Deanna was tossing and turning in her sleep before waking up drenched in sweat. She sat up gasping for breath.

"Oh, god..." she panted wiping the hair out of her face, where it clang to her wet skin.

The dream was nothing that she could put into words. It was more like a sensation of darkness growing all around her, swallowing her. And she just couldn't escape. Couldn't cry for help. She was engulfed by cold fear.

Just the way she felt on looking into the eyes of Premier Jones.

She got up from her bed and after a shower that eased her tensed up muscles, she went to her living room to have a tea. Nursing her cup in the security of her dimly lit quarters, she felt to be distanced enough from the experience to be able to try to make something out of this whole. She recalled how Jones' gaze attracted hers, when he was about to leave Sickbay. It was ice-cold but strangely familiar. What was this? She shook her head slightly. It wasn't that THAT was the only thing she sensed from the man. She was emphatically aware of him just the same as with everybody else! She could actually feel his anger about the fact that Beverly didn't let him see his wife. Or the contempt he felt for Data... No, it was as if she was reading an ordinary human - whose mind could pull her down into a dark abyss of pure evil. - Was it only because she had preconceptions based on the diabolic description Emma had given her about him? Or was it something else... She pictured his gaze again and felt the darkness enveloping her! Right here! In the security of her room!

She put down her cup and stood. Something was terribly out of place here! And it was surely more than simple preconception of a man described as a bad person by his wife! She needed to find out what it was!

By the time Data arrived on the Bridge, she'd been sitting at one of the science consoles for over two hours.

"Counsellor." he stepped next to her surprised to see her there so early - he knew she'd had the evening shift the day before.

She looked up startled and lay her lower arm down on the console as she turned to him with a tired smile "Data. Are you doing the alpha shift today? I thought Commander Riker will be on duty."

He shook his head "No, Counsellor. I'm not here to do a shift. I am to attend the briefing of the Admiral, commencing in fifteen minutes in the Observation Lounge."

She nodded "I see." The computer chirped, so she turned back to the console screen and went on reading the output of her LCARS search query.

Data took a step closer, and it was enough to read a few lines to know what - whom - she was researching "You're querying files on Premier Jones."

Deanna nodded "I'm trying to find all that I'm able so that maybe a peculiarity might emerge."

"I understand." he nodded and then cocked his head "How have you advanced so far?"

She sighed and shook her head "I've only covered his early years yet." she pushed a button, and Jones' birth certificate appeared. "According to the Office of Global Registry of Planet Earth, his birth place is Paris. So I'm trying to follow his life events from there. But there are some gray spots. I know he'd been studying law at the University of Bordeaux, but then it seems that he dropped out due to some sort of an illness, not specified here. Before that, he attended a boarding school, but before the age of five..." she shook her head "I cannot seem to find anything." she looked at him lost "It might be not important, just some glitch in the databanks. Still it's just strange that so many pieces of information are missing. I've did researches previously several times, but I've never had such difficulty in finding out ALL that is possible about a man. It's as if some of his records were completely missing."

"Have you cross-checked with colony records?" he asked sitting next to her now really curious.

"I haven't actually. I was thinking that if he was born in Paris and went to school there at an early age, he probably was raised on Earth as well." she shrugged lost.

He turned his palm up consciously "Maybe it is worth a try." at her disappointed expression he gave her a tiny smile "Let me check, Counsellor, maybe I can make the databases be... more talkative." Data offered leaning above the keyboard. Deanna smiled as she watched him typing his queries at an awesome speed.

Ten minutes later however, Data was sitting just as perplexed as Deanna had been before. "Most peculiar." he mumbled, and Deanna nodded her assent, when they suddenly heard Captain Picard from behind them.

"What are you so wrapped up in?" he asked with a questioning frown, and Deanna - who was still tensed up from her night terrors - sucked in a startled breath.

"Captain..."

"Uh, sorry, Counsellor, I didn't mean to scare you." he apologized surprised at her being so jumpy.

"It's alright, Captain." she smiled "Actually, we are researching Premier Jones."

"Oh." Picard raised his eyebrows even more surprised.

Data went on to explain "It is possible to follow the events in his life based on the records of the global databases of Earth. However, there are missing time periods. For instance, we do have his birth certificate, but we found nothing about the time between his birth and the age of five. We tried several databases including ones belonging to colonies AND the Federation in general. Even people who live in human colonies or other Federation planets should be possible to be traced in them. But..." he shook his head pursing his lips.

Picard nodded "Well, let me check something!" he asked and leaned over them to reach the keyboard.

