The girl stared  about her new surroundings with a look that others around her saw as curiosity and wonder. But it hid hunger and guilt. She knew that she should not do it. She had to fight her impulse. That her need was wrong, but what other choice did she have? If she could just learn to control herself . . .
 Rayn gazed at the girl. She was pale and thin for a humanoid, and looked to be between 10 and 14 standard years old. Then the Captain's gaze turned upon the Away Team. They stood patiently awaiting her orders.
 She thought back to their reports. Every member of that vessel's crew and every civilian had been found dead. All of them . . . except for this young girl. It was strange to see only one survivor, she thought. Was there something more to all of this?
 "Doctor, would you take the girl and run some tests on her?"
 "I'll take her right now, Captain," he replied with a nod and left the room with the girl following behind slowly. As the door slid shut behind them, he knelt down next to the girl.
 "What's your name, sweetheart?" he asked looking into her blue eyes.
 "Claudia," she replied, barely above a whisper. She quickly diverted her eyes to the floor.
 Mathew offered her his hand. Reluctantly she took it. Together, the pair walked to sickbay.

 "Lt. Allias, I want you and Lt. Sardan to work together. Keep watch over that girl. See if you can find out why she's the only one who survived on that ship," Rayn ordered.
 The Vulcan and the ½ Bajoran looked at each other before nodding their assent.
 "Campbell and McKenzie, I want you two to go back to that ship. See if you can find some clue as to what happened. However, I don't want you two to spend more than three or four hours over there. Something just is not right about an abandoned Federation vessel. Ree and I will go over the ship's security and crew logs. Dismissed." She leaned back into her chair for a moment and was silent until T'Hara, the last to leave, was almost out the door. "McKenzie," she said, "Take some security with you two, just in case you happen to run into some problems."
 "Aye, Captain . . . " she replied, and left.
 

 
 Mathew and Claudia entered the lab in sickbay. He helped her sit down on one of the biobeds. She seemed frightened, he thought, as her blue eyes darted around the room, like a caged animal. Tenderly he looked into her eyes.
 "I need to run a few tests on you to make sure you aren't sick. Is that okay?" he asked.
 Claudia nodded hesitantly. With that, Mathew gently touched her golden hair compassionately with reassurance that everything would be fine and went to the computer.
 
 

 Captain Rayn sat in her ready room, going over the logs once more by herself, trying to make sense out of them. She recorded her thoughts to review at a later time.
 "They just  . . . died. No one can find any explanation for any of the madness that has plagued this ship. But I did note that it all began shortly after little Claudia came aboard. But, I think to myself time and again that she is so young and innocent. My Security Chief says that I am crazy. That I should consider every possibility, no matter how fat fetched or unusual they may seem . . ."
 She leaned back in her chair to contemplate matters.
 
 

 T'Hara and Kaitlynn boarded the Federation Vessel Dartanyan with caution, ready for anything. Some of the bodies . . . Most of them, in fact . . . lay preserves within the morgue. And there were so many of them . . . It gave the women the creeps.
 They vigilantly scanned every body, pushing their feelings aside. But it revealed nothing. No physical cause of death could be found. It was as if they had just stopped living. Even as they reviewed the CMO's logs, they turned up nothing. He had been just as baffled as they were by all the deaths. Of course, unlike the other's, his death was unusual. He lay in the midst of the floor at his own work station. He was not the only one there . . .
 T'Hara was dumbfounded as she checked the readings from her tricorder once more. There had to be a reason for the deaths. Normal, healthy individuals didn't just keel over and die without an explanations. She sighed as she thought about the next step
 "I just do no' get this!" Kaitlynn replied, exacerbated. "It's like an invisible plague took their lives. What's to say it won't take our's?"
 For a moment, the girls' eyes locked, as their minds went back to Starbase 314 where the Away Team had contracted a virus and had almost died. Could this be another situation like that, they wondered? But T'Hara knew better. There was something very different here. She could feel it, but couldn't put her finger on what it was.
 "I don't think this is a virus," T'Hara replied, "It's not showing up on any of our scans and any breakdown from a virus would show up somewhere, somehow."
 "Then what happened here?" Kaitlynn asked with worry.
 "I don't know . . ." T'Hara answered, still perplexed. "Logan, phase in," she commanded gently.
 Instantly, his silvery sphere shape appeared before them, hovering in the air.
 "Yes, T'Hara?" he asked, "What do you require?"
 "I need you to run a molecular energy scan. The tricorder isn't equipped to do one."
 "Very well," he replied.
 "What's that for?" Kaitlynn asked.
 "Call it a long shot. It's the last thing I can thing to check."
 "An' what will it reveal?"
 "Well," she replied, "As you know, we all have energy in our bodies. If we didn't, we'd all have problems. Some races even believe that this energy is our life force. It's what makes us live and gives us our sentient nature. Now, if that energy is gone, our bodies and minds stop functioning and we cease to live."
 "So ye think it's possible that somethin' caused them to lose their energy?" Kaitlynn asked with surprise and a bit of skepticism.
 "I've learned over the years that anything is possible."
 Suddenly, Logan interrupted. "I have completed the scan, T'Hara, and my analysis is that these bodies have no energy in them whatsoever. There aren't even any traces of energy. It's as if these individuals had their life force sucked right out of them."
 "Right down to the last drop," T'Hara replied as if lost in deep thought.
 But her thoughts were swiftly cut short
 "McKenzie, report back to the Adamant and go directly to Sickbay."
 
