Chapter III
"No, that's all right; it's nothing. I'm fine," she stated as Beverly finished using the dermal regenerator. "I sincerely apologize, Ramses is usually very friendly around people. It must be the new environment," the Ambassador explained as the doctor took her pet and then left the room.
Troi frowned, sensing that she wasn't being entirely truthful; but couldn't be certain as to what the newcomer was concealing. "Perhaps you should have taken that into account… shall we return to the matter at hand?" Picard said as he sat back down.
Deanna noted a hint of anger from the Captain and remembered that while he had no objections to most animals, he felt Lincoln's insistence that the feline be with her all the time was overstepping her bounds.
"As you know, the Cardassians have been experiencing difficulties in their government ever since the end of the Dominion War," the Ambassador stated. "Yes, from what I hear; Starfleet is being very cautious in this matter. I can understand their reasons for wanting this vessel to take care of the negotiations," Picard replied. "And they have every right to, which is why I didn't feel that the Enterprise should travel alone. I only wish that Ambassador Worf could've convinced Chancellor Martok to dispatch a vessel for security reasons," she answered.
Deanna detected subtle emotions lurking beneath what the older woman was saying, but perhaps she had a previous history with the Cardassians. She knew Jean-Luc's own experiences with the aliens all too well and hoped that the Captain was putting aside such feelings during their mission.
But perhaps the Ambassador felt similarly. If so, it wouldn't have been the first time Starfleet had chosen a person without a neutral opinion. Then again, who in the Federation doesn't have a partially biased view of the Cardassians? she thought.
Maybe there was something else that the Ambassador was hiding; she couldn't quite place her finger on it yet. "When we arrive at Cardassia Prime, I would appreciate it if some of your crew went down to the surface to inspect the area where we'll hold these talks before the actual process commences. There have been rumors of agents of the Obsidian Order still working behind the scenes who are against this idea," Lincoln explained.
"That doesn't surprise me much. I'm certain that many in the Federation feel the same way," Picard answered. Deanna focused on the woman to see if she reacted because of the Captain's statement, but the Ambassador surprisingly remained neutral. "I do hope that you would not be referring to any of your crew, Captain. The last thing anyone wants is to start a war," the Ambassador said grimly.
"As for your request, I can see to it that my first officer leads an away team to secure the meeting grounds before we get started. It's always wise to check for any unexpected delays," he said with a nod.
"I appreciate your cooperation in this regard, Captain Picard. I hope that this all works out well in the coming days," their guest said, preparing to leave. "Quarters have been prepared for you, our chief of security will show you the way," Picard said, shaking her hand and then Lincoln left without another word.
Deanna sat silently for a moment as he returned to his chair, drinking some of the tea that sat upon his desk before turning to her and asking, "What are your impressions, Counselor?" "Well, Ambassador Lincoln seems to be very sincere. However, she also doesn't want to tell us everything. I'm not sure if that's because of her personal feelings toward the Cardassian Empire or something more. She also doesn't seem to like you either, sir," Troi answered.
"Starfleet usually doesn't tell us everything at once. Perhaps when Ambassador Lincoln gets the chance, she'll reveal everything that we need to know. If not, then I can only assume it's for private reasons," Jean-Luc said dismissively and then added, "Thank you, Counselor."
"There's something else, sir," Deanna stated. "Yes?" Picard asked, noting the concern in her voice and then placing his beverage on the desk. "Before her cat scratched me, I had taken a moment to relax and noticed that I could not sense anything from it," she explained.
"What do you mean?" the Captain replied. "I've had experience dealing with animals before and they share many of the same emotions as we do. But this was different and when I detected this peculiarity, I tried again; but it was as if I was being blocked," Troi answered. "And what do you suppose that this could mean?" he wondered.
"I'm not certain, but it could be that the Ambassador possesses some latent telepathic capability and interfered with my probe," she replied. "I'll keep that in mind," Picard he said. She nodded, exiting his ready room, then glanced at Riker as she took her chair. "What happened in there?" he asked in concern. "I don't think that cat liked me very much and I believe the Ambassador shared his opinion," Deanna said with a shake of her head.
"They both seem to be a bit aloof," the Commander agreed and then added, "I'm not sure if you know this, but Beverly arrived before you cried out. She was there before anything had happened." "That's odd," Troi stated and then sat back and asked, "Where is Worf? I still haven't had a chance to speak with him since he's gotten onboard."
