Watching the Sunset

Section 2

"We’ve reached the Keleia Sigma system. The ship is heading for Keleia Sigma A," Ensign McKnight turned to inform a very frustrated Commander Riker.

Riker drummed his fingers on the armrest of the captain’s chair. The ravenship had kept one step ahead of the Enterprise the whole way to Keleia Sigma. The ravenship had immediately increased its speed to match when the Enterprise went to warp 9.75 in pursuit. Every attempt to contact the ravenship short of smoke signals had gone unanswered. At one point, Riker ordered phasers shot across the raven’s bow to get its attention. It didn’t work. Now Riker ordered, "Conn, follow the ship to Keleia Sigma A. Worf, scan the planet; let’s see what’s there."

While Riker waited for the long-range scan, he turned to Counselor Troi. "Have you pinpointed the impressions you got from the bird ship?" he asked.

Troi looked over at Riker. She looked pensive. "No, I haven’t. All I can tell you is that the captain is there and that there is at least one other person with him. There may be two people with him, maybe more; I can’t tell."

Riker was just about to say something when Worf announced, "We are being hailed. It is from the planet."

"On screen," Riker ordered.

The viewscreen lit up with an image of a brilliant blue sky and emerald green trees. In the foreground appeared a black life form that looked like a tree with four tapering, waving branches. It wore a red drape, richly decorated in gold thread and tassels. The life form announced in an extraordinarily soft voice, "The planet is called Vs, home of the Vstrak people. Ship, accept this greeting, extended warmly from all of the Vstrak. Give a name, please." The translated voice gave no hint as to the gender of the being.

Riker stood up and strode closer to the viewscreen. He then said, "This is Commander Riker, First Officer of the Federation Starship Enterprise. We extend you greetings."

The Vstrak twisted its four branches together, then loosened them. "Greetings accepted, Commander Raaaikr of the Enterprise. This name given this Vstrak: Rjklyph. Please, come down and feast. There will be Kwi tonight; such is an honor bestowed on those who visit Vs. Bring all who are normal to such an occasion; rarely is Vs graced by visiting races. An exchange of lore will take place! Oh, the feast is looked on with excitement! Do come!"

Riker asked for a moment to consider, then made a slashing motion across his throat, indicating he wanted the communication muted. Worf acknowledged. Riker then shot an amused glance at Troi. She smiled back, then quietly informed him, "He is genuinely excited. I don’t sense any hostility or hidden agenda on his part."

The First Officer looked back to the Vstrak for a moment, then said to Troi, "New life forms. They obviously have the technology to detect us, and most likely they have other advanced technologies." Riker looked over to Worf, silently asking for the scan of the planet.

Worf informed in his deep voice, "They have subspace technology and sophisticated sensor systems, but otherwise there are no real indications of advanced civilization. No large cities, no ship fleet, no advanced weaponry. There seems to be a small number of power storage cells below the surface, but they do not appear to be connected to any power transfer system." He paused for a moment, then added, "The ravenship has just landed on the surface, some one hundred kilometers from the coordinates of the hail. A shield just formed around the ship." Worf growled. "We cannot even beam down near it."

Riker paused to consider the implications. Almost to himself, he said, "They might have kidnapped Picard, then again they might not have. They might be able to help us, in any case." He looked back at the viewscreen, then asked to have the communication unmuted.

"Rijkliph," Riker mispronounced, "we’ve decided to take you up on your offer. We’ll beam down in ten minutes, if that’s all right with you."

Rjklyph shook a little in what might have been Vstrak laughter, then replied, "Rjklyph expected retaliation from Raaaikr. The languages are obviously quite different and the names are hard to pronounce! Do come down whenever is convenient. If there is Kwi aboard the Enterprise, bring some! Vstrak always like tasting new things. Good-bye, Raaaikr." The viewscreen returned to the view of green Vs and surrounding stars.

Riker glanced over at Troi. "Kwi, huh. Sounds like he wants us to bring some food."

Troi pondered for a moment, then stated, "Probably. We can beam some down when it’s time."

Riker nodded, then ordered, "Worf, you have the Bridge. Get with Geordi and work on a way to get through the raven’s shields." He tapped his commbadge, "Ensign Sier, meet us in transporter room Three." He then pointed at Troi and Data, saying, "Troi, Data, you’re with me." He had just started to stalk over to the turbolift when he caught Data looking at him.

Riker turned, then said, "I know what you’re going to say...I’ve said it a thousand times myself. This is a first contact situation and the captain’s been kidnapped. I’m going down anyway. You aren’t going to convince me not to." He resumed stalking off the Bridge.

Troi smiled back at Data, who stood for a moment with head cocked slightly. Commander Riker had indeed known what he was going to say. Data shrugged and followed Riker and Troi off the bridge.

