Chapter 18

When they arrived on Kronos, there were two Klingons to greet them. One, a tall male with piercing eyes glared at them in a not entirely friendly manner. The second, a female was familiar to them and broke into a smooth smile, particularly upon seeing Worf.

"Captain Picard," said Ambassador K'Ehleyr, walking forward to shake his hand. "A pleasure as always. Welcome back to Qo'noS. This is Captain Korok of the Klingon Defense Force." The tall Klingon nodded curtly. "Chancellor has commanded us to be your emissaries today, as Korok will be the Chancellor's principal during negotiation."

Picard and Riker glanced at one another. K'Ehleyr was a Klingon-Human hybrid and a Federation Ambassador. Was she here representing the Federation or the Klingon Empire?

K'Ehleyr smiled, guessing their confusion. "My…functions have changed somewhat since we last saw each other, Captain. I am here mainly as a facilitator, Captain—at the invitation of Chancellor K'empec."

Picard shook his head. "The Chancellor himself will not be participating in the conference?" Picard asked.

K'Ehleyr exchanged an intense glance with Korok. "The Chancellor is—"
"The Chancellor is busy," Korok interrupted her with a growl. "But he will make appearances as warranted."

Picard looked at Riker again. "Very well then, let us proceed."

Four hours into negotiations Picard's headache was back. He consciously kept his hand away from his face which was also starting to itch and burn where he had sustained a cut the previous night.

Tomalak leaned forward. "Captain Picard, the purpose of the conference as you have said is to share information. Now we have been forthright with you. Enough dancing around the subject: we know you encountered a Borg cube last year. We are curious to learn all you know about it."

"Commander Tomalak, as I have said, the incident in System J-25 is highly classified. And I object to the characterization of your own behavior thus far at this conference as 'forthright'." The only thing truly forthright about Tomalak was his hostility. At any rate he continued. "The information we have on the Borg is limited. However Chief Engineer LaForge has prepared a visual presentation which he is willing to show any of your officers who wish to see it."

K'mpec glanced at Ambassador K'Ehleyr. The Starfleet Engineer had a device covering his eyes—or he was missing the organs altogether. Was he planning on projecting the presentation from that device? "Well, where is it then?" demanded Korok.

Picard smiled. "Chief Engineer LaForge has prepared this presentation as a holodeck program. In order to experience it he is willing to bring aboard my ship any of your representatives you wish to send."

"Korok shall go aboard your ship to view this presentation," said K'mpec.

"How clever, Picard. Information we can view...but presumably cannot take with us," remarked Tomalak. "We accept your invitation, Captain. Sub-Commander Saris will attend this presentation as well." He looked over at her with a meaningful glance, which she returned frostily. He saw her glance at LaForge who hadn't seemed to notice her yet.

"Tomorrow we will take your holodeck tour, Captain," said the Chancellor. "Now we must eat."

South Dakota, Earth 1881

It took her two and a half Earth days to reach the city of Sioux Falls on foot. If she had not been staggering from heat exhaustion and hunger, and had not been herself covered in dust, dust would have been the first thing she would have noticed about the town. Many unsavory looking humans, mostly male traveled the streets, some on foot and many on horseback. Many of these individuals had weapons holstered at their hips. But Guinan was so tired and hungry that she was not afraid pf violence anymore. Smelling food, she walked into the first place she saw—it looked as though it was a public gathering place. She blinked once inside, because it was very dark. The smell of sweat and alcohol were predominant, but again, she didn't care. It was also very loud. S

he walked up to the bar. "Have you got anything to eat?" she asked with an impossibly dry mouth. "A drink of water would also be nice," she added.

The clamor ceased immediately, and most conversations stopped as all eyes turned to her. She glared back into the crowd, before repeating her request for food to the bartender.

He spit onto the floor behind the bar and twirled his greasy mustache. "Yeah, I got lots of food, but not for you. Move on," he said roughly.

"Oh, I don't think so," said Guinan, defiantly. "I am too hungry to move on."

Giving her a nasty look, the bartender reached behind the bar and grabbed a long gun, placing down loudly in front of him on the bar. It happened so quickly that she took a step back. At the bar, a hunched man wearing a large flat brimmed hat un-holstered his own gun and without hesitation placed it against the temple of the bartender. With his other hand he dropped a handful of coins on the table.

The bartender put up his hands. "Okay, okay…calm down, Pritchard."

The man grunted and then sat back down to attend to his drink. The bartender waved her over to the bar. "What'll you have?" he demanded of her, flicking a suspicious eye at the stranger in the hat.

"Water and then anything you have to eat is fine," she said, sitting down.

"Buffalo it is then," he said.

"I have to warn you," Ambassador K'Ehleyr said to Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi as they neared the banquet hall. "Chancellor K'mpec is notoriously lecherous. He is constantly chasing females who are uninterested in him. Actually I have never known a female to be interested in him. Just be prepared…and I would suggest sitting as far away from him as possible during dinner just to discourage him," she said.

Crusher smiled and shrugged distractedly. She had too much on her mind to worry about an obnoxious Klingon. Troi, who had already been involved in the negotiations over the last half day was so exhausted from sifting through the emotions and motivations of the various conference participants that she had long ago learned to deflect the Chancellor's lurid thoughts.

K'Ehleyr fell into step beside Worf. "I have missed you," she said directly.

Worf growled. "Your presence is unexpected here. No doubt this is a ploy to confuse the loyalties of the conference participants."

She turned to look at him as they walked. "A ploy launched by whom? The Klingons, Humans, or Romulans?" Worf remained stony faced. "Really, you know me better than that, Worf! You can't believe I am working for the Romulans now."

"I did not say that," he protested.

She laughed and then looked at him more closely. "Is your nose broken? Perhaps you've found a new mate after all," she said casually.

He turned on her fiercely. "Why did you not tell me you would be here? Must I always be surprised by your appearance?"

K'Ehleyr shrugged, opening the door to the banquet hall. "Don't be so easily surprised, Worf," she said ushering him inside.