MAU: Trekkin' Along free porn video

MAU: Trekkin' Along Synopsis: This tale continues the adventures of Danni - a 'victim' of the Morphic Adaptation Unit who now resembles Seven of Nine, down to functional Borg implants! [email protected] ********************************************************************** MAU: Trekkin' Along Danni eased back into the chair, stretching out her long curvy legs, feeling the muscles protesting slightly at the movement. Damn, but even the tiniest motion reminded her of the change. She glanced down between the firm round breasts on _her_ chest. A sigh escaped Danni's lips - a soft, feminine sound passing between full, feminine lips of a body which was undeniably, one hundred percent female. "I gather that you are contemplating your changes again?" The voice was from Danni's side, where a tall, athletic young lady sat erect. Her hair was straight, black, and severely cropped at her bangs and just above her shoulders. Her upswept eyebrows and pointed ears were easily visible through the stark hairstyle. Danni sighed yet again. "Yup," she said. "Again." Danni felt a muscle cramping, and involuntarily lifted her arms above her head to stretch. Once more, reminders sounded as she felt her breasts heave with the motion. "You know, Darla," Danni said through a yawn, "I envy you. Really I do." She knew, without looking, that one of Darla's eyebrows had just crept upward. "You don't have these damned emotions to contend with." Darla canted her head ever so slightly. "True. You also neglected to mention that my adjustments do not include your need to familiarize yourself with having also changed sex." Danni permitted a brief laugh to escape. "Vulcans have a knack for saying the obvious." "Indeed," Darla commented dryly. "And yet Humans seem to _need_ constant reminders of the obvious." Danni closed her eyes, ignoring the stares from across the convention's Green Room. This room was a sanctuary for panelists and guests, a place off-limits to the regular convention-goer. Still, a lot of the panels were comprised of science- fiction fans. And naturally, they were curious about seeing _her_ in the Green Room. _Her_, together with a girl who seemed to be a model Vulcan impersonator. "They're staring again, aren't they?" she asked needlessly. Darla glanced around the room in a slow, graceful, and very obvious gesture. "Yes, they are staring. As you have discovered, they are probably laboring under the misconception that you are the true Jeri Ryan." Danni sighed. "And I can't disappoint a fan, can I?" She laughed. "Too bad I can't use the damned box on myself." Almost a year earlier, at a different science fiction convention, Danny, a promising _male_ PhD student of nanotechnology, had discovered a strange box. Unknown to Danny or his roommate, it was an alien device known as a Morphic Adaptation Unit, and when Danny used it to become, not really Jeri Ryan, but the Star Trek Voyager hottie she played, Seven of Nine, the machine complied. "If your knowledge of Seven of Nine had not been so complete when you modeled the body for the initial transformation, that would not be a problem at this time. You would not have had the Borg implants, nor the Borg defensive shields that prevented restoring you to your old form." Danni sighed. "You don't have to remind me," she said softly. "But then, if I didn't have the Borg implants, I wouldn't have been able to get the device working again." She shook her head. Darla raised her eyebrow, much like the expression made famous by Spock on the original Trek series. "You present an interesting conundrum. If you were not partially Borg, the device would have allowed you to be changed back, but you could not operate the device past the device's allotted time limit. With the Borg implants, you are able to operate the device, but the implants shield you from the device's actions, preventing you from changing back." Danni sighed. "I've done the permutations, Darla," she protested. "Either way, I would have been stuck. Either as Jeri Ryan, or as Seven." Darla nodded. "That is a logical conclusion," she agreed. "I have noticed an increase in your logic. Did you include the emotional dampening implants in your reference design?" She talked about the way Danni had used the MAU to design his Seven of Nine body the way others might describe basic electronic circuits or software - as if it were merely an engineering design exercise. Danni nodded. "Of course," she said softly. She opened her eyes and looked at Darla. "Are you sure _you_ don't want to change back?" Darla seemed puzzled. "Why would I wish to resume my original form?" she asked. "Being Vulcan is replete with advantages over a Human form. It would not be logical to revert to my original body." "You and just about everyone else," Danni laughed. "It is regrettable that I didn't figure out how to interface with the device earlier. It might have saved some of the changees a bit of...trouble." Seven months after the change, Danni, with a sudden inspiration, tried to use her Borg implants to interface directly with the device. It worked, and she could now control the device completely. "Has anyone elected to revert?" Danni shook her head. "Only the one Sisko. I've had a few dozen request to change." Darla opened her mouth to reply, but a disturbance at the door cut her off. Four large men and one smaller man, all wearing full Klingon battle armor and appearing to wear proper Klingon makeup, were trying to enter the room. The poor lad designated as the guard, who'd spent most of his time drooling over Danni's luscious form, was making a gallant but futile stand to stop them. In short order, he was dangling upside down, held by one Klingon warrior like a rag doll. "Ah!" Mike called from the door in his gruff Klingon-accented voice. "I knew you'd be here!" The 'guard' was dropped, and the Klingons entered the Green Room over his feeble protests, marching directly to Danni. "Hi, Mike," Danni said easily. "Where's Sandy?" Sandy was Mike's wife. Sandy had been a random encounter at the original convention, a girl who just happened to want to be a Klingon. Mike had used the device to transform her into a Klingon woman, and after they had become stuck, they had eventually settled into an interesting, if unconventional, marriage. Mike let out a roar of laughter. "Leaving me in peace for a change." "I assume there is a reason you breached protocol and entered the Green Room," Darla said with not a trace of emotion in her voice. Mike glanced at Darla, then roared again. "Vulcans!" He glanced at his compatriots. "Imagine having no passion! No feeling!" The Klingons bellowed their laughter at what they perceived to be Darla's plight. After his laughs died down, Mike turned to Danni. "We have a minor problem." "Oh?" Danni glanced around, and soon realized what the problem might be. She gazed at the one person among the Klingons who seemed out of place. "Exactly," Mike answered. "He wishes to join." Mike turned his head to glare at the smaller man. At first glance, all the Klingons seemed the same - silvery battle armor over their dark outfits, darker skin, and the ridged forehead characteristic of the Star Trek aliens. But on closer examination, the differences started to show. The armor worn by Mike and his men had a definite metallic look. The smaller man's armor looked plastic. The small man's clothing fit less well, and looked to be of much lower quality. Finally, and most prominently, the small man wore a prosthetic headpiece, that while applied with care, still was noticeable as artificial. However, on Mike and the other Klingons, it was impossible to see the lines of the prosthetic headpiece - because the device had made them _real_ Klingons, complete to the bony bumps