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Planet of Silence
Chapters Three and Four
Chapter Three
Later that same day a frantic mother came in carrying her seven year old daughter in her arms. "Doctor, you have to help her! She's burning up!"
Doctor Crusher took one look at the young girl and knew what was wrong. "Oh, God no!" She exclaimed and took the girl from her mother's arms to examine her. "Just as I thought. It's that illness from the planet."
Just then two more young children of about the same age entered sickbay with their parents. One was conscious and screaming with pain and fever as his parents entered with him. The other was not and was carried in by her father.
"What did these children have in common?" She thought to herself. She turned to the parents and asked if they knew of anything the children all came into contact with at about the same time.
All four parents shook their heads no. None of them had a clue about what happened. As time passed more children came into sickbay. Beverly was wondering if she was wrong about the source of the illness with all the sick children that were coming into Sickbay.
*Cohen to Doctor Crusher.*
"Crusher here."
*It's my wife. She's passed out on the floor of our quarters and is very warm.*
"Did she complain of anything earlier today?"
*Not that I know of. I just got back from a mission, so I really would not know.*
Beverly finally realized Cohen's wife was the second grade teacher. "This is starting to piece together. I think." She thought to herself. Eric?" She said to the boy who came in with both of his parents. "Did Mrs. Cohen show you a plant or anything that the away team brought back with them from the planet below to observe?"
"Yes, ma'am. It was a beautiful plant and she said it grew on the planet. No one replaced the soil, I guess it was the same at least. My ears hurt bad, Doctor. Can you make it stop?"
"I'll try." She said rubbing the top of his head. Beverly turned from the child and sighed. "Doctor Selar, could you take over for a minute. I have to check on Lydia Cohen. I'm afraid all these children and their teacher have the same thing that was ailing the away team."
"Yes, Doctor. I can handle this for now."
"Thank you." Beverly departed Sickbay and under her breath she said, "Damn! Why can't they scan these samples better so nothing like this happens to children or better yet, don't share all the nice things from a planet until they are scanned."
Back in Mriana's quarters Deanna and Mriana were talking telepathically when the chime rang. Mriana never heard it, so Deanna responded.
"Come in." She said. "Oh, hi Geordi."
"Hi." Then he look towards Mriana and held out a PADD. "I have your PADD ready."
"I didn't hear it ring." She said sadly. So, sadly that it seemed she could cry at any minute.
"Ah, yeah." He said looking at the door. "That was one of the other things I was going to work on."
Mriana was so hurt and frustrated with the situation. She never heard a word that Geordi said, but she could sense what she felt was pity coming from him. She got up and walked into her bedroom area.
Geordi looked puzzled. "Was it something I said, did or thought?"
"No, Geordi." Deanna reassured. "She's going through a hard time right now and the best thing you can do for her is support her through this."
"Oh, I don't know, Counselor. That maybe Worf's department right now."
"Actually, he hasn't said a word to her since this happened."
"You're kidding?"
"No, I'm not."
"I wish I knew what to say to her. I know how I can communicate with her." He said looking at the PADD he had brought to her personally. "I just don't know if she will even look at it."
"Geordi, what happen between you two that she is so hurt about? I mean, she's upset and hurt by this, but she has also been hurt by whatever happened between you two."
Geordi sighed and looked into the distance. "I wish I could say it was Leah Brahm's, but it wasn't. It was my first love, though."
Deanna shook her head with confussion. "Oh, surely not you Geordi. I can't see you cheating with other women."
"She's not a woman, but as someone else said, "She is a lady." Geordi replied. "You see my first love is the Enterprise. I neglected our relationship for this ship. I'm constantly in Engerineering and I rarely took time out of the Engine room or from the ship for her. So, here we are. She's hurt and seeing someone else and I'm well, I'm still seeing Enterprise." Geordi shrugged.
"I think I understand, but now you're going to have to choose between your Imzadi and the Enterprise. Geordi, you maybe Chief of Engineering, but you are also Human and you need to take your off duty time for yourself and those you care about. Now is as good of a time as ever."
"Well, she doesn't want to see me right now. So, I'll leave this and come back later." Geordi departed looking a bit sadden himself.
Deanna felt for the two of them. Now more than ever, she knew her cousin needed her Imzadi more than ever and whether Mriana knew it are not, Deanna had needed Will when she had her loss. However, Deanna was not about to mention it to Will that she needed him at that time.
Deanna started to call out verbally to her cousin and then remembered that would not get her attention, so she went to Mriana.
