STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Tapestry"
Sickbay was in a state of frenetic activity. N.D. nurses and doctors were rushing about, grabbing equipment and moving consoles in preparation for some imminent emergency. Beverly grabbed her medical tricorder as she directed people to action.
"Get the stasis units in here and bring them on-line." Beverly said to a nurse. "Tell Doctor Selar to use ward three for the ambulatory cases, I'll take the -" she said to another nurse.
"Transporter Room Four to Sickbay. They're coming in now." a com voice said.
"Acknowledged." Beverly said. "Back everyone." she said to everyone.
They all cleared out the center of the room as Riker, Picard, Worf, and three N.D. crewmembers materialized. Worf was carrying Picard over one shoulder. Riker had a nasty-looking head wound and was pointing his phaser as if defending them. One N.D. was also injured and lying on the floor, while the other two were standing up with phasers drawn.
Once the beam-in had finished, Beverly and the Nurses rushed to aid the wounded. Beverly moved to Picard asb Worf put him down on the operating table. There was a large scorch mark on Picard's chest. Beverly immediately began scanning him with her tricorder.
"What happened?" Beverly asked.
"The Lenarians attacked us outside the conference room." Riker said.
"He's in cardiac arrest." she said off tricorder. "Get the pulmonary support unit." she told a nurse.
The clamshell was moved into place over Picard's chest. Worf and Riker moved away to give them room and they looked on with concern. Beverly continued to read the tricorder.
"Internal hemorrhaging... the bioregulator in his artificial heart's been fused... damage to the spleen and liver... what kind of weapon did this?" she asked.
"A compressed teryon beam." Worf said.
"Forty cc's inoprovaline..." she started when an alarm sounded from the clamshell. "Activity in the iscortex is falling. Cortical stimulator."
A Nurse handed her a device, which Beverly placed on his forehead. A monitor in the room began to show a flat line and alarms were continuous now.
"Now." Beverly said.
Picard's body jerked then nothing.
"Again."
His body jerked again... nothing.
Beverly and the others worked frantically on him, but there was no sound except for a slowly building rushing noise, similar to the sound of the ocean. As Picard's face fills the frame, the rushing sound built to a roar
There was silence. Picard was standing in blindingly white limbo without walls or ceiling. He was dazed and confused. Unsure where he was or what's happening to him. He struggled to look around, but he couldn't discern anything in this uniformly bright place. Suddenly an even more intense light filled. Picard held up a hand to shield his eyes from this painfully intense light, but he didn't retreat. He struggled to look into the light.
The glowing luminescence had a form, it was the shape of a figure standing in the light.
Picard was determined to find out who this was, moved toward the silhouetted figure. He finally stopped in front of it. He could barely look into the light at all.
It reached out for him with one hand.
He reached out toward the hand they clasped hands and suddenly revealing Q standing with him, holding his hand. Q was wearing white flowing ethereal robes.
"Welcome to the afterlife, Jean-Luc." Q said. "You're dead."
Picard angrily dropped Q's hand.
"What's going on, Q?" Picard asked.
"I told you. You're dead. This is the afterlife. And I'm God."
"You are not God."
"Blsphemy! You're lucky I don't cast you out, or smite you or something."
Picard was unamused.
"I don't know what game it is you're playing, but I am not going to participate." he said.
"What an ego." Q said. "Did you think the great Jean-Luc Picard would never die?" he asked sarcastically.
"Q, whatever you've done too -"
"I haven't done anything." Q said. "Check your heart rate. Go ahead."
Picard hesitated then put a hand to his throat then reacted with shock as he found nothing.
"No pulse? What a surprise." Q said.
Try as he might to deny it, Picard was coming to the realization that Q was on the level. But he still fought against a facile acceptance of Q's word.
"How do I know this isn't another one of your tricks?" Picard asked.
"Think, Jean-Luc. Why would I go to all the trouble of faking your death when I could simply kill you whenever I felt like it?"
"Is that what happened?"
"I wouldn't want to steal the credit... it was a rather disgruntled Lenarian actually."
This strike a chord with Picard. He began to remember what happened.
"The conference..." he said.
"Yes, yes. The conference, the unexpected attack, the compressed teryon beam... the bottom line is, your life ended about five minutes ago under the inept ministrations of Doctor Beverly Crusher." Q said impatiently.
Picard took a moment to think about this. He pushed away the idea that Q might be telling the truth.
"No. I am not dead. I refuse to believe there is an afterlife which is run by you." he said. "The universe is not that badly designed."
Q gave a bored and frustrated sigh.
"Very well. If you really require more evidence of your post-mortem status, I'll just have to provide some..."
Suddenly, Picard heard a deep voice coming from behind him.
"Jean-Luc..." someone said.
Picard froze in place at the all-too familiar voice.
Picard slowly turned around and saw his father Maurice standing behind him.
"Father..." Picard said shocked.
Maurice was clearly disapproving.
"I told you not to go running off to that Academy. I told you that Starfleet would bring you to a bad end. But you wouldn't listen. Now look at you... dead before your time." Maurice said.
Picard's words were meant for Q, but he couldn't take his eyes off of his father's face.
"All right, Q... enough."
"Enough what?" Q asked innocent.
"Why couldn't you listen? Didn't you understand that I was only looking out for your best interests?" Maurice asked.
Picard turned to Q in rage.
"Q, stop this." he said hard.
"Even now, after all these years... you still manage to disappoint me, Jean-Luc." Maurice said.
The words knife through Picard. He turned back around but Maurice was gone. Picard stared out into the white emptiness for a moment.
"I hope you're enjoying this, Q." he said.
"This isn't for me. This is for you, Jean-Luc... I wanted to give you an opportunity to make peace with your sordid past." Q said.
Picard turned back to Q after a minute, determined not to let him call the tune.
"I find it hard to believe that you're doing this for the benefit of my soul." he said.
"Now that you've finally shuffled off the mortal coil, we're free to spend some time together. I simply want you to be at peace with yourself."
""Some time together?"... how much time?"
"Eternity."
"So I'm in hell."
