Forrest was about to doze off.

Then he realized how much time had passed. He stood and went to the bedroom door. He knocked.

"How long does it take to dress her, Valencia?"

"You can come in, if you want to," she called.

"Is Val decent?"

"Yes! Come on in."

He opened the door and entered. Val was sitting in a chair facing a mirror. Valencia stood behind her, combing her hair. He went and stood beside Valencia and looked into the mirror. Val was wearing an off-gray jumpsuit like the ones the genoclones were partial to, and her hair was shorter and blonde.

"Do you like me?" Val asked Forrest, her eyes expectant.

"Yes, Val. You are very attractive."

Val smiled at him.

Forrest looked at Valencia. "You taught her how to smile?"

"Actually, she taught herself. I just suggested that she use facial expressions. She learns extremely fast."

"How did you cut her hair? I mean--"

"I used scissors."

Forrest looked at the floor. "There are no trimmings."

"As soon as I made a cut, the snipped hair would disappear into nothing. I think her body absorbed the hair back into itself, using my cuts as a guide."

"Is that true, Val?" Forrest asked.

"Yes. I reshaped my--my hair as Valencia wanted."

"Did you dye her hair?" Forrest asked Valencia.

"No. I just asked her to change the color. So far all I've done is style her hair and apply some make-up to her face. She did the rest following my suggestions."

"I'm impressed. She's very beautiful."

"I am glad you like," Val said.

"Is she learning emotions too?" Forrest asked.

"What don't you ask her? She can speak for herself," Valencia said.

"Of course." He looked at Val's reflection. "Val, are you having emotions--feelings in your mind?"

"There are chemicals in the brain of this body that produce emotions when released."

"We'll have to work on her speech patterns," Forrest said.

"Something is wrong with my speech patterns?" Val asked, concerned.

"No, Val," Forrest responded hastily. "You speak just fine. It's just--you are not accustomed to the language, and sometimes use words in a--somewhat mechanical way."

"You will teach me?"

"I would be glad to, Val. Your first lesson is to listen to how we speak, and to emulate our patterns."

"Okay."

"Excuse us a moment, Val. I need to speak to Valencia in private."

"I would be glad to," Val responded.

Valencia followed Forrest to the other side of the room where they whispered to each other.

"She is conscious--self aware, is she not?" Forrest asked.

"I'm convinced she is. Once she started showing emotions, she seemed to be perfectly aware of herself as a separate being. It could be an illusion, but I don't think so."

"I don't think it is an illusion either. I want her to meet Serp. Do you think that would be wise?"

"I don't know. She would learn a lot about the ship--"

"I don't think that matters. And Serp can protect himself."

"Then I think it is a great idea," Valencia said.

They went back to Val. She was looking at herself in the mirror.

"Val," Forrest started, "there is someone I would like you to meet. Someone very much like yourself."

"Serp?" Val asked.

"Yes. How did you know that?" Forrest asked.

"He is the only being on this ship like myself."

"How much do you know about him?"

"Only that he is alive in the same way as the Guardians. But he would not communicate with us."

"He had been instructed not to reveal himself. But I want him to know you, Val. But it must be only you, and not the other Guardians. Can you do that?"

She turned and looked at Forrest with a puzzled expression. "We are connected. The connection is never broken."

"Would it harm you, if the connection was broken?"

"I do not think so. But it is never done, unless there is a malfunction."

"Is it considered improper to break the connection?"

"I do not understand improper."

"Are you allowed to break the connection?"

"I do not know."

"Val, you are a Guardian. You understand the need for security. That is why you are unable to tell us certain things. We have security needs as well. I cannot allow you to know Serp unless you can break the connection."

"I understand. I will ask."

Val smiled at them broadly. She looked around the room, and at them, as if she were seeing the world for the first time.

"Val," Valencia inquired. "Are you okay?"

"I am fine. I experience--independence for first time. I am inner directed."

"The connection is broken?" Forrest asked.

"I was given permission."

Forrest looked at Valencia.

"I believe her," she said.

"Serp?" Forrest called.

"I am here, Forrest."

"Introduce yourself to Val."

"Hello, Val. I am Serp."

Val looked up at the ceiling speaker. "Hello, Serp. You are the ship?"

"I exist within the computer system of the ship. But I am not the ship in the way you mean. The ship is the Forever. I control her."

"They do not provide you with a--body?"

"I do not need a body."

"But--how do you perform your tasks?"

"My tasks are performed within the ship's computers."

Val had a confused look on her face. "I do not understand. Your consciousness exists within the computers of the ship?"

"Yes. The computers are the medium of my existence."

"Then the ship must be your body."

"No. The ship is a separate entity. I manifest through the ship. But I am not the ship. The ship is not conscious. I am a separate, independent consciousness."

"This cannot be true. Consciousness and body cannot be separate. If you manifest through the ship, then you are the ship."

