"And, go."

Elle brought up the phaser, sighted, inhaled, and on the exhale, pulled the trigger. Bullseye. She grinned. "Awwww, yeah."

Riker nodded approval and changed the target specs. Multiple ranged targets. "Go."

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. The automatic counter sounded like a self-checkout scanner at Winco. Elle suddenly craved an Arizona tea. If she passed this test she'd go find one. Surely such a staple of a former world power would be preserved in the replicator, right? She missed her penultimate target by half an inch, overcompensated, and barely hit her last target.

"Focus," Riker said patiently.

"Sorry." Elle shook her head and dropped her arm to readjust the weight of the phaser.

Riker reset the targets. "Let's play Velocity," he suggested.

"Oh, I'm so bad at this," Elle groaned.

"You know Worf is going to test you in moving targets, Elle, and if you're on an away team, the things you're going to be shooting at are not gonna wait around and let you aim."

"I don't want to shoot at moving things," Elle muttered, moving to stand on the balls of her feet.

"I'll take you camping," Riker said, taking up the back-to-back stance. "After two days of MRE's you'll be ready to shoot the first pigeon you see."

"Where are we going camping?" Elle snarked. "Times Square?"

Riker snorted. "Computer, begin round."

And then there was no time to think, only shoot. Elle lost seven to ten.

"Not bad," Riker said, giving her a high-five. "A couple more weeks and you'll be ready for recertification."

Elle handed over the phaser and they left the holodeck. "Is it weird that I prefer my old one?" she asked.

"Not weird at all," Riker assured her. "The 23rd century type-2 phasers are classics. And easier on the wrists."

Elle left him at the armory and went to the simulator. She only needed six more hours in the flight simulator.

-/\-

"I've only watched the movie," Elle whispered to Picard.

"That's all right," he whispered, and handed her a PADD. "You can follow along. This one's context-annotated."

A few yards off, Data continued his performance as Henry V undercover. "No, nor it is not meet he should. For though I speak it to you, I think the king is but a man, as I am. The violet smells to him as it doth to me, in his nakedness he appears but a man. Therefore, his fears, out of doubt, be of the same relish as ours are. Yet no man should possess him with any appearance of fear, lest he, by showing it, should dishearten his army."

"Is that why you're like that?" Elle whispered, side-eyeing Picard.

"Captaincy 101," he whispered back. "Don't tell me Captain Kirk didn't display the same-"

"No, you're right," Elle admitted, missing the play's next few lines.

Data shook his head. "The King is not bound to answer the particular endings of his soldiers, the father of his son, nor the master of his servant."

Picard strode out from behind the tree. "Splendid, Data. Splendid. You're getting better and better."

"Freeze programme. Thank you, sir. I plan to study the performances of Olivier, Branagh, Shapiro, Kullnark-"

Elle rolled her eyes fondly.

Picard shook his head. "Data, you're here to learn about the human condition and there is no better way of doing that than by embracing Shakespeare. But you must discover it through your own performance, not by imitating others."

"See, what'd I tell you?" Elle scolded cheerfully. "Great costume by the way. Love the cloak."

The comm beeped. "Riker to Picard. Sorry to interrupt, sir."

"Go ahead, Number One."

"Sensors are picking up an unidentified craft in the Neutral Zone. It's heading toward Federation space."

All sense of levity and performance vanished. "On our way. Picard out." Picard tapped his commbadge sharply. "We'll get to the rest of the act another time, Data. Computer, file programme and clear."

Elle followed the two out of the holodeck.

"Captain, why should a king wish to pass as a commoner? If he is the leader, should he not be leading?"

"Listen to what Shakespeare is telling you about the man, Data," the captain urged. "A king who had a true feeling for his soldiers would wish to share their fears with them on the eve of battle."

"As a captain does as they patrol the Neutral Zone," Elle put in.

"But on a starship it's not as easy to go undercover," Picard said wryly.

"That's what CMO's, Rec Chiefs, and ship's counselors are for," Elle said. "And ship's barbers."

"And you?" Picard asked, amused.

