Chapter 51

"It is no longer safe for us to speak like this, Wesley. I'm being watched constantly. Petral has spies everywhere."

Wesley had steered clear of the topic of Hatha's recent forced marriage to Dr. Petral, because he felt entirely helpless. Except after the first few clandestine calls, he realized that he wasn't helpless at all, and neither was Hatha. Without actually discussing it with her, she had called him several times, staying on long enough for him to try and pin down the location of her transmission. Finally, he had managed to do so, after tampering with and seriously upgrading his mother's personal communications terminal. If LaForge had been there, Wesley imagined Geordi would have both scolded and congratulated him with equal enthusiasm. Even Data, who of course he couldn't talk to about hotwiring the systems of the Enterprise, would have acknowledged his quality work.

Wesley was trying to think of something he could do to help. Wesley was trying to be courageous. "You're right," he agreed. "Please do your best to stay away from that slimeball."

The girl's normally bright fuchsia skin was drawn and darker around her eyes, making her look much older. "He is busy with some other obsession now...thankfully he has stayed away from me for now. But I don't know how long I can avoid him."

Hatha watched as the screen went black and Wesley's sweet face disappeared from view. Almost as quickly as the transmission ended, the lighting in the room changed to a deep red. Hatha had come to fear this shade of red for it meant that Petral was near. His eyes required a special kind of light. It had occurred to her many times that perhaps this weakness of his could be exploited. Perhaps, as she had often dreamed, she would be able to kill him. It was the only way he could be stopped, she had come to realize. She would avenge her parents, both of whom had been murdered by the soulless doctor. Suddenly filled with the courage she had never felt before, she turned to find him standing there. On either side of him stood a tall Guide. These robed, faceless figures traveled with quiet menace throughout the city. She lifted her chin and faced them down. "Pathetic creatures...you will not touch me!"

"You were quite correct, young girl," said Petral in his gravelly voice. "I have spies everywhere. Certainly, I know what goes on in my own house. Did you think I would not know that you were sneaking conversations with that disgusting human boy?"

"Wesley is not disgusting. He and I will find a way to make you pay."

"That is unlikely," said Petral. He smiled a ghoulish grin. "And you were also correct that I have a new obsession. You were prized at one time...but it is still to discard you. After all, I am to have a new wife soon."

Hatha clenched her fists at her sides as the Guides advanced silently.

"Of course you may still have some use to me. But for now, your place is in the hospital. With the rest of my experiments."

"No!"

Ensign Rickman had something to prove. Although not his first security detail, the Enterprise was his first posting. Scoring the Fleet's flagship was as good as it got for a young hotshot right out of the Academy. Everyone around him was an elite officer it seemed.

Assigned as part of a five-person security detail on the away team, Rickman had been patrolling the outskirts of the Ciapathian capital city for some time now. Although he would never admit it to his commanding officers, Rickman was bored. Or maybe it wasn't quite that he was bored, but he was looking for action. He needed a challenge.

Lieutenant Yar was constantly badgering him for reports, and there was nothing ever really to tell her. He could just hear the disappointment in her response after he reported "all clear". He and his four security colleagues patrolled the vicinity while Yar and Worf, who wasn't even a security officer, got to do all of the exciting stuff.

But that was up until a moment ago. Because a moment ago, Rickman had seen something he didn't expect to see. The nature of the mission hadn't been entirely revealed to him, but he knew one thing: they were to immediately report any sightings of Lieutenant Geordi LaForge. LaForge had been reported dead, and a shocked and disappointed Rickman hadn't been able to attend the funeral. But one of his colleagues who had been there reported that Vice Admiral Nechayev had shown up unexpectedly and announced that LaForge's status had been upgraded to missing in action-which meant he was no longer thought to be dead.

So now Rickman was here on an alien planet where it appeared that their hosts at best, disliked humans. Rickman had been warned by Yar not to trust the Ciapathians, and certainly not to expect any kindness from them. Yar had made it very plain to her new recruits. "If LaForge is alive, we're going to find him, bring him home, and then we're going to make them pay." Rickman was sophisticated enough to know that this sentiment was coming directly from Yar, and not from Captain Picard, who was known for a bit more eloquence when expressing his feelings when he did so at all.

So Geordi LaForge was alive. But that didn't mean he had expected to actually see the bridge flight officer. So when he saw him, it was a shock. LaForge was wearing a drab green jumpsuit, and his hands were bound behind his back with restraints. LaForge's Visor glinted in the morning sunlight. Accompanying him were two cloaked individuals walking on either side of him, now known to the away team as "Guides". Rickman's skin crawled as he watched them silently escort LaForge down a nearby street, then smoothly turning out of sight down an alley.

It was then that his training overpowered his instinct to run in the opposite direction. Rickman started running quickly in the direction that he'd seen them disappear, at the same time activating his communicator. "Rickman to Yar."

"Yar here."

"Sir, I just had eyes on Lieutenant LaForge. I'm following him now. He's with two Guides...about 50 meters from my location."

"Got it. I'm sending backup and I'm on my way. Proceed with caution."

A few minutes earlier...

Riker squinted into the screen. "What is this?" The frenetic movements were from the perspective of someone moving close to the ground with a camera lens that was unable to properly adjust to the quick movements.

Tasha Yar was all business as she leaned over Riker's shoulder. "It's one of those giant beetles, sir..."

