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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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Juliana sat in the observation lounge ten minutes before the mission briefing was to start and watched the people slowly gathering. First, the Captain with a high ranking Starfleet officer arrived - Juliana recognized his insignia as that of an Admiral's - then Geordi and Riker followed by Deanna and Beverly. She knew them from a few years before, they were a fine crew and as she was watching them talking to each other smiling so kindly - even lovingly - at one another, she thought about how grateful she was to them for becoming the surrogate family of her son. She knew they had given him a lot of love, attention, and care - things she never had a chance to give him. Data arrived the last, only a minute before 8 o'clock, and he and Juliana greeted each other with a warm smile, but he sat at his usual place, next to Geordi and not next to her - a sad reminder for Juliana that he belonged to them not to her.
But she didn't have time to contemplate the loss of a past she could never have had with her son because when everybody was settled - Juliana next to Beverly - the briefing began, and the Captain introduced the two new comers:
"You all know Juliana Tainer, a geologist who would be helping us on this mission and most of you have met Admiral Seth McKinnley who joined us on the Enterprise a few hours ago. He will explain our mission in more detail."
The Admiral was an elderly man well over eighty and had a strangely slouching posture looking at them with his head bowed to the side, and Juliana felt a chill crawling up her spine on looking into his cold gray - almost white - eyes. He tried to straighten his back as much as he could while sitting in the chair and pushed his pointed chin forward:
"I believe we are missing one other person from this briefing before we can commence, Picard." he remarked offhandedly, and his voice didn't leave a better impression in Juliana's mind than anything else about his personality so far...
"Yes, she's..." the Captain began, but then the door opened and no other than Emma stepped in.
Everybody looked at her from where they were sitting around the large table, and she looked back at them startled, wide-eyed. Her shoulders dropped, and she sighed frustrated "Okay... What have I done THIS time?" she asked drawing a ripple of chuckle out of the senior staff. Then her eyes wandered to the Admiral and her jaw dropped "Uncle Seth?" she breathed stepping closer to take a better look at the man.
"Oh, you remember me!" the Admiral smiled and invited her in "Come in, my child! Come in! Take a seat." Emma obeyed and checking around the table, she realized she had no chance to sit next to Data who was watching her every move with a small smile on his lips. Juliana on the other hand motioned to the chair next to her invitingly, and finally Emma sat next to her almost at the end of the table. "I'm surprised you remember me." the Admiral remarked on a strangely soft voice very much at odds with his earlier tone "The last time we met you were in your teens. ...Your father was a good friend. His death was a loss to the whole of Starfleet and a personal tragedy to all who were close to him. My condolences for your loss, Emma."
Deanna sharply turned her head toward Emma at this as she felt a surge of chaotic emotions radiating from her. It was a mixture of hatred, anger and repulsion - and underneath all-consuming fear. She could tell Emma was not prepared to be reminded of her father that morning at all. "Thank you." Emma whispered and turned her gaze downward as if to hide her emotions blazing through her gaze.
The Admiral then went on on a professional voice "So as not to waste more time, let me start right away." Emma still had only one thought in her head - What am I doing here? - but was relieved that at least all eyes now turned from her to him as he started to tell the details of their mission: "Some of you might already know that our destination is the Epsilon system, more precisely the planet Epsilon Four. It used to be a Federation Colony, but years ago, it declared independence and..."
His subsequent words were lost as Emma heard only her own heart-beat hammering in her ears. Did she really hear that well? It must be... She looked at Data desperate to catch his gaze, but he was only looking at the Admiral. Curious and interested in the new mission - so very much like him. He probably had no idea how she felt about this all. About going back to the one place she wanted to be the farthest away from! Had he known where they were going? Had he known and simply didn't tell her? She turned towards Beverly - she did want to say something in the morning, just before Data came in. So they all knew. All of them. And said nothing.
Beverly felt her gaze on herself and turned to her with pleading eyes. Emma turned her gaze away and tried hard to calm her racing heart and swallow the tears of frustration and fear that ran to her eyes so suddenly. She tried to grip some fragment of her clarity of thought she desperately needed now: no matter how near they were to Epsilon, they were still in the skies, she was still on the Enterprise. She would not go down. She would simply stay on board.
