Discovered (STTNG) -Prologue & Chapter1

Prologue:

One Week Before…

"God, I hate this job!" the stunning, blonde woman exclaimed.
"But, Kitana, my daughter, you're Counselling, isn't that what you've always wanted?"
"Not here father! I didn't spend four years at Starfleet Academy to be sent back home to Betazed twelve years later!"
"You're not going to start that, `if only I'd gotten the position aboard the Enterprise-E then I wouldn't be stuck here', are you?"
"That's exactly it, father, if I had gotten the Ship's Counsellor posting on the Enterprise-E two years ago then I wouldn't be stuck behind a desk or permanently on planetside! It's insufferable!"
"You know that Deanna Troi deserves that posting, she's worked very hard for it, especially when her mother was so against her even going to Starfleet Academy. Besides that was years ago, surely you can't still be hung up with what happened almost twelve years ago!"
"But father…"
"I don't want to hear it Kitana!" he said sternly. "I didn't bring you up to be jealous of other people!"
"I know father, it just that I had some many expectations of Starfleet and ending up back on Betazed twelve years after I left it for space exploration, just isn't what I wanted."
"Oh, I see, so being able to spend quality time with your poor old father doesn't appeal to you?"
"You know it does, father."
"Good then let's not hear any more of your nonsense, okay?"
"Alright father. Look I've some work to finish, but after that I'll come home and you, mother and I can have lunch."
"Very well, daughter, I look forward to it."
The older man left. As soon as he had, Kitana Lepec sat back in her chair.
`God, I've got to get out of this office job…hmmm, I wonder if there's anything interesting in Deanna's file that I could use?' she thought to herself.
"Computer, locate and display the file of Deanna Troi."
Kitana's blank screen was filled with Deanna's picture and her profile. Kitana stared at the picture.
"Still as beautiful as ever, unfortunately." She sighed.
She continued to read the profile, but when it came to Deanna's personal history there were a few inconsistencies.
"Computer, explain for missing data in this file."
"A security code is needed for access to this area of the file. Information stored here is part of her personal logs and is not for general viewing."
"Computer, access that file."
"Security code required."
Kitana was about to give up when she had a thought. Her Counsellor's code would get her into any file in the Starfleet database.
"Security code; Lepec, one, two, nine, three."
"Code accepted."
The rest of the information scrolled down the page. One part caught her attention, as she stopped the scrolling to read into it, a small smile played on her lips.
"Oh, Deanna, how could you be so foolish?"

Chapter One:

One Week Later…

"Now take a deep, calming breath…there don't you feel better already?"
The brown haired man, sitting across from her, opened his brown eyes and smiled.
"Yes, Counsellor, I do."
"Now, whenever you feel that tension starting to build, just do that breathing exercise, okay?"
"Sure, Counsellor."
"Breathing exercises won't be a permanent solution to your problem, but it's a start until I can see you again. Now you'll have to excuse me, Lieutenant Benedict, but I have a meeting now. I'll contact you with an appointment later in the week, alright?"
"Thank you, Counsellor, you've been a great help."
"Anytime, Lieutenant." Smiled Deanna, as Benedict got up and left the room, a huge grin across his face.
"Another satisfied customer, hey, Counsellor?" came a voice from the door.
"Yes, Will, I like to think so."
Deanna looked up from her computer PADD and saw Will Riker, as stunning as ever, leaning against her doorframe and smiling that brilliant smile at her.
"You ready to go, Counsellor."
"Yes, there's nothing left to finish here, just yet. Give it twenty minutes tops and the messages will start to pour in." she said standing up from her sofa and walking over to Will.
"That bad, huh?"
Deanna shrugged and walked out of her office, followed closely by Riker.


"Okay, is there anything else?" asked Jean-Luc Picard.
The captain of the U.S.S Enterprise- E sat at the head of the Conference Lounge table, staring down at his senior staff. They
remained silent; a few of them shook their heads.
"Very well, then you're all dismissed."
As they began to walk past him, he said,
"Counsellor Troi, a word please."
The small Betazoid counsellor walked away from the tall First Officer of the Enterprise and sat back at the conference table.


"What could they be talking about in there?" Quizzed Riker, over an hour later.
"Will," answered Beverley Crusher, "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, if we're meant to know."
At that moment the doors to the Conference Lounge opened and Captain Jean-Luc Picard stormed out. Anger was written all over his face. He did not look at anyone, he simply entered his Ready Room and the doors hissed angrily shut after him. The First Officer and the C.M.O stared at each other in shock. What could have possibly gone on in there to annoy the Captain so much?
"I think you should go to her." Suggested Beverley, when Deanna Troi did not appear at the door.
Will nodded at the older woman and walked cautiously towards the closed door of the Conference Lounge.


