A Star Trek Next Generation based fan fiction novel

Reginald Barclay discovers that space is not the final frontier

Where No Man Has Gone Before

Chapter 2: All is Not as it Should

I gradually became aware of my surroundings. I'm in Med bay on a table with a diagnostics suite covering me from below my
chin. As I can't move or speak, I must be in serious trouble to be in a stasis field. Oh god, what happened? The last
thing I remember before I hit the floor was the shocked look on commander Riker's face.

I can hear voices behind me talking, those of Dr Crusher and Riker. I can't hear everything they were saying, just pieces,
pieces that had me confused. When a calming warmth comes over me and suddenly I can hear what they are saying.

Beverly softly says, "There's nothing physically wrong with Lieutenant Barclay, all reading are perfectly normal."

Riker asks, "Then how do you explain what I witnessed in the transporter room, as well as four other crew members?"
Sounding like he turned away, "Do you have any ideas how fast this is going to spread through the ship? There's no way we
can contain this." He seemed unusually unsettled. What happened to me that would have him so not in control of himself.

Beverly says, "Barclay's awake, what do you want me to do? I can't in good conscience keep Reg in that field when nothing
is wrong. Tell me Will."

I can hear them approach the med bed. Beverly bends over and looks in my face. There is concern, and empathy for me on her
face. Riker appears next to her still looking unsettled.

Beverly says, "Reg, just so you know, you are completely fine. I just need to keep you in stasis while I run some more
scans, do you understand? If you do, blink your eyes once for yes and twice for no. OK?"

I blink twice.

Beverly asks, "OK, you don't understand me?", I blink once, "or you don't understand why the scans?" I blink twice. "Ok,
this would be easier if Deanna were here, but she's away for a conference now." She looks at Riker, then back at me, "Once
the captain gets here and I fill him in on what we've found so far, I'll see if we can release you from the field. Ok
Reg?" I blink once.

Some time goes by and I must have fallen asleep while they ran their tests. When I woke again, it was to the shining smile
of Dr Crusher. She turns aside and I hear her say "Mis.... Barclay's awake captain." Turning back, "I've been worried
about you Reg! All of us have been worried. You slept for nearly seventy-two hours."

She steps back as the captain takes her place, "Yes, that's right Reg." Now I was worried, the captain had never used the
familiar form of my name before, he always called me Mister or Lieutenant. Finally turning to Dr Crusher, "Beverly, why
don't we see about getting this stasis field off Barclay?"

Beverly answers, "Yes, captain." She moves over to my side and makes some changes to the bed, "Now Reg, I'm going to
slowly reduce the field strength to give you a chance to get a feel for how you are. Ok, here we go, field at 90%. Can you
feel anything yet?"

I start to feel the breeze of the air being circulated and get a little tingly, I turn my head slightly and try to speak.
A weak whisper comes out, "Feel funny, something is off." My voice so soft, it doesn't sound right.

Beverly says, "That's only natural Reg, some things have changed and it's going to take some adjustment. Field at 80%. How
about now?"

I can now feel my arms and legs. My hands under the cover of the unit above me, feels my legs, the skin is so smooth, the
hairs so fine and soft. I notice the nails on my fingers scratch before the tips touch my legs. I feel like my voice is
stronger, I start to ask, "Doctor what.... " My voice is higher than it should be, higher than the doctor's is.

Before I can ask further, she says, "Field at 50%, at 40, 30, and off." She touches some controls and a privacy blanket
covers me as the unit above me retracts into the sides of the bed.

All the feeling comes to me in a rush, the coolness of the room gives me goose bumps and I feel a strange tightness on my
chest. The feeling is enough to draw my attention away from Beverly's face and I look down at my body. The sight before me
is completely unexpected, but with all the clues, it was the only thing that made sense.

What greeted me was two large mounds on my chest and my nipples were hard and poking up the blanket. The feeling was
enough to cause some stirring farther below, but oddly not what I was used to. There was an empty feeling between my legs,
and I knew it at that moment my life had changed.

