Answering the Question on Everyone's Mind (Part 1)
Posted on Thu Oct 30th, 2025 @ 4:04pm by Captain M'Raz & Lieutenant Commander Jason Reeves & Lieutenant H'iri & Lieutenant Richard Pierce MD & Ensign Kaelun Merak & Lieutenant JG Diana Morrison
2,495 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission:
Collating Data
Location: Conference Room | Bridge | USS Crazy Horse
Timeline: MD004 - 1400
As nice as it had been to see a semblance of normality after recent events, Raz felt better as the beam cleared and he stepped down off the transporter pad. The technician on duty nodded respectfully. "Welcome back aboard, Captain," he said.
"Thank you, crewman," Raz said. He made his way to the Bridge, lining up thoughts and actions as he went, and was, truth be told, more than a little eager to get to work. There was an enemy out there that needed defeating; all his attention was focused on just that. As he exited the turbolift, someone called out, "Captain on the Bridge."
"Recall the crew," Raz ordered. "And notify Senior Staff there will be a briefing this afternoon."
[Later in the Briefing Room]
Unlike most of the crew, H'iri had not taken a break and gone to shore leave. She wanted to make certain that she could do as much as she could to make things shipshape for Raz. So, when the call went out for a briefing, she was the first at the briefing room, waiting for everyone else to arrive.
The door opened as Jason Reeves entered the room. Between making sure the ship was ready to get underway, he had made conscious effort to take advantage of shore leave with Sakura and the girls. He even managed to schedule family counseling with Lieutenant Morrison. It was nice indeed to have a counselor on board, because clearly this crew had experienced its fair share of trauma lately. "How's it going H'iri?"
"It goes as well as can be expected," H'iri answered with a tired purr. "I may need some shore leave from my shore leave," she informed him. "I trust that you had a good time?"
"Had a great time. The family definitely the time to explore and spend some adequate time together. How about yourself?"
The doors hissed open again, and Popeye stepped into the briefing room, still shrugging the last of his lab coat off his shoulders before draping it over the back of a chair. His uniform jacket was crisp but not immaculate — the kind of “good enough” that came from a man who’d been awake too long to care about perfection.
He gave H’iri and Reeves a small nod, the corner of his mouth quirking just slightly. “Afternoon. I see we’re all trying to look rested so the Captain thinks shore leave did us some good,” he said dryly, setting a padd down on the table. “Personally, I spent most of mine convincing a supply clerk on Obsidian that medical rations don’t magically restock themselves. I’m not sure who won.”
H'iri's tail swished happily at Popeye's comment. "You're a flatterer, you know that, Doctor? I am just gratified that you got what you needed."
Popeye huffed a quiet breath that might have been a laugh, though it came out wrapped in gravel. He dropped into his seat, one arm slung across the back of the chair as he gave H’iri a sideways look.
“Flatterer? Careful, Lieutenant — if that rumor spreads, people might start expecting me to smile in public.”
He picked up the padd again, flipping it over in his hands before setting it aside. The humor in his eyes softened into something more genuine.
“But yes. We got enough to keep Sickbay functional. Not enough to make me comfortable, mind you, but I’ll take what victories I can get from the quartermaster corps. I’ve learned to celebrate ration packs the way normal people celebrate birthdays.”
Ensign Kaelun Merak entered the briefing room with a PADD tucked under one arm, his movements more deliberate and less rigid than they had been in recent weeks. The shore leave on Starbase 343 had given him time to decompress—something Dr. Pierce had strongly recommended during their last session. The conversation had helped him process some of what had happened, though he knew he still had work to do. Still, he felt steadier now, more present, and that counted for something.
He nodded to Commander Reeves and Lieutenant H'iri as he took a seat at the table, setting the PADD down in front of him. "Commander. Lieutenant." His tone was professional but carried a warmth that hadn't been there before the break.
Lieutenant Jora Thalis entered moments later, her composed demeanor as steady as ever. She acknowledged the room with a nod and took her seat, placing her own PADD on the table with practiced precision.
The air between Ensign Merak and his supervising officer, Lieutenant Thalis, wasn't hostile, exactly, but there was a palpable undercurrent—the kind that came from two people who fundamentally disagreed on something important but had agreed to disagree professionally.(**) Ensign Merak had his research notes ready, the fruits of his more aggressive, urgency-driven approach to Borg countermeasures. Lieutenant Thalis had her methodical, comprehensive analysis.
