The hallway was dark, but Da'an quickly found the room Maedra had indicated. The frantic thrumming in her chest had resumed, the pounding in her ears the only thing she could hear in the unsettling quiet of both the corridor, and her mind. Strangely, she imagined the nervous beating of her heart as one voice of her own private Commonality, a voice reminding her both of her fear, and the need for urgency.

Da'an pressed a hand against the entranceway to the small shuttle bay, the metal cold against her skin, taking a moment to stabilize herself. She felt dizzy for a moment, and realized she should have taken some of Maedra's food. Get to the shuttle, she told herself. Get out of here, get back to the Mothership. Everything will be all right then.

Of course, she wasn't even sure if she believed her own words; but, she had noticed that humans had an undeniable reliance on hope. She was beginning to understand its purpose now.

Holding the cloak tightly around her shoulders, Da'an carefully stepped into the darkness of the shuttle bay. Slowly, as her eyes began to adjust to the obscurity, she could make out two large, greenish constructs directly in front of her. The Tru'del shuttles, sturdier and sleeker than the models they had used so long ago, but still of the same basic design. She remembered them, though the memory was faint; centuries ago, she had witnessed many Tru'del attacks and occasionally even been a victim of them. Da'an closed her eyes at the memory; she, like others, including the experiment's volunteers, had realized the importance and necessity of the experiment. She reached up to feel the dried blood on her forehead; how could things have possibly come to this?

She hoped she would be able to find a better way to end all this, as Maedra had trusted her to do.

The Tru'del shuttles were generally of different design but were still basically built and handled much like the old Taelon shuttles were. Da'an quickly made her way inside, setting the knife down at her feet, and activated the shuttle's piloting controls, bathing the tiny cockpit in a low amber light; Da'an allowed herself a tiny smile as she realized the Tru'del must be fond of amber lighting. How many more things, both important and trivial, did the two races have to learn from each other?

The holographic interface was basically the same, only horizontal. Da'an stared at the dimly-glowing panel for a moment, recalling how Maedra had told her to activate the shuttle's shielding first. She most certainly did not want to be caught now.

Da'an tried to think, but found she had an unusual amount of difficulty concentrating. Her thoughts seemed to bounce within her own head, unheard by anyone but herself. It was most unsettling, not to mention distracting.

She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. Focus. Get out of here. Get back to the Mothership. Everything will be all right there.

She opened her eyes again, waving a hand over the two-dimensional control panel. There, it really wasn't that complicated. Same basic design as Taelon shuttles. On the right of the panel was the holographic outline of the shuttle, with a strangely-shaped green button next to it. She waved two fingers over it, activating it.

The shuttle whirred and thrummed around her, making Da'an gasp in surprise. The beating in her chest was almost unbearably loud now.

Hardly daring to move, she peered at the shuttle outline on the glowing panel; a faint greenish aura had appeared around it, and the button was blinking.

Da'an breathed a sigh of relief. There. The shield was activated. She would be safe to fly out of here now. The rest of the controls she recognized easily, and with trembling hands she undocked the shuttle from the larger Tru'del ship, piloting it away and towards Earth. She had studied enough charts of the solar system to know which way to go.

The shuttle didn't possess an interdimensional drive, but its engines were fast enough; Da'an wasn't quite sure how long the trip took, but soon she approached Earth and smiled with relief when she found the Mothership in orbit. Finally, she would be back among her own people.

She winced. Her own people.

Da'an prepared to activate the communication system, anxious to be back aboard the Mothership. But then her hand paused over the comm button, as a very important thought came to her: she was human, looked nothing like her old self, most likely had no DNA or energy signature identifying her as Taelon. And she was flying a Tru'del ship.

This did not bode well.

She sighed and leaned back in the uncomfortable pilot seat. She felt so tired, and couldn't think of any alternative. She had to risk contacting the Mothership, and wish that Zo'or wouldn't choose to destroy her small vessel before she had a chance to explain and prove her predicament� but somehow, she didn't trust her child to actually listen to her until it would be too late.

Maybe she could head for Earth instead? But then what? She still had no way of proving who she was. She couldn't exactly walk into the Embassy in her present state.

No, that wouldn't work. She needed to speak to someone she trusted. Not Zo'or, certainly not Sandoval, but�

Da'an again reached for the communications system, her fingers shaky as she activated the panel. There was only one person she trusted to speak to.

