Historians note: The following is a news article published by the Interstellar Press, in late 2368.
(IP) Galactileaks has done it again. The hacking group has released a new batch of classified documents allegedly stolen from Starfleet archives. One in particular could be potentially embarrassing for Starfleet. Did Starfleet encounter a Borg cube during the five year mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise under the command of James T. Kirk? If this report is true, it contains information which Capt. Jean-Luc Picard may have found very useful in his recent encounters with the Borg. So, why has it been buried in an archive, where only the mysterious Section 31 could have access to it?
Unfortunately, the few surviving crew members from the original mission are all over 100 years old. When contacted for comment, the responses were an almost uniform, "I can't recall any such incident." An attempt to contact Dr. Leonard McCoy, resulted in a colorful rant that can not be printed in a family friendly publication.
The one person who would still have a clear memory, and Vulcans tell no lies, Ambassador Spock, could not be reached for comment. Rumors say he is on Romulus on a peace initiative. More conspiratorial rumors are that the mythical Section 31 has "offed" the ambassador to keep him from talking. Where ever he is, he did not return to Vulcan after the recent death of his father, Ambassador Sarak.
So, here it is for the reader to decide. It is only a partial document, many more details are needed for a full accounting.
Stardate: unknown, but believed to be in the fifth year of the Enterprise's mission.
"I'm gonna have to take the mains off line." Chief Engineer Scott shouted from his station at engineering. The engines had been straining, trying to break free from the tractor beam coming from a giant cube shaped ship that had come up on the Enterprise with no warning. As the engines whining subsided, the ships phasers continued to rake the cube with no effect.
"Chekov," Kirk said, "cease fire, arm four photon torpedo's and target the source of that tractor beam."
"Inadvisable," said Mr. Spock from the science station, "We're to close."
"I'm not letting that thing "assimilate" this ship."
"Torpedo's ready." Chekov said.
"Fire."
The torpedo's streaked toward the cube, the resulting explosions shook the Enterprise violently and the Enterprise broke free of the tractor beam.
"Scotty? Warp drive?"
"Still off line, and it'll be off for awhile."
"Captain," Spock was staring into his viewer at the science station. The cube ship appears to be regenerating itself, faster than I would think possible."
"How long do we have?" Kirk asked.
"Twenty minutes at the most."
"Then, I'm going over there. Sulu, take the con. Spock you're with me." He punched a button on his command chair. "Security, I want Baldwin and Albright, with phaser rifles in the transporter room, on the double. Scotty, I have a project for you."
Minutes later, Kirk, Spock and the two security officers materialized in a corridor of the cube ship. Spock raised his tricorder.
"I'm picking up some activity in this direction." The men began walking down the corridor, the security officers with their weapons at the ready.
"Indeterminate humanoid life forms." Spock said. They rounded a corner. In front of them where dozens of humanoid beings, working on the damaged ship faster than it seemed, humanly possible.
"Captian." Albright said, raising his rifle and pointing at four more beings coming from behind them. They wore the blankest expressions any of the men had ever seen.
"Hold your fire." Kirk ordered.
The four beings, carrying a large piece of equipment, walked past the landing party and gave no indication they were aware of their presence.
"Fascinating," Spock said as he looked up from his tricorder. "Humanoid, obviously. Cybernetic implants all through their body. The lack of reaction to our presence would indicate a hive mentality. Unable to react to anything outside their programming. Drones, essentially."
Another drone left the work area, walked toward the landing party. It stopped and entered a small alcove and plugged one hand into some sort of terminal. If possible its face became even more expressionless. Spock approach the drone, he lifted his hand and held in near the drones face.
"I don't think I would touch that, if I were you." Kirk said.
Spock stood for several seconds and then broke off the mind meld.
"Cold, malevolent, evil. Capt. if at all possible, we must destroy this ship. If it returns to its point of origin, this entire quadrant would be in grave danger."
Kirk pulled out his communicator, "Scotty, is that device ready?"
"Aye sir, putting the finishing touches on it now."
"Get over here now."
A moment later, Scott and a large rectangular box appeared. On top of the box, a make shift control panel.
"It's ready sir," Scott said, "push this, it's armed. Push this, thirty seconds later, matter and anti-matter will do their thing, you don't want to be here."
"Spock, you and Scotty get back to the Enterprise. As soon as the rest of us beam over, raise shields."
Spock and Scott disappeared into the transporter beam. Another group of drones, carrying more equipment again passed the landing party, with no realization of the danger they were in. Kirk armed the bomb, then pressed the count down button.
The computer began to speak, "30..29.."
Kirk flipped open his communicator, "Kirk to Enterprise, beam us...standby."
The drones down the corridor had left the work area and were walking toward the landing party.
"25..24.."
Kirk drew his phaser, "Fire." He ordered.
The three men opened fire. The first drones were vaporized instantly. Then the phasers had no affect. The drones continued their relentless walk.
"19..18.."
"The floor in front." Kirk yelled.
The men opened fire on the floor in front of the approaching drones. The deck plating disintegrated in a shower of sparks. Drones began tumbling into the opening.
"Capt. behind us." Baldwin shouted.
Four drones had approached from the rear. Baldwin stepped forward and fired at the floor beneath their feet. Three of them fell away the fourth reached forward, grabbed the barrel of Baldwin's rifle, and pulled him into the darkness below.
"11..10.."
Drones were shimming along a small bit of the deck that was still intact along the bottom of the wall. Kirk spun around, to close for his phaser, he used an old fashioned right hook to connect to the face of the nearest drone. It stumbled back, bumped into the next in line. The two of them fell into the opening.
"6..5.."
"Enterprise, beam us out now." Kirk yelled into his communicator.
Kirk and Albright dissolved into the transporter beam. One drone crossed the opening in the deck and reached the anti-matter bomb. It pulled open a panel, reached in.
"1..0..detonate."
In a light brighter than the sun, the cube ship disintegrated into a trillion bits of debris. The Enterprise, its shields barely up, was thrown end over end by the shock wave. On the transporter pad, Kirk was flung across the room into a bulk head, Albright crashed head first into the transporter console, Scott held on with all his might to the console. Kirk regained his footing, took one look at Albright, and punch the intercom on the wall.
"Sickbay, medical emergency, transporter room."
He then bolted though the door for the bridge.
When he reached the bridge, Sulu had regained control of the ship. The forward view screen was still overwhelmed by the fading light of the explosion. Spock looked up from his viewer.
"The ship has been completely destroyed. Such a waste, scans indicated there were nearly a million beings on board. But there was nothing we could have done for them. They were to far gone, consumed by the cybernetic implants."
"Perhaps we saved billions." Kirk said. "That's some consolation." He sat down in the command chair.
"McCoy to bridge. It's Albright, he's dead Jim."
Unfortunately, that's as far as the documentation that Galactileaks has released goes. Is it true? Sure sounds like the Borg. And sounds like the exploits we would expect from James Tiberius Kirk.
There is one glaring hole in this story: The two security officers, Baldwin and Albright. According to both Starfleet and Public records, both survived the five year mission. Two of only a few "red shirts" to do so. Baldwin resigned after the mission and returned to his native New Arkansas on Rigel Kentarus II. And I spoke with Albright last week, while researching this story. The centenarian was bright, alert and seemed to think it humorous that I would even consider such a fabrication.
Galactileaks has released much reliable information in the past. But has been guilty of putting out "fake news" from time to time. So the reader is left to decide, is this "fake news, or is it really, Kirk vs. the Borg?
