Foreign Foes – Read Now and Download Mobi

Foreign Foes

Chapter One

IF THE KLINGON MOVES,kill him .

For a moment, no one moved. The Hidran ambassadors order crashed off the meeting halls stone walls and

into the ears of theEnterprise officers. His breathing mask muffled the threat, but made it no softer,

no less a demand.

Captain Urosk crushed his phaser into Worfs chest.

If Worf moved, he would die.

He tensed, his wide shoulders tight, his dark face clenched in anger.

Hold it!

Commander William Riker yanked up his phaser and took a step toward them. Close enough to

smell themnot to stop them.

He motioned Data forward from the other side.

The hall had grown uncomfortably large. What had been a meter between them now seemed much more. The

only thing within reach was Rikers regret at having brought Worf when judgment should have told him

better. Klingons and Hidran never mixed.

Urosk and Ambassador Zhad glanced at Riker. It was long enough for Riker to see their eyes, dark green

marbles set under brows of wet red leather.

Worf seized the moment of distraction and swung his arm, slapping Urosks weapon away.

But Urosks tall frame gave him advantage, kept him on his feet. He whipped the disrupter back around.

I said stop!

Riker jumped forward and wedged himself between his own security officer and the two

Hidran.

Riker was tall as welltall enough to shoulder the Hidran captain back in a sweeping motion. Why hadnt

he seen this coming?

Kill him!Kill him!

Zhad shouted to his captain. Lieutenant Commander Data came up beside them, the

androids gold-skinned hand gripping his holstered phaser, ready for Rikers order to draw.

You insult us with the presence of this animal!

Ambassador Zhad spat, his glare intent on Worf, his

voice gravel beneath the breathing mask that shrouded half his face.

Urosk took only one step back. The Hidrans long scarlet fingers anxiously pumped the handle of his

weapon, waiting to finger the trigger.

How dare you?

Zhad growled, his tall body shaking, his red hue darkening in anger.

Riker looked from the Hidran to Worf and back.

How darewe?

Staggering audacity. To demand that the

Federation help the Hidran people, then act as if they were doing the Federation a favor by accepting

such charity … Riker had to restrain himself from explaining to the good ambassador just where he

could stuff his vainglorious attitude.

He took in a settling breath, then regretted it as he choked on the Hidrans musty odor. He should have

been ignoring the stenchhumans probably smelled to a number of alien racesbut that was easier said

than done when the alien next to him reeked like mold and wet burlap.

What do you know of seventy years of oppression?

Zhad roared, his voice shaking the hall, his dark

eyes burning with contempt.

Or twenty years of war? And twenty more of harassment?

He pounded a ruby

fist on the granite table next to them. Rock on rock.

When was the last time your comrades were killed

in cold blood? Was your family murdered in your home?

He angrily wagged a dripping crimson limb at

Worf.

Hehas done this to us!He has ravaged our homeworld, and strangled our future!

Worf straightened stubbornly.

Ihave done nothing.

The Klingons deep baritone and skyscraper posture were a reminder of just how intimidating he could be.

Riker stepped back.

Your war was with the Klingon Empire, gentlemen,

he said.

Not the Klingon race.

That is a matter of opinion.

The Hidran ambassador turned his head away.

I will speak with your

captain now.

Hell be here, Zhad.

Riker couldnt force the anger from his tone. His body held it toofists

clenched, jaw tight.

Data moved his hand away from his phaser.

Not yet. Riker shook his head once, and the android gripped the weapon again.

Zhad was too unpredictable, too irrational. Every ambassador was a creature of rhetoric, but Zhad was

also a bully who coerced his way to victory. His reputation said he twisted facts to suit his purposes,

freely perverting his opponents arguments, all despite the breathing mask that distorted his voice. He

was a rooster who announced the dawn with such arrogance that he convinced every ear hed created the

sun himself. It had worked for him and his race, and was why he was present.

That thought stiffened Rikers spine, for if Zhad had a purpose here, so did Urosk.

And Urosk was a soldier. Riker had watched the Hidran captains eyes as he surveyed his situation and

summed it up. There was little Urosk would do without reason. Captains were all alike in some ways. At

least the ones who survived were. And that was why the Hidran captain was the danger. Loudmouths with

fists were annoyingclever thinkers with fists were dangerous.

Riker assured himself he would not be caught off guard again.

Nothing ever went quite as planned. Riker had been ordered to keep the Hidran

occupieddiplomatically.Cant be done . And adding Worf to the mix hadnt been the wisest move. Hed

hoped it might show the Hidran how Klingonscould be. No such luck. Now it looked as if an argument was

the only way they would communicate.

Well not wait much longer.

Zhads face twisted into what Riker assumed was a frown.

Ambassador, were here because your planet is dying,

Riker said.

Interesting lie!

Zhad spat.

Agreements are signed over subspace. Why has the Federation brought us to

this godforsaken planet, where we are met by our enemy and forced to wait at his bay?

Lieutenant Worf isnt your enemy, and this godforsaken planet was the only one your government would

agree to,

Riker said.

Enough!

Zhad axed Rikers platitudes off with a bark and turned back away. He slithered the perimeter

of the table, spying every corner of the large hall.

Weare the only ones here.

Riker gestured for Data to follow the ambassador.

Zhad flashed an unamused eye at Riker and ran his palm along one of the tapestries that lined the high

walls. With two quick tugs he tested the strength of its hold on the ceiling. He lifted it and looked

behind.

Klingons dont come that thin,

Riker grumbled dryly.

And their assassins dont hide in the cracks of

walls. If we had brought you here to kill you, youd already be dead.

Perhaps I was interested in the rugs,

Zhad said.

They are quite old, Ambassador.

Data motioned to

the tapestries.

They are believed to be the work of the ancient Velexians.

Zhad shot a glare at all three Starfleet officers.

Who cares?

Data began to answer, but Riker shook his head again.

The ambassador stomped back and stood next to Urosk.

Summon your captain or we leave now.

Ambassador, Captain Picard said zero-eight-thirty hours, and he meant zero-eight-thirty hours.

Riker

squeezed the grip of his phaser and felt the tension grow. It had smothered all diplomacy since the

first weapon had been drawn, and now it threatened to spoil what civility was left.

In fifteen

minutes

Captain Urosks communicator screeched wildly and he yanked it off his belt. A voice crackled from the

small speaker.

Sir, a Klingon warship enters this sector. Its weapons are charged and it cruises at

battle speed.

Riker groaned.Great. Just great …

Urosk pulled his disrupter up again and roared into the communicator.

Shields up! Arm for battle! Pull

out of orbit.

Understood, sir.

Zhad grabbed Urosks arm and yanked the communicator to his mask.

Destroy the Klingon vessel!

No!

Riker stepped closer, but stopped himself from jumping on Urosks weapon. Instead, he nodded Data

back behind the Hidran and held his own ground.

TheEnterprise is up there! Let them handle it!

Zhad wheeled around and rammed the butt of his disrupter against Rikers shoulder, knocking him to the

ground. Rikers phaser went clattering across the marble floor.

Pain arched Rikers back as he pushed himself up on his elbows and stared at the ambassadors weapon,

which that had come from … where?

Towering over him, Zhad aimed very deliberately at Rikers head.

So, this is the Federations word of honor. As much a lie as Klingon honor.

He turned to Urosk.

Weve been betrayed. Thiswas a trap! They have brought us here to die!

Status report!

Captain Jean-Luc Picard marched onto his bridge. The lift doors whispered closed behind him.

Were on yellow alert.

Lieutenant Anderson vacated the command chair and returned to her tactical

station.

Sensors indicate Klingon battle cruiserthis sectorarmed. The Hidran have raised their

shields and moved out of orbit. They are transferring power to weapons.

She paused, checked a readout

on her sensor board.

The Klingons are on an intercept course.

Picard nodded and surveyed the approaching disaster on the viewscreen. The Klingons were early. Too

early. Hed wanted time to deal with the Hidran, time to explain that the Klingons would be coming. Time

to explain to the Klingons as well.

Explanations were no longer an option.

Shields up. Battlestations.

Alert panels flashed red and the captain could almost sense his crew racing to their stations throughout

the massive ship. He shared a brief glance with Counselor Troi who sat to his left. The thought that she

might be feeling his tension crossed his mind. He was sure the rest of the crew believed his calm

demeanor. Deanna was the only one who could know better.

Ensign DePotter,

Picard said, his attention now squarely on the Klingon vessel that steadily retreated

on the screen,

take us out of orbit, heading two-ten mark six. Put us right between them.

Aye, sir.

The young mans fingers flew over the navi-console, pushingEnterprise gracefully out of

orbit, placing her steelgray hull between the Hidran ship and the now closing Klingon battle cruiser.

Under Picards order,Enterprise hovered there. To the other ships she must have seemed to dominate

space. That was as Picard wanted. His ship could be a looming reminder of just how powerful power could

be.

The Klingons are trying to maneuver around us, sir,

Anderson said.

Crowd them out, Mr. DePotter,

Picard ordered.

The Klingon vessel turned and twisted, andEnterprise echoed each move, barring them from the Hidran ship

at every angle. Picard watched the starscape shift wildly across the main viewer and was annoyed by the

Klingons tenacity. He fought the urge to remove his ship from this nonsense, and leave the Klingons and

Hidran to the violent fate they coveted.

The captain pulled in a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

Patch me in to the Klingon vessel,

Lieutenant.

On screen, sir,

Anderson said.

The forward viewer image of the battle cruiser washed away, replaced by the harsh features of a Klingon

commander.

I am Kadar, commander of Imperial CruiserHIv SuH.Captain, we assume you are under attack by what we

identify as a Hidran warship. We offer assistance. Move, so we may destroy them .

The Klingons manner was cool, his tone measured. Despite that, Picard saw through to piercing anger.

With revenge in the pot, Klingons had poor poker faces.

This is Captain Picard of the FederationStarship Enterprise .

His voice was calm and hard.

Sir,

Anderson interrupted, her voice low,

Commander Meliosh of the Hidran ship is signaling.

Picard nodded and thumbed a button on the arm of his command chair.

Captain Kadar, I appreciate your

concern, however, none is necessary. I assure you we are in no danger. Please stand by.

The captain

motioned to the screen.

Put Meliosh on.

The bridge of the Hidran ship came onto the viewscreen. Meliosh sat in a command chair that could hardly

be seen for the water vapor that filled his ship.

This is Captain Pic

You have broken your word, Picard!

Meliosh bellowed.

We broke no word,

Picard said.

You asked our help. Conditions on that are not yours to set.

You claim aid, yet summon our enemies to murder us. No, Picard, you have lost our trust!

Melioshs

color glowed ruddy and his lips curled around sharp little teeth.

Remove your vessel from our path. We

have an enemy to defeat!

Picard rose and stepped closer to the viewer, hoping his compact stature would appear more imposing as

he filled the Hidrans screen.

You wont defeat anyone, Meliosh,

he said, his voice firm and even.

You dont want to risk another

war.

Meliosh raised his head proudly.

Weve beaten back the Klingons before. We will again.

Abruptly, the starscape returned to the screen.

Transmission cut, sir,

Anderson said.

Im reading a power surge on the Hidran ship. Theyre moving

offlocking torpedoes on the Klingons.

Tactical,

Picard ordered sharply.

A corner of the forward viewer flashed a graphic display of the sector. The Hidran ship warped out of

the solar system with the Klingon battle cruiser turning to follow.

Picard frowned and frustration gnawed at his will to help those who so vigorously rejected it.

Shields on maximum.

Picard leaned down to the helm.

DePotter, doexactly as I say.

The Hidran ship twisted about and fired a spread of torpedoes. Wicked orange bolts flashed across the

viewer as they rounded toward the Klingon vessel.

The young ensign looked up. Picard gave him a reassuring nod and ordered:

One-one mark twenty. Warp one

… now!

Enterprisejumped into warp, forcing herself into the path of the salvos.

Picard glared at the main viewer. One after another, the torpedoes pounded against the shields, cloaking

the starscape in a blur of electrical flame. Each explosive sizzle of energy rattled theEnterprise and

jolted her a little off her course.

The captain gripped the back of DePotters chair as the bridge shook around them. Fingers of electricity

crackled across the screen as theEnterprise was gripped and wrenched to one side.

Stabilize,

Picard

ordered over the din of every deck reporting in.

Hail those ships, Anderson. Request a three way

conference. Demand one. If they refuse, force it.

He pointed at the navi-console.

Full stop.

Minimal damage to engineering decks three through seven, sir,

Anderson said.

Shield strength holding

at eighty-seven percent. Commander Meliosh and Captain Kadar standing by on three-way.

Damage control teams, Lieutenant.

Picard smoothed out his tunic and glared at the viewer. There was a

rage that filled the captain when he was forced to put his ship and crew in the line of fire. That anger

narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

Put ourfriends on,

he said slowly.

Meliosh appeared on one side of the screen, Kadar on the other. Picard could see by their expressions

that they also could now see each other.

Commander Meliosh,

Picard said, his voice a hammer.

Youve fired on a Federation vessel. That is an

act of war. Stand down from battlestations and resume orbit around Velex.

Well not lower our shields with an armed Klingon warship at our throats!

Meliosh raged.

Commander,

Picard said,

perhaps you could defeat the Klingons in a war. Perhaps even the Federation.

But certainly not both.

There was silence as Meliosh considered the threat.

The Klingon captain smiled.

Theres nothing to smirk at here, Kadar,

Picard snapped.

You havent won anything. Your peoples need

each other. Youwill work something out.

We do not talk with Klingons,

Meliosh said.

You will, if you want to live,

Picard corrected.

And I dont refer only to your suffering homeworld.

Im willing to overlook your attack on my vessel, but only for the moment. Picard out.

The captain

gestured toward Anderson, and Meliosh faded from the main viewer. Now only Kadar filled the screen.

Scan them,

Picard ordered.

Anderson jabbed at her console.

Hidran moving back toward Velex, sir. An orbital maneuver.

Picard nodded and pivoted back to the screen.

Kadar, disarm your weapons as a show of good faith.

Out of the question, Picard,

the Klingon chuckled darkly.

Your quaint little tactics may work with the

Hidran. I am a different matter.

When it comes to the needs of your peoples, there is no difference.

You dishonor us, Picard. We were lured here with a lie.

Picard pressed his lips into a thin line. That was true. He had wagered that there would be enough time

to prepare the Hidran to talk with the Klingons and vice versa. Hed gambled that he could keep both

sides in the dark as to the others arrival. Hed lost.

An arguable point, Captain, but you are here, and your government has asked the Federation for

assistance that only the Hidran can supply.

Kadar lost the grapple with his anger and growled at Picard.

I will not talk with them! You are fools

to trust the Hidran! They do not kill for honor or for game. They just kill. Without thought. Without

reason. We will not stay!

Thats your choice, Kadar. I cannot force you to stay.

Picard turned his back to the screen.

Lieutenant Anderson, inform Starfleet Command we request another Klingon delegation for discussion on

the Hidran matter. One thatcan handle the situation.

The main viewer shimmered back to the starscape view. Picard glanced at Deanna.

Anger and frustration clashing with intense pride,

the empath said.

I think you have him where you

want him, sir.

A corner of Picards mouth drew down. He wasnt quite ready to believe that.

Captain,

Anderson called,

the Klingons have signaled that our message to Starfleet is unwarranted.

Theyre entering orbit around Velex.

Picard glanced at Deanna. His brows went up, a little surprised that a failed plan had so quickly given

way to one that had workedfor the moment.

Well,

Deanna sighed,

that was more difficult than we thought.

Picard shook his head and lowered himself back into the command chair.

That, Counselor, was the easy

part.

Chapter Two

PHASERS DOWN!

Data leveled his weapon at the two Hidran.

I would not want to injure either of you.

Zhad and Urosk laughed, a loud mocking growl that could not be mistaken for anything but ridicule.

Riker accepted Datas glance. There was no annoyance in the androids features. How often had Riker

looked for a flash behind Datas gaze that could not be dismissed as merely electrical? The android

shouldnt have liked to be laughed at, if even just a little, but that didnt play on his face, behind

those bright sulfur eyes.

Suddenly Urosk tensed and launched himself forward.

Riker snapped his attention back.

Data!

he warned.

The android twisted to one side and with his free hand sent Urosk stumbling across the floor and into

Worf.

Ambassador Zhad aimed his disrupter and fired.

Riker rolled away, then skidded to his feet as the orange bar of energy scattered on the marble floor.

He wasnt sure if it was the weapon blast or anger, but he felt a flush of heat rise in his face.

Worf seized Urosk, spun him around and rammed a knee into the small of the Hidrans back. The Klingon

pulled Urosks elbows together with his right hand and wrenched the weapon away with his left.

Riker squinted as Zhad targeted him again. At the edge of his focus he saw Data grab the ambassadors

leathery wrist and bend it backZhad cried out in angry pain. The android holstered his phaser, ripped

Zhads own weapon away, then released the ambassador from the vice with a quick shove.

Zhad stumbled back, crumpling like so much musty laundry, a mound of damp limbs against the cold stone

wall.

Data reset the ambassadors disrupter to stun and trained it on its owner.

Riker spotted his weapon on the floor, snatched it up, and aimed it at Urosk. With a nod he gestured for

Worf to release the Hidran captain.

The Klingon loosened his grip. Urosk jerked himself away, spun around, and faced the one whod

humiliated him so. Dank burgundy fingers tensed over an empty holster.

Thats enough!

Riker said.

The Hidran captain braced himself, but did not move forward.

Worf stood in front of him, looking like an Old West gunfightera phaser in each fist.

Furious and insulted, Zhad dragged himself up and over to Urosk.

I will see that you all die for this.

He pulled the communicator from his captains belt and growled into it.

Meliosh, tell me you have

defeated the Klingon ship.

Ambassador, I regret to report … a stalemate.

Zhad sharpened his glare on Worf, but spoke to Urosk.

Relieve Meliosh as first officer. He does not

deserve the rank!

He held the communicator before the captains face.

He is a competent warrior, Ambassador,

Urosk said in a tone that Riker almost recognized as one hed

often heard from Picard.

Do it!

But Urosk hissed at him in the Hidran tongue and pulled him toward the far end of the hall.

Riker rubbed his tender shoulder and croaked out an order for Worf to keep an eye on them.

Nodding, Worf handed the Hidran weapon to Riker. The Klingon shifted his own phaser to his right hand

and set out to follow the two Hidran at a distance.

The comm badge on Rikers uniform chirped. He tapped a channel open.

Away team.

Picard, here. Report, Number One.

The Hidran are a bit … resistant, sir, but alls under control down here. Theyre off sulking,

hopefully ready to bargain.

Dont be too sure, Mr. Riker,

Picard said.

These are a hard people, by necessity. In their

experience, those who bargain are those who die. Its going to take more than one threat to change that.

Ill be down shortly. Picard out.

Riker rubbed the knuckle of his thumb against his lower lip. He wondered if Picard meant there would be

more threats, or that threats were useless. And he wondered where his part in the next move would lie.

If one thing was true it was that Picard could still pluck surprising rabbits out of hidden hats.

Unfortunately, thanks to the Klingons irritatingly early arrival, this plan of Picards had failed.

Originally the captain had hoped to talk the Hidran into accepting a conference with the Klingons, who

were to arrive after Picard had a chance to make sure they understood the conditions hed worked out

with the Hidran. The fact that neither side knew the other was coming was supposed to assure no one

would cause an incident that would

politically require

the other side to drop out.

Riker shook his head.Nothing ever , evergoes as planned .

That was a nice move with Ambassador Zhad, Mr. Data,

Riker said, still keeping one eye on Worf and the

Hidran across the hall.

You acted very quickly. In fact, you saved my tail.

Data nodded a salute.

Thank you, sir. However, I was surprised by Captain Urosks attack. I did not

expect him to underestimate my abilities.

Examining the Hidran disrupter he rolled in his palm, Riker chuckled.

You assume its obvious that

youre an android, dont you, Data?

he asked, thumbing the weapons safety.

I have never considered it, sir. I suppose so.

Riker looked up.

Why wouldnt he think you were human? Because you dont lookexactly like other

humans?

There was silence as Data considered.

Let me put it this way,

Riker continued.

Would you notice minor variations in a Hidrans appearance?

I believe so, sir.

Riker swallowed a sigh.

All right, wouldI notice ?

Data paused and considered that too.

I do not

think so, sir,

he said finally.

Riker shook his head, a chuckle rising in his throat

Drop all weapons!

Riker swung toward the unfamiliar angry voice. A womans voice.

Who was she? And why was she pointing a phaser at him?

As she stomped toward theEnterprise officers, silver-blond hair brushing her shoulders, she kept her

weapon high in spite of the two armed security men flanking her.

I said drop them.

Im Commander Riker

he tried to explain.

I dont care if youre the presidents personal shoe stretcher! There was phaser fire in here, and that

wasnt part of the bargain. Youre the ones holding the phasers.Put them down!

Riker looked from her to the security men and back. Hired help. One of them had his weapons safety on.

Okay.

He shrugged, holstered his phaser, and nodded for Data to do the same.

Theyre down. Now, who

are you?

She took another step toward him, her phaser angled down only slightly. Impatient hazel-green eyes

blazed with a steady determination.

Whats going on in here?

The rent-a-bicep security men were less resolute. They wanted to be behind the woman, not next to her.

There was probably nothing in their three minutes of extensive training that mentioned anything about

pointing phasers at someone in a Starfleet uniform. Starfleet personnel just werent the bad guys. They

were the ones called when the bad guys showed up.

I asked you first,

Riker said.

Barbara Hollitt. Im in charge here.

Yes, you are, arent you?Riker suppressed a smile. She was not gorgeous. Not a vision. But she was

exciting somehow, attractive.

What happened in here? I was assured thered be no problems.

Im sorry, Ms. Hollitt,

Riker said, gesturing to the dark smudges where Zhads disrupter had scorched

the floor.

We had a little trouble, but its under control.

She glanced from the floor back to Riker.

See that it stays that way, please.

We will,

Riker said.

And something tells me that if we dont,you will.

Barbara smiled and a spirited flash glinted in her eyes.

Indeed I will, Mr. Riker.

Not less than twelve men, Picard,

Kadar said.

Picard tapped his communicator off and leaned his compact form against the meeting halls granite table.

Mr. Riker, what about the Hidran beaming down twelve crewmen?

Riker turned to Data who shook his head.

Impossible, Captain.

The first officer clasped his hands behind his back.

Their landing party is only

outfitted for six.

Then have them add six more to their regular team, gentlemen.

It is not that easy, sir,

Data said.

The Hidran need to breathe one hundred percent humidity with a

substantially higher oxygen mix. The masks they wear are surgically implanted and only a few members of

their crew are so equipped.

The captain let out a short breath and touched his comm badge.

Captain Kadar, you will beam down only

six crewmen, including yourself.

Twelve,

Kadar insisted.

Six. Not twelve. Not seven. Six. Picard out.

The captain hit the communicator again and it signaled

off.

Everything is a struggle,

he muttered.

If the Hidran have six men, the Klingons want twelve, and

then the Hidran want twenty.

Im afraid I sympathize with the Klingons on this one, sir,

Riker said.

The Hidran are a tough lot.

Anyone who can win a war with the Klingons … Theirambassador eats Klingons for breakfast.

Datas eyes widened.

Sir?

Dont be so literal, Mr. Data,

Picard said. The android lowered his gaze.

Sorry, sir. They are a

curious people. Early contact with them by Federation surveys classify them as combative, but hardly as

hostile as they are now.

Seventy years of war might change that, Commander,

Picard said, taking on that professorial tone Riker

knew too well.

The Hidran had to be harder, stronger, to survive a war with the Klingons. The Hidran

may not have won, but they certainly did not lose.

Riker stood straight by his captains side, but his focus was not on his duties. Barbara Hollitt had

entered the hall by the far doors, and his thoughts faded away from his responsibilities. He shut his

eyes, tried to listen to Picardthe man whose control he envied, whose demeanor he wanted to emulate.

… you too would find that which was necessary to survive.

I am fascinated, sir,

Data said.

Picard nodded.

Splendid, Commander, because I want you to do a little research into the Hidran side of

this conflict. Were quite familiar with the Klingons history. All we know of the Hidran is that, like

the Klingons, they claim both victory and victimization. Find out what you can. Perhaps the Hidran will

allow you access to their computer banks.

Aye, sir. That should give us a different perspective.

Indeed.

The captain raised a finger.

Also, I want a frequency shield to block unauthorized

transporter and communicator use during the negotiations. I need no last-minute maneuvering by either

side. But we will want to keep access for ourselves.

Data nodded.

We could blanket the planet in a white-noise transmission, sir. That would mask out their

frequencies but leave certain coded ones available to us.

Good. I want that within the hour.

Aye, sir. I believe that from the sensor array we can transmit a

Picard cut him off with a wave of his hand.

Yes, yes. Work now, explain later, Commander. Dismissed.

You Klingons know nothing but death. You should taste of it yourselves!

You, Zhad, are not fit to be killed!

And a Klingon is not fit to kill me!

Id like to test the truth of that statement.

Are you calling me a liar, Klingon?

Twelve faces, wrenched in anger, sat at opposite ends of the large table.

His hands hidden beneath that table, Riker gripped his holstered phaser. He flexed his fingers, trying

to cool his sweaty palm. He wanted to shift the weapon to his left hand but refused to take it from its

holster if it wasnt necessary. And he just knew that in the one moment when the phaser was out of hand,

hed need to use it to stun a violent delegate.

Make sure no one dies,

Picard had ordered, giving Riker the most difficult task of all. He knew they

had weaponssecurity couldnt very well frisk-search official government delegations. Theyd be insulted

and,boom the talks would be over.

No, this was the only way. Riker just had to be sure his timing was right. A shot too soon, and the

Federation would be taking sides. A shot too late, and someone would die. The line was painfully fine.

He clutched the phaser handle tighter, tense fingers squeezing the perspiration from between his

knuckles. He was a raw nerve, with nothing to rely on when his moment to act might be, if at all, except

for Deanna. She sat at his right and had promised to touch him, mentally if necessary, if the feelings

of hate in the hall grew to the point of murder. His eyes would shift between her and the delegates, and

he prayed he wouldnt be looking one way when he shouldve been looking the other.

He glanced at her, and lingered too long. She wrung her trembling hands, all the emotions biting at her,

twisting her heart as well as her head, while Picard sat on the other side of her, relaxed, withdrawn.

The only thing missing from the picture was a book in his hand and his legs outstretched over the table.

You will stay away from our mining planets or we will destroy you!

Zhad spat.

Kadar pushed himself half out of his seat, pressing his palms flat on the tabletop.

Riker stretched forward a little, ready.

Those planets are ours! They are the spoils of war!

Kadar roared.

Picard looked from Kadar to Zhad, waiting for a response.

The Hidran ambassadors color grew ruddy with anger.

The treaty we were forced to sign was a one-sided

piece of rubbish. We have the moral obligation to deny its edicts.

You were forced into nothing!

Kadar pounded his fist on the table and the vibration sent a computer

clipboard clattering onto the floor. Riker forced a flinch inward.

Zhad hammered the table with both fists, as if to one better the Klingons with his own storm of anger.

You assure us no alternatives and call that choice?

Picard said nothing, but this time looked up with intent. There was something more than insult there.

With the Hidran insulting the Klingons, the Klingons insulting the Hidran, and both threatening death

for what had seemed like hours, finally theyd grown weary enough to deal with actual issues. And Riker

knew that had been Picards wager.

Kadar rumbled to the captain,

The Hidran lies about a treaty that is one-sided in their favor. It is

obvious that nothing will come of these … discussions.

We lie?

Zhad bolted from his seat.

Riker moved his thumb on top of the phasers trigger.

Sit down, Ambassador,

Picard ordered.

Zhad remained on his feet, his thick legs pressed against the table, his fists tight rocks against his

thighs.

Do you not hear these lies? Do you listen to your trustworthy allies?

he hissed.

Picards eyes hardened and he stood abruptly, his chair grinding the floor as he pushed it back. The

captain paced over to Zhad and Pulled out the ambassadors seat.

Sit down.

Indignant and offended, Zhad sat back down.

I will be talking with your superiors, Picard,

he

muttered.

You have ruined these negotiations.

No matter. The negotiations are over.

A brief roar fell into mutters, then into death-like tacitness as Picards glare seemed to strike every

eyeexcept Rikers.

Youve had the chance to talk. You chose to argue instead. Kadar, the Hidran need aridium shielding for

the power reactors you left them

That theytook from us

one of the Klingons bellowed.

Irrelevant!

Picard hammered down the outburst.

They have the reactors, they need the aridium. Only

you can supply it. You will.

Kadar folded his arms and sat back.

Really?

Picard ignored him and pivoted toward the Hidran.

Ambassador Zhad, the Klingons need the vaccine for

the virus they contracted on your planet.

A virus they were blessed with whiledestroying our planet!

Zhad interrupted.

Thats all in the past,

Picard said.

The treaties were signed twenty years ago. The war is over.

Perhaps that is what distresses you. So much hate, so much anger … and no one to kill.

You are mistaken, Picard.

Zhad burned Kadar with a glare.

Ihave someone to kill.

Not here, Zhad. Not on this planet, and not in Federation space.

Velex isnt a Federation colony,

Urosk countered. It was the first time the Hidran captain had spoken

in more than an hour. Riker had expected him to be one of the more vocal delegates, but he hadnt been.

Velex is a Federation protectorate,

Picard corrected firmly,

and there is a starship in orbit.

With that threat Picard let the anxiety grow. That the delegates werent human didnt

matterapprehension showed on every alien face.

Picard began moving around the hall, stalking, closing in on each side as he spoke.

This is the way

its going to work, gentlemen. The Klingon Empire will supply an amount of aridium that will be

determined and collected by the Federation. On the Hidran side,

he said, holding the back of Zhads

chair,

Ambassador, your government will give the vaccine to us, and when both sides have contributed,

they will receive the supplies they need.

Zhad twisted around in his seat.

What is to gain by these talks if we get nothing but the aridium? Will

they stop raiding our outer planets mining colonies? Will they continue to harass our vessels?

I dont know, Ambassador,

Picard said frankly,

and I truly do not care. I can tell you that you gain

your life, and the lives of your people. Your power plants will safely produce the energy your society

needs.

And Kadar gains the health of his people,

Riker said, a more relaxed thumb over his phasers trigger.

The captain hadnt really needed his help, but two rational voices were always better than one.

Picard nodded.

The Klingons will get the vaccine for a crippling disease that neither kills nor is

curable.

We will not consent to this,

Kadar said.

They must agree not to attack our mining ships.

Zhad gripped the arms of his chair until his fingers were a bright pink.

The mining ships that destroy

the planets of our system! We will not agree unless they arrest all mining!

Enough!

Picard barked, moving back to the head of the table.

The only terms of this agreement have

already been stated. The Hidran get the aridium, the Klingons get the vaccine. That is all. It is

agreed.

It is not agreed!

Zhad wailed.

You have no right to delegate terms to us, Picard.

Really, Picard! How dare you presume to tell us when we agree

To what, Kadar?

Picard asked.

To survive?

Kadar and Zhad exchanged a hateful look, then turned it to Picard. The captain appeared to be struggling

to keep a smile from his lips. He had achieved his goal and angered the two parties into working

togetheragainst him. They were finally joined in something, Riker thoughttheir resentment of the

captain.

You will agree to these terms or the Federation will not help at all,

Picard said as his comm badge

sounded. He hit it immediately.

Not now,

he snapped, and stabbed it back off.

Perhaps the Federations help is bought at too high a price,

Zhad hissed.

Perhaps,

Picard agreed bitterly.

Perhaps it will take your cities growing dark and your people

freezing before you put behind you the prejudice of a war twenty years passed.

The captain then spun

about toward Kadar.

And perhaps it will take a disease destroying your fleet before you can do the

same.

Kadar averted his gaze.

Zhad looked down at his ruby fist for nearly a full minute. Then, in his first calm moment since his

arrival on Velex, he said,

You seem to leave us without alternative. But let me tell you this, Picard.

You and the Federation have much to learn. You think that because you have had a form of peace with the

Klingons for some time that they are like you. You are wrong. You may be worthy of trust, Captain …

but it is naive of you to think the Klingons are the same.

The ambassador rose slowly, calmly.

I

suspect you will regret your dealings with the Klingons, Picard. I know I will.

Chapter Three

IAPPRECIATE THIS , CAPTAIN,

Barbara said.

Private operations so far out just dont see state-of-the-art equipment.

She gestured to the small cluster of makeshift buildings that made up the Velexian industrial colony.

Except for the ancient meeting hall, they were sparse boxy structures, built more for function than

form. She gave Riker and Picard the grand tour, all five minutes of it, and diminished her

accomplishment at building it all in a weeks time. That wasnt what she was here to do. Anyone, she

thought, could dig a hole and pitch a tentcolonies had been popping up everywhere for hundreds of

years.

