Beverly listened without interrupting as Alynna Nechayev explained how she'd pulled the muscle in her thigh. Once Alynna had finished, Beverly activated the privacy shield around the bio bed and said,

'I need some more details, I'm afraid, Admiral.'

Alynna grimaced but said,

'Understood, Doctor.'

'Did you orgasm?'

'Yes.'

'Did it feel the same as usual?'

'No… it was strange… it felt almost… fizzy.'

'And have you had any orgasms since then?'

Beverly was careful to keep her voice completely professional out of respect for the discomfort on Alynna's face. After a brief pause, Alynna replied,

'Yes and they've felt slightly odd too but not as odd as the first one.'

'Hmm… I'm going to repair the damage and then I'm going to do a whole body scan before deciding what to do next. Do you want me to let Lieutenant T'lim and Bill know what's going on?'

'I suppose you'll have to but Bill…'

'Bill?'

'Bill may overreact.'

Beverly nodded acknowledgement then activated the nerve regenerator.

Jean-Luc could feel the nervousness radiating from Ensign Harris as she read the briefing paper on Anaris IV and decided that absenting himself from the Bridge would be a kindness. It would also allow him to visit Deanna again so he handed the Bridge over to Worf and left.

Entering Sickbay, Jean-Luc was distracted from his worry about Deanna by the sight of Admiral Nechayev undergoing treatment again. Beverly's intense concentration made it clear that it wasn't a minor scrape so Jean-Luc walked over to Doctor Selar and said,

'I'm going to spend a few minutes with Deanna. If Doctor Crusher finishes before I leave, could you ask her to brief me, please.'

'Yes, Captain.'

Selar followed Jean-Luc into the side ward where Deanna was recovering and said,

'Do you wish to be updated on Deanna's condition?'

'Yes, please.'

'Deanna has received two and a half units of blood and is not expected to require more. Her vital signs have all stabilised and scans show no sub-cranial damage. Neurological scans show no disturbance to the paracortex and her gnaia levels are normal.'

'So no psychic attack, which is consistent with what we know of the Anarians.'

'Indeed.'

'When is she likely to recover consciousness?'

Selar hesitated and Jean-Luc saw the flicker of concentration as she thought. After a few seconds, Selar said,

'Probably within the next twelve hours but, as you know, Captain, head injuries make it impossible to make precise predictions.'

'Understood. Thank you, doctor.'

Selar left and Jean-Luc sat down beside Deanna and picked up her hand. As they touched, he became aware of Deanna's psychic presence and deliberately reached out with his mind, rejoicing in the contact.

Jean-Luc reluctantly released Deanna's hand; it was time to get back to work. As he crossed main Sickbay, Beverly looked up from beside Admiral Nechayev's bed and walked over to him. Leading him into her office, Beverly said,

'What can I do for you, Jean-Luc? Has Selar briefed you about Deanna?'

'Yes. I was wondering about Admiral Nechayev's condition actually. It's not a recurrence of Tobull's Disease, is it?'

'No. Admiral Nechayev's condition is not life threatening nor contagious, thankfully.'

'Good.'

Jean-Luc paused for a moment to see if Beverly was going to give him any more information then said,

'Thank you, Beverly. I need to go and try and salvage the diplomatic situation but I'll come back and sit with Deanna again later.'

'Make sure you take some breaks for yourself, Jean-Luc. Don't forget that you collapsed earlier.'

'I won't,' said Jean-Luc repressively, escaping before Beverly could say any more.

In the turbolift, Jean-Luc thought about what had just happened and nodded to himself; it confirmed what he had already surmised and reaffirmed the need to take action as soon as possible.

Beverly started the scan, checked that Alynna was comfortable then set off to find Bill Nechayev. When she was in the turbolift, the computer told her that Bill was in motion on Deck 6 so Beverly was relieved when she didn't have to hunt for him, finding him standing still, staring down the corridor. As she approached, Bill said,

'Don't you find it difficult?'

'What?'

'Living in such a confined space.'

'Sometimes but you get used to it.'

'I don't know how. I've only been here a few days and already I want to run down the corridors screaming. I can't imagine why anyone would choose this as a career.'

