Disclaimer: Earth: Final Conflict Universe is from Gene Roddenberry.

No copyright infringement is intended. The idea is mine.

Author: Mithril ([email protected]) 1999-2000.

Note: A big thanks to Da’el for letting me use her pheromones idea.

Editor: Sand J

Title: A Really Odd and Close Encounter.

Summary: Zo’or and Lili had a strange meeting ;)

Rating: PG-13

"A Really Odd and Close Encounter"

Part 1

Onboard the Mothership, in one of the laboratories, Zo'or was busy, rudely admonishing Or'rel, one of his head scientists. "You are a shame to your caste," the Synod Leader stated. "How dare you to call yourself a scientist?"

A humiliated Or'rel just listened with his head bowed and his fingers moving fast.

Zo'or gave him an annoyed look and began to pace across the lab with arrogant strides. "I am tired of your continued failures in the development of the drug. All what I hear from you are excuses. Should I give the project to a more capable Taelon?" he asked with a dark smirk.

"Of course not!" Or'rel exclaimed, raising his gaze and his nervous hands. "All of my efforts are directed to the project, Zo'or. The drug soon will be ready to replace the Motivational Imperative, but I do need more time."

The Synod Leader gave him one of his you-better-not-fail-me stares. "Even though you have had plenty of time, I will give you one more week, but do not waste it," he said in a dangerous tone and distractedly picked up a blue energy sphere from a table and showed it to Or'rel. "This is precisely what I mean. You lose your time doing stupid experiments like this one," he added, squeezing the sphere.

Seeing what Zo'or was doing, Or'rel opened his eyes wide and went a step back. "Zo'or, please, do not--"

He could not finish, as the sphere broke in Zo'or's hand, leaving the Synod Leader surrounded and covered with a sparkling, golden mist.

"WHAT IS THIS POWDER?" Zo'or barked, very annoyed, while trying to clean himself from the mist.

Nervous and deeply worried by his fate, Or'rel bowed his head again and took his hands to his back. "It... is... a... I--"

"It does not matter!" the Taelon Leader abruptly interrupted him. "This must be just another of your failures!" he stated. "Be thankful that I have another things to attend to," he added, angrily leaving the lab.

Or'rel followed him with his gaze and tilted his head. Perhaps he should have informed Zo'or about the content of the sphere... On the other hand... -A slight grin appeared on his face- ...It would be interesting to see the effect of human pheromones in one of his fellow Taelons... And If the Taelon was his "beloved and gentle" Leader... Or'rel's mischievous smile widened.

******

In a different part of the Mothership, the shuttle bay, Captain Lili Marquette was inside a craft, seated on the pilot chair, waiting for Zo'or and Sandoval. She was supposed to fly them to the Washington Embassy. With a resigned sigh, she checked the ship's energy and control systems one more time. She really did not want to be stuck with Zo'or -nor Sandoval- in interdimensional space. Lili just shuddered at the thought.

A few minutes later, Zo'or arrived and without greeting her, he boarded the shuttle. "You may depart," he ordered.

"What about Agent Sandoval?" she asked.

"He is late and I do not like to wait," Zo'or said dryly.

Lili nodded and moved her arms over the controls. The shuttle softly departed.

They had been flying for a couple of minutes in interdimensional mode, when Lili began to feel something strange. The air was getting warmer and difficult to breathe. Immediately she checked the environmental indicators and shook her head, there was nothing wrong with the temperature. She continued moving her arms, but she could not concentrate on the flight. In spite of herself, all her attention was directed to her passenger. She could feel his strong presence, surrounding her. *What is happening?* she thought, annoyed. *It’s just Zo'or... Zo'or* she whispered in her mind *He--*.

Feeling suddenly very dizzy, she raised her hands to her temples, causing the vehicle to lurch out of control. Lili quickly stabilized the shuttle.

"Captain!" Zo'or exclaimed, annoyed.

She stiffened and her heart began to beat crazily at the Taelon's voice. "Sorry... Zo'or" she managed to say.

"I suggest you focus your mind on the flight," the Synod Leader spat.

