***The Hills of Time***
***by George Pollock, Jr.***

***Chapter 18***
***The Horrors Within***

   The door signal buzzed.
   She sighed. Deeply.
   Honestly, She thought ...
   ... You can't get a minute's peaceful resolve on this ship ...
   It buzzed again.
   All right!! She thought. Damn ...
   She sighed again.
   And began forming.
   An iridescent dark-brown gelatinous column slowly arose from her 
container. Something rounded like a head spun out from the top. Projections 
like arms sprouted from the sides. Another projection, lower on the column, 
oozed out of the container and took a leglike form. She leaned over, and 
another leglike limb developed and stepped out.
   The details ...
   Focus on the details, She thought.
   And She felt Herself become someone else:
   The clothing formed first - a basic dresslike garment and boots. Then her 
legs. Her fingers. Her hands. Her arms.
   Her hair. Her face.
   And She was Herself. At least what those outside the Great Link knew Her 
as:
   A middle-aged humanoid woman with sunken eyes and brown hair pulled 
straight back. Her incredibly smooth face was noteworthy for its highly 
generalized features: no blemishes, no wrinkles, not even the distinct fleshy 
structures in the ears. As if someone had said, "A woman looks something like 
this" -- and then made ...
   ... Her.
   She studied Herself for an instant, checking the quality of the morph. 
Could have been a little better, She thought ...
  ... if I had had more time to resolve ...
   Damn ...
   She sighed again and headed for a chair behind a spartan desk in the 
barren quarters. She sat down, rested her arms on the desk and laced her 
fingers. "Come in," She said.
   The doors parted, and a Vorta entered. Her Vorta. The one pledged to give 
his life for Her, if need be.
   The one She had never been completely impressed with.
   He was a Weyoum clone -- and not one of the best. Maybe they didn't leave 
him in the tank long enough, She mused. Not for the first time.
   He stopped before the desk and bowed his head deeply. "Founder," he said 
reverently. 
   She nodded. Well, what he lacked in some aspects, he had always made up 
for with devotion to our people, She thought. "Have they been loaded?" 
   "All three. Without incident."
   "Have they been scanned?"
   "For all known Alpha Quadrant offensive technologies, yes. Negative 
response."
   She smiled wickedly. "What about unknown offensive technologies?"
   He was silent for a moment. She could see in his eyes that he was trying 
to come with an answer. Which he didn't: "I don't know how we'd do that, 
Founder. I apologize."
   I am too cruel, She thought playfully. "It was only a joke. So as far as 
you know, they weren't armed."
   The Vorta looked relieved that his god wasn't disappointed in him, after 
all. "We could not detect any mechanical or energy profile that they were."
   "Which doesn't mean they're not armed," She noted. "Keep them in a 
full-power containment field until we're absolutely certain they're safe. 
Were they scanned for biological readings?"
   He was silent again -- this time, out of reluctance. "No, Founder ... That 
... did not occur to me ..." His gaze fell to the floor.
   I'm not surprised, She thought wearily. Oh, well ... "Have that done at 
once. Our intelligence suggests that some elements in the Federation might 
try biological warfare against us."
   The Vorta picked his head up sharply and actually seemed surprised. Why 
would a god care about biological warfare? 
   But one didn't question deities.
   Still ...
   "From what I understand, Founder ...," he started warily, "that would be 
anathema to a society ... like the Federation ..."
   She studied him silently for a moment, her eyes boring deeply into his. 
"You would be surprised," She finally replied quietly, "what people will do 
... when they're desperate enough ..."
   As always, he thought, She had an answer. "Yes, Founder."
   "Proceed with the biological scan. Report your findings as soon as they're 
complete. That is all."
   With a final bow of his head, he turned and left.
   She sighed.
   Gotta ride these people every minute, She thought, then shook her head 
wearily out of reflex from the humanoid form.
   And speaking of confused minds ...
   The Enterprise ...
   Why did they do it?
   Why ...?
    Why the hell did they fire those torpedoes?
   Unarmed torpedoes?
   Didn't they know what that will mean?
   Are they that stupid ...?
   And what was so damned interesting ...
   ... about that beat-up junk ...?
   That blue-and-white hulk?
   No sense. These people made no sense.
   She sighed a final time.
   No wonder the First Founder took us away from them ...
   Gott. The First Founder.
   She bowed her head and closed her eyes.
   And remembered devoutly The Word of Gott:
   "Fear eternal ... the solids ..."

*******

   What did I say? Rabby thought.
   Eluza looks like she's ready to kill me with her bare hands ...
   All I asked was ...
   ... "Are you feeling all right?"
   And what's with her uniform?
   Why is it ... open ...?
   It's not that warm here ...
   And the way she's acting ...
   ... like she's ... not all there ...
   What's wrong with her ...?
   The Solnoid backed away from her captain. Rabby was confused - and a 
little scared. Eluza wasn't like this. She knew she wasn't. The pink-haired 
woman was acting as if she were out of control, like she were on ...
   Rabby gasped.
   Drugs.
   Eluza?
   Drugs?
   There had been horrifying abuse of medicants near the end of the war. The 
few remaining organic Solnoids - those who couldn't deal with the impending 
death of their civilization - had turned to the numbing haze of drugs to 
forget their unavoidable fates.
   The cyborgs in the Solnoid military didn't take drugs. They were 
condemned-criminal Solnoids whose brains had been ripped into servile 
obedience in the instant their cybernetic probes had been poked into their 
skulls. "The scrunch," it was called - the sound the probe made going into 
someone's head. 
   Those women - whose nerves were turned slowly, painfully into electronic 
circuitry -- were never again free-souled beings. So they didn't take drugs. 
   They didn't need them.
   Pleasure, release - and hope -- had already abandoned them.
   But Eluza ...
   ... She never seemed to be an abuser ...
   Or had she hid it frighteningly well ...?
   Oh, Mother, Rabby thought ...
   Eluza ...
   ... Did I miss something?
   MOTHER, WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER?!
   Eluza turned from Rabby after staring the redhead down. The security line 
kept her from approaching more than a meter from Lufy, who stood with fists 
clenched.
   "What ... did ... you ... do ...?" the Solnoid commander growled thickly 
through gritted teeth. She thrust out an arm, trying to grab the Attacker, 
but the security team restrained her. "WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU BITCH?!" she 
screamed, struggling against the guards. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
   "Captain, this is a trap!" Lufy replied quickly. "It's all a trap!!"
   Patty was trying to pull Eluza back but stopped suddenly. "What?"
   Lufy scanned the males restraining Eluza, then shot a vicious glance at 
the other males watching the exchange. She looked back at her captain, 
ominously. "They want to infect us! All of us!"
   Rabby was also trying to draw Eluza back. "What the HELL are you talking 
about, Lufy?!"
   The blonde straightened, bracing herself to say the filthy word:
   "SEX!!"
   Much later, Rabby would still recall how deeply quiet the corridor became 
at that moment ...
   And how all the crew members stood silently.
   Looking unbearably ... 
   ... confused ...
   Lufy pointed down the corridor toward where Mot sat on the deck, still 
being tended by the medical team. "That blue ... THING," she snarled, 
"touched me!!"
   From behind the Solnoids, Guinan was incredulous. "He attacked you?"
   "He touched me!!" Lufy repeated. "On my arm!"
   Rabby was confused. "Did he hurt you?"
   "HE TOUCHED ME!!" the Attacker yelled. "That's how they start! That's what 
that bitch-doctor told me! They touch Solnoids first, then they infect them!!"
   Patty's eyes narrowed, trying to understand. "The doctor told you ...?"
   Lufy took a deep, angry breath. "SEX!! THEY INFECT YOU WITH SEX!! AND 
THEIR 'SPURM'!!"
   Much later, Rabby would still recall how deeply silent the gathering got.
   Again ...
   Damn, she thought ...
   These "S"-words can sure shut up a crowd here ...
   Then, to her and Patty's surprise, Eluza suddenly relaxed and stepped back 
from the security line. The captain shook off her comrades' grasps and 
lowered her arms slowly. Her head bowed, and for a moment, she said nothing. 
Then she began to shake her head slightly. 
    "You ... stupid ... stupid ... bitch ...," she whispered acidly. She 
raised her piercing purple eyes to meet Lufy's belligerently brown gaze. "You 
... stupid ... ignorant ... BITCH!! ... I talked ... to the doctor ...too 
..." She paused to collect herself. 
   Then she exploded.
   "THAT'S HOW THEY REPRODUCE, YOU SHIT!! THEY DON'T HAVE THE SEEDS OF LIFE!!"
   Lufy took a deep breath. "I ... KNOW ... that ...," she said in soft 
anger, "But unlike SOME people around here who don't seem to CARE ... I don't 
want to be BRED like a food animal ..."
    At that, Rabby saw the Attacker's expression change to the vilest sneer 
of contempt that the redhead had ever seen. 
   It terrified her.
   And Lufy rumbled wickedly:
   "... you pink-haired fool ..."
   Patty only heard what happened next. Things moved too quickly to discern.
   A lithe female form flashed past the security team so fast, the armed 
guards had no time to stop it.
   Then a swirl of long red hair. The instant contortion of a tall body. 
   The blur of an arm.
   The snap of a hard, angry slap.
   Rabby stood, breathing hard. Her right arm was still raised after the 
swing.
   Lufy's face was turned away from her. A red handprint burned on her left 
cheek. She didn't breathe for a moment, then caught her breath quietly as she 
realized who had struck her.
   Rabby slowly lowered her arm. "You're ... out of line ... SISTER ..."
   Lufy turned toward her. Her eyes that had been so full of anger and fear 
were almost blank, filled with shock.
   "Commander Ciera!!"
   Rabby turned instantly toward the voice. So did everyone else in the 
corridor.
   Which was only natural. The voice was unmistakably commanding.
   Down the corridor - flanked by Dr. Crusher and Commander Dawn -- stood 
Capt. Picard.
   He studied the scene before him for another moment in silence. Then his 
gaze met Rabby's blue eyes again.
   "Commander," he repeated firmly, "that will be quite enough ..."