But Barbara was supposed to be investigating the planets native crops, not just starting a colony. She

wanted to get past building labs and opening boxes. Shed run into difficulty, and she worried about

explaining her problems to those who had hired herat her insistenceto market the Velexian grain.

We set up a few labs with some basic equipment,

she said,

but resources are tight. Im hoping the

reason we cant scan the indigenous flora is because our equipment is inadequate.

Captain Picard looked over the colony as if he himself were scanning it with sensors.

My science

department reports that we are unable to scan your grain as well. It may contain some native compounds

that evade traditional scans. Commander Data wanted to do a crust/core sample before we left to see if

we could isolate the substance.

Perhaps we could work together, Captain?

Were always willing to share our facilities as time provides, Doctor,

Picard said.

If your facilities can help me figurethat out, Ill be indebted.

Barbara pointed toward the rolling

saffron-colored grain that could be seen at the eastern edge of the camp. Where the dirt path ended,

grain began, and ran into the horizon. It waved her forward, stalks of jasmine swaying and calling in

the breeze. They paraded down to the edge of the camp, where the field began suddenly, an army of wheat

marching to the tune of the wind.

Picard plucked a stalk out of the ground and turned it back and forth in his fingers.

It looks like

normal grain. Whats so mysterious beyond the sensor problem?

He handed the tawny stem to Riker.

Hands behind her back, unwilling to touch it herself, Barbara said,

Well, it grows in soil that has few

nutrients. We tried transplanting on our second day here, to see if it would grow on other planets, in

systems closer to the trade routes. It withered and died the next day.

She lowered her voice and glared

out at the field.

As far as we can tell, it shouldnt be growing here at all. Nothing should.

Im afraid I havent done my homework,

Riker said.

Whats so important about this particular grain?

Everyone wants it, Mr. Riker. I admit I didnt believe the myths and stories myself, but I tried it

personally earlier this week. It has the strongest medicinal effects of any unprocessed naturally

growing flora ever discovered. When ingested … well, it has a measurable effect on your health.

You mean it makes you feel better,

Riker said.

No,

she corrected.

You actually get better. Nothing miraculous that weve found yet, but weve

measured some physiological improvements. The effect varies from person to person and species to

species.

How does it work?

I honestly have no idea,

she said quietly.

Thats why I agreed to host this circus you call

diplomacy. I need your computers, Mr. Riker. I need your technicians. I need your assistance. And if I

cant solve this one little problem, Ill need another job.

Im sorry. I hope we can help.

Riker pressed her shoulder and guided her away from the grain. He

preferred her spirited smile to the frown that touched her lips now.

We should be getting back.

She nodded and they started toward the meeting hall, three pairs of boots plodding along the gritty

stone street.

Captain, I can set up some simulations and tests and leave them running, if youll allow.

Once the initial data is in, Ill return for the feast were having tonight. Despite little to

celebrate, Ive been talked into commemorating our first week here. You, the delegates, and any members

of your crew who wish to, are welcome to attend.

I appreciate your hospitality, Doctor,

Picard said.

It might be just the thing to keep our friends

occupied while we await final treaty confirmation from the Hidran government. I only hope the use of our

research labs can return the favor to you.

As Riker held open one of the thick wooden doors to the hall and allowed Barbara and Picard to enter,

she smiled, that certain kind of glint in her eye again.

Perhaps Commander Riker will return the

favor.

Riker flashed his best

little-ol-me?

grin.

Whatever I can do …

Be my escort tonight?

After the slightest nod from Picard, Riker said,

Id be honored.

She turned smoothly on a heel, her silver-blond hair swinging softly behind her.

I should be back by

three oclock. Anyone here can tell you where my home is. Will you meet me there?

Before Riker had the chance to answer, she was back out the door, and he and Picard were alone.

The captain crossed his arms.

Three oclock is closer to teatime than suppertime, Number One.

Riker shrugged and his brows went up.

Wouldyou argue with her?

Deck twelve.

Datas order to the lift barely allowed Barbara to slip between the doors before they began to close.

I am sorry, Doctor. I did not realize you might be unaccustomed to the turbolifts.

Im not usually. I should have been watching,

Barbara said, trying not to stare at him.

There wasnt a scientist in the Federation who hadnt heard of the android whod joined Starfleet, but

relatively few got to meet him. Sure, there were interviews and early studies, every once in a while

A

Discussion with Lieutenant Commander Data

would be the cover story of some tech journal, but he was

hardly at the beck and call of anyone with curiosity.

What surprised her so was that he hadnt anticipated her hesitation into the lift. Wasnt he an advanced

calculator with legs? Wasnt he supposed to considereverything? Thats what computers were forto search

out possibilities and run them down to conclusions. It was the reason she was begging time from a

Starfleet supercomputer. So that nothing would be left out.

She averted her gaze from himit?and studied the slit between the lift doors. What did one say to an

android? Did computers do small talk?

Anything was better than silence.

I appreciate all your help, Commander.

The lift doors opened and this time he waited for her to exit.

I am happy to assist you, Doctor. The

captain ordered me to investigate the Hidran side of the Klingon-Hidran conflict. I have downloaded

their own history texts and can easily view them from the research lab you will be using.

She smiled, a bit more nervously than she would have liked, and they started down the corridor. Happy.

He washappy to assist. Just using an expression?

How close are you to marketing the grain,

Data asked.

Barbara looked up at him curiously.

You know about our plans to harvest for marketing?

The android nodded.

I requested information from your company regarding Velex when we were ordered to

this sector.

One thing was clearData learned fast: at the research lab he held his hand over the open door and

waited for her to enter.

The android waved her in.

Right in here, Doctor. This should suit your needs.

Beyond his pale hand was the finest, brightest computer Valhalla that Barbara had ever seen. She was

impressed not only with the bank of computers and equipment that was now at her fingertips, but that

such things, like the android next to her, were possible. She felt as if she had been years away from

such new technology. And she wasnt likely to see any soon. They just didnt risk new equipment on long-shot colonies in the middle of nowhere.

She stepped into the lab, unable to imagine any problem being insoluble with help like this at her

fingertips. This was what she needed. This was why she had risked having time-bomb negotiations in the

middle of her burgeoning industrial colony. With thesethe brains of a starshipshe might make it all

work out.

Thank you,

she murmured.

My pleasure, Doctor.

She looked at him, and at the bright canary-yellow eyes that were not even supposed to connote emotion,

but seemed to.

Wrong, Mr. Data. The pleasure is all mine.

It is safe, is it not?

Data poked at the pellets of grain that rolled around his palm.

Barbara hesitated.

Its safe,

she said flatly.

You do not sound quite convinced.

I would be more convinced if I could find outwhy it was safe.

She dabbed at the stations panel,

turning herself away from the thoughts of past tests, and toward future solutions.

Data looked from the grain to her, then back to the grain.

What exactly will it do?

An android looking for a cure-all? She chuckled at the thought.

To you? Probably nothing. With most

people its highly therapeutic. I mean, its no fountain of youth, but it does have a measurably

positive effect. It brings about a homeostatic condition in the body. Race or species doesnt seem to

matter.

She cocked her head toward the grain.

Go ahead. Try it.

Species does not matter?

Data asked.

But races can differ so widely. One races nourishment can be

anothers poison.

There are seventeen races in my colony. All tested and all reacted favorably. Thats the mystery,

Commander.

She smiled.

I dont think it would hurt you.

Data brought his hand to his mouth, tossed in the grains, and swallowed.

Barbara lowered her gaze back to the console, then looked back up when he spoke again.

Interesting,

Data said, pressing his lips into a thin line.

I am unable to determine its molecular

makeup.

Pardon?

That is how I taste, Doctor. I suppose you might say I have tasted better.

Hetasted? Then what was it about him that wasnt human? Or did he just

say

he tasted? Why did this

android, in form and function created to be like a man in every way, have those bright yellow eyes and

that sallow color of lifelessness? The ships computer spoke to her in a similar tone. What was it that

made him different from the computer she was programming now? The thought distracted her, made her

uncomfortable, curious.

But every moment she spoke to him, every moment he spoke back, that discomfort melted away.

The androids face fell blank for a momentblanker than usual anyway.

I detect no change in my internal

systems.

Barbara smiled.

Im not surprised. The bread it makes doesnt affect my toaster, either.

I am far from a toaster.

Her smiled faded and she felt her face flush.

Im sorry. I didnt mean any offense

I cannot be offended,

he said.

How long does it usually take to affect someone?

Well, it depends on the person. Sometimes immediately, sometimes a few hours. But youre an android . .

.

I do have certain organic fluids,

he said.

Perhaps it will only take more time with me.

With a pat on Datas hand, Barbara said,

I wouldnt hold my breath.

Perplexed, Data shook his head.

Neither would I.

It was blinding light and a small pang of irritation that brought Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge

from theEnterprise to the planet below. He always avoided directly blaming the prosthetic VISOR that

allowed him his sight. Doing so seemed … unappreciative. But the transporter could sometimes cause

such a flash, especially when a strange frequency was being used, or extra power was added to the matter

push. And both were happening thanks to the captains order of a transmission jammer.

When his vision cleared and the pain dulled into a normal ache, he saw Captain Picard near the meeting

halls large table and walked toward him.

Glad you decided to join us, Mr. La Forge,

Picard greeted.

Us, sir?

Geordi scanned the room and saw only a few colonists setting up small tables at the far end

of the hall.

I hate to be the first to break it to you, Captain, but youre alone.

The chief engineer

smiled.

Where is everyone?

We have two security details keeping the delegates separated until the dinner,

Picard said.

The

Hidran governments approval should come through any moment and we can sign the documents after dinner.

One of Geordis brows shot up.

Hidran and Klingons eating together, sir? Sure youre not asking for too

much?

A corner of Picards mouth turned down and Geordi assumed the captain had been wondering the same thing.

Youd think that a race intelligent enough for space travel would be rational enough to use discussion

to settle differences,

Geordi said.

One would think so,

Picard said sardonically.

Wouldnt one?

Sunlight streamed through the windows and folded itself over the pillows scattered across the floor.

Riker lightly brushed Barbaras cheek where the butter-colored rays caressed her milky skin. He couldnt

remember feeling so comfortable with anyone … not since Deanna.

I dont usually fall into bed after Ive just met someone,

he said.

Were not in bed,

Barbara said, rising. She smiled and as she rose, the brightly colored throw that

had been around her collapsed into the bars of sunlight. The brilliant reds and forest greens of the

blanket caught the light and tossed it throughout the room.

But that is good to hear, even if I dont

believe it,

she added as she walked into the next room, her nude form also catching the light as she

left.

Riker pushed himself up against the overstuffed chair that held his empty uniform. She disappeared

through the doorway and he chuckled softly. He didnt know what it was about her. All he knew was that

she either understood that social graces were left floating near the dock when you spent your life

tearing through the galaxy, or she didnt care about them in any case.

From the folds of his collapsed uniform, his communicator sounded. He dragged the red tunic toward him

and pressed the arrowhead comm badge.

Riker here.

Deanna here, Will. The captain wants us to report to the meeting hall as soon as possible,

she said.

On my way,

Riker said quickly.

He and Deanna might not be together anymore, but they tried not to rub each others nose in the fact.

Imfar on the other side. Ill meet you there. Riker out.

He jabbed the communicator off.

School teachers and empaths, they could always tell. Never lie to either.

Trouble, sir?

Riker was all business. He stood laser-straight between Deanna and Barbara, and looked only at Picard.

Possibly.

The captain raised a silencing finger and spoke into his comm badge, his voice low. He

wanted to assure neither the Hidran nor the Klingons across the hall overheard.

Repeat for Commander

Riker what you just told me, Mr. Data.

Aye, sir.

Datas voice seemed to boom from the communicators speaker and Picard quickly thumbed the

volume down.

The white-noise transmission blanket is taking considerably more power than it should.

Sensors indicate the source of absorption is somewhere on the planets surface.

Riker moved forward and asked into the comm badge,

Any ideas as to whats causing it?

Nothing concrete. However, I am formulating a hypothesis.

Picard allowed only a brief pause.

Well?

be prodded.

I suspect the Klingons may have some covert operation under way, sir. They may have found a way to

breach the transmission blanket. It would explain the energy drain. Or perhaps they have a cloaked base

of operations somewhere on the surface.

Activity from the Klingon ship?

Picard asked.

Nothing at this time, sir,

Data said.

Any indication that they have another landing party on the planet?

There was a pause, then finally Data answered.

No, sir. But the transmission blanket is interfering with

the accuracy of our own sensors.

Picard felt his brow furrow. No proof. He could hardly go accusing without evidence. In fact, he could

hardly go accusingwith it. The last thing they wanted was to upset either delegation. And both the

Hidran and the Klingons were ready to welcome any chance to scuttle the progress that had sailed so

calmly until now. Calm being relativeno one had been killed yet.

Very well, Mr. Data. Do what you must

to get to the bottom of the situation. Commander Riker and myself will see what we can find out down

here. Picard out.

He tapped the communicator off and nodded toward the delegates.

Mr. Worf and the

security detail can handle the dinner, Number One. I want you to see if you can find the source of this

energy absorption Data is talking about.

Aye, sir.

Riker tried to relax his posture, his muscles.

Picard hadnt noticed the man was a knot of tension until the tightness began to fade.

Captain, do you still think its a good idea to have Worf around?

the commander asked.

It didnt work

well this morning.

I do,

Picard said.

The Hidran need to see that the Klingons have indeed changed in some ways. Worf is

an excellent example of that.

Riker nodded.

Perhaps it was for the best. He seemed pleased with the order that would take him away from the dinner.

And Picard could send Deanna as well. He wouldnt have to keep considering the effect of all this hatred

on her. Neither delegation liked having an empath present, and it was exhausting for the empath as well.

You and Counselor Troi can take one of the low-atmosphere craft the colonists use.

Picard turned to

Barbara and quickly added,

With your permission, Dr. Hollitt.

Of course, Captain,

Barbara said.

Picard smiled a thank-you and looked to Riker. Once again the first officer was a clenched fist, his

spine beam-straight.

Picard toEnterprise .

For all the festive noise that filled the hall, all the laughing and talking and chattering that came

from a hearty dinner, it was the silence that was irritating Picard. The silence of the Klingon and

Hidran delegates who sat brooding at each other across untouched plates. The silence of a ship that

refused his call.His ship.

The captain pursed his lips and shook his head at Commander La Forge. He tapped his comm badge again,

searching for a better channel.

Picard toEnterprise .

Finally:

Data here, sir.

What the devil took so long?

Picard demanded.

Sorry, sir. I am the only one with clearance to override the transmission blanket. I was occupied for a

moment.

There was the slightest delay in the androids response. Probably the fault of the white-noise blanket.

I didnt order restricted clearance to communications forEnterprise personnel. Why isnt Mr. La Forges

communicator working?

I took the prerogative of deactivating all communicators on the surface aside from yours and Commander

Rikers, sir. In case someone were to appropriate them.

I see,

Picard said.

I want themre -activated, Commander. If Mr. Worf or another member of the

security team needs to reach the ship, I want them to be able to.

Aye, sir,

Data said in his normal, even tone.

Stand by to beam Mr. La Forge up.

Picard turned to the engineer. Geordis coffee-brown features were

twisted into a pained mask. The captain grabbed the mans elbow, waiting to lend him support at any

moment.

Is it worse?

Geordi struggled to force a smile.

Well, bad enough to get me to leave a meal halfway through.

Report to sickbay as soon as youre aboard. And no matter what the doctor says, I want you to rest that

stubborn head of yours.

Geordi gasped and pressed the heels of his palms against his throbbing temples. Agony, spikes of it,

ripped through his head and down his spine.

Eyes that never saw the warmth of light now burned as if open to the sun. He thrust his VISOR away, far

way.

Aching knees wobbled and gave, and he crumpled toward the transporter pad.

Hands grabbed him before he hit the floor and he felt his cheek against a body he could not see.

Emergency medical team to main transporter room! Hurry!

The universe was a blur of pain, until needles of white and sharp yellow finally melted into blackness.

No, thank you.

Captain Picard placed the flat of his hand over his glass and nodded the waiter off. He

looked down the length of the main table and nearly sighed. Twelve beings, two races, and not a damned

thing for them to agree on. For two hours they had just sat there, not eating, not talking, not finding

any common ground as Picard had hoped they might.

This isnt going well, Mr. Worf,

he said, leaning toward the tall Klingon standing at his side.

Worf looked from the stoic Hidran Ambassador Zhad to the somber Klingon Captain Kadar. They headed their

separate delegations of dark, angry comrades.

It is not, sir?

Worf asked wryly.

Picard suppressed a smile.

Ive been to more joyous funerals.

Worf glanced down to meet his eyes and tried to force away a smile.

Perhaps funeral is a poor choice of words,

Picard added.

Indeed.

Picard nodded.

But not wholely inaccurate.

He looked up at his security officer and wondered just what

it was that allowed Worf to joke about an issue that had his Klingon cousins ready to start another war.

What do you make of all this, Mr. Worf?

The tall Klingon leaned down, as if he wanted to be sure only the captain heard his deep voice.

I expected as much. From both of them.

Picards brows drew up in surprise. He knew it was a look that demanded Worf elaborate.

The Hidran are quick to anger, sir,

Worf continued.

You have forced them into an agreement, the

benefits of which they do not yet fully understand. Captain Kadar on the other hand is more enraged at

the dishonor. His hand has been forced. Through his indignation, he can barely see it was in the only

direction he could move.

You dont side with the Klingons on this matter?

Picard asked.

They are wrong,

Worf said in that matter-of-fact tone that no one would dare take issue with.

Picard pushed out a short breath.

Theyre being stubborn.

Stubbornness is a Klingon trait. Being wrong is not.

Nodding, the captain said,

Prove it to the Hidran.

Worf thought for a moment.

How?

The captains eyes thinned and he studied the Hidran delegation across the hall. He looked smartly up at

Worf and gestured toward the ambassador.

Distrust passes with familiarity. Why not show them who you

are?

With forced gentility and a dozen Klingon eyes burning into his back, Worf awkwardly lowered himself

into the seat adjacent to Ambassador Zhad. Not in frontnot across from him.Next to him.

It went against his grain, and he had to force the tension from his muscles and wrench a casual look

onto his face.

The Hidran turned his head and hammered Worf with a glare.

What is this?

It is a dinner, where honorable beings may meet and break bread together,

Worf said calmly. Maybe too

calmly. It was a strange balance for him: his tone had to be severe enough to warrant respect, yet soft

enough to broadcast appeasement.

Zhad said nothing. He stared. Everyone was staringthe Hidran, the Klingons, Picard. Another knot in

Worfs spine.

Worf reached out for the platter of grain-bread in front of them, and as his fingers touched the handle

of the knife, one of the Hidran began to rise.

The Klingon stopped, let his fingers fall to the table. He looked up to see Urosk gesturing the Hidran

soldier back down.

One slice with the knife and Worf had a large piece of the Velexian delicacy. He made sure he held the

knife not one moment longer than necessary.

Tearing the bread into two chunks, he dipped one into a dish of gravy and held the other out to Zhad.

The ambassador looked away.

Better to die than eat with a Klingon,

he spat.

It was Worf who remained silent this time. He would not prove Zhad right about all Klingons by speaking

in anger. His race was inflexiblehe did not have to be. He had the cushion of a Terran upbringing to

support him, and he could use that hereditary Klingon obstinance to make sure he did not slip into

impulsiveness.

Do you fear me so much that we cannot have a meal within the same walls?

Worf finally asked.

Zhad turned so quickly he nearly spun out of his seat. He grabbed the bread from Worfs hand and pushed

it through the electronic field in his breathing mask. A loud gulp and it was downwhole.

They locked eyes, Worf and Zhad. Klingon and Hidran. Enemy to enemy.

No, not enemy. Worf knew he was not the enemy. Neither friend nor foe, he was a symbol, and the irony of

that nipped at him. He would never feel fully Klingon, yet here he stood to represent all Klingons. An

alien on Earth andQono S, he fit only in Starfleet, and now found himself the embodiment of two

cultures that would never completely accept him. That he could never completely accept.

If we can have a meal in common, perhaps we can share a trust,

Worf said slowly.

We will sharenothing!

Zhad pushed back his chair and sent it grinding across the floor. He turned,

his slick black cloak twisting around him as he stormed through the nearest door.

Worf glanced back at Picard, but did not wait for an order or even gesture. He rose, and followed the

ambassador out.

The gall of these animals.

Zhad angrily paced the dim corridor. The only thing worse than an arrogant Klingon was an insufferably

condescending Starfleet Klingon.

He wondered if even Picard fully trusted Worf. Or was it just another of the Federations tricks?

How could he learn to fight the urge to crush those ridged skulls? How had the Federation? It was no

secretStarfleet had been at odds with the Klingons for decades. How did Picard now trust a phaser to a

Klingon on his own crew?

Ambassador?

Zhad pivoted toward the deep baritone he knew was Worfs. His muscles tensed and he readied himself for

the attack.

I have not come to antagonize you,

Worf said.

Your existence antagonizes meas your people have done for a hundred years,

Zhad sputtered.

His throat felt tight and he adjusted a control on his mask to allow himself more air.

War is a fire that can rage out of control, Ambassador,

Worf said.

But only when both sides feed the

flame.

A Klingon saying for every occasion,Starfleet Lieutenant Worf?

Zhad snorted. He took a step closer to

the Klingon he nearly towered over.

You slip into stereotype. Do you know the Hidran reply to your

saying? How many times must we be blistered before the flame is finally smothered?

I am sorry,

Worf said.

I did think there was some hope for you. I see I was wrong.

Dont you pity me, Klingon mongrel!

Zhad balled his fists and leaped forward. If anyone needed a few

hard jabs of pity, it was this pompous Klingon.

Worf jerked up his arm and belted Zhad away.

Pain knocked Zhad off his feet and pinched his eyes shut. He fell hard on his knees, then rolled

forward, his hands covering the breathing mask that had been pounded into his face.

My apology, Ambassador,

Worf said as he turned to the door that led back to the main hall.

I hope in

the future we can both learn to feed the flame a little less.

The Starfleet Klingon left, abandoning Zhad in a puddle of pain and awe.

Zhads throat was parched with anger and hate. Still somewhat dazed, he straightened his tall frame and

worked his way to his feet. If Worf had stayed another moment, he would have been on the floor now. And

there would have been no getting up.

Too much of a coward to even finish what he starts,Zhad thought.

Taking a deep breath, Zhad felt the scratchiness of dry air. He adjusted the mask control again and felt

a twinge of pain ripple through his body.

He sucked in another breath. Dry. Too Dry. Like the grit the Klingons filled their own lungs with.

Frustrated, Zhad snapped at a dial on his mask.

More moisture,

he muttered, then found himself doubled

over in agony.

He gasped, tried to suck in a breath. Any breath. Couldnt!

His hands flew back up to the mask and grabbed wildly. No air! His chest heaved, his lungs sharp and

tight. He struggled to tear the mask awayto gulp any air if not his own.

Wet fingers clawed at the tubes that now burned his skin. He yelped in pain and twisted them out.

Anything!Anything to stop the pain!

He felt warm blood drain from the holes in his cheeks down his shoulders and into his skin.

Staggering forward, he looked at the air tubes that had once fed him life. They now dangled useless in

his hands. He coughed a dry hack … and knew he was dead.

The Klingon! Hed known just where to strike the blow! Just where to snap the mask and force it to

destroy its owner!

Hatred took over where panic left off. Zhad drew the dagger hidden in his cloak. His throat closed and

his chest ached for freedom from its desert grave. He scrambled up, determination the only wind his

lungs could feel.

He nearly fell through the doorway and into the hall, a trail of blood pouring from his exposed mouth.

Where? Where was the Starfleet Klingon? Where was Worf! He did this thing!He would pay!

Vision began to cloud into a mesh of color, and the ambassador cursed himself a fool for not killing

Worf when hed had the chance.

He held the dagger close and squinted across the room.

No one moved toward him. The hall was alive with noise, yet all he heard was the silence that was his

absent breath. Worf was too far across the hall, and Zhad knew he would not reach him.

Another Klingoncloser.Any would do.

He would avenge his own death, and prove to his people that the Klingons could not be trusted.

He croaked out a puff of air, and took in the alien breath that was sand in his lungs.

A moment passed, and felt an eternity.

Zhad fought to focus … feet away … one Klingon … alone …

Slowly, the Klingon delegate began to turn. Zhad saw his victims eyes. It was his due, to see the look

on the Klingons face as they met death together.Everything has a price, Klingon! That you shall learn!

Zhad drew back his arm, and with all the strength he had left, with all the strength his people had

left, plunged the blade down.

The Klingons hands moved too slowly to stop the dagger from piercing his armor and cutting through his

rib cage. Zhad reveled in the feeling of sinew tearing against steel, bone cracking against hate. A gush

of alien blood warmed his cold fingers.

The Klingons grunt shook the room, and he fell back, pulling Zhad down with him.

What a sight! What a shadow they would cast, both of them collapsed into a heap in the center of the

halls floor. His death … his victory … how the legends would be!

He struggled to raise his head one last time, to taste with his eyes the Klingons blood that gurgled

round his blade.

Zhad saw, and savored his success for a final, fleeting moment.

Slowly, his hand fell away from the dagger that triumphantly stuck in the Klingons chest: a flag

beckoning on the brink of war.

Chapter Four

EMERGENCY STRETCHERto main transporter room! Stat!

Beverly Crusher lifted Geordis head gingerly off the transporter pad with one hand and ran her medical

scanner over his tearing, sightless eyes with her other.

Howm I doin, Doc?

Geordi croaked out softly, droplets of perspiration streaking down his skin.

Youre going to be fine,

she told him.

It was a lie. She didnt know that. She wasnt sure of anything right now. It was just what doctors told

patients when they were critical … what doctors told themselves when those patients were friends.

Beverly glanced at her hand-scanner for the third time in as many moments, then gazed at Geordi again.

Not a brain hemorrhage. Not an aneurysm. Not something simple. Nothing she could just give him a pill

for and make go away. And no magic technological wand to wave. This was the kiss-and-jab of being a

doctor to her closest friends: she could cure them when she knew the answer, but had to watch them

suffer when she didnt.

Setting the scanner down, she slipped her hand into Geordis and held it tightly.

Suddenly he convulsed, every muscle pinched and shaking. He writhed forward, plunging off Beverlys lap

and onto the transporter dais.

She dived for him, scooping up his head, keeping it from cracking against the hard deck.

Pain seized his bodya hot poker of agony that jerked his muscles one way, then the other. She reached

around and hugged himhalf motherly instinct, half medical trainingkeeping him from hurting himself.

The readout on her tricorder told her nothing she couldnt see for herself: Heartbeatrapid.

Breathingshallow. Perspirationby the bucket. The pain indicator on the graph might be malfunctioning,

but not as badly as Geordi was.

Did she dare give him a pain depressant without knowing the cause?

His neck was a knot in her hand as he pitched back and forth. He cried out, and his hands flailed back

up to his temples, fingers scratching at the glowing implants.

She yanked her head up to the nurse and pointed at the medkit.

Four CCs zenapantocene!

Geordis trembling body went slack as the hypo hissed into him.

She pulled his limp body back onto her lap and slipped her hand back between his slack fingers and

squeezed.

Come on, come on! Wheres that damn stretcher?

The turbolift droned upward. Rushing was always too slow when life was at stake.

Beverly Crusher bounced on the balls of her feet, as if to lighten the drag on the lift or get her

closer to the deck …something .

She hung tightly on to Geordis hand, her thumb lightly brushing back and forth against his clammy skin.

Too clammy.

The lift released them, but the door to sickbay was still an endless corridor away. They hurried,

Beverlys long red hair an annoyance in her eyes as they ran.

People … walking … in the way …

Move it!

Doctors orders .

They exploded into sickbay, Doctor Crusher barking commands. The room became a beehive, with Geordi its

center and goal.

Lifesign indicators at minimum, Doctor.

Get him into the bio-bedactivate a sterile field.

I want that cart over here. And move MacCaffy out of the way!

Where?

Post-op.

Set up cranial scan!

Beverly ushered the medical team over to the diagnostic bed in the middle of the room. She had to pull

her hand free of Geordisnot from any grasp of his weak fingers, but from her own.

Set up the O.R.,

she ordered the young medic whod closed Geordi into the diagnostic table.

I want a

complete neurosurgical team standing by. Dr. Peiss to assist.

Raenna is already on her way.

Good.

Beverly paused a moment, looked down at the stretcher that held only Geordis VISOR now. The eyes

without their master. Or was the VISOR the master here? Was it the reason he was now in sickbay?

She turned away from it, looked back to Geordi, and frowned at the sight of his unconscious body. So

lifeless … with that bright, humming diagnostic equipment enveloping him. It flashed, pulsed,

clicked … as if it were alive for him.

Fumbling with the bio-bed control pad, Beverly cursed her fingers for not working right, not knowing the

places on the console that would be second nature if …

She ordered another doctor over, and pushed herself toward the wall comm.

Sickbay to Bridge.

Yes, Doctor,

Data replied after a moment.

Were running tests on Geordi,

she said quickly, turning to the screen next to her, taking in the

initial data from the more comprehensive scans of Sickbays sensor bio-bed.

How is he?

Data asked.

Beverly shook her head.

Not well.

She poked something into a control panel on the wall, shook her

head, cleared the screen, and tapped it in again.

Hes sedated, but still in a great deal of pain.

Cause?

I dont know yet,

she said, and cursed the fact.

I cant seem to relieve the pain. Maybe a viral

infection.

She pressed her lips together and frowned, dissatisfied with her own non-answers.

I dont

know,

she repeated quietly.

The area around his neural implants is inflamed.

Diagnostics are running on the transporter systems to discover sabotage, if any. Have you found such

evidence?

Beverlys brows wrinkled in confusion.

Sabotage? No.

She shrugged, wondering who would do such a

thingand why.

Im going to have Bioengineering look at the VISOR, though.

Understood, Doctor,

Data said.

Contact me when you know more.

The channel beeped closed and she pulled in a breath, her brow wrinkling.

Your concern is

underwhelming,

she muttered, and looked back to Geordi.For godssake, Data, what could possibly be more

important than your best friend?

Computer.

Ready.

Request access to primary and secondary communication frequency controls.

Access denied. Command security code required.

Override command security code, personal authority.

Confirm authority.

Lieutenant Commander Data, currently in acting command ofU.S.S. Enterprise . Reference ships log

stardate 47511.3

Pro tem command only. Access denied.

He tapped quickly into the control panel.

Access denied.

He paused a moment, thought, then typed again, longer this time.

Restriction released.

Re-restrict primary controls, my personal code.

Complete.

Encode all secondary frequencies with encryption procedure in file Commander Data two-zero-three point

five-nine-three.

Encryption complete.

Computer, link all frequencies through my console.

Complete.

Function switch, main database.

Database ready.

Search all sub-bases, Klingon military tactics. Topic: covert operations. Subtopic: espionage. Cross-reference: Hidran-Klingon conflict of twenty-two ninety-two.

Searching … Complete. Four hundred thirty-six files found.

List topics.

Data glanced over them rapidly, then pecked a few orders into the console.

New cross-reference: current Klingon tactics based on military reports.

Complete. Seventy-seven entries found under Tactical subtopic, one-hundred fifty-one entries found

under Federation/Klingon Liaison subtopic.

List entries, maximum speed.

Stop squirming!

Deanna snapped.

Riker pulled away, more from her tone than from the pain in his leg.

She pulled the bandage back around his calf and twisted. His hand lurched off the control panel and the

small shuttle rocked. Deanna found herself jammed between Rikers leg and the small alcove under the

console.

Flying manually by choice was exhilarating for Rikerhavingto do it was just nerve-stretching, and his

injured leg wasnt helping.

She pulled herself back up, grabbing the ends of the makeshift bandage again.

Watch it!

He reached down, flexing his toes and feeling the caked blood that had stuck his uniform to

his calf. He wanted to rub at the wound but couldnt bring himself to reach any farther than his knee.

Deanna slapped his hand away and theflitter shook again.

Just let me do this, and you fly the ship,

she said.

Why not try to get the autopilot working?

Cant be fixed for the same reason we cant reach the captain.Enterprise s white-noise blanket must be

having some effect on it.

He stabbed at the autopilot control, then felt the ship shudder and lose

altitude. He quickly turned it off.

Well just have to continue manually.

She twisted at his bandage again and he grimaced.

Thats a little too tight, Deanna,

he said,

squinting at the console in pain.

His only answer was a bandage that pinched even closer around his leg.

Youre cutting off my circulation!

Youre circulating all over the deck. Im trying to stop the bleeding.

Theyd been sniping at each other since takeoff and he was ready to let himself circulate to death if it

would quiet her up. Shed wanted to turn back when the ship had lurched and hed crammed his shin into

the jagged edge of the console panel. He had decided theyd go on.

Riker didnt believe that their minor disagreement was what edged Deannas emotions, though. Maybe she

hadnt released the tension shed absorbed from the delegation… . He didnt know, and he might have

cared more,if she hadnt been taking her anger out on the gash in his leg.

