[ Act One ]

Nadya, professor Van der Meer, Lieutenant Commander Kedik, and Captain K’Torr had all gathered in science lab three, looking at the array of screens in front of them. A different terminal had an open communication channel to Starfleet Academy, where professor Ishikawa joined the event remotely.

“The framework is ready, the simulation is configured, and all data entry has been validated three times. We’re as ready as we can be, Captain.” Nadya announced proudly, glancing at Muuri and Usagi. “We can start the simulation at your discretion.”

The Klingon turned to the senior ops officer. “Are we also ready?”

“Yes, Sir. I’ve temporarily limited all personal quotas and rescheduled some of the ongoing autonomous computer core tasks to ensure enough capacity. The simulation will not affect the ship’s status or readiness.” The Vulcan replied stoically, to the apparent satisfaction of his CO.

“Good.” He turned to his chief engineer. “Please proceed.”

The Augment smiled and nodded. “Aye, Sir. Starting the simulation now.” She stated and made the necessary input on her terminal. Quickly the display changed, showing a new segment in the Enterprise’s computer usage metrics growing rapidly. After a few moments the simulation had taken over more than fifteen percent of the mainframe’s total capacity, almost rivaling the tactical system’s requirement.

The elderly Caitian checked his own display and reported the updates. “Framework is recompiling for new data set. Simulation is booting. Processing stream stable at 115 gigaquads per second.”

Lieutenant Commander Kedik kept a close eye on the total processing load, but so far everything seemed to go as planned.

“Simulation kernel started. All extensions loaded. Memory mapping completed.” Nadya reported and beamed a happy smile when she read the next status line. “The simulation run has started. Now we can only wait.”

“How long did you expect the simulation to take?” The Captain inquired.

“We estimated about five hours for the simulation itself, as well as an additional eight hours for post-processing and validation.” Kedik explained. “However, we will know the results within seven hours.”

“Excellent.” Captain K’Torr remarked, then moved closer to the group monitoring the simulation. “I already want to congratulate all of you, no matter how this turns out. You’ve all shown dedication, ingenuity, and an unwavering sense of duty, despite a few… hiccups along the way.”

Everyone knew he meant Nadya’s attempt to privately squeeze in the simulation run. The Russian woman quickly blushed to a nice shade of red.

“I had a few conversations with professor Van der Meer and professor Ishikawa.” He continued. “They both strongly suggested Lieutenant Commander Lebedeva to write a paper about her research and discoveries. I will therefore also recommend that in my own report and see that she is provided with the opportunity to do so if she wishes.”

“Thank you, Sir.” The chief engineer replied, a bit embarrassed by the sudden spotlight in which she found her work and herself.

“I think we all hope for the same outcome today. Please excuse me, I must return to the bridge. If you have the results, let me know.”

“Aye, Sir.” Nadya and Kedik answered almost in unison before their CO nodded briefly at the two professors and then left the science lab.

The Augment sank back into her seat and let out a deep sigh.

“Are you alright, Lieutenant Commander?” Kedik asked immediately, his left brow raised slightly.

“Yes, thank you. It’s just… I’m so relieved right now. It’s as if a massive burden has been lifted from my back. No matter what the display will say in five hours, I know I’ve done everything I could for my friends. No more fear, no more doubt, no more secrets.” She explained briefly, leaning back.

“That is an interesting remark.” The ops officer replied. “While I can understand why you would feel that way, it is still difficult for me to come to the same conclusion. From a Vulcan perspective the most critical aspect of our work has just begun.”

The chief engineer looked at her fellow officer. “I know what you mean, but that’s a whole new separate topic in my opinion. If the results come up how we all hope, we will have to make a new decision how to proceed then. But that discussion is isolated from the work and the mistakes I’ve made until now.”

“I see.” Kedik replied flatly. “The idea of compartmentalizing this experiment into such isolated segments is a bit confusing for me. But it is your work and therefore your prerogative to handle this according to your own preferences. I think I can follow your lead here.”

Nadya smiled softly. “Thank you, Kedik. We couldn’t have done it without your help.” She continued after a short pause while looking at her fellow officer. “And I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble. I was stupid and didn’t trust my colleagues the way I should have. In the end I made things worse than they would have been if I had been honest with all of you.”

The Vulcan slightly shrugged his shoulders. “I was merely performing my duty, Lieutenant Commander, but thank you for your confidence. If I may remark on an observation of mine?”

“Sure.”

“It seems Humans still tend to assume the worst and act accordingly, despite having insufficient information for a correct analysis of the situation. I think the Captain’s conclusion was correct. This whole affair is an excellent example about trust and compassion, and how a situation can spiral almost out of control when those two are not properly considered.” Kedik finished his observation, leaving Nadya without a reply for a moment.

The two professors had been silently watching the officers’ conversation from the background, when Muuri now glanced at the screen and chuckled at Usagi. “Mr. Kedik is very wise. Maybe I should ask him where he learned all this. Could come in handy in the next argument with my dear wife.”

Professor Ishikawa just shook her head and laughed at her colleague. “Muuri, you’re irredeemable! But say, aren’t you at least a little nervous or excited? You seem so calm while I feel as if I was sitting on coals here.”

Muuri let out a soft sigh. “Oh Usagi, you can’t possibly imagine how excited I am. Ms. Lebedeva has worked so hard on this and I wish with every fiber that the result is as she expects. It would break my heart if the simulation failed. I hope so much that she can find her friends…”

The Asian scientist looked at the elderly Caitian. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it will work. I’ve spent all my free time over the last five days on what you sent me, and everything looked correct. I even managed to feed Holmes with the data and had him run a formal analysis on the whole framework.”

“Holmes?” Nadya suddenly sat up when she heard a new name.

Before professor Ishikawa could respond Muuri tried to reassure her. “No worries, Ms. Lebedeva. Our secret is still a secret. Holmes is a recently installed artificial intelligence agent used at Starfleet Academy for educational and research purposes. He’s specialized on mathematical proofs and formal analyses.”

“My esteemed colleague is right. No need to worry, I haven’t told anyone else about your work. Holmes did a great deal of the heavy lifting of reviewing your framework and formulas. And when Holmes says that things are looking good, most people around here trust his word.” Usagi continued and expanded on Muuri’s explanation.

“I see.” Nadya replied, breathing a sigh of relief. “You almost put me on edge right there.”

“Ah, we never would, Ms. Lebedeva.” Muuri smiled and nodded at Usagi. “Right, Usagi?”

“Of course not.” Professor Ishikawa replied happily. “But I’m sorry I need to go now. This has been a most interesting evening, but it’s really getting late here. I’ll be overseeing an exam tomorrow morning and should catch some sleep.”

“Certainly, professor.” Nadya chimed in. “You’ve been a great help. Thank you for taking your time to review my work.”

“You’ll keep me in the loop about the results?”

“Of course, we will!” Muuri quipped. “How would I miss teasing you some more?”

“Oh, don’t you dare!” The Asian scientist shot back with mock outrage and joyous laughter. “Take care you all and good luck! Ishikawa out.”

The screen flickered back to Starfleet Academy’s logo for a few seconds after the channel was closed, then turned dark.

The Augment let out a sigh. “Usagi may be up to something…”

“What do you mean? She seemed honest in her remarks. Do you wish me to verify her statement about the exam?” Kedik asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, no. I mean with getting some sleep. The simulation will still run for five more hours and then it will take about two hours for a tentative validation of the results. That means that we’ll see them at earliest at 0100 hours, but I know for sure that I won’t be able to sleep once I get the result, no matter the outcome.” Nadya responded.

“If I may…?” Muuri carefully interrupted the officers’ conversation, who both looked at him curiously and nodded.