Captain Picard paced back and forth in the small, black room. He had explored the room in the time he was alone, and found that there were curving walls that could only be detected by running face first into them. He had carefully searched the walls for a door, but there was none he could find. So he was stuck pacing. He thought about the horse, thinking that it couldn’t be Data or Lore...becoming a horse was beyond the abilities of both of them. So he concluded it must be Q playing games with him again.

"Q!" he yelled. Picard had tried to get Q’s attention this way a number of times, but it hadn’t worked. It didn’t work this time either. He tried his communicator again, only to hear the strangled chirp that said no communications line had been established.

In an instant, with no warning, someone who appeared to be Data stood before the captain. He reflected non-existent light, the same way Picard did. The first thing Picard noticed was Data’s outfit. His clothing seemed to be something the pretentious royalty of some unknown Arabian kingdom might wear. It was all jewel tones of green and yellow. The close fitting, high collared saffron shirt had loose sleeves tucked into elbow length black gloves. About his waist was a wide forest green sash. His pants were a lighter, emerald green and tucked into knee high black leather boots. The vest was also emerald. Over it all was a thick cape; it was hooded, forest green, and lined with bright yellow. A small, black, bird shaped brooch attached the cape to the shirt. Over the hood of the cape was a cylindrical hat; it was green with blue-green reeds and small red flowers radiating from a pair of ebony needles at the forehead. In all, the costume wasn’t gaudy, but it was by far the most colorful thing Picard had seen Data wear, if this was Data.

"Who are you," Picard demanded, "and why have you brought me here?"

"I am Data. I cannot yet tell you why I brought you here. Please trust that the reason is a good one," Data stated.

Picard found it hard to believe him on both counts.

Data gazed at the captain for a moment. "I am Data. I see you do not believe me." He glanced at nothing for an instant, then carefully removed his hat and pushed back the hood of his green cape. He gently touched a bit of his dark hair, almost self-consciously. He moved his hand, revealing a long, thin, jagged white line. He then explained, "This is what gave Q the idea to give me gray hair in the ‘future’ he showed you. In reality, I never dyed my hair gray."

Picard asked, "Why exactly did you show me your hair? What is it supposed to prove?"

Data gestured to Picard, as if offering him a seat. Picard looked behind him, and found a Starfleet issue chair behind him. He glanced back at Data, wondering who he really was, then gratefully sat on the chair. All he had to sit on before was the cold floor of the lightless room.

With his hands folded in front of him, Data explained, "If you must, you may think of me as from far in the future. In a way I am; if it were not necessary for me to be here, I would say I came from the future. As it is, I am as much part of this present as you are. This bit of gray hair is the only visible scar I carry. I have not yet received it, but soon I will. When you see it later, it will prove I am who I say I am."

"You aren’t Q," Picard asked suspiciously.

"No, I am not."

Captain Picard looked at Data’s face; other than the streak in his hair, he wasn’t appreciably different from the Data on the Enterprise. For the most part, even his movements were similar, if more graceful. As Data returned the scrutiny, a shiver went up Picard’s spine. In this Data’s yellow eyes sat a look of agelessness. Forever young and forever old and aware of it beyond human capacity. Picard had never seen anything like it in his Data’s eyes; this difference was more obvious than the gray hair.

"I make you nervous," Data observed.

Picard thought about denying it, but decided not to. "Yes, somewhat."

Data held out to the captain a cup of tea that hadn’t been there a second ago. "Tea. Earl Gray, hot," he said with the slightest of smiles. "Perhaps it will make feel better."

Picard accepted the steaming cup, eyeing Data. He had trouble believing this was Data, but he would give him the benefit of the doubt for now. He wished the Android (if it were he) would explain how he managed to kidnap him on a horse of all things. This business of things appearing and disappearing without even the tiniest of warnings was beginning to get on his nerves as well. He took a sip; the tea tasted better than the Enterprise replicator’s version. He didn’t exactly know if Earl Gray would make him feel better, but it couldn’t hurt. He took another sip as he watched Data sit on the floor. The act of Data sitting made Picard wonder; Data had no real need to sit as far as the captain knew, but he did anyway. If he hadn’t been paying so much attention to Data’s actions, he probably wouldn’t have thought it strange at all that he sat. The Data he knew acted like this all the time...but then, he did not need to either. For some reason that thought made Picard a bit uneasier.

Data considered the human before him. Quite a paradoxical race, humanity. It seemed that humans found it unsettling when he did not camouflage himself in human-like characteristics. An Android in human clothing, as it were. Then, when they realized that he did indeed wear a cloak of humanity, they found that unsettling! It left Data in the proverbial rock and a hard place. Often, he opted for the less unsettling option; to move as humans did, to think as humans did, to live as humans did. Before, he had wanted to do so for his own reasons anyway, but now that was no longer true. For now he moved as a human did, but no more; it was important that the captain not underestimate him too much.

