Chapter Nine
It was late by the time Marrissa returned to her flat. The sun was well set, the last glimmer of it's light washed behind the horizon. She'd spent her whole day at the gate towers, and it showed in the dust and grime covering her shorts and top, whose deep blue color had been nearly entirely submerged in that grime. There had been a multitude of injuries for the Enterprise's doctors to attend to, but fortunately no deaths.
Marrissa had taken off her shoes before she started up the stairs to her third floor flat. Letting the soles of her bare feet touch the rich red carpet, she quietly ascended them and opened the solid wood door at the top. The entry room seemed to be empty, so she headed over towards the door to her room.
"I see you finally returned," Counselor Troi said. The Counselor's voice was soft, but carried a bit of an edge. "You said that you'd be back in time to watch Parliament with me. The two hour session has been over for ten hours."
Marrissa turned back towards the voice. The Counselor was seated in a high backed chair that had been moved so it's back was to the door. With her hands on it's arms, the Counselor's position reminded her of her father, seated on the bridge, when he knew something was up. She involuntarily swallowed.
"From your attire, I see you were involved at the gate towers blast scene ... you do realize that you are supposed to be off duty," Troi said, seriously.
"A Star Fleet Officer is always on duty, sir!" Marrissa replied, sharply.
"Marrissa, stop parroting Styles' Guide to Proper Officers," Troi said, placing her hands on the forward edge of the chair and leaning forward. "There is a reason why he was called Styles without Substance. I just have one question, and I want an honest answer without quoting anyone. Did you even stop to think?"
"No, not once the shockwave past and I'd informed the Enterprise," Marrissa said. "I just looked around and saw where I was needed. First it was that lady trapped under her cart, which the shock wave had blown over. I helped move it off her and went on from there. I kept going until the Chief sent me here. I couldn't leave anyone trapped. You should have see it when we pulled little Yera from that box in the middle of the explosion. Two three story tall towers destroyed, and right in the middle of the wreckage, we found this little girl with just a little bit of scratches on her and a stubbed toe."
Tears started to form, as Marrissa recalled the scene, and Counselor Troi welcomed the teen girl into her arms, holding Marrissa there for a while. Marrissa let her tears flow, the day's stress going with each drop from her amethyst eyes. For a while they stayed together, Marrissa finding comfort in the Counselor's arms, then Marrissa pulled away a bit.
"I think you better take a bath and get some rest, Marrissa," Troi said, as Marrissa stood back up. "Let yourself soak a bit after you wash in the warm water. You deserve it. Remember that your Great Aunt Clarrissa is coming over tomorrow after Mass."
"Is Clara coming down for that," Marrissa asked, with a hint of anxiousness, as she headed towards the bath, dropping her shoes by her own door. "She's knows Great Aunt Clarrissa, and until last week I didn't even know I had a Great Aunt Clarrissa."
"I don't know, Marrissa," Troi said, standing up. "Last I heard she was still at her father's bedside." Marrissa entered the bathroom, closing the door.
...
The Enterprise's main ward was now almost back to normal. Only three critical cases remained. Of those, at the bedside of two of them young girls stood vigil. Or rather sat. Lady Hilda had no legs, and Clara didn't want to remind her. Lady Hilda was by her best friend. Greta was in a very deep coma, and hadn't shown any signs of recovery, yet. Clara held the hand of her father. He'd lost a lot of blood and his digestive system had shut down due to the shock of being cut open with a saber.
At the foot of the two medical beds were two security men, in dress whites. They changed ever two hours, and stood constantly at attention. At first they hadn't been in dress uniform, but the third pair had arrived in the dress whites. They were always armed with a phaser. At first it had just been one group alternating off and on, but by now most of Security had served a shift. The current senior of the two standing guard was a Master Chief, and wore on his right breast the Medal for Valor, and the Star Cross.
Clara had been at her father's side aside from breaks for lunch and being sent back to quarters for rest for three days now. She had changed her uniform, not to the dress whites, but just to a clean one, the last time. She didn't want her father to wake up to find her a mess ... like the family quarters were at the moment.
The entrance door to Sickbay hissed open, and the Security team turned to face it directly, instead of the center of the room. They snapped into a salute as Captain Picard entered Sickbay. He returned the salute, precisely, and said, "At ease, Chief, Crewman."
