“You asked to see me, Doctor?” Anthony said, entering sickbay.

The call he had got from Darek was rather unusual. Nobody had been ill or injured, at least to the captain’s knowledge. He wasn’t due for his physical, either. Normal procedure would require the doctor to come to the captain’s ready room or, in case the issue was of a personal nature, to his quarters. However, doctors and counselors did enjoy certain privileges if not for anything else than at least because they could relieve the captain from his duties. Anthony decided to skip the formalities this time.

“Please, come in,” Darek nodded his head in acknowledgment. “I’ll be with you shortly,” he added unceremoniously and, to Anthony’s total surprise, turned around and left his captain in the middle of the room. Fortunately, before he could react to such an obvious lack of respect, the Vulcan was back.
“My apologies, Captain,” Darek showed Anthony to his office. “I wasn’t expecting you here so soon.”
“I had a feeling this was urgent,” Anthony decided to skip the ‘lack of respect’ part, since curiosity got the better of him. What could be so important as to make a Vulcan forget his manners?
He looked around the tiny office, taking a seat. Even though lacking space, the place was extremely tidy. The screens on the walls displayed anatomical details of just about any species Anthony could think of and then some. The desk was empty, except for a small, flat monitor with an old-fashioned LCARS layout. Darek, being a touch-telepath, strongly resented any contact with Pierre. The idea of having a telepathic computer in his head was repulsive to him. In case of an emergency, he was of course capable of maintaining the link but he avoided it whenever he could. Knowing the Vulcan nature intimately, Anthony couldn’t blame him.
“Yes, it is rather urgent, Sir,” the doctor nodded his head, looking at the captain calmly. “Do you realize how many of your crew are on the verge of a nervous breakdown?”
“What is wrong?” Anthony asked, alarmed.
Darek touched a couple of icons on his screen and one of the wall monitors changed to show the main sections of the ship, one by one: the Engineering, the Bridge, the Sickbay, the Mess Hall…
Of course, viewing them was not standard procedure. Although monitored at all times, according to safety protocols, the images were only accessible to a handful of officers with the highest clearance and only under certain circumstances. Anthony looked at the doctor with curiosity.
“I can see nothing out of the ordinary?” he asked, still not understanding the meaning of this show.
“Exactly, Captain,” the Vulcan turned the screen off and looked the captain in the eyes. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Only routine operations… for how long now?”
“Four or five months,” Anthony agreed, getting it now. “You’re trying to tell me the crew is bored out of their senses?”
The Vulcan raised his eyebrow in a characteristic way. ‘Out of their senses’ certainly wasn’t the way he would have put it. On the other hand, having served with humans for years now, he had learned some tolerance towards their lack of verbal precision.
“I strongly recommend we find a nice, quiet planet and let the people have some change of pace,” he agreed.
It wasn’t that long ago since they had a shore leave. Back home, they would have had to serve a whole year before their next vacation. The situation was different here, though. Their mission was exceptionally long. Moreover, the transwarp drive was taking its toll. Anthony had been talking about it with the counselor even before they set off.
During regular missions, the crew would constantly have work to do. Aside from scientific research, there would always be some diplomatic tasks, some – even marginal – crew rotation. Here, they were deprived of virtually everything. The distances they traveled were much longer, other civilizations few and far between compared to their own galaxy. Transwarp didn’t provide even the slightest illusion of movement they would have while using the conventional warp engines.
After their shift ended, the crew could only stare at the depressing blackness of space. After all, there were only so many of them aboard and they knew each other intimately after six years of the journey. And there were only so many holographic activities one would take part in.
The captain sighed. Darek knew his job and he wouldn’t alarm him if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. If only Andromeda was kind enough to offer at least a small choice of habitable planets when they were needed.

* * *

“Would you care for some more tea?” Liana was playing her role of a polite host but it was completely lost on her guest.
Tanaki Yoko was curled on the bed next to her friend and she seemed so deep in her own thoughts that she jerked at the sound of Liana’s voice.
“No, thanks,” she murmured.
“Okay, tell me what it’s all about,” the Explorer’s chief science officer was curious.
Yoko sighed heavily.
“I don’t know, really. It’s just that I’ve been feeling so useless recently.”
“Useless?” Liana thought for a moment. “I guess there’s not much to do for a tactical officer at the moment. Come to think of it, there’s currently not much to do for anybody…”
Yoko nodded absentmindedly.
“That’s true. Andromeda doesn’t seem that densely populated, at least in the part we’ve seen so far. But it’s not what I meant. I mean, not only that.”
“Well?” Liana urged her when Yoko didn’t continue.
The girls knew each other pretty well. The two of them became close friends back in the times of their first telepathic training before the mission. Later, Aleyah Purr joined the team and the three women became inseparable. They spent hours on end chatting and having fun together.
This afternoon they met in Liana’s quarters. Just the two of them, since Aleyah had some appointments scheduled.
“I don’t know,” Yoko shrugged, apparently having trouble confessing. “It’s about Jerry,” she finally muttered.
That she had a crush on their handsome first officer was no secret between the girls. However, Tanaki was the least outgoing of the three. Therefore, Liana was used to pulling each word from her friend’s mouth.
“What about Jerry,” she asked patiently. “I thought you two had finally settled things between you?”
Yoko shook her head sadly. “I thought so too. And I was so happy…”
“Then what happened?”
“He told me he didn’t feel maintaining that sort of relationship would be good for the mission. That he, as my superior officer, cannot engage in a romance because there’s always a risk of a conflict of interest!” She blurted it out in one go and stopped to catch her breath. Liana didn’t say a word for a long while, watching her friend struggle to regain her composure. Finally, she stroked Yoko’s dark hair and whispered partly to herself.
“What a jerk!”
“Don’t say that,” Yoko protested. “It’s not his fault. And, he’s right…”
“Like hell he’s right! There are couples and families aboard all ships these days! Heck, we even have many captains that are married and serve with their spouses! We have long overgrown the heroic times of Kirk or Picard who would only be married to their starships! And Jerry is not even a captain!”
Yoko let the woman vent. Liana herself was happily married and she only wished the same for her friends.
“Oh wait,” Liana added. “I think I get it. He’s so screwed up because he thinks he should have been made a captain a long time ago! It must have really gotten to him!”
“Stop it,” Yoko pleaded. She moved to the edge of the bed and sat down beside Liana, her head in her hands. “He’s not like that,” she added silently.
“Oh, isn’t he?” Liana was getting really angry to see her best friend hurt like that.
“Liana, please…” Yoko’s voice sounded flat.
“So, he’s not going to date you after all?” Liana got the clue and calmed down. “He doesn’t know what he’s missing…” The other girl had tears in her eyes.
“This one kiss told me he needs me. Really, Liana, everybody needs to be loved. And I can feel he’s so lonely. Why can’t he give us a chance?”
Liana took a quick look at the clock. Not that she wished to cut their chat short but her husband’s shift was going to end soon and she didn’t wish him to interrupt them now. Especially not with what came to her mind right now.
“Why don’t you play a little game with him? See if you can make him jealous?”
“What?!”
“You know, if he saw you date another guy and have fun, it might just do the trick.”
“But… that would be unfair…” Yoko had her doubts. Liana dismissed them with a wave of her hand.
“Come on, can you say he was only fair to you?”
“No, but…”
“And I’m not talking about any serious cheating. Going to a holodeck with a handsome technician is not a crime!”
“Yes, but…”
“But what?!”
“I mean it would be unfair to this other guy. To use him like that.”
Liana laughed softly. That was what she really liked about her friend. The way Yoko would think about everybody else first.
“Then don’t use him. Talk to him,” she agreed. “Tell him everything and ask if he could help you out.”
“I couldn’t!” Yoko opened her eyes wide. “How could I…?”
“I’ve got an idea!” Liana interrupted her with excitement. “Ask Pierre! I bet he knows a lot about what’s going on between the two of you already. And he’s so head over heels in love with Joanna, he wouldn’t even notice you’re a woman, too. He can help you, you know, no strings attached.”
Yoko remained silent for a while. Crazy as it sounded, she didn’t think it was such a stupid idea. Pierre was a real friend. He wouldn’t pry into private conversations such as theirs now but it was also true that his telepathy gave him intimate knowledge of most of the senior staff. There was only one thing that made Yoko hesitant.
“Have you noticed how snappy he’s been lately? I’m not sure what this is all about, but…”
“You mean he might be still having problems to control his emotions? Nonsense. Tim swears that now that they have purged the bio-gel from his circuits and replaced it with the freshly replicated portion, he won’t experience any troubles for a long time.”
“I’m not sure,” Yoko shook her head. “Maybe he’s having his own hard time with Joanna? I wouldn’t want to bother him.”
“Ask him,” Liana insisted. “He’s honest, he’ll tell you. In the worst case, he will turn you down and we’ll think of someone else. After all, we’re only talking about a date or two. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

* * *

Pierre spent a long time in front of the first officer’s office. In the meantime, he did three minor course corrections, adjusted the plasma flow in one of the transwarp coils, let one of the engineers know of a minor malfunction in a seldom used turbolift, served coffee or chocolate to twenty crew members who were about to start their shift and recited a poem.

‘O dreary life,’ we cry, ‘O dreary life!’
And still the generations of the birds
Sing through our sighing, and the flocks and herds
Serenely live while we are keeping strife*

*Poem lyrics of Patience Taught By Nature by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“Enter,” he heard just when he was about to announce himself again.
Jerry Kowalsky didn’t raise his head and didn’t ask Pierre to sit down. Not that the android needed the rest but he always considered it polite.
“The report, Sir,” Pierre placed a padd on Kowalsky’s desk.
“Well?” The first officer prodded.
“Nothing new, Commander,” he sighed. “No habitable planets within sensor range.”
Kowalsky finally looked up. Not bothering himself with the padd, he carefully eyed Pierre.
“Have you tried boosting the resolution?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Have you recalibrated the optical scanners?”
“Four times.”
“Have you adjusted the graphical data collectors?”
“I have.”
“Then perhaps you could…”
“Is sensor technology within your field of expertise, Commander?” Pierre interrupted.
“Not sensor but…”
“Than I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell me how to do my job… Sir,” he snapped, adding the last word almost as an afterthought.
This earned him a stern look from Kowalsky.
“I beg your pardon?!”
Pierre rubbed his forehead, trying to regain control.
“I apologize, Commander,” he said softly. “I meant to say I did everything possible to enhance our scans. The distance we’re covering is much larger now and the resolution is the best we can get. There simply is no suitable planet in the vicinity.”
Commander Kowalsky shook his head with disapproval.
“One would think you are just as stressed as the rest of the crew. If I were you, I wouldn’t demonstrate it so openly. Dismissed.”