Data stood, then said, "I promise I will explain everything when the time is right. For now, I must go...elsewhere," this last word was spoken with a distinct edge that Picard rarely heard in Data’s voice. His voice softened again, "If you will excuse me." With that, he left as suddenly as he had appeared.

Picard certainly hoped Data would explain things. He hoped even more that Data would return him to the Enterprise soon, but he got the feeling that wasn’t going to happen. Since there was nothing else he could do, Picard sipped his Earl Gray.

A cool breeze blew by the Away Team, bringing unfamiliar scents and soft sounds. The clear unbroken sky was a striking sapphire, somewhat darker but no less brilliant than the Terran. Dew speckled the small, clover-like ground cover, catching the rays of the yellow star. A wisp of fog drifted over tiny plants and around boots. Trees of surpassing height stood near; their silver-white branches covered in long leaves of the most startling shade of green. Vs was a strikingly beautiful planet.

A small black bird flicked by, reminding the officers of their important mission.

Commander Riker silently motioned his companions forward as he made toward a near by cluster of domed buildings. There were approximately ten domes; the closest the inhabitants came to a town.

Soon the Away Team reached the outskirts of the small cluster of domes, where they were greeted by a strange sight. Two Vstrak moved toward them, but both moved in wildly different manners; one spun like an axle and four-spoked wheels, with all its eight appendages extended, while the other Vstrak slithered on its four lower appendages, somewhat more like humanoid walking. When the axle-moving Vstrak reached the Away Team, it gracefully righted itself to stand on its lower four appendages. The other Vstrak reached them somewhat slower. Each Vstrak had something like black five-pointed starfish attached to the middle of their trunks, and the slithering one wore an elaborate red drape. Riker figured it must be Rjklyph, but he couldn’t be sure. Data pointed his tricorder at them, analyzing the readings.

The draped Vstrak greeted the team in a soft, silken voice, "Rjklyph is the name given. The companion is Qctvi. Commander Raaaikr, greetings. All the Vstrak everywhere extend more greetings. Please, introduce the others!"

Riker smiled at the boisterous Vstrak. "This," he gestured toward Data, "is the second officer of the Enterprise, Lieutenant Commander Data." Data bowed his head in greeting. Riker continued, moving his hand towards the Counselor, "This is Deanna Troi, ship’s counselor." Troi said hello, then Riker gestured toward the security officer. "And this is Ensign Nazzi ad Sier." The reptilian Sier clicked her clawed fingers together in a formal Deitang greeting.

Rjklyph bounced a little, then said, "Oh, explain the differences! Troi touches, Dat’e bounds, but the rest? Raaaikr is of what race, Deeihna Troi, Dat’e, Nazzi ad Sier, what races?"

The officers glanced at one another, unsure what "touching" and "bounding" were. The question of races was easy to handle though. Riker cocked his head to one side, explaining. "My race is called Human. I’m a Terran Human, which means I come from Earth. Troi is half Betazoid, half Human. Data is an Android, and Sier is a Deitang. Explaining our differences will take a lot longer." He paused a moment, then said, "We need to ask you something. A ship shaped like a black bird landed on your planet a little while ago, and we need to know if you know anything about it."

Rjklyph’s companion Qctvi hissed, "Words that give hearing aches! Did Rjklyph forget to warn the Enterprise crew about those words? Some will be upset!"

Rjklyph hissed back, then addressed Riker. "Apologies are in order. The Vstrak do not use these...impersonal, confusing words. Anyway, most Vstrak are accustomed to the use of confusing words, but some...aristocratic Vstrak find offense. The Vstrak have not named those words, but such words are used by visitors often, perhaps the words are named?" It tipped its tapering appendages closer, as if in question.

Riker glanced at Data, who was the only person not using a Universal Translator and the only one who would remember everything said.

Data thought for several milliseconds, then informed the commander in Standard, "I believe the Vstrak object to the use of personal pronouns. Their language does not have any equivalent, and they are likely confused by them, as their usage is vague when one is not used to such words."

Riker winced at the thought of having to forgo the use of pronouns. Troi almost, almost, smiled at the sense of inconvenience she felt from Will. Riker saw it and shot her a glance, then turned to the officers. He spoke softly, so the Vstrak hopefully wouldn’t hear him, "We’re going to have to avoid pronouns guys. Do the best you can."

Ensign Sier spoke in her hissing voice, "That is not a problem, sir." Her words were characteristically drawn out and slow, with every word carefully pronounced.

"All right." Riker turned back to Rjklyph and Qctvi, saying, "Um, Rijkliph, as um, oh damn. Sorry. Data! Might um, uh could uh..." He put a hand to his forehead and raked it through his hair. Riker was foundering badly in his attempt to speak his pronoun riddled Standard without pronouns. Troi almost smiled again. Riker glared this time, wondering why she was deriving so much amusement from his predicament.

Data stated, "Commander, if you are asking me to translate your words into Vstrak, I will, but you will need to deactivate your Translator."