'I find the advantages outweigh the disadvantages,' said Beverly.

Bill opened his mouth to continue their conversation but Beverly preempted him, saying,

'Bill, I need to talk to you.'

'We are talking,' said Bill, facetiously.

'About Alynna.'

'Alynna? She's all right, isn't she?'

Beverly could see the panic building in Bill's eyes so she put a hand reassuringly on his arm, saying,

'She's going to be fine but she's back in Sickbay.'

'Why? Can I see her?'

Bill started walking rapidly towards the turbolift as he spoke and Beverly hurried to catch up with him, saying,

'Yes, you can see her and I'll explain on the way.'

Jean-Luc strode across the Bridge, saying,

'Mister Worf, Ensign Harris, my Ready Room, please. Mr Nicholls, you have the Bridge.'

'Yes, Captain.'

Jean-Luc sat at his desk and motioned Worf and Ensign Harris to join him. He pulled up the briefing paper on his padd then said,

'Have you both had time to read through the briefing paper?'

'Yes, Sir.'

'Yes, Captain.'

'Mister Worf, having been on the planet, what are your thoughts?'

'The briefing paper does not accurately reflect what we encountered. There is no mention of the social problems that the Anarians are experiencing nor that women do not go out alone.'

'Ensign Harris?'

'I agree with Lieutenant Worf, Sir. The briefing paper is inadequate. There is no mention of women at all except that the world president is female and there are no details of the Anarian social structure at all. I understand that Anarians have a form of group marriage, Sir?'

'Yes, three men and one women is apparently the norm on Anaris.'

'So why isn't this mentioned in the report? There's lots of stuff on the mineral deposits of the asteroid belts but nothing about their society at all. It's almost as if…'

'As if what, Ensign?'

'It's ridiculous, Sir, but it was like reading a preliminary report, just one that had been padded.'

Jean-Luc nodded approvingly and Worf said,

'You are correct, Ensign. There is something very wrong with the briefing report, Captain.'

'I agree,' said Jean-Luc.

'How do you wish us to proceed, Sir?' asked Ensign Harris.

Jean-Luc thought about the many layers of bureaucracy involved and grimaced internally but said,

'Mister Worf, once Commander Data is available, I want you to confer with him, in private, about the most efficient, least disruptive way to find out whether the omissions in this report were caused by someone's incompetence or were from deliberate malice and who is behind them. Report back to me once you have a plan of action. In the meantime, there is to be no mention of any problems with the briefing paper to anyone else.'

'Yes, Captain,' said Ensign Harris.

'Aye, aye, Captain,' said Worf.

Data smiled at the gathered Anarians, answering their questions patiently. Once they had assured themselves that Jay, Rin and Ulla were unhurt, their parents had peppered him with questions, wanting to know about him, the ship and the federation. Mindful of the need to make a good impression, Data led them into one of the briefing rooms, fetched them drinks and snacks and let them ask as many questions as they wanted. After a few minutes, Jay stamped his left foot once on the floor, making a strange clacking sound, and everyone stopped talking and turned towards him. Once everyone was quiet, Jay said,

'While we were in Sickbay we met someone, a doctor, called Selar, and we've asked her to marry us.'

'What's she like?'

'Where is she from?'

'Did she say yes?'

Jay, Rin and Ulla exchanged glances, deciding who would answer, then Ulla said,

'She's amazing, we don't know and she said she'd consider it.'

'Can we meet her?' asked Rin's mother, Jeta.

'I don't know,' said Ulla, 'Doctor Selar agreed to meet with us again when her duties allowed. Mister Data, would it be possible for our parents to meet her?'

'I will enquire,' said Data.

He tapped his comm badge and said,

'Data to Doctor Selar.'

'Yes, Commander?'

'I have the parents of Rin, Jay and Ulla here. Would now be a convenient time for them to meet you?'

'I am scheduled to have a break in seventeen minutes. Provided that there are no emergencies, I can join you then.'

'Thank you, doctor. We are in Briefing Room 3.'

Data spent the next seventeen minutes answering questions about Vulcans in general and Selar in particular.