WARNING: ADULT SCENE

When Ezra Standish returned to his quarters at the end of his duty shift, he had no great expectations for the evening. He knew Julia would not be freed from duty in Engineering for several hours yet, and she was probably busy ensuring everything was in perfect working order before she left with him for a week on Pacifica. As Ezra prepared for a quiet evening inside his quarters with only a copy of his favourite book, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales for company, Ezra could not deny how much he would enjoy their sabbatical away from the ship.

Ezra peeled off his clothes and stepped into the shower cubicle, thinking he was just tense enough to try the water showers Vin Tanner enjoyed so much. Sonic showers were more efficient than water showers but even Ezra had to admit they weren't as refreshing and he needed refreshing more than ever right now. More than any member of the senior staff, Ezra's relationship with Julia Pemberton was free of all the emotional baggage the others were presently enduring. While everyone on board knew the Captain and the Protocol Officer were involved, their passion for each other, though burning like a white-hot flame, was mostly relegated to long wistful looks, the occasional hand holding and the notes of concern they showed each other during crises.

Vin Tanner and Alexandra Styles' relationship was in an even greater state of limbo. They were lovers in every sense of the word, separated by a thin sheet of glass created by Vulcan physiology. As Chief Security Officer, Ezra was aware they sometimes spent their nights together and although he loved to speculate on what took place between them, Ezra knew it was mostly because Vin loved to see Alex next to him when he woke in the morning. Just as Alex needed his comfort to sleep. Ezra himself would not mind waking up next to Julia, had their relationship progressed that far, which it did not.

A lesser man might be incensed, Julia and he had yet to consummate their relationship. Ezra only needed to look in her eyes and know it was mostly because she was afraid.  For all her self-confidence, when it came to men, she was as unsure of herself as any woman entering the most important relationship of her life. He had no doubt Julia loved him and knowing that filled him with a feeling of happiness, devoid for most of his life. However, she was hesitant when it came to approaching the most intimate expression of her feelings for him. Ezra understood this was also coupled with the fear of ruining things between them by entering into those uncharted waters prematurely.

Ezra did not mind waiting, not at first, because he enjoyed being with her even without intimacy. Unfortunately, he was a man with needs and try as he might, the ability to contain them was fast slipping out of reach. He could feel them pressing against his skin, demanding release. Ezra's passion for Julia by now was almost frenzied but he forced himself to wait because he loved her too.

Ezra felt the beads of refreshing hot water running over his skin and decided Vin might have a point about bathing this way. Soaping himself up, he indulged himself under the hot spray, relishing the warm steam against his wet skin. Strange how this most primitive ritual could soothe the tension out of one's body with such ease. He was in the process of washing his face when suddenly, he heard the cubicle door slide open. Ezra almost jumped out of his skin from the shock of the intrusion when suddenly, he was greeted with an even more astonishing sight that forced him back into it again.

It was Julia.

Beautiful, naked Julia, stepping into the shower with him.

Ezra did not speak for a few seconds as his eyes travelled down from her face, rapidly becoming moist by the shower spray as she entered the narrow space with him. Down her creamy white neck, to the full breasts down past the smooth curves of hip and to the mound of dark hair that sent a surge of desire racing from his eyes to his cock in less than a second. She did not waste any time indicating what she wanted of him when she reached for the soap and lathered her hands.

"I thought I'd join you, Commander." She whispered in his ear as she leaned forward, closing the distance between them.

"Julia," Ezra swallowed, anticipation building so fiercely inside of him, he thought he might explode there and then. "Are you sure?" He prayed that she was. He wanted her so badly right now, he could barely stand it.

Her soapy hand answered his question in one magnificent stroke of his rapidly hardening flesh. Ezra groaned, feeling every inch of her palm dragging over his heavy shaft before culminating with delicate swirls at the tip. His hand pressed the sides of the cubicle, trying to keep himself from ejaculating too quickly. She was nothing less than torturing him as she continued stroking him into erect desire, her lips moving to his bare chest, planting soft kisses against the slippery skin.

"Oh, my Lord." He whispered, feeling the pleasure as her soft lips moved to his nipple. Her tongue began swirling around the erect tip, teasing the elliptical flesh into a tight plateau the more she continued. God, he never imagined having her touch him could feel so good. They had kissed and at points, she had made him so hard he barely made it back to his quarters to please himself but this was beyond his imagining. Julia did not speak. She continued to lave his body with her hot tongue until Ezra was so incoherent with need he could barely think.

She pumped him with such brutal intensity Ezra could hardly think and then suddenly she stopped altogether. He opened his eyes and met emerald pools of amusement. She glanced down briefly, admiring the journey of water rinsing the soap off him and Ezra found himself subconsciously reaching for her hand, trying to get her to touch him again. Julia moved away and looked up at him.

"I have something better in mind." She said with a smile and lowered herself onto her knees.

Ezra felt his gut tighten in anticipation before she took his thick, full shaft into her mouth. The contact of warm, wet heat against him forced the security chief back against the wall, his jaw going slack with pleasure. He felt her talented tongue swirling over his glans, teasing the narrow slit and then sliding down the heavy shaft as far as it would go down her throat. Ezra was nearly mindless by the time she got that far. His hands snaked through her hair; his hips began thrusting forward into that tight ring of heat, teasing his cock until he was at breaking point. He watched the crown of wet hair, glistening with auburn fire as her lips taunted and teased until he was groaning out loud and not even caring.

But he wanted to care. He loved her. As much as he wanted her to finish him, to shoot jets of heat down her throat and have her lap him up in the same exquisite way she was sucking life and soul out of him, Ezra wanted to be with her when that moment came upon him. Slowly fighting the delightful feel of her mouth as it slid over his aching cock, sucking the head with such insistence the intention was almost forced from him, Ezra placed his hands on Julia's shoulder and started pulling her gently to her feet. She met his gaze with confusion although the absence of her lips from what they had been doing, almost made him sob with disappointment.

As soon as they were standing face to face, Ezra crushed his lips against her in a kiss of brutal passion. What she had just done to him was beyond belief. Her mouth opened beneath his, allowing Ezra to plunge past her teeth and begin a fierce duel of tongues as he continued to devour her lips like a man starved for an eternity. Ezra forced her against the glass wall of the cubicle, feeling her body pressed against his and finding another little groan of pleasure escaping him when the hard flesh of his cock slid into the warm welcome between her thighs. He fought the need to drive himself into her, restraining himself because he wanted to take it slow. He knew what a big step this was for her.

His hands cupped both her breasts and began to knead gently, the slick feel of water, making him feel every perfect curve with heightened sensation. He heard her whimper softly as his fingertips lavished the same attention she had given him a few minutes ago. His mouth slid over the soft creamy skin of her neck, never imagining it could taste so good. She was utterly incredible, Ezra thought to himself, revelling in the sensation of her taut body against his own, aware the writhing sensations rippling through her with each soft cry was an expression of her own need for him. The thought of her wanting him that much almost made him come there and then.

"Julia," Ezra said huskily as he lowered his mouth onto one nipple and sucked it past his teeth. She arched languidly against him, her hands digging into his back and hair, each time he swirled a tongue around that rosebud hardness. He had never wanted any woman as much as this and each time he felt her groan, felt himself slip closer to the point of no return. He continued to suckle on her for a little more, feeling her melt in his hands like soft butter before he straightened up to return his lips to hers. His journey back was slow and deliberate, kissing places on her body unaccustomed to such ministrations and felt her shudder with sensation each time he made contact.

"Ezra please," she begged softly. "I need you. I need you inside me."

"Oh Lord Julia," Ezra blinked hearing her desperate plea and feeling it all the way to his throbbing cock. Without wasting any more time, he reached for her thigh and hooked her leg around his hip before probing the slick space between them. Ezra watched her face as he slid into her for the first time. His breath caught at how beautiful she looked upon penetration, the glassy expression, the full lips slightly parted, the heaving breath as she accepted all of him as her fingers clawed at his back. Watching how she took him inspired such hunger within him, Ezra wished the moment would never end and only when he buried himself all the way inside her, did he dare to take a breath.

"You feel incredible," he grunted as he looked into her eyes, trying to come to grips with the intense sensation of taut muscle crushing him into subservience. Her hands dug into his rump, pulling him deeper into her as an indication for him to start moving and it was a request Ezra was more than happy to oblige. The first stroke into her almost drove the reason from him. It resonated through his entire being, making him shudder with pleasure and forcing him to thrust with even more abandon.

He never thought it could be this wonderful. He was a soul jaded, he knew that. He often thought poets and dreamers overrated how incredible it could be to make love to someone you loved. Ezra never believed it because he had relationships before and the one was never equal to the other. However, he could not deny his feelings for Julia were different. From the first moment he had seen her, Ezra knew he loved her and would until his dying day. Her ability to make him see things with awe and wonder had rekindled something inside his cynical core, long forgotten.

Each stroke into her was pure bliss. The harder he pumped, the more paralyzing the sensations became until he was bracing himself against the wet glass to control himself. Julia's hands were pulling him deeper into her until he began to feel himself collide against the barrier of flesh at the innermost depths of her. Each impact forced a shudder of pleasure through both of them, rippling through their bodies and their cries of ecstasy became one voice, reaching crescendo.

Ezra tried desperately to maintain control but the more and more he felt himself plunging into a well of delight, coupled with her heated cries, the more he felt himself slip away. The heat they generated inside the shower cubicle was so intense, Ezra wondered how the water was not turning into steam when it touched their skin. Suddenly, he felt her shudder in his arms and the muscles inside her tightened so intensely, he felt the air escape his lungs and drove the sense from his mind.

"Oh, Ezra!" Julia gasped, as the full flow of her climax ripped the reason from her in that one desperate groan of pleasure. Her inner muscles clenched around him and bathed his cock with fire until he felt seared alive in the fire of ecstasy.

"Good Lord, I cannot........!" He was commingled with lust as he felt himself literally explode within her body, releasing seed into the deepest crevices of her. He continued to pump every ounce of his release into her body, even while he was shaking from the overload of sensation. When he was completely drained, Ezra collapsed against Julia's body, breathing hard as he tried to believe what had just happened.

And he thought the only thing he would be doing tonight was reading.

"Miss Pemberton," Ezra remarked when he was able to breathe again. "You are full of surprises tonight."

She did not look at him, choosing to keep her head buried against his wet chest. "The night is not over Ezra."

Ezra's broke into a smile, feeling a shudder of renewed attention moving steadily down south with the thought of an entire night like this. "Since I am not needed elsewhere, I think I can accommodate you."

******

Where in the hell was Ezra Standish when you needed him?

Chris Larabee wondered as he peered gingerly past the doors of Holodeck 1 to see if there were any signs of danger in the corridor beyond it. There were a few people going about their business. They were walking up and down the carpeted floor on their way to one part of the ship or another, oblivious to his attempts to discern where danger might come at him, should he choose to emerge from his hiding place of the last few hours. He knew that he was being ridiculous. He was a Captain of a starship for God sakes, there had to be an easier way to deal with a girl who had a crush on him!

Chris emerged into the corridor and quickly made a beeline towards the turbo lift, hoping to get there before any young women accosted him with more than his coffee and status reports. He had spent the last three hours hiding inside the holodeck, running the Old West program he liked so much where he was the Man in Black. In that holographic simulation, the only person he had to deal with was outlaws, not some young girl whose feelings he was afraid of hurting when he had to refuse her.

Chris tapped his foot anxiously waiting for the turbo lift doors to open. His mind was racing at what he was to do about this situation. Not only was he going to have to let Casey down gently, but he was also going to have to face JD and explain to the kid this was not his fault, he had done nothing to lead Casey on. Whether or not JD believed him would not matter, the young man was still going to be hurt because he was pretty hung up on the girl.

The doors slid open and Chris prepared to flee if by any chance Casey was inside it waiting for him. Fortunately, however, when the turbo lift did finally show him its contents, the only person there was Buck Wilmington.

"Hey, Chris," Buck said with a grin as Chris stepped inside the lift with him.

"Didn't I leave you in command?" Chris looked at the man, wondering what on Earth that smirk on his face was all about. "Computer, Deck 10," Chris instructed before turning back to Buck to await an answer.

"I left the con in JD's hands," Buck replied, still smiling. "It was pretty quiet up there and the kid can handle it."

Chris nodded in agreement. JD was more than capable of taking care of things in the interim and if something did come up that was beyond his scope of experience, he had sense enough to let them know about it.

"Okay," Chris said with a sigh. "I know that look. Which unfortunate ensign, lieutenant or whatever, did you score with this time?"

"Oh now Chris," Buck gave him a reproachful look but was still unable to get that smirk off his face. "A gentleman doesn’t  kiss and tell."

"A gentleman doesn't," Chris agreed. "But we're talking about you. Don't make me make that an order Commander," the Captain grinned. He needed to hear something optimistic today, even if it was the tale of Buck's latest conquest.

