Chapter 35

Counselor Troi sat down carefully next to Li, who was now seated behind Beverly's desk. He was gaunt and pale, and wearing the Federation clothes Beverly had given him that were much too large, hanging off of his lanky frame. A communicator badge had been hastily attached to his tunic for translation purposes. She smiled at him warmly, and he simply stared wide-eyed back at her. She wanted to avoid antagonizing the young man, and she realized from experience that even seating herself across from him might upset him. It was clear he was fragile and that this condition was unlikely to improve once she began to ask him questions.

She glanced over at Beverly who remained standing in the doorway of her office, observant, but out of the way. It was clear that the doctor was much too tense and preoccupied to be of much help with questioning the Tranans at the moment, and Crusher seemed very self-aware of this. She was worried for her son, and as the minutes ticked by, this became more and more obvious. Still Beverly's quiet presence gave Troi a confidence she hadn't experienced since coming on board. It reminded her that at her last postings on Betazed and at Starfleet Command, she had engaged with many people from hundreds of different cultures in diplomatic and other settings. Her experience was still there, despite the blow to her confidence after quickly learning that she was largely unfamiliar with star ships, and more significantly, the ways of star ship captains. Beverly caught her gaze and smiled slightly.

Deanna turned to the young Tranan. "Li...I would like to speak with you. Will that be alright?"

Li glanced furtively up at Rolani, who stood beside Crusher, anxious, as was typical of the Tranan leader.

Li returned his gaze to stare silently down at the desk.

"You heard the Counselor! Answer her," Rolani abruptly shouted. Li jumped in his seat, then began to pat his hands nervously on his thighs, still looking down at the desk.

Beverly sighed. "Rolani...would you mind if we speak to Li alone? I think he's afraid to displease you."

"He knows he was wrong to disobey. He is afraid to suffer the binding again."

"Which means it would probably be more helpful to him if you're not standing here glaring at him."

Rolani frowned. "I told God I will no longer do the binding. I swore to him. He will strike me down if I disobey."

Beverly was beginning to feel beyond frustrated, when the intercom beeped. "Doctor Crusher, this is Nurse Ogawa...the missing people were just brought in to sickbay, and Doctor Selar just reported for her shift."

"What?" Beverly put her hand on Rolani's arm. "Come with me, Rolani. I've got work to do, and Li is in good hands here, with Counselor Troi. You can stay with me. Alright?"

Rolani gave Li a warning look, but then shrugged. "Yes, Doctor."

Beverly gave Deanna a half smile. "Good luck."

"You too."

Worf did not hesitate to slip away from the helm when Commander Riker strolled onto the bridge and said, "Worf, you're with me." Worf was generally bored unless engaged in battle, and so far, the Enterprise crew hadn't been tested in any battle worth noting. This meant that Worf was on the verge of napping during most of his bridge shifts, so it was good that he was a very proficient officer. Worf was used to being the only Klingon in the room, which didn't bother him, but the fact was...he was Klingon, not human. So far he had watched mostly. Eager to learn from Captain Picard as a mentor. Picard's no-nonsense style and tactical genius were well-known, as was his emotional distance from his officers. Worf soundly appreciated this kind of discipline from a human. Yar was a reliable tactical officer; extremely intense for a human, which was perhaps why the other humans did not appreciate her. Data was a mechanized being with little appreciation for his own unique form, instead constantly chattering about what it must be like to be human. The rest of the crew was too emotional, or at least he assumed they were. He didn't expect to learn otherwise, because he knew he could not be forced to socialize. Humans loved to socialize, but Worf had a way of discouraging them from doing so with him.

Worf jogged after Riker, who had already stepped into the lift. Riker eyed him, and lifted his chin slightly. Worf mirrored Riker's stance, and as per usual, they each considered who was really taller than the other. "Deck four," said Riker. Worf noticed that Riker was holding two type one phasers in his hand, but figured Riker would only discuss the weapons if he felt it necessary. Riker was the first to speak. "You hate working the helm, don't you Worf?"