* * *

Joanna curled up in the chair, propping her chin on her knees and sighed heavily.
“It’s not that easy.”
“Not many relationships are,” the counselor agreed. They were sitting as every other week in Aleyah’s office, one of a few places aboard the USS Explorer that were permanently shielded from any telepathic activity - including Pierre’s. In an emergency he could, of course, signal them to leave the area but nothing more. Knowing it made Joanna feel more comfortable even though she knew he’d never listen in on her if she asked him. But it still made her feel better.
“Can you tell me what exactly is causing most problems now?” Aleyah asked calmly.
Joanna sat still. The biggest problem was that she didn’t really know.
“He scares me,” she finally ventured. “When I met him, I knew he’s an android and all but somehow it never bothered me then.”
“And it has started to now?” The counselor asked after a long pause. Joanna nodded.
“I can still see him beating up poor Piete. I know the purging went well and he’s now supposed to have better control of himself. But the possibility that he might lose it again… things he can do when he’s like that…”
“But he didn’t hurt you, did he?” Aleyah interrupted her.
“No…” Joanna agreed. “He managed to stop himself somehow at the last possible moment.”
“Have you ever wondered why?”
“Counselor,” Joanna blurted out. “I know what you are trying to make me say…”
“Are you?” Aleyah smiled. “In fact, I’m not trying to make you say anything. I’m only trying to make you realize what the problem is.”

Joanna shrugged. She still remembered counseling sessions back at home. Her parents made her go and see a shrink when she was having a hard time at school. She hated it then and she hated it now. Being over three hundred years into the future (an alternative future at that) didn’t really make it any easier. She wondered briefly if Deanna Troy she knew from a “TV” series called “Star Trek” would have been a better shot but she quickly dismissed the thought. Aleyah was still waiting for her answer.
“I’m not so sure it really changed him,” she began slowly. “He says he still loves me but he won’t get mad anymore. I honestly don’t get it. I mean, I wish I could trust him, but…”

“Joanna, do you know what exactly they did to him?”
The girl shook her head uncertainly.
“I’m not a scientist but I think I can explain the basics to you. You see, Pierre is a biomechanical organism…”
“Biomechanical?” Joanna opened her eyes with surprise. “You mean he’s part human?”
“Not exactly but he does have organic material within his body. And yes, it’s human cells. Replicated. But it’s not important right now. You see, he is also a very sophisticated computer. As a part of the ship…”
“I know that,” Joanna interrupted.
Aleyah looked at her scornfully.
“I’ll never finish if you keep on interrupting me.” She made herself more comfortable in her armchair and continued.
“So, as I was saying, part of the data he gathers is stored in the ship’s memory banks. He also possesses his own memory banks. Like private logs, where all his personal memories and thoughts are stored. Emotions, however, are far too complicated to be easily broken down to numerical strings. They are maintained by minute changes in the chemical balance of the bio gel that flows through his circuits.”
“I see,” Joanna nodded. “What I still don’t understand is what really had happened to him? The system failed. Why?”
“He was subject to very violent emotions. The bio matter, even though of immense flexibility, can only be changed that many times. After some time it becomes contaminated and has to be replaced. Remember that Pierre is still a kind of experimental unit, though not the first one operating in Starfleet. The scientists had predicted he would be fully functional for approximately twenty years before he needed any serious maintenance but it seems Pierre exceeded his capacity much faster than that.”
“Because of me…”
“Do you feel guilty?”
Joanna looked up at the counselor. If it hadn’t been for the personal relationship they had developed aside from the counselor’s profession, she wouldn’t have wanted to talk anymore. However, she really needed a friend sometimes.
“Well,” she hesitated. “If he hadn’t met me…”
Aleyah sighed.
“I wish he let you in his mind once. I mean, fully. You might be in for a surprise…”
Now that certainly didn’t sound like a professional psycho babble.
“What do you mean?”
Aleyah smiled at the young woman.
“Let’s just say he sees things from a very different perspective.”

* * *

“I cannot accept this duty roster, Commander,” the captain’s voice was calm but cold. Kowalsky hadn’t expected this.
“Excuse me, Sir?” He asked, already half turned towards the door.
“I can’t see your name on the list,” Anthony explained. “I want you to go down in the first group.”
“But, Sir…”
“That’s an order, Commander. You need your vacation just as much as everyone else. Dismissed.”
*That was good,* he heard Pierre’s voice in his mind. *Commander Kowalsky has been rather stressed lately.*
“Oh, yeah?” The captain muttered. “I heard something along those lines about you, too.”
Pierre fell silent for a moment.
*I guess it’s true,* he admitted finally.
*You shouldn’t be, Pierre,* Anthony thought to his friend. *I’m worried about you.*
*And I’m worried about you,* pared the computer. *I can’t see your name on the list, either. Don’t you think you should also go down to the planet as soon as possible? It looks like we’ve finally found exactly what we needed. Lots of seas, very rich plant life, mild climate, no highly evolved animals and absolutely no traces of intelligent life anywhere in the neighboring systems. I can’t think of any danger to the ship or crew here.*
Anthony gathered the padds with various reports from his desk and shuffled them into a drawer with one move.
*You may be right but we still need some basic precautions. Who’s going to take care of it if we all go down?*
*I will,* Pierre laughed softly. *You know I don’t really need any rest. I can do without it.*
*Yes, you can but…* this thought was interrupted by a chime of the door. Pierre only caught something like *What the…* before he was blocked from the captain’s mind.
It was less than a block, more like a request for his powerful telepathic abilities to leave but Pierre respected it. He quickly withdrew. Even without his telepathy, he knew who was going to talk to the captain. He had asked her to do so himself. He really thought his friend needed help, and who would be better than that, he smiled to himself..
“Counselor! What can I do for you?”
Aleyah Purr smiled at him. He had always liked that smile. He knew perfectly well it was more like a part of a uniform for the shape shifter. With equal easiness she could frown like a Klingon or smirk like a Cardassian. The form she used on the Explorer was her own choice but Anthony still liked it very much.
“I came to see how the preparations for the shore leave are going, Captain,” she replied, settling down in the chair next to his desk.
Her voice was nice, too. Warm and rather low for a female. The captain smiled back at her.
“We’re actually in the middle of arguing who will go down last,” Anthony admitted, a little embarrassed. The counselor burst out with laughter.
“And you are a die hard fan of the ‘A captain only goes down with his ship’ line, right?”
He couldn’t help but smile back at her.
“I think you may say so,” he agreed. “It’s hard to decide who can wait a little longer. Everyone needs the rest, badly.
Aleyah stopped laughing. With an unexpectedly stern look on her face she leaned towards him, looking into his eyes.
“So do you, Mark. You can’t forget about yourself.”
Anthony felt his heart pound. He was suddenly captured by the counselor’s intense look
“I’ll be alright,” he muttered, not averting his eyes from hers. *If only she bent a little closer. If only I could reach her… tell her…*
Aleyah blinked and veered away a little. It was like breaking the spell of the moment.
“I’m not so sure you will,” her voice was still warm. “You also have been under great pressure recently. Your Vulcan meditations are not some miracle cure, you cannot depend on them forever.”
He didn’t say anything. He was just sitting there, looking at her. He didn’t even realize when he started tapping his fingers on the edge of the desk. There was so much he suddenly wanted to say to this woman. So much he couldn’t tell her here or at her office…
“Mark,” Aleyah pointed at his hand. He withdrew it automatically.
“I hate to do this but you are forcing me. As a counselor, I am ordering you to take at least ten days of shore leave, effective immediately.”
Anthony winced. He took a couple of deep breaths before he answered.
“I really don’t think it’s necessary.”
The counselor didn’t move. She was just looking at him calmly, with no trace of smile on her face.
“I just ordered Commander Kowalsky the same,” he tried again. “We can’t both go.”
“Yes, you can. There is still Pierre. It may not be a standard procedure for both CO and XO to leave the ship but it’s acceptable under certain circumstances. I believe this situation qualifies.”
The captain sighed heavily. She was a tough negotiator. He smiled inwardly. It was something he admired in women.
“All right, you win,” he nodded with resignation. “I hope you’re going, too?”
Aleyah smiled with relief and got up from the chair. It wasn’t as bad as she had feared, after all.
“Of course I am, Mark,” she shot back on her way out. “I will see you down there.”
The captain just sat there long after the door closed behind her shapely figure.

