Jagger took him to his quarters, and when Elnor walked in, he was awed by what he saw. Every wall in Jagger's room was floor to ceiling shelves packed with books.
"Wow," Elnor proclaimed. "Have you read all of these?"
"A few times over," the Feeonix replied. "Do you like to read?"
"Yes," Elnor replied.
"Well, I was thinking, that would be a good distraction for you," Jagger said. "Why don't you have a look around and see if anything catches your interest."
"Really?!" the young Romulan asked excitedly. "Thanks!" He wandered around the room as Jagger started to tidy up. He had more stuff than Naseema and was far less orderly, old fashioned picture frames and various knick-knacks were on nearly every surface. Clothes tossed over chairs, the bed, and the sofa. A large rectangular box with dials and a rounded glass bubble protruding from the front caught Elnor's attention.
"What's that thing?" he asked.
Jagger turned to see what he was looking at, "Oh, that's a television," he replied. "Simon and I built it a few years ago. We use it to watch old movies."
"What's a movie?" Elnor asked.
Jagger's eyebrow went up, and his eyes lit up. "What's a movie, he says. Well, now we gotta watch something." He came over to the sofa and gathered up the various sweaters and t-shirts littering it and tossed them in a pile on the bed. "Have a seat," he told the young monk. Elnor sat down, and Jagger went to the replicator. He returned with a huge bowl of popcorn and water. He handed the bowl to Elnor, put the water on the coffee table, and went to find something to show his companion on the television. When he found what he was looking for, he turned around with an excited glint in his eye.
"This is gonna be great. Seven Samurai," he said and hurried to sit on the sofa. Elnor was completely enthralled by the story, and Jagger was so entertained by his reactions, neither of them heard the door the first few times. Jagger finally called, "Come in," over his shoulder, and Picard came through the door. He walked up to the sofa and saw what they were doing.
"It's so nice to see you taking your responsibility as a positive role model seriously, Mr. Jagger," he chuckled, teasing the Feeonix about his tendencies towards degenerate behaviour.
"Oh, come on, let the kid have a little trashy fun," Jagger laughed. "At least he's not parked beside Naseema's bed, wringing his hands together."
"True," Picard agreed. Then he came around the sofa and Elnor moved over to let him sit down. They watched the rest of the movie together, and when it was over, Picard looked over at Jagger.
"Alright, that was pretty good," he said.
"That was amazing," Elnor added, clearly impressed with Jagger's attempt to distract him.
"Now, does one of you want to tell me what happened out there this morning?" Picard asked.
"What happened this morning is unfortunately what crime and punishment look like when you don't actually have any laws, and everybody works on the honour system," Jagger replied. "It wasn't supposed to be so public. I'm afraid we grossly underestimated how uncontrollable Salome has become."
"What did Naseema do to her?" Picard pressed. "It was terribly violent to witness."
"She pushed memories into Salome's mind," Jagger told him. "It was worse for Salome, believe me, and I doubt Naseema enjoyed it much either, but I think she was right, it was the only way Salome was ever going to understand how wrong what she did was."
"Is Naseema going to be alright?" Picard asked.
"Yeah, she'll be fine, and Salome will be fine too, and also hopefully develop a new appreciation for how not to treat visitors to this planet, regardless of who they are."
"What memories did she push?" Picard was clearly concerned and disturbed by the incident, but Jagger was starting to feel it wasn't his place to be revealing any more information.
Jagger looked at Picard and then at Elnor, hesitating for several seconds. "I don't know for sure, but considering Salome's crime, I'm going to wager they were memories of Lore."
Picard's face dropped, and he nodded sadly. "I was afraid you were going to say that," he replied.
"What's lore?" Elnor asked.
"Not what, who," Jagger corrected. "Lore was a person, and I'm afraid if you want to know more, you're going to have to ask Naseema. It's not my place to talk about that." Elnor looked at him, a little confused, but nodded. Jagger appeared pensive for a minute and then said to the young Romulan, "Why don't you go take a walk with Pops here. I'm sure you've got some stuff to talk about, I'm going to finish tidying up in here, and I'll pick out some books for you."