"...I don't know how much you know about the political changes that occurred since you've left, Lieutenant Jones." she finally heard her name from the Admiral's lips, and she raised her head as if waking from a dream.
"I... I know nothing..." she said on such a low voice that the others barely heard her. And hearing her friend speak on such a thin voice made Beverly feel even worse. She wished she could just hold her hand and tell her it would be alright.
The Admiral's expression turned incredulous "You haven't talked to your husband ever since you left?"
"We only talked about the divorce. A month ago." Emma answered curtly.
"And he said nothing to you about his rise in power?"
Emma looked around taken aback. Rise in power? What the hell was he talking about?! She gazed around nervously. Everybody was looking at her expecting something from her, something she had no idea how to give! It was as if the others were expecting her to admit to her lying and were waiting for her to finally come out with the truth! "Rise in power? I've no idea what you're talking about." she said on a trembling voice and looked at Data almost as if asking for help. Finally, their gazes met - the first time ever since the name Epsilon Four was uttered. But to her complete dismay, he looked the same way the others did! He was expectant just the same as they were! Even you don't believe me, Deadpan? Even you question me?!
The Admiral snorted seemingly disappointed and went on with his explanation "A few weeks ago the former Premier, Nathaniel Hague died. His aeroplane crashed in the mountains near Ethel city. The circumstances are unclear and some unrest started to develop in the wake of the events. However, just before the situation got out of hand, your husband, Edmond Jones seized the power, and he was elected Premier of Epsilon Four. You really didn't know anything about THAT!"
Emma's lips parted in complete astonishment "I didn't." she whispered and shook her head "He didn't say anything about any of that! We talked only about the divorce. We argued for a while, then the signal broke up because of some interference. We haven't talked since and what difference would that make if I knew about his current position? I want nothing from him anymore!" she asked now showing the desperation Deanna could feel oozing from her in waves.
"We need as much information as it's possible to get before we arrive. And you are the most authentic source since you left only two months ago. Your connection to the current Premier is an invaluable asset to us. This is why it's so important that you recall everything you were talking to him about." the Admiral explained on an ice-cold voice.
Emma shook her head confused "I tell you everything you ask, of course, but I can't tell you what I don't know about." she glanced around the table but apart from Juliana's and Bev's sympathetic gaze, she found no backing up - Data just sat there with his usual, professional unreadable expression that left her even more devastated. Beverly felt her heart broke seeing her friend sitting there so pale and frail as if life was sucked out of her by even mentioning that cursed planet and her husband.
The Admiral ignored Emma's distress and turning to the others, went on "You might know about the fact that the colony's society is a cult of the 21st century. The people of Epsilon lead lives according to the customs and the technology of that era. The ideological backbone of this cult is the belief that in that time, no alien influence interfered with the development of the human race. They believe human DNA is contaminated by contacting alien races, and they wish to go back to the time before that making progress on their own, without any alien influence." he let the others take their time to digest the information. They looked at each other uncomfortably.
"It must be a really friendly place." Riker remarked wincing.
"The most appalling of it all is that they refuse to use any technology beyond the 21st century. Including medical treatments and cures." Beverly added on a shaken voice.
Geordi looked at her frowning "You mean if there's a sickness that could be cured with medical help of our era, they would refuse to use it?"
"Yes, exactly."
"It goes beyond that." Emma added still on a very distant voice "If a citizen of the Epsilon Four colony saw you with your eye-implants, they would report you to the police - and you would be sentenced to imprisonment for making use of illegal technology. Some doctors ended up in jail for refusing to abide by these rules."
Riker grimaced "I still can't understand who would want to live that way. Who would risk falling victim to a sickness or other threat that's non-existent in our era. Or risk the lives of their loved ones." he asked confused.
