Chapter 10

Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher hurried along beside each other in silence, intent upon reaching the away team. After hearing a few familiar voices up ahead, they had nearly forgotten about the disappearing alien. Presumably he had retreated into the shadows, hopefully, as far as Picard was concerned never to return. He didn't need the aggravation or complication, and certainly had more constructive things to do than argue with his CMO.

To Picard's considerable relief they met up with the away team at a juncture. Riker and Yar had balanced Dr. Francis in between them, and he limped along quickly enough, while his colleagues supported him.

Riker broke into a grin, and laughed when he saw them. "Captain, Doctor. Glad to see you came to our rescue…and especially that you're alright," he added.

Picard smiled back at his first officer. "And you as well." He nodded at Dr. Francis. "You're not hurt too badly I hope, Doctor?"

Francis forced a weak smile. "No sir." He balanced on his good foot and held up a small bag. "And I was able to retrieve some very good mineral samples, Captain."

"Very good," Picard agreed.

"What happened to you two?" Yar's concern was palpable as she stared at them aghast.

Picard looked down at his muddy uniform. "Oh. Yes, well—"

"You missed the storm," Crusher said. "With sheets of rain…and waves of mud," she added, carefully checking over Dr. Francis' injuries.

"Nice work wrapping that ankle," she mentioned. "For an amateur," she added, observing Riker's quick grin. She used the bone knitting device on the scientist's leg and then encouraged him to try it out.

Riker grew serious and pointed where the passageway branched off abruptly. "That's the way we came in," he said. "It's not far."

Picard nodded, personally satisfied that they would not yet again be required to drag their stomachs and other sensitive areas along the rocky cave floor.

Picard's head jerked up at the sound of soft footsteps. "What was that?"

Riker and Yar exchanged glances. "We're being followed Captain," Riker admitted.

"And you just thought to mention that now?" Picard snapped.

"I don't think we're in any danger, Captain," Riker said. "This was the fastest the three of us could travel, and they haven't ambushed us yet."

"Who?" Picard and Crusher demanded at the same time. It was Dr. Francis who pointed back over his shoulder.

"Them," Dr. Francis said softly. Picard followed his gaze and sure enough the shuffling feet belonged to a group of perhaps a dozen tattered looking individuals—just as humanoid in appearance as the man who had attacked them. In fact, even in the shadows, Picard could see that the young man was now standing with the group. A woman stood at the front and had reached her arm around the still agitated young man and she was holding him to her tightly. She said something softly to him in an entirely alien language.

Picard could tell right away that she was the leader of this outfit, but he didn't intend on any introductions if he could help it. He had to minimize any further contact with the native people of this planet. He turned to Riker. "We're leaving now Commander. And make no mistake, we shall discuss the details of what happened here, once we're back on board our ship," he said tightly. Riker sighed inwardly but said nothing in response.

They walked as hastily as possible with Doctor Francis' injury, and the group of aliens followed behind them with quiet footfalls, saying nothing. When they emerged from the caves, the sunlight was almost blinding. To their good fortune, the storm had long departed. Picard immediately tapped his communicator. "Picard to Data."

"Data here. Your transport signature is now clear, Captain. Lt. LaForge reports that he reads the entire away team. You should also be aware that there is a group of unidentified humanoid life forms in your area."

"We know, Data."

"We are ready to transport on your signal, Captain," LaForge's eager voice drifted at them.

Picard and Riker glanced at the group of bedraggled people who had just exited the cave. A few of them had raised their voices and appeared to be starting an altercation. "Stand by, Lieutenant. We'd better get clear of them and then transport when they're out of sight," Picard muttered in a lower voice. "We don't need any further complications, Commander," he said to Riker.

"Understood sir."

Suddenly the away team turned as the commotion among the planet's inhabitants had grown more intense. The woman from the caves was rushing toward them. Yar stepped in front of Picard holding her phaser at the ready. The woman began screaming in her native language over and over. "Grav meta, em pani! Grav meta, em pani!"

Yar didn't need the translator anymore, that bizarre phrase having been burned into her ears down in the caves. "She's saying 'help us, we are chosen', sir," said Yar.