She stood by the window, looking out at the stars, as the ship travelled at high warp.
"Deanna?"
She did not answer, but he saw her wipe her eyes quickly. Slowly she turned to face him. Her eyes were red and tear-filled and her cheeks were moist.
"Deanna, what is it? What's happened?"
Deanna simply shook her head and slowly turned back to the window.
"Imzadi, what is it?"
"That's it."
"What is?" he asked in confusion.
"Imzadi."
"Yes?" he asked, thinking she had called him.
"No," she answered back in annoyance, still not looking at him, "Imzadi is the problem."
Will moved closer to her and held her shoulders in his hands.
"I don't understand, Deanna. What are you saying?"
She finally turned to face him, her eyes welling up with tears when she looked into his.
"I'm being court-marshalled, Will."
"What the hell for?" he said, shocked at the notion of Deanna being disgraced in such a way.
"Someone has informed Starfleet Command that I have an Imzadi…"
"Hold on, why would you court-marshalled for that?" he interrupted.
"The treaty between Betazed and the Federation specifically states that all those who have the Imzadi bond must report it to Command. Starfleet needs to know, because of the added dangers of space exploration and telepathy…"
"And you never told them about `Us', did you?"
"No, I didn't," she turned back to the window, "but I have my reasons."
For a few moments, Will said nothing, but finally he asked,
"So what happens to you if you're found guilty?"
"My career in Starfleet will be over."
She felt something stir within him and she whirled round to face him.
"No, Will, you will not expose yourself!"
"Deanna, I can't let you do this alone."
"If you tell them, then your career will be over too. You've spent more time in Starfleet than I have. Your whole life is Starfleet. I won't let you throw your career away over something you didn't understand!"
She turned back to the window in exasperation.
"Deanna,"
He took both her arms and pulled her both round to face him again,
"I may not have understood then, but I do now. I'm not going to let you…"
"Will, I will have you ordered away from the hearing if you don't promise not to expose yourself!"
Her voice fell to a whisper as she said,
"At least let me protect you from this, Imzadi."
Will fell silent, as no answer came to him, their eyes locking for a few moments.
"Why was the Captain so angry when he left?"
"He felt that I had lied to him."
"Lied?"
"He's asked me on several occasions over the years, if you and I were joined. I've always told him we were not. I tried to explain to him that we had only rediscovered our bond during the Ba'Ku mission a few weeks ago, but he didn't want to listen."
"Deanna, you don't need to protect me." He said softly.
He placed his hand on her cheek, in the way she had come to love. She placed her over his and momentarily closed her eyes, savouring the moment.
"Will, please," she whispered, opening her oxyn eyes to look into his crystal blue eyes, "just promise me that you won't say anything. No one in Starfleet has a right to know the identity of the second person, especially when that person is not even Betazoid."
"Alright, I won't say anything, but I'm not happy about it."
He leaned forward and kissed her lightly.
"When's the hearing?"
"Tomorrow, in one of the larger conference rooms."
Deanna rested her head on his chest, as Will pulled her closer into his embrace.


The `Judges' had arrived sometime that night. Admiral Antonio Osan, a kindly middle-aged man, would lead the hearing. With him were three younger men, all Lieutenants and a Counsellor named Kitana Lepec. Kitana, was three quarters human and a quarter Betazoid, had no empathic abilities and could only communicate telepathically with her
half human-half Betazoid father.
The hearing had been scheduled for 10:00 hours the next morning. All of the senior staff would be there to support Deanna, but she had refused all their offers of their speaking in her defence. They had all offered, except Jean-Luc Picard.


