Chapter 27

Beverly stepped toward Rolani. "Rolani, we need you to-"

Picard shook his head. "Let me handle this, Doctor," he said in a low voice. Her features remained tense, but she nodded.

"Rolani," he said in a much louder voice. "Have you seen anyone come here to this place besides the three of us?"

Rolani looked puzzled for a moment and looked from Picard to Troi, and to Crusher. "No one else has come to see us," she confirmed.

Picard nodded. "Then we shall leave you for now," he said, turning toward the holodeck exit. Deanna did the same.

"Wait!" Beverly protested, following behind them.

"Do not question god!" Rolani suddenly screamed in a great fury. Beverly stood her ground but her heartbeat increased with a rush of adrenaline. Troi put a supportive hand on her arm, and she surprisingly felt calmer within seconds.

Picard turned around impassively to face the Tranan woman. "I'm not your god, Rolani."

"Only the true god would deny his greatness," she maintained, bowing her head once more.

"Oh please," Beverly muttered under her breath. She felt Troi's grip on her forearm tighten ever so slightly.

If the captain noticed, he didn't indicate as much. He turned back to the exit, seemingly convinced of the uselessness of engaging in such a circular argument.

Once in the hallway, Troi let go of Crusher's arm, and Beverly let loose. "How could you just let that go, captain? It seems that the list of people Rolani has decided to punish continues to grow, and yet you're unwilling to take action!"

"Doctor, if a decision needs to be made which violates the Prime Directive, it will be my decision, and mine alone."

"What are you going to decide?"

"I'm not going to discuss it with you at this time," he said, glancing at Troi, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Captain...Doctor, perhaps we should take this conversation elsewhere," she suggested.

Picard looked at her with muted surprise. "Counselor, I believe I just said I won't be discussing my decisions on this matter right now...and that includes in another venue," he said sharply.

He did say that.

"So if we're not going to discuss this further, then I should be returning to my duties," said the doctor.

"You're off duty," he reminded her.

Something in her paused momentarily, as she recalled they had been together, in a much more intimate setting less than an hour ago. And now this. "So are you," she said, and with a single blink of his eyes she could see he got her point. Hoping that she could capitalize on some kind of vulnerability she pressed on. "This is infuriating...all we want to do is to help Geordi, and I can't believe you are just going to stand by and-"

He reached out his open palm abruptly, and there wasn't a trace of intimacy in his gaze. "Give me your med kit and tricorder," he said.

"What?" She was surprised and confused, before the indignation quickly returned. "On what grounds-"

"I said, give me your medical kit and tricorder, Doctor. That is an order."

She stared at him a moment longer, before shoving the items into his arms, and walking briskly away.

"Sir...I'm not sure what you are planning, but I sense that you are very troubled," Troi said, watching Picard watch Beverly storm away down the corridor.

He looked at her distractedly. "I am troubled. But it's never stopped me from making a decision, Counselor." He forced a smile. "Thank you for your assistance."

He didn't have to dismiss her, she could see the conversation would not be proceeding any further. Perhaps in an effort to avoid revealing himself to her, he had created an unexpected familiarity between them. She stifled a yawn and realized she wouldn't mind returning to her quarters for some much needed rest, anyway. She smiled back at him. "Good night then, Captain," she said, walking away.

Once Troi had departed, Picard put the med kit down for a few moments while he examined the medical tricorder carefully. It had been some time since he'd needed to use such an instrument. He pulled the vial of unidentified blood from the crime scene out of the analysis compartment, and placed it in an empty slot at the bottom of the tool, aware that his fingers were clumsy; not like Beverly's. The sensation of her fingers intertwining with his returned, and his breath caught in his throat. He took a deep breath and shook his head in an effort to clear his mind of these distracting thoughts. He knelt down and opened the med kit, looking past any number of unidentified tools before finding what he needed. He grabbed for a hypo spray, then satisfied, he closed the kit and stood up. He paused and looked around him before he hit the holodeck door lock and stepped inside.

"He has returned," one of the Tranans shouted. In the distance he could see Rolani turn and walk back in his direction. She had been headed to the caves. He steeled himself and strode through the dust to meet her. As he passed, the other Tranans withdrew silently, or knelt in the dirt. As he approached, Rolani predictably threw herself on the ground at his feet.

