“Why did he drive himself to such a miserable state in the first place?”
“There were several factors involved,” Pierre’s face was a mask, his voice flat, unemotional. Despite everything else, it was sad to watch this usually lively, passionate man act like this. “I was programmed to serve first and foremost,” he continued.
“Stop confusing the pronouns as if you were talking about yourself!” Kowalsky interrupted him with anger. “You won’t fool us!”
Pierre didn’t even look at him. “This was also the core of his personality,” he explained.

After the recent events, everyone was deeply shocked. The crew of the Explorer had always known that their TCS unit was still highly experimental and they knew what they had signed up for with this mission. They also realized he was far from perfect. For him to commit a murder on a helpless human being, though, that was beyond the parameters of any experiment. Captain Anthony decided to interrogate the android together with his senior staff before taking any action. The officers were fully aware that the only reasonable course of action would have to be to deactivate him and complete their mission relying only on the LCARS system, slightly backed up by Pierre III which was not much more than a residual program, with no telepathic abilities. Alternatively, they would have to cancel their mission and head back to Federation space. The thing was, most of them could not believe Pierre was capable of this, even though he himself pleaded guilty. They wanted to know more.

“When you asked him for something,” Pierre continued his explanation, oblivious to his friends’ doubts, “he would do everything in his power to satisfy your wish. And he wouldn’t discriminate between more and less important things. He’d put the same effort in repairing the deflector grid and adjusting your replicator to cook you a better soup.
Another thing is that he was repeatedly told that his sensations were normal and that he should just deal with them.”
“But that was in the beginning,” Kowalsky interrupted again. “Why would he be so stupid not to notice his condition was deteriorating?”
This time Pierre slowly turned around to face the first officer. Without a word, he gave him a long, intense look. Kowalsky suddenly found the padds lying on the table in front of him extremely interesting.
“He didn’t know it was a process,” Pierre continued after a pause. “He thought the doctor’s diagnosis was final until something was done, much as an engineer’s evaluation of an android would be. Finally, the incident with the missile renewed his hope of finding me. After that, he started working not even ten but twelve, sometimes fourteen hours a day.”
“Why did he want to find you so much?” Yoko asked softly.
“Because he hoped I’d take over for him and he would be put to death,” Pierre replied bluntly.
“This is ridiculous!” Kowalsky hurled the padds back on the table. “We can’t question him through this android! It’s obvious he’ll be lying to defend himself!”
“You know I can’t lie, Commander,” Pierre replied calmly. “Besides,” he added, turning to the captain, “I have prepared something to give you all a better insight into the whole situation. With your permission, Sir, I’d like to engage you all in a telepathic projection of some of Pierre’s experiences. You can have Commander Rex verify if any of this has been tampered with. You will be able to feel what Pierre felt and see what he saw.”
“And while we do that, you will manipulate our minds so that we believe everything you tell us!” Kowalsky didn’t give up, clearly outraged.
“I am incapable of that, either” Pierre said. “You are welcome to inspect my safety protocols although this was done when I was let go by the Claxians.”
“That’s right,” the captain confirmed. “I’ve read Tim’s report. The Claxians were unable to mess with you thanks to these and they are intact. You cannot manipulate us. What I’m more worried about with this mental spectacle is how long it’s going to take and how... accurate it will be?”
“I don’t want to hurt any of you, Captain,” Pierre replied. “I only chose a few characteristic events from his short life here on the Explorer to give you a better idea of what he’d been through. I believe it’s crucial to this investigation. As to the ‘accuracy”, as you put it,” he hesitated. “Well, you will feel the pain but I will adjust the sensor output so that you don’t lose consciousness even if Pierre does.”
“This is absurd!” Kowalsky shouted. “How can you even consider this, Captain?!”
“I’d like to go through with this,” Yoko protested softly. “I want to understand what happened.”
“I would be interested, too,” the counselor added.
“And me. “Yeah, me too,” the senior officers agreed one by one.
“This may be an interesting experience,” even doctor Darek concurred, despite his usual apprehension towards any telepathic contacts.
“Alright,” Anthony nodded. “We will give it a try.”
“Captain!” Everyone looked at Kowalsky.
“I’ve made my decision, Commander,” the captain said coldly.
“Then I want no part in this! With your permission, Sir,” he added.
“You are dismissed.” The officers turned to Pierre while Kowalsky stormed out of the conference room.

* * *

Everything was set up. Pierre looked around his fellow officers and waited for the captain’s signal.
“Proceed,” he heard it and launched the projection. He had it prepared so that he didn’t take an active part in it but was free to observe the participants. It was a strange view to see each expression, each wince or smile play out simultaneously on all their faces. Pierre didn’t really hope to change their minds with this. To them, he was a murderer and deactivating him was only a matter of time. He had accepted this. He only wanted them to understand why he did what he did. Why he had to do it.

The projection started when Pierre first woke up as a human in sickbay, without his inhibitors. The officers all opened their eyes in sudden realization of their new bodies. Of Pierre’s new body, actually, but they all felt it like it was their own. They took their first breath of the air which was painfully cold and dry and swallowed the saliva for the first time. They all moaned suddenly, feeling their intestines’ contractions, their heart beats, their blood pushing through their veins. They had been told they could break the connection at any given moment if it became too unpleasant but unpleasant didn’t even begin to explain what they were feeling. It was torture. And then they all heard doctor Darek say: “These are normal sensations of an organic body. They should subside in a day or two when you get used to it.” And they all realized this wasn’t true from the start.