“The simulation and post-processing will run on their own, correct? So, why don’t we take the evening off then?” The elderly Caitian suggested with a grin. “Us all sitting here staring at the screens won’t make it go any faster and we won’t be of much use tomorrow if we’re all tired from staying up late. We… you have worked on this for so long, a few more hours won’t make any difference in my opinion.”

“A prudent suggestion, professor.” The Vulcan ops officer remarked and looked at his colleague. “Your assessment?”

“Yes. Let’s take the evening off. The simulation doesn’t run away, and we can keep an eye on it from the terminals in our quarters. And tomorrow we can look at the results with a clear head.” The Russian engineer replied, joining Muuri with his infectious grin.

“Your suggestion is logical. I will continue to monitor the progress and the load on the computer core.” Kedik nodded in agreement. “Good night, Lieutenant Commander, professor.”

“Good night. And again, thank you for your help.”

A slight smile flashed over the Vulcan’s lips and for a moment his expression briefly beamed with satisfaction.

Nadya escorted the professor to his quarters and wished him a good night as well, before returning to her own accommodations where Shannara was already waiting.

“Hey, you’re back early. Everything alright?” The Betazoid asked, a slight worry on her face about her lover being home so early and unexpectedly.

“Yes, everything’s okay.” Nadya replied, walking over to her girlfriend and placing a soft kiss on the redhead’s lips. “We just decided to call it a day already. We would get the results at 0100 hours at the earliest. Muuri correctly suggested that staying up late will not change anything about the simulation but only make us tired tomorrow.”

The Russian fetched a glass of water from the replicator and sat down on the couch next to her companion.

Shannara straddled Nadya’s lap, gently cradling the engineer’s face in both hands while beaming a happy smile. “That professor of yours is quite smart. I really like that we can spend the evening together.” She added with a grin. “You know, I was already mentally prepared for you to bunker down in that lab and spend the whole night there, staring at a progress bar crawl towards completion.”

“I’m also glad to be here right now. Not that I mind the company of Muuri or Kedik, but they both pale compared to you, darling.” Nadya smirked back and gently placed her hands on her girlfriend’s waist, holding her steady as they kissed.

“Since you’re here now…” Shannara began. “…how about we grab a snack for dinner and get comfortable on the couch? Did you know that wab SuvwI’pu’ have finally released their new album? Maybe we can check that out.”

Nadya furrowed her brows. “Who?”

“wab SuvwI’pu’. Haven’t I told you about them?”

“Uhm… no? And sorry, my Klingon is a bit rusty…”

Shannara laughed. “Literally translated it means ‘warriors of sound.’ They are a multi-species band performing traditional Klingon folklore songs. Their singer is a Klingon with an amazing baritone, accompanied by a Human bassist, a Bolian playing a modified Vulcan lyre, and a Bajoran on a set of Andorian war drums. I know it sounds strange, but their music is really good.”

The Russian eyed her girlfriend with a teasing grin. “Is that so? Well, in that case I think I have no choice but to sit and listen with you. But how about dinner first? I’m really craving something to eat. And if you’re a good girl, I will later replicate you a dessert Muuri taught me. Trust me, you’ll love it!”

“Sounds good!” The redhead replied and hopped off Nadya’s lap. The couple quickly prepared a simple dinner and spend a relaxed evening together, with Shannara introducing her girlfriend to Klingon folklore.

It was early the next morning, just a few minutes past 0630 hours, when the doorbell sounded. Shannara was already finished with her morning routine and dressed, but Nadya was still in bed since she was still officially off duty. The Betazoid checked the door, curious to see who would visit them that early, only to be a little surprised to find Lieutenant Commander Kedik standing in front of the door.

“I apologize for the early visit, but may I please speak with Ms. Lebedeva? I think she will definitively want to see this.” He politely inquired, holding a PADD by his side.

“Of course, Lieutenant Commander. Please come in, I’ll fetch Nadya.” The Junior Lieutenant replied, inviting her Vulcan colleague inside. She quickly disappeared into the bedroom, returning half a minute later with a half-asleep chief engineer in tow. The Russian’s platinum blonde hair was a wild and tousled mess, and she had quickly wrapped herself in a simple bathrobe.

Nadya let out a deep yawn, eying up the Vulcan in their living room. “Yes, Kedik? What’s wrong?”

The senior ops officer held out the PADD for his colleague and spoke with his typical emotionless expression. “The simulation results. Already completely validated.”

The Augment’s eyes suddenly snapped open and she quickly grabbed the tablet from Kedik’s hand. She hastily browsed through the report until she found the final output of her simulation. She stared at the small display in her hands, then at her colleague. After another second she finally jumped and let out a scream of pure joy. “YES! YES! YES! WE MADE IT!”

The Vulcan’s expression turned into a faint smile, which instantly turned to confusion when Nadya hugged him and squeezed him tightly. She released him after a short moment, chuckling at his slightly bewildered expression at her outburst. The Russian turned around, looking at her lover. “It worked! It worked!”

Shannara quickly embraced her girlfriend, holding her close and sharing this moment of success with her. After a long hug, Nadya released the redhead and turned her attention back to the ops officer who was now visibly feeling a little uncomfortable.

“Have you already informed the Captain?”

“No. I thought that should be your privilege. But if you wish, I can relay the report for you.”

“No! That won’t be necessary. I’m… I’ll be ready in ten minutes. We can still make it to the Alpha shift briefing, right?” The chief engineer asked, already turning back towards the bedroom.

Lieutenant Commander Kedik nodded. “Yes, we have twenty-two minutes until the briefing.”

“Okay, don’t run away. I’ll be right back!” Nadya called out, disappearing into the bedroom. Less than nine minutes later she stepped back into the living room, now showered and fully dressed. “Let’s go, we’ve got work to do.”

[ Act Two ]

“So, how do you feel? And I mean feel as in what’s your emotional state?” Jeffrey asked, speaking first. Niko and Co-Yor were sitting by his side in Sina’s office in her private quarters.

The Romulan pressed her lips together and thought for a few moments about the question. Eventually she took a deep breath before answering. “I feel… good. I’m still a bit shaken by the experience, but all in all I would say I feel good.”

“What was it like?” Niko inquired, leaning forward in his chair.

“I… I don’t think I could adequately describe it, but I’ll try.” Sina began. “At first it was embarrassing. Really, really embarrassing. When Tarik and I linked, it was as if I had been handed the book of his life, with every memory and every thought clearly spelled out for me. And he was given the same book of my life. I could remember so many events from his life, as if I had lived them myself.”

She took a deep breath.

“We… learned a lot of intimate and personal details about each other, many of which we would have never spoken out aloud. And the most amazing aspect of it all was that I could literally hear his thoughts in my mind. As if we were truly one. It was incredible. I’ve never before felt so connected to anyone else.”

Until now Co-Yor had simply followed the conversation, but now he slightly tilted his head and spoke up. “Are you experiencing any lingering effects along those lines? Can you still hear anyone else’s thoughts, or encounter any images or memories that don’t belong to you?”

“No and yes. Once the transceiver was switched off the connection immediately terminated. The only thoughts I have now are my own again. But some memories remained. I only remember a small part of what Tarik shared with me, but those images, those sensations, are quite real to me. One such memory is from when he received his implant socket. I can clearly remember how nervous he was, but also how proud and excited once he connected his first cybernetic arm after the surgery. And if I couldn’t clearly feel my own real arm, I could have sworn it was me who had it removed for a socket.”

Counselor Brassfield raised a brow. “And you’re fine with having those memories? Or are they causing you any distress? Do you maybe feel confused about what’s happening, or irritated by something that you think you experienced?”

“No. As strange as it sounds, the memories are as real as if I had personally experienced them. But at the same time, I clearly know that they are from Tarik. It’s… how do I say that… it’s almost as if every of his memories had an invisible presence attached that clearly identified them as someone else’s. As far as I can tell right now, it’s not possible for me to confuse his memories for my own.”