Elnor looked over at Picard and back at Jagger before nodding again. "Thanks," he said. "Can we watch another movie later?"
"Sure," Jagger replied with a grin. "Maybe Naseema will join us."
"I'd like that," Elnor smiled back. Jagger tousled his hair again before getting up and going over to deal with the mountain of clothes on the bed. Picard was already waiting by the door for him, and the two left Jagger's room to take a walk around the pond.
"If you don't want to talk about what happened with Salome, it's alright," Picard said. "I understand how difficult it can be."
"I'm alright, but thank you," Elnor replied. "Naseema was very kind to me, and she helped me understand that it wasn't my fault."
"Did you go to her after it happened?" Picard asked.
"Yes," Elnor nodded. "When I got away from Salome, I didn't know where to go, and her light was on. I can't explain it, but something called me there, and she let me in without hesitation. She listened to me and let me sleep in her bed."
"She is a very compassionate person," Picard said. "I'd like to say that you could have come to me, but I doubt I would have been as helpful as she was. I'm glad she was there for you."
"I want to say I felt like I could go to you, but I was afraid you would think I was weak, and you would no longer want me as your qalankhkai," he admitted, his eyes on his feet.
"Oh, Elnor," Picard replied, looking at his ward with sympathy and affection. "I don't believe you could ever be weak, even if you tried. Confronting Salome the way you did took a lot of courage, and I am so proud of you. You are much more to me than my qalankhkai, and I will always want you."
Elnor looked at him, his expressive dark eyes starting to glisten, and nodded without saying anything. He didn't want to dissolve into tears in front of Picard.
The old man smiled gently. "We have all experienced situations where we feel powerless, and I'm no different," he said. "When those situations occur, some of us are fortunate enough to have someone who cares for us in our corner."
"Really?" Elnor asked.
"Yes," Picard replied, and as they walked, he told Elnor about how he was captured by the Cardassian military during a covert mission and held as a terrorist. He told him how he was brutally tortured and humiliated, and how Starfleet Captain Edward Jellico, manipulated, and eventually strong-armed the Cardassians to force them to free him. "Naseema came for me herself, and I will never forget the way I felt when I saw her walk in the room. I will also tell you something that I've never told anyone else. I asked her to stay with me that first night too, and never once have I felt weak for asking her to do that. We all need comfort and support at times, and there is no shame in that."
Elnor smiled appreciatively but didn't say anything, and Picard added, "I know I'm not a very affectionate person, I never have, and I'm sorry for that. I wish I could be better at that for you."
"I know you care, but it fills me with joy to hear you say that," Elnor replied. "I know I'm more touchy-feely than you're used to, I can always go to her when I feel like I need to hug someone."
"Well, I'm glad you get what you need from her," Picard replied with a chuckle. "I guess I'll have to learn to be more touchy-feely when we leave."
"Can't she come with us?" Elnor asked, suddenly worried about the prospect of being separated from her.
"I would love for her to come with us, but that decision isn't up to me," Picard told him. "If you feel it will be too difficult for you to leave, I'm sure you'd be more than welcome to stay here with her."
"Wouldn't you miss me?" Elnor asked.
"Of course I would, but if that is what you want, I would understand," Picard replied. "She already loves you very much. There's a connection between the two of you now, and I honestly don't know what effect separating will have on either of you."
"I don't want to think about it, but I can't leave you, and I know you can't stay here forever," Elnor admitted.
"Well, perhaps we can convince her to come with us," Picard suggested, and a smile spread across Elnor's face. He couldn't help himself and threw his arms around Picard, earning a warm laugh from the old man, "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm famished," Picard said, once Elnor released him. "Let's go get some lunch."
They hit up the cantina and decided to take their meal back outdoors, sitting in the immaculately manicured garden just outside. "Can I ask you something about Naseema?" Elnor finally inquired.
"I'll do my best, but my answer will depend on the question," Picard replied, taking a bite of his sandwich.
"You told me when you were on the Enterprise together, she was a diplomat, a Federation ambassador representing the Feeonix. Is that true?"
"Yes," Picard nodded. "Naseema was the Federation's Feeonix representative for centuries, almost right from its inception."
