Chapter 4
When the turbolift doors slid open to reveal the bridge of the Enterprise manned with the skeleton crew it had before it reached Farpoint Station, Jean-Luc Picard took it in stride. He simply stepped from the lift to the bridge and called out, "Report."
"We're nearing the coordinates you gave me, sir," O'Brien said from the Conn.
"Have you detected anything unusual?" Picard knew Q had to be around somewhere. He'd disobeyed orders to return here to the time and place where he first met Q and, damn it all, the omnipotent being had to be present. No one else could be behind this time travel.
"Nothing, sir," Tasha Yar said from her position at Tactical.
The scowl formed on the captain's face before he could mask it. Q had the ability to get under his skin and irritate him like no other living being. "It's the right time, the right place. He should be here." Except there wasn't exactly an established way to contact an omnipotent, petulant being to inform him that he's late. "Q!" he said aloud. "We're here! This has gone on long enough. What sort of game are you playing?"
No answer. Apparently that wasn't the correct method, either. His confidence withered away the longer the silence went on. Finally, he turned to Troi. "Counselor, do you sense an alien presence?"
Her answer came softly. "No, sir."
"This isn't the way it's supposed to happen." He took a long look around the bridge at his confused crew, all wanting to impress their new captain, but all wondering whether their new captain still had all his marbles. "Maintain position here," he said. "I'll be in my ready room." At least while he was out of sight, they wouldn't have to keep looking at him in complete confusion.
When the doors to his ready room opened and he stepped through, he found himself in a courtroom he thought he'd left seven years ago. He should have recognized the men before, for now they all stood around the raised dais, taunting him, jeering at him as if he'd never left in the first place.
"Mon capitaine, I thought you'd never get here."
The moment he heard Q's voice for the first time seven years ago, he was already tired of it. At this point, he'd become weary. "Q!" he said. He was nearly shouting. "What's going on?"
The omnipotent being, dressed in judges robes and seated in a chair, floated out of the darkness on said chair. "That's Judge Q to you," he said. "And isn't it quite obvious what's going on?" The air of superiority that exuded from his current chosen corporeal form could've made its own weather system.
Picard did his best to ignore it, as he'd always done after their first encounter. He glared at Q, unafraid. "If it were obvious to me, I wouldn't have asked." He tamped down the frustration that sought to get out, getting angry at Q only made his predicament even more entertaining to him. "The last time I was in this courtroom was seven years ago." Things were so different then. We were all so young.
"How little you mortals understand time. Must you be so linear, Jean-Luc?"
The captain could recognize a verbal game of cat and mouse when he saw it. He disliked them in the first place, and he especially disliked them when he was assigned the role of the mouse. As he had been right this moment. So, he refused to play. "Why do I find myself back in this courtroom?"
Q scowled an omnipotent scowl. "The trial never ended, Captain. We never reached a verdict. But, now we have."
The crowd fell silent. Q looked at Picard expectantly, waiting for him to ask what the verdict was.
Picard didn't ask. He kept his glare leveled on Q.
"If case you're wondering, we've found you guilty," Q finished.
"Of what?"
"Of being inferior, of course. Seven years ago I said we'd be watching you, and we have been, hoping your ape-like race would demonstrate some growth. Perhaps even give some indication that your minds have room for expansion. And what have we seen instead?"
Another dramatic pause. The word weary was becoming inadequate for Picard's reaction to Q's melodrama.
"You spending time worrying about Commander Riker's career, listening to Counselor Troi's pedantic psychobabble, indulging Data in his witless exploration of humanity, you even reproduced..."
Q's last phrase was uttered with more disgust than Picard had ever him use. He wanted to object strenuously, the being had just insulted his family, but he couldn't, because then he would be playing Q's game. And he wasn't going to.
"I mean, with Red, of all people. Jean-Luc, I thought you had better taste."