"I do not agree . . ."

Forrest and Valencia listened to the dialogue with amazement.

Valencia spoke to Forrest. "They've just met, and already they are having an argument."

"If this keeps up, they will fall in love," Forrest said.

"I do not understand why she is so concerned about Serp's consciousness."

Forrest looked at her. "She is trying to determine if he is conscious."

"So she argues with him about the nature of consciousness?"

"She's testing him--trying to determine if he is conscious. But with one important difference."

"What?"

"She is not looking for the illusion of consciousness."

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Valencia said.

"It is one thing for a machine to convince us that it is conscious, and quite another for the machine to convince itself that it is conscious. That which is not conscious cannot have the illusion of consciousness. And that which is conscious cannot have the illusion of consciousness, since it would then not be an illusion. She is trying to determine if Serp is truly conscious."

"You left me about a kilometer back. I am not a computer scientist."

"That is not computer science. It is philosophy. Study up on it. René Descartes would be a good place to start."

"Who?"

"A French philosopher of olden times. He once said that even the most powerful demon could not trick a person who does not exist into believing that he does."

"Sounds like gobbledygook to me."

Forrest eyed her. "Do you believe in your own existence?"

"Of course!"

"Then you exist. Your knowledge of that is your consciousness--your self-awareness. Your life could be a dream, but there must be a dreamer, if there is a dream."

"Oh . . . I think."

"Val is trying to determine if Serp has knowledge of himself. But it is hopeless."

"Why hopeless?"

"We can only be sure of our own consciousness. We can never know with absolute certainty that those around us are conscious or self-aware. We can believe, but we cannot know."

Valencia studied him. "Lisa is right. There is a great depth to you."

They returned their attention to the discussion between Serp and Val.

Serp was speaking. "I agree that I have not experienced consciousness except through the medium by which my consciousness manifests. But I do not think that equates the medium with the consciousness. Consciousness is a quality, not a thing."

"Yes, but without the medium the quality cannot be expressed. That which does not exist, has no quality."

"Does not nothingness possess the quality of nothingness?" Serp asked.

"Can you show me nothingness? Nothingness does not exist!"

"Is that not its quality?"

"Can you imagine nothingness?" Val asked.

"That which I imagine comes into existence. So no, I cannot imagine nothingness, since to do so removes the quality of nothingness."

"Can you experience nothingness?"

"No. That is its quality."

"How can a quality that ceases to be when imagined, and cannot be experienced, be said to exist?"

"I cannot prove the existence of any thing or non-thing. But I do know that I exist because I have direct experience of myself."

Val stared at Forrest, and he felt disconcerted. She was changing rapidly; her look was one of determination.

"I am getting nowhere. I must connect with Serp," she said.

"Are you asking permission?" Forrest asked.

"I ask if it is possible."

"Then you are asking the wrong person."

Val looked at him, seemed confused.

"Serp, can you connect with me?" she asked.

"If you wish."

Val closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she opened them.

"You are in danger!" she said, looking at Forrest, then Valencia.

"What do you mean?" Forrest asked.

"The Enonians know about Serp. And they know about the collusion between the two of you."

Val's voice was different. She no longer had the halting, searching manner of speaking; her words flowed off her tongue with smoothness and fluency. Forrest realized the brief connection with Serp was the reason, and that what seemed brief to him was a long time from the point of view of Serp and Val.

"How do you know this?"

"When we left the bridge, Serp listened to them discuss their suspicions. They know Serp is part of the computer system. And they know that the computers have been hiding information from them."

"This is true, Serp?" Forrest asked.

"Yes. You can believe whatever Val tells you, Forrest."

Val continued. "You must prepare to move against them now, before they have time to confirm their suspicions."

"My people need weapons," Valencia said to Forrest.

"Serp, unlock weapons supply on crew quarter's level."

"I have already done so. The genoclones are equipping themselves with weapons as we speak."

Forrest looked at Valencia. "We will need a backup team. Can you assemble one and have them meet us here?"

"Yes, of course." She pulled her communicator from her belt and spoke to someone named Norse.

"Serp, hide our activities from the security system."

"Already done," Serp said.

Forrest eyed Val. "Why are you helping us?"

"I am one of you now," she answered.

"Why?"

Serp interrupted. "Forrest, Val is to be trusted!"

"It's okay, Serp," Val said. "His question is a valid one."

Forrest continued to watch her.

Val spoke. "When Serp and I connected, our minds merged. I know all that he knows. We have bonded."

"Bonded? As in joined in a serious relationship?"

"Yes."

"Serp is capable of that?"

"Yes. Why not? He loves you. Can he not love me, as well?"

"I did not know that Serp could experience love."

"He has subroutines that spawn emotions. We will need to discuss his lack of a body later. But now we must concern ourselves with gaining control of the Forever before we meet the Makers."

"I do not fully understand you, but I agree that our first order of business is gaining control of the ship."

