From: lmasterm@cs.ulowell.edu (Lisa Masterman)
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: STORY: "Aeia," part I
Date: 3 Aug 92 13:52:41 GMT


Well, here goes; my first story on the net.  Feel free to send comments and
suggestions to lmasterm@cs.ulowell.edu ...  Part II is written and may come out
later today or tomorrow.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Aeia"

PART ONE

Captain's Log, Stardate 45824.4:  The Enterprise has been assigned
to map a fairly remote region of space close to one extreme of the
Romulan Neutral Zone.  My crew and I have been surprised to discover
in this system a class 'M' planet, something we did not expect to
come across in this largely unexplored sector.  Counselor Troi has
given me reason to believe that there may be some form of
intelligent life waiting undiscovered on the surface.

"Explain, Counselor."

Troi shook her head, looking intensely at the floor as if an
explanation lay hidden beneath the carpet.  "I think there is
something down there.  Something very-"  She broke off, looking up
at the viewscreen for a moment.  A blue-green planet filled the
screen and pushed itself into her mind, along with...  something.
"Something very strong, yet - very elusive."  She turned to face the
captain with a long sigh.  "I can't seem to grasp it; every time I think
I can really sense it, it slips away."

Commander Riker, sitting attentively to the right of the captain,
spoke up.  "Sir, whether there is something down there or not, it
warrants investigation.  There is a class 'M' planet here that no one
knows about."

"Agreed, Number One.  Assemble your away team and report to me if
you find anything."

Riker nodded and stood up briskly, striding across the bridge
towards the turbolift.  He turned to nod to Troi and Data, who rose to
follow him.  Entering the turbolift, he tapped his badge
communicator.  "Riker to Engineering.  Geordi, report for away team
duty," he said as the doors shut.

Troi let her breath out slowly as she felt a sensation like a weight
lifting.  We're headed in the right direction, she thought.

----------------------------------------------------

The team materialized moments later on the crest of a large hill.  To
their right, another hill rose above them with an almost vertical
slope.  In the other direction lay a vast scar on the earth strewn
with rubble and large rocks towards the perimeter.  Before them, a
breathtaking valley opened up, descending steeply to a large lake.
Beyond the lake rose a crescent-shaped ridge of spectacular
mountain cliffs.

Home, thought Troi.  She shook her head again.  Where did THAT
thought come from?

Data was busily scanning their surroundings with his tricorder.
"There are very strange readings coming from within the steep hill
above us.  It is possible that a large network of caverns exist at this
level that extend far below the surface.  There is a propensity of an
element with which I am unfamiliar."

Geordi had walked off towards the rubble to their left.  "What
happened here?"

Data followed him and bent over a cluster of jagged rocks.  After
busying himself with his tricorder for several seconds, he reported,
"It seems to be the ruins of a cluster of artificial structures, sir.
Origin: unknown."

Commander Riker stepped carefully through the rubble.  "Homes?"

"Very possibly, sir," responded the android.  "Further analysis of the
ruins might reveal that information."

"So someone was here," said the Commander quietly.  "Can you
discern any technology?"  He frowned at the stones at his feet.  They
looked like rocks to him.

"At first appraisal the technology of the structures appears to be
rudimentary, but-"

"But?"

"There is insufficient data to say, sir.  I would need to collect more
information to properly reconstruct the original design of the
structures.  Judging from the building materials and the layout of
the ruins, however, one could pose a hypothesis that these
structures were not as simple as they first appear."

"Do you think humanoids lived here?"

"I cannot say, sir."

Riker moved across the strewn rocks to a clearer space.  The valley
spread itself out beneath him.  The area was green, lush, full of life.
He turned back to the ruins, and mused on the irony of such
devastation cohabiting with such beauty.  He rhetorically echoed
Geordi's earlier question: "What happened here?"

"I don't know," answered Geordi from where he crouched beside a
crumbled wall.  "Whatever it was, it didn't happen that long ago.  I'd
say three to five years.  I'll say one thing, though."  He gestured to
the rock he was studying.  It was scarred with phaser marks.  "This
settlement wasn't just abandoned and left to fall apart.  It was
destroyed."

Data looked up from his tricorder.  "That correlates with my
findings, sir."

"Thank you, Data."  Riker glanced over to Troi, who had been standing
quietly on the edge of the ruins, looking over the edge of the knoll.
"Have you sensed anything, Deanna?"

"What I feel hasn't changed," she responded quietly.  "Something's
here, I just don't know where..."  Her voice trailed off as she looked
around her, trying to get a fix on what she sensed.  Her brow
furrowed in frustration.

"If I may, sir?"

Riker returned to the others.  "Go ahead, Data."

"It would appear to be somewhat odd that we have found no other
artifacts."

"Explain."

"Archaeological ruins are usually accompanied by the many elements
of daily life: cooking implements, discarded trash, personal
belongings...  We have found no such objects in these ruins."

"Maybe they took everything with them," suggested Geordi.

"That is a possibility," admitted Data, "but it is unlikely, since these
ruins suffered some form of attack."

"What if they knew the attack was coming?" Riker asked.

"But why take every single thing?" said Troi from the edge of the
ruins.  "And if there was no one and nothing here, then why attack
the settlement?"

"Maybe there WASN'T anyone here," said Geordi.  "I mean, we haven't
found any bones or remains of any kind."

"It is possible that the enemy or predatory animals removed the
bodies of the slain," said Data.

"And it is possible that the enemy could have taken everything from
their homes," said Troi.  She frowned, thinking that their line of
reasoning wasn't getting them any further.

Geordi voiced her thoughts as he sat down upon one of the larger
rocks.  "Doesn't look like we're finding any answers.  Only more
questions."

Data walked over to the far edge of the ruins and busied himself
with his tricorder.  "Commander," he said, "I am still detecting
unusual readings from this hill.  There is definitely an unfamiliar
element here, buried beneath the surface."

Riker surveyed the steep hillside that rose from the edge of the
ruins.  "You say there are caves in there?"

Data paused for a moment as he examined the readings on his
tricorder.  "Affirmative, sir."

"Is there any way of accessing the caves?"

"Yes, sir," said the android as he strode away from the ruins.  The
rest of the away team followed him.

Moments later, they were walking along the sandy and rock-strewn
floor of a dark passageway beneath the surface of the hill.  The only
light was that emitted from their hand-held lamps, but the beams
were reflected off of the surfaces of the rock around them and more
than amply illuminated their way.  The walls were uneven, with
large pieces of crystal jutting from the rock and jagged, angular
surfaces reflecting and bouncing their lights with prismatic effects.
The ceiling arced two to three feet above their heads, echoing the
sounds of their movements.

Riker's communicator chirped.  "Report, Number One," spoke Captain
Picard's voice.

The Commander tapped his badge in a brisk motion.  "We've just
entered a series of caves, Captain.  We found some old ruins outside,
but were unable to gather much information from them.  We're hoping
that the caves will provide us with some answers."

"Captain," spoke Data from where he stood next to one wall, "the
passageway seems to be carved through a crystalline substance
unfamiliar to me.  The molecular structure is very dense."

"The Enterprise's scanners have detected this substance," said the
Captain's voice.  "What can you tell me about it?"

"I've never seen anything like it," said Geordi.  "It has a very complex
cell structure, very rigid.  The crystal in the walls is almost
flawless...  This stuff must be harder by a factor of ten than the
hardest substance known to Federation science!"

"Actually," corrected Data, "my initial findings would indicate that
it is harder by a factor of-"

"Save it, Data," interrupted the Commander.

"Very well," spoke the Captain's voice.  "Keep me apprised."

"Understood, sir; Riker out."  Riker turned to Data.  "You said that
this passageway was carved?"

"It is highly improbable that it was formed by chance, sir.  I see no
evidence of the crystal being cut, however.  The surfaces are very
smooth, and no rudimentary tools have been used to alter them."

"It also seems highly improbable," mused Geordi, "that the same
people who built those structures out there are responsible for
what's in here.  Whoever carved their way through this stuff has to
be in possession of considerable technology.  They wouldn't be living
in rocks."