I do, Picard thought. Much better taste than you. It only shows how little you omnipotent beings know about love and life. Instead of voicing the opinions he felt most strongly about, he stuck with the logical, not engaging with Q on a personally emotional level. "We have journeyed to countless new worlds, made contact with new species, expanded man's understanding of the universe—"
Q rolled his eyes. "In your own paltry, limited way. You have no idea how far you still have to go."
"We are what we are, and we're doing the best we can. It's not for you to set the standard by which we are judged." History is what would judge them, history and historians, and descendants that would read about what he'd done with his life. And he hoped they would find it satisfactory, or perhaps that he had some sort of positive impact on the universe, however small his influence may have been.
"Oh, but it is. And we have. Time may be eternal, but our patience is not." Q leaned forward on his elbows and studied Picard expectantly.
This time, he would play. He needed to know where Q was going with this so he could solve this time shifting problem. The need for the answer was also personal, even as he tried to keep his personal feelings from being involved. The future he'd visited, he never wanted to see it, and he had to find out if he could make it stop. "Having rendered a verdict, have you decided upon a sentence?" he asked, meeting Q's gaze.
"Indeed." Q inclined his head and motioned upward with both arms, the unruly crowd cheering him on. "It's time to put an end to your trek through the stars. It's time to make room for other, more worthy species."
"We're to be denied travel through space?" Certainly, if that were true, so was the future Q kept sending him to.
Q smirked. "No. You're to be denied existence."
"Q, even you couldn't be capable of such a despicable act." Superior as though Q might act, he seemed to have a certain affinity for humans, even if for an entertainment value that the ancient Greek and Roman gods had given their people. To destroy humanity would be the same as destroying all Q's fun. Or, at least, some of it.
"I? There you go again, blaming me for everything. Well, this time I'm not your enemy. I am not the one who causes the annihilation of mankind." Again, Q smirked. "You are."
Maybe he tried to stop the future he'd seen and somehow that had destroyed humanity. Trying to change things for his own personal whim, he knew better than that. Yet even knowing it would be for the greater good made it hurt no less to know and experience the future as it was. So many people changed for the worse, including himself. And Beverly... "Me?"
"That's right. You're doing it right now. You've already done it. And, you will do it yet again."
"What kind of meaningless double talk is that?" If ever Picard wanted a straight answer, he wanted it then. He didn't want to make the mistake Q was laying at his feet.
Q let out another dramatic sigh and addressed the crowd, a crowd that conveniently fell silent when Q deemed it necessary to speak. "He doesn't understand. I have only myself to blame, I suppose." He turned back to Picard. "I believed in you. I thought you had potential, but apparently I was wrong. May whatever God you believe in have mercy on your soul. This court stands adjourned." Q's floating chair retreated into the depths of darkness behind the crowded stands. Picard watched it disappear.
He jerked awake suddenly, sitting up with a sharp gasp. Beverly moved beside him and placed a hand on his forearm. "What is it?"
Words escaped him. He couldn't even remember what they were. This new development was much harder to take without blinking, as he had when he'd stepped out of the future's turbolift and onto the past's bridge.
"It's happened again, hasn't it?"
He nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Beverly was out of the bed and getting a tricorder to scan him before he had dropped his hand back to his lap. She frowned at the readings. "Same as before."
"I assumed as much."
She set the tricorder on a shelf nearby, then turned back to him. "Can you talk about it?"
He wanted to, he wanted to desperately so that he could throw the hurtling train of time off its tracks, stopping the engine, then switching tracks entirely, towards a future better for all of them. But he couldn't. He questioned all his actions now, now he would be responsibly for destroying humanity. It wasn't just his own future at stake, not just his family's, but everyone's. "No," he said, barely loud enough for it to register above the background thrumming of the warp engines.
Beverly reached out and caressed his cheek. "Is there anything you can share?"
He frowned. "Somehow, I cause the destruction of humanity."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Q," he said.
"That explains everything," she said, then went and pulled a uniform out of a drawer, knowing that there would be another staff meeting.
"Not everything," he said, this time to himself.
She heard him and held his gaze with her blue eyes, communicating her concern. But she didn't question it, she didn't want to push him into contaminating the present with what he knew from the future.
