Chapter Six
The breeze off the Bay of Aragon was cool and brisk. Queen Victoria felt it's presence on her cheeks as she stared out to sea. The triangular sails of the traditional fishing boats were full, as they headed into harbor with their morning catch. The tacking up the narrow bay to home port this early in the day could only mean a full catch. There would be good fresh fish on the table tonight, Victoria was sure. It was one of the real benefits of living in Navarre, fish, caught by nets and prepared the way they had been for millennia.
Despite it's position as capital of the Basque, Navarre still maintained a lot of the charm from it's pre-Basque life as the small fishing village of Florestown. If anything, the Basque had improved on the hamlet's strengths. Victoria's glaze swept back from the bay to the city. It was especially true between the Castle of Saint Leire and the bay. The streets were the same golden cream cobblestone, winding up the hill. Each flat-topped building was capped with a terrace, usually partially a garden. The buildings were all built to match the same stone as the street, for the most part, and none exceeded five stories.
The breeze brought with it the sound of children playing. As Victoria looked down towards the bottom of the castle's walls she could see a few children running through the streets, barefoot in pinafores and shorts. Victoria sighed and turned around. It had been a long time since she had been able to stop and play
Queen Victoria looked back at the private green next to the North Tower Gate of Saint Leire Castle. It was a nice day, the cool breeze coming off the bay was causing the tall blue-green trees to rustle softly. The dark stone tower rose up just high enough to cast a shadow over the statue placed on a temporary wooden base around which the Queen had been examining before she'd been informed that her heir was arriving.
She hoped to spend time with Marrissa, but given her schedule, it would be fleeting. As the Chief Executive of Essex following the loss of most of Parliament her duties were quite tiresome. Fortunately she'd been able to draw on the remains of her William's government as well as the Basque House of Bureaus which had been very generous with its time.
The soft whine of someone beaming in filled the air, and gold and silver sparkles preceded the appearance of a young girl between Victoria and the statue. She'd apparently decided not to arrive in uniform, but the pink and red jumpsuit she'd chosen was just as unflattering, and like her pony tail made her look much younger than she was. "Marrissa, I see you managed to escape on time," the Queen said, with a smile.
Marrissa returned the smile, with effort. "Yes, thanks to Clara," she said. "I don't think Dad knows exactly what he signed this morning though. Did you manage to make sure the Settlement Street Flat was ready?"
"I did, but before you go there, I have to ask you something," Victoria said somewhat warily. Marrissa's smile disappeared. "I know you don't want any royal duties, and I'm fine with that, but I really think there is one upcoming that I should at least offer to you."
"And why is that?" Marrissa said. The cold tone was back, and if possible it was even icier than before.
"It's a statue installation," Victoria said, her speech speeding up. "Turn around." Marrissa turned and looked up at the statue. It was three meter tall figure of a man, dressed in Star Fleet Dress Uniform. He had a scar on one cheek, and held his drawn sword out, resting against a shoulder.
Victoria couldn't see Marrissa's face, but she heard the sudden intake of breath and saw the shudder of her body. Marrissa reached up and wiped her face as she turned back around. "When is the installation?" she asked, in a firm voice.
"It's scheduled for noon in five days," Victoria said. "Bill wanted to push it back in light of recent events, but I said no. We'll also be having a memorial service for those who died three days from now in Saint Domingo de Guzman Catholic Church. The Pope will be officiating. You might want to attend that as well."
"Let the Captain know about the memorial service," Marrissa said, with a serious expression. "I brought my dress whites. I'm sure that he'll want most of the Command Crew to attend. The Captain of the Magdeburg probably will want to do likewise. Do I have to do a speech or anything for the installation?"
"It is traditional, but if you don't want to I'm sure that I can find someone else to do it," Victoria said, keeping her tone as non-committal as she could.
"No, he was my father," Marrissa said, sharply. "I should be able to say something. Anything else before I disappear?"
"Only a hope that you'll be careful," Victoria said, moving into hug her heir. Marrissa took it reluctantly but let the Queen do so. She broke the hug and looked directly into Marrissa's amethyst eyes. "I don't want to have to visit you while you're under medical care again."
"Trust me, Victoria, this is the safest thing I've done in nearly a month," Marrissa smiled seriously. "Right now I wouldn't say that the Enterprise is a safe place for the Essex Royal Family, at least until we're sure that Simmons was the only assassin on board. I've asked the Doctor to transfer Lady Hilda over to the Trinity. Clara and her father are under guard at the moment, but I'd like to get them off the Enterprise as well."
