Chapter Nine
Beverly approached her bold Adonis and wrapped her arms around his middle as he meticulously polished the silverware. He placed the last knife down and turned into her warm embrace, taking a moment to study the woman he held as he brushed her hair from her face, he couldn't believe this glorious creature was finally his.
"This is a wonderful idea Jean-Luc. I can't remember the last time we got together like this."
"Indeed. It's also been an age since we've had a lull in urgent assignments too. So much has happened today. In a way I feel like my view on so much has altered. To think we've a sister planet hidden from plain sight. We need to work out what I'm going to say in my report to Starfleet. I want to keep this ensign and explore this further." Beverly took a step back.
"Jean-Luc, we need to be very careful how we approach this. We also don't want to exploit the situation." He sighed. He knew she was right; there was a delicate line that needed to be trod.
"I know, but we also have to offer something to Starfleet to make them bite. If we simply tell them what has happened she will very likely lose her commission. We need to think of something." In perfect timing the door chimed.
"Enter." The doors opened to reveal Deanna and Will carrying a bottle of wine. They wandered in and embraced their friends warmly.
"We should do this more often; take it in turns." Will offered.
"I second that Will." Picard opened the bottle of red and poured them all a glass. "Cheers! I thought we could do with a hearty meal tonight so minted lamb and potatoes it is."
"It smells delicious" Deanna took a deep breath. "If I close my eyes it's enough to make me feel as though we're elsewhere, a small cottage in the woods perhaps. All that's missing is a crackling fire."
"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but we remain in my quarters, and as much as I would like tonight to be all about pleasure, we have a conundrum to discuss." Picard gestured for them all to take a seat.
"Did you come to a decision about Ensign Williams?" Enquired Deanna.
"Not exactly, we got so swept away by the revelation of Tarya, I forgot to ask you what she'd thought of the matter."
"What happened with Ensign Williams?" This was clearly something Beverly had missed.
"It's complicated, I'll fill you in later," offered Deanna. "As far as Tarya is concerned, she insists she wasn't overly bothered by the incident. She believes he's just an overly keen young man who wants to impress and went too far. She wants you to be lenient and kind to him." Will puffed out at the thought.
"The most lenient suggestion I could think of was to place him on probation, making clear he understands why he went too far, and enrol him on a command course, and insist he complete counselling to ensure any underlying issues he may have are identified and, hopefully, dealt with."
"That sounds fair and reasonable."
"Has that helped you make your decision?" Asked Picard.
"If you think it will do, and Tarya is happy, I'll inform him first thing tomorrow... I guess that's one problem down." He took a mouth of the succulent lamb. "Hmmm. This is delicious." He murmured, swilling it down with a swig of wine.
"Yes, it is delicious Jean-Luc," re-iterated Beverly.
"It's an old recipe I found in the archives originating from Wales, I thought it would be an interesting choice."
"Wales?" Puzzled Beverly.
"It's the place on Earth Tarya said reminded her of her home, so I thought why not try a recipe from there tonight."
"Well it's a good choice. If the land is as beautiful as the food is scrumptious, she has good taste."
"And talking of Tarya," added Will. "How are you going to handle your report?"
"Indeed number one..? And a reason I wanted you all here. How did the medical go Dr?"
"It was… interesting to say the least. Her anatomy is very similar to our own. The only major difference is the secondary cardiovascular system. She has a substance in her, like blood, but it's not blood. I've never come across anything like it, I couldn't even make a comparison, but it enables manipulation of their bodies at the cellular level. She can project it too."
"Is it blue?" Interrupted Picard.
"Yes, and it emits a soft light, like an aura or glow. I'm aware of how painfully anti-scientific this sounds, but it's genuinely an enigma to me."
"That must have been the substance she used to activate her necklace."
"What do you mean?" Asked Beverly, curiously.
"Her eyes shone blue and it enabled activation of her necklace. Then an object appeared, as though it had been stored within. She then used the blue substance to activate it. It seems to be very diverse, and useful." Replied Riker.
"Interesting, I wonder if it has any destructive capabilities?" Mused Beverly
"Now that is a worrisome thought." Added Picard.