"It's a bigger problem than we thought," Picard said, giving her something. Then he broke eye contact, found a uniform for himself, and dressed quickly. He contacted Riker and had him relay the message to assemble the senior staff as soon as possible. Then together, he and Beverly started out of their quarters, then stopped as a voice called them back.
"Where you off to? Going to save the world again?" Allie asked, leaning against her doorway.
"No," said Beverly. "This time, it's the universe."
Allie gave a small wave of dismissal with her hand. "Oh, the universe. Then by all means, continue. Far be it from me to interrupt that." She got up from the doorway and headed towards the eating area.
The captain noticed that she was dressed. "What are you doing awake?" he asked.
"Maybe you should pay some attention to the time," she replied. "It's 0600. Time to get up."
"Right." It was hard to leave and he couldn't figure out why. But seeing Allie made him wistful, he didn't want to let her out of his sight. But he had to, he had a ship to captain and humanity to save.
He was still thinking about his daughter when they arrived at the conference room. But once his staff started to trickle in, he brought his emotional mask over his entire frame of mind. Once they were all seated, he relayed to them the important points of his interaction with Q and the status of the "trial" they'd all been put on seven years ago.
"I don't believe him," said Geordi. "It's just another one of his games. I bet he's watching us now, getting a great laugh."
Picard wished it were that simple, but something about this situation was different from the others. He recalled when Q had introduced them to the Borg, seen the flash of regret in Q's eyes after the encounter. "I think this time we have to take him at his word," he said. "And that means that in some fashion, I will cause the destruction of humanity."
Beverly frowned. "Didn't Q say you already caused it?"
Troi finished the direction of the doctor's thoughts. "And that you were causing it now?"
Data gave the answer. "Considering that the captain is shifting through all three time periods, the statement, while confusing, could be entirely accurate."
"So what should I do? Lock myself in a room in all three time periods?"
"No," said his first officer. "I mean, what if inaction is what causes the destruction? What if you're locked away in a room somewhere when you're needed on the bridge at a key moment?"
"We can't just start second guessing ourselves," said Deanna. "We'll just have to continue on as we would normally, as if nothing different were happening."
The captain resisting raising an eyebrow at Troi. Easy for you to say, you aren't shifting through three time periods and seeing things you never wanted to see happen in your lifetime. "Agreed," he said aloud. "And I think Q is somehow lending us a hand in keeping this destruction from occurring. He did admit that he was the one responsible for my time shifting."
Riker's eyes narrowed. "What gives you the idea that he'd want to save humanity?"
Though he felt silly about it, the captain explained his thoughts on the matter. "Q has always had a certain fascination with human beings, specifically with me. I think he takes more than a casual interest in what happens to me."
Data supported his theory. "That's true. Q's interest in you is similar to that of a master and a beloved pet."
Picard glared at Data for voicing exactly why he felt the idea of Q being interested in him especially was silly. Through the corner of his eye, he saw Beverly covering her mouth in silent laughter.
"It was only an analogy, Captain," said Data.
Any further verbal recriminations were interrupted by a call from the bridge. "Captain, we're approaching the Neutral Zone."
With a nod to his staff, they filed out of the conference room and onto the bridge.
"Are there any ships present?" he asked.
Worf, now at Tactical, quickly performed a long range scan. "The Federation ships Concord and Bozeman are currently holding position by our side. Four Romulan warbirds are holding position on their size of the Neutral Zone, Captain," said Worf.
"A face-off," Riker said, glancing at Picard with a raised eyebrow. "The question is, who's going to move first?"
Inaction be damned. "We are," said the captain. "Mister Worf, hail the Romulan ships."
"The warbird Terix is responding."
"On screen," he said, turning to face the viewscreen.
Instead of seeing a Romulan officer, Captain Picard had turned from one Worf to another, the one on the viewscreen very much older and time-worn. "Admiral Riker," said the older Worf.
"Have you had a chance to review our request?" Riker asked, straight to the point.
Picard watched intently, hating the feeling of being back in this old, broken down body.
