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Voyager - Astrometrics

Seven entered Astrometrics swiftly, urgency fueling her every step. As she approached the main console, she noticed Icheb standing rigidly, eyes wide, clearly unsettled.

“Icheb?” Seven asked sharply, recognizing his distress immediately. “What did you find?”

He hesitated, shifting slightly, clearly uncomfortable. “The Borg technology the Vaadwaur are using—it's far more integrated than we thought. It appears deliberately constructed, possibly to communicate through subspace corridors. I do not believe the technology was gifted.”

Seven narrowed her eyes, studying him carefully. “Explain.”

Icheb glanced away briefly, choosing his words cautiously. “The integration pattern matches active Borg communication protocols. But the links—they're fractured, incomplete. It reminds me of what happened with my cube. Someone might be attempting to reconnect them, or already has.”

Seven took a step closer, urgency and concern in her voice. “Who?”

Icheb shook his head slowly. “I can't be certain. But if I'm correct, this technology was not gifted. It's being changed specifically to reconnect with something—or someone—”

Icheb stopped abruptly, eyes widening as a new alert flashed across his console. He looked up at Seven, voice suddenly tight. “I just received a transmission… it's hard to understand, but I think it's from Naomi Wildman.”

Seven quickly stepped closer, activating the console from her position and linking it directly to her own cortical node.

“I'm routing it through my cortical implants. Stand by,” Seven said, her voice controlled but urgent.

She adjusted the controls carefully, filtering interference and amplifying the fragmented signal. After a tense silence, the transmission began to play aloud, distorted at first but quickly clarifying the distorted sounds into Naomi's anxious voice.

“Seven, it’s Naomi. We’re alive. We are on a Borg cube. They think Astrea is a map. Please hurry.” For a split second, Seven couldn’t move. The voice was unmistakable. Naomi Wildman subunit of Ensign Samantha Wildman.

Seven straightened sharply, her expression steely and decisive. "Icheb, begin tracing that signal immediately. Pinpoint their exact location, try to find Astreas signal through your own, we may be able to trace it back through as you are from the same cube she was, but we won’t have much time."

Icheb nodded urgently, already moving to comply. "Understood."

Seven didn't waste another moment. Turning swiftly, she headed out the doors, her steps echoing sharply down the corridor.