Chapter 28

Riker had waited so long for Del to answer the door that his resolve to confront the politician actually began to waver. Picard would not be happy, in fact he might issue Will a reprimand if the gamble of waking the Ciapathian Representative in the middle of the night didn't pay off with valuable information. Thankfully, Riker was a natural gambler. He knew his gut would not steer him wrong, and that coming to see Del could benefit Picard's negotiation leverage, and might even keep Del here longer to continue the investigation into Geordi's disappearance...if Riker played his cards right.

Finally Del came to the door, blinking in the brighter light of the corridor. He was holding his universal translator in-hand. "I don't like to be disturbed in my rest, Commander. Sharing a home with five wives and twenty-two offspring has many benefits, but rest isn't one."

Riker grinned down at the shorter man. "I wish I could say I could relate..."

"No you don't." He stretched his stout neck up at Will, and Riker recalled just how different physically Del was from the now deceased Premier Fon and his Chief of Arms Reth, who had both towered over him. "Let us skip the pandering, Riker. I hope that this visit means you have some important information...such as who murdered the leader of my people?"

Riker gestured behind Del into the guest quarters, and Del moved aside, letting him by. Riker made himself at home quickly, and sat down on a chair as Del glared at him with open suspicion. "I was hoping we could come to some kind of understanding," said Riker.

Del sat down slowly. "Such as?"

Riker leaned in with a smile that covered a simmering anger. "It's fairly straightforward...you want to know who killed Fon, and I want to know what happened to Lieutenant LaForge."

Del smiled back, with the ooze of a life long politician. "I'm not certain that I want to know who killed Fon...unless it benefits me," he added slowly.

Riker slapped his own knee. "Oh come on, Representative, you're playing it cool, but I can tell you want to know."

Del's plump fuschia cheeks quivered slightly. "The only thing I want to know, Commander Riker, is how to appease my people now that Fon is dead. I am currently the leader of the rival party on my planet. And I must use this tragedy to ensure that I will very soon be the leader of the ruling party. Understand?" He broke into a wide smile.

Riker nodded, looking down at the floor. "I understand you're scared...so you're putting up a front. You're also on the cusp of power. But don't you want to unite your people?"

"Sometimes the best way to unite a divided people is through war," said Del.

"Are you threatening war against the Federation? On what grounds?"

"Fon died on this ship...a Federation ship. Who killed him will matter much less to my people than where he died. They will assume foul play."

"And you? What do you assume?"

"I assume that Fon had many, many enemies." Del got up. "I am growing tired again...you should have sent Captain Picard. At least he has the qualifications to back up his arrogance." He sneered down at Riker, who was still seated. "You are no negotiator."

Riker felt the muscles in his jaw and neck tighten, but he didn't take the bait. He stayed calm. "What's Reth still doing here?"

Del, who had been shuffling away, halted, before turning back around slowly. Something like doubt or fear flickered in his pale blue eyes. "Why do you ask me such a thing?"

"He could have returned with Dr. Petral to his ship...that's who he really answers to, right? So why is Reth still here?"

Del was now seething, and his fuschia skin deepened in color. "You don't know what you are talking about. You know nothing of our culture."

"I know enough to know that Petral manipulated Fon, and he's doing the same thing to you. Just consider this...if you declare war on the Federation, maybe it's not really what you want. Maybe you're doing it because Petral has you where he wants you."

Once they had materialized in his quarters, Picard ushered the two frightened Tranans to his couch, and told them to sit down. Of course, they obeyed without a word. They stared around his quarters wide-eyed.

He sat down in a chair opposite them, his mind racing. He rubbed his hands on his knees, feeling more agitated than he should have. But he felt he was close to something. "I've broken an important rule to bring you here...several perhaps. But...I believe it is for the best."

I'm staring at two human beings. But they don't know it. As long as Command can be convinced that they deserve protection, that is what matters.

"You know all, god. We trust your every word," said Rolani.

"Li..."

The young man's eyes widened, before he buried his face in Rolani's shoulder again. Rolani stroked Li's hair protectively. "I am sorry...he fears you. You are all powerful. You take us from Trana, saving us from the Brethren. Then you create a place for us to live, and you make us disappear and reappear again in a new place. Only god can do that."