* * *

“Do you have a moment, Commander?”
Pierre looked up from a padd he was holding. For some reason, the first officer had insisted on his reports being delivered that way, instead of just having the data relayed directly to his station.
“Yoko!” He smiled with surprise and got up to greet her. The tactical officer wasn’t a very common guest in his quarters. “Please, sit down. Can I get you anything? Something to drink, maybe? Coffee?”
Tanaki sat down on the edge of the sofa. “No, I’m fine,” she said shyly. “Thank you.”
“What can I do for you, then?” Pierre sat back in his chair, and swiveled it away from the desk to face his guest.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea…” she began hesitantly. Pierre waited for her to continue and when she didn’t he laughed softly.
“Are you expecting me to gather it directly from your mind?”
“Oh, no!” She fidgeted. “I… just…”
“Relax,” Pierre’s voice was calm and warm. “I wouldn’t do that anyway.”
“I know,” she sighed. “It’s just… it’s a little embarrassing.” She confessed. “I have a very personal request to make.”
“Personal is good,” he smiled with a slightly devilish look on his handsome face. Yoko blushed deeply.
Pierre realized she was really nervous. Whatever it was she came to ask of him, apparently it wasn’t easy for her. He had been trying to comfort her with his jokes but this wasn’t working. He got serious now and leaned closer to her, looking straight into her eyes.
“What is it, Yoko. How can I help you?”
Tanaki gazed back into his shiny eyes. They were strangely captivating. She took a deep breath and began:
“You know I really care about Jerry. I mean Commander Kowalsky. I guess I fell in love with him.”
Hearing the name of their first officer made Pierre a little tense but he didn’t interrupt her. He was indeed perfectly aware there was something going on between these two. He intended to find out what Tanaki wanted from him.
“He even asked me out to the holodeck and it was a very nice date.” She went on. “But then something went wrong. I have no idea why he’s so afraid but it’s like he’s scared of his own feelings. I know he has feelings for me, too. It’s just that he’s trying to hold back. He even told me we can’t have a relationship and gave me some crap about serving on the same ship and all that.”
Pierre nodded still not sure why she was telling him about it.
“I’d love for him to become aware of his feelings. I know he needs me, he’s just afraid to admit it. It isn’t doing him any good, you know.”
Pierre briefly thought about Joanna and their own tangled relations but he didn’t mention it. Instead, he said:
“If you need someone to talk to him, I believe the captain would be a better choice. Mark is the closest he has to a friend.”
Yoko shook her head. She sighed and looked away. This really wasn’t easy for her but she was desperate.
“Liana said it might help if I made him jealous…”
“Jealous?!” It suddenly dawned on him. Now he knew exactly why Yoko had been so shy with him all along. He beamed at her.
“And you came here to ask the favor of me, right? You want to use me to make him jealous?
Yoko blushed again.
“I… I just…” she stammered.
Pierre laughed wholeheartedly now. The idea really amused him.
“And who did you say you were talking to? Liana? I had no idea our science officer was such a cunning creature!”
“Pierre!”
He stopped laughing and glanced at Yoko. She was sitting there, all restless and so utterly embarrassed that he felt sorry for her. Remembering how he himself felt about Joanna, understood very well what she was going through.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to make fun of you. I just… well,” he hesitated. “I think I can relate to this situation myself. And I actually think it’s a wonderful idea.”
“You do?” Yoko raised her eyes to him with hope.
“Sure! You may not realize this but I believe it can do both of us some good.”
“You mean, it might get Joanna’s attention as well?”
That caught him by surprise. He knew, of course, that his relationship with Joanna was no secret. Among such a small crew it was virtually impossible to keep anything secret. He had hoped, however, that at least their recent problems escaped others’ attention.
“Well, yes,” he admitted. “It might help the both of us. I’m all for it.” *It’ll also be nice to get on Jerry’s nerves a little. Just a small revenge for him picking on me, recently,* he thought but didn’t reveal it. Instead, he asked: “So, what’s your plan? Should we start walking around hugging and kissing and hope our partners will catch us... in flagranti, so to speak?”
“Oh, no!” Yoko was really taken aback. She looked at him,her eyes wide open. “That would be too much! I was just thinking, maybe, you could ask me out so that Jerry could hear it? I’d agree on a date and then we’d see what happens?”
“And hope for the gossiping crew to do the rest,” he agreed, with a playful smirk. “All right, Lieutenant, we have a deal. I’ll just wait for the right moment and ask you out in great style. Just make sure to dress properly. I like it romantic, you know,” he winked at her.

* * *

The planet was absolutely perfect. The level of ozone in the atmosphere was rather high, which made the air smell refreshing. Wonderfully rich plant life made the three Romulan biologists in the crew extremely happy. As for the animals, nothing more evolved than some small crab-like creatures and harmless insects in the air. A real paradise for so much needed shore leave.
“You will come with me,” Commander Kowalsky’s voice sounded as stern as usual. Piete jumped to his feet. The poor Gurlan lacked self control sadly.
“Aye, Sir,” he managed with a trembling voice. “Where… where to?”
Kowalsky looked at him with barely hidden dismay. The assignment wasn’t anything important enough to ask one of the senior staff but he’d rather work with someone else. Alas, almost everyone was already down on the planet, enjoying their leave. The commander was supposed to beam off the ship as well, but a little scientific research was something he figured wouldn’t hurt.
“We will beam down and investigate the lake near the camp. I’ve got some interesting readings I’d like to check out.”

The camp they had set up was situated in a really graphic scenery. At the wide entrance of a picturesque valley leading from green hills to a lovely lake. On the other side of the lake mountains were visible on a sunny day and from the weather forecasts it looked like the next days would be nothing but sunny.
The crew put up their tents in a circle. It only took a couple of hours after all the scans were done to get almost everyone down there. The orbiting ship was left with only a skeleton crew on board and Tim in command. At the last moment, the chief engineer requested to be left for a few days to do some maintenance. Anthony agreed, letting Pierre go down, too. The counselor didn't object.

Now everyone was busy setting up their temporary home. The usually quiet valley was filled with sounds of laughter and chattering. Anthony was taking a walk around the camp. He was pretending to look like he was just checking if everyone was all right. In fact, he was looking around, hoping to spot Aleyah. Unfortunately, the counselor was nowhere to be seen. He strode on smiling and nodding his head to various crew members who greeted him. After the last grim months it was nice to see them enjoy themselves like that.

“Captain!” Anthony turned to face his first officer. *Now that’s not exactly my idea of fun,” he mused, looking at Kowalsky. Unlike most of the crew, the commander was still wearing his uniform. It made him stand out from the rest of them.
“What is it, Commander?”
“I’d like your permission to get a boat and sail a little, Sir,” he sounded as formal as ever. Anthony beamed at him. “Ah, that’s sounds great!” he enthused. “I had no idea you were keen on sailing, Jerry.”
“I’m not really,” Kowalsky admitted reluctantly, handing the captain a padd he was holding. “It’s these readouts. Something about the electrochemical structure of these rocks bugs me, I’d like to check it out.”
Anthony looked at him incredulously. “I thought it was supposed to be shore leave?”
“It is, Sir. I’ll be having fun, too, I’m taking Piete with me.”
Anthony nodded his agreement though he was not sure if it wasn’t sarcasm he heard in Kowalsky’s last words.

* * *

“That’s strange…”
“What is it?” Kowalsky sounded bored. That something was strange to a Gurlan was nothing new. They were amazed by many things.
“Look here, Commander,” Piete waved for him to get closer. It wasn’t all that easy on the tiny boat but the water was peaceful and they were cruising with a mild breeze. Kowalsky let the steering wheel for a moment and looked at the padd.
“I see nothing strange,” he shrugged.
“No, no! Not here! Take a look at these readings!” Piete tapped his finger on a series of numbers indicating the recent changes in the electromagnetic field.
Kowalsky concentrated a little more but it was just numbers to him. It wasn’t until Piete rearranged the data to be shown in a graphical form that he noticed some unexpected regularity.
“It must be a coincidence,” he went back to the wheel but the Gurlan was all excited now.
“It’s no coincidence, Commander!” He exclaimed. “It looks like some kind of code!”
Kowalsky sniggered. “And who’s sending us a coded message? A rock? Or these creatures, maybe?” He pointed to a shoal of fish swimming past the boat. “Come on, get real, Ensign. There’s nothing more than a meaningless string of numbers. Let’s head back to the camp.”
He didn’t have any reason to be happy. His desperate attempt to find something to do had just failed. There was nothing interesting in the rocks beneath the lake and his companion turned out to be just as annoying as he had expected. He cringed at the thought of going back to the camp but there was no way he could avoid it now. He would have to smile and do the small talk and pretend he was having fun along with everyone else.
“But Commander…” Piete tried to protest. “These numbers…”
“Oh, forget the numbers!” Kowalsky snapped. “Let’s go back!”
“Yes, Sir,” the Gurlan nodded meekly, preparing the sails to turn. “Will you at least let me show them to Pierre?”
Kowalsky felt his jaw clench at the very mention of the android’s name. For some reason the computer officer was getting on his nerves recently. But he just waved his hand impatiently and turned back to the wheel.

* * *

The evening was perfect. The sun, hanging low over the horizon, was greenish, in perfect harmony with the azure sky. Lieutenant Tanaki Yoko was enjoying the cool breeze coming from the small lake. She was sitting on a stone near the beach with her eyes closed and breathed deeply. No holodeck could ever recreate such subtle fragrances, such delicate shades of colors, such a peaceful area.
“Is there something I could help you with, young lady?”
The voice startled her. She looked up and saw a pair of familiar, shiny eyes of the computer officer.
“Pierre!” She sighed, relaxing.
“I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry,” the android sounded guilty. He sat down on a stone next to her. “You wanted to talk to me?” He smiled. “Nice place for a date!” Yoko didn't answer.

