Picard made his way towards Main Engineering, attempting to sort through the clutter of thoughts in his head. As the hallway angled off to the right, he caught a glimpse of a young woman sitting on a platform at the far end. Just who he was looking for.

The platform was more of a landing, with a narrow set of stairs leading off to one side. Her legs swung over the edge and her arms rested across a lower railing. Screeching, mechanical noises drifted up from below, assaulting the captain's ears. But she leaned her head against her arms as though she were listening to more pleasant sounds.

"Miss Riker," he said, coming to a stop a few paces away. "May I have a word, please?"

She gave a slight jump. The noises must have masked his footsteps. But once she recognized his voice, she hastened to her feet. "Captain," she nodded.

Carmen awaited his message with her chin held high and her shoulders pulled back in a show of respect. Picard marveled at the way she possessed his first officer's lofty composure, his commanding air. Her blue eyes glinted with the same steel as well.

"Wouldn't your quarters be more comfortable?" He gestured towards the landing. Her gaze automatically followed.

"Yes, sir. It's just that…" She trailed off, then cleared her throat and shifted her attention back to the captain. "Yes, sir."

Picard tilted his head. "It's just what?"

She blew out a sigh. "Well, I used to come here all the time. Back on my Enterprise, I mean. It was the only place I could get some sleep."

"What, with all this racket?"

"Yes, sir." Something bitter seeped into her gaze. "Silence can be loud, too."

"Ah." Picard nodded gently, Troi's words coming to mind. He turned back towards the hall and motioned for her to follow. She fell into step at his side.

Picard took a deep breath, letting his eyes wander into the distance. "We who have seen war, will never stop seeing it," he quoted. "In the silence of the night, we will always hear the screams. So this is our story, for we were soldiers once, and young." He looked down at the raven-haired woman with a kind, sympathetic smile. "Joe Galloway. Ever read his works?"

Carmen shook her head, the words still resounding in her ears. "No, sir. What ship did he serve on?"

Picard chuckled softly at her question. "He lived on Earth, a long time ago. Before there were spaceships."

"Oh."

"You should give him a try. He wrote about a war in which many young men were forced to fight. Times were different then, but hearts...men's hearts are still just as fragile, aren't they?"

Carmen felt suddenly as though she knew this stranger. It was the captain she remembered as a child, the one who had let her hide in his ready room after the funeral as he rifled through his books, pretending not to notice. The one who withheld his rebuke when she was frightened. The one who made her feel less of an orphan.

She didn't realize she had stopped walking until Picard placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, surprised.

"Counselor Troi, she really believes in you."

"Yes, sir," Carmen replied, not adding anything else.

"I hope that you can believe in her, too," he said, a sternness underscoring his voice. "You don't have to fight alone here."

He turned and continued down the hall. Grateful tears sprang to her eyes, but she blinked them back, trying her hardest to keep them at bay. A wave of guilt washed over her as an image flashed in her mind. She could see Toleel bent over Picard's lifeless body, crumpled on the brig floor.

"Captain-there's-there's something you should know," she blurted out.

"It will have to wait," he said, stopping in front of the turbolift. "It's time to get on with the interrogation. Coming?"

"The interrogation?" She had momentarily forgotten all about it.

"Yes. The commander informed me that you wish to be present during Setal's questioning."

Her face changed abruptly. Picard paused, scrutinizing her bewilderment.

"Perhaps...he misunderstood?"

"No, no, I do want to, sir...but...why did you call him that?"

"Beg your pardon?" It was now Picard's turn to wear a look of confusion.

"Why did you call him Setal?"

Then it dawned on Picard. He shook his head with a mirthless smile. "That's not his name. Is it?"

"No, sir."

He mulled over this revelation for a moment. Then he drew close to the young woman, lowering his voice. "Who is he then? Who is he really?"