The Terrible Choice
This mission is a starship captain's worst nightmare, a horrific rock & hard place choice must be made.
The Setting:
The Brilayan Star League can be thought of as a corporate oligarchy.
Within their territory, Megacorps have emerged supreme and economically enslaved the 99.99%
The worst manifestation of this culture is the hive-factory, rivaling Borg cubes in size.
Located far off in deep space, the largest hold more than a million workers.
These people live their entire lives in VR Cubicles.
The Problem:
It's said that absolute power corrupts absolutely. I'll agree that in some cases it does.
What does a Megacorp do with an aging factory full of aging workers?
It's a sore temptation for some who live beyond legal accountability.
The factory might be abandoned, allowed to run down.
The Dilemma:
In pursuing "criminal anarchists" aka 'human rights activists', your Starship stumbles across a dying hive.
- Your ship hasn't the means to rescue but a tiny fraction of the factory population.
Even if you did, workers have never been out of their cubicals. Many would go insane with terror.
- The Federation is too far away to help in time, perhaps prohibited the Brilayan League to trespass.
- This mission is predefined as having only ONE means to keep everyone from dying.
... turn your deep space beamer towards Borg space and invite them to come assimilate.
-----
This mission is extremely fertile ground for deep emotional and philosophical exploration.
- Let the hive factory die and open the Federation to accusations of mass murder?
Starfleet might order you to do that. Giving Borg manpower would militarily strengthen the enemy.
Defying that order would be treason.
- On the desperate hope that 'where there is life, there is hope', call the Borg?
Hope that someday these people could be liberated?
Captain, you don't get to soothe your guilt by staying behind to be assimilated with the workers.
You know too much about Starfleet. Look what happened after Picard was taken.
No, you'd have to helplessly watch (at a very safe distance) as myriads get dragged away in abject terror to be assimilated.
I would fully expect there to be fierce arguments amongst your starship crew.
Whichever way you chose, I would expect some kind of mutiny from those violently opposed to it.
This is a very hard, hard mission, boldly going more deeply into the human struggle than others have gone before.
The outcome of the mission is simple. Getting there, if written realistically, would be hardest trek of all.
The Terrible Choice
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