*******

   She squinted. And blinked. And closed her eyes. And shook her head. And 
opened her eyes. And tried to focus.
   How do they see with these things? She thought.
   On a tiny video screen before her right eye, the stars raced toward Her. 
Jem' Hadar ships had no forward screens. The bridge crew used headsets linked 
to the central video feed. It was efficient. It allowed for more armor around 
the bridge.
   It was also very irritating, She thought. When you wore the headset, a 
tiny piece of space was always in the center of your view.  It could be ... 
disorienting ...
   But a god never showed that sort of thing among the Jem' Hadar, as She was 
now.
   So She sighed, tried to focus and watched the tiny stars fly toward Her.
   The doors to the bridge whooshed open behind her. "Founder," a familiar 
voice said.
   She turned to see a Vorta's body with a tiny field of  stars where his 
head should have been. 
   Now, that's different, She thought ...
   Removing the headset, She saw the Vorta with head bowed, waiting for Her 
to acknowledge his presence. He held a data pad in one hand.
   "Is that the result of the biological scan?" She asked.
   He lifted his face toward hers and held out the data pad. "Yes, Founder."
   She took the pad and studied the readings. "Hmm ... positive biological 
signs ... I'm glad we checked ... Still no sign of any detonation system?"
   He shook his head. "No, Founder. Scans seem to suggest that the torpedoes 
are only casings. Their propulsion systems are expended and offline."
   "But there are biological readings inside ..."
   "Yes."
   She handed the pad back to him. "Very well. Proceed with a tomographic 
scan - under full-power containment. Depending on what we find in there, I'll 
want a team of Jem' Hadar to open them up afterward."
   The Vorta nodded. "It will be done, Founder."
   "That will be all."
   He bowed his head. "Thank you, Founder."  He straightened, turned about 
and left the bridge.
   Well, She thought ...
   ... if this turns out to be the biological weapon that Dominion 
intelligence had caught the slightest breeze about ...
   ... I pray to Gott that I live long enough to order the ship destroyed ...
   ... with its crew ...
   ... and with Me ...
   It's all expendable to protect the Great Link.
   Even Me.
   She sighed again, put the headset back on and tried to focus on the stars.
   But this time, it was much, much harder ...