 

 At the end of 20 minutes Dr. Cordon ran one last test, then went to his office to study the results. What was her name, he thought . . . Claudia? Mathew made a mental note to place more importance on remembering the names of his patients. As the young doctor slid into his chair a sigh escaped him while he looked over the test results. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. This girl appeared to be a perfectly healthy human girl. So how -
 Suddenly his train of thought was interrupted by a scream. Mathew ran out of his office as he recognized the voice belonging to his assistant, Gloria. As she fell to the floor he noticed a glowing creature where the girl, Claudia had been. It reached out for the Vulcan Security Chief, and both the doctor and the Ops Chief watched as her eyes rolled back into her head. The body collapsed silently to the floor. The men exchanged momentary feelings of fear as they felt Claudia's gaze on them, though her eyes were not visible. Swiftly, she slid through the door.
 Quickly, Mathew recovered and went to Claudia's victims. He grabbed Gloria first and hoisted her onto a biobed and quickly scanned her, as Allias picked up Sardan and place her on another. Mathew read the scans. They were starting to confirm something he was beginning to suspect. As he prepared the medical instruments to stabilize their energy patterns, he tapped his comm badge, while Allias assisted him.
 "Dr. Cordon to Security. Claudia has left sickbay and has injured two people so far. She should be approached with caution, as she absorbs energy from humanoids."
 
 