"Klingons do not hate...Commander."

Riker squinted his eyes in a strange manner and then broke into a slow smile. "So maybe you just have a healthy dislike for the helm? I'll be the first to admit, it's kind of one-note."

Worf glared at his commanding officer. "I prefer tactical, sir."

What a shock. Riker wiggled his eyebrows as though surprised. "Oh? Well...why aren't you on a security career track, then?"

"The Enterprise is my first ship assignment. When I graduated from the Academy, Captain Picard advised me to apply for a bridge officer position. He told me that he already had a Chief of Security, and that if I wanted to learn how to be a good commanding officer I should start on the bridge."

"Oh." Now Riker was surprised. Not only was this the longest string of words he had heard Worf utter since meeting the Klingon, it seemed that Picard had known Worf before their tenure on board the Enterprise, and to hear Worf tell it, Picard was actually capable of having a soft spot for someone. Riker felt an irritating twinge of jealousy, which he flicked away in his mind. He slapped one of the phasers he was holding into Worf's large palm. "We're going after Reth." He saw a glint in Worf's eye that looked slightly dangerous, so he walked it back a bit. "We're going to search Reth's quarters for traces of a toxin that may have killed Fon."

Worf set the phaser quickly, and then folded his fingers back around it almost casually.

"I hope you just set that for stun," Riker murmured as the turbo lift stopped.

"Out of one comes one million

The Chosen sacrifice to propel our race

to Perfection in our time

Ciapathia's Brethren will achieve Ascension"

Reth whispered the recitation over and over, as perspiration ran down his face. He sat on the floor of his Enterprise quarters, his hunting staff lay before him on the floor just out of reach. In his left hand he held a small cylindrical device. His thumb hovered over the top of the cylinder, shaking now uncontrollably. He closed his eyes in search of peace.

Minutes earlier...

When Yar arrived outside Reth's quarters, Data was already there, standing quietly. He looked up from his tricorder as she approached. "Ah, Lieutenant."

Yar shrugged internally, realizing it was the first time since the incident with the viral outbreak that she had been alone with Data. Another officer might have been embarrassed, but Yar was practical, and had gotten over it already. She and Data had had sex when she had been under the influence of the Tsiolkovsky virus. In truth, Yar would have had sex with anyone who had happened to walk into her quarters that evening. She'd lucked out that it was Data, because at the very least he was discreet, and hadn't said a word to anyone.

'What have you found, sir?"

"Tricorder readings indicate elevated neutrino levels and traces of a highly refined form of the mineral andurine inside of the guest quarters assigned to Chief of Arms Reth."

"A cloaking barrier of some kind?"

"Yes...and it is failing. More importantly, subspace frequencies indicate the object it is meant to hide is a portable transporter. The presence of such an object, the documented power surges and recent return of our crew members strongly point to foul play on the part of the Ciapathians."

"Which means he took our people." Yar pulled her phaser quickly and set it to heavy stun. "Let's get him."

Data tilted his head. "Lieutenant, caution is required in this situation. Reth will likely be armed."

"So are we." Yar held up the phaser for emphasis.

Just then, Riker and Worf came running down the corridor, phasers in hand. "Wait," Riker yelled. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Data explained the disturbing information he had put together. "Sir. While the tricorder confirms Reth's presence, he has remained still for the last few minutes. I recommend further precautions before entry."

"Such as?"

"Scanning for a triggered explosive device."

"You mean a booby trap?" Riker stared at Data's completely blank expression before stating to the others, "Data's right. Reth is a self-described hunter. He'd like nothing better than to catch us off guard. Go ahead, Data."

Data moved to the door, while the others stood back a bit. "As soon as Data's done, follow my lead," said Riker.

In the next moment he felt, rather than heard the blast, as the door to Reth's quarters blew outward hitting Data squarely, and all four officers were thrown backwards through the air. Riker smelled smoke, and then fell into darkness.