"Alright," Buck retorted and gave his captain a look. "Let's just say Alex is starting to come out of her shell."

"You're dreaming." Chris snorted. Alex? That was about as likely as a Klingon deciding to take up ballet dancing wearing nothing but a tutu. "You would have better luck trying to keep Ezra out of a card game then you would with Alex."

"I thought so too," Buck conceded that much but he knew otherwise. "But apparently today, the lady was more accommodating."

He was not joking. Chris knew Buck well enough to know when his oldest friend was joking and the expression on the first officer's face, though smug as all hell and so he should be if he managed to hurdle that particular impossibility, was genuine. He was telling Chris the entire truth. "You slept with Alex? Commander Styles?" Chris exploded.

"Hey, I am as shocked as you are but the woman was extremely hard to ignore," Buck replied, his eyes misting over as he remembered how hard he had come into her body when he was pumping into her on the desk of the Captain's office. Perhaps he ought to leave that little bit of the story out for Chris's benefit. "She just took me. I had no choice in it."

"She took you?" Chris looked at Buck sceptically. "You're telling me Alexandra Styles just came up to you and fell into your arms, just like that?" Chris tried to wrap his mind around the idea and then found it was too impossible. While Alex and Buck were friends with the former respecting the man enough to work exceptionally well with him, Chris knew for a fact, Alex abhorred Buck's mating habits. She thought him a pig and it was a running joke how she would often voice it.

"Not into my arms," Buck said guiltily. "More like on her knees." The grin sneaked across his face as Chris's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my God." Chris's jaw dropped open. He was not certain from envy or astonishment.

"And you and her..."

"Three times, the first on..." he paused and then responded after a moment's thought. "On the desk in my quarters and then twice on the bed. I thought I knew something about pleasing women but that girl just rode me until I thought I was going to die." He said with a wistful sigh, his body still warm with satisfaction at the memory of that passionate bout of lovemaking. "But what a way to go."

"Buck!" Chris jabbed him in the shoulder. "How could you do that to Vin?"

"Vin?" Buck looked at Chris, unable to believe Chris would think he had not considered Vin. "I told her that but she said that she could not get what she needed from Vin and it didn't mean anything. She just wanted a good time. I'm sure if Vin was up..."

Chris gave him a murderous glare. "Choose another word, Commander."

Buck realized what he had almost said and turned red with embarrassment before speaking again.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly and continued. "I'm sure if Vin was capable of giving her what she needed she would have gone to him. As it was, all she wanted was a little loving from someone who could make her feel good. What's the harm in that?"

"The harm in that Commander," Chris stared at him. "Is that Vin is not going to see it that way. He is in love with her! Hell, we all know that! Sure, he isn't mature enough to do anything about it but you can tell that just by the way he looks at her! How do you think he is going to feel knowing you gave her what he couldn't! It’s bad enough the man has an inferiority complex the size of a red giant without you having to make things worse!"

And he thought he had an explosive situation with Casey and JD. This seemed to pale in comparison.

"Chris...." Buck started to say, realizing the magnitude of what Chris was trying to impart and suddenly coming up with the terrible conclusion what he shared with Alex might have far-reaching consequences.

"Don't Chris me!" The Captain snapped genuinely angry. "You're my oldest friend and I love you Buck but I am also Captain of this ship and you should have had sense enough to say no. We've got a situation on our hands and it’s getting worse. I have no idea how things are going to be after this!"

"I will talk to Vin!" Buck exclaimed, grasping at straws to fix the situation even though the damage was done and quite irrevocably.

Buck did not regret what he had shared with Alex. It was incredible. She was incredible. He wondered what a passionate woman she must have been before the Cardassians had done their worst because even as he was making love to her, he sensed something was being held back as if she did not quite trust him enough. He had lavished ten kinds of pleasure on her and even though Buck heard her call his name in abandon, he sensed it was not entirely what she wanted. Buck knew whom she wanted was Vin but he was not so selfish as to mind.

For Buck, there was nothing finer than making a woman feel good, whatever the reason.

"You better," Chris said as the door slid open on his level. "Because I don't need to remind you just how pissed off a Vulcan can be."

With that Chris stepped out of the lift, leaving Buck to his thoughts.

 ******

"How much farther?" Nathan Jackson asked Rain as he looked up the long tunnel of the Jeffreys tubes into which they emerged once they escaped the turbo lift. It was just a matter of time before those who had taken the ship and had trapped them there would come looking for them and if not, they could not remain languishing in its narrow confines while the Maverick was being overrun. Nathan knew chances were good the bridge had no idea what was going on yet. Judging by the effort the enemy had invested in keeping them from reaching it by deactivation of the turbo lift and disconnection of their com badges, the taking of the Maverick depended on getting around Chris Larabee.

In this anyway, Nathan could understand their trepidation. Chris did not miss anything and a full frontal assault by the enemy would only make the commander of the Maverick react with extreme prejudice and Chris Larabee acting with extreme prejudice usually meant equally extreme consequences if they failed. Besides, Chris could shut down the bridge with a word which was why the invaders had chosen a more subtle attack. It was highly likely the enemy would leave the bridge until last, thus giving Nathan and Rain some time to warn the senior staff before the move was made to take it. However, Nathan was also afraid they might have already moved against the bridge since the Captain was not in the least bit aware his female officers were not who they appeared to be.

Whatever had taken over the female officers of the ship, Nathan had yet to determine if it was indeed an alien entity or some unknown space dementia never before encountered by any Starfleet vessel, he was certain a great many women on board were affected. Unfortunately, it appeared two of these women had easy access to the bridge, where their actions might not be questioned until it was too late. Alexandra Styles was most certainly affected, Nathan decided. She was the first to encounter the artifact and it would be from her the others were taken over. Disengaging the turbo lift and leaving it where it was, without even an investigation when the computer would have indicated signs of passengers, told Nathan it took Julia Pemberton's rank and expertise as an Engineer to accomplish this.

Nathan felt beads of sweat running down his back and felt his arms strain as they continued to climb up the endless row of rungs against the side of the tube in their efforts to reach the bridge. The climb was long and arduous and worse yet, they were a long way from reaching their destination. While Nathan had no difficulty making the climb, having been an active participant of Starfleet survival training, Nathan knew that their problem was not scaling the distance required but rather being allowed. Beneath them, the turbo lift sat dormant and unmoving because of its enforce inactivity but if it were to start moving, Nathan shuddered to think where they could hide to escape its path.

"Another twelve decks." Rain replied, studying her surroundings closely. Although to Nathan one level of the Jeffreys tube looked no different than the other. It was an entirely different thing for Rain. She was technical staff whose business it was to know every nook and cranny of this ship as it was his duty to be completely well versed in all the different physiology of life forms he was required to treat.

"Rain," Nathan asked glancing anxiously down at the turbo lift. "What would happen to us if the turbo lift starts moving?"

"You mean before or after we get crushed to a pulp?" She responded to his question with one of her own, delivered with a little smile of mischief as she glanced down at him.

"Nevermind," the healer gulped visibly. "That answer just painted a picture that speaks a thousand words."

Rain knew she ought not to be teasing him because he was unaccustomed to this kind of labour not to mention forced to solve a problem that did not necessitate him being in front of a microscope for hours on end.

"Relax," she assured him mostly out of guilt. "You don't have to worry. The minute it looks like the turbo lift is going to be activated and in case there is personnel conducting maintenance, the computer lets them know."

"What if the alert protocols have been disabled?" He threw another question at her and Rain had to confess this time, it was not so easy to answer.

"Normally, emergency lights activate and they are independent of any of the usual safety protocols. They operate from a different system so they remain unaffected by tampering. Why do you ask?' She inquired as she pulled herself up another rung and felt the ache all the way down to her toes. They had climbed quite a distance and though she was healthy enough to endure it, she knew that if she survived today, tomorrow she was going to be paying for it.

"Emergency lights." Nathan mused softly and for a moment he did not speak but continued climbing.

"Yeah," Rain nodded. "There are about a dozen procedures in place for anything to function on board a starship," she explained. "If I told you how many backup relays and safety precautions I have to go through with transporting people, you'll never again worry about having your atoms scrambled. A group of Starfleet Engineers get together just to see how much abuse they can hurl at everything that gets put on a starship and then try to imagine what they can come up with that's completely beyond the scope of anything one might experience in space."

"How comforting," Nathan said dryly. "So these little lights that have just flicked alight on the topside of the turbo lift are nothing to worry about?"

Rain froze.

"Lights?" She winced inwardly.

"Yeah," Nathan nodded staring at small bulbs that had just flickered on. They did not seem to do much else except illuminate the top of the turbo lift and were not quite bright enough to create any illumination inside the tunnel that was any good to them. "About a second ago."

"Oh." She nodded and then braced herself to tell him. However, first, her eyes searched the area for where they were. Twelve decks and still nowhere close to the bridge, she decided. However, she realized with a flash of inspiration, they were just a deck away from Sick Bay. At the very least, it would be of small comfort to him when Rain told Nathan what was about to transpire.

"Uh, Nathan?" She said starting to climb faster. The nearest deck doors were only dozen or more rungs away.

"What?" There was something in her voice he did not like. Something that made him look up instantly.

"Start climbing!" She declared just as the low hum of the turbo lift below echoed after them.

"Oh hell!" Nathan exclaimed in fright and quickened his pace as he scrambled up the ladder after her. The turbo lift was still motionless but Nathan was not about to look behind him for a visual confirmation of that fact.

"Don't worry, " Rain called down as she puffed up the rungs. "It has a two-minute initialization protocol when it’s forced to make a cool start!"

"Oh how nice!" Nathan growled as he hauled himself up another rung and continued keeping his eyes focused on the doors leading to the nearest deck. He did not care even if he ended up in the same place they had left as long as they escaped this dark passageway before they ended up on the side of a speeding turbo lift like an insect caught on the plexiglass shield of a speeding hover car.

"We're almost there!" She cried out as the doors that led to salvation came in sight. "We're only a few meters away."

Suddenly, the turbo lift heaved into action and began its gradual climb towards them. It covered the distance quickly even though the lone occupants inside the narrow Jefferies tube were making brisk pace themselves. Nathan had not believed he could climb so fast as he and Rain began scrambling upwards, trying to outrun the turbo lift and certain death coming towards them. Rain was not even thinking in sentences as her brain's impulses moved so quickly, her movements as she reached the emergency exit lever of the doors were almost reflex. She tore open the small compartment where the lever was hidden and pulled it down with one powerful tug. The lever snapped to the other side and a gasp of hydraulic gasses forced the doors open above her.

Rain scrambled the remaining distance just as she saw the turbo lift charging towards Nathan with barely a second to spare. With the same reflexes, she rolled onto her knees and reached down to grab Nathan by his Starfleet uniform and yanked him towards her. Nathan all but toppled over the edge between the long shaft of Jeffreys tube and the safety of the deck, just as the turbo lift displaced the air where he would have been with its slick arrival. He collapsed on top of her and for a few seconds, both could only lie there shaking, as the turbo lift came to a halt at the doors, once again returning to its benign state with an open invitation for passengers to climb on board.

"That," Nathan managed to say once his stomach had returned to the correct place in his abdomen, having been displaced to his throat for a brief second, "was too close."

"In more ways than one." Rain said impatiently, waiting for him to get off her. While this might be engaging at another time and place, at the moment, his positioning was leaving her decidedly vulnerable.

"Oh," Nathan realized where he was. Actually, he had about sixty seconds ago but after what he had been through, what with being almost mashed to death by a runaway turbo lift, he figured what the hell. "Sorry."

"I'm sure you are." Rain replied giving him a look exuding utter disbelief at the apologetic expression on his face, an expression given away by the glimmer of mischief dancing in his eyes.

Nathan rolled off her and rose to his feet, before helping her do the same. They both spent a few seconds dusting themselves off and trying to regain their equilibrium after the scare of a few minutes ago. Mostly, both were trying to decide what their next move would be.

"We're near Sick Bay," Nathan exclaimed once he realized where they were.

"I was going to save the surprise for our anniversary but gosh darn it, you got it out of me Nathan Jackson." Rain teased and he flashed her a smile deciding there and then his life had changed and she was going to be a part of it. Despite their present circumstances, it was a good feeling.

"We can go find Josiah." He said still wearing a little smile at her attempt at humour as he started striding towards the Counselor's office. "If I know that man, he'd be working hard right until we got to Pacifica."

"Unless some woman has blindsided him and he's mating like a rabbit." Rain said under her breath as she followed him.

"Hey, I don't need that picture in my head." He scolded and then realized that it was not such a remote possibility. After all, Nathan was only just this morning telling him about Audrey and their trip to Pacifica together.

