Discovered (STTNG FanFic) - Chapter 2&3

Chapter Two:

It was as they sat in `Ten-Forward', that Deanna's commbadge chimed. She reached up and tapped it lightly.
"Troi here."
"Commander, this is Admiral Osan."
"Yes, Admiral, is there something I can do for you?"
"No, no. I'm just calling to let you know that the next hearing has been scheduled for 15:00 hours this afternoon. All your active duties have been suspended for today."
"Thank you, sir. Troi out."
As she tapped her commbadge to break the link, a waiter walked past their table. She tapped his elbow lightly;
"I'll have another chocolate sundae."
The man nodded and left to get her order.
"You've got a bad feeling about this second hearing haven't you?"
"Yes." She said, quietly.
She had almost forgotten that Will was sitting opposite her, so engrossed in her thoughts had she been.
"What did you do, scan his emotions for the answer?"
"No!" She said, shocked that he would even suggest that, but almost immediately she sensed his usual teasing self and relaxed slightly. "I heard it in his voice…"
She trailed off as the waiter returned, placed the ice-cream desert in front of her and left again silently. She didn't eat it; she simply dipped the spoon into the mound of chocolate ice-cream and hot caramel sauce and then withdrew the spoon slowly. She then began to slowly mix it all together into a gooey slush.
"Are you going to eat that?" he asked a bemused look upon his face.
"Why? Do you want it?" she asked without enthusiasm.
"No, it's just that it's not like you to not eat ice-cream when you're depressed."
"I'm too depressed to bother."
"Well," he said, in a huffy child-like manner, "you can't stay depressed for the next four hours, can you?"
"Yes," she huffed back, sitting back into her chair and folding her arms across her chest, "I can."
"Come on." He said, standing and offering his hand out to her.
She took it and stood up beside him, unsure of what he was up to.


The room smelt of lavender, that much she knew, but her view of the room he had led her to, was still obscured by his hand. Behind her, he whispered into her ear,
"Okay, I'm going to remove my hand now."
The feel of his warm breath on the cool skin of her ear made her spin tingle. She simply nodded. His hand slipped from her eyes and she blinked to adjust to the dim light.
"Will, what are we doing in your quarters?"
He simply took her hand, turned her around to face him and kissed her, fully. When the kiss broke, she whispered,
"Oh, I see…"
He smiled and kissed her again. As they kissed, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into his bedroom.


Deanna Troi arrived in the conference room after Will Riker. After his `anti-depressant' therapy, she had returned to her own quarters to shower and change into another dress uniform. When she entered the large room, she found that it was so full that many people were standing. As she sat back behind the desk in the middle of the room she looked into the seated crowd and spotted the senior officers and Captain Picard. After a few moments the jury arrived. The look in
Kitana's eyes and the slight smirk that tugged at her cranberry lips made Deanna's skin crawl. After a few more moments the judge entered the room. Everybody stood, but were quickly indicated to sit back down. Again, Deanna remained standing, as did the officers without seats.
"Commander Deanna Troi, Counsellor and Bridge officer of the Flagship Enterprise, Daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed, it is the opinion of the jury that you are found guilty of insubordination and the breaking of the Betazed-Federation treaty."
Gasps of shock emanated from the crowd. Beverley and a few other officers, that were patients of Deanna, began to sob. As Riker comforted Deanna's best friend, he turned to watch Deanna, the tears stinging his own eyes. Her face was expressionless, but tears had begun to form in her dark eyes.
"You," continued Osan, "will be stripped of your rank and position, as well as all privileges that are associated with that rank and position."
Osan looked to his computer PADD before continuing,
"The Enterprise will be assigned a new counsellor by tomorrow morning when the Enterprise will depart this sector for another mission. You shall not be aboard this vessel when it leaves."
It was at this point that tears began to fall silently from her eyes. She made no attempt to wipe them away. She stood in the middle of a room full of friends, colleges, an enemy and her lover, and yet, Deanna Troi, felt completely alone.
"However, Deanna, you are a daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed and therefore we cannot stop your government involving you in Starfleet-Betazed matters, as a representative, nor can we stop you from continuing in the psychology field, as you achieved those qualifications before you entered Starfleet. Do you have anything to say?"
"No, sir." She almost whispered.
"You do not wish to appeal?" he asked in surprise.
Deanna sensed that he did not believe that her sentence was just and was suggesting that she should appeal, but something was gone. Something was missing from within herself and, now, she no longer cared.
"No, sir."
"Others may wish to appeal against this sentence, do you wish them to be stopped from doing so?"
"I cannot stop the opinions of others, Admiral. I will not deny them that right."
"Very well. Let it be known," he said raising the volume of his voice and looking at the crowd around him, "that any of you who wish to appeal against this sentence can do so one month from today. Dismissed."
Deanna was out of the room quickly, avoiding the stares of her spectators.