"That's the spirit, Jean-Luc. Don't let a little thing like death slow down that rapier wit." Q said.
"Now you're sure you don't have any regrets or feelings of guilt about your former life? I can't have you whining and complaining through eternity."
"If I'm truly dead, then my only regret is dying... and finding you here."
"You wound me, Mon Capitan. After all, I wasn't the cause of your death..." Q said mocking him.
He held up a hand and a device appeared in it. Part of it was burnt and fused.
"... this was." he said
Picard recognized the form, but it was still a shock.
"Is that..."
"Your artificial heart."
He tossed the device to Picard, who caught it. Picard looked down at it with a sort of horrific wonder. There was something very strange about holding one's own heart. He examined it closely.
"You might have lived if you'd had a real heart instead of this unreliable piece of technology." Q said. "How did you manage to lose yours anyway?"
Picard paused and looked at the device for a long moment.
"It was a... mistake." he said quietly.
Q immediately sensed that he was onto something here. He pressed Picard further.
"Something you regret?"
"I regret a great many things from those days..." Picard said finally admitting.
"Really?" Q said then looked off to one side.
In the direction Q was looking, there were now three people standing in the dark: Nausicaan #1, #2, #3, and a young Picard. The Nausicaans were large, burly aliens with hideous features. The Young Picard was wearing an old-style Starfleet uniform.
Young Picard had Nausicaan #1 on the ground and was holding him in some type of wrestling lock. Nausicaan #2 pulled a nasty-looking weapon with a long serrated blade from his belt as Nausicaan #3 grabbed Young Picard's arms. Nausicaan #2 then drove his weapon through Young Picard's back. The Young Picard laughed just before he fell to the ground.
Picard and Q just saw the above action play out.
"It wasn't very smart of you to take on three Nausicaans like that." Q said.
Picard walked over and stood above the still form of his younger self which was lying on the ground.
"No, it wasn't." he said.
"And did I hear you laugh? It's so unlike you to have a sense of humor... especially about getting stabbed through the back."
Picard still couldn't take his eyes off the image of his younger self.
"I was... a different person in those days... an arrogant, undisciplined, young man with far too much ego and far too little wisdom." he said. "I was more like you."
"I'm sure you were far more interesting in those days. A pity you had to change."
"The only pity is that I had to be impaled through the back before I learned my lesson." Picard said. "I started that fight with the Nausicaans... I started it because I was young and cocky..." he continued then looked down at the artificial heart he was still holding. "If I had been more responsible at that age... I wouldn't have needed this heart... and I wouldn't have died from a random energy surge thirty years later."
"So if you had it to do all over again...?"
Picard looked thoughtful as he recalls the events of his youth.
Things would be different..." Picard said quietly.
Then there was a woman's hand slapped him across the face.
Picard was at Starbase in his quarters wearing an old-style Ensign's uniform and he was standing in a standard set of quarters on a Starbase. An angry woman was standing in front of him.
Picard was still shocked. The angry Woman turned on her heel and left in a huff. Suddenly there was applauds and laugh from everyone and Picard turned to see Corey and Marta were standing in the room. They were both wearing old-style Starfleet Ensign uniforms and the jackets were unbuttoned, suggesting a casual gathering.
Picard immediately recognized them both, but he was still trying to adjust to where he was. Corey and Marta were both laughing and applauding Picard, neither knew that the man standing before them wasn't the old Picard.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Marta said applauding.
"Nicely done." Corey said applauding to.
"Cortan? Cortan Zweller?" Picard said.
"Of course it's me... boy, she must've hit you pretty hard." Corey said surprised.
Marta moved to him and jokingly patted his cheek where the woman slapped him.
"You're slowing down, Johnny. You should've seen that one coming." Marta said.
Picard looked at her with real warmth.
"Marta..." he said.
Marta frowned at him becoming genuinely concerned.
"Are you okay?" she asked
"I'm... just a little disoriented..."
"Oh, please. Now he's just playing for sympathy." Corey said then began to button up his jacket.
"I want to get something to eat and head over to the casino at Bonestell. Who's coming?"
"I'll... catch up with you later." Picard said.
Marta was still concerned about Picard.
"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked.
"No, no. I'm fine Marta - Marty, really."
Marta still wasn't quite convinced, but Corey only rolled his eyes.
"Come on, Marty. I bet he has another date anyway." he said.
Marta gave Picard a wry look.
"That's it, isn't it?" she said. "You are incorrigible." she said poking him in the chest.
Then she began buttoning her jacket too as she and Corey headed for the door.
"Try not to end up in the hospital." Corey said to Picard.
Then they left. Picard looked after them for a minute, trying to ground himself in what's going on. He looked down at his own uniform and noted the insignia. Q suddenly appeared, wearing a normal Captain's uniform and holding a swagger stick.
"Attention on deck, Ensign Picard!" Q said barking.
Picard almost stood at attention out of reflex before catching himself.
"Q..." he said irritated.
"That's Captain Q to you, young man." Q said.
"What's the point of creating this... fantasy?"
"It's no fantasy. This is all very real, I assure you. You're twenty-one years old again... a brash young man, fresh out of the Academy."
Picard looked down at his hands and then looked at himself in a mirror.
"I don't look it."
"To everyone else, you do."
Picard tried to punch holes in Q's story.
"I thought you said I was dead... now you tell me I'm alive?" he said.
"You mortals can be so obtuse. Why do you persist in believing that life and death are such static and rigid concepts." Q said. "I can take your life and then give it back to you with the snap of a finger."
"Let's say for the moment that it's true... what purpose does it serve to bring me here?"
"You said you regretted a great many things from this time in your life. Well, now you have a chance to change some of them."
Picard took a moment to assess all this, it was a great deal to assimilate.
"Change. You mean change the past. Q, even if you have brought me back in time somehow... surely you must realize that any alteration in this timeline could have a profound impact on the future -"
"Spare me your egotistical musings on your pivotal role in history. Nothing you do here will cause the Federation to collapse or the galaxy to explode. To be blunt... you're not that important."
"I won't do it. I won't alter history."
The look on Picard's face told Q that he's not getting anywhere.