It was not long before they arrived at the Counsellor's office with no one interfering with them on the way. Nathan wondered where the crew were and whether there were orgies taking place all across the ship, but knew that was impossible, mostly because the sex was only the bait. A person was wide open for subjugation when exposing themselves to that most primitive of instincts. He had no doubt many of the men on board were incapacitated and those who were not were probably lying low until they could decipher the odd behaviour of the females on board.

The doors to the Counselor's offices did not open when Rain and Nathan approached. In all the time that Nathan had served on board the Maverick, those doors had never been closed. Josiah had an open door policy towards all his patients and was willing to speak to anyone, no matter how late the hour. However, as Nathan tried repeatedly to activate the doors through the panel on the side of the wall, they did not part for either of them.

"They must have him too," Nathan grumbled with frustration.

"They're everywhere Nathan." Rain said trying to make some effort to assuage his exasperation. She knew he hated having a problem with such a simplistic solution barred by one obstacle or another. "Let's just hope he's okay."

"Nathan?" A muffled voice suddenly spoke from the other side of the door. "Is that you?"

Nathan recognized it immediately. "Josiah? It's Nathan. Let me in."

"Is that a woman with you?" Josiah's voice reeked of suspicion.

"Yeah," Nathan responded automatically. "Lieutenant Rain Nal. Josiah, I know what's happening and she's not apart of it."

"Are you sure?" Indecision fraught the question.

"Will you open the damn door before we both get carted away by whoever's got the ship!" Rain barked with impatience. Nathan rolled his eyes and gave her a look that perhaps a more diplomatic approach might have sufficed for this occasion. However, there was no need for reproach because the door soon slid open and Josiah beckoned them inside.

"Now that's a request I can believe." The Counselor remarked, peering cautiously up and down the corridor as Nathan and Rain hurried into the rooms he had been using as a sanctuary from the peculiar goings-on taking place across the Maverick. As she entered the room, Rain threw Nathan a satisfied smirk as he rolled his eyes in resignation.

As soon as they were inside the room, Josiah sealed the doors once again and let himself release a loud exhale, expunging his paranoia and expressing his relief at seeing someone who was remotely normal. "It’s good to see you, brother," Josiah replied as he crossed the floor to one of the compartments behind his desk to fish out the bottle of Romulan ale he had secreted away for occasions like this.

"What the hell are you doing hiding in here?" Nathan demanded although he had a very good idea of why Josiah might wish to hide away if a group of invaders had come on board the Maverick.

"I was hiding from Audrey at first," Josiah confessed as he poured himself a glass and Nathan too. Before he could do the same for Rain, the lieutenant gestured she did not require the libation. "Then I started noticing everyone else. I thought I might contact the bridge and see if they had some idea of what was happening but communication to the bridge is down. For some reason, I can't seem to access Chris or any of the senior staff."

This was hardly a surprise to Nathan. "We're locked out too," Nathan explained. "Something has taken over all the women on board this ship. We're under attack only the bridge don't have any idea."

"What a virus or something?" Josiah looked at him with confusion.

"No I don't think its a virus," Nathan shook his head.

"It started with the artifact we beamed on board the ship." Rain added her voice to the discussion. "Nathan thinks something from it affected Alex and then Alex infected the rest of the ship."

"What about you?" The Counselor inquired, not out of suspicion but rather curiosity. "You're definitely not infected. If you were, you'd be all over Nathan."

"All in good time," Rain remarked with a smile. "But first we’ve  got to save the ship."

Josiah grinned and looked at Nathan. "I like her."

"She does grow on you," Nathan commented giving Rain a wry smile before getting back to the business at hand. "We haven't worked out what they are yet but I think it’s communicable by touch. They tried to pass it onto Rain but she suffered some kind of neural overload. I think it has something to do with the symbiote inside her."

"Whatever it is," Josiah replied. "It's widespread but not overt, not unless you really look. People are still going about their business but you can feel something is going on. Just looking at them and you can see the change." It was Josiah's business to detect such behavioural variations in the crew, all of whom were potential patients at some point or another. As Counselor, he had the most contact with everyone board the Maverick, Starfleet and civilian. "The bridge as far as I can see would have to be isolated to a certain point."

"But the Captain would notice things," Rain remarked. "I mean that man can tell by the hum of the transporter whether or not an EPS conduit or a relay is down. I'm Transporter Chief and I still need a diagnostic tricorder to make that discovery."

"For some reason, he's been holed up in the holodeck for a couple of hours," Josiah answered. When he had been unable to reach the bridge, he had attempted contacting the other members of the bridge crew and had been able to get little more than their present location. If it were not for the fact he was trying to dodge Audrey who had become a little more fervent in her pursuit of him than he would have liked; Josiah might have tried looking for the Captain there.

"The captain is in the holodeck?" Nathan asked, unable to believe that Chris would be indulging in simulated recreation while intruders were on board. "Don't tell me he's with someone." The doctor shuddered to ask.

"No," Josiah shook his head. "He's alone but unavailable."

"It's them." Rain looked at both men. "They're finding some way to keep the bridge crew off balance. I'll bet if you tried to contact all the senior staff, you'll find that they're indisposed, one way or another."

"They might not even have the slightest clue until it's too late," Josiah exclaimed softly. He was new to intruders and space battles having spent most of his career on Earth. Now more than ever, he felt completely helpless and unaware of what to do. It was a disheartening state of affairs for a Counselor.

"We need a specimen," Nathan said taking the lead since no one else seemed to have a better course of action to follow. "We need to find out what it is exactly that has taken over the women and reverse it somehow."

"That's easier said than done." Josiah retorted. "There seem to be a lot of them under the influence."

"He's right," Rain agreed. "Remember how we ended up in the turbo lift? They were a mob."

"We need to get to Sick Bay," Nathan decided. "If they decide to come through here, you're not going to be able to stop them. Sick Bay has independent power linkage to the warp core. They can't disrupt our power or system unless they decided to shut down the main engines and they aren't likely to do that without Chris screaming bloody murder. Besides, there's a Level 10 force field in Sick Bay, not to mention phasers."

"Charming," Josiah grumbled. "I knew this morning was going to be eventful."

"Yeah," Nathan teased as they started out the door. "You get hit on by a beautiful school teacher and now you get to shoot women all in the same day."

"You're hanging around her too much." Josiah retorted.

******

The corridors to Sick Bay remained quiet and Nathan supposed this was probably due to the fact the enemy did not classify it a high priority area even though its chief physician might be something of an inconvenience. As the trio rounded the corner, they saw Lieutenant Richmond standing guard at the front of the Sick Bay entrance, obviously left there if Nathan or Rain attempted to return there.

"How are we gonna get past her?" Josiah asked.

"Is she armed?" Nathan tried to get a better look.

"I don't know," Josiah could not see without giving too much of himself away. "If she sees us, she could bring the rest of them down on us."

"Men!" Rain rolled her eyes wondering how two men so intelligent at times could be so utterly useless in a survival situation. "Just wait here." She growled and stepped out into the corridor, giving Charlotte a clear line of sight to her presence.

"Rain!" Nathan hissed but she ignored him and continued walking.

Charlotte spotted her immediately and to answer Josiah's question, reached for the phaser on her utility belt and pointed it in Rain's direction. "Don't move!" Charlotte ordered as she approached Rain, brandishing the phaser, which the Transporter Chief was no doubt set for the kill. She could not be taken over like the others so Rain doubted they would want to keep her prisoner.

"I'm not armed." Rain kept her hands where they could be seen until she was close enough to act.

Nathan watched in horror, wondering if Rain had some plan or was she genuinely in trouble. He tried to fight his feelings for her and have confidence in the woman who had so far proved herself to be quite extraordinary.

"What she doing?" Josiah asked.

Nathan could only shake his head in a muted response of bewilderment.

"You are the one." Charlotte said when Rain was close enough. "You are the one who rejects us."

"No," Rain shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I just share my body with enough voices as it is, without wanting to let another in. It's getting crowded in here."

Before Charlotte could respond, Rain kicked out her foot in a swift but effective high kick that landed the tip of her boot in the tender part of Charlotte's wrist. Instinctively, the lieutenant cried out in pain as the phaser in her hand went flying across the corridor, landing not far away from Nathan. Without giving Charlotte any time to react, Rain threw a road house punch, slamming her knuckles in the side of the woman's face and knocking her out cold by the time she hit the floor. As Charlotte landed with a thud, Rain let out a sigh of relief that her gambit had worked and looked over her shoulder at Josiah and Nathan who were staring at her with unmasked astonishment.

"If you want something done right, you just gotta do it yourself..." she muttered as Nathan went to pick up the phaser.

Moments, when Ezra Standish could truly consider himself happy, were rare.

He was not someone who felt elation easily, not one of those people who became giddy with the exhilaration of some milestone crossed, some accomplishment achieved. He had realized with some sadness he was jaded, that nothing could ever really feel fresh and new. He understood it was this cynicism that made him so good at what he did but sometimes, inside himself he wished he was able to keep a little idealism tucked away amidst all that sardonic perspective.

When he had met Julia Pemberton, what struck him most about her was her unfailing ability to see a solution through any calamity. There was no such thing as impossible when she set her mind to it and the tenacity upon which she attacked whatever was thrown at her with that damnable optimism, touched something in him he had long thought forgotten. Ezra was in love with her even before that first date and though he tried not to get swept away in the thrall of what poets and artists dreamed about through the ages, the security chief had little choice in the matter.

Now she had come to him and with the most heated session of lovemaking he had ever experienced in his life still behind him, he could feel the heat they generated still sizzling off his skin. She lay in his arms, holding him, fiery red hair against his chest as he breathed her into his lungs yet again, Ezra found his head swooning with pleasure and knew he was well and truly happy. It was not the intimacy that created this euphoric feeling presently running rife through his senses but the fact he had no wish to slip away quietly, which was his usual practice after such dalliances.

No, he wanted to stay. He wanted to watch her sleep and dream her dreams. He wanted to run his fingers through her silky hair and tell her when she awoke, he loved her and had from the beginning. He wanted to spend the next hours, drowning in the sight of her while composing odes to their love in sonnets to rival the great Bard himself. He was lost and he knew it but for once in his life, he did not mind. Whatever came after this day, he knew he could face it with her.

Julia Pemberton was not asleep.

She was not even in the room. While her lover painted his beautiful thoughts in his mind, revelling in the afterglow of their passion, the entity who had taken possession of Julia’s body remained still, considering the next course of their plan to take the ship. The stage was set and the players were almost all in place. She knew it was time to set things in motion and begin the juggernaut lumbering to this point. She had no feeling for the human behind her, aware he was satisfied as his kind always were and cared for little else but further sexual gratification. Strange how helpless they were to the needs of their body that their judgment became so impaired.

She watched the clock, feeling it tick inside her head as audibly as it might have in reality. It was not long now and soon the call would come. She had no wish to hurt he who had partaken of her body. It was not their intention to hurt anyone but like any soldier, she recognized that wars were seldom won without casualties. She would do what was necessary and nothing more. The objective here was to return home, to feel the sands of the homeworld beneath their feet one last time and perhaps see what it was that happened to their race after their exile. After so many years of immortality, the concept of death was not at all frightening to the Many. In fact, she considered it the prize at the end of this last quest.

After two hundred and fifty years of life trapped in a prison in space, she had lost her taste for immortality.

Right on cue, the com badge tucked amongst her discarded clothes sounded with a soft trill, giving her the excuse she needed to wake up. She heard him wince slightly; perhaps expressing some annoyance at her slumber being interrupted so abruptly. A stray thought crossed her mind then, more like puzzlement really at why he ought to care what she felt when he had what he needed from her. There was something odd about the feelings he had for the owner of this body, something could almost be described as affection. However, for the creature inside Julia’s body to believe that Ezra was capable of feeling that emotion for the weaker of the gender, it would require dismantling everything she knew about his kind and she was not prepared to do that.

Hate had kept her going for so long. Hate for the evil ones who had imprisoned her and all the others. It filled the hours that crawled like the eternity they were, floating in space, flotsam drifting aimlessly through the stars. For nearly a half a million years, they had thought of nothing else but the desperate need for freedom and underlying that, the need for revenge, raw and frenzied with each second of captivity.

"Damn." Julia feigned annoyance, pretending she had been roused from a fitful slumber when all she had been doing during this heated session of intimate play was waiting for the moment when it was over and she might leave this place and him. The physical coupling had not been unpleasant. Had she indeed been the woman whose name he gasped each time he reached crescendo, it might have been mildly amusing. As it was, the physical exchange of fluids did little to move her.

"Ignore it." He said gently, littering her bare back, partially exposed by the sheets with small kisses. "You can say it was malfunctioning." He teased with a smile, shuddering with feeling when he felt his cheek against her smooth skin.

"I have an EPS conduit that really needs looking at," she remarked pulling away from him languidly, continuing the charade she was anything eager to go. "I couldn’t ask anyone else to take care of it because they’ve been pulling double shifts as it is." Julia rolled over long enough to plant a kiss on his mouth, her hands running across his jaw the way someone who loved him might do. Being predictably male, he found little difficulty in believing she was anything but sincere.