After a few key presses and two minutes of querying, the screen was flashing with the label 'Aucun Résultat'. Picard crossed his arms "Hmm... Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"What does that mean, Sir?" Deanna asked confused about the French text desplayed, and Picard explained.

"The Bureau de l'état Civil is the local registry office of the French region. It's located in the metropolitan area of Paris."

"I thought all Earth registry records are handled in the Global Registry, Sir." Data remarked with a confused frown.

"Hmm, yes, Data, but French people like to handle their own records, just to be on the safe side." Picard told them with a pride Deanna knew she would have felt from a hundred light years.

Data on the other hand was not so empathic "To follow the long living tradition of bureaucracy as I understand, Sir." he mused thoughtfully and not noticing Picard's frown he went on "Indeed I've read several accounts of travellers from other regions of Earth, speaking of a system characterized by time-wasting, undisguised obstruction of officials and an exceeding amount of documentation originating from administrations, which often overlap each other." he recalled his memories almost as if he was reading them out.

Picard watched him with a bemusedly raised eyebrow, pursed lips and tightly crossed arms. He patiently waited for Data to finish the inadvertent bashing of his homeland and then explained on a slightly lecturing voice "In our case, Mr. Data, the exceeding amount of documentation is most fortunate." he pointed to the screen "Jones' birth certificate cannot be found in the French registry, and if you cannot be found there, whatever your birth certificate say, you were NOT born in France."

Deanna looked at them intrigued (and a little amused), and Data, ignoring Picard's slightly hurtful tone, started to type some more queries in the same local database. They watched the results now curious "But he does have records here from the age of five." he declared.

"Those records correlate with our findings, Sir." Deanna said excited.

"Every year, a Census is taking place in France." Picard explained pointing to the results "He missed the first four. We can safely deduct, that he first came to France at the age of five. And not a minute sooner." he then looked at them bemused "Which is all very interesting, but we do know that the man is a fraud. So in all honesty, I'm not sure how this new piece of information might help us."

Deanna looked up at him still not discouraged "I want to collect all available data, Sir. Once we see the whole picture, we might find something of use!"

Picard nodded and touched her shoulder appreciative of her tenacity "Proceed, Counsellor. You have my whole-hearted blessing!" She nodded smiling, and he looked at Data "Commander." he tilted his head toward the Observation Lounge.

Data stood with a heavy heart and followed the Captain.


The Observation Lounge was still empty when they stepped in, and Picard stood next to one of the tall windows to look out. Data walked up to him and fixed his gaze on the planet below. It seemed oddly restful to watch the blue and white swirls of the atmosphere after experiencing as a blood-chilling experience as they had in the mines. He felt startled, when he heard the Captain's voice:

"Data, I'm sorry I had no time to find you and talk to you about the events on the planet." Picard began, and Data looked at him with a blank expression.

"It is alright, Captain. You were treated in Sickbay, and I had business to attend to."

Picard turned to him fully and looked at him with a troubled frown "What DID happen down there, Data? Did you really encounter Romulans?"

Data gave him a firm nod and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could go on, the entrance doors slid aside to reveal Juliana, closely followed by Admiral McKinnley - and Premier Jones. Juliana crossed to her son, and Data locked his gaze with hers for a long moment before looking at Jones with a hint of surprise on his otherwise dispassionate face.

And surprise was an emotion that the Captain couldn't help but shared. He stepped forward putting his hand on the back of a chair.

"Admiral, I thought this would be strictly a Starfleet mission briefing. I don't think a civilian like Premier Jones..."

But the Admiral raised his hand to silence him "Back off, Picard! Whatever we're about to discuss here concerns Premier Jones more than anybody. As he is willing to answer all our questions, I believe it's fair to invite him." he motioned with his hand to all of them "Take a seat!"

They all sat down: the admiral at the head of the table, with Jones on one side and Picard at the other. Data sat next to him, and Juliana sat next to her son, almost as if they formed two fronts of a war-zone with the long table in between as the trench.

The Admiral put his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers "As you can see, all who was involved in your little private investigation is here now, except for Lieutenant Jones and Doctor Crusher who asked me to allow her to skip the briefing to attend to the Lieutenant. I whole-heartedly accepted her request, and I hope that Ms. Jones will make a speedy recovery." his words came one after the other almost as if he was reading a piece of tedious legal document.

Data watched Jones' face and frowned seeing a truthfully heartbroken expression turning into a defiant one as if he was fighting his emotions, and suddenly, found himself not entirely sure whether the feelings he displayed were just part of the game, or in fact, true. Then he heard Emma's voice in his head almost as clearly as he would if she'd been there: you're so naive, Deadpan! Of course, he's just playing! - and he decided to go with her opinion instead of trusting his gullibility.