A few days later, Pierre checked the clock. He was still ten minutes away from the end of his shift. After almost eight hours he had trouble even sitting straight. Someone asked for coffee... who was it? *Ah, good afternoon Liana, sure, double sweet...*
Pierre’s mind started drifting again. He wavered in his chair and groped for the armrest to steady himself. The captain wanted a course correction. *Yes, Mark, I’m on it...* It was so frustrating. He knew exactly what had to be done, he had done it thousands times before. Now he had to double check every digit and it slowed down the process terribly. He felt so inadequate.... *I’m sorry, Commander, there you go... no, not right. Okay, this is it now. I stand down, please, launch the LCARS... yes? Oh, right, I forgot. Adjusting the monitor now... no, it isn’t working. Relaying the charts to the ops station. I stand down... now what? Sure, Lieutenant, just a second. The door will now chime more softly. Captain, the LCARS, please...*

The officers were exposed to all the pain and struggle the human Pierre experienced while living amongst them. Everyone also saw themselves interact with him and only now had they realized how miserable he was. No one broke the connection until the very last scenes played out in their minds.

“Commander, may I please sit down?” Pierre swayed on his feet in front of the first officer’s desk. Kowalsky was busy reviewing his reports while he was made to stand there, waiting. He felt dizzy.
Kowalsky shrugged, not even bothering to look up: “It’ll only be a minute.”
Pierre wanted to ask for some water then but his knees suddenly felt very weak and everything went gray in front of his eyes. He slowly sunk to the floor, fainting.
He woke up to the boot, jostling his ribs. “Get up!” he heard Kowalsky’s angry voice. He made an effort and managed to crawl on all fours, panting heavily. He was too weak to even think about his humiliation.
“Drop your little theater,” Kowalsky shouted at him. “You’re not going to impress me!”
Pierre grabbed the desktop and raised shakily to his feet.
“I’m sorry, Sir,” he whispered only, focused on staying in the upward position with all his might. It wasn’t easy, everything was spinning around him and he felt faint. “May I be dismissed now?” he begged.
Kowalsky looked at him with open disgust. “Out!” he said.
Pierre turned around unsteadily and staggered to the door.

“This... this is incredible!” Yoko had tears in her eyes when the projection was over. How could we have allowed this to happen?”
Nobody answered her. The officers were sitting quietly, deep in their thoughts.
“Is this how Commander Kowalsky treated him on a regular basis?” The captain asked, finally.
“Yes, Sir,” Pierre replied simply.
“And what Lieutenant Tanaki told me about the redundant reports?”
Pierre looked at Yoko, surprised. He never knew she had complained. “He was made to work for additional two hours everyday, approximately, to double up on reports of most of the senior staff,” he admitted. “That’s why he needed at least twelve hours’ shifts to even get to working on the sensors.”
“Unbelievable!” Someone muttered.
“Also,” Pierre added, hesitantly, turning to the captain. “After your conversation with Commander Kowalsky, he was beaten up for complaining. I didn’t include it in the presentation because it was a little drastic...”
“Drastic?”
“The commander beat him until he lost consciousness and left him bleeding in his quarters,” Pierre was relaying this unemotionally.
“Why did Pierre never say anything?!” Yoko didn’t even try to hide her tears anymore. Everyone was so aghast, they didn’t pay attention anyway.
“He didn’t want to cause even more trouble. Besides, he wasn’t sure anybody would have believed him anyway...” his voice trailed off as if he wasn’t sure, either.

* * *

“The captain did what?!” Joanna opened her eyes in disbelief.
“He demoted Kowalsky to a lieutenant and posted him in Liana’s department, since he has some scientific background,” Aleyah explained patiently. “Timothy is the new first officer.”
“And... Pierre?” Joanna asked, quieter.
“He’s got a reprimand on his permanent record and he’s restricted to his quarters for a month in addition to certain limits in his access to the ship’s sensitive areas.”
“Is that all?” Joanna was taken aback. “Kowalsky is being demoted and Pierre, who actually killed, gets away with a reprimand? What kind of justice is that?”
“It’s really rather complicated,” the counselor tried to calm her down. “What Kowalsky did to Pierre was below any standards of humanity, not to mention Starfleet code. Pierre acted out of mercy. Besides, it is even difficult to draw a line between killing and suicide in this case...”
“Suicide?! What suicide?! It was a murder. Plain and simple!” Joanna was desperate. Just when she finally decided she could accept a human Pierre, when she thought she saw a future for them, this damned android came back like a ghost to haunt her.
“Joanna,” the counselor tried again. “He really wanted to die...”
“No, it’s not true! I could have changed his mind!”
Aleyah felt her jaw clench from irritation – a surprisingly human sensation for a changeling. She was professional enough not to show it but at that point, what she really wanted was to turn into a bulky Klingon and kick some sense into her patient.
“It wouldn’t have helped, even if you’d managed to,” she continued instead. “Only after his death did we find out that his overworking only resulted in him fading faster. He’d have died anyway, even if he hadn’t worked at all. It was a question of a few months at most. He had been designed with a flaw from the start...”
Joanna had no answer to that.
“Listen, the captain made Pierre’s projection available to anyone interested. He made this exception to privacy rules to preserve the unity of the crew. To make everything clear once and for all. If you would only...”
“No,” Joanna said, firmly. “I don’t want anything to do with it.”
“Then perhaps you should talk to Pierre directly...”
“No!” she screamed hysterically. “I’ll never let him touch my mind again!”