and ridges. No makeup was necessary. Danni looked at the newcomer, who seemed to be trying to look proud and defiant. "You wish to...change?" The newcomer glared around the Klingons, then stared evenly at Danni. "Yes. I'm worthy." Mike snorted derisively. "He knows _nothing_ of being a warrior! He has no _heart_!" The newcomer stood toe-to-toe with Mike, looking up at the larger man. "You may test that assumption at your convenience," he snarled. Despite his attempted show of bravado, he seemed unsure of himself. All bluster aside, he _was_ intimidated by Mike. And it showed. Mike glowered at the man, then tilted his head back and roared with laughter. "You may yet make a warrior!" Darla rose silently and gracefully. "I must return to William," she said evenly. "We have many arrangements to complete. I trust you will be present?" Danni nodded. "I wouldn't miss the ceremony for anything." She extended her hand upward, her fingers splitting. "Live long and prosper." Darla's eyes opened fractionally, then she nodded. "And you. Live long and prosper." With an economy of motion, she turned and strode from the room. Danni turned back to Mike, then stood. "You know the rules," she said easily. Mike nodded solemnly, and glanced around his warriors. "We all vouch for him." Danni nodded. "Very well." She turned to the newcomer. "But there is a problem," Mike continued, interrupting Danni's train of thought. "Oh?" Mike glanced around. "We number nearly two dozen," he explained quickly. "But there is no balance." Danni turned, glancing knowingly at each of the Klingons in turn, then looked at Mike. "Do you think he would agree to those terms?" The newcomer watched, puzzled. "What terms?" he finally asked. Mike glared down at the man. "We number eighteen men and only five women." The man looked at Mike for a moment, digesting the data. Then he paled. "You mean...?" He could not complete the question. Mike nodded. "Even our women are better warriors than you are," he added. The young man glanced at Danni, his eyes pleading. "But...?" Danni shook her head. "It is entirely a matter of the Empire. You must abide by their rules." She saw the uncertainty in his eyes. Mike clasped his large hand on the young man's shoulders. "If you are a warrior - a true warrior of Klinzhai - the shape of your body does not matter. Only the contents of your heart." The young man looked down, unable to hold Mike's gaze. "I...I'll have to think about it," he said. He turned, then he looked up at Danni. "It'd be on a trial basis, right? I mean, I could change back, right?" Danni nodded slowly. "Changing back is possible," she confirmed. "But if you were to do so," Mike said threateningly, "you would prove that you are no warrior. You would _never_ be a true Klingon!" The young man glanced up at Mike, then he nodded and shuffled out of the room. Danni shook her head as she watched him go. "Looks like you scared off another one," she observed. Mike shook his head. "No," he answered. "He will return. I have seen his heart. He is a warrior. His passion to be a true Klingon warrior is strong." ********** The steady hum of her portable regeneration unit had a tranquilizing effect on Danni. She lay on her bed, her breathing shallow, as the unit hummed beneath her head, its circular cranial interface swirling with chaotic discharges of electricity that looked like a lightning storm at its peak. And yet, through this man-made chaos, energy was channeled into Danni, into her Borg implants, re- energizing them and revitalizing her. At first, the need to regenerate had been eerie, even frightening. Danni hadn't realized that, with functional Borg implants, she _needed_ to regenerate. Fortunately, the implants as Danny had imagined them included a vast storehouse of advance data. By figuring out how to interface to and extract that embedded data, Danni had used her engineering skills to construct a regeneration unit. Now that she was used to it, Danni found regenerating more refreshing than any sleep she'd ever experienced. It was just another price she paid for having been so damned thorough in using the device to change to Seven of Nine. Shortly after she constructed her primary regeneration unit, Danni had found it necessary to construct a portable unit. Mike, Sandy, and Danni traveled frequently to conventions. Since Mike was quite wealthy, he had ample resources. More to the point, the first encounter with the device had left over two dozen Trek fans changed. Out of a sense of responsibility, Mike and Danni were doing everything they could to help them adjust, including gathering as often as possible at conventions. A long convention without regeneration was too fatiguing. The knock on the door caused her eyes to snap open. For a brief moment, she considered the source of the disturbance. Then the knock sounded again. Danni took a deep breath, then slowly lifted her head from the regenerator. "Please wait a moment," she called toward the door as she sat up. Danni noted that the unit had switched off automatically as she stood. She glanced down at her jumpsuit and smoothed it, carefully avoiding the prominent curves of her breasts. Satisfied, she strode from the bedroom, closing the door behind her, into the 'living room' of the suite. Without even bothering to glance at the security peephole, she opened the door. It was the young man, with Mike at his side. "I'm sorry to interrupt you," he said nervously. "Please, come in," Danni invited. "I was just...resting." She had no fear of the young man; she knew her own body was a well-honed weapon should he prove in the least bit threatening. Danni didn't know if it was a function of her Borg implants, or her adjustment to them, but she found herself automatically assessing _every_ new situation for potential threats. She quickly dismissed any potential threats from the young man; he seemed uneasy and more likely to flee than to attack. And Mike, her former roommate and best friend, was there to help protect her should the need arise. Mike flopped down in a chair. Danni gestured to another chair, indicating the young man should sit. Danni laughed to herself as she sat down. Being in this body had its advantages. Convention organizers believed that she _was_ Jeri Ryan, and as such, they went to great lengths to make her stays at conventions comfortable. Such as the suite she occupied. "You aren't really...Jeri Ryan," the young man said, trying to be polite and conversant. "No," Danni answered evenly. "I am not." "And those...implants? Are they...real?" Danni smiled thinly. "I am partially Borg," she answered, eliciting a reaction of mixed awe and fear. "Yes. They are not merely decorative." She narrowed her eyes. "You have not told me your name." The young man flinched, then seemed embarrassed. "Sorry," he apologized quickly. "Jason. Jason Temple." He shook his head. "You look exactly like her!" "Thank you. But you didn't come here to talk about me, did you?" Jason gulped. "Ah, no." Danni nodded. "You accept the terms of the Empire, correct? Even if it means being female, you wish to be Klingon, right?" Jason blushed and looked down. "Uh, yeah." He looked up suddenly, his eyes aglow. "It's not like I'm gay or anything," he added sharply. "I just want to be a Klingon!" Danni smiled, then glanced at Mike. "Mike thought you felt that way." Her smile vanished. "Do you know what it means to change sex? To become female?" Jason looked down again. "No," he stammered. Danni stared at the young man, waiting until the silence in the room caused him to look back up at her. "It will be a significant change. There are many challenges associated with such a change. However, the changes to being Klingon are even greater. This is not a gag, or a prank. This is real. Down to