Six months earlier
Sitting at their usual table in Ten Forward, Will Riker and Deanna Troi stared intently at one another over a shared chocolate sundae. Their exchange was silent, punctuated by the occasional light laughter. Once in a while the First Officer would reach across the table and delicately caress a stray dark lock of hair, winding it around his finger. As far as the two of them were concerned, they were the only ones in the crowded room at that moment.
Dr. Beverly Crusher observed the couple from her spot at the bar. "That is just spooky sometimes," she said to no one in particular. Shaking her head, she turned back to the bartender.
"What is?" Guinan asked as she handed the doctor a mug of hot lemon tea.
"The way those two can have entire conversations without saying a word, even though neither of them are technically telepathic." Looking back at her friends, she took a small sip of her drink. "I'm not inferring that it's a bad thing." She sighed. " I guess I'm just a little jealous. If only I could have something that was even a half as special as what they have" She trailed off, finishing her statement with a slight wave of her hand.
Guinan simply nodded. "You're not alone."
There was a pause in the couple's conversation and Deanna looked over at Beverly, indicating that she should join them.
Pulling up a chair she said, "Are you sure I'm not intruding? You guys looked like you were in a completely different world together." She smiled as she took her seat.
The couple beamed at each other once again. It was Deanna that responded. "Of course not Bev. We were just talking about the latest mission before us."
"So you two even talk about business telepathically?" Crusher smiled, an air of teasing in her voice. "Do you guys ever talk to each other aloud anymore?"
"Of course we do, thought casts are just easier when we have our mouths full," Riker said with his trademark grin, causing the two women to laugh.
It had only been just over three weeks since they had renewed their closer relationship, and they never tried to be subtle while they were together socially in public. By now, the entire ship was aware, and some had gained small fortunes in the various betting pools. Although the thought of their relationship being ship wide gossip didn't please the couple, they'd learned to accept it.
A comfortable silence fell over the trio, and Will's thoughts shifted back to the mission that was ahead. Sensing the shift in his emotions, Deanna raised a questioning eyebrow.
**I'm just thinking about the mission again** He gave her a reassuring smile.
Nodding, she took another bite of the dessert that sat between them. **It should just be a simple peace negotiation.**
Beverly's soft laughter brought the couple back to Ten Forward. "You two are doing it again, " she said before taking a sip of her tea. "Incorrigible, absolutely incorrigible."
Slight color crept into Deanna's cheeks. "Sorry Bev," she smiled. Waving her fork to indicate Riker, she continued. "Sometimes, we don't even realize that we're not speaking out loud."
"It's alright. I just wish that the connection you two share was a bit more commonplace." Beverly smiled at Riker's questioning look. "So I would at least have a slight chance of experiencing it."
With a wave of her hand she changed the subject. "What do you think about this mission?"
Riker answered her question. "It seems to be a fairly routine peace negotiation. The Perig and the Nahlu have been at war for centuries. The leaders of both sides are tired of fighting and want to pursue peace, so in steps the Federation flag ship," he said with a sense of familiarity bordering on redundancy.
Beverly nodded. "Pretty routine. I just hope there are no surprises."
Senior officers please report to the observation lounge.
At the request of the Captain, the trio stood in unison and headed towards the bridge, their dessert and drink forgotten.
"The Perig are a monotheistic culture, believing in a single deity which they call Hodra. The Nahlu, on the other hand, are polytheistic, worshiping the many gods they believe exist within all things in nature. Though these two cultures are very different, they both fundamentally believed in a life of nonviolence and tolerance up until the outbreak of this war."
"Do we know the original cause of the hostility between them?" Picard interrupted Data's explanation of the two cultures.
"The exact catalyst the brought them to war is unclear, though currently it seems to be an issue of power and general ill feelings towards each other. Both sides view themselves as the superior culture on Hervegla VI."
Picard nodded. "It's strange how there is no explanation about how this war erupted when it only began two generations ago." He voiced the concern that was on everybody's mind.
There was a brief silence before Riker spoke. "It seems as though this might not be as cut and dry as we had originally thought."