Beverly glanced at Picard. "Captain, that young man who attacked us said something similar."

"Man who attacked you?" Riker shot Picard an incredulous look. Apparently the away team hadn't been the only ones to make contact after all. Picard ignored his annoyed first officer, still watching the strange scene playing out.

A man fell into step behind the woman, and it became clear he was chasing her. He caught up to her quickly and tackled her to the ground. Beverly began to run toward the fallen woman, but Yar stuck out her arm and stopped Doctor Crusher in her tracks.

The woman moved like lightning and had wrestled herself from the man's grasp. Unexpectedly, instead of running, she spun and kicked the man in the face. He grunted and tried to struggle to his feet, as the woman resumed her run toward Picard and his crew.

"Rolani!" her pursuer screamed, staggering after her.

But he was too late, as Rolani reached Picard, halting in front of him.

"Rolani meechu. Canul?" She bowed her head. "Em pani. Meecha Canul?"

Yar was too busy pointing her phaser at the woman to translate, so Picard tried the universal translator on his communicator, tapping it twice. It appeared to be working again, so he nodded for the others to activate their translators as well. Despite his misgivings, something caused him to gesture for her to repeat herself, which surprisingly she seemed to understand.

When the woman spoke again it was clear. "I am Rolani," she said. "Brethren?" she asked Picard and bowed lower to him this time. "I am Chosen. Are you Brethren?"

Picard frowned and shook his head. "No. I am not Brethren."

The woman let out a gasp of relief and crouched at Picard's feet, head bowed. "You are god, you are god," she repeated over and over.

Picard backed up. "No," he gave Riker an accusatory look, which Will didn't feel was exactly fair. "I'm sorry," Picard murmured to the woman. "I am not who you think I am."

The man who had been chasing Rolani suddenly began screaming at Picard. "Whether you are Brethren or not, you must kill us! Do not abandon us here! We are Chosen!"

This was getting out of hand, and he had business to attend to on the Enterprise. Picard shook his head and turned to leave, when the woman who had identified herself as Rolani began shouting back at the man.

"We are free. Now that god has come, the Brethren cannot touch us." Then Picard watched in shock as the young man who had attacked Beverly back in the caves walked up beside Rolani and took her hand. "This is my brother, Li. He says he met you in the caves and he asked you to kill him. Instead you touched him, but he did not die," she pointed to the young man's bruised and bloodied face.

Picard felt awash with guilt. The man had apparently been happy to have been struck by Picard—and to have lived. Underneath his confusion, he felt incredibly guilty. "You spared him," Rolani explained. "Not like the others who died at the hands of the Brethren." Suddenly she grabbed Picard's hand tightly. "You are god." Picard tried to pry his hand from hers, but she clung to him desperately.

"You must save us. Please save us! We have seen you come from the sky," she pointed at Riker. "You can return from where you descended and you must take us with you."

"We must not become entangled in matters of your society," Picard told Rolani.

"If you do not, we will all die at the hands of the Brethren. They will come for us and kill us all."

"Leave us here," shouted Rolani's opponent. "We were Chosen to die."

"No!" Rolani shouted. "I want to live. And so do they," she pointed back at the group of people, staring wide-eyed at him. When he looked at them they dropped down to the ground and bowed their heads.

Rolani gripped his hand even tighter. "Please. They will return and slaughter us all!"

Picard closed his eyes. He wasn't sure why he made the decision, or whether he would, in the end, regret that he had made it. He tapped his communicator. "LaForge…can you get a lock on the life forms in our immediate vicinity?" Picard glanced at Riker, whose jaw had literally dropped.

"Aye sir…." was Geordi's reply.

"Mr. Data…."

"Yes, sir?"

"I need you to create a program replicating the environment of this planet on holodeck one. Understood? Do it quickly, we can improve the program later."

"Aye sir." There was a pause. "The program is complete sir."

That was certainly quick. "Good. Geordi, lock on to the life forms and beam them to holodeck one. And once that is complete, beam us to transporter room one."

"Aye sir."

Picard finally tugged his hand away from Rolani and stepped back just as she and Li and the others disappeared in a collective transporter beam.

By the time a second transporter sequence took the away team, Picard had already begun to question his own decision.