"I know," Ezra answered, propping his head on one hand as he watched her shift through her clothes on the floor once she left the bed. Ezra found himself running a hand across the space where she had inhabited, savouring the heat of her presence there and wishing she would sleep with him every night. "But I must insist that when we go to Pacifica, we leave the accursed things behind. Knowing our captain’s propensity for trouble, he would be just inconvenient enough to require my attention."

"Your wish is my command." She said with a smile, starting to dress.

"Julia," Ezra asked after a moment. Now that he was a little less inclined to be thinking with another part of his anatomy and the heat of the moment had calmed the senses a little more for him to be asking questions, as was his nature. "Why now?"

She looked at him. "I don’t understand."

"Well if I may point out without being made to look as if I were looking a gift horse in the mouth and please be reminded, that is in no way any physical reflection of you, you have been somewhat reluctant to consummate our relationship. I thought you were waiting for some special moment and while I could have endured waiting for just a little longer, I was somewhat surprised by your change of heart."

Julia considered what she had to say and replied. "Don’t you see, silly," she met his gaze. "I love you and we almost died in that last battle. I don’t want to be like Inez and Captain Castille kept apart waiting for things to get better so they could finally start their lives. I wanted to start ours now, without there needing to be any formal understanding other than how we feel. I asked myself what were the special moments in comparison to just the moments?"

"As always you are wiser than I," Ezra agreed. A dimpled smile crossed his face. "Well, I suppose if you are to leave me, I might as well see what is happening on the bridge."

There was little or no expression on her face as she was faced with that statement but soon changed when she sauntered towards him, finally dressed and ready to leave. Placing herself on the edge of the bed, Julia replied. "Why don’t I blow this little detail off on whomever I find down in Engineering and come back here in twenty minutes? That will give you just enough time to replicate something truly creative for dinner by the time I get back. Besides," she said leaning over and delivering upon him another kiss. "I’m starving and I’ll need to keep my strength up for the rest of the night." A wicked gleam sparked in her emerald coloured eyes.

"When you put it that way," Ezra joined her salacious bit of planning. "How can I say no?"

******

It was said that nothing could penetrate a Level 10 force field and if it could, a force field would not save you from a creature capable of that. Fortunately, no such entity made its appearance at the moment, which was good to know because three of the four people presently confined in the device were particularly nervous of visitors entering the premises at present. When they arrived, Sick Bay was deserted which did not surprise anyone of them when they brought the unconscious Lieutenant Richmond into the medical complex.

Nathan had suspected as much, believing correctly no one was concerned with their health when the ship was being invaded by creatures that were using female bodies to manipulate their male counterparts. No doubt, every male on the ship was presently experiencing one heated encounter or being dispatched effectively if they failed to be swayed by such a simple form of coercion. However, while Sick Bay seemed safe enough, Nathan had this ominous feeling time was catching up to them and the chess pieces that had been slowly shifting into place all day across the ship would soon be in a position to issue a checkmate.

Thus the first thing he had done upon entering his bastion on board the Maverick was to see to it that both Rain and Josiah were armed. Sick Bay had a small supply of small weapons, kept there in case of attack since it would be the most vulnerable place in the unlikely event that the vessel was boarded. He was the only person with the authority to remove the weapons for their locker and was glad to see that much of his access to the ship remained. Handing them out, he felt odd handling such weapons but knew it was a necessary evil at this time. While Rain was comfortable with the weapon, Josiah was not. Nathan suspected that at best, Josiah had Class 5 weapons training, which was rather average. However, a Counselor was seldom required to have such skills and Josiah could be forgiven for his lack of it.

Once they were armed, he erected the force field and ensured he and those with him were safely protected in case the aliens decided to subdue the threat the three of them now posed. For the moment, however, he took advantage of the quiet with the presence of the specimen Rain had acquired for him when she had gone hand to hand with Lieutenant Richmond. Charlotte Richmond lay unconscious on the table as Nathan began running his neurological tests, hoping they would somehow reveal what strange power had infected all the females on the ship.

Nathan knew for certain it was no virus at work here. It was something with intentions far more insidious, not to mention cunning, than the normal replicative cravings of a microorganism. Besides he knew of no virus whose pathology was so non-specific as to make the jump from species to species and then chose to attack only one gender. No, whatever this malaise was running loose across his ship, Nathan knew only one thing for certain; this invasion was only possible by a higher functioning organism.

While Nathan continued his examinations on the unconscious lieutenant from stellar cartography, he noticed both Rain and Josiah seemed anxious. The bridge was completely locked out now and Nathan wondered how this was possible. He was unaware at this moment, Julia Pemberton had scheduled one of the female members of her engineering crew to run a diagnostic on the internal communication systems of the Maverick, a procedure that could only be undertaken when the entire array was taken offline. With the rest of the ship capable of reaching the bridge with their com badges, Nathan, Rain and Josiah found that they were still being prevented from alerting the Captain of what was transpiring on board his ship.

"Find anything out yet?" Rain asked for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last half an hour.

Nathan gave her a look and continued working, poised over his medical scanner, trying to make sense of readings that meant little to anyone else in the room. He could not blame her for her anxiety, not when he was experiencing some of it himself. Their inability to contact the ship and the fact no one on the bridge had the slightest idea of trouble brewing, was pressing against their spines like a blade about to penetrate the skin. It was impossible not to be affected by the urgency of their situation.

"They will come after us you know," Rain pointed out. "Sooner or later."

"I don't think so," Josiah remarked after a moment. "I think they have us exactly where they want us."

Both Nathan and Rain looked up at the same time in question. "What do you mean?" It was Rain who spoke first because Nathan was still somewhat focused on the idea of finding an answer to all this.

"We're running scared, we're locked in one place, we can't contact the bridge to do anyone any good. I think that as far as they are concerned; the situation is more or less contained. Don't you?"

Rain frowned because he was right. They had been in here for a good twenty minutes now and no one had come charging in attempting to breach the walls of the force field surrounding them. In fact, there was not the slightest hint that anyone was even aware they were down here of for that matter cared. She seriously doubted there was any immediate danger because the entities currently rife across the Maverick were most likely concentrating their efforts on securing the bridge with Josiah, Nathan and Rain were more or less forgotten until that important matter was handled first. Even if they did find out what had taken possession of the female crew members, did it mean a solution would be found as well? Not likely, Rain thought realistically.

"I hate to say it but I think he's right." Rain glanced at Nathan. "They might have already taken the bridge."

"We can't know anything for certain," Josiah added, not wishing to be so negative but he could not deny this was a possibility. "However, I don't know how much good we will be to anyone if we do get to the bridge? What if we are forced to shoot? The same people who have invaded the ship are our friends." Josiah posed that very real question because he had no will to shoot Audrey if he were faced with that horrifying situation.

"Well there are other ways of incapacitating them," Rain suggested, feeling the same distaste about shooting people she knew and worked with on a daily basis, especially when what was happening to them was through no fault of their own. "Anesthetic gas in all the decks for starters."

"That would knock out everyone," Josiah retorted. "Not just the women."

Suddenly, their conversation came to a halt when the door slid open and Vin Tanner walked into the Sick Bay, his hand holding a small towel to the back of his head. The towel was stained with green splotches Nathan could tell immediately was Vulcan blood. Vin was out of uniform, wearing sweats more appropriate for off-duty hours. He staggered into the room somewhat unsteady on his feet since he had yet to recover from the blow that had given him his injury.

"What the hell is going on in this ship? Where is everyone?" Vin demanded as he strode in and saw the faces before him. He had not taken more than a few steps into the room when he suddenly halted and realized that they were secured behind a force field. "Why are you behind a force field?" He asked, the annoyance of his injury having faded into concern as he saw them armed with phasers.

"Haven't you seen what's going on in the ship?" Rain exclaimed.

"I haven't seen anything," Vin grumbled as he came to the edge of the force field. "Mary came to my quarters and....." he paused a moment as he searched a way to describe the incident. Apart of him was still reeling from the incredible sensations she had forced upon him but another part of him was furious that she would dare intrude upon him this way. For the first time, Vin had some idea of how invasive a meld could be when one did not wish to partake in the coupling. It's no wonder Alex was so incensed when he had forced the meld between them.

"She hit me over the head. I don't know how long I've been out." He confessed reluctantly and prayed they would ask no more details about it than that.

"I think it’s safe to let down the force field," Nathan glanced at the other two occupants in the sealed area, the fear of the forces present in control of the most of the ship giving way to Vin's injury. "Besides, I can always put it back up when Vin's inside with us."

"Can you please tell me what's with the force field?" The helmsman asked as he waited patiently for the energy field to disperse.

"There's something loose on the ship," Rain blurted out, seeing no reason to hide anything when Vin had not the chromosomes to be affected. "Something that came with the artifact."

Vin's eyes widened. "Does Chris know?"

"No," Josiah shook his head. "We haven't been able to contact the bridge. Whatever it is, came from the artifact  and has taken over every woman in the ship, including Alex."

"Actually," Rain added. "It would have started with Alex."

"Alex!" Vin exclaimed, feeling his chest constrict with worry when he thought about the science officer. "What about Alex?" He demanded as he heard Nathan instruct the force field in front of him to be disabled. As soon as the slight shimmer before him dissipated, an indication at the deactivation of the protection grid around the healer and his companions, Vin stepped into their sphere quickly.

"We think that whatever is happening started with the  artifact." Rain spoke. Although technically, Nathan and Josiah both outranked Vin, he was the commanding officer amongst all of them and most likely the one to give them some clear ideas of what they ought to do now. "It must have transferred something to Alex, who passed it onto the rest of the women on board. I don't know why but I wasn't affected. Nathan thinks it has to do with the symbiote inside me, being Trill and all."

That made sense to Vin but he still felt himself floundering in the dark.

"A mob of them tried to capture Nathan and me." She continued, seeing it required a little more explanation before he could believe how dire things really were. Being a senior command officer, Vin was still lost in the unreality of this, especially when he was hit with it so suddenly. "They were led by Inez and Lieutenant Richmond over there." Rain gestured to the unconscious woman on the medical examination bed.

"Has anyone tried to contact the bridge or Ezra?" Vin stammered unable to believe all this could take place on Chris Larabee's ship without the Captain having the slightest clue.

"We tried," Josiah answered somberly. "The bridge is locked out and so are all three of us. The computer is not responding to our attempts to try and contact anybody."

"That makes sense," Vin's mind was a steel trap set into motion and it was now working at full pace. "If something has taken over the women on board the ship, that would mean Julia too and she's chief engineer. She has a Class 1 rating in computer programming, she'd have no trouble locking all of you out if she thinks you might cause trouble. And so far, I haven't seen anything that might make anyone suspicious, except the fact that it's quiet."

"And every woman on the ship seems to be hornier than hell." Rain quipped.

All three men gave Rain a look and Vin did not even want to comment on that particular subject, especially after what he had been through with Mary Travis. As it was, Vin had no idea how he was ever going to look Chris in the eye again, after what he had seen in the lady's mind.

"Still," Josiah frowned shaking Rain's comment out of his head and getting back to the subject at hand, in particular why Chris had not reacted yet. "If Chris is on the bridge, how could he not know there's a communications failure?"

"It ain't that hard," Vin revealed as Nathan left Charlotte alone for a moment. The lieutenant was still unconscious, thanks to Nathan reinforcing her present state with a sedative in order to carry out his examinations. The physician gestured the Vulcan over in order to treat the wounds to the back of his neck, delivered when Mary attacked him. Vin had settled comfortably onto the examination table before he started speaking again when Nathan went to work on his injury. "We sometimes shut down internal communications for diagnostics, debugging and simple maintenance. We're not in a combat situation and our present status doesn't indicate any sign of danger. When things are quiet like this, it's not usual for engineering to take things offline to run sweeps that we normally wouldn't have time for. We have backups in place of course but if the Chief Engineer has deactivated them all, then we have to get to the bridge ourselves."

"How do we propose we do that?" Josiah inquired, feeling like a novice and wished he had more to impart upon their situation then just more questions proving his ignorance. Fortunately, none of the others was treating him that way and he was glad at least, they knew what they were doing.

"Anyway we can," Vin said grimly. "Anyway, we can."

******

Julia Pemberton and Mary Travis started towards the bridge.

Alex was there already, keeping pace with the Captain and the First Officer, making certain neither suspected what was about to happen when Julia and Mary arrived.

The helm officer was out of commission in his quarters as assured by Mary when she had joined Julia at the armoury. The Doctor and the female who was not susceptible to the Many were contained in the physician's Sick Bay as he attempted in vain hope to understand the malaise that had taken over his crewmates. The Security Chief was at his quarters, no doubt waiting for Julia's return for another session of lovemaking. By the time he had some idea of what was happening, it would be too late. The Many would be in control of the bridge. Their people had already moved into position and were waiting for the signal to fulfil their parts of the silent invasion of the Maverick. While no one had any inkling of any danger to the ship, Julia did not wish to waste any time. While the absence of danger continued to go unnoticed, some were starting to realize something was going on and it would not be too long before that concern reached the bridge.

