Foreign Foes Part 23

La Forge to Picard. Come in.

Picard closed the door quickly behind him, a little awkwardly, not accustomed to a door that didnt follow orders.A civilian doorlike its owner . He was already surprised Barbara hadnt followed him into the hall.

Civilians. He remembered complaining to his superior for a.s.signing him a ship that would house civilians like some star-skipping starbase. It was dangerous, foolish ... and yet he had coped. Riker had helped with that. Amiable, genial Will Riker who had somehow walked the line between commander and father figure to a crew of families. A line Picard didnt want to look for, let alone find. He was glad to leave that to Will.

Riker. Where were he and Troi? If they were anywhere.

One fiasco at a time,Picard reminded himself as he strode toward the corridor entrance that would lead him to Connors.

Perhaps he should try to contact MacKenzie himself. If Data had been diddling with the frequencies again ... There was an odd happenstance. Data had been acting quite out of character. It was like him to suggest alternativesbut to act on them without authorization. Another officer might, but Data?

No large matter. Picard had endless other problems. Riker and Troi, Worf and the delegates, Zhads death, the Klingon delegates death ... All this had been so well planned. Or so hed thought. The plan had shattered into a thousand shards when Zhad died and took the Klingon with him.

But was Zhad killed or did he commit suicide? That was now a valid concern.

Why? Why would anyone do that?

Barbaras question kept tugging at him. Agood question.

What did the Hidran gain if Worf was implicated? Perhaps the Federation would owe the Hidran? The politicians in the Federation Council might think so.

Maybe it had nothing to do with the Federation. What if such an act of self-sacrifice was for some internal Hidran element that Zhad disagreed with? Or agreed with? It wouldnt be the first time someone scuttled their own ship so as to paint themselves the damaged party.

There were endless possibilities.

The Hidran knew the Federation and the Klingons were allies. If a Klingon who was a Federation citizen murdered the Hidran amba.s.sador, the Klingons themselves may have to disavow such action by supplying the Hidran with what they wanted: the Federation might apply pressure to that end because it was their citizen. Two implications in one.

But which? Did Zhad want to stop the treaty because he was against it, or did he want to a.s.sure the treaty because he thought it would be spoiled?

I suspect you will regret your dealings with the Klingons, Picard. I know I will.

Those had been Zhads last direct words to Picard. Did the Amba.s.sador plot his own death at that point?

So many alternatives, the only one that seemed totally implausible, to Picard at least, was that Worf intended to murder Zhad.

But what if it was an accident? Worf admitted to striking the Hidran. What then?

Which was true?

The mind boggled.

Somehow he had to reason it all out.

Reason. Reason seemed to have evaporated as of late. He had to do something to get logic to condense again.

Without signaling, Picards communicator suddenly spat itself to life.

La Forge to Pic ... om in.

The signal broke itself with static.

Geordi? Why? What was wrong? Picard tapped at the comm badge.

Picard here. Youre breaking up, Mr. La Forge.

Little time, Captain. Jury-rigged comm. Something wrong with Datamy opinion that ... damaged somehow. Hes restricted commun ... is planning to forcibly board the Klingon vessel. I believe . .

. against your orders, sir. Can you confirm?

Picard halted his gait down the corridor.

What? repeat that, La Forge, he ordered, the sharp needle of a headache promising never to fade.

I have given no order to board the Klingon ship, Commander. You are to relieve Mr. Data on my authority.

Static sputtered, filling the narrow corridor with echoing noise.

Captain, do you read me?

I read you, La Forge. Carry out my order!

Captain? If you can hear ... at all ... ease respond.

I read you, Commander. Relieve Data of duty. a.s.sume command and reestablish main Are you attempt ... to signal back? I ca ... no ... as ... cha ...

La Forge! Youre breaking up!

The connection withered into a blank crackle of irritating noise. The captain hit the comm badge again.

Picard toEnterprise.

Nothing.

Picard toEnterprise !

Enterprise, Datahere .

Mister Data, have you released communications as I ordered?

Not yet, sir.

Picard didnt need to ask why.

Commander, are you preparing an away team to board the Klingon vessel?

Yes, sir.

I specifically forbade that plan, didnt I, Commander?

There was a pause.

