Part 20 (1/2)
”Quite true,” said Xerx diplomatically.
”So there you are then,” said Roper with satisfaction. He gestured to the now empty chair. ”Sit. Order something and charge it to me.”
”As you wish, Mark.” Xerx sat and then waited patiently until Roper departed. ”He'll regret that,” Xerx told Riker.
”Why?”
A moment later, the waitress walked up with a steaming plate of food and placed it in front of Xerx. Riker stared at it and said, ”That's the most expensive thing on the menu.”
”Yes, I know,” said Xerx cheerily. ”Want some?”
”No thanks.”
Xerx looked at him quizzically. ”By the way... 'captain'? I thought you were a lieutenant?”
”That's right. It's a... well, a sort of running joke between myself and Mark.”
”Yes. He does have a peculiar sense of humor.”
”So,” said Riker, taking a sip of coffee before continuing, ”how is your daughter doing?”
”You know how it is with young marrieds,” said Xerx with a small laugh. ”They live in a world of their own making. At the moment they're still doting on virtually everything that the other one does. The way each of them walks, talks, breathes. We had them over the other night, and it was amusing to see how Chandra simply sat and adored the way her new husband chewed his food.”
”Chewed his food?”
”Newlyweds. What can I say?” Xerx shrugged, and then his eyes narrowed slightly. ”And how goes it with you and young Miss Troi?”
Riker raised an eyebrow. ”Reading my mind, Gart?”
”Merely enough to confirm what I already knew. I noticed the way you were staring at her at the wedding and reception. And I also know that you've been seeing her socially. I've overheard Deanna and her friends discussing it at the university.”
”What were you doing at the university, if you don't mind my asking?”
Xerx. took another forkful of food. ”I'm a professor of psychology. Where else would I be?”
”Oh. I didn't know that.”
”Somehow it never came up. I even have Deanna in one of my cla.s.ses. ”
”Is it the cla.s.s where they teach about nude therapy?”
Xerx stared at him. Gart had been about to eat another forkful, but now it remained suspended several inches from his mouth. ”I beg your pardon?”
”I'd heard there was this... technique... where a patient and his or her therapist take off their clothes and lie next to each other... even...” He cleared his throat. ”Even pressing up against each other.”
”I'd think that would probably lead to s.e.x,” said Xerx, looking amused.
”Well, no. It's done in order to move past physical considerations and deal with each other in a purely intellectual manner. But... why am I explaining this to you? I mean, certainly you know about...?”
Xerx was trying not to laugh. ”Lieutenant... I've been teaching, and practicing, psychology for going on thirty years now. And I can a.s.sure you I've never heard of any 'technique' that has therapist and patient removing their clothes and lying against each other... except in those cases specifically involving s.e.xual dysfunctions and therapy for those dysfunctions. Was this a case involving dysfunctions?”
”N-no,” stammered Riker, looking utterly befuddled.
”In that case,” said Xerx, spreading his hands, ”I would see little purpose for that sort of contact beyond the obvious gratification.” Then he leaned forward. ”Who told you about this 'technique'?”
”No one,” said Riker quickly. ”I just... just heard it around.”
”Well, it sounds to me as if such actions would be extremely pleasurable, but other than that, I wouldn't attach much psychological value to them.”
Riker sat back in his chair, and then a slow grin spread across his face.
”Lieutenant, is there something you'd care to discuss with me?”
”No,” replied Riker, unable to wipe the smile off his face. ”No, nothing at all. I just find the entire thing... funny.”
”I see.”
At that moment, Riker's communicator beeped. He was mildly startled. Whereas the page was certainly common enough on board a s.h.i.+p, here in the more leisurely surroundings of Betazed, it was extremely unusual. So much so, in fact, that Riker had a dim sense of worry even as he reached up to tap it. ”Riker here.”
”Lieutenant, this is Tang,” came the sergeant's voice.
”What is it, T-”
Tang didn't even give Riker a chance to get out the entire question. ”Planetary sensors detect incoming s.h.i.+p moving extremely quickly, ignoring all attempts at hailing it. General shape would indicate Sindareen origins.”
Immediately Riker was on his feet. ”Planetary defense systems-”
”Too late, Lieutenant. These Betazoids are so d.a.m.n peaceful, they hardly have anything anyway. And what they do have is too little, too late.”
Xerx was looking up at Riker with tremendous worry reflected in his eyes, but Riker had no time to try to quell fears. ”Scramble the squad.”
”Already done.”
”And track the vessel's likely destination, based on trajectory.”
”Already done, sir. Our calculations have them making planetfall righ in he heart of this city.”
Riker was ecstatic. ”Right where we'll be waiting for them. Their overconfidence is their first and last mistake. I'll be right there. Riker out.”
All in the caf? were now looking at Riker with tremendous worry on their faces. Even though no one was saying anything, he could almost sense the anxiety level skyrocketing. He started to head for the door, but for a moment, Xerx stopped him.
”An open area makes them easy targets,” said Xerx. ”But densely populated as we are here, means that you have to worry about innocents. Don't let your determination to capture your targets be your first and last mistake.”
Riker regarded him for a moment, then nodded briefly.
”Understood,” he said, and then ran out of the caf?.