"This is an unexpected opportunity for us, " said Captain Marcus Forrester, as he leaned back in his chair and smiled at the officers seated before him. "Starfleet has approved your attendance at the conference. Magna is one of the few planets in the Triora system that has had diplomatic relations with the Federation. Starfleet is confident that it will be a responsible host for a cultural exchange in that system."

Before the Captain sat three of the Endeavour's department heads, Dr. Mira Montgomery, Chief Medical Officer, Lieutenant Commander Maxine Taggert, Chief of Engineering, and Lieutenant Commander Patricia (Cammie) MacLaughlin, Chief Science Officer. All three were eagerly awaiting details of the mission and all three had questions.

"Captain, " began Dr. Montgomery, "am I to understand then that we are each to make a presentation at this conference?"

"Yes, Doctor," Forrester answered, "nothing elaborate or detailed, just a general description of your duties aboard the Endeavour. You will be the only conference participants from outside of the Triora system and I'm sure the conference delegates will be extremely interested in everything you say."

"When will we be leaving, Captain?" asked MacLaughlin.

"In four days, Commander." Forrester answered. MacLaughlin raised her eyebrows. "I know that's not a long time to prepare," the Captain said quickly, "but as I say, your presentations should not be very detailed."

"Captain," Taggert piped up, "what other personnel from the Endeavour will be accompanying us?"

"Each of you may take one assistant from your department and Lt. Remington will assign two security officers to make the trip as well."

"You will be traveling to the Triora system by shuttle craft," Forrester instructed. "The Endeavour will continue on course to the Lavardie system and we will complete our astronomical observations there as scheduled. After our observations are complete, we will then return to rendezvous with you near Magna. You will be on the planet approximately six days."

"Sir," asked Taggert tentatively, "who will be the officer in command of this mission?"

"Dr. Montgomery is the ranking officer. She will be in command."

"But, Captain," Taggert began cautiously, "isn't it sometimes advisable to put an officer of a lesser rank in command if he or she is better suited to head up the mission?"

"Yes, that's true," Forrester began slowly, "but in this case, I believe that Dr. Montgomery is fully qualified. Do you have a problem with that Commander?"

"No, sir, "Taggert answered quickly. "I'm sure Dr. Montgomery will do a fine job."

Maxine Taggert looked over at Mira Montgomery. The two officers had clashed ever since the first day they had met on board the Enterprise. Mira smiled at Maxine and Taggert turned away quickly. Cammie MacLaughlin sighed. It looked like they were going to be in for a long six days together.

Five days later, the three department heads were on board the Endeavour shuttle Lindbergh headed for the planet Magna. Dr. Montgomery was at the controls of the craft with Lt. Audra McKay in the copilot's seat. McKay had not been pleased about being ordered along as Taggert's Engineering assistant, but was pleasantly surprised to learn that Mira Montgomery had requested her to co-pilot the flight. She and the doctor had become good friends and it was pleasant to share piloting duties together.

Several hours into the flight Audra detected some movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Lieutenant Commander MacLaughlin walk on to the flight deck. "Are we on schedule, Doctor?" she asked.

"Yes, Commander," answered Montgomery. "In fact, we may even be a little ahead of schedule."

"That's great!" Cammie said happily.

"You sound awfully eager to get there," said Montgomery with a smile.

"I am, because I'm stuck back there with...." Cam's voice tapered off as she eyed Audra.

"It's all right, Cammie," Mira assured MacLaughlin. "You can speak freely, Lieutenant McKay, is much too busy to hear what you are saying, aren't you Lieutenant?"

McKay swung around to face the forward viewport, smiling brightly. "What's that Doctor?" she asked. "I'm kind of busy and I can't hear a word you're saying."

"See?" said Mira swinging around to face Cammie. "So is the aft cabin a little noisy, Commander?"

"I'll say," said MacLaughlin frowning. "Maxine is really miffed about not being asked to pilot this mission. Nurse Prelana and Ensign Oddo are wedged into the med center to get away from her griping. One of the Security officers, Ensign Lennox has been in the facilities for almost two hours and Ensign Fletcher is standing in the corridor. Taggert has the whole aft compartment to herself."

Mira laughed out loud. "Come join us, Cammie," said Mira pointing to a seat behind her. "You can keep us company during our last hour of flight."

"Thank you, Doctor," said MacLaughlin. "I'd be pleased to take you up on that offer."

Fifty-two minutes later, the Lindbergh was in orbit around Magna. Dr. Montgomery double checked the automated pilot's orbiting system and then called a meeting in the aft compartment.

"We are awaiting landing clearance from the Magna high command," said Mira. "We should be hearing from them at any time. I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that our mission is mainly diplomatic. As we are the only delegates from outside of the Triora system, I am sure we will cause quite a stir," she said smiling. "It is very important that we be viewed in a positive light."

"Upon our arrival, we will be taken to lodgings and will meet with a liaison from Magna. Our liaison will explain the conference schedule and will see to our needs." Dr. Montgomery looked around at the room full of eager faces and continued. "Under no circumstances are you to venture out of your lodgings alone or in any clothing other than your Starfleet uniform. That means, don't even stick your noses outside the door unless you have your communicator and a buddy with you! And always log your destination so that we have a back-up plan to find you in case of a communications failure. Questions?" she asked.

"Doctor, I understand that we will be allowed to carry side arms, is that correct?" asked Ensign Oddo.

"Yes, but discreetly. "The Magna government has allowed us this privilege for our personal security, but we don't want to flaunt the fact that we are armed."

"Understood, sir, " acknowledged Oddo.

The computer tone sounded and a voice was heard over the comm. "Endeavour Shuttlecraft Lindbergh, you are cleared to land at Moracky Field. Stand-by for landing coordinates."

"This is it, everyone prepare for landing," announced Montgomery. McKay and Montgomery headed to the flight deck as the crew secured themselves in flight seats. The pilots fed the coordinates into the navigational sensors and soon their descent began.