I hear Riker enter the room, it was a side room for privacy away from the crowded Med bay. I sat up and asked Beverly,
"Doctor Crusher? Why am I a woman?" As I sat up the thin blanket falls away and exposes my breasts for them to see. Oddly,
I don't seem to feel embarrassed in the slightest.

Beverly says, "We're still trying to figure that out Reg." Trying to cover me up. "The only clues we have, are the
readings from the transporter logs, and a faint residue on your right palm."

A flash comes to me, the tiny pink crystalline rose. "I found an energy reading before I requested transport. Behind a
panel in a small space, I found a tiny pink crystalline flower, a rose. It seemed harmless when I scanned it with the
tricorder. Then I picked it up, it was warm, and made me feel safe and comforted. When I called for beam out, it began to
glow and pulse, matching my heartbeat. When the operator said there was a problem, my heart beat raced and the pulses
matched it."

I take a second, "Then when he tried to stop the transport, it seemed to feed the power to finish the cycle. When I was
forming on the pad, there was a bright flash of pink. The last thing I saw was Commander Riker walking in the door,
followed by three security officers. Next thing, I wake here and can't move, until now."

Riker continues from there, "Once the field shut off, I grabbed you and brought you straight here. I told Dr Crusher, what
I saw, that I saw you take form. But before the field went down, there was a bright flash and then, you changed, right
before our eyes. You became a woman, and if I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."

The captain asks, "Well, now, Miss Barclay," He stressed the miss part heavily, "How do you feel?"

I look at him, Riker and the doctor, "Captain, I feel better than I ever have. I can't explain it. It doesn't even seem
odd now. It makes a lot of sense now that I realise why no one was speaking to me gender specific. You were thinking it
would cause me some upset if I found out too early." I smiled at them, "Really, I feel wonderful."

***********************************************

Some time later, the doctors finish taking their scans of me. Dr Crusher, Beverly, finally stands at my side again. We're
alone for the time being and things are quiet. She seems reluctant to talk, so I ask, "So doctor, what are the results of
all these tests you've been doing?"

Beverly smiles sweetly and begins, "All our scans show that you're perfectly healthy. There is nothing wrong with you in
the slightest, even down to the chromosomal level. For all intents and purposes, you are 100% female and always were. We
have no explanation for your spontaneous change."

I smiled at her, "Thank you Beverly, but I had a feeling that's what you'd say, and it doesn't bother me as much as I
would have thought. It must have been the rose I held during transport, somehow it rewrote my cognitive thought processes
when it changed me physically." After a few moments of thought, "I may sound a little vain, but, could I see myself? I
don't even know what I look like."

Beverly finds a mirror and comes back and puts it in my lap. "Now, Reg, just remember that women can be overly hard on
themselves about their looks, and well, you in particular have always been extremely ...., critical, yes, that's the word I'd use
to describe you. So go easy on yourself, okay?"

I say, "Yes, doctor, thank you." I lift the mirror and look at my face for the first time, aside from the obviously long
strawberry blonde hair, which lay across my shoulders and covering my breasts, I study my new face. My eyes are the most
striking change, having been hazel, now a vibrant bright blue. The way my hair framed my face made my eyes appear huge. In
comparison, my nose was a cute little button of a thing, and my lips were full and held a natural pouty look. As I brush
the hair from my ears to see them, they are petite and dainty.

Doctor Beverly is waiting for some response, "Well, what do you think? Personally, I think you look very nice for a young
lady. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, it appears that you are physically around the age of 18 to 19 standard Terran years,
you are no longer 34."

With a feeling of absolute confidence, and not knowing where it came from, I say, "I think I look quite cute actually."
Setting the mirror down, I take my breasts in hand and feel their weight, lifting them and let them settle, "Tell me
doctor, do I seem to have a large bust or is that just my impression?"

She smiles, "Reg, you're a little on the large side, but, from your perspective, they must seem huge. You never got the
chance to grow up with them, so they appear like monsters. However, if once you get used to them and you think they're too
large, it would be a simple procedure to reduce them, less than the time to get your hair cut." Laughing, "And I love your
hair, at least I'm not the only redhead on the ship anymore. So how does it feel to be a woman now?"

I look at her and say, "I'm not sure, but I think I love it. I feel wonderful and pretty."