"That means she wasn't a weapon?"
Picard realized what information Elnor was seeking and let out a soft sigh. "I think I understand what you're asking," he said. "That was a popular rumour. Naseema is a military strategist, probably one of the most brilliant ones I've ever worked with, and part of her job was to collect military intelligence during diplomatic, and first contact missions. The Federation has had powerful enemies throughout its history and years of needless conflict, mostly as a result of mishandled first contacts. At the time, it was deemed prudent to have someone with her capabilities on the bridge of the Federation's flagship. As a subtle threat of force, if you will, but it wasn't as though I could just sic her, like a vicious dog, on anyone we had problems with. She negotiated quite a few treaties between the Federation and other political powers in the galaxy, the Romulan Empire included. She was expected to stand behind those treaties and ensure both sides maintained their ends. As a result, she sometimes had to appear menacing. You've spent quite a bit of time with her, does she strike you as the type of person who would threaten or harm another without due cause?"
"No, but I might be biased in that opinion," Elnor replied.
"I might be a little biased as well, but I don't think so either," Picard said with a chuckle. "Quite frankly, Mr. Jagger's position was far more dubious in nature than Naseema's."
"Why?"
"He also spent decades using diplomatic credentials except he was the furthest thing from an arbiter as one can get."
"What did he do?" Elnor pressed, his interest piqued.
"Mr. Jagger was in the espionage business," Picard replied.
"He was a spy?"
"In a manner of speaking."
"Wow," Elnor quietly exclaimed. "That's amazing!"
"If you say so," Picard laughed. "I'm sure if you asked him, he'd be more than happy to regale you with highly exaggerated tales of his exploits."
"I'm definitely going to do that," Elnor said, and Picard chuckled again.
He was glad to see how greatly Elnor endeared himself to the Feeonix. They were powerful allies to have, and he also wanted to have Naseema in his life again. He missed her company, and she was the best research assistant he ever had. He was already wondering what it would take to convince her to come with them. She could broaden Elnor's horizons in ways he would never be able to, and it was obvious his young Romulan ward was in love with her, but even though he was grateful she came into Elnor's life, she was not the person he knew anymore. He deeply regretted the violence Elnor experienced, but he was concerned about the intensity of Naseema's reaction. Elnor seemed to have a soothing effect on her, but he could see she was broken down by the events of the last twenty years, and when a being with that much power becomes fragile, the results can be catastrophic.
When they finished with their lunch, Picard took Elnor down to Coppelius Station so the young Romulan could see Spot II again while he took a meeting with Alton and Soji. She ended up joining Elnor in playing with the cat instead and then took him on a tour of the rest of the community. They seemed to enjoy each other's company, and Picard was pleased by that, especially since Alton revealed Soji wanted to go with La Sirena when it left orbit in a few days. It would be nice for each of them to have someone close to their own age aboard the ship. He just hoped Mr. Rios wouldn't balk at the ever-expanding passenger list, especially since he hoped Naseema would agree to come as well, but he supposed that was a bridge he would cross when he came to it.
By the time they returned to Coppelius Control, it was nearly dark. Naseema still hadn't emerged from her room, but Jagger made good on his promise and delivered a towering stack of books for Elnor to entertain himself with for the evening. He had been hoping to spend the twilight hours with Jagger, but the Feeonix regrettably had what he described as a crap ton of work to finish and promised him the following evening as consolation. Elnor retired to his room instead, changed into his pajamas, after carefully checking every corner and potential hiding place, and poured over the novels he was given. They included The Count of Monte Cristo, Conan of Cimmeria, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Robinson Crusoe, The Mists of Avalon, Casino Royale, The Lord of the Rings, and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, among others. He ended up falling asleep surrounded by the bounty of books on his bed, one still clutched in his hand. His dreams were not kind to him that night, though, and he woke up suddenly just after midnight, shaking and sweaty after a vivid nightmare about Salome. Simon and Aronnox assured him at dinner that she was secured in her room with a force field, but every shadow that moved in his room caught his attention and made him increasingly uneasy. The building storm outside wasn't helping either as the wind whipped debris against the windows, and the rain made every flash of lightning a soggy blur of distorted silhouettes.