As they entered the atmosphere of the planet the crew looked eagerly out of their viewports. The sky was an azure blue and the foliage of the trees a vivid jade green. The surface of the planet was very earth-like with large oceans and lakes dotting its surface.

"I think I'm going to like it here," commented MacLaughlin happily.

Taggert looked at her disapprovingly. "This isn't a vacation, MacLaughlin," she said.

"I know, Cammie countered, "but beautiful surroundings will make the work much more pleasant, don't you think?"

Taggert frowned and mumbled something about the science department being filled with "cock-eyed optimists."

MacLaughlin ignored Taggert's barb and focused on the scenery.

The shuttle descended rapidly and then skimmed along the planets surface guided by a directional beacon to a large orange hangar where it glided gently to a stop.

All hands on board the shuttle scrambled to retrieve their personal belongings as the shuttle's gangway was lowered. The crew trooped down the ramp to the hanger's deck and the shuttlecraft was secured. As the little group examined their surroundings a welcoming committee of Magna delegates approached them.

Dr. Mira Montgomery led the small group toward the Magna delegates. Their appearance was rather surprising since no one had mentioned the fact that all Magnites were no taller than one meter! I guess such things aren't evident through viewscreens!

Their leader extended his hand in greeting to Dr. Montgomery."Welcome to Magna! We are so happy to have you visit with us. You are Dr. Montgomery, am I correct?"

"Yes." Dr. Montgomery took the proffered hand and shook warmly. "Thank you for inviting us." She introduced the others. "I'm sorry, but I do not know how to address you."

He smiled and said, "We are very informal on our world, Doctor. You may address me as Mageeo. As you will soon notice, all the males on our world have names which begin with M. Our females have names which all begin with N. It is a tradition here. One which you may find odd."

"I can assure you, Mageeo, we Federation Officers are familiar with all types of traditions. I find yours very convenient. Sometimes on Earth, where I am from, it is difficult to tell the difference between males and females."

Mageeo smiled. Taggert thought the man smiled much too much. She was suspicious of those who smiled too much! She glanced over at MacLaughlin. Cammie noticed her look and smiled.

Mageeo led the way to where they would be staying for their six days on Magna. As they walked along the hanger to the back where a doorway was, they studied their surroundings. Mira had noticed on her way in, that there were no buildings in the immediate area except for the large hanger. "Mageeo," she began, "I noticed no buildings in this area. Is this typical of the landing facilities here--not to have living areas close by?"

As he led the way into the elevator (it appeared to be more of an elevator than a turbolift) he explained that most of the living areas were underground. "You see, Dr. Montgomery, we believe that our planet is best put to use agriculturally, and for raising our animals. It makes no sense to us to build housing and other types of buildings on land which can be put to better use."

MacLaughlin smiled and said, "Oh, how lovely! The whole planet is so beautiful! That is a wonderful idea!"

"Thank you. We think so as well," he said as they all entered the elevator.

The elevator opened onto an enormous area which appeared to be a business center with merchant shops, food stalls, clothing stores, restaurants and at least 100 other businesses. They were immediately assaulted with the sights and sounds of thousands of people talking, running, playing, eating along with many other human activities. There was the smell of many different kinds of foods in the air. The lighting was as bright as the outside sun and there appeared to be a slight breeze. It was all very pleasant.

As Mageeo led the way across a vast patio area, Dr. Montgomery noticed that they might have a little (no pun intended) problem as everything was scaled down to the size of the Magnites. There were little chairs, little walkways, little door entrances, etc. She thought, if our rooms are like this, we are going to spend a very uncomfortable six days here! Her suspicions were confirmed when Mageeo led them to an area which looked much like a hotel. The area was U shaped with four doors along each arm. There was a grassy area in front with several benches and tables scattered about.

"I am afraid that since we did not know of your difference in size to us, you may be somewhat uncomfortable in your rooms. I hope this will not be an inconvenience, Doctor?"

"I can assure you, Mageeo that we will be quite comfortable here," she lied. "You have a very lovely city."

He showed each officer to a different room. Dr. Montgomery was in the first unit, with Taggert, MacLaughlin, McKay, Prelana, Oddo, Lennox and Fletcher in each respective unit.

"I will leave you to settle in now, Dr. Montgomery. Later this evening we have planned a dinner in your honor and would like you to attend. We will begin at 7:00. Since our timekeepers may not be the same as yours, we have provided you with timekeepers, chronometers, I believe you call them, in each of your rooms. You will notice that it is now 5:00. This will give you plenty of time to rest and get settled. Tomorrow we will begin the tour of our city. An attendant will come for you and escort you to our dining hall a little before 7:00."

"Thank you, Mageeo. We will be ready and are eager to attend your dinner," said Dr. Montgomery as she watched him leave.

After he left, she began to unpack and check out her quarters. It was small, as she expected and she thought it was going to be a real task managing to sleep in such a small bed.

The room included a bed, night stand, chest of drawers, desk and chair. On the desk was a chronometer and a light fixture. The light looked like three old fashioned florescent vertical tubes. The bathroom was to the right. Odd, thought Montgomery, there are no windows. No sooner than Mira had unpacked her few clothes and med kit when a knock on her door came. "Enter," she called. In walked Ensigns Fletcher and Thomas.

"Sir. We have a problem here," said Ensign Fletcher.

"Yes? What is it Ensign?"

"This arrangement is totally unacceptable! There is no way that we can protect our group with our quarters at the end of this building," Ensign Fletcher stated, clearly upset.

"Ensign, I really don't see this as a problem. We are all here close together and I'm sure that if anything happened, it wouldn't take you long to come to our rescue, as it were."

"With respect, sir, I disagree. I suggest that Ensign Lennox change quarters with you. That way, we will be at each end of these rooms and better able to assist. Should that be needed."

"Ensign Lennox, do you agree with Fletcher's suggestion?" asked Montgomery.

"Yes, sir. I do."