The Leader had given her orders. It was time to move.

Alexandra Styles kept her gaze on everyone, watching them with deep scrutiny as she waited with almost a hint of anticipation for the others to arrive. The Captain was always to be found holding court over the bridge from his command chair. Chris Larabee did not appear as focused as he normally did and seemed preyed with far away thoughts, she was certain had nothing to do with the bridge or the contents of the data pad in his hand. The Captain seemed somewhat distracted. Alex had a good idea with what, pleased that their solution to keep the Captain busy for the moment had yielded such good results.

Buck Wilmington was the second high-ranking officer on the bridge and he remained at the Captain's side just as reflective as the Captain although, in this instance, Alex felt a mild curiosity to know what was running through his mind. Her skin still tingled with their coupling earlier. Instinctively, she glanced at the Captain's ready room where the steamy encounter had taken place and while the entity herself found the entire episode pleasurable in itself, a little smile crossed her lips knowing how repulsive her host would find the entire situation. The host yearned for the Vulcan, which confused the intelligence gatherer of the group since the Vulcan was incapable of reciprocating physical affection. They were a strange race these Federations, the Gatherer thought to herself.

While she was a part of the Many, her role as Gatherer had allowed her a certain empathy with the subjects she often observed and studied. The culture of the Federations traced its evolutionary path along the same lines as her own race where the male of the species was always in dominance. The female was rarely held in much esteem, with sporadic exceptions throughout the course of history. Fortunately, such small-minded attitudes had started to wither with the advent of the 21st century and by the present day, the female of the species was every much the equal. If only it had been that way on their own world, so much blood would have been spared on both sides.

"Captain," JD Dunne spoke up, a hint of annoyance on his face as he regarded his console panel.

Alex stiffened instinctively; aware of what he was going to say even before he spoke it out loud. She thought quickly to produce some counteractive answer that would allay his fears until the arrival of the others. The youth was only a junior officer and to their folly, they had underestimated his tenacity somewhat. He did not feel comfortable with his communication station being dead to all signals except extra-ship transmissions. He was determined not to fail so that made him doubly cautious of anything going wrong with his station and often double-checked everything to ensure that it did not.

"How long is this diagnostic gonna take?" JD inquired impatiently. He did not like anything on his console in a non-functioning state. JD knew he had a tendency to be paranoid about such things but he could not help it. After all, he was the youngest member of a highly experienced team of officers who would have been the best at whatever they attempted, and all he had to credit himself was an ability to defeat a computer simulation at the Academy.

"JD," Buck glanced at him with enough firm authority to show he was now answering the younger man as his commanding officer and not as his friend. JD had been pestering them at ten-minute intervals over this particular issue and when he asked the question again, Buck had seen Chris stiffen in his seat. "It's a routine procedure we carry out when things are quiet like this. It will get done when it gets done."

"I know," JD nodded noticing the hint of tension in the commander's voice "It's just that no one has even tried to contact the bridge through com badge."

Chris regarded the young man and snapped out of his reverie long enough to consider that little bit of observation. He himself had been so preoccupied with the situation between Buck and Alex, not to mention himself and Casey that he was less aware of things on his ship than he should have been. Normally when ship-wide communication was suspended like this, there was still some kind of communication through the com badges. It was impossible that on a ship this size, with the number of personnel, civilians and departments that someone did not need something from the bridge. Ever since the communications blackout had taken place, Chris realized no one had tried to contact them for some trivialities of shipboard life and that was almost unheard of.

"Good call Ensign," Chris remarked sincerely as he tapped his com badge as he saw JD smile from the praise. "Engineering, what's going on down there?"

A few seconds passed and there was no response.

Chris tapped his combadge once more, trying to ensure everything was working adequately. There was no reason for alarm yet but Chris's suspicions had been raised. The young man pointed out an inconsistency Chris had missed during his ruminations about Alex, Buck and of course Casey. He gave himself a stern reminder keeping one's mind on the job was not only a rule that was for his crew but one that applied to him as well. The combadge made no sound upon the repeat of the attempt and Chris glanced at Buck in mild concern. "Try yours."

Buck nodded, feeling the same concern and failing to notice Alex leaving her station and coming down the sloped walk leading to the floor of the bridge. Within seconds, she was almost to their command chairs. The science officer betrayed nothing as she watched him carefully as he repeated the same procedure on his own com badge. "Engineering, this is Commander Wilmington. What is the status of the repairs to our communications array?"

Once again, there was no answer from Engineering. All that waited for them following that question was the same silence.

"Perhaps, they're just adjusting the frequency modulations on our com system." Alex offered, aware a situation was starting to form that might escalate out of control to the detriment of their carefully laid plans. She could see it in their eyes, the concern that perhaps something was amiss. That things were not as right as they seem. The insides that were not her own began to constrict with urgency at the coming calamity.

"Whatever it is," Chris said sharply, not at all satisfied with that explanation or the situation as it stood. He took pride in knowing what was taking place on his own ship and the fact that he was so preoccupied with personal matters, made him angry at himself for being less than alert to the needs of his ship. Turning to Buck, Chris decided on a more definitive course of action beyond waiting around for someone to contact them. "I want to know what the situation is. Buck, get down there."

"Sure Chris," Buck nodded automatically and rose from his chair. He was preparing to go even if the Captain had not asked. In the last few seconds, something had started to bother him and the concern over their lack of communications with the rest of the ship seemed to amplify that worry.

Alex's mind was racing furiously. If Buck was allowed to leave the bridge and get to Engineering, he might discover what the Many had been so laboriously trying to hide from himself and the Captain these past few hours. As the two ranking commanders on the ship, Buck Wilmington and Chris Larabee had the power to dash all their plans if either were to discover what was transpiring beyond these walls. Both of them had the power to disable all computer functions through voice command alone but she was too outnumbered to make an attempt for either of them. Buck had started to move past her on his way towards the turbo lift. Fortunately, before he was even halfway to it, the doors slid open on their own volition.

Chris let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Julia Pemberton entering the bridge, as well as the more pleasant surprise of Mary next to her. After his encounter with Casey, seeing Mary was a tonic he needed and with Julia being here, the question of what was happening on his bridge could be answered by the Chief Engineer. However, his pleasure at seeing both women soon disintegrated when he realized that both of them were armed with phaser rifles.

"What the hell is going on?" Chris demanded and stood up from his command chair.

Mary did not even react to the sound of his voice as she and Julia advanced into the bridge, with Alex moving furtively into position herself. Even though they were armed, Chris was still not ready to believe there was any danger, his mind was still grappling with the notion that there was a reasonable explanation behind all this. He kept thinking that for the two seconds it took for Julia Pemberton to raise her weapon and fire before anyone had any time to react. Not that they could have because no one could have imagined what happened next. Chris watched in soundless horror as Julia fired. The first blast struck  JD in the chest, almost tearing him off the seat as he was thrown off his chair before crumpling to the floor.

"JD!" Buck shouted in panic and took no more than a step forward when Alex's hand lashed out and smashed into the tender part of his throat, bringing the commander to his knees immediately. Buck was groaning as he struggled for breath, nearly choking from the agony of the crippling blow. Chris rose to his feet instantly, prepared to act when suddenly he heard Mary's voice in his ear.

"Don't." The threat in her eyes was clear.

For a moment, he really did not think she would shoot him. His mind was still reeling in astonishment over what was happening. He saw JD lying on the floor, unconscious. He let out a sigh of relief realizing the boy was merely stunned, not killed. If it had been the other, his uniform would bear indications of it. Buck in the meantime was clutching his throat, having real trouble breathing as he gasped loudly. His face was crimson as he struggled for breath while Alex looked on dispassionately, turning the phaser Julia handed her on the first officer to ensure he gave her no further trouble when he finally recovered. Julia had her rifle aimed at anyone else who might give them further resistance. Chris weighed his options, realizing something was at work here that had taken over his officers and since they seemed to want the bridge for a specific reason, Chris decided he had no choice but to deny them that chance.

"Computer...."

He never managed to finish the rest of the sentence because no sooner than the words made their futile effort to leave his throat, Mary pulled the trigger without hesitation. What she knew of the man had told her he would not be subject to coercion, not without something more tangible to lose than his life. By the time he woke up, they would have that option prepared for him. However, for the moment, it was safer all around if he was incapacitated for the duration. Chris tumbled to the floor wordlessly as the effects of the phaser on stun ripped through his body with one sharp burst.

"Chris!" Buck tried to speak but his voice was weak and strained. Looking up at Alex, he noted the science officer was keeping a careful eye on him and realized in that instance, if he had attempted to follow Chris's steps to disable the main computer, he would be dealt with in precisely the same way. Alex hit him in the throat for that specific reason, to ensure he would not be able to complete the order to the computer before she and Julia were able to disable that function in the computer's programming.

"I wouldn't try to say anymore, Commander," Alex warned coldly, jamming the phaser into the side of his head. "At this range, I could fry your brains before the word escapes you. Trust me; this will go painlessly if you cooperate with us."

"Alex," Buck looked at her and then at the other, trying to understand what was going on. He implored to her if she was still somewhere behind those cold eyes. Somehow he had to reach the person whom he knew her to be, not this cold-blooded stranger. "Fight it. Whatever it is that is making you do this. Fight it. You're the strongest mind I know on this ship, fight it!"

"Everything is not all it seems Commander," his answer reached him not from Alex but from someone else behind him, following the open slide of the ready room doors. Buck strained to look and saw Casey Wells emerging from Chris's office.

The minute he saw her, he knew something was wrong. Her walk was different. He knew Casey and yet when she approached, Buck immediately realized she was not the Casey Wells he knew. The Casey Wells he knew was a somewhat shy young woman who could sometimes rise above herself with bursts of youthful abandon. Poised on the verge of womanhood, Casey struggled to be just like her more experienced comrades, not always succeeding. Buck knew her to be a young girl in love with JD so totally she knew nothing else but as she strode past the ensign, she barely gave him a glance.

"You have done well." Casey complimented the other women in the room as she sauntered forward, confidence oozing in every graceful movement forward. Everything about her told Buck this was not Casey Wells but someone using her body like a suit of clothes. It was not a young girl before him, but a woman in every sense of the word. Approaching Buck, she stared at the first officer for a long time and then responded. "Report."

"The rest of the ship has been secured," Julia informed the leader. "Our people moved into place the moment we stepped onto the bridge."

Buck's mind whirled, unable to comprehend how blind they could have been to what was happening. His mind started to open up like a house with many doors and the knowledge that filtered through his mind made things very clear. Suddenly, he understood why Alex had come to him as she had. It was not because of her needs but rather her ability to keep him off balance and distracted from noticing what was taking place on the rest of his ship. The commander cursed his own weakness and wondered how he could have allowed himself to be played so easily.

"Excellent," Casey nodded in approval and regarded Buck once again. "It appears Commander Wilmington, we have your ship."

"Who's we?" Buck muttered the raspy question. For the moment, he would suspend any effort to try and disable the computer system because it would serve no purpose for him to be rendered just as unconscious as Chris or JD. He had to know what was happening to save the Maverick from these entities who had captured the minds of his fellow officers.

"You need not concern yourself with that," Casey said moving past him to take a seat in the command chair while Chris was still lying unconscious as the foot of it. She lowered herself into it with great relish, like a conqueror, claiming to her prize. Buck almost blanched at the sight of her in Chris' chair, especially when the Captain was there at her feet like some kind of trophy. "We needed your ship and now we have her. We do not wish to harm anyone but we will take whatever measures we must return to our home world."

"If you girls wanted a lift, you might have just asked," Buck remarked, still rubbing his sore throat.

"Ask anything of a man?" She stared at him almost astonished by the very notion. "Your kind are destroyers, dominators, jailers and rapists. Understand that your kind and mine are enemies and that you should be thankful we do not choose to jettison every single one of your accursed gender into space." Casey said with such vehemence Buck wondered what on earth these entities had endured feeling such terrible hatred.

"That's mighty harsh," Buck tried to keep her talking in order to understand more. "Now explain to us what you did to our women to make them help you."

"We did nothing to them," Casey explained with a little smile. "We are merely residing here until we are home again. Trust me on this Commander; their safety depends entirely on how cooperative you are going to be."

******

Vin knew something had changed on the Maverick the moment it happened.

He could feel it in his bones, a slight shift in the overall resonance of the ship tingling along his spine like a mild shudder he could dissect in degrees from sheer repetition. He sensed it like he was able to tell from the slight breeze blowing across the green covered hills of his Texas ranch on Earth that a storm was coming. In this instance, the medium was completely different but the feeling was always the same. He looked up suddenly and noticed he was not alone in his discovery. The lieutenant named Rain was also wearing a curious expression on her face that seemed to detect the same thing that he did even though it was taking her longer to guess what the change actually was.