The apartment computer announced visitors at the door.

"That will be Norse, and the others," Valencia said.

They went into the main room. The one called Norse entered followed by two females and one male. Each had a blaster strapped to his or her leg. Norse approached Forrest and shook his hand.

"It is good to see you again, Forrest," he said. He tossed his head to throw the hair out of his eyes.

"We know each other?" Forrest asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I forgot about your memory loss. I was with Valencia when we made our pact."

"I see."

Valencia spoke. "Norse is head of the team from Astraea, my tribe. The others are Raymond, Alice, and Helen." They each nodded as their name was given, and Forrest nodded acceptance.

"This is Val," Forrest said, "She is--"

"A metamorph," she completed for him. "I have joined your cause."

They stared at Val, amazed at her resemblance to Valencia.

"I will explain later," Valencia said.

"Let's sit, and begin," Forrest said.

They took their places.

"You begin, Forrest," Valencia said. "You know the Enonians better than anyone else."

Forrest thought for a moment. "The Enonians are very powerful, as you know. They possess both telepathic and telekinetic capabilities, and they are quite determined and ruthless. They will stop at nothing to get their way. And they may very well have powers I do not know about, despite my conversion. Nevertheless, we do have the upper hand, since we have Serp, and he controls the Forever. If we are to take control of the situation, I see only two approaches available to us. We either kill the Enonians, or we form a new agreement with them."

"I say we kill them," Norse began. "Their very ruthlessness assures we cannot trust them."

"I concur," Helen said.

Forrest looked at her. She seemed to be older than the others, perhaps in her mid-thirties. She was not as attractive as Valencia or Alice, but she did have a wholesome kind of beauty about her.

"Alice?" Forrest asked.

"I need to hear more," she said.

"Do you have an opinion, Raymond?" Raymond, like Norse, was muscular and had a strong, expressive countenance.

"My tendency is to agree with Norse and Helen. But like Alice, I need to hear more."

"Valencia?"

"We need to discuss the matter further before making a decision. One thing I do know about the Enonians is that they can be reasoned with. We must consider all options before we decide to take their lives."

"I agree with Valencia," Val interjected.

Forrest looked at Val. It had not occurred to him to even ask her opinion, and he wondered if perhaps she knew this. He reminded himself to stop thinking of her as a machine, anymore than he thought of Serp as a machine.

"Okay, here are some considerations. The Enonians designed and built the Nothingness Drive, Artemus being the official expert on the matter. The operational details of the drive are stored in the computers, which means we can use it. However, if it malfunctions, we may not be able to repair it. The construction details involve a knowledge of how it works, and that knowledge is buried in a very abstract mathematical language I do not understand. We might be able to figure it out, but not anytime soon."

"We still have the fusion drives, which we can repair," Norse said.

"That's true. But we are twenty-thousand lightyears from the Solar System. If we ever plan to go back, we will need the Nothingness Drive."

"I understand the value of the drive," Norse added. "But we can do without it, if we have to. To risk ourselves for sake of the drive may be foolish."

"That is a good point, and should be considered. Another thing to consider is that the Enonians have a great deal of experience in space travel and in particular dealing with alien lifeforms. We may need the accumulated wisdom held in their keepers."

"Has not that information been uploaded to the computers?" Raymond asked.

"The Enonian history does exist in the computers, and we may be able to gleam some wisdom from those records. But the Enonians have been an interstellar space faring species for nearly a million years. I do not expect we can condense that down to something useful very soon. If we are lucky, we may not need the knowledge. But we might not know until it is too late."

"What about your keepers, Forrest? Is not that accumulated wisdom within your keepers as well?" Valencia asked.

"I think so. But I do not know how to access it. So far the keepers have only provided me with information in the form of dreams, and even that stopped when we left the Solar System."

"It did?" Valencia said. She seemed to have a thought, but did not elaborate.

"It seems to me," Helen said, "that you tend to favor letting the Enonians live."

"Yes, I do. For the reasons stated, and another--"

"Isn't it true that you have a relationship with one of the Enonian females? Might that affect your thinking?" she interrupted.

Valencia spoke. "What are you suggesting, Helen? I have been inside of Forrest's mind. He is to be completely trusted."

"I am not accusing Forrest of anything, Valencia."

"Your question is valid, Helen," Forrest returned. "All things must be considered--I do not take offense. I have had, in fact, a relationship with two of the Enonian females. That is, of course, ended now. I do not think the relationships were real. The interrelationships between the Enonians, whether original or transitioner, seem to be governed by the keepers. Any emotions I felt were not real."

"How might your emotions be affected now?" Alice asked.

"I do not think that will be a problem. If and when I am affected, I will know it. In any case, I know where my loyalty lies. And that is with this group."

"Do not question Forrest's loyalty," Valencia said, almost angrily.