"He's off in his quarters. Probably trying to seclude himself from the rest of us in case we attempt to console him over his loss," Will answered and then said, "But if you want to go and visit, I can handle things around here."
"Thanks," Deanna said, heading to the turbo-lift and then stating, "Deck five." The transport began to move as requested and she reflected on the events in the ready room. One thing was certain, nobody understood any more about Lincoln and her quirks than she did. Perhaps it was nothing and it was simply the newcomer's personality. The transport stopped and she stepped out, pausing for a moment in confusion.
"Deanna, I think the Captain wants you in his ready room," Riker commented. She nodded, headed to the adjacent chamber and then asked, "You wished to see me, sir?" "Yes, I just finished talking with Ambassador Lincoln again about recent developments. I would have liked for you to give me your impressions, but you weren't answering your combadge. Is something wrong, Counselor?" Picard asked.
Deanna shook her head in bewilderment and sat down in the chair before saying, "Sir, this may sound odd… but you've only spoken with Ambassador Lincoln once and I was here then. Don't you remember?" Picard paused for a moment and then said, "Yes… could this be a complication from the wounds Doctor Crusher healed?"
"I'm not certain what's happening, but we're clearly experiencing some sort of temporal anomaly. Will said that Beverly had heard of my injury before it occurred," Deanna stated. "I'll admit that this is somewhat confusing," the Captain agreed and then added, "I'll inform Lieutenant Commander La Forge about your experiences. Perhaps he can get to the bottom of this."
"Thank you, sir," Troi said, trying to remain calm as she returned to the turbolift and tried once more to find Worf. This time, there was no adverse effect as she walked out and pressed the button on the wall by his door. He appeared, still wearing his uniform and then said, "Counselor, this is unexpected." "Will already told me where you were. I wanted to speak to you," she said with a smile.
"Very well, perhaps we should go to your office?" Worf asked. "That'll be fine and this isn't because I think you need therapy or anything. I just wanted to see how you were doing. If it makes you more comfortable, we can set up an appointment for later this afternoon," Troi suggested. "I look forward to it," the Klingon replied with a nod and then returned to his quarters.
Troi shook her head, returning to the bridge and then sitting beside Will as their vessel continued to speed along. He glanced at her in confusion and then said, "I thought that you were going to speak with Worf." "I just did… why?" she asked.
"All I saw you do was walk in and out of those doors," he remarked. She shook her head, entering the Captain's ready room in haste and then said, "I'm sorry to barge in like this… but the anomalies seem to be happening more often." "What are you talking about?" he inquired. "You don't remember our discussion about the possibility that the Enterprise is experiencing temporal anomalies?" she asked.
"I don't believe that I would forget something like that," Picard stated. Deanna thought it over and then realized what had occurred. "Of course you don't… it hasn't happened yet," Troi declared.
"Perhaps you'd better start from the beginning," the Captain advised. "I'm not sure how much I can tell you, since you appeared to be unaware of it the last time we spoke. Or perhaps I should say, following your next discussion with Ambassador Lincoln," the Counselor proclaimed. "That probably will not take place until we enter orbit of Cardassia Prime two days from now. If this situation does exist, we cannot risk placing the ship in danger even to uphold the timeline. However, I can easily insure that I say nothing to indicate a prior conversation if you can tell me why I spoke with you then," Picard suggested.
"I wasn't available to listen in on the discussion for some reason. We won't know more until the time comes," Deanna answered. "We'll start scanning the surrounding area," he offered. "I hope that works, sir. However, since you proposed the same idea during our other discussion; I doubt that it will prove effective," Troi remarked. Rising, she stepped onto the bridge and wearily took her seat once more.
"Care to join me for dinner? You look like you could use a chocolate sundae or two," Will commented. "I'd be delighted. Assuming that we can reach the lounge without ending up in the middle of next week," she responded.
"That is highly unlikely, since the motion of bodies in the universe dictates…" Data began, but cut his dissertation short at a glare from Will. "And here I was hoping for a nice, long cruise to Cardassia Prime. Should've known better," Riker said. Ahead of them, the distance to their destination continued to decrease but Troi couldn't help but feel that whatever was affecting the Enterprise would not only stick with them all the way but might make it almost impossible to complete their assignment successfully.