 She felt guilty again. Oh, she really hoped her most recent victims didn't die. She did not mean to touch them . . . to drain away their life force and energy. But more the energy than anything else. If only she could find another source . . . But, no . . . there was nothing left and she could not return home.
 Maybe someone would talk to her . . . understand her . . . Maybe . . .
 Inside Ten-Forward, Willoughby buffed the cutlery to a mirror-polished shine. Others, of course, might simply recycle the eating-ware into the processors and replicate new, but that stuck him as indolent and slothful. Besides, there was something therapeutic in pursuing simple, domestic tasks like this one. It gave a comforting feel of tradition
 The entry doors hissed open and Willoughby looked up to advise whomever, that the establishment would not be open for another hour. But it wasn't a member of the ship's company that stood just inside the entryway. It was a dishevelled-looking, pre-teen girl; apparently human. It was hard to guess her exact age since she was so thin to the point of emaciation and was also quite pale.
 "Excuse me,"  she said in a meek, hopeful voice. "My name is Claudia . . . You look lonely."
 Instantly his eyes brightened. "Well, what a pleasant surprise!" he greeted the girl.  "I was unaware that we had a guest! I'm Willoughby; what can I do for you?"
 "I was . . . looking around the ship and just came in here. May I rest here for awhile?"
 "Certainly, Claudia. Have a seat. I have some nice bubble-and-squeak simmering in the kitchen if you're hungry."
 "No, thank you," she said, sitting. "I've . . . just eaten."
 "Ah - another time then."
 "What are you doing?" she asked with curiosity.
 "A time-honored task. The polishing of silverware."
 "Do you need help?"
 "I should be delighted," he assured her with a broad Saurian smile.
 The girl picked up a fork, a polishing cloth, and they worked in silence for a little while. Finally, she glanced up and asked, "Do you like me?"
 "Based upon what I know of you thus far, you seem a delightful young lady," he replied, "I believe some of our officers could take lessons from you in comportment."
 Claudia giggled, then sobered. "What if I'd done something bad?" she asked after a little awhile.
 "I believe we all make mistakes from time to time," he suggested, "Even me, alas."
 "But I do it a lot! I can't help it!" she cried, tears misting her eyes. "You see, I don't really look like this . . . and I eat people's life energy." She checked herself, looked at Mr. Willoughby, who continued to polish silverware, then she added shyly, "Do you still like me?"
 "Well, I suppose I won't be serving you any bubble-and-squeak," he remarked. "Claudia, one of three possibilities occurs to me. The first is that you're simply having Mr. Willoughby on. The second is that this game is very serious for you and you should spent some time with the ship's Counselor. The third is that you're telling me nothing less than the truth."
 "It's the third . . ." she said quietly, picking up a spoon to polish. "Are you scared?"
 He sighed. "I rather think that I should have died some years ago," he replied. "I could imagine where someone might be frightened . . . but, no. I'm not."
 "That's good," she sighed with relief. "Are we still friends then?"
 "I should like to think so," Willoughby answered. "But it depends. We can't have you going about draining the life-force out of people, now, can we?"
 "That's what happened on the last ship I was on," she said disconsolently. "I'm awfully sorry that happened . . ."
 "Well, that's something anyway," he replied. "Is there anything you can eat aside from life energy?"
 "I don't know," she confessed with a slight shake of her golden head.
 It was then that the entry doors hissed open once again. This time to admit Chief Medical Officer Mathew Cordon and Chief Science Officer T'Hara McKenzie with a double- brace of security guards. Ignoring the fact that all six were aiming drawn phasers at Claudia, Willoughby stated, "I'm sorry. This establishment is not open for another hour. Please come around later."
 "Mr. Willoughby," Cordon tried to sound calm. "I know that the entity sitting across the table from you looks like a young girl, but -"
 "It's actually a life energy eating creature who simply appears to be human," Willoughby finished for him. "Yes, I know. We were just discussing that."
 The CMO was somewhat taken aback. "Oh . . . good," he replied, "Uh . . . what would you suggest?"
 "Well, I rather think that Claudia would consider a change in her dietary regimen, if you could come up with something else to nourish her. Isn't that so, Claudia?"
 Claudia had been gazing apprehensively at the security patrol, but turned back to Willoughby and nodded.
 "There. You see?" Willoughby smiled.
 "Hmmm . . . maybe between my team and some of the people in the science department we can come up with something," Cordon said thoughtfully. His fear ebbing.
 "Well, there you have it, then," Willougby said with quiet triumph. He turned to Claudia, "And can we count on you to behave while they try to find you something else to eat?"
 "Yes, Mr. Willoughby," she agreed, hoping beyond hope.
 "Good!" He rose to offer his arm. "And tell me, Claudia, is it possible for you to consume . . . just some life energy and still leave a person alive?"
 "I . . . I think so," she replied, unsure.
 "Well, if it is the case and you grow peckish before our friends can help you, give me a call anytime after shift and I'll pop around  to offer you a snack. Just something to tide you over."
 Claudia's blue eyes grew large as she understood what he offered. "Thank you, Mr. Willoughby . . . very much."
 "Oh, not at all," he said gallantly as he transferred her hand from his arm to Dr. Cordon's. "Be certain to treat her like a lady," he admonished the medic. "Or you'll answer to me."
 "Well . . . sure," Mathew replied. "I'd rather be friends myself."
 T'Hara looked on with surprise. Mr. Willoughby was very serious about this.
 "Glad to hear it!" Willoughby stated, as he saw them to the door.
 Cordon had found his equanimity and had begun a quiet interrogatory conversation with Claudia -T'Hara listening intently. But the Security Guards still gave Willoughby strange looks.
 After the doors closed, the Host resumed his place at the polishing table and recommenced his work. "Can't enjoy a good dish of bubble-and-squeak," he thought to himself, "How sad . . ."
 
