2346

Jean-Luc Picard sat in his quarters reading the words on his personal messenger over and over. The words were translated into Federation Standard, but were decidedly Klingon in tone.

"Our beloved son Kor, has been murdered. Betrayed by his own kind, he has been branded a traitor to our people. His dying wish was that his name be avenged. He asked for your help. Picard, as his friend, we demand that you clear our son's name. We fear that if the truth is not revealed, war will descend once more upon our two peoples."

He stood up swiftly, knocking the cup of hot tea from his desk. As the cup bounced off of the deck, he caught it in his palm before throwing it into the wall with all of his might. Tugging at his uniform coat, he composed himself, took a deep breath and headed out into the hallway.

Beverly Howard's stomach was in knots. It was her first assignment as an official Starfleet doctor, and her first onboard a starship. She was about to embark on her first deep-space mission and would be living near Jack Crusher for the first time. Of course, they had been together for some time now and were comfortable with each other, but she had never had such a long romantic relationship, let alone even thought of living with a romantic partner. Granted, they wouldn't be sharing quarters-yet. As far as Jack was concerned, they might as well move in together...a proposition he had made in a joking manner, but it hadn't fooled her. He was serious about them being together, and his sincerity and genuine love touched her. She was far more reserved than Jack, who had opened a warmer side to her that she was happy to become familiar with. She and Jack loved to laugh and joke around, although Jack's sense of humor was more innocent, boyish, and at times even corny. That was one of the things that made him so endearing. Still, despite her deepening love for Jack, she was at a point when her new career and all of its possibilities dominated her life. And since being a physician was to be her life's work, she wanted it that way.

There were so many firsts, that the entire situation threatened to overwhelm her. Thankfully, Beverly was not easily overwhelmed. Part of it was her training, but even more so was her experience growing up in varied, at times, challenging circumstances. Her parents had died when she was young under circumstances she discussed with no one-except for Walker Keel, who had known the family at the time. It was for this reason perhaps that she and Walker were so like a family that seeing him after months apart always seemed so easy. Her grandmother had raised her and had introduced her to the art of healing. Had she not had her grandmother's influence, she would likely have still become a scientist like her parents, but perhaps not a physician.

As she stepped out of the shuttle and walked in a group with the other medical officers to their designated meeting place, her excitement and anxiety seemed to meld together. She was the youngest doctor there, but that had been expected. She had finished her medical training in just three years, which to put it mildly had been accelerated. As a result, she was younger than the average Starfleet doctor. She only knew one other officer, Martin Wu, who was a nurse she had known in school and had served with briefly. He was smart and friendly, and it gave her some ease to know she wasn't alone on this first day. But when she looked over at him, he looked pale and even more nervous than she was. They passed through a large door and then suddenly everyone halted. She lightly bumped into the person in front of her, and before she could utter "excuse me", the blond woman turned to her with a sharp, "watch your step, please."

Surprised at the woman's attitude, Beverly decided at that moment not to apologize, and simply returned the woman's cool stare before a shrill whistle caught everyone off guard. Part of her realized she was supposed to stand at attention, but glancing around her, none of the other medical personnel seemed very concerned about such formalities either. She did straighten her posture slightly.

A young officer dropped the whistle and stepped back to stand at attention next to two other officers. The first she recognized as Doctor Alan Schreiber, a noted expert in epidemiology and veteran chief medical officer on board many ships. She knew from studying him that he had only been on the Stargazer for two years after transferring from a starbase that, for unreleased reasons, had been closed down rather abruptly. This only added a layer of mystery to her new boss that she found intriguing.

Schreiber tapped his foot and looked at his watch a few times after giving a brief nod to the new officers. Next to Schreiber stood an elegant yet intimidating Andorian officer, who she guessed from Jack's subspace video rants, must be Zev, first officer of the Stargazer. Zev's black eyes quietly and perceptively surveyed the group of ten medical officers for several intense moments, before the young man with the whistle stepped forward again and Zev's antennae shot upward. "Attention," she announced sharply. "Captain on deck!"

Despite her casual approach to officer training, Beverly found herself suddenly standing very straight, so much so that her back and shoulder muscles threatened to cramp up on her. Swift footsteps approached and suddenly he was standing there. Jean-Luc Picard looked different in uniform. She immediately returned to their first meeting several years before, when she had been a physician in training and he had been a brief and enigmatic visitor to a refugee planet she was stationed on. And over the past year, since their awkward reunion at Walker's party, she had only seen him one other time, again wearing civilian clothes. Now he was dressed in the maroon and beige uniform of a command officer. His short, almost buzzed sandy brown hair was not thinning, but perhaps in a few years, it would be. Either way, he was magnetic. It hadn't bothered her before that she found him attractive since they hadn't really seen each other much, and Jack had preoccupied her non-professional thoughts. Now for the first time, she had doubts about requesting this transfer.