*******

   Lufy pointed at Crusher, who had started attending to Mot. "Her," the 
Attacker said accusingly. "That bitch-doctor. She told me ..."
   Picard glanced at the doctor, who looked up indignantly at Lufy's 
contempt. Crusher shrugged to the captain in confusion, then returned to her 
patient.
   "She told me about you males ...," Lufy growled. "What you do to Solnoids 
..."
   " 'Do'?" Picard repeated.
   "I know what you think about us," she snarled at the male captain. "What 
were you thinkin' about me in the lift?! Tell me - if you aren't scared to!!"
   "Silence!!" Worf barked.
   "Lufy!" Patty cried.
   Rabby squirmed, restrained by a security guard after she had slapped her 
friend. "Lufy, SHUT UP!! You're just making it worse!!"
   Picard sighed. "I will admit, Miss Campbell," he said at last, "that I was 
thinking what an attractive young woman you are. I won't deny that."
   The blonde bristled. Her brown eyes flared. "HOW ... DARE ... YOU ...," 
she muttered through clenched teeth.
   "But that, in and of itself, is not a threat to you," Picard continued. 
"Not every male who finds you attractive has it in mind to attack you." He 
indicated Mot. "Nor is a male casually touching your forearm necessarily an 
attack."
   "Why should I believe you?" Lufy challenged.
   "Because I'm a truthful being, and you haven't learned the subtleties of 
our society yet. You've learned only the facts, not the substance."
   Patty approached him. "Captain, please ... Lufy didn't understand. It's 
like what you just said. It was a misunderstanding ... Please ..."
   "In our society, Commander," Picard replied, not unkindly, 
"misunderstandings usually don't end with arms being broken." He turned to 
the guard holding Rabby's arms behind her back. "And speaking of arms, 
release Commander Ciera. I trust she's not going to slap anyone else soon."
   The guard freed Rabby. After she stepped away and straightened her 
uniform, she glanced at her blond friend. "I'm sorry, Lufy ...," she 
whispered.
   The Attacker said nothing. She studied the redhead's expression for a 
moment -- then turned away. She suddenly seemed at a loss for words.
  Under her breath, Rabby sighed painfully, then turned to Picard. "Captain, 
please don't punish my friend. She truly didn't understand ..."
   "I'm afraid it's not my decision, Commander," the starship captain said. 
"If Mr. Mot prefers to press charges, I'll have no choice but to hold her in 
custody until a hearing can be convened."
   "Oh, Mother ...," Patty said quietly.
   Off to one side, a soft groan erupted. Eyes turned to see Eluza straighten 
up against a bulkhead and make her way warily toward Picard. "Izz ... OK ... 
Cap'n ...," she told him loosely. 
   Then she tentatively raised a hand and patted Picard kindly on a forearm a 
few times. "Don' worry ..." She offered a warm smile and nodded. "I take 
care-a this ... Sheez ... my problem ... I take care-a it ..."
   "Captain Ortiz," Picard answered matter-of-factly - but sympathetically, 
"you are not even in condition to take care of yourself at the moment." He 
sighed. "That is partly my fault. But I think you're not in full control of 
your faculties and are incapable of handling this situation right now." He 
paused and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry."
   At which ...
   ... her purple eyes widened ...
   ... and sparked ...
   ... with a gathering storm of rage ...
   Eluza took a step back and looked at Picard askance. "You tellin' me ...," 
she rumbled menacingly, "... I'm not fit ta command ... my crew ...?"
  The male captain shook his head. "Not at this moment, no."
   She glared at him for an instant.
   Before the savagery burst.
   "Who ... th' ... HELL ... ARE YOU ... ta say THAT ... TO ME?!!" 
   Before the surprised Picard could answer, she started circling him slowly. 
"You sayin' ... I can' keep ... my people ... IN LINE?! Who th' HELL ... are 
YOU ... TA TELL ME THAT?!!"
   Patty and Rabby tried to halt their commander. "Eluza, stop this now!" 
Rabby whispered harshly.
  Eluza ignored them, focusing in a red rage at Picard. "I was fightin' ta 
keep my friends ALIVE ... before you EVOLVED!! HOW DARE YOU ... JUDGE ME!!" 
Her friends grabbed her wrists, but she broke free. "You and your PRETTY 
SHIP!! What do YOU know ... about COMMAND?! You ever see your friends' brains 
SHOT OUT IN BATTLE?!! HUH?! I HAVE!! YOU EVER SEE THAT?!!"
   Picard regarded her expressionlessly. "Yes ... I have ..." He paused, 
seemingly recalling something from long ago and far away. "... And other 
things ... whose lightest word would harrow up thy soul ... freeze thy young 
blood ..." 
   Eluza shook her head in a haze of confusion. "Whatever th' HELL THAT 
means!! HOW DARE YOU ... JUDGE ME!! You got ... KIDS on this ship!! BABIES!! 
NOT EVEN 10 YEARS!! ON A WARSHIP!! Izz ... izz  ... IMMORAL!! WE WAITED TA 
TRAIN OURS!! And YOU ... judge ME?!!"
   "Captain Ortiz," the man said quietly, "I don't have time to argue with 
you, let alone debate Starfleet family policy. I have never thought a 
starship was an appropriate place for children ..."
   "Then why didn' ya say so ta yer BRASS?!" She sneered. "Whatsa matta' ... 
YOU A COWARD?!!"
   Later, much later, Rabby would recall that it seemed as if Crusher, Guinan 
- all the ship's crew members present - gasped in unison. She even thought 
that she and Patty had joined them.
   But she wasn't sure.
   What she was sure of, though ...
   ... was that in the ensuing silence ...
   ... before the shocked Picard could respond ...
   ... a monolith moved in gold robes.
   From near the corner where he had arrived, Commander Dawn stepped evenly 
toward the pink-haired Solnoid. As he neared her, her expression became that 
of a surprised animal but then assumed a combative front. She breathed deeply 
and - with a tiny wobble -- pulled herself up and struck a stance.
   As if for battle, Patty thought.
   Dawn stopped in front of Eluza. "Captain," he rumbled, and his voice was 
felt within everyone's bodies, "that's enough."
   The female captain, unimpressed, studied him for an instant. "Youuuu ... 
youuu ... THIIING!!" she finally slurred in contempt. "Youuuu ... SLIIIME ... 
youuu ... FILTH!! Youuu think ... a few PRETTY WORDS FROM YOU ... can make 
YER FRIEND?! Make up for what YER KIND DID TA ME?!! TA MY FRIENDS?!! TA MY 
WORLD?!! DO YOU?!!"
   Dawn slowly lifted a hand and gently touched her on a forearm. "Eluza," he 
said calmly, "listen to me: You're not feeling ..."
   He never finished.
   She threw off his hand sharply. 
   And faster than anyone could follow, she slapped his thing of a face 
wickedly.
   "DON' TOUCH ME!! DON' YOU EVER TOUCH ME!! DON' YOU EVER CALL ME 'ELUZA'!! 
IZZ 'CAP'N ORTIZ' TA YOU!! YOU DON' LIKE IT, YOU CAN GO TA HELL, SHELLHEAD!!"
   Which was one of the last things Eluza would remember about that corridor 
from that day.
   That, and Dawn's huge red eyes bulging with anger ...
   ... before he grabbed her like lightning with his left hand ...
   ... and with his right ...
   ... his right ...
   She remembered the crushing twinge where her neck joined her shoulder.
   But nothing of the sudden darkness after.

*******

   Clearly, they were humanoids. That was evident from the tomographic scans.
   But She still wasn't sure. She had to know.
   So She watched a work-station screen on the bridge. Watched with her 
Vorta. Watched as a volunteer team of Jem' Hadar released the final lock on 
the final torpedo casing.
   Then they turned toward the video feed and waited for her command.
   She nodded.
   The Vorta leaned slightly toward the screen. "Proceed," he said.
   The Jem' Hadar returned to the torpedo casings. Three stood off to one 
side, raised their weapons and aimed at the devices.
   A fourth grasped the lid of a torpedo, paused ...
   ... and opened it.
   On the bridge, the Vorta swore he saw the Founder tense up.
   But he wasn't sure.
   I'm probably wrong, he thought.
   Gods have no fears, he recalled ...
   The Jem' Hadar by the torpedo looked confused. On the bridge, the pair 
couldn't see the contents.
   "Well?" the Vorta asked. "The Founder is waiting."
   The Jem' Hadar looked at his armed comrades, then trundled the torpedo on 
its gurneylike carrier to where the Founder could see it on video.
   On the bridge, She looked down.
   From the torpedo, a young humanoid female - pale and drawn -- faced up.
   Tall. Slender. Long black hair. In a strange red, white and black uniform. 
Not of Starfleet design. Not of any Alpha Quadrant design that the Founder 
recognized.
   Her gloved hands were crossed delicately on her waist.
   Her eyes were closed in the peace of death.
   "It's a coffin ...," the Vorta whispered.
   The Founder ignored him. "Bioscan!" She barked to the screen. "Now! Look 
for any readings not of known Alpha Quadrant norms! Report any anomaly!"
   The Jem' Hadar who had opened the torpedo picked up a small device and 
moved it slowly over the body. After scanning the female's length twice, he 
consulted the readout. Then he held it up to the video feed.
   "Nothing, Founder," he noted simply.
   She studied the data. After a moment of silence, She spoke: "Open the 
others."
   They did.
   And they found ...
   ... in the same uniforms, the same gloves, the same silence of death ...
   ... a small, trim brunette woman ...
   ... and a young brown-haired girl wearing oversized glasses.
   And again, the Founder ordered bioscans.
   Which, again, found nothing.
   The Jem' Hadar on the screen - and the Vorta on the bridge - awaited her 
next order.
   "Autopsy them," She said quietly.
   It took the Vorta by surprise. "Founder?"
   Her expression turned slightly annoyed. She wasn't used to repeating 
herself and didn't like it. "I said," She told him slowly, " 'Autopsy them 
...' Behind full containment. Give me full bioscans on the results. And be 
quick about it. I want a report before we rendezvous with the battleship."
   He bowed his head. "It shall be done, Founder."
   "Good. I'll be in my quarters. Report to me there." With that, She wheeled 
around and left the bridge.
   The Vorta raised his head after She left. Why was She so concerned about 
biological contamination? he wondered.
   Gods can't get infected ...
   It made no sense.
   But then ... one didn't question divinities. They knew so much more than 
he could ever understand.
   So he turned back toward the screen. "You heard the Founder," he told the 
warriors on it. "Proceed. Full scans. Quickly."
   The Jem' Hadar slung their weapons and prepared to move the torpedoes to 
the med room. But before they did, the Vorta - a humanoid himself - studied 
the females' faces on the screen.
   They were so young, he thought.
   So young ...
   And it looked ... 
   ... they looked ...
   ... as if they had died only recently.
   So young ...
   For a moment, he allowed himself to feel sad. 
   But only for an instant. Then he came to his senses.
   After all, he thought ...
   ... they came from the Enterprise.
   They must have been the Dominion's enemy ...
   They must have been the Founders' enemy ...
   