"Yes... Zo'or," she said, breathless and, unable to fight the strong impulse to see him -among other things- she programmed the automatic pilot and turned her seat to face him. For a strange reason, the idea of being stuck with him was not annoying anymore; in fact, it was unexplainably attractive... Zo'or himself was unexplainably attractive... today... She just wanted... No, needed to be with him...

"What is it that you want?" Zo'or asked. "I--"

He abruptly stopped at the intense and warm look Lili was giving him.

Lili smiled sweetly and without taking her eyes away from his, she took off her jacket... and the rest of her clothes.

Amazed beyond words by the... unusual behavior of Captain Marquette... and by his own untaelon, primitive thoughts, Zo'or blushed in a deep blue. Somehow he found himself trapped in her brown eyes. "...Captain?" he insisted in a soft, almost kind voice that surprised him.

As an answer, she approached him and leaned forward, placing her hands on the back of his chair, her face only a couple of centimeters away from his. "I want you," she whispered, kissing the now sparkling, confused... and anxious Synod Leader...

******

Onboard the Mothership, inside his lab, Or'rel stopped working and sighed. His previous excitement about Zo'or being covered with human pheromones had vanished. The nice idea of having Zo'or chased by crazy humans was impossible. Or'rel shook his head. He had altered the pheromones in such a way that they only would become active if a previous attraction existed between the two beings, even a very buried one... And the scientist knew that no human could be attracted to Zo'or, nor Zo'or attracted to a human....

***********************************************************************************

Part 2

Onboard the Mothership, Zo’or was seated on his command chair with an unusually far away gaze on his face and... untaelon, confusing thoughts in his mind. After a while, realizing he had been distracted again, he shook his head and sighed. Since his... unexpected... encounter with Captain Marquette -a week ago- he had been having trouble concentrating... and he was not used to that. He had important things to do; he was the Synod Leader... but still--

*No!* he thought and, annoyed, he turned his hands into fists. Everything had been Or’rel’s fault! He should have warned him about the pheromones... and their effects! Ironically, he could not punish the scientist, as he wanted to keep the event unknown to the others.

Zo’or forced himself to relax and, unbidden, those memories reached his mind...

He blushed blue and a smirk appeared on his face. Yes, what had happened between him and Captain Marquette had been unexpected, but extremely... pleasant. It had never occurred to him that some human... interactions, could be so... intense...

He blinked and suddenly became serious. There was something that he did not understand, though. He knew humans were inferior, primitive creatures... so... Why had he enjoyed the experience with that particular human... woman... so much? He tilted his head. As humiliating as it could be, maybe the pheromones had affected him too...

"Zo’or," one of the crewman suddenly called him, interrupting his thoughts. "Agent Sandoval and Captain Marquette have arrived."

The Synod Leader nodded, feeling a strange anxiety running through his body. He had not seen Captain Marquette for the last week and he was sure that she had been avoiding him...

*Well, that will end right now,* he thought mischievously.

A couple of minutes later, to Zo’or’s disappointment, only Agent Sandoval entered the bridge.

"Where is Captain Marquette?" the Taelon asked, without answering his implant’s salute.

Sandoval seemed surprised by Zo’or’s sudden interest, but recovered quickly. "She stayed in the Embassy, coordinating the assault to a warehouse with Major Kincaid," he informed the alien.

Zo’or blushed blue and leaned back on his chair, frustrated in spite of himself. The assault to the warehouse was just a simple task that did not require any special planning. That meant that Captain Marquette had avoided him again!

******

"Lili... Lili!" Liam called her, but she didn’t answer. "Lili!" he repeated louder.

Lili blinked and looked tiredly at him. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I was--"

"Distracted," he finished for her, giving his friend a worried look. "Lili, if you don’t feel well, I can take care of the warehouse thing," he offered, kindly patting her arm.

She shook her head. "Hey, Liam. I am okay," she said reassuringly, running a hand through her short hair. "So what were you saying?"

He visibly relaxed and continued. "The place is presumably deserted, but..."