"Let's continue," spoke up Troi.  Her companions agreed and they
proceeded along the corridor.

Their progress was abruptly halted a moment later when the
passageway was terminated unexpectedly by a pile of boulders and
rock fragments that reached the ceiling of the tunnel.  Troi's face
betrayed her disappointment.  She genuinely believed that they had
been approaching something - the same something that she had
sensed before.

Riker climbed onto one of the rocks for a better vantage point to
where the pile met the ceiling.  "Data, is there anything beyond
this?"

"Unknown, Commander.  The properties of the rock seem to be
interfering with the tricorder's sensors.  The problem has been
slowly growing worse as we go further beneath the surface."

"I think I may have found a way through," called Geordi.  He had
climbed up the pile, and was working his way towards the left wall.
"It will be a tight squeeze," he warned.

"What's beyond the barrier?" asked the Commander.

"I don't know.  Looks like it opens up into a chamber of some sort.
Hold on, let me get through..."  For a few seconds, the Chief Engineer
scrambled across sliding rocks, working his way through
the hole.  He disappeared from sight.  "It is a chamber," he shouted
from the other side.  There was a moment of silence, and then he
added, "Commander, I think you should see this."

Riker worked his way over to where Geordi had been, and began to
clamber through the hole.  Troi followed, and Data came through last.

The chamber beyond was not very large.  The ceiling and walls only
expanded slightly from the dimensions they had held along the
corridor.  Another passageway led off from the chamber, banking out
of sight.  What had caught the Chief Engineer's attention, however,
was located right in the center of the chamber: a giant crystal was
laid lengthwise into a stone mount.  There was someone inside.

"She was young," commented Geordi as he shone his light into the
crystal.

"Do you think that they - whoever they are - built these passageways
just to bury her?" Riker asked.

Data cocked his head to the left.  "I assume, Commander, that you are
thinking of a parallel to the ancient stone pyramids of Earth's
historic Egyptians?  If I may, sir, I would like to hazard a conjecture
that would negate your statement.  Tricorder readings indicate some
energy emissions which do not match the pattern of the other
foreign substances in the cave.  They could be indications that this
girl is not dead."

"You're right, Data," said Troi.  "I think she is what I sensed.  She was
calling to me..."

Geordi leaned down to examine the rock.  "If she's not dead, then
what is she?  She's encased in solid crystal."

"Some form of suspended animation?" suggested Riker.

"That is possible," responded Data.  "However, sir, it would not
explain why the tricorder can detect the living tissue inside the
crystal, even with its sensor abilities hampered.  It would also not
explain why she was 'summoning' Counselor Troi."

"I think I may have your answer," interrupted Geordi.  He was
standing down by where the feet of the encased woman were; his
light shone upon a rock that had landed upon the crystal.  "This stuff
is hard, but not as hard as the substance in the walls here.  There's a
minute crack in the crystal down along her right leg."

"If the integrity of the crystal has been damaged, then the state of
suspension could have been broken," suggested Data.

Geordi frowned.  "But she's still encased in crystal.  If she came back
like this, she couldn't possibly survive."

Troi's hand wasn't fast enough in covering her mouth to conceal her
gasp.  She both recognized the logic in Geordi's words and sensed
their truth.  "She's dying!"

Riker briskly tapped his badge.  "Riker to Enterprise."  There was
silence.

"The foreign substance must be interfering with communication,
Commander," said Data.

"Go back towards the entrance and see if you can reach the
Enterprise, Geordi.  Tell Dr. Crusher we have a possible medical
emergency.  Data, see if you can widen the opening a little so the
medical team can get through."  He regarded the cold crystal in front
of him for a while.  Barely visible in the darkness, a pale face could
be seen within.  "We may have to carry her out."

As Geordi and Data left the chamber, Troi circled around the crystal
form.  Her hand reached out cautiously to touch the smooth surface.
It was cold to her fingertips.

Riker regarded her silently for a moment.  "Is she in pain?" he asked
gently.

Troi's dark eyes, shadowed by the poor light in the cavern, grew
darker still.  She shook her head, letting her midnight black curls
fall in front of her shoulders.  "I don't know," she said in a voice that
was more breath than sound.

Just then the quiet was disturbed by the loud clamor of Data's
efforts on the rockpile.  He returned shortly, followed by Lieutenant
LaForge.  "The opening is now sufficiently larger," reported the
android.

"Dr. Crusher will be here soon," added Geordi.  He looked across at
the crystal.  It was drawing their regards, absorbing them in its dark
depths.  "I told her to bring some anti-grav units, in case we have to
move this out by hand."

Riker nodded in response.  The team regarded the crystal in silence
for a few moments.

The falling of loose rock announced the arrival of the medical team.
While two junior medical officers stood by, Dr. Crusher ran her
instruments over the crystal to no avail.  "I can read something, life
signs perhaps, but nothing I can make sense of," she stated in
frustration.

"The substance this cave is made of is interfering with a lot of our
equipment," explained Riker.  "Can you get her out?"

The CMO shoved her useless instrument into her pocket and frowned
at the Commander.  She shook her head.  "I don't even know how she
got in there, or what's keeping her alive, if she is indeed still alive."

"She is," Troi said quietly.

"Could we cut her out, and bring the crystal back for examination on
board the Enterprise?" asked Riker.

Dr. Crusher signaled 'no' with her head.  "There's no way of telling
how interfering with the crystal structure will affect her stasis.
Our best bet is to try and remove her here, carry her body out to the
entrance, and then transport her to sick bay.  But if she is still alive,
I'm not sure she'd survive any one of those steps."

"We have to try," said Troi.

Dr. Crusher regarded the Counselor for a moment, and then signaled
her medical team to approach the crystal.  "I'll do my best," she said.

"That's the most she could ask for," observed Geordi.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Aeia"

PART TWO

Lieutenant Commander Data approached the medical team.  "Doctor,
if I may make a suggestion."

"Yes, Data?"

"If we could exploit the piezoelectric effect, we could cause the
crystal to oscillate to the point of disintegration."

"That's right!" said Geordi enthusiastically.  Noting the blank looks of
the CMO, Counselor Troi, and his commanding officer, he explained:
"Each crystal has a resonant frequency.  If you impose a voltage
across the crystal which is varying at its resonant frequency, the
internal structure of the crystal will start to vibrate.  If the
amplitude of the vibrations is sufficient, the structure will
disintegrate."

"Can we do this without harming the girl?" asked Dr. Crusher.

"I cannot say," responded the android.

"If it  will work, it is worth a try," said Counselor Troi.  "It may be
her only chance."

Dr. Crusher nodded grimly.  She could see no other viable alternative.

Riker turned to the other members of his away team.  "Data, Geordi,
can you do it with the equipment we have here?"

"Affirmative, Commander," said Data.

"Then do it."

"If the equipment still works," added Geordi as he bent over the
form.  He and Data worked quickly, placing the instruments on the
crystal.  Data calculated the proper frequency and turned the voltage
on.  There was a brief hum, and suddenly the crystal collapsed.

All moved forward at once to clear the shards from the girl.  "Pick
her up, Data," commanded Dr. Crusher.  The android reached forward
and lifted the slender form from the shattered remains of the
crystal and held her while Dr. Crusher scanned her body with a
lightning pass of her instruments.  "Damn this crystal," she muttered
under her breath.  Shoving the instruments back into her pocket, she
pressed her fingers against the neck; only a couple of seconds were
required before a weak yet familiar pressure passed beneath her
fingertips.  "She's got a pulse," she announced, "but she won't have it
for long.  Let's get her out of here."

"Data," ordered Riker, "carry her to the entrance.  We'll follow."

The android walked in brisk steps towards the entrance with Dr.
Crusher and her two assistants on his heels.  "Enterprise," shouted
Dr. Crusher's voice once she'd disappeared.  "Enterprise!"  Finally
there must have been a response, for her voice continued: "Five to
beam to Sick Bay; Medical Emergency."  And with the familiar sound
of the transporter beam, she was gone.