What kind of transport doesnt carry a med-kit?Riker glanced back around the small shuttle the colonists

used for short-distance surveys. It was old and small, with barely enough room for the two of them and

their tricorder. A thick layer of gray dust covered every surface. Riker had wiped down the controls

before powering up, but that had only removed a decade of grime.

Dustand the sight of his own blood. Things he usually enjoyed living without.

He sneezed, and his leg pulsed with pain. The small ship jostled again and be and Deanna grunted as she

bumped against his leg.

The pain and the frustration weighed upon him, with her anxiety a mound on top of his own. He struggled

to keep his glare on the small crafts controls and off her as she worked on cleaning and dressing his

mangled shin and calf. Well, maybe not mangled, but itfelt that way.

We should turn back.

she said.

No,

he growled, burying his thoughts in the console, pounding at the controls. Too minor a reasonhe

wouldnt turn back just because he was in a little pain.

He looked down at the strip of uniform that now acted as his bandage. A laser suture on boardwould have

been nice, or even a roll of gauze, but the lack of either wasnt enough reason to squelch a mission.

We have our orders. Im not going to let this stop us.

Orders. He bent his lips into a frown. The captain had asked the impossiblenot unusual for Picardbut

this time Riker saw no reasonable way. Thousands of square kilometers of land couldnt be surveyed in a

flying dinghy with a souped-up tricorder.

Deanna gave a final tug at the bandage and pulled herself out of the small crevice she had been folded

into.

Its not a small injury, Will. No ones been on this planet long. We dont know what kind of

microbes …

She let her sentence trail off.

What kind of microbes what?

She settled into the only other chair, the copilot seat, and looked out the starboard window. A real

window. With real blue-green sky and endless fields of grain below.

Nothing,

she murmured.

He pursed his lips and silently fumed, unable to stem the burst of emotion he knew would probably catch

Deannas empathic attention. He could feel her staringthose know-all-tell-nothing eyes of a

counselorand wondered where the intimate eyes of a friend had gone. Or did he even want them?

And what didThomas Riker see when he looked into Deannas eyes?

Therewas a strange and confusing turn of events. Recently Riker decided he led a … well, anodd life.

What normal person wakes up in the morning to find that a transporter malfunction years ago had created

an exact duplicate of himself? It had been strange to look inthat mirror … to see a man he could

have beenwouldhave beenhad things not happened at certain turns in his life.

ThomasRiker, as Wills duplicate now called himself, had been stranded early in histheir?career,

marooned at an abandoned post. ThatLieutenant Riker, as he would remain while Will Riker received two

promotions, lived his life not among the stars, but scraping an existence from day to day. Thomas Riker

only dreamed of the life thatWill Riker was actually living. More than that, Tom Riker was still in love

with Deanna Troi.

Not so surprising, that. So why wasnt Will Riker? And why did he feel those twinges of jealousy and

guilt when Tom and Deanna had began … or was it continued? … where he and Deanna had left off?

Maybe he was still in love, in a way. He still enjoyed her companymore than any woman he had ever

known, but he wasnt really interested in rekindling anything at this point, was he? Falling in with

Barbara was evidence of that. Then why did he feel those twinges?

It probably didnt matter. Deanna wasnt interested in Will Riker anymore, it appeared. She was

interested in Tom Riker. Even if Willdid want to rekindle anything … well, he didnt know if that

was possible. It all depended on Deanna, and she wasnt an open book right now.

What else was new? For a psychological counselor she was a master at uncovering other peoples feelings

while shielding her own. She could sense, feel and report on others, but so often bottled her passions

while seeming to be open.

Right now she didnt even seem that, and it was beginning to annoy. Since when didnt she confide in

him?

Since Tom.

The manual control, the frustration of not even knowing what they were looking for … itall had worn

on him. Mile after mile of grain and mile after mile of edged talk was not a prescription to stop the

throbbing of his leg or to find what on the planet was absorbingEnterprise s energy.

All he was sure of so far was that Velex seemed to be a giant power sponge that soaked up the white-noise blanket with fervor.

Every last bit of the flitters reserve power had been diverted to sensors to hack through that blanket.

That left manual navigation turbulent, and what energy was left being drained by the planet as well.

He gritted his teeth and tried to think about his piloting more than anything else. If he was going to

be resentful about something he should at least take it off of her. She could be reading him. Another

problem with empaths … theyd leave their victims wondering what thoughts had been

listened to.

Each attempt to block his emotions just frustrated him further. Like trying to blow out a camp fire, he

was only fueling what hed hoped to smother flagging for perusal those thoughts he wanted hidden. The

harder he tried not to be read, the easier he would be to read.

Sensor penetration?

he asked, knowing the answer was the same as ten minutes ago.

She looked from one screen to another.

Twelve kilometer radius and holding.

Monotone. Distant.

Dammit, Deanna!

He was looking at her, and she snapped her eyes up to his.

What?

she asked, perplexed.

Riker hesitated, then decided to push forward.

Whats with you today?

She looked at him for a moment, then looked away, back toward the window.

Im not sure.

Concern thumped around his gut, pulling his jaw tight. His leg throbbed with the pumping of his heart

but it seemed the least of his problems.

He stared at the back of her head, then looked out the starboard window, trying to follow her gaze to

whatever it was she saw, or felt.

He leaned over, nudged her shoulder.

Deanna, I didnt mean to snap,

he offered a bit softer, knowing it should have been a lot softer.

She shook her head a little, looked up.

You didnt,

she murmured.

You all right?

Fine.

But she wasnt.

I know when youre fine. Whats bothering you?

She turned to him, those mahogany Grecian eyes catching

his and pulling him in. There was such confusion pasted on her face … pain almostworse than when

she was swept up in a tempest of emotions that were the Hidran and Klingon delegations.

She stared at him a bit longer, looking the little lost girl. Perhaps trying to put thoughts into words.

He glanced out the window, made a course adjustment, tried to lose his tension in the churning jasmine

fields below. Tried to, but couldnt and swiveled back to her.

They rode up and down an air pocket and she said nothing. Riker got the feeling she was trying. Her

knuckles were white marbles on her lap and he half twisted out of his seat to face her.

She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, folding her hands together thoughtfully on the edge of the

console.

I dont quite know how to put it.

Riker tapped the autopilot control, but the white-noise blanket still interfered with compu-nav-sensors

and the computer refused his command again. He grumbled something and had to turn back to the console.

Tell me what youre feeling.

This planet … theres something unnerving about it,

she said slowly.

It was barely noticeable

before … but as we get farther from the colony …

From the corner of his eye he noticed she was looking out the port again.

The planet makes you uncomfortable? What could do that?

Cocking her head to one side, as if listening to something in the distance, she focused her eyes on a

remote point and whispered,

Nothing.

Rikers brows knitted. He shifted toward her, forgetting their mission to scan and just allowing the

flitter to travel off in a relatively straight line.

She bit her lower lip softly, then finally spoke.

What do you hear when you go to the beach?

His brows shot up.

Excuse me?

Seriously,

she said.

What does a beach sound like?

People

She cut him off with a wave of her hand.

No. Say youre alone.

He shrugged, briefly wondering why hed be alone on a beach.

Birds, the surf. I dont know. What else?

Right.

She nodded.

Even blindfolded youd know you were near the ocean. Entire planets are like that

for Betazoids. The millions of life-forms, from insects to people, put out a sort of … hum of life.

I can sense it. Sometimes I can even tell one planet from another by how itfeels to me.

How does this planet feel to you?

There was a cold silence for a moment, but Riker suddenly realized it wasnt an emotional cold. It

wasnt passionless.

Picture your beach without sound,

she said.

The tide coming and going silently as

if you were deaf. But you could still hear the sound of your own voice and your boots crunching the

sand.

The image sent a shudder down Rikers spine. It was the stuff of nightmares.

Maybe a better way to describe it is like walking down that beach breathing stale air.

She was raising

her voice now, almost angry at the situation.

It sickens you. Suffocates you.

Riker frowned again.

What do you think it means?

She gripped his arm, her fingers now talons and her eyes burning with small tears. She was scared. One

emotion he hadnt thought ofshe was scared.

As sure as were alive, Will,

she said,

I know this planet is dead!

Klingon! You are dead!

Urosks bellow cracked through the hall and yanked Picard to his feet. It echoed as Worf spun to see

Zhads form collapse over a Klingons. Worf looked up at Urosk, and the indicting Hidran finger that

meant to bore through him.

Picard followed the line of Urosks arm straight to Worfs eyes. Surprise tinted the Klingons features

only a moment before becoming angled with strength. He bent his knees and braced himself.

Captain Picard vaulted over his table, phaser drawn, and stabbed at his communicator.

Enterprise!Beam

down emergency security team!

Urosk, down on one knee, grabbed the dagger in the dead Klingons chest. The armored corpse jolted up

with the blade, then fell back down as Urosk shook the body free. Urosk hurtled forward, toward Worf.

Picard bolstered his foot against the edge of the table in front of him and shoved. It went sliding

across the room, grinding toward Urosk. It slammed into the Hidran captain, barring his way to Worf for

the moment.

The other Hidran smashed their chairs on the hard stone floor and instantly each one was armed with a

strong, threatening club.

Splinters flew as wood cracked against marble and the Klingons suddenly had equally sinister weapons.

The Hidran captain held his blade, clamped tight between rustred fingers.

Iwill kill you myself,

Klingon!

Picard pulled Worf back and squared off with Urosk himself. A moment more and another security team

would beam down around them. Picard would have to hold them off until then.

But no shafts of light and sparkle appeared. No hum filled the hall, and Picards phaser seemed less and

less adequate in his palm. He didnt want to end up with a roomful of stunned carcasses. That would save

Worfs life, but lose the Klingon-Hidran peace. Not exactly how his mission orders read.

He looked back at Worf, hoping the Klingon wouldnt lose his cool in the shadow of Urosks posturing.

Worf was not the only one he had to worry aboutthe remaining five Klingons came up behind his security

chief, flanking him. Protection?

If so, the protection was capricious at best. With five Hidran, five Klingons, Worf and Picard, all

crushed into a few square yards in the center of the festival hall, something had to give.

Picard jabbed at his comm badge again.

Enterprise!

He heard the dull electrical tone that told him the

channel was blocked.

We will have vengeance!

Urosk cried, grabbing a club from one of his men and shaking it wildly in the

air.

Kadar clutched at his own dagger.

We are the ones who shall have that!

Picards muscles tensed and he balanced himself against a possible onslaught. His eyes became slivers

and he quickly pinpointed the positions of his few security men and Barbaras two guards. If it came

down to sheer numbers, he had control. Unfortunately Klingons and Hidran could count as two apiecetheir

rage turned even odds into poor ones.

Hollitt!

Picard called,

Get your people out of here! Close off the hall!

The Klingons closed tighter on Worf to barricade him, yet moved forward toward their foes.

Kadar put his hand on Worfs shoulder.

We will stand with you.

The security chief pushed away.

I stand with my captain.

Picard wasnt sure if Worf was acting out of loyalty or tactics, but he heard and nodded as his officer

moved out from between the cloister of his protectors. It looked bad to have Worf with them, as if there

had been some conspiracy to kill the ambassador.

The Hidran pushed closer, and the two groups began to square off against each other, space-faring races

whod clung to daggers in their lust for death by any weapon.

The captain gestured for his personnel to surround them. He hardened his shoulders, looked briefly at

Worf, then back to the throbbing mass of hostility that called itself a diplomatic delegation. Civilized

pretense had been lost. A pretense he was supposed to have preserved.

Phaserson stun,

Picard said, rather quietly, to Worf.

Kadar, blade in hand, bulldozed the table between him and Urosk. They were feet apart and Picard thumbed

the trigger of his phaser. A brilliant orange rod of power slammed into the floor between the two

adversaries. A whine of energy rang throughout the hall, and dark smoke settled onto a frozen audience.

There will be no more death today!

he thundered.

Every glare blazed rage and hate.

Indignantly, Urosk shook his knife in the air.

We have had enough of your idleness Picard! Let us fight

our enemies or become an enemy yourself!

You dont want to be my enemy, Urosk,

Picard barked.

I will not have this. Cease, and we will find

the cause of your comrades death.

Kadar held his dagger in one hand and gestured to the fallen Klingon with his other.

Will we not see

why my first officer died, Captain?

he bellowed.

Picard nodded at the bodies.

His murderer is dead. What more would you seek?

The Klingon turned toward Urosk, his blade outstretched, his voice a low, threatening growl.

More.

Urosk dived forward, crimson arms extended, cloak flowing.

Picard locked eyes with Worf and gave the slightest of nods. Worf fired, and a sizzling lance pinned the

Hidran captain.

Urosk deflated, falling back into heap of groggy confusion.

The Klingons seized the moment and rushed forward.

Picard pointed, a threatening motion. His finger marked Kadar.

The Klingon commander toppled to his knees, dazed by the blast from Worfs phaser. Orange rivulets of

spark grappled his form, and his knife clattered onto the stone floor.

The captain looked from dagger to dagger, Hidran to Klingon, and wondered how many other traditions they

shared but would admit no common ground. Their problem was not their differences, he thought, but their

similarities.

He tacked back to the remaining Klingons. Four violent, savage scowls gouged with surprise. Not only had

a Starfleet ally phasered down the commander of an Imperial Battle Cruiser, but Worf had fired the blow.

Bitterness overpowered his pride in Worfs loyalty, though. The captain nodded and said:

Phasers will

now be set toheavy stun.

A grating hum filled the hall and pressed into them as every energy weapon sang with more power.

Shall we go at it again?

Picard asked harshly.

One Hidran officer, his furious eyes defiantly burning into Picard, exploded toward the Klingons.

Worfs phaser came up but Picard pushed the Klingons hand down and fired his own weapon.

The Hidran officer snapped forward, then convulsed and went flying back, his weapon clattering to the

floor.

No one reached to pick it up.

Well, gentlemen,

Picard said, pitiless,

how do we get ourselves out of this bloody mess?

We demand the right to prosecute him! A Hidran court must judge this matter!

Urosk had unfolded himself from off the floor and now stood before Picard. If the Hidran captain was

still feeling the effects of the phaser stun, as he should have been, he wasnt showing it. He pulled

the dark cloak around his slick skin and took in a short, angry breath.

Well, Picard?

A good two feet shorter than the Hidran, Picard somehow managed a glare that lookeddown at Urosk. Worf

still at his side, the captain holstered his phaser and nodded a firm chin toward the Klingon.

And then

execute him, Captain? I think not.

We have our rights!

Urosk bellowed.

And so does Lieutenant Worf, Captain.

Urosk scowled at Worf and ground those sharp little teeth that flashed through his mask.

Murderers have

no rights, Picard. Especially Klingons.

I am not convinced a murder has been committed by anyone other than Ambassador Zhad,

Picard said.

I

assure you an investigation

Investigation!

Urosk twisted away then pivoted back.

And while you act to protect your security

chief, do not think I will not act on my own!

Youd better not.

Barbara Hollitt came up beside Picard. She held her own weapon, and matched Urosk

glare for glare, her green to his.

Everybody in this hall is under house arrest until further notice.

Urosks face crumbled into a scowl.

By whose authority

Mine,

Barbara said coldly and turned to Picard.

My guards will remove the Klingon delegation to the

back hall. No one comes in or out without my say-so.

Picard nodded approval, glad the Klingons would be separated from the Hidran, but uneasy with Barbaras

guards doing the job. Where were his own? Why hadnt his communicator connected with the Enterprise?

What other problems were burning elsewhere?

I will not stand for this, Picard,

Urosk said.

You will,

Picard said slowly, darkly,

whether you wish to do so quietly or not I do not care, but

youwill do it.

The captain leaned closer to Urosk, over and up.

I am in control of this situation,

Urosk, and if anyone else gets injured it will not be me or my people.

The Hidran captains wide florid lips snarled up into a smirk.

That we shall see,

he said, and spun

quickly on his heel, leaving a swirl of sour air twisting under Picards nose.

He and Worf shared a glance as the captain pounded his comm badge.

Picard toEnterprise .

Data here, sir.

There was no delay.

Where in hell were you ten minutes ago?

Picard demanded.

In sickbay with Dr. Crusher, sir,

Data said in something slightly more concerned than his normal tone.

Geordi?

Picard asked quickly.

Yes, sir,

Data said.

After beaming up he collapsed on the transporter pad. He has been in emergency

surgery since eighteen twenty-two hours.

Picards brow furrowed, his skin felt tight.

Surgery for what?

To have his temple implants removed, sir. A total malfunction of his VISOR bio-circuitry.

Picards gut twisted and he suppressed a shiver. His crisp hazel eyes focused on Zhad for a moment.

Is

he in any mortal danger?

No, sir. Not at this time.

Keep me informed every step, Mr. Data.

Aye, sir.

Thoughts of Geordi still chewing at him, Picard pushed on to more pressing matters.

Commander, when I

needed communication with the ship

Yes, sir. Sorry for any delay. I was transferring all frequencies to my control for security purposes.

The captain looked up at Worf and shook his head.

Quite inopportune, Mr. Data. We needed an open

channel.

I am sorry, sir,

Data said.

I thought there may be a chance that the Klingons could use our open comm

channels if we left them available. They have used similar tactics in the past.

Any evidence of unauthorized use?

Picard asked.

No, sir. But I am pursuing a hypothesis.

Pulling in a deep sigh, Picard nodded. He didnt want to step on any of his officers initiatives, but

Data might have caused problems, even deaths.

I understand what you were trying to do, Commander, but youll have to work on your timing. More harm

than good might have come of it.

Aye, sir,

came the simple reply.

Any word from Riker?

Not yet, sir.

Contact him and have them return directly here. A small energy drain is the least of our worries right

now.

Yes, sir.

Can Doctor Crusher leave Mr. La Forge?

Once shes out of surgery, I believe so, sir.

Have her beam down as soon as possible. There have been two deaths.

Picards eyes narrowed on Zhads

collapsed form, still crumpled over the Klingons dead body, soaking in a pool of alien blood.

I want

to know ifboth were murder.

Stabilize!

Riker pounded the console with his fist.

Come on! Come on! Get up there!

he scolded the

flitter as it pitched forward and down, a burst of power burning through it.

He slammed hard against the console as Deanna toppled out of her seat.

What the hell was that?

he choked, pushing himself away from the controls, trying to fill his aching

chest.

I dont know,

Deanna groaned, pulling herself back up into her chair.

Riker scanned the different computer screens and worked to balance the shuttle further. He wasnt used

to roller-coaster rides where he could plummet to his death. He also didnt usually yell at his

equipment, but with only Deanna here … well, this wasnt the bridge of theEnterprise .

Sensors show we just passed through that anomaly you read. No energy drain down there.

Im reading something else.

Deanna swiveled away from her console.

Theres a sensor beacon here.

The

tone in her voice was less anxious than before. Telling him what shed been feeling, getting into words

what she hadnt even been able to get into thoughts, must have taken a weight off her shoulders.

Unfortunately, all the weight was now on his.

Riker punched up the visual on his screen. A lump of barren rock at the center of a wild grain field

stared back at him. He looked out the port window and saw the same: gray-brown slabs of stone chunked

together in the middle of all that wheat.

As if someone dropped their cargo from a quarry ship,

he said.

Riker had theflitter circling wide around the outcropping. He punched in a command for a tighter spin,

then looked up at Deanna.

What do you think?

I dont think its naturally occurring,

Deanna said.

It is broadcasting a beacon, Will. Weak, and

certainly not on a Starfleet band, but on someones. If we hadnt been looking …

Maybe someones trying to hide it,

Riker said, thinking aloud. He shook his head and a few strands of

dark hair fell over his brow.

But you dont hide something from someone who isnt looking. Anything you

want to hide you make sure is hidden when someoneis looking.

She looked at him for a moment as they were quiet. He angled back toward the port and looked down at the

boulders and sheets of stone that were suddenly so out of place on a planet of continuous fields.

We should report back to the captain,

Deanna said.

Agreed, he needs to know what youve told me … but this is too good to pass up. Lets try and take

back more information than the planet makes Deanna fidget.

He rubbed the back of his neck.

That didnt come out the way I meant it to, Deanna. All the tension,

now this puzzle … Can we forget that comment with a few other choice ones Ive made in the last few

hours?

And I thought I was the empath.

Deanna smiled.

You read my mind.

He laughed, reached for her hand.

Okay,

he began,

well find out a little more, then head back.

She nodded, gave his hand a squeeze, and turned back to her console.

Square one,

Riker said.

What kind of broadcast is it?

Deanna shrugged.

Short. One or two seconds, then it repeats.

Try a standard hail on its own wavelength.

She tapped at the console, then lifted her head.

Nothing.

Riker began to tap his foot nervously, then remembered the pain in his leg. He winced and sucked in a

quick breath.

Computers ask standard log-in questions. Maybe this is some kind of a log-in computer prompt, asking

for a response or a command,

she suggested.

That would take forever to find,

Riker said.

Try simple codes.

A moment later she shook her head.

His hand dropped back down to his knee and he rubbed.

My kingdom for a bullet to bite on.

Deanna continued to type something into her board but stooped down to check Rikers bandage.

Is the

pain worse?

She asked.

Youre bleeding through my handiwork.

I promise to wash it before I return it.

She shook her head.

Why are you so stubborn?

You love it,

he said, bobbing his brows up and down, giving his bearded face a devilish tinge.

There goes your rating as an empath. The only thing Id love right now is amedical doctor looking at

your leg.

Well compromise. Well try a few more things. If nothing works, we head back.

She nodded agreeably.

Okay. What next?

Try anything,

he said.

Play back its own signal, transmit a binary request for communication,

whatever.

He watched her peck away at her console.

Somethings down there,

he said.

We cant scan

under the rocks, yet we get a beacon fromthem . The signal cant be from the rock itself, can it?

Deanna gave a soft shrug.

Transmitting. Maybe we dont have enough power to penetrate the rock

withEnterpri

Suddenly Deanna was quiet. Riker twisted to ask

Craaaaaaaack!

Riker slammed to a stop in mid-motion, his muscles straining against air that suddenly was thick as wet

sand against his chest. He couldnt move … saw Deanna at his side … motionless … turned to

stone.

With all his will he tried to push against whatever fist held him in its grip. What was it? He didnt

care. He wanted to turn, to breathe, to move.

His muscles ached, his head pounded with pain … there was no give from whatever held him. Riker felt

himself trembling against the strain, but knew he wasnt really moving. Frustration held him as tight as

the paralysis.

From the edge of his vision he saw the dim gray rock spiraling up toward the port window.

His vision abruptly fogged to black. He could still hear the whine of air rushing against the shuttle,

and there was horror when the awful whine began to fade.

It ended with the crunch of metal collapsing against rock.

He felt a twinge of soreness ripple through his body, then … nothing.

Chapter Five

HIS FACE LOOKED NORMALwithout the glowing temple implants. Eyes closed, no one would have known he was .

. . blind. Beverlys mind choked over the thought as surely as her throat would have if shed tried to

speak it.

Blind.No fooling blind.

There was no medical reason for her to be there. She couldve been checking on Rileys arm or Tsnatsus

fluid intake … she should have been. But she left it to others, to be here holding a hand.

Watching the movement of his eyes under closed lids, she wondered what he envisioned in a dream. Did

Geordi see as she didcolors, forms, definable lines and shapes, or did he dream in whatever impulses he

usually saw through his VISOR?

It struck her that Geordi hadnt really been blind since he was a child. No more than anyone who could

turn their sight on and off with a desire. There was no permanence when he took his VISOR off at night,

just as there was no permanence when she let her own eyes drift shut.

Now all that had changed. His VISOR was elsewhere, the implants that allowed it to work were goneand

his

eyes

might never open again.

Beverly squeezed his hand and looked up at the vitals screen, more for distraction than anything else,

until Datas voice pulled her gaze toward the doorway.

Geordi?

Hes still under the anesthetic,

she whispered, rising, yet keeping her hand around Geordis.

Data nodded and glanced up at the monitors.

How is he?

Resting easily.

She gently released Geordis hand and joined Data near the doorway.

Lets talk

somewhere else.

Data hesitated. He wanted to stay. Should he? No logical reason presented itself, so he turned and

followed the doctor out.

In silence they walked to the next door and entered Beverlys office. She let out a long sigh and fell

into her desk chair. Beverly looked tired, eyes weary, shoulders weaker.

I guessed right,

she said.

Removing the bioneural implants worked.

Guessed, Doctor?

Beverly looked up at him, then back down.

Without time to review procedures on the operation I had to

let the computer lead the way and suggest the answers. We had to make an educated guess as to the

problem.

Data nodded. Dr. Crusher had good stamina for a human, but her voice was spiritless and she seemed not

to wish to go into the details Data needed.

And that problem was?

he prodded.

She rubbed her foreheadanother sign she was tired.

His temple implants were breaking down and

inflaming his tissues.

She frowned, glowering at her hands as she clasped tightly on top of the desk.

We took them out. Now hes fine.

Then you acted correctly.

Data was trying to be consoling and he wondered if it came across that way.

Did I, Data? I let a computer be the doctor and ended up taking out a mans eyes because he had a

headache. Not exactly a method of which Hippocrates would have approved.

She ran her thumb along the

edge of her tunic jacket and mumbled,

Whats next? Decapitations for dandruff?

She was being overly dramatic, Data decided.

I would think that out of the question, Doctor.

The slightest smile appeared on Beverlys lips. Why? Surely she didnt want him to take the comment

seriously.

Beverly gestured for Data to take a seat.

He did, knowing that humans disliked an inferior position in any discussion.

Do you know what happened

to the implants?

They looked decayed to me. Something that shouldnt have happenedthe implants should outlast

theEnterprise. Bioengineering is examining them. Theyve ruled out a problem with the VISOR itself.

She

tapped a few commands into her desk computer and swiveled the screen toward him.

Data looked down at the screen a moment. The text said nothing she hadnt told him. Why show him? Just

for the sake of having done it? Humans were fidgety.

Prognosis, Doctor?

Hes stable now. Hell be fine … except for his sight.

Is the blindness permanent?

Speaking slowly, she whispered,

I dont know.

How was he to react? The injury of a comrade was serious. That the disability may be permanent made it

doubly so.

He knitted his brows in an expression he thought was regret.

Judging by the sadness in Beverlys eyes he probably came close.

Doctor, I am sorry to ask you to leave, but the captain requires your presence planetside.

Her expression changed to anger without thoughtonce round brows now arched up.

Like hell. I cant

leave Geordi right now

You did just say he was stable, Doctor.

Yes, but … leave? Now? Out of the question.

She shook her head.

Under no circumstances. When

Geordi wakes up, I have to be here. Hes going to wake up blind, Data. Truly blind. Do you know what

that means?

Data thought he did, but something told him that Beverly had another meaning in mind.

Its going to take more than an order from the captain to get me off this ship right now, Mr. Data.

Itll take an act of god.

Itwas an order from the captain. What more could he say?

There has been a murder, Doctor.

Beverlys face became red. Whether from guilt or anger or disgust, Data could not be sure.

She picked up a medical tricorder from the edge of her desk.

I guess an act of stupidity is as close as

Ill get to an act of god.

Captain Picard?

Barbara was able to catch up with Picards gait across the hall as he stooped down to snatch a spoon off

the floor. He walked so quickly shed had trouble keeping up with his stride.

She stopped, letting him march a few paces without her. Finally he realized and turned.

Picard stood there, slapping the cup of the spoon against his palm anxiously.

Dr. Hollitt?

She flattened her lips.

Im sorrywere we supposed to be racing?

He glared and walked toward her.

Point taken. What did you find out?

Barbara gave an apologetic nod. She hadnt meant to be so flippant, just wasnt sure how to react to all

these Starfleet people. And she wasnt sure how she felt about Rikers disappearance. A few days ago

Velex had been a small colony of scientists fumbling in the fields, and she was an overworked and

underpaid botany specialist. Now Velex was becoming the battle ground of a war and she was in the middle

of it, worrying about a man shed just met a few hours ago. Shed stepped into that relationship

expecting nothing more than the moment, and she couldnt really explain the feeling of loss. All she

really could explain was that she didnt feel Picard was doing enough to stop the entire situation from

falling out of control.

But what should she do? Assert herself as leader of the colony? Or maybe just sit back and let the

soldiers do their jobs.

She looked at the hard line of Picards jaw and the captains determined brow.

We dont show them on scanners, but your transmission blanket makes our equipment pretty useless.

Picard nodded and they continued across the hall again. This time the captain seemed to be watching his

gallop to assure she wouldnt fall behind.

He huffed out a breath and clacked the business end of the spoon against his comm badge.

Picard

toEnterprise!

Enterprise,Data here, sir.

Mr. Data, I want a scan of the planet for the away teams shuttle.

It would be necessary to disable the white-noise transmission, sir.

Do so, Commander. Restore when scans are complete.

There was a pause. Too long, Barbara assumedPicard was surprised enough to stop his trot across the

hall.

Acknowledge that, Mr. Data.

Barbara flinched at the bark in Picards voice.

Yes, sir. Do you think it is wise considering Commander Rikers failure to report in?

The captain shifted his weight from one leg to the other and Barbara saw his shoulders tense. Was he as

anxious to find out about Will Riker and the counselor, or was he just cross at being questioned by a

subordinate?

Explain, Commander. Quickly.

Mr. Rikers unexplained absence may be due to … Klingon interference. Interference that could only

increase if the white-noise blanket is disengaged.

Picard looked sharply back toward the center of the hall, a clanging noise distracting him.

Barbara followed his gaze. Just someone setting a table upright.

I see,

Picard said flatly.

Wasnt this news? Wasnt this important? Just a bit cold-bloodedto discuss a missing crewmen so

dispassionately. Which was the android, Data or Picard?

Thats the second time youve made such an assertion, Mr. Data.

Picard was focused again, his eyes off

the table and pivoting around the room.

Upon what do you base it?

Barbara opened her mouth to speak.

Picard waved her off.

Instinctively she took a step back. His gesture wasnt threatening, but was certainly a warning.

Will Riker was a kind, delightful good time. How did he get along with this captain? They werent just

day and nightthey were separate seasons.

Evidence is inconclusive at this time, sir.

She frowned. Damn. No news was … well, no news.

Then carry out my orders,

Picard said.

Aye, sir.

How soon can I expect Dr. Crusher?

She is on her way to the transporter room now and will brief you on Commander La Forges condition upon

arrival.

Very well. Alert me as soon as you know something about Riker and Troi. Picard out.

The spoon clanged against the communicator, signaling it off.

Picard glanced back toward the middle of the hall and Barbaras gaze followed.

From here, Zhads body was nothing more than a long gray blob, his tall form covered with a tablecloth.

A few feet away lay a similar blob, the ambassadors Klingon victim.

None of this is going away,

she said.

No.

The captain shook his head.

Its not.

He pivoted toward her.

Whats the maximum range of one of

those flitters of yours?

She shrugged.

Under five thousand kilometers without refueling Id guess.

Spaceworthy?

No. Strictly low atmosphere. Captain …

Barbara hesitated, unsure she wanted to ask her question.

She might get an answer.

What do you think has happened to them?

Picard began thwacking the spoon against his leg. Was he finally nervous? If he was that may be worse

than when he wasnt. Why was he concerned all of a sudden?

Somethings happened,

he murmured.

Maybe they found something.

Disengage white-noise transmission, Mr. De Potter.

The young ensign looked up at the android and nodded.

Aye, sir.

Hed been all worked up for first

shift duty, which meant posting with the captain on the bridge, and hadnt expected to be under command

of the second officer. Not that it was a problemjust that Commander Data wasnt who hed been ready

for. And with a starship under his fingertips he wanted to be more than ready.

He ran his hands along the console. Nonstandard transmissions were always a problem. If he even

missedone key sequence …

Disengaged, sir.

DePotter looked down at his board to confirm the disbursement of the frequency field. Stay on top of

things, anticipate questions, and you look good.

Sir!

DePotter poked at the board again to make double sure.

Data rose from the command chair.

Report.

Seismic activityplanet wide! It was there… .

DePotter looked up, expecting to see incredulity

reflected back at him. All he saw was Datas expressionless face and it startled him. He stumbled.

Then

it … it was gone a second later.

The android leaned down over the ensigns shoulder and scanned the readouts.

You are correct. Three-point-three-two magnitude for point-seven seconds.

I know,

DePotter said, then quickly added,

sir.

Mistake number fifty-two since he had been

transferred to his first bridge rotation a day ago … and he knew he wasnt the only one counting.

Unique, Mr. DePotter.

Yes, sir.

Shut up. Do your job. Say

aye, sir

a lot.

Data tapped a finger at one of DePotters console readouts.

A fleeting earthquake of significant

magnitude, less that a second in length, with no after shocks.

Aye, sir.

The last

aye

shoulda been a

yes

and the

yes

shoulda been an

aye.

He was overanalyzing, and knew

that introspectiveness only led to … perspiration.

Data stood up straight.

Ensign?

This was itsomehow hed caused the quake and now thereal boom would be lowered.