Liam had been on his way back to the shuttle landing pad when his global chirped. Still distracted by the recent events, he answered it, fully expecting to see Renee or Sandoval's face there and not feeling particularly inclined to speak to either.

What he saw was the unexpected and peculiar face of a woman. She seemed pale and agitated; he was sure he had never seen her before, and yet� Maybe she was just another Resistance member whose face was vaguely familiar. He frowned as he spotted blood on her forehead.

"Can I help you?" Liam carefully asked.

The woman shifted uncomfortably where she sat, which looked to Liam like the inside of a ship, one he had never encountered before. "Major� I require your assistance."

Liam started, almost dropping his global. Something about that face, that voice� but it couldn't be!

"Who are you?" he tentatively demanded. "Tell me your name."

"I cannot explain the circumstances of my appearance at the moment," she spoke slowly, her eyes riveted to his own. "But I speak the truth when I say I am Da'an."

Liam gasped, shocked despite himself, and immediately brought a hand up to shield his global from any passing Volunteers or Taelons. If Da'an had sought to contact him before Zo'or, he-- she? - could obviously not risk being found out right now.

He stared at the woman on his global. The wise thing would have been to ask for some proof that she was who she said she was, but� he needed no such proof. Somehow, he just knew. It *was* Da'an.

"Zo'or said you were dead," he whispered. "That he couldn't feel you in the Commonality. What happened?"

"I� have been a captive," Da'an said. She shifted nervously again, her hands hovering over controls that Liam couldn't see. "Of a race called the Tru'del, who saw fit to� punish me in this way."

"Zo'or told me about them," Liam said. He stared in disbelief; what kind of race would consider this adequate punishment? "They did this to you?" he whispered. At Da'an's slight nod, he asked, "Where are you? What can I do?"

"I am near the Mothership, aboard a small Tru'del shuttle," Da'an said. "I must get to Zo'or and speak to him, but�"

"But you're afraid he won't believe you are who you say you are," Liam finished.

"This is indeed a difficult situation."

"Okay, don't worry about that, I'll help you. I'm on my way to the shuttle bay now; I can clear a landing for you." He paused, not quite sure how he could explain a ship of unknown alien design entering the Mothership to the Volunteers, but he could figure that out later. "Once you're aboard, we'll find a way to make Zo'or believe you."

Da'an smiled, her shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank you, Liam."

He smiled back as the communication ended, then sighed. This, he thought, was going to be a very complicated situation indeed.

Getting aboard the Mothership had been the easy part; Liam had managed to clear a landing pad for her, and had appeared quite shocked when the Tru'del shields had deactivated and the sleek green shuttle had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Actually, he had appeared almost as shocked as when Da'an herself stepped out of the shuttle.

Even when he took her hand to help her out of the small ship, he still seemed hard-pressed to believe she was indeed real.

Now they were headed for the bridge, a silence weighing between them, as Liam seemed at a loss for anything to say. He was, however, persistent about glancing over at her every few minutes, both surprised and concerned.

Da'an had wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she hadn't left Maedra's cloak back in the shuttle. The black jumpsuit she still wore was rather thin and the Mothership seemed unusually chilly. Strange she had never noticed before.

A few Volunteers gave them passing glances as they went along, but to them there seemed to be no more going on than Major Kincaid accompanying a random human female around the ship.

"How do you feel?" Liam asked, finally breaking the silence.

Da'an almost jumped at the sound of his voice. "Strange," she said. Her head had begun to ache now.

"You're going to get through this all right," Liam said, forcing a reassuring smile. "We'll find a way to get you back to your old self."

Da'an smiled back, though it was hardly in amusement. "We shall see. However, my condition is not the most pressing matter at the moment."

"Right," Liam said. He ran a head through his sandy-colored hair. "I understand this is a serious threat you're facing� that all of Earth is facing, for that matter."

"The Tru'del have no interest in Earth or humanity," Da'an said. "It is the Taelons they seek." She pressed her lips together, thinking of Maedra. "Though, if chance favors us, there may be a peaceful way to end this conflict."

She stopped talking as they entered the bridge. Zo'or was seated in his usual command chair, studying a small holographic readout over the left arm of the seat. He gave a bored look as he spotted Liam walking up to him, but then turned curious as he saw the woman standing next to him.

"Major, explain yourself."