every fiber of your being, it is a complete transformation." She saw him gulp again. "Are you certain you wish to go through with this?" Jason's eyes were wide as he contemplated her words. "Yes," he squeaked weakly. "I need to be a Klingon." Mike roared triumphantly. "I _told_ you he had the heart of a Klingon warrior!" he announced with a grin as he clapped Jason's shoulder, nearly knocking over the smaller man. Jason smiled nervously at the compliment. Danni nodded, then rose abruptly. "There is one thing we must do first," she said. "Please wait here." She and Mike went back to her bedroom, locking the door quietly behind them. Danni sat down in a chair, then picked up a curious little gray cube from the nightstand. A data cable stretched from the cube to the suite's computer jack. "You have checked him?" she asked Mike. Mike glared at her. "As I said, we all vouch for him." Danni nodded slowly. "I know. But we have to be careful. You remember those two guys at BaltiCon? They were snooping, and they seemed to know a lot more than they _should_ have." Mike let his anger fade. "Yeah," he grunted. "You should have let me take care of them." Danni shook her head. "Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer." Mike chuckled. "Wisdom befitting a warrior." He scowled. "But I doubt they're going to let up." Danni nodded solemnly. "I asked the Collective to find out what they could about him." Danni referred to a software development alliance that had formed around a guy she'd accidentally assimilated. He'd become Borg, like her. And now, he and his 'associates' in a company called 'The Collective' were rapidly dominating the software industry. Danni knew that the Collective was really a Borg hive, a communal mind linked just like in the Star Trek shows. Mike noted her scowl. "And?" "Nothing." Danni shook her head. "It's like they don't exist anywhere! Not even in the government systems." Mike frowned. "If the Collective can't find out anything, then maybe they doesn't really exist." "Well, we haven't seem them for a couple of months, but they exist, all right. And they know a little too much about the box. And whoever sent them - I doubt we've heard the last of them. If those two couldn't get answers, they may try to use different tactics." The two men, besides appearing to be science fiction fans, seemed to know that there was a box, somewhere, that could change people. They were referring to the Morphic Adaptation Unit that had changed Danni, Mike, and many others. Mike had been ready to brag to the men, but Danni had sensed something wrong. She convinced her small circle of friends, including Mike, Sandy, Darla, and several others, to remain tight-lipped about the box. As Mike stretched, Danni held out her arm toward the small black cube box she held in her left hand. Almost faster than eyes could follow, two tubes appeared from her right forearm, shooting out and intersecting the small cube. Danni's eyes got a far-off look as she focused on the cube. For several long moments, she sat silently, holding the cube. Finally, the tubes retracted, and she set the cube back on the nightstand. Mike laughed. "That sure beats the hell out of using a keyboard and mouse!" Danni shrugged. "It took a while to get used to it, but now I prefer the direct interface." "I wish you could teach me to do that," Mike joked. Danni shrugged, then held out her arm toward Mike. The tubes shot out toward him, stopping at a length of about eight inches, and well shy of contacting his body. "Not like that!" Danni retracted the assimilation tubes. "You can't say I didn't offer," she said with a wry smile. "Well?" Danni shrugged. "Jason Temple is precisely who he claims to be. Twenty-three years old, mathematics degree from Purdue, member of the fan club since he was nine." "And?" Danni shrugged. "No significant attachments. There is no reason not to accept him." As the two returned to the living room, Jason glanced up nervously at them. His eyes were fearful, wondering if he'd passed some kind of test or if he'd be rejected. He also showed, for all to see, his nervousness at the changes he was asking to undergo. "Well?" he asked after the silence became unbearable to him. Mike glared down at him, then tilted his head back and roared, a loud, soulful cry toward the heavens. As the wail died, he glanced back at Jason. "I was warning the Empire that a new warrior was about to join them!" he bellowed. Danni nodded. "Kind of a 'birth howl', instead of the 'death howl' from the Next Gen," she explained. Despite a professed lack of interest, she was learning a great deal about the Klingons through nearly constant contact. Jason stood nervously, then relief flooded his face. "So you're going to let me be...a Klingon?" Danni reached back into her bedroom and pulled out what appeared to be a gray metallic attache case. As Jason watched, rapt in curiosity, she set it down, then reached her wrist toward it. The two tubes shot out, intersecting the alien-looking metal. Within moments, the box began to grow, stretching until it was the size of a large telephone booth. "Those...you really _are_ Borg!" Jason exclaimed, trying to contain the emotion in his voice. "You could have assimilated me!" Then his eyes widened. "Those stories...about World Con? They're...true? You _did_ assimilate a guy?" Danni nodded slowly. "I told you that I was fully Borg." Jason's eyes couldn't widen any further. Then a grin appeared. "Cool!" he exclaimed. Danni smiled to herself. Jason had just proven, beyond any doubt, that he was a true Star Trek and science fiction fan. She easily turned the large box; the side that ended up facing Jason had few features, but those were far more than the other blank sides. A black rectangular panel, about the size of a sheet of paper, seemed to be inset into the metal at about eye level. Below it, a red crystalline pad protruded like a reverse impression of a dinosaur footprint. And finally, a purple crystal knob was attached - somehow - beside the red pad. Jason stood and examined the curious features. Danni reached out toward the pad, and her assimilation tubes shot out again. Within seconds, a Klingon figure appeared on the black panel, which was obviously a display. From the ridged crest on the forehead to the armor on the body, the display showed a Klingon. And from the cleavage on the front of the armor, the image was female. Jason gulped. "So what do I do?" he asked uneasily. Mike shrugged, as if to belittle his confusion. He seemed to have forgotten his own confusion when he'd first used the MAU many months ago. Danni, however, knew that Jason needed guidance. "You merely touch the pad, and you will be able to customize the body to what you desire." "And it will be Klingon? I mean, really Klingon?" Jason asked. Danni smiled. "I programmed the basic parameters of Klingon physiology into the unit. You can tailor the body, but it will remain Klingon." She glanced at Mike. "Darla suggested that it would be more 'logical' to control the parameters that way than to rely on each individual's interpretation." Mike laughed. "Sensible. For a Vulcan!" Jason drew back his hand and stared at the display. Danni saw the motion, and glanced at what he'd done. "Are you sure?" she asked, seeing the image. Jason gulped again, then nodded weakly. "If I have to be a female Klingon to fit in, then I might as well do it right." He glanced at Danni. Danni smiled. She touched the interface device for a moment. There was no visible change, and Jason looked puzzled when she glanced at him. "I added some muscle strength and tone to the back muscles to help accommodate the extra...load," she said with a smile. "Trust me - you're going to need it!" Jason gulped. "Now what?" Danni pointed to the