"Oh, very well... if you attach so much importance to the continuity of time... I can personally guarantee that nothing you do here will end up hurting anyone, or have an adverse affect on what you know as history. The only thing at stake here is your life and your peace of mind." Q continued. "You have my word."
Picard laughed in his face.
"It's bad form to laugh at one's god. Whether you believe me or not, you're here and you have a second chance... what you do with it is entirely up to you." Q said. "Do you know where you are?"
Picard looked around for a minute and thought back.
"Starbase Earhart... we came here just after graduation... to wait for our first deep space assignments." he said.
Q made himself comfortable on a couch.
"That's right. It's two days before your unfortunate encounter with a Nausicaan sword... you have that long to make whatever changes you wish. If you can avoid getting stabbed through the heart this time - which I doubt - I'll take you back to what you think of as the present and you can go on with your life... with a real heart."
"So then I won't die?"
"Of course you'll die. It'll just be at a later time."
"What if I don't avoid the fight... what if I don't make any changes?"
"Then you die on the table and we spend eternity together."
"Wonderful."
"I'm glad you think so." Q said. "I am curious about one thing... Johnny, why did that rather attractive woman slap you just now? Something you said?"
Picard thought back, trying to remember.
"That woman's name was... Corlina. I was supposed to take her to dinner... on this night..." he said. "But then she found out that..." he continued. "I'd made a second date with another woman... named Penny. Corlina was... somewhat upset." he said embarrassed.
"I'm impressed. I had no idea you could be such a cad."
Picard suddenly remembered something.
"Computer, what time is it?"
"Sixteen eleven hours." computer said.
His expression sagged a little and Q picked up on it immediately.
"In fact, Penny should be... waiting for me... right now."
The Bonestell Faciltyy bar was a dilapidated, run-down, hole in the wall with mismatched furnishings, dirty walls, and indifferent service. The clientele consisted mostly of passed-out bodies and disreputable figures conducting illegal deals in the shadows.
In short, it was exactly the kind of place to attract young Starfleet officers fresh from the Academy and looking for a little adventure.
There was a doorway off to one side which lead to a connecting room.
Picard was sitting at the bar on a stool with one leg too short talking to a woman named Penny. Penny had a world-weary look of experience and she saw Picard only as a twenty-one year old. Picard was very uncomfortable and there was a long silence.
"You're awfully quiet today. What happened to the dashing young Ensign from last night... the one with the winning smile and the smooth talk about my eyes?" Penny said.
"Nothing. I'm just a little more... contemplative." Picard said.
"And what are you contemplating?" she said then crossed one leg over the over, exposing a good deal of skin in the process. Picard couldn't help but notice.
"Penny, perhaps we could just... talk for a while. I don't know anything about you... where you come from... what your interests are... your last name..."
"I come from Rigel, my last name is Muroc and I like men in uniform."
She leaned over and began running her hand over his thigh. Her look was openly seductive.
"I think that's enough talk."
At this moment, Corey and Marta walked through the Bar area. They both gave Picard knowing smiles and looked before leaving through the opposite doorway.
"Penny... I don't think it would be fair... to you to pretend that I'm really interested in a... relationship right now..." Picard said.
"Who said anything about a relationship?" Penny asked.
She kissed him full on the mouth... then pulled away at his lack of response. Penny considered him for a moment... her expression hardened and an edge crept into her voice.
"What's wrong... Don't I look as attractive as I did last night?" she asked.
"What? No, not at all. You're very... handsome woman."
"Handsome... that's something you say to old ladies."
She moved to leave, but Picard reached out and stopped her.
"Penny. To me you are definitely not an old lady."
Penny grabbed her drink and threw it in his face.
"I wasn't after your pity."
Then she left. Picard began to wipe the drink off his face with a hand... suddenly someone handed him a towel from behind the bar.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Q said.
Picard turned and discovered Q standing behind the bar dressed as a Bartender. Picard took the towel in irritation and dried his face.
"You never told me you were such a lady's man." Q said.
"I was a puerile adolescent who let himself be ruled by his hormones instead of his head."
There was suddenly the noise of a crowed yelling approve coming from o.c. Picard and Q turned toward the doorway.
"It seems your friends know how to have a good time. Maybe you should go take some lessons." he said.
Suddenly a pushy voice was heard coming from the other end of the bar.
"Hey, you! Get over here with those drinks before I tear your head off!" a man said.
Q looked over toward where the voice came from.
"Excuse me." he said to Picard. "Are you addressing me...?" he asked a customer.
Another cheer could be heard coming from the doorway. Picard moved toward it in curiosity.
If the Bar was decrepit, the Gambling Center was disgusting with even more decay and filth. There were various gaming devices and tables scattered around the room, but the center was dominated by a large dom-jot table. Dom-Jot was a cross between billiards and craps. People placed bets on various multi-colored images on the table as players took turns hit balls with cue sticks. There were many bumpers and pockets and lights came on according to the state of play.
Picard entered and saw that the crowd gathered around the Dom-Jot table was cheering on Corey, who was wielding his cue stuck with professional confidence. Corey's opponent was an alien who held his cue stick in misery. Picard moved to stand next to Marta.
"He's winning." Marta said meaning Corey.
"Of course." Picard said.
"I thought you had a date."
"She... decided to leave."
"You're getting old, Johnny."
Corey hit a final ball and a light went on. The crowd went wild. The Alien opponent put down his stick in disgust and threw a few gold ingoted on the table. Corey triumphantly collected his winnings as the crowd dispersed to other tables.
"Thank you... thank you all..." Corey said.
Picard and Marta moved over to him.
"Very nice... forget about Starfleet and just play Dom-Jot for a living." Marta said.
"This is nothing... it's just a little trigonometry, and some minor wrist action. Barokie - now there's a game." Corey said cocky.
Suddenly there was voice from o.c.
"Human!" Nausicaan #1 said loud.
Revealing that Nausicaan #1 had just entered the Gaming area. The three officers turned to look at him.
"Play Dom-Jot... Human?" Nausicaan #1 said to Corey.
