"To transfer her personality into her body, she erected as electronic link. She can link her brain directly into the computer."

He read the worry in Tessa's eyes. "Is this harmful?"

"She's using the link to escape. To withdraw from her humanity. I thought may be you could snap her back into having an interest in being human."

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"What do you want me to do?"

"Go to her. Talk to her."

"About?"

Tessa rolled her eyes at the ceiling in disgust. "You want me to write you a script?"

"Did you ever think I might say the wrong thing and make her worse?" Or accidently give her the impression that he was interested in her as a woman? Because Zical knew how unfair that impression would be. When Dora had been a computer, the flirtation between them was safe and harmless became their friendship couldn't grow into anything more. But now she had a body. And thanks to the alien light, he was thinking with his hormones.

Tessa's eyes narrowed on him. She didn't bother refuting his excuse. "Dora cares about you. I thought you liked her too."

Zical glanced at Kahn, his gaze questioning. Kahn crossed his arms over his chest, clearly uncomfortable with the subject but willing to go along with his wife. "Talk to her about anything you like. She hasn't responded to us for over a month. She's barely eating or sleeping. It's eerie the way she closes her eyes, lies motionless for hours. She can't go on like this or she could die."

"Die?" Zical's gut clenched.

He missed his conversations with Dora as a computer. Although the new ent.i.ty performed a.s.signed tasks well enough, Ranth was male, and his personality was young, not fully formed. Until Dora's transformation, Zical hadn't realized how much he enjoyed her constant presence in his life. Whether he was on his ship, in his quarters, or out exploring, she'd always been with him, ready to converse, give information, or simply keep him company.

Knowing he hadn't lost her permanently, knowing he could visit her, had lessened the loss of her company these last few months. Still, despite how busy he'd been during the last few weeks, he'd missed her more than he'd have thought possible-perhaps yet another reason he couldn't stop thinking about her. Ranth simply couldn't replace Dora, but Zical wasn't so certain the new Dora could replace her former self.

She was human now. Vulnerable. She could die. He didn't know if he could cope with the mind-boggling change-especially since they both seemed to be having difficulties controlling their bodies: he with an almost overwhelming and constant ache for s.e.x, her with uncontrollable twitches. He recognized his irritability but was at a loss how to solve his problem, never mind hers, The old Dora was strong, brilliant, cheerful, nothing ever got her down. He thought of her as superhuman, almost G.o.dlike, with no need for him in her life. But now, the way Tessa spoke of her, she sounded depressed, and if she needed him, he couldn't turn away, no matter how much he feared that he might do further damage.

"We won't let Dora die," Tessa vowed, "even if we have to force-feed her."

"I hadn't realized..." Zical's thoughts spun. The idea of losing Dora scared him, but the fact that Dora needed help from anyone was a strange concept. One he couldn't

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ignore, one that triggered his protective instincts. Dora wasn't just part of his crew, she'd once been the most essential member. They'd flown every mission together and she'd saved his life more times than he could count. And if she needed him, he would be there to help. "I will visit her."

"Good.' Tessa nodded. Zical turned to depart but she placed her band on his shoulder. "Perhaps, you can think of a way to convince her to leave her quarters. She needs to interact with people. Patching into the computer all the time isn't good for her."

"What do you suggest?"

"I'll leave that up to you." Tessa hesitated, then continued. "Your first instinct may be gentleness, but she needs your strength, not pity."

Zical's eyebrows narrowed. Tessa was usually plainspoken, but she was being too vague for a simple starship pilot like himself to fathom her meaning. Or perhaps his churning gut and fear for Dora's well-being was making him more dense than usual.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"You will when you see her."

Tessa, wouldn't say more, and he strode toward Dora's quarters in confusion but determined to do some good. Tessa's concern for Dora was very clear and she didn't fret the small stuff-an indication of the seriousness of Dora's condition.

Zical supposed be should have asked more questions, but his concern made has anxiety level rise, he realized he had no idea what to expect. Had Dora requested that he visit? Was she expecting him to arrive? Would she allow him into her quarters?

