Katherine’s foot hesitated as she approached the now fully open entrance to the strange craft. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought she heard a familiar voice calling out, but instead of looking back, she shook her head and continued up the smooth metal walkway.  White light filled the space making it impossible to see any details, and once she was well inside, the door shut behind her with a soft thud.  Suddenly she could hear Scott yelling outside and her eyes grew wide with recognition.  She screamed, “Scott!” and turned to flee but skidded to a halt before crashing into the door...it was too late.  In the next instant, the floor started vibrating and she felt the unmistakable sensation of forward momentum, and her heart sank.<em>No!</em>Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized this strange vessel was whisking her far away from Scott Hunter, and a profound sadness swept over her entire being as she acknowledged she would likely never see him again.  It was all too much, and now all she wanted to do was cry.<br/><br/>Dejected and lost in misery she barely noticed that the walls now shimmered with silver blue ribbons of light moving in one direction as if guiding her towards another compartment.  There was no fear, she was too unhappy to care about her predicament anymore, so she shrugged with indifference and made her way through the belly of the ship and down a narrow corridor where a chamber to her left opened up, flooded with more blinding light.  The corridor beyond remained dark and so she decided against continuing in that direction and instead entered the new space.  As soon as she did, the light dimmed to a comfortable level, exactly as it had in the amethyst alcove moments before.  In fact, she was beginning to believe that this ship was alive somehow, anticipating her needs and manipulating her actions, even that it was responsible for the phenomenon inside the cave.<em>That’s it, I must be losing it, how can a ship be alive and control my thoughts? It can’t Katherine, you’re being ridiculous!</em><br/><br/>Forcing those ideas aside, she made a quick survey of the sparsely decorated room, searching for signs she might not be alone on board, and moved to a row of raised metal cots. Above each one was a kind of screen with strange symbols flashing beside several indicator lights.<em>This must be the infirmary,</em>she mused, noting that the entire room had an unmistakable clinical feel.   Along the back wall was a metal table with a blue box perched in the centre.  It was carved with the same kind of symbols as the monitors, and she felt another gentle nudge inside her mind.<em>Yes, this is why I’m here, this is what we need.</em>Smiling, Katherine moved closer to the box, which appeared to be made of opaque crystal.  Her hand reached out to caress the smooth surface, and as soon as her fingertips touched it, the symbols began to glow and the lid popped open, revealing a small crystal vial filled with a thick white liquid.<em>Take it, this is what you seek.</em>The voice inside her mind urged.<br/><br/>Suddenly, a viewing screen behind the table flickered to life and a man’s image appeared. He looked human, rough featured with long dirty blond hair that hung to his shoulders and piercing green eyes, but spoke with a loud voice in a language she didn’t understand.  A long scar ran from the corner of his left eye down to his chin, and Katherine thought he looked to be about forty years old and quite menacing. He was dressed in a black leather full body suit of some kind, standing on the bridge of another ship with several similarly dressed people gathering behind him as he shouted, and though she had no idea what he was saying, the tone was unmistakable...he was angry and speaking only to her.  She tried to back away as the now familiar fog inside her mind intensified, but this time with a strange new sense of awareness and clarity.  Images and thoughts flooded her senses with lightning speed, and they represented the entire history of this sentient spacecraft, which she now knew for certain had no biological basis, but nonetheless alive with emotions and intelligence, almost childlike in its purity and simplicity.<br/><br/>Katherine gripped the table to keep her balance as the overwhelming volume of information being forced into her mind sent her reeling, and she squeezed her eyes shut mentally fighting against the invasion, but it was futile...the images kept coming.  Several seconds passed.  Katherine’s knees buckled and she sank to the floor and beads of sweat broke out on her brow, and then in a flash it was over.  After a moment of silence her eyes flew open and she knew…knew without a doubt this living machine, stolen from another world and manipulated by a team of mercenaries to use in their smuggling operations, had been unable to break free until she and Captain Hunter triggered some kind of launch mechanism by venturing into the caverns. Now the ones who stole it, wanted it back, and judging by their demeanor, would stop at nothing to get it.<br/><br/><em>I have to get out of here.</em>Katherine scrambled up and glanced at the view screen, the other ship’s commander looked even more furious as he shouted orders to his crew, and instinct told her he was tracking her ship to intercept it.  Without a second thought, she snatched the vial of liquid from the box and dashed into the corridor, stopping to lean against the wall. “I have to go back,<em>please</em>take me back to the cave and Captain Hunter,” she said aloud.  Her voice was pleading but full of newfound hope, and she prayed that the ship would do as she asked while waiting for a response.  Instead, there was only a sense of stubborn unwillingness to let her go because she had been the one to set it free, even if by accident.  “Please, there are people depending on me to get back with this,” she held up the vial, “you brought me here so I could find this to help them, and I can’t do that if you don’t let me return.”  She caressed the cool wall with a gentle motion, and smiled when the light rippled beneath her hand...the ship was turning around.  Katherine wondered if the ship was unable to defy the direct wishes of its passengers, which would explain how it had been enslaved so long.<br/><br/>There wasn’t time to test that theory because she felt the moment the ship stopped moving, and wasted no time running to the now open doorway.  She sprinted down the walkway, scanning the dimly lit cavern for any sign of Captain Hunter until she saw him standing there with his head down deep in thought, as though he wasn’t even aware she had returned.  Smiling and elated to see him, her heart soared as she vaulted into his arms and wrapped her own round his neck, almost knocking him over in her exuberance.  “Oh Scott you’re still here! I’m so glad to see you!”  Reluctant to release him, she knew they had to hurry so she pulled back quickly, and held out the vial while trying to explain everything that had happened, but her thoughts were racing so fast she could barely catch her breath as she spoke, and most of it sounded incoherent even to her.  Finally she said, “Look please don’t ask me to prove any of this but that ship is alive and aware, and led me to this," she put the vial in her pocket, "whatever is inside should cure the others, but we have to hurry...the mercenaries who stole ‘it’,” she glanced back at the strange ship, “are dangerous and already on their way here.”  She tugged his arm, “Quickly, please…we have to get back to the Stargate...now!  I'm pretty sure we don’t have much time.”<br/><br/>