Victoria examined Marrissa's expression, unaccustomed to such seriousness from a girl her age, especially one whose choice in outfits knocked a good five years off her appearance. Marrissa met her look, and Victoria nodded. "Agreed. I will run interference for you with your father. I'll also see about securing more of the remaining heirs. We still don't know where Martin is."
"He'll turn up," Marrissa said, then suddenly her seriousness evaporated in seconds. "Now if you'll excuse me, your majesty, I've got to play vacant blonde on her own without a care for a couple days. Oh the fun of waking up without anything to do ... I've got to take shore leave more often."
"So I hear," Victoria said. "I'll try to stop by your flat later."
Marrissa turned towards the tower gate, and after picking up her duffle and adjusting it on her shoulder, skipped towards the gate and out of site. She rotated once, in her skip, saying "See you later," before passing through the gate and disappearing from Victoria's sight.
It was almost time for Victoria to return to work. She wished that she could take a similar carefree journey away, but duty called. The Queen turned back towards the looming mass of Saint Leire Castle, and strode off quickly.
...
The door to the Picard Quarters opened, and not a sound was heard from the inside. In the last two years, Jean-Luc knew that had become very unusual. Since he had adopted Marrissa his blessed solitude had been interrupted by the giggles and songs of a young girl. He had found that he rarely missed the solitude. Marrissa had filled his life in a way he hadn't expected. Throughout his decades as Commanding Officer of starships, he had always thought his life was filled by the never-predictable responsibilities of the role, but his personal life was never as full as it had been since he started a family. And now, another daughter would soon enter his life ... the Picard Family Quarters was definitely not the bachelor quarters of the Stargazer and Enterprise-D. Now, however, the room was as quiet as it had been back on the Stargazer.
With Marrissa not in a good mood, and knowing exactly who to blame, Jean-Luc had at the very least expected her to be cuing that ridiculous "Gotta Keep the Hair" song from "A Girl From Gaza" to his arrival. It was one of the more obvious ways that Jean-Luc's teenage daughter had taken to showing her displeasure. Fortunately, its playing usually washed the displeasure out of Marrissa's mind as well as annoying Jean-Luc.
But this time there was no noise, there was just a PADD, out of place on the dining table. A PADD in a place that usually indicated that Marrissa was out somewhere and expected to be back outside the normal expectations, something that she hadn't done since she'd became Chief of Security. That job made normal expectations abnormal. Jean-Luc picked up the PADD and read it.
"Dad - I signed up for shore leave per Counselor Troi's advice. Commander Riker approved it, so I'll see you in a week. Messages via Royal Channels will get to me. Love, Marrissa."
This was the first time he'd heard that Marrissa should take shore leave. Counselor Troi had advised him to find a time where Marrissa could get a decent stretch of uninterrupted time off, though. That's why he'd asked his wife to give Marrissa an extended recovery time. He had thought that he would have been informed by either the Counselor or Commander Riker about something like this.
"Commander Riker, Counselor Troi, please report to the Captain's Quarters," he ordered, before entering Marrissa's room. It appeared that she'd made her bed and straightened up since the last time he'd been in it. The bed even had the proper San Francisco corners to it. There was a stack of PADDs nearly placed in one corner of her desk up against the wall, and for a change there was a new set of pictures on her desk. The one with the three of them at the wedding was still there, but now their was a picture of her biological parents again, apparently at their wedding. Jean-Luc recognized the celebrant and the church. It appeared that they had gotten married while still at the Academy, and he could see the reason by just looking at Marrissa's late mother. Marrissa's stress ball was in front of the last picture, which used to be the picture from the field trip of some years back, but apparently had just been replaced by a picture of her and Jay, in their dress whites.
The door chime rang, as Jean-Luc took a seat in the lone chair in Marrissa's room. "Come." From the seat Jean-Luc could see directly out to the port-side door to the quarters. Commander Riker entered first, followed by Counselor Troi. They spotted Jean-Luc's position quickly and joined him in the room.
"Commander, Counselor, I came home tonight fully expecting this room to be inhabited by a young girl," Jean-Luc said, as they stood against the wall. "This young girl probably wouldn't be in the best of moods, given her current medical restrictions, so I expected it to be a messy room, and I fully expected her stress ball to bounce off my head while some song referencing hair would be played in the background. Imagine my surprise when responsibility found it neat and empty, along with a note that said that you, Counselor, had suggested shore leave, and that you, Commander, had approved it, two events that I had no idea about. Would you care to explain where my daughter is, Counselor?"
