A Secret Worth Keeping (Part 2)

Posted on 02 Nov 2025 @ 10:25pm by Ensign Ryan Collingway

899 words; about a 4 minute read

///USS Thysia///
(Continued)

The corridor appeared to be empty. Ryan gripped his phase pistol tightly. He could hear the sound of pounding in the distance. “That seal isn’t going to hold for long.”

They soon arrived at a break in the passageway, going to the left and right. “Which way?’” Ryan whispered. “There are escape pods on either side.”

“Let me check out the right,” Mendon said. “Stay here.”

Ryan nodded. “Be careful,” he said, and watched him disappear into the darkness.

“Ryan!” one of the engineers hissed. Ryan turned to the left, and for the first time in his life, saw the Borg.

He had heard stories about them, of course. Seen videos. But nothing compared to the real thing. Two of them walked towards him, in tandem. No expression of life on their faces. Just machines with flesh around them. Ryan took out his phase pistol, his hand shaking. He had never killed anything before. But he had to do it. He fired. An invisible shield around them blocked the blast. With now-clammy hands Ryan turned the phase pistol to the highest setting and fired. They both fully vaporized. Ryan looked at the other engineers. “Get to the escape pods!” he ordered. It had been too long. Where was Mendon? “I have to get Lieutenant Mendon!”

“We don’t know if it’s clear!” one of them.

“We have to chance it,” Ryan said, and watched as they ran off. He went to the right.

It didn’t take him long to find the Benzite. He was sitting on the ground, black veins growing on his neck. “Lieutenant!” Ryan shouted, bending down and giving him a shake. "Can you hear me?"

Mendon opened his eyes. “I’m all right,” he said. “Here, help me stand. My physiology…prevents rapid assimilation.”

“Oh, thank God,” Ryan said, helping him stand. “We can get you to a Starship. We can save you!”

“No,” Lieutenant Mendon said sadly. “That’s not going to happen. Ryan, I’m a Benzite. You know what that means.”

“What? I don’t…I don’t…” Ryan stammered, but on the edge of his consciousness, he *did* know. Mendon had talked about it occasionally. Benzites were all born similar. Similar bodies, similar organs. Some of them had engaged in organ-swapping, which led to a civil war. Until the Benezites changed their birthing chambers to become genetically different.

“If word gets out to my people…they will think I’m trying to change us all to be similar. They'll say I did this intentionally.”

“No, that’s stupid!” Ryan protested. “We were attacked! They’ll understand that!”

“You don’t understand my people!” Mendon all but screamed at him, gripping his shoulders. “The slightest suspicious act can cause years of questioning! They’ll drag my family out into the street! Starfleet will get involved-this could even cause a civil war-”

“Can we please talk about this when we’re not here?” Ryan pleaded.

“I’m not going back,” Lieutenant Mendon said. He squared his shoulders. “It’s too dangerous for me to be on that escape pod with you. By the time help comes...I'll be one of them. You have to kill me. And promise me you’ll never tell them I was assimilated. That’s an order.”

“No, that’s ridiculous. I’m not going to kill you,” Ryan said, shaking his head. He dropped his weapon.

“You have to!” Lieutenant Mendon said, gripping his shoulders tighter. “I can feel it worming inside me! Do it, or I’ll kill you!”

Mendon suddenly threw him into the wall, hard. Ryan was stunned as Mendon rushed him, his hands wrapped around his throat. For a few seconds, panic gripped him as he couldn’t breathe. He fought against Mendon’s grip, but it was too strong.

“I’m sorry, Ryan!” Mendon said, tears running down his face.

Ryan sank to the ground and grasped for the fallen phaser. He struggled to set it to heavy stun and fired. Mendon released him and fell back a few steps. But that was all. Ryan gasped for breath.

By now, the black veins had covered all of his face. “You will be assimilated,” he said.

Ryan set the phaser to a full setting and fired. Mendon was completely vaporized. Blood splashed against his body and face. Ryan screamed.

For a moment, there was silence. He couldn’t even hear the red alert anymore. He couldn’t move or feel anything. It might have been minutes, or hours, before the engineering team came back for him.

It was the last thing he remembered for quite some time.

---Starbase 369----

Ryan sighed as he looked at the glass. It was now almost empty. He ordered another one. Why not? What followed after the incident on the USS Thysia was lots of medical sessions, and therapy. Of course he couldn’t tell the truth of what happened. Perhaps Mendon was right. To do so could cause a civil war. And avoiding that was worth anything. Even clearing his own name.

But until now, perhaps to the end of time, he was the incompetent officer who had gotten his direct supervisor killed. And in the end, that was what happened. Mendon was dead, because of him.

The details didn’t matter.

Ensign Ryan Collingway
Engineering
USS Thysia (sacrifice)
Current posting: USS Arawyn

 

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