Clara started to stand, to give her own salute, as she had done with every changing of the guard, once she'd realize what had happened. The Captain shook his head, slight. "How are you doing?" he asked, as he stood between the beds.
"Much better than my father, sir," Clara said. She kept her back straight and her eyes focused on the Captain's. "What can I do for you, sir?"
"Nothing at this time, Clara. I think Engineering will be able to get along without you for now," the Captain replied in a calm soft tone, so different than the tones she normally heard him us. "What can we do for you?"
"Nothing," Clara said, glumly. "I'm just sitting here waiting for something to happen. Every time there is a strange beep I jump, attempting to find out what changed. The only times I leave are for meals with Crewman Haxton and when Doctor Picard forces me to go back to quarters to sleep."
"How is Crewman Haxton working out?" the Captain asked. "I understand that Commander La Forge has assigned him as your personal assistant."
"He's okay, I guess," Clara said, reflecting on the fresh from technical school crewman. "He seems to be surprised that he's on the Enterprise."
"He finished top of his class," the Captain said, noting Clara's wrinkled uniform, and the way her left sleeve seemed to be pushed up around her elbow, her right hand playing with it. He'd seen this once before, when Clara and Marrissa had been treated to one of Data's overly detailed full briefing on a planet they were about to visit's history. "I realize that you don't want to leave your father's side, but perhaps you could do me a favor while you're here." Clara nodded. "Commander Riker and Counselor Troi are just about ready to do crew evaluations, and I'm afraid that they need to have the records put in some logical order for them. Normally Commander Riker's Yeoman would preform the task, but we've got him involved in putting some semblance of order into the fragmented records on the planet."
"I can do it, but I'm not sure it will be what Commanders Riker and Troi are used to," Clara said, with another nod. "It's not something I've done before."
"I'm sure that Commander Riker will appreciate what ever you come up with," Captain Picard said as Clara nervously played with her sleeve. "I would recommend a top down approach, myself."
"So they know what openings can be promoted into?" Clara asked, sliding down her sleeve. Picard nodded. "I just need the crew list, right?" He nodded again. "Then I'll be right on it, sir."
"Then I'll leave you to it," Captain Picard said. "Let me know if there is anything I can do for you, Clara. I'm at your family's disposal." Captain Picard took one last look at Clara as he departed Sickbay. She already had found a PADD and was pulling up the list. He hoped the task would be big enough to distract his daughter's friend for a little while.
...
Saint Ignatius of Loyola had turned out to be a bit bigger than Marrissa had expected from the outside. Still, it wasn't as big as the city's Cathedral, and it had a welcoming feel to it. Marrissa had chosen to sit in the third row of the dark wood unpadded pews. Under the pews there was a hard yellow gold wood floor, yet down the aisle and up to the altar there was a golden marbleized stone floor.
She'd arrived just as dawn was breaking over Naverre, the red and gold tinged clouds arching over the bay. Mass wasn't for quite some time, but Marrissa took her seat, then pulled down the red padded kneeler. She kneeled, her dress boots sliding under the pew, and did the sign of the cross. Her hands folded, as she bent her head in prayer.
The prayer was pulled from the depths of Marrissa's memory. She didn't practice her faith as much as she probably should. The thought struck Marrissa as a truth, as her lips moved in a whispered Act of Contrition. The prayer was one that Marrissa deemed as fitting.
After the barely remembered prayer was finished Marrissa let her mind wander. The prayer fresh in her mind, her thoughts started with those who she had wronged. Captain Picard was definitely going to have something to say to her when she returned to the Enterprise. She'd be lucky if he let her off the ship again, if he didn't find a way to send her to France and the often mentioned vineyard job. She deserved it, she thought. Since she'd found out about her royal relations she'd been less than she should to a lot of people.
The Queen. While it was true that finding out that she was a royal was a shock to Marrissa, there was no excuse for running out so fast that one knocked the door down in the process. What was worse, was how Marrissa had just used the Queen to get off the Enterprise for a while, like it had never happened. She felt a surge of guilt as she recalled how glibly she had promised to do that statue installation. Now she really wanted to do it, but at the time she'd just said yes to get to the flat.