 

 T'Hara and Mathew looked at each other and at Claudia. It was still hard to believe that her outward appearance was so deceiving. But they could see the remorse on her face, for having taken so many lives. At least she hadn't taken the lives of Gloria, Dr. Cordon's assistant, or Sardan . . . though she nearly did. But T'Hara was no longer afraid. She knew the only reason Claudia had sucked the life force from anyone was just to stay alive . . . Just like any other creature, she needed to eat to survive. Mr. Willoughby had sure taken a fancy to her, T'Hara thought with a smile. There had to be a way to help this young girl. But the question was how?
 "What do you think?" Mathew asked, taking in T'Hara's serious frame of mind.
 "I don't know . . . We have to find a way to replicate the energy of a life force and it's something I've certainly never done before."
 "Do you think it will be possible to replicate it?" he asked.
 T'Hara turned to take one more look at the young, frightened girl. If they couldn't find a way, this child, regardless of the fact that she wasn't a life form they had encountered before, would die . . . or more of them would die. Either way, Claudia lost. T'Hara could tell this girl craved companionship, but because of her needs, she always ended up destroying those she became close with. It was no way for her to live, T'Hara surmised.
 "I hope so," T'Hara replied. "First thing we need is an energy pattern to go by . . . Logan, phase in."
 Instantly, her companion appeared. "Yes, T'Hara?"
 "I want you to run a molecular energy scan on me. Then I want you to transfer the data into the sickbay's computer. After that, I want you to do the same thing with Dr. Cordon."
 For a moment, Mathew's eyes opened in surprise, but it swiftly passed. He understood that it was logical to get more than one pattern. They would have more to work with. Within minutes, Logan's job was done.
 "The data has been transferred," Logan announced.
 "Thank you, Logan. Now, I want you to observe everything the Doctor and I do and watch us carefully for mistakes. We don't really have much time and can't afford to make mistakes."
 "Not much time?" Mathew asked, gazing at her with surprise.
 "She's a child. She's growing, which means she has a higher consumption rate. She needs a good portion of energy regularly to keep up with her growth. It's the same with human infants. Babies eat enormous amounts before a growth spurt, and it continues well into adolescence."
 "So she going to need to eat again . . . soon."
 "Probably . . ." T'Hara replied. "I heard Mr. Willoughby's offer to her, but I'd like to solve the problem before she has a chance to get a snack from him. She may not be able to control herself enough to stop when he'll need her to."
 "I agree," he replied, "So where do we start?"
 
 

 It had been several hours of work. They were getting closer to a solution for Claudia, but they weren't close enough yet. Just as T'Hara was ready to run another test sequence, her attention was draw to the girl, sitting quietly on the bed, waiting. But something was wrong. She looked around for Mathew, but he had  gone out for a moment to retrieve a small part from engineering and he hadn't come back yet.
 Claudia was shaking badly. Instantly, T'Hara went to her.
 "Stay back," the child warned. "The hunger has come back already. I don't know how much longer I can last . . . Please help me. I don't want to disappoint Mr. Willoughby. He was so nice to me, and he wasn't scared of me when I told him what I really was . . .Please, I don't want to hurt anyone anymore . . ."
 There was no time to waste.
 "Claudia, the tests are going to take a little longer, but I don't think you'll make it that long. I want to help you . . . I know Mr. Willoughby offered himself to you for a snack, but there won't be enough time for him to get here. Not only that, I don't know if you could really control yourself enough to stop."
 "I don't know . . ." she replied.
 "But I can help you gain control, if you'll let me."
 "How?" Claudia asked quietly.
 "I can enter your mind and give you some of my control. Then, I'll let you take some of my life force, to sustain you. Does that sound all right?" T'Hara asked, her green-brown eyes meeting the child's blue.
 Claudia nodded. "What must I do?" she asked.
 Relax," T'Hara replied, as she gently placed her right hand to the child's face. "And open your mind . . ."
 She could feel Claudia open up to her as T'Hara's mind met the girl's in the dark recesses there. All at once, T'Hara knew about this child. She knew wher Claudia had come from and how she had come to be on that ship . . . How her own people had turned her away. Claudia's whole life was before T'Hara, as T'Hara's life was before Claudia. Suddenly, Claudia realized that this woman before her was pregnant.
 "This is incredible," Claudia whispered in awe. "I've never felt to close to anyone in my entire life! Your people do this all the time?"
 "No," T'Hara replied with a smile, "Only when we feel it would help. We will now have a bit of each other inside us. You will have some of my control."
 "But what will you have?" Claudia asked.
 "I don't know . . ."
 As T'Hara ended the connection, she took a deep breath. Claudia wasn't shaking as much as she had been, but she still needed food. It was time to see how much control Claudia was able to get from the mindmeld.
 "Are you ready, Claudia?" she asked.
 "I guess," she replied, "are you sure you want to do this?"
 T'Hara nodded. "I'm sure, sweetie."
 Instantly, the girl's form melted away into that of the glowing creature. Mathew entered and cried out, but T'Hara motioned for him to be still. Slowly, Claudia reached out for her and took her in her glowing arms. For a brief second Mathew thought the worst, as the figures both fell to the floor - the creature once again looking like a human girl. Instantly, he was at T'Hara's side scanning her life signs and that of her unborn child's. They were alive! Within moments, her eyes opened and she sat up taking a deep breath.
 "Well, that was an adventure!" T'Hara replied.
 "Are you crazy?!" Mathew stated with concern, "Don't you realize what could have happened to you or your baby?"
 "It's all right," she replied, smiling at Claudia's young form, taking her seat back on the bed. "She needed to eat, and I was the only one available."
 "And what if she hadn't been able to stop?"
 "But I can now!" Claudia replied, "T'Hara gave me some of her control."
 Mathew looked to T'Hara for confirmation of the statement and all she did was smile.
 "I think we need to get back to work," T'Hara said. "It shouldn't be much longer. I think I know what has to be done to make this work, but I need that part you went for."
 "I have it right here," he replied.
 "Good!"
 Just as she stood to go back to work, a small hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see Claudia, her blue eyes filled with joy.
 "Thank you, T'Hara . . ." she said, tears misting her eyes. "between you and Mr. Willoughby, I know I have friends now."
 T'Hara gently touched the child's hand and smiled. "And you always will . . ."
 