*******

   "HOLD YOUR FIRE!"
   Slowly, Dawn turned.
   To see three males pointing their weapons at his head.
   Well, he thought ...
   ... this will take some careful explaining ...
   The remaining male - the one with the metal sash and ridged forehead - 
still guarded Lufy. But he had his weapon drawn, too.
   Even then, the Paranoid could see in the Attacker's sparking eyes ...
   ... in the building, shaking tension of her body ...
   ... that she wanted to kill.
   Kill him.
   Even if she died doing it.
   Picard still held an arm out, trying to restrain the scene. "Nobody move! 
That's an order!!"
   For the moment, no one did.
   Not the crowd around them.
   Not Guinan, who also had taken aim at Dawn with her weapon.
   Not Patty, who had fallen to her knees in shock and was struggling to 
breathe.
   Not Rabby, who was supporting Patty - and gaping in terror at what she saw.
   Not Eluza, who stood limp and motionless in Dawn's grasp.
   A terrifying silence. 
   Finally, Picard spoke again -- evenly, coolly. "Commander Dawn ... did you 
use ... the pinch ... you used before ...?"
   The commander studied Eluza's silent, seemingly sleeping face.
   She seemed so calm now ...
   ... so at peace ...
   ... after all that rage ...
   Damn, he thought ...
   ... she's so ... beautiful ... like this ...
   ... well ...
   ... for a Solnoid, I mean  ...
   He turned slightly toward Picard. "Yes, Captain," he said calmly, levelly. 
"I used ... the pinch ... She's only ..."
   "MURDERERRRR!!"
   Everyone jumped as the scream stabbed them.
   Everyone but Lufy.
   Who had screamed it.
   And she screamed again: "DIE!! YOU DIIIIE!!"
   Instantly, with arms raised and fingers spread like claws, she started to 
spring explosively like a wild beast on its prey.
   To kill.
   Kill him.
   Even if she died doing it.
   Later, Crusher admitted that she expected a flurry of phaser fire next. 
   She had braced for it - even, in that moment, thought about the best way 
to throw herself across Mot to protect him. "I am a doctor ...," she would 
note in an unsettled whisper.
   The flurry never happened. That surprised Crusher. 
   But Lufy was surprised even more.
   Because until that moment, she had thought no one could stop her Attacker 
blood rage. It was lethal to try. It was always lethal to try.
   But someone did.
   And this time, someone succeeded.
   She felt someone grab her right arm in a flash -- stopping her so 
suddenly, her left arm snapped forward with her momentum. She felt her right 
arm wrenched behind her back -- and the piercing, hot pain that followed.
   She felt a hand crash into her left shoulder, pivoting her madly to the 
right.
   Where a wall was waiting for her.
   She felt it smash into her right cheek. Blindingly hard. Only its 
blankness was left for her to see there.
   But to her left ...
   ... as she stood pinned like an animal in a trap ...
   ... she saw the male with dark-brown skin.
   With his facial hair. His flaring eyebrows. His ridged forehead. His 
jagged teeth uncovered in a scowl.
   And in his brown eyes ...
   ... she could see ...
   ... deep within ...
   ... something ... horrifying ...
   ... something she had seen only once before ...
   ... in a puddle of blood ...
   ... long ago ...
   ... when she was a girl ...
   She saw Death.
   "Move again," Worf whispered roughly so only she could hear, "and you will 
not move after that."
   Lufy felt her ... soul ... cringe.
   She closed her eyes and whimpered.

*******   

   She studied the data pad on her desk for a moment. Not the data that was 
displayed. Just the pad.
   "You're sure," She said, eyeing the pad cautiously, "this hasn't been in 
the med room with the bodies?"
   The Vorta nodded. "Absolutely, Founder. I downloaded the information from 
the med room into it on the  bridge, as you specified."
   She glanced up at him from behind the desk. "What about the Jem' Hadar who 
autopsied and scanned the bodies?"
   "They have remained in the med room, as you ordered."
   "Very good." At last, She picked up the pad and focused on the data 
displayed. "Hmm ... Fairly standard Terran females. Young ones, relatively 
speaking."
   "Except ...," the Vorta started, then fell silent.
   She looked up at him sharply. "What?"
   He shifted uncomfortably, deciding how to phrase it. "They are fairly 
standard Terran females, Founder, but ..." He paused again to solidify his 
thoughts. "... it's as if they're slightly different ..."
   "In what way?"
   He sighed. "I ... took the liberty of comparing these readings with known 
Terran norms. There are almost-negligible variations in organ structure and 
arrangement, which I thought were basic genetic randomness ... at first ..."
   She rolled a hand, in the start of impatience. "But ..."
   "Well ... a more detailed analysis suggests that these women have ... 
almost earlier versions of many human features ... That's the only way I can 
describe it. As I said ... the differences are almost negligible, on a 
genetic level ..."
   She considered it. "What do you make of that?"
   After a silence, he bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Founder ... I cannot 
explain it more than I have."
   "I see." She returned to the data pad. "My Gott ...," She whispered, "two 
of them together had enough cyanide in them to kill two more of their kind."
   The Vorta lifted his face. "Yes. I suspect their deaths were very quick 
..."
   "Hmm ... And the other one suffered an abdominal wound of some sort ..."
   "Our scans revealed that only the dermal layer had been repaired, Founder."
   "Really?"
   "Yes. Below the scar, there was considerable intestinal damage that wasn't 
repaired. The extent suggests that the wound would have been fatal to her."
   "And so they just closed her back up ...," She said quietly, then 
consulted the pad once more. "The internal damage looks as if her bowels had 
been sliced cleanly ... like with a knife ... No sign of a fight ... Would 
have been more ragged damage ..." She regarded him again. "Maybe it didn't 
happen in a fight ..."
   Her eyes took on a faraway look.  "Maybe ...," She said softly, "... she 
did it ... to ... herself ..."
   Silence.
   Then the Vorta swore he saw the Founder shiver.
   But he wasn't sure.
   Surely, he thought, gods don't shiver.
   She shook her head, as if to clear her mind. "I can't understand these 
people ...," She whispered in conclusion, put the data pad on the desk before 
Her and fell silent.
   Her silence made him insecure. Eventually he said, "If may I ask ... what 
shall we do with the ... remains ...?"
   She looked up quickly. "Vaporize them."
   "Founder?"
   "Vaporize them. And the torpedoes. Then decontaminate the cargo bay and 
the med room. Full spectrum. I don't want even a microorganism in either that 
we don't know about. Is that clear?"
   He bowed again. "It shall be done." Looking up again, he recalled a final 
detail. "And shall I dismiss the Jem' Hadar from the med room?"
   After a moment, the Founder's expression hardened. "No," She said at last, 
"not yet ..."