Sir?

Was not your previous assignment Geological Sciences?

DePotter fought to keep himself from cringing.

Uh, yes, sir.

Back to the gravel pit he went. Shortest

bridge rotation in Starfleet history.

Commander Data looked down at DePotter with a serious expression.

What do you make of the situation

then?

The quake, sir?

What a dunsel question! Of course the quake.

The android simply nodded.

Well,

DePotter began slowly, trying to draw out his first moment of real comfort on the bridgeat

least this he could answer.

Theres no overt volcanic activity of any kind, but sensors have been

unable to penetrate the crust. We are assuming a solid core considering the age of the other planets in

this system …

He looked from Data to the planets image on the main viewer and back, analyzing what

he knew out loud.

I dont think theres ever been an instance of seismic activity occurring

simultaneously over an entire planet. Especially one that has no tectonic activity. At least theres no

recorded record of one.

Recorded record? What was that? Is that like a yelling scream?

Data nodded.

I concur.

He turned toward the science station.

Scan for the away team and the Velexian

shuttle, and download all sensor data on the tremor to the science station. Then reestablish the white-noise broadcast.

DePotter poked at his console, and tried to salvage his self-esteem.

Aye aye, sir.

No one could be having a worse day.

Captain Picard had given his version of a sigh again. Hed done it more than a few times in the last

hour, and that concerned Barbara almost as much as Will Rikers whereabouts. She decided the outcome of

this entire situation rested on Picards shoulders, and that he was suddenly uncertain … well, that

was something to worry about too.

Maybe there was no blessing in the captains asking her to join him in private, but shed needed to get

out of the main hall. There was something unnerving about that room now. Two dead bodies and so little

activityno screams, no weeping, just a lone doctor hovering over them, and even she had seemed rather

detached to Barbara.

Barbara wasnt sure which was better: when these people didnt seem to care … or when they did.

She couldnt read Picard right now.

Thank you, Mr. Data. Let me know when you have something more. Picard out.

The wooden chair creaked as Barbara leaned forward.

Well?

Rising, the captain began to circle the table that filled the room. He barely had room to pace.

My science officer confirmed the earthquake. Whats puzzling,

the captain said, his finger whirling in

a small circle to encompass all of Velex,

is that it was concurrent planetwide.

Barbara looked up, tensely gripping her hands on the arms of the chair.

Well?

Picard looked at her a moment. If he wondered what she was talking about, it was only for a fleeting

moment.

He also said there was no sign of the away team or the shuttle within the radius of its

presumable range.

She could feel tears beginning to well and she blinked them away. It was crazyshed only met him today.

It also wasnt just himthat was a lie to herself. The whole situationwhat had happened to her simple

plan?

Maybe an aftereffect of the white noise …

Unlikely. Im having the entire planet scanned, but if theyve

he looked down quickly, then back

up

landed somewhere, itll take time.

She nodded and pushed herself out of the chair.

Doctor,

Picard began, as if he were deciding whether to confide in her,

has a quake like this ever

happened here before?

Back to something other than Will and his companion. Maybe Picard couldnt deal with it, so he had to

think about something else. Barbara didnt know what to make of anything anymore. The only thing she did

know was that she didnt like Picards inaction.

Ever?

She cocked her head to one side.

I cant speak to ever. Ive only been here a little over a

week.

Picard scowled across the table at her.

What is this annoying tendency of scientists to be so damned

literal?

Thats what science is all about, Captain.

Picard gave a

harrumph

and looked down at the spoon he still held in his hand.

Dr. Hollitt, I

appreciate your help so far, but I need serious answers. Has there been a similar quake while youve

been here?

She gave her hair a defiant flip.

I would have told you if so.

A simple no would have sufficedbut maybe thats one of the reasons civilians like her werent in

Starfleet.

Why do you ask?

Asking too many unnecessary questions was another of those reasons.

Picard thumbed his lower lip and she thought he was either considering an answer, or considering

answering.

I have a hunch.

She laughed.

Ah, I see. That explains your problem with science.

The laugh was nervous and she thought

it showed. Here she was depending on this stranger and he had a hunch … What did that say about her?

I dont have a problem with science,

Picard said.

In fact, its because of my disbelief in

coincidence that I have this hunch.

Whats your hunch?

The captain shook his head.

I dont know yet. Some possible connection with the quake and the away

teams disappearance perhaps.

Youre right, that is scientific,

Barbara said dryly. Picard flashed a glare.

If looks could burn, Barbara would have been a cinder.

Lieutenant Worf, reporting as ordered, sir.

Five feet from the door, Worf still blocked Picards view of its polished wooden frame.

The captain looked up at the tall Klingon and nearly said,

At ease,

but knew Worf would feel more

comfortable at attention.

Picard sat up straight.

Mr. Worf, we have a very delicate situation. Youve been accused by the Hidran

of murder, and Id rather not exacerbate matters by keeping you on duty. I must relieve you.

Understood, sir.

Worf yanked his phaser from its holster and placed the weapon on the table.

I stand

relieved.

The captain pursed his lips. Worf had spared Picard from making the longer speech hed been dreading,

but that was no real relief. He trusted Worf, believed in him, and didnt enjoy having to relieve him.

He just couldnt keep Worf on duty considering the circumstancesit would only serve to anger the Hidran

further.

The Klingon, still ram-rod straight, looked down and relaxed the expression on his face.

Regulations

require it, sir. I would do the same in your place.

Of that Picard had no doubt. But he wondered if Worf would feel the same regret. What was the Klingon

feeling now? The severity of his thick brow and that bony forehead left most emotions masked. Pride was

always there. Anger, sure. Loyalty he wore like a badge. But regret? Picard couldnt remember finding

regret in those dark, shadowy eyes. And as the Klingon stood there, the paragon of a soldier, Picard

knew he couldnt conceal the remorse in his own.

If anything was clear from the events of the past few hours, it was that Worf was no murderer.

Lieutenant,

Picard said, waggling a finger at Worf,

were going to prove your innocence.

Beverly Crusher closed her medical tricorder and pushed herself up from her half-kneel over Zhads body.

A disgusting sight. Not the sight of blood or the scent of the Hidrans wet flesh, but the sight and

scent of murder itself.

Well, Doctor?

Picard prodded.

What do you think?

I think theyre dead.

She spat the words at the captain, and meant to.

Picard shook his head.

Youre not being enlightening, Doctor.

Fine, you want to know what I think?

She crooked a thumb angrily over her shoulder.

I think the

Klingon was stabbed and the Hidran had his face ripped off. That is myofficial medical diagnosis.

Doctor,

Picard scolded harshly.

She knew ironic answers where not what the captain had in mind. He never did. But to be herecleaning up

the mess of people who … well, who werent Geordi. She just wanted to be up there, mending the

living rather than sweeping up after the dead.

Picard gripped Beverlys elbow with his strong fingers and pulled her to his side. His tone was at once

understanding and harsh.

Mr. Worf needs your help as well.

It was as if Picard knew where her thoughts were. A doctor with a ship full of patients had a thousand

different concerns for a thousand different crewmen. Shed forgotten that a captains thoughts radiated

fartherthe crew, the ship, Starfleet, life, death, right, wrong … and Geordi too.

She lowered her gaze and nodded. A little guilt was a good thing now and then, someone once said. Come

to think of it, a doctor probably said it.

Worf needed help … okay. Maybe she could do something.

I dont know enough about their physiology

to determine anything more than the Hidran died of suffocation. Maybe with some files on general anatomy

from their ship and sickbay

The captain shook his head.

Im afraid thats not one of our alternatives at this point, Doctor.

Diplomacy.

Beverly held up her tricorder.

Science, Captain. And diplomacy has nothing to do with science.

Picard motioned to the two dead bodies.

But plenty to do with murder.

I am not willing to sit and wait to be murdered!

Be seated, Batok.

You know they will protect their own and we will not see justice! You know we will be killed?

Captain Urosk rose slowly, evenly. If hed had a knife it wouldnt be the tension he would cutit would

be Batoks throat.

Sit down, Batok.

Batok paused, testing his captain, then angrily snapped back into his seat.

Urosk knew that bringing the young hothead along was going to be problematic. He cursed his own

decision. Once in space he could have backed out on his promise to allow the ambassador to choose the

security force. He should have known Zhad would favor those politically aligned with him.

The Federation is different from the Klingon Empire.

Urosk spoke more to the other three, less

volatile members of his party.

Even the ambassador said Picard was worthy of respect.

Batok twisted away and studied the door.

That was before Picard ordered his assassination.

We do not know that. Worf is a Klingon. He acts as a Klingon.

Urosk forced his tone down, cooler, and

began to pace the room.

He had to keep control of Batok. Like Zhad, the young officer was alive for his hate. If allowed to, he

would die of that hateor for it. Urosks concern was to see that Batok did not pull the Hidran race

down with him. It was true that without strength the Hidran would have died by the millions, and it

remained true. But reasonability was not weakness, and while such knowledge was common among the masters

of ships, it was less evident to a people raised on venom.

Picard is not Klingon and may not hold their biases.

Batok shook an angry orange fist at Urosk.

Picard is a Klingon sympathizer! He has one in his crewhe

has been active in Klingon politicsand he speaks their language!

Urosk pivoted toward Batok, clamped his long fingers around the young officers neck, and pulled him up.

How many Hidran speak Klingonese, Batok? A third? More?

He shoved the young tusk back into the chair.

Shall we slit every throat that cracks a Klingon word?

Shuddering with either fear or angerUrosk could not tell whichBatok narrowed his gaze and looked away

from his captain. The highest insult one could pay a superior.

Perhaps,

Batok hissed slowly,

we should.

No mask could muffle Urosks intensity, his anger, as he pressed his face down close to Batoks. There

would be no looking away.

Then we wouldve had to kill Ambassador Zhad first.

Batoks angry expression dulled, and Urosk knew he had hit his mark.

The Hidran captain turned on his heel and walked toward the door. He pounded three times, summoning the

guards, and took in a deep breath of artificially moist air. He wanted to bathe, to feel refreshed by

the waters of his planet, to be out of this Klingon desert.

I will speak to Picard.

About?

Batok asked defiantly.

About justice for the Ambassador and the survival of our people.

Good!

Batok said defiantly, as if he had won his point.

And what if in his actions Picard proves me

right?

Then we shall act at the first opportunity. But on my order, Batok.Not yours.

Speak plainly with me, brother.

Kadar faced Worf head-on and gripped the other Klingons shoulders.

His grip was tight, his smile one of admiration.

Worf did not shrug off the embrace, but neither did he clamp his hands around Kadars arms to complete

it.

Captain Picard wishes to meet with you and Urosk in private.

Still smiling, Kadar dropped his hands with a fraternal slap on Worfs shoulders.

The Hidran have

thought us weak since we left their space. You were right to execute Zhad. You have restored our honor.

I executed no one.

Anger welled in Worfs chest. He could feel his muscles tighten and he balled his

fists at this sides.

And you weredriven from their space.

The words were meant to gouge at Kadar, and Worf knew they had. It wasnt just the truth that was injury

to the Klingon captainit was Worf referring to his people as

you.

It was a distance never spoken by

Klingons.

Kadars dark face crumpled into offense and he stepped closer to Worf, overtly making sure not to touch

him … yet.

What are you?

Worf knew the rote answer was to beI am Klingon . Silence furthered the insult.

Areyou my brother?

Kadar growled.

Again there was silence as Worf studied the Klingon captains face. Was this the picture he himself

cast? Was his own face this severe and cold? Was he a brother to this one who would gladly kill every

last Hidran?

I am Worf, and my captain wishes to speak with you.

Did they still kill the messengers of bad news? At this point DePotter would have welcomed death.

Anything was better than reporting the demise of a superior officer. What was protocol? Should he come

right out and say it?

Sir?

Data turned from the science station.

Yes, Mr. DePotter.

Slowly … calmly …just say it . Hed so wanted to find them. Wanted to save them. He didnt know

what to expecthe almost thought thered be some beacon to guide him. No such ensigns luck. Or first

officers luck for that matter.

Planetary scans complete, sir. Weve pinpointed the Velexian shuttle. Its crash-landed, sir.

Commander Riker and the counselor?

DePotter hesitated. He didnt know how to say such a thing. He just looked down, unable to meet

Commander Datas eyes.

No life signs, sir.

There, it was said. His heart shrank and a chill washed over him.

Data stood, pulling DePotters gaze upward as he did.

Ensign, have you scanned for corpses?

Corpses?

DePotter looked down at the padd he carried, as if he might find the answer there.

The bodies, sir? No,

sir.

One too many

sirs.

And two too few bodies. The thought was gruesome. Hed just assumed that with

the crash … and he shouldnt have assumed.

Im sorry, sir.

Data nodded, his bright gold eyes impassive to the error.

Do not be sorry, Mr. DePotter. Be thorough.

Barbara watched Picard intently, not knowing if she should stay or go. She wanted to stayto hear

something about Will. Was all this talk classified between Picard and his ship?

She supposed that the tight little man would tell her if so. The captains jaw clenched so often it was

a wonder he hadnt worn his teeth into nubs. And he kept playing with that damn spoontwirling the thing

back and forth between his fingers. How anyone so brusque and affected was able to keep command of

hundreds was beyond her.

Answers, Mr. Data,

Picard said, annoyed.

Youre not giving me answers.

I only have theories at this point, sir.

At this point, Commander, Id take readings from a crystal ball.

There was silence save for some static over the communicator. Then:

I am unfamiliar with that reference,

Captain.

Barbara smiled and rolled her eyes downward. There was a bit of gratification in knowing that someone

could ruffle Picards feathers.

The starship captain was obviously in no mood for this.

Then you have something to occupy your off

hours, Commander. Whats your theory?

Data seemed unfazed.

I have two, sir. Since Commander Riker and Counselor Trois bodies are not with the

shuttle, they may have been taken as hostages and the crashed shuttle left as disinformation.

By whom? For what purpose?

Picard snapped.

I would not presume to fathom purposes while formulating such a hypothesis, sir.

One moment he demanded answers, the next he chastised Data because the answer wasnt what he wanted to

hear. Barbara had never really thought about joining Starfleet … and she was glad.

She was going to say something, but held herself back. Most important thing now was to hope Picard shut

up so she could hear Datas theories on Rikers whereabouts. If he had any. And she had to

believewanted to believehe did.

Frowning, Picard rose and walked to the small window across from him.

What would the Hidran gain by doing so?

Data quickly answered the rhetorical question.

The Hidran, sir? Nothing.

Looking out across the saffron fields he began tapping the handle of the spoon on the window sill. This

all made such little sense. The Hidran had no cause. The Klingons had no cause.

Whats your second theory, Mr. Data?

There is some inexplicable radiation residue at the site. Conclusive answers cannot be made without

local investigation since the white-noise transmission is re-engaged, but indications are the area has

been exposed to some form of high energy other than the explosion of the shuttle itself.

Picard cradled the spoon in his hand as if it were a Starfleet-issue hand phaser.

High energy like a

weapon?

That is a possibility, sir.

Disgust washed over the captain. He stared at the spoon, thumbed what would be the trigger if it were a

phaser, then dropped it to the sill.

The spoon hung for a moment, left a small silver mark on the ledges stone surface, then dropped to the

floor.

Chapter Six

DARKNESS.

Not the kind that came with sleep, at night, eyes resting. This darkness was without the familiar swirls

of shadows, and lacked the comfort of fading memories of color.

Perhaps somewhere else there was light, but not here. Here the universe consisted of pitch

blacknesschilly and sticky, a cold sweat.

It was the blindness of death, to be sure.

She reached out to grasp something. Anything. She felt nothing. There was no feeling. Was she even

moving or was there nothing there to touch? All she knew was that shewasnt dead. And that alone was

based on the fragile idea that death didnt come with headaches. If the pounding in her head was a

measure of life, she wasnt in any danger of dying.

She tried to croak out a word but found she couldnt push the air from her lungs. Thiswas a nightmare.

It had to be.

Motion! She felt! Shed moved! A harsh shudder vibrated through her, like the sensation of falling just

before drifting off to sleep.

Will?

Her own voice.

Sound! Motion and sound! What more did anyone want from life?

Her eyes were open, werent they? She felt herself blinking. They had been closed, and now she felt the

cool air on her open eyes.

Therewas light here. Faint, but lovely in its own way; pencil line shafts radiating from … a control

panel? Sickbay? Notoo cold for thattoo musty.

Deanna!

His voice choked dryly, echoing.Not sickbay .

Will?

Yes. Where are you?

She heard him groan and she began to rise, but her head pounded her back, dizziness washing over her,

sheets of cold fog blurring her mind. She quickly lowered herself the few inches back onto the cold slab

of whatever shed been lying on.

Deanna, stay where you are. Dont get up quickly.

I cant feel you,

she sobbed, her voice raspy. An echo.Not sickbay .

Im right here.

But he wasnt there. Not in the sense she meant. She shook her head, or imagined she did, and tried to

put into words the emotions she was feeling. Her emotionsnot his. His were absent, and the loss was

palpable.

No, Will,

she said slowly, trying to control the quaver in her voice.

Mentally youre not here.

Riker coughed, but Deanna could have sworn it sounded more chuckle than choke. She realized just how her

comment had sounded, and some of the disorientation she felt was pushed away by the humor.

FingertipsRikerson her arm, brought back her empathic sense, and his discomfort mixed in with hers.

But so did his high spirits, and she felt herself sigh, a bit more relaxed.

She moved her hand over Rikers and gave his fingers a squeeze.

Youre here now. Mentally.

Will wonders never cease?

She knew he was smiling.

The air was not as stiff as a moment ago. She pushed herself up on an elbow and moved toward Riker. In

the dim light she could see he was on his knees. His usually crisp blue eyes were shadowy in the

dimness. He rose awkwardly, holding on to his injured leg as he pulled her up. She leaned into him,

allowing him to do most of the work, her muscles weak and tired as if shed run a marathon.

His strength, physical and mental, fortified her. She continued to hold on to his arm as they turned

toward the only light they could see.

Riker toEnterprise.

He tapped his comm badge and the dull tone of a closed frequency whined back at

him.

Out of range maybe,

he mumbled, taking a pace toward the lighted console panels.

Slowly the room seemed to brighten, the panels lines becoming crisper, Rikers form now well defined

next to her. She could see their feet. There had been light all alongit was their eyes that slowly came

on.

Three walls, smooth and metallic like the floor they had pulled themselves up from gave way to the one

wall of panels and lights they now stood before. Opposite was a vertical slit that went from the top of

the blank wall to the bottom. A door.

Still dazed, Deanna wasnt sure of anything. Was the momentary confusion she felt Rikers or her own?

She knew there was concern that was definitely histhe feeling was powerful yet comforting. His emotions

were always familiar, and their mere presence bolstered her.

Where are we?

she asked, more to herself than to him.

Riker patted her hand and pulled away to step closer to the wall of lighted panels.

I dont know, but

Id say weve been transported here from the planet … wherever here is.

He rubbed his shoulder as

if hed been struck hard by something.

Maybe a cargo transporter, too. Or a long distance transporter.

It was a rough ride.

She felt her brows draw together.

I dont understand. How do you know that?

He moved his hand along one of the panels, avoiding any buttons or pads.

I dont. Just assuming that

what were feeling is the aftereffect of some kind of transporterand since it was so abusive, possibly

a cargo beam.

He looked above at blank panels which may have been inactive computer screens.

You ever

used an older transporter?

She shook her head.

I dont think so, why?

They used to immobilize you first before transport. And cargo transporters even today dont have the

same comforts of personnel transports. Why waste the energy on frills? A crate wont care.

He made a

sweeping gesture with his phaserwhen had he taken the weapon from its holster?to take in the entire

wall.

This may be a transporter console. Lets make sure not to touch anything that might set off

something serious. Last thing we want is to tell whoever brought us here that were awake and kicking.

Curiosity and anxiety were suddenly his emotions of choice, Deanna realized. They covered his concern in

pulsing swells and nearly blocked out the pain in his leg. She wondered if humans were aware of the

fluidity of their emotional broadcasts. When excited their feelings could be torrential, when relaxed

they were like slow ocean waves ebbing back and forth almost gracefully. Human emotions held a charm for

Deanna, Rikers especially.

She stepped closer to him, basking in that charm.

Who would bring us here?

He turned back, that apprehension taking over the curiosity.

I dont know. I was going to ask you the

same thing.

She could feel his anger well, beginning to pepper his other emotions. His thumb hovered near his

phasers trigger. He was waiting, readying himself.

Deanna needed to turn herself away from that feeling. She needed to do her job, and let him do his.

Well,

she began, giving the console a serious once-over,

looking at the evidence we have Id say

whoever built this console is about our height, and had digits to push buttons with. Otherwise we

wouldnt be able to reach a console that they obviously need.

Admiration and a twinge of surprise now mixed with all the other emotions that had been radiating from

Riker.

Idid go to the Academy as well,

she said playfully.

Reasoning 101 is a prerequisite.

Riker nodded.

I stand admonished. All right,Commander,

he motioned to the panel.

Ill let you open

the door without pressing the button that beams us into open space.

She glanced at the panel, then looked back into Rikers eyes.

Whats on the other side of the door may

be as bad.

Riker pulled in a deep breath and squeezed the handle of his phaser.

Maybe. But if were going to find

out whose ship were on, and if were going to deal with that, we cant just sit and wait.

Hidran justice must be satisfied!

Grit and dust and thirsty air ground against Urosks skin. It was not hard to maintain ferocity in an

ocean full of irritants. The Hidran captain curled his wet-cloak closer around him and hissed at Picard.

He was determined to wait no longer.

Picards flat, white teeth flashed.

Is not all justice the same, Captain?

What kind of question?

No, it is not. Klingon justice allows for the murder of innocent Hidran. Hidran

justice does not.

Does Hidran justice allow for the murder of innocent Klingons?

Captain,

Urosk began, imitating what he thought was a human shrug,

I have yet to meet an innocent

Klingon.

Picard was quick with a response.

That may have been true at one time, but surely you can see they have

changed.

Urosk cocked his head toward the door. Beyond its wooden frame was the hall where his Ambassador had

died.

I see death, Picard. What is it you see in Hidran blood?

Silence ground in Urosks point, as he intended.

Finally Picard spoke.

I see what I see in all blood. Loss.

That answer took Urosk by surprise. If any statement could be more un-Klingon in philosophy, the Hidran

captain couldnt fathom it. This was a strange alliance indeed that brought the Federation and the

Klingon Empire together if they were truly this different. The question was, who controlled whom? Did

this peaceful Federation hold the entire Klingon population at bay with platitudes and peaceful

thoughts? Urosk thought that unlikely.

A knock at the door and Picards hazel eyes jumped away from Urosk. Curious eyes, rather dull to Urosk

who was used to a planet full of bright and glossy colors that had to radiate through the natural

thickness of a humid atmosphere. Human eyes seemed alive only when they moved.

Commander Kadar pushed into the room, followed by Worf. Both were unarmed. Only Picard held a weapon,

and that was holstered at his side. A better opportunity to avenge Ambassador Zhads death might never

present itself.

Urosk considered that … but lost the moment when the woman entered, her phaser at the ready as it

always was.

Id like to join you, Captain,

Barbara said to Picard in a tone Urosk was unable to decipher.

Unsure of what part the woman played in all this, Urosk listened intently.She seemed to have a good idea

of her position, however, as she stepped in front of Worf and Kadar and lowered herself into the seat

next to the Starfleet Captain.

Of course, Doctor.

Picard nodded and gestured toward the two remaining chairs in front of table.

Gentlemen, please be seated.

I prefer to stand.

Urosk mashed his gravel voice across the room, knowing that the Klingon ego would

force Kadar to remain standing as well. There was endless benefit in knowing your enemy, and Klingons

were nothing if not well understood to every Hidran who had suffered the past seventy years. The

Klingons had turned the Hidran into a race of people bitter and angry, and while someday that might be

forgiven, it would never be forgotten. The Hidran had been a cloistered people: a united democratic

government on the edge of interstellar flight. Perhaps they were quarrelsome people in a broad sense,

but they were not alien hunters who snarled their way across space.

The Klingons were. And for their own defense the Hidran had to effectively evolve into hunters

themselves.

Or at least they had to act the part.

Picard,

Urosk barked, quickly yanking his arm out from his cloak long enough to shake an accusing

finger in Worfs direction,

Why isnt this Klingon in custody? Do the legal charges of the Hidran

government mean nothing?

Theyare meaningful, Captain, and I do appreciate your concerns.

Picard rose, taking on a more formal

stature.

I have relieved Lieutenant Worf of duty, and my chief medical officer is currently examining

Urosk bolted forward. His arms swung out from under his cloak and he slammed his orange palms flat

against the table, leaning forward.

Relieved him of duty? Thats an outrage! Is that the penalty for

murder, Picard? What is the punishment for genocide? Confinement to quarters?

Urosk felt anger heat his face as silence skewered Picard back, mentally if not physically. The

Starfleet captains mouth was open slightly, an expression that could have been surprise. Urosk wasnt

sure.

Captain,

Picard began,

I cannot act until I know what to act upon. At this point Lieutenant Worf is

presumed innocent.

Urosk turned, twisting a glare into Worfs eyes.No. A Klingon face is never innocent .

The Hidran captain jolted his tall frame upright, away from the table Picard stood behind.

Picard,

bring me your evidence of his innocence now, or I will see his blood on my hands before you can kill me

for the attempt.

Chapter Seven

HE STRETCHED OUT AN ARM,his fingers grasping for a nightstand that didnt seem to be there. Groaning

through the fog of grogginess that came with waking from a deep sleep, he tilted up and reached a bit

farther before the realization struck that he wasnt in his cabin.

The painful memory of the transporter room flooded in, as did the odor of sickbay, and he cracked out a

weak call for Dr. Crusher.

Doctor …Beverly …

Dr. Crusher is planetside, Geordi. Dr. Peiss is attending. And I am here.

The voice was unmistakable.

Data,

Geordi sighed,

what happened?

You are ill.

That was his friend Data, as matter-of-fact as ever.

But Geordi didntfeel ill. What he felt was … blind.

He angled up, eyes open but unseeing, and turned his head toward the sound of Datas voice.

Yeah, I

figured I was probably here for my health. Whats wrong? Wheres my VISOR?

He heard the bio-blanket rustle at his side, and imagined Datas hand was now on the bed. The mental

picture of that, even though he couldnt be sure it was realistic, was of concern. If Data was

apprehensive about saying somethingData, the android of thousand-word answers to yes or no

questionsthen something was very wrong.

Your VISOR is in Bioengineering. Its been tested for possible malfunction,

Data said finally.

Has been. Past tense.

And?

Geordi prodded.

No malfunction was uncovered. Dr. Crusher did find neural rejection of your visual cortex bionic

implants. They have been removed.

Geordi brought one hand to his temple, and felt the smoothness of his own skin where there had been an

input sensor just hours before. It had been decades since hed felt that smoothness. Decades since …

Everything is dark.

I am sorry, my friend.

Geordi wanted to answer that Data need not be sorry … but didnt. Instead, the chief engineer began

to listen. To the steady rhythm of the androids breath in front of him, to the hum of the medical

scanner panel above him.

He remembered what it was like for the other senses to pick up the slack for a sightless manand

remembered that it wasnt the same as eyes, artificial or otherwise.

Do you have any pain?

Data asked.

No.

Geordi answered quietly and quickly, and without thought. Then he realized it was truehedidnt

feel any pain, and that too was a feeling he hadnt had in decades.

Datawill I be okay?

Somehow the android must have known what his friend meant.

We do not know if the VISOR implants can be

re-implanted. But you are otherwise physically sound.

There was a slight pause as Data grasped Geordis

hand in his own, perhaps mimicking a human gesture he had seen before.

You will be fine, Geordi.

I guess Ill have to rely on your optimism.

It is not optimism. I base my conclusion on the evidence available.

Geordi chuckled.

Then I guess Ill have to put my faith in that.

He felt himself smile, and noticed

the absence of the implants again as his new skin stretched in places it hadnt a day before.

When will

Dr. Crusher be back?

Presumably when she has proved Lieutenant Worfs guilt.

Guilt?Geordi bent himself anxiously toward Data.

What are you talking about? Whats happened?

Much has happened. It began when our white-noise transmission was taking far more energy

Give me the condensed version and save me the trouble of trying to read the book, huh, Data?

Of course,

Data said, the small joke lost on him.

It would appear that Lieutenant Worf has murdered

the Hidran ambassador, and that Commander Riker and Counselor Troi have either been abducted or are

dead.

Not necessarily.

Deanna tapped her finger near the glowing pink button.

Red doesnt have to mean

danger. Youre applying a very human cultural concept to a situation where no human may be involved.

Riker frowned and shifted his phaser from one hand to the other. His palms were moist with nervousness

and delay. If they didnt hurry, whoever had brought them here might come back.

What do you suggest?

Eeny-meeny-miney-moe? We have to trysomething.

Deanna huffed.

If youre going to base your decision on poor concept formation, you might as well be

arbitrary. Youre just as likely to get the wrong result.

Her voice held that irritating tone that

patronized and lacked patience.

He nodded.

Thats annoyingly logical.

He shrugged consent and opened a palm toward the console.

Okay.

Its your call. Ill go cower in a corner.

He turned his back to the console, assuming that the door would open up and someone would be waiting. He

tapped in the highest stun settingthe painful oneand stood ready.

Now,

he ordered.

Riker heard her pull in a breath and slowly press the alien button into the wall.

Nothing. Not even a beep.

He began to turn his head toward Deanna, to rib her about the decision … but before him the wall

opposite the panel console began to silently slide away, pulling itself apart from the slit that was the

doors opening.

He turned back toward the wall and a rush of sour air rode in at him. Whoever might be waiting behind

the door obviously didnt need the fresh air Riker and Deanna did.

Beyond the now open doorway was a corridor of brightness. The incoming stale air fouled the atmosphere

in the

transporter room

or

holding cell

or wherever they were.

No alien presented itself to be shot. Somewhat disappointingly, Riker and Deanna seemed to be alone.

He nodded toward the new corridor that lay before them.

Good choice.

Whatve you found, Doctor?

Picards tone, at once prodding and apprehensive, made Beverly feel as if she were back in front of a

panel of medical officers at one of her final Fleet oral examinations.

Barbara, to the captains right, with a white lab coat over what Beverly had noticed was a beautiful

gown, looked especially like one of the severe physicians meant to awe and unnerve young doctors.

Now, as then, Beverly stood uneasily before a grim jury of harsh expressions. Here, however, she was not

the one being judged. And the stakes were not her medical career and a prestigious post, but the life of

a man who had saved her life more times than she had patients fingers to count on.

Shed considered lying. Not just at this moment, as Picard was prompting for answers, but minutes before

and deeply and seriously. But lying, like murder, had consequences, and she did still believe her friend

to be innocent.

The Hidran didnt have that faith in Worfs character, and she knew that as well.

Beverly studied the Hidran captains face, half hidden by the same type of mask that had been torn from

the ambassador, causing his death. Would he give Worf the benefit of doubt? No. No mask could hide that

fact.

Ambassador Zhad died of suffocation,

she began slowly, looking mainly at Picard as she stated the

obvious. From the corner of her eye she could see Urosk and Worf tense, and she cleared her throat,

another stalling tactic, before she pressed on.

His breathing mask, surgically implanted, malfunctioned and was subsequently pulled out of its

implanted base.

She looked back down at the computer pad in her hand, and thumbed in a few commands.

There is cellular residue with DNA patterns matching the Ambassadors, as well as Lieutenant Worfs, on

the surface of the mask.

Urosk straightened, sucking in a quick breath.

Picard looked immediately away from Beverly and to the Hidran.

Captain, so far thatdoes support Mr.

Worfs explanation of the events that took place outside the hall. Please allow us to hear the rest of

Dr. Crushers findings.

Nodding, Urosk relaxed slightly.

With a short sigh Beverly mustered her voice up again.

There is chemical evidence of recent skeletal

muscular exertion, as well as the ambassadors blood and tissue under his own fingernails.

What would skeletal muscular exertion imply?

Urosk asked, his demanding voice a hammer on Beverlys

ears.

She hesitated, shaking her head and shrugging.

There could be many causes. Its not

The Hidran captain rose.

A struggle, yes?

Taken aback by Urosks height, Beverly stepped backward a bit. Either Zhad was shorter than his captain

or seven feet tall was only intimidating when it was alive and growling.

Not necessarily a struggle,

she said.

Urosk turned away from Crusher and looked straight down at Picard.

But it could have been.

There was no question for her to answer, and she looked back at Worf who was as motionless now as hed

been when she entered. At Worfs side, Commander Kadarhad he been here all the time?seemed to be

covering a smile.

Well, Picard.

Urosk stalked toward Worf, placing himself between the captain and his security chief.

I am convinced of the Klingons guilt. Do I take my prisoner into custody?

Picard pursed his lips and crimped his eyes into determined stones.