"Then perhaps you are right. After all, you are the security experts. Okay. I'll repack my things and move to your quarters." Montgomery was impressed by the Security Officers' attention to details.

"Ensign Lennox proceeded to return to her quarters and retrieve her bags. By the time she returned, Montgomery was finished repacking and went to her new accommodations.

She had just finished unpacking for the second time and was laying down for a bit when a knock came on her door. "What now?!" she said, frustrated. "Enter!"

"Sorry to disturb you sir, but I thought you should know something." Ensign Lennox was standing by the door holding it opened, as they were the kind which opened with a handle. "What is it, Ensign?" she asked, sitting up on the bed.

"Sir, if you would please step outside."

Montgomery was confused as to why they needed to go outside, but she knew that the Endeavour's crew was very efficient in their jobs, so she got up and preceded the Ensign outside into the small patio area and sat down at a table. When they were seated, she asked, "So why the mystery, Ensign? What is the problem?"

"Sir, I feel you should know that our quarters are being monitored. And I am not sure that we are not being monitored even out here."

"What?" exclaimed Montgomery. Lennox started to explain in more detail, but Dr. Montgomery put up her hand signaling her to stop. "Ensign. Notify the others that we will be taking a walk up to the surface immediately. Tell them to bring their tricorders and phasers," she whispered to her. "Don't tell them anything other than that. Have everyone meet here as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir." Ensign Lennox went to retrieve the others while Dr. Montgomery returned to her quarters. She picked up her medical tricorder along with her phaser and med kit. She didn't want anyone snooping through her things while she was gone. In just a few minutes, the others were gathered in the yard.

"What is going on here, sir?" asked an aggravated Taggert.

"Commander, follow me, and please be quiet!" answered Montgomery. They all followed Montgomery back across the plaza, in the elevator and up to the surface.

When they were at a safe distance from the building, they stopped, gathered in a circle and Mira started to explain...

"What?!!" squawked Lieutenant Commander Taggert, after Montgomery finished explaining the situation. "I hope you don't intend to stand for them bugging our quarters like that! I think we ought to go have a talk with that Mageeo person right now!"

"I'd like a word with you, Commander," said Mira crooking her finger at Maxine and leading her away from the group. Taggert followed the doctor until they were several meters away from the others and then she spoke again. "Maxine, we can't just go bullying our way around this planet. I am not any happier than you about this situation, but we don't want to start a major incident here. For all we know, surveillance of living quarters may be a standard practice of the state or maybe they think that they are protecting us. I will speak to our hosts about this, but I will use discretion."

"Doctor, I do not agree. I think we should take a firm stand on this issue. The next thing you know they'll be marching us around like freaks in a side show, all for their own entertainment!"

"I've noted your concerns, Maxine, but I am in command. We will wait and talk to Mageeo when the time is right."

Taggert sighed and looked back at the group. She became suddenly aware that a small group of Magna personnel were approaching them. She became alarmed when she noted that members of the group were wearing some kind of military uniforms. "Doctor," Maxine said softly, "looks like we've got company."

Montgomery and Taggert quickly went back to the group. Lieutenant Commander MacLaughlin was locked in a somewhat heated discussion with one of the Magna soldiers. She looked up and addressed the doctor, "They are telling us that we can't come up to the surface, Doctor. It seems that we are suppose to report our movements to the authorities. They say that they want to keep us safe." Cammie looked obviously upset.

Mira looked at the little man who seemed to be in charge. "I would like to meet with Mageeo at his earliest convenience," said Montgomery firmly.

"I'm afraid that he will not be available until this evening, however, I will make sure that he knows of your request," answered the soldier in charge.

The soldiers escorted the Endeavour officers back to their quarters. On the way, Audra leaned over to Mira, smiled playfully and said, "I sure would like to have a closer look at that marketplace. Did you see all of those stores and gaming establishments?"

Mira nodded. "Yes, Audra, I would too, but it must be close to the time allotted for our dinner. And besides, I'm more than a little worried about how closely these people are keeping track of our movements."

Audra sobered. "Do you think that there is really something for us to be concerned about here?" she asked.

"I wish I knew, Audra," Mira answered slowly.

The Endeavour officers were escorted to a large banquet hall and seated at a table on a raised platform. "Just like freaks at a sideshow," Taggert commented loudly and Mira gave her a reproachful look.

The table was low and their knees barely fit beneath it. They sat on chairs that were small and uncomfortable and were served very small portions of many strange looking foods. Before each course was served, they were entertained by Magna citizens who sang, read poetry, and played musical instruments. The group from the Endeavour became increasingly uncomfortable as the evening dragged on and on.

Cammie MacLaughlin was the only one who was able to maintain a cheerful mood. She seemed to find the entertainment and food fascinating and kept commenting on how interesting everything was. Taggert was seated across the table from her and her cheerfulness became another irritant. "MacLaughlin, you're driving me crazy!" she huffed.

"What, Maxine?" asked Cammie absently as she poked at some kind of meat entree on her plate. Cam had an up-beat personality and was usually able to make the best of things, despite the hardships.

"Yes, and I can't stand it anymore." Taggert's voice got louder. "In fact, I can't stand any of this anymore. If I have to listen to one more of these half-pints sing, I think I'll go out of my mind!"

"Commander, lower your voice!" Mira hissed at her from her place next to MacLaughlin.

"This," said Maxine lowering her voice slightly, "is almost beyond human endurance."

Audra and Annette Oddo were engaged in a gripe-fest of their own at their end of the table when Annette looked up and noticed two Magna military men watching Lieutenant Commander Taggert with great interest. One was even making notes on some kind of electronic note pad. "Look over there," said Annette to Audra, nodding her head in the direction of the two men, "they sure are interested in Taggert."

Audra looked at them and saw that it was true. As she watched she noticed the men stop a waiter and speak to him. The waiter's expression changed. He looked very afraid and then he looked over at the table filled with Endeavour personnel and headed over to MacLaughlin and Taggert's end of the table. Audra and Annette followed his movements with interest.