* * *

“Look! Commander!” Piete's excited voice alarmed Kowalsky who was just about to tie the rope to a pole. “There's Pierre over there! Let's go talk to him!”
“Relax, Ensign,” Kowalsky wasn't very happy about this whole trip, not to mention its ending like this. “Help me with the boat, please...”
He looked ahead but from the distance it was hard to make out anything. Yet, he was sure there was something familiar about the figure he could see walking with Pierre along the beach. They were holding hands. *It's...* he thought. *No, it can't be!*
After the boat had been secured, the Gurlan pulled Kowalsky towards the pair in the distance. As they approached, the first officer could hear the woman giggle. He found it difficult to believe but it was, indeed, Lieutenant Tanaki.
“You can't be serious!” she chattered. Pierre put his arm around her waist as they came closer. They were obviously having a very good time together.
“Commander,” Pierre acknowledged Kowalsky rather casually and they made an attempt to walk around them.
“Hold on a minute!” Kowalsky spoke before he even thought about it.
“Yes?” Pierre beamed at him, apparently still amused from what Yoko had just whispered into his ear.
“Uhm... I think I need to pick your brain...” he started hesitantly but Piete was faster.
“Take a look at these readings, Commander!” He handed him the padd. Pierre's right arm was still holding Tanaki so she reached out and gave it to him, giggling even more. Pierre's lips touched her hair ever so slightly as he bent to take a look. Kowalsky frowned.
“It's fascinating,” Pierre started reviewing the data with real interest. “Where did you get these?” He momentarily forgot about Tanaki, manipulating the padd to make some quick calculations.
“Over there,” Piete waved his hand in the general direction of the lake. “Do you think it indicates some form of intelligence?”
“Nonsense!” Jerry burst out. “It's just a random pattern. Initially I thought we might have found something interesting but this is just some gibberish!”
“I wouldn't be so quick in my judgment, Sir,” Pierre replied slowly. “I'd like to run some tests if you don't mind...”
The first officer was just opening his mouth to protest when he suddenly realized he wouldn't mind that at all. Anything that would keep this damned android busy...
“Could you possibly help me with that?” Pierre leaned over to Tanaki with a glimmer in his eyes. Yoko smiled at him warmly.
“Sure, I'd love to!”
“You're supposed to be on leave, Lieutenant,” Kowalsky's voice sounded even colder than usual. “I don't think it's important enough to break it.”
“Oh, we wouldn't be breaking it, Commander,” Pierre laughed and winked at the girl. “I promise we'll be having lots of fun!” With that, he nodded again and they both walked away, leaving Jerry in the middle of the beach.

* * *

After the sunset, most of the crew were still sitting in small groups around camp fires, finishing their supper. Multicultural as it was, after a few years' cruise their group was also merged beyond belief. From the look of them it was obvious they all knew and liked each other very well.
A few Klingons were sitting around one of the fires, huge goblets in their hands, laughing out loud and singing their famous battle songs. A closer look at that group, however, revealed that only two of them were actually Klingon. The rest comprised two Romulans, one Bajoran and one human. And it was a Romulan who sang the loudest of them all.
Around another fire, two Jem'Hadar were talking to Chris. To the right of them, another group gathered, laughing at Aleyah's shape shifting show.

Pierre sat right on the ground, at some distance from the rest of the crew. They were having fun while he longed for some peace and quiet. So much had happened in his life recently, he needed time to think it through. He met the love of his life, almost lost everything due to his emotional overload and he was still struggling to make things right somehow.
The noises were subdued from where he was sitting, yet there was enough light from the campfires to see all of his friends. He was thinking about how he had failed them all, how Piete couldn't trust him long after the incident, how his relationship with Jerry kept on deteriorating...
Peace and quiet weren't the easiest available commodity it seemed, though. After a few moments he felt someone's hand touch his arm.
“Joanna!” He exclaimed, surprised. “I thought you were out there, having fun?”
“I was,” she sighed, sitting right next to him. In her favorite blue dress, she looked absolutely stunning. Her long, black hair emphasized the depth of the large, dark eyes and her lips were small but full. Pierre couldn't help but to stare at such beauty in awe.
“It's a bit too noisy for me,” she shook her head. Pierre nodded without a word. It felt so good to have her beside him, he didn't want to spoil the moment.
Joanna was looking at something right ahead. Pierre took the time to admire her lovely profile. The distant fires gave a warm glow to her skin. In this light she looked like a little girl. A girl of his dreams.
“I saw you with Yoko this afternoon,” she said suddenly.
“Yeah?” Pierre was still deep in his thoughts.
“What were you doing?” she pressed, now turning to look into his face. His white eyes were so unrevealing, she couldn't possibly guess what he was feeling.
“What do you mean?” He shrugged.
“It looked like you were having a good time together.”
“Yes, we were. Everybody is having a good time. It is the point of shore leave, isn't it?” He winked at her, thinking the plan was working out.
Joanna's eyes grew colder. “It certainly looked more than just a shore leave fun,” she remarked accusingly, piercing him with her stare.
“What's the matter?” Pierre cringed. “Are you jealous? If I remember correctly, you didn't want to take a walk with me.”
“Me? Jealous?” Joanna stood up, appalled. “I was just asking...”
“Listen,” Pierre also stood up and was now towering over her tiny figure but his voice trembled with emotion. “You can't make up your mind about us, that's fine. But I'm under no obligation to you, am I? You turned me down, so I asked Yoko out. What exactly is your problem here?”
Joanna opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but she closed it again. She took a long look at his face and finally uttered: “Nothing.” She turned around slowly and left for one of the camp fires, leaving him alone. Pierre watched her go but didn't attempt to stop her. Everything went wrong, again. He felt so helpless. The one thing he cared for in his life more than his work was falling apart and there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing at all.

* * *

“This is serious, Mark,” Kowalsky insisted. He finally managed to convince Anthony to speak to him alone. The captain was avoiding him for the last couple of days. Or, at least, that's how Kowalsky felt.
Mark Anthony looked away. Along with the rest of his crew, he was really enjoying his time off on the peaceful planet. He didn't feel like probing any personal issues at the moment. When Kowalsky virtually burst into his tent, claiming he had a problem of extreme importance, he had no choice but to listen. He already regretted it.
“We've all been easily irritated lately,” he tried to belittle it. “You know it very well, Jerry.”
“I do,” the first officer agreed promptly. “But this is Pierre. He's supposed to be level-headed at all times. Especially now,” he added, referring to the purging procedure. Anthony sighed.
“I didn't think I'd have to explain it to you,” he began with a tired undertone in his voice. “The procedure didn't rid him of his capability to feel anything. It only made room for new emotions to build up. With time, he will be back to his old self, only with less risk of overload for the next few years.”
Kowalsky nodded impatiently. “I realize that. But I think that irritation isn't the safest emotion in the ship's computer. If not absolutely free of emotions, he should at least be able to control them better!”
“I'm wondering if he's really the one with control problems here, Jerry,” the captain said softly. “I believe you're overreacting a little...”
The first officer wanted to reply but Anthony just waved his hand, smiling. “I think you need something to occupy your mind at all times. Plain resting doesn't seem to agree with your personality. By the way,” he added as if he just remembered it. “You never told me about those readings you were investigating with Piete? I know you didn't pursue it any further but I don't believe you ever told me what it was that you'd found so interesting in the first place?”
Kowalsky knew his captain well enough to realize the initial topic was inadvertently over. Trying to get back to Pierre now would gain him nothing. He decided to wait a few days, then. He was certain he'd finally manage to make the Captain see the obvious. It was lost for now, though, so he stood up and replied casually. “Oh, it was nothing, really. I compared the initial EM scans of the planet with the later research of the rocks in the lake. I thought I had found some interesting inconsistencies but it was nothing worth investigating.”
“Uhm...” Anthony muttered. He heard that Pierre and Piete were excited about something concerning these rocks but he still hadn't read any report. They were on shore leave, after all, and it wasn't all that important. All the necessary precautions had been undertaken, detailed scans confirmed the planet to be absolutely safe for the crew. Any further investigation was only a matter of personal interest. Still, the captain liked to have an idea of what his crew found so fascinating.

* * *

Yoko was extremely silent that day. The three girls went for a walk to the nearby forest. The plants were abundant but not too bushy, everything had been declared safe so they could just stroll freely. Aleyah kept on glancing at Tanaki. Finally, when they moved further away from the camp, she asked:
“What's bothering you?”
Yoko blushed and pretended to be extremely interested in a colorful fungus she just spotted.
“Yoko?” Liana also looked at her friend. “Is there something wrong?”
Tanaki looked sheepishly. Apparently, her friends knew her too well. She sighed.
“I followed your advice, Liana. About Jerry...” Liana smiled knowingly and wanted to say something but Aleyah interrupted her:
“What advice?”
Now it was Liana's turn to blush a little. She remembered her last conversation was with Yoko alone. Had the counselor been there with them, she might have thought twice about it. For some reason she knew Aleyah wouldn't be too happy about their little deception.
Yoko looked at the science officer with hesitation. Liana swallowed and briefly told Aleyah about their plan. The counselor said nothing. She pointed at a small clearing in the woods and led the girls to a fallen trunk there. Or, at least, something that looked like an old tree trunk. Except it was orange.
The girls sat there with Yoko in the middle. Aleyah looked at her with expectation.
“Well,” Yoko began a little nervously. “Pierre was really nice to me and he agreed immediately. He also said he was hoping to achieve a similar effect with Joanna. The way he said it, it all looked so innocent but...” she stopped to take a breath. Liana's eyes were wide with impatience. Aleyah was watching some plants on the other side of the little meadow. All the orange and red reflexes on their leaves made their surroundings looks almost like an Earth forest in autumn. Finally, Yoko continued:
“We didn't do anything wrong, of course. We just took a walk on the beach together. Pierre can be so funny, you know, we had such a great time together!”
“And what happened?” Liana couldn't stop herself. “Did Jerry see you?”
“Apparently, they both did. Jerry and Joanna, I mean,” Yoko nodded sadly and told the girls about their meeting with Jerry and Piete at the lake and what Pierre had told her about his exchange with Joanna that night.
“Now everyone seems to be upset with Pierre,” she finished. “ Joanna doesn't even want to speak to him, Jerry is furious and I...” she fell silent.
None of the girls said anything for a long while.
Finally, Aleyah asked. “What was your desired outcome of this situation?”
“I don't know. I thought they might acknowledge us somehow,” Yoko shrugged. “I was hoping that Jerry would feel jealous if he saw me with another man and might just reconsider us breaking up... And Pierre wanted the same with Joanna.”
Aleyah shook her head.
“Seems to me you have achieved your goals.”
“We have?” Yoko looked up at her friend, surprised. Aleyah nodded.
“You wanted them to feel jealous and hurt. I think they are. What you didn't think of is the fact that when you hurt somebody, often their first reaction is anger.”
“I didn't want to hurt anybody, really...”
“I know,” Aleyah gently stroked her shoulder. “But you did, unfortunately. What worries me most here, is Pierre, though. Why did it have to be him?”
“I don't know,” Yoko hesitated.
“I suggested him,” Liana replied. “I thought...”
“I would have been too embarrassed to ask anyone else, I guess,” confessed Yoko. “Somehow, he seemed the best choice.”
“Well, he wasn't,” the counselor said thoughtfully. “Actually, anyone else would have been better since Jerry was involved...” The girls looked at her, not understanding. Aleyah said:
“I don't think I'm breaching any confidentiality here, since many people have already noticed that, but recently, Pierre has not been on the best of terms with Jerry. Even without this incident the situation between them was rather tense...”
“I didn't know that...” Yoko was really sorry.
“Maybe. But you knew about his problems with Joanna. That alone should have made you think twice about asking him for that kind of favor.”
“But...” Yoko's eyes were now filled with tears. She though how egoistically she had approached the whole situation, caring only about her own whims.
“What exactly is the problem?” Liana asked.
Aleyah looked at her with clear disapproval. “You know I can't talk about these things.”
“I think it's high time we talked to Joanna...”
“No!” This came both from Yoko and Aleyah. Liana was startled. “I only meant...”
“I know you mean well,” Aleyah said, getting up. “But your initial plan did enough damage already and now you can only make matters worse. I'll talk to her myself.” She intended to get back to the camp but she turned to her friends again and said quietly:
“I'm afraid we're about to have a serious personal crisis among the staff, sooner or later. It would be best if you two stayed out of this...”