He smiled a predatory smile. Picard reacted with dread, he recognized the Nausicaan and knows the events that are about to unfold.
Corey sized up the Nausicaan... thinking he saw an easy mark.
"I think I could be persuaded to play one more game." he said smiling.
Picard moved quickly to Corey.
"No, don't play him." Picard said quiet and urgent.
"Why?"
"It'll cause trouble."
Corey looked at him quizzically. Picard needed to think of something quickly.
"He's a Nausicaan... they can be very ill-tempered when they lose." he said.
"So can I." Corey said and flipped.
Corey turned to play, but Picard grabbed his arm.
"Corey, listen to me. This is a bad idea. Don't play him." he said forcefully.
Corey pulled away from Picard's grip. He looked at Picard with a trace of irritation.
"What's gotten into you?" he asked. "Let's go." he said to Nausicaan.
Corey and the Nausicaan set up the table as Picard looked on with frustration. Marta threw him a quizzical glance, but shrugged it off and then moved to get a good look at the game as a crowd began to gather around the table again.
As Q entered and moved to stand with Picard. The game between Corey and the Nausicaan began in the b.g. as Q and Picard talked.
"I see you've found your Nausicaan friend." Q said and pointedly looked at Picard's back and chest. "You seem un-impaled so far."
"Sorry to disappoint you."
Corey scored a point on the table and exchanged a pleased look with Marta. The Nausicaan was unmoved and Picard looked grim.
"Ensign Zweller seems to be doing well." Q said.
"He's going to lose. The Nausicaan is cheating." Picard said.
"Really? I'm beginning to like these Nausicaans."
"If history repeats itself, Corey will figure it out later tonight and then he'll want revenge."
"And will you help your best friend avenge this injustice?"
The tables had turned in the game and the Nausicaan was starting to pile up a series of points one after the other.
"I did the first time. I found a way to rig the table so that Corey could win in a rematch." Picard said.
"You? Cheated? Picard, I'm impressed." Q said.
"It was a foolish mistake. The Nausicaan and his two friends didn't take the loss very well. They were outraged... they wanted a fight..." Picard said. "And I gave them one."
"A beautiful story..." Q said. "Gets you right here doesn't it?" he said and put fist to his chest.
The Nausicaan was now running the table on Corey, wracking up point after point. Corey was watching him carefully, with anger and suspicion mixing on his face. The Nausicaan scored the final point and the crowd cheered.
"Dom-Jot!" Nausicaan # 1."Human play Dom-Jot!" he said as if the idea were a joke.
The Nausicaan laughed heartily and threw his stick at Corey, who had little choice but to catch it. The Nausicaan scooped up his winnings and left. Corey's face hardened in cold fury.
Corey, Marta and Picard were gathered at Picard's quarters. Corey was very upset.
"I've played a lot of Dom-Jot, in a lot of places, and I've never seen the balls roll that well for anyone. Did you see the way he rolled the terik into straight nines? That's a one in a million shot and he did it twice." he said.
"So he was cheating..." Morta said.
"It may have simply been extraordinary luck." Picard said.
"I was watching the way he held the cue. Every time he needed to make a tough shot, he held the cue close to his waist. I think he had some kind of magnetic device in his belt. It must've been controlling the balls." Corey said.
"That's terrible." Marta said angry.
"We have to get even."
"What do you have in mind?"
"We could do the same thing to him that he did to us. Cheat. We'll rig the table so his device will backfire on him."
Picard put his foot down before this went any farther.
"That won't solve anything." he said.
"It'll teach him that he can't go around cheating Starfleet Officers." Corey said.
"What it will do is provoke him. And provoking a Nausicaan is not a good idea."
"I can handle him." Corey said cocky.
"What if he's not alone... what if he brings some friends along next time?"
"Well... then I guess I'll have to depend on my friends to help me out."
"Corey... there must be a better way to handle this..."
Corey looked at him in astonishment.
"When did you start backing away from a good fight?" Corey asked.
"We're not cadets anymore... we're officers. We have to start... setting a higher standard for ourselves."
Corey still couldn't believe he was hearing this from Picard, but Marta had begun to agree with Picard.
"Maybe he's right... maybe this isn't such a good idea." she said.
"Look, we've only got one more day before we all have to report to our ships. Let's have one last adventure together... we may not see each other again for a long time." Corey said pleased.
Marta was on the fence, but Picard held firm.
"No. I'm sorry Corey, but I won't do it." he said.
That swung Marta's vote.
"It was a good idea, Corey... but let's just forget about it..." she said.
Corey looked at them both with amazement and disappointment. He almost said something... then finally just shook his head in disgust and left without a word. There was a long minute before Marta turned to Picard.
"He'll get over it." she said.
"I hope so." he said.
Marta smiled at him in a strangely amused sort of way. She was seeing him a little differently now... starting to see something very attractive about this new attitude from Picard. He noticed her look.
"What?" Picard asked.
"Nothing... it's just that usually you'd be the one plotting revenge." Marta said.
"That would be more in character, wouldn't it?" he said dry.
"Much." she said. "But I always suspected you had a hidden streak of responsibility somewhere." she said with humor.
"Maybe I'm just getting... a little older." he said ironic.
Marta touched the rank insignia on Picard's uniform.
"Maybe these bars are starting to feel a little heavy, Ensign. "Ensign Picard and Ensign Batanides... sounds weird, doesn't it?"
"It's going to take some getting used to." he said ironic,
Marta gave him a very direct look.
"It's too bad we can't get used to it together."
Picard looked at her in a little surprise. Marta realized that she was given voice to more than she meant to she was definitely attracted to Picard as more than just a friend. She quickly amended her statement so it didn't sound so intimate.
"The - the three of us, I mean." she said quickly.
But Picard had picked up on the subtext and was not fooled by her hasty retreat.
"Of course." he said.
They looked at each other for a long moment... the sexual tension in the room fairly crackles. But before things progressed any farther, the door chimed and the moment was broken.
"Come." Picard said.
Q entered, dressed as a delivery boy and carrying a large arrangement of flowers.
"Is there a John-Luck Pickard here?" Q asked.