Aleyah sighed heavily. She was beginning to feel really useless. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t help these two. That they were desperately in love with each other was clear to everybody except for themselves. Or rather for Joanna, because Pierre was at least aware of his feelings, even though he had a hard time sorting them out. Joanna loved him too, but she was just too confused to acknowledge it. It was hard to blame her, considering the circumstances.

* * *

“Did you kill him?” Joanna's eyes were as bitter as her voice. Pierre gasped.
“It's not that simple...”
“It's very simple,” she insisted, coldly. “Tell me. Right into my face. Did you kill him?”
“He... I...” Pierre tried but she interrupted him again.
“Did you kill him? Yes? Or no?”
Pierre knew it was part of the punishment he had to take. He briefly remembered those terrible moments when he was forced to watch her die and decided that everything was better than that. She would never know... He braced himself and looked her right into the eyes.
“Yes,” somehow he managed to keep his voice from trembling. “Yes, I did.”
“Then I want nothing more to do with you. Ever, again,” she chanted forcibly.
Pierre opened his mouth but his throat was too tight. He hung his head down in silence. It was his sentence. He didn't even look up when she turned around and left him there. He was just standing in the middle of his room, his mind frozen. Suddenly, the ship jerked and that snapped him back to reality.
*Pierre, what just happened?* He heard the captain in his thoughts. Improbable as it sounded, he told him the truth.
*Nothing, Sir. I lost control of the ship for a moment.*
*You did what?!*

* * *

“What the hell was that?” Anthony asked as soon as the door closed after Pierre.
“I’d rather not talk about it, Sir.”
“You will have to, Commander.”
“Captain,” Pierre sighed. “Why is it that I can’t be allowed even the smallest amount of privacy?”
“Because this whole ship and its crew depend on you.”
“With all due respect, Sir, can’t the same be said of just about everyone else here?”
“True. But everyone else usually have their emotions under control,” Anthony couldn’t help but think back to his conversation with Kowalsky, not so long ago.
“Then perhaps there is a flaw in my design?” Pierre asked softly.
“It’s possible. After all you’re still in the experimental stage.”
“In that case, Sir, may I have a request?”
“Go ahead.”
“When you write your next report for Starfleet, could you please file my official protest against experimenting on a sentient being?”
Anthony was surprised. “It’s not really experimenting, Pierre. I mean, you were deemed ready to undertake...”
“I have been entrusted with huge responsibility when, apparently, I wasn’t ready for it, Sir. Since you wouldn’t consider my resignation, it’s the least I can ask of you.”
“You’re right,” Anthony bowed out. “I will support your protest. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
“Can you now tell me what happened, please? You know I’m not asking out of idle curiosity.
“I’d rather you didn’t give me that order, Sir,” Pierre insisted fiercely. “I swear it was the last time I allowed my personal problems to get in the way of my work. It won’t happen ever again,” he cringed saying the last two words.
Anthony inspected him carefully. “You realize this would be another huge leap of faith on my part. After all you’ve been through...”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I have my doubts.”
“I realize that, Sir.”
“Alright, Pierre,” Anthony finally agreed albeit with a heavy heart. “I will trust you this one last time. But this better really be the last time.”
“Understood. I appreciate it, Captain.”

* * *

”Pierre?” Yoko was standing at the doorstep, hesitant what to do. Pierre was sitting motionlessly on the sofa, staring at some point ahead of him. She began to wonder if he had deactivated his android body altogether but his shining eyes indicated that he was in there. “May I come in?” she repeated. A slow nod of his head was the only answer she got. Feeling guilty to impose herself on him like that, Yoko walked up to the armchair and sat down. Pierre didn’t move.
“How are you?” she asked awkwardly. No response. “Pierre?” she prodded softly.
He blinked and forced a smile. “I’m fine,” he said flatly. “How are you?”

Yoko really didn’t know how to snap him out of this state. It’s been over a month now since he had been confined to his quarters per the captain’s order. He was free to walk around already but he chose to stay in, never seeing anyone except his compulsory visits to the counselor and maintenance check - ups with Lieutenant Torres, the new chief engineer. Yoko was the only one to visit him. Even the captain never showed up.

Pierre didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he didn’t seem to mind anything these days. He did his job as usual but nothing beyond that. No small talk, no jokes Yoko got so used to, just business. He didn’t seem particularly thrilled about her visits, but he never protested either. He even agreed to giving her dancing lessons. Although he didn’t act that much different from any holographic partner, Yoko insisted on meeting him twice a week in the holodeck in the hopes of providing some distraction for him. And she kept on coming to visit him, trying to chatter his bad mood away.

Today didn’t seem like an exception. After his rather blank invitation, she started bringing him up to speed on the newest ship’s gossip. She told him how Ensign Arak got burnt in engineering when he mistakenly touched a warm plasma conduit, how Chris was excited about having learned to swim and kept nagging everyone to go to the holodeck with him...