Both were present. Both had data to share. And Captain M'Raz would hear both perspectives before making any decisions.
[Very Short While Later]
Raz had spent the intervening hours alone in his Ready Room pulling together the data he had accumulated and formulating the beginnings of a plan. Thanks to Admiral Stillwell's team, the department heads had already received bullet points from the meeting highlighting the situation as it now stood.
At a minute or so after the hours with his decisions made, Raz entered the Briefing Room, pleased to see that members of his staff were already there. He needed people who were willing to commit one hundred percent, if not more, if they were to have any chance at all.
He found his seat, the same one he had occupied aboard the Jane Addams, and some had joked that it had his name engraved in invisible ink on its back. Certainly, he had stared down more than one Chief, new to their duties, who had thought to usurp his place.
"Good afternoon," Raz said. "Thank you all for coming. By now, you will have received a short summary of the meeting with Admiral Stillwell. Before we begin, let's make the rounds. Talk to me about the readiness of your department and any concerns you might have." He glanced around the table, his gaze softening when it rested on H'iri, and then hardened again as he saw that Lipinski was (again) among the missing. He stepped out onto the Bridge for a moment and said, "Someone find Lipinski and have him report to the Conference Room."
"Now," Raz said, settling back into his seat, "let's get started. Lieutenant Thalis, let's hear from Science first."
Lieutenant Jora Thalis straightened in her seat, her fingers moving across her PADD before she looked up to address Captain M'Raz.
"Captain, the Science Department is operating at approximately sixty percent of optimal staffing due to losses from the Jane Adams" she updated.
She tapped her PADD, sending a summary to the briefing room display. "I've organized the department into three research teams. Team One is cataloging sensor telemetry from every Borg engagement on record—identifying patterns in energy signatures, shield frequencies, and adaptive response times. Team Two is analyzing xenobiological reports and witness accounts of assimilation, building a framework of the process and potential intervention points. Team Three is examining Borg vessel schematics and combat logs to identify structural or systemic vulnerabilities."
Thalis looked directly at Captain M'Raz. "I know there are voices advocating for faster, more aggressive approaches—experimental weapons, untested biological countermeasures. I understand the appeal of urgency, particularly given what we've witnessed."
Her voice grew firmer. "But rushing to deploy unstable or inadequately tested solutions could prove more dangerous than the threat itself. We're talking about biological agents and weaponized pathogens that could mutate or spread beyond our control. Starfleet is not in the business of creating weapons we can't contain."
She leaned forward slightly. "My recommendation: Give us seventy-two more hours to complete our preliminary analysis. At that point, we'll have identified the most promising avenues for countermeasure development—approaches that are both effective and controllable. We can then develop and test those solutions properly, with appropriate safeguards in place."
Thalis sat back. "I believe we can fight the Borg without abandoning the principles that make us Starfleet. The data will show us the way."
Ensign Kaelun Merak waited a respectful beat after Lieutenant Thalis finished, then met Captain M'Raz's gaze directly.
"Captain, with respect, I need to present an alternative perspective. I was on Earth when the Borg broke through. I saw assimilation happen in hours—people becoming something else right in front of me. The Borg don't give us seventy-two hour analysis windows. They adapt faster than we can study them."
He tapped his PADD. "My background is in virology and pathological delivery systems. I've identified two immediate vectors: First, disrupting nanoprobe intercommunication protocols to slow or halt active assimilation. Second, a signal degradation agent that introduces noise into their collective communication without being immediately identifiable as an attack."
Ensign Merak leaned forward. "Yes, these approaches carry risks. But I watched people die on Earth because we weren't ready. Waiting for perfect data guarantees more deaths."
His voice dropped but carried weight. "I'm not advocating recklessness. Let Lieutenant Thalis continue her analysis, but give me a small team to develop field-testable prototypes in parallel. If her analysis reveals better options, we pivot. But if the Borg show up tomorrow, we'll have something beyond weapons we know don't work."
He sat back, jaw set. "I've seen what hesitation costs. I'm asking for permission to act on what we know now."
"And, Lieutenant Thalis," Raz said turning back to his Chief Science Officer. "What do you think of Lieutenant Merak's approach?"
