Beware, now I'm getting down to business. Rated T for violent content.

Chapter 4

Diane looked around, and found herself in a kind of transporter room surrounded by several ferengi.

Bok was standing on the other side of the room.

"Welcome on board, sweetheart, I hope you've had a nice journey. The tranport makes you feel dizzy the first time, doesn't it?" he said. He made a small gesture with his hand, and one of the ferengi guards stepped up to Diane.

As he reached for her arm, she suddenly swung her leg out and struck the guard at his knees. Although it was more a panic than a skillfull attack, the ferengi was knocked off his feet, not suspecting such a physical strength and agility from that skinny girl.

Immediately the other guards pulled their phasers, and two of them grabbed Diane at her arms and wrenched them upwards behind her back. Diane clenched her teeth to stifle a cry of pain.

"It's obvious, she's got her father's stubbornness," said Bok. "Tie her up."

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The Enterprise was at warp 9 heading for the Xendi Kabu system.

Data and Geordi had scanned Diane's quarters constantly since Bok's appearance, so it was possible now to retrace Diane's transport easily.

Picard hoped imploringly that it wasn't too late yet. But he couldn't imagine that a person like Bok would implement his scheme without any histrionics.

"Any news, Mr. Worf?" Picard asked. "Ship? Signatures? Messages?"

"No, Sir. I told you I would inform you immediately." The klingon answered.

"Sure", Picard said. He couldn't remember having felt so powerless and weak before. He had commanded more dangerous misions, he had been in perilous situations himself and had sent his crew into deadly peril. But this was so different. He realized that a moment like this was something that made him always avoid setting up a family. His crew consisted of man and women who had made the decision to live a life of challenges and risks. He highly respected the families of the crewmembers that joined the journeys into the unknown. But he never could imagine that he could take his own child on his ship – because he feared this very situation. This young girl he just met was in danger of life only because of him.

"Captain", said Troi next to him. "There is no use in blaming yourself."

"Counselor, it's impossible to deny that Diane's life is threatened due to my fault." Answered Picard.

"But Bok refers to a battle fifteen years ago, and you behaved absolute correctly back then. And right now, you have done everything possible to protect Diane." Troi said.

"Have I really?" Picard asked. "I think I can judge that when we find Diane and bring her back on the Enterprise."

He didn't dare to add 'if she is still alive'.

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Diane had never been on a ferengi ship before, but this one was apparently ready for the scrap heap. She saw provisionally patched panellings, traces of phaser fire, and lambencies in the corridors.

She was brought in a small prison cell. They made her sit down on a low chair and tied her arms at the backrest.

Bok stood in front of her. She glared at him in defiance, although she was shaking in her boots.

He nodded at one of his guards. The ferengi grabbed her head and beat in her face several times. Diane felt faint but the stabbing pain in her head kept her awake.

"Enough," said Bok.

Slowly, because of the splitting headache, Diane looked up.

"So, now you are going to kill me?" she asked unemotional. She tried to talk self-confidently, but her voice sounded weak and silent.

"Don't get impatient", said Bok. "Did you really think I'd let Picard get off that lightly? He shall feel the same pain and despair he inflicted on me fifteen years ago. He shall see you beg and whimper in agony and hear your screams of death for the rest of his miserable life. So when he arrives for your rescue, it will be too late, and he will behold your painful death struggle that was caused from his own fault." His voice sounded like he delivered a speech.

Diane stared wide-eyed at him. "You don't really mean that, do you? You wanna torture me to death right here? That's insane! You're pervy!"

Bok laughed.

"How perceptive, sweetie. But it was Picard himself that brought me into this course of action. With his dastard attack that killed my beloved son, he destroyed the auspicious future of my whole family. I won't let him forget that."

Diane was thinking frantically. She had been beaten up several times in her past for lesser reasons, but she had never been in a impasse like this. More than the physical pain she feared the resoluteness she saw in Bok's eyes.