Liam began to explain his plan again, but Lili didn’t listen, her mind refused to pay attention to him. She just could not take Zo’or -nor what had happened- out of her thoughts. True, now she knew that she had been under the influence of pheromones -Doctor Belman had found them in her blood- but still... she could not fool herself, she had enjoyed every minute... And that was precisely what annoyed her! Zo’or was a cruel, ruthless Taelon, he was the enemy... However... she could have sworn he had whispered her name then...

*NO!* she thought angrily and forced herself to listen to Liam. It was useless. She sighed. What would he think of her if he learned the truth? What would Da’an think? What would Augur think... or perhaps, Jonathan? A slight grin appeared on her face; now, Jonathan’s face would be worth seeing...

"...and so we will proceed," Liam suddenly finished, bringing her back to reality. "Any doubts?"

"No. Everything is crystal clear," she answered, even though she had not heard a single word.

"Let’s go then," Liam said.

******

Half an hour later, Lili, Liam and a team of volunteers arrived to the warehouse. They entered and, as Liam had informed, the place seemed to be deserted. However, something was wrong. Lili looked around in the darkness and stiffened, a cold feeling running through her body. The place was too quiet... except for a barely audible hum... She opened her eyes wide. A hum!

"EVERYBODY OUT!" she yelled, grabbing Liam and pushing him out.

They ran as fast as they could. Suddenly, Lili heard a loud noise, felt a sharp pain on her back... and then, everything went black.

"LILI!" Liam shouted desperately, carefully holding her limp body...

******

Onboard the Mothership, Sandoval was talking to a clearly bored Zo’or, when his global called. The Agent opened it and could not hide his surprise at the image that greeted him.

"Major Kincaid," he said worriedly. "What happened?"

Immediately, Zo’or activated the data stream. Now, Liam’s injured face appeared before the Synod Leader.

"It was a trap," Da’an’s protector said in a tired, angered voice. "They knew we were coming. If it were not for Lili..."

His voice broke.

"What about Captain Marquette?" Zo’or asked, unable to stop the movement of his hands and feeling a concern that surprised him.

Liam blinked and sighed. "She saved us, but she was badly hurt. I don’t know if she will--"

The Taelon raised a hand to stop him. "Bring her here immediately," a serious Synod Leader ordered.

"Zo’or, Doctor Belman..."

"You have your orders, Major," Sandoval interrupted him and met his eyes. "You know that Captain Marquette has more possibility to survive here than in a human hospital," he added sincerely.

Realizing that he was right, Liam nodded and closed the link.

Zo’or closed the data stream and looked at Sandoval. "I want you to find those responsible of the explosion," he commanded.

"Yes, Zo’or," the Agent answered.

Then, the Taelon rose from his chair. "Notify me when Captain Marquette arrives. I will be in my private chamber," he said, and without another word, he left the bridge.

******

Twenty minutes later, an unusually unsettled Zo’or entered the lab. Immediately, his gaze was drawn to a blue tank and to the unconscious woman floating inside.

"Will she survive?" he asked the Taelon scientist -that happened to be Or’rel.

"That cannot be assured, but she had good possibilities," Or’rel respectfully answered. "At this moment, she is completely dependent on the healing fluid. She will have to stay inside the regeneration tank for at least two weeks," he added.

Zo’or nodded. "Leave us," he said after a while.

Or’rel made the salute and left, slightly wondering about his leader’s strange interest on a human. Perhaps the pheromones... *No* he thought, quickly dismissing that ridiculous idea. Tilting his head, he returned to his duties.

Once alone, Zo’or went to a control panel located near the door and deactivated the security cameras. Then, he approached the tank and looked intently at the Captain. She always had appeared to be a strong, capable woman to him, but now... she looked so helpless... Her body was covered with horrible scars and her right arm was burned. Even though she was unconscious, there was an expression of pain on her face. Zo’or blushed in a deep blue. Why did her pitiful sight touch him so much? This was not the first time he saw a dying human floating in the tank... But this time, it was different. This time... he wanted her... to live.

"You must survive... Lili" he whispered, raising a hand to touch the crystal.

After a moment of concentration, his hand began to glow...