H'iri interrupted, "I could work with Ensign Merak on such a project. I was on Earth too when it all started. I get the impression that the Borg are highly organized and if there is anyone that can find a problem in a system, it is me. I think that the possibility of disrupting the nanoprobes is a good start but thus far, the Borg's technology has proven more advance than our own. I think that our efforts would be better spent on attempting to stop the Borg altogether. That said, if we could reverse their integration process, maybe we could completely reverse every being in the Borg and completely disrupt their operations. So, it is worth the effort."
Lieutenant Jora Thalis turned her attention to Lieutenant H'iri, listening carefully to her interjection before addressing Captain M'Raz.
"Captain, I respect Lieutenant H'iri's expertise in systems analysis, and I don't doubt that combining her skills with Ensign Merak's background could yield interesting theoretical results." She paused, her tone measured. "But what's being proposed goes far beyond finding vulnerabilities in a system. We're talking about developing biological and technological weapons against an enemy that adapts in real-time."
She glanced between H'iri and Merak. "The idea of reversing assimilation or disrupting nanoprobe communication is compelling in theory. But the practical challenges are immense. We don't fully understand how the Borg's collective consciousness maintains control over billions of drones. We don't know how their nanoprobes resist conventional countermeasures. We don't have baseline data on what 'reversing integration' would even look like at a molecular level."
"My concern is that rushing experimental weapons into development without proper foundation could cost us more than waiting ever would. We need the comprehensive analysis first, then we can pursue the most promising approaches with proper oversight and safeguards."
She sat back. "Captain, I still stand behind my recommendation for seventy-two hours of systematic analysis before we commit resources to experimental development."
H'iri's tail swished hard against the back of her chair as she listened to the Chief Science Officer. As far as she was concerned, he was contradicting himself. The Borg adapt in real time, yet WE should wait 72 hours.... By then they could adapt again. Hers and the Ensign's methods had the possibility of potentially making a complete change in the Borg. H'iri merely stated, "There is no reason that we cannot do both. After all, mine and the Ensign's ideas are theoretical. We have to figure out many things just to see if we can make something of the sort. We also would need a potential subject which carries its own risks."
Leaning back in his seat, tail curled because he kept forgetting to order something more suited to Caitian physiology, Raz listened to the discussion. Finally, he held up one paw in a gesture for silence. " Alright. As long as we aren't moving to live trials and no one moves beyond the theoretical, I'll give permission to both approaches. Merak, you can lead one team and Thalis, you lead the other. H'iri, as long as it doesn't interfere with your other duties, you can join Merak's team." He favored first Thalis and then Merak with a stern glance. "I trust you'll be able to handle division of personnel for the task?"
Lieutenant Thalis nodded once, her expression professionally neutral despite the tightness around her eyes. "Understood, Captain. I'll begin tasking the remaining Science personnel to both projects immediately."
She gathered her PADD with precise movements, already calculating in her mind how to divide her already understaffed department between methodical analysis and what she considered premature experimental development. The decision sat uncomfortably in her chest—not because she doubted the Captain's authority, but because she believed deeply that they were making a mistake rushing into untested solutions.
Still, orders were orders. She would make it work.
"I'll have preliminary team assignments to you within the hour, sir," she added, her tone crisp and professional.
Ensign Kaelun Merak straightened in his chair, relief and determination crossing his features. "Yes, Captain. Thank you for the opportunity." He glanced at Lieutenant H'iri and gave her a respectful nod. "And thank you, Lieutenant. Your expertise in systems analysis will be invaluable. I genuinely appreciate the assistance."
For an answer, H'iri gave the Ensign a wide grin, showing all of her teeth.
He turned back to Captain M'Raz. "I understand the parameters, sir. We'll keep everything theoretical and coordinate with Lieutenant Thalis on personnel allocation. No live trials without your explicit authorization."
There was gratitude in his voice, but also the weight of responsibility. He'd argued for this chance, and now he had to prove it was worth taking.
"What I want, more than anything at this point, is an understanding of our enemy," Raz said. "And we start with how they do what they do and the limits, if any, of their technology. I know that we all want to get into the fight but for now, our mission is to gather intel. Do some research. Make no mistake. We will get into the fight. No question. But not without a greater understanding of what's going on."
To be Continued in Part 2
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