"And me," Elle said agreeably. "Patrolling the Neutral Zone was getting boring, sir."

"Boring," Picard scoffed.

Data spoke up. "Sir, will I be able to schedule a performance for the crew in the near future?"

Picard hid a smile. "Let's not rush it, shall we?"

Data peeled off to go change, and Elle and Picard headed for the bridge.

"Report," Picard ordered, as soon as they stepped onto the bridge.

"Outpost Sierra Six confirms our readings, sir," Riker said. "They identify it as a Romulan scout ship. Bearing two seven zero mark one four."

"A scout ship? What would a scout ship be doing this far into the Neutral Zone?"

"They're making a run for it," Elle murmured, tracing the trajectory of the scout ship. "Straight for us."

"Captain. Shall we transmit a warning to withdraw, sir?" Worf asked. A second later he said, "Captain, the Romulan is hailing us."

"Open a channel."

They weren't in visual range yet. Just the audio came up, in undeniable Rihannsu accents. "Federation ship, do you read? I require urgent assistance."

"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS-"

"Federation ship. Please, help me. Requesting asylum. Under pursuit."

"Pursuit?" Riker echoed, startled.

"We've reached visual range," Worf reported. "On screen, Captain."

Elle watched in horror as a Romulan warbird decloaked and began to fire at the scout ship.

"Federation craft. Please, you must help me!" the scout ship called.

"We are moving to intercept. Maintain your course and power."

The warbird hit the scoutship again.

"Forty-one seconds to cross," Worf reported.

"As soon as it's on our side, extend our shields to the scoutship," Picard ordered.

The Enterprise extended its shields to protect the tiny green ship. The warbird hovered threateningly, but Picard never faltered. "Romulan vessel, you are now in Federation territory. Unless you withdraw-"

The warbird wheeled around and bolted back across the Neutral Zone.

"No argument?" Riker asked, surprised.

"Fascinating," Elle murmured. "He's finally defected."

"This is the guy you were waiting for?" Riker asked.

Elle nodded.

Picard gave her a wry smile. "Out of everyone on this ship, Elle you've had more direct experience with Romulans than any of us. I'd like you to be present during any interviews."

"How are we going to explain her presence?" Riker asked.

"Bring your kid to work day," Elle suggested, just to watch Picard twitch. She was getting as bad as Riker.

"We will be the ones asking questions," Picard said primly. "Come along."

-/\-

Dr. Crusher and Worf brought their guest to the Observation lounge. He claimed his name was Setal, that he was a low-ranking logistics officer who'd scoped out a potential invasion.

"The humiliating defeat at the Battle of Cheron has not been forgotten. The new leaders have vowed to discard the treaty and claim the Neutral Zone. Nelvana Three is just the first step."

Riker looked increasingly skeptical as Setal laid it out. "You're saying an entire base has already been established there?"

"In forty-eight hours, the reactor core will be online," Setal stressed.

"So the Federation sensors that monitor the Neutral Zone just missed it?"

Setal looked increasingly arrogant. "It would seem so. In two days, a fleet of Romulan warbirds will be within striking distance of fifteen Federation sectors."

"The Federation will not permit that," Worf rumbled.

"Then it is war that we're talking about, isn't it? Destroy the base now and the threat is over."

"It's Levaeri V all over again," Elle muttered to herself.

Setal whipped around to stare at her, wincing at the burns on his neck. "How do you know that base?" he demanded.

Elle raised an eyebrow at him. "How do you know that base, low-level technician?"

He stared at her mutely.

"Elle?" Riker prompted. "What's Levaeri V?"

"A base the Romulans were using to experiment on Vulcans and create telepathic powers in themselves," Elle said. "The Enterprise destroyed it and rescued the Intrepid at the time. That's super-classified by the way, we don't need any record of that."

In her eyeline, Alexa blinked a computer light in recognition, and if one were to look at the recorded video, the last 90 seconds would not be present.

Setal simply stared at her. "How do you know that?" he asked again.

