Zeelob sat silent for several minutes, after Tam-Ra finished explaining what she knew of what happened. She had told him of the ancient human progenitors, the Althan Krommiuns, and their ancient defense system to save their descendants, the Four Sisters. Behind them, in the sick bay, an investigation was going on to find facts, and separate them, from the raw emotion. Violet sat on a bed, and picked at her legs. She shivered, and wept in pain. Part of her forearm coverings were just gone, as was one of her shin's covering. Thistledown was having an intense private radio discussion with his mate, Captian Rose. He radiated guilt and grief, at his daughter's state. Rose was stiff as she controlled herself. The only recognized telepath on the ship was conferring with Doctor Blue over Martya's bed. She exclaimed,"I never heard of TELEPATHY of being used OFFENSIVELY! It's sensory, like hearing. You can't take over people with hearing, either! I wish my older sister was here!" Doctor Blue said,"Little Sister, we're looking for her, but there is no sign of Tall White Lady. Have you made contact with Martya's mind?" Little Sister said,"No. She's traumatized and completely withdrawn. I don't know what else to do." Tam-Ra said into the conversational void following that,"You're actually quite handsome with the new hair,Zeelob." He said distantly,"Thank you. At least I have something after being stripped of rank, and treated like a spy by my fellow Friggians, after the 'Incident'. I was about to muster out. Not be dishonorably discharged, like this." He looked over at Tam-Ra, who looked nervous and was drawn up, like a nervous young girl, and asked,"You said the father of Violet,Thistledown underwent a transformation when he put an artifact ring on Toxic, the Sister of Fire, when she resurrected?" She nodded and said,"Yes. This time, he at least matches his mate,now." Zeelob looked intensely thoughtful, as he remarked,"The transmutation of material objects, like turning lead into gold, takes an order of magnitude of power greater than I witnessed out on the ice. So many molecules and SO MUCH chance to screw it up. BUT! We were ALL affected. It was a field effect." He picked up his helmet. He said,"This WAS a gift from my mother upon graduation from the Warrior's Institute. My father died when I was eight from a wound to the head. Read the inscription,NOW." She took it and read the liner," 'From your proud father,Keeloar, to Zeelob, my only son.'Alright...WHAT THE HELL?" He shook his head. "I have a little brother, Nom. I don't know what it means. Martya didn't even acknowledge me, or even look in my direction. Now Malbess and I have have hair, and poor Violet has her skin peeling off and lost her Cyclops...Cyclopian? Looks?" Tam-Ra sighed,"Now I have higher bone density, and a scar on my stomach that I did NOT have before." Doctor Blue came over,drawn in by their words, and said,"It's weirder than just that. Violet is a different kind of Machine-life than Cyclops. Her systems are failing, she can't communicate on the same frequencies any more. Thistledown is still a Cyclops, just different in arrangement..." Zeelob nodded,"If Violet was Transformed physically, she'd be like a dish broken with a hammer. She could never be put back to rights with a hammer, you'd need glue, and she would never be as good as new." He heard Rose walk up behind him, followed by Thistledown. He said evenly,"I don't think anyone was actually transmuted. What happened is more complicated, and simpler. Forerunner technology meets Quantum Theosophy." Rose rapped out,"Explain. What is Quantum Theosophy?" "I think the whole thing is somehow Probability based at a quantum level of interaction, but on a macro scale. It'll take some explaining, but the bottom line is...In my belief, what was done to Violet can be undone to a same or better level." "Explain",Rose demanded. --TO BE CONTINUED!--