He wasn't normally afraid of the dark or heavy storms, but after his all too real nightmare, the combination had him ready to climb the walls. Juliet warned him he might experience difficulty sleeping for a while, but at the time, he was confident he'd be fine, and in retrospect, shouldn't have dismissed her concerns quite so easily.
He turned the bedside lamp on and lay back down, picking up the book he'd been reading when he fell asleep. He tried thumbing through it for a while longer and kept telling himself he was fine and that there was nothing to be afraid of, but an exceptionally blinding flash of lightning made the tree outside his room stretch long, looming black talons across the ceiling. Then he startled at the accompanying crash of thunder. That was enough. He no longer cared if he looked foolish. He grabbed his pillow and his book and crept down the hallway to the one place he knew he would be welcome.
"Come in," Naseema called out from her bathroom. Elnor entered the room and headed straight for the pool of light that spread out from beyond the door to the bathroom. He opened the door a little further, and when he saw her reclining in the tub, he laughed. "Why did you tell me to come in if you were in the bath?"
"The tub is full of bubbles," she shrugged. "You cannot see anything."
"Should I make myself at home?" he asked.
"Not in here," she replied with a smile. "Go make yourself at home in the other room, and I will get out." Still smiling, he nodded before retreating from the doorway and closing the door behind him. She drained the tub and quickly dried herself off before putting her dress back on, and joining Elnor in the other room. She turned the fireplace on, retrieved two cups of tea from the replicator and sat next to him on the bed. "Is everything alright?" she asked and handed him his drink.
"Yes," he nodded. "I had a nightmare, and I couldn't get back to sleep."
She smiled and put her hand on his knee. "You can come here any time you like."
"I do know that, but I also don't want to make a pest of myself and have you not want to spend time with me anymore," he said.
"Not to worry, I always enjoy your company," she assured him. "Tell me about your day." So he did, telling her all about watching Seven Samurai with Jagger, spending the afternoon with Picard, visiting Spot II with Soji, and all the books he wanted to read. He thanked her for standing up to Salome on his behalf and for letting him sleep in her bed last night...and tonight.
"I know it can be difficult to be alone after such an awful experience, especially at night, so please do not hesitate to sleep here as many nights as you want to. I had Data to be there for me, and you have me to be here for you," she told him, and he thanked her again, knowing he wanted to sleep in her bed every night.
He was quickly becoming accustomed to the warm, calm feeling her energy field gave him, and he liked being able to wrap his arms around her whenever he wanted. He slept more soundly with her there, and even when he only got a few hours, he still felt rested.
Once his tea was gone, he placed the cup on the headboard and rested back against the pillows. He pulled his book out and tried to find the last page he could remember reading before he fell asleep. Naseema looked over from her book.
"What are you reading?" she asked, and he showed her the dog-eared copy of Conan of Cimmeria Jagger had given him.
"Ah, a classic," she laughed, and he smiled in response to the gentle teasing. "Would you like me to read to you while you fall asleep?" she asked.
"I would like that very much," he replied and handed her the beat-up paperback. He rested his head on her shoulder as she read the story and made the occasional funny comment about why Jagger liked the book so much. After a while, he finally ventured forth with the question he wanted to ask her all day. "Who's Lore?"
She looked up from the book but kept her eyes straight ahead and let out a slow sigh, she rested it in her lap and turned to him. "He was Data's brother," she told him. "Another android created by the same man but before Data. He was the man who raped me and gave me the scar."
Elnor's eyes widened, and he suddenly felt ashamed for asking. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm in-butting, and I shouldn't have brought it up."
"It is alright," she said with another sigh. "It was a very long time ago, and I can talk about it, but there is not much to tell." Elnor shifted his position to prop himself up on his elbow and looked at her attentively as she continued. "Several of us were being held captive by him, including Data, and he had a very deep hatred for me, much the same way Salome had for you. He also wanted to degrade and humiliate me, and he threatened to harm the others if I did not cooperate, so I did. I will not pollute your mind with details, but it was awful and violent, and it took me a long time to recover, but I did recover eventually, just as you will."
"How did you all escape?" he asked, his eyes full of affinity and heartbreak for her.
