Chapter 49

Doctor Petral stood at the city gates, patiently awaiting entry, as he had done so many times before. The atmosphere billowed around him, shimmering in orange. The harsh conditions were avoided by the majority of the citizenry, and with good reason. The radiation levels outside of the capital city were extreme, thanks to increased solar flare activity. Only the scientists were known to brave the conditions out here, and then only to complete their very important work. Petral was preeminent in this group, and if his plans continued to expand without interruption, he would remain in control.

At Petral's side, floated a single anti-gravity container, which he barely gave a second glance. The contents of the container were familiar to him, and for the moment, somewhat precious. This is why he had hesitated in joining with Premier Del's charade. He understood that Del needed to cement his power, which was the only reason he would remove this important cargo from the safety of its confinement.

Slowly the gates opened, and Reth stood there waiting. In one muscular fist, he held a long metallic staff. In the other, he held a kind of strange leash that was attached to the carapace of a large black beetle. Reth's beetle hissed at Petral and skittered around in an agitated circle. Reth's beetle, or rather all of Reth's beetles, hated Petral with a passion. It was a minor annoyance, for Reth would never allow his creatures to harm Petral-although no doubt the thought had crossed Reth's mind at least once.

Reth nodded a silent greeting and then activated a sensor in his palm. As he rotated his hand, the container turned upright, and as it floated toward him, the shape of the box was revealed to be distinctively humanoid.

"Take care with this, Reth. The future of our race depends on my work," he said, patting the side of the container, as he fell into step next to his giant companion.

"You'll have your experiment back soon enough, Petral. As soon as the spectacle has captivated the attention of the people tomorrow."

"Yes. And a spectacle it will be," agreed Petral.

"There was a time when I asked for your assistance and did not receive it, Captain. I have moved on." The Ciapathian on the communications monitor had a bright red, jowly face, that to be honest, Picard had grown weary of seeing. He was grateful though for the ability to communicate this way, given his current state. It wasn't that he felt ill, but he didn't feel like he normally did. And at times, it was more than a little unsettling.

"So you say. We are here to witness your coronation tomorrow, Del. But according to Admiral Nechayev, you practically begged Starfleet Command for assistance. Yet now that we are here, you seem to have forgotten this fact." He waited for the typical delay as his words were translated into Del's language.

"Captain...I can assure you that I am in need of only the presence of you and your officers tomorrow to celebrate my ascendency to power."

"Interesting choice of words," Picard said seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"I have heard the word Ascension before in relation to your culture-"

"That is not what I meant, Captain-"

"Most notably," the captain pressed on," I heard it from the mouth of a frightened teenage girl, who was terrified of the role she feared she would be forced to play in this Ascension." He paused and watched Del's face grow a deeper red. "Where is Hatha, Del?"

"How dare you come to my world and accuse me of-"

"I clearly heard you, Del. I heard you promise her on my ship, that you would protect her from Petral. Have you kept your promise? Is the girl safe?"

"I don't know where you are getting your information, Captain..."

Not wanting to endanger either Wesley or his would-be girlfriend, he maneuvered slightly. "I am simply inquiring about Hatha's safety. Just as I have demanded to know where Li is being kept. These are Federation citizens. They have rights." His voice wavered ever so slightly with emotion as he thought of LaForge. Was the young man dead? Had he been dead ever since that fateful night?

Del's expression was darkly serious. "My advice to you, Captain for your own well-being... is to stop inquiring about such things." The screen went black.

He had to curb his intense desire to punch in the view screen but was saved by distraction. The door to his room swung open and he shot out of his chair quickly, expecting to see Beverly Crusher. She was supposed to have brought him some additional vials of medicine but had been gone a long time. Instead, a rather unassuming woman wearing a blue and black medical uniform now stood inside his room. She carried a medkit.

For some reason the fact that Beverly had sent someone else resulted in an irrational feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had just been rejected. He pushed away the emotion, annoyed at his own weakness. You should be happy that she's not here, and you don't have to worry that every thought that comes to mind is inappropriate. He couldn't remember this officer's name. He scratched his head. "Ah...Doctor...?"

"Nurse Ogawa, sir," said the woman, smiling congenially. "Doctor Crusher asked me to bring you these medicine vials. She wants you to take one every two hours, Captain. She's adjusted the formula to make it more potent, but wants to ensure you are taking it consistently now."

He nodded. "Very well. Thank you," he said, taking the medkit from her.

"One more thing, Captain." She smiled at him in a kind way and held up a small round object. "Captain, Doctor Crusher would like to monitor your heartrate..."

He pointed at the object. "That's the monitor?"

"Yes sir. Just lift up your shirt please."

