Chapter 20

Ensign Barnes was on the edge. The only thing that calmed his brain was Captain Picard's voice. He didn't know why but all day long as he watched Captain Picard speak at the conference he hung on every word as though the Captain was speaking directly to him, even though the Captain rarely did. And later that evening at the banquet the spring inside Barnes' young chest became so tight that he felt he would burst with emotion. Everything the Captain said was so true. Every order he gave was for a greater purpose. Choi had asked him twice what was wrong with him as though there was something wrong with being a loyal officer. What the hell did she know anyway?

But there was a problem. He couldn't trust these Romulans...and he wasn't too damn sure about the Klingons either. The only thing that made sense to Barnes was that Captain Picard was a great man. It would be an honor to die for such a man…even to kill for him. He wished he could warn the Captain to watch out for Tomalak. Barnes saw how the Romulan just stared at the Captain as though he was plotting.

The Romulans were always plotting, and couldn't be trusted. Enemy. He couldn't get that thought out of his head. Last night he had dreamt that he was on a great battlefield. He was fighting the Borg and up ahead of him was Captain Picard. At least fifty other Enterprise crew members fought alongside them. He had been so convinced that it had been real that when he woke up he couldn't stop thinking about it. And when he reported for duty and Choi had greeted him with that casual nod of hers he had nearly demand why she hadn't been there, fighting with him; fighting for the Captain.

Now he sat next to this smug looking nameless Romulan centurion as they both watched a spirited discussion unfold among Picard, Tomalak and K'mpec all the way at the end of the table. There was no harmless synthehol at the table and Barnes had been drinking too much ale. And the more he drank the more he felt rage toward the Romulans. The Romulans might as well be in league with the damn Borg….

It was so difficult to tell anymore who was an ally. Even the Klingon leader had insulted Doctor Crusher and then had laughed at the Captain. Nobody insulted Captain Picard and got away with it. Not while Ensign Barnes was around.
Barnes gripped the metal cup in his hand as the pressure inside his skull grew. He wanted to smash the Romulan next to him in his smug face.

The Romulan sitting next to Barnes did have a name; it was Tothas. And Tothas was trying to plot against the Humans and Klingons. The problem was he was enraptured by the voice of his enemy. For some reason, he could not help but hang on Picard's every word. Suddenly even Tomalak paled in comparison to the Enterprise Captain, and Tothas did not understand why. But Tothas knew where his loyalties lay; where they were supposed to rest: right at the feet of the Romulan Empire. But yet everything Picard said rang true. As the conflict within Tothas grew, he became more enraged at the stupid looking Starfleet security officer who sat next to him. In addition the Human was giving him the dirtiest of looks. That was how it all started.

"What are you looking at, you dirty Romulan?" Barnes suddenly declared, slurring his speech. He held up his heavy metal cup as if offering to smash it into Tothas' face. Then, without waiting politely for the sneering Romulan to answer, he did smash the metal cup into the face of his foe.

In response, Tothas grabbed Barnes by the head and slammed him into the table. Barnes' colleague Ensign Choi, who was really just trying to help out a fellow officer chopped Tothas across the back of the neck, causing him to flail backwards into her. And as she hit the wall another Romulan and a Klingon guard became involved in the fray.

LaForge threw his hands out to deflect a spinning plate which nearly struck Sub-Commander Saris. She looked at him with genuine surprise and then disgust as a piece of writhing Klingon food landed with a plop on his head.

Riker and K'Ehleyr stood up at the same time with a shout, which is when everyone noticed that air grew still and the objects in the room seemed blur at the edges. The walls seemed to shimmer around them as though their surroundings were not real. Captain Picard was standing up now and his eyes had grown dark. He walked toward the fight and halted in front of Ensign Barnes. Riker could hardly believe his eyes as a smoky substance exited from Picard's chest and appeared to enter Barnes' throat. Picard reached out with one hand and lifted Barnes into the air by his collar. He began speaking in a deep voice that seemed to reverberate through the room. And the voice did not sound like Captain Picard's at all. Moreover, the words he spoke were unintelligible. "Thir en ral en hai sem lai…." But what Ensign Barnes understood clearly was: "My servant…leave the fighting for the true enemy…soon all of these creatures will be under my power…." The eyes of both Barnes and Picard shone black as they stared at each other.

Suddenly a shot rang out and Picard turned around to fix his gaze on Chancellor K'mpec, who had just discharged his antique disruptor into the ceiling of the banquet hall. He lowered the weapon slowly as it smoked in his hand. "I think it is time to call it a night," declared the Chancellor.

"Commander Riker what is the meaning of this?" Commander Tomalak demanded. Riker looked from the Romulan to K'mpec and sighed. Worf stood nearby with his arms crossed over his chest. Captain Picard and the rest of the crew had unceremoniously returned to the Enterprise just minutes earlier.

"I can explain…." Riker trailed off realizing that he was at a loss himself—actually he wasn't sure if he could explain.

"It would seem that your Captain is…possessed by some kind of demon," observed Chancellor K'mpec. "This would seem an unfortunate barrier to our negotiations."

"Normally I would disagree with whatever the Chancellor said, but I have to agree, that this turn of events is most disagreeable," said Tomalak.

"Captain Picard is under the influence of an alien artifact…at times," said Riker slowly. He knew he was taking a chance by being honest, but he feared that any further subterfuge would only be met by more hostility. "But I assure you that he is fine and perfectly competent to continue the negotiations. Don't forget it was Captain Picard who stopped the fight at the banquet."

"A fight that was started by your junior officer, Commander," Tomalak nearly shouted. "What is your excuse for that? Was he under the influence as well?"

"Clearly the ale you brought us was more than potent, Tomalak," Chancellor K'mpec said accusingly.

Riker had no reasonable explanation for Barnes. "I can assure you that Ensign Barnes will be punished for his assault on your crewman, Commander Tomalak," he said tightly.

"Commander Riker, I am no feanna who was born yesterday," Tomalak said with a scowl. He poked his finger at Riker. "You are either gambling with circumstances you clearly do not understand—or you are disregarding the singular importance of this conference. As far as I am concerned any further acts of violence against my people will be considered an act of war!" He turned on his heel and left the room.

The Chancellor eyed Riker. "Thank you for an entertaining evening, Commander. I trust tomorrow will be just as interesting," he added before leaving.

Thanks again for reading, everyone...