The cloud thinned without ceremony as the Dutchman came through to the end and emerged. One moment the viewport was a sullen red that it had been for the better part of a day, and then the next moment, the gas pulled back and the open dark came through for all to see. The thing that had been waiting on the far side of the Gatrao was finally close enough, and more than visible. More visible than anyone would have wanted to see.

Everyone stood quiet on the bridge. Some from shock, others, to include Zedd, from confusion. In truth, there wasn't much to say that the shape before them wasn't already screaming at everyone within visual range.

"Full stop" Zedd managed to utter. His tone was low but even, with the kind of quiet that carried further than a raised voice ever would have. "Hold us right here Lindsy."

"Full stop, aye." Lindsy's hands moved across the navigation console and the Dutchman's drift came to a hard stop just past the edge off the the cloud. She didn't look up from her board. The woman didn't need to look up to know what was out there staring back at them. The mass reading had been climbing on her sensors for nearly last ten minutes and somewhere in the last couple she had stopped pretending it was going to be anything different other than what it was. "We're holding. position, thrusters only."

It hung in the dark ahead of them, vast and geometric, a cube. Borg engineering that managed to be wrong in it's own unique way. Kilometers long and the surface was a chaotic series of conduits and plating. The cold green suggesting light was buried deep in its structure. The cube was not moving. It was not doing anything at all. Just sitting there. Not appearing adrift, but almost as if actually holding a coordinates. It was apparent that the salvage token had promised something would be there, and the had also badly undersold it in every way possible.

Mei-Lin was the first to break the silence "Power's low." She leaned closer to her station as if to better see the engineering readouts. "Really low. Whatever happened to that cube, I'm reading minimal energy signatures. Nothing appears active for defense systems, I'm showing hull breaches in a dozen places." She paused for a moment and then continued "Knowing them, If that thing were running optimally, we'd already be dead. I'd feel a lot better if I knew what made a Borg cube look like that, because whatever it was, it definitely wasn't us."

"Salvage of the century, or a graveyard with the lights still on." Zedd took a slow step toward the viewscreen with his arms crossed, studying the cube, weighing the risk."Lindsy, hold this position and be ready to run if need be.. The second anything on that cube so much as flickers, I want us moving before I finish giving the order." He didn't take his eyes off the screen. "Mei-Lin, keep scanning. I want to know if that power level so much as goes in the wrong direction."

The cube sat silent in the dark, dead or sleeping, and the Dutchman hung at the edge of the cloud and watched it, and for the moment it did not watch back.

"All senior staff report to the bridge" Zedd ordered. Everyone was going to need to take a look at this and give their opinions.

A couple minutes later, Cormus and T'Vara entered the bridge, one right after the other. The Romulan walked in and moved to one of the side stations behind the center chairs, taking a look at the readouts. "A Borg cube..." she said, pointing out the obvious. Seemingly unphased.

Cormus however didn't make it more than a few steps in. "That's what we came all the way here for, I think we need to turn around and get the hell out of here at warp nine. Remember Wolf Three Five Nine? We got our asses handed to us..."

Avery responded right away when he heard Sykes’ voice over the comm. “Be right there, Zedd. Morgan out.”

He and Mei-Lin had the engineering department ship-shape in three short days. They would be ready for whatever they were about to face.

His jaw dropped when he saw the visage of a Borg cube on the viewscreen. “The Borg... looks dead in space. Captain... Mei-Lin... what do we know? Any subspace signals? Indications of distress calls of any kind?”

"Nothing" Mei-Lin responded. "It's all quiet at the moment from them, Chief. Eerie and just seems...wrong."

Zedd turned around. "You have a lot more knowledge of them and their technology than I do. Any immediate recommendations to help us survive if that thing comes near us? Aside from just turning tail right now," Zedd asked.

“Quiet is just how I like them, Mei-Lin. Whoever or whatever did this to them packed one hell of a wallop. Captain, as long as we reinforce the shields, keep the weapons online, we might have a fighting chance. They might be regenerating, but judging by the hull breaches, there may not be enough drones to keep the cube operational. We could take a minimal team aboard, scavenge what we can use... or sell,” Morgan said.

He thought for a beat, having looked about the bridge at his new crew. “There’s also an opportunity to go on the offensive, Zedd. After we get what we need, knock out the power distribution network and their subspace transceiver array. Cut them off from the collective. Strand them here. There are more drastic options, but that’s your call, after all.”

"I appreciate the thought Avery. I'm not sure if trying to further sabotage them would work or not, it looks like they've been here a time as it is, and if the Collective hasn't responded and they haven't been able to limp their way out, it's possible they are already isolated? I'm not sure to be honest, but I'll keep that idea in mind." Zedd took a moment to consider the man's other comment.

"A good point about the regeneration issues too. Let's not give them any more drones so we don't have to deal with the impact of it. If we strip everything we can safely from there, can you go through it and determine usefulness as well as what is garbage and what can be sold? We can see if we can map out safer areas to go through and plunder before we set foot on board. Worst case I'll take Mei-Lin with me but I would rather we keep the engineers on the Dutchman."

“I’d be happy to. I can set up a staging area in the cargo bay. Sort through everything down there,” Morgan suggested. “In their current state, we would not be perceived as a threat. But once you start meddling around... things could get complicated.”

Somewhen during the exchange between the captain and the engineering chief, Rhiana had quietly entered the bridge and, after a glance at the viewscreen, walked over to the tactical station. She had never encountered the Borg before but knew enough not to start scanning them aggressively. Instead, she listened to the discussion while monitoring the cube with passive systems.

Just as he finished speaking, Morgan noticed the new Tactical/Combat Chief enter the bridge and take her station. Her experience would be an asset should Dutchman face a confrontation with the Borg. “Good morning, Rhiana,” Avery greeted her as he approached her console. “How are you with rotation of shield nutation? That’s what we need in fighting the Borg. They adapt quickly.”

Rhiana looked at the man approaching her. "Obviously, that is not a manual procedure," she replied levelly. "But I can programme the computer accordingly. However, this would only be a temporary measure. I do not think that we would come out victorious should that Borg cube suddenly attack us."