They waited in orbit, hovering just above the thick layer of clouds that was cast over Asada’s mainland, allowing only glimpses at the lusciously green planet below, and the canopy of stars above.

Sat at the conference table of the lounge, legs crossed and her fingers wrapped around a cup of coffee, Chief Diplomatic Officer Tessara Quirell tried her best to radiate confidence, and finding the right balance between putting her away team at ease, and not letting the deceptive peace coerce them into careless. This was a situation that they didn’t have the luxury to  underestimate.

“I don’t like.. the waiting.”, Ensign Edwardson said quietly. He shifted nervously in his seat as if expecting a reprimand.

“That is understandable.”, replied T’vana, their Chief Counselor with that calm voice that made one feel safe and seen, and encouraged to keep talking.

“I mean..”, Edwardson continued as a flush crept across his cheeks. “It’s been several hours. Are we sure we lowered the shields?”

“We did.”, Lieutenant River replied. Her tone wasn’t harsh as such, but it wasn’t kind either. Quirell could sense her annoyance – and she understood. Of those present, River had the most experience with the tension but preceding a negotiation, even if only in a purely diplomatic context. She had served as Diplomatic Attaché for several years, and accompanied Quirell to several meetings with high ranking officials.

Edwardson, on the other hand, had been chosen specifically for his inexperience – and because he was Human. Still, even though he had been given as little information as possible, he was crucial to their mission.

The entity was known to affect non-telepaths within hours, and they needed that connection to get it to talk to them.

“Maybe we could… I don’t know, hail them?” Edwardson suggested.

“Hail who? The entity?” River replied, almost incredulously.

“Y… yes. I know it sounds stupid.”, Edwardson sighed. His gaze locked onto his hands, and he fell silent.

Quirell reached out, and placed a hand on his shoulder – a reassuring gesture not often used, but felt appropriate in their current situation. “It’s not a stupid idea, but we will stick to our original plan. We can’t afford deviation – Captain Valdes would never let us hear the end of it.”
Her laugh was light and melodic, and for a brief moment, it eased the tension that was building between River and Edwardson.

That tension, however, returned the moment he opened his mouth again.

“It’s just… taking long.”, he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Got anywhere to be?”, asked River. It didn’t need the empathy of a Betazoid to recognize that her patience with Edwardson was wearing thin.

Just when Quirell was trying to decide on whether she should address the inappropriate commentary right away or in private, Edwardson said something that stopped her in her tracks.

“I was going to meet Naeric on the holodeck. That’s all.”

A cold shiver ran down her spine, and she straightened in her chair. As part of their plan, Edwardson hadn’t been told the name the entity had given itself, and that he knew it now could only mean one thing…

“Naeric?” River asked carefully, her tone softening considerably. “That’s an interesting name”

“Y.. yeah… he’s a friend of mine.”, Edwardson said slowly. His brows knit together in a frown and his eyes narrowed, as if he was trying to remember something.  “Why are you asking?”

“I’m just curious.”, said River, her composed facade back in place, and with it her casual demeanour. “I’ve heard a lot about him, but I don’t think we’ve ever met.”

“I think I might have.”, added Quirell, though of course she was simply playing along. “Describe him to me, will you?”

“He… well, he looks … He’s… I mean…”, Edwardson stumbled over his words.  “It’s hard to describe.”

“What species is he?” T’vana inquired further.

“Human, definitely.”, Edwardson said, this time without having to think about it. “Got the same accent as me.” he added with an embarrassed little laugh.

“Tell me how you’ve met.”

“I don’t remember, to be honest. I’ve known him since forever, I think we met at Starfleet Academy. And we came here together.”

“What department is he working in?”

“C.. counseling, I think? I never asked. But he seems to be the counseling type.”

T’vana glanced at the others, her gaze clearly conveying that she knew no one of that name – and she knew her counselors well.

“I.. think someone should check with the helm.”, River said abruptly. “To… make sure the shields are actually lowered. Can you do that?”
She looked at Edwardson, who looked relieved at the opportunity to leave their company, if only for a brief moment.

He rose from his chair and made his way towards the cockpit. As soon as the door hissed shut behind him, the three remaining officers turned towards each other.

