Chapter 9
Picard, Riker and Data materialized in one of the star base transporter rooms and walked out into a large plaza area. They were scheduled to meet Admiral Naguchi at 0800 hours, and apparently were just shy of the meet-up time.
"Not exactly jumping with activity, is it?" Riker said, looking around at the deserted public area. Only a few medical personnel walked quickly through and on to their respective destinations.
"This is a somewhat remote base," Picard murmured. "According to the records, it's staffed by no more than a hundred officers. Primarily medical, from what I recall."
Will sighed and shrugged his tense shoulders. He was beginning to feel anxious, and didn't like being kept in suspense. "We're early," he observed.
Picard shot his first officer a look, but remained silent. He ignored Riker's nerves, and tried to focus only on the questions he would ask Naguchi: the fate of the missing ships, the strange transmission...and not what had happened the night before with Beverly. Still, his focus wavered more than once.
Moments later, all three officers turned their heads as a contingent of two officers appeared from a doorway and now approached. Picard immediately stiffened, feeling his brain go on the alert. He recognized Naguchi only from their brief conversation the day before. But the female officer…yes he knew her. And he was hardly pleased to see her again. She'd changed her hairstyle since last he'd seen her, and it was quite a bit longer, unusual for her hard-nosed reputation. As attractive as she still was, he had an immediate and sinking feeling that his life was about to change, and not in a positive way.
Admiral Naguchi halted in front of the Enterprise officers and gave a slight nod. "Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Lt. Commander Data… I believe you already know Captain Phillipa Louvois."
Will Riker groaned inwardly. Seeing Captain Louvois again, the former Judge Advocate General at Data's hearing brought back a certain sense of guilt. Louvois had presided over a series of hearings in which the subject of Data's sentience and right to choose had been the central concern. Riker, to his dismay, had been tasked with arguing that Data was merely a combination of mechanical parts, while the captain had been opposing counsel, and had argued that Data was a sentient being. Eventually Louvois had decided that Data had the right to choose his fate—whether or not he would fall into scientist Bruce Maddox's hands, who had openly stated his desire to dismantle the android.
For Picard, who had a checkered history with Louvois, the feelings were more complicated. Her recent conduct at Data's hearing had been measured and fair, he had to admit. However, in the more distant past, she had prosecuted him at his court martial for the Stargazer, nearly driving him out of Starfleet, although he knew that was hardly her intention. Before the court martial, they'd been colleagues and had established a friendship which he knew she had wanted to be more. Her hopes of pursuing some kind of romance with him had gone out the window when she had been named prosecutor in the inquiry concerning the loss of his ship. As far as Picard was concerned, they had shared something of a harmless flirtation in the past, but that was to be the extent of it.
"Captain," Picard nodded to her curtly. "I wasn't aware that such a remote star base would have need for a prosecutor."
Louvois gave him a sly smile. "Captain, I can assure you that I possess skills beyond the ability to court martial starship captains."
"One can only hope," he replied dryly.
"This is a primarily medical facility," Naguchi said, leading them away down a well-lit corridor. "They don't often see regular Starfleet except under emergency circumstances, so don't mind the stares. That said, this medical staff has seen its share of interesting things this last week, and it's doubtful they will be surprised at your presence."
"That does not change the fact that we still know nothing of why we have been ordered to this base, Admiral," Picard said tightly. Naguchi merely frowned but didn't reply, and then he slowed as they reached a tiny little room to their left.
"Captain, I'm going to have to ask you to wait in here while I brief your officers," said Naguchi.
Picard halted and looked into the small room, equipped only with a desk and a few chairs. He turned to look at Naguchi, and carefully kept the irritation from his voice. "Admiral this is highly irregular. Why am I not to be briefed along with my officers?"
His gaze flicked to Phillipa who looked strangely sympathetic to his confusion. There was something akin to pity in her glance, and it caused a slow anger to begin to burn in him. His heart fluttered with a surge of adrenaline. What the hell is going on? Is this about the Borg?
"Captain," said Naguchi giving him a hard look. "You will be briefed as well, in due time. For now, I will need you to obey my orders and wait in here."