“You’re right, that does sound strange.” Niko quipped and glanced at his dark-skinned colleague who nodded in agreement.

“Verily.” Jeffrey quickly added.

Lieutenant Commander Heisenberg leaned back. “What happened then?”

“Once I was acquainted with the link, other members of the Synergy appeared. First Hiora, then Sorowa. I learned then that inside the virtual environment of the hive-mind you can appear pretty much as anything you liked. [email protected] was a black and blue vortex of geometric shapes and [email protected] was a flaming giantess with a billowing mane of smoke. I even knew who it was before seeing them, since I could feel their presence long before they showed up. And they seemed perfectly comfortable with their strange avatars.”

Sina took a quick sip on the glass of water on her desk, then continued. “One by one, more of Sphere 272-Theta-8’s crew showed up, until we had to change locations. Until that moment we were in a simple environment generated by the transceiver itself. Tarik compared it to a lobby of a building. We transferred over to the sphere’s plexus, which was visualized as a modern and highly advanced small city. Tall buildings, lots of green on the balconies, clear sky and fresh air. It was so incredibly real, as if I was really standing there. It felt more real than any simulation I’ve ever seen on a holodeck. There was absolutely no difference to the real sensations. And we were met by the remaining almost 8,000 members of their crew.”

Co-Yor curiously asked. “So, the hive-mind is not only an abstract concept nor is it just a means of communication, it’s also a complete virtual environment?”

“Oh yes.” Sina eagerly nodded. “And it’s incredibly advanced. Like I said, our holodecks have nothing on it.”

“Co-Yor, did the scans you made give you any hint how it worked?” Niko asked.

“Yes, Lieutenant Commander.” The Kalonar responded. “The filament network created by the transceiver is able to project any desired stimuli directly into the neural pathways of the recipient. To facilitate that process and increase the available bandwidth, it uses a low-powered neurogenic field which is specifically tuned to the user’s neural configuration. This enables it to create any visual, auditory, or other sensory input and can even create persistent memories. The Commander’s account describes all capabilities of that functionality. It is to be expected that the permanent uplink implant follows the same principle. It is interesting to hear what that technology is used for.”

“Any way to interrupt or block that, should it become necessary?” Jeffrey inquired, cautiously leaning forward in his seat and glancing over at his colleague.

“That would be quite difficult, counselor. Because of the high density of filaments and the proximity of the neurogenic field to the recipient’s neurons, that effect is much stronger than you would anticipate. Theoretically it should be possible to create a dampening field to counteract those effects, but the field’s raw strength would interrupt neural activity and potentially cause temporary damage. And even then, scrambling or suppressing the neurogenic field would not completely disable the neural input, it would only slow it down. The field is not necessary for the process, it merely enhances and empowers it.” The CMO patiently and calmly explained.

“I think we’ll have to discuss that in more detail sometime later.” Niko interjected before the conversation went even further off-topic. “For now, let’s focus on what Sina has to tell us.”

“After the city Tarik took me to a dark place, like the transceiver’s lobby. At first, I didn’t realize where we were, but once Tarik pointed it out to me it was utterly amazing. We were looking upon the whole Synergy, visualized as an impossibly huge galaxy with trillions upon trillions of stars, every single one of them being one of their citizens. And I could hear them all. It was like a… a faint murmur. I was able to focus on groups of ‘stars’ and when I did so I could then clearly hear the thoughts of those people. It wasn’t as… intimate as the linking with Tarik, but if I had wanted, I could have gotten as close as that with every one of them.”

Sina took a deep breath. “You… I can’t really describe how it was. There are no words that really capture the amazing sense of connection, the vast global consensus that flows through the hive-mind like a gentle river, gradually rising and falling as the topics shift. But I now understand how the Synergy works. They are much closer to us than we would have ever thought.”

“How so? They seem so different, almost distanced and sometimes even apathetic.” The XO asked, furrowing his brows. “How could they be like us?”

“After escaping the horror of the Collective, they rebuilt their society on values that uncannily resemble our own. They value individuality instead of collectivism, cooperation instead of coercion, and exploration instead of conquest. It only seems so utterly different and foreign to us, because most of that expression happens in their hive-mind. Where we see people staring silently at each other, what really happens are jokes and questions about what to have for dinner, but also serious discussions, the creation of a vast selections of art, and scientific discoveries beyond our current understanding.”

“You said they value individuality, but still every single one of them seems to obey the Matriarch without hesitation.” Junior Lieutenant Brassfield quickly asked. “How does that fit together? Isn’t that a contradiction on the most basic level?”

“No, it isn’t.” The Romulan replied with a warm smile. “You see, the Synergy absolutely abhors collectivism and mindless, blind obedience. They know better than anyone of us the madness which lies that way. But at the same time, their connection to each other fosters a kind of loyalty and devotion that is difficult for us to understand. The whole Synergy is everyone’s closest family, everyone’s best friend, everyone’s fiercest critic, and everyone’s passionate lover. They can consider a topic, voice and extensively discuss their concerns, find solutions to all the identified problems, and start the implementation in just a couple of heartbeats.”

“Again, most of the work is hidden from our sight, which gives us a quite distorted impression about how their society really works. Nobody is forced to do anything against their will. The over two billion people that contributed to the Cygnus X-1 installation? The overwhelming majority of them worked on it because they found it interesting from the beginning or were convinced once the Matriarch had explained their goals. Some contributed because they were asked to contribute their knowledge or abilities. And a tiny minority contributed because they were bored and literally had nothing else to do. But not even one of them was by any means forced to work on it against their will.”

Niko furrowed his brows. “But how can they manage that without going crazy? How could you manage being in that place without going crazy? The idea of hearing billions of voices, or even more, all simultaneously speaking to me sounds like a pretty quick way into a padded cell and months of counseling.”

Sina chuckled at her XO’s remark. “I know. But it works because it isn’t how you imagine it. Sure, trying to follow all those voices and conversations is impossible for a normal mortal mind. But the hive-mind works on different layers, with different degrees of detail and information. The lowest layer is when you directly link with another person. You can hear and feel every single thought and share every sensation. But the more people you add, the less detail you get.”

The Romulan took another sip on her drink. “Connections can be explicitly configured to emphasize or empower one aspect of the shared consciousness over another, but you typically lose shared sensations first. This allows small groups to share their thoughts without being distracted by each other’s bodies. After that, personal or intimate thoughts are filtered out, leaving only surface thoughts or those that an individual explicitly wishes to share. At the highest levels even surface thoughts are no longer always shared, but only a general state of mind or mood is communicated.”

“The larger the connected group becomes, the more the whole hive-mind starts to resemble an abstract construct… like a…” The CO was searching for a good way to describe it. “…a heat map of thoughts, if you will. The more people share the same thought, the more that thought is emphasized in the hive-mind and the more prominent that thought becomes in all members of the connection. But nobody is forced to accept that thought, it is just that everyone knows what the current state of mind of the group is.”

Jeffrey leaned back in his chair again, thoughtfully scratching his chin. “Can their people still voice any kind of dissent against the dominant thoughts?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t they? All kinds of shared thoughts are organized in this reinforcing map, which means that dissent also becomes more prominent the more people agree with it. Even if only one person among billions voices his concerns or dissent with an action or decision, the group will be aware of it and can discuss it accordingly. Everyone’s voice has the same weight and everyone’s thoughts are considered equally. Nobody’s opinion is drowned out by the hive-mind, they’ve made sure of it with the design of that technology.”

Sina emptied her glass. She stood from her chair and went to the fabricator to retrieve a new drink. As she came back and sat down again, she wondered aloud. “You know, I think the Synergy might have created the perfect democracy. The thing we’ve been struggling for all that time. All their citizens are kept updated about important developments with all available facts and information. Then when the time comes to decide, all voices are considered with equal weight and a consensus is reached between all their people.”

