Benar was due home soon from the temple. Rochella scurried around her small kitchen to get an afternoon tea put together. When the water came to a boil over her cook surface, she reached up through the curtained cubbyhole where she kept her grandmother's tea service
It wasn't there
Rochella's heart seemed to be beating somewhere around her ears. She pulled a stool out and stood on it to get a better view of the cubbyhole. The golden lamp of her grandmother's was sitting there, gleaming in the pale light. The teapot and tray were not.
Rochella almost fell off her stool, running to summon the police.
On the Enterprise, Marquess looked in the bag he'd brought with him. He'd stolen from the doyen and his sister and the bag with the tea service seemed even heavier than it should be.
Doyen Benar had been nothing but kind to him, and he was repaying it with this. But he needed funds. He had to escape somehow. Perhaps the captain of this ship could be bribed to take him far away from Kenara Prime. If not, he could bribe some freighter captain to take him away from the reach of the Ke'Narian police. He could start over, be the citizen he knew he was meant to be...
But he was at a loss at where to begin.
He had done it all without thinking... running into the doyen's home when Rochella hadn't been looking, following Troi and Riker to their rendezvous with Succoth and the rest of the away team and jumping into the shuttle while they were distracted and hadn't noticed.
And now what?
He was a thief once again and a parole violator. He would be sent back to the lunar prison again, this time, no doubt, for life. Somehow he doubted the guards would let it be a long life, this time. These Federation types hadn't seemed to want to get their hands dirty with an old Ke'Narian con. Why wouldn't they just turn him right back over to Major Duqaunt?
He deserved to be handed over to Duquant.
Why had he ever done this? For twenty years he'd been justifying his thievery by telling himself that he and Wowegan, his sister, wouldn't have survived another day without breaking into the bake store. And now, he had stolen again out of desperation deeper than hunger. Did that mean he was flawed in some fundamental way? Damned? Perhaps the Divine One had turned his back on him.
In any case, he was on the Enterprise now and there was nothing he could do about it. He had no way to get back to Kenara Prime if he wanted to. Marquess looked around for some place to hide in the large shuttlebay. He could stay there until the ship reached its next destination, if he had to.
"The Ke'Nari still seem very interested in opening diplomatic ties, sir," Riker told Picard as he walked across the bridge and took a seat next to the captain. "Succoth would like to meet with you."
Picard glanced sideways, amused at his executive officer, "You'll allow me to visit the surface, then, Number One?"
Riker grinned, understanding the joke. Picard knew it was Riker's duty to ensure the captain's safety, but sometimes he wondered if his Number One didn't carry it a little too far. "I think it's safe enough, sir. We've cleared up the mystery of 'Marquess' and I don't think he poses any threat. You will take Mr. Worf with you, of course."
"Oh, of course, Number One... Mr. Worf, please inform Prime Minister Succoth that I would be delighted to meet with him tomorrow if he would name the place and time."
"Acknowledged," the Klingon's voice boomed from behind them.
"I'm looking forward to this, Number One," Picard said, smiling. "Succoth sounds like a remarkable Ke'Narian... to help rebuild a government on such a devastated world like that..."
"Sir," Worf interrupted, concerned, "The Ke'Nari are advising us not to send any away teams in the near future. Prime Minister Succoth says he can not ensure our safety at this time."
"What?" Riker whirled his head around. "Everything was fine a few hours ago."
Picard pulled down the front of his uniform and stood up, "Please hail Prime Minister Succoth."
The Ke'Narian Prime Minister appeared on screen.
Picard's voice was as clipped as his sense of diplomacy would allow, "This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Is there any way we can be of assistance to you, Prime Minister?"
Succoth bowed. "Captain, it is a pleasure. I hope you can help us. I'm afraid we're missing a dangerous criminal."
"Did someone escape from your lunar prison? We've detected no means of transportation between the moon and your planet," Picard said. His voice was growing more concerned.
Succoth shook his furry head. "No, Captain, I'm afraid one of our prison's parolees has committed another crime and our police can find him nowhere. He must have gotten onto your ship somehow."
Picard 's eyebrows furrowed, he didn't like the idea of harboring a fugitive felon on his ship, "Are you sure there is no way this parole-violator is still on the planet?"
"Captain, our police would know if he was here. Your away team's shuttle left the surface just before the crime was reported."
Riker rose from his seat and stood right behind Picard's right shoulder, "If you don't mind my asking, Prime Minister, who is this 'dangerous criminal' and what is his crime?"
Succoth's head tilted to study Riker better. "The Ke'Narian's name is 9430, although I understand he also answers to the name of Marquess. His crime is theft and breaking of parole…" Then he turned his attention back to Picard, "Please Captain, we need your help. I request that you search your ship. Major Duqaunt of the police force and I will take a transport vessel and meet you in orbit in 25 minutes. Succoth out."
The screen went back to the image of the planet below. "Well, Number One," Picard said, "Assemble the senior staff. We have 25 minutes to decide what we're going to do."