"Thank you, Admiral!" Jones nodded seemingly grateful but grabbed at the opportunity "If I could see her, it would surely help in improving her condition! The presence of loved ones always does!"

At that however, Data's hands came up into fists as he felt as if his biochemical lubricants suddenly overheated merely by hearing such words. He acknowledged that the unsettling sensation might have been similar to what humans described as their blood boil! Strangely enough, it seemed the Admiral did not grant Jones' wishes this time!

"I empathize with your need to be near your wife, but as we have discussed yesterday, Premier, I trust Doctor Crusher's opinion. She is an exceptional medical officer, and if she judges that Ms. Jones cannot be visited, I strongly support abiding by her medical advice."

Jones seemed to withdraw with a bemused expression, and the Admiral turned to Picard. "Let's discuss what we're here for! Whose idea was it to conduct an investigation without my knowledge or approval?" he asked now on a hard voice, his lips were so pursed, they became a straight line.

"Mine, Admiral." the Captain admitted on a low, still firm voice, but before he could go on, the Admiral cut in and didn't let him speak freely.

"Was Ms. Jones' running away a stage-act to conduct this outrageous breach of regulations?"

Picard shook his head "No, Sir. We set out to find her, just as we told you."

"Stop prevaricating, Picard!" the Admiral snapped "I want to know what happened between the time Ms. Jones ran out of the door of the Residence and the time we found you with Doctor Crusher in a detention cell!"

"We met a person, Admiral, who shared information with us severely incriminating mainly Premier Jones, and in general, the government of Epsilon Four. He also accompanied Commander Data's team to the mines and witnessed all that took place there." the Captain answered on an enviably calm voice.

Jones gaped at him bewildered - Data still couldn't decide whether he was just stage-acting his surprise - and the Admiral raised an eyebrow at this.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Admiral. And I believe we can give him a chance to tell all that he knows here, personally to you too. Especially, that civilians are welcome to this meeting." Picard told him challengingly, and having been cornered, the Admiral conceded with a bemused grimace on his face. It actually started to seem, that the old man - though having personal aversions against the Captain and the Enterprise crew - wanted a real investigation here. He was a Starfleet Admiral after all, the Captain mused.

While waiting, Data looked over to his mother and saw that Juliana sat there seemingly scared. It was quite plain that there was no way to tell the whole story without mentioning Earl. But would they be able to protect him, if he became so involved? There was little time to consider the viable options for this, because the door opened, and Earl stepped over the threshold.

All eyes were fixed on him as he stood there with a straight back and undaunted expression.

The Captain stood and motioned for him to come in "With your permission, Admiral, this is Mr. Earl Mils. He ensured me that he is willing to do a testimony on what he knows about the Epsilonian government's dealings at any legal Federation hearing. If we wish him to."

Earl stepped in "Good morning, gentlemen!" he simply said looking at the Admiral who eyed him somewhat suspiciously. Earl finally rested his gaze on Jones. The younger man glared at him with blazing eyes apparently furious.

"This is outrageous, Admiral!" Jones exclaimed "This man is NOT a simple Epsilonian! He is the leader of the Resistance! An illegal organization wishing to overturn the government by force, through blood and violence! He is a convicted criminal on Epsilon Four, personally responsible for the deaths of several dozen people!"

The Admiral looked from him to Earl then back at him again, and after a moment of consideration, he told Jones on a flat tone "I see... Well, if that is true, I understand your reservations, Premier, moreover, I partly share them. However, as long as he is not a criminal under Federation law, the rules require me to hear him out! Premier, you will have your chance to answer and ask questions, because you're a valuable witness in this case. We are merely listening to another such witness."

Jones seemed only milliseconds away from blowing up.

Earl eyed him with a cold expression then a fleeting smile ran over his face "Well... if we are all over our first shocks, I'd take a seat." he even patted the shoulder of the Premier and then sat down at the far end of the table, opposite the Admiral. Picard watched him appreciatively - the old man seemed to have nerves! Earl then steepled his fingers the way the Admiral had just a few minutes ago.

"How did you get involved with the away-team?" the Admiral asked.

"Ms. Tainer, Mr. Picard, Mr. Data and Doctor Crusher were all brought to me by Emma Jones two days ago. I told them about the stories that once-prisoners told me about seeing aliens in the mines, where they were doing forced labor." he turned his gaze to Jones at this who cut in indignant at the words:

"We do NOT have forced labor on Epsilon Four!" he declared.

Juliana gaped at such an outright lie "We DID see them just yesterday in the mines! And you dare deny it?!" she looked around at Data and Earl "We all were there and saw everything!"

