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Blind Chess	By : madradena Category: Star Trek > The Next Generation Views: 1334 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own ST:TNG, nor the characters. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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By the time Data and Emma got to Earl's living room, the others were already sitting at the fireplace. Earl in his armchair to the left of the fire, the Captain opposite him in another armchair, Juliana and Beverly on the wide couch in between, all of them sipping hot teas. The light was still dim, but the fire painted their faces a delightfully warm orange. Emma smiled at Data and letting his hand go with a last squeeze, sat in the corner of the couch, beside Beverly to the end farther from Earl - she wanted to let the others sit closer and let them listen to him. Data stood behind her putting his hand on the back of the couch, and fighting the urge to slid his hand to her shoulder to tangle in her hair.
Earl caught his gaze "Mr. Data, please sit down, we might be talking for a while, you'll get tired standing." the elder man told him indicating a chair next to the Captain with an encouraging smile, but Data shook his head.
"Thank you, Mr. Mils, I'll be fine here." he said on his silent voice, and they exchanged a small smile with Emma giving Earl the impression that Data didn't want to sit down, because he wanted to be as close to her as possible. It was a heart-warming thought, and the elderly man smiled faintly, but after a moment, looked at Captain Picard with a serious expression.
"I'd like to apologize once again for what happened outside. Gary's a... very nervous young man." he winced looking for the right word.
"Is he your relative?" the Captain asked lowering his cup from his mouth.
"No. As a matter of fact, neither of them are." Earl replied indicating the other people around and inside the building "They're all refugees in a way, just as Emma used to be. I'm trying to give them a home and a purpose. We all have a past involving some sort of a conflict with the regime and a consequent tragedy. Gary lost his brother, his only relative, not so long ago. He learned that he died in prison a week ago. I believe it's understandable that he's upset."
Picard nodded "It is, however..." a disapproving grimace appeared on his face "what I do NOT understand is why does a sixteen-year-old have a weapon in his hand?"
Earl shook his head, but Emma was quicker to reply in his defence "We never give weapons to kids! He must have stolen it or something!"
The old man nodded and went on "Only adults are given weapons, and we only use them for self-defence. To guard this place mostly."
Picard frowned suspiciously "What about the bad reputation of the Resistance? We were told that you're a terrorist group. Is it another lie then?"
Earl glanced away uncomfortably "Well... for the last two years, it's been a lie."
"What happened two years ago?" the Captain asked on a flat tone, almost as if he was conducting an interrogation.
Earl looked into his eyes with a hard expression on his features "I became the leader of the organization." they gazed at him surprised - Juliana amazed - as he went on "I don't tolerate violence. The government is using more than enough of it against the people, there's no point in making them suffer even more. We have other means to get our point across."
"What do these 'other means' involve? If I may ask, that is." Picard asked a little sceptical about all this.
Earl nodded "Of course. We're trying to put things right where the government fails the people they're responsible for. For instance, we're trying to provide for the poor people, who cannot live from the money they make. We're also trying to keep the people informed. After the last papers that reflected oppositional views have been bought by government-supported publishing firms, we decided to make our own daily paper. Of course, it's illegal, but at least, the people can get information from at least one source other than the propaganda."
Beverly was more struck by his first statement "Are there many poor people?" she asked with a sympathetic expression.
"A lot, Bev." Emma replied on a low voice, and they turned to her as she went on "Officially, everybody has a job so that the statistics look good. But actually, the economy doesn't create as many workplaces as it would be needed. For this reason, the government invented the so called public work. People are employed doing pointless jobs like sweeping the streets over and over again or collecting garbage or raking in parks. They're employed for money that's impossible to live on. Earl usually says it's too much to starve to death but not enough to be fed." she looked over to him.
Picard was still very sceptical and suspicious about this whole. "How do you have the resources to provide for these people without using illegal means?"
Earl smiled a little and shrugged "We do use illegal means, Captain Picard. We have a replicator." he turned one of his palms up "It's old. Barely functional. It can't replicate complex molecular structures, but it can provide the raw materials for food and clothing. It's all the hope these people have."
