Chapter 17
"Who Is The Man" Is Settled
Stardate 2366.090
Will was conflicted. There were just too many holes in his understanding of this mission for him to feel comfortable. The Admiral could say the Romulans' presence here was just a coincidence and how friendly they were all he wanted. Riker knew better. If the mission was as sensitive as he had been led to believe, they never would have been invited here in the first place. He did not know exactly what the Admiral was up to, but all of the evidence seemed to be pointing to only a few possibilities, none of them good. He was betting though, that Jon knew more about this whole mess than he was letting on.
At Jon's "come," Will entered his quarters and found him shirtless.
"Will. We were just talking about you. What can I help you with?"
"We?"
"Yes. Sarahfel," he pointed toward his bedroom, "And her sister Ugaya.
It was only then that Will noticed through the open door to Jon's sleeping quarters one of the twins sitting on his bed with her back to him. Sarahfel's robe lay around her waist presenting quite a fetching profile. On her shoulder blade he noticed a tattoo in an elaborate calligraphy he had never seen before. Her hair fell all the way to the bed. She turned, looked him, and then said something to her sister Ugaya hidden around the corner, who came to the door and regarded him without expression. She was similarly dressed in a short robe with obviously nothing underneath and had her hair pinned up with the elaborate hairpiece he had seen earlier. She took it out and let her hair fall freely. On her leg was a tattoo in a similar script as that of her sister's, that ran from her hip all the way to her ankle. Sarahfel meanwhile had pulled her robe on and now stood next to her sister, also holding a hairpiece in her hand. Neither of them took their eyes off Riker. He had the distinct feeling they considered him some sort of prey. Noticing this Jon said:
"It's alright Sarahfel."
With that she closed the door. At Will's confusion he continued.
"They were concerned for my safety. I told them how you interrupted me on the holodeck, and how we both almost got skewered as a result. I'm afraid it's going to be a while before they trust you around me again," he chuckled.
"Those headdresses are weapons?"
"They are called Terseht Maat and yes they are. Both sisters are highly proficient in their application. I wouldn't recommend you get on their bad side more than you already have."
Will laughed, Jon did not.
"Wait a minute. You're serious aren't you?"
"Yes I am. Sometimes they can be quite… territorial. Much more than you would normally think Vulcans would be. Their upbringing was quite different from other families."
"It sounds like you speak from experience. What happened?"
"Yes I do, and you don't want to know. Suffice it to say I make an effort not to get into any arguments with anyone when they're around."
"Noted. By the way, since when do Vulcans have tattoos? Theirs are the first I've ever seen."
"I'd never seen any either. My other Vulcan friends tell me it's not considered "logical" to get oneself permanently inked, and none of them are aware of anyone else having done so. The sisters apparently are considered quite the rebels on Vulcan.
"But presumably you are not here to talk about the twins. What's on your mind Will?"
Riker hesitated. He indeed had not come here to question Jon about the twins, but that was before he learned that his best friend apparently had an intimate relationship with a Vulcan, an experiment that had not been repeated since the famous Commander Spock's parents had tried it over a hundred years ago. And it was not just a Vulcan, but two of them – and strikingly beautiful twins at that! His curiosity got the better of him and he couldn't help looking toward the bedroom and raising an eyebrow in question.
Jon laughed.
"Well they seem to have taken a shine to me Will. What can I say?"
"Damn Jon! You know how I'm always saying you're the man? Well I never really meant it until now."
Jon laughed again.
"You never say that Will," he pointed out.
"Sure I do. Just never when you're nearby."
"There's a reason I graduated ahead of you at the academy Will," he chided good-naturedly.
"I guess so buddy, I guess so. Damn!" He said again.
"Ok Will. I'm guessing you're here to find out more about what's going on, am I right?"
"That would be nice Jon. Too many things about this mission don't make any sense and I don't like being kept in the dark."
Jon hesitated.
"Will, I can tell you that this mission is vital to the wellbeing of the Federation."
Riker interrupted him.
"So I've heard Jon," he said impatiently. "that's not telling me anything, and it certainly doesn't shed any light on why we are now trusting the Romulans."
"I understand Will, and if I could tell you anything more, believe me I would."
"Are you saying you can't trust me Jon?"
"Hold on Will. You know I trust you with my life. It's just that there are some details that I honestly cannot share right now. You need to trust me on that. Understand that the sensitivity of what we are doing here is such that the Admiral had to get special permission just to fully brief Captain Picard. I would be in quite a bit of trouble if the Admiral found out I've told you as much as I have."
"But you haven't told me anything Jon! Is this thing really that big?"
"Yes it is Will. It really is."
"Damn Jon."
"You seem to be saying that a lot lately," he smiled. "Tell you what. When we get down to the planet, I'll answer all of your questions, but that's the best I can do right now."
"We're going to be ordered to the planet?"
Before Jon could answer, both of their comms alerted them.
"Commanders Riker and Sanderson to the Captain's ready room immediately."
"Acknowledged," they both answered.
