The Pinicon Belt

She smiled weakly at the AI, not entirely sure what to ask it. Is there any danger in connecting with the interface if you are a different species than the sculptors? What did they look like?

Jayce's words fall on deaf ears. Even as your crew move into positions, the other reality's Doctor takes the headset in the Sculptor Apparatus room and begins to try and learn what she can. It would be easier for her if you interfaced with the Archives. Still, she had been ordered to try.

Aurin looked a little disappointed that he was being called away from the archive, but it sounded like things were getting a bit more urgent. He patted Doctor M'Ress on the shoulder. "Let us know if you find anything that might change their minds." With that, he turned to join Cole. He did not fancy himself a diplomat or a man of action, but he couldn't refuse the call. Perhaps he could come to a solution working directly with the machine.

"Commander," he spoke, as he followed Cole through the ruined corridors, drifting in the microgravity, "We know what we want, but... what is the range acceptable outcomes, here? If we can't stop them from using the device... do we destroy it?" He left hanging what the consequences of that might be.

The darkened, battered corridors of the derelict station seemed to match Cole's mood, his own questions asked aloud as Aurin pushed for clarity on their orders moving forward. The station's interface was clear, any dramatic changes to any reality would have the potential - or definite rather - consequences across all the multiverse. On the one hand, besides the fact that Starfleet and Federation would not condone the elimination of an entire species - hostile or otherwise - there was no way to know, in addition to unintended and disastrous effects to all realities not just their dopplegangers, what the consequences would be to the apparatus that might effect their ability to return to their own reality.

On the other hand, he could sympathize with their plight. It was clear their ongoing war with the Borg was taking a tremendous toll - had he been given the same opportunity at the heart of the war with the Dominion, would he had considered the same bold strategy. With a resigned and frustrated grunt he responded to the science officer's questions, "I think we have to consider it a possibility."

Entering the chamber that held the strange race's, known to them only as 'The Sculptors', Cole's eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed as he instantly picked up on the chilly demeanor of his crew and that of their counterparts with the other Doctor M'Ress seemingly plugged in to the alien machine via headset.

"Lieutenant Devar. SitRep," he barked as he scanned the room through narrowed, hard eyes.

"They are trying to use the device, sir" Luna replies to the request of a situation report. "Do we stop them?"

"As Luna said commander, and they refused my pleas to reconsider and wait for our two teams to collaborate our information."

Cole's crewmen's urgent reports filled the confined space of his environmental suit's helmet as he held his alternate self in a steely gaze, a brow rising in unspoken question as he waited for an explanation.

Captain Walker is not immune to the rising tension. "Once we learn to use it, we'll send you back to your reality. Then we'll go home ourselves. If you want to send yourselves back first, then go ahead. Either way, we will use the device, and we will eliminate the Borg in our reality." He's firm, prepared to argue this indefinitely.

As if facing a mirror, Cole was very familiar with the stubbornness on display, and like his counterpart he would not balk. "The station's interface was very adamant that a dramatic change like that would have significant consequences across multiple realities," he stated, his tone matter-of-fact, "What good is it to us to be sent home only to find our reality changed beyond recognition."

He couldn't be sure if this Cole Walker's upbringing mirrored his own, "Besides ... my experience is that nature will always find a way.

"Sure you may eliminate the Borg from your reality ... only to find another race had stepped in to take it's place."

His own thoughts drifted to the Dominion. How many realities saw them to be the conquerors.

"Why don't my science officer, counselor, and doctor join yours in interacting with the AI a bit more? There may be an alternative - or less potentially devestating option yet to be discovered and explored."

It's clear that the other team will not back down. They're tensing up, ready to act. Based upon your idea, they look at the Captain who considers it for a moment.

"It would be foolish to ignore the offer. I'll give you a standard hour to find an alternative, and then we're proceeding. We must find a solution that eliminates the Borg threat against the Federation. I will not be responsible for the billions of deaths still to come by not eliminating this cancer before it kills the body. What ripples there may be in your reality have to be weighed against the total loss of freedom and virtual genocide against dozens of races that will occur in ours."

Aurin found himself a seat on one of the equipment cases. His hands folded in front of him, as the immediate threat seemed to subside. With time and space, he could only hope Jayce could bring them to a more reasonable place. They seemed well cushioned from compassion by conviction and desperation, and he doubted that this was the moment to appeal to the rational.

Immediately the tension that had been building in the confines of the apparatus room lessened somewhat as the alternate Cole agreed to allow some more time for research. Dipping his head slightly in respect towards the Captain, Cole turned towards Jayce and Aurin, "Jayce. Assist the doctor here in sussing out how the headset interacts with the apparatus. Take some scans - see if it can be operated from a tricorder or alternate method as I am not keen on someone having to interact with an alien device." He placed emphasis on scanning the device, holding the counselor's gaze with his own momentarily hoping his officer would catch the importance of his reference.

"Aurin. Let's return to the Archives and see what more can be gleaned from the Custodian."

To his other two officers he held their looks, his eyes flicking slightly towards their dopplegangers and hoping they would understand he meant for them to stay and observe the other team without having to mention it.

One hour of truce think to herself. Of course she noticed the XO brief glance and the meaning of it. She is on the same page and vigilant.

Drake is alternately tense then slightly less so as the hour of reprieve is issued. He continues to keep a steady watch over his crew's safety and on the actions of the doppelgangers.

Jayce nods in understanding to Commander Walker and when the Commander and Aurin leave, Jayce readies his tricorder and thinks for a moment...an idea comes to him. He turns to the doppleganger M'Ress.

"Doctor, I believe a good plan of action is to train a tricorder on the brain wave patterns of two of our officers. It would of course be better to train it on many, hundreds even, but two will have to suffice for the sake of time. After we do that, we can then, with another tricorder, scan the apparatus as we broadcast the trained neural patterns through the headset.

I know Captain Walker has granted only an hour for this exploration. But if we work efficiently, I feel in half that time we could scan enough training data into the tricorder to have a viable chance to get the apparatus to respond.

One thing...that could increase the efficiency of this endeavor is if I were to, as an empath, telepathically connect to the two officers we train the tricorders on. This will allow me to make fine tuning adjustments to the tricorder settings that we otherwise would not be able to make. Ready to give it a shot?"