Marta gave Picard a resigned look.
"From one of your conquests, no doubt. I guess some things aren't going to change." Marta said with humor.
She smiled and left. Once she was gone, Q turned to Picard.
"Did I interrupt something sordid I hope?" Q asked.
"No, you did not." Picard said.
"Pity. She's quite attractive."
"We were friends, nothing more."
"Is that another regret I hear?"
Q had touched a nerve here and Picard couldn't deny it.
"My, my... we're simply riddled with regrets about our youth, aren't we?" he asked.
"My friendship with Marta is not something I regret."
"But you do wish you'd been more than just... friends, don't you?" Q asked. "Well... here's your chance to change all that."
Picard faced Q squarely, determined not to let Q get to him.
"What do you want, Q?" he asked irritably.
"I thought you might like to know that Mister Zweller has decided to ignore your advice." he said shocking Picard. "He's in the Bonestell Facility right now... rigging the table to beat the Nausicaan. I guess you weren't that persuasive."
Picard thought for a minute, then left with a determined look on his face. Q smiled and smelled the flowers with a satisfied look on his face.
The Gambling Center was closed for the evening and the lights were off. Corey was underneath the Dam-Jot table, working with a couple of tools when Picard quietly entered. Picard looked around quickly, but they're clearly alone. He moved silently over to the table.
"Corey..." Picard said softly.
Corey smacked his head into the table in surprise.
"Ow!" Corey said then saw Picard and breathed a sigh of relief. "Johnny... don't sneak up on me like that. I thought you were the gambling foreman."
"Sorry."
"It's all right. I'm glad you're here." Corey said. "Hand me the magna-spanner." he said and pointed to tool.
He leaned back under the table.
"I'm not here to help you, I'm here to stop you from making a serious mistake." Picard said.
Corey looked at him in disbelief, he still wasn't taking him seriously.
"You sound like my mother." Corey said sarcastically.
"Cheating the Nausicaan could have serious consequences for all of us. It's a risk we can't afford to take."
"You are my mother." Corey said. "Well, Mom... gee, I guess I'll have to go tell the Nausicaans I don't mind if they cheat me -" he started mockingly but was cut off.
"This isn't a joke, Corey." Picard said hard.
The humor faded from Corey's face.
"It better be."
A tense minute between the two of them. Corey finally broke the silence... he kept his voice low and very even.
"Now, I'm going to finish my work here. If you want to help me - fine. If you don't, then I'll see you back at the Starbase." he said then turned back to the table, but Picard took him gently but firmly by the arm.
"I said you're not doing this."
Picard's expression was unyielding. Corey looked from Picard's face down to the hand on his arm.
"Are you going to hit me, Johnny?" Cory asked quietly.
Picard considered him for a minute... realized that he won't cross that line with his friend. Picard dropped his hand after a minute.
"No." he said. "But I will tell the gambling foreman that someone's been tampering with his Dom-Jot table."
Corey couldn't even put his sense of betrayal and anger into words. He stared at Picard for a long minute... then dropped the tool in his hand.
"All right, have it your way..." Corey said cold. "... Ensign Picard." he said with contempt.
With a pained and angry look, Corey left, leaving Picard alone in the deserted center.
Marta had taken her jacket off and was at her quarters sitting on the edge of the bed, listening to Picard, who was upset about the prior scene.
"I just couldn't make him understand." Picard said.
"At least he did finally give it up..." Marta said.
"Yes, but... he didn't take it very well."
"Oh, you know Corey... he'll forget all about it by tomorrow."
"I hope so. We were friends for many years after this." Picard said. "Or at least... I hope we will be."
Marta looked at him for a moment... a smile kept playing about her lips as if she was about to burst out laughing.
"You keep smiling at me." Picard said puzzled.
"I've just never seen you like this before. You're so... serious." she said lightly.
"Do I really seem that different?"
Marta smiled
"I don't know... maybe I'm just not used to seeing you in an officer's uniform..." she said. "No... it's more than that... you do seem different..." she said more softly. "I mean, I'm not complaining... I think it suits you."
Marta gave him a very direct look... and that spark of sexual tension could be felt in the room again.
"Really?" Picard said.
"Yes. I think it's very..." she said then hesitated. "... attractive."
There was another silent moment as they searched each other's expression. The tension between them began to build. Picard struggled with the feelings, began to turn away in order to break the moment... but Marta stopped him.
"Johnny... have you ever thought about us... getting together?" she said.
"Actually... I have. For a long time."
There was a charged silence. Picard was trying to resist, uncomfortable with the fact that, for him, many years have passed.
"Why didn't you ever say so?"
"I... don't know." he said. "At the moment... I can't imagine why I didn't..."
"Well... you've said it now."
They held each other's eyes for a moment... then Marta took a step toward him... she lifted a hand and brushed her fingertips across his lips... then carefully moved closer... their lips touched briefly in a tentative kiss. They part slightly and looked at each other again... then they kissed in a deep and passionate embrace.
Picard was sleeping in the bed at Marta's quarters alone. It was the next morning. A hand reached out and stroked his face gently... Picard smiled and slowly rolled over... then opened his eyes and found Q lying on top of the covers next to him.
"Good morning, darling." Q said.
Picard jerked back in shock. Q smiled as Picard grabbed his uniform and began to dress.
"A little jumpy this morning, are we? Feeling guilty perhaps?"
"I don't have anything to feel guilty about, Q." Picard said.
"No?" Q said. "We were friends, Q. Nothing more." he said mocking him.
"You're the one who gave me the opportunity to change things..."
"So what happens next?"
Picard thought for a minute.
"I don't know. But I do know that things will be different."
Q looked at him for a minute.
"I'm sure." Q said then vanished.
It was still pretty early in the day for there to be many customers at the bar. Picard entered and looked around for a minute before seeing Marta sitting at a far table with her back toward him. Picard smiled and moved to her. He put a hand on her shoulder and gently kissed her head.
"Morning." he said.
Marta stiffened in her seat.
"Johnny." she said.
Picard moved around and suddenly saw the expression on her face, she looked miserable and had probably been crying recently. Picard sat down with concern.