Troi lingered for a moment over the stone mount where the crystal
had been.  "Look at this, Will."

Riker and Geordi approached the mount from the other side.  Troi
kneeled down by the end where the girl's feet had been.  Loose rock
and stone were piled up against the side of the stone mount; behind
them, the rock was cracked.  Troi pushed against the cracked area,
causing the thin stone panel to fall in.

"I thought I saw something through the crack," she explained.  She
pulled out a long crystal shard, about one foot long and three inches
in diameter.  She handed it to Geordi, who turned it over and over in
his hands as he examined it.

"Strange," observed Riker.  He shone his light through the shard.
Unlike the other crystals, which were mostly transparent, this one
had a milky color and was opaque.

"More than strange," answered the Chief Engineer.  "This doesn't look
like it follows a cell structure at all.  The molecular patterns are all
over the place."

"Bring it back to the Enterprise," directed Riker.  He turned and
walked out of the cavern, followed by Troi.  Geordi cradled the
crystal in his palm and strode after them.

-----------------------------------------------------

Dr. Crusher leaned across the conference table.  "She's alive, but in
some sort of coma," she said with a tired voice that revealed how
hard she'd been fighting for the girl's life.  "She's suffering from
massive cell damage in almost all areas of her body, most severely
along the right leg.  I'm not sure I'm going to be able to save it."

"That was where the crack in the crystal was," observed Geordi.  Dr.
Crusher nodded in return.

"Can you tell us anything about her?" asked Picard.

Dr. Crusher sighed.  "Physically, she appears to be human, about
eighteen or nineteen years of age."

"Physically?" prompted Commander Riker.

The CMO nodded.  "Everything about her seems perfectly normal,
except for her neural activity.  Even though she's unconscious, her
brain functions keep bouncing off the normal human scale.  Further
examination of her brain showed significant differences in the
organization and function of her neural pathways."  She drew in a
long breath, leaning back in her chair.  "That's all the information I
have right now."

"Understood," said Picard.  "Keep us informed of any change in her
condition."  He turned to his Chief Engineer.  "Mr. LaForge, have you
anything to report on the crystal you brought back from the
chamber?"

"Yes, sir."  Geordi leaned forward and touched the panel in front of
him, bringing up a visual on the display at the end of the conference
table.  A diagram of the crystal rotated on the screen.  "When I first
looked at the shard, I was confused by the apparent disorder of its
molecular structure.  On a hunch, though, I compared it to the data I
managed to collect on the crystal in the caves, and I made an
interesting discovery."  The view on the crystal zoomed in to show
the individual molecular patterns.  "Using the ship's computer, I was
able to examine the structure of the shard and compare it to the
'raw' crystal of the cavern.  What I found was that the lattice
structure of this crystal has been modified into certain repeating
patterns."

"You mean someone changed it on purpose?" asked Troi.

"That would be my guess."

"Implications?" asked the Captain.

"I think it's a form of writing," answered LaForge.   "The cell
structure of this crystal is uniquely suited to this purpose.  The cell
structure is so complex yet so regular that it lends itself very well
to this kind of three-dimensional binary code."

"Is there any way we can read it?" asked Commander Riker.

Geordi shook his head.  "Without a key to get us started, no."

"What we need," said Picard, "is the Rosetta Stone, or rather an
appropriate parallel."

"Yeah," admitted the Chief Engineer.  "Hopefully our friend can help
us out when she wakes up."

The Captain stood up.  "In the meantime, continue our observations of
the planet, and let's hope that our guest revives from her coma soon.
Dismissed."

---------------------------------------------------

"Doctor," summoned the young ensign.

Dr. Crusher moved over to the bed where the girl lay.  The ensign
explained: "She's coming around - I think."  Crusher smiled at the
youth, knowing his uncertainly was merited in the case of this
particular patient, since her neural readouts were so unfamiliar.
The CMO got a brief smile in response before the ensign moved out of
her way.

The girl on the bed let out a barely discernable moan.  "Well," said Dr.
Crusher, "looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally going to join us."  She
leaned down over her patient and pressed a hypo into her neck,
waiting with a smile for her to wake.  She was delighted to see her
patient passing from the dangerous stage in her recovery, and though
she harbored an inner concern that that there might be lasting brain
damage, she pushed that thought into the back of her mind and tried,
like she did with all of her patients, to hope for the best.

Dr. Crusher was caught completely off guard when this previously
motionless and quiet form let out an ear-splitting shriek of grief
and pain upon her first moment of consciousness.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Deanna," called Riker as he bent over the crumpled form of the
Ship's Counselor.

"Will," she responded feebly.  "The grief...  The emptiness..."  She
allowed the Commander to prop her into a sitting position, where
she sat rubbing her temple with one hand while she covered her eyes
with the other.  "I don't think I've ever felt anything like that," she
said in a voice made sharp by the threat of tears.

"It'll be all right," said Riker as he helped Troi to her feet.  Leaning
against him, she managed to smile at the concerned faces around
her, who relaxed and returned to their duties.

The bridge communicator chirped.  "Crusher to the bridge."

"Riker here."

"Our guest is awake.  You can talk to her now."

Riker looked at Troi, who nodded in confirmation of his unspoken
question.  It was the girl's cry she'd felt.  "We'll be right there.  I'll
inform the Captain.  Riker out."  He and Troi headed for the turbolift.

When Troi walked into Sick Bay, her eyes immediately found the
young girl.  She looked very different from the girl they had lifted
from the crystal; a small amount of color had returned to the pale
face, and an indescribable aura surrounded her that seemed to affirm
the hold she had gained on life.  Looking down on the face, Troi noted
the delicate features framed by tousled brown curls.  Tears had
escaped from the closed eyes, leaving wet paths across her temples
and onto the pillow.  Then the lids lifted, and pure blue pools fixed
on Troi.  The wet depths offered a silent apology for the pain her
mental cry had caused.  She smiled reassuringly back, instantly
forgiving her.

The young girl broke eye contact the moment Captain Picard entered.
She fixed her eyes on the authoritative figure as he approached her
bed gave the front of his uniform a brisk tug into place in
preparation to speak.  "Hello.  I am Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation
Starship Enterprise, and these are some of my senior officers.  They
found you on the planet's surface and brought you on board this ship
for medical care."

She was very slow in responding, first drawing in a long, careful
breath, and then speaking slowly and softly, conserving her energy: "I
am Aeia.  I thank you...  for saving my life."  Her eyes moved to find
Dr. Crusher, who nodded in acknowledgement of the gratitude.

"Do you know anything about where you were, or what happened to
the inhabitants of the planet?" asked Riker.

Aeia's reply was again deliberate and soft: "My people are... gone."
She paused for a minute, for her grief had put an edge on her voice.
Again in control, she added, "They encased me in crystal to save me
because they knew something must remain."

"What happened?" asked Troi softly.

Aeia looked straight at Picard before answering.  "The BORG," she
replied.  She waited for a moment and watched the responses of
those assembled around her with keen observation.  "You are familiar
with them."

"Yes," replied Picard grimly.

"Then...  no further explanation... is needed."  Aeia was beginning to
show signs of the strain this conversation was putting on her.  She
closed her eyes for several seconds, and then finally said, this time
with more breath than voice: "But I... will give you one.  First...  I will
need to go down to the planet."

"Nonsense," said Dr. Crusher.  "You're not strong enough to sit up."

Aeia closed her eyes again.  "Yes.  Then I will need to send an
emissary.  I need to find the final records of my people."

Suddenly, Troi spoke up.  "I found a crystal shard in the stone mount
you were lying on.  About this long."  She gestured with her hands.

Aeia nodded.  "That... would be very useful."

Riker tapped his badge.  "Riker to Engineering."

"LaForge here."

"Geordi, can you bring the crystal shard to Sick Bay?"

"On my way."

Geordi appeared moments later with the shard cradled in his arm.
As he approached the group, Aeia's arm lifted from her bed.  The
movement was very deliberate and controlled, but her entire body
shook with the strain of the effort.  Geordi placed the crystal gently
in her hand, and helped her lower her arm slowly back onto the bed.