"When I was examining her, we discussed some of its uses. She said their technology was bio technological and that it is very much engrained, literally throughout their planet, including in vegetation and animals – it bonds them all together in a very unique way. My worry is that if it can be used externally in technology and weaponry, they, and the planet, could be easily exploited. It could become very sort after. Now, I maybe overreacting, but I think until we know more about it, we should err on the side of caution. I am going to recommend her species file be classified for now at the highest level."
"At the highest level?" Queried an astonished Will.
"Yes, if all we know about it so far is it can manipulate cells and control them, be integrated in technology and used as an activation method for items. Who knows what else it can do or what it could be used for? It could be extremely specific to their species and adverse to much manipulation beyond, but equally, I wouldn't like to say it couldn't be adapted or just utilised by anyone. I'm thinking in weaponry, even possibly bioweaponry -there's just too many unknowns."
"I think that is very wise Doctor." Offered Picard. "Until we know more, I will also recommend the highest level of discretion within my report. I really want to know more about this species and world. It's by far one of the most fascinating discoveries, probably of our time. A sister planet, a species that is somehow related to our own; they clearly have some level of advanced technological knowledge that we could perhaps even trade or learn from. Take this ability to shroud between dimensions for example, could it be utilised to cloak ships? It clearly can planets…"
"Jean-Luc, this is where we need to be careful not to exploit and pull back. See this as a first contact opportunity and remember our principles."
"Yes, you are right Beverly, and this is exactly why I wanted you all here tonight. How do we sell this to Starfleet, enable Tarya to keep her commission, assuming she still wants too, and dare I say, please everyone, including her?"
"Jean-Luc, another discovery from her medical was that she had clearly been through any number of horrors at the hand of someone or some group in her not too distant past. Before we suggest using her to contact her people, we need to make sure she wants too and will agree to help us."
"Hmmm… but if we can't offer anything to Starfleet there is a chance they will recall her and interrogate her themselves on the basis of her deception. We need to try and lead this. Offer an opportunity they can't refuse."
"Why don't we invite her here now? See if we can't come to some sort of agreement?"
"Will, she's been through an awful lot today. I'm not sure it's wise." As Beverly spoke, Deanna tried to open her mind to her. She seemed fairly content - bored even.
"It might not be a bad idea. She seems okay at the moment and this informal setting may help her open up."
"We've eaten though; wouldn't it be rude to invite her now?" Queried Beverly.
"We've still got desert and wine. Why don't I go and ask her personally and you guys can clear the Dinner away, if we informally retire to the living area, I think it would work." The looks that shot around seemed affirmative.
"Very well Deanna, see if you can persuade her to join us."
About twenty minutes later Deanna and Tarya arrived at the Captain's quarters. Deanna had advised Tarya to wear informal attire. She looked stunning. She'd chosen a simple black, floor length dress with a red laced, full length cardigan. It was low cut and tight to the waste, accentuating her figure perfectly. It was almost regal.
They all stood to welcome her.
"Thank you for agreeing to come Tarya. This is a very informal meeting as you can see. To be frank, we are having trouble figuring out exactly how we are going to handle your situation. We thought it would be easier to go through our options with you and see if we couldn't come to a workable arrangement." He gestured for her to sit.
"Thank you Captain. Deanna said you were enjoying some wine. I have a bottle I can offer up too if I may." They all looked to one another enthusiastically.
"Please, that would be most appreciated."
"Ha, don't be too hasty, who knows what your taste buds might think." They watched with curiosity as her eyes shone blue again and her necklace seemed to transport a bottle of red wine into her hands. "This is number twelve. We are a very simple society when it comes to naming things, especially wine. It will be hilarious if you don't like this. We only have – or had when I left – seventeen bottles of wine. That was all that had ever been made and accepted into our diapason in our sixty-three thousand year history. It can literally be thousands of years before one is deemed nice enough to be accepted. Either this is exceptional, or we are terrible at fermenting and blending wine." They all laughed. Deanna was very grateful she'd agreed to come. This was the most relaxed she'd been - it seemed like being able to reveal her true identity had lifted a heavy weight.
