"Well, perhaps you missed your true calling."

"William Riker, full-time diplomat? I don't think so, Captain. This venture may have succeeded, but I still think of diplomacy as the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock."

"Is that original cynicism or borrowed?"

"Borrowed, sir," Riker admitted. "I came across it after you once scolded me to read more history."

"Oh?" Picard seemed pleased that his first officer had heeded that recommendation to broaden his horizons. "Who said it?"

"Will Rogers."

"Will Rogers?" Picard repeated. "He wasn't a historian. He was a humorist."

"My kind of guy, Captain," Riker said wryly.

"No, thank you, Administrator," the doctor said. "I hate to trouble you further. I'll just let the Federation records people handle it."

"Fine. I wish you good fortune in solving your problem."

"Thank you very much, Administrator Thuvat. May all your problems be as small as this one," Beverly said with poisonous sweetness.

Her sarcasm was lost on the Andorian. "Thank you," he said. "Farewell, Doctor."

With a savage poke, the doctor terminated the connection to Thonolan Four. "Damned little bureaucratic worm," she muttered after the screen was safely dark. Sighning, Beverly ran her hands through her hair, then leaded her forehead against the heels of her palms. She quickly began a meditation-relaxation exercise.