"Some of the first colonists were fanatical xenophobes. Just like the Premier was." Emma explained almost as if she was only talking to herself "They took their children and family with them to live on Epsilon. As far from Earth as possible. They sincerely believed that they could live better lives without the alien influence the human race is under now. They believe that after the Third World War and the Eugenics War, humanity would have evolved in a very different way it actually did because of the first contact with the Vulcans. Huge billboards, adverts and other means of propaganda still spread the belief that their way of life is the true way the whole of humanity should have followed. And that even if the lives of individual people are difficult, it's still better than being the puppets of aliens. The majority of the population DOES believe that to this day. Some of them however for some reason sobered and were disappointed later on, seeing that whatever the propaganda said, it was far from reality. Others went to the colony to change the minds of their beguiled family members. Later on, these people formed the Resistance. But most of the citizens still believe that living the way they do is the perfect way of living for humans, and that the Resistance is not more than a terrorist organization sponsored by aliens. It's as if the more horrible things happened to them, the more strongly they believed that they were right." she never managed to fully grasp how it was possible that the regime could affect the way people were thinking that much.
Sensing her confusion, Deanna spoke up "The psychology of cults are based strongly on the basis that the more an individual gives from his or her life, the more he or she will bond with the cult. It is simply the affect of mental, physical and emotional investment. If you have given up everything for the sake of a so called 'greater good', it's very difficult to admit that you were wrong in doing that. Because it would mean that you lose even the hope of ever getting anything back in return for your efforts." she explained mostly to Emma.
The Admiral took over once again "Now things are changing as it seems. The old Premier was adamant about keeping to their rules of no alien contact. However, Premier Jones seems to be lenient in his ways. After seizing the power over his opposition, he contacted the Federation. It is yet unclear as to how deep this leniency goes, but it seems he would like to warm the relations between the colony and the Federation. And we are going there to seize that opportunity! He welcomes a small committee of peace to negotiate."
"Can we believe that the change in their political attitude is purely because of the change in power? Or is there another reason behind it? The dissatisfaction of the people perhaps that we are unaware of." the Captain asked.
"No." Emma and the Admiral answered simultaneously.
The Admiral let Emma speak "The people are not important for Edmond Jones. Even if there's any dissatisfaction. However, he never does anything without a good enough reason. He's been living on Epsilon for over ten years. If he didn't have some really urging reason to contact the Federation, he would never have done it." - Deanna squirmed in her chair nervously: it was very difficult to shut out the overwhelming hatred Emma felt while talking about her husband.
"We suspect that they are running out of resources." the Admiral went on "The colony lives mainly from mining the rare minerals found on the planet. They cover their expenses by selling these minerals to human Federation colonies. It is possible that they're running short of minerals that can be mined by using technology of the 21st century."
"What minerals do we know about?" Juliana asked curiously.
Data looked at her to explain, and couldn't help to feel glad about arriving at a topic he was knowledgeable about unlike human ways of deluding each other... "The planet seems to be rich in a variety of valuable minerals and ores. I've attempted to trace all of the colony's commercial businesses to date, and though it was not possible to recover all data, it seems they even had dilithium to sell."
Juliana leaned forward and clasped her hands now really intrigued "It must have made a lot of money for them! With the shortage of dilithium we are facing nowadays, and with it's enormous technical use of being the matter/antimatter regulator in warp engines, it became the most valuable ore currently in commerce for those who want to travel at warp speed." she looked around the table as she went on "However, mining it is a difficult task. With the means they had in the 21st century, I'm surprised they managed to bring any of it up!"
"Ms. Tainer, this will be your job." the Admiral looked into her eyes "We need to know what kind of minerals are on the planet so we can deduce the Premier's intentions."
"Have you tried to scan the planet with a class 1 probe for traker deposits? It's easier to trace than dilithium itself, and is almost always located along dilithium." she asked.
"Yes." Data answered "However, conflicting results came back. There seems to be a kelbonite surface covering over 89 percent of the planet which shields whatever there is underneath. It is impossible to determine what minerals are located under the crust of the planet from our scans. However, tectonic disturbances are fairly common on the planet which might also suggest the presence of dilithium. We have seen such a tectonic effect of dilithium in the Drema sector."
Juliana shook her head "Hmmm... tectonic disturbances might be the result of a thousand other things. We need to go and check around ourselves to make sure." she concluded.
"Exactly, Ms. Tainer. Therefore while I conduct negotiations with the Premier, an away team will examine the resources of the planet. The objective is to learn all that we can about Epsilon Four." the Admiral looked over to Emma "And this is exactly what we need your help with, Ms. Jones."