Then there was the Doctor. Marrissa had to admit that she hadn't been fair to the doctor. The tirade she'd launched right before leaving sickbay had gone way beyond what was justified for her parents concealing their forthcoming blessing.
Finally there was Clara. She had let Clara down the most. When she'd been in Sickbay following saving Clara's father from assassination, she hadn't approached Clara in her vigil. While it was true that Marrissa had been lacking any clothes under her sheet in a misguided attempt at keeping the young girl in Sickbay, that was no excuse for letting Clara drown in her worries, exiting the ship at first opportunity. Clara was her best friend on the Enterprise-E, and Marrissa had treated her most shabbily, she concluded.
As Marrissa resolved to do better, the organ swelled, beginning the familiar notes of "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory." Mass was beginning. After it, and in the peace which it always imparted on her, Marrissa resolved that she would do something to make it up to all of those she wronged. She took up the song and let the Mass's tranquility flow into her.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword
His truth is marching on
...
Captain Jean-Luc Picard surveyed those gathered in the conference lounge as he took his seat at the head of the table. Data and Riker were there, to his left and right respectively, but the rest of those gathered were not members of his crew. Lieutenant Neidviskis was Chief Engineer and Acting Captain of the Swiftsure. Captain Johann Tilly of the Magdeburg sat opposite him. The last of the Captains of the armed starships orbiting Essex sat at the other end of the table from Jean-Luc, His Holiness Pope Gregory XX.
Jean-Luc did not envy Neidviskis's position. When the Swiftsure had been ordered to depart immediately for Essex, her Captain and first and second officers had not been aboard nor able to return in time. So it was Neidviskis's job as senior officer to command, a man who had taken no command courses, nor served as more than a duty officer in command of the bridge before the day the Swiftsure departed Earth.
Captain Tilly was a Scandinavian beauty, of which many had underestimated. She'd been a freshman at the Academy the year Jean-Luc had graduated, and a young one at that. The years had been very kind to her, and he was certain that the ability to fool those that did not know her that she was all beauty and no brains had not escaped her. Jean-Luc's tactical record score average for simulations his Senior year had only survived three years because of her, unlike the record he'd replaced, which had lasted three decades.
The Pope sat in his traditional white cassock, a gold plated PADD in front of him, his hands crossed over it, his Fisherman's ring glinting in the light streaming in from the windows. The presence of the leader of the Catholic Church was necessary under the excuse created for this meeting.
"Captains, Commanders," Jean-Luc began, pausing for just a second or two to figure out the best term for the Pope, "Holy Father, I apologize for the subterfuge that brought you here today. Though I called this meeting to discuss the relief efforts, I have a more important subject that required some secrecy. We have reason to believe that the impact which brings us here was not naturally created."
Captain Tilly looked straight into Jean-Luc's eyes as she spoke up. Her face was a stern vestige and her tone firm. "Then we have extra-Federation involvement and you suspect a leak somewhere?"
"Yes. Mister Data will explain what evidence we've gathered thus far," Jean-Luc said, as Data stood and moved over to the view screen. "Mister Data." The android activated the view screen, which showed the planet and the known path of the asteroid that had impacted the planet.
"This is Essex, and the short observed path of the asteroid," Data said. "Note that the path is very short, in fact the first observed location is already within the magnetosphere of Essex. Fortunately, the arrival of the Enterprise and successive arrivals of your ships did not overwrite the signature of it's appearance. A scan of the path by the Enterprise's Science Department revealed a definite trace of chroniton particles in sufficient quantities to indicate a catastrophic failure of a cloaking device."
"A cloaking device capable of covering an asteroid the size and shape that the Enterprise's Astrophysics report indicated would be a sufficient task of engineering," Lieutenant Neidviskis said, his hand reaching up to pinch his chin. "We're not talking about off the shelf technology here."
"That was Commander LaForge's conclusion as well," Data said, as the diagram of the planet and it's moons expanded to the binary system overall. "Furthermore, the Astrophysics Department reports that the asteroid's composition is not consistent with bodies within Iota Leonis A, but is consistent with Iota Leonis B's natural satellites, in particular those orbiting the innermost gas giant. This is puzzling, because survey satellites indicate that all of Iota Leonis B II's twenty-three moons are in place."