"Deanna, please, just open the door!"
He cried, banging his fists against the locked doors of Deanna Troi's quarters.
"Go away!" Came her muffled reply.
"Imzadi, I'm not leaving until you open this door and talk to me!"
"No, Will, please! Just go away!"
Will Riker lost his temper at that moment and decided not to bother being polite.
"Computer, override lock. Security code; Riker, alpha, beta, zero, zero, two."
"Code accepted."
Deanna's door slid open with a hiss to admit him. Her living quarters were empty; there was nothing to indicate that this was someone's home, other than a few large crates that lay in the middle of the room. Will walked into Deanna's bedroom. Beside Deanna's bed were a few more crates, identical to those in her living quarters, on her bed were several bags full of clothing. In one corner of the bedroom was a pile of material, which he discovered to be her uniforms.
"I asked you not to come in." Came her whispering voice as she emerged from her bathroom.
He heard the sadness in her voice and, when he turned to face her, saw the pain in her tear-filled eyes.
"You're packing already?"
"Yes, I've got to be gone in the morning, you know that."
She placed a few more items of clothing carelessly into the bags, as she spoke.
"How's Beverley? I sensed that she was distressed during the hearing..."
"Of course she's upset!" he yelled, "You're her best friend and…!"
"Don't' yell at me!" she screamed back at him.
"How could you…how could you not appeal?" he yelled again.
"I…I don't know." She stammered, her voice little above a whisper, her head dropped in shame.
"You don't know? You don't know?" he yelled again, in exasperation. "My God, Deanna, if you appeal you could get your position back! Don't you want that?"
He moved closer to her, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other under her chin, lifting it so that she looked at him. In a whisper that held so much emotion that it tore at Deanna's soul, he asked,
"Don't you love me enough to at least try…?"
"How can you say that?" she cried, pushing him away from her. "Don't you EVER question my feelings for you!"
"Deanna, I'm…I'm sorry."
"Do you really think I want to leave? This is my home, my family! I could never wish to leave the Enterprise, Beverly, but most of all, you!"
The hurt in her voice and the sight of the tears rolling down her cheeks, stabbed at his heart, hurting him more then he thought was possible.
"God, Imzadi, I'm sorry. I didn't…" he whispered, trying to get closer to her.
"Just go." She whispered.
"What?"
"I said, get out!" she said, her voice breaking with sobs. "I never want to see you again!"
"Deanna, no! Please, I didn't…"
"Get. Out!"
For a few seconds he stood still, contemplating whether or not he should go to her or simply comply with her wishes. He left silently, his fists clenched and his head bent down in shame and defeat. The small ex-counsellor of the Enterprise wept bitterly as she sank to the floor of her quarters, hugging her knees to her chest.

Chapter Three:

Two Hours Later…

"But, Bev, how could I say that to her…?" Will Riker cried to the older woman beside him. "It was uncalled for, completely cruel and cold-hearted of me!"
"Will, don't blame yourself. She just needs sometime to cool off. After all, she's had the biggest shock out of all of us."
Jean-Luc Picard sat forward, leaning towards the younger man in front of him, resting his elbows on his Ready Room desk.
"Perhaps, Number One, she is ready to forgive you now. It's been two hours since this incident and she only has a few hours before she has to leave. I'm sure she'll want to make amends before then."
"Why don't we all go down there now?" Suggested Beverley.
The two men nodded and rose from their seats.