***
The senior staff was assembled in the observation lounge. That is, the senior staff minus Worf, who was out with his security force scouring the ship for a Ke'Narian male named Marquess. Picard got the meeting going.
"We've been asked by a world we're in the process of opening diplomatic ties with to extradite one of their prisoners," he said. "This very same prisoner asked us for asylum earlier…"
"Which I told him the Prime Directive wouldn't allow," Riker said, disgusted with himself.
Dr. Beverly Crusher was usually the one to play on everyone's conscience during Senior Staff meetings. "If Marquess managed to sneak aboard the shuttle and is here on the Enterprise, we can't return him to that kind of punishment again."
"I don't see that we have much of a choice, Doctor," Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge said, "Commander Riker was right, the Prime Directive applies here. We're not allowed to interfere with their legal system."
"Does it, Geordi?" Troi said softly in her "counselor voice," as Riker sometimes called it. "One of the Ke'Nari's most respected leaders asked us to help Marquess. Just because he doesn't hold a position in the government, does that mean he can't summon our help?"
"It's not the same, Counselor," Geordi shook his head.
Down at the end of the table, Picard looked from officer to officer. Leaning back in his chair, he said evenly, "I think it would be in the best interest to the Federation to help neither. The Prime Directive is about non-interference… about avoiding situations like these to begin with. I'm not sure it's much help to us now."
"Worf to Captain Picard," the intercom broke into the meeting.
"Picard here."
"We found a Ke'Narian male in the main shuttlebay. I am taking him to the brig."
Picard shook his head, "Why don't you bring him up here instead. I would like to meet the man that's causing all this trouble."
"Yes, sir," Worf acknowledged.
Just then, another message, this time from the bridge, piped through to the observation lounge. "Captain, a Ke'Nari shuttle is requesting clearance to land in our shuttlebay," the young ensign at Worf's post said.
"Prime Minister Succoth?" Picard asked.
"No, sir," the ensign replied, "His shuttle just gave an e.t.a. of 15 minutes. This is Doyen Benar."
The senior staff looked around at each other in wonder. "Give him permission to come aboard, Ensign," Picard said, "And request that he join us in the observation lounge."
"Yes sir."
Eight minutes later, Doyen Benar was seated at the table with Picard and the Senior Staff. A package was next to his feet. A security detail was holding Marquess near the door. Another officer held his bag.
Marquess' guilt was painful. He thought everyone in the room must know about it.
Counselor Troi knew, of course, but she kept quiet about it. She was sensing something from Benar too.
Finally, Marquess was ready to blurt out a confession… throw himself at the mercy of this strange Federation captain and his crew… anything to try and atone for his error… anything to stop hurting the Benar – the only Ke'Narian who'd ever shown him love. "Please, Captain, in my sack…"
The security officer opened the sack and pulled out the doyen's golden tea service.
Marquess was about to continue, when Troi started to smile and Benar spoke instead, "Ah, the tea service I gave you, my friend. What about it?"
Marquess' eyes widened. His jaw dropped. He didn't comprehend. "But I didn't…"
Benar got up from the table, picked up his package and walked around the room to stand in front of Marquess. The prisoner looked down into his eyes. There was sadness there, but also a light that seemed to emanate from a source more powerful than the old doyen.
"… thank me, but I knew you were in a hurry, it didn't matter" the doyen finished Marquess' sentence. "In fact, you were in such a hurry, you forgot I gave you this too." He opened the package and handed his grandmother's golden lamp to the ex-convict.
Tears in Marquess' eyes welled up until they spilled over and washed his cheeks. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He just stood there, sobbing, with Doyen Benar standing in front of him and the Enterprise officers watching respectfully.
Finally the doyen reached out to him, touching his arm, bringing him back to reality. "When you look at these golden objects, remember your golden soul. I bought that soul, here, today… bought it for the Divine One. You are his, now. Remember that, always. Now, for the needs of the moment… My shuttle has warp capabilities. I know the shuttle the Prime Minister and Duqaunt are taking does not."
Marquess could not believe his ears. They turned a bit, twitching. Then he looked at Picard.
The Captain of the Enterprise rose from the table and addressed the religious leader. "Am I to understand, Doyen Benar, that Marquess has committed no new crime?"
The doyen nodded.
"Then, I don't see that I can hold him any longer. Mister Worf…"
Worf nodded to the security detail. It stepped back. The officer holding Marquess' bag returned it to him.
The Ke'Narian clutched the lamp and the bag to his chest, "Thank you, Captain Picard, from the bottom of my heart." He turned back to Benar and opened his mouth. Once again, he found no words could come out.
Benar patted his arm again. "I know, my friend. Words don't say enough. But actions do. If you want to thank me, pass this love along to someone else."
"I-I-I will," Marquess stumbled.
"Now, go… take the shuttle before its too late."
Marquess nodded. With one last grateful look, he took off running through the door.
Doyen Benar turned back to Picard and Co.
"That was beautiful," Crusher said. "Why did you do it?"
The old man simply shrugged. "I did it, because once, long ago, someone did the same for me."