2419.08

We completed our assimilation of the old Sphere, updating a lot of the technology aboard to modern standards. The frozen infant we found belonged to a Species designated 'Aieck'. Species designation 10033. It survived and has been re-assimilated and placed in a maturation chamber aboard Probe 815               We began searching for another Species found in the Sphere database designatated 'Qhil', Species 10034, to assess their assimilation worth. Heading to the area of space that the Sphere database indicated they belonged in, we encountered a vessel, 4m*2m*2m in length. Our scans showed that the vessel was warp-capable and unfamiliar. It had one life-form aboard which matched the data we had assimilated from the Sphere on Species 10034. We assimilated the vessel and its occupant but found no relevant data from the individual and very little from the vessel's computer. We do not know how the individual was able to pilot the vessel as it appeared to have no knowledge of how to do so. It did not even have knowledge of the location of its world, though navigational data from the vessel revealed where it was going. The vessel its-self had advanced sensors and some kind of inter-facing technology that allowed a direct link between the pilot and the vessel. Bio-electric purple tubes ran through the vessel and connected the individual to the interface until we severed it.                   We proceeded to the Species 10034 colony that the vessel had been headed for. There were defences in place within the system but none activated to our presence. When we informed the residents of the planet that they would be assimilated, they welcomed us and offered no immediate resistance. Several submatricies of drones were transported to the planet and we began assimilating individuals and technology. None of the individuals we assimilated appeared to possess any relevant data. The individuals did not appear to know how to perform the tasks that we witnessed them performing well. The data is confusing and we have yet to find a reason for the lack of information stored within these units. Tablets, consoles and entertainment devices were found which also possessed no useful information.               The cities and towns were organised efficiently in quadrilateral units containing living spaces, gardens, repair facilities, garages and hospitals. The centre of every town and city contained a large orange hemisphere. Smaller versions of these devices were found in the centres of all living spaces. AFRED and Four of Six investigated a powerplant and found alcoves containing elderly individuals. Their neural and physical energy appeared to be being used to power the cities. There were several thousand of these power plants on the planet. Nine of Ten observed an operation being conducted on infants of the species that involved linking a small device to their nervous systems. Scans of the device indicated that it was some kind of neural interface. Every individual belonging to the species that we encountered had one of these devices installed.                 We were able to assimilate 20,000 individuals before the malfunctions began. AFRED followed a tunnel behind one of the power plants to a door. When Four of Six tried to open the door, drones that had not long been assimilated began to attack it. They were deactivated but Four of Six was damaged. Three of Six repaired the damage and Four of Six was able to destroy the door, granting access to the room behind it. Four of Six, Three of Six and AFRED were then attacked by more malfunctioning drones. As Four and Three of Six deactivated the malfunctioning units, AFRED went into the room and began investigating. The room appeared to be the inside of one of the orange hemispheres we had seen located throughout all of the towns and cities. Purple wires ran throughout the hemisphere and formed patterns which indicated part of an artificial neural net. Six of Six was sent to assist Three and Four of Six in deactivating the growing number of malfunctioning drones attacking us.                 Units which had belonged to Species 10034 began to malfunction on-mass. They began by trying to deactivate our units but then modified their nanoprobes so as to allow them to spread their malfunction. Two of Ten, its subunit, Four of Ten and the rest of Submatrix 34 were efficient in deactivating the malfunctioning units in the city designated 'Fermouth' but our losses were increasing without corresponding gain. All those we had assimilated on the planet were malfunctioning, along with units the malfunctioning drones had managed to inject with modified nanoprobes. Nine of Ten and Six of Ten repaired the units still of us where possible. We found that the malfunctioning units were most efficiently deactivated by targetting the device on their necks, with the exception of Two of Ten's subunit whose most efficient method of deactivation was to consume the threats.                  Four of Six attempted to assimilate the orange hemisphere but a shockwave from the device was sent through its assimilation tubules before it could release any nanoprobes. Its neural transceiver overloaded and it was temporarily severed from us before Six of Six re-assimilated it. The Hemisphere's resistance quotient increased as it started sending bolts of energy at Three of Six, Four of Six, Six of Six and AFRED. There were too many frequencies to adapt efficiently too so the drones were commanded to leave the Hemisphere while we re-assessed the situation. We are Borg. We will prevail.