The counselor looked his CO right in the eye. “But at what price? It might be a better democracy than ours, but they’ve given up so much for it that I don’t think we could or should ever make the same trade.”

The Commander let out a soft sigh. “I know, Jeffrey, I know…”

[ Act Three ]

The soft chirp sounding from the doorbell pulled Tarik out of his thoughts. He stood from the simple chair beneath the panorama window and took a deep breath, already knowing exactly who was requesting entrance. “Enter.”

Sliding open with a gentle hiss the doors gave way to Sina who was standing outside. After a moment of hesitation, the Romulan woman slowly stepped into Tarik’s private quarters for the first time. The engineer noticed how she was curiously looking around, her expression seemingly trapped between curious astonishment and a tinge of disappointment.

After a few more steps she stopped in the living room, standing right in front of him. Sina looked him right in the eyes as if trying to gauge his thoughts, while her cheeks blushed ever so slightly. Eventually she breathed a soft sigh and beamed a tentative smile. “Hey. You wanted to talk to me?”

[email protected] smiled and nodded, smiling back. He gestured towards the group of chairs. “Hello Sina. Yes, please have a seat. Can I get you something?”

Sina shook her head and walked over to the chairs, her gaze still taking in Tarik’s simple and Spartan quarters. There was little the Synergy engineer required and therefore the room was mostly empty save for a group of chairs accompanied by a simple table, the fabricator terminal on the one wall, and his alcove on the other. He quickly joined her, sitting next to her.

The Commander took a deep breath and gathered all her courage, when suddenly a giggle burst forth from her lips. “Do you have any idea how incredibly silly I feel? I know exactly what you feel for me. And yet I’m almost too shy to talk about it.” She longingly looked up at the stars outside the Sidereal, as if praying to a cosmic entity to grant her strength.

“In that case I think you’re in good company around these parts of the ship.” Tarik quipped in response, a wry grin on his lips. But he quickly turned serious before he continued. “But you’re not the only one unfamiliar with this situation.”

“How so?” Sina asked, eying Tarik curiously. “I’d have expected this to be the norm for you.”

“Well…” He began but hesitated for a moment. “I’m far from what you would call a womanizer. I’ve dedicated my life to my work, and while I’m not a virgin my romantic endeavors are few and far between. Also, in the Synergy it is common for relationships to develop more openly and directly. I’ve studied the information about your society’s social rules and practices, and the concept of courting or dating a person over a prolonged period sounds incredibly cumbersome and inefficient to me. It is almost the opposite of how we do those things.”

The Romulan chuckled. “And how do you do those things, Tarik?”

“Like I said, we’re usually very direct. One of the benefits of our hive-mind is that we can easily ascertain exactly what another individual with close personal ties feels for us. Among us there is no false pride, no fear of rejection, no stalling or deception. If one of us desires another or wishes to be with them, the hive-mind grants us the ability to assess if our feelings are reciprocated. This removes all doubt and uncertainty from the equation.”

Sina sighed softly. “I see. But just like our way sounds cumbersome and inefficient to you, your way sounds terrifying to me. Well, maybe not really terrifying anymore, now that I’ve personally made that experience with you, but more mechanical and somewhat… impersonal. For us the journey of discovering your partner is an essential part of forming a relationship. You start out as friends or acquaintances, maybe even strangers, and gradually get closer and closer until you finally get that particular spark that ignites the relationship.”

“It’s that part of the journey where you get to know your partner more and more closely, that helps us build a strong foundation for the relationship. That path of discovery is its own reward for us.” She continued. “For us… for me… it was unthinkable that this closeness, this familiarity, this trust could be reached in a few short moments. And yet, here we are, that shared moment forever burnt into our memories.”

Tarik’s lips curled up in a warm smile. “It seems we both know what we want, but somehow neither of us dares to speak the words we both long to hear.” Suddenly he chuckled. “You know, this reminds me of when I submitted your conditions for the uplinking to the Matriarch.”

“Really? In which way?”

“Because she scolded me for being so stubborn and scared, when there was no reason to be either. I think you remember that I was more than a little surprised of how frank she spoke, but I certainly couldn’t deny the truth in her words. And now, again, I am a bit scared despite knowing that there’s no real reason for it.”

The Romulan pressed her lips together and glanced at the engineer. “Why would you be scared of me?”

“Not of you, Sina. But rather of what being with you would mean and do to me. I remember reading a rather fitting comparison in one of your historical records. It said that the future was an undiscovered country. It feels exactly like that to me right now. An undiscovered country waiting to be explored but harboring many challenges to overcome. An undiscovered country with hundreds of different paths to take, each potentially leading to beauty and wonder. And I stand at the border, hesitating to take the first step.”

The engineer let out a deep sigh while he stood from his chair, gathering all his courage. He reached out to gently take Sina’s hands in his own. “But I want to take those steps. I want to explore this undiscovered country together with you, if you let me. Would you join me and travel those paths with me, Sina?”

“Yes! Of course, I do. We wouldn’t be having this talk if I didn’t.” She replied, standing as well to meet her partner. A happy smile on her lips and a joyful glistening in her eyes, the Romulan silently embraced Tarik. Holding him close she squeezed him tightly, while pressing her body against his. They stood like this, wordlessly holding on to each other and enjoying their shared closeness, for a long moment, before Sina eventually released the engineer from her hug.

She blinked a few times, then a grin crept onto her lips and she quipped. “You know, you do have a penchant for sounding just a little melodramatic.”

[email protected] furrowed his brows, a trace of confusion racing across his face. “Were my words inappropriate?”

The Commander laughed happily. “No, not at all. They were quite appropriate, and I liked them. But just a tiny bit melodramatic.”

Tarik quirked a brow and looked at his partner curiously, but before he could muster a response Sina playfully poked him, teasing a genuine smile out of the engineer. “Oh, don’t worry about it! It’s okay, really.” After a short pause she continued. “So, what do you want to do now?”

“I don’t have any particular plans for the evening. Do you have something in mind?” The engineer asked.

Sina nodded and smiled happily. “How about having our first date?”

“Right now?”

“Right now. We also don’t need to change; we’re fine the way we are.” The Romulan confirmed and softly tugged him towards the door. “We have to start at some point, don’t we? So why not now? Besides, we’re both off-duty and the holodeck should be free. And we can use the opportunity to grab something for dinner, too.”

“That… will be interesting.” Tarik remarked as he fell in with Sina’s motions and followed her towards the door.

The Romulan raised an eyebrow and slowly walked towards the entrance doors, casually hanging on her companion’s arm. “Hmm? What do you mean?”

“The dinner. I haven’t eaten normal solid food in over… almost two decades.” The engineer explained as they passed the doors and left his quarters “I simply tend to get all my nourishment and energy during my regeneration cycle from an alcove. It’s just so much more convenient, faster, and cleaner than having to reserve time to prepare and consume food and then later deal with the metabolic wastes. Theoretically I should still be able to consume regular meals, but I haven’t tested it. I can only hope my stomach plays nicely with whatever you have in mind.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We’ll see how it goes. And if you do vomit all over me, we’ll at least have something memorable happen tonight.” She joked with a big smirk on her lips. “There’s nothing worse for a first date than being unremarkable and boring.”

Tarik furrowed his brows. “I certainly hope I will not ‘vomit all over you’, as you eloquently put it. But we agree on one thing. I also wish this evening to be special to both of us and just as entertaining. I’m curious what you’re planning on the holodeck and must admit that not knowing your thoughts right now does make the prospect of engaging with you even more compelling. I think I begin to understand what you meant when you said that the journey of getting to know someone was its own reward.”

Sina smiled happily and nodded, resting her head against the Human’s shoulder as they were walking arm in arm towards the holodeck. “Just trust me, I’ll make it work. I have quite some experience with dating.”

