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Chapter Two:
The day passed slowly for Deanna. She did not know how women without careers managed to occupy themselves day after day. She needed her daily routine to help the hours go by quickly. At first, she tried sleeping in after Worf and Alexander left for the day, but her dreams were filled with images of the Stargazer and the screams of its crew as it collided with the Neibola anomaly. Once she was up, not even a hot chocolate could soothe her nerves, so she decided to go to the exercise gym and do the stretches that were recommended during pregnancy. She found the room empty and somehow the stretches lacked any reward in the absence of companionship.
How many more days must I endure this mundane existence? She wondered, doubting Riker's belief that rest and relaxation was the best thing for her.
When lunchtime finally arrived, she decided to meet Alexander and assess the boy's feelings on becoming a brother. Maybe sharing her wonderful news with someone much younger and more excitable was just what she needed to lift her spirits. "Would you like to join me for lunch?" she asked of him as he met her at the classroom doorway. "It's a special occasion."
Beaming at her, he did not ask for her to explain further. "Of course. It beats eating in the classroom."
As they sat down in Ten-Forward, she officially gave Alexander the news and watched as his eyes lit up with expectancy. "I knew that's what you were so excited about yesterday! I just knew it!"
"Oh, are we telepathic now, too?" They shared a laugh, and for a moment, Deanna felt the melancholy lifting from her. Maybe she could now make it through the rest of her day. "You know, there's a lot of responsibility involved in being a big brother."
"I'm prepared to meet that challenge." Deanna saw the sincerity in his eyes, heard it in his tone. He had lost his real mother at a very early age. More than ever, Deanna was delighted that she could fill that role for him.
"Good. I will not forget this promise."
*****
Although she was officially off-duty, Deanna couldn't resist the urge to stop by her office after lunch and review some old case files. She brought up the transcript of a session with Lieutenant Berlitz from several months ago when the ops officer had herself been granted two weeks leave time after the death of her husband. Deanna watched the recorded session as Corrine, then seven months pregnant, described how she was coping with the loss. "The shock is beginning to wear off," Corrine admitted. "But I don't know how I'm going to raise our child without Robbie. He was my rock, someone I could count on to help get me through the daily struggles."
As she listened to herself telling Berlitz that her friends would be there for her, Deanna tried to believe in her own reassurance. She was not alone. Bowing her head, Deanna continued to listen to the session and wondered why she felt such despair. She had a family and good friends in Riker, Geordi, and Data. She was not alone. Yet even to herself, she had to admit she was now grateful that Dr. Selar was handling concerns from crewmates about the fate of the Stargazer. Deanna tried desperately to cling to some hope that their sister ship would be found, her crew alive and well.
"Stop it!" she chastised herself aloud and the computer mistook it for a command to halt the video playback. Standing and walking away from her desk, Deanna was determined to make some sense out of her day. She approached the replicator and asked to see a list of available items for newborns. Maybe she could occupy herself during her time off by decorating a nursery. Concentrate on the new life and new beginnings.
Then it dawned on her that they would need to move up from a two- to a three-bedroom quarters. She would submit the request tomorrow, a mere formality she was sure. Why would Riker refuse her? "A move," she said with a smile. That could certainly occupy her for a while.
****
"Captain, we are less than thirty minutes from Starbase 17," Berlitz said from her console at ops. "Shall I inform them of our arrival?"
"Yes, Lieutenant. That would be prudent," Riker responded. He turned toward his first officer and said, "I want to dock for a few hours. Hopefully, I can get Admiral Wilson to agree to a conference meeting. I suspect they know more about the anomaly the Stargazer encountered than they're letting on."
"I share your suspicion," Data agreed. "And I also find myself needing to know why. A curious sensation."
Berlitz swivelled in her chair. "Captain, I sent the message successfully as you ordered, but I'm also picking up evidence of a second receiver." She turned back to her console to further study the readings.
"There's another starship approximately one point five million kilometers from our present location."
"Mr. Worf?" Riker asked of his senior tactical officer.
"They have not powered up their weapons," the Klingon said. "But they are moving toward us...." He tapped at his console for several seconds. "It is a Ferengi Marauder. They must know that we possess the pieces to their fallen ship. But how is that possible?"
"Hail the Ferengi, Commander. Let's get some answers."
The Ferengi responded immediately. "I am DaiMon Drek. You have the remains of one of our vessels. We demand that you give it to us."
Riker stood, and adjusting his uniform, approached the viewscreen. "As I recall, you have something called the Ferengi salvage code. Under that law, the remains of your ship have now become Federation property. You'll have to take any disputes up with Admiral Wilson at Starbase 17."
"This is ridiculous! What reason does your people have for wanting to hold on to the flotsam of a non-aligned ship."
"What reason do you have for wanting it back?"
The DaiMon snorted. "We do not have to explain our motives to you."
"Explain how you knew we possessed the remains of your vessel and maybe we'll consider your request." Drek shook his head in disgust, and suddenly, the commlink was severed. Sharing a perplexed stare with his first officer, Riker asked, "What was that about?"
"Curiouser and curiouser, sir," the android replied.
The marauder followed them into the starbase and was granted docking privileges. No doubt, Riker believed, the admiral was as curious about the Ferengi's arrival as he was.
******
"I was a rather pudgy baby," Deanna said. "Well fed." She handed her data padd over to her stepson to show him an image taken of her at six months old. "My mother may be overbearing, but nobody doted on me more as a child than she did."
"What was your father like?" Alexander asked.
Deanna smiled warmly, mentally travelling back to a time just before her father died. At six, nearly seven, she had still been comforted by his tucking her in to bed. Every night, she would beg him to read her a story, and Ian Andrew Troi never deprived his daughter of anything. "He was a wonderful storyteller."
