“It is as you say it is, Captain.”

Captain Samson Bradley stood in the command circle in the center of the bridge, his eyes glued to the viewscreen.  They had found a frequency that worked, and after several attempts, had succeeded.  The face on the screen was old, and he seemed to be immediately tired of the conversation he was having.  Samson had finished explaining their understanding of the situation.  The answer had drawn quiet gasps across the bridge of the Zephyr.  The man had identified himself as the ‘Lord Supreme Thomas’ over the three underground settlements.

“You seem surprised.”

Bradley recovered from his initial shock.  “What is alleged to have happened here…is not something we are familiar with or comfortable with in our Federation.  It is unlawful at several levels and could be considered a war crime.”

Thomas shrugged, his indifference plain. “What they were going to do to us would fall neatly into your so-called war crimes, Captain Bradley.  They came here to take our technology, to use it to subdue whoever they determined was an enemy, and to conquer everything in their way.”

Bradley held his ground.  “It is clear they were not blameless in this. At the same time, it is hard for us to ignore the dust you left in place of the lives that once called that place home.”

“It was our home before they came to study and poke us.  Prod us.  We had known of the Borg before, but they did not know us.  We kept to our ways in the deep.  We kept our silence to ourselves.  Suddenly, these outsiders arrive…and within thirty short years, who follows them and arrives on our doorstep?  An enemy who bears darkness and evil in its blood?  That will transform us into its own devilish constructions?  There was no choice in the matter.  The outsiders would be sacrificed to save us, and the rest of the rimward.”

Samson shook his head, confused.  “You do not care about the rest of the rimward, Lord Supreme Thomas.  You care for your own, and yours alone.”

Another shrug from Thomas.  “Our profile of you Federation types suggested it might help deflect your seemingly unwavering attention.  We were wrong in that assumption.”

The captain was flummoxed and furious, a confusing mess of emotions to wrestle with while he tried to find the words to pin Thomas down on anything.  He realized in the moment that it would be impossible.  There was no accountability to be had from Thomas or his people.  “We are unwavering in our attention.  We will continue our investigation of the site and its contents.”

Thomas narrowed his eyes as he warned, “You come within range of any of our settlement doors, we will unleash death upon you as we did the others.  Your physiology is remarkably similar to those that came before you.”

Samson did not rise to the bait being waved around in front of him by the man.  He took him at his word.  This was not a threat.  This was a fact.  Walter Morgan had been correct – they were not gods, but they were smart.  And they knew how to hurt, and how to kill.  He was not about to risk his crew of a thousand to the hands of proven maniacs.  “We will maintain the distance we have held since our arrival.  We anticipate a week or two more before our investigation is completed.  We are agreed.”

Thomas sneered, “For now,” and closed the channel in a huff.

The captain turned to his XO, Commander Augusto Vargas. “Commander, have all away teams in full-hazard protective suits and helmets. Maintain an open channel with the leaders and maintain transporter locks.”

Vargas made notes on his PADD, “Aye, sir.”  He made his way to the communications console.

At tactical, Lieutenant Kondo De La Fontaine turned to face Bradley, “You don’t trust them, do you, sir?”

Samson shook his head with a passing sadness. “The ‘for now’ was the warp core breach in our conversation; if nothing else convinced me, that did it.”  He stopped for a moment, thinking.  “I don’t like this, but I need a firing solution on all three underground settlements.”

Kondo’s eyes were wide in shock. “You really don’t trust them.”

“Something I learned on my bumpy road to the center chair, Mr. Kondo – when they tell you who they are…believe them.”