Pierre just sat there, letting her talk. He nodded politely from time to time, he even attempted a smile once or twice but it was obvious he hardly even heard her.
“I talked to Jerry, today,” she finally said. This earned her a glance from him. Pierre was always at least mildly interested in what she had to say about herself. “I told him I’m not interested in dating him anymore but, if he needs a friend, I’m here.”
“Well, what did he say?”
“That he’ll think about it.”
Pierre snorted a little. “He’s a jerk.”
Yoko didn’t like his attitude but she knew it was justified after what Jerry did to him. She realized Pierre had all the memories of his clone now and she couldn’t really blame him. At least, he was finally talking to her. “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Maybe I can help him to change somehow?”
“If that’s what you wish,” Pierre agreed indifferently. For some reason this simple remark hurt Yoko more than anything else. She stared at Pierre for a moment and then, suddenly overwhelmed, burst into tears.
“What’s wrong?” Pierre reached out and touched her shoulder. Instinctively, Yoko moved closer and clutched to him, crying uncontrollably.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Pierre repeated, confused. Since she was already in his arms, he hugged her and stroked her hair to calm her down.
“I... I don’t know,” she sobbed. “Everything’s wrong! Jerry did all these horrible things. You’re locked away in here... I don’t know what to do anymore?”
This didn’t make much sense but Yoko was too desperate to realize that.
Pierre gently touched her chin and lifted her face up from his chest. He materialized a handkerchief and dried her eyes in a very tender gesture.
“Shh...” he said, like he was hushing a little baby.
Yoko looked up into his shiny eyes and forgot about crying. She felt almost hypnotized by his look. For a moment, she thought he would kiss her but Pierre only smiled, rather sadly, and asked: “Feeling better?”
She nodded, still not sure if she could control her voice.
“Good,” Pierre took away the handkerchief and let her out of his arms. “Don’t worry, Yoko,” he reassured her. “Everything will work out, eventually.”
It didn’t sound very convincing, though, just a casual remark. Pierre leaned back on the sofa and he seemed back in his shell again. Yoko wondered if it was the reason why she suddenly felt so disappointed...

* * *

“I can't even begin to imagine how you feel now. Pierre must have been very close to you?”
“And I killed him, yes. This is what you mean, isn't it?”
“What I mean is not important, Pierre. What you mean is.”
“You don't get it, Counselor, you just don't. I didn't kill him. I killed myself. And in more ways than one.”

One of the conditions under which Pierre was allowed to continue his duties as the ship’s computer officer, was his full cooperation with the counselor. He had to force himself to talk to her and it was probably the hardest part of his punishment, except maybe for Joanna’s attitude.

Since the days of his emotional crisis, he’s actually lost all faith in the counselor’s abilities to help anyone. The way she dealt with Yoko didn’t help, either. In Pierre’s opinion, Yoko was a very delicate, sensitive woman. He admired her and wanted to protect her at the same time. It seemed to him the counselor was just too clumsy in imposing her own ideas on her. He made sure she didn’t do the same with him.

“So, you feel like you've committed suicide? Is that it?” She made it sound like she was honestly trying to understand him. He appreciated it, despite his general apprehension.
“In a sense...”
“Tell me, Pierre. Now, do you still feel it was the right thing to do?”
“I don't feel. I know it was.”
“Why?”
“You know how I... he, suffered. There was nothing anyone could have done to help him.”
“We could have put him in stasis, let him wait until we find a way to help him.”
“He didn't want that, either.”
“Alright. Let me get something straight. You claim you essentially killed yourself. Do you believe that suicide is justifiable?”
“You don't?”
“Pierre, I'm not judging you. I'm just trying to understand.”
“I know, I’m sorry. Yes, I believe that under certain circumstances suicide is justified.”
“Who is to judge whether or not the circumstances warrant the act?”
“The person themselves, provided they are capable of making decisions.”
“And you believe Pierre was capable?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No, he wasn't. He was in terrible pain and under too much stress. He was desperate.”
“Yet you helped him. Why?”
“Because I was there to judge him.”
“And yet you say you were him at that moment?”
“Counselor, it's really more complicated than that,” Pierre was trying to convey something that was hard to understand even for himself. “He was a part of me, yes. I could feel what he felt, I knew his every breath, every heart beat. But, at the same time, there was another part of me, separate from him.”
“And you believe this part was objective? Not influenced by his emotions?”
“Yes.”
“But even that part of you was identical to him?”
“As I said, it's more complicated. The part I’m taking about is basically a computer. This was not influenced by him.”
“So, in essence, you are claiming that a computer can assist in suicide because it's objective?”
“No, not any computer, Counselor. But a telepathic one can. One that can truly assess the situation and still remain indifferent.”
The counselor pondered his answer for a while. He used this silence.
“May I ask you a private question? Off the record?”
“Please, do.”
“You disagree with the captain's decision, don't you?”
“No, I don't disagree, Pierre. I just need to know whether he was right.”
“So, you're not sure.”
“No.”
“I see.”
“Does it bother you?”
Pierre looked at her with a trace of amusement.
“What do you think, Counselor? I am considered a murderer. Do you really think I wouldn't be bothered by that?”
“And you think you don't deserve that?”
“It was my question, Counselor. Let me repeat it: do you think I deserve it?”
“Frankly...” she paused. One of her assets as a counselor was that she has always tried to be honest with people. At least that was what she believed. No matter the cost. “I am just wondering if Jerry didn't have a point there when he said we'd been extremely lenient with you. Try to look at it objectively. We have a computer who has nervous breakdowns, manipulates sensitive data, makes mistakes, looses control of the ship and finally helps a human being to commit suicide. What do you believe your creators would think?”
“That I'm a piece of junk.”
Aleyah eyed him carefully but there was no trace of smile in his eyes or voice anymore. He was being serious.
“Do you really believe that?” She asked, nevertheless.
“I do,” he replied softly. “I would not entrust a ship to myself at this point.”
“So why didn't you ask to be relieved of duty?”
“I did. The captain refused.”