"What about mass readings?" the Pope said unexpectedly. Captain Tilly's head fairly snapped as she turned towards the Pope.
"Most Holy Father, our data sources does not provide that information," Data responded. The function seems to be disabled on at least three probes stationed near the gas giant."
"We will need to get mass readings to confirm the origin," Jean-Luc said, considering his options. He was sure that what ever orders he gave it would bring everything into the open. It was just a matter of how to break the egg without getting the shell in the frying pan. He couldn't see it not being a trap. He still had to cover Essex, though, so the Enterprise at least couldn't do it, and the Magdeburg was just too obvious to go sneaking over to the other star in the binary system. "Commander Riker has some additional information for us though."
Commander Riker leaned forward, looking up and down the table. "I've just been briefed by Chief Nelson about his current investigations into two attacks on the Royal Family of Essex. The first occurred on the planet and resulted in the death of Princess Mary, who at the time was fifth in line for the throne. The second was on the Enterprise, where our Chief of Security stopped an attack that critically injured one of our officers who is forth in line to the throne. We suspect that the attack that she stopped would have concluded with the death of his daughter as well."
Jean-Luc frowned at that reminder of just how close he'd come to losing members of his crew to that sleeper assassin, as Commander Riker picked up his PADD. "In the case of Princess Mary's death, investigation by the Enterprise's Security Staff working for and by the invitation of the Queen, determined that Korax Six Disrupters had been used in the secondary deaths of Princess Mary's staff. These disrupters are known to be used by the Tal Shiar. Initially we could find no link between Princess Mary's death and the asteroid impact. The attack on the Royals on the Enterprise, however, given that Essex under its current state of emergency is governed by the monarch, gave us a very strong suspicion that there was a link between the two."
"Then yesterday afternoon, there was an attack on the residence of another Essex Royal, who has a historical role in the Basque area of the planet. Our conclusion is that Essex is under attack by forces determined to undermine its government. We have suspects, but no one has been implicated enough to arrest yet. On the broader scale, Romulan involvement is highly indicated."
"Essex has a somewhat archaic system of government," Captain Tilly said, looking at Commander Riker, her fingers tapping the edge of the table. "Could this involvement be coupled with an insurrection of disaffected elements of Essex Society? Perhaps someone disenfranchised by the monarchical system?"
Jean-Luc tried not to show his discomfort in the question. He personally had several objections to Essex's governmental organization, not the least of which was the fact that his daughter was next in line to take over the mess if the Queen died, which given recent events was far from unlikely. Still, he had to make an objective response, or at least the best he could under the circumstances. "Johann, since the monarch's powers are strictly limited, save in extreme cases like what appears to be engineered today, I don't see anyone as disenfranchised. Even with the crisis that gave so much power to the Queen, the Prime Minister still has significant power."
"Captain, our chief suspect in Princess Mary's murder is her ex-husband Ely Dessalines," Commander Riker said, looking at Jean-Luc. "He was Prime Minister until a couple months ago and his son is now fifth in line to the throne. And since he doesn't know about Marrissa, or even Hilda's survival, he probably thinks that there are just three people standing between his son and the throne."
The Pope was typing something into his PADD, and Jean-Luc could see his lips moving as if he was saying something. He looked up. "Captains, Commanders, I may actually have something of use here. Like most colony worlds, Essex has a more religious population than Earth. The Catholic Church happens to be the strongest of the organized religions on Essex. While we don't formally have any involvement in Essex's government, besides crowning the monarch, playing the religion card isn't unheard of. Minister Dessalines, according to my sources was on a retreat lead by Bishop Mastai Ferretti along with most of the surviving members of the opposition when the asteroid hit."
"The Government's ministers were also away from the capital at the time, so we can hardly claim the Opposition's absence as a reason," Riker objected, as Jean-Luc absorbed this latest tidbit.
"Ferretti was assistant to Patriarch James V of Essex," the Pope said. "He lived in Londondairy, and I knew Patriarch James ... I'm certain that it took a great deal of effort for Bishop Ferretti to arrange to spend a weekend on the other side of the planet. James wasn't known for letting his assistants go. I doubt the Government had similar hurtles."