"Well, I can't wait to sit in judgement," Will jokingly quipped as he swilled the wine in his glass before taking a sip. "Nope, it is exceptional."
"It absolutely is; it's so silky smooth," agreed Picard.
"That is a compliment indeed Tarya, the Captain comes from a family of traditional wine makers. They still make wine to this day." She bowed slightly at the compliment.
"Wait a minute… at your medical you said you were around sixty three thousand years old?" The men were gobsmacked, Riker almost chocked on his wine.
She sighed, "I know, I'm old. I'm the oldest of my people. We have a complicated ageing process. It would be a tedious distraction to go into now though."
"I'm curious, How does your necklace work?" Pondered Deanna.
"This stone is a called sirenscene stone. Everything on our world has a purpose and a property. This stone has retention properties. Our alchemists discovered it can store the cellular patterns of objects, very similar to your transporters - your transporters combined with a data chip I suppose. All of my belongings are stored within. The equanime is the key to unlocking and utilising these properties - as it is all things on our orb."
"How intriguing," considered Picard. "It seems to be a very adaptable substance this equanime." Tarya hesitated at his words.
"Yes and it can be dangerous Captain. In theory I could kill you right now - in seconds… but I won't" If anyone was approaching tipsy, they sobered at her words.
"I could take out an entire ship if I choose too." They all struggled with how to respond.
"You've no reason to trust me, though I'm extremely peaceful. I've killed two people outside of war. The first was when I was a child. It was an accident and it still haunts me to this day. We didn't realise it was even a possibility to project equanime, let alone that it could be destructive. Ever since that incident we'd all agreed it was never to be used for that purpose, unless possibly a life or death situation, though even in those I've never used it. It was also the main reason we put so much effort into studying it and learning how to control it." She flinched at the memory. "The second was in the name of freedom to save the lives of many - we had no choice." Deanna shot her colleagues a look to confirm she was telling the truth. "I'm telling you this because I need to be transparent. If you truly want me to stay still, and possibly work with you in the future, I want to be honest." There remained a few moments of silence.
"We really do appreciate your honesty. If you are to remain with us, we need to convince Starfleet that the benefit outweighs your original deception. This is what we need to figure out."
"What do you want Captain?"
"It's not so much what I want, as appose to what I feel will sway the commission to quickly and quietly forgive and enable us to move forward. I also want you to stay here. If we only give the bare minimum of what happened, you will surely lose your commission and Starfleet will insist on your return for interrogation. Am I right in thinking you'd like to avoid that situation?" She solemnly nodded in confirmation.
"Do you think there's a way we can guarantee your proposal?" She finally asked.
"I do. I think if we sell the proposal of first contact with your species there will be more than enough enthusiasm. I will request we lead the mission with you as ambassador. I am sure I can make that work with what we now know. It will mean having to go to your world though." She thought for a moment with an expression Riker noted may be good for poker at a later date.
"I can do that."
"What will your people think if we just turn up?"
"They trust me wholeheartedly. They rarely question any decision I make; they know I'd never put them in jeopardy."
"You're important aren't you - on your world." Deanna questioned.
"I told you, I am the oldest." She alluded to nothing else, Deanna sensed she was a very humble and modest woman and was severely under exaggerating her influence.
"As long as I get to decide how the first contact is handled, at least initially, I can make it work."
"Something is troubling you though?" Deanna noted.
"I am prepared to trust you and Starfleet to a certain extent, but I wouldn't want information of our world getting out, certainly not straight away, possibly not at all. That is not my decision to make and as a world we are not prepared for all that would entail. At the very least, for now, I'd want it to be solely between us and the need to know in Starfleet."
"Dr Crusher has already recommended that we request all your information to be held at the highest classified level. Considering the circumstances, and due to the connection to our home world and any significance that may hold, I don't think it would be too difficult to persuade them to classify the entire mission and record."
"That would be most appreciated Captain."
"Right then, it sounds like we have a plan of action. If my meeting with the admiralty is successful, I will call a senior officer meeting to confirm our new mission, of course you will be required to attend Ensign. I will keep you fully in the loop about anything that pertains to your world. You have my word on that." Picard raised his glass and they all toasted.