Jones looked around and seeing the suspicion growing in the Admiral's gaze as the old man watched him, he realized he needed a change of tactics. He suddenly seemed to have calmed as he sat back in his seat "What you saw, my dear Juliana were public-workers." he replied on a unemotional voice.

"Excuse me?!" Earl gaped disbelievingly.

Jones turned up his palms "Or did you see workers in the deep mine shafts where you, by the way, illegally trespassed?... Hmm..." he chuckled seeing their unsure expressions and shrugged "No, of course, you did not." he then leaned forward and explained on his most professional voice "Prisoners were forced to work ten thousand meters deep in conditions that are unspeakable, before I took over the Premiership. I was the one to replace human workforce with machinery there. People work only in the shallow shafts to mine the shallow deposits of dilithium. Yes, the conditions are harsh, I admit. However, at least, they can make a living from the money they make."

"This is bullshit!" Earl exclaimed "Not one person is allowed to leave once they are brought to the mines! That is by definition forced labour!" he simply could not believe that Jones would deny something as evident as this! It was too much, even from him!

Jones shrugged and steepled his fingers mirroring Earl's earlier gesture of confidence "Miners that you saw sign an annual contract. It is in that contract that nobody is to leave before the contractual term ends, and presently on Epsilon Four, there are no rules or laws to regulate the health conditions of the employees or the general working conditions in mines. I know it seems cruel. It IS cruel. By no means, do I agree with any of this, for this is capitalism at its WORST! However, the current laws of Epsilon Four allow it to happen, because the laws of Earth in the twenty-first century did at some countries too. I didn't vote for such a law, but I have no choice but to abide by it. As I've mentioned several times, for a change to happen, I would need greater support in the government. As you all are well aware, I'm endeavouring to achieve that at present." he looked at the Admiral with an honest expression "You see, Admiral, the Resistance tries to do all that they can to implicate me and undermine my reputation. Mils is doing this mostly for personal reasons for he's been holding a grudge against me ever since we've known each other. Just imagine how unscrupulous a man needs to be to create chaos on a planet at the verge of a revolution just to settle his personal conflicts! But his organization is no better than he is! Though the goals of the Resistance itself might not be so far away from my own, because they want change just as I do, the difference is that, for them, the ends justify the means. For me, they never can!"

When he finally finished, there was a stunned silence in the room. Data and Juliana felt as if there were suddenly two dimensions of the truth! One they actually witnessed with their very eyes on the planet, and one that could have been an interpretation of what they saw. It was a massively disorienting feeling, and they looked at each other suddenly unsure of everything they thought of as carved in stone. Data looked over to the Captain who sat there seemingly just as troubled as they were.

Picard couldn't stop thinking about what Emma had told him in the brig, when she was begging him so desperately not to have any dealings with her husband: "You don't know him Captain Picard. It's like playing a blind game of chess, without knowing his steps or even what your own steps would bring on your head. You don't know what he's capable of." - He answered that she was forgetting that her husband wasn't the only one good at playing games. But were they able to fight somebody who took words, ripped the very heart of their meaning out, then used the corpse as an excuse for his actions? He fixed his gaze on Jones determined: they needed to try!

Before the Captain had a chance to speak up however, the silence was suddenly broken by the unsettling sound of Earl's chuckle.

"Hmm... I should have expected that you'd talk yourself out of anything." he nodded knowingly "How convenient that those nasty laws that cruel Hague implemented are still in effect, isn't it Edmond?" he asked looking into the younger man's eyes.

Jones shook his head seemingly confused "I'm not sure how would any of this be convenient for me, now that I have to explain myself for the faults of my predecessor."

Picard leaned forward in his chair and caught his eyes "Apparently, Mr. Jones, the repercussions of those faults are still widely palpable on your planet! Despite what you claimed that there are no political prisoners on Epsilon Four, Doctor Crusher and I were detained, because we were mistaken for members of the Resistance. We did nothing against the law, and the authorities made no secret about the fact that we got arrested solely because of political reasons. And don't ask me to elaborate on the treatment we received in that facility we were taken to! Despite what you stated in the very first hour of our meeting!"

Jones turned up his palms apologetically "I'm terribly sorry for what you had to endure, Captain Picard, however, I have to refute you. There ARE no political based arrests, YOU were NOT detained for political reasons either! As far as I'm aware, you were arrested because you collaborated in the defacement of a billboard. Under Epsilonian law, that is considered vandalism, which is a prosecuted crime on the planet."