The waiter carried bowls of some kind of orange dessert. It looked to Audra a bit like melted sherbet. The waiter started to serve the bowls to the officers sitting at the table, beginning with MacLaughlin, and then walked around the end of the table to Taggert.. Just as he began to place a bowl in front of Taggert, he clumsily tilted the tray and all of the desserts fell raining down on her!

Maxine jumped to her feet, covered with the orange glop. "What the blazes are you doing, you little idiot!!" Taggert screamed.

"Calm down Maxine," Mira said firmly as she walked around the table and approached the dripping Taggert.

"What do you mean calm down? Look what he did! Someone arrest that oaf," she cried pointing at the hapless waiter.

Mira grabbed Maxine by the arm and glared into her eyes. "Calm down Maxine," she said firmly. "That's an order."

Maxine sputtered a few more times, took a deep breath, and seemed to gain some kind of control.

The waiter stood looking at the mess with terror in his eyes. He stole little furtive glances at the two military men from time to time. Audra and Annette looked at each other and exchanged looks of disbelief. Both knew that the incident they had just witnessed had not been an accident. For some reason, the military men had targeted Taggert.

* * *

After the incident involving Taggert and the spill, the dinner and entertainment proceeded well until after midnight, at which time the group was escorted back to their rooms.

Mageeo said good night, and told them he would be back for them at 6:00 in order to tour the city.

"What!" exclaimed Taggert, "Six? That doesn't give us much time to rest! We've been up for nearly 24 hours straight! I don't intend..."

"Commander, please!" said Montgomery, giving Taggert a stern look. "I must apologize for my officer, Mageeo, but we are all very tired. We look forward to the tour of your city tomorrow."

Mageeo smiled and said, "Thank you, Dr. Montgomery. I must apologize myself for keeping you up so late. It is just that we have so few visitors here..."

"No need for apologies," replied Montgomery. With that said, Mageeo bid his good night.

Before the group could disperse, Montgomery called them over to the middle of the yard area, and gathered them close together so they could hear her whispers. "Listen, all of you," she began, looking at Taggert, "I know this has been very tiring for you, but you must realize that we are on a very delicate mission here, and there is more than meets the eye with these people."

"What do you mean, Doctor?" spoke up MacLaughlin., clearly confused. She found the Magnites to be absolutely wonderful! "These people are very friendly and warm and..."

Montgomery put up her hand to silence Cammie. "I spoke to Mageeo about the monitoring of our rooms and he denied everything. This means that you cannot trust anything they tell us from now on!"

"They lied to us?" asked Ensign Prelana. "Why would they lie to us? What is their motive?"

"That want something from us, that's what!" Taggert whispered rather loudly.

"But what?" asked MacLaughlin. "We came here to share our knowledge with them. There is no reason for them to lie to us to get information we have so freely offered."

"They're obviously after something else," offered Ensign Fletcher. "They must want secret information, maybe about our weapons systems!" The two security officers nodded in agreement.

"It's no use speculating now," said Montgomery. "We have no way of knowing what they want. Just keep your phasers close by and stay together. If they are planning something, it may happen tomorrow. The crowds in the city would be a perfect cover for anything. Just keep your eyes open. Now, get a good night's sleep. We will need it tomorrow!"

"Sleep! Right! On those little beds? They can't be more than two meters in length!" complained Taggert.

"I think they are very cozy," replied Cammie with a smile.

Taggert looked over at MacLaughlin and shook her head. "You would," she muttered under her breath.

True to his word, Mageeo returned for them at precisely 6:00 the next morning.

"I trust you slept well, Doctor?" he inquired.

"Well, yes. But I'm afraid I could have used a lot more rest. I seem to be unusually tired this morning," she replied. She thought when she had laid down last night, with her feet hanging off the small bed, that she would never get any sleep. But she had fallen asleep almost immediately and slept very hard all through the night. It was difficult getting up that morning.

"This is my assistant, Norvina," Mageeo said as he introduced her to everyone. "She will be guiding your tour this morning after firstmeal."

Norvina was a very pretty woman who wore a long sleeved, light blue dress which reached to the floor. "Very happy to meet you," she said in a sweet voice. "I hope you will enjoy the firstmeal we have prepared for you."

"Thank you, Norvina, I'm sure that we will," Montgomery replied as she thought how hungry she was this morning. She didn't think she would be since they ate for half the night last night!.

The firstmeal or breakfast, as everything else did on the planet, lasted for a very long time. They were escorted back to their rooms for a few minutes to freshen up and then they were off again to explore the busy city.

Norvina led the way with Montgomery, Taggert, MacLaughlin and the rest following. They visited every shop they came to, with Norvina explaining where the items came from, how they were made, who made them, what their purpose was and on and on and on. After several hours of this they were escorted to a large impressive building far from where they had started their tour.

"This is our government facility," Norvina explained. "This is where the leaders of our planet meet and make the laws, disperse justice and generally see that everything is running smoothly." She led them inside. They entered a large hallway with doors running all along the right and left walls. To the right was also a stairway which led upstairs to other rooms. To the back of the hall opened two large doors onto a patio where they could see people in long robes sitting at a table, talking.

"I would like you to meet our lawmakers," said Norvina as she led them out into the patio area. The four men who were sitting at the nearest table, stood up and greeted the group.

"You must be our visitors from the Federation," said the eldest looking gentleman, as he extended his hand toward Dr. Montgomery.

"Yes," she replied, shaking his hand. "We have been touring your lovely city."

"Thank you. I am Murett." He introduced the other three men at his table. "This is Mekino, Misutd and Makamt. We are today discussing the Federation and how we can work together. Would you like to see how our process of government works? We are in session all day today."

"Well, thank you, Murett, but I don't know what Mageeo and Norvina have planned for us today. It is getting late and..."

Norvina cut her off saying, "Dr. Montgomery, this is what we had planned for you. The government will be in session for the next three hours and then you will be expected to attend a banquet tonight. This is why I brought you here."

