he could see the exhaustion and defeat in the lines on their face. So, he just listened as they answered the questions that were flowing towards them from the other commander from Tactical present. “Then we push hard and we push fast. Two are recently assimilated and may not yet be ready to fight, it increases the odds for victory.” He spoke up, his voice growled and low, but there were hints of a surprising musicality in it too - well not that surprising for those who had heard him humming or half singing on the journey to the Cube. “Sensor echoes could further delay the response of those Borg which can fight, even if we keep our warriors concentrated we could generate some false signals at other locations.” He offered never not smiling, a dangerous sort of grin, all eager and violence barely contained.

Grey eyes fixed upon the Lieutenant then as he turned, hands clasped on the weapon as his training kicked in and he shifted. Shifted then with the reaction of not one who harboured fear but one who was fully prepared to spend part of this slow spiral down addressing this Lieutenant if they turned out to be threat. Trained instinct Vara'l struggled with as he watched the other, entertained their words and stated. "The two recently assimilated may well be the threat, along with the abnormal drone." He paused then then added as he mulled the situation over further and clarified as thoughts were mulled over and over as his mind battled onward. "If the damaged drone remains combat ineffective and their assimilation processes have completed." When they suggested the sensor echo's Vara'l visibly perked up even as emotion still roiled as his mind continued to be mauled. As Ghosts still watched from where they watched, briefly banished by normal blinks and his body declared its wish for fluid again. "Use their sensor coverage against them?" He asked as he glanced to the others then back to the Lieutenant. "That is certainly a idea to pursue, no matter if we split the vinculum team or move together..."

Khamlet watched the hand reach for the weapon and he felt his blood burn and his heart sing - take it! Draw it! Give me your blood or take mine! Death! But of course the Romulan disciplined themselves… Just though and Khamlet had to admit he liked them more for having considered violence, good, they hadn’t been properly defeated yet then. He let out an almost approving growl, and somewhere in his mind the old rules that his House still honoured - even if others abandoned - were satisfied. He had no need to kill them, they weren’t too weak to lead, yet. “Take their advantage and see them choke on it, it is a satisfying victory.” Teeth showed, sharpened in the old ways. “Priming plasma conduits to explode at the locations of the false echoes, remotely if possible…” He didn’t know exactly the skill of Starfleet engineers and scientists but they were not without fame for a reason. “… Or selecting locations near external airlocks and priming corridors to depressurise and send the Borg into vacuum could also be options to pair with the false echoes.” Khamlet clearly was not one to fight with anything less than all he had and from a superior position intended to win.

Behind her glasses, Karavix's eyes snapped to Vara'l, expecting him to say something. "I will not participate in a plan that involves sending our crew into space," she said firmly. "Regardless of whether or not their minds are infected, they are still our crew, and they can still be saved. I will not participate in senseless slaughter. Not when medical is already prepared to receive them."

“I concur with the Petty Officer. We have a reasonable enough force to be able to capture and medically assist those who have been assimilated.” She said simply. “And the cube is not enough of a threat at this stage to not attempt such a thing, we have the best tactical department in the fleet, we can come up with a plan that neutralizes the threat and gets our people home.”

Grey eyes remained fixed upon the Klingon as the mauled mind analysed the other, considered them and filed those considerations for later. Considered the threat they might pose in utter silence before he nodded a bit at their initial comment, considered what else they said. Considered it before the PO snapped like that. "Petty officer." He then started after a moment. "We are all leaving he-" Grey eyes then flicked to Kya as he listened to her words, considered them, as the spear of guilt twisted in his gut. "We are not venting our officers out into space or exposing them to plasma streams, we're all leaving here and we're getting them to medical." Vara'l stated then before he continued on to say. "But having things in addition to the echo's that do not kill drones but could waylay them slow down the response and convergence of drones on the Vinculum." He paused then as he looked around them all. "That' something that seems appealing to me, if viable and not something that'll kill our officers." "As Commander Pok put it, threat neutralisation while bringing our people home." He declared as the walls of his control were battered and he forced himself onward. Finally the end game could be glimpsed, he just had to hold on until then he forced himself to remember. Keep to the promise he made to Five, he demanded of his mind. "Our objectives are to deal with the Vinculum, neutralise the threat and get our people home."

Now that things were, more or so, back on track, Tarsek could focus on his own utility in this mission. The wounded were being taken care of. There was water and other supplies distributed, which sated a bit their basic needs and made the weight of exhaustion somewhat lighter. Now, more eyes and phasers were present to look at the perimeter and take watch for danger, and the group seemed to be finally ready to develop a new plan of action. Focus was achieved after so many breakdowns. As a diplomat, he had the duty of keeping unity. Be it of outer parties or between members of their own team. More people meant more minds. More minds meant more opinions. With danger still lurking everywhere around them, and knowing some of his teammates were not mentally stable at the moment, Tarsek decided to observe the interactions between the two groups, now one crew. As he walked around, he passed a new officer still unknown, Lt. Cdr. trl’Lareth. What a coincidence the house name would repeat itself. More reason to not break patent protocol.

Khamlet looked over to the Reman who spoke up, ‘senseless slaughter’? Khamlet did not understand that at all, they would be giving comrades good deaths, what is senseless in that? Freeing their spirits to go on. But as the other tactical commander concurred it would seem that this was an attitude shared by more than just the Reman. Khamlet looked more puzzled than annoyed or insulted, it simply did not fit his existing view of the universe their way of seeing it. Still he was here to see and understand other ideas of honour, so he did not disagree or reject their words. He watched the weary Romulan commander carefully as they vocalised a more complete response to his suggestion. Again they also seemed to agree with the notion of not sending their comrades to a good death, it puzzled him, but he accepted it with a grunted ‘mhm’. “A non-lethal electrical explosion then?” He suggested trying to work within the strange boundaries that everyone here seemed to have.

“I’m all for an explosion, personally,” Kiadras offered. The daredevil personality of a previous host, Arliaz, had bubbled up just a little bit. She expected it.

Senang regarded Khamlet with some curiosity, where he'd been sitting in on the conversation from a distance, slowly sipping from a water bottle. Klingons were fascinating culturally, and even if Senang couldn't always find himself in their penchant for violence (his own ideologies usually minimising violence for a far more clean result) he found more kinship with the Klingon in that moment than he had with most people he'd ever met in Starfleet. This too was a sentiment he hesitated to voice where people could hear it who could be scared off by it. He knew the rules, clearly better than Lieutenant Khamlet.

Another Diplomat, Zhi'rev could tell by the way he moved, by the way he was observing the different groups of the crew. Zhi'rev did not envy his position -- as a witness to the horrors that had happened on the cube, as someone who had to navigate all of that. Nevertheless, he felt he had a duty to at least introduce himself. "How are you holding up? You have been with this mission since the beginning, and I know it is difficult to navigate emotions when they are running as high as they are right now," He said as he walked closer to Tarsek, offering an easy smile, something very un-vulcanlike for someone who was half-vulcan himself. Then he realised how rude he probably sounded, he did just forget to introduce himself. "Oh, you probably don't know who I am... Lieutenant Commander Zhi'rev tr'Lareth, diplomat, at your service." He said with a bow.

Offering the ta’al to the fellow officer he answered. “Lieutenant Commander Tarsek V’hgai. I come to serve.” He took a chance to better observe the other man, noticing he was also from Command Division. Did he by chance share family with Lt. JG. Saren tr’Lareth? A question for another moment, without a doubt. There were more pressing maters at hand. “I am fit, lieutenant. My mental discipline has not yet failed me. Physically, there is exhaustion, but I have sustained no wounds.” Unlike so many others from his team, who had bravely faced the dark corridors in hope of saving their comrades, attacked by the drones. “I am sure we all find your teams intervention most opportune.” His response was as composed as you would expect from a traditional Vulcan, despite the battered uniform and the signs of lack of proper rest it seemed that his mind had indeed not given in yet.

"It is good to hear that you have not sustained wounds, I know there are some of your number who were not as lucky. Mental discipline definitely comes in handy at times like this..." He stopped to take stock of the rest of Tarsek's statement, specifically the bit about physical exhaustion. "I urge you to get some rest sometime soon. I know it must have been difficult, with all the uncertainty... but physical exhaustion is not an ideal state to be in..." he trailed off before he shook his head, "But don't take that as me telling you what to do, it is just a suggestion." A logical suggestion, Zhi'rev had to admit. He rolled his shoulders back, an almost reflexive motion as he tried to smile, keep a brave face. There was hope still, and Zhi'rev was going to be part of that hope.

"A non-lethal Electrical explosion works." Vara'l stated simply when Khamlet proposed it as he nodded slightly eyes flicking to Karavix before they locked upon Kiadras. "We create the echo's, set up the non-lethal electrical explosion along with them and use that to slow down the response of some of the drones." He commented with a another nod. "Ideally resulting in, at the very least initially, lighter resistance on the route to the Vinculum." He mused as eyes then flicked to and focused on the Reman briefly before they flicked to the others. Watched to see how they reacted to the conversation and what had been arrived at.

”Your suggestion is sound. A few hours of sleep would be ideal.” The Vulcan concedes. “However, there is still work to be done, and if the plan Im sure both of us can hear is set in motion soon, the teams will need as many hands as possible against our current threat.” He paused. “My second best option would be meditation. It will not solve the issue, but it will alleviate the tiredness for the time being.”

"I do not think that the plan will be set in motion for a few hours yet, so I believe you will have the time to rest, besides, even if it is only for a short time, some sleep will help you when the time comes for the plan to be put in action," Zhi'rev reasoned, thinking that it would take a while yet for the team to come together once more.