knob. "Touch the purple control." Jason tentatively touched the knob, and flinched visibly when half the side disappeared, forming an opening. "Now what?" Danni pointed inside. "Step in, and then touch the knob you find there. The machine will complete the transformation within ten to fifteen seconds." Jason glanced at Mike, and saw the Klingon looking disdainfully at him, as if Mike expected him to chicken out. Jason squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and stepped into the MAU. The door disappeared as soon as he touched the purple knob. A few seconds later, the opening reappeared. Slowly, hesitantly, a Klingon woman emerged, her mouth hanging agape as she held her very large bosoms. For several seconds, she stood, still, shocked at her transformation. Then she looked up at Danni. Danni nodded, then she touched the plate, causing the box to restore itself into its compact form. Mike, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed at the new woman. She was a magnificent specimen of Klingon womanhood, with large breasts that threatened to burst forth from her armor. Her cleavage showed a gaping crevasse, an inviting channel for the stares of men. Her waist was somewhat narrowed, and her hips were definitely no longer shaped like a man's. "Wow!" the former Jason exclaimed softly. "This is _real_!" He - she - touched her breasts gingerly, wanting to explore her new body and yet, almost afraid to. Her voice, though gruff like a Klingon, was higher in pitch and more feminine. A shudder coursed up her spine. "Something's not right," she suddenly blurted as she glanced at Danni. "I feel warm." She shook her head. "Something's not right." Danni glanced at Mike. "You better wait outside," she cautioned. "Unless you want Sandy to get angry again." Mike considered her advice for a moment, then he nodded in agreement. "My mate _is_ a bit possessive and jealous, isn't she!" He laughed and hastened from the room. When he was gone, Danni looked back at Jason. "Better?" Jason took a breath, then nodded. "Yeah." She shook her head. "What was that?" Danni laughed. "You're a Klingon woman. Klingon women are much more...passionate...than humans." Jason frowned. "You mean...I was...?" Danni nodded. "You were feeling aroused by the presence of a male and the pheremones he was giving off." "But, that means I'm... " Jason looked near tears. Danni shook her head. "No. It means your body is reacting according to Klingon physiology. Female Klingon physiology." She gently pushed Jason down into a chair. "Now, we have a few things to talk about." "Like what?" Danni laughed. "First of all, Jason doesn't fit you any more. You need a new name. A _woman's_ name. Because you _are_ a woman now." Jason started. "No!" she screamed as she struck out senselessly at Danni. Danni knew the blow was coming, and easily ducked it. She let Jason flail about wildly for a while before she easily caught Jason's hand. Jason's eyes burned with anger, and she fought against Danni's Borg-enhanced strength. Danni let Jason know that she'd lost, then she pushed her back down into a chair. For a few seconds, Jason's breathing was wild and erratic, a result of an explosion of anger and adrenaline. Her eyes slowly regained focus, and she forced herself to take a few deep breaths. Finally, she looked back at Danni, her eyes betraying her confusion. Danni merely smiled. "It will take you time to adjust to being Klingon. Your emotions are more...exposed, nearer the surface. Your body will surge with adrenaline at the slightest provocation. Your hormones will heighten your emotional reactions." "But, it's..." "Your body is reacting in precisely the manner described in media and literary depictions of Klingons. All of SF fandom has woven a rather complex tapestry of Klingon culture and physiology, and your new body conforms to that image." "But I got so angry...so quickly!" Jason protested. "And when Mike was here, I was...horny?" "Correct." Danni eased herself into a chair. "You will adjust to your new body. At first, it will be strange, but you will adjust." "But...I was horny? That means...I wanted to get laid? My body did?" Danni smiled. "That's one way to put it." Jason looked like she was going to be ill. "But...screwing? Me? Getting laid...by guys?" "In the literature, Klingon women are very...aggressive. The device has adjusted your hormone levels to match that profile. Ultimately, you will adjust," Danni said again, her voice soothing. "As many of us already have." Jason's eyes widened. "You mean you...?" Danni smiled sadly. "I was once male. As you were." She watched Jason accept her data. "And I have adjusted." She nodded slowly. "There is a surprisingly large support group available to help you adjust." ********** Jaina, as Jason wished to be known, paused inside the door of the party suite. Like most science fiction party rooms, a badge checker was stationed at the door to limit attendance to convention participants. The Klingon badge checker at the door was openly lusting after Jaina's prominent assets. "Are you sure about this?" she asked of Danni. Danni finished waving at a Trill girl, then smiled. "Relax, Jaina. Everyone here is transformed. Everyone." She gestured at the guard. "If we weren't, we wouldn't have been allowed in." Jaina glanced at the guard, and saw him staring into her cleavage. She felt a shiver run down her spine. "I suppose. But it feels...weird!" Danni grinned. "Hi, T'mor," she called to a Vulcan who was passing. "I greet you, Danni," the Vulcan answered calmly. "You honor us with your presence." "Allow me to introduce Jaina," Danni said, grasping Jaina's arm and pulling her into view, and coincidentally, out of leering range of the guard. "Jaina, this is my friend T'mor. T'mor, this is Jaina. She is new to us." T'mor raised an eyebrow, then nodded deferentially. "You have elected to be a Klingon? I will not pretend to understand the logic of your choice, but it is _your_ choice to make. Live long and prosper." Jaina nodded at the Vulcan. "I appreciate your wishes," she said cautiously. She grasped Danni's arm as T'mor glided away, seemingly effortlessly. "I don't know if I like this!" she whispered. "Ah! Here you are!" Mike's voice boomed over the party noise, causing a silence to fall over the revelers. All eyes turned to Mike, and then to Danni and Jaina. Danni led Jaina to Mike's side. Beside Mike, a Klingon girl stood, tightly clutching his arm. She frowned at Jaina, her eyes narrowing to slits that burned with anger and jealousy. Danni noticed, and leaned closer to Jaina's ear. "You should stay away from Mike," she cautioned. "That's Sandy, his wife, next to him. She's _very_ jealous. And she's had more practice at being Klingon than you have." She watched Jaina's eyes widen at the revelation. "Of course, you could challenge her for her mate, if you'd like." "Uh, no thanks," Jaina said nervously. "Jaina has elected to join the ranks of Klingon warriors," Mike roared to the crowd. As one, the assembled Klingon men raised their mugs and roared their approval. The contents, a deep red wine, sloshed around freely, landing on the Klingons, the carpet, and other guests. Not one person, however, seemed to object. Or, more precisely, no one deigned object. Drunk Klingons, as the group had learned, _loved_ to fight. A goblet was thrust into Jaina's hand. "Let us drink to our new warrior!" one of the Klingons shouted. The Klingons drank deeply again, and Jaina tried to imitate them. She coughed and sputtered as the wine burned down her throat. "What _is_ this stuff?" she croaked to Danni. Danni laughed. "It's the nearest think to Blood Wine the Klingons can get. Some kind of brandy, I think. If I were you, I'd go easy on that stuff. It's pretty potent." Jaina