Editing Thomas (Tom) Ashford

Chief Petty Officer Tom Ashford is a freed Borg Trauma Surgeon at Starbase Freedom


[[File:Mark Edwards 2.png|thumb]]

Age: 83

Height 6'

Weight: 180 lbs

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown


ASSIMILATION & BORG HISTORY
Year of Assimilation: 2374 (Age 11)

Incident: Civilian shuttle intercepted by Borg vessel during transit. Parents and all passengers assimilated.

Active Drone Period: ~10 years
Specialization (Borg): Surgical processing, biological modification, drone stabilization procedures

Status: Placed into biological stasis for preservation 
Note: Despite stasis, the cortical node remained fully linked to the Collective. Subject reports continuous awareness without agency.

LIBERATION REPORT — 2437
Vessel Recovered: Borg Sphere (Drift 

Classification: Unknown Trajectory Deviation

Location: Near Vulcan space 

Sphere discovered adrift with 88 drones in stasis pods, only 22 were still viable.

Collective link severed prior to recovery (cause: unknown)
No active Queen signal detected
All drones revived under controlled Starfleet medical oversight

Subject Condition Upon Revival:
Severe neural overload trauma
Cortical feedback instability
Partial cybernetic decay (non-critical)
No independent identity recall for initial 19 hours

Critical Event:
Subject’s first independent vocalization:
“…the noise is gone.”

Outcome:
Successfully separated from Collective influence
Designated Liberated Borg Individual (LBI)
Transferred to Rehabilitation & Reintegration Program

PHYSICAL & CYBERNETIC PROFILE
Visible Augmentation:
Left Cranial & Facial Implantation
Exposed cybernetic lattice integrated along temporal and orbital region
Reinforced ocular housing with low-level red optical sensor. Heart and lungs, left side of the torso and the complete left shoulder and arm.

Functions:
Enhanced visual acuity (infrared/low-light spectrum)
Residual threat-assessment subroutines
Surgical precision targeting overlay (modified post-liberation)

Left Upper Limb — Fully Cybernetic Prosthetic
Complete replacement from shoulder joint down
Borg-origin mechanical framework, extensively modified by Starfleet Medical
Outer plating refined for humanoid appearance while retaining visible mechanical segmentation
Functions:
Extreme strength and stability beyond baseline human capability
Integrated micro-actuators enabling ultra-fine surgical precision
Built-in multi-tool interface (micro-scalpels, injectors, stabilization clamps)
Tactile feedback system calibrated to simulate human sensation (adjustable sensitivity)
Neural Interface Nodes (Subdermal)
Located along neck and upper spine
Previously linked to hive processing grid

Now repurposed for:
Medical data interface
Diagnostic overlays
Emergency neural stabilization protocols
Cortical Node (Retained, Modified)
No longer connected to Collective
Occasionally produces phantom signal feedback (see Psychological Profile)

General Physical Notes:
Above-average strength and reflexes (residual augmentation)
No heartbeat irregularities (fully biologically restored)
Scarring minimal—cybernetics intentionally left partially exposed per subject request

SURGICAL CERTIFICATION PATHWAY
Rehabilitation Period: 2437–2441
During reintegration, it was determined that subject retained:
Extensive anatomical knowledge
Procedural memory related to invasive surgical techniques
Exceptional motor precision

Ethics Evaluation:
Initial concern regarding Borg-acquired knowledge. Cleared after review—skills deemed adaptable for humanitarian use.

Training & Certification Timeline
2438–2440:
Accelerated Federation Medical Curriculum
Focus: Ethical medicine, patient autonomy, non-invasive care principles

2440–2442:
Residency Placement — Trauma & Emergency Surgery
Performance Rating: Exceptional under pressure

2442:
Official Certification: Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)

Specialization: Trauma Surgery

Notable Evaluation Comment:
“Ashford operates with machine-level precision—but chooses, consciously, to preserve life. That distinction matters.”

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE
Evaluator: Starfleet Medical Command — Psychological Division
Status: Active Monitoring (Non-restrictive)
Primary Traits
Controlled, reserved demeanor
High emotional suppression
Strong ethical alignment post-liberation
Displays deep discomfort with loss of patient life
Residual Borg Influence
Phantom Collective Echoes

Subject occasionally reports:
“Background silence where something should be”
Rare auditory impressions resembling distant voices (non-commanding)

Behavioral Indicators
Prefers structured environments
Exhibits instinctive efficiency prioritization
Minimal social engagement outside duty

Trigger Response
Exposure to Borg technology causes:
Elevated neural activity
Temporary fixation states
Increased implant glow intensity (ocular)
Core Psychological Conflict

Identity vs Function
Ashford demonstrates ongoing internal tension between:
Who he was programmed to be
Who he chooses to be now

Psych Evaluation Summary
“He does not fear becoming Borg again.
He fears discovering that some part of him never stopped being Borg.”