"I'm unaware of Marrissa's specific plans, but I do believe she's probably somewhere in Navarre," Counselor Troi said, in her unwavering voice. Jean-Luc had expected that Troi would at least know where Marrissa was, and admit that even if she kept Marrissa's actual location from him due to doctor-patient privilege. "I recommended that she use any shore leave she got to play the girl without a care in the world."
"I see, and did you recommend that this thirteen-year-old girl go down to this planet without any adult supervision?" Jean-Luc asked, locking his eyes with the ship's counselor.
"No, I did no, though I did recommend that she not take the shore leave with you," Troi replied. "I had hoped that she would take Beverly as there is a real need for some bonding time between the two."
"I see," Jean-Luc said. He wondered just why it wasn't a good idea for his daughter to take shore leave with him, but pushed that thought aside for the moment. "And Commander, why didn't you tell me that my daughter had asked for shore leave?"
"Captain, remember that Marrissa's position is somewhat unique," Commander Riker began. Jean-Luc had to agree with that point, so he nodded. "She is not yet of age, by the usual means of measurement, but since she is a commissioned officer, Star Fleet has to treat her as being so in it's matters. Shore leave is one of those matters. Deanna had recommended that Marrissa take shore leave, and you had ordered that those that put in long hours during the search and rescue phase be given priority on the shore leave lists. It was my judgement that strictly in the matter of her eligibility for shore leave she was deserving and granted it. Respectfully, Captain, I am not responsible for what your daughter does off shift."
Jean-Luc paused before he responded. Commander Riker had cut right to the point. "I see, Commander," Jean-Luc responded. "And just what responsibility do you have?" Jean-Luc leaned forward just a bit as he looked at his First Officer.
"As we discussed when you adopted her, it is my duty to see that Marrissa is trained to do her job to the best of her abilities, to handle all matters relating to Star Fleet discipline related to her, and any other Star Fleet matter," Riker said, standing firm his arms crossed in front of him. "My responsibility to her discipline ends once she's off duty and out of Star Fleet matters. Once I granted her shore leave, it became your job to set the rules for how she spends it."
"I see, Commander," Jean-Luc said, allowing his voice to drop into freezing tones. "If that is your judgement, it is perhaps a good thing that you've turned down so many Captaincies. I would hope that you would have considered the fact that since we have arrived at Essex, Marrissa has lost over three dozen of her closest relatives." Riker's arms dropped to his side. "She's been injured trying to save one, and the sister of Lieutenant Sutter was murdered." Riker's face seemed to be getting a bit off color. "You've just let the next in line to rule this planet, my daughter, run off to who knows where, on a planet where it appears that someone is after the whole Royal Family, which she is apart of. Thank you, Commander."
"I did require that she keep her communicator on," Riker offered, his hands behind his back as he had assumed a formal at ease position. "We could find her and beam her back."
Jean-Luc exchanged a glance with the Counselor. While it was true that Marrissa was highly at risk, it was also true that she was at risk on the job. "Counselor, I suppose that you wouldn't recommend that I go after her myself," Jean-Luc said. Troi shook her head. "Beverly is needed on the Enterprise at the moment, but it shouldn't take that long for her to retrieve my wayward daughter."
"Captain, perhaps you should consider letting Marrissa stay on planet, with some restrictions, of course," Troi said in her usual calm tone. It had never annoyed Jean-Luc before.
"Absolutely not," Jean-Luc said, firmly. "It is simply too risky."
"Captain, before I recommended that Marrissa take shore leave, I looked into her status on planet," Troi said, as Jean-Luc focused his glare on her. "Her name and position is not locally known information. Marrissa Flores would be unknown to anyone down there outside a few remaining members of the Queen's family and the Prime Minister. Even less would know her as Marrissa Picard. If recent events are indicative of a plot against the Royal Family of Essex, she would be safer in that anonymity on the planet than she would be doing her duties as Chief of Security on the Enterprise."
Jean-Luc considered the point for a moment. It was true that being Chief of Security was a risky job, one that he really wished he could have kept Marrissa out of, and Marrissa had shown an annoying tendency to consider herself always on duty. Her recent injury had only underscored that. Still, he had other concerns to voice. "And what if the Prime Minister is involved in the plot? We have no reason to believe that this isn't a domestic plot until more evidence is gathered. Meanwhile you've given my daughter a carte blanche to go on vacation without the supervision of myself or her stepmother."