* * *

*What the...* Anthony thought when he ordered a change of course and nothing happened. *Pierre!* he thought. No response. *That’s it,* he decided. *He’s finally done it this time!*
“Helm, bring us about,” he ordered out loud and was about to summon Pierre to his ready room to announce his decision about deactivating him when Piete alarmed:
“She’s not responding, Sir!”
“Launch the LCARS, manual override.”
“Nothing, Captain.”
“We’ve lost the sensors.”
“Navigation is offline.”
“The shields are failing,” the reports came from all over the bridge.
“Red alert!” Anthony said and turned around to tell Joanna to get off the bridge. She’d been allowed here to observe the ship’s operations, in course of her preparations for the Academy exams but there was no place for her there during emergency. The captain opened his mouth but he never said anything. Suddenly, everyone heard the same voice in their heads:
*Surrender the android or we’ll destroy your vessel!*
“Who are you?” the captain asked, even though he already knew.
*We are the Claxians. We want your android.*
“You surrendered him willingly,” Anthony opposed to buy them some time.

Indeed, after weeks of meticulous search and all the human Pierre’s suffering, getting the android back was relatively easy. Once contacted, the Claxians didn’t even stage any negotiations and simply allowed Pierre to be beamed off of their ship.

*He didn’t cooperate. We want him to work for us,* they claimed now.
Before the captain replied, the turbolift door opened and Pierre stepped onto the bridge.
“They’re blocking all telepathic communication, Sir,” he explained immediately.
*You will cooperate,* they heard again.
“I will.” Everyone looked at Pierre with shock. “Provided that you will take me together with two other telepaths.”
*We don’t need any others. You will cooperate and nobody will be harmed.*
“That’s exactly my point,” Pierre replied calmly, standing in the middle of the bridge. “I want two other telepaths with me. You will have them connected to the computer before me. If anything happens to me or to the crew, they will blow up your computer.”
There was a moment of silence. Pierre turned around to look at the captain, questioningly. With all telepathy blocked, he never had a chance to explain his plan to anyone. Anthony nodded.
*No,* the Claxians responded. *This is needless redundancy. You will cooperate and we won’t have to hurt anyone.*
That was, indeed, the weak point of Pierre’s hasty plan. Once the Claxians achieved their goal, everyone would have to do what they wanted anyway. Pierre, however, didn’t seem discouraged.
“You will either agree to my terms or I will self-destruct in five seconds. Four. Three,” he said before anyone realized he’d already started the countdown.
“No!” Joanna, forgotten at the ops station, cried suddenly. She darted through the bridge and threw herself on Pierre as if that could shield him somehow. He pushed her aside gently but firmly. “Two.”
Yoko caught the terrified woman and dragged her away to safety. Pierre’s auto-destruct charge wasn’t very powerful but it was enough to burn anyone in his immediate vicinity.
“One.”
*We agree,* they all heard in their minds and a collective sigh of relief sounded throughout the bridge. Yoko took Joanna, who was now sobbing uncontrollably and led her off the bridge.

* * *

The journey on the Claxian ship passed in silence. The three telepaths, two, actually, since Pierre’s telepathic abilities could only be activated by a computer, couldn’t communicate. Pierre relied on Vort. They had been on a few missions together and he trusted she would figure out what he needed of her. Chris was another matter. While they were sitting crammed in a small compartment, Pierre was having second thoughts about bringing the boy along. Three thousand or thirteen years old, he was still just a kid with no proper training. His power was far greater than the other two combined, though. And he wasn’t stupid.

They didn’t really see much of the ship. They had been beamed down directly to their “quarters”, two by two meters large metal cage. The rough design of the wall panels reminded them of a Borg cube. Not surprising, since the Claxians were also an artificial race. What was more intriguing was that so far none of them had actually seen a single Claxian. Perhaps they only existed in the circuits of their machines.
*Out!* Mental order interrupted their musings. Before they knew it, they were beamed off the ship.

During his first encounter with the Claxians, Pierre’s senses were disconnected. Now, he was curiously looking around. They found themselves on something that most probably was a space station. There were, however, no recognizable rooms or corridors, only rows of complicated machinery.
*Here,* the voice directed them. When they stopped, Vort pointed to something that looked like two hastily improvised computer stations.
*You will now connect to the computer.* Chris and Vort took their places in small, very small – according to Vort, niches and put on heavy helmets. They definitely hadn’t been designed for comfort.
Pierre inspected their connections in silence. When he was sure everything was in order, he smiled to his companions and walked away, ordered by a Claxian mental voice. It led him to another part of the compound, even more crammed, if it was possible. His station looked more like a bed with dozens of circuits. He lay down and put on a similar helmet. Instantly, the familiar darkness surrounded him. So far, there have been no way for him to know if the other two had any idea what he needed them to do. He double checked their connection from the inside of the computer now and signaled his readiness to the Claxians.