No. Mr. Worf has the right to a

fair and objective trial. He will not be subjected to an unwarranted execution behind a curtain of

prejudice. Since that would evidently be the case if I were to release him to your custody, this is the

only choice I can make.

I see that even you are unwilling to believe the truth.

Urosk folded his arms beneath his dank,

tenebrous cloak, and sat back down. Somehow, at least to Beverly, it was the most threatening motion one

could imagine.

Youronly choice, Picard,

Urosk said slowly,

was a very poor one.

I dont believe that.

Geordi, still in his post-op pajamas as Data led him throughEnterprise s corridors, felt as if hed

been out of circulation for years rather than hours.

Itis the truth, Geordi,

Data said emphatically.

Worf is not a murderer.

Data squeezed Geordis shoulder and turned him around a person who must have just come out a doorway.

The android had insisted on the escort to Geordis cabin, displacing the orderly who would normally see

to such things. A kind gesture, Geordi thought, but with the Captain gone and Riker missing, Data was in

charge. It seemed not to faze him.

If I may point out,

Data said, ushering Geordi into a turbolift,

Lieutenant Worf is capable of acting

to defend what he sees as his honor.

Hey,

Geordi turned toward the android out of reflex,

Worf wouldnt defy orders. Are you saying you

think he did it?

There was a dreadfully long pause. The type that meant Data was lending something considerable thought

or effort. Finally the android spoke:

I do believe it is within the realm of possibility. In fact, the

Klingons may also have had something to do with the away teams disappearance.

What? Did they remove my eyes, or my ears?

You want to explain that one, Data?

As Geordi felt the turbolift slow, Data pulled them both back to one side. Obviously not their deck. The

doors opened, someone stepped in, greeted Geordi and Data, and slipped silently out of Geordis world

again.

I think it best we discuss this later, Geordi. In private,

Data said.

The obvious question was

why,

but Geordi left it unasked. Instead, he just settled back against the

lifts wall and took in a breath. Seemingly, the world had gone mad.

Damn right were going to discuss this,

Geordi mumbled.

And itll be more sooner than later.

Chapter Eight

BARBARA STUFFED HER HANDSangrily into the pockets of the white lab coat tossed over the gown shed worn

to the ill-fated dinner. She continued to pace the room that had become Picards base of failed

operations. At least that was what she was calling it. In fact she was thinking of having a plaque made

for the door.

Idont sympathize with your diplomatic problems, Captain,

she snapped, louder than she should have.

Youve let this situation spiral out of control, and thats just as much my responsibility as it is

yours.

That of course was a lie, more to herself than to Picard. This was all her concern, especially Will, not

really her responsibility, but what was a little white lie between emotions?

Unfortunately, she knew she wasnt fooling herself, and something in Picards unflickering eyes said she

wasnt fooling him either. But at this point she was too angry for embarrassment. Too angry … too

worried.

Doctor, I cant accuse anyone of murder or kidnapping when I havent any evidence.

The captain was

sitting for a change. She had taken his place as anxious pacer.

Im not asking you to. Im asking you take Mr. Datas suggestion to search the Klingon ship. And the

Hidran ship as well.

Weve scanned both ships

Even I know you can hide people from scans.

Dont presume to tell me my responsibilities, Doctor,

Picard snapped.

Barbara leaned down, flattening her palms on the table top. She felt her face flush and hoped it looked

more like rage than embarrassment.

Dont shirk your responsibilities, Captain, and I wont have need to

remind you of them.

Picard rose, grinding her back with the coolness of his eyes.

My responsibility is my business, Doctor.

I cannot and will not move without evidence. Youre supposed to be a scientist, so Ill assume you

understand the value of acting only on facts.

The Hidran assassin could smell the foolish arrogance of his prey. The odor wafted through the hallway,

and he knew the Starfleet Klingon Worf was close at hand.

Bending his long frame over, Batok attempted stealth. The effort seemed foolishly uselessseven feet of

red Hidran was just illsuited to blend in against chalk-white walls.

His last glimpse of Worf had been down this corridor, so he stalked forward, toward the room where he

believed the Klingons were being kept.

The brightness of this world was an obstacle to Hidran camouflage. In fact, most things about this world

were proving a burdenits air, its lack of water, its treacherous Klingon and Starfleet masters.

Batoks long fingers shifted over the human phaser awkwardly, anxiously. The weapon had been a struggle

to acquirethe humans fought better than one might think. These Terran enigmas baffled him, and all of

Hidra. They were quiet, small beings, with a strange sense of when and where to show they could also be

loud and large.

The Hidran tried to flatten himself along the corridor wall, with little success. He held the phaser

close with one hand and pressed his empty palm flush against the chalk wall behind him. He frowned at

the dry feeling against his fingers and quickly wiped the grit onto his cloak. Irritationsthats all

the Klingons had ever brought.

He thought of Worf, and of the great pleasure there would be in permanently removing this one particular

irritation. Pleasure, fame, reputation … all that and more. Killing a Klingon was at one time a rite

of passage on Hidra. In his fathers time the number of Klingons a man had killed was the key to

elections and power.

That time was nearly past. Yes, the results of Klingon occupation remained, as did the hatred of the

Klingons, but so few young Hidra had even seen a Klingon in person that the bragging of young warriors

rang hollow.

Batoks boasting would be honest … this was his opportunity to take and shape the rest of his life.

He would not only have the chance to spit in a real Klingons face, but he would kill one and live to

savor the feeling.

Peering around the corner, he spotted another Starfleet guard. How many of them were there! How many

would stand in his way?

The Earther wasnt looking in Batoks direction, but supposedly they had excellent hearing. With ears

that large …

Batok set the phaser on what appeared to be the highest stun setting. For the first time he was

uncertain, not only of the weapon, but of his actions. He didnt dare kill the Terran. Had he been doing

this under Captain Urosks direct orders it might have been different. Killing the Starfleet Klingon

could be explained easily, but just killing any Starfleeter? That would not be a badge of honor and

would be frowned uponseverely. For reasons that had always escaped Batok, Starfleet was somewhat

respected by the Hidran populace.

No, killing off-worlders arbitrarily was not politically acceptable. The act might gain him pleasure,

but little else. And Batok took little risk for pleasure alone.

Yet, he also had to be sure the Starfleeter would not ruin his plans.

Quietly the Hidran lieutenant reached around the corridor, guiding and aiming the phaser. One rod of

fire whined out, lancing across the hall.

The Starfleeter collapsed into a stockpile of useless muscles.

Even your own captain knows you have acted with honor.

Kadar offered Worf one of the five seats

allowed the Klingons in their cell ofprotective custody .

Otherwise why would you be confined here with

us.

The Klingon commander motioned to the other four Klingon officers, one of whom was now standing

awkwardly, his seat offered in tribute to Worf.

So this was the Klingon smugness and arrogance Worf had been accused of so often. Itwas annoying. He now

wanted to somehow take back a few of the punches hed thrown because of that insult.

I didnot kill the ambassador,

Worf said, taking the stool, deciding to save needed strength rather

than take the unneeded pride there would have been in turning down the gesture.

Captain Picard believes

that, but is bound by regulations. I understand his actions and agree with them.

Kadar thundered to one of his subordinates and was quickly handed his own stool. He sat down, a chuckle

rising in his throat as he spoke.

You make brave sounds, Lieutenant Worf. I like you.

Lifting his eyes from the floor, Worf seized Kadars gaze and wrenched it into a lock. There had been a

time in Worfs life when he aspired to a position such as Kadarsthe command of a Klingon battle ship.

Having served among Terrans for these years, the Klingon condescension he was so often accused of had

molded itself into respect. Respect for his captain, not only because of the rank, but because of the

man.

A few years ago Worf would have admired Kadar for his rank alone. No longer. In the Klingon Empire one

could still attain such position more from treachery and savvy than from skill alone. There was no honor

in treachery, Worf had decided. And so, he could not give Kadar respect, until he was sure ithad been

earned.

I do not care if you like me,

Worf said.

And I do not care if you believe me.

Kadar rumbled a laugh.

Are you telling me you were agreeable to the Hidran for no motive?

The Klingon commander was anything but subtle, yet had this irritating talent for cunningly asking the

most delicate of questions.

I was under orders from my captain.

It was a lie, but Worf needed to be cunning as well. If he could

convince Kadar that the platitudes to Zhad were just thatplatitudes, then perhaps the Klingon commander

might reveal what he knew of the Hidran ambassadors death. There was a kernel of an idea that kept

pushing its way into Worfs thoughts: his Klingon brethren may well have had something to do with Zhads

murder, if it was murder.

I believe that you drown the Hidran in banality in order to gain his trust,

Kadar said.

As I said, I do not care what you believe.

The Klingon smile that Worf felt so infrequently on his own face seemed to haunt Kadars.

What is it

that you do care about, Lieutenant Worf? Do you care about flowers and Terran kittens and other Earther

pursuits? Do you have a pet tribble or a puppy dog?Or are you a Klingon? What is the truth about you?

Worf bolted from his seat and had his hands wrapped around Kadars neck before the other Klingons had a

chance to contemplate moving. He pressed the Commanders throat closed with one hand, pinning Kadars

head in his other hand. Worf kept the Klingon captain balanced on the stool not allowing bracing of any

kind.

It was a gamble, and the stake was Worfs life.

nIS wej,

Kadar choked out, ordering his men not to interfere.

Is this Klingon enough for you, Kadar?

Worf growled.

Why does the question of my blood concern you

so? Why is my Klingon soul of such grave importance to you? Do you not have what you wanted?

Worf twisted his hand round Kadars neck again for effect, jerking the Klingon commander around.

The wedge is back between the Empire and the Hidran Congress. They will die, as a people, as a planet,

and you will only lose some warriors who will be proud to have given their lives to a disease because it

served the purposes of honor. And the Empire cant even be blamed because I am a Federation citizen and

not a Klingon subject.

Worf released his grip and Kadar yanked himself away. Purple marks on his neck were beginning to appear,

but his voice showed no strain.

Are you suggesting that we would intentionally implicate you for a

murder you did not commit, Lieutenant?

This time Worf laughed, but only to cover his anger. Anger at Kadar … anger at himself. Given Doctor

Crushers inability to find any reason other than the breathing mask malfunction for Zhads death, even

he was beginning to believe his actions caused the ambassadors demise. But if there was another

explanationaKlingon explanation, then Kadar must be the one to reveal it to him. The Klingon

commanders confidence would have to be gained.

I am suggesting,

Worf said,

that if I have not been framed, you have fallen into good fortune.

Worf

pushed past the other Klingons toward the one window in the small room.

I do not believe in fortune.

Peering out the window and down onto the twisting saffron fields, Worf pressed his palms against the

pane and wished he could press right out the window and away from such cowardly Klingons who might do

such a thing.

And you do not believe in such fortune either. The universe is Klingons to shape, and I

have respect for those who mold it to their liking.

Batok twisted the light Starfleeter over like a limp puppet and grabbed for his phaser. At the same time

he checked for a beating heart and a moist breath.

He felt the pounding in the Earthers chest, and was grateful. The man was alive … but would be

unconscious for how long? With an alien weapon there was no way to tell. He rolled the unconscious guard

into the corner, away from the doorway. Should he bind the guard? With what? Best not waste the timeif

the Starfleeter dared to rise again, he would simply stun him back into unconsciousness.

Hastily, Batok slipped the extra phaser into a pocket in his cape. Two Federation pistols and two

Federation communicators were now in his collection. Excellent. Urosks anger could not last long with

such prizes inaddition to Worfs death.

He looked up at the door that looked out of placea new security hatch phaser-welded into an old stone

building. The Starfleeters thought of everything. Had it been a normal door Batok could have opened it

quickly, found his quarry, fired, and locked the Klingons back in. They would not have had a chance to

react. Now they might.

Hed have to find Worf quickly, kill him, and close the hatch again before the others had an opportunity

to make it to the door. He could not kill all of them and still retain his rank, and he could not switch

settings on the phaser fast enough to stun the others. He had the other phaser, but one hand must be

free to control the door.

His left hand wrapped around the Terran weapon, another on the button that activated the door, Batok

readied himself. He tried to picture the layout of the roomperhaps it was the same as the one he had

been kept in, yet reversed.

He took in a deep breath of the foul air the planet provided. Just adding moisture wasnt enough to kill

the stench, especially the Klingon stench that was making him sick right through the door.

Worf … just beyond that door. The thought was full of angry exhilaration. Soon one Klingons stench

would be due more to burnt flesh than poor hygiene.

Hate stung Batoks eyes and he blinked to clear his thoughts. Hemust be lucid to do this quickly. And he

must not fail. To have come this far only to have his efforts end in disgrace would mean his own death.

He glanced down at the phasers settings again, hoping he had selected the

kill

setting that would

leave a corpse. Depriving the other Klingons of actually seeing the shell of their fallen comrade would

be too kind. If he accidentally chose the button that would vaporize Worf, well … it would be good

enough, but lack the meaning he intended. What Batok really wanted was a Hidran disrupter that could cut

a Klingon in half and leave him to bleed to death in agony.

Stiffly he thumbed the hatch control and slowly the door began to open. His arm tensed, his fingers

tightened around the weapon.

Worf! Where was Worf?

One Klingon, another, turning slowly.

Batok saw Kadarthe rank on his armorand moved the aim of his phaser from him to another.

That ridged head … turning deliberately toward him.

Worf! The murderer Worf!

Batok fired. An angry spear of energy cracked from the phaser and seared into his Klingon victim.

The boneheaded thug collapsed into a mass of charred flesh and still glowed orange as Batok jammed his

fist against the doors controls.

Another Klingon rushed toward him as the hatch closed, grunting some Klingon animal curse as they always

did when they had been defeated.

Rushing back down the corridor, Batok heard the muffled death scream that mystic Klingon fools would

make when they had lost a comrade. He had never before heard the sound. There were storiestold by those

who had heard. Hea mere Lieutenant in the Hidran Congresss grand fleethadcaused this scream that

filled the corridor with sound … and Batoks heart with glee.

The bay announced that he had accomplished his task. Worf had paid for the Ambassadors death … with

his life.

The Starfleet Klingon was dead.

Chapter Nine

APUFF OF ACRID SMOKE drifted up from the floor, dissipating uncomfortably into Rikers face. He tried to

blink the sting from his eyes as he looked down at the mark hed made with his phaser.

How many does that make?

he asked Deanna.

Twenty-three.

He took two limping steps over to the wall. Bracing himself, he weakly holstered his phaser. In four

hours no one had jumped out to greet or eat them, and he thought it unlikely anyone would come calling

at this point.

If by some chance they werent alone … and if someonewas looking for them, at least the two of them

would be hard to find. The ship was huge with no end to it in sight.

Twenty-three corridors,

he muttered, mopping the sweat from his brow with an already drenched sleeve.

Not one in a straight line, all turning back and twisting around. I dont know about you but this is

the biggest shipIve ever been on. We must have traveled miles.

Deanna came up along side him, gently pushing him down toward the deck.

Sit and rest for a while.

Youve lost a lot of blood.

Riker nodded and lowered himself to the floor, glancing angrily at his blood-caked bandage.

What a time

for a marathon, hm?

She stooped down beside him, touching his shoulder and looking down at his leg.

You need another

dressing. My uniform or yours?

Managing a weak smile he looked up at her.

Do I get to choose what part of the uniform?

Fingering the seam of her uniform at her shoulder, she tore down the arm of her tunic.

I dont know why

I even bother asking you these things.

He smiled a bit again, and slowly stretched out his leg for her to work on. As she undid the old

makeshift bandage to replace it with a new one, Riker averted his eyes up the corridor and tried to use

the pain to focus his concentration.

This ship was a labyrinthhallway after hallway, passages connecting to conduits leading to corridors

that opened into other hallways. And a few doors that wouldnt open for them.That was suspicious.

Someone had built a giant space-maze, and was testing them. The riddle was obvious: whose ship? Where

was the Minotaur? That question tugged at Rikers thoughts.

It wasnt the Hidran. He doubted they had the materials to waste on anything that wasnt a weapon or a

power source.

And he didnt think the Klingons were involved either. This didnt have a Klingon feel to itof that

much he was sure. Since he had met Worf, Klingons held a certain fascination for Riker. One he indulged

by taking brief assignments on Klingon vessels and by pursuing a friendship with his Klingon security

chief.

That was unusual for him. Will Riker had never exactly had to seek out friends.

Until Worf.

Gaining the Klingons respect was a given because he was Worfs superior officer. Gaining his friendship

… his confidence … those only came with time. Its what Riker needed from a member of his bridge

crew, to make the team run smoothly.

Pursuing that friendship was easier than Riker had first thought. He and Worf agreed on much, from

tactics to politics, and Worfs loyalty to Picard and his selfless protection of the captain cemented

their friendship.

A stab of pain jolted Riker from his thoughts. Deanna was tying the new bandage. This time he didnt

complain of its tightness.

She rose, helping to pull Riker to his feet.

Will, youre not clotting. The wound is too deep.

He took in a long breath and hobbled-in the new bandage, making sure he could walk.

I know. Lets hope

we find someone.

Deanna came up alongside him, bracing him as he limped down the hall.

I still dont sense any presence

here.

Even if theres no one here theres got to be communication equipment or something similar.

Unaccustomed to the stiffness of the new bandage, he lost his balance for a moment and gripped her arm.

Will,

she said, using his lack of balance as an excuse to turn him toward her,

What if there are

beings here and theyre just too alien for me to sense?

A frightening thought, in a way. Not so much that their appearance might be alien … but what if

their morality was. What was inside an alien mind was the real terror. Did they respect life? Even

unfamiliar life? Riker had to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Theyre not so strange that they

dont have our height, or thereabout, and breathe our atmosphere and use buttons and doors and

corridors,

he said.

Well, if thereis someone here,

Deanna said,

I think I should go looking, not you. You need to rest a

bit longer. Youve lost too much blood and could die from dehydration or a simple infection.

Pep talks arent your strong suit are they?

He shook his head.

But youre right. Both of us have

already been walking too long. My leg may or may not kill me, but lack of food and water certainly

will.

He pushed away from her and stood on his own.

Someone is here,

he said.

And were going to

find them.

With a sympathetic rub of his own leg, he hobbled toward the door that just a few minutes earlier had

denied them entry. He braced himself against the doorframe and dug his fingers into the gap that must

have been the seam between the sliding doors.

Its locked tight,

he grunted.

Deanna peered over his shoulder.

Or its vacuum sealed. How do we know there isnt open space beyond

that door?

Because docking bays usually had reinforced doors and backup systems, but he didnt feel up to

explaining. Instead he just sighed and went for the shorter answer.

Trust me. We were in a corridor on

the other side of this room. Im sure.

All right,

she said slowly,

but what if theres a vacuum in there anyway? They may keep some rooms or

corridors without life support to save on energy.

Riker lowered his head against the door, partly out of exhaustion, partly out of exasperation. She was

right, of course, but it was an annoying habit. Most irritating was that he should have had the same

thoughtbut hadnt. Had he lost too much blood? His mind was cloudy.

He shuffled back from the door and pulled out his phaser.

Okay. Well cut a small hole in the door. If

we dont hear a sucking sound or feel a pressure change, we can blast the rest of the door. Deal?

She smiled.

Youre in charge.

He nodded as if it were true, and fired the phaser. A thin line of light pulsed from the weapon and into

the door. A small hole sizzled open and Riker quickly released the phasers trigger.

No hiss. No pressure change.

Something was beyond that door … and it wasnt vacuum.

Good enough?

Riker asked.

Deanna nodded and smiled, but Riker, tired as he was, noticed something beyond that smile. Worry, maybe?

About him or their situation? He didnt know. Beyond the door was more important than beyond the smile

right now.

He reset the phaser and triggered it again. The door collapsed into vapor.

After a moment the fog of destroyed metal cleared, and they looked in.

What is all this?

Riker took a step into the room, Deanna following closely.

They looked up, down, left, right, and for the first time in hours saw something other than bleak,

spartan corridor.

Machinery,

Deanna said.

Riker nodded blankly, in awe of the mastery, even beauty: different-colored panels, not square but

rounded. They seemed alive. Not like theEnterprise was alive … these machines seemed almost fluid,

as if there was motion … but there wasnt. Just the vibration of something being doneprocessed or

pumped or … something.

These humming and thrumming machines lined the walls on all sides. The room extended as the corridor did

outsidethe other doors must have opened to this same room. A welcome sight from the desolate halls they

had been walking for a good part of a day.

However, Riker was struck by the same feeling as in the halls. No people. No coffee cups or chairs or

papers or anything that would even remotely suggest recent inhabitancy by life.

Riker trotted as fast as he could over to one of the machines. He touched its smooth, warm surface.

There wasnt a button or a key pad or a screen with a graph to be found.

He turned to see Deanna stepping away from a different device that was closer to the door.

Well,

he

said,

busting in a locked door didnt exactly bring the palace guards down on us.

Deanna frowned.

Riker, weak though he was, took her by the shoulder.

What? What is it?

Frankly, you look bad, Will.

He ignored the comment about himself and instead looked at herdark hair matted against her forehead,

perspiration over her lip.

You dont look so great either,

he said, noticing that the room was hot.

The machines … they were giving off heat.

These are all working at something,

he said, gesturing with the phaser as he returned it to his

holster.

Doing what?

She shrugged and sighed, clasping her hands anxiously in front of herself.

No way to tell. Propulsion,

maybe?

Riker bit the inside of his lip and looked around the room. Machines. Working, busy, bustling …

What if they break down? Someone must be here to repair them, right?

The heat was getting to him and he shifted back toward the door way to brace himself against the wall.

He didnt wait to hear an answer from Deanna.

Someone,

he repeated,

has to fix these machines if they

break.

He pulled the phaser from his holster.

And Im going to break them.

Computer.

Ready.

Locate and list all Federation vessels capable of warp speed, this quadrant.

Located.

Datas desk screen filled:

U.S.S. CHARLESTON,STARFLEET REGISTRY, NCC-42285

U.S.S. HOOD,STARFLEET REGISTRY, NCC-42296

U.S.S. EXCALIBUR,STARFLEET REGISTRY, NCC-42252

S.S. EAGLE,EARTH REGISTRY, USA-3197BL-9

S.S. TAN-SHRA,TELLAR REGISTRY, FLN-633136052SIE

Computer, which is the closest ship to our position?

The S.S. Eagle is in sector seven.

Specifics onEagle.

S.S. Eagle,privately owned exploratory craft. Registry: Lansing, Michigan, United States of America,

Earth. Crew of thirty-three. Current ownership

Discontinue. Which Starfleet vessel is the closest?

The U.S.S. Excaliburis in sector four.

Twelve days distant at maximum warp,

Data said, more to himself than to the computer.

Correct.

The door chime to Datas quarters rang and the android quickly tapped the computer off.

Come.

Geordi felt the door whisper open before him. He stepped through hesitantly, unsure of Datas location.

Hope Im not disturbing you, Data,

he said, looking for a response to place the android. He probably

should have just asked the mans location, but Geordi was playing the

Im not really blind game

and

that would be against the ruleslike being wakened in the middle of the night and refusing to admit you

were sleeping.

Geordi,

Data said, just a hint of surprise etched into his voice.

Should you be ambulatory?

Geordi walked toward the androids voice.

Im blind, Data, not sick.

He tapped his stomach and the

dark vest that lay over his uniform tunic.

Proximity detector, so I dont bang into people. And I think

I should know the layout of the ship by now.

Geordi used the detector to sense thingsthe sensor net in

the vest would react on his skin, pushing his flesh as he would near an object. Itwould keep him from

embarrassing himself.

There was silence.

Geordi frowned.

Youre nodding again, Data.

The android shouldnt have forgotten. Such

thingsanythingdidnt slip Datas mind. This was the first outward sign that something was wrongreally

wrongwith Data.

I am sorry,

the android said.

Can you guide yourself to a chair?

Yeah.

Geordi took one more step into the room. He turned toward where he believed the chair to be,

felt the electrical twinge from the proximity sensor that told him he was correct, and lowered himself

into the seat.

He heard Datas chair swivel toward him, and he sat back.

We have to talk about this thing with Worf.

Bridge to Commander Data.

Certainly,

Data said to him, possibly holding an index finger up.

One moment, please.

Geordi heard the tap of the androids fingers against his comm badge and imagined hed seen it. Hed

been doing a lot of thatseeing in his mind what he fancied might be happening. He wondered if he was

correct about such things, but hadnt worked up the courage to ask anyone. And who knows if theyd be

honest. It was human nature to be sympathetic to those who had come upon a loss. Already three crewmen

had tried to escort him

wherever he needed to go.

Despite being off duty, that had prompted him to

wear his uniform. He wouldnt be pitied. That was a cliche hed promised himself hed never indulge in

because he understood the impulseintended kindnessbut it was just different when he was on the

receiving end. He was having trouble pushing away the self-pity in his own thoughts … it didnt help

to have others pushing back.

Data here. Go ahead, Mr. DePotter.

Sorry to disturb you, sir, but since re-engaging, theres been a fluctuation in the drain on the white

noise blanket.

Restless, Geordi rose and walked toward the dresser that Data rarely used. There was a mirror there . .

. of little use to either man right now.

Ensign,

Data said,

what was the percent of flux, and was it positive or negative?

Data,

Geordi interrupted, anxiously knocking a fist on his thigh,

is this really important right

now?

Just one more moment please, Geordi. This may indeed be important. Continue, Mr. DePotter.

DePotter chanted on with his scientific findingsa drone of techno-babble that was irritating Geordi

right now, and he wondered if thatd irritated anyone when it came from his own lips.

A moment ago,

DePotter said,

I registered a point zero-zero-two percent decrease in the drain. It may

be insignificant, sir, except that this is the first drop or surge since weve been monitoring.

There was a pause, then from Data:

Intriguing. What is the status of the Klingon vessel?

Sir?

Scan the Klingon vessel for any activity, Ensign, and keep me informed of anything you find, no matter

how unremarkable you believe it to be.

Aye aye, sir.

Data out.

Geordi heard the communicator chirp off.

Now,

Data said,

what would you like to know?

Geordi shook his head. Something was wrong here.

Different. He couldnt put his finger on what exactly, and maybe there was really nothing. Maybe he was

just disoriented from his

newfound

blindness. Maybe.

Or maybe when something feels wrong, it is.

Data, you keep saying that Commander Riker and Deannamay have been abducted or killed by the Klingons,

and youre scanning their ship as if theyre already there, but theres no evidence

One need not have conclusive evidence to form a hypothesis.

Theyd had this conversation three times since Geordi had awakened, and Data had indulged him each time.

Unfortunately, every discussion was the same: Data with a logical argument and a shaky premise. That was

the problemsince when did Data have shaky premises?

The Klingons do have a history of such covert operations, my friend.

Geordi shot past the desk and began to pace the room. Hopefully Data hadnt moved anything since the

last time hed been here.

This is nuts, Data,

he said angrily.

Theres nothing to base it on. What motive would they have to do

anything like this?

As if anticipating the question, perhaps because Geordi had asked before, Data began,

If they are

hiding something on the planet, which may be the cause of the drain on our white noise blanket, then

they would have motive to assure that no one finds whatever they wish to conceal. Commander Riker and

Counselor Troi may have stumbled upon whatever that may be.

Geordi huffed out an angry breath.

What if theyre not hiding anything?

Then,

Data said,

they have nothing to fear by answering my questions and submitting to an

inspection.

The headache that was now absent, Geordi would have gladly accepted back in exchange for this warped

twist of events.

Data, none of that suggests why Worf would have anything to do with the Klingons

plans.

He is a Klingon.

So?

Geordi snapped angrily.

There was another pause from Data, and the silence sounded like the androids version of frustration. He

was obviously searching for a way to get his point across.

Geordi,

he began,

every race has specific traits that are often unique. The Klingons do not value

life in the same manner as you and I and the Hidran.

If Geordi could have gored Data with a glare he would haveand who knows, maybe he did.

The Hidran?

What do they have to do with Klingon values? Or Worfs for that matter? Worf was raised on Earth, Data.

About seven thousand kilometers from where I was raised.

He crooked a thumb at his own chest.

Our

personalities are differentour values are not. Worf would defend the philosophy of the Federation to

his death.

Or to the death of another, yes? Perhaps that is what he thought he was doing. In any case,

Data said,

and it sounded so detached

he also has loyalties to the Klingons, and he is not to be trusted.

There was no other term for this … it was just plain insane.

Youre talking bigotry, Data, and I cant believe it. Youre not being rational.

Geordi, it is not bigotry to see the historical fact that the Klingons are not trustworthy. And it is

not bigotry to see the historical fact that Worf would murder because of his nature as a Klingon. I need

not remind you that Lieutenant Worf once refused to donate his ribosomes to save the life of a Romulan

prisoner.

Every muscle in Geordis back was tense with frustration and fatigue. He had awakened into a dark world

where everything had changed.

Data,

Geordi said between clenched teeth,

there is a big difference between refusing to sacrifice for

someone who you dont believe deserves it and murdering someone in cold blood.

Death for any reason is permanent. The Hidran might say that Klingon neglect is murder.

Geordi pulled in a deep breath and tried to settle his emotions. If Data had said Worf was not to be

trusted and had backed that up with facts that would have been one thingbut this seemed so … un-Data: poorly conceived, not fully thought out … every argument was logical, but all were built on a

foundation of confused quicksand.

Data might be damaged. That would explain much from the absurd notions about Worf and the Klingons to

forgetting that Geordi couldnt see a nod.

Data, I think Id like to have Engineering check you out, run a series of diagnostics.

For what reason? I run a self-diagnostic twice daily.

Yeah, and Ill bet a months pay that somethings wrong there too.

Just indulge me, huh, Data?

I am afraid I do not have the time at present.

Why?

I will be leading the away team that is to board the Klingon battle cruiser.

Bolting from his seat, Geordi pressed himself against Datas desk and leaned down to the android. Maybe

he couldnt see, but Data could and needed to be sure Geordi was serious.

You cant, Data! Its unprovoked. Captain Picard would never authorize that.

Indeed, he did. His direct order was do what you must to get to the bottom of the situation.

The

sigh of Datas chair cushion signaled the android had risen.

And I will do what I must.

Data had been gone a good five minutes. Hed insisted on escorting Geordi back to his quarters, but

Geordi couldnt shake the feeling that it was because somehow hed lost the androids trustas Worf had.

Quiet thought had done nothing for that sense of paranoia.

There was something wrong with Data, he was sure, but had nothing but a subjective feeling to go on.

Subjective feelings were nice to look at and consider, but only told someone how theyfelt about

realityfeelings told nothing about reality itself. And that was what Geordi had to be sure about: the

reality of the situation. Did somethingseem to be wrong with Data, orwas there something wrong with him?

There was an enormous difference.

To be sure, he had to talk to someone else about what had happened while he was out of commission. At

the same time he could confirm that Data was definitely doing what the captain wanted where the Klingon

ship was concerned.

He found the desk communicator.

La Forge to Captain Picard.

He was met with the dull tone of a closed frequency and furrowed his brows.

Computer.

Ready.

Why cant I get an open comm-channel to the planet?

This station is not authorized for access.

Override. Security access: La Forge Gamma three-four.

Access denied.

Denied?

Geordi pounded his fist on the table.

What do you mean denied?

The computer began to bleep, formulating an answer.

Belay that. Who can give me access?

Access authorization required from Lieutenant Commander Data, acting captain,U.S.S. Enterprise.

Geordi balanced his elbow on the desktop, holding his forehead in his palm.

Well, looks like thats my objective evidence, isnt it?

Insufficient data.

He let out a short, bitter chuckle.

You can say that again!

Whatever fool designed this building,Urosk thought,should be killed . He had not noticed before, but the

light was harsh and the dryness of the walls and floor were more than annoying.

But it was not a mindless architect who truly burdened the Hidran captain. It was Picard who was the

real fool. And he should be treated as fools are treated: with a firm fist and little patience.

The entire Federation was made of fools, Urosk decided, from those that had offered to help to those

that brought him here. Dullards all.

And he, for believing that any good might come of this, was the most foolish. Before coming here the

Hidran had only been on the brink of a skirmish with their foreign foes. Now they were on the brink of

war.

It was obvious. The Klingons had planned this from the beginning. They would have done anything to

assure that Hidra was left helpless enough to be re-conquered. And this time the Klingons would not

leave the people alive. The Hidran were a million thorns in the Klingon Empires skin, and these pseudo-negotiations had been nothing more than a complex maneuver by the Empire and its Federation allies. It

was all some scheme to force Hidra back into a war they knew she would lose.

Defeat … only one casualty and he was thinking of defeat! A shameful thing to think of such loss,

but it was realistic and Urosk had spent too much time the last few days believing that peace was

possible. He was through with such far-fetched ideas. Yet the humiliation weighed on him. Such disgrace

was what the Klingons desired for the Hidran people, and they had even succeeded in dishonoring Urosk

with his own thoughts.

He could not let that happenhe would not. There would not be another war if Urosk was of any worth to

himself and his nation.

He straightened, smoothed his long robe, loosened his muscles.

