Diclaimer: It's all Paramount's, cept for Verla, T'Valk, and Rachel. Maybe a few Maquis.

A/N: "Not a man to mince words. People, yes. But not words."



Chapter 10 - Changes



Captain's Log, Stardate 47848.9

It is nearly three weeks since the disappearance of Commander Sela, Will Riker,

and two of our security officers. There has still been no reply from Starfleet HQ.

I'm afraid we might be ordered to another mission, but, so far, Fleet Admiral

Shanthi has been kind.

I hope we receive a response soon. The entire crew is beginning to lose hope.

A call from the bridge caused Picard to be jolted back to reality. "Captain, we are being hailed by Fleet Admiral Shanthi at Starfleet headquarters."

"In here please, Ensign Giusti," Picard said.

He pounded the touchpad on his viewer, and Shanthi appeared on the screen following the Federation logo. "Captain, I don't have much time, so I'll be brief. You're allowed back into the Neutral Zone for five days. If you haven't found your missing crew by then, you are to report immediately to Starbase 120. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir,' Picard said enthusiastically. "Thank you so much, Admiral."

"I wish you good luck, Jean-Luc. Shanthi out."

Captain Picard walked out onto the bridge wearing an enormous smile. "Ensign McKnight, set a course for the M-class planet, at warp factor 8. Engage."

Two weeks after Riker attempted to escape, Sela was a shadow of her former self. The 'poison' hadn't killed her yet, but the rash was getting worse daily. Sela had decided, despite her memories of Will's views of the subject, that the Enterprise wasn't coming back. She had stopped eating about two days earlier. To make things worse, she had broken down during the last interrogation. The Maquis know knew the command codes for the Khazara, as well as it's shield frequency - but that wasn't what they needed to know.

Thomas Riker wasn't about to let her die before he knew the secrets of the 'Cloaking Device Treaty' (as the Maquis referred to it as). He couldn't accept the idea that one of the most powerful people in the Romulan Empire, said to be the right hand of the Head of the Praetorial Council, wouldn't know about the details of the treaty.

"Thomas, there is news," the guard Salak said to Riker. "The Enterprise has returned."

"What?!" Thomas exclaimed. It had been rather stupid of Salak to mention that in front of the cell, Sela thought to herself. But she could use that in her advantage.

Salak lifted an eyebrow. "I said, the Enterprise-"

"Yes, I know what you said, Salak."

"Then why did you ask-"

Riker sighed. "I'll explain the idiom to you later. Right now, I've got to figure out what to do about it." Purposefully, he strode down the hall, glad to have and excuse to get away from Sela.

Sela sighed as Riker left. Was the Enterprise really back? If it was . . .

She began planning her escape with a smile. The Enterprise would save her, as it had saved her mother so many times. She could keep the promise she had made to herself after Will had been killed. Picard would know about the courage of his first officer. For the millionth time, Sela wished the Enterprise had arrived in time.