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"I am so sorry, I just... the thought of eating what the Culilann eat... I just can't do it."

"Don't worry, Khala," said Janeway at once. "It's no problem if you want to eat replicated food."

Her eyes lowered, Khala brushed off the offending piece of tomato onto a plate. "Captain, if this is how the crew eats, I don't want any special treatment."

"We eat fresh foods prepared by Neelix because we like them," said Harry. "We prefer real food to rations or even replicated food. But like the captain said, it's okay. Come on. We'll get you something to eat over here."

Again, the gentle hand on the arm, steering Khala away from her faux pas to the replicator. Janeway could no longer hear their conversation, but she didn't have to.

Neelix was silent, diligently cutting up fruit for juicing. "She meant no offense, Neelix," said Janeway.

"I know that," said Neelix. "I'm not angry. I just feel really sorry for her. Imagine not wanting this delicious tomato!"

Janeway stared at the red fruit. On impulse, she took a quarter, salted it, and popped it into her mouth. Neelix jokingly applauded her. Harry had been right. No replicated tomato could touch this for flavor and general sensuous satisfaction.

The ball floated serenely about five feet in the air, emanating a cool purple light, seemingly oblivious to their increasing frustration with it.

Seven of Nine was irritated. She was irritated with their lack of progress, with Lt. Torres's comments,

with Telek R'Mor's slightly supercilious attitude. The team was a logical one, but a tense combination as well. They could not even seem to agree on which step needed to be taken first.

"Let us start again from the beginning," said Telek R'Mor, as calmly as if they had not already tried to start from the beginning at least four times. "Perhaps there is something we missed."

Seven stifled her irritation and inclined her head. Torres muttered something in Klingon, rolled her eyes, and folded her arms, but nodded anyway.

"We followed signs of Shepherd activity to the planet," said Telek. "When we reached the inside of the cave, we found a large floating sphere, like this," he nodded toward That Damned Ball. "It emanated a purple light. Commander Chakotay's tricorder indicated that there was some kind of energy located within the sphere itself that animated it." His dark eyes flickered from Seven to Torres. "I was not permitted to closely examine the cloaking apparatus given to us by Lhiau, but it was similar to this orb: small and beautiful, made of some sort of crystalline material. It pulsed with light."

"The light coming from That Damned Ball is steady," said Torres, almost nastily.

Telek stiffened, then said calmly, "I see the dark matter that has begun to permeate your system again is affecting your temper." -

"Lieutenant Torres does not require mutated dark matter to display irascibility," said Seven. She felt a peculiar sense of pleasure at the scowl that furrowed Torres's face.

"It is immaterial," said Telek. "But since we have seen similar elements in three different pieces of Shepherd technology, it would be logical to assume that this is an integral part of all of their technology. When Captain Janeway touched the sphere in the cave, light poured forth from the orb. From within the sphere, or so it seemed, Tialin seemed to be... hatched."

"The orb in the cavern was most likely a form of teleportation device," said Seven, repeating the same conclusion they had reached a few hours ago. "The captain's manipulation of the orb sent a signal that Tialin's presence was desired, and she appeared."

"But it broke the orb," said Torres. "And we've handled That Damned Ball repeatedly and nothing's happened. It seems completely unbreakable."

"If we are to contain the dark matter within it," said Seven logically, "then we should be grateful that it is unbreakable."

Torres turned on