Picard nodded. "Yes sir," he said simply, before stepping inside.
He waited for the footsteps of his colleagues to shuffle away before sitting down in one of the chairs. He glanced around what appeared to be some kind of interrogation room. His eyes narrowed staring up into a corner. Was he under surveillance? He sighed and leaned back in the uncomfortable chair trying to relax. He was very tired from the sporadic amounts of sleep recently, and sitting down in an empty room only reminded him of this problem.
Very soon his mind began to wander to thoughts of Beverly. Closing his eyes, he recalled the smooth touch and delicate scent of her skin and the passionately insistent pressure of her lips against his. He had wanted her of course, but it simply hadn't been the right time. He had been disoriented and still shaken from his dream. He'd wanted to be near Jeanette, and being able to touch the baby had given him such a feeling of calm and purpose that he had felt strong for the first time in so very long. Perhaps Beverly had somehow sensed this, and had reached out to him in that moment. He was so glad that she had, but he didn't want to move too quickly without talking things through. He smiled to himself. He hoped that there would be plenty of time for things to progress between them.
Eventually his thoughts of Beverly became a little too distracting and he became restless. "Time computer," he said. "0930, sir." He had waited over an hour, growing more irritated by the moment and had long ago grown tired of sitting. Instead he got up and paced the tiny room back and forth, until the door eventually opened.
Alynna Nechayev unexpectedly walked in, and she looked less than happy to be there. In fact, she looked downright drained. "Admiral," he greeted her, a question in his tone.
She looked at him closely. "I haven't seen you since your return from those evil cyborgs...and you already look strong again." She gestured down at one of the bland colored chairs. "Jean-Luc...please sit down," she said. "Would you like some water?"
"No thank you. Are Commander Riker and Lieutenant Commander Data still being briefed?"
"No. They've beamed back to the Enterprise already." She walked to the wall replicator. "Water."
He slowly sat down. "I see," he said, feeling the quiet anger return. He crossed his arms over his chest. "And when am I to receive a briefing as to our current orders, sir?"
"Right now," she said sharply, slapping the glass of water down in front of him. "Jean-Luc, I'm here as your friend, not just your commanding officer."
He raised a quizzical eyebrow. He'd known Nechayev for years; certainly long enough to know he had just been given permission to speak freely. So he did. "What in the hell is Phillipa Louvois doing here?"
"Captain Louvois is to accompany you and your crew on your latest mission," she said simply.
"Why?"
Nechayev folded her slim hands on the table in front of her. "She has been assigned to be the reintegration liaison for an officer who has been out of commission for some time."
"An officer who will be joining my crew? Why wasn't I informed of this?"
"You're being informed now, Captain. My goodness you are a stubborn son of a bitch. I suppose we should all be even more thankful that it was you who was captured by the Borg and not someone with less...fortitude."
He looked down at the table and took a deep breath, but said nothing.
"Jean-Luc, have you ever heard of the Terran Empire?"
His mind immediately returned to the recording Data had played for he and Riker. "The voices that Admiral Naguchi attributed to Riker and I were speaking about some kind of empire...but we ran up against walls when we tried to learn more."
She nodded. "One hundred years ago this year, the Enterprise commanded by James Kirk endured an ion storm while negotiating the rights to mine dilithium on a class M inhabited planet. From what I recall, you have had some experience with ion storms, have you not?"
He looked up sharply. "You know very well that the Stargazer encountered an ion storm and was in fact nearly trapped the night Jack Crusher was killed. Why you would bring that up now, I can't-"
"An artificial ion storm, from what I recall," she said. "Generated by some kind of science station on Taltus III."
"Yes," he sighed.
"As I mentioned, the original Enterprise encountered ion storm interference which caused some of the crew to be transported into a parallel universe."
He stared at her with rapt attention.
"It was a war-like version of the Federation, full of treachery and torture," she continued. "Commander Spock referred to it as a 'mirror universe'."
"Are we seeing some kind of recent overlap of that universe with our own?"