Geordi decided to take a break for dinner. He had been at setting new forms of communication up for the newly deaf that were now on board. He wanted to stay and talk to Mriana, but he knew she would not talk to him, so he went to Ten Forward.
Geordi sat at the bar and ordered some food. Just as he was served his meal, Will Riker walked into Ten-Forward.
"Geordi! May I have a seat?"
"Sure."
"So, how is it going?"
"I'm getting things done by way of all these alterations, if that's what you mean."
"No, I mean between you and Mriana?"
"She doesn't want to talk to me." Geordi said sadly.
"I don't believe that. She may want to be alone, but she doesn't want to be left entirely alone. She needs you right now Geordi."
"I rather doubt that. She has Deanna right now."
Riker studied Geordi. He could tell that Geordi was not sadden for their relationship. It was more than that. He was feeding off Mriana's current feelings of despair and isolation with her loss. Will knew they were true Imzadi, just like he and Deanna were and he knew the reason for Geordi's sorrow.
"Geordi, go to her. Hold her in your arms and let her cry on your shoulder all she wants, no matter what she says. She doesn't mean anything she says right now personally. She's just angry, frustrated and scared right now. She's lost in a new world, and she may never return to the old one, unlike Deanna."
"I don't know, Commander."
"I do. Go to her."
Geordi sighed and rose from his seat at the bar. "OK. You may be right. I guess I'll catch you tomorrow."
"See you, Geordi."
Geordi arrived at the Mriana's quarters and heard her shrieking. When he entered he saw Mriana pounding on Worf's chest in anger. Out of impulse he grabbed her and took a couple of her punches to his chest.
Geordi pulled her close to himself and held her until she stopped. "What did you say to her?"
Worf picked up the PADD that Mriana had thrown at him before she started pounding on him and handed it to Geordi. "Betazoids. They are so emotional. I guess that's what makes them so appealling." Then he left.
Mriana was now crying into Geordi's chest. He held her for a few moments while she cried, then looked at what was on the PADD.
"Klingon ways dictate that the deformed are weak and must die, but since you are not Klingon I can only do the next best thing and let you go. We can not be together anymore."
"Unbelievable! I never would have thought that of Worf." Geordi said to himself.
"I feel the vibrations in your chest, but I can not hear your words. It's nothing but silence, except for some of the thoughts I pick up from you." She sobbed.
Geordi released her to type in what he wanted to say. "I'm so sorry." He typed, refering to what Worf had told her.
"I'm not deformed!" She screamed.
"I didn't say you were." He typed.
"No, but he did."
"Mriana, you are no more deformed than I am. I can't see like others and now you do not hear like others, but if you let us help you, we can show you how to hear in other ways."
"Who is us?"
"Data, Dr. Crusher, Counselor Troi and myself."
Mriana shook her head after looking at what he typed. "It's not hearing. It's reading words and nothing more."
"Not for a person who can't hear with their ears anymore. It's an adaptation to hear another way. Who knows. Your empathic sense may get stronger or you may eventually develope some telepathic abilities."
"Huh!" She turned her back to him. "I don't believe that could ever happen. I'm only half Betazoid. I'm half as good as a full Betazoid."
"No, you're not." He thought to her.
She quickly turned back around and was wide-eyed with surprise. "What did you say?"
"I didn't say it. I thought it." He quickly typed.
She shook her head. "No, Will and Deanna can easily do that. It's not telepathy. It's part of being Imzadi."
"Maybe so, but it's a start." He thought at her again.
She studied him for a minute and then smiled. It was her first smile she had given since her loss. Then she hugged Geordi again. "Maybe you're right." She thought at him.
"Now, shall I set up the lights to tell you when you are being called over the com system or your chime is chiming?"
She sighed, walked over to her couch and sat down. "I guess."
He proceeded to get things set up for her to know when she was being contacted. As he worked, the hours passed in silence. There was no sound except Mriana occassionally ruffling around the room. She laid down on the couch eventually and fell asleep.
Once Geordi was finished, he walked over to where she was sleeping. She did not stir as he watched her sleep. He wanted to hold her as she slept and take her pain away. He wanted to show her not having a sense that others had was so bad.
Instead, he turned and started to leave, but before he could leave he heard, "Geordi." He turned to face her. "Stay."
He nodded and sat down beside her. He wrapped an arm around her and she cuddled up against him. Soon she was asleep again, so Geordi leaned back and fell asleep for the night himself.