"That's how you came to love the Ancient West."
"Yes, long before I stepped inside my first holographic saloon, I lived it through the words of some of the greatest Earth authors. The ones about unexplored territory were my favorites. I loved how my father got a twinkle in his eye as he read the descriptions of vast uninhibited lands. That played a major role in my decision to join Starfleet."
"Do you think I could read the baby a story from time to time?"
Surprised by the boy's generosity, Deanna took a moment to find her voice. He would make a wonderful husband and father someday himself. "Of course. I'm sure he or she will be proud to have a big brother who is so thoughtful."
Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed by an emotion she could not explain. She gasped and stood from the couch. "You can't have it!" she gasped as she peered out the viewwindow.
"Sok'cheim?" Alexander questioned, his voice tinged with alarm. "What is it?"
Not knowing the answer herself, Deanna watched as a Ferengi Marauder followed them into spacedock. Was something or someone trying to tell her that the Ferengi should not be given the salvage of their own ship? Why? Or was the meaning far too insidious for even an empath to uncover?
"I'm sorry, Alexander," she said, stepping away from the window. "I need to speak with the captain right away."
****
"Deanna, I thought you couldn't read anything from the Ferengi," Riker said after she'd explained her fears to him.
"It's not them I'm sensing. There's something out there. Something or someone that doesn't want us to discover its secrets."
"This thing, do you think it's responsible for the Marauder's destruction?"
Deanna did not need to probe his mind to know he was wondering about the Stargazer. How could they battle an alien they could not see nor hear? Never before had she been so confused about what she was sensing. Could something be trying to ward them off for their protection? "I don't know. Will, I just don't know."
He walked up to her, and wrapping his arms around her, offered her comfort.
****
"This run around is absurd!" DaiMon Drek said as he peered up at the admiral. "Give us back our property!"
Calmly, Admiral Houston turned toward Riker and silently asked for the younger man's input.
"We've thoroughly tested the metal. I don't think we're going to learn anything new from it. Sir, my concern is not with returning the Marauder to the Ferengi, but rather with how they knew to come here."
Both Starfleet men turned toward the Ferengi. "We'll return your salvage, but only if you first permit a thorough search of your ship for any tracking devices."
"Wait!" Drek said. "Okay, I'll hand over the tracking device."
The Ferengi was willing to make the trade....too willing. Riker wondered what else the greedy alien was hiding. "Why is this salvage so important to you?"
"Do you realize how much every piece of DaiMon Teget's ship will be worth on the Ferengi market?"
"Worth more dead than alive?"
"Every Ferengi is-to others, that is."
What a sad culture, Riker thought.
"I see no reason to hold onto the salvage," the admiral said. "It has no value to us." He turned to Riker. "Have a member of your security escort the DaiMon to recover his ship."
Once this order had been carried out, Riker asked the admiral for any further information regarding the Stargazer's status.
"I will discuss the Stargazer matter with you, but this must remain a priority one issue. What I am about to discuss with you is merely conjecture at this point."
"May I at least inquire as to the official status of the Stargazer? Many members of my crew worked under Captain Picard at one time. They need to know.
"We believe that the Stargazer was destroyed, with loss of all hands aboard. We also believe that whoever or whatever was responsible for the anomaly created it, because they do not want us interfering with their technology. Mind you, that will not stop an investigation the matter. However, we must go about it covertly." Houston walked around to the other side of his desk and removed a data padd from his top drawer. "This is what little information we have on the anomaly before it completely collapsed and disappeared."
"Disappeared? Surely, there must be some evidence remaining of its existence." Riker took the padd from his superior and began scrolling through the text and images on the tiny screen. Instantly, he was shocked by what he read. It was as though a hole opened up and then closed itself back up seamlessly. "Do you think this could have been an act of war, sir?"
"Possibly."
"Could the Stargazer, in effect, been taken hostage by this unknown enemy."
"There have been no demands. No threats. We can only speculate until they make the next move.
"We're sitting ducks."
Riker left Starbase 17 feeling a bit disturbed. He could not sense whatever alien force was out there as Deanna could. Trouble was, he couldn't decide which of them was better off.
*****
"What now, sir?" Berlitz asked as the captain took his seat at the center of the bridge.
"Get us far away from the damn Ferengi," Riker replied. The conn officer glanced back to fix him amusedly. "Take us to Apollo IX, maximum warp. We have some colonists to transport back to Earth." A standard, no hassles mission, Riker mused. Right now, he could use something routine.
"Aye, sir." She programmed in the order. "Course laid in....estimated time of arrival: thirteen days, six hours."
"Engage." This duck's going to swim as fast as she can, he mused.
*****
When he entered their quarters, Worf found his wife staring out the viewwindow. Bruskly, he walked up to her and gently placed his arms around her waist. "Are you feeling any better?" He had been concerned earlier when she had approached the captain about the Ferengi, but duty had forced him to hold back his concerns.
She nodded slowly. "Whatever it was that I was sensing is gone now." He felt her shudder slightly. If only there were a way to shield her from the evils of the universe. He felt more protective now than ever with their unborn child to consider. Turning around to embrace him fully, she buried her face against his chest. "I only hope it's gone for good."
They did not speak for the longest time, instead finding comfort in each other's touches. He kissed her tenderly and then hand in hand, they retreated to their bedroom. Lying quietly on their bed, Worf wrapped his arms around his wife as they drifted toward sleep. He hoped she could not sense how afraid he was that this was only the beginning. If something was out there, it would not rest until it had whatever it wanted from them.