She closed her eyes.  Her breaths were deep and slow, preparing to
speak again.  "Yes," she said, "this is... a record... of the... last..."  Her
voice failed her.

Picard put his hand on her shoulder.  "Don't speak any more.  We will
meet again when you are stronger."  He turned and left Sick Bay,
followed by the others.  Troi lingered for a moment, but Dr. Crusher
shooed her away.

The doctor was very surprised to find Aeia still awake when she
returned to her bedside.  "Sleep," she urged the young girl.

Aeia's grip on the shard tightened.  *First, I must read.*

Dr. Crusher frowned.  She hadn't seen Aeia's lips move.

*I am telepathic,* explained Aeia.  *My body is weak, but my mind is
stronger.  I will explain more later.  First I must read.*

The mental voice fell silent.  Dr. Crusher glanced at the neural
readouts, which had settled into low patterns, which she judged to
be some sort of meditation.  She leaned back against the bed behind
her, watching Aeia's chest rise and fall more and more slowly.  The
girl had left them with more questions than answers, but no
mysteries were going to be solved today.  She moved away to check
up on other patients.

Behind her, silent tears filled the closed eyes and moistened the
brown hair against her temples, but this time her grief was silent
and went unnoticed.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aeia"

PART THREE

"Observations, Counselor," requested Captain Picard as the group 
entered the turbolift.

Troi turned towards him slowly, pausing to gather her thoughts 
before she spoke.  "She has a very strong presence," she said.  "I 
sense that she is very intelligent, and very open.  She has no 
intention to deceive us.  She is, however, suffering from an intense 
emotional shock.  She was not prepared to wake up alone."

"She feels that her people are all dead?" asked Riker.

"She knows it.  When she woke up, she reached out to feel the 
presence of others of her kind - and found nothing.  Everyone she 
knew and loved died years ago.  Adjusting to this fact  is going to be 
very hard for her."

"I know," responded Picard quietly.  They fell to silence.

----------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Crusher watched Aeia pilot the automated chair down the 
corridor towards the turbolift.  "You handle that chair well," she 
observed.

"Yes," responded her patient as she maneuvered the chair into the 
turbolift.  "I will, however, be glad to be free of it."

The doctor bit her lip as she entered behind Aeia and gave the 
command for their destination.  She let a few moments of quiet pass 
as she listened to the sound of the lift.

"You have little faith," spoke Aeia.  She turned to regard the doctor, 
whose face was trying to deny her thoughts.  "You will not have to 
replace my leg with a prosthetic, Doctor."

"Aeia, the cell damage to your leg is extensive-"

"And the condition is improving-"

"Yes, but not fast enough!"  The doctor turned to face the wall, 
uncomfortable before the direct, candid eyes of her patient.  In the 
twenty-four hours that had passed since Aeia had revived, her 
healing process had skyrocketed.  Her physical strength was still 
very low, but her cells were repairing their damage at an amazing 
rate.  Her right leg remained in very poor condition, however, and 
could seriously endanger the rest of her body if not removed soon.  
There was simply nothing more the doctor could do.

"Doctor, I am more aware of the condition of my leg than you know.  
Like you, I am a Healer.  I have been monitoring the process of my 
recovery and I intend to correct the damage in my leg when I am 
strong enough."

Beverly Crusher shook her head, confused.  "I don't understand."

Aeia's smile lifted the weight of her confusion.  "You will," she said 
as the doors opened.

The girl glided into the conference room and stopped where Captain 
Picard motioned for her to be.  She turned herself so that she faced 
across the table and regarded each face in turn, waiting for Dr. 
Crusher to be seated.

"It is good to see you out of bed so soon," said the Captain.

"Thank you, she responded.  "I have had very good care."  She looked 
across the table again, measuring the expectation on the faces 
around her.  "You have all come to hear me explain many things.  It is 
very difficult to know where to begin, but I will do my best."  She 
slowly took in a measured breath, holding it for an instant as she 
closed her eyes.  Then she began.

"My people," she said, "are a very old race.  We are not humanoid, but 
shape-shifters.  Lacking such characteristics in our natural form as 
opposable thumbs and agile hands, we did not develop our 
intelligence in the same way as the human race, starting with the 
physical manipulation of simple tools.  Ours was a toolless society, 
so where the human race developed the technology of objects, my 
race developed the technology of the mind.  What we could not do 
without hands, we did with our minds.

"Any race's natural ability to read body language and pick up on 
subtle nonverbal communication was developed in my race into 
telepathy.  We also developed a three-dimensional awareness of our 
environment that can be best described as a combination of sight and 
tactile sensation.  Instead of extrapolating a third dimension based 
on a two-dimensional image on our retinas, we can perceive the 
third dimension and 'feel' with our minds.  This sense provided the 
basis for telekinesis and other such skills.

"Shape-shifting was the final result of telekinesis, developed to the 
point that, given explicit DNA information on another species, we 
could translate our physical matter into that form.  Telekinesis at 
the molecular level is infinitely complicated, and our brains are 
specially structured to carry through the process at a sub-conscious 
level.

"With this ability came an incredible opportunity for the acquisition 
of new knowledge; by assuming the form of an alien race, we could 
join this race and learn from it.  Our scholars did this for thousands 
of years, documenting the peoples we found around us.  We amassed a 
library of knowledge greater than most other intelligent races could 
dream to possess.  And then the BORG arrived."

Aeia's face grew dark as she broke off her narration.  She stared out 
the window beside her and studied the deep space beyond.  "The 
options presented by the BORG were assimilation or destruction.  We 
could not allow them access to the knowledge we had accumulated; 
thousands of races would be put in mortal danger.  Yet neither could 
we resist their threat; we couldn't reach them, couldn't reason with 
them..."  Her delicate hand drew into a fist on the conference table as 
she fought for control of her emotions.  "Their minds were 
inaccessible, too controlled by their unified mind and their 
processors to think, or feel, or know..."

"We understand," spoke Troi softly.

"Yes," said Aeia sharply.  She leveled her eyes on the counselor, who 
could sense the tremendous storm of feeling that was being held 
back behind the blue walls.  Then Aeia broke contact to stare at the 
table.  "My people, one of the oldest races in this galaxy, perished 
without a fight.  But the BORG never found our libraries, and they 
left my planet empty-handed."  She paused to pick up the crystal 
shard from where it had lain in her lap.  Placing it on the table, she 
continued, "Shortly after the slaughter of my people began, we knew 
our cause was futile.  I was chosen to remain because I was young 
and I was strong.  I had also achieved our highest distinction as a 
scholar and a Healer.  I would carry my people beyond their deaths..."

"Did you agree to this?" asked Picard.

"It was not my place to agree or disagree," Aeia responded sadly.  
"This crystal is their last message to me.  There were only five left 
then.  The writer...  was my sister.  She was joking...  she said she 
wished I was there...  she was wounded...  I would have healed her..."  
Aeia's tears flowed across her face and dripped onto the crystal in 
her hands.

Captain Picard hesitated for an awkward moment.  Troi reached over 
to her and placed her hand over Aeia's.  "My apologies for causing you 
distress," the Captain finally said.  "Perhaps we should meet again 
later."

She shook her head and drew in a quivering breath.  When she spoke, 
her voice was controlled: "I knew when I lay upon the stone in the 
crystal cave what I would find when I awoke.  I should have been 
prepared."

"No one can be prepared for something like this," said Troi.  "You need 
time."

Aeia shook her head.  "Time will not change the fact that my people 
are gone and I live still."  She turned towards Troi and directed one 
of her painfully open and direct gazes into the dark eyes.  They did 
not leave hers.  "When I felt you, Counselor, I was half dead, and 
somehow, I knew I was dying.   I had been trapped for too long in that 
state of near-sleep, imperfectly suspended, completely deprived of 
all sensation, and yet, not at rest.  I think I was ready to surrender 
myself.  I reached out in one last grasp for something, and I felt a 
presence.  I thought maybe you were one of my kind.  I held on for a 
little longer."

