Chapter 11
Picard sat in his quarters with the lights turned down low, despite the fact that it was mid-afternoon. He had taken a shower, put on a fresh uniform, but was far from relaxed. He sat very still with his forehead resting on his palms. To the outward observer he would have appeared to have been on the verge of sleep. Unfortunately nothing could have been further from reality. His mind was racing.
His first meeting with the Ciapathians would take place in just under four hours. All of his diligent preparation with Counselor Troi seemed to have been jettisoned from his consciousness following the incident down on Trana IV. He was trying to gather it back and reorganize it in time for the negotiations. At the same time a much more dominant corner of his mind was continually replaying the conversation with Admiral Nechayev he'd finished just minutes ago on a priority one channel.
"I have read the separate accounts from your crew regarding the incident down on Trana IV, Captain. I have also taken the liberty of sharing your report on Trana IV with some of my colleagues here at command," Nechayev had said.
"Thank you Vice Admiral," he'd replied.
She'd given him a rare smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "Captain, the Prime Directive violation is understandable under the circumstances. And your crew was more than supportive in their statements."
"Yet it is still considered a violation," he said. "At least it does not fall under any of the usual exceptions. Of course my own crew was not at risk."
"I would like to think that anyone else in your position would have done the same. There were exigent circumstances of course."
"As you know sir, the problem was not just that I beamed them up to the safety of the Enterprise—a place entirely alien to them- but also I took the word of their leader, Rolani without question. No one actually gave their consent, and some of those individuals actually wanted to be left there to die!"
"Hmm. Still…the incident is sure to be expunged from your record eventually, Captain," she reassured him.
"Admiral, my record is the least of my worries right now." He gripped his knees tightly. A twinge in his right fist reminded him of the look on the face of the young alien he had injured. "What on earth am I to do with this group of people, now that they are on board my ship?"
"Do your best to minimize the damage," Nechayev said in her usual perfunctory manner.
"Any immediate steps that would require returning them to Trana IV, are absolutely out of the question, Admiral...at least while they are still at risk from these Brethren individuals."
"For the moment, I agree." She allowed a small smile. "Although, the actual threat to these people may be as much of a fallacy as their belief that you are a god, captain."
He couldn't share her amusement, but she had a point. "It may be a fabrication, or perhaps they are merely delusional."
"Or, they actually are at risk from these Brethren people," she said. "Perhaps you will need to find out exactly who the Brethren are in order to decide what must be done with these refugees from Trana IV. Whatever you decide, Captain, it is important that you do not allow the Ciapathians to become aware of your holodeck guests. Beyond the obvious Prime Directive concerns, we do not need additional mistrust or confusion to arise which might hamper negotiations."
"Were you aware of any sentient species besides the Ciapathians in this sector, Admiral?" Of all his superiors, Picard knew Alynna Nechayev couldn't care less about being put on the spot. But something about the sudden change in her demeanor gave him pause.
Her expression grew more severe. "There are several cultures known to Starfleet," she admitted. "But we certainly didn't expect to find any on Trana IV." She leaned forward emphatically. "All the better that you and your crew were the ones to encounter them, Jean-Luc. There is no other captain who I trust more. In fact I handpicked you for this assignment."
He raised quizzical eyebrows. "The Ciapathian negotiations, or the mission to find Andurine on Trana IV?"
"Both," she said. "The two are connected, if you haven't already guessed."
He nodded. "At first I assumed the negotiations were made a priority because of the Ciapathians considerable expertise in the medical sciences. But...as I considered it, by bringing the Ciapathians into the Federation, this sector would be opened up to exploration. I also had Mr. Data do some research and he determined that there are six other supposedly barren planets in this sector which are rich in mineral deposits-namely Andurine."
She smiled. "You've seen its incredible masking attributes up close and personal, Picard. Now are you convinced of its worth to the Federation?"
He nodded. "Yes, but I am also convinced that it presents a danger to our values. The development of cloaking technology by the Federation is illegal, Admiral. We are explorers—we have no cause to be sneaking about under cover."
"There are some...many in fact who don't share your adherence to duty and are willing to overlook certain legalities, Captain. Of course...I am not one of those people," she added.
"That goes without saying, Admiral. But are you saying that the reason I am being asked to do my best to ensure approval of the Ciapathian's petition is because the worlds in their sector hold Andurine? "
"There is always more than one reason. But let us just say, Captain, that if you hadn't left Trana IV with some viable samples, Command would be looking perhaps more critically at the Prime Directive violation. I however, am more concerned with whether the Ciapathians are good candidates for entry into our society."
Picard sighed and then frowned as a thought occurred to him. "If these Brethren do exist, Admiral, and they apparently have space flight capability, how is it that the dominant species in this sector, the Ciapathians are not aware of them?"
Nechayev smiled slowly. "If the Brethren exist, who says the Ciapathians are unaware of them?"
"Well, then they have conveniently left any mention of the Brethren out of their recorded history of this sector. And to add to that…they have reported Trana IV as uninhabited."
Nechayev 's gaze was piercing even through the vid screen. "Captain, I am intrigued by this line of thinking. Let us resolve the mystery of these Brethren. If the Ciapathians are aware of these brutes, and haven't mentioned them thus far, it could negatively affect their petition."
She doesn't trust the Ciapathians; that much is clear, he thought. "Yes sir."
Nechayev nodded and reached out as though to cut the connection, but hesitated. "One more thing, Captain. How are things progressing with your Chief Medical Officer?"
Picard felt stunned as if he had just been sucker punched. "Progressing...what do you mean?"
"It's a simple question, Captain. Quite frankly your hesitation concerns me."
He straightened. "Sir, Doctor Crusher is acclimating very well-"
"Of course she is, she's the best we have," Nechayev snapped.
"Yes, then why-"
"Jean Luc, do you have any idea how hard Beverly crusher fought to obtain the CMO position on board your ship?"
He remained silent unsure of how to respond.
Nechayev didn't seem to mind. "I was one of her biggest critics early on," the Admiral admitted. "It was difficult for many of us involved in the Enterprise commission to believe that she could objectively serve under the command of someone who was so central to such a tragic period in her life. But she convinced me. You will both be doing the Fleet a service if you prove those wrong who believe you two will not be able to move beyond Jack Crusher's death in order to serve together. Your colleagues need people like the two of you to believe in, Captain."
He knew he hadn't been able to prevent himself from wincing involuntarily at the mention of Jack's name.
"I see that you still have progress to make in this area, captain," she remarked more gently than he had come to expect from her.
He looked down at his hands for a few moments. "Yes," he finally admitted quietly, looking up at her.
"Jean-Luc...I have never met an officer who had no personal or professional hurdles to overcome. There is no doubt that you have more than a few still in your way. But you are a person who faces problems. You don't avoid the hurdles, you leap them. This matter with your CMO is no different."
He straightened in his chair. "Yes Admiral. I shall endeavor to do as you say," he said, still not entirely sure what she was asking of him.