Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek: The Next Generation or Lexx.

Note: This is a conversation. Simply that. Nothing more, and nothing less. There's no big deal about continuity; the four characters are just there.

Eleven-Forward

By Alhazred

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"Please, sit down."

"If you wish."

"You may choose whichever is more comfortable."

"The dead are not 'comfortable.'"

"I see."

"I am not certain you do."

"Why is that?"

"You believe my existence to be fantastical and implausible. It is likely you believe I am lying."

"That may be true, however I have often observed that 'fantastical' does not always mean 'impossible.' Do you, for instance, not believe that someday you will return to life?"

"I believe that, someday, my supply of Protoblood will expire and I will no longer be animate."

"Hmm. An interesting, if pessimistic response."

"The dead are not 'pessimistic.'"

"Indeed, but you have several times resigned yourself to destruction knowing from prophecy that it would not end in the given situations."

"I can not ignore the probability of an event when I am incapable of devising another option."

"An experience we have both been through countless times, I would infer."

"Perhaps. What is that noise?"

"It is the door chime. Enter!"

"Hello, gentleman."

"Hello Guinan. This is Kai."

"Hello."

"Not very talkative are we?"

"The dead are not 'talkative.'"

"That's a shame. I'm a good listener."

"I will take your word for it."

"Kai, I believe you mentioned your people lived for long periods of time. It may interest you to know that Guinan's species lives for centuries."

"My people achieved a scientific fountain of youth. We did not live long naturally."

"Are any from your era still alive?"

"No. I am last of the Brunnen-G."

"Brunnen-G? As in Brunnis 2, in the Light Zone?"

"Yes."

"Guinan, have you met the Brunnen-G before?"

"Once or twice. Nice people... before they stopped going outside. Did they ever get over that?"

"They are dead. Brunnis 2 was destroyed by His Divine Shadow."

"I'm sorry to hear that. The Light Zone always was dangerous..."

"Right you are, Lady Guinan. You look well for your age."

"Prince. When did you crawl out of Fire?"

"He left the planet Fire when the Lexx destroyed it."

"You destroyed Fire?"

"Actually, Xev of B3K destroyed Fire. Then I destroyed Water. It all worked out well in the end."

"Excuse me..."

"You think everything works out well. You could drop dead on the deck and it would have worked out well."

"No longer, Guinan my friend, my immortality appears to have left with Fire."

"How the mighty have fallen..."

"Do you all know each other?"

"I have never met Guinan."

"But I have... I know Kai as well. Don't I Kai?"

"You do. However, if the dead had pleasant experiences, knowing you would not be one of them."

"The dead are so pessimistic."

"The dead are not 'pessimistic.'"

"Prince, you should get together with Q. No... maybe you shouldn't, the contact of such massive egos would cause a Big Crunch."

"Hah hah hah, very funny. One day Guinan, one in trillions of years I'll figure out how to continue to the next cycle of time, and when I do I'll reserve a special place for you on Fire."

"And I'll send the Borg right to it."

"Oh, be still my beating heart. Kill me now."

"If you wish."

"It's a damned figure of speech you decarbonized tuber."

"The dead do not use figures of speech."

"I would appreciate it if you did not kill him in my quarters, as it will be very difficult to remove a blood stain from the carpet."

"The artificially constructed are as bad as the dead. Tell me Commander Data, would you like to be alive?"

"An intriguing proposition. However, before I could even make it, I would have to overcome a suspicion that you would not be able to grant me this condition."

"Prince will challenge you to a high-stakes game. Your prize will be life if you win. He will likely hold up his end of the bargain at the most inconvenient time possible and cause your death."

"So says the dead man..."

"The dead man you probably made the same offer to, Princey."

"Bah, I don't have to take this, least of all from a five-hundred year old witch. Cheery bye!"

"That was... a fascinating encounter."

"Same old Prince."

"I believe I should take my leave of you as well, as I will require more Protoblood shortly."

"Goodbye, Kai!"

"Goodbye, Commander. Guinan."

"He was an interesting one."

"Yes... interesting that I have never lived yet I have emotions, and his death took emotions away."

"Data, Data... sometimes, the line between 'alive' and 'not' just doesn't exist."