Nodding again, Picard made a sound of agreement. "Very well. Number One, assemble an away team. You will be outside the negotiations controlling the crowd." The Captain turned his attention to Dr. Crusher. "Beverly, ready sick bay, just in case anything happens down there." Deanna was the next one to get his attention. "Counselor, you will be in the proceedings with me. Have you had any experience in reading the Perig and the Nahlu?"
"I have only come into contact with a handful of them," she tilted her head thoughtfully, "but they seem to be as easy to read as most humanoids."
"Very good." Picard nodded again. "Data, you will monitor everything from the bridge. Be ready to beam us up if anything happens. Number One, Counselor, we will meet in transporter room two at 0800 hours. Dismissed."
**What do you think about asking the Captain to assign us larger quarters?** Deanna's question rang in Will's mind, never breaking the comfortable silence that sat between them.
After the briefing they had shared a wonderful meal with Picard and Dr. Crusher in the Captain's quarters. Currently, they were relaxing on Riker's couch, reviewing their notes on the mission. Riker's feet were propped up on the table. Deanna was curled up next to him, her bare feet tucked securely beneath his legs for warmth.
The Counselor set her data PADD down and stretched slowly. **Or maybe we can just combine our quarters.**
Riker never looked up from his PADD. **What brought this up?**
**I was just thinking about how we hardly ever use both quarters at the same time anymore. We're together every night. Why not so something to make things more convenient and simple?**
**Can we wait until this mission is over to discuss this?** His eyes remained focused on his notes.
Deanna felt his apprehension, though it was only a slight tickle on her empathic sense. Riker was getting better at shielding his emotions when he wanted to, a fact that was frustrating for the Counselor.
**Okay, we'll talk about it later.** She sent a wave of reassurance over the link causing Will to look up. He returned her warm smile and leaned over, lightly kissing her lips. Picking up her data PADD again, Deanna resumed reading.
The next morning the away team beamed down to the planet surface, and the negotiations began without incident. During a break, Picard pulled Deanna aside to get her feelings about the situation.
"I sense no deception from either race, but there is something strange going on. I can't put my finger on it, but my sense of them is a little different than I remember. But as I said before, my exposure to the Perig and Nahlu is very limited, so it could be nothing." Deanna shook her head, trying to unscramble the bizarre feeling that swirled around her empathic sense.
Picard nodded curtly. "Very well, just keep me informed and let me know if you can get a better idea about what you sense."
Just then the chimes sounded, signaling the recommencement of the proceedings. The delegates from both sides made their way through the massive doors that lead to the inner room of the massive hall and took their places once again.
Outside the hall, the crowds that gathered remained calm and peaceful, as the Starfleet Officers stood ready and waiting for any sign of trouble. Will was stationed at the top of the steps at the entrance to the building. From his vantage point he could see the entire courtyard before him. He scanned the crowd, looking for anyone who might pose a threat, but he found nothing out of the ordinary. It was hard to believe that these were two groups of people that were at war with each other. The Perig were on one side of the courtyard, the Nahlu were one the other, and not so much as a slanderous word had passed between them.
Relaxing a little, Riker cleared his mind and sought out Deanna. **How are the negotiations going?**
**Quite smoothly actually,** she thought cast back to him. **It seems as though both sides would just be happy to put things back to the way they were before this war started.**
He felt her unease. **Then what's the problem?**
Sighing inwardly, Deanna tried to explain. **I'm just that my sense of them is just a bit off. I can't quite figure out what it is though.**
Will sent a wave of reassurance over the link, quelling her frustration. **Just relax and don't let it get you worked up. I am sure that you will figure out what it is.**
Deanna took a deep breath, allowing the calming effects of his emotions wash over her. **Thank you.** She turned her full attention back to the proceedings.
Suddenly all hell broke loose. Before Riker could react, the peaceful gathering erupted into an angry mob. The serene courtyard became a bloody battlefield in the blink of an eye. The abrupt chaos extended into the great hall. The peaceful negotiations turned into a barroom brawl as unarmed delegates were forced to use what ever they could get there hands onto.
Fleeing for the safety of the outer room, Picard grabbed the Counselor by the arm. Just as he was about to signal the ship to beam the away team out of there, Troi yanked her arm from his grasp, stopping dead in her tracks. Her face was ashen and her dark eyes were wide with unspeakable terror. A blood-curdling scream tore from her throat the instant before she crumbled to the floor.