Read Star Trek: The Next Generation - 020 - Q-In-Law for Free Online

every inch of Ten-Forward, and yet she studied it now again, cautious and unsure.
     
     
There was a little tickling in the back of her mind.
     
     
She couldn't place it, couldn't judge it, couldn't figure it. But there it was, just the same.
     
     
There... what was?
     
     
She thought she could pinpoint what was bothering her if she just had a few more moments to.
     
     
"And this is the Ten-Forward lounge!" came Picard's voice.
     
     
Guinan spun like a cat and within the blink of an eye had composed herself utterly. She smiled, pushing aside her concerns, as the captain entered along with a party of four.
     
     
It was easy to tell who was who. One of the men, husky and powerful looking, was clad in bursts of orange and blue, as was the woman next to him.
     
     
Another man was dressed in silver and black, as again was the woman who accompanied him. The house allegiances were clear.
     
     
"Guinan," said Picard, sounding his most suave, "may I present Graziunas and his wife..." and he inclined his head slightly in the direction of the silver man, "... and Nistral and wife, of the house of Nistral. This, gentlemen and ladies, is Guinan, the hostess of the Ten-Forward lounge. This is our somewhat relaxed meeting place, where the crew can go to interact, socialize, consume superb drinks and food, and enjoy one another's company away from the rigors of day-to-day starship life." He smiled. "Have I covered everything, Guinan?" "I can't think of a thing to add, Captain," Guinan told him, bowing slightly in the direction of each of the newcomers.
     
     
The orange-and-blue-clad Graziunas was quite husky compared to the silver-and-black-clad Nistral. Nistral was taller, with a powerful build but a slim and tapering waist. He had a beard but no moustache, close-cropped black hair and glistening silver skin. When he smiled he showed a lot of teeth, and his eyes were set low and back in his face. As opposed to the massive Graziunas, Nistral looked like he was built for a hit-and-run type of battle.
     
     
Now, why was she thinking of battles, Guinan wondered.
     
     
Nistral's clothing was a complex intertwining of black and silver threads that almost seemed to shift, depending upon the angle you looked at him from.
     
     
The wives of each of the men, on the other hand, seemed studiously generic, as if they'd been produced by a cookie cutter. Both women were tall and aristocratic-looking, and perhaps the Nistral woman was slightly shorter than the Graziunas, but that was about it. Most of it was in the clothing, Guinan felt. They wore simple gowns that were, naturally, tailored in their respective colors, and close-drawn hoods covered their heads, giving no indication of their hair color or even if they had any hair.
     
     
It seemed as if the women had gone out of their way to obscure whatever natural assets they might have.
     
     
"I had assumed that you would wish to use this facility for the reception," Picard said.
     
     
Nistral--who, like Graziunas, was known only by the name of his house--slowly turned in place, as if taking in the entire room. "It will suffice," he said simply.
     
     
The wife of Graziunas was looking around as well. "It seems a bit spare, to be honest," she said, and it was clear she was trying to hide her distaste.
     
     
Guinan glanced around. She wasn't entirely sure she was taken with the woman's tone of voice, but her unflappable manners prevented her from making the response that came immediately to mind.
     
     
Picard, for his part, smiled tightly and said, "The Ten-Forward lounge has always served our needs more than adequately. And we have always felt, in Starfleet, that less is more." The wife of Nistral was also gazing around.
     
     
"In that case, this lounge is positively excessive." Now it was Picard's turn to bite off a reply. In response to the woman's remark, however, Nistral laughed loudly. "What snobs we're becoming, eh, Dai?" he said to the woman, giving Guinan the