Drezoz was not one for just sitting around talking normally. He was not one to jump into combat either, like most other Klingons. So he checked any and all signals he could, communications to the outside was not possable but person to person was still working so what else. Transporter signals maybe, that got Drezoz thinking. He turned back to the commander, "Sir I think I have an idea but due to the nature of the borg, I think I should discuss it with you one on one" Drezoz asked before deleteing his findings. Then standing up though he did slouch slightly to make himself not look as intimidating.

Khamlet looked over to Commander Vrii as she mentioned being ‘all for an explosion’ and his smile was wide, appreciative, honest and completely thrilled. He barked out a single laugh, approving and warm, nothing about him hidden, withdrawn, or anything other than what he showed. He had heard much of the Trill, some were even honoured figures in the stories and songs, and it seemed Kiadras was giving proof to the truth of those tales. He liked her. As the conversation continued with Vara’l seemingly accepting the notion of a non-lethal explosion as part of the plan Khamlet gave a comprehending nod. He was still puzzled as to the reticence about giving a good death to their comrades, he would expect and want nothing less for himself, but it seemed that his new comrades had other thoughts. It was confusing, but he noted it for now and would consider it more later when there wasn’t the joy of a battle calling to him. When another Klingon spoke up Khamlet turned to face them, eyes not looking away, though he found himself confused again. They were stooped, not standing tall and proud, their voice was soft and they seemed… Almost passionless! The confusion, displeasure, and anger easily registered on his face. He looked to the commanders to see how they responded, surely they’d demand a warrior of theirs behave as one? The actions and behaviour of his new comrades was frankly far more confounding than anything the Borg could throw towards him, he thought with a wry amusement.

Aoife continued to observe the whole situation from her sentry position on top of one of the shuttles. She listened into the conversations happening with Vara'l and the many new people. Most of whom she recognized like Timi and Kiadras. One in particular she didn't was a Klingon in tactical armour? A Klingon in tactical armour speaking sense? Aoife thought to herself. What had a galaxy come to, agreeing with a Klingon, disconcerting indeed. Her gaze bore into Khamlet as she studied him with her practiced steely gaze of an intelligence officer.

He observed Vara'l, noting the pain, eyes briefly flicking up-down as he did: "Hmm. Welp, means we try again. I'll be on the lookout for our four little friends when we do." The Klingon's words earned him a blink, the android's head angling itself to the side, gesture a bit Too Smooth: "Now, now. The drones aren't something irreparably broken, or somehow worse now than what they've been before - but they are someones who weren't given much of a fighting chance. Just killing them off seems unfair, no? Besides, considering how much emotion I am witnessing happen in this room whenever anyone so much as mentions them, I think bringing them back home is worth at least a try - and I'm quite good at bringing people places! Whether they want it or not."

Quietly tending to the injured officers in the background - only adding to what had already been done, given that the Medical officers on the away team had done a stellar job as it was - Eicran listened to the conversations going on in the background. He understood both sides of the argument. On the one hand, every drone had once been an innocent person. On the other, they were now a dangerous enemy, even if it wasn't their fault. He had been witness to the struggle before. If someone could be liberated then you should do everything in your power to do so, but sometimes, it wasn't an option. Given that there were only four drones he was hopeful that they'd have a strong chance. Four drones was nothing compared to an entire cube... Even if the drone that had started all of this sounded like it acted far from the norm.

Vara'ls eyes flicked to the Lieutenant Commanders as they started to speak, focused on them as he watched their actions. Initially listened to their words, a fortress of assailed focus in the eye of a storm of emotion, of a medley of the mental and physical that raced about his mind. Forced together by will, by the glimpse of the goal ahead, mind aware of what it struggled toward with every step it clutched at function, at duty, at goal and protocol. Clutched at that which was there until the last order was given, until they reached eventide. Held on, each attack that hammered home another chance he cracked before then, that he failed. That the individual failed, overwhelmed by emotion. Mind a roar of defiance into all that mauled it hemmed in and silenced by a practise yet somewhat crack stern mask. We-I will hold on. I promised this. Not yet. Not yet. A constant refrain that resounded as words slipped off of him, as focused latched onto the action they'd taken. As grey eyes fixed upon their console and Vara'ls expression hardened. "Lieutenant commander, retrieve that file you just deleted, now." (edited)

The plan wouldn't be in motion for a few hours yet? Oh, thank the gods! A wash of relief washed over the Vulcan girl as she listened quietly and it culminated in a sigh of relief as well. Meditation? Oooh! That could be something, she thought, as she listened to Tarsek briefly. Meditation had helped Essen in the past, so she wouldn't mind doing it now when it mattered most. As she looked to Vara'l as soon as his expression hardened, Essen's eyes widened in concern. She had been a bit out of it until now, so she didn't catch quite everything being said, only bits and pieces. But seeing Vara'l like this now, it made her really, really sad. As she looked to him, she remained close, for support.

Khamlet’s attention was pulled away from the disappointing fellow Klingon to a strange figure that looked almost Trill, though something in their mien struck a discordant note in Khamlet’s gaze. ‘Now, now…’ Khamlet felt his blood rise, the patronising tone irksome, and his sharp teeth showed as he let out a low growl. A huff of hot air exhaled as he looked them up and down, ‘unfair’?! He was offering a good death, better that than remaining a mere tool for the Borg, your spirit forever trapped and unable to direct your heart again. Yet they thought he was being unfair? What was wrong with these people, how could they be so cruel? But he said nothing for there was no time to as Commander Vara’l snapped an order towards the other Klingon, and Khamlet’s attention was pulled to it like a shark scenting blood in the water. Good to see the old Romulan wasn’t broken and pathetic and had a voice suited to give orders still.

Paco was sad. Aside from sad, he also felt a bit useless. Useless like a targ with no teeth that won't fight. He didn't feel he contributed as much to this mission as the others have, and all he had to show for it was the fact he got shot in both the leg and the back, and the possibility he probably contributed to Vara'l slowly going less fine. Or maybe he is definitely completely fine the whole time, who knows. At least the mission is pushing forward and discussions are being made, that's nice. And the fact the new away team's here means that the Eventide, and therefore Maya's alright too. Also nice. * "Paco thinks...we should try to liberate our Borg'd friends.... and disconnect the OctoBorg from the Borg Cube." *Paco weakly stated from his cot, overhearing some bits and pieces after his roleplayer backread some of the RP. "All in oppression deserve liberation... and the only reason the Borg are bad is because they've been Bourguignon'd..." Paco explained himself. "Also, if this place is full of nodes for the engineering and tacticool stuff, and we probably know what kind of ploop signal they give out in the maps... why not try to find the node that does comms as well with the runabout and shuttle sensors based on wat we know?" Paco rolled to lay face down. He may not be able to move around or shoot, he was waiting on medical's consensus on that, but at least he could still say things. "And put peanut butter to the jamm..."

Her breath shook, grasping his arm as she wobbled. “Yav… Yaveru..” She muttered, her balance shaken as disorientation. Slowly, every so slowly, the noise began to fade away. Her vision became clearer. She was still terrified, still shivering due to a cold that wasn’t there. Yet, despite that, she was coming back, slowly. “Where- How… How..” She stumbled, trying to catch her breath, looking around. “Gone.” She muttered, trying to just hang on as she rode out her mental whirlwind.

Mildly amused at the idea of Kairos cheerfully tossing one of the drones over his shoulder and dragging them back to the runabout, Karavix nodded along. "Nonetheless, our best bet is likely to head straight for the heart. Damage the drones enough to sedate them if necessary, to make for easy transport?" She glanced pointedly around. "Disconnecting the drones from the heart will disorient them, and, if I'm correct, may disable their ability to connect with their vessel all together, which may prevent their shields from blocking our access to Eventide?"

Vara'ls eyes remained fixed upon the Lieutenant commander as he waited for them to comply with or refuse his order. Fixed on them as he watched, as he listened to the others. "Your assessment seems to be correct, at the very least it'll make the job of securing them in the quarantine shuttle once acquired and locating the neutralising the shields easier." Vara'l observed then as he stared at the Lieutenant Commander. "Ensign, if the Lieutenant Commander doesn't retrieve the file, kindly retrieve it for him." The Romulan proceeded to say then as his mind hunkered down against the storm of emotion. Struggled onward as it sheltered in role, considered things over and over and over finding shelter in the act of doing that as he worked. Knew what that meant even as he sheltered within.

Kya looked at Vara’l commanding the ensign to retrieve the files, an action she agreed with but she also worried about the commanders mental state in the face of his week long sojourn in hell. So she angled herself to be out of the sight of the larger group and very gently signalled to him to take a breath.

Hearing the words, Kairos first turned his head to glimpse at Vara'l, to then turn his attention to the aforementioned officer, quirking up his eyebrow as he did so. What was it gonna be?

Khamlet waited to see if Commander Vara’l would draw their weapon, watched for the forceful assertion of his right and strength to command, he had shown some fire at that moment. But there was no weapon drawn, no insult delivered, nothing like what Khamlet expected. It was confusing to say the least, he could feel that confusion building towards frustration and so he stepped around to collect weapons and armour to distribute. He could at least arm the warriors here while the question of tactics rolled on, he had offered up his own thoughts and little else to say for now. Better to sharpen a blade than your tongue, he reminded himself as he collected a bundle of things to hand out. Stepping away he noticed a particular intense stare being directed at him by a Vulcan seated not too far from the discussion. They sipped water which if it weren’t for their gaze might give them an air of disinterest, but he doubted that they couldn’t hear what was being spoken in the huddle of officers planning. Never one to let a challenge go unanswered he walked over, making no effort to make the approach look anything casual or inadvertent - there was no dissembling of purpose or intention with him. “NuqneH?” The classic Klingon greeting translated perfectly via the universal translator: What do you want? His eyes roved over the figure looking to see if they were armed and armoured.