******

Lili was alone, surrounded by a cold darkness, her tortured body suffering an unbearable pain. In fact, pain was all that she was able to feel.

Strangely, in spite of her poor condition, she could remember everything; the failed assault to the warehouse and the explosion... Yes, the explosion...

With a morbid curiosity, she wondered how she had survived... and why... Her body was almost destroyed... and she was so tired... Perhaps this was the moment to join her beloved brother...

*I miss you so much, Andy* she thought sadly, wishing to be dead.

Suddenly, she felt a warm, soothing energy embracing her. For a second, she believed it was her wish being granted, until she heard a soft voice coming from everywhere.

"You must survive... Lili..."

***********************************************************************************

Part 3

Just as Or’rel had predicted, Captain Lili Marquette was able to leave the regeneration tank two weeks after the explosion. However, far from being completely healed, her condition was still delicate, so she was forced to remain onboard the Mothership, in one of the labs.

"How is she?" a worried Liam asked the Taelon scientist.

"Captain Marquette will be fine, Major," Or’rel answered.

"I can assure Captain Marquette is being taken care off. Soon she will wake up," another voice added from behind them.

They both turned and saw a young, blond woman with a white coat and glasses entering the lab. She made the salute to Or’rel and then nodded at Liam.

"This is my assistant, Doctor Melina Johnson," Or’rel said, returning the salute.

"Major," she greeted him and then smiled reassuringly. "I really mean it."

A small grin appeared on Liam’s face. "Thank you," he said, feeling her sincerity.

"She only needs to rest... right now," Doctor Johnson added with a wink.

Taking the hint, Liam nodded and, after giving his injured friend a last concerned glance, he made the ‘Taelon salute’ and left the room.

Or’rel followed him with his blue gaze and then looked at his assistant with curiosity. "Major Kincaid seems to be more convinced by your words than by mine," the Taelon noted.

The human scientist just shrugged. "Perhaps you should smile a little the next time," she answered with a grin. Then she held the scan and began to run some tests on Lili.

*Perhaps* Or’rel thought. In fact, he had already noticed that humans seemed to react better if... a smile was involved... Maybe Zo’or should follow Doctor Johnson’s advice.

He tilted his head at the idea and returned his attention to the sleeping woman that lay on the bed. The resilliance her frail body had showed really impressed him. True, she still had scars on her face and her right arm would be useless for a long time, but she would recover.

Being a scientist used to working with humans, he had personally known of stronger individuals who had not been able to endure the half of what she had faced. They had simply... surrendered to the Void.

The Taelon took a pale hand to his chin -a habit he had picked up from his human assistant. There was something that intrigued him, though. Why had Zo’or showed such an unusual... interest in... keeping her alive? Or’rel knew Captain Marquette was an excellent pilot and an efficient operative, but somehow he doubt that was the reason. He also did not believe Zo’or wanted to use her for one of his... experiments. No. If he had not known his ‘gentle’ Leader better, he could have sworn -as Doctor Johnson would say- that Zo’or actually... cared for her...

Or’rel just shook his head at that insane idea.

"The results are ready, Or’rel," Doctor Johnson said a couple of minutes later, giving him the scan.

He nodded and activated the medical data stream.

"She is making progress," Melina noted. "But what are those energy waves?" she asked, indicating him a zone that was brighter that the others.

Curious, he looked at the indicated region on the stream. It showed a small energy pattern that--

Or’rel’s eyes opened wide and his grin faded. *A small energy pattern?* He gasped in disbelief, knowing that it could only mean one thing... but it was... impossible.

"Or’rel, are you all right?" Melina asked, worried by his odd reaction.

"Yes... I... I wish to be alone," he answered. "And disconnect our link to the central computer. I do not want any records of this."

She blinked in surprise at that strange request. "Of... of course. I will be in the next room if you need me," she said, leaving the chamber.

Once alone, he sighed deeply. Assuring himself Doctor Johnson had made a mistake in the procedure -although she always was very careful with her work- he checked the Captain’s condition again, this time focusing on the strange energy waves. Once finished, he froze and lost his façade. The second exam had confirmed the first one.

