"Come," he said, grabbing her arm with one hand and s.n.a.t.c.hing his short-sword from his boot with the other. "Let's join the others."

She jogged beside him up the road, glancing behind her but seeing nothing. They quickly caught sight of the ponies and the rest of the entourage, and Medicine Maker slowed to a brisk walk.

"What did you see?" she asked.

"I heard whispering voices," replied the Lorcan. "Worse, I thought I saw a glimpse of red between the trees."

Deanna was puzzled. "Red? What does that signify?"

His mask swiveled toward her, and she saw his dark eyes widen with surprise. "You've never heard of the raiders? Bandits in red masks?"

"I've heard of bandits," she answered. "I didn't know Lorca was troubled by them."

His mask bobbed up and down. "Very much so. Travelers are their special prey. That's why you are safer traveling with us, in Piercing Blade's entourage."

"What can be done about them?"

He glanced nervously over his shoulder, then grabbed her arm. "While Lorca has no ruler, nothing. Let's keep up with the others-no more straggling behind."

Geordi La Forge caught himself drumming his fingers on the arm of the captain's chair. He stopped immediately. He watched the unchanging view of Lorca below, an endless vista of curving horizon and swirling salmon-colored clouds. He almost felt like asking Wesley Crusher to turn the viewscreen off, but then there would be nothing at all to watch.

If only the planet wasn't so d.a.m.ned inhospitable, Geordi thought to himself. Normally, in a long orbit like this, the captain would send scientific teams to the planet's surface, and nonessential personnel could take recreational leave. With nothing to do but maintain a standard orbit,everyone was nonessential, mused the engineering officer. The transporter rooms remained on full alert, but all of the other crew members were just waiting, going about their daily routine as usual. Unfortunately, there was nothing routine about all the key officers being gone and the captain, the security chief, and the ship's counselor being missing.

"Mr. Crusher," he said, "how long has it been since we last heard from Commander Riker?"

"Almost fourteen hours, sir," answered the teenager. "When we last talked to him, his party was having dinner in a Lorcan village. Now it's midmorning where they are."

"That's a long time," Geordi agreed. "See if you can raise them."

"Yes, sir," Wesley answered. He checked the communication channels, then announced, "Enterpriseto Commander Riker.Enterprise to Commander Riker."

"Riker here," came a weary voice. "What is it, Wesley?"

The ensign glanced at Geordi, who stood and stepped forward. "This is Geordi, sir. I asked Wesley to contact you because we hadn't heard from you in fourteen hours."

"Sorry," Riker said hesitantly. "We've been very busy."

"Any news? Any word about the captain?"

A long pause did nothing to allay their fears. "Nothing substantiated," said the commander finally. "Geordi, if you'll go into the captain's ready room, I'll talk to you privately."

The engineering officer glanced at Wesley Crusher, who bit his lower lip and looked down at his console. "I'll patch you in," said the boy.

Lieutenant La Forge walked slowly across the bridge and stepped into the ready room. As the door whooshed shut behind him, he announced, "I'm in the ready room. What is it, Commander?"

"First of all," sighed Riker, "we found Amba.s.sador Lewis, alive and well."

"That's great," exclaimed Geordi.

"No," answered Will. "According to Lewis, every other member of the original away team was killed by bandits."

"What?" asked Lieutenant La Forge numbly.

"I wish you hadn't heard me correctly, but you did. According to the amba.s.sador, the captain, Worf, Deanna ... they're all dead."

Geordi sat down heavily. "This is ... I can't believe it."

"But we haven't seen any bodies," Riker went on with a trace of hope in his hoa.r.s.e voice. "And certain parts of Lewis's story are not logical. I won't go into it now, but these death reports arenot official and are not to be repeated. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Geordi croaked.

"The first away team is still missing, and we are still looking for them. That's all you're to tell anyone. And you must keep looking, too."

"We will."