"Hugh saved us," she said. "Lore found himself a group of struggling ex-borg, and he manipulated them into helping him, but Hugh convinced them to revolt, and the rest of the Enterprise crew were able to rescue us."
"Poor Hugh," Elnor said mournfully. "He didn't deserve to die."
"No, he did not," Naseema agreed.
"Is that when Lore gave you the scar?"
"No, that was several years later," she said. "He savagely beat me and tried to rape me again, in front of Data, to torture us both, but he was stopped by another man who was almost as brave as you. He lost his life in the process. Then, I foolishly tried to confront Lore alone, and that is when he gave me the scar, and very nearly took my life as well."
"What happened to him?" Elnor asked.
"Jagger and Data tracked him down in hopes he had the antidote to the toxin he poisoned me with, but when he didn't have what they wanted, Jagger killed him."
"Good," Elnor declared. "I hate him for what he did to you."
"I think Lore is the only person I have ever met who had absolutely no redeeming qualities, and I hate him too," she said and looked at Elnor with appreciation. He gave her another sympathetic smile as she straightened herself up and rubbed the back of her neck.
"Are you in pain," Elnor asked, his smile turning to concern.
"I still have a bit of a headache leftover from this morning, but I will be alright, thank you," she replied.
"Come over here," he instructed as he sat up. "I want to help." She looked at him curiously, and then he put his hands on her hips and turned her, so her back was to him. He got on his knees, gathered her hair up, and moved it over her shoulder before he began pressing his fingers into her flesh.
"Oh, Elnor, that is very sweet, but you do not have to-" she protested before he found the right spot, and she abruptly let out a loud groan.
"Just let me help you," he said with a satisfied smile and continued to work the muscles in her
neck and shoulders.
He was told he was good at this, and he was happy to help her. He also kind of liked the sound of her satisfied moaning.
"That was perfect," she sighed once his hands started to cramp up, and he couldn't continue anymore.
"You're welcome," he replied. "It's the least I can do." He put his arms around her and gave her a warm squeeze before he reclined back against the pillows. She picked up his book again and settled back next to him, continuing where they'd left off. He rested his head on her shoulder once more, and before long, he drifted off to sleep.
He slept late, at least what would be considered late for him. It was after nine by the time he awoke, and he quickly realized he was alone in the bed. A sudden feeling of uneasiness overtook him, and he shot upright, anxiously looking for Naseema. She was outside, so he swiftly got out of the bed and joined her. When she looked up at him from her position on the ground, she was a little alarmed. He looked terrible with large, dark circles under his eyes, his complexion sallow, and stress lines worn into his face. Coupled with how late he'd slept, she had cause to be concerned.
"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, worriedly looking him up and down. "You do not look well."
"I still feel tired," he admitted.
She tilted her head and frowned. "You poor thing, you have expended so much of yourself, and now you are exhausted." She motioned for him to sit by her. He did, and she moved herself to sit on a stool behind him. She loosened his hair and began gently massaging his temples. "You need a hot shower and something to eat," she suggested as she moved her hands down to his neck. "Your muscles are terribly tight." She worked her fingers into his flesh, and he felt her already warm hands grow warmer as she let her energy flow slowly into him. He was already feeling better when she finished, but she persisted with doting on him anyway and insisted he use her bathroom to shower. He relented, and while he let the hot water continue what she started, she darted in to get his pajamas for the cleaning processor. Then she hurried out to collect all his things from his room and brought them back to hers before he even finished cleaning himself up. She left his freshly laundered clothes folded up on the stool by the sink, and by the time he emerged, clean and refreshed she already had breakfast prepared for him. They went back outside, and for the first time, she ate with him. They did some stretching exercises together and talked for a while before returning to the bedroom, where she sat on the bed reading while he took a desperately needed nap.
It was early afternoon when he next awoke, and he had to admit even though he believed it was silly sleeping in the middle of the day, he felt like himself again afterward. She was determined to make sure he had a quiet, uneventful day to recharge and took him to Jagger's room so they could use the television. Jagger wasn't there, insisting he still had a ton of work to do, but he made sure the sofa was cleared off for them. She fed him again, and they spent the rest of the afternoon, right into the early evening watching a spectacularly over-the-top series of programs called Die Hard 1,2, and 3. As the final movie ended, she turned to him with an affectionate, hopeful look. "I would very much like it if you spent the night with me again."