Zical knocked on Dora's door, filled with trepidation. Put him at the console of a sweet little starship and he knew exactly what to do. But dealing with women on a personal level wasn't in his regular orbit of experience. Praying he didn't make matters worse, determined to help her if he could, when the door opened he stepped inside.

Her quarters appeared... stark. The walls had no texture or color but remained standard gray. She'd hung no art. Nothing on the walls. No sculptures. The standard lighting, and the lack of music and scent gave the place a sterile feeling. His heart sped with nervous energy. Now that he was finally here, his leashed curiosity ran as wild as the mustangi on Zenon Prime. Would Dora welcome him? Would he be able to help her?

"Dora?"

"In here."

Her voice sounded familiar, very close to that of the friend he remembered so well.

Yet she sounded distracted, as if deeply involved in a holovid. Following the sound of her voice he entered a dimly lit corridor. The last door on the left was open and a light beckoned.

Eager to see what she'd done to herself, he entered the room and frowned. He expected to see a woman he didn't recognize. So what in the six moons of Gorath was

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the holosim Xentos doing here? His encounter with the computer-generated holosim had been wiped clean after his departure, and the computer hardware was totally separate from Dora's. Yet there was no denying that this was the holosim he'd conjured out of his imagination to take the edge off his s.e.xual desires.

Had Dora copied her program to play a joke on him? He looked more closely at Xentos's features. A holosim's face didn't have the kind of detail she projected. This woman had long, thick eyelashes, delicate coloring, and flawless skin that reflected marvelous cheekbones. She was full of curves, her hair a lush cinnamon, her features perfection. Clothed in swathes of soft violet that set off her bronze skin, she was his fantasy woman. The dream lover he'd conjured out of his imagination. The woman he'd had s.e.x with as he'd fantasized about Dora. She couldn't be real.

But she was.

Shocked, baffled, and highly upset, he controlled his voice. "What, in Stars is going on?"

She opened her eyes, they were alexandrite in color, and her violet suit brought out the deep purple in her irises. But her unfamiliar stare caught brim off guard. "h.e.l.lo to you, too."

"Dora's voice coming from those magnificent lips floored him. "Are you... alive?"

"Blood and flesh."

"Dora?"

"It's me. Yes."

No.

"I'm human now just like you."

His stomach tightened. She wasn't anything like him. She was perfection personified to the nth degree. Stunning. Gorgeous. Her only flaw appeared to be the cord that plugged into her neck, connecting her to the computer system and dividing her attention between him and whatever else she was doing with Ranth. The lack of expression on her exquisite face reminded him of cold marbalite, reminded him that he'd fantasized over that body, had had s.e.x with that body.

Shock gave way to raw worry. By taking the form of his holosim, Dora had exposed her wish to please his senses, and he was so stunned he didn't know what to think.

She'd spied on him, then duplicated the body specifications of the holosim he'd built to his preferences, and transferred her personality into it. She had replicated his fantasy with a precision that left him flabbergasted, and he felt way too susceptible to her beauty.

"What were you thinking?" He crossed the room in two steps, yanked the cord from the plug in her neck, severing her computer connection as his surge of shock veered into deep worry. He didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. He wasn't certain he'd ever follow the customary Rystani marriage-and-child route after he'd

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failed so badly with Summar. And for Dora to take the form of his simulated lover revealed she had certain expectations of him... Expectations that boggled his mind.

She froze, blinked, and her eyes focused with a brilliance that stirred his senses even as it revved the shock: be made no effort to hide. As she became aware of his reaction her face paled, her body shuddered, and a muscle spasmed in her neck.

Her voice shook and she crossed her arms over her chest, a feeble attempt to stop the trembling. "I thought you'd find me beautiful."

He spoke each word with care, wanting to be honest, yet unwilling to cause her hurt "You surprised me."

"I thought you would be happy, honored." Her tone rang with sincerity but revealed raw anxiety.

"You are beautiful," he admitted, realizing he'd hurt her. But your change is going to take some time for me to get used to."

"Coward."