"I have," said Worf. "And I must refuse. It is for your own safety. The Neutral Zone is extremely volatile. There are reports of renegade ships on both the Klingon and Federation sides.
Will scowled. "There must be something you can do."
"I am sorry, but my first duty is to the Empire. I must adhere to regulations."
Taking a page from his daughter's vocabulary, the phrase 'full of shit' went through Picard's mind. There seemed to be inaction in each time period, perhaps that's what caused the destruction. Not a single person committing to a sequence of any action, instead standing around and justifying why doing nothing was the better option. "Maybe I'm just an old man who doesn't understand, but the Worf I knew cared more about things like loyalty and honor than he did rules and regulations. But then, that was a long time ago." He paused and made eye contact with the grizzled Klingon. "Maybe you're not the Worf I knew." The captain knew this would get his old friend. It always did.
As Picard had counted on, Worf let out a particularly nasty Klingon swear. "You have always used your knowledge of Klingon honor and tradition to get what you want from me."
He'd won. "That's because it always works. Your problem, Worf, is that you really do have a sense of honor, you really do care about things like loyalty and trust. Don't blame me because I know you too well." If only everyone could have a problem as simple as that.
Worf's face looked as if he'd swallowed a significant amount of Terran food. "Very well. You may cross the border. But only if I come with you. I am familiar with the Neutral Zone."
Admiral Riker nodded towards a crewman to have Worf beamed aboard immediately. When the transporter room notified them that Worf was aboard, Riker ordered a course for the Neutral Zone at maximum warp.
Before Riker had even finished his order, Picard found himself in the past with his young crew. A brief, uncomfortable exchange had the ship heading in the same direction as the other two ships, and all too quickly, Picard was in the present again, staring at the viewscreen.
"So Captain," said Tomolok. "How long shall we stare at each other across the Neutral Zone?"
Until time stands still. "We're all here for the same reason," the captain said. "The anomaly we're all detecting in the Devron system. I propose we allow one ship from each side into the Neutral Zone to investigate this anomaly."
The Romulan commander chewed over the offer, rubbing his fingers over his lips. "Has Starfleet Command approved this arrangement?"
"No." Forthright honestly always seemed to work best with the Romulans.
Tomolok gave him a smile. "I like it already. I'll see you in the Devron system, captain."
Warp five brought them into the system within a few minutes and Data announced the presence of the anomaly. In the past, O'Brien made the announcement. Eager to see this anomaly that was causing such a huge disruption in time, Picard found himself saying, "On screen! On screen! Let's see it!" much more enthusiastically than he would like.
In either the past or the present, the command would've been taken as any other, after all, the crew wanted to see the anomaly as badly as he did. But unfortunately for him, it was the future that heard his command, the overeager old man on a wild goose chase. And to prove the goose chase theory correct, the viewscreen on the future's Enterprise showed nothing different than normal, empty space.
"There's still nothing to show, Captain," said Data, having requisitioned his old Ops seat from a hapless crewman some time ago. "I've conducted a full sensor sweep out to one light year from the ship. No temporal anomalies, no particle fluctuations, nothing."
Picard frowned at him. "Have you scanned the entire subspace bandwidth?" There had to be some sort of mistake. He'd seen the anomaly himself, large in the present, even larger in the past. It couldn't not be here.
"Yes. The subspace barrier is a little thin in this region of space, but that's not unusual."
He started to pace. "I don't understand. I've seen it in the other two." He noticed Andrew giving him an odd look. "The other two time periods," he said, clarifying. "Why isn't it here?"
Andrew didn't seem especially impressed and started to give a droll answer, but he stopped when movement from Worf's chair caught his attention.
"Admiral Riker," Worf said, looking as alarmed as a Klingon was capable, "I have been monitoring Klingon communication channels. Several warships have been dispatched to this sector to search for a renegade Federation vessel."
As Picard watched Riker take in Worf's new information, he knew that inaction would no longer be a problem, but that instead, an action in the direction opposite of his own ideas would occur. "You're not thinking about leaving?" he asked Will.