“Oh yes, I certainly recall those memories.” Tarik quipped and laughed, while his companion blushed to a nice shade as she remembered sharing those intimate memories with the engineer.

But after a short moment of embarrassment the Romulan laughed and playfully poked Tarik’s side. “Shush! I was young and horny, and back then certainly didn’t anticipate that a couple years down the road I’d share those events with anyone else. And I also recall faint memories of you getting adventurous with a certain Lukari engineer…”

“Wait, that was something completely different! Also, that was forty years ago, so it doesn’t count anyway.” Tarik quipped, a big grin on his lips as the couple happily sauntered towards the holodeck.

[ Act Four ]

“Sir, we’ve arrived in the Norkan sector. Current position is 10,000 kilometers off the Sidereal’s last reported position.” Lieutenant Kenneth Harris, the Enterprise’s conn officer, reported.

“Understood. Full stop. Lieutenant Karluck, give me a sensor sweep of the area ahead.” Captain K’Torr ordered.

“Aye, Captain.” The Benzite science officer replied, his hands swiftly dashing across his station’s controls to fire up the sensors. A few moments later the first results showed up on his terminal. “Area is clear. There is a faint residual subspace distortion with a magnitude of… 17.338 nanocochranes.”

“Can you determine the distortion’s exact coordinates?” The CO inquired, glancing over to Nadya who stood at the engineering station accompanied by professor Van der Meer.

“Yes, Sir. The anomaly is located exactly where the quantum fissure was estimated to have occurred.” The science officer replied, continuously tuning the sensor sweeps to get even more accurate data.

“Lieutenant Commander Lebedeva, I think we found what you were looking for. I would say now it’s your turn.”

“Aye, Captain.” The Russian replied and went to work on her console. “I’m reconfiguring the emitters on the main deflector dish to project a phased subspace differential pulse. We will need the deflector to point exactly at the distortion to ensure that there’s no wave displacement in the pulse.”

“Lieutenant Harris, you heard the Lieutenant Commander. Adjust our heading, RCS only.”

“Aye, Captain. Adjusting position, RCS only.” The conn officer replied, entering the necessary commands with routine and experience. A few moments later he reported success. “Adjustment complete, Sir. The ship’s directly facing the anomaly now.”

The Klingon stood from his seat. “Good. Lieutenant Commander, when are you ready?” He turned towards his chief engineer, mustering her curiously.

Nadya checked the readouts on the screen in front of her. “Emitters are reconfigured and ready to be charged. We will need all of main power and all of auxiliary power to sustain the pulse if we want to excite the anomaly to the level, we need to see the sensor echoes.”

“Understood. Proceed at your discretion but terminate the pulse immediately if there are any complications.” Captain K’Torr remarked, turning back to the view screen and crossing his arms in front of his chest. If this worked, it would be a remarkable accomplishment for the Lieutenant Commander and a great relief for several dozen families.

The Augment tapped her combadge. “Lebedeva to Sakar.”

“Sakar here.”

“Prepare to spin the warp core up to maximum output. We’ll need every watt we can squeeze out. And prepare to redirect all auxiliary power to the main deflector on my mark.” She ordered, while her fingers flew swiftly across the terminal to prepare the deflector dish’s systems for the surge of power heading its way.

“Aye, Sir.”

Nadya double checked the screens displaying the deflector system’s status. The power grid had been reinforced; the emitters were properly configured. She turned towards her CO. “We’re ready, Captain.”

The Klingon just nodded. “Execute.”

With a simple tap on a button the Russian engineer powered up the deflector and a moment later a translucent pale blue flickering beam lanced forward, directly into the invisible anomaly.

“Sakar, I need the core at maximum now.”

“Understood. Warp core at twenty percent… fifty… ninety… ninety-five… core at maximum.”

The whole ship briefly bucked and groaned under the stress of the whole energy from an unimaginable intense antimatter annihilation being fed through its power grid into the deflector. The flickering beam turned into a massive lance, pulsating with energy as it surged forward from the central dish’s emitters.

The moment it connected, the previously invisible distortion flashed up in a blue light and became visible. A tiny rotating sphere appeared in front of the ship, its surface refracting the beam like a shattered mirror.

Almost immediately Lieutenant Karluck’s console sent out a series of protesting chirps. “Captain, sensors are picking up a growing spatial distortion ahead. Local spacetime is getting massively distorted by the pulse.”

“Is the ship in danger?” The CO quickly asked.

The Benzite made a quick calculation, then responded. “No Sir, for now we’re at a safe distance.”

“Good. But keep an eye on the anomaly and report if the distance is no longer sufficient.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Captain K’Torr turned to the chief engineer, watching curiously as she kept manipulating the ship’s deflector controls to focus and align the beam more accurately.

Nadya tapped her combadge again. “Sakar, transfer auxiliary power now.”

A moment later the ship shook again, and the pulse intensified again, turning into a bright avalanche of power raging into the distortion. The sphere shuddered under the pulse’s onslaught, its rotation becoming more and more erratic. Its surface started to fragment more and more, quickly becoming jagged and irregular.

Lieutenant Commander Kedik spoke up, his console beeping a warning now as well. “Captain, the deflector dish is becoming unstable. We’ll have to deactivate soon to avoid structural damage.”

“Not yet!” Nadya exclaimed. “We’re almost there, just a few more se-” She was interrupted by the subspace distortion silently detonating. The side opposite the Enterprise exploded outward, like a mirror struck by a bullet. In its wake followed a shock wave that painted the visible space in a pale blue tinge.

“Report!” The Klingon’s deep voice sounded across the bridge.

The chief engineer was the first to speak. “We’ve broken through. The differential pulse is exciting the anomaly and causes it to project echoes onto our local spacetime. We should be able to sustain the effect with reduced power output on the beam.”

“Understood. Reduce deflector power but sustain the pulse.” The CO turned to the science officer while Nadya adjusted the deflector’s output and told Sakar to return the warp core to standby. “Lieutenant Karluck, can you read anything on the sensors?”

The Benzite was busy with his terminal, but still managed to reply. “Yes, Captain, but… it doesn’t make any sense. Inside the cone ejected on the other side of the anomaly the sensors pick up… something. It’s as if another layer of reality was imprinted on top of the space ahead.”

“Can you detect any ships?” Commander Chanar asked, also standing from her seat now and gazing at the incredible sight on the view screen.

“No, Sir.”

“Captain, we have to rotate the Enterprise.” Nadya spoke up. “I now see that my estimations were incorrect. The anomaly refracts and reflects the beam like a prism, not like a mirror sphere. We’re looking through a keyhole and can only see what’s behind it, not what’s next to or in front of it.”

The Klingon nodded and gave his order. “I see. Lieutenant Harris, you heard our chief engineer. Start to pivot the ship around that anomaly at the current distance, RCS only. Keep the deflector dish always pointing right at the distortion.”

“Aye, Captain.” The conn officer acknowledge. With a few taps on his station the massive Destiny class started to slowly pivot around the anomaly clockwise. As the ship moved, the cone of superimposed quantum echoes on the opposite hemisphere moved accordingly, gradually revealing more and more of the other side of the quantum barrier.

Muuri stood and stared in awe, softly muttering. “This is incredible!”

Suddenly the senior science officer exclaimed. “Captain! I’m getting readings of debris… and… a ship!”

“If you can visualize it put it on screen.” The CO ordered.

The scene on the main screen changed and zoomed in on the right-hand side of the cone, where gradually an undetermined shape appeared. It was heavily distorted and obscured by static, but the general shape strongly suggested that it was the hull of a starship.

The XO turned towards the Benzite. “Can you clean it up?”

He shook his head. “I’m trying, Sir, but the standard filters aren’t able to compensate this kind of distortions.”