* * *

It was not a typical staff briefing. Instead of the conference room, the crew gathered in front of the captain's tent. Pierre had materialized big, flat rocks in a circle to enhance the atmosphere. Everyone sat there with padds in their hands. Anthony couldn't wait to see what they'd found out until he spotted the counselor.
Aleyah was wearing a long, red dress made from some sparkling material which highlighted every curve of her body. She let her dark hair loose and even put on a delicate make-up. Everyone kept glancing at her, but the captain virtually couldn't take his eyes off of her. The counselor sat on her rock and busied herself with the padd. Only a tiny smirk in the corner of her lips was any indication that she'd noticed the effect.
The whole senior staff had all been told to dress casually. Out of the eight of them, only the doctor and first officer were wearing their Starfleet uniforms. The captain himself sported a colorful shirt with short sleeves and brown pants. Pierre wore a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt. The women were all colorful but neither of them looked as gorgeous as Aleyah.

Jerry cleared his throat loudly and Anthony remembered his role. He smiled to hide his embarrassment and nodded for Pierre to begin. After all, the briefing was his idea. Pierre opened his mouth but before he managed to say anything, Jerry grunted impatiently.
“If this is again about these EM readings...”
“It is, Sir,” Pierre smiled unyieldingly. “We've found some interesting parallels...”
“ Then you should have presented your report to the captain and be done with it. I don't see why we all have to be informed...”
This was clearly on purpose. The first officer was virtually torpedoing Pierre's every attempt to say anything. The android's eyes glared with anger but his voice was almost calm when he responded.
“I had, Sir. But I also thought we should all take a look at this.”
“Well, I'm not interested. It's a shore leave and I...”
At this point everyone was glimpsing nervously at the captain. Somebody should rein in Kowalsky but he was second in command, after all. Anthony didn't seem to notice the tension, still watching the counselor. She, in turn, was moving her eyes from Pierre to Jerry, clearly worried. Finally, Liana waved her hand.
“Oh, come on, Jerry, let him speak! We all want to know.” The first officer wanted to say something but he just shrugged and gave up. After all, it was not worth it.
“Thank you,” Pierre smiled at Liana with gratitude. “As I was saying, I'd presented the report to the captain and you can all see it in your padds. What I'd like to point out is that together with Lieutenant Tanaki, we compared these readings with every pattern we could think of. These irregularities may, indeed, look like a random occurrence but they instantly reminded me of something. Of course, it was Ensign Piete, who noticed it first but he couldn't exactly tell what it was, either.” Jerry yawned ostentatiously but nobody was paying attention to him anymore. Except for the counselor who looked more and more concerned. Anthony wondered what was bothering her and barely listened to what was being said.
“So, what do you suspect?” Liana asked.
“We think it may be some kind of telepathic activity.” Now everyone was paying attention. Even Jerry, who murmured “Ridiculous” but quiet enough so nobody even heard it except for Aleyah.
“You mean there's some intelligent life on that planet?” The doctor raised his eyebrow.
“We think it's possible,” replied Tanaki. “They could have some defense system in place that shields the radiation for the most part, but that's what we're thinking.”
“I believe it's worth investigating further, Captain. Captain?” Pierre looked at Anthony expectedly.
“Do you have any reason to believe they may be dangerous?” Anthony quickly snapped back to reality, now all professional.
“Unlikely, but we can't be sure,” replied the tactical officer. “They don't seem to be aware of our presence here at this point.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I'd like to take a shuttle and scan the entire lake, Sir.” Pierre replied.
“We could do it from orbit.” It was Jerry again.
“I already did, Commander,” Pierre replied politely but it was clear he was having a hard time to control himself. Nothing he said or did seemed good enough for the first officer lately and it was becoming obvious to everybody. “The orbital scans revealed nothing new. I'm guessing we need to get closer. I'd also like to have a telepath on board.”
“Agreed,” Anthony nodded. “Take the Traveler and ask Lieutenant Vort to accompany you.”
“I'd like to go, too, Sir,” Yoko volunteered.
“As the tactical officer, you should be monitoring the shuttle from the Explorer,” Jerry interrupted again. “Ensign Natashi can go instead.”
Pierre was amused. Ensign Natashi was a Bajoran tactical officer on the Beta shift. She was skillful and well liked. The only thing about Natashi was that she was an extremely ugly woman. He could see how Jerry wanted to punish him but the captain objected.
“No, I think Yoko should go. She has been working on this, it’s her project, too. You will go tomorrow morning. Make sure to maintain a link to Explorer at all times.”
“Aye, Sir.”

* * *

“Captain, I'd like to talk with you.”
“I was hoping you would” Anthony smiled and turned to Aleyah. “Shall we take a walk?” The group of officers had moved away leaving the two alone. The counselor smiled back at the captain, somewhat sadly. What she'd wanted to achieve with her unusual look had clearly worked on the wrong person. She was hoping to attract Jerry's attention, and maybe even Pierre's and dissuade the tension a little. Now she was angry with herself; she should have seen this coming.
It was too late, though. Mark Anthony was standing there in front of her, with a gleam in his eyes. She accepted his invitation gracefully, thinking that, in reality, she didn't mind it all that much...
It was now late afternoon. The sky was greenish and perfectly clean and there was a cool breeze in the air. This planet had indeed a wonderfully pleasant climate. At least for most humanoids.
Mark and Aleyah started strolling towards the beach in silence at first. The counselor wanted to move further away from the camp and Anthony seemed deep in his own thoughts.
“You know,” he finally broke the silence after a while. “I was looking forward to spending some time with you.”
“I know, Mark,” she answered softly. He slowed down for a moment and reached out his hand to touch her hair.
“You are breathtaking.”
“Mark...” Aleyah sighed. “I am a changeling. I can look as beautiful or as repulsive as I choose.”
Anthony laughed. “I know that. I just happen to like your choice. Is this wrong?”
“No it isn't.” The counselor looked him into the eyes. “And I'd love to chat with you but I'm afraid we have some more pressing matters right now.”
“Oh?” Anthony didn't even try to hide his disappointment. “Something happened?”

“Not yet,” Aleyah shook her head. “But I'm afraid it's about to, and pretty soon.”
“Well, what is it?” Anthony asked with resignation.
“I'm worried about Jerry.”
“Jerry?” Anthony shrugged. “He's always been a little cranky. I guess it's just the way he is.”
“This is far beyond cranky, Mark. Have you noticed the way he treats Pierre?” The captain sighed heavily.
“Yes, they don't get along very well. You think Jerry is jealous or something?”
“Jealous? No, it's more than that. He hates the man.”

Anthony looked surprised. The counselor rarely used such strong words. “I wouldn't call it that...”
“That's because you don't realize the seriousness of the situation, Mark,” Aleyah explained patiently. “He actually hates you more, but he's projecting his feelings on Pierre.” Anthony stopped suddenly. This was unbelievable.
“Why would he hate me?!”
“Because he hates anyone with authority and power over him. Mark, this man should have never been sent on this mission in the first place. Have you seen his personality profile?”
“Of course I have,” the captain nodded. “He wasn't my choice, either.”
“I know. But someone made a terrible mistake there. This man is far too driven by ambition to make a good officer. Back in our galaxy, he would have probably served a couple of years more and he'd be safely sent behind some desk. The dreams of his own command would never be fulfilled anyway but at least his frustration could not threaten anyone.”
Anthony pondered that for a long while. Lost in their conversation, he hardly noticed they had reached the beach and were now walking along the lake. He almost stepped into the water before he realized that.
“You really think it's that serious?” He asked.
“I do,” Aleyah confirmed bluntly. “And I'm afraid he may break down soon. He just can't stand being second in command anymore.”
“What do you think I should do?” Aleyah shook her head.
“Probably nothing yet. But I wanted you to realize the situation is very serious. You need to watch him closely.”
“You're not suggesting he's about to mutiny?!” Anthony's eyes widened. “He is a Starfleet officer, after all...”
“He is very unstable Mark. At this point, I don't think we can rule anything out. Mutiny included...”