"How do you know that?" Elle repeated. "I've met low-level technicians, and unless your academy is pumping them out with massive insubordination tendencies, they don't talk like that." She looked over at Picard. "He's not telling the truth about who he is. That's not even his real name."

Picard's eyes narrowed. "And who exactly are you?" he questioned.

"Humans do not have telepathy," Setal said firmly, crossing his arms. "This is a trick to unbalance me."

"Humans may not have telepathy but Betazoids do have empathy, and Elle is telling the truth," Troi said calmly. "You are holding back your true identity."

He scowled at them.

"He's Admiral Jarok," Elle said, tired of playing mental chess. "He's being set up. Nelvana Three is completely barren. They fed him disinformation to test his loyalty."

To say that Admiral Jarok lost his temper would be an understatement by several degrees of understatement achieved only by Lemony Snicket four hundred years earlier. The intradermal translator in Elle's arm refused to translate - it just started hissing static, but Elle got the sense she'd just been called something alon the lines of 'devil child.'

"So he's not a sublieutenant," Riker said, mildly impressed with, shall we say, Admiral Jarok's creativity..

"If any sublieutenant acted like that to any captain, enemy race or not, Ael would've had their head," Elle sniggered.

"How do you know any of this?" Jarok finally demanded.

"I have had dealings with Romulans in the past," Elle replied. "And really, Admiral, you're not subtle at all. Neither are the ones who set you up, it's just that they weren't counting on us remembering the events similar to these." She regarded him for a moment. "You are of the Old Guard. You would rather preserve the Empire in the long run, than battle with the Federation to satisfy public opinion."

He retook his seat, suddenly looking weary. "Yes," he said. "I risked everything on that chance. And if it is not true..." He trailed off.

Picard spoke. "Well, I'm sure you are fatigued by your ordeal and you require medical attention. Lieutenant Worf, will you accompany Admiral Jarok to the Sickbay. We will attend to your quarters."

Jarok left without protest.

"I understand now why Captain Kirk didn't let you start fights," Picard said, after a moment of silence.

Elle sniffed. "I didn't start anything. I just cut to the chase."

"The chase being, unfortunately, that we still don't know if it's true or not," Picard said grimly.

"I just said!" Elle said. "It's a ruse."

"Your knowledge is based on an episode," Picard corrected. "It might be true. To maneuver key military and political figures on this scale to get them out of the way is certainly par for the course for Romulans. But it could very well be the truth."

"If the threat at Nelvana Three is real then why did that warbird let Jarok go?" Elle pointed out. "That warbird could've vaporized that scout ship three times over. It's not like we could've done anything, but it let Jarok cross over to Federation space."

"But what is their end goal in all of this?" Troi asked.

"To start a war," Elle replied. "And the flagship of the Federation charging into the Neutral Zone would certainly do it."

"It's always a game of chess with them, isn't it," Picard said. "Well. In the meantime, Mr. La Forge, if you'd take control of the scout ship-"

Off their bow, out of the window, the scout ship exploded. The Enterprise barely even felt it.

Elle blinked. "Forgot about the self-destruct," she said. "Sorry."

La Forge huffed. "Why would he do that?"

Elle gave him a flat look. "He's still our enemy, Geordi, he doesn't want us to actually gain anything from his defection."

"Well then what's the point?" Geordi asked.

"The status quo," Elle replied, leaning forward in her chair. "Like with Ael. Her cousin. T'Cael. The Federation and the Romulans are at equal strength with each other. We gain nothing from outright war, it would only destroy both of us. Those three, and Jarok, recognize that. It's a very, very perilous give-and-take, and they will sacrifice everything, even their own honor, to maintain the honor of their empire." She sat back in her chair, suddenly embarrassed by her speech. "Sorry. It's, uh, soapbox of mine."

"And you expressed it eloquently," Picard said, smiling at her proudly in the same way Spock would tilt his eyebrow. "It still remains to verify as much information as we can, and stay alert to any further movements by the Romulans. Elle, I'd like you to be present at any other interactions with Admiral Jarok, and any communiques by Star Fleet Command."

"Yes, sir," Elle replied.

"Dismissed," Picard said to the room at large.