Unable to stop himself, he closed his mind to the Commonality and gently placed a hand on the Captain’s stomach. He sparkled brighter as a small presence reached to him. Yes, there was no doubt. However, he could not understand how such a thing could have happened. All the hybridization programs had been momentarily suspended...

The scientist stiffened as he suddenly remembered his experiment with human’s pheromones... and -the- ‘accident’.

As the possible -and incredible- answer hit him, Or’rel began to pace nervously up and down the lab.

After a moment, realizing that there was no point in walking around the room like a trapped animal, he forced himself to stop and to calm down. He needed to be sure his theory was correct. Or’rel recovered his disguise and approached his own terminal. With a wave of his slightly trembling hand, he activated the medical data stream and accessed the Synod Leader’s files. Immediately, the required information was displayed on the stream: a sample of Zo’or’s energy waves. He compared them with the energy pattern he had discovered in Captain Marquette...

Seeing the result, Or’rel lost his human appearance again.

They matched.

Without losing time, he erased the exams and deactivated the stream.

Panic began to rise within him. Now he knew his experiment with the pheromones had been a total success, but that brought little comfort to him. Surely Zo’or must be deeply angry with him now and knowing how ‘kind’ his Leader was...

Too scared to finish the thought, the scientist began to pace again.

Suddenly, something occurred to him and he stopped dead in his tracks.

Why hadn’t Zo’or... ‘suggested’ that he ... join the Void... yet?

He thought about it for a while and, as the logical explanation reached him, a wave of relief flowed through his body. Morbidly amused, he could not help but chuckle.

Zo’or could never admit before the Synod that he had... joined with a human... as that would mean his immediate removal from the leadership!

Or’rel glowed brighter at Zo’or’s ironic situation, but then, he became serious again. Far from being over, the danger was still present, because... how in the world would he tell his ‘comprehensive’ Leader the... ultimate consequences of his... Joining with Captain Marquette?

******

In the Mothership’s bridge, a serious Zo’or was seated on his command chair, listening to Agent Sandoval’s report regarding the warehouse’s explosion- where Captain Marquette had been so badly hurt. To the Synod Leader’s annoyance, the investigation was not going as expediently as he had expected. Even though the terrorists had been captured a few days after the attack, their interrogation had not revealed anything useful. They had claimed to be a separate faction of the Resistance, but that had been all the information they had revealed... before willingly embracing the Void.

"I want the leader," Zo’or ordered, once Sandoval had finished. "Alive," he added sinisterly. For an odd reason, the murder attempt had affected him... deeply. He wanted to capture the one responsible for it... and make him pay... for having hurt... her.

"Of course, Zo’or," the attaché replied. "There are certain questions that need to be answered."

"Yes," the Synod Leader agreed darkly. He was about to add something else, when he saw a nervous-looking Or’rel standing in the doorway. "That would be all, Agent Sandoval," Zo’or quickly dismissed the human, trying to hide his concern.

Puzzled, Sandoval made the salute and left.

Once gaining his Leader’s attention, Or’rel hesitantly approached Zo’or. (There is something I need to tell you) the scientist thought to him. (In private).

The young Taelon’s eyes widened slightly, but he calmly rose from his seat and walked toward the exit. "Follow me," he said.

A couple of minutes later, they entered the Synod Leader’s private chamber. "What is it that you want?" he asked seriously, looking intently at Or’rel. He was still mad at the scientist -for the ‘pheromones incident’- but he also realized his fellow Taelon had an important matter to discuss with him: Captain Marquette’s condition...

Because, in spite of himself and in spite of her being just a human... She was now... an important matter to him.... Although he would rather join the Void than admit such a thing!

"Well?" Zo’or prompted, at Or’rel’s silence.

The scientist blushed blue. "I... I... discovered something that you should know... regarding Captain Marquette," he said.

"What happened to her?" Zo’or asked calmly, although the quick movement of his hands betrayed him.

"She is fine," Or’rel said, raising his hand, Zo’or’s concern not lost to him. "But... she is..."

He stopped, as if gathering his courage.