"The Prime Minister is deeply in love with the Queen, I hardly think he would be involved," Troi replied. "As for Marrissa's permission issues, it is quite clear that though she got her permission from the ship's authorities, she neglected to get permission from her parents. While I wouldn't recommend that she be pulled back to the Enterprise, she does need some supervision, and since your and Beverly's duties do not permit you to do so at this time, I am willing to provide that."
"Thank you, Counselor," Jean-Luc said, with relief. "Keep me updated on how Marrissa is doing. Number One, in the future, however, I would appreciate a notification that my daughter is intending on leaving the ship. I suggest you consider the same for Ms. Sutter and her father." Jean-Luc doubted that Clara would ask for shore leave, given her father's current condition, but Daniel Sutter had many of the same challenges dealing with his daughter as Jean-Luc had with his. "Perhaps it is a good thing that Marrissa is taking time away from the ship. I must admit to worrying about the stress that Marrissa has put herself under in the last few weeks."
"That is quite understandable, Captain," Counselor Troi said. "When Marrissa returns, I will of course reevaluate her mental state. I expect that there will be some improvement, but to be honest, I do not believe that her current post is good for her mental health."
...
Marrissa had started the steady jog in the late evening of Navarre because that was what she normally did after her shift, a ten kilometer run. She was two kilometers in, counting the cadence of her footfalls off the cobblestone streets to determine her pace, before she started to wonder why she was doing it. Jogging was something she started in order to fit for her job as chief of Security.
Marrissa let her mind drift as she jogged through the streets of Navarre's Florestown district. She had followed Settlement Street to Don Diego Garcia Street, and now was on her way down that street to a park she'd seen on the map. As she altered her stride to ascend a hill, she reflected on what she'd found when she arrived at her father's flat at 1701-C Settlement Street.
The flat had been kept clean, but in many ways it was just like her father had left it years before. The entry room was apparently an office with a big roll top desk. Marrissa had been curious enough to open it, discovering her father's seal as Etxearen Erregela Jaun still laying on top of a long-dried ink pad. The kitchen was the next room she'd checked out, finding it well stocked, as she'd been promised. Then she'd looked in at the three bedrooms.
Marrissa had decided to sleep in the guest bedroom. Sleeping in her Dad's bedroom was just too strange, and behind the door with the "Mendi" sign was practically a shrine, clean, but obviously left just like when Mendi had left, many years ago. Victoria had assured her that no one was living in the flat, but that room somehow gave Marrissa the creeps.
Sounds of a ball being kicked hard from person to person brought Marrissa out of her drifting. She'd reached the entrance to the park. The sign read Kaihime Park, and advertized it's football field, bandstand, and contemplation glade. Marrissa turned toward the last, entering the cool shade of tall blue-green deciduous trees. She slowed to a walk down the cobblestone path. As she passed through a gate with a single kanji over its archway, the sounds from the rest of the park and the city beyond seemed to disappear, giving way to the soft trickle of water, the rustle of leaves, and the quiet chirping of birds.
The path opened up to a clearing. A large white rock cliff dominated it, with water trickling down it into a wide broad lipped pool. In the center of the pool, surrounded by mist, was a colored statue of a young woman bent down, her hands protectively around a young boy who had tears flowing down his cheeks. The young boy was pale and appeared to be trembling.
Marrissa came to a stop at the lip of the pool, in front of a transparent aluminum sign. In gold lettering it read, "Forgiveness is not just a divine providence, it is a necessary fact of living. - Princess Kaihime, 2249." Something about the place around her just breathed serenity. She let out a breath that she had not been aware that she had been holding. The next few minutes she spent letting her eyes follow the water down the cliff, the birds dipping their beaks into the water for a drink, and the golden fish swimming in the pool.
It wasn't until she heard the deep bells of the Cathedral of Saint Domingo de Guzman chime the seventh evening hour that she pulled herself from admiring the quiet park's glade. It wasn't something she would find on starships. A bit of it could be made, and the holodeck could attempt to replicate the experience, but somehow there was nothing like listening real water trickle down real rocks, under the gentle rustle of nature's breeze through the trees.
Marrissa began to trace her route back to her flat on Settlement Street, passing back through the gate into the sounds of the city once again. She left behind only her tension and took only a renewed sense of peace.