Nathan and Josiah were oblivious to it mostly because they weren't of the same breed that Rain and he were. For different reasons, Rain and Vin could detect the change as it occurred but the doctor and the counsellor whose expertise was grounded in something a little more biological could be forgiven for not seeing. Vin saw Rain's phaser, the barrel of which had been held in such a way, poised to fire, suddenly droop as her eyes stared around her for something she could not see but could feel with every fibre of her being.

"We've just gone to Warp 9," Vin announced for the benefit of those who did not know.

"You felt it?" Rain asked as she stared at him, her voice hushed as she put forward her question, glad she was not just imagining things. She noticed a slight shift in the low hum resonating throughout the Maverick and thought for a moment she was being foolish at thinking there was something important about a sound.

"Yeah," Vin nodded. "We've hit high warp."

"How can you tell Vin?" Josiah found himself asking. The ship felt the same to him and he could not understand how they could come to that conclusion.

"Josiah," Vin said with a little smile. "When you're used to flying this bird, you tend to get an idea of the sounds she makes when she goes from low to high gear and I'm telling you, right now she's flying through space like a bat out of hell."

"You think they've moved on the bridge?" Rain asked, dismayed they were too late.

"I can't see no reason why we would hit maximum warp without good reason," Vin replied deciding they had wasted enough time in here. It was time to get to the bridge. "Josiah give me your gun."

Josiah was more than glad to relinquish the weapon to Vin since the Officer of the Con was probably better at handling it than he ever would be anyway. "What are you going to do?"

"Well, I'm not staying here," Vin responded and glanced at Rain. "You up to taking a little walk with me Chief?"

"Lead the way, Sir." Rain replied automatically and drew a faint smile from Vin. "Where are we going?"

"To the bridge," he answered before turning his attention to Josiah. "Get the force field up when we leave," Vin instructed the Counselor since Nathan seemed particularly engrossed in what he was doing at present. "You should be pretty safe in here."

"I found something!" Nathan exclaimed, slicing through anything else Josiah might have said in deference to his orders.

"What?" Vin asked immediately, preferring to know what he was going to be facing when he and Rain reached the bridge. "What have you got?" The trio quickly converged around the doctor who was standing over a particularly complicated piece of machinery poised over Lieutenant Richmond's head through which he had made his discovery.

"It's not just a virus or an alien." Nathan looked up after a moment. "It's a biological energy pattern."

"An energy pattern?" Rain exclaimed. "I don't understand."

"Look here," Nathan pointed to the small screen of the medical scanner showing two sets of erratic lines running parallel on a dark digitized surface. "Those are brain waves patterns. One is Lieutenant Richmond's. I was able to compare them to the most recent encephalogram she took during her last physical. The other one belongs to someone else."

"How is that possible?" Josiah inquired, understanding something of what Nathan was showing them.

"I don't know but unlike Lieutenant Richmond's brain wave patterns which are generated by chemical reactions in human synapses, this other one is composed of an energy pattern I have never seen before."

"My God." Rain exclaimed. "That was what was in the artifact. Brain waves. All that storage space we thought was for information about an alien culture was not at all for that, but rather the biological neural energy pattern of a life form."

"You mean that thing has been hurtling in space for a half a million years with a life form trapped in it?" Vin tried to imagine a more horrible fate and found he could not. He wondered what it must do to anyone faced with that kind of confinement.

"More than that," Nathan added. "I don't see any evidence to prove this brainwave is part of a larger consciousness. They may be linked in some way but the readings indicate they all function independently. If they were interdependent, I would be seeing readings that match the brain wave patterns taken from Borg drones we have had the chance of examining. However, since they are independent for the most part and seemed to have taken most of the female crew members on the ship, it would be safe to assume...."

He did not have to finish that statement because Vin did it for him. "That there are hundreds of them."

When Chris Larabee woke up, he prayed the strange images proceeding his unconscious state had been his mind playing tricks on him and it had been nothing more than a bizarre dream. However, when he opened his eyes and saw Alex at the helm of the Maverick, where Vin ought to have been. Casey nestled quite comfortably in his command chair and Julia manning the station where Ezra normally stood, he knew he was not dreaming. He realized the dream was more of a nightmare when he saw Mary Travis standing over him, holding the phaser rifle in her hands with a glint in her eye indicating she was not above shooting him if he gave her the slightest bit of trouble.

Chris and the rest of his bridge crew were forced against the far wall of the bridge, under Mary’s watchful gaze. JD was still unconscious next to Buck whose throat showed the purplish discolouration of a severe bruise. The others members of the bridge were similarly subdued and the four women who had complete control of the bridge appeared more than adequate to the task of keeping this vital part of their ship in the hands for the time being. Buck’s gaze was fixed on the viewscreen and it took a moment for Chris to realize they were travelling at high warp.

He had a feeling they were not bound for Pacifica.

"What the hell is going on?" Chris demanded with something of a growl when he finally had mind enough to speak.

Mary looked down at him indifferently and aimed her weapon in his direction to indicate that was about as much animation she liked to see him display. "He’s awake." She spoke out loud but not to him. Her announcement was made to Casey.

"Are you okay Chris?" Buck asked concerned, his voice was still hoarse and the worry in his eyes was clear. His expression was grim and each breath he took was raspy. Chris suspected serious injury had been inflicted upon his breathing passage when Alex had initially attacked.

"I’m fine." Chris nodded, rubbing the back of his head to dispel the ache left in the wake of the stun blast before he glanced at JD. The young communications officer lay slumped next to Buck, oblivious to everything going on. For a moment, he looked very much like the boy he was. "How’s the kid?"

"He was stunned like you were," Buck said tersely, giving Mary a dark look as he did so. Buck knew it was not Mary behind those eyes and was unashamed tp fee; hostility towards the creature that had not only harmed his young protégé but also taken the body of one of his friends. "But he took a pretty hard tumble when he was hit and I think he might have brained himself good. I don’t see any blood but I think he’s okay." However, despite Buck’s attempt at reassurance, Chris could tell he was worried about the boy.

"So do we know what all this is about, other than the fact they want and have our ship?" Chris whispered softly, keeping his voice down as he tried to acquire an appraisal of the situation from his first officer.

Mary was pacing the floor but she was still keeping an eye on them. Buck waited until she was a short distance away from himself and Chris before he answered. "They haven’t said much," Buck responded to his Captain’s query. "But we’ve changed course."

That was not a surprise. Chris assumed as much when he realized the ship was in high warp. "Do we have any idea where?"

"Quiet!" Mary barked having noticed their conversation and had quickly intervened, obviously finding that action extending beyond the limits of the freedom she was willing to permit. "One more word out of either of you and I’ll shoot."

Chris turned a sharp glare at her, forcing himself to remember this was not Mary but some alien creature using her before he responded. "If you wanted us dead, you would have done it already." He hissed in that menacing Larabee voice that knew no fear of anything, even when a gun was being aimed in his direction. "Let’s not get hot under the collar and do something we’ll both regret."

"Do not assume too much Captain," Mary returned with just as much rancour, her blue-grey eyes narrowing as their gazes locked like two combatants poised on the edge of battle. "We do not wish to spill unnecessary blood but make no mistake we will do what is necessary to reach our destination. We have no great love for your kind, it would not weigh upon our conscience to terminate your existence."

Casey, who had been attracted by the commotion, averted her gaze from the view screen and turned her eyes to them. Taking special note of Chris, Casey pushed herself out of the command chair.

"Calm yourself Narita." She turned a cold eye on Chris. "There is no need to repeat our threats. The Captain is attempting to bait you into doing something foolish." There was no need to use the appellations of the host bodies any more. Now their presence was exposed to the Captain, they could utilize their own identities instead of the ones they borrowed when they acquired the hosts for the Many.

For a moment, Chris did not speak. He was still rather taken back by the sight of Casey striding forward with the supreme confidence of someone who was in complete control of the situation. He had not realized until he rose from his black sleep it was Casey who was the guiding force behind this insurrection on his bridge. In retrospect, Chris thought it made perfect sense. After all, it had not been the others who had left him so distracted he had no idea what was going on his ship, just Casey. Casey who utilized a ploy so incredibly simplistic and ingenious in its conception he had to congratulate the mind who had conjured it if he was not so furious at himself for being taken so easily. He should have suspected Casey’s sudden affections for him were false. Evidence of how she felt about him and JD Dunne was apparent since the day she arrived on board the Maverick. Chris was mortified by his arrogance in allowing his ego to do the thinking for him.

"I just want to know what you want," Chris retorted, recovering quickly now he knew with whom he was dealing. His mind focused into the singularity of regaining his ship and more importantly, the restoration of his female officers to themselves. "You’ve taken my ship, why?"

"You are not in a position to require answers to anything." Narita, who spoke with Mary Travis’s voice answered abruptly, glaring at Chris with unmasked contempt. "We have his ship and the rest of his kind have been dealt with."

"What do you mean dealt with?" Chris asked, suddenly gripped with fear and the understanding there had to be many of them to deal with the rest of his kind, whatever his kind was. Suddenly, the scope of the Maverick’s predicament began to filter into his head as he began to comprehend it was not just the female officers on his bridge but throughout his entire ship.

"Captain," She who wore Casey’s face regarded him as she approached. "You did not think we would be stupid enough to move on your bridge without first ensuring the rest of your officers were similarly neutralized? Consider how it easy it was to make you run and hide like a frightened child." A little smile curled the corner of her lips as she responded. "All I had to make you believe was this child whose body I am using, had affection for you."

"What?" Buck looked at Chris in question.

"Nevermind," Chris growled, wondering if it was possible to feel any more foolish than he already did over that stupid assumption. Casey’s supposed crush on him had been awkward but secretly, Chris had been flattered by the attention. Perhaps it was why he had not handled the situation decisively instead of hiding himself in the holodeck for hours while intruders had free run of his ship.

"Or the ease in which your first officer was deceived into believing Alexandra Styles would couple with him, right there in your very own Ready Room."

Chris blinked and turned to Buck who was gulping visibly.

"In my Ready Room?" Chris glared at him with a long hard stare before he realized this was not the time or the place for this conversation, although rest assured they would be having it at some point, soon. "We will talk about this later Commander."

"You kind are so easily distracted Captain," Casey continued speaking, indifferent to the shock waves caused by her last comment. "We did what we had to and now we are in control of your ship. Cooperate with us and you will come out of this with your skin. Do not and your crew will pay the penalty. I trust you want to see no one being beamed into a vacuum?"

Chris’s jaw tightened with seething anger as that threat was made to him and he had made his career knowing when to blink or when the enemy was bluffing or not. As he looked into Casey’s cold eyes, he knew for a fact that she was not. For the moment at least, he would have to comply with their intentions for his ship. "Don’t worry,’ he said in a low voice. "I won’t try anything for a while."

"I expected nothing less," Casey answered with smug satisfaction.

"So what do you want with my ship?" Chris asked once more since she never did answer that question and as she was in complete control of his ship, or so she thought, Chris gambled she might be arrogant enough to answer.

He was right.

"You are hardly in a position to change things so I do not see why I cannot satisfy your curiosity in this respect."

"X’hala," Narita interjected. "Is that wise?"

"The information will hardly be of any use to him," X’hala gave Narita a sidelong glance before regarding Chris once more. "And if he tries to use it against us, we will simply kill Mr Dunne."

"Like hell, you will," Buck hissed, reacting immediately to that information as only he could when any threat was made against JD but Narita was prepared for him. Her gun rose enough to indicate any further action would be a mistake.

"Buck," Chris turned a sharp eye on his first officer. "Stand down."

He could see Buck’s anger through the tight line of tension running through his jaw and the loud breathing exuding from him like the vents of a boiler room. However, he was too conditioned to obey his captain to be able to let that anger get the better of him and immediately settled down once again. He would be no good to JD if he were dead.

"I told you," Chris glared at X’hala. "I won’t try anything."

"Then you shall have your answer." X’hala looked at him with a smirk reeking of triumph. "We need your ship to go home."

"Where’s home?" Chris asked automatically. If they were from Andromeda or beyond the galactic rim, this was going to be one long trip.

"Precise coordinates Captain?" X’hala gave him a look of amusement. "Nice try. Let us say it’s a few days away."

At least that was something, Chris thought before he spoke again. "You didn’t have to take over the ship if that’s all you wanted." A part of him was unable to believe the aliens had gone to all this trouble for just that simple reason. Chris had no qualms about returning displaced life forms back to their point of origin. All they needed to do was ask.

"Your kind are deceivers," X’hala answered automatically. "We are not so foolish to believe for one instant you would help us. We are aware of you and others like you. Deception is a part of your genetic material." The bitterness in her voice was not superiority or hatred, she said it like it was a statement of fact, like the world was round.