nodded, her eyes still wide from the burning in her throat and stomach. "Like I need to be told to take it easy!" she whispered. Danni smiled and drifted away, leaving Jaina to talk with her new compatriots. There were many in the room - nearly fifty total. Through the months of conventions, people had elected to change to a wide variety of forms. There were the Klingons, and the Vulcans. Romulans. A Ferengi or two. A few Bajorans. An Orion slave girl. A few major characters, like Danni. There was even a shapeshifting Odo around somewhere. Danni accepted a glass of milder spirits from one of the Vulcans. "Thank you, Stalek," Danni said warmly, even though the emotion was wasted on the Vulcan. She glanced around. "I do not see T'Miri." "My wife will be here momentarily," the Vulcan explained. Even as he spoke, another Vulcan, a woman, dressed in the long flowing robes so favored by most Vulcans, slipped gracefully through the crowd. She held a large bundle close against her, and as she neared Stalek, she raised her hand. Stalek returned the greeting, gently touching two of her fingers with his own in a silent but telling gesture of intimacy. Danni waited until the couple had finished their greetings. She looked carefully at the bundle held by T'Miri. T'Miri turned to Danni. "I greet you, Danni," she said formally. Then she noticed Danni's gaze fixed on the carefully wrapped bundle she clutched lovingly to her chest. "I judge from your curiosity that you have not heard the news." "News?" Danni wrinkled her brow. "No, I haven't heard anything. Not since your bonding ceremony." T'Miri gently unwrapped the coverings from the bundle, revealing, to Danni's shock, a tiny baby Vulcan boy. "I delivered our son last month," she said matter- of-factly. "He looks adorable," Danni finally stammered. "May I?" T'Miri looked puzzled for the briefest of moments, then she nodded and extended the bundled baby to Danni. Danni cradled the baby in her arms, running her fingers gently across the dark straight hair on his head. "What's his name?" Danni asked, without looking up from the resting baby. T'Miri opened her mouth to speak, but Stalek spoke first. "I hoped we would name him Sarek, in honor of the Ambassador." T'Miri nodded. "I prefer Surak, in honor of the father of Vulcan. Of course, that name is an illogical choice." She spoke as if everyone knew the reasoning behind her statement. She saw the confused look on Jaina's face. "Naming a child after Surak would place an undue burden on the child to achieve greatness, to live up to the name given him. Such a thought is...inconceivable. It would be as if we were human and named a son after George Washington," she explained. Danni nodded. "Of course," she answered. She gave the baby one more look, then she handed him gently back to his mother. "I'm surprised you had a child so...soon." T'Miri cocked her head to one side. "Your surprise is understandable," she noted. Her voice lowered to something only barely above a whisper. "Undoubtedly, you are surprised that we entered Pon Farr so quickly after our transformation." Danni nodded. "That's one way to put it." Vulcans mated, through Pon Farr, only once every seven years. These two had only been Vulcan for a few months, and mated for less time. Danni began to suspect that Pon Farr had driven their choice to bond as husband and wife. Of course, it was debated hotly throughout the fan community whether the Vulcans could _only_ mate when in Pon Farr, or could mate at other times but were biologically _compelled_ to mate during the Pon Farr. "Would you like to see me dance?" A green Orion slave girl sidled up to Stalek, and looked up at him seductively. "I am _very_ skilled at dancing. And at many other things as well," she added. She began to move her body to the music in an extremely provocative manner, her every motion screaming sensuality. Her eyes contained a burning need, and she licked her lips at Stalek, as if desperate to get his attention. "You waste your time, slut!" A large Klingon warrior parted the crowd and grasped the dancing girl around the waist. He easily lifted her from her feet, clutching her luscious body tightly against his. "Vulcans are the one race immune to your charms!" "Let me go!" the girl screamed. The Klingon laughed. "My _wife_, if you dance for anyone, it will be for me!" he roared, much to the amusement of his fellow warriors. "If anyone ravishes you tonight, it will be me!" He tipped his goblet and, spilling the wine as he drank, guzzled deeply. With a metallic clank, he tossed the now empty goblet aside, then gazed hungrily at the girl. Even a blind man could have seen the desire building between them. With a roar of passion, the Klingon pulled his 'captive' to one corner. "What is he doing?" Jaina whispered insistently to Danni. Danni had sensed Jaina's presence, even without having seen her approach. It was just another benefit of the Borg implants and sensors. Danni looked to the corner, where the Klingon had torn the girl's clothing from her and was fondling her nude body as he struggled to remove his own armor. "I believe he said he was going to ravish his wife," she answered as if reporting the weather. "But..." Jaina flapped her mouth a few times, clearly confused. "They are husband and wife," Danni explained. "But...in public?" Jaina protested. Danni shrugged. "He's a Klingon, and she's an Orion girl. They have...high passions." She smiled. "Besides, with this group, nothing seems strange any more." "But...it's making me feel...weird!" Jaina complained. Danni laughed. "You'll get used to it." She glanced at the corner again, then at the Klingon men. "As for you, if I were you, I'd have a few quick mugs of wine to dull your senses, or get the hell out of here pronto." Jaina shook her head. "I don't understand." Danni smiled. "The Klingons are getting into the spirit of the evening, so to speak. Before long, they're going to be fighting, or doing other...physical...activities." Danni saw Jaina's eyes widen. "So your choices are to either get drunk and have fun, or retreat while you still can." Jaina staggered away from Danni. The look in her eyes showed her inner turmoil. On the one hand, her new Klingon body was hot, sensuous, and more than ready. On the other hand, she was still Jason - sort of - and not ready to have sex in a woman's body. Danni knew it was only a matter of time before her animal instincts won. She hoped Jaina had the sense to get good and drunk first. "I presume you are leaving," Stalek and T'Miri observed, as Danni strode toward the door. Danni cocked her head toward the Klingons, who were getting increasingly more boisterous and amorous. "I really don't want to fight off drunk, horny Klingons tonight." T'Miri nodded slightly. "Indeed," she commented dryly. "It is late enough that we should put our child to bed. And I have no desire to be in the middle of another of their drunken brawls. Perhaps we should take our leave as well." ********** The man seemed to be about thirty-five or thirty-six. Trim, neatly dressed, he seemed, somehow, to be a little out of place in the party suite. And he seemed overly fascinated by Danni. She sensed, perhaps through female intuition, that he was trouble. "You really do look like Seven," the man commented lightly to Danni. "Are you sure you're not really Jeri Ryan in costume?" Danni shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not," she answered, trying to sound bored. "Because I've heard that she has put in an appearance or two at some bid parties. Like at WorldCon last year." The man didn't seem to notice that Danni had said anything. Danni shrugged again. "Nope. Sorry, but I'm just a girl who's lucky enough to look like a star." The man babbled on. "You know, that's probably