...
Counselor Deanna Troi sat on a bench outside Senora Tavira's Clothiers. The door to the stairs that led up to Marrissa's flat was just a bit to her left. The door was locked in Marrissa's absence, which Troi had expected. It was fortunate that a bench was out in front of the building, as Troi didn't fancy standing however long it took Marrissa to return to her flat. Already the bells of the Cathedral had chimed for the seventh hour. Troi had been there since they had chimed thrice.
Troi hoped that this shore leave would help Marrissa. Arrival at Essex had brought many of Marrissa's unresolved issues to the surface. The loss of her parents almost two years ago was a wound that had mostly healed during the time, but it still effected Marrissa. The girl had been overjoyed when the Captain had married Beverly. Family was something that was precious to Marrissa, like many orphans. She clung to her family ties, and had even encouraged her adopted father to wed Beverly.
It was expected that such a girl, especially one that had never had a sibling, would have problems with a baby on the way. It hadn't helped when Marrissa learnt about it by overhearing Beverly ask for something for her morning sickness. Marrissa was quite aware of how long Beverly must have known about her pregnancy to be suffering from morning sickness. Troi had taught Sexual Education to the children on the Enterprise-D, including Marrissa, for years. She thought she had done a pretty good job at it. It came as no surprise to her that Marrissa figured out that the Doctor had been pregnant for at least a month, and known it, nor did it come as a surprise that Marrissa was upset about not being told.
When Marrissa had spoken to Troi about it, she'd been so upset that she'd cried. Since Marrissa had lost her parents, she'd rarely cried. Troi had long felt that it was bad that Marrissa didn't cry, a girl in her position needed to cry, to release stress sometime, somehow. It didn't have to, and probably shouldn't be, in public, but it should happen. Lately it wasn't.
The immediate stress had just been building, as her biological family and best friend's father had been attacked, as she herself had been injured defending that father, an injury that never should have happened. Long term, The stress had been mounting since Marrissa had come aboard the new Enterprise. It had been expected that Marrissa would continue in the same basic role as she had on the old Enterprise.
The Chief CONN Officer post was one that could easily be handled, and could be tailored to the officer in question. For someone whose development wasn't complete, it was the best possible post for her to be in, aside from granting her a leave of absence to mature. Troi knew that had been considered at one point, and put off in favor of a schedule of education, light training, and several family outings while the Enterprise was in it's shakedown period.
That had all been thrown out when Rear Admiral Gretchen Decker had decided that Marrissa would make the perfect Chief of Security. Troi could feel her anger rising as she thought about how many things had gone wrong as a result of that Admiral.
Troi had never condoned the decision that had given Marrissa her commission; she lived with it, though. Commander Riker had informed her that commissions, even Lieutenancies, had been granted to young boys Marrissa's age, during the Age of Sail on Earth. A Rear Admiral named Porter had been brought up as an example of a young successful command at no more that Marrissa's age when she had gotten command. It was an excuse, a way that the guilt of ending a young girl's childhood could be put off. It was a way to say, it's not quite so bad.
Still, it was under control until Decker had been put in charge of personnel for the Fleet Unit that the Enterprise belonged to. The Captain had warned the Command Staff that trouble might be coming. Decker was part of an old Fleet Family, part of the fourth generation of her family to serve, and the Captain was a first generation fleeter. He'd apparently showed her up at the Academy, then by becoming the first of their class to make Captain, and finally by getting the Enterprise, not once, but twice.
None of the crew had taken the Captain's warnings to heart until after the Enterprise-E's Security Leadership had been involved in the deadly holodeck accident. Decker had pulled every last officer in Security off the Enterprise, and then had the audacity to appoint Marrissa as Chief of Security. She didn't just appoint the girl, though ... no she also made it sound like it was the Captain's request. Then, after Marrissa had had the hardest week of her life in taking over an officer-less department way beyond her experience, Decker had showed up to visit.
Troi had seen the encounter between Decker and Marrissa in the ship's lounge. It was obvious that Decker had expected Marrissa to resign in frustration. What Troi hadn't expected was Decker's statement that she'd accept nothing less than Marrissa and her father's resignation from service aboard the Enterprise. That had steeled Marrissa's heart. Once the young lady had gotten permission to speak freely, she had told Vice Admiral Decker exactly what she intended to do with Decker's plans. It hadn't stopped Decker from throwing up more roadblocks in the Enterprise's path.