"Just long enough," said Troi.  She drew a faint smile from her 
personal reserves.  Aeia's eyes softened in response.

"Well, what now?" prompted Geordi.

Aeia glanced at the Captain.  "With your permission, sir, I will stay 
aboard."

"What are your plans?" asked Picard.

"I will do what I have been chosen to do," she replied.  "I must 
recover the records of my people."

Dr. Crusher frowned.  "I thought you said your people were successful 
in protecting the libraries from the BORG."

"There are indeed vast libraries beneath the surface of my planet, 
but certain key elements are missing.  A lot of vital information and 
some of the crystals needed to decode certain sections of the library 
were hidden on other planets.  Also, there were thousands of my kind 
doing field research at the time of the BORG attack; they left their 
records behind to return here to protect the libraries.  I must find 
them, and make sure that my race does not die forgotten."

"And how will you do that?" Riker asked.

"I will choose a race to be heir of our knowledge."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" said Geordi jokingly.

She leveled a serious look at him that extinguished his smile 
instantly.  She quickly softened, however, and let a smile creep to 
her lips.  "It is not a thing to discuss lightly, Mr. LaForge."  Then she 
turned back to Picard.  "Sir, I will need certain items from the 
surface.  Then, if your observations here are finished, I will not 
stand in the way of you continuing your mission.  When it is 
convenient for you, you can leave me at a...  Starbase."

"Certainly," responded the Captain crisply.  "Describe and locate the 
items for Mr. Data-"

"Sir, I would like to retrieve them in person."  She paused for a 
moment and noted the awkward look on Picard's face.  "If Mr. Data 
would agree to carrying me."

"That would not cause me any difficulty," said the android.

Picard raised both eyebrows at the idea, but consented.  "Agreed.  Let 
us plan to leave orbit as soon as your things are collected.  
Dismissed."

-------------------------------------------------------

They materialized next to the ruins again, Data holding Aeia in his 
arms.  Troi stood beside them; she had requested to come and help 
Aeia say goodbye to her homeworld.

The girl gazed out across the hillside in silence for several seconds.  
"When I saw it last," she said, "the grass had been burnt away."

"It is amazing how Nature heals its wounds," replied the Counselor.  
They shared the unspoken meaning of the sentence in silence for a 
moment.

"This used to be a school," explained Aeia, gesturing with one arm 
towards the ruins.  "We don't usually build artificial structures, but 
those who wished to study were very exposed to wind and rain here 
on the top of the hill.  Dwellings for those completing their studies 
were here, so they wouldn't have to travel back and forth from the 
valley."

"Why have the school here, then?" asked the Counselor.

"Because of the caves.  Here, let me show you."  She directed Data to 
take her to the cave entrance.

They walked in silence for a long time, proceeding deeper and deeper 
within, until, finally, they had returned to the chamber where she 
had lain.  "Please stop, Data," Aeia instructed.  She reached outwards 
towards the shattered crystal for a moment, extending her fingers 
as though to touch the pieces still several feet from her reach.  Then 
she closed her hand and let it drop.  "Four years," she said quietly.

"Inquiry," spoke Data.

Surprised, Aeia jumped a little in his arms.  He had not said a word 
since they had beamed down.  "Yes, Mr. Data?"

"If your people possessed the technology to put one person in a 
stasis crystal, why not more?"

"One person had less risk of detection," she replied.  "Hidden in these 
caves, I could not be found by the BORG's sensors.  But a significant 
disappearance of people would have drawn suspicion."

"But weren't you open to the possibility of even accidental discovery 
in this cave?" asked Troi.  "Aside from the rockslide, there was 
nothing blocking the opening."

"There was something concealing the entrance," Aeia replied, "but I 
suspect the same seismic disturbances that caused the rockpile 
behind us moved the block."  She paused for a moment.  "Please 
continue down this tunnel, Data."

What followed were a series of maze-like turns as they went deeper 
and deeper within.  Finally, Aeia signalled a stop.  Data put her down 
in front of a little alcove.  Using her arms to pull herself in, she 
half-disappeared in its darkness.

She emerged with a sack of some sort and an armful of crystals like 
the one Troi discovered in the stone mount.  "Right where I left 
them," she said quietly.  She gazed down at the crystals, cradling 
them with care and tenderness.  In the shadows caused by Data's 
hand-held lamp striking the side of her face, Troi almost thought she 
saw a smile work its way across the young face.

"What are they?" she asked.

Aeia looked up at her companions.  She WAS smiling.  "They are, 
Counselor, the rough equivalents, I think, of a doctor's bag and an 
encyclopedia."  And she laughed.

------------------------------------------------------

"Come in."

Deanna Troi strode into Captain Picard's Ready Room just in time to 
see him sit down into his chair, the last piece of his emotional 
armor sliding into place a fraction of a second before his eyes met 
hers.

"Yes, Counselor?"

Troi sat into a chair facing her Captain with a smooth movement, 
wishing she could have been in the room seconds earlier, before the 
summon of the door had put Picard back on his guard.  "I thought you 
might want to talk," she said.  It was one of her more direct 
approaches, but subtlety rarely worked when trying to get through to 
the Captain.

Still, Picard shrugged it off.  "About what?" he inquired innocently.

"Aeia's story is bringing back certain...  memories.  I thought you 
might like to discuss them."

The Captain did not even react to her statement. He stared out the 
window, regarding the field of stars beyond.

"You might be interested in knowing that it was Aeia who told me 
this."  Picard's double-take told her that she had struck some 
interest.  "She is very sensitive, and keenly observant."

"She's young," he finally said.

"Not so young as you might think," said the Counselor.  "She has aged 
a lot in a short amount of time.  I find she has a profound 
understanding of other beings."

"From what she told us, that may simply be in the nature of her 
kind."

"Nevertheless, you ought to talk to her sometime."  Counselor Troi 
watched the impassive face, searching for a way through to what the 
Captain was feeling at that moment.

"Counselor, if you will excuse me, there are some things to which I 
must attend.  Thank you for stopping by."

Troi stood up, watching Picard as she did.  She moved towards the 
door.

As if he felt that the weight of her regard required further comment 
from him, he said, "Perhaps I will go speak with our guest, as you 
suggest."

Good, she thought.  He had never really told her much about the 
experience he kept locked up inside of him, of the family and world 
he left behind, now destroyed, and he, like Aeia, the sole survivor.  
Perhaps they could share some of the pain of their similar 
experiences, together.  "You might have something to learn from her," 
she said.

"If what she says about her people is true," replied the Captain, "we 
all have something to learn from her."

And the doors shut behind Troi's departing form.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aeia"

PART FOUR

"You're asking the impossible."

Aeia frowned at the doctor who stood in front of her.  She pushed
herself further upright on the bed, leaning forward with
determination.  Her long brown curls, tousled by sleep, hung down
limply in front of her shoulders, but her eyes sparked with vibrant
life.  "No, Doctor," she replied.  "I am asking you to believe me.  Now
is the time to act.  My leg cannot wait; you and I both know that."

Dr. Crusher shook her head.  Aeia was right; her leg's condition had
worsened overnight since her excursion onto the planet.  She should
never have let the girl get out of bed.  But what was now presented
to her was simply beyond her ability to imagine.

Aeia's face darkened at the doctor's silence.  "I can't do this alone,"
she said.  Dr. Crusher remained silent.  "You're a member of
Starfleet," she continued.  "You're supposed to discover new peoples,
new civilizations...  new techniques.  New ways of doing things.
Discover this one with me."

The CMO exploded out of her silence.  "You're asking me to believe
that you can heal your leg with nothing but - but your hands, and a
couple of radioactive rocks!"  She shook her head.  "My belief doesn't
stretch that far.  Not when I can do nothing with all I have-"

"Stop limiting yourself," Aeia said quietly.  "Do you really think that
all this intricate technology that surrounds you is the only way to
heal?  Stop being a doctor."

"I AM a doctor."