Chris looked at her with a hint of surprise as well as confusion. He still had a thousand questions running through his head. Some did not need any explanation like the strange behaviour exhibited not only by Casey earlier today but also Alex who used sex quite spectacularly to take Buck’s mind off what was happening. Inwardly, he should have known it would take nothing less than an alien invasion of her body for Alex to succumb to Buck’s charms. Others, like how these creatures managed to infect the female members of his crew and what they were in reality, beneath the guises of Maverick’s most trusted officers, were not so easy to answer.

"The hated ones?" Chris wrinkled his brow in confusion.

"Men," Buck said dutifully.

"I see," Chris nodded trying to make sense of things and had very little patience with the whole situation. His ship had been taken mostly because of his own negligence and while he was furious at himself, there was something to all this that told Chris these creatures had a reason for detesting men so much. He guessed they must have come from the artifact, for there was no other solution as to how they had gotten loose on his ship. After a moment he looked up at the young woman who wore Casey's face but nothing like the yeoman he knew. "If we cooperate, will you guarantee the safety of my crew?"

"You will cooperate," X’hala remarked as she returned to the command chair and lowered herself in it with great relish before casting her gaze in his direction again. "You will cooperate or we will kill everyone on board before we reach our destination. Do we understand each other?"

Chris nodded grimly before answering. "Perfectly."

******

Vin and Rain did not make it far after leaving the safety of SickBay in order to access the bridge. The turbo lifts had been deactivated. Considering that there were almost 35 decks on a galaxy class starship and the bridge was presently residing on Deck 1 and the SickBay was on Deck 17, it made reaching it somewhat difficult. Although they could access it by way of the miles and miles of ducts, conduits, electrical access tunnels, Jefferies tubes and crawl spaces that ran through a ship of this size, it was still a laborious endeavour. With what Nathan had revealed in regards to the enemy’s numbers, Vin and Rain knew they had to find a faster alternative for that careless expenditure of time was not acceptable with the ship in danger.

"What about the electrical access tunnel that runs straight through the bridge?" Rain suggested as they considered the options available to them as they put some distance between themselves and their last location following their unsuccessful turn at the turbo lift.

"That will take almost as long as trying to climb up the Jefferies tube and if they’ve got the bridge crew hostage, we need an element of surprise. They’ll be able to see us coming and then they’ll just have two extra hostages." Vin remarked and then met her gaze when a bout of inspiration overtook him. "What about Cargo Bay 2?" He suggested his blue eyes aflame with possibility.

"It has its own transporter pad!" She exclaimed, guessing what he intended almost immediately. "I can beam us directly to the bridge!"

"That’s a plan." He grinned as they both continued down the corridor, phasers in hand. The passageways were quiet and Vin wondered where everyone was. There could not be enough aliens to subdue everyone on the ship but Vin soon came to the conclusion there was really no need. If all the females on board had been infected with this malaise and they were as well prepared as Vin believed they were from what he had seen so far, it was quite easy to keep a ship of almost a thousand people penned indefinitely. With travel between the ship restricted thanks to the turbo lifts being offline and phasers offering a compelling argument for the unarmed to stay indoors, Vin could understand why the walkways of the Maverick were so deserted.

They were rounding the corner when Vin and Rain ran into a very irate Ezra Standish.

"What on Earth is going on?" Ezra demanded upon finally seeing a face he recognized, for that matter any face.

"Where the hell have you been Ezra?" Vin returned just as vehemently. "We’ve got hundreds of aliens on board and they’ve taken the bridge!"

Ezra’s face drained of colour for an instant as he absorbed that news. "How?"

"It’s the artifact," Rain quickly explained, moving past the moment because the guilt seeping into the eyes of the Security Chief was more than she could stand. She could tell very quickly he was blaming himself in the wake of this news that he should have been able to prevent what had happened. Rain guessed he had probably been distracted the way Vin and the rest of the ship had been and did not make his discovery of things being askew until it was too late. "It transferred some kind of alien consciousness to the females on board."

"But you….." Ezra started to point out.

"It’s got something to do with me being Trill," Rain explained before the question had a chance to escape him. "I’m about the only woman on the Maverick who isn’t affected. Everyone else is."

"No, that’s impossible." Ezra shook his head refusing to believe it. "I was with Julia." He insisted, the image of their heated desires still fresh in his mind. "I would have known."

The shudder she saw in his eyes, told Rain something else as well and inwardly, she ached for him. The relationship between Ezra and Julia Pemberton was well known throughout the ship and probably like so many lovers across the vessel, he was having trouble believing he was duped. In Ezra’s case, it would be a doubly bitter pill to swallow because he was the Chief of Security and any attempt to take the ship would require him being neutralized first.

"Believe it," Vin said abruptly, having no time to spare in giving Ezra a lengthy explanation. "They’ve taken the bridge, Ezra. We can’t get in contact with Chris, Buck or JD. The turbo lifts are sealed. Communications has been completely disabled. They only way they could have managed all that is if Julia was involved. She is the only one with the knowledge and the authority to shut down all those systems."

An ugly thought surfaced in Ezra’s mind as he recalled the summons to Engineering Julia received while she had been with him in his quarters and he looked at Vin, hoping he was wrong but knowing inwardly he was not. Still, Ezra had to ask. "Precisely how long ago did we lose access to all turbo lifts and communications?" He asked, his voice little more than a whisper.

"About 30 minutes." The Vulcan answered automatically, unaware at the significance of his response to Ezra. "About the same time, the ship kicked in Warp 9."

Ezra felt his stomach lurch as that number swam around his head and understood it made perfect sense after a fashion. In fact, everything taking place since she stepped into the shower cubicle suddenly made sense, giving Ezra a vision of truth nearly shattering the heart in his chest. For the most part, he hid it well from Vin, displaying the indifferent façade so useful during a card game. He had asked her why she chose to take their relationship to the next level and could not believe his stupidity in accepting so readily the answer she gave him. A part of Ezra Standish could not stomach he had been deceived so easily and then realized she was the one thing that could accomplish the feat with little or no difficulty. His love for her had become his weakness.

Vin who was similarly duped by Mary and even now, felt outraged, as well as betrayal, could appreciate how hurt Ezra must be at this moment. Mary inspired such passion in him, something dangerous and powerful had almost been unleashed. Had she not acted to incapacitate him when she had, Vin was uncertain what would have happened. Inwardly, he was still angered he had been forced to share the sensation of such pleasure with his best friend’s lady and not the woman who truly had his heart. However, while Vin was justified in his rage, Ezra’s pain was a little more uncertain.

Ezra loved Julia. Anyone who saw them together would know that. Vin had a feeling it was not an easy thing for the Security Chief to admit to either and for a man who trained to read people and faces, Vin could not imagine the mortification he must feel at being tricked. At this moment, Vin could imagine Ezra being racked with feelings of humiliation and failure at not being able to tell the difference between the woman he loved and the creature who stole her body.

"Ez," Vin said gently, not wishing to make him feel any worse but they were too pressed for time to indulge in a lengthy debate over this matter. The time to move was now and with Ezra here, the odds of success were slightly better than they had been. "We’re going to Cargo Bay 3 which is on this deck and has a transporter pad. Rain’s going to attempt a site to site transport to get us onto the bridge. I think the odds would work a lot better if it were three of us than just two. As it is, it's going to be a gamble cause we have no idea how many there are and what they’re capable of."

"Alex was on the bridge," Ezra mused. "If she’s there, chances are Julia would be too. Possibly Mary. If I were conducting an assault on the bridge, that is the way to infiltrate it without rousing suspicion. All of them have reason to be there."

"Well you’re the expert," the Vulcan said with a little smile. "Chief of Security."

Ezra would begged to differ but said nothing, since he was still shell shocked by what he had just been told but knew for the moment, his feelings could wait. When they had assumed control of the bridge and ejected the alien consciousness in possession of the Maverick’s female complement, then he could allow himself to consider the ramifications of what transpired between Julia and him. A flurry of questions still remained in his mind, the first and foremost being whether or not the creatures could be expelled from Julia and whether or not she would survive the exorcism. How would she react to knowing he had made love to her, not even realizing it was not her, that he had been touched by something else, utilizing her body to cruelly distract him from his responsibilities to the ship?

Personally, Ezra did not know which was worse.

Tapping his combadge in order to reach his security team, he was greeted with silence and Ezra cast a glance at Vin. "It seems Miss Pemberton has been sufficiently thorough."

"Let’s hope she’s not that thorough," Vin responded, catching on to his meaning immediately.

"You think she might have disabled the transporters?" Rain gasped, realizing Julia Pemberton’s efficiency as a Chief Engineer might be sound enough for such an eventuality.

"If she did not, Alex would have." Ezra commented, garnering a look from Vin. "You forget aside from being Chief Science Officer, she is also the third ranking officer with tactical training. Her IQ is higher than most of us, so yes, I would say there is a good chance she may have disabled the transporters."

"Damn." Vin swore under his breath.

"That’s not a problem." Rain responded automatically.

"It is not?" Ezra and Vin looked at the woman immediately.

"I am Transporter Chief you know," she shrugged her shoulders with something of a guilty expression on her face as she spoke. "I may have inadvertently at some point, hacked into the mainframe and acquired the enable codes for our transporters."

Ezra’s eyes widened and then narrowed in quick succession. "Madam, when this is all over, you and I are going to have a talk about your inadvertent ventures."

"We have a problem."

When Julia Pemberton spoke those words, she simultaneously captured the attention of both hostage and kidnappers on the bridge of the Maverick. In his command chair, Chris saw the alien called X’hala who was presently inhabiting the body of Casey Wells swivel about to face the Chief Engineer. It was still taking some time for him to become accustomed to that hardened expression in Casey’s face when Chris was so used to seeing youthful exuberance and a sweetness possessing the power to touch even his jaded interior, so ravaged by grief he would not share with anyone. It had been even more difficult for JD Dunne when the young man had awoken to find the girl he cared presiding over the bridge and issuing orders with a personality, not her own or anything closely resembling the person he knew.

"Clarify," X’hala ordered.

Julia’s eyes moved over the console screen before her, the faint glow of the screen bouncing off her features as she made a further study and responded. "Someone is attempting to access the transporter pad in Cargo Bay 3."

"I thought you disabled all transporters." X’hala returned.

"I did but apparently they have the initialization codes to get the transporters back online once more," Julia replied, somewhat confused about how this was possible since she thought she had secured those sections earlier on.

"Can you lock them out again?" The impatience in X’hala’s voice was growing and Chris could tell she would not take another negative answer with any tolerance.

Chris gave Buck and JD a look, silent in his speech but his gaze spoke volumes as to the identity of the interlopers who were attempting to access the bridge. His gut instinct told him it was most likely Ezra and possibly Vin. If anyone could override lockout codes it was Ezra Standish, the man was as gifted with bypassing secured programming as he was with his extracurricular gambling habits.

"I don’t think so." The Julia entity lifted her eyes to meet X’hala’s own before shaking her head.

"Can we identify them?" X’hala inquired sharply.

Julia returned her gaze to the computer screen once again and punched in a few more keypads to make that determination. "I am reading three life signs in Cargo Bay 3. One human, one Vulcan, and one Trill."

"It’s the one we could not take." The leader frowned. "I knew we should have done away with her when we had the chance."

"Decompress the cargo bay." Alex who was at helm controls suggested, immediately bringing all conversation to a halt for a few seconds.

"You can’t do that!" Chris reacted immediately, knowing what that would mean. "You’ll kill them!"

"Quiet!" Narita who was standing close by growled at him, brandishing the phaser just for effect.

Alex rose from her station at the helm and more or less ignored his outburst, focusing her attention on X’hala instead when she resumed speaking. "If we initiate decompression on Cargo Bay 3, we will disable transporter functions, will we not?"

"Yes," Julia nodded somberly. "If we decompress the cargo bay, the safety protocols will interrupt any transporter routine in progress. Once full decompression takes place, the transporter pad will be functional again but we’re talking about a three-second time delay where the transporters will be ineffective, codes or not."

"Long enough for them to be blown out in the space," Alex said firmly.

"Yes," Julia nodded. "Long enough for that."

"Proceed immediately," X’hala ordered before glancing at Chris in anticipation of an outburst on the behalf of the crewmen about to die.

"You said you wouldn't hurt anyone!" Chris shouted at her, feeling impotent at being unable to help Ezra, Vin, and Transporter Chief Rain. Any remaining goodwill he had for these creatures just evaporated with that threat and he vowed if those three lives were lost, he would have every one of theirs in return.

"If you cooperated. They are not cooperating." X’hala retorted coldly as Alex resumed her duties at the helm station. "Carry out the order."

"Don’t!" Chris turned to Julia and tried desperately to reach her. "Julia, you’re in there somewhere. You know as well as I do that biosignature is Ezra’s! If you do this, you’ll be killing him! You love him!"

