Ketrel, Nicop

Riker continued to look for a while, his questions anything from random nothingness about an object, to more intelligent questions about something he was curious about. Even though, he seemed more focused on the 'old planet'.

It took hours before they left the museum- Ken hardly amused by this. Scartin had already offer- and insisted on- giving them a tour of the city, wanting to show them the finer points of his home, along with the more historical sites.

As they walked, Scartin and Trinia pointed out random facts about this and that, telling them how their cities were designed to protect them from the heat and so forth. After a time, they reached the middle of the city. It was a large field; Riker observed at least twenty kids standing around. It seemed as if they were playing a game of some sort.

A thirteen-year-old girl stood, her arm winding before she threw a ball at another girl. She held a long stick, swinging forcefully at the ball.

"What are they doing?" Ken asked as they watched the children.

"It is a game called Jokase," Trinia explained. "It has been a child's game for centuries."

Riker just watched them play, a forgotten thought coming to him…

"I can't hit the ball. I'm terrible at this," Deanna complained.

Will stepped right behind her, sliding his arms over hers, his stomach touching her back. "It's not that hard. Just keep an eye on the ball, and swing with your entire body."

"Commander Riker?"

"Huh?" Riker spun around to find that the three had already begun to move while he had stood there starring at the field. "Oh, I'm coming."

Ketrel, Mearah

Fakhr remained quiet as Derik lead Worf and T'Pic throughout the main tunnels and cave portion of their city. As they looked, it seemed to them that it was a normal society with necessary laws and a war-like culture.

Worf was amazed with how some characteristics were so similar to the Klingons. They seemed to be a strong race and honorable from what Derik had told him, and yet they were their own people with families and their own jobs.

"Your culture seems to have been created around the art of war." T'Pic arched an eyebrow in the Caddas' direction as they walked down one of the longer passages.

"Yes. Centuries ago, our ancestors lived in peace with each other and most everyone. Then a powerful enemy came and massacred them. Barely a few hundred, of what used to be millions, escaped," Derik explained.

Fakhr looked at the two, before he added, "When they came here, our ancestors began to create arms to defend themselves if their enemy ever came back. Today, we continue to live in the ways they began then for the same reasons."

"Do you believe that the Nilaains or Fruma are those who slaughtered your people?" Worf inquired, only remotely curious about the answer.

"We are… uncertain. There are no longer any accounts of the race that attacked them or why they choose this continent to live on. We just accept that they did," Fakhr answered.

Ketrel, Nicop

Riker and Ken were escorted back to the outskirts of the city by Scartin, Trinia having gone to rest after her long day. Riker walked in silence, only breaking it once they reached the shuttle.

"Thank-you, Scartin. I've enjoyed this."

"I am glad, Commander. Ambassador. I shall see you later?"

"Of course. Have-"

Riker flinched, phaser fire suddenly surrounding him. He spun around, trying to find where it was coming from- the bursts came from the forest only meters from them. Riker immediately had his phaser in hand, firing at the woods.

He pushed the diplomats against the pod's side, telling the to get in the pod. Ken lead the Nilaain inside without a word, his face pale.

It took a while before the others stopped firing at him, movement in the brush showing that they were retreating. Will looked closely, noticing that they were almost certainly Nilaain.

Ken poked his head out, looking carefully around. "Is it over?"

His voice shook, and it was the first time that Riker realized that he had probably never been fired at; having lived on Betazed and Earth his entire life, it wasn't a wonder that he was terrified.

Will nodded, watching at the two stepped out of the pod. "Do you know why your own people would fire on us?"

Scartin looked at Riker and explained, "They are Monita. They think that we deserve this planet and should not need help to win it back. And they will fight anyone who challenges that."

"Oh, great!" Ken exclaimed.

Riker just ignored them. "Which means they don't want us here and they don't like what you stand for."

"Yes. But they are quite helpful in our more… aggressive time," Scartin said, solemnly. He looked at Riker before moving his eyes to Ken. "I should head back and report this. I hope you have a safe journey."

Riker nodded and turned just as Scartin left. He studied the shuttle for a moment. "Damn, they hit the shuttle."

"Can we still fly?"

"Yeah. Get in."

Shuttle Bay

Geordie stood inside the four white walls of the Shuttle Bay, surrounded with the multiple Shuttle Crafts that the Enterprise owned. Even with all the distraction of the other crewmen working in there, his focus was solely on the shuttle in front of him.

His tricorder ran over the large scorch marks made by the Nilaain snipers and frowned at the readings. He took a second run over the marks but came out with the same readings. His frown grew as he remembered where had seen the same things.

It was the same as the alien capsule he had found on Hytor Settlement. The basic shape, intensity, and readings where the same. If that was so, it would mean that it was the Nilaains or someone they were in contact with that was there on Hytor Settlement.

This was an interesting new piece of information that he would surely bring up at the next meeting. But, for now, his job was to assess the damage and repair it, not solve mysteries. No matter how…intriguing.

Observation Lounge, The Next Day

"Well, Number One, you may begin," Captain Picard announced to the senior staff as the meeting began.

"Uh, the Nilaains are quiet friendly and most of them appear to want to end this conflict peacefully," he began.

"Most?" Deanna asked.

"Well, there is a small section of them called the Monita. They don't…appreciate the help but I don't see them as too much of a threat. From the little they managed to do yesterday, I doubt they will be able to do too much more damage."

"Please continue," Picard urged.

"They say that their people came to Ketrel after their ancestors had been attacked and thousands murdered by an unknown attacker. Once they-"

"Wait! They were attacked and slaughter by an unknown enemy?" Deanna interrupted.

"Yeah."

"That's what the Fruma said. They say they took up their religious ways to keep from ever having to go through the death and destruction again," Deanna told them.

"The Cadda also claim that that was what happened to their ancestors as well. Because of this, they chose a war-like lifestyle," Worf stated.

"They all came to this planet because their ancestors were attacked?" Geordie inquired.

"It does make sense," Riker commented. "But it is damn convenient that there isn't much on what happened directly after they arrived on Ketrel. In fact, what Scartin showed me was almost five decades later."

"The Cadda also had very little information on how or why they live where they do or what happened. All they do know is that it did happen," Worf told the senior staff.

Picard took this all in and knew that it needed farther investigation. But he also had a little more of the puzzle that Geordie could fill in. "Commander LaForge, do you have any information to add about the shuttle?"

"Uh, yes. There was no real damage to the shuttle but there was something interesting about the phaser signature." Geordie stood up and headed to the screen in the front of the room. After pushing a button a picture of wave frequencies showed up.

"This is the weapon's signature on the shuttle." He pressed another button and another wave frequency chart appeared. "This is the weapon's signature I took last month of the alien capsule."

"They're the same," Riker commented.

"Exactly, which leads me to concluded that the Nilaains were the ones on Hytor Settlement or someone they work with, who has their weapons, was there," Geordie replied.

"All three of these species has never left this planet in over seven centuries. It would not have been any of them," Data answered half of the question.

"Which leaves the question, who are they working with?" Deanna asked, leaving everyone with blank and thoughtful looks.