Aeia looked levelly into the CMO's eyes.  "No you aren't.  A doctor is
someone who doctors a wound.  You are a healer.  You heal them.
Listen: I am not strong enough yet to do this by myself, or I would go
about it quietly and not bring you into it.  But I sense your strength,
and your potential.  The human race is so close to acquiring many of
the abilities my people had; take this step with me!  Further your
evolution as a species.  Or do this just as a favor for me, but do it;
there is no risk, I assure you.  If we fail, nothing will be lost.
Please.  I need your help to heal."

Dr. Crusher sank back to lean against the neighboring bed, her
protests exhausted.  "What does it entail?"

Aeia picked up the two crystals that had been resting on her lap.
They were dense, and her arms, weakened by her worsened condition,
quivered under their weight.  "These emit a low-level radiation that,
focused properly, can be a powerful tool for healing.  They will be
our guides, and our aids.  Our only aids.  Everything else that we need
we will find within us."

Dr. Crusher fidgeted nervously.  "What do I do?"

"Come here beside me," directed Aeia.  She lay back as the doctor
approached the bed.  "Relax.  No, not like that.  Straighten your back,
let your shoulders fall back.  Open your frame and find your balance."
She paused as the CMO concentrated on following her directions.
"Now give me your hand, and place the other there - yes.  Now close
your eyes, and join me..."  And her voice fell silent as their minds
met and joined.  They began the healing process as one.

--------------------------------------------------------

Ensign Park was preoccupied as she strode into Sick Bay to report
for duty.  Her argument with her husband vanished from her thoughts,
however, as she rounded the corner to see Dr. Crusher standing
beside a patient's bed, eyes closed and motionless.  Park stood at a
respectful distance for a few moments, but when after a few
seconds neither patient nor doctor had stirred, she began to approach
the still pair.

Suddenly, Dr. Crusher's legs buckled and she pitched forward towards
the bed.  Before Park could reach the bed, the young woman on the
bed had stopped the CMO from falling.  One hand had caught Dr.
Crusher's forearm and held it up off the bed with an iron grip, though
the arm shook violently from the effort.  Ensign Park hooked one arm
around her superior's waist, lifting her weight and supporting her
away from the bed.

The red-haired doctor stirred as Park set her down on a chair.  "Are
you all right, Dr. Crusher?" asked the ensign.

"Yes," came the faint reply.  Dr. Crusher's cheeks slowly began to
recover their color as she pressed her forehead into one hand.  "What
is Aeia's condition?"

Park moved over to the bed and examined the readouts.  Picking up an
instrument from a nearby shelf, she moved it over the still patient.
Her movements gravitated to the right leg, and, after checking the
results, she scanned it again.  Shaking her head in disbelief, she
turned to her superior.  "She's asleep," she said, "and showing very
severe signs of fatigue.  Doctor, according to these scans, the cell
damage in her right leg has been corrected."

Dr. Crusher nodded.  She had known this, she had been part of it, but
she wanted to hear the words, to know that it was really true.  "I
know," she said.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Captain, a vessel is approaching this system from the Neutral Zone."

"Romulan?" queried Picard.

Data was silent for a moment as his fingertips tapped his console.
"Affirmative."

Riker frowned.  "Why would a Romulan ship leave the Neutral Zone
uncloaked?"

"Time to arrival, Mr. Data?"

"Two minutes, forty-two seconds, Captain."

"We will know soon, Number One," Picard said in response to Riker's
question.  "Standby for Yellow Alert," he commanded.

---------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Crusher stood over Aeia's sleeping form, brushing a strand of the
girl's long hair from her face.  Her sleep was so deep, and her form
so still and colorless, she bore a semblance to death, and yet Beverly
Crusher had never been so keenly aware of the life within a patient.
The young woman before her, almost exactly her son's age, had a
fierce grip on life and bristled with an incredible strength.  The
doctor was in awe.

She moved away from the bed after a time, heading out of Sick Bay
and towards the turbolift.  Captain Picard had requested an update on
any change in Aeia's condition, and she decided she would deliver
this one in person.  She wondered as the turbolift doors closed if she
would be able to describe what she had just experienced to someone
even as close to her as Jean-Luc.

---------------------------------------------------------

"We are in hailing range, sir," reported Data.

"Open a channel," Picard commanded.

"Channel open," reported the deep voice of Worf.

"Romulan Vessel, this is Captain Picard of the Federation Starship
Enterprise.  I demand an explanation for your presence in Federation
space."

"They are responding," said Worf.

"On screen."

A Romulan commander appeared on the viewscreen, gazing with
perfect, impenetrable composure at the bridge crew of the
Enterprise.  "I beg to differ with you, Picard.  This is not Federation
space."

Picard's sarcasm belied the fact he did not take the Romulan
commander's statement seriously.  "And from what data do you draw
this conclusion, Commander?"

"On the truth," the Romulan replied.

Picard's patience with the joke ended abruptly.  "The treaty between
our peoples clearly-"

"Did not involve the Katyans," the Romulan finished for him.  He
signalled to his left, and a young man moved into view on the screen.
His thick reddish-brown skin and barrel-like form was in distinct
contrast to the Romulans around him.  "Dhyle here has informed me
that his kind have populated this region for over four hundred years,
long before the Federation claimed it as its own."

Picard looked skeptical.  "Starfleet found no evidence of previous
settlement in any of these systems."

"We did not wish to be found," spat the man now identified as Dhyle.
Thick hairs across his lower neck bristled with a hint of
nervousness.  "Besides, Starfleet has not bothered to fully explore
any of these systems until now."

"Dhyle has decided to join his people with the Empire," said the
Romulan coolly.  "Therefore, Picard, it would appear that it is you,
and not I, that is trespassing."  He waited for a moment for the
implication of his words to register with the Enterprise's captain
and crew, and then continued, "I am here to claim what rightly
belongs to the Empire, Picard.  Leave this system now or be
destroyed."

"Wait," interjected the Captain.  "We have discovered a life form who
claims her people inhabited this planet about which we orbit.  I do
not believe she is of your people, Dhyle."

The Katyan flinched momentarily.  "Impossible," he said firmly.  "The
Petryans are dead; I have seen their ruins myself.  They have all gone
from this life."

"Show us this...  Petryan," said the Romulan commander.

Dr. Crusher's voice spoke quietly at Picard's side.  "Jean-Luc, she's
nearly unconscious with exhaustion."

The captain suppressed a start, surprised to see the CMO standing beside
him.  He had not noticed her entry onto the bridge.  Then he nodded to
Dr. Crusher and turned to speak to the viewscreen.  "That is unfortunately
impossible," he began.

The Romulan commander cut him off with a wave of his arm.
"Unfortunate indeed, human.  You have two minutes to leave what is
now Romulan space."  The transmission ended abruptly, replacing the
Romulan's image with that of his vessel.

"Captain," spoke Worf from his station, "this Romulan vessel is not a
match for the Enterprise's weaponry or her mobility.  They do not
pose us a threat."

"Counselor?" queried the Captain.

"I sense deceit," answered Troi, "but I am not sure of what kind.  I
know that he is quite confident that he will succeed in his mission.
I also don't think he intends to allow us leave alive."

"How does he expect to stop us if he's outgunned and outmatched?"
asked Riker.  Troi had nothing to offer in response.

"What about the Katyan?" Picard asked of Troi.

"I sense mostly nervousness from him," she responded.  "He's young
and unsure of himself.  But he is not deceiving us."

The bridge fell to silence for a few seconds while Picard
contemplated the weight of their situation.

"Open a channel to the Romulan vessel," spoke an unexpected voice
out of this silence.  All turned around to see Aeia standing near the
turbolift, leaning heavily on the railing.  "Do it," she commanded, her
voice deep and authoritative.  She glared across the upper level of
the bridge at Worf, who stood motionless at his station, meeting her
eyes with his own in a fierce white stare from within his dark face.
She turned her gaze on Picard, whose face blazed in indignation.

"What is the meaning of this??  You are not part of this crew, and
you have no authority to be on my bridge!"