He closed his eyes a moment, and when they blankly reopened onto the desert of the corridor, he knew

what he had to do.

His heartbeat quickened at the thoughthis strength both mental and physical seemed rejuvenated. There

was a chance to thwart the enemys plans, but that would take great skill and care to achieve: Every

Klingon on the planet … and above in orbit … would have to die. Once more it would have to be

proven that there were extreme risks to warring against the Hidran.

Urosk would have to take the mask of warrior that he wore, and transfer it to action. Perhaps for his

last time.

And if Picard and his Federation interfered

Hold a minute, sir,

the Starfleet guard said to Urosk, jolting him from his thoughts.

Aware of his surroundings and the guard again, Urosk surveyed the empty corridora vacant hall where

there should have been another guard.

If there was to be an opportunity, this was it.

Connors to MacKenzie.

The Starfleeter was quick to activate his communicator, and opportunity faded.

The Hidran captain turned back to face Connors.

Strange politeness to be called

sir

by him. These humans could usher someone to a cell for so-called

diplomatic protection

and yet treat their prisoner as if taking them on a garden tour.

There was no answer to the Starfleeters call. His guard friend was either gone by his own volition or

was inside the cell with Urosks comrades. Either way, he was not around. One on one … the odds were

better than even.

Unfortunately, there was no way of knowing if the humans call to his absent colleague would be carried

to every communicator.

The comm channel would have to close before opportunity materialized again.

The Starfleet guard tapped his badge again, and Urosk thought that was his signal to move. Before he

could, the Terran spoke once more.

Connors to Picard. MacKenzie isnt at his post and I cant raise him on the comm, sir.

Understood.

Picards voice spat from the small speaker.

Remain there. Im on my way.

Blast! Picard would be on his way now. Opportunity faded once more, even as this one called Connors

turned off his communicator.

Captain Urosk,

the human said,

Ill ask you to hold your position with me, sir.

Urosk nodded and quickly glanced at the Earthers phaser. Ripe for the taking … A phaser against all

those defenseless Klingons.

That would make the statement he wanted. A statement that said something about the Hidran and the price

one would pay for choosing the path of war.

There was little time in which to decide

Urosks muscles tensed and he waited for the Earthers eyes to drift away even slightly. He balled his

fingers into a fist and paused. One good blow should be enough.

Wait … wait … the Earther still had the phaser …

A sound, some creak in the structure of the building somewhere, forced the Starfleeters eyes to dart

away.

Urosks long arm reached out and struck against the Terrans head. The man was sure to be knocked

unconscious.

The human stumbled back and the Hidran captain swung again, knocking the weapon across the hall.

Connors shook his head clear and twisted toward Urosk as they both tried to get a tack on the phaser

that had gone sailing. Suddenly the strong thin rods of the Starfleeters legs were around Urosks

knees. He struggled to free himself, but unbalance tossed him forward onto the hard stone floor.

Pain tried to force the Hidrans eyes closed as the two of them pinched together, limbs digging into

each other.

Suddenly the human was on his feet again, looking down at Urosk, ready. How? This small being was no

match! There should be no contest!

Urosk jumped up, pushing the ache from his torso as he tried to eye where the phaser had fallen.

Obviously the human would seek out the weapon as well.

Urosk had to reach it first.

One more good jolt of Hidran strength should make acquiring the phaser academic. He

Two consecutive flashes of agony exploded into Uroskin his stomach, in his neckFrom where? Why was the

Earther not down?

Fall!

Urosk grunted to himself.

Urosk swung his large boom of an arm again and the Starfleeter caught it and spun him away. Another bolt

of pain smashed into him. Feet! The human was jumping and kicking like some crazed monkey.Klingons had

given up sooner.

Urosk let out an angry gasp and lashed back at the Starfleeter. Both fists clasped together into a club

of bone and muscle, he swung hard against the humans shoulder.

Connors went tumbling down to the ground with a hard grunt.

Finally, he was unmoving.

Urosk stooped to reach for the phaser. Another limbhe didnt know whichwhacked him in the gut and sent

him sprawling onto the floor.

The Starfleeter, on his feet again, leaped at Urosk, punching and jabbing and scratching.

Urosk felt one of his eyes swelling shut and he could feel the metallic taste of blood in his throat.

Dredging his frustration into strength, he looped his arms around the Earther. If he could not beat the

gangly human he would crush the breath from him!

Arms pinned at his sides, feet dangling at least a half meter off the ground, the Starfleeter struggled

and grunted his breath away.

Finally Urosk felt the strength drain empty from his opponents body. To be sure he crushed his arms

together three more times. He would not be fooled again.

When he released him, the Earther crumpled into a heap, a spent log collapsing into an amber bed.

Urosk snatched for the phaser and quickly set it to stun. Unconsciousness from lack of air, if what

these humans breathed could be called air, might last only a few moments. On the other hand … He

triggered the weapon and a bright orange halo enveloped the human for a moment. The Starfleeter was

surely out this time. And would stay that way for quite a while.

After plucking the comm badge from the guards chest he pulled the man into an alcove to hide him from

Picard.

TheEnterprise captain would be walking down the corridor any minute … and Urosk would be waiting.

Picard … he had failed to see the warning signs. He would regret his choice.

Chapter Ten

PICARD HERE.

The voice of young Ensign MacKenzie crackled back at the captain from the small comm badge speaker.

Interference again. Picard noted the irritation and promised himself hed be having a talk with Data.

MacKenzie isnt at his post and I cant raise him on the comm, sir.

Understood.

Obviously Ensign Connors voice, not MacKenzies. When had all ensigns started blending

together into a blur of youth?

Remain there,

Picard ordered.

Im on my way.

He rose and shared a

concerned glance with Beverly, as well as a quick look with Barbara.

Captain,

Beverly began again, slowly rising out of her seat,

this is important. I left something out

of my report when the delegates were here.

She cast a quick glance at Barbara.

I thought it might be

best to tell you this in confidence.

Picard nodded.

Understood.

He didnt mind Bar baras presence. In fact, since she had voiced her wish

to do something about Riker and Troisomething that could make this entire situation worsehe was glad

to know where she was.

Proceed, Doctor, but be brief.

Beverly pulled in a deep breath, held it a moment, then released it quickly. Picard had come to

recognize this as her attempt to cover a sigh. He didnt have time for sighs.

There were traces of Zhads own skin and blood beneath his nails,

she said, then paused, as if that

alone should be some revelation.

The captain shrugged his response.

Youd said that earlier. Isnt that expected? Wouldnt he have tried

to fix the mask?

She shook her head and a thick strand of orange hair bobbed over her ear.

Gouges in his face and the

amount of skin under his nails suggest something else.

Now Picard needed to hide a sigh.

It just gets worse and worse, doesnt it?

Barbara unfolded her arms, gesturing to Beverly.

This is what you wanted, isnt it? This proves that

your man didnt kill the Ambassador. Or at least its some fair evidence.

Picard lowered his head, his fingers finding that pressure point on his temple. Behind there, was a

thriving headache that threatened to grow before it faded.

Doctor Hollitt, I dont think Captain Urosk

would accept the suggestion that his ambassador killed himself. It would look as if we were falsifying

evidence for our own benefit. Hardly fair at all.

What if thats exactly what happened?

Beverly offered.

Nodding, Picard pursed his lips.

A possibility.

He took another step toward the door.

Ill have more

questions when I return.

Barbara shrugged, hard shoulders turning fluid for a brief moment.

Why? Why would anyone do that?

To make the Klingons look bad,

Picard said, wanting to satisfy all her questions even if it delayed

him. The last thing he desired was for her to tag along again. She had been an angry puppy at his feet

since this all fell apart, and wouldnt stop nipping at his heels.

To give the Hidran a bargaining chip

worth something,

he continued.

Perhaps he was a shrewd ambassador to the last breath.

Barbara shook her head in disbelief.

To kill yourself is one thing. By the looks of him he suffered.

He did,

Beverly confirmed.

Not just the suffocation, but tearing it out wouldve been no painless

task.

Its … its …

Barbara seemed to be searching for the right term.

Fanatical,

Picard offered caustically.

Beverlys lips curled down into a frown.

Dimwitted is what Id call it.

Either way,

Picard said, inching for the door again,

the fact may not help Mr. Worf one scrap.

Barbara looked as if she were on the edge of some comment as she began to rise.

Halfway out the door already, the captain quickly shook his head.

Please, Dr. Hollitt, remain here.

She raised her chin ever so slightly and ever so defiantly.

I can handle myself, Captain.

Of that he was sure. But still, his orders and instinct were to protect a civilian first, and he didnt

want the regret of one more death upon his shoulders.

Whether or not you can handle yourself is not at issue, Doctor,

Picard said as he closed the door

behind him.

Im not sureI can handle you.

Sir, should you be here?

Looking down, trying to shield his eyes from the crewman, Geordi shook his head. There was really no

need to hidea well-rounded Starfleet officer had seen things more shocking than eyes without irises.

Despite knowing that, there was a self-conscious twinge that Geordi would feel if he thought someone

were staring into his sightless eyes.

Im just working on a little project to keep me busy, Charlie.

Geordi hovered diligently over his

work.

Can I help?

Only if you want to share a court-martial with me.

Well, if you really want to do me a favor, you could

cheek the particulate filtration sensors on deck seven. The air seemed a little stale up there.

Aye aye, sir,

Charlie said, and Geordi heard the ensigns feet pad away toward the turbolift and a

busywork job in a far-off Jeffries tube.

There was silence, and Geordi still felt as if he was being watched … or his work was. In any case,

the proximity detector said no one was close enough to get in the way, so he simply tried to ignore the

feeling.

He reached over the football-sized capsule that lay open in front of him and he picked up a tool, the

location of which hed memorized. He found the place inside the exposed sensor drone where he had to

make his adjustments, and set to work.

His fingertips had to be his eyes herethe proximity detector was useless on such a small scale. He

fumbled inside the guts of the drone, sweat breaking on his upper lip. Sloppily, exhaustingly, he made

his adjustments.

He hoped.

So damn frustrating: to go from super-sight to super-darkness was a game hed played every night, yet to

stare blankly at the prospect of never playing that game againat staying forever in the dark …

well, it scared him, annoyed him, filled him with uneasiness, as if he wasnt in his own body but

instead in some dark cave at the edge of existence.

He refused to ask for help with the drone, of course. Not only would that be rather embarrassing, but

what position would it put the crewman in? Geordi was going against Datas obvious order not to contact

the planet without authorization. Perhaps itwas Picards order. There was too much at risk here …

better this particular mutiny be kept to himself for a while.

He dropped the instrument, closed the door to the drones innards, and flicked the

on

switch.

Somewhere to his left, perhaps at about fifteen meters down the aft corridor, there was a chute that

would launch the sensor drone outside the ship for a maintenance-pass of the starboard nacelle.

He found the sliding hatch to the chute just a few inches from where his mental picture told him it

would be. The proximity detector vesta temporary model hed replicated, and hoped he wouldnt have to

eventually have a special one madedid the rest.

With the drone down the chute, he coded in the launch coordinates. Hopefully he hadnt missed a button

on the keypad. There was no way to verify such things without sight. If he was a few too many digits off

the mark, hed be sending the small robot craft off into the planets atmosphere, out into the star

system, or back into the ship itself where it would crumble againstEnterprises hull plates. And that

was if his jury-rigging had worked at all. The drone could blow up when activated and alert Data that

something was amiss. He could see that now: Data having him confined to sickbay for psychological

analysis.

The walk back to his cabin was painfully long and his mind more on the adjustments hed have to make to

his communicator than the layout of the ship. Had it not been for the proximity vest he would have

slammed into bulkheads three times.

Damned if he didnt feel as if he was being watched all the time. Senselessly self-conscious maybe, but

just couldnt be helped. Maybe hewas paranoid … or was he just intensely aware? That thought made

him chuckle. Wasnt there an old saying that if you thought you were crazy you probably werent?

Okay, so Geordi felt embarrassed at his loss. That wasnt abnormal. Data was the one acting abnormally.

It had to be some sort of damage at work there. How else could Data be so against Worf? And the

Klingons? Had the Hidran found some way to tap into him? And how could the android forgettwicethat he

shouldnt nod to Geordi? Data could remember thenames of a thousand angels dancing on the head of a pin.

For him to forget anything so simple proved there was something wrong with him.

Didnt it?

Geordid let the captain decide.

He skittered into his cabin, threw himself toward a table he often tinkered at, and pulled his

communicator from his chest. He clutched the comm badge in one hand, and pulled a small contraption out

of a drawer.

It was no easy task to change the frequency of a communicator without notifying the controlling computer

of the alteration. This gadget would helpbut it would have to be tricked into it.

These were the moments that Geordi fancied himself a rather dangerous gent if he wanted to be. That idea

quickly cooled into a frightening thought …

Data could be dangerous as well.

Geordi hurried himself through the rest of his work: fingers flying untidily over the small, detailed

work. Had he been able to see he would have been done in moments …

When finished he hastily pushed his tools to one side. Leaving the communicator on the table top, he

tapped and it chirped, passing normal channels and searching for the drone that had been converted into

a makeshift jumper. The signal would find the drone and jump from there to the planet and hopefully

reach Picard through the white-noise transmission blanket.

Clenching his fists in anticipation, Geordi moved in toward the communicator.

La Forge to Picard. Come

in.

Picard closed the door quickly behind him, a little awkwardly, not accustomed to a door that didnt

follow orders.A civilian doorlike its owner . He was already surprised Barbara hadnt followed him into

the hall.

Civilians. He remembered complaining to his superior for assigning him a ship that would house civilians

like some star-skipping starbase. It was dangerous, foolish … and yet he had coped. Riker had helped

with that. Amiable, genial Will Riker who had somehow walked the line between commander and father

figure to a crew of families. A line Picard didnt want to look for, let alone find. He was glad to

leave that to Will.

Riker. Where were he and Troi? If they were anywhere.

One fiasco at a time,Picard reminded himself as he strode toward the corridor entrance that would lead

him to Connors.

Perhaps he should try to contact MacKenzie himself. If Data had been diddling with the frequencies again

… There was an odd happenstance. Data had been acting quite out of character. It was like him to

suggest alternativesbut to act on them without authorization. Another officer might, but Data?

No large matter. Picard had endless other problems. Riker and Troi, Worf and the delegates, Zhads

death, the Klingon delegates death … All this had been so well planned. Or so hed thought. The

plan had shattered into a thousand shards when Zhad died and took the Klingon with him.

But was Zhad killed or did he commit suicide? That was now a valid concern.

Why? Why would anyone do that?

Barbaras question kept tugging at him. Agood question.

What did the Hidran gain if Worf was implicated? Perhaps the Federation would

owe

the Hidran? The

politicians in the Federation Council might think so.

Maybe it had nothing to do with the Federation. What if such an act of self-sacrifice was for some

internal Hidran element that Zhad disagreed with? Or agreed with? It wouldnt be the first time someone

scuttled their own ship so as to paint themselves the damaged party.

There were endless possibilities.

The Hidran knew the Federation and the Klingons were allies. If a Klingon who was a Federation citizen

murdered the Hidran ambassador, the Klingons themselves may have to disavow such action by supplying the

Hidran with what they wanted: the Federation might apply pressure to that end because it was their

citizen. Two implications in one.

But which? Did Zhad want to stop the treaty because he was against it, or did he want to assure the

treaty because he thought it would be spoiled?

I suspect you will regret your dealings with the Klingons, Picard. I know I will.

Those had been Zhads last direct words to Picard. Did the Ambassador plot his own death at that point?

So many alternatives, the only one that seemed totally implausible, to Picard at least, was that Worf

intended to murder Zhad.

But what if it was an accident? Worf admitted to striking the Hidran. What then?

Which was true?

The mind boggled.

Somehow he had to reason it all out.

Reason. Reason seemed to have evaporated as of late. He had to do something to get logic to condense

again.

Without signaling, Picards communicator suddenly spat itself to life.

La Forge to Pic … om in.

The signal broke itself with static.

Geordi? Why? What was wrong? Picard tapped at the comm badge.

Picard here. Youre breaking up, Mr. La

Forge.

Little time, Captain. Jury-rigged comm. Something wrong with Datamy opinion that … damaged

somehow. Hes restricted commun … is planning to forcibly board the Klingon vessel. I believe . .

. against your orders, sir. Can you confirm?

Picard halted his gait down the corridor.

What? repeat that, La Forge,

he ordered, the sharp needle of

a headache promising never to fade.

I have given no order to board the Klingon ship, Commander. You are

to relieve Mr. Data on my authority.

Static sputtered, filling the narrow corridor with echoing noise.

Captain, do you read me?

I read you, La Forge. Carry out my order!

Captain? If you can hear … at all … ease respond.

I read you, Commander. Relieve Data of duty. Assume command and reestablish main

Are you attempt … to signal back? I ca … no … as … cha …

La Forge! Youre breaking up!

The connection withered into a blank crackle of irritating noise. The captain hit the comm badge again.

Picard toEnterprise.

Nothing.

Picard toEnterprise !

Enterprise, Datahere .

Mister Data, have you released communications as I ordered?

Not yet, sir.

Picard didnt need to ask why.

Commander, are you preparing an away team to board the Klingon vessel?

Yes, sir.

I specifically forbade that plan, didnt I, Commander?

There was a pause.

Specifically, sir, you said I should do whatever I must to get to the bottom of this

situation.

Picard didnt need to pause. His actions were clear.

Commander Data, you are hereby relieved of duty.

Relinquish command to the duty officer and report to Bioengineering for a complete diagnostic.

Silence. No static.

Captain, I assure you I am in perfect running order. If you would allow me to explain

I havent time for explanations, Commander. You have your orders. This time make sure you carry them

out.

Captain,

Data inquired in his normal, even tone,

are you under duress?

No Im not under duress,

Picard barked.

I believe you are, sir, and I cannot follow a coerced order.

Mr. Data!

There was silence over the comm. No static.

Commander Data, beam me aboard immediately.

I am sorry, sir. I believe you to be giving that order under threat of physical violence. I can not

release the white noise transmission blanket under these circumstances.

Commander, you are relieved of duty. Relinquish command to Mr. La Forge.

I assure you, Captain, I shall do all in my power to achieve your rescue.Enterpriseout .

The signal chirped closed, and Picard was alone. More alone than he had ever felt.

He jabbed at the comm badge again, twice, and was taunted, panicked by quiet.

It couldnt possibly get any worse,

Picard said to himself as he turned back the way hed come. Hed

get back to Dr. Crusherhave her call Data and beam up to the ship. Put her in temporary command. Not

his first choice, but everyone else was either under arrest, missing, blind or insane.

He chuckled ironically, wondering which he would succumb to.

A pressure in his back, warm …

Halt,

said a muffled, gravely voice from behind him.

Do not reach for your weapon.

Urosk, a phaser pressed into the small of Picards back, pushed the captain forward as he reached his

long, orange arm around and wrested the weapon from the Starfleet captains holster.

You will come with me, Picard,

Urosk said.

Picard turned slowly around to face the Hidran captain.

Where are my men?

Sleeping.

What did that mean? Unconscious? Dead?

I want to see them.

The time for what you want,

Urosk hissed slowly, holding both phasers on Picard now,

is at an end.

Chapter Eleven

BARBARA CLENCHED THE HANDLEof her phaser close to her stomach and tried not to breathe. One overt

moveone sound that gave her awayand Picard might die. She watched tacitly as Urosk forced the captain

through the hatchway.

The door closed behind them. Picard had said something as Urosk shoved him in, Barbara couldnt tell

what.

She anxiously chewed at her lower lip. If only Urosks phaser hadnt been trained so closely on Picard .

. . Then again, the two of them were only centimeters apart. From where she was, pressed into the alcove

of a doorway, she wouldnt have been able to target Urosk if hed had a bullseye on his back. All the

training shed had with a phaser was the two-hour class offered when she purchased one a few years ago.

She knew the settings and what they could do, but even those were on a civilian hand weapon, not the

sleek, military one she now held in her sweaty palm. This she had gotten from one of her lease-a-guards.

It looked much more like a Starfleet weapon than her old phaser-pistol, and it was warmer to the touch,

pulsing with pent-up energy.

She rose, straightened herself, then quickly shrank back against the wall. Footsteps shuffled. Heavy

ones. Another Hidranshifting down the hall toward the door. She could smell the sour mustiness of him

as he passed. Unnoticed, she pushed out her breath in short, quiet bursts.

Her heart was pounding so loudly she thought that it might give her away. Not the soundthe fact that

she might have a heart attack, fall on her own phaser, and vaporize herself and half the building with

her.

The Hidran hesitated before joining the others beyond the hatch. He looked from side to side, seemingly

apprehensive, then finally disappeared through the door.

Quickly she moved from doorway to doorway up the corridor, carefully watching that hatch for any sound

or movement and pausing to hide her form behind any supporting pillar that allowed.

From behind her came a moan and she jumped. In the alcove next to her, crammed between the tight walls,

were two men in Starfleet security uniforms. Picards missing crewmen, obviously on the job.

Without a holster for her phaser she had to set the safety and tuck it under her arm as she helped one

of them up. She pulled him out into the hall, guiding him to sit against the wall. He groaned a thanks

and she did the same for the other. Both had lost their communicator/insignia she noticed.

What happened?

Barbara asked.

The first one she pulled outtall and human with brown curly hairspoke in a raspy voice.

The Hidran

captain attacked me … Tried to get my weapon.

Tried?

she asked wryly.

Curly looked up indignantly. With the bruise on his jaw and an eye swelled closed he hardly looked

threatening. More like a school boy whod been in a playground scrap.

Barbara glanced at the other man, who was still dazed.

She helped the groggy one sit up straighter, cupping her hand behind his head to give it balance.

The Hidran have your captain,

she said matter-of-factly, trying to mask her building panic.

Suddenly the Starfleet men were both alert.

When?

Curly demanded, pushing himself up into a stoop.

A few moments ago. I didnt want to try anything thatd get him killed.

Curlys eyes darted to his comrade, then to the weapon crooked into Barbaras arm.

Give me your

phaser.

She grasped the weapon in her fist and shook her head.

Sorry, fellas. People werent dying around here

until Starfleet showed up. Ive got mine, you get yours.

Maam,

Curly said, standing straight now, looking stronger every moment,

we have a situation here

Is that what you call it?

Barbara snapped, gripping her phaser close.

A situation? Your captain is

being held by people who dont think twice about killingthemselves for a cause let alone someone else,

and youre calling it something less than a disaster?

Maam

Your mothers a maam, kid, not me. You two want to dig up some phasers and come back, thats

fineIll stay here and watch the door, but this place is swimming with killers and Im not giving up

this weapon.

Youre not qualified

Barbara cut him off.

The way I see it, Curly, you two lost yours and I still have mine, so lets not

brag about qualifications.

She waved them away.

Go now, so you can get back sooner.

Curly frowned, then finally pulled his buddy up with him.

Fine,

he said.

You can stay here, but dont

attempt anything. You see that door open, get back to the main hall. Well be back as soon as we can.

Barbara covered a chuckle. Theyd do what she wanted so long as they could give an order making it sound

as if theyd thought of it. Military typesthey were all alike.

Gentlemen …

They stopped their gait down the corridor and turned back to her.

Just a suggestion, Curly,

Barbara said,

but Id see how the Klingons are holding up. The Hidran goon

who attacked your friend wasnt going out for Romulan take-out.

They both sneered at her, then were gone down the corridorback toward the main hall. Barbara shrank

into the alcove where theyd been

resting

and watched them leave. Runningthey were running. A few

moments ago theyd been unconscious. Theywere more qualified and she should have let them stay while she

ran for help. Or the hills. Something.

Stupidity took on new definition as she realized what she was doing: guarding five Amazon fish with bad

attitudes and superior training. She had one weapon and a two hour class in

how to store your phaser

properly.

Wonder if theyd go for thatchallenge them to properly store their phasers?

How many phasers would they have? Picards, the two guards … so maybe three. But one of them had

come back after Urosk went in with the captain. How many had he

happened

upon? She had to assume they

wereall armed. Five to one. Not exactly odds shed play at an Argellian casino.

She should have known something like this would happen. This is what you got when you put Hidran oil and

Klingon water in a Starfleet blender.

She shrank back into the alcove, her back to a door that led to some room shed never used. This

building, a grand stone hall with a maze of rooms and offices on all sides, was the only standing

structure on the planet that was more or less intact. Who had built it was unknown. The tapestries that

lined the walls in the main hall appeared to be of an agrarian culture, but nothing else on the planet

seemed to speak to that. There were no mills, no holding silos, no overgrown farms. There were a few

other structures she was sure … somewhere on the planet. There must have beenshe remembered reading

something about them in one of the articles shed seen about Velex. She hadnt been here long enough to

see for herself. Maybe Riker had found one of those. Maybe he had survived the crash. Maybe

An electronic sound, the hatch opening, yanked her away from her thoughts. She scrambled to her feet,

drawing herself up into a small crouch.

She couldnt see anything inside the doortoo dark.

What was she doing here? No one called for a scientist.

She aimed the phaser, set it on heavy stun, and fired at the door.

Nothing!Damn! The safety !

One of the Hidran poked his head from behind the door. He looked around.

Thumbing the safety, Barbara took careful aim at the Hidran that was now stepping from behind the hatch.

She fireda bright cable of energy stabbed out toward the other end of the hall. She was watching her

shaking hand and not her target, and by the time she looked up the Hidran had skittered back into the

room.

She knew hed had nothing to worry abouther shot must have flashed against the ceiling at least three

meters from him, harmlessly absorbed by the sandstone. A small flutter of dust fell to the ground in the

silence that followed.

A salmon-colored arm reached out, a phaser in hand. Barbara fell back into the protection of the alcove

as a piece of the wall near herwhere her face had beenevaporated. That wasnt the mark of a phaser on

stun. They werenot playing games.

Her hand was shaking worse. She fired blindly again, around the corner of what was left of her

protection. She heard the blastdidnt know what shed hit. Her quivering hand couldnt have helped her

aim, yet there was no sound. Maybe shed gotten lucky and stunned him.

Phaser first, at level with her nose, she peered around the corner. An orange phaser spear rushed past

her and she plucked her head out of the way. The beam struck the wall behind her and turned it to dust.

Choking, she crammed her eyes closed and tried to wave the sandy dust away from her nose and mouth.

Another phaser whineanother blast. This time they missed this side of the wall all together.

Still she needed more protectionthey had all but destroyed the alcove with their first two shots.

The phaser squeezed between her fingers, she put her hand out and firedonce, twice, three times.

And again.

Again.

She kept pummeling the Hidrans only doorway with energy as she darted across the hall to a different

alcove. She only glanced at the hatch for a moment, but saw no one thereno face looked back at her.

Safe for the moment, her protection and view of the Hidran better, she paused, caught her breath. Should

she move from pillar to pillar up the corridor and away from here? Or should she stick with the more

protective alcoves?

Another phaser blastthis time down the hall past her. She saw the beam cut through the air, sizzling

the atmosphere and singeing her hair. She was parallel with the hatchway nowthey couldnt break away at

her protection without carving through the walls of the room they were in. That would prove disastrous

for all, for the building was stone and would cave into rubble if its supports were shaken enough. Shed

already felt the dust fall on her when the Hidran phasers sent tremors through the structure.

Phaser in her right hand, the Hidrans hatchway on her left, she crept forward, ready.

Ready for what? She was outgunned and outexperienced.

She had to get out of thereothers could do this and still be alive when it was over.

Three Hidran exploded from the hatchway and three flashes of metal or plastic broke across the hall.

They were all taking aim at her position at once! The fire power combined would obliterate the alcove,

and her along with it.

She rolled away, stones and dust snapping at her.

Their aim was goodthe alcove where shed been hidden was no more. She froze behind a pillar, then

realized that using it as protection would be her death if they phasered it rather than her. The ceiling

would collapse and shed die under an avalanche of stone and brick. She fired blindly again, at least

trying to get a pause in their return, and ranshe wasnt sure toward what.

Her breath was heavythe stone under her feet evaporated as they fired and she ran. A corridorshe took

it, not knowing where it led.

Stupidit led back to the same corridor in a big loop. She now had an even better view of the Hidran and

their blasted hatch, but they also had the same vantage on her.

Aim. All she had to do was aim. Eye on target and fire. How hard could it be?

She fired, the beamnearly hit one of the Hidran. They moved so quickly for their bulk. She was just

getting use to this shoot-and-fire thing and now they were moving the targets.

Her breath coming in long strokes, her hand shaking, she lined up the closest Hidran and thumbed the

trigger. Her beam lanced past him but caught one of the others right in the face.

The Hidran soldier bounced back against the wall as if hed been hit by a thousand fists.

Well, what do ya know,

she chuckled to herself.

Every once in a while the broad side of a barn jumps

up for you.

One big red barn downfour to go.

The other two Hidran began firing moretaking broad steps toward her.

Barbara fired and rantoward the other path of the corridorthe one that would bring her around in a

loop, but at least put her farther from the Hidran and the hatch itself.

A flash of lightning and the pillar before her exploded and she pulled herself back as best she could.

The ceiling cracked and crashed to the floor. Flecks of rock and sand fell on her as she fell back into

another alcove. Larger stones rolled and bounced up her legs as she collapsed against the wall, crying

out in frustration and pain.

She choked as the dust cleared and allowed her to see the rubble that would become her headstoneshe was

now blocked from one corridor by the new crag, and the other by the Hidran.

There was no place to go.

And the Hidran were firing … and moving closer. She wouldnt give up without a fight. She pressed

herself forward, phaser ready …

Suddenly the two Hidran fell forward. A table, one from the lab theyd been held in, crashed up behind

them, pushing them down.

Picard exploded out the hatch and dove for the stunned Hidrans phaser. The Starfleet captain grabbed it

in one hand and closed his other into a fist along the floor. He fired back through the hatch and then

rolled forward toward the other two downed Hidran.

His phaser connected with one of them, and the Hidran sank back to the floor. The other Hidran spun

around and knocked Picard down. The captains left hand shot out, but not into a punchhis fist

openedhe threw dust into the Hidrans face.

The alien bent forward, choking and sputtering. For a momentjust an instantPicards eyes locked with

Barbaras. She nodded. She didnt know what he wanted, but she could go with the flow of it, and thats

probably all hed wanted anyway.

From out of the hatch came the other two Hidran. They towered over Picard as he spun around.

The captain slammed his boot into the instep of the Hidran behind himthe one that was still choking.

Barbara heard a yelp of pain, and Picard went down to his knees. Instantly, the captain grabbed another

handful of dust that had fallen from the ceiling and tossed it into the air. The other Hidran crumpled.

He repeated the action as he rolled away, and all the Hidran began writhing and choking, their arms

flailing, trying to clear the dust.

Fantastichorrificas if theyd been showered with acid. Here she was, cowering in a corner with a

phaser as Picard fended off all the Hidran with his bare hands and know-how.

Why wasnt she helping? Thats what he neededher help.

Barbara fired three times quickly through the small cloud of dust. She heard one Hidran fall.

She fired again, almost blindly and Picard kept tossing dust into the air as he scrambled toward her.

The beam from her phaser shot forward and caught Picard in his chest, bouncing him back into the Hidran

he was escaping from.

The dust was settling … and Picard was unconscious.

No!

Barbara pulled back into the alcove, wishing she could pull the beam back as well.

She heard a sound. The Hidran laughing? Her heart sinking? Both were happening. The three Hidran who

remained conscious were choking and yet still moving toward herand taking potshots with their phasers.

Picard, limp and unconscious, was tossed over the shoulder of one of them. Her fault.Hers . Shed gotten

herself into this quicksand, he had been trying to get her out, and what did she do? Pull him down with

her.

The Hidran continued to choke even thought the dust had settled. The dust

The dust!

The Hidran, born from a water planet,hated dust. Dust was their enemy, a disease to them. Picard knew

that and was trying to tell her. Its how hed fought them: his knowledge of them.

Starfleet wasnt just brawn and testosterone as shed thought. And she wished she could tell Picard that

now.

She quickly set the phasera wide beam, thinly distributed.

They were moving closer … closer …

Not as close as she wanted them, but she panicked a bit and fired. The phaser spat energy in a thin,

broad beama spatula of energy that she scraped not against the Hidran, but on the ceiling above them.

Clouds of dust, the sandstone ceiling turned to grit, rained down on the Hidran, and cut off their air.

Gagging, they crumpled like large trees being tossed in a tornado. Barbara saw Picard pitched to the

floor, a flash of red and black uniform through the chalk fog.

They tried to move forward through the dust barricade. Barbara aimed the phaser and fired again. This

time the floor spat up into a gritty barrier that mushroomed into the Hidran. Beyond the patchy

thickness she saw them choking, but they refused to retreat back through the hatch.

She choked as the dust found its way forward and reset her phaser back to stun. Stunif shed left this

to the professionals Picard wouldnt have been stunned. Then again, at least she had only stunned him. A

phaser setting more and he might have died.