He hesitated but did as she asked. The small nodule was cold against his skin but didn't hurt.

When she was finished attaching it to his chest she stepped back with a satisfactory nod. "Now, sir...Doctor Crusher wanted me to let you know that she will be right next door, in case you need anything."

He pulled his shirt back down. "I am sure that won't be necessary. But...thank you, Nurse Ogawa."

"Have a good night, sir."

Will shuffled the deck of cards with one hand, mindlessly. His long legs were stretched out with his boots resting on a table. Not the most professional pose for a first officer, but then, for the moment he was alone. Staring at the far wall and replaying recent events in his mind, he couldn't help but feel anxious and on edge. There had been no sign of Geordi or the Tranan boy Li, and something very strange had happened to Captain Picard. Thankfully, the Captain had returned to them, but he couldn't help think the worst. What if the captain was not actually himself? Riker shook off this disturbing theory; even if Petral had gotten to the Captain, he certainly would not have had time to create a clone of the Captain...right? He shook his head and quietly cursed himself. He needed to work on his communication with Picard. If the captain continued to not trust Will, neither of them wouldn't be able to properly do his job.

"Any room for more players or is this a solitaire night?"

He nearly fell back out of his chair but caught himself. He managed to offer a sly smile to the woman who was peeking her head through his open door. "Sure...come on in."

Sarah stepped inside and went to close the door behind her, but Riker cleared his throat. "Let's leave that open..."

She laughed and pulled up a chair across from him. "You don't trust me not to make a move on you?"

He grinned as he flipped the cards in his palm. "Nope."

Seemingly from out of nowhere, she produced a bottle of emerald liquid.

He eyed it suspiciously. "Is that supposed to be wine? Forgive me if I don't trust the food on this planet."

"No, it's Aldeberan brandy. I smuggled this onto the Enterprise...from my transport ship."

Riker snorted. "Wow." His eyes narrowed with amusement as he watched her. Her skin glowed and her golden hair fell invitingly over her shoulders. He had to admit, he was still interested. Something in the back of his mind set off a warning, but the alarm was very weak, and he was easily able to ignore it.

She grabbed two glasses and popped open the bottle. "Now this stuff is very potent," she warned.

"Trying to get me drunk?"

She lifted a sculpted eyebrow. "Maybe. We have unfinished business, you know, Will. We never said a proper goodbye."

Unsure of what to make of this declaration, he raised his glass, half full of the green concoction. "Here's to unfinished business."

She clinked her glass into his, and then unexpectedly, leaned in to kiss him on the lips. He didn't want to retreat, and so he didn't; instead deepening their kiss.

There was a quick shuffle of feet, which caused Will and Sarah to break apart. "Uh...I'll come back later," said Beverly Crusher.

"No, no wait," Riker said, waving her back in. "We were just about to play some cards."

"Is that what they're calling it nowadays?" Beverly questioned with a sweet smile.

Sarah Allen laughed. "Come on, pull up a seat, Beverly." She held up the bottle of exotic brandy. "We have drinks."

Beverly sighed, but the thought of finally relaxing for a few minutes actually appealed to her. "Okay," she said, sitting down.

Will dragged a small table to the middle of his room as Sarah poured her a drink. Beverly eyed them both. If they were upset that she had interrupted their passionate kiss, they didn't let on.

"Should I invite Yar and Worf?" Riker asked.

"What about Deanna?" Sarah asked with an innocence that almost caused Beverly to spit out her drink. She was glad it had been her who had walked in on the two of them, and not Deanna. Especially the way they were acting so casually about it. While Beverly wasn't interested in judging them, it was hard for her to believe that Deanna would not have been hurt by what she had witnessed. But then, she hardly knew Deanna. Maybe she was reading the whole situation incorrectly.

She wiped the stinging liquid from her lips, which were remarkably starting to grow numb. This stuff is strong. "Deanna said she was going to go and speak to Captain Picard," said Beverly.

"Oh!" Sarah started waving at Riker excitedly. "That's a great idea. Let's have Captain Picard come join us."

Riker chuckled and his eyes widened at the thought.

Beverly glanced at Will and took a big sip of the green drink. The room started to spin a little bit. "Oh...that's not going to happen," she said with a small smile.

Riker winked at Sarah. "The Captain isn't a big poker player."

Beverly pursed her lips, which now felt as though they were vibrating. "That's not exactly true. He actually used to play a lot when we served on the Stargazer together."

Riker lifted his head with interest. "No kidding?"

Beverly shook her head. "We used to play all the time."

Sarah was now fixated on her. "You used to play poker with Captain Picard..."

"Well, it was typically Jean-Luc, me, my husband Jack, Vigo...and other crew members. It was very loose, very casual."