the best makeup I've ever seen! Are you going to wear that to the costume contest?" Danni felt her shoulders stiffen. This guy was annoying, but she wasn't quite sure how to be rid of him. He wasn't taking any hints. "No." "You should. I bet you'd win!" He snagged a drink from a passing tray. "You want something to drink?" he offered politely. "By the way, my name is Quinton. They call me Quint for short." Something told Danni to stay put, to sound this guy out, despite the fact that he was annoying the hell out of her. There was something wrong, and she felt a compulsion to get to the bottom of it. "Like the dead captain in Jaws?" she observed. The man started, then he grinned. "Yeah. Only I don't want to end up like he did!" He glanced over Danni's implants one more time. "I take it you're a big fan of the Borg, right?" "You could say that." "I heard someone faked a Borg assimilation at a bid party at World Con. Everyone says it was Jeri Ryan that did it." His eyes were focused, searching. "That wasn't you, was it?" Danni silently thanked the implants which dampened her emotions. Because of them, her reaction betrayed no guilt or sense of 'gotcha'. "I heard about that, too," she replied lightly. "Sorry, I wish it was me. Everyone says it was pretty realistic." Quint sighed. "I'd hoped I'd met the genius who pulled that off." He shook his head. "Of course," he added in a low whisper, as if confiding a state secret, "others say it was done with some kind of alien technology, and that the guy really did become a Borg." Danni felt her heart race, and she had to concentrate on remaining calm. "Really?" she asked. "You know, you're not the first one who's suggested that." Quint's eyebrows raised. "Oh?" It was Danni's turn to study Quint. "Yeah. A couple of guys were asking a lot of annoying questions at a con last December. They were a royal pain in the rear. They seemed to be focused on people like me who like to dress up as their favorite series character or actor." She shook her head disdainfully. "They were really annoying!" Quint's eyes narrowed just a tiny fraction. "I suppose that would be a pain," he agreed. He lowered his voice again. "I'm glad I wasn't there in my Romulan outfit. It's tiring when non-fans keep making comments about those of us who like to wear costumes." Danni started to ask why Quint wasn't in costume at the moment, then thought better of it. She'd noticed that Quint had mentioned non-fans, when she hadn't said anything. Quint took a sip of his drink. "You know," he whispered, barely audible above the crowd noise in the very packed party suite, "sometimes I wish I could find some kind of alien box that could change me into a _real_ Romulan!" He had a wistful look on his face. "That would be like a dream come true." Danni took a measured breath. "I suppose it would be really fun," she observed. "But it might be hard to deal with in mundane life." Quint watched her for another second, then he seemed to accept that she had nothing to tell him. His tone shifted abruptly. "Well, I've probably bored you long enough. I think I'll check out some of the other bid parties." Danni forced a smile. "They've got some great hors d'ouvres at the 'Minneapolis in 72' party. You should give that a try." "Thanks," Quint answered with a smile. "I'll have to check it out." Without being obvious, Danni watched his face, his reaction to the ongoing joke bid party. She saw exactly what she expected. When he glanced away, she slid through the crowd, quickly losing him, and began to search for someone she knew. ********** Even before she snapped the light on, Danni's senses were on heightened alert. Something wasn't right. She flipped the switch and scanned the room quickly. Satisfied it was empty of obvious threats, she rescanned, much slower and taking in more detail. She repeated the process in her bedroom and bath. Satisfied at last that her room was empty, she picked up her phone and dialed a couple of numbers. It took only moments for a knock to sound at the door. Danni opened it, admitting Darla. "Problem?" Darla asked quickly. Danni nodded. "Someone searched my room." Darla's eyebrow shot up. "You are certain?" "Yes. My implants give me the ability to note things that...normal humans do not. For example, minute differences in the locations of my...things. There was a heat pattern in the room that indicated someone had been present. The bathroom door was approximately two centimeters further open than I'd left it. My bedroom door was closed, when I'd left it open." She nodded grimly. "It was probably searched while I was at the parties earlier." "You suspect someone," Darla observed quickly. Another knock sounded, and Danni paused to let Mike in. "Uh huh," she answered Darla's question. She quickly scanned her memory, and settled on Quint and his annoying behavior as the most likely suspect. "There was a guy named Quint at the BaltiCon party that was behaving oddly." "I take it you mean that he was asking inappropriate questions," Mike snarled. Danni nodded. "He was using...mundane jargon. My guess is that he was _pretending_ to be a fan." "Why?" Mike frowned. "The box, I bet." Danni's solemn nod affirmed his guess. "He said a few things that indicated that he knew about the box - and what it can do. My guess is he was trying to locate it." "And that's why he searched your room," Mike added. "He didn't find it?" Darla asked the obvious question. Danni shook her head, then picked up her laptop computer. "It's nice to know that in addition to altering the appearance of others, it is capable of altering its own appearance," she said with a smile. Her assimilation tubes shot out to the laptop, and in moments, it had resumed its original form of the plain gray alien box with the strange symbols. "So what do we do?" Mike asked. Danni glanced at Darla, then she looked back at Mike. "I don't know," she answered softly. "I guess we should be careful." ********** "You _really_ can do that for us?" The guy, Gary, could barely contain the excitement in his voice, even though he was obviously trying to keep himself from being disappointed. He glanced at his girlfriend Elissa, seeing the hope in her eyes as well. Danni glanced at Mike, then back at Gary. "It is possible. But it will not be as easy as you expect." Elissa frowned. "I'm not sure I understand..." Mike roared with laughter. "Such a change is not like putting on a costume!" he chuckled. "It is a change to your very being. To everything that you are." Elissa's eyes widened. "You mean I'd really be...Vulcan?" she asked softly. Danni nodded. "That is correct." "Cool!" Elissa glanced quickly at Gary, and then she smiled. "Could it, you know, switch us?" Danni nodded, watching the confusion on the guy's face. "Yes," she answered simply. "So it could make _me_ into Trip? And Gary into T'Pol?" Gary's jaw dropped. "What?" he asked, stunned. "We said we'd be..." "Trip and T'Pol," Elissa concluded. "We didn't say who would be whom!" she added with a grin. "But that's...weird!" "Not really," Danni said nonchalantly. "Just yesterday, a guy wanted to be changed into Sheba. You know, Commander Cain's daughter from Battlestar Galactica." "But me...as T'Pol?" Gary asked again. He shook his head. "I don't know. It just sounds too..." "Oh, come on!" Elissa said, suddenly going into charm mode, batting her eyes at him and pleading in a soft, seductive voice. "It'll be fun! We can...be creative!" It was obvious she was trying to use the lure of her sex appeal to persuade him. "It may not be practical to use T'Pol's form for the...purposes you have in mind," Danni cautioned. The girl stopped her charm offensive, and Gary's eyes widened. "Vulcans are...Vulcan. Completely." Elissa's jaw dropped. "So that means..." Danni nodded