They sounded the door chime several times, but they were not answered, so Will opened the door with his security code. The room was completely bare and dark, only a pile of discarded uniforms lay in one corner of the room.
"Computer, location of Deanna Troi?" Commanded Picard, his voice echoing slightly in the abandoned room.
"Deanna Troi is in her quarters."
"Computer, check again." Commanded Riker in confusion.
The computer gave the same answer.
"Will, on the desk." Muttered Beverley.
On Deanna's bare desk, which had once been cluttered with psychology reports; lay a single rose, a folded piece of paper and Deanna's commbadge. Will picked up the crisp, white paper and unfolded it. Deanna's curved handwriting scrolled down the page:

"Imzadi, I can no longer stay here, knowing that I can never be the woman I once was and knowing that I cannot stay with you on the Enterprise. Whether or not I can forgive you for what you said to me earlier, I don't know, but know, that my love for you remains. By the time you read this, I suspect that, I should be long gone. Please do not make any attempts to contact me. I need time to think. Deanna."

Will pressed the letter to his chest, unable to stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks.
"Will," asked Beverly, coming closer to him, "what is it?"
He handed the letter to her and picked up the deep red coloured rose. He felt the silky smooth petals, as he wiped his tears away from his cheeks with it.
"My God, Will, she must have left in the same shuttle as Admiral Osan! That was over an hour ago!" She began to sob. "How could she leave without saying goodbye?"
"I'm sorry, Bev. If I hadn't said what I did, she would have stayed till tomorrow."
Jean-Luc Picard finished reading Deanna's letter.
"There's nothing we can do, except comply with her wishes of non-communication with us…"
"Captain, I can't just let her go…!" Will interrupted.
"We must do as she has asked, Will, but be assured that this is not the end of this matter. I'm not keen on having my Counsellor dismissed so easily. I intend to appeal in a month's time; I would suggest that you do too. Mister Data has informed me that we have a very strong case and that there were no logical reasons for Deanna's dismissal. Until then, you must be strong, Will, we all do. We've all been affected by her leaving, but life must go on."
With that Jean-Luc Picard exited the empty quarters that once belonged to a close and valued friend of his. The woman who had helped retrieve him from the Borg and also assisted in his recovery, despite him being a difficult patient. She hadn't given up on him and he didn't intend to give up on her.


Four Months Later…

"Yes, Picard, the appeals from your crew have gone through, as well as those from Betazed, but the Council's taking its time getting back to us with their decision."
"But, Admiral Osan, with all due respect, isn't three months a bit excessive for a decision of this kind?"
"Yes, Jean-Luc, it is, but I'll see what I can do. In the mean time, you must prepare the Enterprise to receive delegates from the Betazoid and Helikin people in the Dekan system. I needn't tell you of the importance of this trade agreement between these two peoples."
"Yes, Admiral, I understand. What exactly will our part be in this?"
"Your job, Captain, is to convince the Betazoid delegation to agree to this treaty."
"Very well, Admiral. We appreciate your assistance in this appeal."
The older Admiral nodded his head and the screen went blank.

"Commander Riker, I can't take it anymore, she's just not helping!"
"Lieutenant Benedict, please calm down."
"No offence, Commander, but how can I calm down when the woman, who's supposed to help me reduce my stress levels, is actually increasing them?"
"Ah, I take it your sessions with Counsellor Lepec are not going particularly well."
"That's putting it lightly, Commander." Answered the man, who stood at the same height as his C.O, with a smile.
"I'll see what I can do, Lieutenant. Excuse me, I've got a meeting with Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher."
"Thanks, sir, I appreciate your help."
Will Riker continued to walk down the corridor, only breaking into a smile when the turbolift doors closed around him.