He smiled at her. "I've been hoping you would ask me that all day."
Managing to avoid everyone else the entire day, they retired to her room and cuddled up next to each other in her bed with their books, but instead of reading, they ended up sharing stories. When he finally settled himself down to sleep, he was almost in a state of total bliss.
He could get used to days like this. Of course, he loved the days spent exhausting himself with her in the gym, but he enjoyed just quietly being with her, talking and sharing, and doing nothing, in particular, all day. She was easy to be around, and when he thought back on how afraid of her he was at first, he felt silly for it. He knew he was falling in love with her. He realized as much the night Salome attacked him. If one good thing had come from that experience, that was it. The dream Salome tried so hard to destroy him with was a manifestation of the unfamiliar feelings he'd been trying to work out. What he felt during that dream was far more than just sexual arousal. He also felt serenity, comforting familiarity, trust, and shared joy. It was more than just an infatuation it was the real thing, he was sure of that, and he was starting to worry about how he would cope if his hopes that she would come with him weren't realized.
The next few days passed quietly and without incident until the eve of their final day arrived. That day was filled with less routine activities but seemed easy and relaxed as well. Naseema spent more time with Elnor in the gym and organized a training regimen for him to take with him. Agnes assisted Alton with the replacement golem. Soji finalized her departure plans with Picard. Seven prepared to transfer responsibility for the ex-borg survivors on the planet to Aronnox. Raffi played cards with Simon and Javier, and the three of them attempted to teach Juliet how to play poker. Jagger spent the day assembling the personalized packages he'd been making for the departing guests, and Rios busied himself aboard La Sirena. By the time the supper hour rolled around, the remaining Feeonix on the planet constructed a large bonfire in the field behind Control. As dusk crept in, the inhabitants of both communities and their guests gathered around the roaring fire to celebrate together with music and dancing. Picard and Alton sat together on the sidelines and warmly watched the others enjoy themselves. Eventually, Alton left to retire for the night, and once he was gone, Rios wandered over and sat next to Picard. The older man gave the younger one a nod and continued watching the festivities with a relaxed smile on his face.
"We're planning to break orbit tomorrow morning," Rios said. "Any particular departure time you'd like me to notify the others of?"
"No, thank you," Picard replied. "I'm not in any hurry," He kept his focus on the small crowd still dancing in front of the fire. Rios followed Picard's far away gaze and realized he was watching Elnor, who was laughing and dancing with his new best friend. Rios had been quietly observing them for the last few days and not so far from being a young man himself he recognized the indicators. The longing looks, the body language, the furtive glances. He felt the same way about Agnes.
"He's falling in love with her," Rios said.
"I know," Picard replied, somewhat wistfully. "I can see the signs."
"And it doesn't concern you at all?" Rios asked, his concern evident in his voice.
"There's not much I can do about it, so I might as well enjoy watching the first tender shoots of young love grow and hopefully blossom."
"Young love?" Rios asked with an amused smirk. "You do remember how old she is?"
"I was referring to Elnor but to assuage your fears, Mr. Rios, yes I remember how old she is," Picard replied and turned his attention to the La Sirena captain.
"So, you're not at all worried that this is going to end badly for him?" Rios continued. "He wants to bring her with us, but she's pretty dedicated to the people here, and I don't think she's prepared to leave this planet. He's gonna be heartbroken."
"Just out of curiosity, what's your stake in this?" Picard asked, a little intrigued by Rios' sudden concern for Elnor's well being.
"Well," Rios shrugged. "I like the kid, and I remember being that age, and how it feels to have your heart broken."
"Do you remember how you felt before your heart was broken?" Picard asked with a knowing look.
Rios let out a low chuckle and nodded. "Yes, I do."
"And would you be willing to trade that feeling to forget said broken heart?" Picard inquired, raising an eyebrow.
Rios considered the question for a minute before replying. "No, I guess I wouldn't."