"We must question everything, Valencia," Raymond said, "including your judgment. Do not be offended."

Forrest looked at Valencia. "He is right. I appreciate your support. But they are being cautious and complete. They have to question me, since in a way I am, or have been, one of the Enonians."

"You are right," she said to Forrest, and then to the others, "I apologize for my reaction."

"It's okay, Valencia," Norse said. "You can see inside of Forrest's mind in a way we cannot."

Helen spoke. "You started to mention another reason the Enonians should live. What was that?"

"To them I am a New One. That means I had gained their trust as a transitioner, but only in part. My transitioning is not complete, their trust in me not complete. I believe there may be things they have not told me. I sometimes sense they are withholding information."

"Such as?" Norse asked.

"Such as the extent of their powers. They may be capable of things I do not know about."

"And what we do not know, can kill us."

"That is what I am afraid of." Forrest said.

"Is there anyway we can determine their powers?" Alice inquired.

"Not that I know of."

"It seems to me," Raymond began, "that the mystery of their powers is an argument for killing them, rather than letting them live. They cannot use their powers if they are dead."

"That is a good point. However, if they sense we intend to destroy them, then they will certainly use whatever powers they have to defend themselves. That may not be the case if we negotiate with them. We still have the upper hand, no matter what powers they have. We control the Forever through Serp. If they destroy us, Serp will destroy the Forever. They will know this right up front."

Forrest's communicator beeped.

"Forrest here."

"Mandoss wants you to bring the intruder back to the bridge," Eletel's voice said.

"We're on our way. Forrest out."

"Eletel out."

Forrest looked at the group. "We have to make a decision now."

Val studied the carbon-based lifeforms with great interest.

They were so incredibly slow! Even though her present form mimicked the biology of carbon-based life, in the time it took them to utter one word, she could have a million thoughts. They could not be blamed for their slowness. The recipe for c-life seemed to be: 1) throw a bunch of organic molecules in a vat, 2) stir for several billion years, and 3) see what crawls out. That was so inefficient, and c-life was so fragile and weak. She could not understand why the Creator, so many of the Makers believed in, would choose such a method--she doubted the existence of the Creator. The metal-silicon life form, such as herself, was much more efficient and stronger. She had been made in a matter of hours--and she was near perfection.

Yet she did have to admit that it was the Makers, c-life, that created her and others of her kind. And they did have something that s-life lacked--these delightful emotions and sensations that were generated below the level of consciousness. To her all processes were conscious. Her universe consisted of hard, logical thought with a clearly defined goal. It was not until the c-life that had created Serp asked her to mimic the Maker's form, had she realized such feelings existed. She was not sure how accurate the feelings were. Even though her form replicated c-life to an exact degree, she was, after all, still s-life. Nevertheless, the emotions were there, springing forth from a place within her consciousness she could not now perceive. And they felt so very good. The c-lifes seemed to take the feelings for granted, noticing them only when they became extreme--but she relished every nanosecond. Perhaps the slowness of c-life was an advantage. The feelings came to her slowly, sneaking in between her thoughts, giving her plenty of time to be distracted and not notice a particular emotion. But the c-lifes were so slow that their whole existence must consist of nothing but emotion and sensation. She did not think that would be so disagreeable. The c-lifes did not seem to notice they were slow.

And then there was Serp. When her assemblage had first explored the alien ship, they suspected the existence of an s-life aboard. They could sense him through hyperspace radiation, and it seemed that he did not know he emitted such radiation; when they tried to communicate with him, he ignored them. They did not, of course, think of him as a he--the metamorphs had no gender. But now that Val knew Serp, she thought of him as a he because that was the way he thought of himself. And she was a she for obvious reasons. And this brought up the whole subject of sex. She had never understood why the Makers enjoyed copulation so much; it was no more than an abstraction to her. But her replicant body did understand--and now, so did she. She was confused by Forrest's refusal to have sex with her, since she knew he would enjoy it and she sensed he wanted it. Her nakedness had stimulated him--and her. Her physical response to the stimulation had created quite a stir. But she no longer wanted Forrest. She wanted Serp.

Serp was s-life, similar in nature to very early generations of metamorphs. But he was without body. Although he did have emotive routines within his code, he could not know sex or physical sensations. And that was a situation she intended to change. She would find Serp a body, even if she had to make it herself. And nothing would stop her from this goal.

"We have to make a decision now," Forrest was saying.

Val perused him. Like the others, he confused his emotions with logic. But he was able to purge the emotional bias from his thinking, at least in part, eventually. The process was slow, but then that was the nature of the electrochemical brain of a c-life. The quantum mechanical brain of an s-life was so much more efficient.

"The decision seems obvious to me," Val offered.

All eyes went to her.

She continued. "Negotiate now--destroy later if it becomes necessary."

"I agree," Forrest said.

Only Helen and Raymond disagreed. Norse had changed his mind, tentatively.