Picard ran his hand over his scalp. "Rolani, I need to talk to Li. I need to know where he went that caused you to punish him...and I need to know what he saw."

"He is afraid to speak to you," said Rolani.

Picard sighed, and gripped his knees, before rising to his feet. "Come on," he said gesturing for them to get up. "It's late, and you should rest." Rolani helped Li up, and Picard led them toward his bedroom and pointed inside. "You can share that bed. I will sleep out here on the couch."

Rolani hesitated, and then looked at Picard with unmistakable fear in her eyes as she stared in at the empty bed. Before she could grab him, Li had wandered into the room and upon seeing the bed, began to shriek in a high pitched voice.

"What? Why is he screaming?" Picard demanded.

Li clasped his hands over his eyes and began screaming even more loudly. Rolani quickly hugged him, and his shouts gradually turned into whimpers.

Picard looked at them. "What is wrong?"

Rolani pointed at his bed. "That is what the Brethren use. We cannot go in that room."

Picard rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Fine. Please, rest wherever you feel most comfortable."

"We will sleep where you sleep."

"I'm not going to sleep anytime soon," Picard admitted tiredly.

"Then we will not sleep either," Rolani maintained.

Jean-Luc barely heard her as he walked away, knowing full well that he would not be able to get the information out of Li that he needed. Not without help. He was certain that Li had witnessed something after breaking out of the holodeck. It was even possible that Li had killed Fon himself, but the boy hardly seemed sophisticated enough to poison Fon without doing himself in as well. Of course, any kind of motive was as yet unclear. And something in his gut told him Li had not killed anyone...at least, not on purpose. Nevertheless, Li was the key to determining what happened to LaForge. And Li was human, as was Rolani and all of her people. Beverly had been correct in her suspicions, but he had been afraid to face such a strange truth. But his blood test of Li had confirmed it. Human clones existing on the edges of the Alpha Quadrant, outside of Federation territory. How had they arrived here? He turned around and was watching the two Tranan's silently, when his communicator buzzed.

"Data to Captain Picard."

Momentarily surprised, Picard hesitated before hitting his badge. "Go ahead."

"As you requested I tested the residue from the crime scene, and re-examined the possible sources of the power surge which occurred in the corridor roughly around the time Dr. Crusher estimated Premier Fon died."

"And?"

"I enlisted the assistance of Doctor Francis, sir-"

"The mineralogist? Why?"

"I found traces of the mineral Andurine, Captain. I believe that an extremely sophisticated cloaked transporter technology was used around the time of Fon's death-"

"And Geordi's disappearance," said Picard, feeling his spirits finally begin to rise, if just a little. "Which means he might still be alive."

The Laboratory

The pinching was painful, but quick. Hundreds of swift stabs to his flesh. Just when he thought it was over, it would begin again.

The voices were constant. A guttural speech LaForge did not understand. Sometimes he believed he saw a shadow nearby, but that couldn't be. His Visor was gone, and he was unable to see. But he was awake, which meant he was still alive.

"Compared to what we have been dealing with, this one is a very fine specimen," he heard a voice say. "Is the translator working now? I want him to hear the superiority of his captors." It was a weirdly sinister voice, and didn't inspire any kind of hope that the speaker would allow him to leave.

"Approximately twenty-eight human years, not too tall, but in good health. He is a male. His sight is naturally compromised...but corrected with an interesting prosthetic. Not as sophisticated as mine, but clever."

"Shall we continue the testing, Doctor?" Another voice was speaking now just on the other side of him.

"Yes. Continue sampling. If his skin becomes too damaged, use a dermal repair. I don't want to have to run the same tests on Beverly Crusher. It is best if she is untouched when we marry. But of course, I will do what needs to be done."

"Yes, Doctor Petral."

Hello, Thanks for asking, Dancing Doc. Yes I will be finishing "A Full Circle", but the way I am currently writing, I can't easily jump from story to story and provide quality updates. So I get on a roll with a story and then try and update another one when I have time. I'd like to finish this one soon, because it's more like an episode and has a simpler plot. Thanks as always for your readership. And please excuse the typos, I'm hella sleepy. -PP