Picard gaped disbelievingly - Jones' reply bordered on cynicism "We did nothing of the kind! Doctor Crusher and I simply defended a young boy, who overwrote a propagandistic political slogan, and for this reason got beaten up by several street thugs."

Jones shook his head "That's most unfortunate, Captain, still. If you accompanied a boy who had committed a crime, it is standard procedure that you got arrested by the authorities. According to Epsilonian law, whether you actually participated in any kind of illegal activity or only witnessed somebody committing one, is determined later on during the investigation."

"An investigation conducted by the use of torture! How can you call that a democratic regime?!" Picard demanded.

Jones seemed sincerely shaken by that. He sighed with a troubled frown "As I've told you, Captain, I'm very sorry for what you and Beverly had to go through." he told them on a low voice full of remorse "And no, by all means, Epsilon Four is not a democratic regime. Yet!" he looked into the eyes of the Captain, then the Admiral as he started to explain "I'm doing all I can to turn it into one. However, we are only at the beginning of the road. There is an instinctual way to the reactions of people who lived under a dictatorship for a long period of time. They will become wary of strangers and everything that seems out of the ordinary. They almost manically cling to order - or what they believe order is. What you had to suffer last night was the product of that instinctual behaviour. No matter that the government passed a law that torture cannot be used as an investigative method. A law is easy to change. The way people act, or think, the system itself... That is hard to change. However, I am determined to finish what I have started. That is the reason I'm here and listening to your accusations and answering all questions you ask me."

The Captain had to admit, he was taken aback by the Premier's reasoning. Or more like about the way he felt that there was truth in his words... It was spine-chilling! He looked over to his right and saw that he was not the only one who was made upset by Jones' explanations. This time, it was Juliana who spoke up infuriated "So then answer this, Mr. Jones! How could we have found Romulans in your mines? How can you be trading with them WITHIN Federation territory? You can explain how your laws are wrong or how the people are hard to change. But THIS is your making! And your making alone!"

"Romulans?!" the Admiral looked at Jones with wide eyes then turning back to the officers "Do you know anything about this Picard?!" he demanded.

"Just as much as you do, Admiral. After listening to all that Mr. Mils had to say, we decided to carry out an investigation before going to you with our hunches. So Commander Data, Lieutenant Jones, Doctor Tainer and Mr. Mils went to the mines to look for hard evidence."

The Admiral growled bemused "While you were trying to mislead your superior about your whereabouts. Don't get illusions Picard! I will not overlook that little detail!" then without waiting for the Captain' reaction, turned to Data "What was it that you found exactly?"

Data looked into his eyes with his calm gaze and started to explain "We did discover alien machinery in the deep shafts, over ten thousand meters deep, in the dilithium mines in the Ridgeback Mountains not far away from Ethel city. Just after finishing our scans, as we were about to leave, Mr. Jones arrived there too. With him came five Romulan soldiers and Commander Sela. They seemed to have had a well-set-up business going on for at least months."

Juliana cut in "Those machines cannot be installed and set up in less than six months! So they must have had dealings for an even longer time than that!"

"Do you have any proof of all that you've found?" the Admiral asked looking at Data with a hard expression.

The android nodded "I have my recordings of Premier Jones and Commander Sela's conversations. And also we have tricorder readings of what we've found down there."

All eyes became fixed on Jones again, who sat there with an unreadable expression. The Admiral turned to him shocked at these news.

"Premier, do you have anything to refute these accusations?" he asked on a low voice seemingly very uncomfortable by this turn of events.

Jones then turned his palms up with mild surprise on his face "REFUTE them? Why would I refute the obvious?" They all gaped at him wide eyed, and he went on barely covering his satisfied smile "Admiral, I never denied having ongoing relations to other species. I've told you the very first time we started our cooperation! I want to bring Epsilon Four out of isolation!"

"But the Romulans are the enemies of the Federation!" the Admiral cut in now clearly upset himself.

Jones leaned forward and started to explain patiently "Admiral McKinnley, I understand that. However, Epsilon Four is currently not part of the Federation of Planets. We are independent. Of course, it is our goal to be a member planet again, but as I understand there is much work ahead of us to be qualified for that. Hence, I'm not bound by any treaty or legal settlement that the Federation signed with any race. Of course, if it's required of us, we can break all communications with the Romulans, but you have to understand that that would have grave consequences on the present state of our economy, meaning that in exchange, the Federation would have to heavily assist us. Right at the moment, that is a hardly viable option because my people are overtly suspicious of everything involved with the Federation. Including Starfleet. And to impose any settlement forcefully on Epsilonians right at the moment... It's risky to say the least. So as you can see, it is a difficult and complex matter." he told them with a slight shrug.