"Another banquet?!" exclaimed Taggert. "When are we to make our presentations?"

"Yes, Norvina," began Montgomery, "I appreciate the chance to get to know your city and how the government works, but we really came here to provide information to your people and..."

Murett frowned. "I know you do not know our customs, Dr. Montgomery, but it is considered a great insult to refuse a governmental request. This is an honor which I have afforded you. Not many outsiders get a chance to see how our government works!"

Montgomery did not want to insult anyone on this mission, so she said, "I am very sorry, Murett, I did not understand this. Of course we will be happy and honored to set in with you."

Taggert groaned.

"Good. And there will be plenty of time later for your presentations," said Norvina. "I will leave you now and be back for you in three hours time." Norvina left the group to the governmental officials.

For the next three hours, Montgomery, Taggert, MacLaughlin and the rest of the Federation group were bored silly with talk of laws, taxes, petty disputes and a million other things which they had no interest in and could barely understand.

Norvina returned three hours later as promised and escorted them back to their quarters where they again freshened up and were off to the next banquet.

Mageeo escorted them to the banquet hall and informed them that the Judges would be joining them tonight. It seems they were interested in hearing about the laws of the Federation.

The dinner was buffet style with two long tables in the middle of the room, parallel to each other with room to move in between. As the group took plates and began to pick and choose from the enormous amounts of food laid out, Makamt came up to Taggert's side and began talking to her. It seems that he took a shine to her, as they say. He kept complimenting her on her appearance, her manners and anything else he could come up with. She kept thanking him, all the while wishing he would go away!

As they were all seated again, at chairs which were lined up against the walls, they all realized just how tired they were. Taggert was griping again and most could barely keep their eyes open. Sometimes it appeared to Montgomery that all this entertaining was in order to wear them out. But of course, that was a foolish thought, or was it?

Makamt promptly seated himself next to Taggert with Murett on her other side. They proceeded to ask her questions about the Federation and the laws, penalties, punishments, etc. All of which she tried, patiently to answer, although her patience was being strained.

"I'm not the one you should be asking, sirs. I am the Chief Engineer of the Endeavour, not the lawmaker," responded Taggert after a volley of questions had been directed her way by the two Magna judges. She wished they would all shut up and let her go back to her room and sleep! She couldn't believe how tired she had been this morning. Even MacLaughlin was smiling less than usual.

"Tell me, Commander," began Makamt, the youngest of the group, "what would your laws be for someone who injured one of your officers, or even killed one?"

Taggert thought that was a strange question to be asking her, but she tried to answer as best she could. "Well, it would depend on the circumstances, sir."

"Do you carry weapons all the time? Are you carrying weapons now?" he persisted.

"Look," said an exasperated Maxine, "why don't you ask Dr. Montgomery these questions? She's the officer in charge here. I'm sure she would be interested in knowing why you wanted to know about our weapons!" Taggert's voice had elevated a notch or two. Dr. Montgomery looked over in her direction with a warning glance.

"Do you like to use your weapons? Do you like to kill?" he asked with a gleam in his eye. Taggert did not like where this conversation was going. She stood up to leave.

"Look! I've been marched around all day long looking at silly shops and listening to boring governmental business that I couldn't care less about and now all you want to talk about is my weapon and killing? What is it with you people?!"

"Commander, sit down and lower your voice!" cried Montgomery. The tension level in the room had risen as everyone stopped talking, all eyes on Taggert. "That's an order!" said a clearly upset Montgomery.

Taggert returned to her seat. As she did so, Makamt pulled what looked like a weapon from under his robe and pointed it at her. At that same moment, a waiter with a large tray filled with drinks came over to where Taggert was sitting.

"He's got a weapon!" Taggert screamed as she stood to pull her phaser out. As she stood up, she knocked the tray from the waiter's hands spilling its contents all over Murett. The other Endeavour Officers jumped to their feet at the same time, pulling their weapons as well. People were jumping to their feet and running, shouting, spilling food and drinks, and running into each other when a sound was heard that sounded like a phaser being fired.

As Montgomery and the Endeavour Security Officers reached Taggert, who had been knocked off her feet, they discovered that Murett had been shot and was laying on the floor next to her. Montgomery pulled her tricorder from the pocket of her dress uniform, and scanned Murett. "He's dead!" she exclaimed.

Mageeo came running over to where Murett lay dead."She has killed our Judge!" he screamed. "She shot him with her weapon! Arrest her!" he yelled as four Magna security guards came running over to seize Taggert.

"Wait!" cried Montgomery. "She didn't do this! She didn't kill him!"

The two Endeavour Security Officers started to protest and were immediately surrounded by several armed Magna Security Guards.

Taggert's phaser lay beside her. Mageeo picked it up, holding it high into the air where everyone could see it. "This is the murder weapon!" he declared. "See. It is set to kill!"

Montgomery protested in vain as the Security Guards led Taggert off to a holding cell. "Mageeo!" she screamed, "You cannot do this! We are Federation Officers!"

"Doctor, you will find that our justice is swift. You came here disguised as friends and now you have taken the life of our eldest and most respected Judge. Commander Taggert will go on trial tomorrow. Then the whole universe will know just what kind of people you Federation officials are!"

"No, wait," Montgomery said, "Something is not right here! This isn't right!" Montgomery and the rest of her group were led, under guard back to their rooms. All except for Commander Taggert. Their phasers were taken, along with their communicators and tricorders. As Montgomery sat on her little bed, she wondered, 'How do we get out of this one!?'

* * * Lt. Cmdr. Maxine Taggert was seated on a small straight-backed chair in an otherwise empty room. She was surprised when they had left her alone, there were no interrogations and no demands. They had simply pushed her into the cell and left.

She quickly observed the room around her. It was made of stone walls on three sides with a row of bars across the fourth. The floor was a rough slab and there was one small window near the ceiling, letting in light, but too high for her to see through.