The Russian woman quickly stepped over to her colleague. “Try to modulate the filters with the same phase variance we put on the differential pulse. That should remove most of the static from the anomaly.”

The Benzite nodded and got to work. A few moments later the image improved significantly, only a few flickers and tears remained, but the colors were still off. At least the ship was recognizable now - they were definitively looking at the saucer section of a Starfleet vessel.

By now the registry number was visible and Captain K’Torr read it aloud as the letters became readable. “NCC… six… nine… seven… six… five. USS Sidereal.”

“The ship looks mostly intact.” Commander Chanar remarked. “She has sustained heavy damage, but it seems the crew could have survived in there. Excellent work, Lieutenant Commander, excellent work!”

“Thank you, Sir.” Nadya replied after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. She had done it. She had managed to find them. Her eyes were wet with joy at the sight of her former ship. They could have survived.

“Can you read any life signs on board?” The CO asked.

“No, Captain. But only because the interferences are too strong. The sensor echoes’ resolution is severely limited and not granular enough to relay life signs. I’m trying to compensate, but I can’t tell if it will work.” Lieutenant Karluck explained while trying his best to compensate for the anomaly’s effects.

“Just keep trying, Lieutenant.” The Bolian first officer replied with an encouraging nod.

By now most of the Sidereal had become visible on screen. The whole ship looked battered and beaten. Most of the hull armor had been torn away, there were several visible hull breaches, and a few spots had been scorched by plasma fires. But it seemed her condition had stabilized because there were no visible indications that the damage was getting any worse.

Looking at the bent nacelle pylon, Captain K’Torr raised an eyebrow. “We know for sure that they can’t go anywhere. Not with that damage to the pylon.”

“Captain, I’m picking up echoes of multiple signals.” Lieutenant Commander Kedik reported while running the signals through several filters to clear them up. “I’ve identified three distinct transmissions. The first is a distress call sent by the Sidereal. It’s set to repeat automatically and matches the message we have on record. The second comes from an emergency beacon, currently about 2,100 kilometers off the Sidereal’s port bow and moving away. The third is the automatic transponder of a… log buoy, currently about fifteen kilometers behind the beacon, also moving away.”

“Why would they launch the buoy?” Nadya asked.

“That’s a good question, Lieutenant Commander.” The Klingon CO commented and furrowed his brows. “Crews are not supposed to launch the log buoy unless the destruction or evacuation of the ship is imminent. But here the ship’s condition looks stable.”

“Captain…” Kedik began, his tone audibly irritated. “The transmissions just stopped. All three of them.”

“Can you determine why?” The Captain inquired.

“No. But it seems the beacon and the buoy have vanished.”

Now the science officer spoke up again. “Captain, I’m getting readings of a second ship.”

“A second ship?” Captain K’Torr, Commander Chanar, and Lieutenant Commander Lebedeva asked almost simultaneously.

As they were staring at the screen, a second hull came into view. It was clearly significantly larger than the broken Akira class. For a long moment everyone was curiously wondering what kind of design the long heavily fragmented curve belonged to, when a dark shadow fell across Captain K’Torr’s face.

“Zoom out.” He simply said, already preparing for the worst. He silently prayed that he was wrong.

“Aye, Captain.” The science officer acknowledged the order. After a few taps the view screen changed and showed both ships next to each other. A deathly hush descended upon the bridge. The second ship was, without a doubt, a Borg sphere, easily identifiable even with its strange surface plating and coloring.

“No…” Nadya whimpered as she stared at the other ship, desperately shaking her head. “Please no…”

Suddenly a pale green tractor beam projected from the massive sphere and encased the helpless Sidereal in a shimmering orb of energy. A few seconds later the sphere began to move away, dragging the trapped Akira class along, only to disappear a moment later in a dark transwarp aperture.

The only sounds on the bridge were Nadya’s sobs, as she desperately struggled to retain composure in the face of seeing her friends go through a fate infinitely worse than death. After a few more moments, the CO finally breathed a heavy sigh. “View screen off. Disengage the differential pulse.”

His officers complied without much talking. A heavy blanket of dread and hopelessness seemed to smother every spark of life on the bridge. All the enthusiasm that was there just moments ago had instantly vanished. The hope that had filled the crew with energy just turned to ash in their hands.

The Klingon took a few steps towards the now disabled view screen and turned around to face his bridge officers. He looked at a dozen pale and shocked faces, the event they just witnessed left not even the usually stoic and distanced Kedik untouched. The CO took a deep breath, visibly shaken by the display of cold Borg methodology he just observed.

“I’m sorry that this didn’t turn out the way we hoped. We came here with the desire to find our lost comrades, but instead we found our worst enemy. We hoped to find our friends alive, but now we can only wish that they were already dead. You will not talk about anything you’ve seen here today with anyone unless authorized by me, is that understood?” The Klingon spoke with a heavy voice.

All officers replied in unison. “Yes, Captain.”

“Lieutenant Commander Lebedeva, professor Van der Meer, please join me in my ready room. Number One, you have the bridge.” Captain K’Torr said and turned around, heading for his ready room.

The Klingon was already sitting on his chair when Nadya and Muuri entered a couple moments later. “Please take a seat.” He spoke almost softly. Once the chief engineer and professor were seated, he continued. “I’m really sorry about how this turned out. Nobody could have anticipated this.”

“Lieutenant Commander, I fully understand how difficult this must be for you. Please take leave for as long as you need. I also want you to talk with counselor Bravis. I’ll inform him of the situation. This development is a shock for all of us, but we must be mindful of our next steps. For the time being I have no other choice but to order you not to publish any details about what has transpired today. I’ll let you know once I’ve clarified our further options with Starfleet Command.”

“I… I understand, Captain.” Nadya replied with a whisper, her cheeks still glistening from the tears she’d wiped away before coming in.

“Professor Van der Meer.” Captain K’Torr continued, turning to Muuri now. “You are not part of Starfleet’s command structure, so I cannot order you to maintain silence about today’s events. I can only implore you. Please do not talk about this. The families of the Sidereal’s crew are better off thinking their loved ones were dead, rather than knowing they were assimilated.”

Muuri let out a heavy sigh. “I fully understand, Mr. K’Torr. My lips are sealed.”

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness, professor.” The CO stood from his seat and looked at both individuals in front of him. “That would be all for now.”

[ Act Five ]

Sina looked at Niko, a happy smile on her lips. “So, this is it. You think it’ll work?”

“Absolutely. I mean, they’re about to feed a star into a black hole for us.” Her XO replied, returning her smile. “Hey, do you think Starfleet Command will make a second memorial for us? The first Starfleet crew that ruined a whole star?” He added with raised hands as if putting up an imaginary ribbon.

The Romulan chuckled. “Don’t be silly, Niko!”

“Okay, okay.” He took a deep breath. “So, let’s see if this works. Duncan, interlink our communication system with Primaris Station.”

“Aye, Sir. Establishing link… connection secured.” The Scottish ops officer reported. “Incoming message from the station.”

“On screen.” Sina ordered.

The view screen changed from the view of the now completed superstructures orbiting Cygnus X-1 and its companion supergiant star to the holographic projection of [email protected] The Ferengi scientist was one of the lead researchers that had developed the theories behind creating an artificial fissure. During the Sidereal’s first visit to Primaris Station seven weeks ago he had explained the principles and spent many hours discussing the theory with Visra and Sina. But right now, his expression was a mix of nervousness and excitement.

“Commander D’raxis! We’ve received the communication link. Your ship is now tied directly into the station’s transmitter array. Once the fissure is opened, you will be able to broadcast on any channel you want directly into the anomaly. But please remember that signal quality and available bandwidth will be somewhat limited. We’ve done our best to compensate for the expected interferences, but there will still be restrictions.”