"I don't think Elnor would either," Picard said. "And I hate to say this, but I think it's too late to prevent it in either case. It was out of anybody's hands the second she bonded herself to him."
"Yeah, about that. I've been meaning to ask you about what Salome said before...well, you know," Rios said. "Before the incident."
"About the bond, you mean?"
"Yeah, that. The others, the Feeonix, I mean. They all said it means he's part of their family now. What did she do to him?"
"She infused him with her energy, at least that's my rudimentary understanding of it," Picard explained. "It's something that's usually reserved for only Feeonix to do with each other, but Naseema has spent so much of her life with humankind, she's almost not even a Feeonix anymore, at least not in her heart. When I served with her, she was their representative and was widely considered the galaxy's foremost non-human expert on humanity, but she's never really been able to find her place in either culture. She presents a brave front, but she is, and always has been, very lonely."
"So, she's not supposed to do this bonding thing on other species?" Rios asked.
"No, not traditionally," Picard replied. "But once in a while, someone comes along who gets under her defences and awakens something deep inside her. When it happened with Data, it was a pretty big deal to the other Feeonix, but considering how few of them are left, I think their old ways just don't matter to them anymore. They've experienced so much devastation, especially Naseema I really believe they just want to see her come out from that heavy cloud of grief she's been living under."
"I can understand that she needs this, but what about the kid? From the sounds of it, he didn't even get a say in what she did, and he's been so enamoured with her, he didn't even realize someone else was stalking him," Rios insisted. "Where was she when he was...well, I don't even want to think about it."
"None of us realized how far Salome would escalate her infatuation, not even those who know her best," Picard told him. "I don't think we can blame the assault on him being distracted by Naseema. It's entirely possible it would have happened anyway, and while she may not have been there to prevent or stop it, I know she's doing her best to help him deal with it now."
"Who helps him once we leave tomorrow?"
"I don't think we need to worry too much about that," Picard replied with a perceptive grin.
"You think she's going to come with us," Rios said and arched an eyebrow.
"She'll be compelled to," Picard went on. "Once the bond is made the two souls involved will always be driven to seek each other out when they're apart. She's completely devoted herself now, and I strongly suspect the others will encourage her to go."
"So, it's not her energy field or the bonding that's causing it? His feelings, I mean," Rios asked.
"No," Picard replied. "The bonding is far stronger on her end. It does have some effect for him but not on the scale you're thinking. As for the energy fields, you may have noticed the longer you spend around them, the less intense the effect becomes, and while they do cause a certain level of attraction for other species, they can't make you fall in love. Elnor is doing that all on his own."
"He's been spending every night in her room since his run-in with Salome," Rios told him.
"Yes, I know," Picard admitted. "He seems to be coping well, but I suspect he's traumatized and needs that feeling of security. I certainly don't want to be the one to deny him that. Besides, the Feeonix don't sleep every night the way we do, so I doubt he's disturbing her. She probably gets more from his company than he does from hers."
"Unless there's not any sleeping going on at all," Rios suggested and gave Picard an amused look. "If that's the case, I bet he's getting quite a lot out of it."
Picard smiled and chuckled. "I catch your drift, but I highly doubt that what you're suggesting is occurring. Part of the reason Naseema's relationship with Data was such a big deal to the Feeonix at first, is because they're not allowed to mate outside their own species. At one time, it was one of their strictest laws."
"Well, that's intense," Rios replied as he leaned back in his chair. "Are you going to elaborate on that or just let my imagination fill in the blanks?"
Picard chuckled again. "I will elaborate for you, but I'd appreciate it if you kept what I'm about to tell you to yourself. I'd prefer to avoid an accusation of rumour-mongering."
"I can do that," Rios said, leaning toward Picard with interest.
"The Feeonix are a species of highly concentrated energy, and when they're in humanoid form, they are capable of releasing rather destructive bursts of that energy. The unfortunate thing is, they're not always able to control when those bursts occur, and the more emotionally charged they are, the likelier it is for an unintentional discharge to occur." Picard craned his neck forward a little and raised his eyebrows to make sure Rios was following him, and he was.