"Please," Riker breathed. He removed his commbadge and tapped a small button on its reverse, deactivating his Universal Translator. He gestured to the Troi, silently asking if she wanted to be translated. She thought for a moment, her black eyes looking off, then she deactivated her translator as well. She didn’t trust herself to speak Standard or Betazoid without pronouns either, especially in a normal conversation.

Riker started again, confident that the Vstrak wouldn’t be offended by his pronouns. "We need to know if you know anything about the ship that landed on your planet a few hours ago, it’s very important."

Data anticipated and translated almost the instant the words left Riker’s mouth. "Krgjksdriis Enterprise amphfrxz Vstrak swqytoe dnjlii ghbvzhna Vs ssidii ssidii’iik jklpn-awso. Krgjksdriis Enterprise hydqzxqur."

That’s one tongue twister of a language, Riker thought upon hearing untranslated Vstrak. It was worse than Klingon. At least Klingons believed in the regular use of vowels.

Rjklyph stated, and Data translated, "Lore will be exchanged over the feast."

Riker looked upset about having to wait until dinner to find out if these Vstrak had anything to do with the captain’s disappearance. Troi laid an understanding hand on his arm.

Riker wiped his beard, then said, "Rjklyph, their words you asked about are called ‘pronouns’. Could you tell us what you meant by ‘touches’ and ‘bounds’?"

Data translated, "Rjklyph ffxcjl drglis ‘pronouns’. Meaussr tjklws pliis-ta drglis ‘kataka’, ‘qctkljkit’?"

Rjklyph spoke, then it and Qctvi began to slither away. Data translated. "Please, explanations in travels. Come to the feasting dome. Ah, touches is the silent communication. Troi touches, or tries.... And bounds is an extreme word for life force. Vstrak usually describe as ‘flow’, but Data ‘flows’ too much for the word! Far more than the average Kwi."

As the Away Team joined Rjklyph, Troi pointed out, "I didn’t sense it, but the Vstrak must be telepathic. I think Rjklyph--" Riker leveled an eye at her when she pronounced its name better than he had, "--meant that I’m partially telepathic."

The group arrived at the feasting dome, interrupting further conversation. The feasting dome was a medium sized, undecorated gray igloo. It had an arched doorway, but no door. Upon entering, Rjklyph and Qctvi left their company. The officers noticed first how dark it was. There were no windows; the only light emanated from a small, blue-white sphere hanging from a long green chain attached to the center of the ceiling. Piles of richly ornamented pillows were scattered everywhere, their gold rope and gold tassels reflecting he light. Long tapestries hung from the curved walls, barely visible in the dim light. Approximately ten Vstrak milled about, examining the tapestries, sitting on the pillows, or donning drapes of various colors. More Vstrak streamed into the feasting dome. In the center of the dome was a lowered hollow, something like a shallow pit. Inside the hollow were several varieties of life forms, some scurrying to and fro, others sitting, and still others standing. Two of the life forms attracted the officer’s attention. The two were shaped something like kangaroos crossed with mice; they had long, pointed ears, long whiskers, arms that ended in three slender fingers, and they were about as tall as an average Human. What caught the crew’s attention was their coloring; both creatures had fur of the shiniest silver and the irises of their large eyes were also silver. One of them caught the crew looking at it, so it bestowed upon them a look of utter contempt. Troi sucked in a breath, then turned to Commander Riker.

"Will," she said, "they are sentient!"

Just then a Vstrak loped over and introduced itself, interrupting Riker before he could get a word out. Data translated its words, "The name is Pljkol’trwzor. Rjklyph has informed the attending Vstrak of the words, but none here care since Qctvi left. The ‘pronouns’ will not offend."

Riker looked at the Vstrak, then turned his Translator on. "Thank you for telling me." He paused for a moment, thoughtful. Then, pointing at the silver kangaroos, asked, "What are those? Are they sentient?"

Pljkol’trwzor answered, "Oh, the Kwi? Kwi is the name, the Kwi name for Kwi. Quite a delicacy, usually visitors are honored with such. Kwi are sentient and intelligent, usually, but one here is quite stupid. The other is old; that explains the capture. Did Riker bring any Kwi? Rjklyph thought there might have been a Kwi, but there was uncertainty."

Riker suddenly paled at the implication. Vstrak ate sentient beings? He stopped himself before he thought about it further; it was completely ethnocentric to condemn the Vstrak for their eating habits, no matter how unjust they seemed. Riker motioned Data over, who had been scanning everything after Riker reactivated his Universal Translator.

When Data arrived, Riker asked him to scan the Kwi. As Data scanned the Kwi, a look of bewilderment settled on his face. He pointed his tricorder at the Pljkol’trwzor, then back at the Kwi. Data finished his scan, then stood there, apparently confused. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.

"Spit it out!" Riker said, not unfriendly.

