Disclaimer: No one but the ensign belongs to me. Have pity on this thirteen-year-old and don't sue.
Guinan fingered the wide brim of her spangled red hat with one dark finger, her other hand swirling the bright blue contents of a glass on the bar. She posed the image of being nonchalant, but in truth her mind was churning. She was ordinarily totally impossible to faze, but now her heightened sense of danger was pealing madly. Lost in thought, she was suddenly roused by a voice with a familiar Mediterranean accent.
"May I have one of those?" said Counselor Deanna Troi, sitting at the bar and gesturing to the drink at Guinan's elbow.
"It's Romulan Ale," said the bartender. "It has a bit of a kick."
"I need something strong," sighed the counselor, brushing a stray black curl off the shoulder of her puce jumpsuit.
"Trouble?" asked Guinan, pouring out the sapphire liquor into another glass and sliding it over to Deanna.
"A case of mine is causing difficulties," answered the counselor wearily, accepting the brew. "Ensign Deidra Bell. She's antisocial, argumentative, and, as far as I can tell, totally friendless. That only makes her worse."
"Bell, huh? Didn't she just transfer aboard?"
"She's fresh out of Starfleet Academy," answered Deanna. "Apparently she's something of a prodigy. She graduated the Academy summa cum laude at eighteen and got her first real assignment as an engineer right here on the Enterprise."
"You'd think Starfleet would know not to send green kids onto a starship of this size. So she's not holding up very well, is she?" Guinan continued.
"She's an orphaned teenager sent into space and asked to perform difficult duties without complaint," Deanna explained, taking a draft of ale and choking. "That's the worst possible combination. Now Geordi's sent her in for counseling and tried to dump some of his problem onto me. I've got a meeting with her in a few minutes."
"My only advice is to be patient," mused the bartender. "Good luck with that."
Deanna smiled as she rose from her seat and headed out of Ten-Forward. She strolled along the corridor to her office, pausing outside as she saw that it was already occupied.
"You are precisely 15.9 seconds late," came Ensign Bell's clipped mezzo voice. "I expected you to be punctual."
"I'm so sorry, Deidra," apologized Deanna. "I was just having a talk with a friend."
Bell folded her arms defensively, a scornful expression on her face. Her thick honey blond hair was twisted into a knot so severe it looked like it was set in iron. She had a sharp nose and a wry, mobile mouth often contorted into a derisive sneer. Her large eyes were a dusky velvet brown, so dark they were as black and cold as the bottom of a well. They were a stark contrast to her light hair, giving her a striking, foreign look. She might have been considered quite handsome if she were kinder.
"So," Deanna began, sitting at her desk across from the ensign. "How have you been doing? Has your work been stressful in any way this week?"
"Nothing I can't handle," Bell answered shortly, "but those idiots I have to work with are totally inefficient."
Deanna said nothing, instead reaching out with her carefully trained mind in an attempt to get an empathetic lock on Bell's unfathomable emotions. To her surprise, she met strong mental shields in the ensign's mind, blocking her from entering. No person but a powerful adult Betazoid was supposed to be able to produce shields of that intensity.
"You're messing around up here, aren't you?" said Bell, tapping her temple with a long finger. "It won't do you any good."
"So I've noticed," said Deanna, barely keeping her shock under control. "Not many humanoids can resist a telepathic touch of any kind, at least not as powerfully as you do. Can you explain how you can?"
"I've always been this way," Bell answered, calming slightly. "My mom--" She stopped sharply, taking a breath before continuing, "My mom always said that no one could read me, even when I was a baby."
"Interesting," Deanna commented, making a note on a PADD. "Your mother and father were medical specialists if I'm not mistaken."
"What do they have to do with anything?" Bell snapped suddenly. "Nothing can bring them back now."
"A person's parents are important figures in his or her behavior and feelings--" Deanna began.
Bell cut her off, demanding, "Spare me the psychobabble, Counselor." She pronounced Deanna's title like an insult. "As long as I do my job like I'm ordered there's nothing we will ever have to say to each other." She promptly turned her heels and stormed out of the office.
Deanna leaned back in her chair, feeling windblown. True, the session had not gone well, but she had learned an important fact. Lonely Ensign Bell missed her parents.
Meanwhile, things were going quite smoothly on the bridge. The only necessary duties were fairly routine and a blanket of calm had settled over the senior staff. Captain Picard paced around, checking control panels and speaking with the officers. Then the communications console buzzed into action, sounding Guinan's succinct hail, "Ten-Forward to bridge."
"Bridge," answered Picard, slightly concerned. Guinan rarely called for any reason, so the matter must be dire.
"Captain," said the bartender, "he's here. On the ship somewhere."
"Are you sure?" asked Picard urgently, knowing instantly who "he" must be.
"I'm positive. I can sense him from a lightyear away."
"Affirmative. Bridge out." The captain looked at Lieutenant Worf. "I want security sweeps on the double. Find him before he causes any trouble."
"Yes, sir," growled Worf immediately, drawing his phaser and heading for the turbolift.
Picard then turned to Commander Riker. "Number One, you have the bridge. I'm going to contact Starfleet Command in my ready room and see if we can't sort this out before it gets out of hand."
He stepped through the double doors of his ready room only to be greeted by a painfully familiar salutation.
"Hello, Jean-Luc," said Q, heels up on Picard's desk. He was dressed in a smart Starfleet admiral's uniform and looked unpleasantly comfortable right where he was.
Picard swore fluently in French, glaring at the menace in his chair.
"Language, Jean-Luc!" cried Q, getting to his feet. "We can't have that falling on the tender ears of the women and children aboard, now can we?" He waited for the unforthcoming answer, finally saying, "Is that the hello you give an old friend?" He then proceeded to stroll over to Picard, seize him by the head, and kiss him on both cheeks.
The captain jerked away, seething. "You are no friend here, Q. What will you be studying about us now?"
"What made you think I'm here for you, mon capitain?" answered Q innocently.
"What else would you come here for but to further torment my crew?
"I didn't come for study purposes, Jean-Luc, despite the fact that you are all quite fascinating subjects," Q said, his cheerful countenance not skipping a beat. "I came for a certain crew member."
"Which member?" asked Picard, curiosity piqued despite himself.
"A certain Miss Deidra Bell."