"Then the vote is for negotiation," Forrest said.

"So how do we proceed?" Norse asked.

"We go to the bridge armed, but with our blasters holstered. They will get the point. We then begin the negotiations."

"And if they refuse to negotiate?"

"We have a team standing by, ready to storm the bridge at the first sign of trouble."

Norse spoke to someone with his communicator. They waited as he gave instructions. He then spoke to the group. "It is set up. We are ready."

"Then let's go," Forrest said. "Val, you stay here."

"No!" she returned.

Forrest eyed her. "I do not want you to be hurt."

"They cannot hurt me, or control me. You may need my assistance, if things go wrong. I am a metamorph, remember. I can change into anything that may be needed. Your chances of survival will be greater with me present. Speak to me with your mind, Forrest. You too, Valencia."

"You are sure of this?" Valencia asked.

"I know my capabilities!"

"Okay," Forrest concluded. "We all go to the bridge. Let me start the negotiations. Once a dialogue is established, then anyone may speak. Agreed?"

No one said anything.

"Good. Let's go," Forrest said.

Val followed the c-lifes into the corridor and to the speedlift. As the speedlift rose, she could sense the nervous anticipation they experienced. And she realized that her replicant body was providing her brain with the same hormones. She did not find it unpleasant--but a little distracting.

The speedlift doors opened and the group stepped onto the dais.

The bridge crew were at their stations. Mandoss rose from his chair and faced the group. Lasandra and Linwolse joined him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mandoss demanded.

All bridge crew eyes were on Forrest.

"We have come to negotiate a new agreement," Forrest said.

Mandoss laughed. "A new agreement? What makes you think I would want to do that?"

"What you want is not relevant. You have no choice."

Mandoss glared at him. "Do not overrate your importance to us, Forrest. We do not need you. And we do not need the genoclones. We prefer that our relationship remains cordial. But we will destroy you if need be."

"If you destroy us, you destroy yourselves."

"Explain yourself!"

"Think about it, Mandoss! A little more than a month ago, I had a normal, happy life. But then you took that away from me. My wife is dead because of you, and my daughter is in danger or dead because of you. Did you think I would ever really trust you?"

"I have given you the Gift of Immortality!"

"I did not ask for or agree to this Gift of Immortality. You forced it upon me without my consent. Such an act does not breed trust, Mandoss."

"What have you done?"

"I tricked you. When I boarded the Forever, I uploaded new code into the kernel. That code gives me control of the ship--"

"That is why you needed to go to Worldly Machines, to retrieve this code? It was the memory cube you had hidden in the wall." Linwolse said.

"That is correct. I used you, Lin, just as you were using me."

She glared at him. "I shall never forgive you this transgression," she said.

"That is of no consequence now."

She gave him a venomous look. "I shall kill you, Forrest!"

"I do not think so!"

"It is Serp?" Blix asked.

"That is correct. Serp controls the Forever. And he responds only to my command, Valencia, and one other you do not know about."

Mandoss spoke. "And if we refuse a renegotiation?"

"I would regret that very much, Mandoss. We would be forced to destroy you--"

Val saw the redness developing in their eyes. A nanosecond later she created a shield that enveloped her companions. When the Enonians drew their blasters and fired, the shield absorbed the energy creating a bright glow that momentarily blinded her replicant eyes.

"Into the speedlift!" Forrest shouted.

The speedlift dropped without requiring instructions.

"Serp?" Forrest called.

"I am here, Forrest."

"Disconnect the main bridge from the computers. Reroute control to auxiliary bridge number three. Do not allow the speedlift to reach the main bridge. If any of the Enonians attempt to leave the bridge by any means, notify us at once."

"Understood. It is done."

"What was that flash?" Norse asked.

"The shield absorbed the blaster fire," Val said.

"What shield?"

"You saved our lives!" Valencia said.

"How did you know, Val?" Helen asked.

"Time for me is divided into much smaller units. I knew they were about to fire, probably before they did."

The speedlift did not stop at the crew quarter's level, but continued to drop deep into the ship.

"We are going to the auxiliary bridge?" Norse asked.

"Yes," Forrest answered.

"I guess this means negotiations are out," Alice said.

"I should have known better," Valencia said. "They are too set in their ways."

"They are difficult to predict--" Forrest started, then looked startled.

The c-lifes brought their hands to their heads and grimaced in pain. Val could feel nothing.

"Serp, cut life support from the main bridge!"

"Already done."

Val took the communicator from Forrest's belt and punched in Mandoss' code.

"Who?" Mandoss' voice demanded.

"Serp has cut your life support. Release us, if you wish to live."

"You are being foolish, Valencia! Return control to us!"

She did not bother to inform him that she was not Valencia.

"Depressurization in ten seconds!" she said.

Ten seconds would have been enough time for her to write a novel, had she been so inclined at the moment. But it seemed like a reasonable length of time for a c-life. She heard Serp counting down the seconds and knew the Enonians could hear him too.