“So he’s already touched our minds?” River asked. They didn’t have much time, and they knew it.

“It appears so.”, noted T’vana, looking into the direction in which Edwardson had left.

“But he chooses not to reveal himself. Or, perhaps, he can’t. I am unsure.”, admitted Quirell.

“So what do we do? We can’t wait until we’re affected as well. Admittedly, from what the Callisto’s research says, it takes a while, but…”, River’s voice trailed off.

“I might have an idea.”, Quirell said slowly. Reluctantly. She didn’t like her idea, but that didn’t mean it was a bad one.  “Edwardson is clearly affected. Leave it another hour or two, and he will firmly believe that Naeric is his friend. If we … challenge that belief, we could force Naeric to reveal himself.”

“How would we challenge that belief?” T’vana asked.

“Why would he leave Edwardson alone here if he is such a good friend. His memory is fragile, we can… make him believe that Naeric promised he’d be here.”

“That sounds like gaslighting.” River frowned.

“You are trying to force a cognitive dissonance.”, T’vana responded neutrally. “He will belief one thing, but we confront him with another. It sounds cruel, but given the circumstances… “

“Do you think it will work?” Quirell asked.

“It might.”

“Then we will try it. Let’s… make sure that connection can fester. Then challenge it.”

The mood shifted as soon as they had something to focus on, and they fell silent. Quirell busied herself with a PADD she had brought along, while T’vana and River were having a quiet conversation. Neither of them even looked up when Edwardson returned.

It wasn’t pleasant for either of them. Quirell could feel Edwardson’s emotional response – the confusion to find everyone silent, the fear that he had done something wrong, and the growing frustration and self-doubt.

River felt it too, responding with uncertainty on her part, but sticking to their plan as she continued the utterly meaningless conversation with T’vana.

There was something profoundly wrong about this – it wasn’t how they treated other Starfleet Officers, or anyone for that matter.

But what choice did they have? They didn’t know the status of the hostages on Asada’s surface. They didn’t know if they needed help. They didn’t know if the shields were holding Naeric’s influence out of the Sirona.

They needed a solution, and they needed it fast.

After a little more than an hour, Edwardson rose from his chair and started pacing.  Quirell exchanged glances with the others, and with a collective nod, decided that this was long enough.

“I’m wondering why he isn’t there.”, she remarked casually, not looking up from her PADD.

“Yes. I would have expected him to keep his promises.”, nodded River, and finally turned to Edwardson. “Why isn’t he here?”

Edwardson, who hadn’t expected being spoken to, jumped visibly. “… Who?”

“Your friend, Naeric.”, River said impatiently. “He wanted to be here, didn’t he?”

“He… did?”Edwardson frowned, backing a few steps away.

“He personally asked you to arrange the meeting, did he not?”, asked T’Vana.

“I…”

“Yes, that’s why we came out here.”, Quirell added.

River sighed. “Guess he isn’t keeping to his word.”

There was a moment of silence in which Edwardson tried to wrap his head around this new information, “No, Naeric would… he keeps his word… always…..”

“Then why isn’t he here?”, Quirell asked, letting the undercurrent of disapproval bleed into her tone.

“I … I don’t know.”

“But he should be here. You remember that, don’t you?” River asked. “That he promised, I mean.”

Edwardson’s face contorted in a mic of pain and concentration. “Y… yes? I think so?”

“You think so?” Quirell asked. “You know.”

Another moment of silence. Then, Edwardson nodded.

“Yeah… yeah.. I know. I know.”

A sudden change in the air, like a gust of wind, swept through the room, filling it with a telepathic pressure, hot and suffocating, and more powerful than anything Quirell had ever encountered. River gripped her head, and T’vana tensed visibly. Quirell held her breath, momentarily unable to move a single muscle.

When Naeric manifested before them, he did not appear in the form of a human. He was a vast structure of glistening wheels that rotated and intersected in incomprehensible ways, shifting and reconfiguring as he moved towards them. Countless eyes watched their every move, but they didn’t merely see, they pierced their minds, laying bare their best-kept secrets, darkest fears, and deepest desires.

When he spoke, his words echoed in her mind, loud like thunder and nauseating, not asking for attention, but demanding it. 

“Do not be afraid.”