Emma went on seemingly very enthusiastic now about talking about the Resistance "But it's not the only thing we do! We have associates in hospitals who cure the sick secretly with 24th century medicine. Of course, the means are very limited there as well. Sometimes, we can get the diagnosis, but cannot cure the patient, because we have the necessary diagnostic tools - though they're at least a decade old compared to the ones used on the Enterprise - but we cannot replicate the necessary medicines. But the doctors have become quite resourceful in inventing cures that are accessible by 21st century means. I used to work in a hospital where almost all of the doctors worked like that. Those who didn't, just turned a blind eye, because we all knew, everybody benefited from what we were doing. We barely had to keep anything a secret..." she suddenly grew silent and bowed her head "Well, maybe our naiveté was our mistake." she added gloomily almost as if talking only to herself.
"Was this the hospital you mentioned that was raided?" Beverly asked looking at her concerned.
Emma raised her head and nodded, but her face seemed to turn pale even in the soft orange light of the fire "Yes. There was a patient. We knew he was a hard-core supporter of the regime, but we were hoping that if we save his life, he might understand that this whole is wrong! But he..." she bowed her head growing silent again, and Data couldn't help himself, and put his hand gently on her shoulder as an act of comfort. Emma reached up and held his hand gratefully where it rested on her shoulder as Earl went on for her.
"Apparently, saving his life was not enough to convince him that his beliefs were wrong. He reported the doctors that cured him. The hospital was raided, most of the staff is now imprisoned. Two of them executed."
"Executed?" Beverly asked shocked, and the others looked at Earl with the same expression.
"Yes. If somebody's using illegal medicine or any kind of technology beyond that of the 21st century, especially, if that's somehow an alien technology, that's considered treason. And for treason, the judgement can even be capital punishment. It's rare. But it's also part of the propaganda against technology: they use a malfunctioning transporter. The person is beamed to oblivion..."
When Picard could overcome his shock - which his usual carved in stone features didn't let on - he decided to go on playing the attorney of the devil, still not convinced at all of the intentions of the Resistance to be as selfless as they tried to depict it "Premier Jones assured us almost the moment we set foot on Epsilon Four that the prosecutions and judgements made on the sole reason of political beliefs were suspended as soon as he became the Premier. Is that not true then?"
Earl shook his head "I wouldn't believe that too readily, Captain Picard. He might suspend these inhuman practises as long as you're on the planet, but as soon as he gets what he wants, and the Federation doesn't pay close attention... It'd be naiveté to believe that all would not return to 'normal' once again."
Picard put his cup down on the small table in front of them, and leaning forward, he steepled his fingers "What do you think he wants from the Federation?" he asked locking his gaze with Earl's.
Earl looked back at him seemingly honestly puzzled "Don't you know yourself?"
The Captain turned his palms up for a moment "We do have our guesses, of course." he didn't lower his voice indicating that he wanted Earl to understand what he expected from him.
And the older man did understand: "But you'd like to see, if we're ready to share the information we have before you say anything." Earl finished on a low voice and glanced away thoughtfully for a long moment. There was silence all around them in the dimly lit room, only the sounds of the fire could be heard. The old man finally looked back into Picard's eyes "You see, Captain? This is what Epsilon Four does to people. You look around and see that you can trust no one, you're surrounded by lies. And unnoticeably being distrustful becomes second nature. You don't even think about it anymore, you don't conclude that if we didn't trust you, you wouldn't be sitting here at all."
They were stunned by what he said and thinking about it a little, Picard had to admit, Earl was right. He couldn't believe the smoothly going negotiations and the over-helpful nature of the Premier, but on the other hand, he couldn't believe the complete innocence of the Resistance either. He indeed felt he could trust no one, even if it seemed that finally Ms. Jones was willing to prove her trustworthiness for them. Especially, that Counsellor Troi had warned them: if Emma was to choose between the Resistance and Starfleet, she'd choose the former.
Earl nodded understandingly "It's alright, Captain Picard. I'll tell you all that we know. We have no secrets from the Federation." he told them on a silent, resigned voice, and his disappointment was palpable.