Sina shook her head. “Please don’t worry, [email protected] It will be fine, really. When the Matriarch first told us that we could send a message, we were expecting a text-only transmission. A live broadcast with audio and video is more than we would have ever dared to ask for.”

“I understand. We’re ready to initiate the mass transfer on your mark.” The Ferengi scientist replied with a proud grin on his lips and an excited sparkle in his eyes.

“Acknowledged. Visra, Duncan, are we also ready?” The CO replied and turned to her own science officer.

“Yes, captain.” Both officers replied one after the other.

The Commander took a deep breath, readying her nerves for the next few moments. She looked at the Synergy scientist again. “We’re ready. You can begin the process.”

“Affirmative. Initiating mass transfer.” [email protected] replied. His gaze became unfocused for a second. “Done. Estimated time until saturation approximately thirty-one minutes. I will contact you again once this stage is completed.”

Sina could only nod before the channel was closed again. The view screen changed back to the view of the binary pair, allowing the bridge crew to witness in awe what they’ve just set in motion.

The colossal ring-shaped superstructures between the black hole and the star slowly moved to align themselves with each other. Their visible energy conduits began to glow with a bright green light and a split second later a gigantic funnel of gravimetric energy projected from the biggest ring into the star’s photosphere. For several seconds nothing seemed to happen, but then a bulge started forming on the supergiant’s surface. The bulge slowly grew into a towering spire as an unimaginable amount of plasma was pulled from the star’s gravity well.

The second ring became active and projected another funnel of gravimetric anchors inside the first, pulling the slowly rising tendril of stellar mass further towards the black hole. Sina and her fellow officers just stared at the vista in front of them as they watched this incredible feat of stellar engineering. Especially Visra was utterly fascinated by the spectacle. Soon the third and smallest of the rings activated. The last funnel pulled the tip of the tendril the remaining way, eventually sending the first several billion tons of matter across the binary pair’s L1 Lagrangian point.

Forced into the gravity well of Cygnus X-1, the tendril rapidly stretched thin and hurled towards the insatiable maw of the black hole. As more and more plasma fell towards the accretion disk at the exact calculated angle, the disk started to grow and rapidly increase in brightness. After only a few minutes of feeding, the accretion disk had eclipsed even the incredibly bright supergiant and showered everything in the system with hard radiation.

“Rel, how are we holding up against that radiation?” Niko asked as he saw the readouts on his console.

“Barriers are holding, Sir. For now, there’s no danger to the ship.” The Cardassian officer replied, keeping a close eye on the sensor readings himself while he watched the unimaginable happening in front of them.

“Good, good.” The XO nodded, unable to tear his gaze away from the screen.

It took a few more minutes until the new mass had made its way through the chaotic whirlpool that was the black hole’s accretion disk, before it finally started tumbling across the event horizon. The sight was more uneventful than anyone had anticipated as the accelerated plasma shifted towards the red end of the EM spectrum more and more and eventually simply faded into nothingness at it crossed the final threshold. Visra’s eyes were big with astonishment as she watched the holographic screens in front of her, recording sensor readings she would never even have dreamed of.

It was a few minutes before the estimated saturation was reached when Duncan’s console chirped with an incoming high priority message. “Sir, we’re receiving a transmission from Matriarch Chiaxi. It’s a personal holographic projection.”

Sina looked at Niko and shrugged, a curious expression on her face. “Well, put it through!”

A moment later a holographic projection of [email protected] appeared standing in front of them. Chiaxi smiled warmly as she spoke with her soft melodic voice, her crown of cybernetic tendrils gently swaying from side to side. “Greetings! Commander D’raxis, Lieutenant Commander Heisenberg. I’ve been following the progress so far and can assure you that I am just as excited as you are.”

Niko grinned. “Excited is an understatement, Matriarch.”

“Oh, I can certainly imagine. I am calling you in this particular manner because I would like to make two requests.” She carefully suggested while focusing both command officers with her bright blue eyes.

“Uhm… sure. What do you need?” Sina replied, a little curious what the Synergy’s supreme empress could possibly ask from them.

“I would like to attend your communication together with you, here on your bridge. And I would like to talk to your superiors once you have established the channel and conducted all the business you needed to take care of.” [email protected] inquired.

The Romulan glanced at her first officer and contemplated the suggestion for a moment. Eventually she nodded. “If it’s only that… certainly, Matriarch. Please, have a seat.” Sina gestured at the seat to her left, opposite her XO, and smiled as Chiaxi’s hologram sat down.

Only a few minutes later the Sidereal received another call from Primaris Station. [email protected] looked extremely satisfied as he spoke. “The singularity has reached the required saturation. We’ve disengaged the mass transfer to not waste the star unnecessarily. The saturation and the fissure will last for approximately ten minutes. We will now launch the spatial charges to generate the necessary spacetime distortion. Your communication system will inform you when the fissure has formed and is stable enough for transmission.”

The Ferengi scientist had barely closed the channel, when two massive torpedoes launched from the station. The bright blue sparkling projectiles arched towards the black hole, rapidly red-shifting as they streaked over the glowing accretion disk and approached the threshold. After a few moments they simply faded away as they crossed the event horizon.

Nothing seemed to happen for several seconds, when suddenly the event horizon seemed to… boil. Ripples raced across the untouchable membrane, mountains and valleys of infinite density piled up and crumbled again. Eventually the shock waves collided in a massive outburst of energy and a barely visible distortion formed just above the event horizon. A quantum fissure. Illuminated by the accretion disk’s glow, it appeared almost like a hole in space.

Duncan’s and Visra’s consoles chirped simultaneously. Duncan stared at the status message, then glanced at Visra who just nodded in awe. “Uhm… captain? The fissure is… there.”

Sina looked at Niko and silently mouthed the word “Yes!”. She glanced at the Matriarch’s projection that silently sat on her seat, a satisfied expression on her face. The Romulan swallowed. “Duncan, open Starfleet emergency frequency 6841.”

“Aye captain. Channel open.”

Sina took a deep breath. “Starfleet Command, this is Commander D’raxis of the USS Sidereal. Requesting authentication challenge. Please respond.”

No answer and only static on the view screen. The Commander spoke again. “Starfleet Command, please come in. This is Commander D’raxis of the USS Sidereal. Requesting authentication challenge.”

The static flickered, but eventually began to clear and revealed a young male Human Ensign. “…fleet Command. This joke isn’t funny. You’re transmitting on an emergency frequency. Clear the channel immediately!”

The Romulan quirked a brow. “Starfleet Command, this is not a joke! I am Commander Sina Phaio Gallagher-D’raxis. Requesting authentication challenge.”

The Ensign appeared to look rather annoyed and cut the audio. He seemed to wave to someone outside the screen and a few moments later a middle-aged male Vulcan Lieutenant appeared behind the Human. They seemed to discuss something quite vividly, when the audio feed came back on and the Vulcan was speaking.

“This is Lieutenant Vakar from Starfleet Command to the unauthorized sender on emergency frequency 6841. Identify yourself.”

“Sina Phaio Gallagher-D’raxis. Service number RR-271-9685 ESD. Rank Commander. Assigned to the USS Sidereal as acting captain.”

Now the Vulcan looked also a little irritated. “This is highly improbable. The Sidereal was lost with all hands over ten months ago. Please clear this channel or I will be forced to escalate this unauthorized usage as well as the impersonation of Starfleet personnel.”

“This is not a joke or a prank, Lieutenant! We’re alive! And we’re currently feeding a star into a black hole to keep this channel open. So please just send the damn authentication challenge!” The Romulan shot back. She had expected some suspicion and scrutiny, but it was quickly getting a tad ridiculous even for her taste.

The Vulcan raised his left eyebrow, but eventually followed her request. It was obvious from his expression that he expected a false response when he reached outside the screen to transmit the challenge. A few moments later, the holographic screen in front of Sina signaled that they received the challenge. With a few taps on the virtual console, the Commander selected her personal response algorithms and entered her command code. Once the computer had calculated the response, she transmitted it back.

