"In some cases they can if the death is recent, but the suicide methods we have on hand prevent that."

"Oh good. Are some of them more talkative than this? How much do they vary?"

"This is among the most talkative we have captured, likely due to how recently its host's planet was retaken."

"They clam up when their - voices are no longer likely to be destabilizing to hear -?"

"We think so? They tend to be more threatening when their host's home has yet to be assimilated. I'm not sure if they actually think through the strategy more than that."

"Do they communicate with each other?"

"Not while captive. While not captive they are part of a hivemind."

"How does that work?"

"Orders from an overarching intelligence much smarter than any individual. The collective intelligence doesn't seem to have anymore of a personality."

"I mean, how do they - be a hive mind - and why does capturing them stop them."

"They use subspace signalling, we use rather expensive shielding to block it within the cells prisoners are in."

"Mm." She sighs. "Can I have a moment to talk to it alone? I don't particularly expect it to be keeping quiet because you're here specifically, but just in case. I won't touch the controls for the containment field."

He presses the button to dull the screen.

"Probably it's obvious but uh, as a pre-caution don't mention things it could do to be more terrifying? It will probably ignore them but just in case."

He, and the guards even, can leave. Here is a panic button for her. And a gun which she can fire by doing this and will explode and kill her if she does these three things.

She repeats back the three things very seriously, takes the panic button, refolds her wings. Regards the Borg in silence for a moment once the room is cleared.

The Borg regards her similarly.

"Do you miss your hivemind?"

"This drone is part of the Borg and has been assimilated."

"I know. Are you unhappy that they're going to try to detach Hemmia?"

"This host has been assimilated. Resistance is futile."

"If they can't detach her they'll kill her, is that better?"

"Resistance. Is. Futile."

Their might be some... frustration? In the tone of the Borg's voice.

"What makes you think so?"

The Borg stares at her, plausibly annoyed but it might be that it always stares that way.

"I can see how it might save some time to make people believe resistance is futile. But of course if you need to pursue time-saving measures like that, it means you aren't going as quickly and smoothly as you'd like. Plenty of people resist long enough to buy some people time to escape long enough to live out their natural lives, don't they?"

The Borg doesn't respond, it's not even clear if it followed what she said.