Her jailers had told her that her "trial" would be at first light and her "punishment" would follow immediately. "And that's your idea of justice?" she had screamed at them. She wouldn't let herself think now what that punishment might be.

Her eyes fell on the locking mechanism of the cell door. She went over and examined it. It was really quite a simple mechanism.With the proper tool, she was sure that she could open it. She glanced around the room again, returned to the chair she had been sitting in and quickly began to dismantle it.

* * *

Dr. Montgomery began to pace within her little room. She knew that she had to come up with something quick or Taggert would be railroaded through a fast trial, with very predictable and dire consequences. Mira was in command of this mission and the captain was depending on her to see that it came to a peaceful conclusion. Losing an officer under these conditions was unthinkable. There had to be a way out.

She thought back to her Starfleet Command training. "Divide the problem into sequential steps and then attack them," her instructor had said. Her first step had to be to gather her people together and to do that, she had to eliminate the guards. All movement within their rooms were being monitored on the surveillance cams, so anything she did would have to be outside of their view. A plan began to form in her mind.

Mira sucked in her breath and stormed out of her room. She saw two guards standing together outside of McKay's door. She stomped over to them.

"Get back in your room!" one of the guards yelled.

"I have to see my aide and I have to see her now!" Mira yelled back at them. "She has taken possession of Lt. Cmdr. Taggert's command bars and she has no right to them. As the officer in charge, Taggert's command bars should go to me, once she has been removed."

The guards looked at Montgomery in great bewilderment. "Command bars? What are they?," he asked.

"Each Starfleet officer is issued a number of command bars dependant on their rank," Mira said fabricating the story as she went along. "The more command bars an officer has, the greater amount of power he or she has in Starfleet. If an officer dies, or resigns their commission, their bars should go to the officer in command.When they led Taggert away, I saw McKay remove Taggert's bars. Now that Taggert is being eliminated I want those bars and I want them now!!"

Mira turned quickly and went over to pound on McKay's door loudly. She was pleased to see other doors along the passage way crack open slightly as other Endeavour officers peeked out to see what was going on.

The guards looked at each other and exchanged amused glances. They had been bored standing around watching these aliens, but this was going to be a humorous diversion for them. They moved to stand behind Mira as she beat on the door before her.

Audra McKay opened her door looking confused and a bit frightened. "What is it, Doctor?" she asked.

"Don't give me that innocent look, McKay!" screamed Mira. "I want Taggert's bars and I want them now," she said giving Audra a wink, unseen by the guards behind her.

"Bars?" McKay asked, not yet getting Mira's intent.

"Yes!" Mira raged, grabbing Audra by the arm and pulling her from the room. "Give me Taggert's command bars!!" This time Mira opened her eyes wide at Audra, trying to tell her to play along.

Audra finally got it. "No!" she hollered back. "They're mine and I'm going to keep them!"

Mira launched herself at McKay and the two women rolled on the ground locked in a mock battle. The guards advanced on them to break it up, but they didn't get far. Suddenly, Lennox and Fletcher were there attacking the little guards from behind. MacLaughlin, Oddo and Prelana appeared and Cammie wrenched the weapon from one of their hands, while Prelana grabbed the other. The Endeavour security officers finished the job by delivering blows to the alien guards knocking them unconscious.

Mira and Audra stopped their battle and got to their feet. "Close that door!" ordered Mira. MacLaughlin closed the room door quickly and quietly. Mira smiled at the group. "Nice job everyone!" she commended them. "Although I did think for a moment that I was going to have to write McKay, here, an essay before she got the drift of what I was doing."

Audra smiled back and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, Doctor," she said.

The smiled faded from Mira's face and she began formulating Step 2 of her plan." Lennox, Fletcher, I want you two carrying the phaser rifles and defending the group. Let's move. We've got to find a safer place from which we can launch our rescue attempt and save Taggert."

Mira and Lennox took the lead with Oddo, McKay and Prelana close behind and Fletcher bringing up the rear.

* * *

Mira didn't know how long it would be until the bound and gaged guards would be discovered, so she knew she had to act quickly to find Taggert. She decided it would be best to keep to the shadows since the lighting had been dimmed to simulate the darkness of the outside. They all traveled back into the shadows of the buildings and walked toward higher ground.

After finding a high hill from which to observe the city, Mira stopped and talked with her little group. "We have no idea where they have taken Maxine. Do any of you have any ideas where to start looking?" They were all seated on grass under trees which surrounded the entire city.

MacLaughlin spoke up," In most of the cities I've been in, the jail area is usually somewhere close to the government buildings. Maybe that's where we should start."

"Good idea, Cammie, but if we happen to be wrong, we could be wasting valuable time. I think we need to split up and search around the edge of the city," said Mira.

"Commander, began Fletcher, "I don't think that would be a good idea. The chances of us getting caught would be tremendous if we split up. I think we should stay together."

"I know it's more dangerous, but we don't have any choice as I see it. From the way the Magnites reacted, I don't think they will wait past morning to carry out Taggert's trial and punishment. We simply don't have the time to be careful."

"Yes, sir," responded Fletcher, "but may I insist that we travel in only two groups? We only have two weapons."

"Agreed. At least for now. Fletcher, you and Prelana are with me. Lennox, you take MacLaughlin, Oddo and McKay and head around the city to the right. We'll head toward the government building we visited earlier. When you've finished searching, head back here. Work as fast as you can. Remember, Commander Taggert's life depends on us!"

"Yes, sir," they all responded in unison. They broke up into their groups and headed out. It didn't take Mira's group long to reach the government building, since they knew where they were going. It looked quiet and empty as they came up to the side of it.

"Where do we search first?" asked Mira, mostly to herself.

Prelana responded with, "I believe that jails are sometimes in the basement of buildings if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes. That would be a good place to begin," said Mira wondering how to go about entering the building.

"The patio area in the rear would be easier to enter than the front," said Fletcher. "We would run a lesser risk back there."