Data leveled his golden gaze at Riker. He reported, "The Kwi, sir, are machines. They are highly sophisticated in nature, but not in artifice. They are perfectly natural."

Riker looked over in question at the Kwi, understanding Data’s consternation. Rjklyph rejoined them then, explaining in a voice full of culinary relish, "Kwi are the other Vs race! Kwi are delicious, with life so clear that a Vstrak might almost weep. Vstrak catch Kwi and then hold a feast. If any wish to, go speak to the Kwi. The Kwi will explain better than ineloquent Vstrak."

"Maybe we’ll do that," Riker stated. He motioned the group over to the edge of the pit. While they walked, Data informed them of what he had discovered about the Vstrak. "They are closest in analogy to Terran annelids in body structure and musculature. The have a central nervous system, with their brains located at the lowest point on their trunk--"

Riker interrupted, speaking in a semi-amused voice, "You mean their brains really are between their legs?"

Deanna promptly hit him, stating, "That was uncalled for."

Data looked coolly at Riker, then replied, "In essence, yes, if you wish to call their lower ring of appendages ‘legs’." He then continued his report, "Their eight appendages are more like octopi tentacles. They do not have any sex; rather they reproduce by budding or regeneration of severed limbs. The five pointed objects on their trunks are analogous to mouths. They eat by absorbing and transporting energy from their independent mouths to their bodies. They do not eat matter in the fashion we are accustomed to."

Looking down into the shallow pit in the center of the dome, Riker stated, "I guess that’s why all the food is still alive. To bad they didn’t bring any ghargh."

Sier hissed in anticipation, her yellow eyes bright with hunger for live flesh. Troi glanced at Riker, unable to fathom his enjoyment of slimy serpent worms slithering around after being eaten. Just imagining it was enough to turn Deanna’s stomach. She then looked back at the Kwi. She asked the taller Kwi, "Why are you here?"

The Kwi glared at her with such anger she nearly took a step back. "I don’t belong here! I’m young! Those stupid, slow, thick, worm-things won’t let me go!"

The other Kwi looked at her companion, then said to Troi in a voice as silver as her fur, "We have been caught. It is our form of population control. If the Vstrak did not catch us when we are old or feeble, then Kwi would overrun this planet. We live long lives, and we have many children. My companion, who is young, was the seventeenth and last child of a female Kwi who had gotten so old she thought to waste the materials of our dead by making Kwi without her dead mate. As she was female, her programming skills were precarious at best. My companion is dangerously unstable and needed to be caught, to keep the Kwi species from contamination. As for me, I am old, nearing death, and I got caught. So I will nourish you, and so will my companion."

Riker said, "So you accept being food for the Vstrak."

The shorter Kwi looked up at Riker and said, "Yes. Most Kwi of normal creation are told of our relationship to the Vstrak. They are predators, and we are prey. We are told that sometimes a young Vstrak, newly budded, will want to know why its food speaks, so we are told while still young how to explain it. Very often, the Kwi and Vstrak meet and talk. The Vstrak are kind, civilized, and generous and they are rarely cruel or untrustworthy; no Kwi worries about tricks when the Vstrak and Kwi meet, because there is an ancient tradition among the Vstrak of honoring one’s guests as dear friends. Anyway, we are far to fast for a Vstrak to catch us; they must lay traps and outsmart us. I was trapped, but my companion walked into a dome full of Vstrak, who caught him easily."

Deanna turned to Riker and said, "I believe she is telling the truth. I sense a remarkable lack of deceit among these beings, both the Vstrak and the Kwi. They seem to be honest to a fault."

The taller Kwi stomped around, then huffed, "I hurt them! They didn’t catch me without injury!" The Kwi then grabbed Sier’s foot and jerked his hand back just a little. Sier hissed in pain, jerking her foot back. She hissed louder; apparently her reflex made the pain worse. Data reached down and grabbed the Kwi’s hand and forced him to let go of Sier. The Kwi bit at Data’s hand while trying to yank his hand away from Data. Data looked into the Kwi’s eyes, his expression one of unyielding will. The Kwi gazed back, understanding not the expression but rather the force behind it, then screamed in near panic, "Let go of my hand!" Data grabbed the Kwi’s wrist, and the Kwi screeched in pain. He used the instant that the Kwi stopped pulling to remove his hands.

Ensign Sier sat down. Tiny puncture wounds and dark green blood covered her bootless, scaly foot. She began to lick her wounds with her green, forked tongue. Soon the wounds clotted, bandaged with Deitang saliva.

"Nazzi, are you all right?" Riker asked in concern. Sier flicked her forked tongue, then nodded slowly. Her slit pupils opened wide in anger at the tall Kwi, but the expression was lost on him.

"What did you do!" Riker demanded as the Away Team took a step back, out of the Kwi’s reach. Data examined his hands, and finding them only slightly injured, dropped them to his side.