She said the word with quiet firmness. Her insult sliced deep and rose up his throat to choke him on the truth. During the first twenty-two years of his life, Zical had lived as simple hunter. He hadn't spoken to computers or flown starpships, he'd never met anyone who hadn't been Rystani. During the last seven years, Zical's life had changed dramatically. He'd met beings from other planets and cultures. Yet the idea of a computer taking the human form of Zentos was so alien to him that he needed time to adjust.

His reaction to Dora's alteration came from a place he didn't wish to acknowledge, from the dreams that had taunted him for weeks, from a place he didn't want to admit he couldn't control. He wanted to think of himself as open-minded. But in truth, her transformation was so alien a concept to him that be had to keep reminding himself that this woman was the same sentient computer personality who'd been his friend.

Mastering his confusion for her sake, he refocused his thoughts. Tessa had told him that she feared for Dora's life, but since he'd stepped into the room, Dregan h.e.l.l, he'd thought only of how he was going to cope with Dora's transformation. However in his defense, Dora didn't look as if she were on the verge of death as Tessa had suggested, appearing more like a G.o.ddess than a human.

But then he recalled how alien she'd looked whet connected to the computer. Her face a mask, her eyes closed, her expression without emotion. She'd sat so still, as if pulled into the world of machines, as if she had no interest in her surroundings.

Their conversation had changed all that. He'd unplugged her, severing Dora's corporeal connection. Focused on him, she'd become less alien, much more human.

She'd stood up for herself like the old Dora-and her courage as well as the memory of haw many times she'd saved his ship and crew kept him in the room as much as his real desire to help her. She'd actually had the temerity to call him a coward.

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He almost smiled, planted his feet wide, tamped down the last of his shock. He'd known that she wouldn't be the same Dora after she had a body. Okay, he hadn't expected her to look like Xentos, but he'd known she'd be ignorant about the complexities of becoming human. While it wasn't fair that he found her breathtakingly gorgeous, he'd get over his extraordinary attraction to her. "I'm not the one hiding in my quarters, afraid to face the world."

"You have no right to judge me." Dismissing him, she picked up the cord and was about to plug the end back into her neck.

"Don't."

"Why not." Her voice broke.

He didn't knew if she lacked the same control over her voice as over the muscle spasms, but as the shock of her using the body of Xentos ebbed, so did most of his worry about what Dora expected from him. He was left with the uncomfortable knowledge that Tessa had sent him here to make things better, and instead, just as he'd feared, he'd made them worse by not responding to her as she'd wanted.

Zical didn't want to let Dora down. She'd helped people escape Rystan. She'd helped him and his crew win many battles against the Endekians. She was a... friend in need. No way could he turn his back on her and live with himself.

His posture remained stiff, but he attempted smile. "Dora, I'm human and Rystani.

We don't take surprises well.

"If that's on apology, then I accept And I'm sorry if this body has displeased you."

Her manner remained tense, as if she feared that if she relaxed, he'd hurt her again.

An awkward silence rose between them. With every moment that pa.s.sed, the tension grew more strained The easy comradery he'd once stared with the old Dora was gone. In her place was a stranger, in a body that was way too familiar and yet not familiar at all. He understood that she'd tried to please him by copying Xentos, but Dora was human, not a holosim. She came with feelings that were real, not simulated.

And he couldn't turn her off with a switch like Xentos. She'd remember what he said, how he'd reacted to finding her so alien. He should have been more tolerant, and perhaps if he hadn't been so sleep-deprived due to his dreams, he might have reacted differently.

Zical rubbed a spot behind his ear, wondering why Dora easily so easily put him on the defensive. He was usually an easygoing man. He didn't worry over minor things.

He didn't know why he was having so much trouble with her transformation into a human. Yet whether computer or woman, Zical did consider Dora his friend. "Why don't we start over."

Hope sparkled in her eyes. "Okay. If I hadn't been plugged into Ranth, I would have greeted you with a hug."

Zical couldn't help but grin. Now here was the confident, s.e.xy, sa.s.sy personality that he remembered. He held out his arms and she hurried to him, stumbling along the way. He stepped forward, catching her, and as they embraced, her arms closing fiercely

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