With your reprogramming, no doubt!

Warily, Worf shook his head.

No, he said softly.

Zhad died because the grain treated his implanted mask as foreign. It was trying to heal him He stumbled forward, fell to his knees.

Beverly rushed up from wherever Worf had come, her medical case in hand.

Doctor ...

Picard pointed to Worf, then glanced quickly at Kadar and Urosk and their respective soldiers again.

If anyone takes aggressive action, Riker has my orders to fire at will.

The captain looked up and got a nod to the affirmative from Riker.

Dammit, Worf, Beverly Crusher said as she dropped to a kneel beside the Klingon, what are you trying to prove?

The grain ...

Worf said weakly, it will restore me as called for in my DNA.

Is this true?

Picard asked in a hushed tone.

Were not at all certain of all our facts, Beverly said, her voice edged with anger and anxiety.

We determined it was the cause of Zhads death and Geordis blindness, and it helped repair Rikers injured leg, but we dont know how long it lasts or just what it can and cant do.

Urosk kept his position, but folded his arms and growled, Spare us this charade, Picard. An elaborate act for our benefit, but your doctor will now cure the Klingon and he will claim it is this bread No!

Worf yelled, lifting up the knife from his feet.

The doctor will not tend me, he rumbled and shoved her off.

Worf!

Beverly stumbled but wouldnt back away.

You could die!

Picard pulled her back.

Let him, Doctor.

Beverly twisted toward him. Outrage arched her brows.

Captain No, Picard said.

Its what he wants. Death is what they all want.

He released Beverly and pushed himself toward the Hidran, toward Urosk.

You want death, dont you, Captain? You want to die.

If I must, for my people, Urosk said gravely. Picard nodded bitterly and shook his phaser in front of the Hidran.

And I know you think this will help your people. Youre certain of it, in fact. As certain as Kadar is that all Hidran are insane with murderous rage. As certain as Worf is that his life will be saved by a loaf of bread!

Nothing can save his life, so long as I am alive, Urosk growled.

Ah, Picard snapped back, but if heis saved by that grain, then your entire premise fails, doesnt it?

Doesnt it! And you have killed for no reason. How many ofyour people have died because of such erroneous rationalizations? How many will continue to die?

Anger pounding in his heart, he pivoted to Kadar.

How many of your people have been killed for the same reason? And how many, he finished slowly, have you both killed yourselves?

Worf grunted again in pain, fell onto his side, propped himself up with the hand that had been covering his gut, then held up his knife as Beverly tried to approach.

Stay back, Doctor.

Shall I stun him?

Picard asked of Kadar.

Shall I force Lieutenant Worf to submit to treatment and save his life for him?

He spun around and paced toward Urosk.

Should I hand you the phaser and let you kill him, even though your entire reason for hating him may be totally false?

Visibly shaken and surprised, Urosk looked from. Worf to Picard.

I do not care what you do, and if the Klingons wish to engage us, why shouldyou care?

Because, Picard said as he angrily marched toward the Hidran, youre better than all of this. Youre better than wavering uncertain on a precipice of illogical un-thought. Youre better than some animal who acts on instinct. Youre better than you drive yourselves to be, and I, for one, detest seeing people wallow in the muck of their own subjective whim.

He held up his phaser to Urosk.

Ifthis is what you wantif death is what you covetthen tell me! Tell me you dont care about the sustenance of your peoples lives, and I will leave this planet ... Tell me! And I will leave you with the tool of your own destructionyour irrational hate.

I care for the sustenance of my people Urosk said.

No, you dont, Picard said, almost chuckling in irony.

You dont care whether you were right or wrongwhether anything you believe is right or wrong. You act on what youfeel is right, and dont care to compare that with reality. And if your feeling is opposed to reality, its reality that gives way.

That is a lie!

Urosk thundered.

Here, Picard said, closing the final steps between himself and the Hidran captain.

Take my phaser.

He set the level and stretched out his hand to Urosk.

Take it. Murder mean innocent manbecause youfeel I might have ordered Worf to kill your amba.s.sador.

Awestruck, Urosk just stood there.

Take it!

I ... I dont think that, Urosk said.

Take it! Kill me!

Picard pressed his phaser into Urosks chest, handle first.

What youthink is irrelevantthere was no reasoning involved when you accused Worfwhy do you need a reason to accuse me?

You are not Klingon There are no Klingons!

Picard shouted.

There are only individuals, with biases, yeswith values, yesbut there is no such thing as collective volition! A beingany sentient beingis not some ma.s.s of genetic characteristics, all interchangeable and acting under one racial mind. People form their own opinions, right or wrong, and act on those opinionsright or wrong. Youve been forming yours improperly, Urosk, so why stop now?

He pressed the phaser harder into the Hidran captains breast-bone.

Kill me, or kill Worf before he proves you wrong. Act on your emotion if its all that matters.

Picard lifted Urosks palm and pressed the phaser into it until the Hidrans fingers closed around it.

Kill him, Captain, Picard said.

Fulfill your adopted Klingon heritage and embrace the irrational hate that the Klingon Empire itself is coming to reject!

He turned to the Klingon commander.

And then, Kadar, you can kill Urosk for Zhads actions, and for Batoks.

Kadar remained silent.

Picard shook his head.

No? Why not?

His hand now free, he gripped Beverlys arm and pushed her toward the Hidran captain.

Killher , Urosk! Surely someone with red hair once murdered a Hidran. Or is it only Klingons that are all alike in their thoughts and motivations. Perhaps I can find a Hidran that once murdered a Terran, and that will give me cause to murderyou .

No, Worf said, his voice stronger.

Picard twisted aroundWorf was standing.

Weakly, the KlingonWorftook a step forward and dropped the knife into the dirt.

No one here is going to die.

His hand fell from his wound. Blood trickled where moments ago it had gushed.

Kill me now if you must, Worf said, but do not delude yourself into thinking it is justice.

Phaser in hand, Urosk extended his long arm. He aimed at Worfglanced to Picard a moment ... then dropped the weapon from his grasp.

The phaser bounced once on the ground, and came to rest at his feet.

Chapter Seventeen.

COMPUTER, OVERWRITE-CODE THIRTY, access level seven.

Geordi slid to the deck and quietly set down his phaser. The weapon was the first thing hed searched for after the gas was blown clear. It was absurd, reallywhat was he going to do? Ask Data to announce his position so a blind man could take aim? Somehow, though, the weapon was a comfort. And, if worse came to worse, Geordi would just use the weapon to destroy a few key systems. That was his goalkeep the ship not totally defenseless, but weak enough that Data wouldnt try anything drastic.

Unfortunately, without his vision, he really couldnt go yanking wires and switching chips. One wrong pull and life support might goor warp core containment, for that matter. It was amazing enough that he was able to find the Jefferies tube cubbyhole that allowed him an escape from the gas. He wasnt about to test his luck again.

The computer would be his eyes, through his hand communicator. He knew as much as Data did about theEnterprise the capabilities, the possibilities ... the computer programing.

Data had reprogrammed the computer by taking control of certain functions and lock-outs. He was telling the computer what to do. Geordi was taking a different tack.

Overwrite-code thirty enabled, replied the computer.

Level seven, available.

Good!

Geordi nodded approvingly. Data hadnt thought of any of this.

Computer, command functions are no longer accessible through any station or terminal on the Battle Drive.