* * *

“Can you two start talking, finally? The tension between you is giving me a... headache.”
“Tension?” Yoko and Pierre looked at Vort, surprised.
They were cruising over the lake in a shuttle for almost an hour now. No results. They decided to lower the altitude for the next round but they were already beginning to lose hope of finding anything. The mission was boring, perhaps, but tense?
“Are you sure it's coming from us?” Pierre took out his tricorder and scanned their Scythiaan friend.
“I...” she hesitated. “I'm not sure. I cannot probe any thoughts, it’s just some distinct impression...”
“This will be it!” Pierre rushed to the controls and stopped the shuttle in mid-air. “Scan the area,” he ordered Tanaki who was already working her console.
“You think so?” Vort's words were translated with the intonation of disbelief, even though the original sounds she made were just different hissing variations. “I can't say anything at this point.”
*I'll help you.* Pierre thought to her and made the connection. He broke it almost immediately, with a moan.
“What is it?” Yoko turned from her console.
“I can't maintain the connection. Something is fighting me...” Pierre wiped his forehead.
“Vort?”
The Scythiaan froze in her seat. A stool, rather, since with her three legs she couldn't sit on a chair made for humanoids. Her yellow eyes were fixed at some point dead ahead. She looked almost catatonic.
“Vort!”

The Scythiaan jerked and looked at her.
“They don't want to be disturbed...”
“Who?” The officers asked in one voice.
“The inhabitants of this planet. They want to be left alone...”
Before any of them could say another word, the ship's systems went down. All the consoles went black. Pierre concentrated, trying to regain the connection with the shuttle's computer but it just felt like there was no computer anymore.
“All systems down,” Yoko's standard report sounded rather redundant while she was trying to switch to back-ups. “No navigation, weapons, no sensors, minimal life support...” Before she could finish, the main viewer went back online. Or so they thought. But it didn't show the surrounding area anymore. What they saw was the inside of some chamber. The view slowly magnified and they saw what looked like endless rows of small pods siting next to the stone walls. One by one. Each of them roughly spherical, half transparent. They had no idea of the size of these things but after a few more seconds they could see that each pod contained something. The shapes were unrecognizable, though.
None of them said anything. It was happening too fast. Suddenly, the projection stopped and they heard a sound. Or rather a series of sounds. Like music played on some unknown instrument. It sounded like something between a flute and a violin. There was no melody they could follow, though, just something they could later describe as series of sounds.
“They are talking to us...” Tanaki whispered, still looking at the viewer.
“The universal translator...” Pierre began but Vort hissed at him and started translating:
“Not come closer. Not wake up the sleeping. We are dreaming our dreams. Do not disturb the sleeping. This is unit 734. This unit is full. Go looking in unit 735 and above.”
“What does it mean?” Yoko turned to Vort.
“Where is unit 735 and what are we supposed to look for?”
“I don't know,” Vort hissed. This is an automated message, I can't ask questions.”
“How can you understand it?”
“My translator is different than yours. It picks up thoughts, too. And their language is not unlike mine. This is all very strange.”
Pierre sighed with relief and the ship's controls slowly started coming back online.
“I had to restart the computer,” he explained, steering the shuttle gently away. “There is some kind of dampening field around this place.”
“Look!” Tanaki pointed at her console. “I have partial scans of this place. This is the same pattern!”
“We've found what we were looking for,” Pierre nodded. “Now we only have to understand what it means.”
“Iiiighhr!” Vort screamed suddenly and the squeaking sound of her voice pierced their ears. Pierre darted to help her and caught the Scythiaan a moment before she hit the floor.
“Take... me.. away...” she managed what must have been a whisper and was translated as such. “I can't... take it...”
“Easy now,” Pierre gently helped her to lie down on the floor and without leaving her side, steered the shuttle faster away.
In the meantime, Yoko was still trying to conduct as detailed scans of the area as she could.
“What happened?” She asked when they were a few miles away.
“I'm not sure,” Vort leaned on Pierre but she still seemed to weak to get up. She was shaking her head as if trying to get rid of something. “It's like...” she was looking for words. “It's like thousands... no, millions of minds were trying to communicate with me. No, wrong. They weren't communicating. They were just projecting. Myriad of impressions. Images, voices, smells...
Commander, these shapes in the pods. There aren’t just these few we saw down there. There is an entire population buried alive under that lake.”

* * *

“Do you have a minute?”
Pierre was, in fact, busy, preparing a report for the captain but it wasn’t anything that would keep him all that occupied. He was leaning his back on a huge rock facing the lake.
“Come on Yoko,” he smiled invitingly and pointed for her to sit beside him.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” he said simply when she settled down.
“Oh, no!” Yoko shook her head. It was my fault! I should have known better...”
“Know better what?”
“I talked to Aleyah...”
“Oh!” There was a strange undertone on his voice but Tanaki was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to really pay attention.
“And what did the counselor tell you?”
“She thinks it wasn’t such a goo idea.”
Pierre sighed. He pursed his lips and pondered it for a while. “Perhaps if I had just asked you out in front of him as we’d originally planned...”
“I don’t suppose it would have worked, either.”
“No, think about it,” Pierre turned to look at her. “You, accepting my invitation would have made him imagine us on a date. The way it played out, they both actually saw us together. Apparently, we were having too much fun.” He smiled, remembering all the stupid jokes they shared that afternoon. Yoko giggled at the thought.
“Yes we did, didn’t we?”
“We should do it again some time. In private...”
“You are a wonderful friend, Pierre,” she sighed thankfully. They both sat together, staring at the setting sun for a long, lovely moment.
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this,” she said finally. Pierre looked at her, surprised.
“Hey, if memory serves, I jumped at the idea!” he said cheerfully. “You have nothing to apologize for!”
“Still, I was being egoistic...”
Pierre wanted to tell her she really should stop listening to the counselor so much but he thought better of it.
“We all have our problems,” he claimed philosophically instead and put his arm around her shoulders in a sympathetic gesture.
“I love him...” Yoko whispered helplessly. This was too much for Pierre.
“He’s not worth it,” he told her softly. Yoko looked up at him, ready to protest but he continued.
“I’m not saying that because he is a bad man. It’s just in his nature, I don’t think he can do anything about it.”
“What are you talking about? What is there in his nature?”
“Struggle for power.” Pierre felt he had to be blunt. “What he’s looking for in life is not personal relationships, it’s authority.” He knew he was hurting her but he believed she should at least think about it. As gullible as she was, she needed someone to point it out to her. He doubted the counselor would ever tell her anything like this.
“It’s probably why he ignored you for so long in the first place. I can see how he would have been attracted to you, you are a beautiful woman, but later, he must have realized that dating you would undermine his authority. That’s why he cut you off.”
“Undermine his authority? How?” Yoko didn’t understand.
“In his own eyes only, but it didn’t make it any less real for him. You know, people would see you together, start talking, very soon everyone would gossip... you know how it is.”
Yoko nodded.
“I don’t know,” she said after a while. “Perhaps you’re right. I just wish I could help him...” She put her head on his shoulder and they both sat in silence, each thinking about their own complicated lives.
“What are you doing here?!” The harsh voice startled them. They were so deep in their thoughts, they never heard the first officer coming.
“Commander,” Pierre was the first to react. He withdrew his arm from Yoko’s shoulders and calmly looked up at Kowalsky. “Anything I can do for you?”
“You must be joking!” Kowalsky snorted. “You were supposed to be working on the scan report!"
“I am, Sir,” the android replied flatly. “Even as we speak.”
“Oh?” Kowalsky’s face was glaring with anger. “And how are you going to deliver it from here?!”
“It’s not ready yet, Sir,” Pierre admitted. His jaw clenched a little but it was the only sign of his now flaring emotions. He really didn’t want to provoke Jerry in front of Yoko. She was already terrified.
However, what Pierre did or did not want, certainly wasn’t important to Kowalsky. “Go back to your quarters and finish it now!” He shouted. “I’ll put you on report for neglecting your duties!”
“Commander...” Tanaki tried to say something but Jerry ignored her completely.
“That’s an order!” He snapped at Pierre.
“Aye, Sir.” The android slowly got up, facing the outraged man. He was significantly taller than the first officer and Kowalsky had to take a step back.
It was a childish demonstration and Pierre realized that. But he was really fed up with his superior officer’s behavior. He winked at Tanaki as he dissolved in the transporter beam.

* * *

Everything went smoothly and efficiently. The captain ordered immediate evacuation upon receiving the detailed reports of the mysterious discovery under the surface of the lake. Once they knew what to look for, they scanned the entire planet. It turned out that, in fact, Vort was right. A population of over 100 million intelligent life forms did exist in a state of stasis under the planet’s surface.
In a matter of hours the tents, the equipment and all personal belongings disappeared from the camp site. Captain Mark Anthony summoned his senior staff to the conference room.

“Really, Captain, maybe it was premature?” Tim Rex was the most disappointed of them all. Due to lingering repairs , he only managed to spend a couple of days down with the others.
“They clearly do not wish to be disturbed,” the captain explained sympathetically. “We have to respect that...”
“But we never disturbed them... if it wasn’t for Pierre, we wouldn’t even know they existed!”
“But we do. And the Prime Directive is very clear about it.”
“There is something that still bothers me about it,” Pierre cut in, thoughtfully.
“What is it, Commander?”
“I’m not sure. As you know, I was unable to maintain telepathic contact with them. But there was something...”
“We’d all appreciate it if you were more precise, Commander.” Kowalsky’s acrid tone didn’t surprise anyone but it still was an unpleasant discord. Pierre ignored it, still deep in thought.
“It’s really difficult to express,” he began. “Something is very wrong with them...”
“Do you think they may need our help?” The captain asked.
“They specifically said they wanted to be left alone,” the first officer insisted.
“No, not really.” Everyone looked at Tanaki, confused. “What we heard was an automated message, recorded God knows how long ago...”
“That’s it!” Pierre exclaimed excitedly. “Oh, I’m sorry, Lieutenant,” he realized the interruption. Tanaki smiled at him.
“Yes, well. We have no idea how they may feel about it now, do we? For all we know, something may have gone wrong and they were not woken up when they were supposed to. They may just as well be desperate to get out of these pods but have no way of doing that. There is no one conscious to tell us.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Pierre picked up now. “This is what’s been bugging me about it. The possibility that the status quo may not exactly be to their liking anymore.”
“This is all very well,” Kowalsky spoke before anyone else had the time to think about it. “But it’s all speculation, based on nothing. We have no way to confirm any of this.” Aleyah glanced at Anthony meaningfully and he returned the look discreetly.
“Perhaps we could wake up one of them and ask?” Tanaki offered shyly but the captain shook his head.
“First, we don’t know anything about their technology. It would be risky. Second, we wouldn’t know if that particular individual would be representative of the whole civilization. Finally, if we’re wrong, we might be responsible for disturbing or, in consequence, maybe even destroying the life of an intelligent being. We don’t even know if they’re aware of interstellar travel.”
“We should first inspect their machinery,” the captain added. “These pods are connected to some computer. It may give us a clue if something went wrong. Tim?”
“We can try,” the chief engineer said hesitantly. “I have already identified something that may be their main frame. However, what they are using looks very different from our technology, Sir. It could take us weeks or even months to understand it.”
“Then perhaps we could use a telepathic link?” It was Pierre again. “I couldn’t do that but it seems that Vort may be capable of establishing such contact.”
“But she almost fainted the last time she tried,” Yoko opposed, worried. “How do we know it won’t hurt her?”
“We could try to combine our efforts. Maybe Chris could also help us...”
“Alright, people,” the captain evidently made his decision. “We stay up here. Maintain yellow alert. Tim, take a team down to inspect this computer, perhaps you’ll manage to find out something after all. Pierre, Vort and Chris will come up with a plan. If we go along with this, I want that contact to be as unobtrusive as possible. Ideally, we would learn what their situation is without them realizing we’re even here. I want your reports on my desk first thing in the morning. Dismissed.”