"Your crew is in grave danger," she responded firmly.  "If you do not
allow me to act, your lives will end in minutes.  My planet has
already seen enough deaths.  I will not allow these to occur, not
when I can save them."

"That ship," said Picard, pointing to the image on the viewscreen,
"does not mean we are in grave danger."

"The five unseen warships surrounding it, however, mean EXACTLY
that," countered Aeia.

"There are no indications of cloaked warships in the area," said Data
from his console.

"Nevertheless, they are there," said Aeia.  "Their technology cannot
hide their presences from me.  Katyans have very loud minds."  A
half-smile crossed her face for an instant, giving the impression
that her statement, however serious, possessed recognizable humor.

Picard was not amused.  He looked straight and full into the dark
blue depths and searched them.  They offered no resistance to his
probing, but met him with every ounce of his strength and more.  He
saw within an admirable force and an inner will that could not be
denied.  "Make it so," he commanded Worf.

"Channel open," boomed the voice of the Klingon.

"Romulan vessel," spoke Aeia in a loud, full voice.  She stood up
slowly from the railing, shifting her weight with caution onto both
legs.  "This is Aeia, an inhabitant of the planet below.  You are in our
space."

The viewscreen switched to show Dhyle sitting before it, the
Romulan commander beside him, frowning.  "Your claim is false,"
asserted the Katyan.

"Let me prove my case in person," she responded.  "Allow me to beam
over to your ship."

The Romulan commander started in surprise, but the Katyan held
back his response by a quickly raised hand.  "Agreed.  Beam over in
one minute."  The transmission ended.

The bridge of the Enterprise stood in dumbfounded silence.

Picard was the first to recover from his shock.  His preparatory
breath drew all attention on the bridge to him, and all expected some
sort of reprimand.  Surprising them all, he merely said quietly, "I
hope you know what you're doing."

Aeia leaned once more upon the railing, a pained look crossing her
face.  "So do I," she replied.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aeia"

PART FIVE

Troi supported Aeia's weight with her arm around the slender waist.
They stood in silence as the turbolift descended.

"What are you going to do?" she asked finally.

Aeia took a deep breath and regarded the panels in front of her.
"Dhyle is a young man," she answered at last.  "He is a good leader,
but an inexperienced one.  The Romulans must have bought his
loyalty, perhaps with this cloaking technology that can't be detected.
But his alliance to their Empire is superficial.  An alliance that is
formed weakly can be broken easily."  The door opened and they
moved out together, striding towards the transporter room.  Aeia
added quietly: "I hope."

Standing at his console, O'Brien shook his head in disbelief as Aeia
took her place on the pad.  "I can't believe they're going to drop their
shields to allow you to get over."

"They will," Aeia responded firmly.  "Dhyle's curiosity will ensure
my safety and your safety until I am aboard their ship and can prove
to him that I am who I say I am."

"And then what?" asked Troi from where she stood beside O'Brien.

"Then the Romulans will try to kill me," Aeia responded, her voice
dark and serious.  "What happens then will depend on Dhyle," she
added as she began to fade in the transporter beam.

Troi started to protest, but knew it was too late.  She sent all of her
hopes away with the disappearing figure.

------------------------------------------------------

When Aeia materialized, five Romulan phasers were levelled at her.
It was as she had expected.

Dhyle stood before her.  Despite the thick build of his kind, he was
tall.  His brown mane of coarse hair would be considered handsome
by one of his kind, and his amber eyes could be very romantic in the
right situation.  This was not one of them.

"Hello, Dhyle," she said.

"Impostor," he hissed.  "The Petryans never looked like you, so pale
and thin!  So ugly!"

Her voice was low and steady.  "You know as I know that my kind are
not limited by form, Dhyle.  I am living amongst humans; I have
assumed their appearance.  I could also be a Katryan, like my people
were at Kjala."

"What do YOU know of Kjala?" he stormed.

Aeia took silent notice of the quickness of his answer.  "I was
there," she said.  Were you? she wondered silently.

Dhyle considered this for a long time.  He turned to the armed
Romulans and motioned for them to leave.  When they hesitated, he
hissed, "She is a lone woman, and unarmed.  I do not need five of you
to help me control her."  They left reluctantly, a door hissing to a
close behind their departing forms.

"Prove it," he commanded.

She thought quickly.  Kjala was an experience they both shared, and
his emotions on the subject ran deep.  She chose that avenue, if not
to lead to her proof, then at least to establish some common ground.
"What village was yours?"

He hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Yedras."

Aeia nodded, the only outward sign she showed of the sudden surge
of hope she felt.  She had been at Yedras.  "Two hundred thirty-five
dead," she said quietly.  She watched his reddish face as minute
movements showed the emotions moving beneath the surface.  She
opened her mind to his thoughts and saw the images flashing past,
glimpses of pain, moments of suffering, a mental photo album of the
ravages of the tragedy.  She had to strain to suppress her own
memories; she had been young, and the deaths had carved themselves
into her.  For every life that she had saved, there were ten she had
lost.

Suddenly, one image drew her attention: a woman's face.  She
remembered that face.  "There was a woman," she began tremulously,
"that gave birth too early.  Her infant lived only a few moments;
there was nothing I could do-"  Aeia's voice choked.  She forced
herself to go on.  "She never got to see his face, however; she was
gone before he.  Her name... was Khali."

A shadow grew across Dhyle's face.  "My sister."

"Yes."

Without warning, the Katryan exploded from his sorrow and grabbed
Aeia by both arms.  "You're lying!" he cried.  "You're using this
information to get through to me; it won't work.  I was on the
surface of this planet; I saw the abandoned homes.  This planet is
empty."

"It is empty," she agreed, "except for me.  I am the one survivor of
my people."  She searched her memory for a moment, and then
continued, "She was survived by a son, a young boy.  He watched her
die...  We kept him with us for a time before leaving the village and
giving him to someone who promised to care for him."  She
remembered the small, dirty hands that had clenched in the folds of
her robe.  She saw the tear stains across the quiet face, saw them
dry and crust in the dirt, closing the boy in silence.  He could have
been her own little brother.

Dhyle relaxed his grip a little.  "I should have been there," he said
sorrowfully.  "I could have helped her, protected her.  She didn't have
to die."

"But her child lived.  He should be" - she some quick figuring in her
head - "twelve years old now."

"No!" he cried, resuming his grip so tightly that it hurt her.  His face
was a livid display of hatred, and a moment of fear grabbed her; she
pulled away with all of her strength, and in the struggle the sleeve
of her shirt ripped in his grip.  "He's dead now, the F'korins, they
killed him.  Don't you see, that's why we need the new cloaking
devices.  We have to defeat them before more Katryans die...."  He
pulled away from her, but his clenched fists had not released her
sleeves yet, and he pulled the tear open to expose her left arm.
Suddenly, he stopped.

She glanced down at her arm.  Entwining blue and green bands, the
symbol of her rank and achievements, decorated the skin of her
forearm.  A jagged pink mark cut across the bands, visible to close
scrutiny.  The bands and the scar showed clearly in the light of the
room.

"Those marks," Dhyle said.  "What do they mean?"

"The bands are the marks of my people, showing my rank and what I
have achieved."

"And the scar?"

"A souvenir from Kjala."   She regarded the shiny pink flesh of the
scar and a memory flashed before her eyes.  She saw herself ripping
the bottom of her robe and tying the cloth about her arm in a vain
attempt to keep blood in and dirt out.  She hadn't had time to tend to
her own wounds.  The scar was testimony to the fact that she had
neglected herself until it was too late to heal her arm cleanly.

Different emotions wrestled for control of Dhyle's face.  Finally, he
surrendered to that of defeat, sinking to his knees before Aeia.  "You
have not deceived me.  Little Fedy never spoke again after Kjala,
after his mother's death."  He drew in a shuddering breath, not
looking at Aeia.  His eyes focused on some point beyond her in the
room, but what he saw was a memory and not what was before him.
"He drew pictures instead of talking.  Some of them were lovely,
some...  hideous.  His own perceptions of his life, and Kjala in the
middle of it.  But always there was a person, a person he never
named, who figured in the pictures.  A person with blue and green
bands on her arm, crossed by a line of red."  His eyes, penitent,
raised to meet hers.  "You."

