Later that evening, back in his quarters alone, Elnor thought about the other piece of Safaath's advice and wondered who among Picard's former crew might be close friends with the Admiral and willing to give him culinary advice. He remembered Soji mentioning a couple named Deanna Troi and Will Riker. She had said both of them, as well as their almost teenage daughter, had been very kind to her. Where had she said they lived? Elnor thought hard. It was the planet she and Picard had gone to via the Borg spatial trajector when he had stayed behind to cover their retreat and help Hugh. Another pang of sorrow struck Elnor. In the very short time he had known Hugh, he had felt a deep connection of friendship. How was it that he had made, and lost, friends so quickly when he had first left Vashti, but was finding it so difficult to connect to his fellow students at the Academy? Was it because students at the Academy felt safe, secure, and comfortable? Elnor knew most of them had never known what real combat was like. Most had never felt threatened, let alone fought for their lives and the lives of those around them. He wondered if it was the common experience of fighting together side by side that helped form the deeper connections he had felt with Hugh, Rios, Seven, Raffi, and even to some extent Agnes. Surely there must be other ways of making friends than by fighting with them against a common enemy. Elnor sighed and decided to spend 15 minutes meditating before tackling the problem of how to locate these friends of Picard's from long ago. He settled into his meditative pose on his bed, closed his eyes, and breathed.

Fifteen minutes later and feeling somewhat better, Elnor recalled the name of the planet. Nepenthe. Yes, that's where Soji said they lived, in a pretty log cabin in a forest with an outdoor stone oven for baking pizza. The scenario she had described to him before she became an Ambassador and too busy to have much time to talk with him sounded pretty idyllic.

Looking up their contact information, Elnor considered what to say. He had no idea if Picard had ever mentioned him to any of his friends from his days as Captain of the Enterprise. He rather guessed not, since Picard had left Starfleet altogether after the disaster on Mars. Also, as difficult as it was to admit to himself, he still felt like he hadn't been very important to Picard during those stressful times. The fact that Picard hadn't made any effort to contact him, or even to stay in touch with Zani, for fourteen years was proof of that. Sometimes Absolute Candor was unsettling and uncomfortable, but there it was. Speaking truth to others was one thing, but being truthful with oneself could be even more difficult. Still, the doorway to developing the relationship he'd always wanted with Picard was open now. This was now, not fourteen years ago. He checked on what time it would be where Troi and Riker lived. Mid-afternoon. No reason to put this off. He had read in their files that Deanna Troi had been the ship's counselor, so hopefully she would be understanding about this odd request from a stranger. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Elnor made the call.

The call connected, but went to a recording device. A dark-haired woman with a kind face and a gruff looking large man appeared on screen and said, "Sorry we can't answer right now, but please leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can." Feeling more flustered than ever, Elnor contemplated ending the call. No, that wouldn't do. Trying for a small smile, Elnor stated, "Hi, my name is Elnor. Admiral Picard probably never mentioned me to you, but I first met him as a small child when he evacuated me and the group of nuns who were raising me to the planet Vashti. He used to visit often, bring me books and read to me. All of that ended with the attack on Mars, but more recently he came back to Vashti. I joined him on his mission to save Soji. Soji has told me very kind things about both of you. So I'm hoping you won't mind if I ask you for some advice." Elnor was having difficulty keeping his composure and not squirming, but he pushed on. "I'm on Earth now attending Starfleet Academy. I visit Picard and Laris regularly and. . .well, Laris has given me the task of preparing dinner for them next weekend." Elnor couldn't help grinning at how silly this must sound, but there was no turning back now. "I was wondering if you could perhaps help me with some culinary advice. If you happen to know what some of Picard's favorite foods are, could you please send me a message letting me know and, ummm, perhaps give me some cooking tips, please? Thank you." Elnor pressed the end call button and resisted the urge to beat his head against his desk. He considered placing a call to Zani, but instead turned to his class work. PILOT 101: Runabouts and Shuttles would wait for no one.

Deanna and Will were laughing as they carried a large basket of tomatoes in their front door and headed to the kitchen. "Our garden is almost too productive this year, Will. What are we going to do with all these tomatoes?" Deanna asked.