"Sorry I'm late, Captain, Doctor." Will said nodding, as he entered the Captain's Ready Room.
"Some problem, Commander?"
"Well, quite possibly, sir. One of our new Counsellor's patients is not particularly happy with her services."
"They're not the only one…" muttered Beverley.
"What do you mean, Doctor?" asked the Captain.
"I've had several complaints from my patients about Counsellor Lepec too."
"Why did no one tell me about these incidents?"
"I thought it was an isolated incident." Said Riker, sitting down beside Beverley.
"Yes, I thought the same thing."
"Well, I'll talk to our Counsellor soon. Now to business, we're being diverted to the Dekan system where we'll pick up delegates from Betazed and Helika. Our assignment is to convince the Betazoids to sign a trade agreement with the Helikin council."
"When do we arrive?" asked Riker.
"Two hours. Guinin is already preparing Ten-Forward for a reception to be held before the first conference."
"We'll be ready, sir. Is there anything else?"
"Just to let you know that our appeals have gone through to the Federation council, but it's taking them along time to come to a decision. Admiral Osan is preparing to intervene on our behalves."
"Thank you for letting me know, sir."
"Now, I'm sure you've both got things to do. I'll talk to our Counsellor."
The C.O and the C.M.O stood up as Picard tapped his commbadge,
"Picard to Lepec. Counsellor could you come to my Ready Room please."
"Aye, sir. I'm on my way."

As the First Officer and the C.M.O walked onto the Bridge, the new Counsellor glided past them. As she walked past Riker she smiled seductively at him and then entered the Captain's Ready Room. Riker heard a growl of disgust emanate from Beverley Crusher and saw her roll her eyes.
"Will she ever stop?" Beverley asked in annoyance.
"I doubt it and she can't understand the fact that I'm not interested, either."
Will shook his head, as they entered the turbolift.

"Counsellor, I'm sorry to say that I've had a number of complaints about your counselling sessions."
"I can't imagine why, Captain, most of my patients have improved greatly and in a quicker time then it would have taken Counsellor Troi to…."
"Counsellor Lepec," he said sternly, "your work is under a lot of scrutiny from your patients. Deanna Troi was an exemplary officer and Counsellor and never, in all the years she served under me, did I receive any complaints about her work…"
"Captain, permission to speak freely?" she interrupted.
"Very well." He said, a frown forming across his face.
"I am not Counsellor Troi, but everyone expects me to be exactly like her!" she said, angrily, "how can I be someone I'm not?"
"No one is expecting you to be Deanna, Counsellor, but I hope that you will take the time to listen to what this crew has to say. You must understand that the crew had known Deanna any time between two and twelve years, it's not easy to accept the loss of someone you're close to."
"Captain, it's not like she's dead!"
"Counsellor, that's quite enough! I will not have you disrespecting Deanna, is that clear?"
At first Lepec said nothing,
"Is that clear, Counsellor?"
"Yes, sir." She replied through gritted teeth.
"You're dismissed."

Counsellor Kitana Lepec sat, as usual, alone in the `Ten Forward' lounge, nursing a drink of sinthohol. Her thoughts ran rampant through her mind. How the hell was she going to persuade the Captain that she was better suited for this posting than that upper-class bitch, Deanna Troi, when the First Officer was besotted with her and the rest of the crew all loved her? Perhaps she knew things about Deanna Troi that they didn't, after all she had grown up in close proximity to her. Things that perhaps would convince them that Deanna Troi was not what she seemed…

"Commander." Greeted Picard, as Will Riker sat down in his usual seat on the Bridge.
"Captain." He replied.
His First Officer had obviously been distressed by Deanna's leaving, but more so by her wishes to be left alone. Deanna had not contacted him, as yet, nor had she contacted Will or Beverley. Worry had caused his First Officer sleepless nights of wondering about Deanna's whereabouts and condition. Four months of worry could turn, even the strongest of men, to a worn out jumble of nerves and Will Riker was, as far as Jean-Luc was concerned, an extremely resilient man, but
Deanna had an unusual affect on Riker.
"I thought you'd like to know that I got a list of the Ambassadors that we'll have aboard. One of them is a Daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed."
"Deanna?" he asked.
Picard shrugged,
"It doesn't say whether it's Deanna or Lwaxanna."
Will nodded his head slightly, taking in the news that either Deanna or Deanna's formidable mother would be aboard. If it was Deanna had she forgiven him and if it was her mother did she know what had been going on?