On the surface of the planet, Riker watched Day Timer's wagon vanish around a stand of cane. A figure in an ivory-colored mask stopped at the bend in the road and waited. Riker motioned for Data to stay where he was.

"Riker out-" he started to say, but before he could finish, the ground started to shudder, coinciding with a bizarre explosion that threw Riker off his feet.

At first he was certain they had been fired upon, but the ground continued to jostle him. Even the giant trees swayed to and fro in rhythm with the eerie rumblings coming from deep within the planet. Ten meters away, a plume of steam shot twenty meters into the air, dousing Riker with scalding water.

"Aaagh!" he screamed, but strong arms were pulling him away and lifting him up.

Within a matter of seconds, he was safe. Not only had Data's quick actions saved him, but the phenomenon had ended just as suddenly as it began. The plume of steam had shrunk to about three meters before turning into a picturesque bubbling spring.

Data set him down on his feet. "Were you injured, sir?"

"No, no," answered Will. He took off his mask and wiped his face. The mask was still smoldering from the first blasts of scalding water. He looked for his communicator insignia, but he had lost it when he fell.

"Contact Geordi," he told Data. "Find out what that was."

"Yes, sir." The android unzipped an inside pocket of his parka and pulled out his insignia. He touched it gently. "Data toEnterprise . Come in, Lieutenant La Forge."

"Data!" answered Geordi. "Is the commander all right?"

"Yes, he is." With his peripheral vision, Data glimpsed Dr. Pulaski and Ensign Greenblatt running toward them. "We are all fine. What was the cause of that temblor?"

Geordi had returned to the bridge and was standing over Wesley Crusher's shoulder. "Ensign Crusher has a fix on it. He'll tell you."

"What you got was nothing," proclaimed Wesley. "Four hundred kilometers to the north of you there has been a major volcanic eruption."

Riker and the others turned to the north and could see the orange canopy above the trees darkening with bloodshot streaks.

"Shall I beam you up?" asked Geordi.

"Negative," said Riker. "We can't lose any time, and I don't think the air around us is going to get any worse. But what are the chances of that happening again?"

"We can't give you any predictions. But I would say, Commander, the chances of more eruptions and earthquakes on that planet are very good."

"I thought as much," muttered Riker. "Geordi, stand ready to beam us up."

"Yes, sir," snapped the acting captain. "Sir, may I talk privately with Data?"

"Go ahead," grumbled the first officer, "I don't have a communicator, anyway."

"You can borrow mine," offered Ensign Greenblatt, tilting her distinctive black Archer's Mask in his direction.

"Thank you, Ensign." As Riker put out his hand to take her insignia, he saw the solitary figure of Fenton Lewis waiting on the road ahead of them. "I wish everyone were as cooperative as you are," he complimented Greenblatt. "I wonder if the earthquake jarred the amba.s.sador's memory?"

He pulled his mask back on and sloshed up the road as Greenblatt and Dr. Pulaski hurried to catch up.

On the bridge of theEnterprise , Geordi was headed back to the captain's ready room. "Patch it in, Wesley, and keep it confidential."

"Aye, sir."

As soon as the door breezed shut, the lieutenant called, "Data, do you read me?"

"Yes, Geordi."

"Data, what's this about the captain, Deanna, and Worf being dead?"

"Unsubstantiated," answered the android. "Amba.s.sador Lewis has absolutely no corroborating evidence. We are looking for the alleged remains now."

"What's your gut instinct?" asked Geordi.

"I do not have a gut," Data reminded him. "But if I did, I would say that some masks have changed hands, as they often do here, but there is no proof that anyone has died."

"All right," breathed the engineer. "Nothing's official, and that's the way it stands. But do me a favor, Data ..."

"Yes, Geordi?"

"If things get hot, let us get you out of there."

"We will. This is an intriguing culture, Geordi. I will have many interesting anecdotes when I return."

"I just want to hear one anecdote," said Geordi, "about how you rescued the captain."

"I will remember every detail. Out," Data replied.