Da'an stared back, fighting the urge to sigh. Zo'or seemed so different now� detached from her now, as she was no longer part of the Commonality. It was doubly unsettling now.

"Zo'or, this is kind of complicated to explain, but�" Liam began.

Da'an raised a hand to quiet him. "Contrary to what you may have believed, I have not passed to the next level. I was taken and altered by the Tru'del."

"Sha'bra!" Zo'or hissed, bolting to his feet. "This cannot be possible. You are nothing more than a Tru'del deception� I would believe a Jaridian's lies before I believe your words."

Liam opened his mouth to say more, but then Da'an stepped up next to Zo'or, her right palm defiantly extended. "As I expected. But you do not have to believe my words. See it for yourself."

Zo'or intently stared at her for a moment, suspicion clear on his face, before conceding and lifting his own hand to Da'an's.

Da'an winced, then gasped as a burning sensation tugged at the back of her head. She could feel her mind being probed, very different from her sharings as a Taelon, as now she had no control over it whatsoever. Her head began to throb, and she couldn't keep her arm from trembling.

Is this what sharing felt like to humans, she wondered? Or was Zo'or simply making no effort to be gentle? That thought hardly surprised her.

Finally, the sharing ended and Zo'or pulled away, regarding her with an expression of grudging acceptance. Da'an sighed in relief, and was vaguely aware than Liam had moved closer to her side.

"Very well, then," Zo'or said, sitting back down. He seemed displeased that Da'an had been speaking the truth. "You are indeed who you claim to be." Disdain now laced his features as he looked her up and down. "I cannot imagine the sensation of being confined to such a primitive state of existence."

"My state of existence," Da'an said sharply. "Is not the issue here. The Tru'del have caught up with us and we are now all in grave danger."

"Indeed," Zo'or said. "How were you able to escape?"

"I was aided by the leader of this Tru'del group," Da'an said. "She is different from the others. I believe she would be willing to embrace a diplomatic solution�"

She fell silent at Zo'or's smirk. "Are you truly so na�ve that you would believe the Tru'del to be capable of diplomacy?" he said. "No, they are dangerous opponents, and we must deal with them as such."

"Zo'or, please," Da'an said. "Maedra is capable of negotiating. I must ask you to consider the possibility of a peaceful agreement between our species."

Zo'or acknowledged her with a ripple of his hand, as he paced away from his seat, staring out into the starry space beyond the virtual-glass barrier. Of course, there was nothing to be seen out there, but Da'an shuddered inwardly at the thought of the Tru'del ship looming nearby, hidden, but still there.

"You know the location of their vessel?" Zo'or asked after a silence.

"Yes," Da'an said. "They are orbiting Mars, if they have not changed course. Presumably, the shuttle I took possesses scanners capable of reading the ship's energy signature, even if hidden by the shields." She bit her lip. "It may not be long before the rest of the crew become aware of my disappearance. We must make a decision quickly."

"I have," Zo'or said. "Our only option is to mount a surprise attack and destroy them all. We shall utilize the shuttle you have stolen."

Da'an gasped in disbelief. "Our only option? Surely, Zo'or, such an extreme action is not the only possibility!"

"Extreme?" Zo'or seemed amused as he repeated the word. "For centuries they have pursued us, hunted us. Now, they have located us, kidnapped one of our own and began exacting a most cruel revenge. They will not stop until one or both sides has been annihilated, and you dare to call my method extreme?"

"I should not be surprised," she said harshly. "You are so quick to eliminate those of your very own kind; to do so to the Tru'del must not be much of a challenge." She could sense Liam turning a shocked face in her direction, but she kept her gaze steady and dark unto Zo'or.

Zo'or glared back at her. "I will not tolerate this insubordination."

"Maedra was willing to find a peaceful solution to this conflict!" Da'an said, aware now that she was yelling, but not able to stop herself. "There might be others who feel as she does. Destroying them all cannot be an option!"

"That will be enough," Zo'or said, his voice low and dangerous. "I have made my decision. You shall now report to the medical wing for an examination, and remain out of my sight."

Da'an could feel her cheeks flushing with anger. She wanted nothing more than to yell something back - human impulses again? - but found she couldn't trust her own voice, especially as tears of anger welled in her eyes. Turning her back on Zo'or, stormed out of the bridge, barely aware that Liam was following her.