"Agreed," said Mira as they all started to move slowly and stealthily to the rear of the building where they entered the patio area.

It was dimly lit and very quiet. The doors to the building were closed. There were dim lights inside. "I wonder if they have a security alarm?" asked Mira to no one in particular. "Well, I'm sure we're going to find out soon enough." She started to try the doorknob when she heard voices coming from inside. Quickly they stepped to the side of the doors, out of view of the people inside. Two judges were talking and walking toward them. Mira signalled to Fletcher who was on the opposite side of the doors to her, to grab one of the judges if they came outside. He nodded his understanding.

Sure enough he two judges opened the doors and proceeded out into the patio area. As soon as they came through the doorway, Fletcher grabbed one and Mira grabbed the other making sure to cover their mouths so they couldn't cry out. As Mira and Fletcher quickly pulled the judges into the building, Prelana closed the doors.

Mira spoke to the judge she was holding,"Keep quiet or I will have to hurt you! Do you understand?!" she said in her sternest voice.

The little judge nodded his agreement. The lighting in the building was subdued so Mira didn't know which judge she had until they entered a room with no windows and turned on the lights. "Well, well," she said, "what have we here? You sure do look good to be dead!" It was Murett, the judge Taggert supposedly killed!

"Well, Murett, " said Mira, "You have some explaining to do! I want the whole truth, now!"

Murett looked at the doctor with hatred in his eyes and said, "You'll not get a word out of me, Doctor!"

"Look. I don't want to hurt you, Murett, but I will if I have to!" Mira shook the little judge by his shoulders.

"I don't think so, Doctor. You see, I know that you are dedicated to healing, not hurting. So I seriously doubt if you will hurt anyone!" He crossed his arms in a defiant manner.

"Maybe she won't hurt you, but I will!" said Fletcher as he grabbed the judge by his collar and lifted him off his feet.

"Doctor, please, restrain your officer! You can't permit this!"

"Permit what, Murett? I don't see anything." Mira turned her head away from the judge and Fletcher.

"All right!" he screamed. "Let me go! Put me down!"

"Only if you tell us where Lt. Commander Taggert is!" replied Fletcher.

"She's in the basement! I can assure you she is unharmed." Fletcher dropped the judge, a little more forcefully than was necessary.

"What do we do with him?" asked Prelana.

"He is the way we prove that Taggert didn't kill anyone and that this whole thing was a set up. We take him with us." Mira took a hypo out of her med kit. "This will be the easiest way for him to travel." Mira administered the hypo to the protesting judge which quickly knocked him out. "This sedative will only last for an hour or so. Hopefully, that will give us enough time to find Taggert and rendezvous with the others. I'm afraid, Fletcher, that you will have to be the one to carry him."

"No problem, Commander." he said as he easily picked up the unconscious judge and hefted him onto his shoulder.

"Now, down to the basement area. Hopefully, that won't be hard to find!" * * * Lt. Commander Taggert had just successfully negotiated the lock on her cell door and slipped out, hoping to make her way out of the building to find her comrades when just as she was about to exit the cell area, she bumped into... Norvina.

Taggert was about to engage her in combat when Norvina put up her hand and gestured for her to stop. "There is no need for that, Commander, I can assure you. I was on my way here to help you escape."

Taggert barely restrained her anger. "Oh, and why should I believe you!"

"I was never in favor of what Mageeo and the others had planned. I tried to talk them out of it, but to no avail. For that, I am terribly sorry. I will explain everything later, but now we need to get you to safety. Please, follow me."

"How do I know this isn't another one of your traps for me?"

"I am afraid you have no choice in the matter right now. Please, we don't have much time!"

Taggert thought about it and decided to trust the Magnite, at least for the moment. She followed her out of the room, down a long dark corridor, and right into...

"Mira!" cried Taggert, happy to see her comrade. "Ah, excuse me, I mean Doctor."

"No need to apologize, Maxine. I'm glad to see you too!"

Fletcher quickly aimed his weapon at Norvina. "Looks like we have another little problem, Commander."

Mira looked at Taggert and then at Norvina. "What is going on, Maxine?"

"Norvina here says that she was trying to help me escape. She knows that I was framed for the murder of Murett. By the way, who do you have there?" she asked nodding toward Fletcher.

Fletcher answered, "The judge you were supposed to have killed, Murett!"

"What!" exclaimed Taggert. "You mean I didn't kill anyone? But Doctor, you pronounced him dead! What's going on?"

Norvina spoke up, "I will explain everything to you later, but right now we must leave this place. Soon all the administrators will be arriving for duty!"

"Where do you propose we go, Norvina?" asked Montgomery, not wanting to place her trust in any of the Magnites.

"We will go to my home. It is not far from here. I will explain everything there. Please hurry!" Montgomery looked at Taggert. "I believe we can trust her, Doctor. At least for right now. I would really like to hear all about this matter."

"Agreed." said Montgomery. "For right now, we follow Norvina. Then we must rendezvous with the others. It will be getting light soon."

They all followed Norvina to her home, following the back alleyways and staying out of sight. When they got to Norvina's home, they laid Murett down and Mira said, "All right, Norvina, explain. We don't have time to waste."

Norvina began, "Mageeo and the others on the council do not want your interference here. They want to be left alone, but they were outvoted by our population who do want to learn more about other civilizations. They had no choice but to pretend to cooperate with the Federation. They decided to frame one of you for murder in order to make the citizens of Magna turn against you. They thought then that the people would never again allow aliens to visit here and they would be left to rule as they pleased.

"I found out about their plan and tried to talk them out of it, but I had trouble getting others to understand what they were doing. No one listened to me or anything I had to say."

"But why me?" asked Taggert.

"You were chosen because you appeared to be the most volatile of the group. It was easy to upset you."

Mira glanced at Taggert, as did the others. "I...uh...well..." Taggert couldn't think of any way to deny that.

"But what about my tricorder? " Mira asked. "Why did it not show Murett's life signs?"

