Chapter 3

"I am no longer certain of the profit of this endeavor, Bok," said Kad. "These Malkatans are stupid…and worse they are dangerous. All they care about is weaponry."

"Their greed is what I am relying on, Kad," sneered Bok. "Besides, as soon as you have documented that the job is finished, we will take our rental property back, and you can return home."

Kad bared his teeth. "The talents of a skilled broker such as myself are wasted on such primitive cultures, Bok. And you know the job has been finished…you said yourself he disappeared from our time, just as you said would occur."

"Confirm his death for me and I will bring you back."

"But—"
"I want to see his body, Kad. That was part of the deal." Bok hit a button shutting off the view screen.

2367 Enterprise (about four months ago)

Captain's Log: Stardate 44627.1 "A distress signal originating from an abandoned moon has drawn the Enterprise into the Maxia Zeta system, where after a thorough investigation, we have concluded that the signal has simply stopped without explanation. I must admit, that while I am satisfied with the completion of our short mission, I have mixed feelings about leaving the burial ground, so to speak, of my former ship the Stargazer."

Captain Picard looked up at the sound of the door chime to his ready room. "Come," he said.

Beverly Crusher walked in and halted in front of his desk with a small smile covering something else in her eyes. Was it concern? "Captain," she said by way of greeting.

"Doctor," he said, returning her slight smile.

He watched as she moved closer and sat down on the edge of his desk, looking at him carefully. "How are you holding up?" she asked after a few moments.

He opened his mouth to say that he was fine, but seeing the probing but amused expression on her face, he closed it tightly and looked down at the desk. He supposed if he was going to be honest with anyone…. He cleared his throat. "Thank you for asking. It's strange," he said unable to keep the faraway look from his own eyes when he looked back up at her. "It feels as though I never left here…as though, if I had done something just slightly different that day, that I would be here on the Stargazer instead of the Enterprise." He laughed and shook his head looking back down at the desk. "As I said, it is strange. Perhaps I need to leave the past alone for once and for all." He got up from his desk and tugged at the edge of his uniform.

Beverly slipped off the desk and stood in front of him. "I like that idea. Because there is much more possibility when we live in the present."

He smiled at her in agreement. It was a moment he would later regret, because there was so much more he could have said. And because after that moment, his life slowly but purposefully began to fall apart.

"No, no, no! Will, I refuse to believe that Jean Luc would ever take his own life!"

Crusher, Riker and Troi stood on the shuttle pad outside of the Imiloa Observatory on the Island of Hawaii. The shuttle pilot waited patiently inside the craft, but glanced out worriedly at the darkening sky. A tropical storm was brewing and a warm wind whipped through their hair and clothing as the officers continued their heated conversation.

Riker turned to Troi for assistance. "Normally we would both wholeheartedly agree with you, Beverly, but he was extremely troubled following the incident four months ago," Deanna said.

Beverly shook her head. "I've seen him overcome worse."

"Yes, but remember that he closed himself off from every one of us in the last few months-even you, Beverly."

"Look, Deanna, I'm not ignoring the fact that he was going through some depression—frankly he was behaving so oddly that he hardly seemed like himself. But suicide? No…something has happened to him -he's disappeared. But that is all I will admit for now." She folded her arms over her chest, ignoring the fat raindrops that began to fall on her face. "And you're both just going to have to live with that," she added stubbornly.

"Fleet Security has given us permission to examine his home," said Riker. "...mostly because they knew you wouldn't take no for an answer, Beverly."

"You're damn right I wouldn't," she shouted over the howling wind.

Despite the somber moment, Riker smiled. "Good thing no one actually told you 'no' then." He looked up at the swirling clouds above them, and it was as if Mother Nature was mirroring the same anger and confusion they were all feeling in those moments. "Alright then… let's get out of here and head for the Captain's home before this pilot refuses to fly us anywhere." He gestured to the shuttle door.

Once inside, Riker sat down behind the pilot's seat while the two women settled down across from him. He couldn't put this off forever. He didn't want to hurt Beverly, or to shock her further. But they all needed to come to terms with the fact that the Captain was gone, whether by his own hand or not. Besides…the Captain had left the note for her. Feeling extremely anxious he reached into his pocket and pulled out a data pad. Taking a deep breath he reached slowly across the aisle, handing it to Beverly.

Her eyes immediately locked on the pad, and she took it carefully. "My dearest Beverly—it has been several months since we last spoke, and of all things, of all people, you are never far from my mind—such as it is. I know now even in my…debilitated state, that I should have been honest with you about everything—everything that I feel for you. I understand if you have no room in your heart to forgive me. Perhaps things could have been different, if I had only had more courage. But now something terrible is happening to me, and I am afraid I do not have much longer—the weight of the crimes of my past has finally forced me to face the truth. And that is why I must end it all. I am truly sorry. All my love.—Jean-Luc."

She read it to herself three times in a row. Then eventually Beverly looked up, feeling Riker's gaze. "It's already been analyzed…it's his handwriting," Riker said softly.

Beverly looked down at the pad again silently. She placed the pad under her coat, and then squeezed her arms around her mid-section tightly, staring out the window of the shuttle as they began their ascent up into the clouds.

Cadet Wesley Crusher was beginning to doze off over his research project. It was late and he was tired; but more than that the subject matter did not engage him. It didn't matter; nothing seemed to matter as much as his life aboard the Enterprise had. And now that was all gone. He knew he had to adjust to his new life. And all of that would be fine…if only he could talk to Captain Picard. His mother had told him that eventually the Captain would come around—that he wasn't feeling well and was depressed. But then why wouldn't he allow anyone to see him—to help him? Wesley couldn't understand it. He tried to respect the Captain's privacy though, because he knew that is what the Captain wanted.

Instead, when he felt unsure, he would try and imagine the Captain giving him advice. In his imagination, Captain Picard would remind him of what was truly important, that he should focus his efforts on the things that mattered most to Wesley. But lately Wesley felt as though the things that truly mattered to him didn't exist anymore. Yawning, he shrugged and leaned back in his chair. His roommate Ben would be back soon and he figured he would have to either go to sleep or attempt not to be so depressed, so as to not freak Ben out.

It was a deep yawn and he closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them, he had to struggle not to fall backwards. In front of him, in the middle of his desk to be exact stood a familiar person. "Wh-what?"

"Hello, Wesley," said the Traveler. "It is not my wish to frighten you. But I come with a message."

Wesley stared wide-eyed at the grey-skinned time traveler. "Uh…."

"You must speak to your mother, Wesley. You must tell her that all is not lost," said the Traveler. "I will return soon Wesley. And then you must decide whether you will come with me. Logic will tell you that it is wrong, but this time you must come to trust your instincts. Goodbye, Wesley."