Riker grinned and handed the small scanner back to her. "Smart, Lieutenant...you hooked up a camera to one of Reth's beetles?"

"Not Reth's but this one seemed to be on its own."

"But...it's doing surveillance for us?"

"Not intentionally sir, but yes. I've been able to map out half of the city using this creature, although the camera is leaving a lot to be desired."

"Did you find anything helpful?"

Yar finally allowed herself a small satisfied smile. She swiped on the scanner screen a few times, and the image froze to something interesting. "Here," she said, tapping with her index finger. "There's a city entrance that's cloaked somehow. Over the last few nights, there has been quite a bit of activity through this gate. The only Ciapathians who seem to come and go are the scientists. They all wear the same uniforms so they're easy to spot."

Just like us.

"We've assessed the atmosphere out there and it's not breathable for humans," said Riker, slowly thinking this one over. "Have you seen Petral?"

"Not certain, sir." Her expression was very intense. "But one thing I do know is that the Ciapathians don't want us to know about this gate."

"Rickman to Yar."

"Yar here." She glanced at Riker.

"Sir, I just had eyes on Lieutenant LaForge..."

And suddenly Riker experienced both hope and also an unsettling feeling; a feeling that finding LaForge alive was just a little bit too easy.

When Nurse Ogawa left, Picard sat down suddenly on the edge of a table and sighed. He could feel Beverly still watching him, but he was unspeakably tired and needed to rest his eyes. Somehow he felt safe to do so in front of Beverly. The problem was, as his eyes shut, he saw images of Beverly from his dream the night before that were so vivid, he could even feel her thighs tighten around his waist, increasing their mutual pleasure. He gasped and his eyes snapped open to find her staring at him with obvious concern.

"Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

He took a deep breath in through his nose and forced himself to look at her. "Yes. I'm just tired."

She shifted her stance and he noticed for the first time that she wasn't wearing her dress uniform. "Did you have trouble sleeping, Jean-Luc?"

He blinked. Something about the intimate tone of her voice moved him. "Not that I recall," he said carefully.

She looked down at the floor as if the words she was searching for might be laying there. "I came in to check on you...do you remember that?"

"No. You came to check on me? Why?" He struggled to remember something other than the erotic dream.

Beverly's mouth dropped open slightly and she was beginning to feel like a total fool. Because you were calling my name. "Your heart rate was too elevated," she replied out loud as calmly as possible. "I came in to help you...you called out to me, but you were fine." She tried to say something more, but the words halted and she trailed off.

"Well," he said earnestly. "Thank you. I am lucky to have such a good doctor." He winced, immediately regretting his clumsy words.

Beverly felt the slow creep of heat as she blushed. "It's fine...- I mean I was just doing my job..."

His expression sobered and he crossed his arms. "You're not dressed for the ceremony. We've only got a little while before it begins-"

"I'm not going," she said quickly.

"What do you mean you're not going? Your attendance is required."

"I can't be around that little-I can't be around Petral," she tried to explain.

His expression softened just by a little. "Oh...well, I understand-"

"Do you?"

His brow furrowed but he seemed to be stymied by her question.

"He treats me like I'm some kind of sex object," she finally spat out. "And I find him utterly repulsive! I'm not going to play his little game."

He shook his head. "You will be carrying out your duty, not playing his game. By being a Starfleet officer-by being yourself, you will show him that he cannot win."

She watched him closely. "Is that really what you think?"

"Yes. Of course, it is what I think."

"I'm a doctor, not a diplomatic officer, Jean-Luc. You didn't hire me for my negotiation skills."

"Well...I think we both know that I didn't hire you at all, Beverly. But I certainly would have-"

She flung her hands up in the air. "I don't want to go to the goddamn sham of a ceremony! Why can't you respect my feelings on this?"

He felt himself grow very still and almost didn't hear himself utter his next few words. "I need you there, Beverly."

"But-"

"Damn it, it's not safe anywhere in this city," he finally exploded. "I need you to be near me, not isolated in some room alone." His voice trembled, and he took a deep breath in, trying to calm himself down. He knew his reaction had been unprofessional, but he couldn't help telling her how he felt at that moment. "So you are to either carry out your duties here or return to the Enterprise."

"Is that an order?" she asked flatly. It was rare that he showed this level of emotion, and she didn't know whether to be flattered or frightened.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, it's an order."

She bit her bottom lip. "I'll think about it."

"He's concerned about you, Beverly," said Troi. "That is all it comes down to. Come on, I'll help you get ready." They slowed as they neared her room. One of the Guides stood outside and when they approached, it turned and walked almost without sound, down the corridor.

"And I'm concerned about him too," she murmured, watching suspiciously as the Guide turned a corner and disappeared. She shook her head and tried to shake the mounting feelings of trepidation. Deanna put a comforting palm on her shoulder as she opened the door. She wasn't aware that Troi had followed her inside because her attention was immediately taken by something on her bed. She had left her dress uniform folded on her bed, but it was nowhere to be seen. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she was drawn like a magnet to the white garment arranged neatly on the bed where her uniform had been. "What in the hell is this?" She reached down and picked it up. The intricately woven material crinkled between her fingers, and it was then that she was hit with a dizzying wave of nausea. "It's a wedding dress," she whispered.

Hey, thanks to everyone for reading and for your reviews. Take care. -PP