The shorter Kwi answered, "Our fur is made of silver, and all of it is quite sharp. Our fur is our main defense; we aren’t strong. My companion is a fool for trying to hurt your friends, and I am truly sorry he did. I can’t believe he demanded his hand back!" She looked at her companion and addressed him as a teacher would a recalcitrant student, "Didn’t you think that that one didn’t let go because you were pulling your fur into his hand? He couldn’t let go!" The tall Kwi made a derisive noise in response.

Data looked to the shorter Kwi. He asked, "How is it that you are natural machines? Did you evolve?" On his face was an expression that only those who knew him well could decipher as enthusiasm, for the newness and the kinship of the Kwi to Data.

The short Kwi explained. "We don’t really know. When we build and program our children, it is half instinctively. That allows the randomness of natural beings, as well as the inherent instability of nature. There are other life forms such as ourselves on Vs, so perhaps we evolved. None of the life like us leaves fossils; we recycle our mechanics, leaving no record of our past."

Rjklyph joined them then, slithering up to Riker. "The feast will begin shortly. All the Vstrak are touching; all the Vstrak to come have come. So, no mention was made if Raaaikr brought Kwi. Is this one Kwi? There is some confusion because Dat’e is obviously one Raaaikr works with, one who has not been caught. But...Dat’e does sense like Kwi." It laid a tentacle on Data’s shoulder, while another over anxious Vstrak bumped into him.

Before anyone could answer in a resounding negative, the over anxious Vstrak bobbed up and down, nearly knocking off its thick green drape. "Oh! Such kind visitors! To bring this one! Oh, so clear, so clear! Hurry up the feast, Wstfln cannot wait!" The other Vstrak suddenly came to attention; some wondering what Wstfln was talking about, others knowing exactly.

Data suddenly looked a little tired, a little more subdued than usual. Just as suddenly it passed, so quickly it caused the others to doubt whether they had seen it in the first place. Troi asked him, "Are you all right?"

Data said, "I am fine. However, I believe that Wstfln tried to...taste me."

The idea of Data being eaten thoroughly disgusted Riker. He carefully thought about his response, not wishing to upset a first contact situation. He took into account the Kwi’s and the Vstrak’s behavior and words up to this point, as well as the good Counselor’s impression of their honesty, then chose a course of action. He told Rjklyph, and to be sure it was in no uncertain terms he used no pronouns, "Data isn’t Kwi! Don’t try and eat one of the Enterprise’s officers and one of Vs’s visitors! Understood?" He glared pointedly at Wstfln, even though he addressed Rjklyph.

"Yes, of course! Most Vstrak," Rjklyph declared, obviously joining Riker in his glaring at Wstfln, even if Vstrak eyes were invisible, "do not eat the guests!" Rjklyph’s attention returned to the Away Team. It said, "Apologies, Raaaikr, Dat’e. Rjklyph hopes no one else will become selfish and taste Dat’e, but perhaps Dat’e should return to the Enterprise, just to be sure."

"Perhaps so.... Data, go back to the ship. Have Beverly look at you then try and track down some of the Kwi. They may know something about the ravenship." Riker said.

Data nodded and walked outside to call the Enterprise. When Rjklyph heard the characteristic sound of the transporter, it bounced a little, probably laughing. It then turned and slithered toward a large pile of pillows. It announced the beginning of the feast, causing the other Vstrak to scramble for pillows. They carried them, one at a time and held between their four top tentacles, over to the edge of the food pit. Riker nodded to the remaining Away Team and they went and collected some pillows. The pillows felt as though they were made of velvet and thick, soft down. The rich gold brocade and edging looked and felt like spun silk.

Sier patted one of the pillows, a blue one, then turned it over in her hands. She hissed incidentally, "A wonder the Vstrak can make such things with no fingers." She looked over at the wall, noticing a thick tapestry. She looked up at Riker and extended a claw at it, "Look at the design...a blackbird in space."

Riker looked up at the tapestry. He agreed, saying, "You’re right. I’m going to ask Rijkliph about it after the feast starts. That’s when it said it would say something about it." He carried his pillow over to join the Vstrak at the pit. Troi and Sier followed suit.

When they reached the edge of the pit, Rjklyph slithered up a small pile of pillows. It announced, "The Vstrak around Vs now attend through the toucher, Rjklyph. The whole of the Vstrak welcomes the visitors, with whom the Vstrak will exchange lore! Feast!" With that, Rjklyph slithered toward the Away Team. The other Vstrak somehow separated their five-pointed mouths and floated them down onto one animal or another.

While Rjklyph approached, Troi informed Riker and Sier that she suspected the Vstrak communicated telepathically with other Vstrak the same way others used communicators. Riker nodded, then looked at the animals skittering around. He looked at the Kwi, and he felt sick at the sight of them being eaten, even if it was by the extraction of energy. He saw Troi felt similarly. He tried not to think about the Kwi. He turned his thoughts to eating; he didn’t want to offend the Vstrak by not sharing in their feast.