The admiral turned to him slowly. "Jean-Luc, there's nothing here."
Part of him felt like it wasn't right for Will to address him by his first name, while the other part, the part that belonged here, insisted that Will had called him Jean-Luc for nigh-on twenty years. "There should be." His words had no impact and he reiterated. "There has to be!" Picard gave up on Riker and turned to another friend. "Data, there must be some other way to scan for temporal disturbances, something that's not covered in a normal sensor sweep."
Data came through, he was a man of right action. "There are several methods of detecting temporal disturbances—"
But Riker cut him off, closing out the android's suggestions but speaking to Picard. "We've done all we can. We should head back to Federation territory."
Picard glowered at his old friend.
Data, however, continued to speak, undaunted by the argument between the other two men. "However, it may be possible to modify the main deflector to emit an inverse tachyon pulse, which could scan beyond the subspace barrier."
"That's it, Data, do tha—"
Worf provided the interruption. "I'm detecting another vessel coming into sensor range. They are hailing us, audio only."
"Let's hear it," said Riker.
Worf tapped a couple of the controls and the distress call spilled out of the hidden speakers on the bridge. "This is the medical ship Clara Barton requesting emergency evacuation assistance. We have a warp core breach in progress. Breach will occur in thirteen minutes. Repeat..." The message continued repeating and Riker left it on the speakers for a few more cycles as he ordered the Enterprise to help with the rescue. But Picard didn't hear the orders that were given, or even the message as it cycled over again before Worf cut it off entirely. The voice, the one asking for help, it was Beverly's. He was certain of it.
A look over at his son confirmed his suspicions. The blood had drained from Andrew's normally rosy cheeks and his gray eyes were locked on his father. "Mom," he said, very quietly, but Picard had been listening for it.
As had the others. "We'll get to her in time, Andrew," Riker said.
Picard saw the flash of disbelief in Andrew's eyes and he knew exactly what Andrew was keeping himself from saying: You didn't get to Allie in time.
And when Jean-Luc found himself knowing what his son was thinking, he remembered why he and Beverly had divorced, why Gracie tolerated him, why Andrew did his best to keep everyone in some sort of contact, why Gabriel just ignored everyone—because the Enterprise hadn't gotten to the shuttle in time, not in time to stop the raiders from triggering the explosion that sent the shuttle's hull into million tiny particles, along with the passengers inside. Fifteen years ago, they were going to rendezvous with that shuttle, and they had, but not in time.
"Admiral, we have reached transporter range."
"Lock onto every life sign you can find and beam them directly to sickbay." Riker triggered the comm. "Sickbay, get ready to receive your patients."
"Acknowledged." It was Gracie who had answered.
"She doesn't know," Andrew said. "Someone's got to tell her, if...I mean..." he gave up explaining his reasoning and headed for the turbolift. Before he stepped inside, he stopped and looked in Picard's direction. "Aren't you coming?"
The captain glanced over at the viewscreen, at Data, at Riker. He had to get Riker to stay here in the Devron system, he couldn't risk Riker leaving while he went down to sickbay to...he wasn't even sure what he would do down there. He'd be in the way, certainly. It wasn't as if Beverly would speak to him, or if he was even sure he could bring himself to speak to her. Or that Andrew and Gracie would only become more upset at watching their parents yet again hurt one another because both were too stubborn to give in and admit they were wrong.
No, Beverly was right. I was wrong. I should have told her a long time ago.
But he hadn't time for that now. He had to save humanity, even though he'd lost touch with his own.
"Dad?"
All his explanations went through his mind, but he didn't bother to say any of them. They were all weak and there was no point in making it painfully obvious to everyone, not that it wasn't already. "No," he said.
"And you wonder why Mom left you," Andrew said, then finished stepping through the entryway of the turbolift and allowed the doors to close behind him.
"I always knew why," Picard whispered to himself. The rest of the people on the bridge heard him, but all kept their silence, because cast over them all was the shadow of what had been.