Grey eyes fixed upon Kya briefly then before they returned to the Klingon lieutenant commander. Returned there as he responded to Kya with a simple shift of his phaser rifle as he shifted his hold from ready-rest to rest. To the more calmer hold of someone who was trained to carry the weapon but expected the calm to hold for now. A unspoken statement issued. He'd noticed her signal and had elected to take it on board. Noticed it but was focused upon the officer who'd elected to delete a file and ask for a private chat while they were stranded in a Borg cube. Looked upon it with suspicion and confusion as emotion roiled and battered at embattled battlements. Looked there as a hand twitched in a simple signal he hoped Kya would understand. An non-verbal acknowledgment issued as he waited and watched the officer. Theirs was a choice to be made now before things proceeded. Stood there armed but unarmoured, in need of more water and somewhat exhausted. Outwardly calm, though the facade had cracked somewhat, but there in the grey eyed focus fixed upon them. Fixed there as he waited.

Senang was indeed both armed and armoured, having grabbed some of the spare armour to don, his phaser pistol in its holster on his hip, his rifle slung over his shoulder as always. "You're new," Senang concluded flatly, looking over the Lieutenant with the knowledge that he didn't recognise the Klingon. "New to the Federation, too? You haven't learned to watch your words, yet." He took another sip of water, letting his words, though sharpened by his foul mood, sink in for a bit.

Phaser rifle and pistol, good, Khamlet thought as his eyes noticed them, someone prepared for an engagement at any range like himself. ‘You’re new’ needed no reply, it was not a question and even if it was one it shouldn’t need to have been asked in the first place - did he look like one of the thin-blooded Klingons who grew up in the Federation? He grinned with sharp teeth and as they mentioned watching his words he barked out a laugh. “Let my base tongue betray my noble heart? Never!” He hadn’t failed to miss the attempt to prick at him in those sharp words, but they missed the mark it would seem - or rather he clearly saw them as saying more about the speaker than the listener.

Senang just shook her head at Khamlet. "Your words have upset others. In situations like these, you can't afford to add stress." Taking a deep breath, Senang sighed with another scrutinising look. It was a little ironic for her to be saying this when it was the very thing she herself was struggling so much with. "You'll learn eventually."

Essen felt herself losing grip again, but she remembered: jacket, breath, light. Jacket, breath, light. Clear mind, clear objective. Clear mind, clear objective. Learn from this... learn from this... well... maybe hesitating wasn't as big of an infraction as she thought. A lieutenant commander deleting a file and not yet retrieving it -- especially given how much more cross Vara'l was -- perhaps Essen could start to forgive herself.* *Essen didn't want to interfere with Vara'l, and besides -- it didn't seem like he really was, during this whole mission, especially since she peered to see the pips on the other officer's uniform -- it was a lieutenant commander. Well... that made her feel better as she knew that she had morals still, and didn't actively seek to disobey orders. Her steps took her over towards Khamlet unintentionally as her focus was a little off still.

"Right. Aiming for the heart, sir?" Karavix prompted Vara'l, wanting to get a concrete plan. "We can distribute proper combat armor to everyone going. Then we locate and neutralize shields, yes?"

Khamlet arched a brow, ‘upset others’, he glanced back to the huddle debating matters. None of them had shown real displeasure, he thought, there were no challenges - except Vara’l’s which was worthy and proved his place - the rest simply said they wouldn’t honour their comrades with good deaths. He didn’t understand their statements, but it must be a Federation thing. Upset? He was the one who should be outraged at the dishonour they showed to fellow warriors. “Stress? ToH! What is there to stress over, there is a battle ahead, sing and ready weapons…” He looked back at the scrutinising gaze with defiance, courage, and utter honesty. He was nothing less than what he said and did and appeared to be. ‘You’ll learn eventually’ Khamlet let out a low rolling disbelieving chuckle, “Learn to lie and dissemble? Kill me if I ever do!” He shook his head and exhaled with a huff, appraising the posture, the musculature, this one looked like a warrior. “Khamlet, son of Eral.” He introduced himself simply and boldly - like everything else about him.

"Paco upset." Paco said in the background in response to Senang. He had no idea what the others were talking about in that convo, nor did he hear any of that and vice versa probably, he's just telling himself things. "Liberate the Borg!" (edited)

Having issued ordered and with the expectation they'd be followed, Vara'l turned to the petty officer. "Aiming for the heart yes." The Romulan confirmed then as grey eyes fixed upon Karavix. "Away team personnel who were here and need to are to hydrate and eat before as well but." He nodded. "Armour to be distributed then, its the heart then the shields." Came the confirmation that followed, followed as emotion roiled as a voice within him cried out again against the walls of control he'd raised. Called out in grief in pain in guilt as he remembered the people who'd been assimilated. Remembered the team he'd lost on the Arrenhe. Remembered that even as he added. "And we all get out of here, including our officers who were assimilated, Alive."

"Senang," she introduced herself back. "And it's not lying to simply keep your mouth shut when otherwise you would say things that threaten the morale of the team. You're allowed to sing, and nobody will begrudge you this, but your comments about killing their comrades who were taken by the Borg are unproductive. Living and working in the Federation means that you need to adjust on some level to the way things happen in the Federation, Lieutenant Khamlet, or the death of your career will be much closer than that of your body." Senang would have said this much more calmly in any other situation, but this wasn't the time and she hadn't the patience. "You should have done some research, before coming." That was just a snipe. It wasn't intended to be taken as advice, it was just said to be rude and judgemental.

She sighed as she looked towards Paco, moving over. “Rest up Lieutenant, your injuries mean you will likely be staying here.” She said softly. “Besides, your cousin would likely murder me if you ended up dead on my watch. She’s worried sick.”

"The question remains of who you believe unfit for duty, sir," she prompted once more, gaze casting across the group. "And, everyone who wishes to tag along should begin suiting up."

"I can stay with him," Saren, who was definitely here all the time, offered as he came up closer to the makeshift hospital. "Least I can do, really."

"Paco's definitely duty ready" He says to Kya when Karavix stated that very valid question. "...She probably would yea- wait Maya's okay?" Paco's expression brightened up a bit hearing that news from Kya. "...she can get petty on people sometimes." :p

"I defer to medical on that one, Petty officer." The CTO responded then simply before a thought struck him and then added. "Though I've concerns about Lieutenant Zh'hraas and Lieutenant Essen and will be checking with medical officers involved to confirm if they're fit to be with the Vinculum team also before I authorise them to accompany us if Lieutenant Essen wishes. " Vara'l lapsed into a moments silence then before she then added then. "You've a point there, Petty officer." He then looked to Lieutenant Commander Kya and then to Lieutenant Commander Vrii. "Lets get to work." He then tapped his combadge. (edited)

“If the morale of warriors is weakened by the thought of giving a good death to fallen comrades, then they have already been defeated.” Khamlet said in a low growled voice, not yielding a single inch of his position to the softness of the Vulcan who believed that one was made strong by indulging their weakness. It took painsticks to make a man, and if the warriors here couldn’t face the pain of battle, couldn’t find the courage to give allies, friends, loves, good deaths? Then what were they?! They’d give the honour of a good death to a foe but not a comrade? Disgusting. He grinned at the insults which came his way, stepping closer to the weary Vulcan, had they not noticed that he had accepted the limit of non-violence to the ones they knew? Where was that vaunted Vulcan logic, that ever preening Vulcan acumen and intelligence, did they miss the way he had yielded ground to the strange and confusing honour of the Federation? The questions lurked there in the dangerous and violence inviting smile which danced across the Klingon’s features. “I hope your shots are more accurate in the battle to come, Senang.” He said with a mirthful laugh as he stepped back, sparing a glance for the strange mumblings of the defeated Federation officer on the bed. “Research? I would have thought a Vulcan could find a better insult to throw at me.” His tongue ran over his sharpened teeth. “batlh bIHeghjaj!” He said with a growl and a violent look in his eyes, oh he looked forward to seeing this one in a fight - he had seen more than a few Vulcans lose their precious balance in the war, and they were like firestorms in a fight, it would be glorious to see one again. He stepped away to go with the joy for what was ahead never leaving him. He glanced around to see if anyone was as yet unarmed and unarmoured.

"You are narrow-minded and weak, Khamlet son of Eral, and your inability to engage with others except through your own limited view of the universe will be your downfall," Senang threatened, putting her water bottle down and finally standing up to push past the much taller Klingon bodily, mixing herself into the conversation Kya, Kiadras, Karavix and Vara'l were having.

Khamlet barked another laugh at the words of the Vulcan, “Bold words for a defeated warrior in need of rescue.” He was enjoying every moment of the exchange, here at last he could recognise something. He said no more, needed to say no more, and moved off to make sure everyone was armed and armoured. He looked especially, however, for one figure in particular - the one who had checked their armour in the runabout. Where had that quiet warrior gotten to?

"Perhaps today is a good day to die...” Paco quietly said to himself in his best worf impression in response to Khamlet, along side a very loopy muttering of the classic klingon insult that essentially translates to "Your mother has a smooth forehead". Again, not hearing anything going on outside of this. And all of this is probably out of earshot to them as-- oh look! "Hallo Saren..." Paco said warmly, still face down on his pillow, he recognized his voice

“Woah, woah, hey, let’s- Let’s cool our jets for a second,” The Trill said softly, holding up her hands in a stopping motion as Senang started to push forward and Khamlet pushed with words, “We’re all on the same team here, alright?” (edited)

Unarmoured and need of fluids and some more food, Vara'l looked to the others and observed. "I best go get armour and lay hands on a bottle of water." The Romulan mused then as he started to move then to go and get armoured up and the like. Doing so as he then looked to the Lieutenant Commander he'd issued the order too. "I'll review the file once I'm armoured up."