Every long-term leave request, which were routinely approved when endorsed properly, were denied. Transfer requests to join the Enterprise dried up overnight. Decker was quickly creating the atmosphere of a vessel under siege. Try as she might, Troi had yet to find a way to alleviate that stress. As long as Decker was over the Enterprise in some fashion, Troi suspect that her efforts would be futile, but that didn't mean that she intended to give up.
"Counselor?" Troi looked up to discover Marrissa standing in front of her. The girl was dressed in a pair of deep crimson shorts and a bright purple overly-tight halter top. It was clear that she had been jogging, judging from her sweating, for quite some time. Her expression was one of worry, and her thoughts were tinted with fear and expectations of punishment. "Dad sent you to come to get me, didn't he?"
"Your father sent me, but only to accompany you during your stay on planet," Troi responded, standing up and looking at Marrissa. The girl's recent growth spurt had made that less of an angle than before. The young girl's emotions rose as the fact that she wasn't going to be drug back to the Enterprise filtered into her brain. "The Captain will be having some words with you about your departure, but your shore-leave stands. Now, I understand that you are staying in your dad's old three bedroom flat?"
"Yes, it's on the third floor, 1701-C," Marrissa said. Troi smiled at the number, as Marrissa pulled a thin card out from under her tight crimson shorts, where it had been held against her hip by the elastic waist. "I know, it's amusing, that I can't seem to leave the registry behind." She walked up to a solid wood door, and put the card into a slot beside it, hitting 6-2-4-4-2. The door opened outward, causing Marrissa to jump back a bit before it revealed a long set of steps. She turned back and looked at Troi, and took a deep breath. "I guess that you're staying with me, so come on in."
Marrissa took the steps two at a time, ascending the steps, double time. Troi could feel some suspicion and just a hint of resentment as she followed Marrissa up the steps. From the tendrils of emotion that Troi was sensing, Marrissa had apparently enjoyed the eight hours she'd spent on planet thus far. There was some worry that it was coming to an end in her mind.
The door opened at the top of the stairs at Marrissa's approach. It was still open when Troi reached it. She passed through to the entry room beyond, which was dominated by a large roll-top desk. Marrissa had tossed the card key on top of the desk, and was rifling through her duffle-bag for something.
Troi took a moment to look over the place, as Marrissa continued to pull items out of her duffle. There was an archway to a larger room off on the left, which was filled with a couch and three overstuffed chairs. Off the large room was three bedrooms and a galley style kitchen, through which there appeared to be roof access. Troi returned to the entry room to find Marrissa pulling the last item out of her duffle.
"Did you forget something, Marrissa?" Troi asked, noting Marrissa's frustrated look.
"Yes, I forgot to pack a bra or any short-sleeve shirts," Marrissa said, beginning to stuff her clothes back into the duffle. "I'm going to roast all shore leave."
"I think you can safely go without a bra for now, Marrissa, and as for clothing in general, it is our good fortune that we are over a clothier's," Troi said, picking up Marrissa's dress uniform from where it had been tossed and folding it up neatly. "We can visit first thing tomorrow. Why did you bring the dress whites?"
Marrissa looked at the wrinkled uniform in Troi's hands. "Oops, I really shouldn't have tossed them into the duffle like that," Marrissa said, with just a hint of a tremble in her voice. "I want to go to Mass when I'm down here, and they're really the only appropriate clothes I have for that."
"Well, the white will be good for the tropical weather," Troi began. This was the first she'd heard of Marrissa attending Mass. She was aware that the girl professed to be Catholic, and had received first Eucharist and first Reconciliation before her parents had died, but hadn't really seen the girl practice her Catholicism. "I assume you've found the Mass schedule for the Cathedral in town?"
"The Cathedral of Saint Domingo de Guzman is too big, I like a smaller church," Marrissa said. She'd apparently already given the matter some thought. "Saint Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church is three blocks over, halfway to Kaihime Park, and it's got a nice early Six AM Mass on Sunday, which is in two days. I didn't stop to see the inside, but it's not a really big building, and I kind of like the name. Saint Ignatius is a patron saint of soldiers and children. "
"I see," Troi said. She had to admit to herself that her knowledge of Catholic belief was rather lacking. She knew some basics of Christianity, but matters of the faith weren't something that tended to be brought up among the few Catholics that were on board the Enterprise. Some races and religions were tightly joined, like that of the Bajorans, and Troi was quite knowledgeable about those, but among humans in Star Fleet the connection was usually so slight as to be virtually non-existent. "I did not know you were so knowledgeable about Saints."