*******

   The medical tricorder hummed over Eluza's head. Crusher checked the 
readout.
   "She's only unconscious," the doctor confirmed. "Pulse, respiration, brain 
activity - all within safe parameters." She closed the tricorder, turned 
toward Picard and waited.
   The captain addressed Rabby. "Are you satisfied, Commander?"
   The redhead nodded silently as she steadied Patty, who was back on her 
feet. The dark-haired Solnoid looked lost and scared. Rabby felt scared and 
shaken.
   Picard looked over where Worf had Lufy pinned against the bulkhead. The 
blonde's eyes were closed, as if she were expecting something horrible to 
happen to her. 
   For some reason, the expression looked completely foreign on her, Picard 
thought.
   But he wasn't sure ...
   He returned to Crusher. "Doctor, I want Mr. Mot - and Captain Ortiz - 
taken to sickbay immediately for treatment." He faced Dawn. "Commander, 
release Captain Ortiz to the med team."
   The Paranoid glanced at the weapons still aimed at him, then at Picard. 
"Captain," he said, "I know I'm in no position to request anything, but ... 
I'd ask to be allowed to take her there myself." He looked at Crusher. "Under 
the doctor's escort, of course ..."
   "I have no objection, Captain," Crusher offered. "She hasn't suffered any 
skeletal or spinal damage, so his carrying her wouldn't do any damage there. 
And otherwise," she stressed, "we'd have to lay her out on the deck until an 
anti-grav gurney is brought. I'd rather not do that."
   The starship captain considered it. "Very well ..." He regarded Dawn once 
more. "But after you deliver Captain Ortiz to Sickbay, Commander, you will be 
escorted under guard to your quarters, where you will be confined until 
further notice. Is that understood?"
   Dawn nodded. "Yes, Captain." With that, he took the silent Eluza in his 
arms. The left half of her tunic, still open, hung down. Cradling her against 
his body with his right arm for a moment, his left hand reached out.
   Then gently with that hand, he flipped the tunic half back up over her 
chest. And he pulled it smooth over her body with what appeared to Guinan to 
be tender strokes.
   Even loving ones ...
   But she wasn't sure.
   He settled Eluza's body into his arms again and faced Crusher. "We're 
ready, Doctor."
   The doctor nodded. She also saw that Mot was standing again, his arm in a 
splint at a slight angle, and he nodded at Crusher.
   "All right, then," she sighed. "Let's go ..." She started to head down the 
corridor when she stopped suddenly. "Oh!" she cried and looked back at Rabby. 
"Commander Ciera, can you join us? There's something I need to talk to you 
about, and it can't wait any longer."
   The tall Solnoid glanced questioningly at Picard. The man nodded curtly. 
"Thank you," Rabby whispered, "and ... I'm sorry ... Captain ..." She turned 
to leave.
   "Wait!" Patty said anxiously. She looked into the captain's eyes 
pleadingly. "May I ... go ... with her... please ...?" She paused. "I won't 
cause any ... trouble ... I promise ..."
   Picard studied her compassionately. After a silence, he gestured for her 
to join Rabby.
   "Thank you ...," Patty whispered. "And ... Captain ... please ... Lufy 
didn't understand ..."
   The starship captain said nothing. Patty eventually bowed her head, sighed 
and went over to Rabby's side.
   Finally, slowly, the injured, the scared and the healers headed out, 
turned a corner and were gone. When they vanished, Picard surveyed Lufy and 
Worf in their tense embrace for a moment. The other guards stood nearby, 
phasers drawn.
   "Mr Worf," Picard said firmly at last, "take Miss Campbell to the brig."
   The Klingon nodded. "Aye, sir." He stepped back, releasing Lufy from his 
grip and aiming his weapon at her. "Come with us," he ordered.
   For a moment, Lufy leaned against the wall in silence, eyes shut -- as if  
she were frozen there. But an instant later, her brown eyes opened, and she 
slowly pushed herself away from the wall. She propped herself against the 
bulkhead with one arm for an instant, looking down at the deck. Then she 
slowly turned  toward Worf. She studied his intense expression, then his 
weapon. 
   Then she glanced at Picard.
   After a deep sigh, she lowered her arm and straightened up. With a tiny 
hand gesture, she indicated tiredly that she was ready to go. 
   Worf touched her left shoulder to start her moving. The Attacker visibly 
tensed and shot him a challenging look. But she saw the phaser in his hand 
again and relaxed slowly. At last, heading forward again, she started out.
   Picard watched them also disappear from view. After gazing in their 
direction a bit more, he returned to Guinan and the crowd, still watching 
from the entrance to Ten Forward.
   "As you were," he recommended strongly, spun around and left.
   Guinan shouldered her large weapon. "You heard the man," she told the 
assembly, then shook her head in bewilderment. "Show's over. Nothin' to see 
here ..."

*******

   He was the First. And he waited for Her to speak.
   She studied the Jem' Hadar leader: Tall. Muscular even in his uniform. 
Slightly reptilian in appearance. The gray scalelike skin and the horny 
projections around the jawline evoked that effect.
   An effect of primal strength. Of unthinking brute power.
   Of a dangerous wild animal.
   And he waited for Her to speak.
   She watched the ketracel-white flow silently from its reservoir on his 
chest through a clear tube directly into his neck. The drug sustained him. It 
sustained all Jem' Hadar.
   Of course, She thought, if we ever kept the white from them, they'd all 
die. But that's how we planned it. That's how we keep them in line.
   You have to keep dangerous animals on some sort of leash, She noted ...
   And he waited for Her to speak.
   Which She did.
   "The team in the med room has been ..." She paused and thought how to 
phrase it. 
   The lie She was about to tell him.
   "... The team has been ... infected," She finally continued, "by 
biological matter in the torpedoes we brought aboard ..." She tapered off and 
observed him for any reaction.
   There was none for a moment. Then, finally, a curt nod. "Yes, Founder."
   "I want the med room flooded with a baryon sweep. That will kill the team 
and vaporize their bodies instantly."
   Another nod. "Yes, Founder."
   "Then I want a full-spectrum decontamination done of the med room. The 
Vorta will direct that phase."
   Nod. "Yes, Founder."
   She considered a bit more. "I want ... you ... to conduct the baryon 
sweep. As the First, it is your duty in such a ... situation ..."
   Then She waited for him to speak.
   And as She did, She thought She saw ...
   An animalistic glint in his eyes. The glint of unthinking instinct:
   No pity for the weak. Even of his own kind. 
   Kill or be killed.
   Victory is life.
   He nodded. "Yes, Founder."
   At last, She waved him off. "Proceed."
   He bowed his head reverently, faced Her once more, turned and departed.
   Silence surrounded Her after he left. Finally, She sighed.
   Thank Gott for white, She thought.
   Gott help us all if their leashes ever broke ...