Drezoz took a slow breath through his nose, this was almost an exact recreation of a situation from Drezoz's time in the KDF. However he went over his self control Mantra's he learned to keep himself from trying to remove the Chief Tactical officers head. "Sir, due to the situation I would believe plan insulation should be of priority" Drezoz said as calmly as he could but he was struggling to keep himself slouched. "If we make everyone aware of the plan, then if even one gets assililated, which is not a zero percent chance, then the Borg become aware of the plan then everything can fall apart. The stuff I deleted is something that might me greatly tactically advantageous, I think it might even be the very thing we could use to disable the whole cube and get us all out of here." Drezoz was calm but stone cold in his tone.

Kya looked at Paco with a laugh, gently patting him on the shoulder. “Rest easy, and yes she’s fine. She helped get us here.” She said before standing. “Thank you.” She said to Saren before rejoining the rest of the tactical team. “Will the two of you please be quiet. We have actual work to be doing instead of bickering over worldviews.”

Having kept an eye - or ear? Was that how the saying went? - on the conversation regarding plans to delve further into the cube, Eicran raised his head from where he was re-packing a medical kit. he left aside anything of use to those who were staying behind, keeping mainly emergency trauma equipment in his kit. He zipped up the bag and hoisted it back over his shoulder before walking over to join the group... And neatly side-stepped the seemingly arguing pair as he did so. "I would be wary of letting anyone who has been stranded aboard be on a further away team. You are all struggling both physically and emotionally. The last thing that anyone needs is to be a danger to themselves -- or others," he confessed. Something told him that a lot of people were raring to go and be part of this further expedition, but he had genuine concerns that more harm than good could be caused. "I know there will be a strong emotional desire to go on this mission, given that your fellow officers were the ones assimilated. But please - only volunteer if you know you are capable of it."

Khamlet looked to Kiadras as they called out a need for cooperation from where he was moving around giving armour and weapons to those in need of them and gave a nod to the Commander Vrii. “Qapla’.” He deferred to the leader who had his respect without hesitation. “It was merely fire before the battle, Senang spoke well and struck true.” He laughed, clearly completely untroubled and unworried, and the look he spared for Senang was actually genuinely and openly amused by and approving of them.

Vara'l turned mid walk and looked to Lieutenant Commander Drezoz Vac then. "Lieutenant Commander Vac, you have been issued with a direct order by the Chief Tactical officer of Starbase 777." The Romulan observed simply, observed with ice in the voice as emotion roiled behind it. "The command personnel of this team need to be aware of all tactically pertinent data." After a moments pause as fixed them with a grey hued stare. "Ensign." He then simply proceeded to say then after a moment.

As Essen heard Vara'l order that she needed to be looked at before she went on the away team, she looked for the closest medical officer that she could find so she could be checked on -- and it just so happened that this lieutenant commander agreed. So, Essen took some steps over towards the lieutenant commander who happened to be Eicran, a little overwhelmed by the conversation Senang was getting into. "Lieutenant Commander?" Essen asked Eicran. "I'm Lieutenant Junior Grade Essen. CTO tr'Hara mentioned that I should have a checkup before we head deeper into the cube for the vinculum? Throughout this mission I've been emotionally compromised as CTO tr'Hara has seen. Is--is it too much to ask for a last minute check-up? Please? I... I owe it to those who have been assimilated because--" She was about to say 'it's all my fault. But... "Er, I just owe it to those who have been assimilated."

He turned to face Essen and unclipped the medical tricorder from the armour fixtures around his wrist. "Emotional compromise is a term that normally holds serious connotations for Vulcans," he commented. His voice was flat, neutral. With the black eyes of a Betazoid you might have expected some sort of more emotional statement from him, but it appeared that Eicran was going on logic instead. "If you feel that way, you're not going. Having such an emotional connection - owing it to your colleagues, you say - puts you at risk of making silly mistakes because of that. Then you put others at risk in turn."

"Is it Borging time yet?" Paco casually asked to Saren, or whoever was nearby his vicinity at the moment.

"Very well, Lieutenant Commander," Drezoz said calmly and steadily. He then pressed a few buttons and retored the file "The things I deleted were my searches through the various signals we can use Inside the cube. Communications are still active, though I would not think that the Borg would be listening, but I also discovered other signals are still able to be used." Drezoz Explained trying to hint at his discovery's without directly stating them.

Essen's head drooped in shame. No, no, nonononono... she'd lost it. She'd gone too far. Medical had declared her unfit for duty... she'd hurt enough people as it had been. As a tear rolled down her eye, she shut them and nodded. She'd let everyone down... but now, she'd never be able to make up for it.* "Aye, lieutenant commander, I am unfit for duty as you declared... I won't go, I'll notify CTO tr'Hara. I'm...sorry, sir," *Essen said. She almost said 'for wasting your time.' As she nodded to Eicran, staying where she was, Essen looked to Vara'l... and shook her head. She mouthed the words 'I'm so sorry...'

Vara'l then looked to Eicran. "Lieutenant Commander, I'll be deferring to medical as stated on the officer fitness front." He responded with a understanding nod. Vara'l then watched the conversation between Eicran and Essen briefly before he eyed the way to the cargo bay. He needed to armour up, but also given how things were up here he needed to remain until this situation was sorted. He also needed a bit more water. He wasn't utterly dehydrated but thirst danced a jig in his mind right now in time with emotion as it roiled. Another situation, another factor to be considered as his mind analysed and analyse and analysed. Grey eyes returned to Lieutenant Commander Vac then as they finally related. Listened to that and considered things. "Noted commander." He stated then intitially before he started to move forward then paused as he lipread what was mouthed by Essen. "There is no need to apologise, Lieutenant." Vara'l responded softly before he returned his focus to the klingon Lieutenant commander. "Can you transfer your findings to a PADD, if you've one going spare?" He inquired then. "For digest by senior away team staff only, as a update to the tactical situation?" Vara'l then added. "I'll add it to tactical assessments post the assimilation of our officers."

The Vulcan had conceded to their fellow lieutenant’s logic and decided to at least take some moments of meditation. Any progress he could do with untangling the damage to his mental fortitude was welcome and would aid him, and by extension the team. So he found a quiet spot by the shuttles, a bit distant from the conversation and started strengthening his shields and mind. One hour later, still there, he felt his thoughts align better and less pockets of emotion, like traps to tempt his logical discipline, were present.

There was a sigh and he ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't a psychologist, and he was used to dealing with people in the field who 1. were trained for situations like this and 2. trained to know their own limits. "I'm not saying you're definitely unfit for duty," he explained to Essen, "but you, in your own words, have said that you're emotionally compromised. It's not anything to be ashamed of. I'm sure that most people who have been aboard are struggling to keep things together. If you feel that you won't have any problems on this mission - physical or mental - then I won't stop you. But please, do think on what I mean. Only go if you know you can."

Essen took a second to think... as another tear rolled down her face, she looked back to Eicran. "I can't hurt anyone else," Essen replied. "I can't go. Not when I can risk hurting someone else again." Nothing to be ashamed of? Oh, lieutenant commander... you don't know the half of it. "I'll do whatever I'm ordered to do and go wherever I'm ordered to go, but I give up my spot on the vinculum team." She inside her head said 'and I'll get ready to repay this penance.' (edited)

Moving through the space around the runabout Khamlet spotted another Vulcan that was clearly unarmoured, and he couldn’t spot any obvious weapons, so he made his way over to them. They seemed to be in the midst of meditation, Khamlet was not quite as he approached, but once he was near enough that shouting wasn’t necessary he spoke openly, clearly, and in his deep growling voice. “Battle comes, the commander has called for warriors to arm and armour themselves…” It was hardly a standard Starfleet manner of describing the situation. The bloody joy in his voice was unhidden. “… Rifle or pistol or both?” He asked bluntly and directly as he placed the crate he was carrying down, and a hand remained buried in it ready to fetch what was needed by this warrior. Armour he was already pulling out and placing down for the Vulcan commander to dress themselves in.

"Less talk. More synthehol." Paco once again doing a Worf impression to himself

With that order and request issued, Vara'l headed off first to get armour from the cargo bay. Once he'd retrieved that he headed back up with it secured and ready. With a look then at the officers present as he assured himself all seemed to be well right now, concealed the roil and everything behind the slightly cracked calm façade, Vara'l moved off to go get water.

He'd be quickly intercepted by Twelve of Twenty who pressed a bottle of water at him. "Here is a bottle of water, you look like you need it sir." The El-Aurian stated plainly as calm eyes watched the other, noted what signs there were to be noted. Not experienced in emotion but recognizing someone who struggled. Someone who was tired. That recognized as she'd moved off to go see to others, but mentally resolved to go speak to another medical officer as soon as an opportunity was identified.

He had died once. It had not been honorable. It had just been painful. "If we need any engineers for the vinculum team, I'll go. I'm relatively sound of mind." He'd mostly been helping out where he could for the past couple of hours and taking a little time to himself when he could. And, of course, if anyone wanted to talk or play games to occupy their time, particularly those who were injured and had nothing better to do, he would always be there. It kept him a little more sane.