"Out," muttered the chief engineer.

As he strode out of the ready room and headed for the center chair, Geordi knew all eyes on the bridge were upon him. His fellow officers would never pump him for information, but they would watch his every move and reaction, waiting for him to slip up and offer a clue as to what all the secrecy was about.

"The captain's away team is still missing," he announced. "We've been requested to step up our efforts to find them. What about those scanners, Wesley?"

"With a fresh layer of dust and ash circling the area," the boy sighed, "it's up to Commander Riker to find them."

"Keep trying," replied Geordi, sinking into the center chair. The red globe of Lorca kept revolving in the viewscreen, and within moments he was nervously drumming his fingers on the armrest again.

Jean-Luc Picard tried to calm his frightened pony by petting her mane and talking soothingly to her, but the animal remained skittish after the earthquake. He finally gave up and dismounted.

"Picard," barked Piercing Blade, still bouncing back and forth on her jittery pony. "We can't let a little boggle slow us down."

"With all due respect," said the captain, "I think the ponies need a rest. They seem to take the boggles more seriously than you do."

"They are dumb animals," said the warrior.

"They probably think the same about us," remarked Deanna Troi, joining the two leaders. She indicated Medicine Maker, who was rushing to catch up with her. "Captain, the earthquake isn't our only worry at the moment. Medicine Maker thinks he has seen bandits behind us."

The Thunder Mask confronted the Herbalist's Mask as Medicine Maker approached. "What did you see?"

"Only a glimpse of red, my lady," answered the healer. "But I heard voices."

Piercing Blade rose in her saddle, gripping her pony's mane to get its attention and make it stand still. Intently, she surveyed the forest behind them, as Worf, Cold Angel, Spider Wing, and the two Lorcan pages joined the conference.

"Cowards," she muttered. "They won't dare to show themselves. My guess is that we're not their intended victims. They probably hope to catch some unsuspecting travelers at the crossroads."

"What can we do, my lady?" asked Spider Wing.

"We can lie in ambush," suggested Cold Angel.

"No," the n.o.blewoman said. "As much as I would like to teach the raider sc.u.m a lesson, we can't jeopardize our cause. We'll need everyone healthy when we get to the fair."

She jumped down from her pony, tied the reins together, and handed them to the man in the delicate Fisherman's Mask. "Cold Angel, see what you can do to calm these animals. Lead them to the crossroads, if you have to. I don't want the raiders to get a single pony of ours."

"They won't, my lady," vowed the former trainer. Within seconds, he had formed the ponies into a caravan by looping the reins of one mount over the saddle of the one in front of it. Clucking his tongue to get them moving, Cold Angel led the ponies away.

The Thunder Mask swiveled ominously as Piercing Blade scrutinized every member of the band. Jean-Luc felt as if he were back in Starfleet Academy, about to receive a particularly unpleasant a.s.signment from a tough instructor.

"We need volunteers to guard our rear," she announced. "It will be dangerous work, because the rest of us must hurry to reach the crossroads. I think we can leave our red shadows there."

"I'll take the rear," said Picard immediately.

"I, too," replied Worf.

Spider Wing scoffed, "You don't know what to look for."

"I think we'll know if someone tries to attack us," the Klingon countered.

"We haven't time to argue," snapped Piercing Blade. "Picard and Worf, good luck to you. I welcome your valor." She made a circular motion with her arm. "Everyone else, at a run."

Piercing Blade jogged after the ponies at an easy pace. Deanna glanced at Captain Picard, and he motioned to her to follow. The other Lorcans needed no encouragement, and Worf and Picard were soon left alone on the trail, glancing uneasily over their shoulders.

"I think I know what you intend to do," said the Klingon.

The captain nodded. "We can't pa.s.s up an opportunity to talk with other Lorcans, no matter how warlike they might be. One of them could be Almighty Slayer, or they may know something about him."

"What if they really are 'raider sc.u.m'?" asked the Klingon.