Aeia was silent.  What happened next rested in the Katryan's hands.

"I am at your command, Petryan," he said humbly.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Captain, there are five warships uncloaking in this area," said Data.

"Raise shields, and go to Red Alert."

"Sir," interjected Worf with surprise, "the warships are training
their weapons on the Romulan vessel."

"Transporter Room to Bridge."

"Yes, O'Brien?" asked the Captain.

"I have Aeia back on board, Captain," the engineer responded.  After a
brief pause, he added, "I think she needs medical assistance."

Picard did not have the chance to order Dr. Crusher to the
Transporter Room before the CMO disappeared into the turbolift.

"Romulan vessel retreating from Federation space," reported Worf.

A wave of relief swept over the bridge.  The tension relaxed as
people sighed and murmured in relief and surprise.

Worf spoke again: "One of the Katryan vessels is hailing us sir."

"Open a channel," commanded Picard.

"Channel open, sir."

"On screen."  Picard stood and tugged at the front of his uniform as
the sturdy form of Dhyle once more commanded the bridge's
viewscreen.  This time, however, he was surrounded by males and
females of his own kind.

"The Petryan is safely aboard your vessel?" he asked curtly.

"Yes," answered Picard.  "I-"

The Katryan stopped the Federation captain with a wave of his hand.
"Another time, human."  His image disappeared and black space once
more filled the screen.  The five warships turned about and moved
away, disappearing into the blackness.

There was an awkward moment of silence on the bridge.  Picard
snapped about suddenly , barking a few orders to the helmsman.  This
broke the spell, and everyone turned back to their posts in a bustle
of nervous activity.  Then he strode towards the turbolift, muttering
about checking on Aeia's condition, and the bridge settled into
routine operation.

On a fast-moving ship that was rapidly putting space between itself
and the Enterprise, the young Katryan leader stood motionless on his
bridge, weeping silently for the wound he had not yet given himself
time to heal.  On the Enterprise, his tears were echoed across the
face of a young woman who shared his pain, knowing that some
wounds hurt deeper than the one that marked her arm.

--------------------------------------------------------

Deanna Troi entered the holodeck slowly, taking in the elaborate
program that it was running.  The air was thick with a woodsy smell;
the ground beneath her alternated between soft, sweet-smelling
earth and dampened leaves.  A sun that was nearly set filtered
goldness at a low angle through the wide green leaves that rustled
gently in the warm breeze.  A small brook wound its way between
earthen banks and bumped up against some rocks, forming a small
pool before spilling over in a miniature waterfall.  A feature by the
pool caught her by surprise; a honey-brown creature bent its head to
the clear water and drank.  It was a unicorn, or, at least, Troi
supposed it to be one.  Its features were equine, though by far no
Earth equine had ever achieved the slender grace that stood here by
the pool.  The horn that rose from its forehead was not curved but
straight, faceted, and crystalline.  It filtered the slanted light of the
setting sun, sending prisms onto the leaves on the ground near the
bank.

Troi wondered about the unicorn; she had thought Aeia had been
working on a program to accurately simulate her homeworld.  What
place did an ancient Earth mythical creature have here?  "Aeia?" she
called into the air, curious.  She peered into the darkness beyond the
stream, trying to see beyond the trees and locate Aeia.  There was no
response.  The unicorn stopped drinking and raised its head slowly.
Dark eyes focused themselves in Troi's direction.

"Computer," commanded the Counselor.  "Please give Aeia's location
in respect to my own."

"Aeia is not in the holodeck," responded the computer.

Troi frowned.  Geordi, who had been working most of the day on a
panel just outside the door to this holodeck, had seen Aeia go in.
Besides, why would she have left the program running?  "Locate
Aeia."

"Aeia is not on the Enterprise."

Troi was not prepared for that.  She gasped.

The unicorn left the side of the pool and began walking towards her
with an easy gait.  Smooth muscles rippled with her movement under
the silken hide.  "Computer," commanded Troi, "freeze program."

The scene instantly took on the unnatural freeze of a three-
dimensional photograph.  The brook silenced, halted in its flow over
the rocks.  The leaves were motionless, suddenly looking as brittle
and hard as glass.  The breeze held itself in perfect stillness.

And the unicorn continued to advance.

*The ship's computer is not programmed to follow a lifeform whose
body signature changes,* explained Aeia as she came to a stop
before the Counselor.  The dark eyes, visibly blue in the slanted late-
late-afternoon light that shone into them from the holodeck-
generated sun, studied Troi's face with an intensity that was at once
alarming and familiarly Aeia.  She blew a puff of air through her
nose in a gesture distinctly similar to a laugh, and added, *My people
have always been a little misunderstood, Deanna.  The Katryans see
us as saviors, and call us Petryans.  Other races have called us other
things.  Some have labelled us as gods.  The human race labelled us
'unicorns,' and made us magical.  Each kind has its own way of
dealing with something it doesn't entirely understand.*  Her image
blurred as was replaced by her human form, crouching naked in the
wet leaves.  "Computer," she spoke aloud as she rose to her two
human feet, "resume program."

The brook stirred again into its gentle water-sounds.  Leaves halted
in gentle movements completed them, and "reality" seemed restored
to the scene.

Aeia smiled warmly at the Counselor.  Her long hair afforded her
some, but not much, modesty across her otherwise bare front.  She
seemed blissfully unaware of her nudity, turning to stride with
confidence but no hurry towards where she had left her clothes.  She
lifted up her oversized tunic, shrugging it over her slim form.

Troi summoned up some small talk to fill in the time Aeia would
need to dress.  "I'm glad to see you're feeling well," she began.

Aeia's laughter trickled out through the sleeves of her garment
before her head emerged from the top.  "You're trying too hard to be
casual about my shape-changing," she said, pulling from her face the
strands of hair that had been mussed by pulling her clothes down
over her head.  "But I forgive you.  Yes, I am feeling much stronger,
thank you."

Troi settled herself on a large rock, staring off into the sunset
which was now beginning.  "What are your plans now?" she queried.

Aeia settled into a patch of earth by Troi's feet, fixing her eyes on
the same spectacle that now displayed itself in the 'distance.'  "We
reach Starbase in one week," she answered.  "I have been requested
to participate in the talks between the Federation and the Katryans
in a month.  I will be assisting a Federation arbitrator to settle the
differences between the Katryans and the F'korins."

"Do you think the Katryans will agree to join with the Federation?"

"They have no choice," Aeia replied matter-of-factly.  "They have
made dangerous and powerful enemies of the Romulan Empire on
their border."

"And then what?" prompted the Counselor.

Aeia was silent for some time.  "Starfleet," she said quietly.  Troi's
response was a quick look of surprise, to which she replied, "I was
the youngest Healer ever to achieve the distinctions I reached.  I am
confident of my abilities; I can become a student again, and enter
your Academy, and prove myself again."

"But why Starfleet?"

"I need to find those crystals.  Only the range and variable territory
of a Starfleet vessel would be sufficient to aid me in my search."
Her face fell, obscuring her expression in the growing shadows.
"Besides, my people are gone, my world is gone.  My place is now in
yours."  Her words were strained, harsh, but strong.

"You feel a need to belong to your new world," observed the Betazoid.

Aeia's face turned one of her piercing stares up at Troi.  "Wouldn't
you, Counselor?"

Troi instantly regretted her instinctive counseling of the girl.  Aeia
was not someone who needed to be told what she felt.  "Please.  I
told you to call me Deanna."

Aeia' face softened.  She appreciated the feeling of equality
expressed in the statement.  "We were many," she said gently.  There
was grief in that simple sentence; she mourned for the lost
presences that she had once never been without.  "Now I am one."
She silently remembered telling Dhyle: I am the one survivor of my
people.

"No," said the Betazoid in the growing dusk.  Her hand found Aeia's
and closed it in a firm grip.  "We are two."

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