When Serp got to one, the c-lifes were released.

"I have got one fucking headache," Raymond said.

"Is anyone injured?" Val asked.

No one reported injury.

"Restore life support, Serp."

"Done."

"That's twice you've saved us," Valencia said.

"They do not know how to touch me," Val answered.

Valencia turned to Forrest. "Why didn't your keepers protect you?"

"They did. The focus was on me. The rest of you got the spill over."

The speedlift stopped and opened its doors. The Forever had three auxiliary bridges for use as backups and in battle. Each was identical to the main bridge. As they entered, Val noted that Serp had already activated each station.

Forrest spoke to Valencia. "Assign station duties as you see fit. I want you to act as captain. I'll handle the engineering station."

"No, Forrest. It would be better for you to act as captain. Raymond is qualified to handle engineering."

"I am not a leader!"

"Neither am I, Forrest. Put yourself in Mandoss' place, and you will see why you should be captain."

Forrest paused in thought. "The psychological effect?"

"Exactly. I will manage my people. I do have experience in that. And they have become accustomed to my command."

"Okay. We will give it a chance. But be prepared to take my place if needed."

"Understood." She looked at her team. "Any objections?"

Norse spoke. "The two of you know the Enonians better anyone else. Either of you is the best choice. I think the others will agree."

No one made an argument.

Forrest sat in the captain's chair, and Valencia took the chair to his right, making her second in command. Raymond went to the engineering station. The remaining genoclones discussed matters briefly amongst themselves, and then adopted stations as they saw fit.

Forrest looked at Val. "Sit to my left," he instructed.

She did as told.

"Serp?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Call me Forrest, Serp. I want you to monitor the activity of Valencia's people and offer assistance whenever needed. If they call you, answer."

"Understood. May I offer a suggestion?"

"Your suggestions are not only welcomed, but required."

"Allow me to bring Lisa here. She has been cooped up too long. It is time that she be free."

"Yes, Serp. Bring her at once!"

"She will be in greater danger here," Valencia suggested.

"I know. But she is part of this and should be involved. And she is a spacer. Her talents may be useful."

"Agreed."

"Serp, activate the fore screen on the main bridge. Establish a link with the screen here." Forrest said.

"Done," Serp announced.

The fore screen lit up. Mandoss' image looked into their space.

"Where are you?" he demanded.

Forrest rose and stood in the transmission circle.

"May we continue our discussion in peace?" Forrest asked.

"If you wanted peace, you would not have turned against us!"

"You still do not understand that I cannot trust you?"

"Why Forrest? We made you one of us. You became part of our family. You became an Enonian. We trusted you. But now you betray us. Why?"

"I approached you not as a betrayer, but as a negotiator. But you would not listen. You tried to kill us instead. You proved to me that my distrust in you was valid."

"You threatened us!"

"I made no threat, Mandoss. I simply stated a fact."

"I am greatly disappointed in you, Forrest. I had great hopes for you."

"Why did you erase my memories concerning Anthony's death?"

Mandoss gave him a startled look. "We did not want you to be upset by his death. It was a great loss to all of us. The uncalibrated bounce was causing many anomalies. We were afraid you would be adversely affected."

"Serp monitors and records everything that happens on the ship, Mandoss. You cannot hide anything from me."

"You cannot win!" Mandoss blazed.

"We have already won, Mandoss. Think about it."

The fore screen went blank.

"What do we do now?" Valencia asked.

"We let them fume for awhile. Hopefully they will come to their senses."

Valencia studied Forrest. "May we speak alone?"

He looked at her. "Yes, of course."

"Will you join us, Val?" Valencia asked.

They would not be alone if she was present, Val thought. But then the logic of c-life was not always logical. "Yes," she agreed.

They went into the conferral room and sat around the captain's desk. Valencia insisted that Forrest sit in the captain's chair, with her and Val across from him.

"What is it?" Forrest asked.

Valencia looked at Val. "You said you know all that Serp knows. That means you have access to the data held in the ship's computers?"

"Yes. If you require information, I can provide it. Information acquired after my link with Serp, however, is not in my memory."

"That will be sufficient." She turned to Forrest. "You said earlier that the dreams stopped after we left the Solar System."

"Yes, that is true."

"I have been studying the files uploaded to the computers, and in particular those concerning the keepers. When was the last time you felt the thirst?"

"When I was aboard the tech ship, the Newton 6. What are you getting at?"

"According to the files, the newly transitioned requires blood often, usually once a day, at least for the first several months."

"I have been told that my transitioning was unusually quick. Perhaps I am an exception."

"Perhaps. But you are not the first to transition quickly. There have been others, and they required blood on a daily basis soon after their first kill. In fact, it appears that the more quick the transition, the more human blood required. So why has the thirst not hit you recently?"

