Penny for Your Thoughts

Posted on Sat Aug 13th, 2011 @ 2:45pm by Lieutenant Commander Aral Aix & Lieutenant Xylia Lischka

Mission: Tomorrow's Arizona
Location: Bridge, Deck 1, USS Arizona
Timeline: Following: 'Strange Encounters'

As the Commodore departed the bridge, Aral did not bother to move from the science station; instead he watched Lieutenant Sylvari lay in a pursuit course behind the Borg cube. A grim sense of detachment had washed over the Commander as the incident began. In almost three hundred years Aix had never encountered the Borg, he had only become aware of them in Zalia's dotage and Aral's youth. However now he was confronted with them he felt gripped by terror. The scale of their vessels, the absoluteness of the technological abrogation of free will and independent consciousness defied his comprehension.

Acutely aware of the fact the Arizona remained unassimilated, unassailed and unthreatened the Chief Science Officer was gripped by perplexity and terror in equal measure. In order to satisfy his curiosity without upsetting their new friends, Aral began a passive sensor scan of the Borg cube. A passive scan involved the computer analysing data that had been gathered from routine background scans, navigational sensors and the like. The results were unilluminating. As far as sensors could tell the cube's tactical and defensive systems were not engaged, its power generation was at 36 percent - perhaps a little high for a ship of its class -- and its propulsion systems appeared to be working in tandem, suggesting they were undamaged.

Turning in his chair - seeking an excuse to drag his eyes from the eerie vision on the viewscreen - he looked at Lieutenant Xylia Lischka. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Lieutenant Lischka pulled her gaze away from the viewscreen and turned her attention toward Aix. She had heard him speak, and now that she saw him looking at her, she realized that he was talking to her. "The Borg are the enemy, right? So, why exactly are we following them?" She rubbed her hands over her face and closed her eyes. This was going to be bad. She could feel straight down to her core, and that was a feeling she could do without. "This just doesn't make any sense to me. What do you know?"

Aral nodded sideways to the screen. "For starters, we're no match for that. If they wanted us dead, we probably wouldn't survive the opening salvo... that thing could easily take out half the fourth fleet alone." He paused, considering her question. "I suppose we're following them because they asked nicely."

"Probably. It just makes me nervous. I mean... they are the Borg." Xylia stated, turning her attention back to the viewsceen. "It's not everyday they go without assimilating someone. I've just got a bad feeling that the proverbial shit is going to hit the fan."

Aral raised an eyebrow. As far as he was concerned the shit had hit the fan and they were currently experiencing the results face-on. He exhaled. "When it does we run. It doesn't matter where, we just run as fast and as hard as we can."

"I certainly hope we get the chance to run." Xylia wasn't feeling very optimistic in light of their current circumstances, but despite how bad things ever got in the past, the Arizona and the majority of her crew found their way out of it. "But, enough of the dismal... how are things going on the Science side of things?" She continued to watch the viewscreen, and there was nothing anywhere that said she couldn't carry a pleasant conversation while there was nothing going on at the present moment.

Aral raised his hands in the air. "I'm not about to risk a full scan without the Commodore's okay as it could be taken as provocation. What data we have suggests they are in standard operating mode, no active weapons or shields." He paused, "Otherwise, your guess is as good as mine."

"Which I'm grateful for." Lischka stated. "But, we both know things can change without notice. Whether it does or not remains to be seen. I think..." She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. Xylia knew exactly what she wanted to say, but the probability as to where she was going with this just didn't seem right. "I think this is going to sound crazy." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The Borg don't have any enemies that I'm aware of. What if they've encountered one?"

"Which would explain why they need a friend." Aral replied.

"Aren't we so lucky?" Xylia muttered, keeping her eyes glued straight ahead.