"What's wrong?"
A long minute as Marta tried to put words together. She toyed with a mug of coffee in front of her and had a great deal of difficulty meeting Picard's eyes. She tried to smile.
"Well... this is the morning after, huh?"
Picard was suddenly in uncharted waters. He wasn't expecting this reaction from her and wasn't sure how to deal with it.
"I suppose so." he said.
An awkward minute.
"I... don't quite know where to begin..." Marta said.
He took her hand gently.
"Marta... I don't regret what happened last night... and I hope you don't, either."
She looked into his eyes, but her emotions were in turmoil.
"I don't know... we've been friends for a long time... and now..."
"I hope last night has only brought us closer."
A long minute as Marta looked down into her coffee.
"Do you remember the first day we reported to the Academy?" she asked.
He smiled.
"Very well."
"They marched us into Scobee Hall in our stiff new uniforms... and then Admiral Silona gave us the old welcome aboard speech." she said. "He said, I want you all to look to the left of you and then look to the right of you..."
"... One of you isn't going to make it through the next four years." he said remembering.
"I remember thinking... that's me. I'm not going to make it. Then I looked to my right... and there you were with this cocky look on your face... and you said, "we'll see about that." From that moment, I knew I wanted you as a friend." she said then looked into his eyes, her face filled with pain. "And now... I'm afraid we've ruined that friendship."
Picard realized what a profound mistake this had been. He thought for a long minute then tried to reach out to her and made things better.
"Perhaps we should just... pretend that this never happened and try to..." he said then trailed off as she shook her head.
"I wish I could. It would make it easier to say good-bye tomorrow." she said and took a deep breath. "We're all supposed to get together later... the last big night on the town before we ship out... now I'm not sure it's such a good idea..."
"I don't want you to do anything that'll be uncomfortable..."
She regarded him sadly.
"I'll be there. We planned this... I don't want to disappoint Corey."
She stood and quickly left. Picard sat alone at the table for a long minute.
Q was standing near Picard.
"Let's see... in the past twenty-four hours, you've managed to get slapped by one woman, have a drink thrown in your face by another, and alienate your two best friends. I'd say you're doing quite nicely so far." he said.
Picard didn't respond... his thoughts were still on the scene with Marta.
"Just one more thing to do... avoid getting stabbed through the heart tonight." Q said.
Picard nodded to himself, ready for this to end.
The Gambling Center was bustling with activity again. Picard, Corey, and Marta were sitting at a table in one of the corners. There was an awkward tension between the three of them and the drinks before them went largely untouched. A few minutes of silence went by, then Picard tried to get the conversation going.
"I think you'll like serving aboard the Ajax... I understand Captain Narth is an excellent officer." Picard said to Corey.
"So I hear." Corey not really responding.
Another awkward silence. Marta glanced at Picard, then looked away. The tension was heavy. Picard tried one last time to break the ice.
"Well... here's to the class of 'twenty-seven." he said and lifted his glass.
Corey and Marta tried to smile as they all clinked glasses and drank. As Corey drank, he noticed something at the far end of the room.
It was Nausicaans #1, #2, and #3 all entered the gambling center. Corey put down his drink at the sight of the three burly aliens. Picard and Marta followed his gaze just as Nausicaan #1 saw Corey at the table. Corey tried to ignore the Nausicaans and forced himself to look down at his drink. But Nausicaan #1 moved over to the table and his two companions followed him.
"Play Dom-Jot, Human? Give you a better chance." Nausicaan # 1 said taunting. "Give you a bigger stick maybe." he said and got no response.
The Nausicaans laughed. Corey slowly looked up at them and Picard stood up to intercede.
"I don't think we're interested." he said.
"They are Undari." Nausicaan #1 said to the others. "Cowards." he said to Corey.
Corey and Marta stood up.
"What did you say?" Corey asked.
Picard got between them.
"Coward. Like all Starfleet. You talk and you talk... but you have no guramba." Nausicaan #1 said to Corey.
Corey took a step toward him.
"Why don't we find out -"
Picard put a hand to his chest and kept them apart. Picard noticed as Nausicaan #2 put a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Don't be a fool." Picard said to Corey. "There are plenty of other people to play Dom-Jot. Go on about your business." he said to Nausicaan.
The Nausicaan ignored him and looked from Corey to Marta.
"Maybe I play with you... give you a good time." he said to her.
That teared it for Corey. The following happens very quickly.
Picard saw Nausicaan #2 begin to draw his weapon as Corey cocked back his arm to throw a punch. Picard threw an elbow into Corey's chest, knocking him backward and preventing him from starting a fight. Corey was caught completely by surprise and he tumbled hard over the table and chair. There was a minute of shocked silence from everyone.
Suddenly the Nausicaans began to laugh at the spectacle of the quarreling officers. The tension was broken as they went off to another area of the gambling center.
"Orcho lok resnik Starfleet..." Nausicaan#1 said to the others.
As they moved away, Picard turned around to see Marta helping Corey up. Picard held out a hand, but Marta's eyes flashed at him.
"You've done enough." she said.
"Corey, I'm sorry. He was drawing a weapon..."
He trailed off as Corey got to his feet and took a step toward him. The anger and pain in Corey's eyes was obvious. For a moment, it looked as if Corey might actually hit Picard. But in the end he just spoke softly and firmly.
"I don't know who you are anymore... but you're not my friend." he said.
The words wound him just as surely as if Corey had hit him. Corey walked away. Marta held Picard's eyes for a moment.
"Good-bye, Johnny." she said.
Marta left. Picard was left standing alone in the gambling center as his two best friends in the world walked out of his life. Q moved into view and stood next to Picard.
"Congratulations, Mon Capitain. You did it." Q said softly.
Picard didn't respond to Q. Suddenly he heard Worf from o.c.
"Can I help you?" Worf asked.
Picard turned around and was now standing near the aft science station and Worf was standing next to him. Picard was wearing a blue uniform with the rank of Lieutenant and he was holding a PADD. Data was sitting at the aft station. Worf impatiently repeated his question.