She raised her eyes and nodded slowly "I tell you all that I can." her voice was calmer now - even though she had to talk about her husband, it seemed she was only required to be an advisor, nothing more. And if there was a chance to change anything on Epsilon, she was willing to help in that!
"Admiral." Picard turned to McKinnley "What are the intentions of the Federation if your negotiations succeed?"
"It all depends on our mission now. If we manage to establish relations, the goal is to build connections as close as possible. We want the colony to be an ally or if it's possible even a part of the Federation."
"Why?" Emma asked frowning confused - this sudden interest somehow managed to wake her from her lethargy... it was all wrong!
"To help the people of the colony of course. Many Earth families are missing their relatives who moved to Epsilon. They want the Federation to take measures against letting the colony drift so apart from the home planet."
"That's bullshit!" Emma suddenly blurted eyes blazing. All eyes were again on her shocked at her tone of voice toward such a high ranking superior.
"Lieutenant!" Picard growled at her on a dangerously low voice.
But she just shook her head "No, Captain, believe me, that's not true! The Federation never gave a flying fart about the colony! When the lunacy with the cult took to a level, where people were imprisoned if they spoke up about an injustice, the colony was still part of the Federation! And nobody ever raised their voice against the outrageous things that were going on! Starfleet gave even less shit for the officers left there trapped, myself included. There's no way this attitude is changed all because some people are missing their loved ones!"
"Emma!" Beverly called to her on a very uncomfortable voice - she was talking to an Admiral for god's sake!
"It's alright, Doctor Crusher. I've known Ms. Jones for a long while - perhaps even a longer while any of you do. It seems she hasn't changed a bit." the Admiral remarked coldly as he leaned forward and stared right into Emma's eyes. "You keep forgetting Lieutenant that it's enough if your superiors know the reasons. You just need to follow the orders. In this case, my orders." The edge in his voice made everybody - except for Data - squirm in their seats uncomfortably.
"I've told you, I would help. You don't need to order me blindly around or to lie! I would want to help those people down there too!" she told him on a low voice "I tell you everything I know."
The Admiral leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers "Unfortunately, Lieutenant, simple talking won't suffice."
Emma's heart sank. No. No, you can't! "What do you mean?" she breathed.
His eyes pierced into her very soul as he replied "Your husband had one condition to starting the negotiations. And that is you visiting him in person. As you are the most knowledgeable about Epsilon Four, you are to accompany the away team and help them with all and every information they would need during the mission, and you would say hello to your long time no see husband as kindly as you possibly can."
"No..." Emma uttered without even thinking beforehand.
"Lieutenant." Picard started but the Admiral raised his hand to silence him - everybody was shocked at the patronizing gesture.
"If you don't do as I say, you'll be relieved of duty." he said on a foreboding voice.
Emma stared into his eyes then glanced at Data who sat there seemingly petrified by the turn of events, and then at Beverly, who looked at her with pleading eyes. She slowly stood. The others looked at her disbelievingly as she reached up for her combadge and took it off. Placing it on the table, she finally said on a silent voice "Then I'm relieved."
Nobody expected the Admiral's reaction, and even Picard shuddered scared when the elder man jumped up from his chair and burst out shouting "Don't you dare play games with me! If you leave this room now, I swear I'll arrange that you'll spend the rest of your life in a Federation prison cell on the charge of treason!"
"I'm not going back to Epsilon Four! Not even if I'll be damned in hell for it!" she retorted.
"Emma, please!" Beverly pleaded.
"You'll pay for this dearly!" the Admiral threatened her once again.
And Emma shook her head with her usual slight smirk "Then until you figure out how somebody who was deprived of everything she ever held precious can pay, she'll be in the brig." then with one last look at Data's disbelieving face, she turned and left. She let her tears fall only when she was in the brig and collapsed on the berth.
Data jumped up from his chair to go after her, but Picard stood too and stopped him.
"Let me, Mr. Data." he asked leaving everybody speechless.
When he was at the door, the Admiral called after him "Picard! You better bring her back, or this mission is over before it could start! And for that, heads will need to fall!"
"I will try to keep that in mind, Admiral McKinnley, thank you." Picard told him on low voice with his usual carved in stone expression on his face and then left to go to the brig.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Blind Chess