Beverly says, "You sure seem a lot more confident and sure of yourself now, this may be the best thing that could have
happened to you." Thinking, "Reg? The captain asked me to change your personal file to reflect your gender change, I need
to know what name you want to use, so what's it going to be?"

Without much thought, I reply, "As much as this is a new beginning for me, I still don't want to forget who I was, so
let's keep Reg, but short for Regina, okay?"

Beverly smiles and says, "I like that Regina, but I think I'll use the long form, you're much more Regina than Reg. Let me
go make those changes to your files. Take the time and use the replicator to get some clothes, comfortable girls clothes,
no uniforms yet. We have to wait for Starfleet to acknowledge your change of status first, before you can go back on
duty."

"But Beverly, how do I know what sizes to get?" I ask.

She says, "Just have the replicator scan for your measurements, of course."

************************************************

Having no clue what to wear, geez, I already sound like every woman I ever knew, I stare at the computer, "Computer, show
me current fashions for a human female, age 20. Now scan me for measurements and show all appropriate casual wear." It
sorts through its memory and shows hundreds of combinations, Ugh.

"Computer, show only shorts, skirts and tops, include matching underwear and footwear." Working, now down to a few dozen.
"Red tops and blue bottoms." Now I was left with an even dozen. Once I eliminate those that are too extreme, there are
three. I chose the one that fastens up the middle and could be changed to show as little off as much cleavage as desired.
"Replicate."

I went to the replicator as the clothes materialized and took them to the bed. The undergarments are black with red lace
trim. I slide the panties up my legs feeling how smooth they felt as they clung to my curves. The feeling of them against
my new sex is comforting. Next I put on the bra, thankfully it fastened in the front, otherwise I don't know if I could
have gotten it on. Again the feeling of putting on the clothes is comforting and even a little empowering, encouraging me
to continue. The blouse was next, sealed about halfway, nothing indecent, but a little flirty. The skirt is a midi, same
length as duty uniforms, got to get used to it now. No more fears!

Thankfully the shoes, well actually booties had a low heel, since that wasn't specified. Slipping them on and take a few
steps. The feeling is almost intoxicating, the way the skirt swirls around my legs as I walk is fantastic.

Just then the door slides open, I forgot to set it to privacy, and Beverly steps in. "Oh my, Regina, you look wonderful."

I say, "Thanks Beverly, I needed that. But could you help me with my hair? Nothing fancy, just a ponytail."

"Sure Regina, let me just replicate a scrunchie and we'll be all set." She takes the red and blue scrunchie and after
combing my hair straight, holds the hair just back, of the middle of my head and wraps the scrunchie a few times around
and voilà, all done. But she leads me to the fresher to show me in the mirror how I looked. She asked "You like it?"

All I can do is turn and hug her, surprising both of us. The old me would never have initiated contact in such a manor,
but it felt right. "Thank you Beverly!"

She pushes back, but holds onto my arms and looks me square in the eye, "Listen here Regina, I know this is all new, so if
you need someone to talk to, you can always come to me, your friend. And don't forget you have plenty of friends on-board
the Enterprise, and I'm sure you'll make many more now. Deanna is going to be very happy with you."

I ask her, "What do I do now? where do I go?"

She smiles, "Go for a walk, do whatever, but remember, socialize, meet people. Don't fall into that old rut of yours,
doctor's orders!" Laughing at that last part.

"Ok Beverly, Thanks, and I'll keep that in mind." And she pushed me all the way out of Med bay. In the hall, I look both
ways, I absently choose a direction and in a moment I find myself in front of the door for transporter room 5.

I stop and look in, the same tech is on duty. He sees me, but takes a few seconds to recognise me. He starts, "Lieutenant
Barclay I'm so sorry.... "

I stop him holding up my hand. "Ensign, Williams is it?" He nods, "It wasn't anything you could have done. Please don't
fret over it." I touch his arm and let it linger. I turn to leave feeling I did the right thing, I say "I'm fine really."

As I exit, I look over my shoulder and see him checking out my ass. I hear him say under his breath, "You sure are!" I
smiled to myself, my god this was wonderful.

End of Chapter 2