"Can I help you, Mister Picard?" he repeated.
"Worf..." Picard said.
Picard was confused by the transition and took a moment to get his bearings. Worf finally took the PADD out of his hand. Data turned around in curiosity.
"This is not for me. You should take it to Commander La Forge in Engineering." Worf said off PADD and gave the PADD to Picard and turned back to his console.
Picard looked down at his uniform in surprise.
"What's happened...?" he said to himself.
"Is something wrong?" Worf asked.
"I'm not sure..." Picard said. "Mister Worf, what's my rank and position?" he asked him.
Worf and Data exchanged concerned looks.
You are a Lieutenant junior grade... the assistant astrophysics officer." Worf said puzzled.
Picard put a hand to his head as if he were dizzy.
"Are you feeling all right?" Data asked.
Picard didn't answer.
"Who's the Captain of this ship?" he asked.
Worf and Data were genuinely concerned now.
"Captain Thomas Halloway." Data said. "Perhaps I should escort you to Sickbay."
"No. I think I can find my way. Thank you, Commander." Picard said and quickly left to a Turbolift.
Picard entered Beverly's office. Someone was sitting in Beverly's chair, which was turned away from the doorway.
"Beverly, something's happened to me. I'm not sure -" he started but stopped as Q turned around in the chair, wearing a white lab coat and a reflective mirror on his head.
"Vhat seems to be de trouble, Lieutenant Picard?" Q asked with a German accent.
"Q, what have you done?" Picard asked.
"I've done exactly what I promised, Jean-Luc. I've returned you to the present."
"This is not the present I remember. You said nothing would change."
"And nothing has changed... except for you. But then, that's what you wanted, wasn't it? To change the man you were in your youth? Well, you did it - and this is the man you are today." Q said. "You should be happy... you have a real heart beating in your chest and you get to live out the rest of your life in safety... running tests... making analyses... and carrying reports to your superiors."
Q vanished.
At engineering Geordi, Wesley and an N.D. engineer were working near the pool table as Picard entered, still carrying his PADD. Everything and everyone was exactly as it should be except for Picard. He looked around unsure how to respond to all this.
"... so tell Duffy that we'll need to adjust the main deflector later this afternoon. Oh, and have him look into that inducer problem." Geordi said to the engineer.
The Engineer nodded and walked away. Geordi finally noticed Picard. There was a change in how Geordi and everyone else knew and thought about Picard: to them he was no longer the mighty captain, to them he was a mildmannered, slightly nerdy guy similar to the way they view Barclay.
"Hi, Jean-Luc. What's new in astrophysics?" Geordi said moving a pool. "Do you need something?"
"I have the... spectral analysis for you." Picard said remembering PADD.
He handed Geordi the PADD. Geordi glanced at it briefly then set it down. He was in the middle of something and the PADD wasn't that important.
"Thanks." he said. "Wesley, try shunting the power through the lateral conduit."
"You got it." Wesley said and got to work.
Geordi moved to his office. Picard couldn't help but follow to see what's going on... he was used to knowing everything that was happening aboard this ship. Geordi sat at his panel and frowned at the display.
"So where's the problem...?" Geordi asked himself frustrated.
"What's going on?" Picard asked.
"Oh, something's causing a power spike in the starboard warp coil. If I don't track it down soon, the Captain's going to have my head on a platter." Geordi said distracted.
"Have you tried flushing the transfer conduits with trioxina?"
"No." Geordi said dismissive.
Geordi stood and moved to another console and began to work. Picard continued to try helping.
"The conduits sometimes get blocked by neutrino emissions when the plasma -"
Geordi smiled, put his arm around Picard, and gave him a polite brush-off.
"Hey... I know you're trying to make full Lieutenant this year... but I think we can handle this from here." he said.
Geordi moved away, leaving Picard standing alone and feeling totally out of place. After a minute, he left.
Picard entered the Ten Forward and looked around. After a minute, he saw Riker and Deanna seated at a table near the window. He went over to them.
"Am I interrupting?" he asked.
They looked up. They, like Geordi, were not intimate friends with this man and were a little surprised to be approached by him. They exchanged glances.
"Not at all. Have a seat." Riker said.
Picard sat down.
"I wonder if I could talk with you for a moment... about my future on the Enterprise." he said to Riker.
"Of course, Lieutenant. Jean-Luc, isn't it?" Riker said.
"Maybe I should go." Deanna said.
"No, please Counselor... I would very much like to hear your thoughts..." Picard said.
They sat back and looked at him expectantly.
"First of all... I'd like you to be straightforward with me. How do you evaluate me as an officer?" he said.
They exchanged glances again.
"Your performance reports have always been good. You're thorough... dedicated..." Deanna said.
"Reliable, steady..." Riker said then unable to come up with anything else. "...punctual."
Picard understood that they're damning him with faint praise.
"I see." he said. "What would you say if I told you I thought I was capable of being more than that..."
"Maybe we should discuss this at your next evaluation..." Riker said.
"I'd very much appreciate it if we could discuss it now."
They acquiesced.
"I would like to try... to move beyond astrophysics... into engineering or security perhaps. Something which might even lead to a command." Picard said.
Riker and Deanna exchanged a glance.
"Frankly, Lieutenant... I don't think that's realistic..." Riker said.
"Why?"
A waiter appeared to clear their table.
"I really don't think this is the place to be discussing -" Deanna said.
"Please. This is important to me. I know I can do more." Picard said.
She gave another glance to Riker, then leaned in to Picard.
"Hasn't this been the problem all along? Throughout your career... you've had lofty goals... but you've never been willing to do what's necessary to attain them." she said.
Picard turned to Riker.
"Would that be your evaluation as well, Commander?"
"I have to agree with the Counselor. You talk about wanting more... but when it comes to doing something about it, you hang back. If you want to get ahead, you have to take chances... stand out from the crowd... get noticed." Riker said uncomfortable.
"I see."
"We don't want to lose you... you're a good officer." Riker said trying to salve the wound.
"Just not - one who stands out."
"Look... why don't I talk to Commander La Forge... maybe there's something in Engineering."
"But... command?"