Picard exchanged glances with Data and both men felt they could hardly believe their ears. As if he was an eel, he slipped out of their very hands only by his talent for wielding words! But at least, it seemed that despite the personal affinity the Admiral seemed to have had developed toward the Premier, it didn't affect the older man's judgement. He asked him on.

"But Premier! Epsilon Four is in Federation space! Romulans, who cross the Neutral Zone to visit your planet, breach the Treaty of Algeron! Therefore this setup of matters is completely unacceptable!"

Jones gave him a small apologetic smile "Admiral, as you are well aware, Epsilon Four is not a warp-capable culture. We come from one, BUT we do not have warp-capable ships. At our present stage of technology - the technology of the late 21st century - the farthest we can travel is the last planet of our solar system. We cannot enter Romulan space, NOR the Neutral Zone. As for the Romulans entering Federation space... I suppose it's obvious that Epsilon Four can do little about that. On the contrary, I believe the Federation is supposed to make Romulans abide by the Treaty that they signed. Certainly not us, who DID NOT sign that Treaty."

The Admiral grimaced visibly frustrated "I have to admit... that argument is hard to challenge. The Federation has no basis to call you to account for this. However, you also have to understand that Romulans impose a great threat to the Federation. Especially now, when we have the Dominion to deal with! We cannot afford to have several conflicts going on at the same time on more than one fronts! From now on, the Epsilon sector will be closely monitored! Whether you want it or not, your dealings with Romulans will cease."

Jones nodded "I understand. Please, do whatever you need to do. No grudges are held."

Earl shook his head slightly looking over to Juliana, who sat there visibly bewildered, while Data watched Jones as he talked himself out of all and every one of their charges and accusations dazed. Indeed, Emma kept repeating that they had no idea who they were up against. All of them, even he himself could not fully believe her, thinking that she was only exaggerating. And here they were full of incriminating evidence and confessions, and none of it meant a damn!

Jones seemed to have felt the android's eyes on him, because he looked into his eyes, and after a moment of holding his blank gaze with his own, he asked almost as if he wished to be challenged "Is there anything you wish to ask me, Mr. Data?"

Before long, Data leaned forward and never taking his penetrating gaze off of Jones told him "As a matter of fact, Mr. Jones, there is one thing you cannot say you cannot be held accountable for."

Jones leaned back in his chair almost giving the impression that he was relaxed: "Is that so?" he asked with a patronizing smirk.

"When we encountered you in the mines, you lethally threatened Lieutenant Jones, then tried to shoot Mr. Mils. The disruptor blast finally hit me. You also abandoned us in the mines, ten thousand kilometers underground, amidst a severe tectonic quake!" he stated on his most professional voice.

The Admiral stared at Jones wide-eyed for the second time that day, but the Captain was just as shocked to finally learn what had happened to Data and his team in the mines.

Oddly enough, Jones suddenly started to chuckle. Everybody looked at him as if he had lost his mind, and there was a palpable tension growing with every passing second in a room where the only sound was a might-be murderer's laugh. Finally, the Captain snapped at him:

"What do you find so funny in threatening my people?!"

Jones smiled at him and turned up his palms "It's only the mere insolence that that subordinate of yours displays." he shook his head slightly disbelievingly looking back at Data and snorted "Well, I'll take it as a joke, and overlook it as a simple personal grudge, if you take this back NOW."

The Admiral turned to him questioningly "Do you deny these charges?"

Jones chuckled again "Oh, no. I definitely, don't deny them." he looked into Data's eyes again seemingly trying to determine how he felt, but the android's expression remained emotionless. Jones leaned forward never taking his eyes off of Data "I definitely did all those things. The one small bit that your Commander forgets to mention is what happened BEFORE all those things." with that he loosened his collar and freed his neck from the tie he was wearing.

They gaped at what they saw: there were five fingermarks around Jones' neck visibly blue and black. He fixed his gaze on Data again "I was willing to forget about it, taking it for what it is." he told him on a hiss "A simple gesture of trying to get rid of the competition. But as you brought it up..."

"Our personal conflicts have nothing to do with this!" Data exclaimed finally showing his desperation.

"Nothing to do with it?! You, yourself explained to Sela just HOW motivated you are!" Jones shouted back.

And suddenly, the whole room blew up from several people yelling at each other at the same time.

Earl and Juliana tried to defend Data shouting that he simply tried to defend the ladies still in hiding by keeping Jones in check, Jones shouted his own arguments against their arguments, and the Admiral shouted for all of them to be quiet. The Captain just fixed his gaze on Data, who sat there now clearly ashamed of his deed. No matter that he knew that in that moment he had no other choice, still... he very rarely displayed any kind of violence. Especially not if it was not called for, and indeed, technically speaking, Jones was not directly threatening them in the moment he grabbed the man's neck.