Her mouth was dry and she licked her lips, suddenly frightened by the thought that he still might. The

Hidran were trapped and who knew what theyd do now?

They did.

The Hidran moved forward, despite the dust, and continued to fire.

She was trapped, and knew she had to make a run for itto get help

Taking a deep breath, Barbara leapt forward and began a sprint down the halltoward the Hidran.

The falling dust half cloaking her, she turned away from them as soon as she could and ran toward the

main hall, her muscles screaming and feet barely able to balance on the line of fear she felt.

Relief melted through her as she saw three new Starfleet security guards running toward her.

The calvary had come, and just in ti

Beside her the wall exploded into large chunks of rock and

She felt her head snap … and consciousness evaporated.

Saxon was glad he was only the transporter chief. That seemed almost a cowardly thought, but he knew how

many security teams were down on the planet, and wasnt really sure what Commander Data hoped to gain by

making a personal rescue attempt.

The commander, holding his phaser rifle and tricorder, waited near the transporter platform.

Lieutenant Wyckoff just signaled that the team is on its way, sir,

Saxon told the android.

Data nodded.

Very well. I will want to beam down outside the main hall.

Aye, sir.

A wise movesensors said no one was on the streets.

The transporter room doors parted, and acting security chief Wyckoff entered, flanked by six other

security officers.

Reporting as ordered, Commander,

Wyckoff said, nodding his men onto the dais before them.

Each man, Saxon noticed, was also carrying a heavy-duty phaser rifle and a few power-pack replacements.

Data nodded to the men whod taken their places on the transporter platform, then spoke to Wyckoff.

The

captain is being held, presumably by the Klingons. I will not discontinue the white-noise blanket for

fear that the Klingons would attempt to beam the captain off the planet. However, keeping the

transmission jammer active means that our sensors cannot pinpoint his specific location. We are aware

that all the life-forms in question are either in the main hall or in other buildings, however, and for

that reason we will transport down outside the main hall.

Wyckoff nodded and stepped onto the transporter dais, as did Data.

The android nodded to Saxon.

Energizing,

the transporter chief said, running his hand along the controls. Suddenly the console

turned dark. He jabbed at the panel, then looked up to Data.

Weve lost power, sir.

Data handed his phaser rifle to the guard behind him, who, with both rifles and a utility bag hanging

off him, took on the posture of a bandito out of an old Western movie.

What is the cause?

Data asked, stepping down, leaving the seven security men to hold their positions.

The chief shook his head and shrugged.

I dont know, sir. Just no power to the console.

Data quickly tapped at his comm badge.

Data to Engineering.

Engineering. Lieutenant Cheng here.

Transporter Room Four has lost power. Are we experiencing difficulties?

One moment, sir.

There was a pause.

I show your null activity, sir, but its not coming from any

engineering console. There may be a problem on site.

Data looked up at Saxon, who dabbed at his console, then shook his head.

The problem does not appear to be down here,

Data said.

Well get right on it, Commander. In the meantime I can put Transporter Room Five on priority.

Very well. Data out.

The android waved the security men off the transporter dais and nodded a

carry

on

to the chief.

Smoke was filling the room, billowing from phaser-punched holes, forming black clouds near the high

ceiling. Riker shifted his weight onto his bad leg for only an instant, then quickly switched back,

wincing in pain.

Five lovely machines, seven lovely craters burned into their sides. Riker pulled Deanna into the

corridor, then lowered himself to the floor and admired his handiwork through the open door.

Unfortunately, five minutes had passed and no one had rushed in to stop the damage. An automatic fire-suppression had begun to work its magic, but a phaser blast had quickly terminated that operation as

well. The thought struck Riker that all this could be for nothing. What if no one was on this ship? What

if they had just done something to hamper life-support?

Deanna stooped down next to him.

Your leg needs treatment, Will. You cant lose any more blood.

He nodded lethargically.

I know. Im open to suggestions.

Grasping his hand in hers, she said,

I have an idea, but it will be painful.

More painful than death?

She smiled weakly and brushed away the hair that had fallen over his brow.

Probably.

He tried to return the smile.

Deanna, my strength,

he said mock-seriously.

Whats your idea?

Give me your phaser,

she said.

Ill cauterize the wound.

Eyes bulging, he edged away from her.

Have you lost your mind? Even at the lowest heat setting youd

burn my leg off!

You havent heard the whole idea

I dont think I want to.

She rose, and gestured into the room, toward one of the broken machines.

Look at the wealth of metal.

All we must do is cut a piece off, heatit sufficiently, then use it to close your wound.

He looked from her to a bent piece of the metal panel on one of the damaged machines.

Youre not

kidding when you say painful.

Id rather you were in pain than dead,

she said.

Why are those always my only two choices?

He smiled. They did this to each other in times of

stresseach tried to be the one that lightened the mood a little more. It didnt seem to be working

today. Under each smile, Riker knew, was worry and trepidation.

She held out her hand.

Your phaser.

Nodding, he handed the weapon to her.

Be careful.

Im going to stun you first, on the lightest setting,

she said, playing with the phasers settings.

It should daze you dull the pain. I dont want to use anything stronger because your system is already

weak.

Understood.

Riker didnt want all the details.

Ive agreed. Just do it.

She let out a long breath, then silently aimed the weapon and fired at the large section of metal that

Riker had been looking at a moment earlier. The beam of the phaser sliced easily through the strip of

paneling and sent a metal wedge clattering to the deck.

What hit the floor was a triangular edge of some alien ore, still sizzling and spitting sparks.

Balancing on the balls of her feet, she lowered herself to Rikers injured leg. Slowly she unwrapped the

bloody bandage, revealing a deep angled wound that was as painful as it looked.

Riker was not exactly the squeamish typehe could bear the sight of his own blood, just didnt prefer

it.

Deanna wrapped the thick end of the strip of cloth shed torn from her uniform around her right hand.

Her uniform was now sleeveless, having sacrificed both arms to Rikers wound. With the phaser in her

left hand, she picked up the sharper, cooler edge of the metal wedge. A line of energy linked the wedge

and the phaser when she thumbed the trigger. They could see the orange heat creeping up from the edge of

the metal toward Deannas fingers. When the red glow was halfway up the strip of metal, and perhaps she

was beginning to feel the burn on her fingertips, she clicked off the phaser and reset it.

Im going to stun you now.

He smiled back weakly.

Ive always found you stunning.

She couldnt seem to return the smile, and instead just looked at him anxiously. She aimed the phaser at

his chest … and fired.

Darkness blotted his consciousness in parts as the surge of energy jolted him, then sent him falling

into waking sleep where pain was just a shadow.

He thought he saw Deanna stooped over his leg. He could sort of feel her holding his knee firmly in her

free hand. Brighter than the rest of his viewin fact, the only thing he could make out clearlywas the

hand that held the wedge of hot metal.

He slipped into complete darkness for a moment, then awoke to a strange feeling … He scratched at

his beard as a line of sweat from his temple drizzled down his cheek.

He heard himself moan, and tried to focus. He could make out Deannas eyesthey seemed large, and he

could also see her hand shaking over his leg. Was it over?

She lowered the searing shard of metal toward the gash that was trickling blood. The wound hadnt even

tried to clot.

Pain smacked him wide awake and he had to cram his eyes shut. A spike of agony shot through his leg and

up his back. A heat so hot it felt cold, he flinched and Deannas grip on his knee tightened. Where had

she gotten such strength? He heard the sizzle of his own blood against the hot wedge of metal. He could

feel the heat on his skinit mixed with the heat of the blood until he couldnt tell the difference.

He gruntedcouldnt help itthe burningthe odor of his own flesh being scorched. He opened his eyes.

Deanna yanked the angry torch away from his leg and grabbed her own hand off. His breath pounded in his

chest, whistling through his teeth. The blood on his leg was dried and cracked and there was a red patch

where the gash had been. It would blister soon, but the bleeding was stopped.

Deanna was talking, saying something about leaving the bandage off to let the leg breathe. Riker was

exhausted and couldnt really listen. The pain in his leg was pulsingwaves of heat that radiated up his

leg and gave him a headache. Water … He was suddenly thirsty and wanted to be immersed in a pool of

cool water.

Are you all right?

Deanna asked.

Water …

Riker groaned.

Id like water …

I know,

she said softly.

Relax a moment.

And he did. The room seemed to darken and brighten as he slipped in and out of light sleep. The pain

became a steady thudding in his leg and was manageable like that. After a few moments, perhaps it was

longer, he opened his eyes wide and thanked her.

Im better,

he said, and noticed the smoke was so thick in the machinery room that it was beginning to

glide out into the hall.

No ones shown up, huh?

Deanna shook her head.

And I still dont feel anyone.

Riker sighed.

We have to get off this ship. We

He turned his head left, trying to hear down the corridor. The sound of the still sizzling machinery got

in the way.

You hear that?

He asked, suddenly feeling stronger, as if hed had a good meal and a long

nights sleep. He licked his lips, his mouth still dry.

What is that?

I dont hear it.

He held up an index finger.

Listen.

She cocked her head in the direction he was looking.

I hear it. Someones coming!

Riker grabbed at his phaser. At some point Deanna mustve returned it to his holster.

Help me up. I

dont want to meet our generous hosts sitting on my butt.

He tested the weight on his bad leg and

decided he could live with the pain.

You feeling anything?

Not a thing,

she said, gripping his arm.

Whoever or whatever … its too alien for me.

Im sorry, sir, weve lost power again.

Geordi imagined Datas brow wrinkling at that one.

Explain,

Data said, static etching his voice.

Geordi tried to tune the hand communicator a bit better. He laid it on a level place in a crevice of the

Jefferies tube, thanked his lucky stars that hed found itknowing the old-issue comm wouldnt be

missedand set about his work as he listened.

Same power loss as before, sir,

the Transporter chief said, probably struggling with his controls.

Data to Engineering. Transporter Room Five is now experiencing a power loss.

Geordi stifled a chuckle. This was all too serious and dangerous for that, but he had to admit a little

pleasure at being such a good mutineer. His father had always told him to do his work as best he could.

And even blind, quarreling with the darkness and fumbling with his tools and the circuits before him, he

was doing just that.

Cheng here, sir. I still see you as reading full power.

Geordi shook his head. He was really going to have to spend a little more time showing Cheng the ins and

outs of Engineering. Of course, the tamperingwas being well hidden.

Quite the decision Geordi had made here. He hoped he was right. Hed heard a word or two of Picards

response to him. It wasnt enough to know what the captain had said, but itwas enough to know that

Picard hadnt been under duress. If so, why did he have his communicator? And why did he contact Data

right away, as Data himself had admitted? Chances were the captain had heard most of Geordis message

and when he contacted Data to see what the problem was, the android had slipped further into … well,

whatever his problem was.

Geordis problem was more obvious: he couldnt allow Data to beam down and start accusing Klingonsor,

in his absurd state, do something worse. Geordi was taking a gamble. He might lose, but knew that if he

didnt try, the Klingons on the planet surely would.

Stand by.

Datas voice again.

Computer, locate Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge.

Locating my communicator will be easy, Data. Im smarter than that,

Geordi said to himself.

Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is in cabin 2471, deck two.

Dont do it, Data,

Geordi grumbled, his hands fiddling faster with the controls at the end of the

Jefferies tube.

Dont force me to up the ante.

There was silence from the comm, and for a moment Geordi thought hed lost his link or had been found

out. Finally, though, he heard Datas order:

Scan cabin 2471, deck two, for life-form readings.

Scanning. No life-form readings.

Geordi heard the opening of the transporter room door, and then Data again.

Lieutenant Wyckoff, I have

reason to believe that Commander La Forge is either ill, or under the influence of a Klingon agent.

Security is to locate Mr. La Forge and confine him.

A Klingon agent, sir?

Well, at least someone was questioning all this … garbage.

It is a possibility,

Data said, too damn convincingly. He sounded as if he knew something they didnt.

Aye aye, sir.

Damn. They were going to trust him. The reluctant, questioning tones were therejust not strong enough.

Also, signal General Quarters. I will be on the bridge. Please contact me when you have located

Commander La Forge.

Geordi heard an

aye, sir

and the swishing of the transporter room door again.

What now? If security backed Data, eventually Geordi would be found and … hed be powerless to do

anything.

And he would be found. Unless … unless he found them first. But only when he was ready.

He stuffed his tools back into his small bag, covered the access plate, grabbed the hand communicator,

and scurried back down the tube. There was no way to tell where security was going to look for him

first, but it might be a Jefferies tube that had something to do with transporters, so best to get out

of that one.

General Quarters. All hands, General Quarters…

The alarms began to sound and Geordi could hear the rush of people scrambling to their quarters or duty

stations. He decided to duck into a rec room bathroom.

He flipped open the hand-comm and fingered a few dials.

Computer, tie in to communicator, authorization

La Forge.

Ready.

Nowthats more like it.

He sat down on the heads seat, allowing his tool kit to drop to his feet. He

held the communicator intently before him, and started to map out the orders hed need to use.

Computer, locate Lieutenant Wyckoff.

Lieutenant Wyckoff is in turbolift twelve.

Computer, what is the heading of turbolift twelve?

Turbolift twelves destination is deck two.

Geordi yanked himself up so quickly that had the commode not been attached to the deck it would have

fallen back.

Okay. My cabin. Good place to start.

By the time Geordi reached deck twoand he was sure to take the access ladders rather than the

turboliftshe knew Wyckoff would already be at the cabin. That was fine. Geordi didnt want to walk into

his cabin when Security was therethat would make it seem as if they were catching him by surprise. He

needed to catchthem by surprise.

And he did. When Wyckoff and his two men came out from Geordis cabin, the engineer made sure he was

standing in front of that door.

Commander La Forge

Lieutenant Wyckoff, I presume?

Geordi asked. He could feel the tingling from his proximity vest that

said they were only a few feet from him.

Id heard you were here. We need to talk.

Sir,

Wyckoff said apologetically,

Im to take you into custody. Commander Datas orders.

I know.

Geordi gestured toward his cabin door.

Lets talk.

My orders, sir

Lieutenant,

Geordi said, opening his eyes wide, allowing them to see his blank, white, sightless eyes,

Im blind. Im not going to try to overpower you. Im not going to phaser you. Im going totalk to you.

And if you dont like what I have to say, Im going to go with you quietly. All I want is five minutes

of your time. If I were trying to avoid you, it would have taken you more than two minutes to find me,

right? Instead,I came to you.

There was silence for a moment. Perhaps they were all exchanging glances. For all Geordi knew, a crowd

had gathered, including Data.

Okay, sir,

Wyckoff finally said.

Five minutes.

Geordi nodded, and walked forward, through them, and into his cabin.

As soon as the door swished closed behind them, Geordi turned and began.

Data isnt himself,

Geordi said.

Jim,

he said to Wyckoff,

you know me. Am I a Klingon agent? Worf

is your superioryour friend.Is he?

Geordi didnt allow an answer.

Look at Datas warped facts,

he continued.

No one is allowed to contact the planet. Supposedly

Commander Riker and the counselor are missing, and thats the Klingons fault. Worf ismaybe accused of

murder, but it hasnt been proveneven by Datas admissionand yet Data pronounces him guilty. Captain

Picard is apparently under duress, but then why did he have his communicator? And why wont Data let me

talk to the captain as I requested? Why amI assumed to be a Klingon agent just because Ive questioned

Datas orders?

Geordi paused, and let all sink in. No one spoke and he could only imagine the expressions passing their

faces. If only he could seeto get a tack on what they were thinking.

Sir,

Wyckoff began,

did you have something to do with the transporter malfunctions?

Geordi nodded.

Yes. I did. I cant let him go beaming down into what could be such a touchy situation.

You didnt hear him when he talked about boarding the Klingon cruiser and searching for Riker. Hes not

being rational, Wyckoff.

With all due respect, sir,

Wyckoff said,

this is what Id assume a Klingon agent would say.

Sweat broke out across Geordis forehead. He could feel it, and hoped it wasnt seen. He avoided

scratching his head nervously. He didnt want to give Wyckoff any body-language cues that might

compromise what he was saying.

The security lieutenant hesitated a moment, then continued.

Commander, I do know Lieutenant Worf, and

Ido know you. But I also know Commander Data, and heis in command. It isnt within my purview to decide

that he should be replaced by you.

Im not fit to take command. Youcan see that. I wont ask you to make that decision.

Geordi stepped

forward, pointing to his chest.

Arrest me, Lieutenant. I wouldnt ask you not to. But arrest Data too.

Put usboth in the brig and sort it out later. Let the captain do it. Let anyone else do it but us.

The

engineer pressed himself forward again, until the proximity vest told him he was right in front of one

of them. He hoped it was Wyckoff, or his flair for the dramatic would look farcical.

Lieutenant, if

nothing else,ask Data why he thinks the captain is under duress. Ask him why he thinks Worf is a

murderer.Ask , Lieutenant … and base your decision on what you hear.

Geordi stepped back and

gestured his hands in a surrendering motion.

Ill put my trust in your reason. I sure cant trust

Datas.

What kind of coward are you, Batok?

Urosk hissed at one of his men. They were both still choking.

Picard himself was choking some, but noticed the Hidran looked especially depleted. They had changed

filters in their masks and were breathing steadily, but Picard would have bet anything that this wasnt

what theyd expected at all. There werent many sandstone buildings on Hidra, to be sure.

I am inferior, sir,

Batok said, slumped over, coughing. The man was obviously exhausted.

I am sorry.

Sorry?

Urosk muffled a gag with his ranting.

We were being held at bay by awoman a verysmall

womanand all you have to say is you are sorry?

I did stun her, sir. Had the other humans not appeared

I do not want your apologies, Batok, I want your perfection!

Removing his jacket, Picard snorted,

Is that all want? Perfection? Youll need it, Urosk. Youve

assaulted Starfleet officers and managed to abduct the captain of a starship. The Federation will not

play at this situation lightly.

Silence from you, Picard!

Urosk growled, pointing his phaser.

You are the reason we are here. Youwho

would not listen to the truth.

Truth?

Picard scoffed.

What truth? Your truth? All you seem to need to define truth is that you speak

it.

Silence!

Urosk exploded, then turned back to Batok.

Urosk needed to be pushedbut not so hard that Picard would get himself killed in the pushing. Just hard

enough so that he might give up whatever foolish plan he had. It was on this end that such work had to

be done: there would be no help from theEnterprise. If La Forge couldnt hear him, Picard was on his own

in all this. Worf was weaponless, Crusher didnt know what was going on … She would soon enough,

though. On his way down the corridor Picard took notice of the two security guards. They had moved a

bitalive. They were obviously found by Barbara, and woulddo what? Contact the ship? Unlikely that

would prove fruitful. Something had obviously happened to Datasomething that had caused him to cease

thinking rationally. Or stop listening.

Picard knew he should have seen this all coming. Hed thought something seemed strange about Data, and

should have acted on that suspicion.

He looked at his plush red jacket, now filthy with tan and yellow grit, and tossed it on the bench

behind him. He mopped his brow and pulled on the collar of his turtleneck. Disappointed in himself,

angry at the situation, Picard tried to focus his thoughts on what the Hidran were saying. Any

information he could gain would be helpful.

I dont expect my soldiers to act like fools!

Urosk barked.

Shedid have a phaser, sir, and

Batok cut the end off his own sentence.

Urosk backhanded him and the clapping sound of flesh against the plastic-like construct of the breathing

mask echoed in the small room.

Picard cleared his throat. Batoks mask was intact and seemed to be functioning well. Obviously well

manufactured. Could Worfs blow to Zhad have been much harder than Urosks just now? Picard doubted it.

Perhaps Zhadhad killed himself.

Wanting to blend away into the background for now, to see if he could get a fix on the attitudes hed be

dealing with, Picard lowered himself silently onto the bench along the wall. He looked about the room.

Some of the dust from outside had settled on the floors and tables. Before its history as a base of

operations/holding pen for the Hidran, it must have been a lab of some type. Nondescript computers stood

along one wall and a great many tools and trays and jars of dirt were scattered on the tables. At one

time theyd probably been neatly stacked. The Hidran were obviously not known for their housekeeping.

Batoks head was down. He slouched yet spoke loudly and clearly as possible through his mask.

Sir, if I

may speak …

Stomping awaythen back again, Urosk took on the posturing of an angry bull. If he had nostrils

somewhere under that mask, they were flaring.

Shall you speak? Im not even sure if you shall continue

to live!There is the heart of my lunacyindecision as to whether Ishould kill you rather thanhow I

should!

Well, at least all captains were alike in some respects. Picard had never actually said anything like

that to a member of his crew, but he could sympathize with the feeling.

I would only speak to please my captain,

Batok said.

Urosk laughed.

Not possible, Batok. The sound of your voice is as grating as the dust in the air.

Sir, I have been to the Klingons holding cell. I did not leave here solely to supply us with two

weapons.

Urosk turned toward the younger, shorter Hidran who still had his eyes focused tightly on his own boots.

Despite wishing to remain seated, something in the Hidrans tone pulled Picard up. Thankfully they had

not taken his Universal Translator, or all this talk might just have been a series of hisses and clicks.

Tell me what you must, Batok,

Urosk said intensely.

The Hidran lieutenant looked up at his superior, returning the intensity with his eyes.

I have killed

the ambassadors murderer. The KlingonWorfI have watched him die at my own hand.

Picard rose forward slowly, but didnt move any closer than that. He couldnt if hed wanted tohis

spine, his legs, his jawall locked with the tightness of anger and fume.

All that had happened until now suddenly seemed trivial. Worf was deadtried and convicted by a jury of

one.

Chest tight, Picard balled his fists at his sides. He had let this entire predicament swing wildly out

of hand …

Time to bring it back in check.

Urosks eyes became slivers. He was obviously smiling behind that blasted mask.

You have done well,

Batok. How many of the others did you kill?

Others?

Batok battled with himselfhe obviously wanted to look away from his captain, but couldnt.

Surely you didnt only kill the Starfleet Klingon!

Urosk snapped.

SirI …

Picard watched Urosk stifle Batok with a glare.

Speak no more, Batok. You killed onlyone Klingon when

you had the chance to kill them all.

He wheeled away toward the table behind him. On it he dropped the

two communicators hed collected. Together with Batoks there were four.

You will redeem yourself,

Batok, by joining these into a communicator that will reach our ship.

Batok said nothing, but slithered toward the table, obsequiously silent.

Two steps forward and Picard was nearly on top of Urosk. He felt an urge to wrap his hands around the

Hidrans throat.

Worf …

And what then, Captain?

Picard snapped.

What happens when you return to your ship?

Urosk towered over Picard.

We destroy the Klingonsin orbit, then on the planet,

he said frankly.

Why?

Picard spat bitterly.

What will this do? Why must hundreds die for your revenge?

There was a choking sound from Urosk that must have been a laugh.

Revenge? You know nothing of me,

Picard. Batok acted on revenge. He is a young fool. I might have done the same for justice, but there is

a grander plan at work here.

The Hidran captain still kept his phaser in his palm, pointed toward the

floor. Picard glanced down at the weapon. Urosk noticed, and once again aimed up toward Picards chest.

Had it been reset to stun?

Whats your grand plan?

Picard asked.

Killing me? Would full Federation intervention really meet your

end?

Another Hidran chortle.

Is that how precious you are? How many Federation Starships would be deployed

to hunt me down if I killed you now? Two? Three? Five? A hundred?

Jaw hardened, Picard held his anger in check.

Therewill be political implications if you kill me,

Urosk. More if you attempt to attack the Klingon ship. And theEnterprise will stop you.

I will allow nothing to stop me, Picard. Not you, not your ship. The Klingons want war and I will prove

to them such a move would be much more unhealthy for them than any virus.

Picards hands flinched. He wanted to grab the Hidran, shake him. It was unfortunate that logic couldnt

be beaten into people.

My people will stop you, Urosk.

With his gravel voice grinding into every ear, the Hidran captain gestured to Picards chest with the

phaser that was once his own.

If yourpeople do stop me, you may never live to see it. I would not mourn

if you went the way of your Klingon lieutenant.

Bleeeeeeeep.

Both Picard and Urosk turned to Batok.

The young Hidran spun around.

Captain, one of their communicators signals.

Bring it here.

Batok rushed over. He held the comm badge in the palm of his right hand. The gold tips were wet where

hed touched it.

Bleeeeeeeep.

Activate it,

Urosk ordered, then turned to Picard.

Answer, but take care in what you say. You will

tell your people to disengage your communications jammer.

Tentatively, Batok tapped the face of the comm badge.

It chirped to the open frequency.

Picard opened his mouth to speak, and Urosk thrust the phaser into his gut as a reminder.

Picard here.

Lieutenant Worf here, sir. We have a situation in the Klingon delegates chamber. There has been

another murder.

Chapter Twelve

TAKE COVER!

Riker fired again but Deanna still hesitated. She stood there, motionless, as the roving machine grew

closer. He upped the phaser another level and fired. A thick orange rod of fire spread over the

machinethen dissipated, not fazing it.

A wicked bolt of white plasma launched from the robots middle.

Deanna shrank behind one of the machines thatwasnt trying to kill them, as Riker rolled in the other

direction. He hurled himself into an alcove of equipment, and fired again as the robot sailed ominously

closer.

It was a meter high and hovered off the deck, bobbing and weaving as Riker fired. The first ones werent

like thatthey had taken their phaser hits squarely and crumpled into debris. And the potshots theyd

firedsome sort of pulse beam that felt like a mild electric shockhad been harmless.

Had been.

Now the machines were getting stronger with every generation. Riker would destroy one, and another would

appear within minutesbigger, or more adept at avoiding the phaser, or sometimes just able to take

stronger and longer hits before finally succumbing.

The robot in front of them spat energy that sizzled over Rikers head and sparked against the wall

behind him. Riker fired againconnecting for a momentbouncing the machine back. The steel monster swung

quickly out of the way and recovered its floating course toward them.

Riker glanced hastily toward Deanna.

Stay down!

He didnt know if it would go after hershe didnt

have a weapon and wasnt a threat to the other machines as he was. No way to be sure, though. Nothing

about this ship was right. No peoplejust machines guarding machines. Not unheard of, but whatd it have

to do with Velex? Were they even still in orbit. Or in the star system.

A prickling charge skittered across Rikers skin as another bolt of energy carved out a dark blotch on

the bulkhead behind him.

He chewed his lip and considered whether or not he should raise the phaser to its maximum level. One

quick clean shot and the rover would be turned to dust … but what would come in its place?

Rover. Thats what this devil machine was: a snarling, angry dog. Every neighborhood had a mongrel like

thatsome barking, spitting, gnarled mutt that lived to swipe baseballs and chew the pockets off kids

butts. Rikers neighborhood especiallyAlaska and dogs still went hand in hand.

This dog was a new breed of Rover, though. It didnt want his pocketsit wantedhim.

Riker raised his head and fired. The beam plunged forward and caught Rover in its middle.

The robot tried to move out from behind the beam.

Uh uh,

Riker grunted.

Bad dog!

He stood and aimed the phaser as Rover moved, making sure to keep the beam straight into its middle.

Finally a bright flash and a crashing sound: Rover the Fifth fell to the deck, disintegrating into

chunks of smoldering, crackling debris.

Slowly Deanna lifted herself up.

Are you all right?

Riker stepped out from his alcove, nodding. He moved toward the debris, looking it over.

Deanna followed.

Hows your leg?

Fine,

he said shortly. The bleedinghad stopped and he hadnt noticed the pain much until she mentioned

it. Suddenly the leg throbbed with pain and the inner heat of the burn.

Riker knelt down to inspect Rovers carcass. He pushed the charred remains back and forth with his

phaser, sifting for something, he wasnt sure what. Some clue as to how it was made.

It doesnt appear to have a simple off switch,

he said tiredly, pushing himself up with a grunt.

Deanna grabbed his arm, helped to steady him.

Where are we?

Riker shook his head.

I lost track three dogs back.

Deannas brows shot up.

Dogs?

The slightest smile shadowed Rikers face.

Rovers.

When her face still expressed perplexion he added,

Never mind.

He looked around, keeping his phaser at hip level, and put his arm around her shoulder for support.

Lets try to find our way back to one of our floor marks. I want to know where were going. Especially

if another of Rovers brothers shows up.

He motioned with the phaser toward the shards of computer and

robot left on the deck.

Theyre getting harder to destroy,

he added.

It took setting twelve this time. Thats five higher

than the first onefive Rovers, five settings.

She pulled him forward.

Wonderful. Lets get out of here before we end up with more of them than there

are phaser settings.

He chuckled nervously. That was a very real concern. There might be endless litters of little Roversthe

ship was big, and whatever its purpose was, there appeared to be a wealth of material. Who knew? Maybe

that was the ships full-time function: Rover fabrication.

He limped, she walked, and together they trod down the corridor, over the debris of the robot that had

forced them off their marked trail.

Theres something odd going on here. All these machines …

he said, testing his right leg with more

and more strength every other step. He needed to be able to run again if chased. He couldnt lean on

Deanna, that would drag both of them down.

Odd how?

She looped her fingers around his hand as it came over her shoulder.

It makes sense to me:

an automated ship with automated machines and automated robots to protect them. And an automated

transporter that brought us here.

Maybe,

Riker said, trying to cover his fatigue with a strong voice,

but I dont remember seeing

another ship when we entered this system. And if we were somehow beamed right off the planet and out of

the star system as well, that still doesnt explain what all this isor how the sensor readings back on

Velex fit in.

She nodded, her soft hair pressing against his arm as she did.

Will, where do we go from here?

He almost liedmade up some tale about a plan he had in the back of his mind … but he was too tired,

and she was too smart. No foodno waterthey were trapped.

I dont know,

he said.

Survive for now

He stopped, pulling her back.

Listen …

A flurry of sound rumbled up the corridor from behind them. The unmistakable vibration of metal and

circuits: Rover number six. There was no place to take cover, and no strong legs to run on. Riker set

his phaser on the next level and turned toward the sound, waiting.

Did he send Deanna to hide somewhere, behind a door maybe? Or would that put her in more danger? She had

no weapon. If a Rover came up behind her …

He looked up the corridor toward the sound, then down the other way.

Lets go.

He motioned toward the far corner where one hall forked into two.

Well get a little cover

from the bulkhead.

Once there he pulled Deanna behind him.

Crouch low,

he said.

Make yourself as small a target as possible.

The roving machine turned down the hall toward them, hovering, and about the size of the last five,

Riker noticed this one was … smoother in appearance, like a giant toolsomething for utility, not

protection. Then again, Riker thought, a phaser looked just as benevolent.

Slowly Rover VI moved toward them. A ring around its middle was where the charges would come from.

Something told him theyd be even stronger than the last time.

He thought the Rover moved stalkingly, as if there was something personal in this battle. The robot

didnt just want him to stop destroying the other machinerythat sentiment had been lost four Rovers

back.

Hewas the goal: revenge for its roving brothers. Okay, maybe he was reading more into the ma chines

motive than was there. Maybe there was nothing personal and it was just programming

defend ship until

threat is suppressed.

Something like that.

One thing was certain: the machines wouldnt stop until their prey was dead.

He fired and a flashing spike leaped from his weapon to the Rover. The blast was absorbed fully. The

smooth metal casing glowed white, then orange, then dissipated, leaving the Rover still heading toward

him.

A bolt spat forward from the roverand from farther than the other ones had been able to fire.

No time

Powerful fingers of energy, luckily only the tendrils of the bolt rather than the full brunt, gripped

Riker and tossed him back and into Deanna as it passed close to them. They crunched together in a

fluster of limbs. Riker rolled off her, reset his phaser to its highest, took careful aim … and

fired above Rovers head.

The ceiling over the robot exploded into a shower of spark and rubble. Riker kept the beam steady, and

finally a heavy chunk of bulk slammed into the floor.

Crushed under the wreckage, Rover VI abdicated the throne.

Choking on the smoke drifting up from the debris, Riker pulled himself up with Deannas help. They

nodded their

okays

to each other and stood a moment, gripping one another.

Well, I have to commend their ability,

Riker grumbled.

They change designs like Starfleet changes

uniforms. And all theirs work.

He turned and glared at the debris, then back to Deanna.

Why dontyou have a phaser?

Im a psychologist,

she said.

I justquestion people into submission.

He waved away the comment.

From now on I want you to carry a palm phaser on away missions.

Nodding, her arm around his waist to lend him support, she asked,

You all right?

Ill live if I can get a good steak and a cold drink within the next five minutes.

Must youalways make light of your own health?

she huffed.

Making light of anyone elses is rude.

She shook her head and they continued around the corner.

Any idea where were headed?

she asked.

Away from those damn robots. They all seem to be coming from the same direction.

You think there will be others?

Id bet credits. Im assuming theres some central store room or manufacturing room or something. Maybe

we can get as far away from that as possible, and at the same time …

Looking up, she cocked her head, probably sensing what he was feeling.

What?

Weve still got to find some way off this ship. Maybe theres a communications room or deck. Some way

to try to contact theEnterprise.

He looked down at her, no longer masking his thoughts, because he

knew she was aware of his feelings.