This was no simulation, he knew it instantly.
*What do you want me to do?* he asked.
*Here,* they directed his thoughts to a not very distant star system. *Collapse that wormhole.*
Pierre had to admit once again that this kind of power was seductive, even despite his programming. It only crossed his mind for a fraction of second that now he could make everyone happy. Have Joanna be with him, make Jerry see what a wonderful person Yoko was, help Mark to deal with his problems... he quickly brushed it aside and proceeded to carefully inspecting the system, checking for life signs. To his relief, he found none. He took his time, extending the search and, at the same time, discreetly manipulating the computer, coercing it into letting the other telepaths in on the game.
*It’s taking too long,* the Claxians complained.
*I needed to know the network, first,* Pierre lied. When he was finally sure that both Vort and Chris were aware of what he was doing, he sent out the impulse. He had carefully picked a powerful warship not far from the system. Now it was easy to persuade the tactical officer there to point their weapons to the right coordinates and fire. The collapsing wormhole could be seen from the neighboring systems. He has completed his task and the first part of his plan, too. The hard part was yet to come.
*What now?*
*Make that star a supernova,* they pointed him to another place in the galaxy.
*Wait,* he thought to them. *Why another mundane task? I am now ready to seize control over entire nations. Give me half an hour and we will be ruling this corner of the universe!*
This was risky. Considering his apprehension so far, it could be difficult for the Claxians to trust him now. But Pierre didn’t want to endanger any lives. The star was in a rather densely populated area. Destroying it would have to mean killing thousands of innocent beings. If his plan succeeded, on the other hand, there was a chance nobody would be hurt. Fortunately, the Claxians weren’t that suspicious.
*Proceed,* they agreed after a while.
This was all Pierre needed. He concentrated and began looking for all the Claxians he could find. He may have never seen them but their minds were easily recognizable through the computer. He started in the closest proximity. There were almost two hundred Claxians on the station. He picked one brain after another, noting their mental signatures in the computer and relaying the data to Vort and Chris. He couldn’t think about it openly but deep inside he was praying they’d know what to do with them.
When he was done on the station, and it only took him a few minutes, he reached out farther, picking the Claxian ships and other stations. They were nowhere to be found on any planets, though. Pierre was reaching as far as he could and finally managed to cover a whole quadrant. Half an hour later, he had over sixty thousand Claxian minds catalogued and they still didn’t seem to notice anything. It meant that either Vort and Chris were already doing their part of the job or the Claxians were even more naive than he had initially hoped for.

Finally, someone must have realized what he was doing and an alarm went off.
*Now!* Pierre signaled the other telepaths openly and the three of them struck simultaneously, supported by the mighty computer, wiping out any thought of telepathic domination from every Claxian mind in their power. Pierre only hoped he had managed to find them all.

They struggled for a few minutes but they felt like hours. Not only did they have to dull the Claxians first, so that they wouldn’t disconnect the computer but they also had to reach very deep into their brains. The idea of telepathic empire was profoundly rooted in their minds.

The whole process was too complicated to be easily described, as they all found out later, trying to write their mission reports. Finally, it was over. The Claxians were going about their usual business of trading and diplomatic negotiations, all concepts of using telepathy for anything more than simply communicating with each other completely forgotten. The last thing Pierre used the Claxian computer for was to send out the message to the Explorer to come and pick them up. Then, he disconnected Vort and Chris and burnt the computer to the core.

When the Explorer arrived, Pierre had to carry his friends out, they were so exhausted.
“You did a wonderful job,” he told them out loud. All three of them had had enough telepathic activity for weeks to come.

The two were taken to sickbay to recover while Pierre resumed his duty. When he entered the bridge, everyone stood up to congratulate him.
“Well done, Commander,” the captain shook his hand.
“Thank you,” Pierre simply said.
“We’ll be celebrating in the mess hall later tonight,” Liana whispered to him from her station. “I hope you will join us?”
“Maybe another time,” Pierre shook his head and followed the captain to his ready room to file his report.

* * *

“Wow! What was that all about?” Yoko laughed, after she almost bumped into Joanna in the door of Pierre’s quarters. Clearly, he didn’t think it was funny.
“She came to tell me she wants us to be together again,” he said softly when Joanna was gone and Yoko, as usual, curled up in the armchair next to him.
“That’s great news!” Yoko grinned but the look at Pierre’s face gave her a pause: “Oh no, you didn’t?”
“Didn’t what?”
“You didn’t reject her, did you?”
He didn’t say anything.
“Pierre?!”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged, reluctantly.
“Come on, Pierre, you can’t have! You love her!”
“That’s what I don’t know anymore...”

Yoko was stunned. She knew he was deeply hurt and she had always avoided mentioning Joanna in their conversations. Once or twice, when she forgot, she saw him cringe at the sound of her name and quickly changed the subject. Now, though, she had to talk to him.