Finally, from among the uproar, Jones' voice arose as he heatedly explained his actions, talking only to Data "...it was an attack impossible to be prepared for or escape! It was so quick, and the grip was so firm that no human could have withstood it! I did NOTHING that would have called for you to almost break my neck! I sent the guards to check around, merely because I wanted to see who else was there with you, TRESPASSING in my mines! You DARE accuse me of threatening my wife?! What other choice did I have?! I knew the only thing keeping you from killing me, if you get the chance, would be her! I would never have hurt her, I only wanted to get out of there alive! With her! But YOU prevented that too, because she went back only for YOU! And why did I shoot at Mils? I did NOT shoot at him, even if it would have been the most prudent thing to do, to kill the man who leads the most violent terrorist group on my planet! But actually, I shot YOU! Because there was no other way to make sure that you wouldn't attack me again! And here you are, sitting in front of me, unscathed after suffering a blow that would kill a mortal being - but not a machine! You dare accuse me of abandoning you?! What other choice did I have in that again?! Who knows what weapons or abilities you have that allow you to kill me from afar, without touching me? How could I have made sure that if I let you enter that lift, by the time we reach the top, we all would have been alive? Just by taking your word for it? Who knows what your intentions can be, even if you promise not to hurt me or anybody else? You are a machine! You may have the ability to speak and promises anything. But machines don't have a soul to have mercy or regrets that would bind you to keep your promise!"

Deadly silence weighed on the room as Data sat there shaken and humiliated by Jones' words. It slowly dawned on him that he no longer had the ability to tell the truth apart from Jones' interpretation, and started to doubt his own memories and with them, himself as well. A tremor ran through him as he heard the Admiral's silent voice:

"Mr. Data, do you have anything to say in your defence?" the old man asked on a strangely silent voice.

Data looked him in the eye, and the Admiral was hit by the innocence his gaze displayed "I only wanted to protect Emma and my mother." he told them on a soft, silent voice "They were still in hiding. Premier Jones ordered the Romulan soldiers to look around for others." he shook his head helplessly "I couldn't let the Romulans find them! Yes, I admit, had I more time, I might have found another, more efficient avenue to protect them. But in that moment, blackmailing the Romulans with the Premier's life seemed the only option that did NOT involve killing or causing serious injury to anybody, AND would stop the Romulans from looking for my mother and Emma. I did NOT intend to kill anybody. No matter how motivated I said I was."

But Jones didn't back off this time! He glared at the Admiral bewildered "You'll let him go with this EXCUSE?! Look at my neck! Does this seem like he had NO intention of killing me?!" he asked again showing around his dark bruises.

The old man raised a dismissive hand without looking at him: "Premier Jones, let ME make my decisions after hearing all the involved parties. Mr. Mils, you were there and witnessed all of this."

Earl took a breath to answer, but Jones cut in "This is outrageous! Mils is not unbiased! He is a convicted criminal and my personal opponent, having been always against my relationship with my wife! How can you take his word in a matter concerning MY truthfulness?!"

The Admiral frowned irritated "Premier Jones, as I've mentioned, I want to hear out all that have witnessed what took place in the mines." he rasped "Mr. Mils, please tell us what you saw."

Earl shook his head indignant "Data never wanted to kill this man. If I was in his place, I would have wanted to, but Data only wanted to protect Em and Juliana. He let Jones go instantly, when he made sure that the ladies will not be harmed. In fact, Jones used that very opportunity to grab hold of Emma and shoot at ME and THEN at Mr. Data. He wanted to kill me, Mr. Data saved my life by taking the blast. Don't be mistaken Admiral! Jones is the real criminal here! HE is the murderer, not me or Mr. Data."

The Admiral again raised his hand indicating that he was not interested in personal opinions "I understand that you developed a certain rapport with Commander Data, Mr. Mils, however, I only need to know the facts. Did Premier Jones do anything that could have been considered as a direct threat against Commander Data, you or the ladies with you? Did he attack you? Shoot at you? At least pointed a gun towards you?"

Earl had to shake his head at this "No, but the Romulans did have guns!"

"I understand Mr. Mils, however, Mr. Data DID NOT attack a Romulan. He attacked Mr. Jones." he looked over to Juliana "Ms. Tainer, is there anything you can add?"