Will had something else on his mind. "I'm sure we'll think of something. But right now, Kestra is out playing Wild Girl of the Woods again." He slipped his arms around Deanna and pulled her close for a kiss. "Perhaps the tomatoes will wait while we have a little personal time." He winked at her just in case there was the slightest chance she had misunderstood his meaning.

Deanna was considering the merits of taking Will up on his offer when she noticed the blinking light. "Will, we have a message."

"Huh, I wonder who that can be? We haven't had a message in months. God, I hope it's not another Starfleet emergency." Riker rolled his eyes. "I have to admit, I had fun facing down that Romulan fleet and saving Jean-Luc's ass, but that was enough excitement to last me for at least another year."

"Well, let's see, shall we?" Deanna, ever practical, pressed the play button. The viewscreen filled with the image of a young Romulan male in a Starfleet cadet uniform. Deanna's interest was piqued, especially as she listened to the message, carefully watching the youngster's body language since she couldn't pick up anything empathically from a recorded message.

After reviewing the message twice, Deanna turned her large, dark eyes to Will. "Did Jean-Luc ever mention an Elnor to you?"

"No, he didn't. But I suppose that's not too surprising since Elnor says he first met our esteemed leader during the evacuation. Those were some very hectic and troubled times. He says he knows about us from Soji, which would make sense if he was in on the mission to save the synths. Did Soji ever mention him?"

"Not that I can recall," Deanna answered, "but perhaps she might have mentioned him to Kestra. Let's ask her when she comes in."

"Were you able to pick up anything else?"

"Not much. The Starfleet uniform looks genuine. And the background looks just like a standard cadet's quarters. Of course, all of that could have been faked, but his body language and facial expressions seem. . . " Deanna paused as she searched for the right words, "caring. Honest." After another pause, she said, "I think we should find out more about this young man."

"Agreed.

"Did he say he was raised by nuns?"

"He did." Deanna confirmed.

Riker turned to a nearby computer console and pulled up information on Vashti and nuns. He whistled in surprise. "Well, would you look at this! There is an order of nuns on Vashti. The Qowat Milat."

"The what?" asked Deanna.

"It says here that the Qowat Milat are an order of Romulan warrior nuns. They're best known for their extremely proficient single warrior combat skills and for their adherence to a philosophy called Absolute Candor. They seem to go against everything we know about Romulans in that they believe in speaking absolute truth. It says here 'a total communication of emotion without filter between thought and word.' It also says they only accept females into their order."

Deanna blinked. "Well, he did say he was raised by nuns, not that he was a member of this Qowat Milat."

"Deanna, this is the only order of nuns on Vashti. What if they raised him, taught him their combat skills and philosophy, then turned him out?"

Deanna considered this for a moment before asking, "Is there anything else known about the Qowat Milat?"

Riker read the file for a few more minutes before answering. "It says here that although their combat skills are formidable that they are not for hire. Anyone may approach them and ask for help. They will choose to either withhold or grant help based on certain criteria."

"And those criteria are?" prompted Deanna.

"That the cause be just and . . . that it be a lost cause."

Deanna considered this for a moment. "So, they take up the cause of the underdog. That's not a bad thing."

"Okay," Will agreed. "But what has this got to do with 'Elnor' asking us for culinary advice? That's about as far away from combat as you can get. Assuming he even was trained by the Qowat Milat. We may be jumping to conclusions here."

"I have a hunch," Deanna replied. "He said Jean-Luc brought him books and read to him. If he really was raised by a group of militant nuns, he may view Jean-Luc as a father figure. He came across as eager to please. I think he may be exactly who he says he is and seeking exactly what he asked for. He wants to know what meal to serve and needs help with ideas and cooking tips." Deanna laughed out loud as she turned to hug Will. "I think our Admiral may have acquired a son!"

Will's grin spread almost from ear to ear. "Well, in that case, after confirming your hunch, by all means let's help him!"

"Will, you are not going to recommend he serve fresh Klingon gagh!"

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Will teased.

"How long have I known you?" Deanna countered.

"Touché"