"You waste your time Captain," X’hala’s voice spoke instead of Julia’s. "Julia Pemberton does not hear you. She is Salya." There was a hint of boredom in her voice as she spoke, almost as if the attempt was

Chris kept his gaze locked on Julia, refusing to give up. Somehow he had to reach her. She returned his look of worry with one that was unfathomable. While he had expected to see abject refusal, he was greeted with uncertainty. "You know that this is wrong, Julia please." He tried again, hoping to use that hesitation in her features as a way of helping his comrades.

"Carry out the order Salya!" X’hala barked fiercely, annoyed she had not done it yet for it seemed she was considering the Captain’s words.

"Julia!" Chris’s voice rose.

The entity inhabiting Julia Pemberton’s body was hesitating and she did not know why. In the milliseconds between the Captain’s desperate plea and the direct order given to her by X’hala, she had found her mind not focused on the journey home but the heated passion exchanged between herself and Ezra Standish. He was the enemy. There ought to be no question as to what she should to do and yet she felt torn between her duty and what she felt for this human. She did not want to hurt him and unlike the couplings with others of his kind before, he had been kind and tender. He had taken such effort to please her and when he said he loved Julia Pemberton, Salya believed him. They were not just words of deception, but words from the heart.

"NOW, SALYA!" X’hala shouted this time, startling her out of her thoughts. The Thinker raised her eyes to the Leader, whose own were now blazing with anger at her inability to perform what was demanded of her.

Salya saw all eyes on her, including that of the hostages and her sisters. They were all waiting in anticipation of what she would do and Salya knew she had no choice but to act. She knew the cause and she believed in it. She would do so until her dying day. Thinking quickly, she pounded against the keypad and made split-second preparations before announcing. "Proceeding with decompression."

Chris let out a breath that was almost a gasp and felt his heart constrict in his chest because he failed and because he failed, he had condemned his friends to die.

******

Rain was in the midst of bypassing the transporter lockout when she saw the warning flashing across the console pad before her. Her head snapped up immediately while her eyes darted to the main doors into the cargo bay. The flicker on the control panel on the wall next to it told her she was too late. It was already sealed. Rain faced front again and realized they had less than two minutes before the cargo bay doors opened. The job of enabling the transporter pad would take three. They were in trouble.

"They’re preparing to decompress the cargo bay!" Rain declared, trying not to panic even though they had less than two minutes which was plenty of time for her to begin if the need took her.

"What?" Vin exclaimed and started towards the door.

"It’s no good," she shook her head. "The doors have already been sealed."

"They must have detected your attempts to override the transporter lockout." Ezra retorted, thinking fast as he decided how they would extricate themselves from this situation in the time they had. He suspected something of the sort when they began the attempt, having nothing left inside him that could hope for success after what had happened to him today. "Will you be able to get the transporter functioning before our time dwindles away?"

Rain did not answer and in her silence did.

However, she still refused to give up on her attempt to access the transporters, hoping her fingers might deliver to the magic needed to escape despite the fact time was well and truly against her. Her digits moved with the kind of swiftness that came with being on intimate terms with the device of her vocation, after years of practice. Despite her stubborn determination not to give in, not even until the last minute, Rain was finding herself struggling in quicksand because there was a difference between hope and futility and it this case, it was that one minute.

Vin was also thinking but his thought processes were not geared towards recognizing their situation or continuing on their intended course to escape the doom of decompression, but rather how they would survive it. If the doors were sealed and they were not getting out through the transporters then there had to be another solution. Chris always said there was always an angle to play and if there wasn't one, to find it quick smart. Vin hoped the Captain was right because right now, they needed one and rather desperately. His eyes were scouring the expanse of the cargo bay when suddenly; it came to him in a flash of inspiration or desperation, however one looked at it. He preferred to think of it as the former.

"Forget the transporters!" Vin shouted to the others as he started running towards a compartment at the far corner of the cargo bay. "This way!"

"What?" Rain stammered, looking up at him as she saw where he was heading and realized what he intended.

Ezra who caught on just as quickly grabbed her by the shoulder and more or less tore her away from the transporter controls, forcing her into the run her mind was having such difficulty coping with. In a second, Rain matched him stride for stride as they saw Vin opening the compartment door. It slid open and no sooner than he disappeared inside, the Vulcan helmsman was flinging out the enviro-suits stored within its confines for maintenance purposes.

"Hurry!" Vin shouted as he began to pull off his shoes in order to slip into the suits which now appeared to be their only means of survival.

"I hate spacewalking!" Rain complained as she pulled off her jumpsuit and proceeded to climb into her own suit, modesty forgotten in the face of the danger her body face if she should be ejected into a vacuum. Being exposed in front of a Vulcan who could barely appreciate it or a human, who was trying to decide what to explain to his lover when this was all over, would be the least of her problems.

"I am certain you would dislike explosive decompression even less." Ezra retorted as he pulled the thick cumbersome clothes over his shoulders and did the same to the gauntlets and boots when he kicked the preceding pair of his feet.

"Do you think you both could shut up and just get dressed!" Vin growled. They did not have time to banter. In fact, they would very little time for anything if they were not protected by the enviro-suits by the time those cargo bay doors opened. He snapped his helmet into place and saw the others almost as ready as he was for what was coming when suddenly red warning lights around the cargo bay doors signal their intention to open. The low whine of a warning beacon filled the room and suddenly, it appeared they had even less time than they thought, in which to be ready for it when they opened.

Rain and Ezra exchanged looks for a split second before they resumed their dressing, snapping fasteners into place and securing vacuum sealed buttons to utilize the maximum protection of their new apparel. Ezra snapped his helmet into place and pulled down the visor, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on those doors. He was almost ready for it when they opened and managed to register Vin’s words when they finally pulled apart.

"Use your grappling hooks!" The Vulcan reminded, aware of how rough this was going to be.

Although the air was meant to be invisible, the three occupants of Cargo Bay 3 were almost certain they could see it rushing past the doors when the starlight beyond the ship seeped into view. At first, they felt little more than a slight tug pulling at them as the air began bleeding through the narrow crack of the widening doors. However, by the time they had pulled back to be afforded a picturesque view of the Maverick traveling at warp, they were being bombarded with the force of a typhoon. Everything unbolted down went flying in all directions. Storage containers, loading crates, and tools were flying through the air like children’s toys. All three were swept off their feet and through the chaos of flight, Vin’s voice continued to shout instructions.

"Use your grappling hooks to stay with the ship!" Vin cried out as he narrowly missed being hit by a large container that went tumbling into space the minute it cleared the doors. "If we slip past the warp field, we’ll be smashed into subatomic matter!"

If they had been traveling at normal speeds, ejection from the ship in their suits would have allowed for continued existence at least until a rescue vessel was dispatched. However, no such allowance was possible while the Maverick remained at warp. If they were to drift out of the warp field, nothing would save them from the ravages of extreme velocity. It was a situation they were all painfully aware of as they found themselves ejected outward from the cargo bay. Trying to keep their heads as much as they could, the displaced trio soon saw the doors of the cargo bay surrounding them before they were speeding away from the ship.

"Grapplers, now!" Vin shouted.

Wasting no time, three separate lifelines ejected from the utility belts contained in the gauntlets of the enviro-suits. Surging forward with the power of chemical propellants behind them, the lines were not tethered to hooks but rather magnetic fasteners attracted by the large hulk of metal that was the Maverick. It took a number of seconds before all three magnets reached the hull and Vin could confess to those being the longest seconds of his life as he waited for the tension to pull him back towards the Maverick. In the soundless vacuum, he could see space moving past him at speeds too incredible to imagine like the first humans who had looked up at the sky to admire the stars. Spacewalks like these were persona non grata according to the manual. While spacewalking had been a fact of life for travelers since the twentieth century, no commander in recent history sanctioned the practice while the ship was in warp.

While the person making the attempt might be safe within the warp sphere that allowed the starship to travel at faster than light speeds, outside the sphere, the ship was being propelled forward by a velocity capable of separating atomic bonds and death was absolute. All these thoughts bounced around Vin’s head as he saw Ezra and Rain being pulled forward once the magnetic fasteners did its work and felt a flood of relief through his entire being when he felt the same force tugging him towards the Maverick.

Vin did not realize he was holding his breath until he saw the familiar duranium plate of the hull overshadow the glass of his visor and he could see nothing but the polished steel of its surface. For once he was a drowning man grateful to allow its milky blue-white exterior to swallow him whole as he drew closer and closer towards the great ship.

"Mr. Tanner," Ezra’s voice filled the inside of his helmet. "Are you still in one piece?"

"Pretty much." Vin finally dared to answer as he saw the hull only inches away. He was certain Ezra could hear the relief in his voice. "What about you?"

"Oh, I am certain to be seeing my dinner again when this is all over." The Security Chief offered an unusually graphic description for a man so refined.

"Uggh…" Rain groaned in disgust. "For a man who can turn a phrase when he needs to, that is something I did not need to hear." She grumbled and indicated her state of well being by that glib remark.

Vin saw Rain and Ezra already on the hull. They were evenly distanced from each other across the starboard section of the hull and when Vin finally made his landing, he and Rain would have to walk to reach Ezra who seemed to be halfway point between them. He did not mind the walk. Free floating in space might have its attractions but Vin would have like to have done it while the Maverick was not speeding through space at high warp. As the soles of his boots touched the metallic side of the ship, Vin activated his gravity boots and immediately felt the soft thud of landing. Utilizing the same principle as the magnetic fasteners, the soles of the boots were magnetically lined allowing the wearer to remain attached to the ship without any danger of being spirited away by the windless drift of cold vacuum.

"The eagle has landed," Vin remarked as he felt solid ground or in this case, duranium under his feet. He cast a brief glance into the sky above him and could not help being lost in the wonder of the moment, if only for a second. He could see the stars moving past him like streaking comets. They moved through the expanse of space like a symphony of color and even though the danger he and the rest of the Maverick were in by no means over, reveling in the beauty of what was before him was a luxury he would not deny himself.

"God, it so beautiful." He heard Rain speak softly, her voice filled with hush tones of awe.

"It is." Vin agreed out loud and wished silently to himself Alex was here to share this with him. They had often watched this from inside the confines of the observation deck and knew she would have loved to have seen this herself. Thinking about Alex gave Vin a renewed feeling of worry for the science officer, wondering what she was enduring while something alien stole away everything she was and forced her to commit acts of violence against her friends. Remembering Alex snapped Vin out of his reverie of admiration for the beauty around him because he had to help her.

"Ezra, hold position," Vin responded as he started walking across the hull. "Rain and I will meet up with you."

"Standing by, Mr. Tanner." Ezra nodded in the affirmative.

"Hey, did either of you guys notice something strange?" Rain asked as she made the journey toward them.

"You mean other than being blown out of the cargo hold, being dragged by a ship going at warp and now crawling all over this ship like a bug on a windshield?" Vin retorted. "No, not really."

He could feel her glare from wherever she was.

"Very funny," Rain muttered and then spoke again. "I mean did you notice we were given a two-minute delay between the doors sealing and the cargo doors opening?"

"Now that you mention Lieutenant, I see what you mean." Ezra nodded as he stood to wait for them to arrive. "Normally we are talking about a matter of seconds before the cargo doors opened not a full two minutes."

"That kind of a program specification can't be carried out from the cargo deck controls but rather the bridge." Rain pointed out.

"You mean you think someone gave us two minutes?" Vin exclaimed, realizing what his two companions were alluding to. "Chris?"

"I doubt it." Ezra discounted that possibility immediately. The Captain was a hostage. He would not have the time or the opportunity to access the controls require to give them that leeway although the intention of whoever had done it, seemed to be for the purpose of keeping them alive. "Whoever it was, gave us two minutes but also chose to continue with the decompression. If you could interfere with the programming that much why not disable the countdown as well?"

Vin had an answer. "Maybe one of them doesn't want us dead but can't see their way to helping us either without getting into trouble themselves."

"Precisely," Ezra nodded as he saw Vin and Rain appear over the curve of the ship from two different sections. "It might mean the alien control may not be as intractable as we believe. We may be able to reach one of them."

"Which means they might help us when we get to the bridge." Rain suggested once they were all together again, a few seconds later.

"We can only hope." Ezra smiled as he patted Vin on the back, relieved at seeing the helmsman in the flesh and returning the same warm gesture to the intriguing Lieutenant Rain. "In the meantime however, I see you are still in possession of your weapon." Ezra regarded the phase rifle slung over Vin's shoulder.

"Yes," Vin answered, patting the leather strap that kept it secure during their forced ejection from the Maverick. "What do you have in mind?" He asked though he a fair idea since he was having the same thoughts himself.

"We do what we had originally intended to when we first entered Cargo Bay 3. Except this time instead of taking the direct route, we might just take the scenic one." Ezra said with a hint of ice in his voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to the bridge."

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