Another couple seconds passed, before the mouth of the Ensign popped open. “I’ll be damned…”

The Vulcan looked at the screen, obviously struggling with the correct authentication response. “Commander? How is this possible?”

“It’s a long story, Lieutenant.” Sina’s expression softened, now that at last the penny dropped for SC. “But believe me, it was quite a bumpy ride. Like I said, we’re alive. That is, most of us. We had fourteen casualties during the accident. But we’re safe right now, thanks to some new friends we found around here.”

The Lieutenant listened attentively, while waving to someone outside the visible area and hastily tapping on a PADD that he then handed off. The bridge crew could see how suddenly the ops room where their call had landed exploded with activity. Orders were shouted in the background and a couple of officers hustled past Vakar.

“We’re glad to hear that, Commander. Can you tell us where exactly you are?” The Lieutenant requested, while handling another PADD.

Sina smirked. “Yes, but you better sit down. We’re currently 120,000 kilometers away from Cygnus X-1, but in a different quantum reality. If you trace our call, you’ll find it coming from a quantum fissure above the event horizon of that black hole.”

Vakar looked suspicious for a moment, then nodded. He quickly turned away and was about to talk to another officer, when suddenly there was a strong voice in the background. “I don’t care that he’s in the shower, get that message to him, now!” A moment later a bald middle-aged Human Rear Admiral with a thick light brown full beard stepped into the image and stared at the screen.

“This is Rear Admiral Richards. Commander D’raxis?”

“Yes, Sir. In flesh and blood.”

“How are you? We thought you were gone!”

Sina laughed. “Sir, believe me when I say that we also thought we were gone. But we’re okay now.”

Vakar pushed a tablet into the flag officer’s hands, who quickly checked its display. “Do you need help? Can you get home?”

“No and… no.” The Commander let out a sad sigh. “Our new friends here are trying their best to find us a way back home, Sir. So far, they managed to enable us sending this message. You would never believe what they did to make this possible. The Federation could never pull off something like this.”

She continued with a wistful smile on her lips. “We’ve prepared several data packages. Log entries, action reports, and personal letters to our families. If you’re ready, we can transmit them to you.”

Rear Admiral Richards snapped his fingers and looked at someone outside the screen, nodding after a few seconds. “Yes, we’re ready.”

Niko also nodded and gave the order. “Duncan, transmit the packages.”

“I hope you will understand that we had to remove certain information from the packages. Our new friends are careful about what they share of their knowledge and technology, especially with unaligned governments.” Sina added quickly.

Richards nodded, understanding. “Well, I think we’ll be able to deal with it. We don’t want you to do anything that compromises or endangers your safety.”

“Aye, Sir. We didn’t intend to do so.” The CO replied with a smile and glanced at Chiaxi from the corners of her eyes. “In fact, I think we’re getting along quite nicely.”

“That’s good to hear. But I have one big question for you. What the hell happened to you after your arrival in that… different quantum reality? The Enterprise found a way to scan across the fissure and…” He hesitated for a moment but continued eventually. “…found sensor echoes showing the Sidereal being towed off by a Borg sphere. How did you escape?”

Sina grinned for a moment before she replied. “Well, we didn’t. But that’s the catch, they aren’t Borg. In fact, they are their descendants and they rescued us. Without them, we’d all be dead. It’s a really long story, Sir, but you’ll find the details in my-”

Before she could finish the sentence there was suddenly a big commotion in the background. A new male voice cut through the chatter. “Where’s the terminal?” Moments later the Rear Admiral stepped aside and made place for a rather wet Efrosian, draped in a bathrobe with a towel wrapped around his head. His beard was still dripping water as he spoke. Sina recognized him. It was Starfleet’s Chief of Staff.

“This is Fleet Admiral Ra-Miyantoss. Commander D’raxis? Are you okay?”

“Fleet Admiral! Yes, yes, we’re alright here. I’m sorry to interrupt your-”

“Nonsense. Where are you? Do you require assistance?”

Sina smiled at three people asking the same questions in sequence. “We’re okay, Sir. Right now, it’s impossible for us to get home, but we’ve got some exceptionally competent friends working on it. We’ve sent you data packages containing information about our situation, as well as log entries, reports, and personal letters.”

“I see. We’ll make sure these letters get to your families.” The Efrosian replied somberly. “Is there anything you need? Anything we can do for you?”

“Thank you, Sir.” The Romulan shook her head. “And no, we’re really fine. But Rear Admiral Richards mentioned that the Enterprise was searching for us. Could you please send us what they did and their results? Maybe it will help us here.”

“Yes, of course. Richards?”

“Already on it, Sir.” Came the voice from outside the view port.

The CO looked over to the Matriarch, who was following the whole exchange quietly but curiously. Sina looked at the Fleet Admiral and spoke up. “Sir, there’s one more thing.”

“Yes, what do you need?” He instantly replied, still dripping onto the console.

“There’s someone here who wants to meet you.” The Romulan said, extending the camera’s field of view to include Chiaxi in its view port. “May I introduce you? Fleet Admiral, this is Matriarch Chiaxi, leader of the Synergy. Matriarch, this is Fleet Admiral Xas Ra-Miyantoss, Starfleet’s Chief of Staff. He’s the highest-ranking officer in Starfleet and military adviser to our civilian government.”

The Matriarch rose from her seat and greeted the Efrosian with a respectful nod and her almost hypnotic melodic voice. “Fleet Admiral, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ra-Miyantoss gaped at Chiaxi for a moment, before blinking and closing his mouth. “Uhm… Matriarch? That is quite the surprise. I apologize for my appearance; I didn’t expect to-”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not too focused on protocol. I want to reassure you that your crew is safe with us. We’ve supplied them with all necessary medical treatments and repaired their vessel. With the words of Commander D’raxis… it was a bumpy ride at the beginning, but I think we’ve established a good diplomatic relationship by now. I would like to extend my well wishes to you and your government, and I hope that we will have the opportunity for further communication in the foreseeable future.”

“Yes, yes of course, Matriarch. I think we would all welcome that. I also want to express my gratitude to you for coming to the Sidereal’s aid. Thank you for saving our people.”

Chiaxi smiled warmly at the Fleet Admiral. “You’re welcome. It was all our pleasure. Your crew has provided the Synergy with an incredible amount of information and brought new experiences to us. While we regret not being able to prevent the casualties caused by the accident, we’re glad to have welcomed your officers in our galaxy.”

Visra’s console chirped with a warning signal and the Alusi scientist swiftly reported the change. “Captain, the fissure is destabilizing. We have at most sixty seconds left.”

“Sorry to interrupt you, but we’re running out of time.” Sina turned to the Matriarch, who responded with an understanding nod.

The XO quickly asked. “Duncan, did we get the information about whatever the Enterprise was doing?”

“Yes, Sir. All transmissions were completed.”

The Romulan addressed the Fleet Admiral. “Sir, the connection is about to fail. We’ll hopefully call again soon. I hope you’ll be able to make some sense of my reports and logs. I’m sorry they are quite a mess.”

“Don’t think about it, Commander. It will be fine. Just stay safe!” The Efrosian replied, a proud smile on his lips.

Niko grinned at the Chief of Staff. “We have nothing else in mind, Sir.”

“The Synergy will protect and guide them, Fleet Admiral. Your people will be safe with us.” Chiaxi continued with a chuckle, her arms extending towards Sina and Niko. “After all, we’re almost family.”

The last remark sent a blush across the Romulan’s cheeks and made her glance at the giggling empress. By now the fissure had degraded so much that the video feed cut out, quickly followed by audio. There were a few more text messages sent by Starfleet Command, but after another fifteen seconds the anomaly had completely collapsed.