Chapter Four
The next morning the senior staff and Mriana met in the observation lounge. Picard had many questions and few answers, which frustrated him greatly.
"Doctor Crusher, you say that a whole classroom of children and their teacher have come down with this illness?"
"Yes. Apparently the teacher had somehow gotten some of the samples to show the children. Why and how she did this, I have no clue. She's currently in Sickbay with this illness and is unable to talk to me at this time."
"And what exactly is the source of this disease? Was it all the samples or some part of the samples?"
Beverly shakes her head. "We don't know yet. We've tested the plants, which carry the illness, but they are not the source. The only thing left to test is the soil and it is very likely that that is the source of this illness."
Mriana listened forelornly to Deanna sending to her what everyone was saying. She felt as though everything had slipped away in a very short time. She was begining to feel that the only thing she had left to stay in contact with anyone was her empathic sense. She could feel their presence, feel their feelings and in some cases, their thoughts. It scared her to think that at any moment she could not be in contact with anyone at any time. Just one person, for whatever reason, that she could not sense and she knew she would loose all sense of their presence. There would be nothing there and that's just what she felt when Data spoke.
He was just an animated being. No substance anymore, except in touch. He was just there and his mouth just moved. It was though he were nothing more than a hologram.
"I'm begining to set up times during my off duty hours for sign language classes." Data stated to Picard.
Deanna told Mriana what he had said, but it meant nothing to her because she could not sense anything about him. That fact alone scared her very much.
Mriana went back to concentrating on what Deanna was repeating to her after a gentle mind brush to bring her back to the topic at hand. Even so, her mind continued to drift off and away from the current situation.
Mriana had missed so much that was in between what Data said and what Beverly was now saying. "In the meantime, I will see what I can do in finding an inoculant for this illness before it is too late."
"Too late!" Mriana thought. "It is already too late for over fifty people!"
"Mriana." Deanna sent trying to calm her.
Mriana stood suddenly. Anger flared in her face. Her emotions immenating from her very being. "Too late!" She shrieked. "Doctor, in case you have not noticed, it is too late for some of us! If you haven't noticed, some of us can not hear a word! Still others who don't have the ability to communicate like my cousin and me are totally lost. This ship is now alien to some of us! You are all faces with lips that move, but no sound comes from them!"
"Counselor!" Picard exclaimed, looking at Mriana. "Please sit down and let the doctor continue."
"All of you might as well be just animated people and not humans!"
"Counselor." Picard was now addressing Deanna.
She nodded. "Mriana." Deanna sent to her. "Please. The captain is addressing you and wants you to let Doctor Crusher continue."
"Continue? Whatever for? As I said, it is too late for most of us."
"Just hear her out."
Mriana finally acknowledged her and sat back down in her seat. She did not say another word. Instead, she stared out into space. Her mind was on anything but what Deanna was trying to repeat to her. She did not care anymore. She felt no point in listening. She felt her career was now over, because she could not hear anymore. She had no way of communicating and felt very isolated.
"This thing is mutating faster than I can find an answer and it destroys everything in it's path as it progresses." Beverly informed everyone. "As we speak, there are several who have recovered from the illness, just as Mriana has, only to be permenently deaf. Others are at the begining of the illness and just have pain and still there are others some where in between. There's nothing I can do to halt this thing."
Deanna had given up mind sending what was being said at the meeting. Instead, she waited Beverly out and then asked Mriana a question after she had mentioned to everyone else what she had said about the planet.
"In Sickbay you mentioned a person on the planet? I mentioned this to the captain and he would like to know more."
"Yes, little elf like people."
"You need to tell the others."Deanna sent.
"Yes, we did see little elf like people." Mriana said aloud, trying to control the pitch and tone of her voice. "We only spotted one, but I sensed more. They were quiet and only watched us very carefully from the woods. They mainly gestured to each other. The one I tried to speak to did not seem to hear me."
"Data says that's curious." Deanna repeated to Mriana for her benefit."They could be suffering from the same virus/bacterial illness."
"I'd like to go back dow and get more infowmation on these people." Mriana could not hear herself talk and her pronunciation of words was starting to change sightly. She took no noticed of these changes, however, the others did and tried hard to over look it.
"No." Picard insisted without too much problems of understanding her. "If anyone goes down, it will be Data."
"But Sir, I already have had the illness, so I could help Data."
"It's out of the question, Mriana. Meeting is adjurned." Everyone started to depart.
