Chapter 41

Captain's Log, stardate 41280.2. The Enterprise is now docked at Starbase 371 to permit the crew to pay their respects to Lieutenant Geordi LaForge, who sadly, passed away suddenly two days ago. The scheduled stop will also allow the Tranan people, currently on board the Enterprise, to disembark and await transport to Earth.

"Sir, with the exception of emergency crews, all personnel have been released from duty. Bridge complement will be three for the next two hours."

Picard turned to regard his Chief of Security. "Thank you, Lieutenant." She nodded respectfully and returned her attention to the tactical station. There was a heavy silence, and then Yar raised her gaze to him again, putting her hand on top of the railing. This time he detected far more emotion from her than he had experienced in their journey together so far.

"Sir, I know you said all emergency personnel should stay on duty..." It struck him then that even without a threat in sight, her sense of duty was such that she couldn't bring herself to ask him outright.

"Lieutenant," he said quietly, "I relieve you of your duties...please attend the ceremony this evening."

Yar straightened. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." He watched her depart the bridge with efficient steps, as the back-up officer stepped seamlessly into place at tactical.

Picard walked slowly back to his chair and had turned his attention to the control panel. He was studying his eulogy again when a call came through. "Riker to Picard."

"Picard here, go ahead."

"We've got an issue with the Tranans down in the main shuttle bay sir."

"Issue? What issue?"

"They're refusing to leave the Enterprise, sir."

"Why?" He demanded.

"It's Rolani, sir. She's demanding retribution for what happened to Li."

"Let me speak with Rolani, please."

There was a long pause. "She's refusing to speak to you, Captain. She's demanding to see you in person, sir."

Picard hesitated. Why couldn't Riker handle this on his own? He sighed audibly. The truth was, Picard knew it was complicated and knew he was partly to blame. "I'm on my way."

"The Brethren must be punished. And since you refuse to do so, I must have justice myself," Rolani was demanding.

"Rolani, I'm afraid this is out of my hands. I am under orders to hand you and the rest of your people over to Starfleet personnel."

"You are a false god. Still you answer to no one."

"You're correct that I am not a god, Rolani, as I have been attempting to convey to you since we met. However, I do have responsibilities to you and the rest of the Tranans which I am doing my best to carry out."

"You are false...you lie." The anger and mistrust was palpable not just from Rolani, but from the other Tranans who stood with suspicious stares.

Picard briefly massaged the bridge of his nose before looking up at her. "I am not lying about this. The transport will carry you to Earth." He turned as if to leave, but she shouted into the back of his head.

"No! We will find the Brethren and punish them for taking Li from us."

He was about to respond when his communicator buzzed. The captain shot his first officer a sharp look before tapping his badge. "Go ahead."

"Captain Picard, this is Starbase 371 control. I've got someone who wants to speak with you."

"Yes?"

"Captain, this is Counselor Sarah Allen."

"I'm sorry ...who?"

"Sarah Allen. Sir, I've been assigned to head the Tranan integration and socialization team, sir. I understand that you are having some difficulties with communication."

Picard crossed his arms and locked eyes with Riker. The Captain's irritation was clear, but Riker kept his expression blank. This one wasn't his fault, but he still felt a sense of impending trouble. He knew exactly who Sarah Allen was, but he'd had no idea that she was coming on board. Of course, as First Officer, he should have been informed.

Picard raised both eyebrows at Will-still annoyed, but now a silent question played across his features.

"If by difficult 'communication' you are referring to the Tranans' refusal to leave my ship, that's correct, Counselor," he snapped.

There was a pause. "Starfleet Command considers postponing Earth transport to be an acceptable delay. I was ordered to make contact with the Tranans and join your ship if immediate transport wasn't possible."

Riker's face flushed with embarrassment. "The order must have come through when I was down here Captain."

The captain straightened. "Counselor, I have no intention of forcing the Tranans to do a damn thing. As far as I am concerned, they have been through hell. If Starfleet is ordering you to intervene, who am I to argue? Beam over at your convenience." He gave Riker a pointed look. "My First Officer will handle the arrangements."

One hour later...

Picard smoothed out his dress uniform and took a few sips from his glass of water. Still, his throat was impossibly dry. The last time he'd had to give such a eulogy it had been after the loss of the Stargazer. Many crewmen had died that day, and he would never forget struggling to read through the names of those lost in the battle, all the time knowing that he would face a court-martial. Now there was only one name to read. But it didn't make his task any easier.