Captain Picard stood with his hands behind his back, and somehow in the space of a few seconds seemed to make eye contact with each transferee. His expression though was unreadable and his posture was stiff. He gave the impression of holding himself in complete mental and physical control. Beverly wondered if this was natural, or practiced, but wasn't sure if she wanted to know the real answer. She tried to politely make eye contact, as to acknowledge their acquaintance, but he seemed almost to not recognize her. Her face warmed with embarrassment at his indifference. This was the same man who had asked her out to dinner with a charming, yet nervous smile just a year ago. Now, he was cool and removed. She quickly tossed away her embarrassment. Professional detachment. She was quite familiar with it in her own field of work. Fine. She watched him intently as he turned and walked toward Zev before turning back around to face the group.

"Welcome to the USS Stargazer, I am Jean-Luc Picard. I'll be brief. We are currently on our way into Klingon territory where our activities there will likely be classified. Your professional discretion, as well as your qualifications, which come highly regarded, will be heavily relied upon. There is no such thing as an inconsequential position or role onboard a starship. Each person has something to contribute and each of you will be expected to perform her or his duties in such a way that you exceed the standards set for you. I hope that I am understood." He glanced around at the small crowd but didn't seem to expect or welcome any questions. No one had any. "Chief Medical Officer Schreiber will be your direct supervising officer but should any more serious personnel issues arise, First Officer Zev will be your direct contact. Good day." He gave a brief nod before departing the area as quickly as he had arrived.

"Dismissed," said Zev sharply.

Once Beverly and the rest of the recent transfers arrived in sickbay, the tone changed considerably. In terms of equipment, Beverly had rarely seen a more disorganized sickbay, and aside from one lone nurse, who was checking vitals on a sleeping patient and apparently doing everything else to keep the place running, it was devoid of staff. Doctor Schreiber gathered everyone around him while he sat casually on the edge of a biobed.

"Consider yourselves lucky. That is probably the last time you will need to fully interact with Captain Picard for the remainder of your journey on the Stargazer. I, on the other hand, will be forced to undergo almost daily meetings with him, due to my position as head of medical operations on board this vessel. But enough of my complaints, for now. My only real requirement of you is that you carry out whatever assignment I give you. If you are afraid of honest criticism and occasional shouting, you might want to start seeking another post right now. Any questions?"

Beverly, along with her colleagues, shook her head no. With that kind of introduction, what was there to say?

Schreiber hopped down off of the biobed and rubbed his hands together. "Great! Now...do I have a Doctor Harris and a Doctor Howard here?"

Beverly stepped forward and saw that the blond woman she had nearly had words with back in the docking bay also raised her hand.

"Good! Follow me." Beverly and her co-worker followed behind Schreiber out of main sickbay and through a maze of hallways before reaching a small, cluttered room. Doctor Harris stepped aside with an imperious expression and waved Beverly in as if to say, "be my guest". Beverly nodded amiably and said "thank you", completely aware of the fact that she already did not like this woman.

She slipped into Doctor Schreiber's office, only slightly alarmed by the number of items crammed into such a small space.

"Now...doctors...I have a special assignment for you both."

Beverly perked up, ready for some work to do.

"I need both of you to act, at least for now, as my liaisons with Captain Picard."

Doctor Harris didn't hide the fact that she plainly felt insulted. "Sir, we're doctors. That sounds like secretarial work. "

Beverly sighed. If she was going to be paired with this doctor, she would just need to figure out how to get along with her. She didn't like confrontation, but she had no problem defending herself.

Schreiber looked up at her from his messy desk. "It is. Guess what? That's part of being a physician. Now let's see if you work out. If not, again, the exit is that way..." He pointed dismissively toward his doorway.

Beverly frowned. "What exactly would that entail?"

"What...exiting?"

"No...being a medical liaison."

"Well for starters, your first assignment is to schedule the captain's six-month physical exam."

Beverly was incredulous. "That's it? How hard could that be-"

"You're about to find out, Doctor Howard. But the fact that I had to assign two surgical wizards to accomplish it, doesn't bode well for any of us. To give you an inkling of what you will be dealing with, his six-month exam is already three months overdue."

Doctor Harris looked genuinely dismayed. "You cannot possibly believe that it will take two physicians to accomplish such a mundane-"

"Doctor Harris...you had better get to work before I reconsider your transfer here."

Out of the corner of Beverly's eye, Harris looked like she didn't want to give Schreiber the last word, but after a moment more continuing the staredown, she left without another word.

"Hmmph," said the CMO, returning his attention to something he was reading.

Beverly shifted from one foot to another, painfully aware that she had missed her opportunity for a graceful exit.

Eventually, the man looked up at her standing there. "You're still here," he said slowly, as though working through a math problem.

Beverly nervously cleared her throat. "Uh...yes, Doctor. I wanted to just make sure that I disclose some important information."

Schreiber squinted as if she were far away. "Go on."

"I know Captain Picard," she said quickly.

"So? I hope you don't think that being friends with Captain Picard is somehow going to win you points with me..."

She shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant, Doctor."

"So, what did you mean?"

"I know him, but I'm not his friend," she said quickly. "I mean, well not exactly...he's friends with Jack Crusher, who is-"

"Your boyfriend?" Schreiber interrupted her while lounging back in his chair. Apparently, this was not a revelation for him.

