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"No, my lord." Moonstone shook her head. "When I dream, I dream of being the hive mind of the Borg/Neverending. This cub wants so badly to go back..."

"I misspoke, my lord; it is the drone that wants to go back. Dr. McLaughlin and I have no idea of how to stop it."

Moonstone's head spun. She could, very faintly, hear Blackfire ask if she needed a healer. "No...no healer" It wouldn't help.

The dizzy spell passed and the drone's voice faded once again to a quiet murmur. McLaughlin was probably attracting the drone's attention.

"I was hoping to enlist the services of a healer with some degree of expertise in cybernetics. I know of none here."

"I ask only for permission to send my medical records. With any luck, I won't have to leave." I'll be dead twice before I leave that damned drone alone with a human, she thought.

"Thank you, my lord." Moonstone rose, saluted, and beckoned to her wolf-friend. Dawndagger trotted out of the ready room beside her.

Returning to her quarters, Moonstone immediately headed for the sonic shower. Before she could strip off her clothing and enter the spray, she had to remove her jewelry--which was no small task. Two necklaces, a choker, a belly chain, bangle bracelets, seven rings, two earrings, an ear cuff, and an anklet--all silver and most set with moonstones--struck the floor in a metallic chiming that sounded almost like the beginnings of a rainstorm.

She paid no attention. She was too busy tugging off her boots, and there couldn't possibly be anyone there. Either she or her bond-beast should notice anyone close enough for the enigmatic sound to carry.

By the time she stepped out of the shower, though, she was dead certain that she was wrong. Picking up her dagger, she reached out with her mind. There was someone else in the next room, but the intruder's thoughts seemed familiar. She set the dagger down and began to dress again, taking her time. She formed a mental picture of the woman sitting at her desk: pale cream skin, black hair and eyes, the ears of an elf, the hands and height of a human. Same as eighteen years ago. Focusing on her made it a little easier to sense her. Her mind was powerfully shielded, as it had been eighteen years ago; a shield of psychic energy protected her entire body. Moonstone had no idea what her name was or what race she belonged to. Her emotions were discernible even if her race was not; she felt no ill will toward her surprised host.

Moonstone adjusted her uniform tunic and opened the door. Yes, it was the exotic stranger, looking ever so much like the android played by Sean Young in the movie "Blade Runner." Moonstone had every line of every version of that old film memorized; it was her favorite.

She-who-looked-like-Rachael sat with one elbow leaning on the armrest. Without preamble she said, "I need you to help me."

"Could you explain that to me again?" She seemed disoriented. "I'm afraid I don't remember."

"Eighteen years ago, I was captured by Orion pirates and almost sold as a slave. You helped me escape and gave me this dagger." She gestured toward the blade, "But told me that it wouldn't be cheap. You don't remember that?"

Moonstone shook her head. "If you don't remember, then why ask for help? I got the impression last time that you aren't exactly from around these parts."

The other woman blinked in surprise. "I told myself that you would do it for me."

"No. When you finished doing me the favor, I must have gone back in time to save you. Then I wrote myself a note saying to ask you to do me the favor."

"Your language is terrible at handling time travel. Would you help me? If not, I may not have rescued you."

"I think I've already committed myself to it." Moonstone hated time travel. Give her a crashed computer core, a dozen Borg/Neverending nightmares, an antique Pentium with the floating point error. Just leave her out of the time travel missions. "If it's not going to cost anything more, will you at least tell me your name?"

"Shanin," she said, pronouncing the a long as in stay. "Shanin n'S'aryn Betandi." Moonstone caught fragmented images of the name's meaning, something about...hunting?

"I need you to upload some software into another ship's computer. Not Empire. That race considers me a threat but does not yet know you, Moonstone."

Moonstone nodded. Then she scented something odd--no, she didn't scent it; it was so plain to see...but she didn't see it. She felt it touch her like feathers... "What...is this?"

***Kai, come here!*** Shanin sat up and tapped the nails of one hand against the desk. "My apologies. Kaiateilh was curious, that's all."

Moonstone wanted to feel it again, but didn't ask. Shanin had already begun hiding Moonstone's imminent departure from her crewmates. As on the Orion ship, she encoded credible elvan lifesigns into a finger-sized device which was then placed in Moonstone's bedroom. The door to that room was locked with a fractal encryption code. Elves would be harder to fool than Orions, but it was getting late and no one had reason to send to Moonstone unless it was an emergency.