"Gregory, if you can find out more about how that retreat came about, it would be very useful," Jean-Luc said. He hadn't expected much from the Pope in the discussion, after all, religious figures were mostly harmless and rarely effective in modern Federation life. He remembered that class at the Academy that he'd taken with the then Catholic Chaplin. Gregory hadn't been half bad. Perhaps dismissing a man because he'd been made Pope was a bit short sighted. "Gregory, is the Trinity armed?"
"We've still got seven of her nine phaser banks functional, though I really don't trust the port ventral one. They're all mark eights," the Pope replied. Jean-Luc hadn't expected the Trinity to be that well armed. The Enterprise-E had mark twelves, and the D had had tens. "Admiral Epperly personally certified the Trinity's engines, saying that our zero to quarter light speed figure is as fast as any ship still in the fleet."
Jean-Luc considered those facts for a moment. He was a bit uncomfortable sending the Swiftsure in the role he'd initially ordered, but it had seemed like the best option at the time. Lieutenant Neidviskis was quite inexperienced, and the Magdeburg was to high powered to commit to the role. Even basic sensors could accomplish the role of scouting the secondary star of the system, though, and the unasked for assurance of the Trinity's speed under impulse gave him a new idea.
"Gregory, are you doing the memorial service in Navarre?" Jean-Luc asked. The Pope nodded. "Would you mind if Commander Riker borrows the Trinity to scout out Iota Leonis B?"
"As long as Commander Riker doesn't mind missing my homily," the Pope said, with a smile.
"Lieutenant Neidviskis, I'm reassigning you to quick reaction and scanning," Jean-Luc said looking at the young Engineer. "The Swiftsure will move to a high polar orbit and prepare for a quick response to any point in the system where we detect hostile forces. This likely means that you'll be moving to support the Trinity, in the event she discovers something. The Enterprise will remain in orbit to handle any planetary issues. Johann, the Magdeburg is our strategic reserve."
"I suspect that everything is going to break loose the moment we make our moves." Jean-Luc considered that for the moment. It was going to take tight timing, and his forces had to be very ready for everything to work. "Gregory, I'm sending Commander Riker over in a couple hours. We'll run a drill at 0800 hours tomorrow. The memorial service is at 1000 hours, 1200 hours Basque Time. I want the Trinity moving out at 0930 hours. There is a good chance that I won't be on the Enterprise when everything starts, and I believe you're also attending the memorial service, Johann. Commander Riker, you'll probably be the senior officer in the initial stages. I believe Lieutenant Commander Data has seniority over your number one, Johann?
"Yes, Lieutenant Commander Danata only has a year in rank," Captain Tilly said, clasping her hands in front of her. "Aside from her, I'm taking my first string to the memorial. We've got quite a bit of depth on the Magdeburg at the moment, so it shouldn't be a problem, and I think we need to make sure there is plenty of brass at the memorial. It is a matter of honor."
"Agreed," Jean-Luc replied, going over his list. "I'll be taking most of my command crew, though I don't know if my Chief of Security will arrive in uniform." Noticing the sudden glance from his fellow Commanding Officers, he continued after a pause. "Marrissa is the heir to the throne."
"Isn't Marrissa your adopted daughter's name?" Captain Tilly asked, leaning forward. Jean-Luc nodded. "Jean-Luc, it appears that you've got all the luck."
...
When Marrissa had met Nozomi, she hadn't expected to be sitting next to the rear window of her flat, trying to stay still. Staying still was not something that Marrissa did, but she hadn't been able to contain the enthusiasm of her Great Aunt Clarrissa's great-granddaughter. Marrissa wasn't quite sure what sort of cousin that made Nozomi, though at the moment, she was leaning towards pain in the neck ... as holding the pose wasn't easy. At least she could talk, though it seemed that her Great Aunt was another engineering genius, like Clara, and when Victoria arrived, she'd be one too.
"I'm of the opinion that while Holodecks have their places, all too often they're the cause of more problems that they're worth for daily use," Marrissa stated, sliding back into the conversation that had developed between Aunt Clarrissa and Nozomi. "I realize they're engineering marvels ... but really, the mortality fail safe built in is a joke. I mean, I can turn it off and I'm no Engineer. We shouldn't be designing anything that allows that power ... it shouldn't be able to kill at all."