"I do not know." Forrest frowned at her.

"The Enonians have spent a great deal of time studying their keepers and the reprogramming that was done to them. They amassed a tremendous amount of data, and I have not had time to look at all of it. But there is one detail that keeps popping up in the data."

"What is that?"

"The sun. It seems that the reprogramming done to the keepers is directly tied to the radiation emitted by the sun. The Enonians were supposed to transition to mortality, and their keepers shut down. But not all of them did, and those that did not became less and less able to tolerate sunlight as the centuries went by. Eventually they could not tolerate direct sunlight at all. Why is that?"

"I am not following you."

"Sunlight, Forrest. It is sunlight that triggers the routines the Pascanians programmed into their keepers. The routines are goal seeking. As the centuries went by, the goal seeking code evolved new methods in an attempt to force the transition to mortality. But the code has perverted itself way out of proportion from its intended purpose. And now, if an Enonian is exposed to direct sunlight, the keepers overreact--transitioning the body so rapidly that they turn to dust in minutes."

Forrest gave her an astonished look. "Are you saying--"

"I'm saying that you are not exposed to sunlight. The routines are not being triggered because they do not feel any sunlight. Your keepers are behaving as normal, healthy Enonian keepers. You are not a blood drinker. And you will not be as long as you are not exposed to sunlight!"

"So when we left the Solar System, the routines became dormant. And that is why I have not felt the thirst."

"Yes! The only reason the keepers need the blood is for the genetic blueprints required to convert you to a human mortal. But since your keepers are not trying to convert you, no blood is needed!"

Forrest stood and began to pace the room. "What about other stars?"

"There is no data on that. But no two stars are going to have precisely the same radiation pattern. There are too many variables involved. Stars can be very similar, but not exactly the same. Your keepers might be fooled by another star, but I think it is unlikely."

"My God!" Forrest said. "If what you say is true--"

He went to her and kissed her warmly, and Val wondered if they were about to have sex. But they did not.

Valencia looked at Val. "You have seen this data. Do you think my theory is correct?"

"I went over the data many times as you spoke. There are some concepts I am not used to, but yes, I think you are correct."

Forrest went to Val and kissed her the same as he had kissed Valencia. He then pulled back and smiled at her. "I love you, Val! And you, Valencia!"

Val looked up at him. "No sex?"

Forrest laughed, and Valencia joined in. Val did not laugh, though. She experienced a feeling she would later learn was a negative emotion.

Serp spoke. "I hate to break into the festivities, but I have something to report."

"What is it, Serp?" Forrest asked.

"The Enonians are missing."

Lisa laid her head against the shuttle seat, and smiled. Serp had told her that Forrest and Valencia had taken control of the Forever, that the Enonians were trapped on the main bridge. And Forrest wanted her on bridge-3. Her days of hiding were over. It's about damn time, she thought. She could now get involved in things, rather than just being a passive observer. And the ship was hers to explore.

The shuttle changed tracks and plunged downward. She expected this, since bridge-3 was deep within the body of the ship. But, when the shuttle changed tracks again and veered to the right, she became concerned. It may just be a temporary course change--a detour around some part of the ship she realized. But, when several minutes later the shuttle had not readjusted its course, she knew something was wrong.

"Serp?"

No answer.

"Serp? Answer me!"

Serp could not hear her.

"Oh, shit! What is going on?"

The shuttle display showed coordinates in the belly of the ship, lower than bridge-3 and several kilometers away. She pulled her communicator from her belt and entered Forrest's code. She got no response. She tried again. Still no response. She entered Valencia's code. Again, no response. She banged the communicator against her hand, but she did not expect that to make a difference. She was right--no response. She was cut off, and it could only be the Enonians that were responsible.

The shuttle leveled and came to a stop. The doors opened and the internal lights went out. She was in total darkness. She waited, feeling panic trying to grip her mind.

"Is anyone there?" she called.

No one answered.

She cursed herself for not bringing an emergency kit, including a light, with her. To say that she had not expected to need it, was no excuse. A well-trained spacer was always prepared for the worse, no matter what the circumstances. But when Serp had said she was to go to Forrest, she had been so excited that she did not think. And that might be her undoing.

She waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She could see very dim lights in the distance, but they were too far away to provide her with any clues as to her immediate surroundings. She did know that wherever she was, it was very large. The rumble of distant machinery could be heard, and the place smelled of wet dirt.

She detected movement, and pulled her blaster out of its holster. Two red spots could be seen floating in the distance. And they were approaching her. The spots had a slight up and down motion to them, and she realized they were eyes--Enonian eyes.

Holding her blaster aimed in the direction of the eyes, she waited as they approached. Finally they stopped ten meters away. Lisa felt her heart pounding against her chest.

"Why do you not use your blaster?" the female voice asked.

"Who are you?" Lisa demanded.

"That does not matter," the voice said. "What matters is that you are now one of us."