"How are we going to eat? They’re all alive!" If the animals had been dead and cooked, Riker would have no trouble eating them; unlike most Terran Humans, he had no qualms concerning carnivory. Growing up in Alaska didn’t often afford one the luxury of vegetarianism. He’d also met Nazzi ad Sier who, as a Deitang, was by nature a strict carnivore. She had explained that the Deitang had almost decided not to join the Federation when they heard, through the Antican Embassy (the Anticans were also strict carnivores), about certain Enterprise crew members spouting off about the moral and ethical rightness of not eating animals. When Nazzi told him that, Riker became quite embarrassed, knowing that he and Tasha were the ones to which the Anticans had referred. He had tried to explain it was just the enslavement of animals for food that bothered him, but Nazzi ad Sier came back by informing him that his use of ‘enslavement’ suggested that animals were intelligent, which rendered all Deitang only slightly better than cannibals. Riker got the point.

In light of Sier’s views, he was not at all surprised when she said, "You have a phaser, Commander. Shoot what looks good and cook it with the heat setting. Personally, I want to eat something alive. It’s been a long time." With that, Ensign Sier leaned down at the edge of the pit. Her long, scaly tail kept her balance as she moved the majority of her torso out into the air above the pit. Her clawed fingers splayed out, held like a hawk’s talons as it closes for the kill. Her thin tongue flicked exactly as a Terran snake and the small crest of pointed scales that was the only outward indicator of her sex flattened against her skull. Her toes gripped the edge of the pit, their velociraptor-like hooked claws tapping the ground. Sier looked every inch a dangerous predator. She moved like lightening and expertly caught a small, furry animal that resembled a rabbit. She stood up with her prey squirming between her hands. She met Riker’s blue eyes with her gold, as if to say, "What are you waiting for?"

Riker blinked, thinking, No wonder she’s in security. Will glanced over at Troi, then shrugged and reached into his pocket to retrieve his Type I phaser. He looked into the food pit, and upon finding a small animal without a Vstrak mouth on it, he shot it. He then picked up the dead animal and began heating it with his phaser.

Sier bit into her animal, causing it to squeal once and die. The Vstrak looked around, then stared at Sier. She contentedly tore off small strips of the animal and swallowed them whole, not noticing the eyeless gaze of every Vstrak in attendance. Rjklyph arrived just then. It said in surprise, "The Vstrak are shocked...Of course no one expected sameness, but the Deitang eats like a beast! Rjklyph would be disgusted, but Rjklyph understands the difference...Perhaps Sier is disgusted with the Vstrak way of eating?"

Sier gazed at the Vstrak. She stated curtly, "No." She blinked once, then slid her gaze to her humanoid companions. She added, "If it makes you feel better, they are disgusted by your eating habits." The other Vstrak returned to eating; apparently they were satisfied with her statement. Sier returned to her meal.

Rjklyph addressed Riker. "Now to exchange lore. Raaaikr was concerned with a bird-shaped ship that landed on Vs? The Vstrak have one such ship, but the ship has never been used. Two were built by the Qct Ship Builders; one was used to travel to the planet on the other side of Hs, the sun. The crew, there were thirty Vstrak aboard, all died only a day after leaving Vs. Now the Vstrak know why. No Vstrak can survive space travel. Somehow, the Vstrak must be in contact with Vs. Perhaps the air is the cause, perhaps the gravity. Anyway, the only possibility of the ship being of Vs origin is if the rumors are true concerning Qctvtjstryu. Qctvtjstryu brought together the Qct Ship Builders and supplied the Builders with raw materials and currency. Qctvtjstryu was half-insane. Qctvtjstryu wanted to eat everything, the whole universe if there was any possibility; Qctvtjstryu may have been dangerous. Qctvtjstryu was said to have survived the trip to the other planet, but there has been little proof. The inhabitants of the other planet informed the Vstrak that a large black ship crashed on the planet and fell down into a cavern. The inhabitants said that the planet was being hollowed out by something, perhaps the crew of the Vstrak ship. This was over seven hundred years ago; but yesterday there was a communication from the other planet. The Vstrak were told that the planet was breaking up because a giant worm was emerging and killing everything. This could be Qctvtjstryu; Vstrak science suggests that if a Vstrak were to survive space travel, anything could happen. So, if the rumor is true, the inhabitants of the other planet would have the ship and may have sent messengers to get some help. There was another ship other than the Enterprise detected in the Hs system, but the trackers didn’t know the origin of the ship. The trackers thought the ship a visitor, but seven hundred years have passed; the ship may be Vstrak."

Commander Riker absorbed the information for a few minutes. He then turned to Troi, a question in his eyes.

Troi said, "I don’t sense any deception. I think it is telling the truth."

