“It is also likely that those one hundred and ninety-six species might have represented all known sufficiently advanced spacefaring races able to access the planet at the time and it was deemed unlikely anyone else would come along and investigate,” Seven suggested.
“I don’t know,” Patel said. “Everything about this place feels intentional. And this territory was once claimed by the Borg. What are the odds they never discovered it?”
“Apparently a hundred percent,” Seven said.
“I mean, that they never would have discovered it,” Patel corrected herself.
“Our knowledge of the Borg’s activities throughout the Delta Quadrant is incomplete,” Seven said. “And having once been Borg and privy to every thought of the Collective, I do find that disturbing. But we have come across more than one of the Borg’s blind spots during this mission. It is my belief that any data irreconcilable with the Collective’s core mission of assimilation in pursuit of perfection was regularly purged and this world, this entire system, could have fallen into that category.”
“Fascinating as this speculation is,” O’Donnell said, “our mission is not merely to indulge in hypotheticals.”
“What exactly is our mission, Commander?” Patel asked.
“Clearly it is possible to safely experiment with the Edrehmaia substance. That substance, as you both know, is among the most complex kinds of matter Starfleet has yet discovered and it is my belief that like those who came before us, it is now incumbent upon us to pick up that mantle and continue their work.”
“Our scans show no evidence of the Edrehmaia substance still present on the planet,” Patel said.
“But Seven stumbled across some in the asteroid field. I’m sure that wasn’t the last of it,” O’Donnell reminded her.
“The issue is safely containing it for study,” Seven insisted.
“Do you have any idea how we might accomplish that?” Patel asked.
“I believe we should start by asking them,” O’Donnell replied.
“Ask whom?” Patel queried.
“You were able to create an interlocutor at the station you studied,” O’Donnell said pointedly. “And while your report indicates that you did get a great deal of information from it, there were many unasked questions one could now pose to such a creation.”
“Yes, but we broke the planet,” Patel said. “We disrupted the containment system and the planet released its energy. There are no power readings within the intact cavern you discovered. I don’t believe we will be able to reactivate it.”
“Perhaps not,” O’Donnell agreed. “But you were studying one of the data storage and retrieval stations. It was located approximately three kilometers beneath the surface. There were six other similar stations present,” he continued, pointing to the display to indicate them on the holographic map. “The only one left intact following the planet’s activation was the seventh and final station, and it is located much deeper within the planet, here,” he said, indicating a cavern situated, perhaps suggestively, well below the north polar region.
“You believe this was the first station constructed,” Seven rightly guessed.
“I do. Which means it might be the only one in existence left by those who built it containing evidence of how the entire amazing system was created.”
“The Edrehmaia?” Patel asked.
“No, Lieutenant. Species 001,” O’Donnell replied.
Patel inhaled involuntarily at this revelation. She started to speak, but Seven cut her off.
“Don’t say it,” she pleaded.
“I have to,” Patel said sheepishly.
Seven shook her head. “Fine.”
“SWOW, ” Patel and O’Donnell said in unison.
9
GALEN
After three days of advising Lieutenant Conlon every time the Doctor saw her that she needed to report to sickbay for a series of standard medical scans, she had finally made the time. He understood how busy she was. He did not begin to suspect that she might have cause to avoid the tests until he saw the results. The new panel of full-body scans, including genetic analysis, now sat on the padd before him and the tale they told was not heartening.
As the Doctor analyzed them, Lieutenant Barclay knocked on the partition separating his private office from the rest of Galen’s medical bay.
“Good news,” Barclay said without preamble. “In a few hours, I’ll be able to restore the rest of your medical staff.”
“Thank you, Reg, that will be most helpful,” the Doctor replied perfunctorily, still studying the test results.
“The fusion reactor is running at almost fifty percent of capacity,” Barclay continued. “Honestly, I never thought we’d be having this conversation. I was sure that a cold restart sequence outside a starbase would be the end of us. Nancy Conlon is a miracle worker.”
At this, the Doctor lifted his eyes to meet Barclay’s. “I beg your pardon?”
“How do you think we were able to restore power?” Barclay asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve got five critical patients and another three who will require constant treatment for the next week at least. I guess I didn’t think to wonder. I just assumed the surviving crew members were doing what they always do in situations like this… making the impossible possible.”
Barclay’s response hit the Doctor like a punch. “Nancy Conlon is the only reason we are still alive, Doctor.” Something in the Doctor’s face seemed to give Barclay pause. “Are you all right? You look tired.”
The Doctor wasn’t tired. One of the few things he was incapable of feeling was weariness, although the complex subroutines that animated his holographic matrix could approach near-perfect simulated presentations of emotional responses, including fatigue. These amazing algorithms, and one odd temporary body swap with Seven of Nine several years prior, were all the Doctor had to use as a reference point for the emotional responses he thought of as his feelings. For many years he had equated those sensations with the emotions he believed colored the lives of his organic patients. But as long as his holo-processors were activated, his program could run indefinitely, without lags in efficiency or detectable errors. It was impossible for him to actually be tired.
Still, Barclay was not wrong.
Throughout the many years he had been active, the Doctor had surpassed his original programming in significant ways. He