CURRENT ROLE — STARBASE FREEDOM
Division: Medical — Trauma Surgery Unit
Position: Trauma Specialist (Enlisted Specialist Role)
Duties
Emergency surgical response (station-wide)
Critical injury stabilization from:
Docking accidents
Civilian incidents (Promenade sectors)
Security engagements
On-call rapid deployment to:
All Modules 
Docking Bays
External hull incidents
Reputation on Station

Patients report:
Calm, direct communication
Unsettling but reassuring presence
Command Notes
“Petty Officer Ashford does not seek recognition.
He seeks outcomes.
And his outcomes save lives.”

FINAL STATUS
Clearance Level: Active Duty — No Restrictions
Medical License: Fully Authorized (Federation Standard)
Psychological Status: Stable, monitored
PERSONAL NOTE (SEALED ENTRY — AUTHORIZED ACCESS ONLY)

“I remember everything. Not as memories… but as functions.
I don’t forget what I was.
That’s why I know what I choose to be.”
— Tom Ashford

Recovery 


He isn't " Normal" but he's come a long way in his development. He doesn't remember his life as a child before Assimilation, so all he knows is his as part of the borg collective plus the past 9 years. 

Tom struggled with very simple things like understanding why people just go for a walk. He didn't understand performing a task for the sake of performing. He needs his actions to be justified with a purpose, walking to retrieve an object makes sense, but walking just to walk. Talking just to talk, it made no sense whatsoever.





Overview

A liberated Borg drone, former assimilation adjunct, trauma specialist, and enlisted Starfleet medical officer, Ashford stands as living proof that recovery from the Collective is possible — though never truly complete.
Assimilated by the Borg at the age of ten after the destruction of his family’s civilian transport vessel, Tom spent a decade as an active drone before entering long-term stasis aboard a damaged Borg sphere lost in deep space.
When the sphere was finally discovered in 2437, only twenty-two of its original eighty-eight drones remained alive.
Tom Ashford was one of them.
Since his liberation, he has spent years rebuilding himself piece by piece: physically, emotionally, socially, humanly.
Though portions of the Collective still linger in his memory and body, he continues to force himself closer to humanity, towards being human.



Early Life & Assimilation
Tom Ashford was born in 2363 to civilian parents traveling throughout Federation territory aboard independent transport routes.
Very little is known about his original childhood.
Tom himself remembers almost nothing from before assimilation.
In 2374, when Tom was only ten years old, the civilian transport carrying his family was intercepted and overtaken by the Borg.
The attack was swift.
Assimilation procedures began almost immediately after boarding. During the chaos, Tom became separated from his parents and was taken into Borg processing chambers alongside dozens of other civilians.
He never saw his parents again.

Within hours:
Neural implants were inserted
Biological suppression procedures began
Identity conditioning commenced
Tom Ashford ceased to exist within the Collective
He became:
Five of Eighty-Eight, Surgical Assimilation Adjunct of Unimatrix 12.


Life Within the Collective
Unlike many drones assigned to engineering or tactical functions, Five of Eighty-Eight was developed for medical and surgical purposes.
The Collective rapidly augmented him with:
Advanced anatomical databases
Multi-species physiological archives
Surgical processing algorithms
Cybernetic diagnostic systems
Medical adaptation routines
His body underwent severe modification:
Entire left arm replaced cybernetically
Major craniofacial implants added
Ocular enhancement implant installed
Internal cardiovascular replacement systems integrated
Cybernetic heart and lungs implanted
For ten years, Tom functioned as an active Borg medical drone.
He performed:
Surgical procedures
Drone repair operations
Assimilation preparation
Biological analysis
Implant integration
Though much of his emotional identity was suppressed during assimilation, fragments of instinctive compassion reportedly remained observable even within the Collective.
Recovered Borg records later showed that Five of Eighty-Eight consistently prioritized drone stabilization efficiency above assimilation speed — unusual behavior for a standard surgical adjunct.