“Look,” she started. “She’s finally come to her senses, got to grips with reality, call it what you wish but she was there, offering you her love and you’re saying you don’t know?! After being miserable all this time? Forgive me, but it doesn’t make much sense.”
Pierre sighed. “Could we talk about something else, please?” he asked. “You were supposed to tell me about your dancing contest, how did that go?”
“Forget the contest!” Yoko was irritated. “You once told me something that I didn’t want to hear and I accepted it. Now it’s your turn.”
“Fine,” he nodded with resignation. “What do you want to talk about then?”
“Why you didn’t hold her in your arms and tell her how much you missed her, for example?”
Pierre looked away. He didn’t say anything for a long while. When he finally started talking, his voice was sad.
“I was hurting for days after she dumped me. It wasn’t easy but I finally brought myself to accept that it’s over between us once and for all. Just like she wished. And now she’s back here, saying she’s changed her mind... I’m just not sure if I want to start it all over again...”
“Did she even mention what brought it up in the first place?”
“She said she realized how much she cared for me when I threatened to self-destruct that day on the bridge. I told her I was bluffing but she said it didn’t matter.”
“Well, I can’t blame her,” Yoko replied. “I was scared myself and I’m a fully trained Starfleet officer. It was a frightening experience for her. I know, I took her to sickbay afterwards and the doctor had to give her a tranquilizer.”
“It was unfortunate that she had to witness it,” Pierre agreed but he sounded rather indifferent.
“Unfortunate? Pierre, if it took a shock for her to realize she loves you, so be it! It doesn’t make it any more real, does it?”
Pierre leaned over to face Yoko and gave her a long look. “What makes you think it’s real at all?”
“What do you mean?”
“You and I both know it’s a crazy world out here,” he said after a pause. “I can’t guarantee that nothing weird happens anymore. And then what? She will change her mind and walk away again? She wasn’t there for me when I needed her most. You were, but she wasn’t. It’s just that I can’t rely on her... I don’t trust her. I just... I don’t want to be hurt anymore,” he finished quietly.
Yoko just sat there for a while, pondering what he said. Finally, she made up her mind and said firmly: “Pierre, this is useless. No matter how much you deny it, you just love her too much. She’s the only woman you’ve ever cared for. The only woman you’ve ever even noticed.”
Pierre snorted but she continued: “It’s true. At some point, I also had a crush on you but all you could think about was her!” she fired.
Pierre opened his eyes wide. “You?!” he asked incredulously. “You had a crush on me?!”
Yoko laughed. “Case in point.”
Pierre wasn’t amused. He replayed some of the past events in his mind. Now when she said it, it all became clear, suddenly. He remembered her face when she cried in his arms, the way she looked at him when he woke up on the shuttle, after being connected to the sleeping people’s system. He recalled the way she took care of him when he felt sick... how could he have been so blind?
“Yoko,” he started softly but she didn’t let him finish.
“Come on, I got over it. You’ve helped me through some hard times, it was only natural. The point is, all you’ve ever had on your mind was Joanna. You can’t just let it go now.” Her comm badge chirped: “Tanaki here?” she answered it impatiently. “Lieutenant, report to the bridge, please,” the captain’s voice didn’t sound particularly urgent but it was an order, nevertheless.
“On my way, Sir,” Yoko acknowledged and got up with a sigh. “I gotta go. Think about it. You need each other. Just go, talk to her, don’t keep her waiting for too long...”
Pierre didn’t reply. He sat still when she left. He sat there for a long time after that.

* * *

The moment the door slid shut behind him, he had his arms full of her. No, he didn’t even bother to try and say hello. He simply scooped her in his arms and carried her to the bed. For a couple of hours, neither of them felt like talking.

Finally, when they were resting side by side, Aleyah sighed. They were so close, Anthony felt immediately that something was bothering her.
“What is it?” he asked, turning to the side to see her.
“I... nothing, really. It’s just that I feel so... obsolete sometimes.”
“Obsolete? You? What are you talking about? You’re the most important person in the whole universe! Well, at least for me,” he kissed her bare arm.
“I know, Mark,” she smiled warmly. “I mean my work. You see, if I was a physician, I guess I could cure someone from time to time. Being an engineer, I might be able to repair one or two things. As a counselor, though, I never see any results of my work. On the contrary, sometimes people get even more restless than before...”
“You’re talking about Pierre, right?”
“Yeah. Him and Joanna. And Jerry, too.”
“Allie,” he said tenderly. “Your job is different. You’re not expected to mend people’s psyche, you’re only here to help them deal with their problems on their own. Didn’t they teach you that at the Academy?”
“Sure they did but it doesn’t always help, you know?”
“Yeah, I suppose so,” he opened his arms and hugged her tight again. “But you’re the best damned counselor in Starfleet,” he whispered into her hair. “You just have to believe in yourself!”
“It’s not that easy,” she sighed, fidgeting a little to make herself more comfortable. “Sometimes I just don’t trust my own judgment anymore.”
“How come?”
“Well, take Jerry for example. I knew something was wrong with him but I had no idea things were that bad...”
“Allie, you’re a counselor, not a fortune teller.”
“I know. But I should have seen it coming. And you?” she asked, suddenly. “Are you always certain you’re right? Being a captain is similar in this respect, isn’t it?”
“In a lot of ways, yes,” he agreed. “And no, I’m not always certain. It’s often based more on intuition than anything else.”
“Is this true in case of Pierre?” she felt him tense a little.
“ What do you mean?”
“You seem to trust him a lot...”
“I do.”
“Despite all he’s done?”
“Look, most of what happened wasn’t even his fault. His emotional problems are largely due to a critical flaw in his design. Someone should have realized that a sentient, emotional being is capable of falling in love. It’s not a lack of discipline on his part, or evil intentions. It’s the lack of means to control his feelings on both physical and mental levels.
“So,” she pressed, even though she saw he was getting defensive. “You believe that good intentions are enough to trust someone with people’s lives?”
“No,” he sighed. “No, I don’t. But, at the same time, I wouldn’t condemn a Klingon for his lack of subtlety, for example. You need to know both strong and weak points of the people under your command and make the best of what you have.”