Riker looked back to Rjklyph. "Our captain has been kidnapped by whoever is in the ravenship. Would you know if someone had used the other Vstrak ship recently? Could it have been used without someone knowing about it?"

"Of course," said Rjklyph, "but to deceive the Vstrak touch, that is, the Vstrak way of communicating long distance, would be difficult. The Vstrak offer help, if Raaaikr needs. But the Vstrak wouldn’t kidnap a captain, there is no reason. Try speaking with the inhabitants of the other planet. There may be help from the others. Now, do eat and share some of the lore of the Enterprise."

Riker nodded. There wasn’t really anything he could do about the ravenship right now, and it might be rude to leave the feast, considering it was a first contact.

Doctor Beverly Crusher sat in her office, fiddling with a PADD. She was supposed to be working on her monthly report, but she couldn’t keep her mind on it. She was worried about Jean-Luc. How could he have been kidnapped, and off the Holodeck no less? Geordi had called her a few minutes ago to tell her that they were still working on a way to get through to the ravenship, but they hadn’t had any success yet. He told her he would keep her advised. She was still worried.

Dr. Crusher looked up from her desk to find Data walking into Sickbay. She set down her PADD and walked out of her office to meet him. "What can I do for you?" she said.

"I need you to examine me to be sure nothing has escaped my diagnostics."

Dr. Crusher raised her eyebrows. "What happened?"

As Data walked toward the diagnostic bed, he explained. "The Vstrak, one of the sentient forms on this planet, derive sustenance from the energy of various other biological and exobiological forms. One of their favorite food sources is a sentient race of natural machines, the Kwi. One of the Vstrak was impatient to discover if I was a form of alien Kwi, so it tasted me. It drained a minuscule amount of my energy stores, not so much that I had to eat anything to replace it." Data sat down, then continued, "I need to know if that is all that occurred."

A look of shock crossed Beverly’s face. "They sound barbaric...just shy of cannibals." She reached into the deep pocket of her medical smock and retrieved her tricorder, opened it, and began scanning Data with the Feinberger attachment of the tricorder.

"They are not. The Kwi accept the Vstrak as predators. According to them, the Vstrak are necessary to keep them from overrunning Vs with unhealthy and mentally deficient Kwi. Apparently, when the Kwi reach a certain age, they become senile and attempt to create children when they are no longer capable. They and the Vstrak have a classic predator-prey relationship. The only difference is they are both sentient and aware of the situation," Data explained calmly.

"Hmmph," replied the doctor, shrugging. "I guess they’re not so much barbaric as alien...sometimes Humans get too comfortable with thinking everyone is like us, since so many races are similar. I know I’ve made that mistake often enough." She thought for a moment as she tapped a few buttons on her tricorder, then said, "Sometimes I wish something would wake us up from time to time, just enough so we’re alert enough to take differences into account."

"I agree," Data said softly. Then his voice lightened, "But perhaps you should ‘be careful what you wish for.’"

Dr. Crusher glanced up from her tricorder. She looked thoughtful for a moment, then she smiled. Data was right on both points; he had a personal stake in Humanity’s sometimes doltish behavior and she really shouldn’t wish for trouble. The Enterprise crew had and would always have more dangerous and more exciting adventures than any crew had a right to, and wishing for them would only aggravate the situation. "I should be. Well, I’ve finished my scan, and it looks like there’s only one slight difference from your normal readings." She turned the tricorder so Data could see it. "See those two marks? With you, they usually move together in a slow oscillation, right at the top of the range. A few moments ago, they were twitching, but now they have returned to your normal."

Data considered the readings for a moment, then looked at Dr. Crusher. "Why?"

Dr. Crusher pushed a bit of red hair away from her face. "I don’t know. Your physiology is so different that the tricorder doesn’t know what to make of it. All these ranges have a known meaning for biological organisms, but for you...well, obviously the heartbeat reading can’t refer to your pulse, since it’s calibrated to take readings off of a centralized circulatory system, which you don’t have. All the labels are meaningless for you, but the readings are almost always consistent. I’ve figured out what part of the readings refer to over the years, but I never knew why those two moved in unison like that. I suppose they must have something to do with your energy, since that’s what you said the Vstrak took from you. I don’t know how; the tricorder puts your energy level on a separate range."

Data thought about it for a moment. He asked, "There is nothing else?"

"Well, there is your hands, but I think you can fix them as well as I can. Other than that you’re as normal as ever."

Data nodded, then stood. "Thank you, Doctor." He handed her one of the memory cells from his tricorder. "These are the readings I took from the Vstrak and the Kwi."

Dr. Crusher took the cell, thanking Data for it. Perhaps studying new life forms would take her mind off her worry at least. She turned to her office as Data left Sickbay, determined to stop worrying. She sat down in her office chair, placed the memory cell in her PADD, and began examining Data’s tricorder readings, beginning with the Vstrak.

Go on to Section 3