"What are you, a klingon, or a ferengi? You want revenge when you could have profit? Think of the ransom my father would pay for me. Pure gold-pressed latinum! And looking at your ship, it seems like you could need some."

She didn't know either Picard had any Latinum, or if he would pay a ransom for her. But she thought playing for time was the best she could do. Bok watched her squinty.

"You are indeed shrewd, but what value does Latinum have for me when my profit is futureless?"

Diane still racked her brain to keep the conversation up. "I hardly know my father. What you say he has done is an outrage. Maybe we could find an answer to this problem that suits us both." She raised her chin and gave him a gentle smile. "Maybe I could…be a comfort for you? Surely there are pleasures that may put you out of your misery. You don't need to kill me at all to take revenge on my father."

Bok stepped closer to her and gently touched her face.

"You say you'd offer me your body in exchange for your life? You think that this would satisfy my desire for revenge? Who of us is pervy now? Besides, although I heard that some ferengi are actually attracted to female humans, I'm not. I don't know if your body is pleasing to the eyes of humans, but to me, you are an ugly, miserable brat. But it's fascinating …how easily a person with Picard's blood in her veins is turned into a whore."

With that he beat her in the face. The taste of her blood filled her mouth.

"I think the young lady still didn't have enough." Bok said.

One of the guards untied her arms and hands and made her stand up, just to knock her down with a punch in her stomach. Diane was convulsed with pain, and a kick into her ribcage made her gasp for breath.

"Don't forget who is responsible for all this," Bok said.

Responsibility. The word echoed in Diane's head like a exhortation. Picard had told her he felt responsible for her. And where would it end? She would die here on this ferengi ship. Did this responsibility mean anything to him? She remembered he didn't believe her when she told him that Bok was in der quarters. If he really felt responsible for her, why didn't he try to protect her better then? Diane regretted she had gone with him on the Enterprise. Although she've had no family and hardly any friends for years, she've had at least a life on Daranos IV. It was a constant struggle for existence, but she was responsible for herself. But that life was now over. Her courage fell, and for a moment she wished someone would kill her immediately.

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"No, I will lead the away team," said Picard. "This is not a usual mission, Commander Riker. Mr. Worf and Mr. Data will come with me."

Picard and his leading officers sat in the observation lounge, planning the rescue mission.

"Mr. Data, what do we know for sure about Bok's ship?" Picard asked.

"The ship is an old Ferengi Marauder, weapons and shields outmoded. It shouldn't be a problem to disable them." Data said.

"Sounds a bit too easy," remarked Riker. "We shouldn't underestimate him. If he has a subspace transporter, he may have other high technologies also. Since the Xendi Kabu system is uninhabited, he could have built up a station on one of the planets unnoticed."

"That's true." said Mr. Worf, "and if there is a station or another ship, we have to find out where Miss Vigo is."

They debated some details of possible strategies, but since didn't really know what to expect, all they could do was wait.

Picard counted the seconds to their arrival.

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Diane took a deep breath and tried to ignore the stabbing pain in her stomach. Her eyes were filled with tears but she supressed her desire for crying out loud. Slowly she began to realize what Bok was trying. It wasn't only her pain and death he wanted, but he wanted to make her believe that all he was doing was her fathers fault. Before killing her, he wanted to drive an everlasting wedge between her and Picard, so that her father never would get the chance to reconcile with her. It was all part of his plan, and he had almost succeeded.

Suddenly, a voice came through the intercom: "Sir, the Enterprise is approaching the system."

"Acknowledged," answered Bok, "my guest and me are coming to the bridge.

The guards forced Diane on her feet and brought her to the bridge. While walking through the corridors with her head down, she saw drops of blood falling on the floor. Since her whole body was aching and burning, she wasn't sure where they came from.

The bridge was a large room, less derelict than the rest of the ship. The guards made Diane sit down on a chair. She felt dizzy and faint, but the flash of insight about Bok's plan made her mind feel awake.

"Well then," Bok stated, "it's showtime."

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