"All your equipment was tampered with while you slept. Oh. I hate to admit this, but you were all drugged that night, so that could be accomplished."

"That explanes why everyone felt so sleepy the next morning!" stated Prelana.

"What? Drugged! Why, of all the nerve! " shouted Taggert.

Mira thought a moment and said, " All that doesn't matter now. We need to find the others and then try and get this mess straightened out. Norvina, can you get your people together in two hours, in a stadium or auditorium? We need a large arena for what I'm planning."

"Yes. I can call a population meeting. The people of this city who are not critically needed at their jobs will come. It is our way of getting important information to them in times of crisis."

"Good. See to it immediately. I want to make the announcement that Murett is alive and well and I want everyone to see him! I want your people to know this has all been a set up."

"As do I , Doctor." Norvina replied. "I will call a meeting at the arena in the center of town. I'm sure you must have noticed it on your tour yesterday."

Prelana replied, "Yes. I remember noticing it. I know exactly where it is."

"Good." said Montgomery. "Now we rendezvous with the rest of our group and meet there in two hours."

"How will you get around the city, Doctor? Everyone will be looking for you now," asked Norvina.

"That's right. And with it getting lighter, there's no way we can hide while traversing the city."

"I have an idea, Doctor." offered Prelana. "Is there any way of delaying the lights coming on, Norvina?"

She thought a minute. "Yes!" she exclaimed. I have a relative who is in charge of the lighting. He will delay the lights if I tell him to do so. At least for a little while. Long enough for you to meet your friends and get to the arena."

"Great! Norvina, you contact your relative and get all the people to the arena. We'll rendezvous with our group and meet you there with Murett. Let's get going, people!" said Montgomery as she gestured for Fletcher to pick up Murett. They headed out to find the rest of their group while Norvina made the other arrangements.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After linking up with the rest of the Endeavour officers, the little band of Starfleet personnel, and their tiny prisoner, stealthily traversed the streets through the extended darkness until they reached the arena where the population meeting was to take place. Upon their safe arrival, they secreted themselves in a small room off the main entranceway and waited for the Magnites to arrive and fill the arena.

"Now we wait", Mira said, looking around at the weary faces around her.

"What is your plan, Commander?" Taggert asked worriedly. "Are you just going to march us all out there? Those people will tear us apart!"

"I don't think so, Maxine, not once they recognize Murett." She looked at the little man cowering in the corner and smiled. "He got us into this mess and now he's going to get us out!"

Almost two hours later Norvina knocked on the door. "All is ready, " she announced.

Mira looked back at her crewmates. "Follow me," she said as she opened the door and stepped out into the passageway. When she reached the open archway that led into the arena she paused. "Fletcher, you come with me. The rest of you, wait here until I cue you to enter." Then she, Norvina and Fletcher passed through the archway and stepped into the open arena.

As soon as the crowd saw Montgomery's and Fletcher's uniforms they stood on their feet and shouted their outrage. The three continued undaunted out to a platform in the center of the vast arena and mounted the stairs to the top. In the middle of the platform was a crude, but effective voice enhancer. Norvina switched it on and stepped back. Mira then stepped up to speak.

"Good citizens of Magna," she began. The crowd quieted. "I come here today to expose a plot by your highest elected officials." More howls of protest erupted. Norvina now stepped up to speak.

"Hear her out," she pleaded. "You must be quiet and listen!" After the crowd settled down again, Mira continued.

"Lt. Cmdr. Maxine Taggert is not guilty of murdering Judge Murett! There can be no guilt when there was no murder!" She gestured towards the passageway where Taggert and the others waited as the group began to enter the arena. At first, there were outraged and angry cries when the crowd spotted Taggert, but soon they focused their attention of the tiny Murett and cries of astonishment began to be heard. "Murett lives!!!" Mira shouted. "This was all a plot to keep outsiders off of your planet forever!"

Behind the group of Starfleet officers, a large contingent of Magna military personnel had quietly made their entrance and stationed themselves all around the arena in an effort to keep the irate citizenry from storming the platform. The general of the unit came to the platform and begged for quiet. Then he began to speak. "As of this moment, I declare Magna to be under military rule. We will have an inquisition to week out the guilty before restoring power to the civilian government." Then he ordered, "I declare these visitors from the Federation to be totally innocent of any charges. They will be escorted back to their ship and will be free to leave."

The Endeavour officers standing on stage broke into big smiles, hugs and handshakes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A few hours later as the Shuttle Lindbergh broke orbit and set a course to rendezvous with the Endeavour, a subdued crew tried to relax a bit and let the stress drain from their bodies. Not much chatter was heard, only the necessary verbal checks needed to confirm flight data on the tiny bridge sporadically filled the air.

About an hour into the flight, Audra McKay leaned back in the co-pilot's seat and stretched her arms. She looked over at the doctor and broke the silence. "Well, Doctor, this wasn't exactly the mission we'd hoped for, was it?"

Mira smiled. "No, Audra, it certainly wasn't. I was just thinking about how my report to the captain is going to sound. I'm not looking forward to it."

"You've got nothing to worry about," Audra soothed. "It wasn't our fault that the Magnites decided to set us up. I think you handled things exceptionally well."

"Thanks, but it still would have been nice if our original plan had worked out." Mira caught movement out of the side of her eye and turned to see Cam MacLaughlin poking her head through the doorway.

"Am I disturbing you, Commander?" Cam asked Mira.

"No, come in and keep us company." Cam entered the flight deck and sat in a jump seat next to the navigation console. "What's the matter MacLaughlin," Mira asked," is the aft compartment a little too noisy again?"

"No, sir, " Cam answered, "you're not going to believe this, but it's too quiet!"

"Too quiet?" Mira repeated, arching one eyebrow quizzically.

"Yes sir, a noisy Taggert is irritating, but a quiet one is down right scary!!"

Audra couldn't contain her mirth and broke out into loud laughter. She knew exactly what MacLaughlin meant.