"I don't know," she said slowly. "But there are some who believe that to be the case. I for one am less likely than some of my colleagues to base an entire mission on the word of one man." He frowned and she smiled at his confusion. "Captain...when the Enterprise crew transported into the mirror universe, their Terran Empire counterparts replaced them in this universe."
"And?" he said, becoming confused.
"And that is where Jack Crusher comes in," she said.
He blinked. "I'm sorry, I don't follow," he heard himself say. Nechayev's next words sounded hollow in the tiny room.
"About a week ago, Jean-Luc, a man claiming to be Jack Crusher appeared in a very odd looking shuttlecraft, drifting close to this starbase. He claims to have escaped from a parallel universe after thirteen years of captivity at the hands of the Terran Empire. According to this man, he can lead us to discover our missing starships."
He reached his now trembling palm out onto the table top, and slowly clenched it into a fist. "Are you trying to convince me that Jack has somehow come back from the dead?"
"First of all, I won't attempt to convince you of anything, Captain. After all, I hardly believe it myself, and I've had a week to grow accustomed to the idea. Secondly, he claims that he never died at all. He was simply transferred into a parallel universe while his mirror counterpart was transferred into our own."
Picard stood up, feeling that his legs were sluggish. "And so...I am to understand that the mirror universe version of Jack is the one I held in my arms as he died?" He whirled around and slammed his fist into the desk. "I don't believe it!"
Nechayev sighed. "And Jeff Naguchi wanted to know why I wanted to speak to you alone...I am sorry, Captain. I certainly cannot blame you for being upset. I know what you must be feeling, Jean-Luc."
"Do you?" He challenged.
"I have lost good friends in the line of duty too, Jean-Luc. You know that."
He looked at her grimly. "Yes...I'm sorry Alynna. But...I can still feel and hear him dying in my arms. I can feel his blood on my hands and smell it in my clothes. And I remember his last words. Of all the memories of Jack that have faded over the years, that is one I will never forget. And now you are telling me that was a stranger I was holding? That my friend never died?"
"Yes. That is what I am telling you. Once you have overcome the shock of the situation, I only hope that as you and Jack get to know each other again, it will become easier."
He ran a hand over his head. "How? Just how am I supposed to tell Beverly something like this?"
"Not to worry," said the Admiral, getting to her feet. "I have already done so."
He could feel nothing but outrage at her words. "What? How could you?"
"Jean-Luc, I did you a favor," she said studying the anguish in her old friend's face. "You had the task of bringing the news to her when Jack died and it took you more than a decade to repair your relationship."
"Relationship," he muttered and looked down at the floor. "She'll never forgive me," he said quietly meeting her gaze.
"Nonsense," she said giving him an uncharacteristically affectionate pat on his arm. "It's not your fault. And she has more important things to consider than just who told her, Jean-Luc. After all, Jack is back."
They stopped outside of a room adjacent to the base's main transporter room. "He's in here," Nechayev said brusquely, gesturing at the door.
Picard froze. "He's coming aboard right now?"
"Yes. Captain, the priority here if I have not been clear, is to retrieve our missing ships. If this man can help us to achieve this goal, I don't give a damn who he is."
"Well I do give a damn," said Picard stiffly.
Nechayev eyed him. "Do you believe you can carry out this mission with your usual objectivity, Captain?"
"Of course."
"Mr. Crusher is to be afforded his former rank of Lieutenant Commander, for purposes of this mission. Afterwards, Command will reassess his status in Starfleet."
Picard nodded but remained silent.
"Captain Picard…I am no empath but I am sensing a great amount of unease from you. I recognize that you may have reason to doubt this man's authenticity, but you are not, and I repeat not, to undercut the validity of his being among us. And furthermore you are not to interrogate him, or question his story. All of that has already been done in the course of this last week, by our colleagues in Intelligence. Starfleet accepts that Jack Crusher has returned, down to the most minute genetic details."
"But you don't accept it, do you?" he demanded.
"It doesn't matter what I think, Jean-Luc. What matters most to both you and I-what has always mattered, is that we do our duty."
"Understood," he said shortly.
