Chapter 23

Later that night, Beverly had woken up curled on her side. Jean-Luc was tucked against her gripping her waist tightly. His breathing was sporadic and she imagined that he was dreaming that he was running. She hoped that he was chasing someone and not being chased himself. He pressed his forehead against her shoulder blade as though he was trying to hide, but then gradually his body relaxed.

He murmured something into her ear, but she couldn't tell if he was awake or not. His arm loosened from around her waist and he brought his hand up to caress her cheek. "Yes," he murmured as if answering someone in his dream. She felt his lips on the back of her neck. She took in a sharp breath as his left hand dropped in between her breasts. He murmured something again, and she pressed her body back into his feeling her heart beat faster under his fingers. They were both aroused now, but she still couldn't tell if he was awake. "Are you awake?" She whispered over her shoulder to him as his hand dropped lower between her legs. He didn't answer and her breathing quickened. He pressed against her and lifted her nightgown….

The immense hooded figure towered above him holding a black globe shaped object in his outstretched arms. He knelt immediately, overpowered by his devotion to his master. "You have been reluctant to leave your lesser world to return to mine …to your world," boomed the voice. "Thus I made you a counterpart. You will need no one else ever," boomed the figure.

Her auburn hair shone as he watched her, turning a fiery red in the fading sunlight. He stroked the side of her cheek as she gazed upon him. At her side was a long staff with a gleaming sharp blade at one end. In her other hand she held a tall bow and on her back was a quiver of arrows. He perceived that in every way she was his equal. This must be the queen he had been searching for. He turned his head to kiss her and she caught his chin in her strong fingers. Her blue eyes quickly clouded with tendrils of black. "Do you pledge to kill the Old King?" she demanded. "Yes," he said, and she gripped his shoulders drawing him to her as her lips greeted his fiercely.

The next morning…

"So, why do you think Barnes is behaving this way?" Riker asked as Troi sat down across from him in the main conference room.

Troi had just met with Ensign Barnes, and looked worried to say the least. "As with Captain Picard, Barnes has been traveling in another reality, for lack of a better word. When he returns to life as we know it-or to life as he used to know it, he finds it harder and harder to relate to what use to be his normal life."

"So when he said he has been battling the Borg he meant he has been dreaming of fighting the Borg-as the Captain has..."

Deanna shook her head. "Not exactly. We envision it as some kind of dream state because they are experiencing these events at night when they should be sleeping. But there are some significant factors which support that this world they are being drawn to each night is quite real."

"Like actual wounds," Riker said. Troi nodded. "So is it actually possible that they are fighting the Borg? If so, why?"

"The significance of the Borg is as yet unclear to Captain Picard, Ensign Barnes, or even to Guinan, who seems to know more about this than anyone."

Riker paused thoughtfully. "We need to keep her in the loop then, Deanna. Any time we get glimpse into this world, I need you to sit down with Guinan, and analyze the data. We need to find out how to stop the Other."

"Agreed," she said.

Riker tapped his fingers on the table distractedly. "I see why Captain Picard was targeted; he found the artifact. But why is Barnes so special?"

"That is yet another disturbing revelation. He's not special. In fact I would guess from sensing his thoughts that Barnes is expendable as far as the Other is concerned, and judging by his intense and single-minded desire to re-enter that world, Ensign Barnes does not seem to mind his lowly status. But there is something even more disturbing, Will...Barnes said that he saw at least fifty other members of the crew when he last experienced the battle."

"So… are you saying the Other is trying to control our entire crew?"

Deanna nodded. "Captain Picard told me that the Other wants him to build an army—presumably to fight the Borg."

Riker sat back heavily in his chair. "What if the Other decides he doesn't want to stop once he has this crew, Deanna? Why not the Romulans…or the Klingons too—why stop with us?"

"Good question," said Troi. "And one I don't suppose we'll know the answer to anytime soon. Another puzzle is why all of the people so far selected by the Other have only minimal connections to Captain Picard. Why not any of us? Why not his command crew? Why not Beverly?"

Riker thought for a few moments. "If I recall before all of this started getting weird, Ensign Barnes professed to be a great admirer of Captain Picard. But many of our young officers are."

"And yet they have very little interaction with him on a daily basis," Troi said thoughtfully. "Put simply, they don't know him, and probably fear him a little bit."

"Meanwhile those of us who are closer to him—not that anyone is really close to Captain Picard—we are the ones who are trying to help him," said Riker. "And the Other is not the least bit interested in us. At least so far."

Troi brightened a bit. "I think you've touched on something here Will. I think that we are a threat to the Other."

"Good. We need to keep it that way." Riker got up and walked around the table, sitting down on the edge of it next to Troi. "Deanna, Admiral Nechayev had a suggestion for how to protect Captain Picard from the Other, at least to get him through the negotiations."

Troi smiled faintly. "But you are hesitant to do so. You are worried about both the Captain…and me."

"Yes, of course I am," he said looking down at her. "You know I wouldn't put you at risk, but…."

"I know you wouldn't put any of us at risk if you didn't have to," she said gently.

"But especially not you," he said taking her hand and squeezing it. She smiled up at him. "Anyway…the Admiral suggested you try some kind of mind-link with the Captain, to try and steady him, or perhaps even to weaken the link with the Other."

Deanna stood up. "Of course I will try it. Whether it will work is unclear however."

"If I were you Counselor, I would reconsider that plan," Guinan said. They looked over to find her standing in the entryway to the conference room. Deanna noted not for the first time that the bartender had impeccable timing.