solemnly. "A person changed into a Vulcan pattern essentially _is_ Vulcan." Elissa wrinkled her nose. "Once every seven years? And no desire to be cuddly?" She shook her head. "Ouch! I guess T'Pol is out." Gary seemed to breath a sigh of relief. "Well, I guess..." "Hoshi!" Elissa suddenly called out, her face bright again. "You can be Hoshi!" "But..." Gary glanced at Danni, then at Mike, his eyes pleading. He realized that he was going to get no support from either of them. "I don't want to be the girl!" he complained weakly. Elissa sidled up close again, using her feminine charms. "Oh, come on! I know you've dreamed about it! You told me!" Gary glanced quickly down, even as his cheeks reddened. "It'd be fun!" Gary knew he was going to lose. He decided to surrender with honor. "Okay. We'll try." He looked up sharply at Danni. "But we can change back, right? Tomorrow night?" Danni nodded, ignoring Elissa's tiny gestures to say no. "If you are not satisfied with your new forms, you will be able to revert before the convention is over. After that, I will provide contact information so you will be able to get in touch with me." Gary sighed. "Okay," he sighed. "How...how does this work?" he asked, his voice trembling. Danni opened the box. "Touch the pad and think about the character you desire. When the image on the screen is complete, you will be able to enter the device and be changed." Elissa's eyes were burning with excitement. "Me first!" she said. She touched the pad and closed her eyes to concentrate. In seconds, Trip's image was displayed on the screen. "Now what?" she asked. Danni touched the purple knob, and the opening appeared in the box. "Enter the device and touch the knob on the inside. The transformation is automatic once you touch the knob." Elissa glanced at Gary, then she stepped into the box. She drew a deep breath, held it, and touched the knob. Gary's eyes widened with surprise and a bit of fear as the opening vanished. He glanced nervously at Danni, and took a bit of reassurance from the fact that she seemed calm. Moments later, the door opened. Gary's jaw dropped open when Trip stepped out. Elissa's eyes were wide open, and he was tentatively touching his new body, feeling the way his 'Enterprise' uniform hung and fit his new masculine body. "I'm really Trip?" he asked, his voice nearly trembling and his face registering surprise at the sound coming out of his mouth. Danni nodded. "Completely." Elissa trembled. "This is...kind of spooky!" he said softly. Then he glanced at Gary and grinned. "Your turn!" Gary gulped, then stepped to the pad. With a bit of effort, mostly because his case of nerves was making it difficult to concentrate, he got Hoshi's image displayed. He touched the knob, and the opening appeared. Gary started to step inside, but he paused to glance at Elissa. His eyes were filled with uncertainty and nervousness. "Go on," Elissa said sternly. "I did my part." Gary swallowed again, then nodded slightly. The door vanished, and when it reappeared, Hoshi stepped forth. More precisely, Gary stepped out in Hoshi's body, complete down to her 'Enterprise' uniform and the styling of her hair. If Gary had appeared nervous before entering the device, she looked terrified now. She was examining her body, noting the curves on her chest. It was obvious that she wanted to touch them to confirm the change, but that she was terrified of actually discovering that they were real. She looked up at Elissa - Trip - and looked like she was going to cry. "You look...beautiful!" Elissa said in admiration. He trembled as his new male body started reacting to the appearance of Gary. "Uh," he said hesitantly, "I think there's something wrong with this." "Uh...yeah," Gary whispered. She flinched at the softness, the femininity of her new voice. "I feel really...weird! Like there's something wrong! This is weird!" Danni nodded, and smiled. "You were both rather...excited...at the prospect of changing for some...exploration. Now that you _have_ changed, your bodies are reacting to the each other's pheromones. You," she looked at Gary, "are not used to female hormones or the feelings of sexual stimulation. And you," she turned to Elissa, "are not used to a _male_ body. It will take you some time to adjust to your new bodies. I would strongly suggest you spend some time getting used to them before you go out in public. Or the reactions could be...embarrassing." Trip glanced at her and grinned, his eyebrows raising and lowering quickly in a sign of anticipation. Gary merely nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." Mike looked like he was going to laugh as the pair left the room, but Danni shot him a warning glance. Only after the door was closed behind them did she smile. "Ten minutes," Mike said with certainty. Danni smiled. "That's a sucker bet. You saw the look in his eyes." She thought for a moment. "Twenty. She's terrified. It'll take him a little while to get past her fears." Mike laughed. "But he's the dominant one, remember? Ellisa's _used_ to having her way with Gary. I don't think this is going to be any different." "Good point." "Think he'll want to change back?" Mike snickered. Danni shrugged. "I have my doubts. But we'll have to wait and see." She glanced at her watch, a totally unnecessary gesture since her implants included an extremely accurate chronometer. Still, lifelong habits were hard to break. "Have we got any more?" Mike nodded. "A Padme Amidala and an Anakin Skywalker." Danni's eyes widened in anticipation. "Straight, or with a gender swap?" Mike shrugged. "Does it matter?" Danni smiled. "I guess not." She grinned. "But I think the changes are more...interesting." "And one Princess Leia." Danni shook her head. "A lot of Star Wars this time," she commented, her voice almost sad. Mike picked up her feelings from the tone of her voice. "The movie just came out. What do you expect?" He grinned. "Wait until 'Nemesis' comes out," he added, referring to the upcoming Star Trek movie. "I bet we'll get a lot of requests then." He smiled. "And Leia - it's a guy making that request." Danni laughed. "You don't mind the guys changing into girls, do you? Is it just because you Klingons want to ravish another Earth girl?" Mike roared with laughter. "Maybe some of the others! But Earth girls are too...fragile!" He grinned broadly. "And sometimes I think that _you_ enjoy the guys changing because you enjoy watching them adapt like you had to!" ********** "I'm ready for the party circuit," Danni sighed, as the new Princess Leia practically skipped out of the room. The guy had chosen to be the older Princess Leia that was Jabba's captive, complete down to the bikini and chains, although Danni was reasonably certain that he'd exaggerated her breasts by a cup size or so. Danni ignored the inaccuracy. She'd long ago ceased questioning the choices some fans made. Darla studied Danni carefully. "You appear to be fatigued." Danni sighed, then she nodded. "I did not regenerate last evening." "Why not?" Danni shook her head slowly. "I seem to have misplaced my regeneration unit." Mike frowned. "Or it was stolen," he said ominously. Danni shook her head. "I don't think so," she said, but her voice echoed with uncertainty. "I do not _lose_ things," she said. "I couldn't find it after I discovered that my room had been searched." Darla's eyebrow raised. "How much longer before you must regenerate?" Danni winced. "Two or three days. Not much longer." She sighed. "I'll be home before regeneration becomes mandatory. I have the permanent unit there." She turned to the box and shot out her assimilation tubes. "Time to put you away for the night," she said, talking to the inanimate box as if it were a living entity. Almost instantly, the box began to