*******

   The trim of bright lights flashed on around the opening of the cell. Their 
hum shot subliminally through Lufy.
   From the other side of the lights, Worf regarded her impassively. The 
other guards had departed, leaving only him, her and a brown-haired female 
behind a desk in the brig area. Worf had said nothing while escorting the 
Solnoid there. Neither had Lufy. 
   Her mind had been too busy with other things.
   Things she wanted to know.
   The Klingon studied her an instant longer, then grunted. He started to 
leave.
   "Why didn't ya kill me?"
   Worf halted in midstride and looked back at her. "Are you talking to me?"
   "Why didn't ya kill me?" she repeated.
   He paused a moment. "I ... did not intend to kill you."
   Lufy studied the lights. Then, tentatively, she reached out a hand. An 
instant later, a force field flashed at the end of her fingertips, and she 
drew back her hand quickly. Then she crossed her arms defiantly.
   "You're lying," she challenged.
   Worf's eyes flashed, and he let out a guttural snarl. "If you were a man 
...," he replied in a low, threatening tone, "I would kill you ... for that 
..."
   "So why didn't ya ... when ya wanted to? In the corridor ... when you 
pinned me against the wall ... I could see it ... in yer eyes ... I know the 
look ... I've seen  it before ..."
   She whispered: "The spark ... that blinds ya before ya strike ta kill ... 
It was there ..."
   Worf was silent, but Lufy could see she had struck a nerve. "Why didn't ya 
kill me ..?" she asked again. "Ya wanted to ..."
   Worf glanced around at the woman behind the desk at the other end of the 
room. Then he faced Lufy again and paced back toward the lights.
   Their brown eyes met.
   "Yes," he said finally, "I did want to kill you ..."
   Lufy tensed.
   "You wounded a defenseless member of the crew," he said quietly. "You 
insulted your commander in front of your comrades. And most unforgivable ... 
you insulted Captain Picard in front of his." He paused. "You have no honor."
   Lufy shrugged nonchalantly. "Captain Ortiz insulted him, too."
   "Do not mock me," Worf rumbled. "Your captain lost her dignity, and she 
was silenced by that robotic being. It was only fitting."
   The Attacker's eyes flared. "Anyone who hurts my friends is my enemy! Dawn 
deserved to die!! Why did ya stop me?!"
   "Because he was trying to help her preserve some dignity by silencing her. 
That is honorable. And how did Mot - the blue-skinned male -- hurt you or 
your friends?"
   "He's a ... male!" she noted disgustedly. "I learned what ya do to 
Solnoids! He touched me! I reacted as any Attacker would!"
   She noticed his slight confusion at the word. "That's a warrior," she 
noted snidely.
   And then she saw him scowl.
   And she realized ...
   ... she didn't like it ...
   "You ...," the Klingon growled, "are no warrior ..."
   Lufy bristled. She lowered her arms, with her fists balled tightly. "I was 
a warrior before your species evolved!! Who th' HELL are you to judge ME?!"
   "I am a Klingon warrior!" he yelled. "I have honor! You have NONE! You are 
reckless! You attack the weak! You insult your commander! You shame your 
friends!! You know only how to FIGHT!! NOT how to be a true warrior!!"
   He stopped and caught his breath. 
   And he saw that the blond female in front of him ...
   ... looked shocked ...
   ... as if she had been slapped ...
   ... physically beaten down ...
   ... hard.
   Defeated ...
   For some reason, Worf thought, the expression looked completely foreign on 
her.
   "You are no warrior," he repeated contemptuously. "That is why I didn't 
kill you. I did not want your blood on my heart. You have no honor.  And 
without honor, you are only ..." 
   He pondered. "... a bully ..."
   He turned around again to go -- and stopped instantly as he did. The woman 
behind the desk was staring at him. She seemed terrified.
   But Worf wasn't sure.
   He headed again for the door and looked back when he got there. Lufy was 
motionless where he left her.
   And again, he wasn't sure ...
   .. but it seemed as if the young female in the cell was ...
   ... about to cry.
   "If you ever want to be ... a true warrior," he called to her, "seek me 
out - and ask for the son of Moag ... You ... have promise ... But if you 
want to die a bully ... do not bother me ..."
   Lufy picked her head up and met his eyes. She said nothing. Just stared, 
as if her spirit had been drained from her.
   The Klingon sighed, shook his head and left.

*******

   The Vorta shifted uncomfortably. He always did when he stood next to a 
Jem' Hadar.
   Especially when he stood next to the First.
   For his part, the First seemed to not even notice the Vorta. His only 
focus was on the Founder.
   Which was where his duty lay. Everything else was superfluous details.
   Like the Vorta standing next to him ...
   She spoke from behind her desk. "Have the torpedoes and the bodies been 
vaporized?"
   The Vorta nodded. "Yes, Founder."
   "And the med room disinfected? And given a baryon sweep?"
   "As you ordered."
   She smirked. "Everything is always as I order. Never forget that."
   He bowed his head. "Of course not, Founder," he replied reverently.
   She glanced at the First. "And the volunteers?"
   "Dead," the First noted. "Gone," he elaborated.
   Then he was silent. He had answered Her. His duty was done.
   She nodded thoughtfully. "Very good." Then She drew a deep breath. "Set 
course to rendezvous with the battleship. We should be there in 10 hours. 
After which, we'll head directly for the homeworld. I estimate we'll get 
there a day before the Enterprise."
   The Vorta looked puzzled. "If I may, Founder ... can we sure of that? Our 
battleships are formidable - but not as fast as Federation Sovereign-class 
starships like the Enterprise. I think ..."
   "I KNOW," She interrupted, "that if our intelligence on Jean-Luc Picard is 
correct, he'll honor the Dominion's demand to take the course we laid out. He 
won't do anything to endanger a possibility for peace. He'll stick to the 
runabout course, and he'll get to the homeworld after us."
   "But he's already fired torpedoes in our space," he noted. "True, they 
were coffins ...but a weapon system was used. That goes against our condition 
not to commit any aggressive acts in our space."
   She was beginning to get annoyed. "What is your point ...?"
   The Vorta sensed her irritation and took a humbler tone. "I ... merely 
observe, Founder ... that if Picard didn't honor that condition, he might not 
feel obliged to honor the course we set for the Enterprise."
   "That," She said, "would get the Enterprise blasted by half our home 
fleet. And I think Picard realizes that. As for firing the torpedoes, that 
will be acted upon when we get to the homeworld."
   She studied him for a moment. "These things are well thought out by the 
Great Link. We do not do anything without complete consideration." She leaned 
forward for emphasis. "I advise you to remember that ..."
   Again, he bowed his head. "I will ... Founder ..."
   She waved a hand nonchalantly. "Dismissed. Contact me when we rendezvous 
with the battleship."
   The Vorta and the First nodded and turned to go.
   Then She spoke again. "First ... I would speak to you alone."
   The Jem' Hadar stopped and turned toward Her again. The Vorta paused to 
glance back at the two questioningly. 
   But then he remembered that one didn't question the gods. He headed again 
for the door and departed.
   When the door slid shut, She addressed the First. "If," She said with 
great stress on the word, "if ... I ordered you to kill that Vorta ..." 
   She paused. "... what would you do ...?"
   Then She waited. 
   She didn't need to.
   His answer came instantly - and simply.
   "I would kill him, Founder," the First said.
   Slowly, She nodded. Then She propped her elbows on the desk, laced her 
upraised fingers and rested her chin on them. "I see ... In that case, you 
will do nothing without my direct orders ... but remember that your first 
duty is to protect me. Is that clear?"
   The First nodded in return. "Always, Founder."
   "Good ... You're dismissed."
   He bowed his head curtly and exited.
   She sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead. A reflex from taking humanoid 
shape, She knew, but still ...
   ... rubbing her forehead just felt good ...
   It lessened her stress ...
   ... and She felt a lot of stress at the moment.
   She looked around the room. In a corner, She saw her container.
   My Gott, She thought tiredly ...
   ... I sure could use a good resolve right now ...