The Lost Sphere
Sometime during the early 2380s, the Borg sphere carrying Tom suffered catastrophic damage under circumstances that remain partially unknown.
The vessel was:
Severely crippled
Knocked far off its intended trajectory
Cut off from Collective synchronization
Left adrift in deep space
As systems failed, emergency preservation procedures activated.
The drones aboard entered stasis.
Over time:
Power systems degraded
Support systems failed
Drone chambers malfunctioned
By the time the sphere was finally discovered in 2437, only twenty-two of the original eighty-eight drones survived.
Tom Ashford remained among the surviving drones in stasis.


Liberation
Tom’s liberation process was extraordinarily difficult.
Unlike drones liberated shortly after assimilation, Tom had spent:
Ten active years fully integrated into the Collective
Over fifty years in partial neural stasis
When disconnected, he possessed almost no functioning human identity.
Medical reports described him initially as:
Emotionally vacant
Mechanically responsive
Socially detached
Severely traumatized
Terrified by silence
The sudden absence of the Collective nearly destroyed him psychologically.
For the first time in decades: there were no voices.
No connection.
No certainty.
Only himself.


Rehabilitation
Tom entered one of Starfleet Medical’s most specialized liberated Borg rehabilitation programs on Vulcan
The process lasted years.
He had to relearn:
Social behavior
Emotional interpretation
Personal autonomy
Human interaction
Independent decision making
Identity formation
Because he possessed almost no memories from before assimilation, Tom effectively rebuilt himself from nothing.
Unlike some liberated drones who rejected their implants entirely, Tom eventually chose to keep many of his augmentations functional, believing they could still help others.
That decision would later define his medical career.

Medical Career
During rehabilitation, Starfleet physicians quickly recognized the extraordinary depth of medical knowledge remaining inside Tom’s cybernetic memory systems.
His implant architecture retained:
Massive anatomical databases
Surgical procedures
Diagnostic algorithms
Multi-species physiological records
Tom displayed exceptional aptitude in medicine almost immediately.
However, unlike the cold efficiency of the Borg, he gradually developed genuine compassion for patients.
Starfleet Medical eventually offered him a path into enlisted service rather than Academy commission.
Tom accepted.
He deliberately chose the enlisted route because he felt he had not truly lived enough as an individual to consider himself officer material.
Instead, he wanted to:
Learn slowly
Earn trust honestly
Serve directly

Starfleet Service
Tom eventually became a certified trauma specialist and surgical medical technician within Starfleet Medical.
His medical abilities became exceptional due to the combination of:
Human intuition
Borg precision
Cybernetic diagnostic capability
His ocular implant functions as an advanced biological scanner capable of:
Reading vitals
Detecting tissue damage
Monitoring neural activity
Tracking biochemical instability
Many jokingly refer to him as:
“A walking medical tricorder.”
Despite this advantage, Tom intentionally trained himself not to rely entirely on implants during surgery because he wanted to communicate more naturally with organic medical teams.
That choice earned enormous respect from fellow medical personnel.

Physical Appearance & Cybernetics
Tom retains extensive visible cybernetic modifications.
These include:
Left craniofacial implant assembly
Borg ocular implant
Cybernetic vascular interfaces
Full cybernetic left arm
Artificial cybernetic heart due to a congenital birth defect 
And artificial lungs 
Lead trauma response coordinator
Surgical specialist
Emergency triage authority
His ability to remain calm during catastrophic injuries makes him indispensable during emergencies.
Where other personnel panic, Tom becomes eerily focused.
Some officers find this unsettling at first.
Then they realize people survive because of it.

Personality
Tom Ashford is quiet, observant, and emotionally restrained — but not cold.
Years of rehabilitation have slowly shaped him into someone deeply compassionate beneath the lingering mechanical precision.
He is:
Soft-spoken
Patient
Intensely attentive
Dryly humorous
Gentle with patients
Emotionally cautious
Surprisingly warm once comfortable
Tom often studies people silently during conversations, not out of discomfort, but because human interaction still fascinates him.
He genuinely wants to understand people.
Even now.

Humanity Relearned
Tom still struggles occasionally with:
Crowded environments
Silence
Emotional overload
Personal identity
Fear of losing himself again
Yet over the years, he has slowly reclaimed pieces of humanity through:
Friendship, Service, Medicine, Choice

{{Starbase Freedom Crew Roster}}

[[Category:Characters]]