Strange Bedfellows [✱22]

Posted on Tue Jul 28th, 2026 @ 12:10pm by Lieutenant Commander Alph & Doctor Ori Enu'Tha ScD, QSsD, FZMI & Locutus of Borg & Major Victoria, Daughter of Kalath & Lieutenant Akaar Zuul & Lieutenant Valerie Gordon & Cadet Senior Grade Camilaar 'Cam' of Rhade & Warrior Choq, Son of None & Cadet Senior Grade Iplik, Son of Raavon
Edited on on Tue Jul 28th, 2026 @ 12:33pm

1,407 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: UnderMind [4]
Location: Borg vessel connected to IKS Praxis' Claw
Timeline: After 'Interlocuters'

Kalath had returned in reasonable time, bringing almost all of the crew who had been investigating the Klingon ship's Engineering section.

Commander S'Lace had approved the plan with some provisions, including that Mana'i was to return to the Hercules. The last thing they wanted was the Borg having access to whatever technology composed her. In the circumstances, Dr Enu'Tha had finally agreed to come over, if only because the temptation of seeing how the Borg would optimise a slipstream installation was too much to pass up.

"Your android will explain where you will be of use." Locutus told the newcomers as they arrived, turning away from the Borg panel he worked at, near where all the Federation and allied crew not part of the repair effort rallied.

"Yes, please come this way." Alph said, arriving a moment too late to stop Locutus from giving the introduction.

Lieutenant Gordon followed as instructed. A Borg ship certainly wasn't where she expected to find herself when they answered the Klingon distress call. She tried to recall what little she'd learned about Borg engineering over the years.

Cadet Camilaar of Rhade couldn't believe what he saw, the Borg not doing their typical behaviour. That alone was terrifying, unpredictability from a predictable enemy is not a good sign, though things seem to be going good. "Where do you want me Commander?" It was odd that Locutus was here and not human. Rhade noted that immediately as the introductions were completed.

"I will have a better understanding shortly, Cadet." Alph said as he directed others elsewhere.

Cadet Iplik had a muted look of horror on his face which he'd worn since passing through the holographic disguise on the bridge. Seeing all the Borg at work made him turn a slightly paler shade.

Choq had been pacing back and forth while they awaited for the engineering team, he returned to the entry point once they had arrived. He intended to keep close to them as they worked, he knew there were no guarantees these Borg would not turn on them at any moment. While Klingons did not tell the tale of the scorpion and the frog, he knew its meaning well enough from their own cultural analogue.

"Wow, so this is a Locutus." Dr Enu'tha said as he approached the Borg, who had returned to his terminal work. He waved his tricorder all around, showing none of his usual cowardice as he inspected the assimilated Vulcan.

The holographic Doc was also present, trailing his hovering lantern around. "Lieutenant Zuul, you're last on my list. Commander S'Lace insisted on further inoculations when she approved of the extended radiation exposure." The hologram said, producing a hypo from his lantern.

"Please do Doctor, does it matter if you apply the inoculation to the same place as before?" Akaar was curious.

"No, not at all. Best place for it, really." Doc said.

"Lieutenant Gordon, I will be performing some of the physical installation tasks still required, if you could please supervise the wider efforts from this console." Alph said, gesturing to a Borg pillar with a display on it, that he'd been able to convert into something resembling an LCARS interface, showing the entire slipstream device and the structures it was connecting to.

"Yes, of course." Gordon said, moving to the screen. She was surprised by the familiarity of what she saw, at least in terms of the user interface. Beyond the device itself she couldn't properly understand the Borg systems and where they went or came from. It didn't make a lot of sense to someone accustomed to centralised engineering, but there was a logic to it.

"Cadet Cam, there are a series of cables that need to be restrung and connected to that pillar over there. That drone with the gripping device for a hand is currently engaged in doing so, please work in tandem. I do not recommend attempting to assist him, simply take a cable other than the one he is using." Alph told the Cadet.

"Aye," Cam replied and the Felinoid made his way over to the Gripping Hand drone. Rhade watched the drone do the task once to see how best to use the space available to complete the job but stay out of the drone's way. His feline grace assisted him well here as he seamlessly shifted around the drone, his tail helping with holding a cable end when he needed an extra hand.

After another hour of shifting and plugging and changing and testing by both Borg and Starfleet, everything seemed to be in place, but Locutus issued an admonishment, "The alignment in the lower refocusing array is insufficient. The system will not activate until it is realigned." The Borg stated.

Alph climbed physically up the device until he located the area in question, and began to physically twist the three ringed alignment stabilisers into place. After a few minutes of trial and error, he let it be.

"I'm not sure what you did, but according this, that did it. Slipstream system is powered up and all checks are cleared. If this is accurate, we should be safe to begin activation." Gordon said, once she'd checked the readings for a second time.

"Engaging slipstream device for microjump." Locutus announced, and all the drones went still. The great machine they had stolen and installed hummed and glowed for a moment, and then suddenly stopped, leaving the room in silence.

A combadge chirp filled the otherwise silent room. "S'Lace to any Starfleet officer who can hear me. A Borg sphere has just appeared surrounding the foresection of the Klingon vessel. Please confirm if this is a success, or if we should be arming torpedoes."

"Confirmed, Commander." Alph responded. "We are no longer detecting the radiation. I believe the Borg vessel has successfully transitioned out of subspace."

"Very well. Contact us if you need anything further, transporter capability is restored. Hercules out." S'Lace's voice disappeared with a beep.

"Accord has been reached. We will now return the recently acquired drones." Locutus said. The assimilated Klingons began to walk back the way Kalath's team had come. "We will begin transporting the others to your vessel."

"Wait," Kalath said, approaching Locutus, half-expecting some treacherous attempt at assimilating them all to have happened already, "Beam them to the shuttlebay of the Klingon ship. We'll get the process started there. Send the ones that can walk there too." She told the Borg.

"We will comply." Locutus said, redirecting the drones with an unseen gesture.

Kalath noticed that more or less all of the drones were leaving, because more or less all the drones were Klingon. "So how many of you were there before you restocked with these Klingons?"

"Four." Locutus answered without elaboration.

"Four?" Lieutenant Gordon asked. "How could four of you have run this ship by yourselves?" Gordon didn't seem to believe it was possible.

"There were seven hundred and fifteen drones when we entered the transwarp conduit. Over time, we lost the ability to maintain shielding that kept the subspace radiation at bay. It became necessary to sacrifice drones to manage systems in unshielded areas. We managed our resources as efficiently as was possible." Locutus explained.

"How long was your vessel trapped in subspace?" Alph asked.

"As I stated previously, we have been trapped since the destruction of Unimatrix 01." Locutus said.

"Hang on, that was nearly 25 years ago. You were trapped in subspace for a quarter of a century?" Dr Enu'Tha interrupted, turning suddenly away from his reviews of the Borg systems.

"Affirmative." Locutus confirmed.

"Once we've been able to get the remaining drones checked out, I'd like to have the four of you meet us on the Klingon ship to discuss the next steps." Kalath told Locutus.

"We will comply." Locutus said again, as emotionless as before.

"Good." Kalath said, her suspicion growing. "In the meanwhile, we'd like to keep you all together and have our people keep an eye on you while you disengage your vessel from the Klingon ship. In the event you do back on your word and try to fly this thing out of here, I hope you understand that we'll have no choice but to shoot you down."

"We will commence disconnection." Locutus complied, turning his torso to face the pillar-affixed terminal he had been working at once more.

"I will remain to offer assistance." Alph said, using the fact that he could not be assimilated to their advantage.

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