* * *
The alien technology turned out so different, Timothy Rex was beginning to wonder if he just didn’t lose the right to be called “the genius one”. This was so frustrating!
They had beamed down to one of the caves on the other side of the lake where Tim had found something big and complicated enough to be a main frame. However, the maze of circuits didn’t make much sense no matter how hard they tried. After several hours of research, their small group of scientists and engineers still couldn’t say with any certainty whether this was an alien computer or a kitchen appliance.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Tim complained to his wife when they sat down to take a break. “I can’t make heads or tails of it! These connections are either a total mess or the work of a genius! It could take us years to find out how to access this damned thing. I only wish Pierre has more luck getting into their minds. What’s wrong?” He added, seeing a weird look on Liana’s face. “Have I said something?”
“No,” Lieutenant Commander Rex smiled warmly at her husband. “I was just thinking about him...”
“Pierre? Should I be jealous?”
Liana didn’t even grace his remark with a smile. It’s been an ongoing joke between the two of them, just as Tim’s mandatory visits to Counselor Aleyah. “Is there something bothering you about him?”
Liana took out two field rations from her backpack and handed one to Tim. “Yes, it reminds me that I need to tell you something. But I don’t suppose now is a good time...”
“Come on,” Tim swallowed the first bite of his bar and pulled a face. He hated them. “It’s always a good time to talk?”
Liana told him all about the plot involving Yoko and Jerry, honestly admitting the authorship of the idea. She told him how both Joanna and Kowalsky reacted to Pierre afterwards. She also mentioned Aleyah’s summary of the whole situation.
Timothy’s expression grew more and more serious as he was listening. He didn’t interrupt with one word, he even seemed to have forgotten the food in his hand. He sat quietly, thinking, until Liana finished.
“It wasn’t a good idea,” he summed it up, blandly.
“I know,” Liana sighed. “Now Jerry won’t even look at Yoko.”
“I’m not talking about Kowalsky,” Tim shook his head impatiently. “It’s Pierre I’m worried about.”
“I know. His emotions...”
“Why is everybody always referring to his emotions?”
“I... I don’t understand?”
“I’m sorry, Liana, but in the course of the last few months this phrase is starting to sound like ‘his positronic matrix’ or ‘his central processor’. He is more of a person than a machine, you know. I’d expect you, of all people, to understand that.”
“I do, it’s not what I meant...” Liana was embarrassed.
“Alright,” Tim smiled amiably. “Perhaps I’m overreacting here. But really, he has been through a lot. I hear Joanna is giving him a hard time and now Kowalsky. The man has enough problems as it is.”
“You’re right, Tim. I never should have mentioned him. I was just so worried about Yoko, he seemed like an ideal man for the job at the moment...”
“That’s just it, Liana, don’t you see?" He was back at it. "Everyone is treating him that way: ‘the man for the job,’ that’s all he’s been lately. The captain wants some readouts, Pierre will take care of that. I need a hand in engineering, ‘Pierre, do you have a minute?’ You want some soda...”
“Okay, I see your point,” Liana interrupted his rant.
“The problem is,” Tim continued undaunted, “that even in our supposedly enlightened society, he is being treated like a glorified automaton. A slave worker, if you will.”
“Now that’s unfair,” Liana was apparently hurt. “We think of him as a friend, too... at least I do!”
“Really?” Tim’s tone was slightly sarcastic. “When was the last time you actually met him just to socialize? Or I, for that matter? When did we ask him out or invited him to our place simply to have fun together, without wanting anything from him?”
“It was...” Liana paused. She was beginning to see that her husband might have a point there. “It must have been before that incident with the Johnson...”
“You see?”
“Commander? You may want to see this!” Lieutenant Torres seemed agitated enough for them to drop their conversation and get back to the tedious work. However, Liana knew that her husband was right. This was unfair and she intended to do something about it the first chance she got. Right now, though, there was a job to be done and she needed to concentrate on the task at hand.

* * *

“Any results?” The captain ignored the padds on his desk. As usual, he valued the opinions of his officers more than any technical details.
“Not much, Sir,” Timothy admitted, sadly. “We didn’t have enough time to even find a way to access this unit, not to mention acquiring any data. I suppose in a week or two...”
“I really wouldn’t want to spend that much time here, unless absolutely necessary,” the captain said. “We’re not exactly in a big hurry but let me remind you that we haven’t charted one tenth of this quadrant yet and we’ve been here for almost a year now.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. A fifteen years’ mission was long enough but they only had five to actually explore this galaxy and there was still so much to see.
“All we can say is that we suspect the equipment may be malfunctioning. Or be on the verge of it. We just can’t be sure. It’s more of a feeling, an engineer’s intuition, if I may. Nothing decisive, though.”
“Someone tried to destroy it?”
“More like it’s simply worn out after long use. We think it may have been operating for a few hundred years now.”
“I see,” the captain acknowledged. “Pierre?” He asked, turning to the computer officer now.
“We have researched the frequency scans from Vort’s contact with the sleeping people, Sir,” he replied, using the colloquial name the crew had given the mysterious inhabitants of the planet. “I have replicated a converter that should allow me to synchronize with their projections.”
“You?” This sounded mockingly rude. Apparently, Commander Kowalsky decided he didn’t have to hide his disdain for Pierre any longer. Everybody understood that Pierre used the pronouns interchangeably for himself and the ship’s computer. There was no clear distinction between the two of them, after all. Anthony looked at Kowalsky scornfully.
“The computer, of course,” Pierre complied, choking down his irritation. “Although I will still need another telepath to guide me.”
“Guide you?”
“Yes, Captain. We have no way of knowing the nature of that state. They may be just sitting there or be already dying if something went wrong as Tim suggested. I will need someone linked to my... the computer’s system, monitoring the connection without taking an active part in my journey.”
“Alright, Vort will help you.”
“Excuse me, Sir,” Pierre opposed. “Vort is an experienced telepath but I’d rather have Chris with me there.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, for one, he is much stronger than any of us. Both physically and mentally. We tend to forget it and treat him like a little boy but his true nature is very different. Besides, Vort has showed some worrying signs when in contact with these people. She said their language was somewhat similar to her own and she could sense they were translating thoughts much earlier than we realized it. I’m afraid that while she could understand them better, she may have problems staying out of the action, so to speak.”
Pierre’s explanation was nothing but logical and the captain agreed with his reasoning instantly. Still, the reaction this exchange gathered from Kowalsky was a snort. Anthony decided he needed to speak to his first officer very soon. Right now, he only nodded: “Proceed.”
* * *
Pierre woke up to a rain of soft, gentle kisses. On his bare chest, neck, cheeks...
“Mmm... Gotcha!” He said, turning around to catch Joanna in his arms. She giggled.
“Time to get up, Sunshine, you have the morning shift,” she breathed in his ear, tickling him. He decided to punish her for that and squeezed her in his arms so tight that she couldn’t move. Joanna giggled even more and tried to slip out. This playful fight aroused them so much that they spent the next sweet half an hour making love.
“Now you’ve done it,” Joanna panted on his chest when she could speak again. “You’re gonna be late.”
“No, I’m not!” Pierre laughed at her happily and jumped out of the bed, replicating his uniform in a matter of seconds. A moment later, he waved to her from the door.
“See you later, Sunshine!”
“Hi Pierre,” Kowalsky’s voice caught him when he was entering the turbolift. He held the door for the first officer. “You’re ready for the re-match tonight?”
“ Sure! And I’m going to beat you again, Sir” he bowed playfully.
“We’ll see about that!” Kowalsky beamed at him. “I’ve been practicing!”
“Gentlemen,” the captain greeted them both as they entered the bridge. Kowalsky went to his seat, immediately starting the connection to the ship’s computer and reviewing the latest data while Pierre stood behind the two of them, maintaining control of the systems. The Explorer was cruising smoothly, the scientists were busy charting the unknown space, everything was in order. Pierre smiled inwardly, trying not to notice the impish looks Yoko and Jerry gave each other throughout the day. He’d heard the latest gossip but he knew better than to interfere.
*You know what it’s all about?* The captain inquired discreetly.
*Shh... Mark, you’re being nosey, * he scorned Anthony cordially.