*******

   The brown-haired Solnoid behind the desk handed back the data pad and 
pointed. "Over there," she noted succinctly.
   The redheaded Solnoid took the pad. "Thank you," she whispered.
   With that, Rabby turned quietly and walked toward the cell.
   Past its trim of bright lights, she saw Lufy sitting on a bunk. The 
Attacker's back was toward Rabby. Her legs were drawn to her chest, her feet 
rested on the bunk and she wrapped her arms around her legs. Her face was 
pressed against her knees. For a moment, her friend watched the blonde's back 
rise and fall with her breathing. 
   "Hey," Rabby called softly.
   Silence.
   Rabby waited. Then, "Lufy ..."
   Silence.
   "I know you can hear me."
   From within the curled-up body came a harshly quiet reply. "Go away ..."
   "I came to talk to you."
   "I don't wanna to talk to you," Lufy replied. "I don't wanna talk to 
anyone ..."
   "Well, you BETTER talk to me, lady!" Lufy's body tightened as Rabby get 
louder, and the woman outside the cell held up the data pad. "I damned near 
got down on my hands and knees to that male captain to see you, so you damned 
well BETTER talk to me!! NOW!!"
   Nothing for a moment. Then Lufy's back swelled full, and Rabby heard a 
deep sigh as it shrank back to normal. Lufy slowly uncurled, swung her legs 
out over the edge of the bunk and leaned back against the bulkhead. 
   Rabby gasped.
   Lufy's brown eyes were swollen red.
   On her face were the tracks of her tears. The Attacker saw her friend's 
shock at the sight and clumsily wiped her cheeks.
   They gazed at each other.
   "Lufy ...," the redhead finally said, "I'm sorry I slapped you ..."
   Lufy looked away.
   "You were out of control. And you were being disrespectful to our captain. 
No matter what you think is going on aboard this ship, I couldn't allow that. 
That's my duty ..."
   The woman in the cell didn't respond.
   Rabby crossed her arms and leaned against the cell's entrance frame. "We 
all have to stick together, Lufy. That's the only way we'll get through this. 
You can't go around half-cocked. It's gonna hurt us all." She paused. "And it 
hurts me when you act like that ..."
   Lufy looked at her friend again. She seemed surprised - and confused. "It 
does ...?"
   Rabby nodded. "That's part of why I came here. I spoke to that 
blue-skinned male in their sickbay - their med room. He actually could 
understand your fears, not having been around males, but he couldn't 
understand the viciousness of how you reacted. He asked me whether you ... 
were always like that ..." She sighed. "I said ... you did have a ... temper 
..."
   A slight smile crept across Lufy's face.
   "Lufy, I got the sense that he won't press charges - if you apologize. I 
know that's hard for you, but this male seems to be an understanding person." 
Rabby chuckled. "Hell, he seemed more interested in your green hair than in 
his own broken arm ..."
   The Attacker's smile bloomed, and she shook her head. "These males," she 
said. "Just when I think they couldn't get any weirder ..."
   "Captain Picard is willing to release you into my custody if you apologize 
to this male, Lufy. The question is: Will you?"
   Lufy squinted in confusion. "Your custody? What about Eluza's? She our 
C.O."
   Rabby glanced at the deck and thought. "I think ... Eluza is going to be 
busy ... dealing with Captain Picard for a while ..."
   Lufy grunted. "Yeah, she really lit into him."
   "It's not completely her fault. The doctor told me: She was toxxed, Lufy.
   The blonde's jaw dropped. "Noooo ... On what?
   "Thanol. They call it ..." Rabby paused to get the word right. "... 
'al-ka-hall.' "
   Lufy tried to understand. "Where in the hell did she get thanol on this 
ship?"
   "Apparently ... it was in a drink that Captain Picard gave her. He didn't 
know what thanol could do to Solnoids."
   "Huh. Always did think Her Highness had to have some chink in her armor." 
She chuckled. "Guess this Picard found it."
   "Well ...," Rabby offered, "we all have our failings, Lufy. Speaking of 
which, are you willing to apologize to that male? Not to mention Eluza?"
   The Attacker shrugged. "Hey, if it gets me out of here, sure. In a 
heartbeat."
   Her friend sighed. "You can't be that cavalier about it, Lufy. You can't 
waltz out of here expecting to rough up the next person who annoys you on 
this ship. They won't allow it, Lufy. And I won't allow it!"
   Rabby studied the young woman beyond the bright lights. "There's so much 
more you could be," she concluded tenderly, "... if you tried ..."
   The blonde stared at the deck in thought for a time. Then she faced Rabby 
again. "Swabby ... Rabby ...," she said softly, "do you think I'm a ... bully 
...?"
   The redhead closed her blue eyes.
   "I need to know, Rabby ..."
   Rabby took a breath. "Sometimes ... you are ..." She looked at Lufy. "I'm 
sorry ..."
   Lufy shook her head. "Don't be ..." Then she seemed to focus on something 
distant. "Know what the Paranoids called me?"
   "Think I do."
   "The 'Butcher of the Stars.' " 
   Her friend cringed. "I always hated that. It's ugly."
   "Actually, I think it was their version of my actual nickname in my old 
Attacker squadron. The shellheads mighta heard it on our com frequencies 
during battles."
   Rabby thought of Commander Dawn. "Don't say 'shellheads,' either, OK? It's 
ugly, too."
   Lufy was slightly surprised. "OK ... Anyway, my squadron handle was 'the 
Butcher.' Just 'the Butcher.' Wanna know why?"
   "Sure."
   Lufy collected her thoughts. "Before I was drafted, I worked at a 
meathouse." She glanced at Rabby to catch her reaction. "Don't know what you 
did before you were drafted, but it couldn't have been worse than that."
   Rabby shrugged. "I was on a poult farm in the central highlands. From when 
I was 10 until I was 14, I worked every day in bird shit up to my ankles." 
She snickered devilishly. "When my draft notice came, I got down on my knees 
and thanked the Mother for getting me outta there! I didn't care if I died in 
space - just get me away from the bird shit!"
   Her friend smiled. "Yeah, I knew the feelin'." Then she sighed. "Well ... 
my buds in the squadron knew I worked at a meathouse, so they called me 'the 
Butcher.' "
   "So ... what's this gotta do with you being a bully?"
   Lufy straightened up on the bunk. 
   And Rabby noticed that as she did, Lufy's eyes started getting very dark.
   I don't think I'm going to like this, she thought ...

