To Storm Heaven - Esther Friesner [31]
Just a brief tour. It wouldn’t do to detain her here too long. She’ll be missed.” “Yes, sir!” Geordi could hardly contain his enthusiastic response to the captain’s orders. He gave Ma’adrys his hand, though the gesture was unnecessary, and led her out of the room. She went with him gladly, only pausing at the door to turn and make a deep obeisance to the others. Then, with a final, inquisitive stare at Lt. Worf, she left.
Commander Riker laid his hands on the table.
“Well, that answers my questions about the Ne’elatians’ honesty,” he said. “They lied to us about Ashkaar, for starters. As for Ma’adrys, why they went to the trouble of kidnapping her from her own world and letting her believe she’d been transported to her idea of heaven—” “So she says,” Valdor broke in. “You yourself admit you can see no reason for our Ne’elatian kindred to do such a thing. Why should they? The girl is ignorant, worthless, the expense of bringing her to Ne’elat is considerable. Why do it?” “Then how would you explain her story, Legate Valdor?” Dr. Crusher asked.
“She must be insane,” the Orakisan answered, his tone implying that he would accept no other explanation.
“She didn’t strike me as irrational,” the doctor said.
“Then she is a very clever liar.” “To what purpose, Legate Valdor?” Captain Picard said. “What does she gain by such a story?” “What would the Ne’elatians gain by lying to us about Ashkaar?” the Orakisan countered smugly.
“Mr. Data, what’s your opinion of the situation?” Captain Picard asked.
“I could not give a satifactory analysis at this point,” the android replied. “There are still too few facts available to make a reliable evaluation.” “Then we will obtain the facts.” Captain Picard rose from his seat. “Dr. Crusher, go after Mr. La Forge and the girl. Offer to show her sickbay and give her a covert examination. If she is from Ashkaar, I want to know what sort of lifeform we’re dealing with.” “A very fascinating one, judging by Geordi’s behavior,” Riker murmured to Dr. Crusher. She gave him one of those 1ooks~ then crisply acknowledged Captain Picard’s order and left.
“Commander Riker, I want you to assemble a small Away Ieam and beam down to the surface of Ashkaar,” Picard continued. “Find the village Ma’adrys comes from and make inquiries—if there is such a village.” “Yes, sir.” Riker, too, rose to his feet. “I’d like to take Mr. Data and Counsellor Troi in order to—” He was interrupted by a signal from the captain’s communicator. Ensign Blumberg’s voice rang out in the conference room: “A message from Udar Kishrit, sir.” “Put it through.” Now the room filled with the Ne’elatian leader’s plummy tones. “Captain Picard, I apologize for this intrusion. I was under the impression that you and our Orakisan brethren were still among us.” He sounded slightly annoyed by this. “I have news for you.” “News?” Ambassador Lelys took notice. “You have found n’vashal!” “All, Ambassador!” Udar Kishrit’s voice changed; even without visual contact it was almost possible to see his sorrowful face. “How I wish—how I pray I might say that?
“No.” Lelys made a gesture of rejection, refusing to accept the words that dashed all her hopes. “There must be some mistake. Your world is not fully settled.
There are parts of it that you can not possibly know.” Her voice rose with her mounting desperation. “I ask—I beg of you, allow Captain Picard to deploy Federation technology to explore every last—” “My dear, dear Ambassador Lelys, to what good?” Udar Kishrit asked, all polite regret. “True, our world is