Finally, Juliana was the one brave enough to speak up "Oh, just stop this! All of you! We're all on one side for god's sake!" all eyes were fixed on her suddenly, but she didn't waver - she was used to being the center of attention having taught at universities earlier in her life. She started to explain what they'd concluded that evening looking into Earl's eyes determined "Premier Jones told us that the government wants to trade dilithium with the Federation. In exchange for our help in turning the regime into a democratic one. However, we suspect that the reason behind his changing the regime is not the benefit of the people. We analysed all the information we could gather about the commercial businesses of the colony with Data, and we figured that probably the more shallow seated deposits of dilithium, the ones that can be mined with the technology available in the 21st century has already run out, depriving the colony from a very important source of income. We only could guess, but we figured what Premier Jones really wants is the technology to mine the deeper deposits of the mineral. He can legally use the means the Federation would be willing to provide him, if he loosens the rules of using technology beyond the 21st century. It'd make the colony - or we rather suspect - him personally very rich."
Earl watched her first surprised then amazed: she was so full of life, so determined, so trusting - so very different from everybody around him on the colony! Her face was radiant in the golden light of the fire as she spoke! He couldn't help smiling intrigued as he replied "You're right in many of your conclusions, Ms. Tainer."
Juliana straightened her back and looked at him with a small challenging, almost coquettish smile "I'd prefer Doctor Tainer. That is, if you're unwilling to call me on my first name." she told him, and his smile broadened as he nodded.
"Alright, Juliana that is then. You're right in many of your conclusions. Premier Jones does want the technology to mine the deep depos of dilithium. At least as far as the Resistance is knowledgeable. He wants money, wants to keep his power, and it'd give him a financial security never before seen, even by his predecessor. It could aid him in retaining his power a lot more easily than it was for Premier Hague. However, you're also wrong in some of your guesses. We know from escaped prisoners that they'd been working in the dilithium mines even as recently as two weeks ago. I'd guess they haven't run out of dilithium minable with sheer manpower at all."
Juliana shook her head confused: "But it was plain from the data we could gather about the trades that no dilithium have been sold by Epsilon Four in the last month. What do they do with it then?"
"They don't have warp-capable ships, we'd know about them, if they did." Picard added thoughtfully "So they're not using it for their own benefit."
Finally, Data was the one who spoke up breaking the silence "Perhaps, the reason we couldn't find any traces of it being traded is that they're trading with people we cannot track down."
A very uncomfortable expression appeared on the Captain's face "I gather you're implying Romulans, Mr. Data." Data nodded, but Picard shook his head "I find it very difficult to believe that the Romulans would be willing to break the Treaty of Algeron for such an unreliable source of dilithium as a human colony. Do you really think it could happen that they're crossing the Neutral Zone before our very eyes?"
Data shrugged a little "They do have the technology, Sir. And Admiral McKinnley told you that the mission is important AND classified because there is a possibility that this could happen."
A heavy silence descended on the room at that. It wasn't an easy thing to look into the possibility that Romulans were crossing the borders of the Federation unnoticed or that there were people willing to make business with them even for Starfleet officers. Finally, Picard spoke up on a voice lower than he intended "Mr. Mils, do you happen to have any proof of any of our guesses?"
Earl sighed and turned one of his palms up holding his now cold cup in his other hand "Well... if you mean rock-solid proof... no, I don't have any. What we base our guesses on is really the reports of once-prisoners. But their working conditions are so miserable that I wouldn't be surprised if most of what they've told us were only half-true. The matter of the fact is, Captain, you're not the first to mention Romulans in the context of dilithium mining. Two weeks ago, an escaped prisoner told me just before he died from his wounds, that he actually saw a Romulan at the mine, he was working at. But he was delirious when he spoke about it, and since his description of the Romulan was rather obscure, and not entirely Romulan-like as far as I'm knowledgeable in xenobiology, I wouldn't be surprised that he simply saw things in his delirium. Nonetheless, it seems, we have to consider the option."
Beverly propped her chin on her hand thoughtfully "But then why do they need the Federation to get the technology for mining dilithium? If they already have a connection to Romulans - they have the means to mine the ore themselves!"
Juliana shook her head equally thoughtfully "The technology they use is not necessarily the same as the Federation uses. Mining under three thousand meters require a lot of equipment, and a lot of staff to operate it. Mining at around 10 thousand meters, where dilithium is normally found is even more difficult! It'd be a lot easier to do all this legally than trying to do it in secret. I would guess the selling prices can be higher too, if they don't require any assistance in mining the ore. It's a better bargaining standpoint."