"I think I know what you're getting at," he said. "I've heard those rumours about them bursting into flames when they...you know," He arched an eyebrow.
"The rumours are true," Picard confirmed. "Which is also part of the reason why they dealt so harshly with Salome, and as you can see, Elnor is very much alive, so I highly doubt anything untoward is going on in that room."
"So, Data wasn't affected then I take it."
"He was apparently the sole exception."
"I gotta ask," Rios smirked. "How do you know that?"
"Well," Picard said with an awkward shrug. "Just between us, they were rather loud. I received so many complaints about the noise I eventually had to move their quarters to a less populated deck."
Rios let out a boisterous laugh. "Now, I almost think it's a shame he's just sleeping. It sounds like he'd have the time of his life."
"Indeed," Picard replied with a gentler laugh of his own. Then, still looking at Rios, he tilted his head to the side. "I have to ask, why is it you seem to be so invested in Elnor's relationship with Naseema? I'm not sure I'm convinced it's solely his well being you're concerned about."
"You're not wrong," Rios replied with a sigh. "These Feeonix, they're dangerous and unpredictable, and they have powerful enemies all over the galaxy that are going to find out very soon they're not extinct. I'm not sure how comfortable I am bringing one along for the ride."
"You're afraid if we bring Naseema with us, she'll paint a target on our backs."
"Yeah, a little," Rios admitted.
"I'm not going to force you to accept another passenger, but I would like you to know that while she may be a powerful being, she is not ordinarily a violent one. In the fifteen years she served on the Enterprise, she helped avoid violent confrontations far more frequently than she was involved in them," Picard said.
"So, she wasn't just a weapon with a pulse?" Rios asked. "Because that's the most common version of her job description, at least that I've heard anyway."
"No," Picard insisted and shook his head. "I will admit, confrontational species were certainly more willing to sit down for discussion when she was standing beside me, but she was so much more than just a weapon with a pulse. She was a diplomat and a general, a negotiator, and a counsellor, and an excellent judge of character. She was all of those things, but the last thing she was, was a threat to those she cared about." Then, he paused for an instant. "Is that what you told Elnor she was because he asked almost the same question a few days ago?"
Rios diverted his eyes away from Picard's before sheepishly admitting the truth. "I may have given him that impression, yes."
"Mr. Rios," Picard said with a mildly admonishing look, and then Raffi strolled over.
"So, did you tell him about the kid?" she asked with a slight slur in her speech.
"Yeah, I told him about the kid, Raff," Rios replied as he shot another embarrassed look toward Picard.
"Can none of you think of anything more interesting to talk about?" Picard asked, giving Raffi the same scolding treatment as Rios.
"A centuries-old member of a nearly extinct alien race with bizarre supernatural powers, a martyr complex, and android children, who's sleeping with the teenage refugee warrior-monk she's known for all of five minutes. I challenge you to find something more interesting than that," Raffi replied.
"Well, when you put it that way," Picard replied sarcastically.
"They're not sleeping together," Rios told Raffi. "Apparently, she'd kill him if they tried."
"No kidding," Raffi said. "It's been twenty years, JL maybe, she's found a way around that."
"I doubt that," Picard replied. "But by all means, tell yourselves whatever you like."
Raffi shot him a look and leaned towards Rios, nearly losing her balance in the process. "Two bars of latinum says she deflowers him before we get back to Earth."
Rios grinned at her with amusement. "I'll take that bet."
"You two are behaving like a couple of puerile clowns," Picard told them as he rolled his eyes. "And I am going to take this as my cue to go to bed. Goodnight." With that, he stood up and began to make his way inside as Raffi echoed his goodnight back to him. He threw one last glance at Elnor, who was still smiling and laughing, happier than he'd ever seen him, even as a child.
He hoped he was making the right decision by asking Naseema to come with them. He was worried about her and strongly suspected she was still hurting deeply even though she finally seemed to be coming to terms with Data's death. He wanted to take her back to La Barre, where life was calm and peaceful. She could focus on things that made her happy and leave the violence and fear behind her rather than continue this existence as a covert operative. It would make Elnor happy too, and as he thought about that, he made a silent wish Raffi was right, and twenty years had made a difference.