"Actually the sign out front of the church told me that," Marrissa smiled, putting more clothes back in the duffle. Her emotions seemed to be calming, taking on a reflective tone. "I really don't know much, but I know it was important to my parents at one time. You told me that I should take this time to find out where I came from."
"Yes you should," Troi said, as Marrissa put the last blouse in her duffle. "In that vein, I suggest that you take your father's old room. I'll take the guest room. Do you know why the other bedroom is labeled 'Mendi?'"
"I think it was Dad's roommate and girlfriend before he left Essex," Marrissa said, picking up the duffle and heading into the main room. "All I know is that she died before Dad left, because there is a picture of her grave in the packet of pictures that Victoria gave me. 'Beloved of Prince George' was on her tomb stone along with some other inscriptions."
"She must have been important to your father," Troi said as Marrissa headed towards her father's old room.
"Maybe," Marrissa replied, as she entered the bedroom. Troi headed to the guest room, as she kept track of Marrissa's emotions. The girl was some what wary of the room that Troi had directed her to use, but Troi thought it would be good for her, anyway.
...
Captain Jean-Luc Picard materialized outside The Rampant Lion. He shivered a bit as a burst of cold wind tore through the courtyard of the inn, causing the sign to squeak as it swung. Chief Nelson had asked him to come down for a personal report. Captain Picard had a great deal of respect for Nelson. He was the senior enlisted officer on board, and as such was the traditional liaison between the Captain and the enlisted. The Captain trusted him, which was why Nelson knew the whole story behind why Marrissa was Chief of Security. That trust had wavered when Marrissa had ended up in Sickbay following the Sutter Assassination Attempt, but Chief Nelson did know his job, and in truth was a better Chief of Security than many Commissioned Officers were, most especially his daughter.
"Captain, thanks for coming," Chief Nelson said, leading the Captain through a side door. "You might recall that the Queen asked us to investigate the murder of Princess Mary, using a loophole in Essex law."
Jean-Luc nodded. The use of Marrissa's status as heir to the throne to allow Star Fleet to take over the investigation was something he wasn't entirely comfortable with. The idea that the person overseeing any investigation received the position entirely due to right of birth was unacceptable to Jean-Luc. Marrissa certainly wasn't suited to deal with this kind of investigation, yet. Fortunately the Enterprise itself was, and with Marrissa off on shore leave, and the Queen's tacit acceptance, Jean-Luc was willing to lend his crew to at least secure the evidence until the planet had planetary policing staff enough to take over.
"Well, I brought Doctor Hyshita down to examine the crime scene and she's been finding some interesting pieces of data," Chief Nelson said as he opened the door to the foyer of the Inn.
A Japanese woman in Star Fleet Medical Uniform was busy scanning the area by the door, with the assistance of one of the younger Security Crewmen. "Crewman, what's the reading on the decay of particles in section sixty-two?" she said.
"One point three six seven," the Crewman said, as the Doctor turned back towards the entering Captain and Chief Nelson.
"Chief, Captain," the Doctor said, stowing the hand scanner from her medical tricorder. "It's about time you got here."
"Sorry about that, Doctor Hyshita," Chief Nelson said. "Tell the Captain what you've discovered."
The Doctor handed over her medical tricorder to the Engineer, and moved towards where the steps came down. "As you ordered, Chief, I examined the bodies of Princess Mary and her staff..." the doctor began.
"And her staff?" Jean-Luc interrupted. "I was under the impression that we were dealing with a single homicide here."
"No sir," Doctor Hyshita said. "Four women were killed in this room the day of impact. Three maids, dead of Romulan disrupter fire, and the Princess, who was killed with a bladed instrument, probably concealed inside a walking stick."
"Go ahead, set the scene for me," Jean-Luc ordered, staying in the doorway to the side room from which they entered.
"The three maids were found at the foot of the stairs," Doctor Hyshita said, who then pointed at three spots on the wall that seemed just a bit darker than the rest. "Those are the blast through burns. These disrupters seem to be new to the users, as they kept the fire on a bit longer than they should. We should consider ourselves lucky that they did, however, as its enabled me to determine that we're dealing with the new Korax Six disrupters from Negh'var. There were two disrupters used,."