Specifically, sir, you said I should do whatever I must to get to the bottom of this situation.

Picard didnt need to pause. His actions were clear.

Commander Data, you are hereby relieved of duty.

Relinquish command to the duty officer and report to Bioengineering for a complete diagnostic.

Silence. No static.

Captain, I a.s.sure you I am in perfect running order. If you would allow me to explain I havent time for explanations, Commander. You have your orders. This time make sure you carry them out.

Captain, Data inquired in his normal, even tone, are you under duress?

No Im not under duress, Picard barked.

I believe you are, sir, and I cannot follow a coerced order.

Mr. Data!

There was silence over the comm. No static.

Commander Data, beam me aboard immediately.

I am sorry, sir. I believe you to be giving that order under threat of physical violence. I can not release the white noise transmission blanket under these circ.u.mstances.

Commander, you are relieved of duty. Relinquish command to Mr. La Forge.

I a.s.sure you, Captain, I shall do all in my power to achieve your rescue.Enterpriseout .

The signal chirped closed, and Picard was alone. More alone than he had ever felt.

He jabbed at the comm badge again, twice, and was taunted, panicked by quiet.

It couldnt possibly get any worse, Picard said to himself as he turned back the way hed come. Hed get back to Dr. Crusherhave her call Data and beam up to the ship. Put her in temporary command. Not his first choice, but everyone else was either under arrest, missing, blind or insane.

He chuckled ironically, wondering which he would succ.u.mb to.

A pressure in his back, warm ...

Halt, said a m.u.f.fled, gravely voice from behind him.

Do not reach for your weapon.

Urosk, a phaser pressed into the small of Picards back, pushed the captain forward as he reached his long, orange arm around and wrested the weapon from the Starfleet captains holster.

You will come with me, Picard, Urosk said.

Picard turned slowly around to face the Hidran captain.

Where are my men?

Sleeping.

What did that mean? Unconscious? Dead?

I want to see them.

The time for what you want, Urosk hissed slowly, holding both phasers on Picard now, is at an end.

Chapter Eleven.

BARBARA CLENCHED THE HANDLEof her phaser close to her stomach and tried not to breathe. One overt moveone sound that gave her awayand Picard might die. She watched tacitly as Urosk forced the captain through the hatchway.

The door closed behind them. Picard had said something as Urosk shoved him in, Barbara couldnt tell what.

She anxiously chewed at her lower lip. If only Urosks phaser hadnt been trained so closely on Picard .

. . Then again, the two of them were only centimeters apart. From where she was, pressed into the alcove of a doorway, she wouldnt have been able to target Urosk if hed had a bullseye on his back. All the training shed had with a phaser was the two-hour cla.s.s offered when she purchased one a few years ago.

She knew the settings and what they could do, but even those were on a civilian hand weapon, not the sleek, military one she now held in her sweaty palm. This she had gotten from one of her lease-a-guards.

It looked much more like a Starfleet weapon than her old phaser-pistol, and it was warmer to the touch, pulsing with pent-up energy.

She rose, straightened herself, then quickly shrank back against the wall. Footsteps shuffled. Heavy ones. Another Hidranshifting down the hall toward the door. She could smell the sour mustiness of him as he pa.s.sed. Unnoticed, she pushed out her breath in short, quiet bursts.

Her heart was pounding so loudly she thought that it might give her away. Not the soundthe fact that she might have a heart attack, fall on her own phaser, and vaporize herself and half the building with her.

The Hidran hesitated before joining the others beyond the hatch. He looked from side to side, seemingly apprehensive, then finally disappeared through the door.

Quickly she moved from doorway to doorway up the corridor, carefully watching that hatch for any sound or movement and pausing to hide her form behind any supporting pillar that allowed.

From behind her came a moan and she jumped. In the alcove next to her, crammed between the tight walls, were two men in Starfleet security uniforms. Picards missing crewmen, obviously on the job.

Without a holster for her phaser she had to set the safety and tuck it under her arm as she helped one of them up. She pulled him out into the hall, guiding him to sit against the wall. He groaned a thanks and she did the same for the other. Both had lost their communicator/insignia she noticed.

What happened?

Barbara asked.

The first one she pulled outtall and human with brown curly hairspoke in a raspy voice.