Will Riker, dressed in the new standard dress uniform, pressed the chime on the door in front of him and waited. It slid open seconds later to reveal an equally formally dressed Deanna Troi.
"Okay, let's go and get this over with."
"Deanna, are you worried about something?"
"No…Yes. It's Kitana. You see we've been rivals since we were thirteen, all the way through University and Starfleet too. She's jealous of anyone who seems to be better than her at anything. She hates my status on Betazed, my empathic and telepathic abilities, but most of all, my position here on the Enterprise. She applied for this posting too, so I'm not particularly looking forward to having her on the jury."
Riker wasn't sure when Deanna had taken a breath in between all of that, but then that simply highlighted her agitated state.
Whilst he had been in the `Ten-Forward' Lounge last night, after leaving Deanna, Kitana had approached him and had tried to flirt with him, but something about her just pushed him the wrong way. She was very attractive; there could be no argument about that. She had long blond hair and piercing blue eyes, but her attitude had been all wrong, there was something not quite right about her. He had completed some research on her career and found a formal complaint in her record. The complaint was not about her; however, it was made by her. Shortly after Deanna had been awarded the position of Counsellor on the Enterprise-E, Kitana had written to Starfleet Command claiming that Deanna was unfit for the Enterprise's mission and was better off in the office job that she had been awarded. Riker knew at that point, before Deanna had even mentioned it, that Kitana Lepec was what he called a `spoilt-little-rich-girl.' She had the kind of `I-
want-and-I-want-it-now' attitude that so many people despised. He was worried about this hearing too. If the grudge, that Kitana had for Deanna, had been going on for over twenty years, then Kitana had the perfect opportunity to exact revenge on Deanna by finding her guilty, no matter what everyone else thought.
The conference room fell quiet when Deanna and Riker entered. Will moved away from Deanna and sat with Beverley, Geordie, Data and Picard, who were seated in front of a large crowd of Enterprise officers. Deanna took the seat situated in the middle of the room behind a large desk. To her right was another large table with four seats behind it for her jury and in front of her was another table and chair for her judge. The judge and jury entered and everyone stood, as the five officials sat down. Osan indicated for the crowd to sit, they did so and Deanna remained standing.
"Do you," his voice boomed, "Commander Deanna Troi, Counsellor and Bridge officer of the U.S.S Enterprise, Daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed, swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
"I do." She answered her voice firm and confidant.
"Very well. Do you know why you have been summoned before this court, this morning?" He had a kindly, but authoritarian voice.
"It is my belief, sir, that an anonymous person has informed you that I am part of an ancient bond of my people, known as `Imzadi'."
"That is correct. Now, may I ask, where is your Imzadi?"
"I plead the Right of `Inni-ya', sir."
"Very well." He said, nodding to her with a slight smile. "For the benefit of those among us who do not know the Betazoid Law, the accused has pleaded for the `Right of Hidden Identity' for her Imzadi, which I will grant in accordance to the Betazed-Federation Treaty."
A murmur rose and fell amongst the spectators.
"Now, Commander, may I ask why you never informed Starfleet of this bond, as in accordance with the same treaty?"
"My bond was formed many years ago, sir, and, as I told Captain Picard, I was not aware that this bond still existed at the time of my acceptance into Starfleet Academy nor when taking up this post on the Enterprise."
"So, when did you become aware of its existence?"
"About two weeks ago, sir. When I became involved with my Imzadi on a more intimate level again."
"I see, so from the time you enrolled into Starfleet until two weeks ago, you and your Imzadi were, what exactly?"
"Colleges and very close friends, sir."
"Has there ever been a point in your career, when this bond, even when it was not at it's strongest, was a disadvantage or a danger to your ship, mission or crew?"
"Not to my recollection, sir."
"What about you, Captain Picard, have you ever regarded this bond as a danger to your ship, mission or crew?"
Jean-Luc Picard stood up and Deanna immediately had a sense of foreboding at having her captain speak.
"No, Admiral. If anything, I would say that this bond, even when at it's weakest, has been an advantage to my ship and crew on many occasions."
"Thank you, Captain." Replied Osan, as Picard sat back down. "Are there any other questions?"
The jury stayed quiet, one or two of them shaking their heads.
"Very well. We will adjourn for now to discuss this matter. We will inform you all of another time for our answers. Dismissed."
There was a collective sigh of relief, as the judge and jury exited the room. Deanna made her way to the senior staff, passing other officers that were exiting the room. Beverley and Riker hugged Deanna when she reached them.
"How do you think it went from a spectators point of view?" she asked, feeling tired and worn out even though it was still the morning.
"I have to say that Admiral Osan seemed very convinced by your reasons, Deanna." Answered Picard.
It was the longest sentence he had uttered to her since yesterday in the conference lounge.
"Captain Picard is correct, Counsellor. There should be no logical reason to dismiss you." Continued Data.
Deanna smiled politely at the gold-skinned android.
"Captain," she began, "I want to thank you for what you said…"
"Think nothing of it," he interrupted, "I just told the truth."
"Yes, sir, I know, but…"
"Then there's nothing else to say about it." He interrupted again, as he stood up and left the room.
Beverley placed an arm around her friend's shoulders.
"Don't take his reaction too hard, Dee."
Deanna nodded slightly.
"I'm going to `Ten-Forward'. I'll see you all back here later." She said, her voice soft.
Those that knew her best could hear traces of hurt in her voice.

As she reached the corridor, she felt him coming up behind her.
"Do you mind if I join you, Deanna?" he asked.
"No, Will, I don't" she turned her head to face him. "You know I always enjoy your company."
He rewarded her compliment with one of his famous and most charming smiles