 

CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Stardate:  9704.25

Dr. Cordon and myself were finally able to duplicate life's energy force for Claudia. She now has a healthy dietary regimen that does not affect the crew. Until we can place her where her needs will be met, she will be staying aboard the Adamant. She has found a great deal of joy working in Ten-Forward with Mr. Willoughby and getting to know the others aboard the ship. No one is frightened of her anymore and she has also started schooling for her age group. Her and I get together regularly for check-ups and to talk. She has expressed to me that she is happier than she has ever been. I feel that as she continues to grow up, she will be an asset to the Federation. And should we encounter others like her, we'll know what to do. Of course, I am also glad to report that no ill effects have happened to me or my child since Claudia drained a bit of my own life force. Perhaps I had extra just for this reason . . .

 As T'Hara finished her log, she smiled. She was due to see Claudia again tomorrow. Last week, she had been excited about a gardening project she was doing for science. She had wanted to grow some fresh vegetables for Mr. Willoughby to use in some of his famous dishes. He always said that nothing tasted quite the same as fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, she doesn't know if that's true, but she thought he'd be happily surprised.
 "Are you thinking about your new friend?" Logan asked as he hovered nearby.
 "Now how could you tell that?" she asked with surprise.
 For a moment he was silent, his slight buzzing filling the still air. "You seem to get a childlike look on your face, as if you're a child going to meet your friend from school."
 T'Hara giggled. "That's quite an analogy! But I suppose it might be accurate."
 "And why is that?"
 "When I mindmelded with Claudia, I had told her we would get something from each other. She would get some of my control. Remember, she asked me what I would get from her, but I didn't know. However, for the past several weeks, I've felt as if some of my childhood magic has returned . . . It's hard to explain, but what I received from her was a touch of her youth. When you're young, you look at life through different eyes and she's given me a little of that back."
 "I believe I understand," he replied.
 "Good. Logan, I need you to phase out. I promised my dad and Christopher that we'd go to Ten-Forward for dinner tonight."
 "Very well," he replied, vanishing from sight. "Will Claudia be there this evening?"
 "I hope so," T'Hara replied.
 
 
 

CAPTAIN'S LOG
Stardate: 9704.26

Our mission was technically a success. We discovered what happened to those aboard the Dartanyan. It was unfortunate that everyone aboard was dead, except Claudia . . . who in essence took their lives. But after reading Lt. McKenzie and Dr. Cordon's reports it was obvious that this child had no choice. She did it for her survival. We are just lucky that McKenzie and Cordon were able to replicate the energy this child needs to survive. To date, there have been no incidents aboard our ship, except for the first time Claudia revealed herself from hunger and attacked Dr. Cordon's assistant and our Chief of Security. As an extra note, both have made full recoveries. Claudia has managed to enter the dynamics of the ship without much trouble. She reports to sickbay six times a day for energy meals and she is finally looking healthy, according to Mr. Willoughby. Most likely, she will not be staying aboard the ship for much longer. Starfleet is arranging a home for her where her needs will be met and she will be loved. I think that is best. She will have a chance to have a happy childhood.