"Well... we'll see."
This was clearly a crumb thrown to make him feel better. It didn't.
"Senior officers please report to the Captain's Ready Room." Data said on com.
"Acknowledged." Riker said.
"I think we should talk about this later." Deanna said to Picard.
Riker and Deanna left, leaving Picard sitting alone at the table. He looked around for a moment.
"All right, Q. Enough of this. You've made your point." he said quietly.
But there was no answer.
"Q...?"
Picard came to the awful realization that Q wasn't going to just wipe it away this time, that he may have to live out his life like this.
"La Forge to Lieutenant Picard. I'm still waiting for your final sensor usage log." Geordi said on com.
"I'm on my way, sir." Picard said to com resigning then got up to leave.
Then he entered the Turbolift.
"Main Engineering." he said to com.
The lift started moving. The expression on Picard's face was as depressed as we've ever seen him.
"Are you having a good laugh now, Q? Does it amuse you to think of me living out the rest of my life as a dreary man in a tedious job?" he asked.
The Turbolift finally stopped and Picard left.
Then he turned around and found Q standing before him.
"I gave you something most mortals never experience... a second chance at life. And now all you can do is complain?" Q asked.
"I can't live out my days as that person. That man is bereft of passion and imagination. That's not who I am."
"Au contraire. He's the person you wanted to be... one who was less arrogant, and undisciplined as a youth." Q said. "One who was less like me."
There was a minute as Picard realized that Q was right. Q took the opportunity to rub it in.
"The Jean-Luc Picard you wanted to be, the one who did not fight the Nausicaan, had quite a different career from the one you remember." he said.
"That Picard never had a brush with death... never came face to face with his own mortality... never realized how fragile life is... how important each moment can be... so his life never came into focus. He drifted through much of his career, with no plan or agenda... going from one assignment to the next, never seizing the opportunities that presented themselves..." he continued. "He didn't lead the Away Team on Milika Three to save that ambassador... he didn't take charge of the Stargazer's Bridge when its Captain was killed... and no one ever offered him a command." he said. "He learned to play it safe. And he never, ever got noticed by anyone."
There was a minute as Picard was forced to admit that Q was right all along.
"You're right. You gave me the chance to change and I took that opportunity. But I freely admit now that it was a mistake." Picard said.
Q's eyes sparkled for a moment.
"Are you asking me for something, Jean-Luc?" he asked.
Picard swallowed his pride.
"Yes." he said. "Give me a chance to put things back to the way they were before."
"Before, you died in Sickbay. Is that what you want?"
Picard thought for a moment, but was determined.
"I would rather die as the man I was... than live the life I just saw."
They looked at each other for a long minute. Q seemed to be waiting for something. Finally Picard broke the silence.
"Please."
Q smiled a self-satisfied smile suddenly Picard was standing between Corey and Nausicaan #1.
"Coward. Like all Starfleet. You talk and you talk... but you have no guramba." Nausicaan said to Corey.
This time before Corey could respond, Picard looked up into the eyes of the Nausicaan.
"What did you say?" he asked.
Nausicaan #1 looked down at him in surprise.
"I said you are a coward."
"That's what I thought you said."
Without a word Picard hit the Nausicaan right in the face. The Nausicaan fairly exploded with rage. With a throaty roar, he swung at Picard, who managed to duck out of the way and deliver a swift blow to the Nausicaan's midsection. Marta and Corey quickly joined in and a brief melee ensued as the six of them knock each other about and destroy half the furniture in the place.
Picard managed to hold his own for a while, taking on one, then another of the giant warriors in turn. There was a sense in his actions and bearing that he was enjoying this fight, enjoying it as he did when it originally happened many years ago.
Then Picard got Nausicaan #1 on the ground in a wrestling lock. Nausicaan #2 pulled a nasty-looking weapon with a long serrated blade from his belt as Nausicaan #3 grabbed Picard's arms. Nausicaan #2 then drove his weapon through Picard's back.
Then the serrated metal blade came out of his chest. Picard dropped to his knees and let out a laugh of pure joy before falling to the ground...
He was laughing, now still on the sickby operating table.
Revealing Beverly, Worf, and Riker looking on in puzzlement. Only a few minutes had passed Beverly was leaning over him with a medical device.
"His vital signs are stabilizing..." Beverly said off monitor. "Captain...? Jean-Luc...?"
Picard's eyes opened at last and he looked up at Beverly, still smiling.
"You've been injured... but I think it's going to be all right."
Picard was surprised at being here at all. With a final chuckle, he closed his eyes. The others all exchanged glances.
Picard was at the observation lounge finishing a long talk with Riker.
"... I still don't know what to make of it all. Was it a dream? Or one of Q's elaborate tricks?" he asked.
"A lot of people who've been near death have talked about strange experiences... but they're not usually so detailed." Riker said.
"Part of me cannot accept the idea that Q would have given me a second chance... that he would demonstrate that much...
compassion." Picard said. "But if it was Q... I owe him a debt of gratitude."
"In what sense? It sounds like he put you through hell."
"There were many things in my youth that I'm not proud of... they were loose threads... untidy parts of myself that I wanted to remove." Picard said. "But when I pulled on one of those threads... I unraveled the tapestry of my life."
Riker smiled at some inner joke.
"I was just trying to imagine you as a hell-bent-for-leather young officer insulting a Nausicaan twice your size. I wish I'd gotten a chance to meet that Jean-Luc Picard." he said.
Picard smiled and leaned back in his chair. He was more at ease discussing this part of his life than he ever has been before... a small demon had been put to rest and he could talk about his youth with a new joy and pride.
"Well, to tell the truth... that wasn't the first time I'd had a run-in with a couple of surly Nausicaans..." Picard said.
"Really?" Riker said.
"Oh, yes..." Picard said. "During my sophomore year I was assigned to do some training on Morikin Seven. Well, there was a Nausicaan outpost on one of the outlying asteroids..."
Picard and Riker were sitting in the Observation Lounge together. As Picard continued to tell Riker a tall tale from his youth, we pulled back and watched as the ship flew away into the star-filled void of space.