"If I remember the technical bulletin on those, those disrupters were solely in the possession of the Tal Shiar," Jean-Luc said. It had been in one of the tactical bulletins that Marrissa had been going through a couple weeks ago, and found interesting enough to mention to the Captain. The Tal Shiar had apparently stolen the entire stock pile of the new weapons save a few prototypes from the Klingon developer.
"Until last month, Captain," Chief Nelson said. "It was a very stupid idea to give a secret intelligence agency distinctive weapons."
"Agreed, Chief, but the disrupters involved here were at least four months old," Doctor Hyshita said. "You can't even tell that they're this type until they've been fired at least fifty times."
Jean-Luc looked directly at Doctor Hyshita. "Tell me how Princess Mary died."
Doctor Hyshita beckoned them over, so they could see behind the counter. "Princess Mary was standing behind here," Doctor Hyshita said, pointing at a worn spot on the floor. "You can tell where she was accustomed to stand by the lack of floor wax in the area. Over on what would have been her right side, you can see a small black scuff mark. I've identified it as coming from a pair of military issue boots. One of the assailants stood on that side, with his disrupter pressed hard against Princess Mary's neck, just below the jaw, judging from the bruise on her jaw."
Doctor Hyshita then pointed to a couple spots of blood on the counter. "Princess Mary was stabbed from the front. The large spot is from where she first impacted the counter following the stabbing, the couple small spots are from the withdrawal of the weapon. From my analysis of the wound, I can say that it was a concealed spike, at fifteen centimeters of which were stabbed into Princess Mary's chest, causing severe damage to her lungs and several major veins, and eventually death as her blood drained from her body."
Then Doctor Hyshita pointed to a spot next to the door. "I have a pretty good idea as to the design of the weapon. It was walking stick, made of ebony and titanium. Unfortunately the very reason I know that is also the reason we will never find the actual weapon. It was vaporized to molecular particles right there, by the same weapon that had been held against Princess Mary's jaw, if I'm any judge of the weapon's energy leakage and blast residue." The doctor then fell silent.
After a few moments, Jean-Luc spoke up, "I want this in a report by the end of next shift. It goes to myself, Marrissa's box, and the Queen, no further. Chief Nelson, how much can we trust the local constable?" He really hoped that the signs she was seeing weren't that of foreign involvement, but at the moment, it looked like it, and Jean-Luc wasn't one to take chances.
"He's a nice enough man, but frankly, this is out of his league," Chief Nelson said, shaking his head. "I'm afraid that he's simply not equipped for this kind of crime. Usually he'd call in the planetary authorities on a crime like this, but right now there just aren't any available. He did a good job keeping the crime scene, but past that." Chief Nelson shrugged his shoulders. "He's a bit of a gossip, actually. I haven't told him about anything we've discovered yet."
Jean-Luc nodded his acknowledgment. Chief Nelson seemed to have a very good handle on the job, in his opinion. Perhaps mustanging him might be a good idea. It might be the only way for him to get more officers of quality in Security. "Inform him know that we're still investigating," Jean-Luc said, as he looked around the room. "Meanwhile, I want all of the evidence secured in our possession. If Marrissa's position means that we're in charge of the evidence, then I want to make sure we don't loose anything. Chief, I want a daily report on my desk on this matter and the attack on Lieutenant Sutter. I believe they're related. An attack on a brother just a little while after his sister is killed is just a little bit too much for me. I want to know who had any reason to take out both, and why. I also want to know exactly who benefits. Don't leave out any possibility, but rate them by probability for me. Doctor Hyshita, good job."
"Thank you, Captain," the Doctor said, going back to her scanning.
Jean-Luc stood there watching for another minute. He really didn't like the way things were connecting up. As soon as he got back to the Enterprise, he was going to bring up Marrissa's Family Tree. With extra-planetary involvement now a possibility, it was looking like someone was deliberately taking out the Royal Family. There had been way too much luck in the survival of the Queen and Lady Hilda. If he excluded Marrissa, and assumed that the intended strike on Londondairy would have taken out George IV and all his descendants ... if he was right, that made Clara's father and Clara next in line. It wouldn't have been hard for a successful assassination of Clara's father to include Clara, who had been in the Quarters outside of which her father had been attacked. With Princess Mary dead ... who would benefit?
"Chief, I need to get back to the Enterprise," Jean-Luc said, heading for the door. He knew that transporting from a crime scene wasn't advised. "Make sure the guard on the Sutters is good, and have someone check on the Queen's security." He was really worrying about his daughter now.