The Captain pondered on what they have figured so far "So they get the technology from us, make it legal by changing the regime, and then trade the ore with Romulans. As crazy as it sounds, it's very logical. And so quite believable."
Earl shook his head clasping his fingers around his cup "Believable, Captain, except for the change in the regime. If I were you, I wouldn't wait for that standing on one foot."
To the puzzled expression of the Captain, Data offered the explanation already having heard the saying from Emma "It means that there'd be no point in waiting for that, Captain, it'd never happen."
"Thank you, Mr. Data, I guessed so." the Captain nodded with a tight smile. He then turned back to Earl "So you're saying that is also a lie?"
Earl nodded "He'll only play along with wanting democracy until he has the technology for mining the deeper depos of dilithium in his hands."
"But the people!" Beverly cut in "Won't they be enraged that no 24th century technology can be used apart from the one used for mining?"
Earl smiled at her naiveté "The people are enraged only if the government wants them to be enraged. They're used to lies around them. Their stimuli threshold is amazingly high up where lies are concerned. And they won't know about it directly. There will be rumours, we will write about it in our paper - but that's an illegal source of information, so it's considered less reliable. The government'll just deny it all. They've become quite resourceful in finding something to divert the attention from their dirty business. The last time for example, when we wrote about the fact that the government trades with the Ferengi. There was a new wave of propaganda saying that there are shape-shifter aliens, which already infiltrated the colony. People paid attention to reporting each other to the police, instead of the hypocrisy of the government."
"You mentioned this to us." Picard looked at Emma who sat there slouching listening intently. She wordlessly nodded.
Beverly sighed almost exasperated "So then, what can we do? How can we prevent the Federation from falling into Premier Jones' trap?"
Picard shook his head "Not much without hard evidence. We cannot go back to Admiral McKinnley with our hunches and tell him that we met the leader of an illegal organization who told us rumours about Romulans. He'd laugh into our faces, or worse, he'd ask for the exact location of this place to use it as a bargaining chip in his negotiations with the Premier. No. We need proof. Irrefutable, rock-solid proof."
"We have to look around at the mines." Juliana spoke up on a determined voice. The others looked at her as she went on "If we find shallow seated deposits of the ore, we will at least have indirect proof of what we've been guessing here. And who knows what else we might find there..."
"Agreed." the Captain nodded "Mr. Mils, do you have the coordinates for the mines? We may take a look around."
Earl shook his head "I don't know the coordinates, but I can take you there, if you like. However, I'd rather recommend a visit there tomorrow. It's not a place like the city with lights everywhere. The entrance of the mines are guarded, and without knowing your way around, you could easily be caught. Tomorrow, I can lead you to the mines, moreover I can help you get in and snoop around a bit."
The Captain frowned thinking about it a little then nodded "Maybe even better if we don't beam there. The less people know about where we're going, the better. But are you sure, that you want to get so involved in this, Mr. Mils? If you give us a map..."
Earl's features hardened at that, and he didn't wait for the Captain to finish "A map won't suffice if you encounter something unexpected. I've helped freeing prisoners in the last years, I know the ways of the guards. And I can assure you, without knowing what you could be facing, you won't be able to improvise. It could cost you your lives."
The Captain seemed to concede as he nodded faintly.
After a moment of silence, Beverly spoke up "What about the Admiral? He'll start looking for us the latest in the morning, if we don't report to him, Jean-Luc." she told him troubled.
"You're right. One of us has to go back." he grimaced thoughtfully "Our cover story is that we're looking for Ms. Jones. She and Data surely can't turn up at the residence."
"Doctor Tainer is needed at the mines." Beverly added.
Earl looked at Juliana concerned "Are you sure? We could bring you samples, if you tell us what we need to look for. In the mines, there are harsh conditions: the air is hot and humid, and there are frequent rock slides - not to mention what could happen, if we get caught by any chance. I'd be a lot more calm, if Emma and you stayed here."
Juliana frowned at his protectiveness "Mr. Mils, I've been a geologist for the last thirty or so years, believe me I know more about conditions in a mine-site than any of you here. Thank you for your concern, but I'll definitely be going."
Earl looked over at Emma "What about you, little bird? Is there any way to talk you out of this?"
"Earl, I'm a Starfleet officer. It'll be fine." she smiled at him kindly.