* * *

Pierre was a perfect dancer. How could he not be? He was an android, his body moved precisely as it was supposed to. His empathy also enabled him to adjust his movements to his partner’s needs and expectations. The dancing lessons, while intended primarily to keep Pierre occupied, proved to be a great pleasure for Yoko as well.

They have been meeting regularly for two months now and she felt she had learned a lot. The only thing that bothered her slightly was that, even though technically impeccable, Pierre’s performance lacked something after all. Some involvement, some passion maybe, she wasn’t sure.

Not this time, though. From the moment he bowed to her and took her in his arms, Yoko felt the difference. Maybe it was that he held her a little closer than usual or his moves were smoother... They were waltzing. After the first round through the ball room, beautifully recreated on the holodeck with all the shiny wooden floors and stylish candelabras, Yoko felt dizzy. She leaned on her partner a little heavier and let him lead her and spin her and... hug her?

Pierre stopped in the middle of the room but didn’t let go of her. The music was still playing. Yoko looked up at him. She was a lot shorter than Pierre, even when she lifted her head, her eyes were below his chin.
She felt his arm tighten around her waist, pressing her closer, and his muscles tensed a little. She wanted to ask what happened but she was out of breath. So was he, apparently, as she could hear his irregular panting. He let go of her hand and ran his fingers through her hair. She still couldn’t see his face.
“Pierre?” she whispered finally. He gently tucked at her hair, making her raise her head again. And then she saw his eyes. His white, dazzling eyes. “What...?” she started but he put his hand over her mouth. Gently and very slowly this gesture turned into a soft caress. He moved his fingers along her lips and touched her cheek. Yoko was speechless, captivated by his shining eyes. These eyes were all she could see now and they were burning her.
He kissed her on the forehead. No, it wasn’t a kiss, it was a brush. And then lower, on her eyes, her cheek... she felt her heart pound as he teasingly moved his lips along her face. Finally, he reached her lips in the slightest of touches. And then another. And another. She moaned quietly in the expectation that was almost painful. When desire won them over, for a long while Yoko was unable to think, she just let herself go, lost herself in his passion. He was strong but tender. His lips were demanding, gentle and firm. Minute after minute he was kissing her, teasing her with his tongue and satisfying her until she wanted to melt into him... In the last possible moment before she totally lost control of herself, she pushed him away.
“Don’t...” she panted desperately. “Stop it...”
“Why?” he was still wrestling with her, trying to get her back into his arms but she evaded him.
“Pierre, you don’t really love me,” she tried to explain, fighting him and her own desire. “You’re just confused right now. You’re taking sentimentalism for love.”
“I’m not sentimental.”
Yoko giggled, despite herself. “My dear, you’re the most sentimental man I’ve ever met...”
“But you like sentimental?”
“I do,” she said, more seriously. “And that’s the problem. That’s why I thought I was in love with you.”
That stopped him. He let her go and just stood there, watching her carefully. “So, you don’t love me anymore?" he asked slowly.
Yoko blushed. “Pierre...” she said gently, reaching out with her hand but this time it was he who dodged her touch.
“Don’t play with me, Yoko,” he asked softly. “Not you...”
“I’m not playing with you,” she sighed. “I just... I guess I’m confused, too. It’s not that I don’t care for you.” She turned away and started pacing the room. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had and, at some point, I thought it was more than that. But you were always so infatuated with Joanna, you never really noticed me.”
“It’s unfair.”
“Is it?” she hesitated. “Well, you were there for me, I’m not denying that. And you cared, I know. It’s just that you never noticed a woman in me.”
“That has changed.”
“I noticed,” she stopped, looking at him sadly. “I’m just not sure if it’s all it takes, Pierre.”
“We don’t have to rush anything,” he pleaded. “Just don’t turn me down already. Let’s wait and see what happens? Maybe we can just agree to have some good time together and one day... who knows?”
“And Joanna?”
“Joanna!” he his voice raised a notch with irritation. “I don’t know. I don’t want to think about her right now!”
“And I think you should. She’s too important for you, I know it.”
“Yoko, please...” there was such a pain in his eyes, she decided to drop it.
“Alright, then. I won’t talk about her anymore, I promise.”
“Will you give me a chance, then?”
“I think we both need some time...”
“Good. So be it. Dinner tonight?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re being impossible. No, I’m busy tonight, I promised Liana I’d come to gossip a little. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Pierre smiled at her, already thinking about the holodeck program he prepared a long time ago. An evening on Venus, a quiet little restaurant... he didn’t want to remember how many times he had pictured Joanna with him there. Not now.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 9

TO BE CONTINUED...