We havent got much time. Were either going to run out of phaser

settings or phaser power … or life. We can only last a few days without water.

And which of them would go first? He was weak, had lost a lot of blood. If he gave in to that weakness,

she would be left alone. If lack of water was to be their undoing, he would go first, but what if one of

the Rovers got her before that? Which was worse? His being without her, or she without him? And with one

phaser, they couldnt even safely split up to lure the Rovers away from the other. Especially since the

pack of Rovers got stronger and better with every litter.

All these things ran through Rikers mind, and so quite possibly through Deannas. He tried to stop

thinking that way.

He gripped her arm and turned her toward him.Dont worry yet.

Well be fine.

I know,

she said.

And I wont … yet.

They turned down the fresh corridor and made a few steps headway before Riker stopped them.

Not again!

He cocked his head forward.

Another one. Hear it?

She nodded brusquely.

Yes. What now?

He pulled her down and behind him as he shrank down to one knee.

We drop and fight.

Another Rover, similar to the first six, came floating around the corner. As soon as Riker made visual

contact he aimed and fired. The shot went past, Rover dodging and bobbing as it came down the corridor

in a zigzag pattern, swiftly making its way toward them.

Here, puppy … here, boy.

Riker fired again, and the phaser beam crackled the air, making a fire

bridge between them. Rover was struck in his middle and whimpered as the energy engulfed him.

Suddenly the robot spun away out of the beam, then around, avoiding a second shot.

Riker fired again and missed.

He aimed for the ceiling again, bringing it down in an avalanche of hot metal and burning cinder.

Rover flew back away from the cloud of debris as it dumped harmlessly to the deck. Through the rising

dust and smoke, the robot began again to make its way toward Riker and Deanna.

As it sped closer, Riker jumped up and started to run.

Toward it. As fast as his throbbing leg would allow.

Will!

Deanna shrieked.

Will! What are you doing!

Rover closed in, the band around its middle starting to glow with the pulse of a deathly charge.

Riker dove forward, head first, twisting onto his back. He slammed into the deck just under the robot

and fired. A brilliant trunk of energy pounded out of his phaser and into Rover.

The robot tried to move away, but Riker kept the beam locked on its underside.

He stuck up his arm, as if he could pound the beam through Rovers heart. The beast glowed red then

white, and finally shattered from inside and outside simultaneously. Riker pushed himself away and

rolled halfway up the ceiling debris, burning his back as the robot crashed to the deck in a thousand

pieces.

Riker pulled himself out of the wreckage and shakily got to his feet. He looked to see Deanna was all

right, then glanced at the twisted and melted workings of the late Rover.

He nodded approvingly at his handiwork.

Good dog.

Deanna stood and rushed over to help steady him. A strand of her thick curly hair had fallen over her

eyes and she blew it out of the way.

You scared the daylights out of me.

He put his arm around her shoulders again.

Didnt have time to explain. I

Hummmmmm.

They turned … and there he wasRover the Eighth, larger, and looking determined.

Enough of this!

Riker moved Deanna back and yanked up his phaser again.

Ive had it!

He reset the phaser to its highest level and fired. The beam bounced off into small sparkles of fire.

Bounced! Riker fired again connecting longer, letting the beam pound into the robot. The machine

staggered back a moment, then began to move forward, into the phaser beamthrough it

Riker rested the phaser, holstering it, and spun around.

Lets get the hell out of here. Now!

They began to run. Toward a far door. If they could get throughlock the door behind them

Riker stumbled, pulling Deanna down. They collapsed hard against the floor.

Go,

Riker barked.

Leave

me. You have a chance.

She ignored him, pulled him up.

No.

They ran again, Rover following, humming, and, eerily, not firing. What was it waiting for?

Moving faster, Riker ground out the pain with clenched teeth, as they limped toward the door.Well make

it . He wasnt sure if that was his voice or Deannas in his head, but he pushed on.

As they approached the door, Riker turned and let Deanna go forward. He aimed at the Rover again and

fired a last time. The shot sizzled off its hide like water on a skillet.

Come on!

Deanna called from the door way, as Riker spun around and leaped through, the door closing

behind him.

He stumbled forward, unable to stop himself

And nearly fell off the ship.

He grasped the handrail that pressed into his stomach and struggled to keep his balance. He heard Deanna

gaspturned to look back at herbut his gaze caught itself on the horizon.

The horizon.

Before him, extending forward as far as the eye could see, was group after group of machines, tube after

tube of conduits, pump after pump, after machine after …

Riker looked through a haze of warm air at the ocean of machines, and at the far, far distance, where

the ceiling met the floor.

Worf to Captain Picard. Come in.

Worf tapped at the comm badge again.

Worf to Picard. Come in.

Kadar grabbed at Worf and pulled him around.

Your plan has failed, Worf. Your captain has abandoned

you.

Worf yanked himself free of the Klingon commanders grip. He felt his muscles knot and turned away

before he released that tension with a blow to Kadars face.

You are delusionary,

Worf said.

Communications are merely down.

Again?

Kadar growled.

Or is it an excuse to ignore you? Did you not adjust your communicator

frequency?

Kadar gestured to the form of his fallen comrade as he wrenched Worf around again.

We are

falling one by one! Your captain has left us here to die! I gave you the time you wanted and you have

failed. Now I say we will act.

Face hot, jaw tight, Worf narrowed his eyes and glanced at the deflated shell of the Klingon that had

died at the Hidrans hand. He then turned back to Kadar and spoke slowly, evening his angry tone with

forced composure.

The death of your crewman was not random.I was the target of the attack.

Kadar jerked his grip from Worf as if hed been touching some infected leper.

You do not know

that,Earther. You speak the lies of a Terranyou do not know the truth and you do not know the Hidran.

His scowl still grinding into Kadar, Worf tapped his comm badge again.

Worf to Connors.

Connors here, sir.

There has been a murder in the Klingon security cell. Please notify the captain. I am unable to reach

him.

Were on our way to you, sir. The captain is being held by the Hidran.

Worf and Kadar shared a gaze, less mutually antagonistic than before, but more annoyed and angry.

Understood,

Worf said, and jabbed his comm badge off. Questions, demands, flooded his thoughts. With

communications what they were, however, it would have been foolish to ramble off those thoughts. Hed

have to wait until his men showed up, and if they knew what was good for them, that would be quickly.

Do you see now?

Kadar began in a low growl.

Will Picard see? The Hidran are insane. There is no honor

with them. They will destroy us here, and then they will move to destroy the Empire.

They couldnot destroy the Empire.

Kadar looked at his remaining men a moment, then stepped closer and lowered his voice.

Do not be so

sure, Worf. They could wreck such havoc that the Empire would not be able to defend many of its worlds.

The Klingon commander shook his head and gnashed his teeth together in disgust.

Dont underestimate

them. Dont trust them. They have been building their military strength while claiming these economic

troubles and power failures. Five hundred war ships have been built! They have planetary defense bases

now that can knock a starship from orbit! Their economy is marketits recessions smallits productivity

too high. They are liarsthey have no troubles save for those in their minds. And, as you can now see,

they strike without reason.

Therewas a reason,

Worf said, his voice its normal pitch. He refused to play Kadars game of secrecy.

I believe he meant to kill me. Did you not hear him call my name?

Eyes cold and dark, Kadar croaked his answer:

All I heard was the death of another of my men.

He took

Worf by the arm and pointed him to the body.

There is the second Klingon who has died under the guise

of trying to avenge one Hidran death. How much would you wager that if the Hidran had their way, you

would be the very last Klingon killed … because youd be the last left alive? It is you they will

end with, Worfit is the Empire they wish to destroy first.

Kadars grip on Worfs arm tightened.

Wemust act nowto preserve the Empire!

The hatch hissed open, and both Worf and Kadar turned, tense.

Connors and Mackenzie entered, nodding their salutes to Worf.

Report,

Worf ordered habitually. Off duty or on, under arrest or not, to them he was in charge, and he

knew that.

Connors stepped forward.

Sir, the captain was taken by Urosk. We were caught off guard

Excuses will be discussed later,

Worf snapped, and got the flinch he wanted from his men. Theyd been

sloppy.

Report the situation.

Yes, sir,

Connors continued.

Stalemate for now, Lieutenant. Phaser fire was exchanged. The captain

was stunned, as was Doctor Hollitt. They retreated back into their chambers, with the captain as a

hostage, when security reinforcements arrived. We have three of our team and two of Doctor Hollitts

for-hires guarding to assure no movement.

Worf nodded.

I see.

Perhaps Kadar was rightperhaps the Hidran were fools without reason. What did

they hope to gain by abducting the captain. It would merely anger their only allies: the Federation.

Has Commander Riker been found?

No, sir.

Worf nodded.

What command officer is left on the planet?

Connors shook his head.

Just Dr. Crusher, sir.

The captain was being held hostage. The first officer was missing. The second officer could not be

reached. The chief engineer could not be reachednor any one else on theEnterprise . The ships doctor .

. . was a ships doctor.

I will need a phaser,

Worf said.

I am returning to duty.

Aye, sir,

Connors said, handing Worf a phaser.

Possibly the ship has been attacked if it is no longer responding to hails.

Worf glanced at Kadar,

torn. Part of him needed to work for the captains release … and part wanted to keep an eye on

Kadar. His threat to take action was not idle.

Finally, Worf turned back to Connors and MacKenzie.

How many teams are still searching for Commander

Riker and the Counselor?

Two, sir,

Connors said.

Call one back. I want two guards stationed outside this door at all times.

Worf!

Kadar protested angrily.

For your protection, Captain,

Worf said, taking just a bit of delight in the moment.

Armus for our protection!

Kadar barked.

No,

Worf said simply.

You will remain here in protective custody. I will see to the safety of Captain

Picard, and we will remedy this situation per his orders.

You, Worf,

Kadar spat,

are a Terran fool.

Perhaps,

Worf said as he nodded Connors and MacKenzie out the hatch.

But for now I am the fool in

charge.

Datawas in charge, and DePotter had to follow the commanders orders.

Ensign, are the defense systems energized?

Yes, sir.

Then please plot a course within phaser range of the Klingon vessel.

Okay, maybe he was just a know-nothing ensign who could count his hours of bridge duty on two hands and

a foot, yet … all this seemed wrong.

But DePotter couldnt disobey such an order. If he did, there would be no more bridge duty. No more duty

ever.

DePotter tapped at his console.

Course plotted and on the board, sir.

Hail the Klingon vessel and lock phasers on target, Ensign.

Hold, Ensign. Belay that order.

Swiveling around, his hands still on his board, DePotter saw Lieutenant Wyckoff enter from the fore

turbolift, flanked by three security guards. Their phasers were drawn.

Data stood and confronted them.

That is not within your purview, Lieutenant. Your actions constitute

mutiny. You are relieved of duty.

Wyckoff shook his head.

What the hell was he doing? What should DePotter do? Sit backwait? Follow his order? Which order? Why

was this happening on his shift?

Commander,

Wyckoff said,

you cant relieve me of duty. Your actions lead me to believe youre either

ill or under an alien influence. In accordance with Starfleet regulations, Im turning command of this

vessel to the duty officer until Captain Picard returns.

Data nodded, almost sympathetically, or knowingly, or something. DePotter couldnt be sure if anything

was really there. He seemed so calm. Anyone else would be livid.

Lieutenant,

the android said,

thisis mutiny. I seriously doubt your interpretation of that regulation

would be upheld.

Maybe, sir. Ill let the captain and Starfleet decide. You can, of course, file a complaint when we

reach the nearest Starbase. Until then, Ill have to confine you to quarters. If you dont come with me

now, Ill have to make that confinement to the brig.

Silence reigned as Data seemed to consider the weight of the threat. DePotter didnt know if he should

defend the Commander or what. Sit. Wait. See what happens. He knew therewas such a regulation. He could

always lean on that. Somehow that didnt comfort him thoughhis palms were sweaty and his heart thumped

loudly in the absence of speech.

Finally, though, Data answered.

Very well, Lieutenant,

he said, and quickly stepped past them to the

turbolift.

Wyckoff turned, nodded his guards to stay behind, and followed the android into the lift.

Its been a long time,

Geordi said to himself. Then he looked up at where he thought the guard still

was. If the security man didnt move often enough, the impulse from the proximity vest would just blend

in to the background of the wall.

Why dont we check on him?

Perhaps the man noddedGeordi wished peopled stop doing that. In any case, the man agreedhis comm

badge chirped.

Computer, locate Lieutenant Wyckoff.

The guard was still near the cabin door.

Lieutenant Wyckoff is in turbolift five.

Computer,

Geordi chimed in,

heading of turbolift five?

Turbolift fives heading is deck two.

Hes headed back here,

Geordi said.

Yes, sir. He decided that confinement to quarters would be enough.

Geordi leapt up.

Damn! Were talking aboutData herenot some skinny ensign. You can lock me in my

quarters and youmight be able to keep me there. Youd have no chance with Data.

The man probably nodded again.

Lets meet them at the lift.

Swoosh.The lift doors openedGeordi could feel the rush of air.

The guard gasped.

What?

Geordi snapped.

Whats wrong?

To his proximity detector, the lift felt empty.

Where are

they?

Lieutenant? Are you okay?

The guards voice now came from Geordis feet.

Whats happened?

Sir, Mr. Data is gone, and Lieutenant Wyckoff is unconscious.

Damn! Geordi pulled the old hand comm out of his pocket, glad hed remembered to keep it. He snapped the

grid up.

Computer, locate Commander Data.

Commander Data is on the Battle Bridge.

The rustle before Geordi was the guards uniform as he rose.

Emergency medical team to deck two section

31-A!

Geordi reached out, grabbing the guard and pulling him forward.

I need my freedom. I think my case is

proven.

Yes, sir. You sure have.

Good.

Geordi yanked back the communicator and barked,

La Forge to Engineering! Priority one!

Disengage power to Battle Bridge. Now!

Sir?

With Wyckoff in the turbolift, Geordi had no choice but to head for the next one. Using the proximity

vest as his only guide, he began a blind rush down the corridorliterally. And he didnt have time to

explain his actions to Engineering.

Thats a direct order, Mr. Cheng. Follow it!

Aye aye, sir.

Geordi bounced into three people on the way to the turbolift.

Report, Cheng.

Im trying, sir. Someones overridden with manual control.

Damn!

Where was the turbolift when he needed it? The doors wouldnt open for him. Unless … Data

sealed off the lifts!

Cheng, make sure all civilian personnel report to the saucer section on the

double if theyre not already there. And override any initiation of saucer-sep, you got that?

Aye, sir. Will do!

Geordi slammed his fist against his thigh and spun away from the closed lift door. There was a ladder

around the corner with his name on it. Whatever Data was doing wouldnt go down this flawlessly. Not on

a bet. As he ran faster than the proximity detector could handle, he bumped into a wall or two, but

pushed off and kept on going.

Gracelessness under pressure.

Computer,

Geordi barked, beginning to pant,

unlock all secondary hatch pathways deck seven to deck

twenty-seven.

Access denied.

No, no, no, Data … Its not that easy.

Override on authority of Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge,

access La Forge: Theta two-nine-nine-seven.

Secondary hatch pathways now available.

Geordi couldnt help but laugh.

Now thats the computer we all know and love.

Before lifting the hatch

on the secondary path he closed the communicator andwhere was his tool kit?

Left behind somewhere.Damn . Three

damns

in as many minutes. It had been that kind of day.

Geordi scurried down the Jeffries tube. Deck eight by now? Hed go down one more to make sureif hed

lost count he could be left behind. That wouldnt do.

Hand under hand … foot under foot … he had done this quickly a million times without lookingwhy

couldnt he do it blind?

Red alert. General Quarters. Saucer separation in T minus one minute.

The computer droned on,

klaxons sounding. At least Data was making sure the civs and the non-essential personnel were off the

battle section. That was the odd partsomething was wrong with his best friendhe was obviously damaged,

yet he seemed to still care what happened in most respects.He actually sounded concerned when he ordered

security to find me , Geordi thought.

He jumped down to the deck, stumbled a bit, then straightened himself. He pulled out the hand

communicator and flipped it open.

La Forge to Engineering. Cheng, report.

Commander Data has overridden all Engineering access, sir. I cant stop the saucer sep.

Status of the sep?

Lift, umbilical, and SIF interconnects are separated. Docking latch servo seals are counting down to

sep.

Do what you can, Cheng. Force the warp core output to less than ninety percent! Make him

overrideeverything to get what he wants. Buy me some time. See if you cant stall some turbolifts

between the two sections. La Forge out.

He rushed toward the nearest door, banged into the jam, and

cursed himself for rushing to the point where he actually was beginning to slow himself down. He

composed himself, tried to get his bearings, and spoke into the comm again. He nearly collided with the

next door and grumbled an insult at it.

Computer, relinquish all control of engineering subsystems to

Engineering. Authorization: La Forge.

Access denied.

Override! Personal authority, La Forge: Theta two-nine-nine-seven!

Access denied.

Dammit!

The communicator clenched in his fist, Geordi reached out to pound the wall, missed, and

stumbled. He fell to his knees, then yanked himself up and steadied himself. He was getting too worked

upfunneling his adrenaline into anger rather than action.

Computer, pinpoint location of this communicator. What deck is this?

Deck Eight, section five.

Battle bridge on this deckweapons conduits not far. Data could control the computershe couldnt

control the crew. Hell need automation to fire any weapons … and those systems would have to fail.

One way or another, Data,

Geordi said to himself,

Im going to have control of this ship.

Ships were big, but not this big. Riker had never seen one like thisthere wasnt one.

Were not on a ship,

Riker said breathlessly, losing himself in the distance. He gripped the handrail

and slowly turned back to Deanna.

I dont understand. What is all this?

Look,

Riker said, pointing to the clean lines of machines and bins … somethings doing something.

They pumped and hummed and grunted in effort. At what? There was no way to know without interrupting

them, and he wasnt going to play that game again.

We didnt beamup … we beameddown !

Will

Deanna said as she stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder with one hand and the rail with her

other.

Of course! Ive had the same lack of empathy here as on Velex.

Because thisis Velex. You were right, Deanna.

Nothing on this planet is alive. Nothing! Its all machinery.

Riker turned from the amazing view,

strength somehow filling his legs again.

This changes everything.

He gripped his arms, almost smiling,

for there was hope now, where there had been none.

We must be kilometers underground … and we have

to get back. Find the room we arrived inif thats a transporter room then we dont have to worry about

beaming ourselves into space. If were lucky.

He looked into her eyes, those dark and tired wide orbs.

She nodded.

Why? Who

Boooom!

Behind them, the wall exploded, a bubble of white heat spreading over the corridor. They were tossed

against the railing and Riker dropped to his knees. He looped his arm through one of the rail bars and

gripped on to Deanna as the wall behind them vaporized into metal dust.

As Rover the Eighth pushed through the downpour of debris, Riker forced Deanna away and fired. Again his

beam was reflected off to one side, and the Rover moved forward, unharmed.

Riker turned to run down the corridor. Deanna was well ahead of him. His leg was bellowing agony to his

brain. He pushed it out of the way. Dont think about the painit doesnt exist. Pain is a mythan evil

fantasy someone once had.

The corridor extended up against the rail for at least a city block, curving around at an angle. Riker

fired, hoping to blast Rover off balance at leastmaybe knock the robot into a wall or into the

handrail. He missed once, twice, and again … there was just no way to get a clear connecting shot

between the curve of the corridor and bobbing of the Rover.

Move, move!

Riker barked at Deanna. Speed would be their only advantage … if Riker could keep his

up. And he couldnt forever. Theyd run out of phaser settings, and out of options. If they couldnt

find a way to the surface … well, there was no place else to go. They might avoid the Rover for a

while, but without defense, without a way to destroy the robot, they were as dead as the planet they

were on.

Damn, hed been stupid. He hadnt rethought, hadnt reconsidered his first assumptions, and it could

mean their deaths. Had he even considered the idea that they were in the planet rather than on a ship,

his entire course of action would have been different. Had he not started to destroy the machines, he

and Deanna probably could have roamed peacefully until they found a way to the surface.

Could have … but there was no going back.

What was it Deanna had said about poor concept-formation? Hed never let that happen again.

Up the next corridor, leaving the Rover trailing behind, Riker caught up with Deanna and they ran

together evenly.

The old dogs learned all my tricks.And its immune to the phaser,

he puffed out.

Try to put some

distance between us and him. As soon as we have a corridor between us

He coughed and stumbled, and she reached back to draw him along.

We cant run forever, Will.

I know,

he choked out.

I know.

His leg knew too.

We have to find that transporter roomor one like

it! You run aheadcome back when you have one. I have an idea that might buy some time. If you dont

find it, just keep running.

Will

I dont want to hear it! Thats an order and I expect you carry it out, Commander!

He motioned up the

corridor.

Now go!

She looked back a moment, then took off, and Riker realized just how slow a snail hed become. He was

dragging her downshed stay alivefind a way to the surface and inform the captain, if he didnt become

deadweight for both of them.

As Deanna disappeared around the corner, Riker hobbled on and felt like that steak hed wanted a few

minutes earlierraw and lifeless. Sweat dripped from his hair onto his cheeks and he smeared it away

with an already soaked wrist. He looked back, listened, and heard the Rover still coming.

And it would keep coming, and even if destroyedthere would be others.

Theres got to be a way to the surface,

Riker grunted, looking up the corridor to the corner Deannad

turned.

Shell make it even if I dont,

he assured himself as he slowed even more. The pain in his leg

wasnt buying the

mythical

story anymore, and his gallop had become a deadly trot.

He turned up the corridor, his limp showing. She was no where to be seen. The Rover could be heard

behind hima constant reminder.

Hope had again become the myth, pain the reality. He had no more ideas to slow it down, as hed assured

Deanna. It would be on him in moments. He was tired, and wanted to sit and wait.

Will!

Her voice came from behind himhed passed her. How had he missed seeing a door? He spun around, pushing

himself off balance as he stumbled toward the sound. She poked her head out a door that was nothing more

than a slit in the wall.

Over here!

Coming,

he grunted, and tried to push the pain away again.

When he was close enough she pulled him in and the door closed behind them.

She pushed the hair from her eyes and motioned around.

Recognize it?

He looked around, squinting at each corner, at the wall that was lights and panels.

We started from

here,

he gasped, trying to catch his breath.

Deanna nodded.

Either this room or one just like it.

He took in one long breath and straightened.

Here.

He pressed the phaser into her hand.

You take

this. Youre going to buy us some time. Weld the door shut. If Rover breaks through, melt the ceiling

and make it a wall.

Im not the best with a phaser,

she admitted.

Just aim and fire. Hit the wall and well be fine!

Riker nodded toward the door. She aimed at the

split between the doors, hesitated, then fired. As he worked over the console, trying to determine which

way these people had invented the modern-day wheel that was teleportation, he felt the sparks from

Deannas work fly. Alien metal was bubbling up, welding solidhe could hear it. He concentrated on his

task, trying to ignore the orange nodules that spat forward before they fell to the ground cold.

The air was getting hot as he ran his hand over the many different buttons and lights, unwilling to

touch them. For now he was just trying to get a feel for the board. Intelligent beings tended to pattern

things. The eye will look for structure in randomness … from constellations to buttons … and

perhaps Riker could find a pattern here.

To his left were a series of switches and what looked like a numeric keypad with symbols. Above that was

a screen with what might have been a graph. It was unmoving, and had more symbols. He mopped his

browthe heat from the door was adding to his basic misery. After being gouged, bled, skewered,

dehydrated, chased and exhausted … well, he should have realized that boiling was next.

Booooom!

A shudder jostled Riker against the console and he gripped the panel as best he could. The makeshift

wall where the door had been glowed red, then cooled to silver-black.

Rover again!

Riker called to Deanna.

Melt more of the ceiling if you have tokeep em out!

The whine of her phaser was the only response. He spun back to the console and looked hard. No manual.

No help key. No Starfleet touch-padsjust old fashioned buttons that seemed to be laughing at him as

they kept their meanings hidden.

He looked up at the graph.If thats a zero … and thats a zero as well … He looked from the

graph to the keypad. A coordinate selector maybe?

Maybes were damn risky where transporters were concerned. Accidents happened even when people knew what

they were doing … guessing was …

Boooom!

Their only hope.

Another bolt against the door. Rover was knockingloudly. Riker could feel the heat from the blast, and

then a wave of hot air and the scream of the phaser filled the room again.

Keep it up, Deanna!

He didnt turnhis work was here, hers there. His only problem: where was

here

?

Enter coordinate here,he thought,and activate here. He moved his hand from one place to anotherthere

were only two main key setsthe rest of the panel was lights and indicators.What coordinate, though?

It was getting hotterthe air savaged his skin and eyes. Deanna was melting more of the ceiling into a

barrier and she was backed up against him.

Focus! Focus! None of that mattered! Rover was scratching down the wall between them and there was no

place left to run.

This is zerohe decided, touching the keys as if that confirmed his guess. But zero meant what? The

planets surface? The planets core? The transporter room itself? Could be smack-dab into the middle of

Rovers dog house for all he knew. The coordinate could be for wherever they were taken fromwhich was

two hundred meters in the air.

Booooom! Booooom!

Riker cringed instinctively and looked at the wallDeanna was running out of ceiling.

If they tried to escape they might die. If they stayed they surely would. The temperature of the room,

the walls, the air … Riker was ready to lose consciousness. Breath now painful to his lungs, he held

his chest with one hand, and the console with his other.

Get over here,

he yelled.

Stand by!

He hit the

zero

key three times and then jammed his fist onto the other key pad.

BOOOOOM!

The wall ruptured. Orange and red slivers hurled forward in a ball of flame. Riker felt the heat on his

faceturned to Deanna, tried to cover her with his body

The world became moltenthe explosion engulfed them

Pain was no myth. They were wrenched to the deck, and the universe closed dark around him.

Rikers agony was finally gone.

Chapter Thirteen

AT FIRST IT WAS NIGHTthe blackness, the cool dryness of the air … A river of cold wind washed over

him. A good feeling. Riker had thought he would never feel so cool again. Then he remembered the effect

of the alien transporter … brightness returned to his world, and paralysis lost its grip on him.

I made it.

Pain returned as well, and he almost welcomed the continuityhe had all his limbs, he could feel them.

Deanna …

He called out, probably more mentally than physically. He couldnt be sure.

Are you all

right?

Silence, and the distant howling of the wind, frightened him. He was in an eerie world of half-substance

and half-feeling, of half-light and half-sound.

He tried to flex his muscles and clear his throat. How frustratingto be uncertain of that which was

always so absolutethe control of his own body.

De-anna?

His voice cracked dryly.

She groaned in response. Shed made it too.

His eyes fluttered open and light pounded against him, too brightly. He yanked his arm up to shield his

eyes, then rolled onto his stomach, allowing his eyes to open in the shade of his own frame.

The rock was cool against his palmsgrit and cold stone. He shuddered, chilled, and relished the feeling

after so many hours of sweaty exhaustion.

Deanna

He looked to his right and saw her lying a few feet away.

Give me a moment … Im fine.

He nodded and lifted himself to his feet, using the incline of the

rock face as a brace. This was where theyd found the sensor beaconthe same clump of rock and stone.

Somewhere around here was a crushed flitter.

Squinting into the bright day, Riker recognized the flowing Velexian fields in the distance. He tapped

his combadge, then shook his arm awake.

Riker toEnterprise .

A hollow, empty frequency beeped back at him. He tapped it again.

Riker to … anyone.

Looking down, he saw Deanna was now shielding her eyes. He stretched his arm down to lift her up, give

her balance. He was the weaker, yet had come around first … the effect must have to do with

something other than just a physical paralysis.

The communicator suddenly cracked with static, then came alive with a womans voice.

Halford here, sir!

You just appeared on our scope!

The beautiful sound of another being.

Where are you?

Looking for you, sir. In a shuttle. ETA to your location is three minutes.

Deanna pulled herself toward Riker and spoke into the communicator.

Good … have a medi-kit ready.

Commander Riker is hurt.

Acknowledged. Sir, mind if I ask where in hell you twove been?

Riker chuckled with the irony of that, and, still dizzy with adrenaline and blood loss, steadied himself

against Deanna.

Lieutenant,

he said, looking from Deanna to the sky,

youre awfully close. Except it

was a bit hotter than hell.

The small combadge crackled, sputtered, then died under the weight of Urosks boot. Picard, both pleased

and disgusted at the illogic of it, nearly smiled.

Worf was alive. Alive and well and talking. But someone had died for him … another Klingon was dead,

and only trouble could come of that.

Suddenly, rather than turning to Batok and taking his anger out on him, Urosk twisted toward Picard.

He

will not live forever!I will see to that.

Picard held his ground, neither pressing forward nor retreating from Urosks tirade.

Is that your only

goal, Captain? Would you give up your entire planets life to avenge the death of one?

Urosk crunched his heel into the damaged communicator as he stepped closer to Picard. Towering over the

Starfleet captain, he ground angry words through his breathing mask.

Iam acting for the preservation of

my planet! You are too blind to see it, Picard, but this entire string of events was meant to destroy

us. The Klingons want warand it is war I will avert!

How? By beginning one? None of this is any help, Urosk,

Picard said.

You cant stop a war by waging

one. Not when the odds are against you.

No, Picard, you are wrong.

The Hidran captain turned away and walked toward the table in the center of

the room.

The Klingons can be stopped. They have forgotten what a war with the Hidran means.

He

pressed a button on the tabletop and a spigot rose from the center as a sink opened into the counter.

Water began to pour from the tap and Urosk ran his hands and arms under the flow. He shuddered, perhaps

with pleasure, and then turned back to Picard.

They will be reminded what a war with us would mean.

Thats a gamble, Urosk. Perhaps they will be reminded of a need to eradicate your threat rather than

avoid it.

Silence, Picard! Unlike you I am not riddled with indecision! I know what I will do, and what it will

mean. I may die in the process, but the Klingons heartless empire will know that killing me wasnt

worth the price. We will destroy them here, and in orbit, and perhaps one will live to actually tell the

tale.

Urosk stomped back to Batok at the head of the counter.

Not only have you dishonored yourself by

killing but one Klingon, you have embarrassed yourself by killing thewrong one! You will take the

remainder of the Federation communicators, as well as our own, and find a way to break through this

transmission jammer of Picards. Thismay begin to make up for your errors of the past, Lieutenant …

but fail me again and Ill have your life.

Stepping forward now, voice firm, Picard hoped to still find some way to talk the Hidran out of such a

reckless plan.

TheEnterprise will not allow you to destroy the Klingons, Urosk.

That, of course, was

just a wild hope. He didnt know what theEnterprise would do. If Data had been damaged, and if La Forge

was unable to relieve the android, then perhaps theEnterprise was now acting not to stand in the

Hidrans way, but to further their cause.

Urosk yanked his Starfleet phaser up and aimed at Picard.

I do not want to kill you, Picard. I do not

need the wrath of the Federation to complicate things for Hidra … but be assuredinterfere with me

and I will shatter your limbs to dust, and leave you to live in undying pain.

There was no difficulty in reading Urosks expression or tone. He was quite serious, but no threat could

stand in Picards way. The Hidran had to be stopped, and if that meant pain or death, then that is what

it meant.

Subtlety would have to be his weapon, Picard decided, as the Hidran collected all their communications

devices on the center lab table. Every few moments one of them would go to the sink and douse their

hands in the tap water. Then they would drink, with difficulty due to the awkwardness of their breathing

masks, and return to work.

The dust trick would not work again. Too obvious, and too dangerous now.

Picard watched as they pried the delta-shield covers off the three remaining Starfleet communicators. At

least this was delaying themthe white-noise transmission blanket was still intact. How long could he

count on that?

Time to act.

You use a lot of water, Urosk,

Picard said, making his way slowly around the far end of the table.

Urosk looked up from his survey of the work.

You no longer have concerns, Picard, except the

preservation of your own life.

Water is a scarce commodity on this planet, Captain,

Picard continued, edging closer to the tap.

Youd be wise to conserve it.

The Hidran captains phaser came up and he stepped toward Picard.

Move back, Captain. I care more for

comfort than conservation right now. You are dangerously close to interfering with me, Picard.

Picard shook his head.

Actually, I was only going to suggest you turn the water up. That red button is

hot waterrun that and the room will fill with steam after a while. I believe that is what you want. It

will save you from constantly having to drink and soak.

Why?

Urosk asked, squinting at Picard.

Why attempt to help us? Why make us comfortable?

Picard pressed the red button and the tap spat a thick bar of hot water into the sink. Steam rose to the

ceiling and slowly worked to fill the small room.

You have much to learn about my people, Urosk,

he

said, and hoped that would suffice as an answer.

The Hidran captain jabbed his phaser in Picards direction.

Thats no answer.

Urosk was no fool.

Lets just say,

Picard said, thinking quickly,

that your comfort seems to be in my best interests

right now … wouldnt you agree?

Will!

Beverly Crusher ran toward the halls main doors and scooped the first officer out from under

the guard who was helping him in.

Whats happened to you?