Beverly winced "So it seems, I remained the only expandable figure on the chess-board." she shrugged looking around "And I suppose, it'd be unwise to simply beam back, I should somehow keep up the façade that we're still looking for you." she told Emma.
"Bev, I wouldn't want you to go around in the city all alone. The streets around here aren't the safest." Emma replied quickly and looked over at Picard.
The Captain sighed knowing he would have to let this mission go, if he wanted Beverly to be safe and looked over at Data "Mr. Data, it seems I'll have to leave this mission in your hands."
"Understood, Sir." the android nodded with a deadpan expression.
"Don't take unnecessary risks, just take a look around and get the hell out as fast as you can. Since you'll need to wait for the sunrise, make sure everybody is rested, there's no point in going there and fighting your own fatigue. In the meantime, Beverly and I will attempt to live up to our cover story: we'll stroll around in the city and report to the Admiral from time to time. Not the most interesting part of the mission, but creating a bit of a distraction is necessary to give you some leeway."
Emma and Data nodded their assent, and after some stirring, the company stood. Picard drew Data away for a word, while Emma did the same with Beverly.
Picard looked deeply into Data's eyes "Mr. Data, please don't take offence for what I'm about to say. There will be two civilians and a junior officer not used to away-missions in your team. Two of whom you care about a lot. If you have even the slightest doubt about your capability to handle this mission, tell me now, and we'll think of some other solution."
Data gazed away clearly hit by what the Captain had said then looked at him with a neutral expression "I'm perfectly capable of handling this mission, Captain. Though... I understand your doubts, based on my previous reactions of tonight." he told him on a slightly bemused tone - he was quite disappointed by his own performance of that day, and so he was not very sure of himself either... But to hear that his Captain was doubting him too... he felt a new emotion, he hadn't before: his pride was hurt.
The Captain raised his hands as he tried to clear up any possible misunderstandings "Data, I'm not doubting your abilities. I'm just saying that even someone more experienced in handling strong emotions might have difficulties in a situation you're about to face. If any of them is in any danger, you'll have to think with a cool head, I want you to keep this in mind. You can't afford to be carried away by your emotions. Just try to concentrate on the task at hand."
Data nodded as his heart sank "Understood, Sir." What if Captain Picard was right? What if something WOULD really happen to Emma or his mother? How would he handle that, if he couldn't even handle the fact that Emma was missing for a few hours?
Emma drew Beverly away to a darker corner "Bev, do you have some Complex-C with you?" she asked indicating a certain combination of vitamins and other drugs that usually senior humans would take at Earl's age on a regular basis.
"Let me check." Beverly looked around in her side-bag - she packed in it a lot more than a single tricorder "Here." she pulled out a hypospray "Is it for Mr. Mils?"
Emma nodded "Whenever the Resistance lays its hands on some of it smuggled in, he'd always give it away to others. Now, he's really thin, I don't think he eats well, and judging by his ice-cold hands, his circulation is not very good either. He's not well."
"Do you know of any illnesses that he suffers from?" Beverly asked concerned.
Emma shook her head "No, he's not sick, it's only the fact that he's over 70 in the 21st century." she walked over to Earl who stood there talking to the Captain and Data, and without much ado, she simply pushed the hypospray to the unsuspecting old man's neck and gave him a shot of the substance.
His eyes widened in surprise, he then frowned irritated: "What do you think you're doing?!"
"No arguing, Earl!" she cut him off with blazing eyes "Tomorrow, you'll need to be in top shape. Do you want to go there like 'Hi, all! Could I have a moment before you shoot us? I need to sit down to catch my breath!', or what? Here!" she pushed the spray into his palm "You take one more shot tomorrow morning. And stop grimacing! And rolling your eyes! And sulking!"
Earl looked at Data bemused "Have you ever tried to argue with her and won?"
Data looked away with a very uncomfortable expression - everybody was looking at him with raised eyebrows and repressed smiles "Well... I'm afraid I'll have to wait for such an occasion yet." he admitted silently, and the others laughed. Data raised his shy gaze to look into Emma's eyes cautiously. And as their gazes locked, the world grew silent and distant, and they remained all alone in the universe, as Emma's sulking expression was betrayed by a slow smile.
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Blind Chess