"Two words I never would have associated with Captain Picard," said Sarah.

"Sarah," Riker murmured with a slight warning.

Beverly shrugged. "No, she's right. He's neither of those things. At least, not that I've ever seen," she added in a quieter voice. She took a final drink, before putting her glass down. Was the table moving or was it her?

"And yet, I've seen the way he looks at you," said Sarah. Her eyes glinted with the promise that she was on to something.

Beverly glanced at Will, who was trying his best to keep a neutral expression. "I don't know what you mean," said Beverly quietly. She had the sudden urge to flee the room, but she was sure she would fall flat on her face.

"Oh, I see," said Sarah, raising her chin to look at Beverly with a knowing expression. "You're both trying to keep it professional."

"Sarah," Riker said through gritted teeth, now annoyed.

"What?"

"It's none of your business," Will said flatly.

Sarah looked at Beverly and reached out to touch her hand compassionately. "We've all been there. I"m sorry, I shouldn't have pried."

Beverly shrugged and poured herself another drink, lounging back in her chair. Normally she would have been bothered by the counselor's questions, but for now, the Aldeberan brandy was doing its job. "Are we going to play some cards, or what?"

"I'm fine, Counselor...really." Picard tossed an empty hypospray onto the table next to him as if to illustrate his point.

Deanna twisted her hands in front of her. She wasn't nervous, per se, but she would admit at this point that she found him intimidating. She would need to overcome this, and knew she would be able to do so, as soon as she got to know him. Unfortunately, at the rate they were communicating, she feared that might actually take years. "I have heard you say that before, Captain."

He simply stared at her expectantly.

He is trying to will me out of his room. "But this time may be different," she continued. "According to Doctor Crusher, you were subjected to some kind of experiment against your wishes."

"I don't remember any of it," he said gruffly.

"But you do believe that it happened, sir..."

He looked down. "I trust Doctor Crusher, as well as my...instinct. Yes, I believe that someone tampered with me medically, and I believe that person is Doctor Petral."

"When you speak his name, I feel intense revulsion from you, Captain."

"Your empathic abilities are quite accurate, Counselor," he said dryly.

She smiled slightly. "Captain, may we sit and talk for a few minutes? My job is to care for the mental and emotional well-being of this crew, not least of all you."

Seemingly resigned to her not leaving anytime soon, Picard pulled out a chair for her. "Please...sit, Counselor."

"Thank you," she said, gracefully sitting down. As he sat down across from her, she noted that his whole appearance was more informal than usual. He had changed out of his uniform, and since she had been so focused on his mind, it took her a moment to realize that based on his attire she may have been intruding on his rest time. Are those pajamas?

"Captain...Doctor Crusher told me what she believes Doctor Petral did to you."

He frowned. "Whatever happened to doctor-patient privilege?"

"Well, sir...she didn't reveal anything specific that you both discussed, but there may be times during our tenure in this crew that Doctor Crusher and I will have to share information based upon our respective roles. And more importantly, sir...I am concerned for your welfare."

He smacked his knee. "If I had a credit for every time a member of my command crew expressed their concern for my welfare-"

"How interesting, Captain. Has no one ever expressed such a sentiment before you took command of the Enterprise?"

"No! In fact, I am beginning to miss the days when no one gave a damn about me."

Deanna was somewhat taken aback, but also slightly amused. She kept her tone measured. "I find that hard to believe, Captain."

"What...that no one gave a damn about me, or that I rather enjoyed that no one gave a damn about me?" His expression was deadpan, but she had a distinct impression that he was trying to make her laugh. He's trying to throw me off, but I didn't expect this.

Troi's lip quivered slightly. "Both...sir."

He leaned back and crossed his arms with a piercing stare. "Are you amused, Counselor?"

She took in a steadying breath. "Sir...bringing our conversation back to my concerns about your health..."

"Hmm."

"Have you considered the motivations behind Petral's actions toward you?"

"Of course I have."

We could continue on like this for hours.

She steeled herself. Just do your job, Deanna. "Sir, Petral is extremely manipulative. He is an expert in biological experimentation, and if we are correct, his subjects are unwilling. He obtains gratification from the pain and suffering he causes to others. His obsession with Hatha has escalated into her imprisonment and forced marriage. His fixation on Beverly has manifested itself into experimentation on you. This latest violation he has carried out against you is likely one part of a very dangerous game he intends to play with our lives."

Picard rubbed his knee and looked down at the floor. "I am aware of all of this, counselor. I appreciate that we agree that Petral is a monster." He raised his eyes to look at her and the determination caught her off guard. "The question is...how can such a monster be stopped?"