Gwyn and The Diviner have their talk about the device The Diviner has rigged the Protostar with to destroy the Federation. Suddenly Dal’s walking with The Diviner. It’s a hologram recreation of Gwyn’s memory.

The rest of the Protostar crew are there as well.

As they process the information, Murf makes some strange noises. Rok is concerned for him.

Hologram Janeway believes she’d know if there was a Vau N’akat weapon on the ship. Jankom Pog reminds her that The Diviner and Drednok had wiped the memory of the protostar engine from her programming.

Zero is upset when the hologram gets to the moment they showed themself to The Diviner, causing him to go mad.

The crew search the ship for the weapon. Finally, they find a Vau N’akat symbol on the floor. Gwyn’s fretwork reacts to the symbol and turns into a key, opening the panel to a secret room under the bridge.

They discover the weapon reacts and protects itself so they are unable to destroy it.

Just then, the ship detects another vessel. It’s a Borg cube.

Hologram Janeway explains what the Borg are and advises them to get away. Gwyn theorizes that the Borg might be able to figure out a way to neutralize The Diviner’s weapon. Zero detects the cube is dormant. Hologram Janeway doesn’t like the plan but offers to brief them on the Borg so the mission stands a chance of succeeding.

Vice Admiral Janeway replicates a cup of tea. Asencia comments on the drink. Together they go to see The Diviner in sickbay and ask Dr. Noum how he’s doing.

The Diviner begins to speak and the first thing he says is, “They took my daughter.” Janeway wants to be able to question him but Dr. Noum isn’t optimistic about it since he doesn’t know the species or anything about their neurology.

Asencia suggests they replicate the serum they found in The Diviner’s stasis suit. Janeway is impressed with her innovative thinking.

In the Borg cube, Hologram Janeway is analyzing why the cube is dormant. She advises the crew to act harmless in order to be ignored.

Jankom is impressed with the Borg tech.

The crew go in search of the Borg vinculum (nerve center/central data hub) to see if they know how to disarm the weapon on the Protostar.

They reach the vinculum but Jankom can’t figure out how to access it. Dal realizes it’s only accessible by someone who plugs themselves into the Collective.

Zero, having once belonged to a hive mind, offers to link with the Borg Collective.

Zero enters the Collective and introduces themself. They identify them as Species 802, Medusan. They explain Zero’s presence cannot harm them and they’ll add their uniqueness to the Collective. Zero finds it all very overwhelming.

Hologram Janeway warned them that the Borg are waking up.

With Borg closing in, Dal tells the team to leave Zero and run away, promising to return for Zero.

On a bridge, they are overtaken by Borg. Dal cuts the supports to a panel, dropping Gwyn to the level below. He tells her to get away and save Zero. He, Rok, and Jankom are taken by the Borg.

In the Collective hive mind, the Borg invite Zero to join them. They respond they can’t because of the weapon on the Protostar. The Borg have scanned the ship and identify the weapon as “the living construct.”

The Borg decide they’ll assimilate the Protostar and use the living construct to assimilate more enemies. They trap Zero and Zero’s purple color turns Borg green.

Gwyn tries to contact the rest of the crew but Hologram Janeway tells her they’ve all been captured. She advises Gwyn to put her fretwork weapon away and appear as harmless as possible in order to get back to the rest of the team.

Gwyn walks through a crowd of Borg unharmed. She finds the others about to be assimilated. Zero approaches, glowing green.

Gwyn tries to talk to Zero, convince them to fight the Collective. Zero responds that they hurt and endangered their friends. Gwyn points out the Borg are making Zero hurt them for real. She insists that resistance is NOT futile.

This gets through to Zero and within the hive mind, they break free.

Zero lures the Collective into a dormant state momentarily and frees the crew quickly. They return to the ship and Janeway and escape the cube.

Zero reports to the crew that the Borg’s analysis shows the living construct cannot be turned off or removed.

A distress signal comes in and the Protostar jumps to action.

On the Dauntless, Vice Admiral Janeway records a log for Stardate 61284.3

They’ve arrived at CR 721 to find it destroyed. Janeway fears Chakotay is no longer in command of the Protostar and vows to stop whoever did this damage.

In sickbay, The Diviner regains consciousness.