shrink from its phone-booth size to the compact attache case dimensions it had when stowed. "Danni!" Mike's voice was harsh, as if sounding a warning. Danni spun. "What?" She followed Mike's gaze out the window, and across the street - to where drapes were fluttering in the next building. Danni felt a stir of panic. "Company?" Mike nodded. "You think it's the same guy?" Danni's lips were pursed tightly together, her face pale and serious. "Probably." She swore under her breath. "I'm willing to bet it is. He was a little too curious about the box. But whoever it is knows we've got the device." Mike frowned. "You want me and the boys to catch him?" Danni shook her head slowly. "No. If he's half as smart as I think he is, he's long gone." She picked up her black 'modem' cube and interfaced with it. "I should have done this last night." For several minutes, she stood silent, plugged into the network through her Borg interface. Finally, as Mike began to fret, she set the cube down. "Problem?" Mike asked quickly, reading the expression on her face. Danni nodded. "The Collective couldn't find a name to match with his face. Or anything else. The guy who registered in the room doesn't exist." She grimaced. "The Collective found no records of him in any database. Even in the restricted government systems." "That's impossible! The only way those records couldn't exist is if they'd been erased! And the only group that could do that is...the Collective!" Darla nodded. "There are other possibilities. His identity might have never been entered into any official records database. Any records of him might be in a stand alone system that cannot be accessed by the Collective." Danni sank onto her bed. "It's got to be that," she decided quickly. "I just interfaced with the Collective. If they had done it, I'd know." Mike nodded slowly. "So that means some very secretive agency. What do we do?" Danni shook her head. "I don't know. All I _do_ know is that we can't let the government get their hands on the box." "You fear that the government would use it for nefarious purposes?" Darla asked needlessly. "Given the events of the past two days, I am forced to agree with your conclusion. We must protect the secret." "Apprehend and assimilate?" Mike suggested. Darla looked at Mike with an expression that seemed to convey both disdain and surprise. "If the man is an agent of the government, and if he were to disappear, undoubtedly replacements will be sent. The advantage we now hold is that we know who this person is, and can avoid him. We need to find out how much he knows to determine how much of a threat this secretive agency is." Mike nodded. "That sounds reasonable. But I'd suggest you take the box and go to the ranch. For safekeeping." "And if he follows me?" Danni didn't sound worried. Mike grinned. "Then he'll be playing in _our_ sandbox." ********** Danni glanced over her shoulder one last time. There was no doubt but that the man, Quint, was following her. He'd followed her on the plane trip to Sheridan, Wyoming, trying to stay discreet but failing miserably thanks to Danni's Borg- enhanced senses. When she rented an SUV for the drive to the 'ranch', he followed her as well. She'd been rather reckless in her driving, counting on her enhanced senses to stay out of trouble, since she was alone in the vehicle and the ranch country around Sheridan was sparsely populated. As she skidded to a halt beside the main gate, she spied a dust cloud about a mile away. It was still Quint, following her, and a few minutes behind. Danni grabbed her duffel bag and the box from the passenger seat and alit from the big vehicle. The gate was a massive affair, made of metal bars and heavy beams and easily topping ten feet in height. It was reinforced like something in King Kong - or Jurassic Park. On either side, stretching into the distance, the fence seemed ill- matched to the gate, consisting only of six-foot high woven wire panels attached to steel posts. Danni grinned - appearances definitely _were_ deceiving at the ranch. She ignored the warning signs and stepped to the gate. Set into the massive metal frame was a small door, a portal for human-sized beings. Danni reached for the door, flinching a bit as an energy field tickled her skin. She easily opened the door and stepped through, shivered as the field danced across her entire body. "Oh, it's you!" Danni turned at the snarling voice, then she grinned. "Who else could get through the field?" she laughed. The Klingon grinned. "Mike warned us you would be coming. He said you are being followed." He glanced through the gaps in the gate, quickly focusing on the dust cloud. "What should we do with him?" he asked, almost grinning with anticipation of some type of violent encounter. "Let him in." The Klingon laughed. "The bears and Targs will appreciate the feast!" Danni smiled. "No. Keep him alive." She saw the Klingon's expression fall. "Let the beasts have some sport, but keep him alive." ********** "I would speak with you!" The sound from the door of her room was harsh, typical of the Klingons. Danni glanced up from her desk, where she was sitting interfaced to the computer cube. She withdrew the assimilation tubes, breaking the connection. "Very well." She stared at the Klingon for a moment. "You are known as Kleng, correct?" "Correct." The Klingon stepped into her room, then glanced behind himself. He seemed nervous to Danni. "You may close the door if you desire privacy," she offered. Kleng nodded, then closed the door. "Things are not...going well." Danni felt her eyes widen in surprise. "Oh? You are unhappy at being Klingon and wish to change back?" Her comment was deliberately provocative; in any normal Klingon, the implication of her words would cause a violent outburst. Kleng's eyes narrowed, and the expression behind them wavered in a way that Danni couldn't read. "No!" he snarled. "Being Klingon is all I have ever desired!" Danni felt confused. "Then...what?" The guy dropped his gaze to the floor. "I wish to remain Klingon. But...there are not enough...females." Danni studied Kleng as he shifted his weight back and forth between his feet. He was obviously embarrassed by his request. Sudden realization caused Danni's jaw to drop open. "You...lost a wager?" Kleng nodded, his eyes glaring with anger. "Warmok, Rotal, and I wagered on the last Targ hunt," he explained. "Whoever was last to kill a Targ would change." He snarled. "Warmok cheated. His Targ was a mere cub! Even a human could have killed such prey bare-handed! And Rotal took _my_ prey before I could get him!" Danni nodded her understanding. "You don't _wish_ to be female, but honor..." "I would _die_ rather than betray my honor!" Kleng snarled, his eyes ablaze with the passion of his statement. "I must change to preserve my honor," he insisted strongly, staring at the floor as he spoke. Danni nodded, then lifted the box. "Very well. Would you prefer to design your own body, or would you rather someone else did it?" Kleng glared as the box unfolded. "I will design my own body!" he said gruffly. "If one of the other males designs the change, they would make me fit for little more than their own pleasure. And if one of the women were to do it, they would make me _weak_ and _soft_!" He spat the words as if they were distasteful. Danni could find no fault with Kleng's logic. She gestured at the control pad, the odd reddish bump on the side of the device that was shaped like some odd dinosaur footprint. "Were you wanting to change immediately?" she asked when Kleng hesitated. "The wager requires that I change at the first opportunity." He glared at Danni. "I had hoped that I would have a few more days as a male, until the convention in Dallas next week. I didn't expect you to com