*******

   Lufy sighed.
   "When I was 13, before I got drafted, I worked in th' slaughter pen ... 
Gotta kill 'em before ya can cut 'em up, ya know ... But ya didn't need ta be 
very strong to actually kill 'em. For that, all ya needed ta do is put that 
high-voltage shock to th' backs of their heads. But once they were dead, ya 
needed someone strong to pull th' carcass about a meter to th' lowered 
hangin' hook. Then they were lifted up, and ya slit their throats so th' 
blood poured into a drain in th' floor. So that second person in th' line had 
ta be really strong ... and have a big, sharp knife ...
   "And that's what I did in th' meathouse ...
   "It took me a while ta get over how those animals looked when they were 
killed ... th' look of complete surprise on their faces ... But it wasn't me 
that was killin' 'em. That's what I finally told myself ...
   "And ... there's no trick ta slittin' a dead animal's throat, so that 
never bothered me ...
   "But one day, we got a new 'shocker.' That was th' person who applied th' 
voltage to th' back of th' animals' heads. Now, this kid couldn't have been 
no more than 12, but I could tell she wasn't th' person for th' job ... Could 
see it in her eyes ... Don't know what th' hell the staffin' people were 
thinkin' when they put her there ... She nearly puked when they described how 
to apply th' shock. Thought she'd cry and try to get out of it, but she'd 
seemed too scared even for that ...
   "It was th' very first animal that came in th' chute that day ...
   "For a moment, th' kid jus' stood there with th' prod in her hands, 
totally terrified. But then ... she started to move toward th' animal. Dunno 
where th' hell she found th' guts ... pardon th' pun ...
   "She reached out with th' prod - and closed her eyes. Then she walked 
forward, aimin' at th' animal's head. And she hit it.
   "But it wasn't a clean hit. And that was th' problem ...
   "Th' animal didn't die instantly. It was worse than that. 
   "It went into a horror-frenzy of pain ...
   "Dunno if ya've ever seen a food animal crazed and enraged with pain. It 
thrashes out blindly, bellowin' to raise th' dead. And it's frightenin', 
Swabby -- damned frightenin' ...
   "Well, th' animal bucked and kicked and bellowed, and somehow, it got 
turned around in th' chute - dunno how 'cause those chutes were so narrow, 
but it did. So now it was facin' th' 'shocker,' who was totally frozen with 
fear. And th' animal started thrashin' its horns all over th' place, and I 
could see th' kid was gonna get herself gored bad.
   "That when I pulled out my knife.
   "It's funny ... I was famous as a sharpshooter in th' service. But long 
before that, I was pretty mean with a knife. Spea didn't know it th' day she 
pulled her knife on me, but she wasn't th' only 'blade girl' in that room ...
   "Anyway ...
   "I ran at th' animal and actually jumped on its back. Mother's truth. Then 
 I leaned over and wrapped my left arm under its lower jaw. With all my 
strength,  I pulled its head up as far as I could while it was thrashin' all 
over th' place. And with my right hand, I put th' knife at its throat ...
   "And I plunged it in ...
   "It's strange ... What I always remember first - and most - was th' sudden 
warmth that covered my right hand. It was incredible. And it kept comin' in 
waves ...
   "Then I realized that it was th' animal's  blood gushin' out of th' wound 
... and all over my hand ...
   "And I could feel th' animal's ... agony ... through th' knife. Its 
breathin'. Its tremblin' ...
   "Its fear ...
   "After another moment, th' animal stopped thrashin'. I think it was 
because of th' loss of blood. It snorted  once - and shot blood out its nose 
... Sprayed th' walls ... and th' 'shocker,' too ... I don't think she 
noticed. She looked like th' livin' dead by then, Swabby ...
   "Th' animal lost its strength, and its front legs collapsed. I jumped off 
its back at that point, but I kept my knife ready. Then its back legs 
collapsed, and it rolled over on its side.
   "Another moment later, it closed its eyes and opened its mouth. Its tongue 
started sticking out, and it started pantin' slowly.
   "And then ... it finally stopped pantin' ...
   "I went over to it slowly. I tapped it with my foot to make sure it was 
dead. 
   "It was ... 
   "I was breathin' real hard at that point, and maybe I was hyperventilatin' 
and maybe I was on a high. I dunno ...
   "But I felt ...
   "... powerful ...
   "I won. That's what I felt: I had been th' stronger, and I won.
   "I was th' one still alive ...
   "I saw a glint of light on th' floor and looked down. Th' animal's blood 
was poolin' beneath its neck, and th' overhead lights were reflectin' in it. 
I bent over to look at it better ...
   "And I saw ...
   "... myself ...
   "And I saw ... in my eyes ... a flash ... of power ... that takin' a life 
had put there ...
   "Mother, forgive me ...
   "... oh, Mother ...
   "... I ... liked ... it ...
   "I liked having the power of life and death ...
   "And I never wanted ... to let it go ... from that day on ..."
   Lufy took a deep breath and looked at Rabby, outside the cell.
   And waited.
   "You probably saved that girl's life, Lufy," the redhead said quietly.
   The Attacker shrugged. "Maybe. But I think that's the day ... I lost ... 
mine ... Especially after what happened today with that Worf male, I really 
wonder whether I took the right path in my life ..."
   "What happened with Worf?" Rabby asked. "I know he stopped you from 
attacking Dawn, but there was bound to be someone stronger than you 
somewhere, eventually ..."
   "Wasn't that. It was when he had pinned me against the bulkhead, and I 
couldn't move, no matter how hard I tried. Swabby, he had my life in his 
hands at that moment ... And I could see ... in his eyes ... the same flash 
of power ... I saw in that puddle of blood ..."
  Lufy scanned her friend intently. "Rabby ... now I know what that animal 
felt ...
   "... before I killed it ..."
   She closed her brown eyes, resting her head against the wall. 
   "Mother, forgive me ..., " she whispered.
   Then she was silent.
   And Rabby was silent as she watched tears start to shine in the corners of 
Lufy's eyes.
   The blonde felt them and turned from her friend to wipe them away. "Soooo 
...," she finally said with mock brightness, "how was your day, Swabs?"
   Rabby sighed deeply. "Well ... you know the doctor wanted to talk to me 
...?"
   Lufy returned to the redhead and sniffled while finishing wiping her eyes. 
"Yeah. What was the rush?"
   Rabby pondered how to say it. How to tell the best friend she ever had.
   She decided: Be direct.
   No matter how painful it was.
   "Lufy  ... I have the Mother's mark."
   The Attacker sat bolt-upright instantly, her mouth frozen agape. She 
simply stared at Rabby for a moment. "WHAT?!"
   "I have the mark."
   Lufy struggled for words. "HOW ...?  ARE YOU SURE?!"
   "The doctor confirmed it."
   Lufy stared wide-mouthed again for an instant. Then her gaze drifted 
slowly down to Rabby's chest.
   "Which ... one ...?" she whispered.
   Slowly, Rabby uncrossed her arms and tapped her left breast with her right 
hand. "This one," she replied. Delicately, she started working her fingertips 
on the upper part of the breast. They traveled in tiny circles as she 
massaged. 
   Until she felt it.
   Something she could have easily overlooked.
   Still very small.
   Almost ... almost ... unnoticeable ...
   ... even after two and a half million years ...
   The lump in her breast.
   "Here," Rabby said.
   Lufy closed her mouth. Which was difficult: Her chin had started trembling.
   "I haven't made my decision yet, Lufy," Rabby said matter-of-factly, "but 
if the time comes ... I want you to cut my breast off."
   The blonde was speechless.
   Her friend smiled morbidly. "I hear you're pretty good with a knife ..."
   Lufy closed her eyes again and swallowed.
   And she found her voice:
   "I wish that animal had killed me ..."

TO BE CONTINUED