This is my second attempt, but a more serious one at a TNG-based story. I had this idea a few weeks ago and finally decided to write it up. The timeline for this is right at the end of First Contact. Data never disabled the Enterprise self destruct sequence and the ship was destroyed. All the escape capsules met Riker, Troi, LaForge and everyone else who was already on Earth in a remote area miles away from the launch site. I do not own Star Trek or any of the characters mentioned.
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"Good luck."
"To the both of us."
They were some of the last words he would ever speak aboard his ship before it was destroyed. He had to go back. Data just couldn't be sacrificed to the Borg for the sake of humanity. It just didn't seem right.
The Borg took everything from him, but he refused to willingly give up one of his officers without a fight.
"Welcome home, Locutus."
The touch she placed on his lips - it was so cold and inhuman. The familiarity it gave him chilled his blood to the point of freezing temperature. His mind, body, emotions and even instincts were screaming at him,
telling him to get away as quickly as possible. And then, he saw him. What had she done to him? 'Data, what has happened to you?' The thought radiated throughout his mind, littering Picard with emotions. She
would pay for everything she had done to not only him, but to his crew and all of Starfleet. The Borg would be destroyed, even if it meant his own life as well.
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An explosion occurred in the evening sky. It was small, but just barely enough to catch Geordi's eye. Using the technology implanted in his eyes, Geordi attempted to analyze and discover exactly what that tiny burst of light so far away was.
"Commander!"
Commander William Riker stood just outside of the capsules which the Enterprise - E crew had just made a landing on Earth no more than a few minutes ago. They were all ordered to land within a mile radius of a center point as protocol dictated. Riker was holding a PADD which the Earth woman Lilly had given him, apparently from Captain Picard. He didn't even have to hear the words the Chief Engineer was going to speak, because he already knew.
"The Enterprise, sir. Its...gone."
Riker looked to Geordi, finding the same emotion in his facial expressions as he knew he had. It was common knowledge the self destruct sequence had been activated because staying on board to battle the Borg would have come to be a hand-to-hand endeavour, which in the end would have cost the lives of the entire crew, with the exception of those few who had been transported to Earth earlier. Turning to look toward the crew who were attempting to gather as quickly as they could for any word, or orders from their commanding officers, his hefty shoulders dropped. Even the leather jacket he had donned to appear as someone from the 21st century couldn't keep the chill from rising up his spine.
"Will. They need to know. Its only fair they should be told the truth. He was their Captain, too."
Deanna Troi. She was someone he knew he could always rely on for an honest, if not blunt opinion. Riker knew she discovered the truth just as soon as Geordi came to tell him the news. It was incredibly officer-like of her to think of the crew first.
"I know. Geordi, Deanna, start assembling the crew and take a count. Mr. Worf, please find Dr. Crusher and let her know I want to meet with senior staff before addressing the crew. I would like to gather everyone to...brief them."
'Emotions, Will. Don't let them grab you now. The Captain is dead, you're their commanding officer now. Pull it together and lead them like you were trained.' Will Riker's thoughts propelled the necessary actions forward required to do what needed to be done.
Within two hours, the eight hundred-or-so crew, family members and non-commissioned staffers were gathered together on a hill-side. Will, Deanna, Worf, Beverly and Geordi stood nearly ten meters above them, allowing them to hold the higher ground which required the attention of the Enterprise formers. As everyone seemed to calm down just slightly waiting for the briefing, Will turned away from the remaining senior staff, he moved down the hill a few meters and held his arms above his head to silence the chatter.
"As all of you know, the self destruct sequence on the Enterprise was activated. Just a few hours ago, that order was carried out and the Enterprise was destroyed, taking the Borg along with it."
He hesitated for a moment.
"...as well as Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Commander Data."
The crowd seemed to gasp in unity. How could that be? Not many other than the senior staff knew of Data's capture and Picard's heroic attempt to save him. Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out as the masses had hoped. There were some who broke into tears. The emotional trauma of the past few days was enough to cause such a thing for some, just as it caused others to become angry at the Borg, while others simply stood in silence completely shocked. Deanna could feel the collective burst of emotion, nearly crippling her until she was able to gain control over herself once more. She was going to have her hands full in the next few weeks, just as every other counselor would.
"They were both indeed excellent officers. The will of an android to perform every duty asked of him above and beyond the call of duty while attempting to embrace humanity even in its most flawed form spoke of his true abilities. He was my friend, as well as a friend to many of you. Data will be missed greatly."
Will inhaled the cold air into his lungs. It was one thing to speak about Data who he truly respected and had many experiences with, but to speak of his captain, the man he admired and followed for the last decade and a half. He could feel the burning sensation in his stomach and the stinging of tears coming to his eyes. He would show neither of the two because he had to be strong for everyone else. He would have his privacy soon enough to mourn his captain.
"For the greater part of two decades I had the pleasure to serve under Jean-Luc Picard, just as many of you have. As all of you know, he was a captain beyond what could be called great. His actions were true to his word and what he spoke held great dignity and integrity. It was truly my pleasure to serve with him. Keep him in your memories. He earned that at the very least."
Will turned and walked back toward the senior staff. They looked to him just as he had looked to Picard in the past. It was at that point he knew what he had to do. And so he began.
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So, what do you think? Please review. I've been very inspired by my muse to write this story. I can't wait to keep going with it.
"I follow the words with my hand."
-Antigini