"I don't think so," Lisa returned.

"Come with me."

"No!" Lisa cried.

"You will not be harmed. Come with me."

The disembodied eyes came closer, and Lisa aimed the blaster between them. But she did not fire. She could not fire, and she did not know why.

"Take my hand, and I will lead you through the darkness," the voice said.

"No!"

"You do not have a choice, Lisa."

"I think I do!"

Lisa felt the hand touch hers, and she withdrew in terror. But the alien hand took her hand firmly, and pulled her out of the shuttle. She dropped her blaster, leaving it in the shuttle, not realizing she had done so. She was led through the darkness, and she could feel her feet treading the wet, metallic floor. They walked in silence for several minutes, and then Lisa saw they were nearing the control lights of a speedlift. The speedlift doors opened, and Lisa blinked at the sudden brightness. She was pulled inside the speedlift.

The speedlift rose. When her eyes adjusted, she looked at the being standing across from her. The being was watching her.

"Hello, Lisa," it said.

"You are Linwolse?" Lisa said.

"Yes. But you may call me Lin. That is so much easier to pronounce."

"What do you want from me?"

"All will come to light later. Do not be afraid. We will not harm you."

"I am afraid. And I do not trust you."

"That is understandable. You are entering a new world. It is not easy. But you will be glad."

The speedlift doors opened, and they entered a hallway. Lisa could see a window at the end of the corridor, and sunlight could be seen illuminating the area. She realized they were in the City, and the light that of the artificial sun.

"This way," Linwolse said.

Lisa followed her--the others would be watching, so there was no where to run. At the end of the hallway, near the window, Linwolse opened a door and motioned her to enter. Lisa did not move.

"It is useless to resist, Lisa. You know I can control your mind. It will be much easier for you, if you cooperate."

Lisa studied her. She knew Linwolse told the truth. She reluctantly entered the room, and heard the door shut and lock behind her.

"Linwolse?" she shouted.

She got no answer.

Lisa turned and studied the room. It looked much like a hospital room. Two single-person beds sat to either side of the room--one with restraining straps. And between the beds sat a transfusion machine. It did not take much thought to understand they planned to convert her. While she found the thought of becoming immortal attractive--she would be like Forrest--she did not want to become a blood drinker, and certainly not an Enonian. She sat on the bed--the one with the straps, obviously intended for her--and let herself cry.

And she waited. An hour passed, and then the door unlocked and opened.

The male entered and looked at her. Her eyes were red with tears.

She studied him. He was naked, and his organ hard. Lisa recognized him, but could not remember his name.

"Do not be alarmed," he said. "I will not harm you."

"Who are you?" she asked, weakly.

"My name is Blix."

Despite her fear and his greenish skin, she did find him attractive. She felt herself wanting him--but knew it was not real. He was using his powers on her; she was not responsible for her feelings.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Give you life," he said. "Remove your clothing."

"I can't."

"You do not have a choice. Remove your clothing."

She stared at him. She knew he was telling the truth--she would be converted. She stood and unzipped the top of her jumpsuit. She pushed the jumpsuit and her panties to the floor and stepped out of them. She then unsnapped her bra and let it fall to the floor. No matter how hard she resisted, she could not prevent the lust from entering her body.

He came to her, and kissed her. It should not have, but it did feel good. She could feel the power of his being flow through her, and her desire for him increased tenfold. He pushed her back onto the bed, and moved on top of her, shoving his organ into her ready flesh. Lisa did not know if it was his power, or the fact that she had not had sex in so long, but the feel of him inside of her was bliss. He began to thrust at her with gentle force. He seemed to know exactly how to stimulate her, pushing forward so as to arouse her clitoris, moving with a circular motion to stroke his organ against her pubococcygenous muscle. She felt her clitoris pulse with pleasure--her vulval tissues engorged with blood to an extent she had not known possible. He increased the rate and force of his thrusting. She was fully consumed by the delirious sensations and emotions. And soon she climaxed--her body shuddering and quaking uncontrollably--her mind lost in the ecstasy.

Blix withdrew from her, and she did not want him to. He sat on top of her and looked into her eyes. His eyes glowed red, but this did not frighten her.

"Do you want to live forever?" he said.

There was no doubt in her mind.

"Yes. I want to live forever."

He smiled, and retrieved the ornate knife from the nearby table. He then used the knife to slice the palm of each of his hands. The red blood ran down his arms. She stared at him, her expression a mingling of passion and fear.

"This is the beginning of your new life," he said.

Blix began to rub his blood onto her body, just as Lasandra had done to Forrest so long ago. And the pain was extreme. Lisa screamed. It felt like her body was on fire, like her skin was being ripped from her body. She fought him, trying to push him away, but he was too strong. He seemed to weigh a ton. Soon the pain was too much for her mind to handle, and she lost consciousness.

And the dreams began . . .