"Rely on Captain Louvois," she said in a gentler tone. "She is by nature an investigator and if there is anything strange about Jack Crusher she will be the one to report it."
"So she's been assigned to spy on him? Which means, that despite what you just told me Starfleet still has its doubts?"
"To some degree. But she is also being posted on the Enterprise as an impartial officer to ensure that he integrates back into our society as painlessly as possible. Despite the insensitivity of your commanding officers, Captain, we do have some understanding of the emotional strain this will cause for Jack and the people who knew him before; in particular Beverly and her son."
"And you believe she will be the most suitable officer for this posting? You couldn't find anyone more objective than Captain Louvois," he said flatly.
"Jean-Luc, your sarcastic disapproval is noted, but it is not, of course, for you to decide. Besides," she said with a wry smile. "Phillipa is quite fond of you. Always has been. In any case I wanted someone with some sense of the history you had with Jack. And she and Jack were not entirely unfamiliar. Ultimately, Jean-Luc, you will be able to count on her loyalty, come what may."
Come what may. I don't like the sound of that. Picard straightened uncomfortably. "If you don't mind, Admiral, I would like to get this over with," he said.
"You will find, I think, that his memory is quite spotty," she said giving him a look as she raised her hand to the door control. He had no doubt that she also questioned Jack's sudden re-appearance, and yet he knew she would go no further than she already had to convey this. "He claims this is due to his ill treatment by the Terran Empire, or Terrans, as he calls them."
Picard nodded as the door swished open. The man inside was immediately visible; immediately recognizable as Jack Crusher. As soon as he stepped in the room, the man walked forward, arms outstretched with a wide grin on his face. Jack….
"Jean-Luc! They told me you would be showing up soon. God…how long has it been?"
"Thirteen years," Picard said warily, looking the man over. He had aged, and had put on weight in his face and around his waist, but in all other respects looked eerily familiar. He was Jack Crusher…and yet something inside Jean-Luc screamed irrationally, that it was not Jack Crusher who stood before him, but an imposter.
He took a step forward closer, and amazingly felt some of the old feelings of friendship return in a most pleasant way. His friend was home. He halted and the feeling ebbed somewhat. Ultimately he decided to play along, at least until he was sure. "Hello Jack," he said, still subdued.
"Jean-Luc…hey, it's me," Jack said seeming to sense Picard's uneasiness. He strode forward confidently, just as he would have more than a decade before. Without warning, he gripped Picard into an exuberant hug. Pulling back, he said, "just as tense as ever, I see, buddy." He frowned over at Nechayev. "I thought you were going to give him some time for all of this to set in. Did you just tell him or something?"
"Yes."
"Well," Jack said with a short laugh. "No wonder you were looking at me like that Jean-Luc." He clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we're going to have some good times together again," he said turning back to grab his small duffle bag of belongings.
He headed for the door, and Picard turned to leave as well when Nechayev held out her hand. "Not so fast, Mr. Crusher. I have one more question for you…."
Jack's eyes widened slightly as he regarded the Admiral. "Yes, Ma'am…sir?"
"You never explained exactly what the implant is…you know the one behind your right eye?"
Jack scratched his chin and looked at Picard. "Uh…yeah. Sorry…it's just been difficult for me to—to talk about. You see, it's a transponder. And it both sends and receives signals. The Terrans stuck it in my head early on—maybe about ten years ago. Corresponds to the ship I was on, and I think it will help me to help you track our ships down."
Nechayev stared at him closely. "Very well. Thank you for your explanation, Commander." She nodded at Picard. "You are both free to go now."
"Thank you sir," Picard said.
"Good luck, Captain."
Jack's nervous excitement was palpable as he nearly leapt up onto the transporter pad next to Jean-Luc. Picard could not help but smile over at the man, who slung his bag over his shoulder. He placed a hand on Picard's shoulder.
"How is she?" Jack asked, and Jean-Luc felt his stomach do a queasy flip.
"She's wonderful." Picard looked straight ahead as the transporter beam took them.
Hi readers, and fellow writers, thanks for keeping up with each chapter and for taking the time to review. Have a great new year.