"You're also Chief of Security, which makes it one of your powers," Counselor Troi said. "In the right circumstances it can be an effective tool. And don't tell me that you haven't used at least one of those enhancements in the new Enterprise's Holodeck. I know better."
"Okay, I raved to Commander LaForge about the improved fluid dynamics," Marrissa said, with a smile. "I like my pool to have some circulation. Anyway, I don't see why you'd need to include anything holographic in a system defense ship."
"So, what do you consider good things to have in a system defense ship?" Aunt Clarrissa asked. She was sitting on the sofa to the right of Marrissa, with a glass of wine in her hand. Marrissa had tasted the vintage that Aunt Clarrissa brought. Judging from her experience, it was a fair choice. "I realize your experiences have been with ships of the line, but surely you have ideas."
"Ships of the line, that might me an understatement," Marrissa said. "The Enterprises I've lived on have been big fat luxury yachts ... okay, the E-E is much more of a streamlined power house than the E-D, but still ... They're big, designed to do everything. What do I want in a system defense ship? As a Tactical Officer and former helmsman, I want a fast ship that packs a lot of punch ... everything else is secondary. Nozomi, I need to stretch." Nozomi put down her brush and nodded. "Any chance that I can get a ride in that fighter prototype, or the first production model of yours?"
"You are a fully qualified pilot?" Aunt Clarrissa asked. Marrissa nodded. She'd heard about the hot rod fighter craft that had excited the test pilots evaluating the prototypes submitted to Star Fleet, and had been hoping to get to pilot one some day. "I'll see what I can arrange. It shouldn't be too hard to pull out of the garage."
"Be careful, your grace, putting Marrissa in front of the controls of a small craft and letting her play," Troi began, with a smile as Marrissa stood up and stretched. "Well, the last time Captain Picard let her do that, we didn't see her back on board for six hours, and that was only because she was hungry."
"It runs in the family," Aunt Clarrissa said, moving her wine glass just enough for the red wine to swirl inside. "I remember her father once borrowing Prince John's air car for a little spin, when he was about fourteen. My youngest brother, may the lord rest his soul, was always trying to make that air car preform better, and with it's stream lined lines and flames painted on the side, everyone wanted to drive it. Mother always said that it would get him killed one day. Anyway, somehow little Georgie, your father, Marrissa, got the keys to the Robin, and took off from the Retreat down to the Sheik Caynon. Hours later, King George realizes that he hadn't seen the boy for quite some time."
"Now, you should know one thing about my brother, the late King, and his parenting," Clarrissa said, putting down the drink after taking a last sip. "When he said no, it means never, and Georgie had been told that he was not allowed to even touch the Robin. Don't think that Georgie didn't have Prince John's permission for this little joy ride, but in the King's mind, not even Prince John should ride in what he referred to as an over charged, over powered, dangerous, death trap. He was probably right."
"Anyway, the King wonders about where Georgie is, and sees the look on John's face. Immediately he turns to John and asks were the Robin is. John tells him that he sent the car home. Just as he's saying this, there is this sonic boom outside. It seemed that Georgie had started on his way back and realized that he'd spent too long. Ten minutes later, he's landing the Robin behind the Retreat, hoping that his father didn't know. He did of course, and Georgie couldn't sit down at dinner time as a result."
"The next day there was an article in the Londondairy Times about 'Prince John's Sheik Canyon Test.' The King was furious with Georgie. It was a good thing he'd departed for school before old George had time to pick up the paper."
"Remember that picture of Prince George in the Londondairy Times you showed me the other day?" Nozomi said.
"The one where he was rescuing that kitten stuck on the end of the minute hand of the Bank Clock Tower, or the one where Prince George flew the sky-sled with the dragon hologram down Harrington Street?" Clarrissa asked.
"Both," Nozomi said. "Marrissa, I think I've got enough done so you don't need to get back in the pose. Thanks." Marrissa smiled.
"Now that we've satisfied the demands of the artist," Clarrissa said, pulling a packet out of her purse, "Perhaps you'd like to look at these family pictures I picked up?"
Marrissa slid onto the sofa, and began looking at each picture as they were passed to her, the circumstance it was taken in and who was in it explained as Clarrissa handed it to her.