She looked at her son in desperation, but he just sat there staring ahead like a broken wooden doll. She looked back at the Admiral and felt tears forming in her eyes "I didn't see anything. We were still hiding with Emma." she whispered but then shook her head taking a ragged breath "But my son is not a murderer! In fact, he cannot be one! We, his father and I implemented a mechanism in his positronic brain that would allow him to use deadly force ONLY in self-defence." she turned to Jones "I understand that you got scared, Premier. However, the truth is that Data had no ill-will in threatening you - he cannot act out of malice toward anyone! He took the only option that would hurt the least of ALL the parties involved. He is designed to do so."

Jones snorted "The love of a 'mother'... What else would you say, of course..." he crossed his arms in front of him "Well, I don't care how you're trying to cover up his attempting to murder me," he pressed a finger on the table "I'm pressing charges."

The Admiral looked at him with a strict expression "You have a right to do so, Premier, but there's no need for that for now." he then turned to Data "Starfleet will deal with this matter as an internal case. I want a thorough investigation with Doctor Maddox involved. Till it's done, you're going to be detained, Commander."

Juliana gasped shocked, and Picard frowned taken aback "Detained?! But Admiral, in the case of a human, he would only be confined to quarters! There's no need..."

But the Admiral seemed to have run out of patience for that day "If you wish to join him, Picard you may do so!" he snapped "You will also receive a reprimand in your records for misleading a superior. Will it suffice, or what shall it be?!"

And at that, the Captain lost it too! He jumped up from his seat "You may try to silence me, but I refuse to be treated as a snotty kid or let my subordinates be treated like criminals without a sufficiently good reason, Admiral!"

"Captain!" Data called worried that he would bring his own misfortune over one of his best friend's head too.

The Admiral stood too with a deep frown "That is far enough, Picard!"

But the Captain didn't back off "Data did EXACTLY as I or any other Starfleet officer would have done in his place! As his commanding officer, I see nothing wrong with the course of actions he chose. He got all his team members out of the mines, against all odds, in the midst of a terrible earth quake! Moreover he brought valuable information to our knowledge! Without his contribution, how would we know about Romulans inside Federation territory? No matter how well the Premier can explain why they are here, or how he or the government of Epsilon Four has no responsibility in it, the point is that they ARE here! And we know about the fact and can take measures against it exactly because of Data's invaluable contribution to this mission! I refuse to let him be treated as if he did something wrong or unbecoming of a Starfleet officer until you give me a pressing enough reason for it!"

The Admiral held his chin high up but seemed to concede "Very well, Picard, I will state my reasons. But only in private. This meeting is adjourned." he rasped dismissively. They all stood up, and the Admiral called to Juliana "Ms. Tainer, you may remain." At that, she felt her heart pounding hard in her chest. Maybe she could have a chance to protect her son, she needed to grab it! Her spirits however, soon had to sink as the Admiral pressed his commbadge "Security, report to the Observation Lounge!" She looked at Data alarmed and saw as Jones wiped a delighted smile off of his face as he was standing at the door. Her hands came up into fists.

In a matter of seconds, two security officers appeared at the door, and the Admiral gave out his orders "Take Lieutenant Commander Data to the Brig, and double security at his cell."

Picard looked at Data and saw that he had resignation all over his face. The Captain's heart lurched for his friend. And he had to admit for his mother too - it must have been heart-breaking to witness your child to be imprisoned innocently!

The android was about to obediently step over to the guards, when he felt his hand taken. He looked to his side surprised and saw his mother standing there, squeezing his hand in hers. A small, reassuring smile appeared on his features "Please, do not worry, Mother!" he told her silently.

"I won't allow anybody to hurt you!" she whispered swallowing her tears.

He squeezed her hand gently "Mother. Starfleet rescued me, nurtured me, educated me, matured me into the man I am today. It will not injure or destroy me. Just believe in that, alright?" he looked up to meet the Admiral's gaze "As much as I believe in my comrades' good judgement."

With that, he let her hand go, and left with a straight back with the Security officers in waiting.


A/N: If somebody wants to use the means provided by democracy to reach his own goals, is there a way to stop him? - that was the one thing that I kept repeating in my mind while writing this chapter. (Kudos if you got through, by the way.)

It might be wrong, to tell you this, but as I've already mentioned that Jones' character is based on a real politician in my country, so what the heck... The thing is, that every Thursday, THAT politician does a similar farce Jones is putting up here, where he lets himself be bombarded with questions and accusations (by journalists) about the government's dealings, and he talks himself out of everything, even seems to want to be challenged! Frankly speaking, quite frightening to watch... Let's hope that in the 24th century, we'll be able to fight such people! :)

Do review, if you feel like dropping a word! Always wonderful to get feedback! :)