He knelt down and grasped her arm. To his dismay she squeezed her eyes shut as though waiting for some kind of excruciating pain at the touch of his hand. When it didn't come, she opened her eyes cautiously, still unwilling to look at him directly.

He gently lifted her up with him as he stood. "Rolani," he said quietly but firmly. "You must take me to see Li."

She took a step backward, and he let go of her arm. "My god, you will be displeased with what I have done. You will strike me down!"

"No...no I will most certainly not."

"But you must not see what I have done."

"Why? What have you done?"

"The binding."

He frowned, wondering if the universal translator in his badge was doing its job. "I don't understand. Please take me to see Li."

She shrank back from him again, and he felt an immense irritation. He didn't have time for this. "Rolani...if you have done violence to Li in some way, it is better that you bring me to him. If you do not, I may be forced to return you to Trana."

"No! Please!"

"I agreed to protect you and your people from the Brethren, but I cannot have further violence on my ship."

She glanced around her furtively, before turning back in the direction she had been walking. He followed.

As he expected, Rolani was keeping Li inside the maze of caves. Thankfully they didn't have to travel too far once they entered a large cavern. Along the sides he could see various recesses. Rolani stopped near one of them and dropped to the cave floor, placing her head in her hands. "I am sorry god, I had to do it. He must understand the punishment. He must be shown," she cried, rocking back and forth.

Walking around her, he moved closer to the hole in the cave wall. A pair of bare feet were sticking out of the wall. Alarmed he moved closer. "Li?"

The feet twitched, and Picard grabbed the feet, and seeing that the feet were bound at the ankles by leather-like straps, he reached in further and pulled at the legs. Angrily he turned on Rolani. "What have you done?"

She remained crouched on the cave floor, mumbling something odd over and over.

Ignoring her, he gripped the man's legs and pulled him out of the rocky recess, gently carrying him, and then placing him on the ground. The young man was identifiable as Li, despite the blindfold covering his eyes. As with his ankles there were multiple straps the length of his body, which held his legs together, his arms to his torso and so on. The most disturbing restraint however was one that was placed over his mouth. A hole allowed him to breathe, but there was something so sinister about the strange apparatus that Picard felt a sense of revulsion that threatened to overwhelm his senses.

"Where did you get these-these things?" He demanded of Rolani, while he began to undo the restraints.

"They were here...here in this place you created to look like our world," she explained in confusion. "You created them."

He nodded grimly, as he quickly freed Li's arms and legs. The holodeck had simply done its job too well. These items must have been inside the abandoned village, and therefore had been replicated along with everything else. When he was finished, he sat back down cross-legged and glared at Rolani. Li rubbed his eyes and sat upright, bowing his head, which Picard now knew was the Tranans' customary way of greeting him.

Li's clothing, which had always been dirty and frayed, was covered with blood.

"What happened to you?" Picard demanded.

Rolani moved to Li's side, and began to smooth his hair affectionately. "We are sorry," she said. "We will not displease god again, will we?"

Li shook his head anxiously, and then buried his head in Rolani's neck.

They're like frightened children. Perhaps I needed Troi's help after all.

Picard got to his feet, now determined to get answers. "How many of your people have you done this to?"

Rolani shut her eyes and began to rock back and forth, still cradling Li in her arms.

"Answer me!"

"Oni..."

"The man who challenged you down on Trana?"

She nodded. "I punished him too...but he is gone now."

"Is he dead?"

"I don't know. I let him go. But now he is gone."

Picard sighed in frustration, grabbing the hypo spray and holding it up for Rolani to see. "I have to use this on Li. I promise it will not hurt him. But in order for me to properly protect you, I must have your cooperation."

She nodded, and got up, pulling her brother with her.

"We will never question you, god. Never."

He activated the collection mode on the hypo spray and placed it against the man's neck. There was a hiss as the sample was collected. Fumbling with the tiny device he pulled out the vial, now full of Li's blood and placed it in the medical tricorder. The device whirred, and then told him what he already had guessed. The sample matched the blood from the village on Trana, as well as the unidentified blood from the corridor.

He turned Li's dirty face toward his, and saw several lacerations on his cheek. "He's injured. Who did this to him? You?"

Rolani shook her head wildly. "This is the way he returned to us. I swear to you, god."

Picard slapped his communicator. "Picard to Data."

"Data here."

"Three to beam directly to my quarters."

Hi there, thanks for reading and reviewing. -PP