He glanced at his data pad one more time, as people began to file into Ten Forward. He moved behind the podium and made a point of putting his glass to the side, and averting his gaze as Beverly and Wesley Crusher walked into the room. His most recent encounter with Beverly had been so intense that he didn't want to think about it. It had been an emotional moment, and no doubt they had both been caught up in that. He shut his eyes and tried to erase the sensation of her skin so close to his.

It was inappropriate, and despite the way he could feel her gaze on him, he had to remember that keeping a healthy professional relationship with her was paramount. He had no idea why he had so egregiously overstepped the carefully laid boundary between them, but he needed to quickly resolve the issue. He needed to apologize and make clear that going forward it couldn't happen again. He imagined that she would be relieved.

For now, as he stood at the podium, about to perform the most solemn of duties, he began to feel the same anger he'd initially felt upon learning of LaForge's death. The anger spurred him on.

"Since the earliest days of human voyages by ship, it has been the Captain's solemn duty to perform memorials for those who pay the ultimate price while under his or her command. Over the years I have lost members of my crew to the dangers we face daily. Each time I must personally perform this role, I find it more difficult to do. But make no mistake, these traditions are necessary as continuing reminders of the common links we share despite our advanced technology, no matter how far away from Earth we travel."

"It is with immense sadness that I join you today to say goodbye to one of the Federation's brightest lights; Lieutenant Geordi LaForge. When I first had the pleasure of meeting Mr. LaForge, I was on a routine shuttle mission. I had no idea that the pilot, who was scarcely out of the Academy, would make such an impression on me-" He stopped abruptly as the doors opened, and there was a murmur through the crowd. A single, petite individual marched into Ten Forward, and with a brief perfunctory nod at Picard, turned to address the funeral crowd.

Confused, Picard let go of the lectern and stepped backward with his hands clasped behind him.

"Dear friends," began Admiral Nechayev. "My sincerest apologies to interrupt your time of grief... however I must tell you that Lieutenant LaForge's status has recently been changed to missing in action."

Picard stepped down beside his commanding officer. "Sir?"

"Captain, LaForge did not die on board the Enterprise. This fact has been confirmed by both Starfleet Command and your Chief Medical Officer."

Picard clenched his hands into fists and directed his attention to the deck. "Admiral, I am unclear as to why I was not informed-"

"Command thought it best to involve only medical personnel until my theory could be confirmed."

"Your theory," he echoed.

"That Mr. LaForge is alive and currently on Ciapathia. As such, Enterprise will travel there immediately."

"Does Captain LaForge know about these developments?" The first person he'd thought of was Silva LaForge, Geordi's mother.

"She knows now, Captain. A few days ago, when you called her she had no idea."

He sat down on the edge of his desk, knowing that she was about to give him more information than he wanted.

"Captain, your duty is to the Federation, above all else."

He leaned forward slightly, arms crossed. "Did I do something to make you question my loyalty, Admiral?"

"Never," she said firmly. "However, Admiral Forrester is extremely problematic, and I need you and your crew to find out why."

"Are you asking me to investigate my commanding officer, Admiral?"

"No, I am ordering you to, Captain. This time there will be no question about who should be held accountable if things go wrong. This time I am putting my own career on the line. You've taken enough heat as it is for that Prime Directive incident."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it?"

"Oh, most certainly, Jean-Luc." Her wry smile allowed him to relax a little.

"Alynna, why the secrecy? I wish that I had known what was going on-"

"Again, I'll take responsibility. Beverly Crusher is not to blame, and I won't have her retaliated against, Captain."

"Do you really think I would do such a thing? I know that she was only following orders."

"You and Beverly have a history, Jean-Luc. Regardless of my deep and abiding respect for you, as your superior and your friend, it had to be said."

"Meaning what?"

"Captain, don't make me get personal with you...it won't be comfortable for either of us, believe me."

He sighed and scratched his chin. "I can assure you that I won't retaliate against Doctor Crusher. You have my word."

"Good...now to the mission. Premier Del has his hands full and he's asking for assistance from Starfleet. In fact, he's fearful of a coup."

"I'm not shocked by that. The transition of power had its origin in Premier Fon's murder. Of course, Del's regime will have growing pains."

"It's more serious than that, Captain. And you and your crew are invited to attend the formal festivities on Ciapathia surrounding Del's ascension to power. That's the cover story. While there, you will locate LaForge and the Tranan boy-"

"Li?"