He opened his eyes at the calling. Was it time for the offensive already? He made a mental note to consider Lt. Cdr. tr’Lareth as a good source of advice in the future, the few moments of meditation he got had relived him of the tension at the back of his mind, restoring his focus to 83% of normal parameters. Seeing the officer, a Klingon who by the sound of the previous conversation had newly joined the federation and was having some cultural shocks, he answered. “Leave a rifle if there is to spare, as I already possess my own pistol. Lieutenant…?” He asked noticing his rank.

Khamlet nodded at the mention of a rifle, and picking one out he inspected it - making sure it was all in good order, even if it had only just been taken out of the shuttle, he was clearly not someone who treated weapons carelessly. “Khamlet, son of Eral, of the House of Jorn…” He answered with his eyes lifting and staring into the Vulcan’s face, giving him the courtesy of a warrior’s attention, his grin all dangerous and with growing fire for what was ahead. His eyes took note of the pips, “… Commander.” The rifle passed his muster and he placed it down next to the armour for the Vulcan. (edited)

CW depressive thoughts As Essen looked over towards Seiyya, she gave a nod to her. "Go get 'em," Essen said to her. "I'm staying behind. Just... be careful. Please?" Essen said to her. As the Vulcan girl nodded back to Eicran, she took a moment. "Excuse me, sir," Essen said to Eicran, before she stepped away to sit down back towards the medical stretchers. *Clear mind, clear objective, huh? Clear mind, clear objective?! What objective was there now that Essen could do nothing? How was that going to make her mind clear? And so she promised herself... for the wrongs she did to those, for hesitating, for being part of the cause for so many of her crewmates to suffer... she would have to suffer. It was part of the penance after all. To take the pain away from others, so they could have at least a little bit of relief, a little bit of peace... she had to suffer.*

"Lieutenant, I order you to relax." Paco says to himself doing a Picard impersonation in the background as Essen stepped away."the burns sting... owie..."

Seiyya nodded- her face was still stoic, but her eyes revealed genuine admiration for Essen’s strength, having gone through so much and yet still carrying on like this, even if she wasn’t fighting. “I will be. You’ve fought well. I and the others will take care of the rest.” She said, straightening her armor.

"How are you doing, Paco?" the Romulan sat down beside him. About time to try and distract the poor guy, especially if a large chunk of people is soon to leave for a second attempt.

Her eyes flicked up to Paco... she wasn't expecting him to sound like that. Maybe a little more British would do the trick. "Aye," Essen replied to Paco. "I'll do my best." Before she looked back to Seiyya, and nodded. A broken smile to her... one which barely could even be considered a smile. Before she sat down, pulled off her jacket... ...and wept into it. No large emotional outburst. No big scream. No big collapse. Just a quiet sit onto the ground... quiet cries... arguably, worse than the big outburst before. Instead of being obvious... this was as hidden as it could be. 'I'm--a murderer,' Essen thought... "I'm a murderer...'

"As you say Sir," Drezoz said in acknowledgement of Commander tr'Hara order to transfer the findings to a PADD. He looked around for a minute to find one and when he did transfered the findings and file onto the PADD. Drezoz was kind of relieved though, the situation did not end like last time as he did not need to kill the officer. A marked improvement but still it seemed the Romulan officer did not seem to like Drezoz though he chalked it up to the stress of the situation.* The findings of the test signals and sensor readings Drezoz took, including his notes. Some of them included, "Transporters? Maybe, Tactically advantageous." "Transport into Vinulum chamber? no Probably shielded." "Transport crew all over cube, diorient and separate Drones? No, will likely only get one use." "Maybe make Comm badges emmit seperate-." The last thought seemed to be cut off as that was he quickly deleted the file in seemingly misinterpreted OPSEC. He then offered the PADD to the Romulan officer though a bit stiffly.

Karavix was already bulked up and ready to go, still buzzing with that suppressed excitement that she'd get to see more of the cube. Especially the heart. Hell yeah.

"Paco feel's useless..." Paco admitted to Saren, quite plainly as he looked over to see people preparing to leave. Paco felt lying is exhausting, because who the hell could possibly lie to people for such a long period of time. That must weigh heavily on them. "Paco wishes he could be more useful... and also walk..." He added as he hugged whatever he was using for a pillow at the moment. "Feeling not good.... though, this is probably not the worst beating Paco's gotten so far while in Starfleet"

While milling around again, mostly checking over people and having brief conversations to try to determine if they should go on the mission or not, the Betazoid couldn't help but gaze over to poor Essen. There was a distinct sense of guilt at having been the one to tell her that she shouldn't be on the team venturing further into the Borg cube. Unaware of the full story as he was, he could understand her frustration. Something had gone wrong, and Essen was like him: he liked to take action to make things right. He wonderd how many people from the original way team, benched from the mission or not, felt the same way. He might not have been able to physically sense their emotions, but his heart ached from the thought of the struggles they had been through - and the struggles yet to come.

He noticed the care with which the other handled the weapon. Diligence was always a good sign. His face showcased an expression he had seen before: Klingon excitement for an upcoming battle. Standing up from his position, he offered the Klingon the ta’al. “Lt. Cdr. Tarsek of house V’hgai, son of Sopel, son of Terok.” Since the other seemed to express himself more traditionally, the Vulcan chose to do the same in his own way. However, one with a keen eye might notice Tarsek articulated his mouth in a slightly different way for a Vulcan, showing more teeth. He was not a diplomat for nothing. (edited)

Khamlet rose to his feet as the Vulcan did, greeting the offered gesture with an openness, and as the commander listed his family and bared his teeth Khamlet’s heart sang! His eyes danced with welcome, he laughed and his hands clapped the Vulcan on both shoulders, “Tarsek son of Sopel, of the House of V’hgai, well met indeed!” His hands squeezed tight and slapped the upper arms of the Vulcan again, the gesture open and enthusiastic. “I’ve not had the pleasure of fighting alongside a Vulcan, this will be a good day!” He was smiling endlessly.

"I get it. I won't try to argue against your feelings, because I've-- been bedridden before, and not being able to do much except for lying there, breathing, and feeling the weight of your body, leaves you in a terrible state," he leaned back in his taken seat, turning his head away from Paco to stare at some faraway point for a moment. "You're very brave for admitting this, you know. And while you may not be able to get up, pick up a phaser, and go fight, it doesn't make you a lesser part of the team. Just means that instead of you caring for us, it's us caring for you. Which is what a team does."

Saeihr had not stopped watching the entrance. After a little while she had gotten used to heat and humidity but it still felt as though the air was pressing in on her. Taking small sips of some drink she had somehow acquired, she listened to the conversations in silence. Was she fit for duty? Physically she was doing alright. She was not certain how to describe her mental state. It wasn't calmness, or at least she did not think so. She felt bad, both for the people who had been assimilated and for the people that were not doing well and most of all she felt bad for not caring more. Yes, these were her colleagues, but she barely knew most of them, she wanted no harm to befall them, but her worry felt distant and impersonal. She had been more shocked by almost getting shot herself than by all the other things that had happened. Maybe it was just her being selfish. It might be good though, if it meant she'd be able to help now.

Feeling the hard pressure of the other’s hands upon his shoulders Tarsek fought against a violent flinch back. He remembered himself of which culture he was dealing with. Though when the Klingon slapped his arms, sending a sharp sensation all across - and he thanked for the sleeves that protected his skin from the direct contact - he reacted. There was a difference between cultural accommodation and ignoring oneselve’s boundaries after all. Moving his hands into the space between Khamlet and himself, he twisted and grasped the other’s forearms to interrupt his motions, keeping pressure steady and firm, his strength holding them in place so there were no doubts of the intention. “Lieutenant, I shall forgive your lack of knowledge in my culture, as you have expressed not serving with a Vulcan before.” He spoke calmly. “For future reference: traditional Vulcans do not find physical touch welcoming. I advise you to ask before you reach.” Tarsek then allowed the arms in his grip free and waited for the other’s reaction upon his refusal.

Khamlet let out a low growl as his forearms were seized, but he didn’t press back against the strong grip of the Vulcan. He recalled the strength of a Vulcan officer he had killed in the war, powerful but they lacked the durability of a Klingon and the instinct to kill, too restrained. As the violent thoughts filled his mind and he felt his heart call for violence and blood it was a testament to his will that he listened instead to the warrior’s words. There was a reason he was here after all, even if it seemed few cared to understand his perspective and only demanded he conform fully to theirs. That Tarsek had greeted him properly, respecting his ways, accorded the Vulcan the patience of the Klingon and his attention to the man’s words. “Ghuy'! You have a grip!” His voice growled out and it grew into a laugh, rough and raucous, very well if that was this one’s way he would honour it as they had honoured him. His hands came down to his side and gave a nod, “So be it, Tarsek.” And that was that, the request would be honoured, Khamlet would not forget his word - ever - and he would not touch Tarsek again without permission. There was no ill-will, no annoyance, not a trace of anything like it in the features of the Klingon warrior. He just grinned, “GhIj qet jaghmeyjaj!” The universal translator shifting his words into: may your enemies run with fear. He gathered that a Vulcan may not appreciate a call to die well, and in his manner extended a courtesy to the warrior who had offered him the same.

Eventually Aoife left her sentry position on top of one of the shuttles to go and get some armour from the runabout and to get fresh power cells and grenades for the looming expedition.

"Thank you Twelve I-" Vara'l turned and accepted the PADD from Commander Vac with a nod, now fully hydrated and in Starfleet tactical armour. He'd even even indulged in a snatched bite to eat. "The Vinculum chamber is indeed shielded, commander, if you come up with additional things of tactical importance, alert myself, Lieutenant Commander Vrii or Lieutenant Commander Senang." He informed the other then. Vara'l spotted Aoifes move then and said. "If you'll both excuse me for a moment." And moved to wait for Aoife to emerge with armour and such. He needed to chat, with her and with Vrii needed to ensure command succession was updated for the new tactical reality.

