Forty eight hours later, the Mariner had picked up the trans warp signature, but had yet to find further evidence of the Borg's presence in the Beta Quadrant. The crew was growing restless.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but I thought you destroyed the Collective when you passed through the conduit to get back to the Alpha Quadrant?" Lieutenant Commander Jeffries, Chief of Security, asked.
"No, Commander. While we certainly dealt them a monumental blow, we knew it was only a matter of time until they got up and running again," Janeway said. "I just did not think it would be this fast. But if there is one thing I learned while on Voyager, it was to never underestimate the Borg."
"The Borg have the ability to adapt in a way no other species can. Without a home planet, it is unlikely they will be destroyed in our lifetime," Seven added.
Jeffries shifted uncomfortably at his station, as he, like much of the crew, was still not entirely comfortable with the idea of having a former drone on board.
"Admiral, I'm picking up something on long range scanners. It looks like a debris field," Paris chimed in.
"On screen, Mr. Paris. We'll see if somebody beat us to the source of the signal," Janeway said.
Tom complied, and a large debris field appeared on screen. Among what appeared to be the remnants of a Romulan Bird of Prey was a large chunk of a Borg cube, flickering ominously.
"Red alert," Janeway said immediately, as the lights of the bridge adjusted to her command. "We'll worry about why the Romulans were here later. Seven, is there any activity on what's left of the cube?"
"There appears to be minimal activity, Admiral. I am not picking up any life signs, but it is possible that a few drones have survived the destruction of the ship."
"Seven, is the cube still pressurized?" Janeway asked.
"Yes, Admiral."
"Jeffries, I need you to get three rifles out of storage. Tuvok, you are in command. Seven and Tom, you're with me," Janeway said.
"Admiral, wouldn't it make more sense to take some of the non-Voyager crew? Most of us have never experienced the Borg first hand," Jeffries asked.
"Commander, do as you are asked. This is not the time for a research mission," Janeway said.
"But Admiral, you're favoritism…"
Tuvok intervened immediately.
"Commander Jeffries, if you do not want to spend the rest of this mission in the brig, I suggest you follow orders," he said.
"That's quite enough. Seven, Tom, I'll meet you in transport."
"She's probably shacking up with him too," Jeffries said, as he looked past his lunch at Lieutenants Bryan and Hermann from Engineering, who had joined him in the mess hall.
"I'm sure they all slept together after seven years. It is only natural, thinking they were going to be trapped on that ship for forever. …You know, repopulating for the people that got killed off," Lieutenant Bryan said.
The other two laughed.
"I'm sure Janeway got all the men she wanted. I bet she was quite a babe in her day. And guys love a woman in power," Jeffries said. "And I'll admit, it is kind of hot the way she takes command on the bridge. I mean, that Paris guy is practically drooling over her."
"Yeah, what is with that guy? He looks like a drunk…smells like straight synthenol. Heard he has a criminal record too," Hermann said.
"He's a good pilot, that's for sure. But with Janeway's obsession with Starfleet protocol, I think she's just keeping him around because she's banging him," Jeffries said.
"Really? She does not seem like that kind of woman. She's worshiped at the Academy, and by most of Starfleet for that matter. Plus, I thought she was pretty serious with her former first officer?" Hermann asked.
"I do love a good scandal. But a woman's got needs," Bryan added. "He's a lot younger, that Paris guy. Maybe she's using him for sex. Maybe that's why she took him to the cube. A little romantic rendezvous to remind him of the good old days on Voyager."
"You guys are sick. Plus, that Borg chick is the hot one. I hear she wore skin tight jump suits on Voyager. I wish I could have seen that," Hermann said.
"Yeah, you're right," Jeffries said, picking up his tray and heading toward the replicator. "I've got to get back to the bridge before that Vulcan reams me out again."
Janeway and Seven walked side by side, tricorders in hand, as they scanned the cube for any Borg activity. Tom, slightly improved due to the situation but still pouting, walked behind the women, with his phaser rifle drawn. Although Janeway and Seven were alert but at ease, the cube still gave Tom the creeps.
"Admiral, it appears as if this cube has long lost contact with the Collective," Seven said, scanning a navigation station, before she tried to re-activate it.
"Were the drones able to communicate within this cube?" Janeway asked.
"It is unlikely," Seven responded.
"So are you saying that hundreds of drones were just wandering around aimlessly on this ship, and somehow ended up here?" Tom asked.
"So it appears," Seven said.
Janeway had pushed aside a large pile of debris, finding a severed mechanical arm, but no body. Tom eyes widened in disgust, and Janeway laughed at his ridiculous expression.
"Seven, is there any way to find if there are any surviving drones?"
"Admiral, please don't tell me you are thinking of doing what I think you are," Tom said.
"They are already disconnected from the Collective, Tom. They pose a considerably lesser threat. If we could reintegrate Seven, we could reintegrate these people too. They have already been through the hardest part," she said.
"Only you would be on a humanitarian mission on a partially destroyed Borg cube," Tom said, smiling at his feet.
Seven shifted uncomfortably, unaccustomed to such casual conduct from the Admiral and the Lieutenant.
"Admiral, the drones are still capable of assimilation," Seven said. "However, we may be able to extract information from them as to why they are in the Beta Quadrant and how they and the Bird of Prey were destroyed."
"Can't you get that information from the computer? There were no other warp signatures. Maybe they simply destroyed each other," Tom said.
"That is possible," Seven said. "However, this console is badly damaged, and further extraction will be futile. It would be more efficient to extract information from a drone."
"Seven's right, Tom. I'm picking up faint life signs about 50 yards ahead. Let's check it out, but keep your phasers at the ready," Janeway said.
"Admiral, I just want to point out that it has never ended well when we have gone looking for the Borg," Tom said, making eye contact with her for the first time all day.
Janeway patted Tom on the shoulder.
"They got us home, didn't they?," she said. "Don't worry, Mr. Paris, I've been assimilated before, it is not so bad."
It was the last thing Janeway said before she felt tubules enter her neck.
