Author's Note: The 365 Project is an experimental multi-fandom project to write and post at least one short every day for the next year, not including my semi-regular bi-weekly updates. For more details, see the relevent section in my profile. This is The 365 Project, 21 December.

In the immortal words of Samuel L. Clemens... "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR."

Disclaimer: Q snapped his fingers and erased the disclaimer telling one and all that I don't own Star Trek: The Next Generation or any associated characters or situations from existance. Fortunately, Q Jr. provided me with this replacement.

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"Tapestry Unraveled"
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'

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The Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-D, paced his ready room with energy born of frustration; the frustration itself was born of being presented with a question for which he was unsure as to whether or not he truely desired the answer. Thanks to Q's latest... attempt to study humanity, Jean-Luc Picard had been given the chance to correct what he'd once considered his greatest mistake, the fight that had cost him his natural heart shortly after his graduation from Starfleet Academy. What he had discovered was that far from being his greatest mistake, that fight had been an important, defining moment of his life and without it he became merely a dreary man in a tedious job. He'd been given another chance by Q to return to his correct life and in the process had finally answered a question that had plagued him for years; now he knew why he had laughed when that Nausicaan had put a knife through his back and into his heart. But that question's answer had left him with another question; in that other world, Jean-Luc had been merely a Lieutenant in Sciences and another man had served as Captain of the Federation's flagship. Now that Jean-Luc was back where he truely felt he belonged, he was tormented by the thought of what had happened to the other Captain of the Enterprise.

Stopping in front of his desk, Jean-Luc frowned and turned the monitor of his office terminal to him before a swipe of a finger across the screen brought up the Library Computer Access and Retrieval System interface, "Computer, search Starfleet personnel files. Name; Thomas Holloway. Rank... rank unknown."

"Working..." The computer announced in a voice that's similarity to Lwaxanna Troi occasionally made Jean-Luc subtly cringe, despite knowing that the voice of Starfleet computers since the 2250's had been based on Lieutenant M. Leigh Hudec, a Starfleet officer who had served as First Officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 during Captain Christopher Pike's time in command of the ship.

"One match found," the answer came.

"Continue."

"Holloway, Thomas E. J. Rank; Lieutenant, junior grade. Current Assignment; U.S.S. Aries, Renaissance-class, Naval Construction Contract-45167. Would you like to know more?"

"Yes," Picard answered sharply, "Display full service record..."