"Yes, his name escaped me. You'll rescue LaForge and Li and help Del expose Doctor Petral's crimes. In so doing, Forrester will also be exposed for what he is."

Picard watched his longtime colleague with interest. Something serious would have to be afoot for her to invest this much time in covert activities. He didn't have to ask if she had permission to do what she was doing, because it seemed clear that she did not.

"I can see you're wondering if this is sanctioned by Starfleet, Jean-Luc. And I don't blame you for questioning my motives. The answer is that I have been given two weeks to sort this out and prove my accusations against Forrester-"

"Which are?"

She smiled weakly. "It's best if you don't know, Jean-Luc. Not yet. If we succeed, we will have a chance to rectify a grave injustice. If we fail-"

"We won't fail," he assured her, moving around his desk. She reached out her hand for him to shake, and he gripped it tightly.

"Well did Will say what she's doing here?" Beverly Crusher sat back in her office chair and tried to massage the tight muscles in her neck. The past few weeks had been nothing but stress, and the immediate future didn't promise anything better.

"I don't know exactly. She's here under orders from Starfleet Command," murmured Deanna Troi, who looked very troubled, and kept staring off into the distance. The news about Geordi's death and then apparent kidnapping had shaken everyone who knew him, and Troi had to contend with all of those collective feelings at once. But she'd come to Beverly's office after learning that an old acquaintance, Counselor Sarah Allen was coming on board. Beverly was secretly flattered that Deanna would come to her for advice. They'd only known each other for about a month, but she already felt a bond growing, after the initial insecurity about interacting with an empath.

"Well, don't worry, Troi, I'm sure we're overdue for a briefing," Beverly said sardonically. "We'll find out then." She immediately regretted the reference, because it made her think of Jean-Luc, and how he was probably furious with her over not telling him the truth about Geordi. She rubbed her eyes and tried to forget about the last time they had spoken, which had ended in a kiss. Unexpected, but not unwanted, she now realized. And the memory of it was threatening to drive her crazy. She suddenly slapped her palms on the table, very aware that Deanna was watching her closely. She tried to keep the subject on her friend's concerns. "Are you and Counselor Allen friends?"

Deanna looked down at her hands. "I don't know. Sarah's a professional. She was my friend and mentor when I was stationed on Betazed. But after I fell in love with Will, our professional relationship was just never the same. I felt guilty then, but..."

"But that was a long time ago," Beverly finished for her, and sipped her coffee. Presently she put it down carefully, still watching Troi. "If you don't mind me asking, why would she care about you and Will falling in love? If she was your friend, you'd think she would be happy for you both-"

"I met Will through Sarah." Troi took in a deep breath. "Technically, they were dating."

Beverly pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows. "Oh." She cleared her throat. "Still, that's all in the past, right?"

Deanna shrugged. "I suppose so, yes."

Beverly raised her half-empty coffee mug. "Then here's to the future."

"Sarah, what exactly are your plans for the Tranans?" Riker stood in Sarah Allen's guest quarters, feeling extremely awkward. It had been years since he'd last seen her after she'd abruptly left her posting on Betazed. She was almost ten years older than him but was just as strikingly beautiful as he remembered.

Sarah put her bags down on the couch and turned to face him. "I don't have plans, Will. I have orders."

"Which I haven't seen, and neither has Captain Picard."

"Yes, I'm familiar with his psychological profile. He's renowned for having the most exacting standards for his crew. He'll expect a report from you, no doubt. Afraid to let him down?"

Riker ran a hand through his hair. Damn it, she was right. "Spare me the psychoanalysis, Sarah. Please."

"I'm a trauma specialist, Will. The Tranans have been through levels of suffering we can't understand. I'm here to unravel the mystery of what happened to them so that they can heal and integrate into our society."

"What if it's too late for that? What if they have no interest in our society?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Will."

"You know...Deanna's done a lot of work with the Tranan people. I know she can help you make some headway."

She suddenly grabbed his hand affectionately. "Oh, Will. Always the peacemaker."

Picard to Riker.

Will tapped his communicator badge, happy for the distraction. "Riker here."

Commander, when you are finished making our new guest feel at home, kindly gather the senior officers for a briefing in conference room one.

"Aye sir."

"Wow, nice," remarked Sarah. "You're not even going to ask him what the briefing is about?"

Riker chuckled, as he stepped away. "Welcome aboard, Counselor."

It's been about a minute since I updated this story. Too many things going on, but I haven't abandoned it. Thanks for following, guys... -PP