Shanin was extremely matter-of-fact about the technology that allowed her to beam through shields and travel between star systems almost instantaneously, and Moonstone did not ask questions about this either. Having once tried to buy those secrets, she knew she'd get no answers. Shanin's ship, which was about the size of a Defiant-class, rocked slightly as vibrant colors filled the viewscreen. Seconds later, the stars reappeared in different positions. Moonstone knew only that they were somewhere in the Delta Quadrant, about fifty thousand lightyears from Abode, and that time had elapsed--a few hours, maybe--without her feeling it.

Her rescuer then blanked out the screen and held up an odd-looking isolinear chip. "Kai will guide you to the computer core and back. I'll beam you out once you return to the beam-in point."

Moonstone nodded and took the iso-chip. The alien transporter beam devoured her again.

She looked around at the new ship. Everything was covered in metal and circuits, including the ship's inhabitants. A pungent mist filled the air.

Author's note: the italicized portions of the second paragraph are the "litany against fear" from Frank Herbert's Dune.

Moonstone glanced at Kaiateilh impatiently. The air around Kai shimmered like a mirage. It seemed to be leading her toward the center of the ship.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. Drones passed the elf by as if she were merely a statue set in the middle of the corridor, there yesterday, today, and always. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. Many of them were pot-bellied reptilians with serpentine necks and three-fingered hands. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Moonstone recoiled from them at first, then began to relax as they ignored her. Only I will remain.

Soon she reached what appeared to be a control room. ***This is Unimatrix One,*** Kai sent with obvious effort. ***First, best control room.*** He gave Moonstone a shaky mental image of the iso-chip going into a slot in one control panel.

She needed no prompting. Sliding the chip into place, she turned quickly and left the Unimatrix. Outside were several Borg/Neverending, and they were not ignoring her anymore.

Moonstone tried to run past them, but one caught her arm. It was on fire! That was her all she could think of as the nanoprobes entered her bloodstream. I'm on fire, I'm on fire, I'monfire!!!

She couldn't move. The Collective was shutting her off from all but one tiny corner of her mind. This corner could not speak or reach out to Kaieteilh. Once the hive had complete control, she was led to another Unimatrix. She caught vague pieces of the hive mind's plans for her: complete the assimilation...integrate the drone's knowledge...prepare for conquest. She could not give it Abode's location--but she could not resist it. This corner of her mind could not move, could not speak--

/*Shanin, help!*/ She realized suddenly that she had somehow gained control of their Link. Directing her attention toward the ship waiting just past the cube's hull as best she could, Moonstone touched Shanin's well-protected mind and was thrown aside.

Kai disappeared around the corner, hurrying toward another, powerful presence. Moonstone began to feel sluggish--the effects of the iso-chip, perhaps? As she rounded the corner herself, she saw the first female Borg/Neverending she'd encountered. It was the God/Empress. She recognized it as more than droneless than individual. It--she?--gave orders to the drones but was dependent upon them for survival.

She spoke: "We are Borg/Neverending. You will service Us as Our envoy to the Federation." Moonstone stood centimeters away from the God/Empress. "Embrace Us and We will make you Whole."

Moonstone suddenly felt her strength return. Parts of her body felt normal again. With some effort, she placed one hand on the dagger that Shanin had given her.

The God/Empress seemed unconcerned. She reached out to inject Moonstone with more nanoprobes, then stopped, her eyelids drooping. Moonstone began to fall asleep

/*Wakewakewake!!*/ Kai called. Now that the Link was hers, Moonstone could hear him much better. /*ESCAPE!!!*/

There was something that had to be done first. Moonstone thrust her dagger toward the God/Empress. It slid off of her Borg shielding.

Her second attempt was more successful. Moonstone was beginning to feel weak again, but so was the God/Empress. The shielding held for a moment, then gave way.

It was too dark to see. She was in an Athmari regeneration chamber and most of the implants were gone.

/*Dria, it'll take a good week to heal her to the point where the outlanders don't know! And then I have to hide her Borg Link--noooo, you're not going in there!

A gold light and the scent of candied apples filled the chamber. It felt as if a dozen healers were tending to Moonstone at the same time. Then came a thin line of light, and this new light hurt her eyes. The line widened, and Moonstone could see Shanin standing there, one hand on the chamber's door.