The Scientist and the Borg

Posted on Fri Apr 29th, 2022 @ 10:58am by Lieutenant Mila Lynn & Centurion Nancy Gable & Five of Eight

1,512 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Chapter V: The Calm Before The Storm
Location: Sickbay, Ourainavassa

Things had become quiet in the science lab. All the data from Hobus had been analysed, as had been everything that could have been recorded about Raven's disappearance. So, with nothing better to do, Mila had turned to tinkering whatever she could find lying around in the lab, but even that had gotten boring quickly. She desperately needed a new project to work on. The Borg had been transferred from the brig to sickbay a few days ago for removal of the implants - maybe that was going to provide something to look at.

So, she grabbed her uniform jacket and made her way to the ship's medical facility to speak to Dr Gable about maybe examining some of the removed implants. After all, their capabilities were still not very well known, maybe she would be able to learn something new. Arriving in sickbay, she found it with the lights off.

"Doctor Gable?," she called out. "Five of Eight? Doctor Ralaa? Anyone home?"

Five of Eight was present, it was for the moment for want of a better term deactivated as it recovered from the process to take out all of its implants that could be removed.

"Hold your horses," Gable called as she came from the back, dusting off her hands after sorting through inventory. Gunnar and T'Ango were going to need extra medical supplies if they were going on more insane dash-and-grab runs into Romulan space. "You don't sound, or look, like someone with a medical emergency, so what do you need?"

Mila shook her head. "I'm fine, implants are overdue a calibration but I can take care of that myself. No, I was sitting around the lab with very little to do - seems I'm pretty much the only one on this ship without a task at the moment - so I was hoping to have a look at our Borg friend over there and the implants you took out of him."

Nancy pursed her lips. On one hand, she had no specific reason to object. On the other hand, 'bored scientist wants to play with Borg parts' sounded like a bad idea on principle. In fact, she was pretty sure it was the basis for several horror/disaster holovids. "If Five of Eight wants to walk you through what some of those do, I'll allow it. But if you're just bored, you can help tweak cloaks and shields for The Cat Dancing II. God knows that old bucket can use all the help it can get for this."

The young scientist tilted her head. "Your friends have a new ship? Thought they got the old one repaired, back when we were home on Cera?" She shrugged. "If they need my help, they know where to find me. Is our Borg friend awake?"

"No, same ship - they originally had one that was even older, so this is the second of the name," Nancy explained. "Your family did a nice job of fixing it back on Cera, but it's still hardly new and if they're going to go play hero/cavalry on a half a dozen worlds by running in and out of RSE space over the next two weeks, well..." her mouth turned in a sideways frown, "T'Ango may be okay with going down in a blaze of song-worthy glory and Arnason may have adopted some weird old nordic idea that the date of his death is fixed by the fates so YOLO, but personally, screw ballads and fates, give me advanced cloaking, shields, and every advantage possible. I'd prefer they made it back in one piece." She gave Cera a pointed look. "But if you tell that giant dumb blonde I care, I will categorically deny it."

Mila smirked and pointed to her ear. "Sorry? Did you say anything?" She chuckled. "Don't worry, doc, I'm not telling anyone anything. You are absolutely correct, though. Screw blaze of glory, we have a job to do. I might be able to get my hands on some schematics from the Terran ship, they've given me access to their database on the whole Hobus thing, shouldn't be too difficult to hack my way into their technical stuff. Or maybe the Borg tech has something."

Five of Eight awoke at the sound of voices; one it recognized, the other wasn't familiar "What qualifications do you possess to meddle in Borg Technology?" it asked Mila.

Mila shook her head. "Other than the fact that I've reviewed the records on what Borg tech has been analysed quite carefully? Other than the fact that I have proven to be an expert at reverse engineering? None, I'm afraid, I don't have any official qualifications to do anything, really. My father designed that eye you have that replaced your Borg implant. I modified it to work with the circuitry already in your head. So yeah, I've tinkered with that sort of thing before."

"You have a little experience, but don't get cocky, kid," Nancy put in. "He's right to question your qualifications, and your understanding of the potential danger here."

Mila shook her head. "Great, now the whole crew is ganging up on me. Let me show you something, then." She tapped her badge and extended her hand out in front of it, activating an integrated small holoprojector. "I've been working on a prototype of the Terrans' holoPADD badges. Still very much a work in progress, though. It can only display saved files, can't actually put anything on it yet. Anyway, that's not my point." She tapped a few options, and opened a file, projecting a complicated schematic in front of her.

"You should both be able to recognise parts of this. A cranial implant. Inspired by salvaged Borg implants. Designed it myself. It's safe, and it works. You know why? I've got one in my head." She smirked and pointed at her ear. "Convinced yet that I know what I'm doing?"

"I am impressed with your knowledge of Borg components, I am satisfied that you can handle the components removed from me with care," Five of Eight told Mila.

"I'm satisfied you have knowledge and technical competence," Nancy said, and cocked an eyebrow. "Just remember that overconfidence dealing with Borg tech has led to more than one disaster. Time is tight for the Romulans we're trying to help, and we don't need that kind of distraction."

Mila nodded. "I am well aware, believe me. Cloaks and shields, you said, is what T'Ango needs, right? Okay. Have we got any pieces that may help in that regard?"

"All drones have a built in shield generator," Five of Eight told Mila "It adapts to phaser and disruptor fire, the first hits will kill drones but the more that die the quicker they adapt," Five added.

Of course, the fact that the borg had adaptive personal shields was common knowledge - the general recommendation was to either use particle weapons or to constantly remodulate frequencies. Mila nodded, and turned to Gable. "Does the Cat have adaptive shielding? Adaptive cloaking? I can probably come up with something fairly easy to install." She looked around. "Where did you put the borg tech?"

"Adaptive shielding. I'm not sure about their cloaking - it's some hodge-podge of Romulan and Orion tech," Gable replied, crossing over to a secure cabinet and keying in a code along with her biometric scan. "The Borg tech I removed is in here."

Mila took a few moments to examine what pieces of technology were in the cabinet, before looking up at Gable and Five. "Right, I'll head back to the lab. Doc, if you could send me a quick list of what is available, I'd be much obliged. Quicker figuring out which of these pieces does what when I know what part of our borg friend here they came from."

"Done," Gable said, bringing the list up on her PaDD and hitting send. "Five of Eight, you're recovered enough that if you want to assist her, I'll allow it." The truth was she'd prefer it, but she wasn't going to let the patient think she fine with him leaving. "Just make sure you check back regularly for evaluation."

Mila shrugged. "I work better on my own when it comes to the analysis side of things, but once I am at a point where I have a prototype that needs assembling, I know who I will turn to."

"We will be around if you so require," Five told Mila "If there is a place where we can rest away from you doctor please inform us," it added to the Doctor.

"No need for that," Nancy chided. "I've got no problem with you resting here. But if you don't care for my company, we can see about finding you quarters and getting those set up to meet your needs."

Five of Eight returned to where it had been recovering, it did not care where it rested, so long as it did so in peace and quiet alone or with the Doc it cared not.

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