Having confirmed that Khamlet did not take offense in his reaction, Tarsek nodded. “I would extend the same curtesy, but I doubt you would allow your enemies the chance to run.” It was both a way to please the other and to keep his words true to his own moral code. “Be assured your strength and combat skills are appreciated in this mission.”

“Commander, I’ll stay back to help defend the wounded.” Kya said simply. “We can’t send all our best fighters forward when there’s a chance they could sneak around the back, so I’ll help hold here.” She said to Vara’l.

"Paco wasn't much help before getting shot either... watched Five get assimilated before getting knocked out... Borg didn't bother to take Paco... probably good thing, but better if it were Paco instead of Five..." Paco said with a defeated sigh before he closed his eyes, stuffed his face against his pillow and briefly yelled whatever slurry of Filipno, Klingon, and Bajoran curses he had in his disposal. There were a lot. Half a library of them. When he was finished, Paco took in deep shaky breaths to center himself. "Sometimes Paco thinks about why he's even here... not just inside the scary humid horror cube, but in Starfleet in general... based on everything we faced so far... I think about resigning sometimes..." He also admitted, glancing over for Saren a moment to gauged his reaction as he gripped the pillow he was hugging. "But I chose to stay here... to be inside the cube... Paco doesn't see Paco anywhere else but here.... cube included..."

Vara'l turned and nodded to Lt.Cdr Pok then. "Your logic's sound there." He paused then as he considered the other carefully. "Orders for the hanger bay team's going to be to hold against all non-Starfleet comers and protect the wounded, good luck Commander."

A few moments after she had gone into the runabout she emerged with purple armour and a fully charged phaser along with an assortment of grenades. She saw Vara'l hovering as she came out and went to join him. "You want to discuss tactics?" She asked relatively casually, now that the shit was well and truly real she seemed to have snapped out of her rut from the last few days.

Vara'l turned to Aoife then and nodded. "I do and command succession." He stated as he gestured to suggest they walk and talk. "There's a number more Lieutenant commanders here and I'd like to ensure we're covered in the eventuality it becomes a issue."

Kya gave a salute to the CTO, before going to take up a sentry position. “Thank you sir.”

"Presumably after you it goes to whoevers the senior. As far as protocol goes officially Lieutenant tr'Lareth is next in like as the DCSO." Aoife said as she followed along next to Vara'l. "Unofficially command would probably default to either, me, Senang, Commander Vrii, Commander Pok or Commander Kestrel." She noted most of the senior tactical and Intelligence officers she could name off the top of her head. (edited)

"Well I had the Idea to use the transporters to Teleport a number of the crew to different key locations in an attempt to disable the Cube. Split the Drones forces, and in an effort to split them up further. I think I can Modulate a number of the Comm badges to emit false life signs that would have to be investigated in person to further split up the drones possibly." He suggested, his tone was formal but quiet.

Vara'l walked alongside Aoife then as he shook his head a bit at their words. "As before, while he is senior staff, this isn't a tactical operation." The Romulan conceded then before he stated. "But tactically there's some issue with multiple officers with similar seniority." The Romulan informed the other before he paused and turned to look to the other commander as he caught what they suggested then looked to Aoife. "Once we've neutralised the vinculum, the distraction idea you've highlighted could be very useful." He slowed to a stop then. "Can you work on it and get it prepped, they'll be confused if you achieve the objective, it'd be good to add to that confusion." With that indicated Vara'l mulled over the other bit and added. "For now as to the transporter idea, I'd like them used for emergency extraction of wounded or more widely if needed but I'll keep the other idea in mind for post-vinculum." The Romulan continued then before he added. "Thank you, Lieutenant Commander." And turned to Aoife again as he gestured to suggest they resumed the walk. "I've a mind to designate it be you, then Commander Vrii then Commander Senang." He looked to Aoife then. "Working of course with Commander Kestrel, though I'm not as familiar with the Commander's skill set as I imagine you may be of course." He stated, the roil easier to battle away even with a mind mauled as his as his mind hurled into analysis, tactical considerations into the flow of the duties of the CTO. Shielded itself with structure with situational duties and considerations. Struggled on fully aware of what it had self-assessed. Fully aware but resolved on one point. Not. Yet. The heart of the walls of resolve, control, duty and protocol against which all battered. "Opinion?" He asked then before he added. "And will you be coming on the team, Lieutenant Commander, if you don't mind my asking?" (edited)

Vesta had found herself in a deeply unwell state when the team from the base arrived to assist them. She remembered feeling a sense of relief, and not much else. It had all been a blur. Not helped by the fact she didn’t even know anybody on the new team. She was torn, feeling as though she needed to join the team to find the vinculum, but unsure if she could actually go. She didn’t quite trust herself there, but staying here, surrounded by other mentally tormented officer was killing her inside.

Aoife nodded agreeing with Vara'ls plan for succession of command. It made the most sense of the people who were currently here. "Sounds good, I was planning on going with the assault team unless you want me to stay and you go?"

"I'll be going as well," Senang chimed in, his hand already on his rifle and his face severe. "Let's not delay any longer. We've wasted enough time repeating the same three thoughts between ourselves."

Vara'l nodded at the first bit before he paused and stated. "Good to hear and as Commander Pok is staying alongside a number of other higher ranking officers, I'm comfortable with you coming on the assault team if you wish." The Romulan stated then before he continued on to say. "Though I'd propose we keep distance from each other if so." With that, Vara'l looked around and began to head to the door then. "Ready to go?" He asked Aoife as he looked about then looked to Senang. "Agreed, lets not delay, time to proceed." Vara'l responded as he ignored the other element of what they said.

She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t stay here and still be useless. She had been more than useless actually. Her actions had actively made things worse. She had to fix it. She had to redeem herself. She pulled on the armor, cringing as it touched her sweaty, disgusting skin. She had to do this. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and took a few deep breaths and a long swig of water before joining the group. She had to do this. She had to do this no matter what it cost her.

He was unsure if he'd be staying or going, considering his question had received no answer earlier. Must've been lost in the chaos. "I'll come if there's no engineer. I do want to see the vinculum." (edited)

Senang nodded at Serin, motioning his head as if to say "come with".

Poor guy began to look like a neglected dog as the conversations went on and on... but hearing Senang say "not delay any longer" made him perk up, somethin akin to hope lightning up his (already glowy) unhuman eyes: "Yeah??.."

"I can come, if we are in need of more rifles... I can also stay..." She was hoping someone would tell her what to do and only spoke up to let them know that she was well enough in principle to come along.

"Fantastic." And off he went to the #assimilation-chambers!

"Stay here in the perimeter Ensign." Aoife said as she went to leave. "Better to stay if you're not at 100%." She gave Saeihr a nod before continuing off with the team.

"Aye, stay here and support Commander Pok on the peremiter." The CTO agreed then as he then also headed through with a parting nod aimed at Commander Pok. Headed through as off he also went to the #assimilation-chambers

Kya nodded as she took position as a sentry. “Everyone who isn’t going and isn’t hurt, get ready to hold this point with your lives!”

After putting the armor on and with the rifle in hands, his pistol secured and coupled in his waist, Tarsek moved towards the #assimilation-chambers This was not the first time he had to make use of his combat training, whenever diplomacy failed there was always risk of a fight and Tarsek had been part of many of those. Many of his colleagues had already sacrificed their physical integrity. Now it was his turn to help ensure they would all be home.

Essen finally looked up from her jacket from weeping, and looked to see the team -- with Vara'l -- heading out of the hangar bay. She couldn't stop it now. Now with new members from the Eventide, that meant more lives at risk... And, quite possibly, the last time she'd ever see them again. She had the fear in all honesty, that this was the last time she'd ever see Vara'l. Seiyya. Tarsek. Serin. More bodies to add to the drone count, she feared. It was paralyzing. The thought that she missed out on saying goodbye. How could she not even say goodbye to everyone? The week's worth of exhaustion, emotional terror, agony, and devastation piled up again, and Essen buried her head into the jacket once more which was, by now, sopping wet... Another silent cry as she let all of her emotions out into the jacket... The anchor that Lekraan gave her... As she started a mental list of supplies she'd need to make a care package for every single member of the away team, plus the new members of the Eventide that showed up. As well as plans on what she would do upon return... How she would pay. Because, she thought... Murderers get exactly what they deserve.

"As if anyone is at a 100%." Saeihr did not mind staying, after all some of them needed to make sure the injured weren't picked off by the borg, but she could not stop herself from mumbling under her breath as she watched the people go. She didn't even need to change position, she was already doing what she had been ordered to do. If this team got overwhelmed by the borg as well, there would be even more drones and Saeihr was unsure how many rescue teams Starfleet would be willing to send to be assimilated before they decided that it was no longer worth it to rescue them. She would much rather the whole cube be blown up if it came to it, rather than try to hold on in this hanger bay until the drones came to overwhelm them or they ran out of resources.

Drezoz prepared the computer to reestablish communications with the eventide the moment they could. He also prepared to transport the injured first to the starship, both with as few key strokes as possible. Once that was ready he stood in the doorway of the the Runabout ready to defend, he kept his eyes on the openings and his ears sharp ready and waiting.

