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By Root 639 0

waited. Seventeen point four seconds was the longest the warp core had lasted, even in the best simulation they'd run on the holodeck. Telek was aware that he was trembling, but felt no shame at the thought

"Eighteen seconds," said Khala. "Twenty. Twenty-five. Thirty." A pause. "One minute."

One by one they relaxed. Telek closed his eyes briefly.

"It could still destabilize at any second," Seven warned them darkly.

"But it's lasted longer than any simulation. We could all die at any second. That's what life is all about, Seven," said Torres, her voice cheerful despite the dolorous words she uttered. "I say we get on with the next step."

"We've beaten all the simulations," said Telek. "I suppose it is due to the fact that the holodeck can only operate or extrapolate from something it knows. And none of us knows the full extent of Shepherd technology."

"That little sphere is amazing," Torres admitted, gazing with a new respect at the small, hovering ball. Telek suspected she wasn't going to be calling it That Damned Ball again any time soon. She tapped her combadge. "Engineering to bridge. We've got a warp-core universe full of dark matter, and we're all still in one piece."

"Qapla', B'Elanna," came Janeway's warm, pleased voice.

They did it again. And again, and again, each time increasing the amount of dark matter they beamed in from the transporter to the sphere to the warp-core shell. There was no sign of strain.

The next step was to attempt to dematerialize the dark matter from inside something-a cup, the ship, a body. But by this time, simple biological need was beginning to take precedence over the thrill of sue-

cess. They broke for lunch and went to the mess hall. When the door hissed open, a huge cry of "Congratulations!" greeted them.

"We thought you could use a break," said Janeway, smiling as they entered. The place was festooned with banners and balloons. Tables had been decorated, and on every one there was some kind of confection with the words "Dark matter" written on a card beside it: Dark matter cake, dark matter cookies, dark matter pudding.

"All made with the utmost care to suit the palates of Voyager's daring engineering team," said Neelix with pride as he hastened up to them, shaking their hands vigorously. To Khala he said very gently, "There was, of course, no time to bake anything, so I had to replicate everything. Please enjoy without worrying."

She blushed blue. "Neelix, how thoughtful of you. Thank you."

Janeway paused before Telek, turning her piercing blue gaze on him. "As a scientist, you must be finding all this very exciting." She smiled. "I know that, as a scientist, I'm excited by what we're doing. As a captain, of course, I'm even more excited that we've survived it all thus far."

Telek smiled a little himself. He arched an eyebrow and said, "Why, Captain, did you have any doubt?"

She searched his expression for a moment, then the smile broadened. She reached to squeeze his arm.

The food, replicated or not, was delicious and filling. At Torres's insistence, Telek had his first sip of raktajino. He found it powerful but delicious, and he had a second cup. Some items called "tomato soup"

and "cheese sandwiches" were also unusually tasty. Perhaps it was merely that he knew-he knew-they had cheated death today, and everything about being alive, including food, had a keener edge of pleasure about it.

He was well into an enormous slice of something rich that Neelix called Dark Matter Double Chocolate Chip Fudge Cream Cake when Janeway, who was sitting beside him sipping a cup of black coffee, got the news from the bridge.

"Tuvok to Janeway."

"Janeway here. What's going on, Tuvok?"

"Sensors indicate a large fleet of ships approaching in our direction. They are heavily armed and shielded. And they are also riddled with dark matter."

Telek set down his fork. Suddenly the deliciously sweet treats and the two cups of potent raktajino sat like rocks in his stomach. He wished he had not