Geordi followed Mriana and Doctor Crusher out of the observation lounge. They were discussing the possibilty of implants, with Deanna's help as usual.
"Meet me in my office at 1400 hours. OK?" Asked Doctor Crusher.
Mriana nodded her agreement. Then she felt a familiar touch on her shoulder. She turned to see Geordi.
"Mri. I spoke with Data." Geordi informed. "He said I could sit in on your meeting with him, if it was alright with you."
"I, I." She looked towards Deanna, who was still busy to talking with Doctor Crusher.
Mriana looked as though she could cry. All she could see was his lips moving, but she heard nothing. She could sense his presence and feelings clearly, but not his voice.
Mriana shook her head and quickly left the room. Geordi was completely confused. He looked at her directly and did the best he could to communicate, but even he was begining to feel the effects of Mriana's loss. He was completely perplexed.
"What happened?" Deanna asked.
"I don't know. I tried my best to communicate with her, but she didn't have the PADD with her. Apparently she was relying solely on you. So, I tried my best to communicate as I could. Counselor, I'm at a loss. I really wish I knew how to help her."
"I understand your feelings, but the best way you can help her is to continue to be her friend." Deanna stated, even though she knew they were more than friends.
"I plan on being with her when Data is teaching sign. I want to learn too." Geordi explained.
Deanna understood why he wanted to learn sign. "He cares so very deeply for her." She thought to herself. "That's a start, but it will take more than that to help her." She informed him.
"I know, but I don't know what else to do." He replied.
"Well, we could check on her and find out what is upsetting her now. It maybe just the fact she wanted to understand what you were saying and she could not, but it maybe more."
"I don't think she really wants to talk to me, Counselor."
"Let's go give it a try and see."
Geordi finally agreed and they went to Mriana's quarters. Once they arrived Deanna rang the chime. There was no answer, but Deanna could sense Mriana was in her quarters. She gently sent to her.
"Please, I wish to be alone." Mriana sent back mournfully.
"We just want to talk to you and find out how you are doing."
Mriana sobbed inwardly as she reluctantly answered the door. "Come in." She turned her back and walked away from the door. Geordi and Deanna followed her.
"Mriana, talk to us please."
"I'd rather be alone."
"Geordi is very concerned about you."
Geordi could tell there was a silent conversation going on between them. He only wished he could be included in the conversation.
Deanna continued to prod until finally Mriana exploded aloud. "I can sense everyone on this ship, but I can't hear anyone! The only one I can understand is you, Deanna!"
"Yes, but you can sense people still. Your empathic sense is still intact."
"Sensing others is not good enough!" She shrieked.
"Calm down!" Deanna sent sternly. The shrill tone of her cousin's voice was hurting her ears and she could only imagine how it sounded to Geordi.
"Calm down you say?" Mriana continued to shriek. "You have no idea!"
"Mriana, RaBeem."
"How can you stand there and tell me you understand? You don't! You can't!"
"I do." Deanna sent. "Remember when I told you about losing my empathic sense?"
"It's not the same!" Mriana continued to shout.
"Maybe not, but it is a loss and believe it or not I do understand."
Mriana's body dropped into a chair and she cried into her hands. "I'm normally more in control, but. I don't know. You're the only one who could come close to understanding and then there's my career. It's over!"
Deanna squatted down near her chair and put an arm around her. "Maybe not. More people than you know may know what you're going through." Deanna replied and looked up at Geordi. "Give us a chance. Please let us help you."
"How can you help me?" She began to shriek again. "You can't!"
"Captain Picard has agreed to let you stay on board and continue your career, but you must let us help you first."Deanna tried to calmly think back to her.
"How?"
"There's Data mostly. He can help you learn sign. Starfleet has agreed to send you an intrepreter and someone to train you in lipreading. Then once that's done, you can counsol those who have had the same lose as you, but you must first let us help you. Geordi is willing to go with you and learn what you learn. He wants to do this for you. He loves you, Mriana and you're not letting him in by walking away from him. The biggest thing you need to do right now, to save your career is get the mote out of your own eye. Until you start accepting this and accept help, you can't help anyone else and you won't have a career for sure. Will you let us help you?"
Mriana finally nodded her agreement. Her feeling of helplessness was felt greatly. Even Geordi felt as though he could feel her helplessness. It was so heavy, that Deanna wanted to block it out, but decided against it because she was Mriana's only connection with others. Deanna knew if Mriana had any hope of continuing, it would be through her for now.