"Oh, boy..." Saren sighed, turning his body so that he was now fully facing Paco. "Listen, by your logic I should be full-on blaming myself for both of the recent assimilations - and emotionally, I do - because if I didn't inform people about the vinculum, we wouldn't have tried to leg for it. Perhaps I was the one who "deserved" to be assimilated for that?" He briefly paused, before continuing on again: "People don't deserve bad things happening to them. No one deserves their autonomy stripped away from them like that, it's a horrendous thought. Please don't say nor think things like that." The Romulan shifted his weight, crossing his legs at the ankles, his elbows resting on his thighs. The fellow scientist's musings over Starfleet prompted him to tilt his head a bit, mulling over what he was hearing. His face stayed calm, though. How the fuck he was managing it? "I'll start by saying that plenty of people resign from Starfleet. It's not a weakness nor a bad thing, this organization is often at the forefront of the most batshit insane things that are hard to comprehend mentally and survive physically for even the hardiest of species. It is not just a demanding workplace, but a lifestyle. Of course you will be having moments when you doubt your choice to be here. Yet somehow, you're still here, despite all of the previous hardship, or just now taking two blasts from a drone. I think that says something about you, no?"

Mavna was busying herself. She’d drank all the water she needed, she’d done everything she could to calm herself down. She wasn’t about to sit here and do nothing while everyone else went off to risk life and limb, and so she was in the process of stowing away medical supplies in proper places aboard the runabout. She’d been doing just that when the comms message came in from the cockpit. Though she didn’t quite like eavesdropping, the chance to figure out what was going on while she was staying put was too good of a thing to pass up. She wandered over to where the cargo hold met the command pod and quietly listened. Two drones down, sustained casualties…the doctor stared off into space for a moment as the operations officer (Vac, she surmised) answered Vara’l. She turned her attention to the exit of the runabout, out into the hangar bay and toward the makeshift medical area they’d set up, where Paco and Saren were currently holed up. Her gaze lingered…maybe it would be better to just let the lieutenant commanders from Medical handle this. It would be safer for her, after all. She’d be able to let good doctors who were on their A-game who had yet to fully sweat through their uniforms and who were not running on little sleep handle complex procedures while she got the rest that she truly, truly deserved… But she wasn’t going to do that. She was an able-bodied doctor and she was going to do what she could. She yanked open one of the compartments she’d placed her medkit in and slung it over her shoulder, replacing the phantom weight of the kit with the real deal, and moved back out into the hangar, “Alright,” She said, looking to Saren and Paco, “I need to prepare for potential patients.” (edited)

The Romulan angled his head to look up at Mavna, regarding her with a slight raise to his eyebrows, before angling his head to the side: "Do you need help with that, Lieutenant?"

Paco simply stayed silent as he listened with the occasional nod of agreement to everything Saren has told him. "Hm... that makes sense... Me volunteering to join the away team in the first place should say a lot in on it self, doesn't it?" Paco quietly said after he gave himself a little moment to think everything over, how he has been the past few days being here over. "..I think I let the cube get into my... no... I think I've gotten way too deep in my own head this time..." Paco admitted as he did a small breathing exercise to calm himself. "...There's part of me that thinks about the worst to come and still believes I should never be here. And I feel that's blinded me from everything I've done that's brought me here... everything we've somehow achieved." Paco said as he once again looked around, at least as much as he could before he instinctively laid back down when the burns on his back stung too much. * "Aside from unbourguinoning our friends... I want to figure out why OctoBorg's here, and how to make them and their cube go away without blowing them up straight away... and then just sleep in a cold room on my back for a week" *Paco chuckled and smiled weakly. Talking about feelings to a friend does help, just needs to be the right person in a more appropriate time. "No one deserves to be borg, like no one deserves to be blown up... no one gets a choice in either case, especially the latter if they can be helped..." Paco never liked the idea of blowing them up, but for some reason that gets brought up a lot. "I know killing OctoBorg's the last resort... but I honestly hope it don't come to that... 'cause they're the only one who can explain why they here by themselves with no other drones. Y'know, we've been here for a week, and I thought more borg shapes would warp by at some point." He said to Saren before looking over to Mavna, feeling better bit by bit. "Sorry Doc, uhm.. but may I have something for the burns please?"

“If you’ve got hands I can use, I’d be in your debt,” She said to Saren, starting to move some of the stretchers that she and the other members of the medical team had set up earlier. She pushed her hand into her medkit as she spoke, “I’m not sure how many are on the way, but there’s two drones down and potential injuries across the board of the expeditionary team- Here, Paco,” She pressed a hypo to his neck, “Most of what I need at the moment is space. You good to walk?” She asked Paco, emptying her hypo and returning it to her medkit. (edited)

"I do, and you wouldn't be," came a swift reply, as the Romulan stood up. "What is it that you need to be done?"

“I need to set up triage,” She started to move, “There should be tarps in the runabout, compartment 5. Grab an armful and bring it out here, I’ll help you lay things out,” She folded up one of the stretchers, lifting it and moving over to the runabout to prop it up against the cargo door.

"Tarps, fifth compartment," Saren nodded to that, "I will be right back." The scientist made his swift leave, disappearing into the runabout for a moment.

"Hold on... I'm gonna give it a try, then we'll know... I might need help." Paco said to Mavna with a nod as he finally sat up, taking in a deep breath to mentally prepare himself for whatever pain would suddenly shoot up from his leg as he stood. Paco wobbled a bit, but he was able to walk slowly with a bit of a limp and a stagger. "I think I can also help, if you'd like more hands?"

Mavna watched Paco stagger and extended a hand out to him quickly to let him balance, “I- I appreciate it, Paco, but I might have to go sit down in the runabout for a bit there, okay?”

"Okay." Paco said with a nod as he held Mavna's hand to better balance himself. "I'll try to help Saren set up the triage however I can."

Zhi'rev was also there, having decided to stay behind and help however he could-- which likely wouldn't be much. "I will help too, just tell me what needs moving and I will move it."

With the roleplayer deeming it enough time to return, and also finding it very funny to do so when Zhi'rev popped in, Saren soon stepped out of the runabout, his front slightly obstructed by a mini-tower of tarps he was carrying: "Is this amount okay?"

“Plenty. Ah- Commander?” She didn’t know his name yet. She DID know Saren’s! “If you could help Lt. tr’Lareth lay those out in even rows while I help Paco into the runabout?” (edited)

Drezoz had walked behind Lieutenant Mavna, he had been listening in to what the others had been doing. "Could I be of assistance Lieutenant" he offered. He did not like just standing around waiting for something to happen and seeing as he was not very helpful at the time he needed something to do.

"Of course, I am on it!" Zhi'rev said after a moment of hesitation -- hearing the name that he also shared. Maybe he should say something about it while they were laying things out in rows. "A Lareth as well? I didn't know the odds of encountering one were so high." He started, rather calm about this whole matter.

“Oh- Vac, is it? Commander Vac? Yes- Let me know when they’re going to be transporting people here so I can get annn…assembly line going,” That’s the best metaphor she could come up with as she led the burned science junior grade into the shuttle, “Okay Paco, if you wanna lend a helping hand to Cdr. Vac when everything starts going down, that’d be a big help, but you have to promise you’re not gonna get up and move, okay?”

Saren hoped that the audible "clack" with which his mouth closed was not heard by Mavna; he shifted his stance to be able to actually look at the-- at his-- hm. "..." oh, fuck. Right. He was supposed to answer that, instead of just gaping at Zhi'rev as if expecting the diplomat to suddenly grow a second head. He offered a nod: "Y-yeah. Yes. Something we should've already talked about... some time ago, perhaps." What the hell is he supposed to say next? "So what brings you here"? "So how are you related to the Lareths"? "Where the FUCK did you come from"??? "What would be your name, Commander?" he finally uttered out. Ah. Amazing. Absolutely grand, Saren.

"Zhi'rev ir-Rheis tr'Lareth. Diplomatic Attaché, at your service." He added a slight flourish of his hand, before he went back to work wjth the pile of tarps. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, I... knew you existed, just... not who you were if that doesn't sound creepy. Station is a big place after all!" He was acting like nothing was wrong, after all, why should he be worried? They probably weren't closely related anyways.

"Saren ir-Llaiir tr'Lareth, though the latter part is at this point obvious, I imagine..." he (needlessly) readjusted the tarp on the ground, before going to grab another one. "I can say the same thing. About, ah-- having a vague idea of your existence, that is. Um... yeah." He glanced at the fellow Romulan. There was no disgust or recoil evident in his facial expressions or body language - nothing like that when he looked at Saren. So... did he not recognize that face? Or was this one just very good at hiding such feelings?.. Okay, no. Quit assuming the worst. The younger of the two chewed his lip for a bit, before continuing on: "It's not a rare occurrence nowadays for House members to find each other scattered all over the sectors, but it's... still weird nonetheless. I imagine. How are you, um... tied to said House, if you don't mind me asking?.." He would've had an easier time going through a minefield than navigating this conversation, gods help him.

"My mother... Teillh did not really talk much about how she was tied to the house, and I never really asked. I know I could have always pressed... but she didn't like to talk about it much." He explained with a shrug, treating this conversation like something close to small-talk. "My father is a Vulcan as well, so she keeps herself pretty away from house affairs -- hence me not really expecting anyone to know who I am and all that. I... don't know much about the state of my house..." He sighed slightly, wishing now that he had asked more questions.

Teillh. Oh, he knew that name. It was said fondly, with sadness in his father's eyes and unanswered questions lingering in the air every time Talai would mention his youngest sister. Someone both of her brothers presumed lost, but not dead, never dead, because it would mean that there was no closure to be had, no reunion to happen, none. He stops right there, in the middle of his task, with the tarp in his hands and something mixed as his expression, looking at Zhi'rev with what perhaps was fear, or maybe wonder. "She's..." he cleared his throat, feeling the words rasp against it and get stuck. "If that's her, she's... my father's sister."

