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no intention of harming you. You will realize that once you link with my crewmember.”
    â€œThere is no deception possible in the link,” agreed the ship. “All your plans will be revealed.”
    â€œWe have nothing to hide,” Gold declared.
    â€œThen you have nothing to fear.” Abruptly, the ship terminated the transmission.
    Gold sank back in his chair, debating. He thought about contacting Starfleet and telling them to cancel the arrival of the
Enterprise
and the
Lexington
. Gold now knew the vessel wasn’t a Borg ship, and there was a chance that it wouldn’t even prove hostile. What was it Jaldark had said? That she was certain Friend wouldn’t hurt anyone unless someone hurt him first.
    But if 110 couldn’t convince the ship—Friend—that Jaldark had already been dead for weeks before the
da Vinci
found her, then Gold imagined the vessel would consider itself grievously hurt. They’d need the
Enterprise
and the
Lexington
then. Hell, they might need every vessel in the fleet if the repaired ship went on a rampage again. It had done enough damage while still repairing itself. At full strength …
    Gold chuckled a little. His father had had a wise saying that he would always trot out when David would start fretting about things that might happen. “Don’t go borrowing trouble,” he would say. And Gold realized that’s exactly what he was doing.
    They had the tricorder recordings Jaldark herself had made. They had the body, which was in an advanced stage of decay. And they had 110. If these weren’t enough to convince the ship, then they’d just have to deal with the consequences.
    â€œLense to Gold.”
    â€œGo ahead.”
    â€œ110 is tolerating the implants for the moment, but I don’t know how effective they’ll be. I also don’t know how long it will be before his body starts rejecting them. I’m sorry, sir, but it’s the best I can do.”
    â€œThen, as always, Elizabeth, your best is good enough for me. 110, how do you feel?”
    â€œThe implants are … uncomfortable, Captain. But it is a necessary pain. Faulwell has given me Jaldark’s tricorder. I hope to be able to interface with both it and Friend’s central computer system.”
    â€œGood luck, 110.”
    â€œThank you, Captain Gold. It has been an honor to serve you.”
    Gold didn’t like the way that sounded. He didn’t like it at all. But there was not a single thing he could do. It was all up to the Bynar now.
    He only hoped the little guy was not planning to go out in a blaze of glory.

    When 110 materialized in the command center of Friend, part of him felt like he was coming home. Odd, since the last time he had been aboard the vessel it had attacked and nearly killed him. He stood for a moment in the command center of the sentient ship, looking around. There was no dull, blood-colored hue. Instead, Friend had given him lighting that was quite comfortable to his eyes and enabled him to see perfectly. The entire scene wasmuch less sinister than it had been when the away team had beamed over earlier.
    Various panels here and there had indentations or spikes. He knew that these were ways to join with the ship if he needed to fire the weapons, or enhance propulsion, or effect repairs. Over there, where he had foolishly begun trying to tap into the ship’s computers, he had triggered Friend’s angry arousal.
    But for everyday operations, for companionship, for nourishment, the chair was the central joining point.
    Jaldark had died in that chair—and lived in it. 110 wondered if the fluttering in his insides was nervousness or anticipation. Probably a little of both. He had never joined with a computer the way he was about to join with Friend, and he was uncertain as to what to expect.
    â€œPlease sit in the command chair,” came Friend’s metallic voice. “It is the most efficient way for us