"She is what?" Zo’or asked, beginning to lose his little patience. Now that he knew Captain Marquette was fine, he did not wish to be with Or’rel.

"...pregnant," the scientist finished.

"WHAT?" Zo’or repeated in a very loud voice, stiffening and balling his hands into fists. Everything made sense now. He knew why she had been avoiding him before the attack. She had dared to join with a... human... male... just after their... own... encounter!

Deeply disappointed and annoyed with himself for having been so worried for her –and also deeply hurt, even though he would never admit it- Zo’or shook his head and forced himself to recover. "That is not of my concern," he stated coldly, in his full threatening mode. "You should not have bothered me with this," he added dryly, walking toward the door.

"You do not understand," Or’rel insisted, blushing blue again. "The child the Captain carries... is not completely human. The infant is a hybrid... and shares your own... energy waves," he explained, walking a couple of steps back and briefly wondering how the Void would be in this time of the year.

At Or’rel’s words, Zo’or stopped dead in his tracks, lost his façade and turned to face the clearly intimidated scientist. "A child? You are insane! That is impossible! You know I cannot procreate!" A shocked Synod Leader barked, sparkling brightly. "I am sterile," he added, but, unbidden, an oddly tender feeling began to rise within him together with thousands of ‘What if’ questions.

"That is correct," Or’rel agreed, gesturing with a hand, "but... perhaps you joined with her in such a way that--"

He did not finish at the dark warning glare Zo’or gave him. "The child is yours," he said at last, wisely deciding never to mention the ‘pheromones incident’.

Too overwhelmed by the news, Zo’or walked to the virtual glass window and focused his gaze on the blue planet below. However, he did not really look at it, he was in deep thought, trying hard to control his growing -and unexpected- confusion... and happiness. He was not ready to share this with his fellow Taelons...

He abruptly stiffened as a terrible idea occurred to him. If the Synod learned the... untaelon way his child had been conceived, they would consider it... an aberration unworthy of existence! Lili... Captain Marquette would be terminated and he would be forced to leave his position. Not even Da’an would be able to help them. Immediately he closed himself from the Commonality.

"Have you told the others?" he asked seriously to the nervous scientist, who respectfully stood behind him.

"No, Zo’or. Only my assistant saw the energy waves, but she does not know what they are, " Or’rel answered, shaking his head. "And the hyb... your child’s presence is not strong enough yet."

"Good. Order your assistant to keep quiet and do not inform the others," the Synod Leader commanded, recovering his façade and turning to face him.

"However, now that Captain Marquette has left the regeneration tank, the hybrid will begin her development. Soon her presence will be noticed," the older Taelon added worriedly. He knew too well why his leader wished to keep the secret.

"I know that," Zo’or stated and then, something Or’rel just said hit him. He tilted his head. "Her?"

Or’rel nodded and allowed himself a small grin. "Yes. Your child is female."

Unable to stop himself, the young Taelon smiled back, but recovered quickly. "I will think of a proper solution. You may leave now... Ah... and Or’rel, I hold you personally responsible for Captain Marquette’s and my child’s welfare," Zo’or said calmly, but with a dangerous twinkle in his icy blue eyes.

Or’rel stiffened. "I assure you Captain Marquette is being taken care off," he managed to say, repeating Doctor Johnson’s words. Without losing time, he made the salute -that Zo’or did not bother to answer- and left the chamber.

Once alone -as the realization of him being a parent finally sunk in- all his plans of domination, all his cruel thoughts and all his ruthless strategies were momentarily replaced by tenderness and love. Zo’or sat on his chair and activated the energy stream. Still closed to the Commonality, he allowed his mind to reach the one of his child, just for a brief second, so as not alert the others. He sparkled brighter in delight as he felt his child answering his call. It was only a faint whisper, but it was all that he needed.

Yes. He would protect his child, his daughter, no matter the prize...

He only had to think of a suitable explanation to the Synod....

Suddenly, a little detail he had forgotten hit him. This time he glowed furiously.

What would Captain Marquette think... of her condition?

He mentally smiled... wickedly. *Well, now she will not be able to avoid me.*

***********************************************************************************

Part 4