I own Charlotte Hope and Lt. Finch, and a TNG boxed set, but nothing else, unfortunately. Please r/r.
Charlotte brushed a stray hair out of her face and squinted at the readings on the scanner. Sighing in frustration, she looked over at her commanding officer, Lieutenant Finch.
"Nothing."
"Are you absolutely certain?" he asked coming over to check for himself. "Have you tried Monophasic-"
"Monophasic readouts, yeah, yeah, I tried 'em. I've tried all the standard scans and even a once-over med-scan. They don't tell us anything we don't already know."
Finch glanced over at the pile of palm-sized crystals on a table. "This is one hell of a mystery. How about you take one to Sickbay for a more intensive med-scan- maybe they'll be able to find something we can't."
"Meanwhile, I'll try cross-referencing everything we have on these crystals- I can't believe we've never come across anything like this."
"Yeah, go ahead."
Charlotte slipped two of the crystals into her pocket and left the lab. After dropping one off at Sickbay, she decided to take the other one to her quarters, as it was almost the end of her shift and there was no reason in going back to the lab.
"Computer, take all information on the crystals being analysed in Science and cross-reference with all available databases. Send information to my file." She crossed that room to her computer and set the mysterious crystal next to the screen. Tapping the computer on, she gave an exhausted sigh and rubbed her head. Another headache was coming on. She had neglected her sleep lately- goodness knows why. Just because she didn't age didn't mean she didn't need to sleep. Maybe that was what she needed now- a good snooze. Her tired eyes fell on the crystal- small, shiny and a most unusual colour, and for some reason, impenetrable to their scans. It could have been carrying a parasite or have medical properties- and they wouldn't know. She straightened and stared at her computer screen again. She needed to solve this mystery; she needed to find out what these damned crystals were…
But she was so tired…Her head nodded and her eyes began to close. Before she knew it, she had surrendered herself to sleep…
Dream
"…Now, have you finished packing?"
Charlotte shook her head. "I'm not going, Papa.
"What?" Johnson frowned. "Of course you are. You can't stay here- I need you!"
"No you don't." She squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye. "You don't need anyone- not yet anyway. If you're desperate for company, go and get Annie from Venus 3- I'm sure she'd be thrilled to travel with you. But I want to stay on board- if it's ok with the Captain, that is."
Picard eyed the girl, then turned to Johnson. "You do realise that I have no authority in family matters?" He cleared his throat and turned to Charlotte. "I have no aversion to you staying on board, Miss Hope, provided you take responsibility for yourself and plan to enter Starfleet; in which case, staying here would be an advantage. But if your grandfather insists on you leaving, I can't stop him from forcing you to."
Charlotte turned her eyes to Johnson. "Oh, please, Papa," she begged, "It would be a good experience for me. Please?"
Johnson sighed, defeated. "You cause no trouble, y'hear? And if there's a problem, stay in the safe areas. I mean it. Don't go getting yourself-"
"Oh, thank you, Papa!" Charlotte threw her arms around him and grinned excitedly at Picard. "I promise I won't be any trouble. I'll do whatever you tell me to and I'll stay out of your way…"
"Alright." Picard held a up a hand, smiling at her eagerness. "I'm sure you will. But Lieutenant, I believe they're expecting you at 1300 hours, and it's nearly that now. I recommend that you make your goodbyes quickly."
"Of course." Johnson clutched Charlotte's hands. "My dear, is this truly what you want?"
"Yes." She smiled sadly. "There's nothing for me back on Earth. Even travelling wouldn't be the same. Here, I have friends, and a chance to serve on the flagship of the Federation. Not many people have that opportunity. I love you, Papa. But I must stay."
"I love you too." He embraced her tightly. "Goodbye, my dear."
"I will walk you to the transporter room." She nodded to Picard. "Thanks, Captain."
As Picard watched them leave, he wondered whether the two of them would ever see each other again.
End Dream
Charlotte woke with a start and stared at the numbers on her screen. She had slept for two hours! Stretching in her chair, she thought back to the dream she had just had. It had been very real- more real than her usual dreams. For a moment, she had really believed that she never left the Enterprise-D.
Tears threatened to cloud her eyes as she stood up, rubbing her neck. She should never have left. She had missed so much and gained so little- who know, maybe she would've been able to prevent Data from being destroyed…
Now stop, she told herself, taking a deep breath before she started bawling, You've been down this road before. There's nothing to be gained by it. Just stop think about it. Just stop.