"Her full name is Teillh i-Dartha t'Lareth, if that is her... then... we are a lot more closely related than I first thought. Cousins... if my calculations are correct," He smiled, quite happy to meet Saren, even if these were not ideal circumstances. "I... hope they are the same person... that way... well, I don't know what my train of thought is at the moment." His eyes lit up some more as he kept working, busying his hands so he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

As soon as Drezoz got the message on comm's he worked fast to lock onto the Commander. He then grabbed a Phaser Rifle and stepped next to the Transporter. He then tapped his own comm badge "Energizing now" and let the energy signal carry the commander and put on the transporter pad. "MEDIC, INCOMING" He called to get one's attention. (edited)

After making sure Paco was safe, Mavna had begun setting up some tarps herself when she heard the tell-tale sound of a transporter firing up within the runabout. She shot up like a spring and moved just as fast, shouting over her shoulder at the Lareths, “You two! Move!” She ducked into the runabout and snapped some surgical gloves on. Her adrenaline was spiking now that there was water flowing through her system. All of that exhaustion faded in one bright burst, “Talk to me, Vac. Who’s on the way?” (edited)

The Vulcan girl's head popped up from her tears-soaked jacket and she looked in the direction of both Drezoz and Mavna. Oh no... nononono... someone was hurt, weren't they?

The still form of the CTO materialised on the pad then, unmoving and completely unresponsive. Head plastered in green and at least one cranial implant visibly dented. One arm also looked fairly rough along with the shoulder and all in all, the CTO appeared to be in a ..very bad way as they continued to lay there unmoving. His armour looked to be blown away from one shoulder, he also looked to have received two glancing phaser hits. Alongside that, he displayed signs of being a very toasty romulan. Part of his uniform and what armour remained un-crunched and intact, smoked a bit. (edited)

"Just our luck to meet on a Borg cube of all things..." he would've laughed, if he had the energy and mental capacity, but both of those resources were running on saving mode. Not that he had any time to come up with a reaction, anyways - because Mavna was up, and the transporter lit up, and things began happening quite fast. "Ah, fuck--"

She had to cover her mouth to muffle the GASP from seeing who materialized--NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Essen was already crying at this point, but at this point, it felt like crying would do absolutely nothing, there was no hope left. Given Vara'l's state, she was terrified that her friend... her superior officer... and her mentor... was dead.* *Essen felt the urge to get up from her sitting position -- but she resisted it. It took an immense amount of energy to resist doing so. But she couldn't interfere, not now. Not when her even breathing could hurt someone else. And so, in a bout of absolute devastation, her tears flowed from her eyes and didn't leave the unresponsive CTO... her body trembled and shook in horror and agony. This... this solidified the very notion in Essen's mind... she was the reason that Vara'l tr'Hara appeared to be dead.* *The Vulcan girl's resolve crumbled as she wept again, keeping her hands over her mouth to muffle her sound, and a watery filter covered her eyes. Maggie, Five, Ato -- all of them like this because of her, and the chain reaction of that led to Vara'l being like this. There was no hope left. And there was no mercy. Murderers didn't deserve mercy... (edited)

Kya had taken up position on sentry, and then she saw it, Vara’l, her boss. “EVERYONE CLEAR.” She said moving over to help Mavna, clearing space. “How much can you do with current resources?”

Essen did immediately as Kya ordered, she got up to her feet and scrambled away, nearly losing her balance; she sprinted to a further away point and sat down again, sure that was enough room... she looked on in horror as Kya moved over to Mavna, to help the unresponsive CTO...

Zhi'rev was also following orders by this point, ready to do whatever it took to help their CTO.

Fuck. “What I can,” She replied quickly as she just started moving, “Saren! I need to move him! There’s a neck brace in compartment 6, grab it and get it over here now! We can move him safely while he’s in this position,” She was practically on top of Vara’l now, “Cranial injury, potential lacerations, at least one disruptor burn…we can’t stabilize him, but I need Eventide.” Her gaze flicked up to Kya before immediately returning to Vara’l. (edited)

Seeing a wounded person had materialized but having also noted that someone had her right now, Twelve beelined for the other person they spotted who looked bad. That being Essen. Smooth as they approached and proceeded to say. * "Lieutenant." *As she smoothly slipped down to one knee. "We note you are in distress." The El-Aurian stated.

It'd become apparent as Mavna worked that there was breath that whispered from and into Vara'ls form. But he remained very very firmly unstable right now as he started to be worked on.

“You don’t have Eventide.” Kya said matter of factly, she wanted to try and comfort the doctor but truly she couldn’t do much of that right now. “….do your best. I have to get back on watch.” She said before swiftly returning to watch for any of their Borg foes, quietly praying.

The sobbing Vulcan girl didn't even notice Twelve for half a second, but when she did, she blinked upon seeing Twelve -- a familiar face indeed. But Essen realized... given all the harm she'd caused on this mission... even saying a word could hurt someone else. Intention didn't matter. She'd still hurt people, regardless of intention. Essen only looked at Twelve with eyes that lost their spark. That lost their life, and their optimism. "I can't hurt anyone else... They don't deserve to suffer! They can't! I won't allow it!" Essen spouted out. "No one's ever gonna get hurt because of me ever again! Never!!"

"Connection to the Eventide has still not been established" Drezoz reported. He was checking the signals seeing if he could still use the Transporter. They had very little to use and that was about all Drezoz could really do at this time, as he was not a medic. He should have gone with the assault team damn it, and he was "Kicking Himself Right Now" as a friend of his would have put it.

She leveled her gaze with Kya, “That’s all I’ve been doing- Commander Twelve! I need a stretcher!” Mavna had begun regenerating what burns she could using her medkit, though the torn-up armor was making things hard, “I need help getting this armor off!” (edited)

What? How the hell was it the Tactical officer's fault?.. Wh-- you know what, nevermind. There were better things to do, like bringing Mavna the neck brace she requested at top speed a Romulan was capable of: "Here. Anything else, sir?" (edited)

"Statement, Vara'l tr'Hara was harmed in the discharge of duties." The El-Aurian observed then as their eyes remained fixed upon her. "You are not Borg, you did not cause the harm." They looked to Cabiaso and back to Essen then. "We are being called away, we will speak with you further on this matter further, we will also inform Commander Lekraan." With all that stated, Twelve paused...gently reached out and pressed a metal ribbed hand against Essen's shoulder or attempted to. She then departed after she gently and supportively squeezed their shoulder as Twelve raced toward Mavna then past them. First they retrieved the stretcher and placed it next to Vara'l. Then the armour, Twelve dropped to her knees next to Vara'l and worked to help get it off. "Phaser blast damage, utilizing cutters." They declared as they started to cut straps on the armour.

Mavna gave a quick, “Thank you,” to Saren and Twelve as she immediately began putting the neck brace on, “Saren, help me get him on the stretcher. We need to move him off this transporter pad and out into the bay,” Mavna ripped the chest plate off Vara’l as soon as the straps were cut, slipping a pair of scissors beneath the torn jumpsuit and cutting enough away to get more access to the burn.

Essen could only give a broken nod to Twelve as she watched them leave. Only when Twelve was far enough away and helping Mavna did Essen whisper back. "You'll never understand," she almost mouthed the words, fully aware no one would be able to hear them. Come on... jacket, breath, light... jacket, breath, light... jacket... breath... light... As she put her jacket behind her back, and laid back on it... in for 5... hold for 7... out for 8... in for 5... hold for 7... out for 8. 'Everything IS going to be okay,' Essen tried to tell herself. She did as much as she could to ground herself before Lekraan could get there. In for 5... hold for 7... out for 8... jacket... breath... light. Find the footing... find the footing. (edited)

Bruises and burns revealed. Vara'l had ended up going through the wars so to speak and it showed. The shoulder blast had done away with the jumpsuit around that, it'd be discovered.

"You are welcome, we're in position to assist with the move." *Twelve nodded once as they worked to help the Lieutenant and tapped their combadge as soon as the opportunity presented itself to safely do so. *

“Good,” She moved to Vara’l’s legs and nodded toward Saren and Twelve to grab under his shoulders, “On three. Lift, slide, grab the stretcher,” She braced, “One, two, three!” Upsy daisies!!!

Vulcanoid strength being awfully convenient right now, let's fucking go. Hup!

Twelve assisted also, they weren't a vulcanoid but they happened to be a strong El-Aurian xB. Hup. "Numerous injuries identified." The El-Aurian observed then, they were concerned now. Why they had been before but that had been filed under irrelevant information, this seemed pertinant. (edited)

Vara'l was transferred to the stretcher with ease! His mauled arm flopped a bit as he was transferred. How undignified, not that Vara'l cared, could care right now.

“Alright! Up and out!” She spun around and grabbed the ends of the stretcher, ready to lead herself and Saren out into the bay, “Twelve, keep monitoring. We need a proper list of injuries so we know what we can do here and now, and what we’ll have to leave for later,” She was already in the process of moving when the comms finally, finally rang out…she could cry, but she had a job to do. She gave a nod to Twelve at the transporter order. (edited)

Twelve nodded as she worked to aid them as they moved. "Affirmative, monitoring." The El-Aurian responded as she did so. When comms then restored themselves she tapped her com badge and looked to Mavna. The nodded response was met by a nodded one of her own as the trio were beamed away.

Now that communication to the Eventide was re-established Drezoz connected all the comm's with everyone in the cube. "Commander Vac to Assult team, we have communications with eventide again. Good job" He announced as he worked to connect all comms in and out of the cube again. (edited)

The entire group was transported out in bunches, to enter near the sickbay and disperse as needed.