Eight hours later, Pierre ran down to the sickbay. He gave Joanna a quick kiss. She told him she wanted to stay a while longer, doing some more studying so Pierre decided to take Chris to his swimming lesson before dinner.
“Commander?” the boy welcomed him.
“Why so formal?” Pierre laughed, picking him up and spinning around over his head. “You forgot my name?”
“Pierre,” the boy said softly, clearly not amused. Pierre stopped and put him back on the floor.
“What is it, Chris?” he asked more seriously.
“Do you know where we are?” The question was so unexpected it gave Pierre a pause.
“Of course, kid. We’re on the Explorer. Is something wrong?”
Chris gave him a long, careful look. “No, we aren’t,” he said slowly. “We’re in caves under the surface of a planet. Do you remember the sleeping people?”
“Sleeping people? Yes... yes, I do, but that was months ago!”
“Was it? How long ago exactly?”
“It... I...” Pierre stammered, surprised. “I don’t remember precisely...”
“How come you don’t remember? You are a computer! You cannot forget!”

Pierre opened his eyes slowly and reluctantly. The first sight of Chris and Yoko’s faces looming over his own made him realize where and when he was. Immediately, a feeling of terrible loss overwhelmed him. He wanted nothing more than to go back to his dream and never wake up again. He fought this urge long and hard. Finally, he managed to reach out and disconnect the converter from his circuits.
“How... long...?” He asked.
“Two hours,” Yoko sighed with relief, seeing he was back with them again. “You’ve been connected to their system for over two hours.”

“Apparently, I was wrong, Captain,” he was relaying at the staff meeting later that evening. “They certainly do not wish to be woken up. I failed to connect to any of them directly but I was under the influence of their system myself. If it wasn’t for Chris, I wouldn’t have wanted to wake up myself.”
“What is it that makes them want to stay there so badly? What would make an entire population give up their lives voluntarily?” The captain asked thoughtfully.
“They’re dreaming their best dreams,” Pierre replied softly. “Melting away in happiness. At least judging from what I’ve experienced, Sir...”
“Are we going to wake them?” Yoko asked. “If what Tim says is true, they may start dying soon and they wouldn’t even realize that...”
“I don’t think we have any right to interfere,” Anthony shook his head sadly.
“But we’re not even sure if they did this voluntarily, Sir,” Liana supported her friend. “For all we know, they may have been forced to get to these pods by someone. Or coerced into them by some maniac... not to mention that the system is apparently forcing them into addiction.”
“True, Lieutenant. However, as you say, we aren’t sure. And we are strictly forbidden to act on our suspicions or intuition in such cases. I’m afraid we will never know the truth about this civilization. We are leaving.”

* * *
“I wonder what it was you were dreaming about in that system?” Liana asked Pierre conversationally when they entered the turbolift together.
He looked at her gravely. “I’d rather not talk about it,” he said quietly. Something in his voice made her look away.
* * *

“Tell me, please. What was it you were dreaming about?”
Pierre gave her a long, sad look. “Counselor,” he said softly. “Could I please be allowed this last shred of privacy here?” He was begging.
“I’m really sorry, Pierre,” the counselor replied reluctantly. “You know we can’t...”
“Yes, I know you can’t,” he cut her off, flatly, and looked away. Aleyah hated her job at times like this.
“So,” she continued after a pause. “Since we understand each other, tell me, please.”
“I was dreaming of my life here, on the Explorer”, came a bland reply.
“With Joanna?” Aleyah prodded.
“Yes.” He was looking somewhere over her shoulder. His voice was quiet, almost detached. He was speaking slowly.
“Describe it, please. How did the dream start?”
“We woke up in the morning, to go to work.”
“So, you dreamed about sleeping with her?”
“Yes,” this was after a pause.
“You were dreaming of having sex with her?”
“Yes,” after an even longer pause.
“What happened next?” The counselor had no choice but to push it. She knew she had to provoke him somehow to get him really start talking. Apparently, she wasn’t succeeding.
“I went to the bridge.”
“Did you meet other crewmembers? What was it like?”
“I met everybody. You were all happy.”
“Happy?”
Pierre looked at her. “Happy. Joyful. Fulfilled,” he counted.
“How did it feel?”
“Good.”
“Good enough not to want to leave there?”
“Yes.”
“Commander, you’re not making this easy,” Aleyah sighed.
“I’m answering your questions.”
“Precisely. But you’re not offering any reflections of your own.”
“Perhaps I don’t have any reflections,” he replied indifferently.
“Alright then. How do you think this experience influenced you?”
“I probably realized what it’s like to be happy.”
“And yet, you have become distressed, isolated, you are actually acting as if you were mourning this experience.”
“Well, maybe I am...”
“Why?”
“Because I know it won’t ever happen?” He offered, still showing no sign of interest in the whole conversation.
“Why would you be convinced of that?”
“Because most of you will never change...”
And so on. This was clearly getting nowhere beyond these one sentence, apathetic answers. Finally, Aleyah gave up. She just couldn’t get through to him today. Sometimes it was best to let things rest for a while. Maybe next week... but it was sad to see Pierre in this condition. He’d always been so energetic, full of life, passionate... Then again, she’d hardly seen him at all, lately. He didn’t even visit the bridge other than through the ship’s system. Come to think of it, his visit to the counselor was probably the only time when he’d even used his body outside of his quarters these last couple of weeks.
“I’m really sorry I have to drag you though this,” she said in a way of an apology.
Pierre turned from the door and gave her a wry look. “I appreciate it, Counselor. I’m really glad you don’t, indeed, find perverse pleasure in dissecting me here.”

* * *

“Enter,” Pierre called out, resigned, to the door chime. He really preferred to be left alone...
“Yoko!” He greeted the girl, mildly pleased. Except for Joanna, she was possibly the only person he didn’t mind seeing right now. “What can I do for you?”
“I just dropped by to see how you’re doing,” she answered casually, sitting on an armchair behind his back. “Thought maybe you’d feel like chatting?”
“About my dream, huh?” He asked bitterly, turning around to face her.
Yoko shrugged her shoulders. “If that’s what you want to talk about...?”
“If I want to talk?” He sneered. “Everyone is so curious about it...”
“Look, Pierre,” Yoko said impatiently, reaching out and pulling his chair closer. “I am not really curious. I was there with you, remember? I saw you getting out of this and I know it was tough.”
“Yeah, it was...” he admitted reluctantly. “To leave all of this and come back here...” Suddenly, for the first time he really felt like talking about it. Maybe it was Yoko’s reaction, fake or otherwise, he didn’t care anymore. He got up and started pacing the room. Yoko curled up back in the chair and watched him patiently.
“It was so wonderful,” he began slowly, as if talking to himself. “To see everyone so happy, so satisfied about their lives. Everything was just right, for all of us, you know? You were planning your life together with Jerry, we were all preparing for Mark and Aleyah’s wedding, Tim finally finished these upgrades he’s working on and the tests looked promising... and I was with Joanna,” he finished, quietly. Yoko didn’t move. After a while, he continued:
“And it was so real. I really lived these two months. I can still remember every minute of it. Every sound, every smell... everything.”
“Oh my God!” Yoko’s eyes went wide in sudden realization.
Pierre turned to her, surprised: “What?”
“Now I get it,” she said sympathetically. “In your mind it all really happened, didn’t it?”

“Yes. Yes, it did,” he nodded sadly. “These memories were implanted in my brain and they feel as real as... yesterday’s staff meeting. We had such a great time together,” he mused. “The six, sometimes the eight of us...”
“Eight?” Yoko didn’t understand.
“You, us, Mark, Aleyah and the Rexes,” Pierre explained.
“Ah!”
“We’d go to a holodeck together, Jerry was tireless in finding out new, romantic places for picnics, we had chess tournaments, silly parlor games... and in the evenings, Joanna and I would go back to our quarters and talk about it all, joke together. And, in the morning, we’d wake up in each other’s arms...”

His voice trailed off but Yoko was still sitting quietly, allowing him to relive these precious moments in his mind.

“When we made love,” he said finally and his voice was trembling. “I still remember every sound she made, every touch... But she doesn’t have these memories,” he ended abruptly in a harsh tone. “She doesn’t even want them. That’s why it hurts so much!” he added, turning back to Yoko.
She just sat there for a while longer, without a word. Finally, she asked:
“Do you remember the scar she has on her back?”
“A scar?” Pierre repeated, surprised. “No, I don’t think she has a scar...”
“She does,” Yoko looked at him, expectantly. He was puzzled. “You see,” she explained. “Now you know this wasn’t real. You were dreaming about having sex with a woman you’d never even seen naked...”
“But...” he wanted to say something.
“I know it feels real to you,” Yoko continued, calmly. “But it wasn’t.”
“I... I guess you’re right,” he admitted, perplexed. “I should have realized that...”
“That’s alright,” the girl smiled at him warmly. “You probably did, you just never thought about it consciously. I guess you just experienced something that is quite common for us, non-computers. You know, our feelings do cloud our judgment on occasion. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as you are eventually able to see things in proper perspective.”
Pierre bowed his head. “You’re right. This really makes a difference...” he said slowly. “I suppose you won’t tell me where exactly she has this scar?”
“Of course I won’t!” Yoko shook her head in mocked indignation and Pierre smiled for the first time since the incident.
“Thank you,” he said simply.
“Glad I could help,” she dismissed it lightly but deep inside she was really happy she could help him. He had always been so kind to her, it felt good to be able to return the favor for once.
“You did,” he said seriously. Of all the people who claim to be my friends, you are really there for me...”
Yoko blushed. She fidgeted on the chair, for some reason feeling a little uneasy now.
“Look, I gotta run,” she finally said. “But you know what? You should get out of here and start mingling a little. You hardly even showed yourself these last couple of weeks...”
“I wanted to be alone,” he admitted.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, either,” she tilted her head, giving him a playful look. “But then, you shouldn’t be complaining about not having friends...”
The two of them laughed.
“Touché,” Pierre bowed again. “You are very logical today, Lieutenant. Are you sure you’re not a computer after all? Perhaps your maternal grandmother...?”
“Quite positive, thank you,” she giggled, getting up. “I really have to go. I’ll see you later.”
“Later,” Pierre agreed. “And really, thank you so much,” he added to the closed door.