Beverly suddenly felt deflated. "Yes. Anyway, what I meant to say is that maybe I'm not the best person for this liaison job."

"Don't you think I considered all of that before I picked you for this position? I need someone who can at the very least have a civil conversation with the captain."

"Because you can't..."

"No, Captain Picard and I try and interact as infrequently as possible, because when we do...well, you'll see." He eyed her. "Doctor Howard, I sincerely hope that you are not one of those people who just follow your boyfriend around from post to post."

Beverly immediately bristled. "No. Now, wait a minute, Doctor Schreiber...my work-"

Schreiber smiled up at her. "Your work is important to you and speaks for itself? Good. Because your service record so far shows a considerable amount of promise. In fact, I was struck not only by your brilliant presentation at the Daystrom Institute last year but also by your versatility so far. Hell, you are going to go far, but with the right mentor, you could really make a name for yourself."

And is he the right mentor? Did I just make the wrong decision?

"I want to use medicine to help others. I'm not trying to make a name for myself."

Schreiber grinned. "Now if only I had started my career so genuinely humble...who knows where I'd be now?"

Beverly couldn't quite confirm whether he was being completely sarcastic or not. She crossed her arms. "Sir, I am fine with the liaison assignment. Certainly, I will do my best. But I would like some other work to do as soon as possible."

Doctor Schreiber frowned. "Do you know how to properly calibrate a medical tricorder?"

Beverly's mouth dropped open. "Sir, of course, I do. That's just basic training at the Academy."

"Good," he said, smiling craftily. He pointed to a white crate that was sitting on the floor near the doorway. "Calibrate those. Should take you the better part of the day."

Beverly walked over to the box and gripped the sides. It was heavier than she had anticipated. There must be fifty tricorders in here.

"Lift with the legs," Schreiber murmured, having returned his attention to a report he was writing.

Annoyed, Beverly picked up the box and left as quickly as possible.

Zev and T'Pel sat patiently in the captain's cramped ready room. Neither officer was much for small talk, and at best, they were collegial with one another. When Picard arrived, he walked quickly to his chair and sat down. They knew him well enough to recognize that he was agitated and uncharacteristically his forehead was beaded with sweat.

Zev watched him carefully. She would not ask him in front of others, even T'Pel, if he was well. She respected him too much, recognized that he hated to display weakness.

He finally looked up his two most trusted officers. "Shall we?" He pressed the small viewscreen and turned it so that they all could see.

The floating emblem of the United Federation of Planets remained on the screen for a few moments before it disappeared to reveal a flag officer.

"Admiral Yoshida," said Picard with a somewhat forced smile. "What can we do for you, sir?"

"Captain, what I'm about to tell you is highly sensitive. Can these officers be trusted?"

T'Pel showed no emotion, of course, but Zev's left antenna twitched with irritation.

"Yes. Of course," said Picard, sounding rather annoyed himself. Every Starfleet Officer took an oath to uphold Federation principles, and certainly he trusted both of these women unquestionably.

"You're aware of the recent attack on Khitomer..."

"Yes sir."

"Four thousand dead Klingons, and it appears the Romulans are to blame. Of course we haven't had direct contact with the Romulans in over fifty years, but the same is not true for the Klingons. They remain mortal enemies, but this brutal attack on civilians has reignited what was once a cold war between the two societies."

"I see."

"Captain, this is coming at a time when tensions between the Federation and Klingon Empire are becoming problematic again. You and your crew are expected to reverse that situation as quickly as possible and get us back to the status quo."

"My understanding is that we sent aid immediately sir..."

"It didn't matter. Only two survivors were located on Khitomer; a woman and a young Klingon boy." Yoshida's expression was grave. "I just wanted to make sure you understood the context, Captain. Any wrong moves now could start a war in the Alpha quadrant not seen in decades."

Picard fixed his expression carefully, although he wanted to shout to his superior to get to the point.

"Are any of you aware familiar with the history of the Federation-Klingon War?"

Picard glanced around. "Somewhat sir...but it was eighty years ago after all."

"Then you know that the Klingons made substantial gains in territory... territory that the Federation effectively abandoned in

favor of a lasting peace."

Yoshida paused. "Now that decision is coming back to bite us...hard. When we abandoned our territory, we left some colonists behind. Over the past few decades those colonists have been making trouble for the Empire."

Zev was skeptical. "A few colonies would be no match for the mighty Klingon Empire...so that must mean we're being dispatched to bail these people out."

"No Commander. The colonists want to join the Klingon Empire. And. you're going to ensure that they succeed."

Beverly had been roaming the corridors on deck five for what seemed like hours. The ship's strange layout and dark, repetitive interior turned an at first pleasant stroll into a confusing expedition. She needed a snack and a shower. She also needed to talk with Jack about everything she'd experienced so far on board the ship. Jack would be honest with her, would reassure her, and make her laugh.

Finally though, she found the officers' quarters. She read the data pad out loud to herself. "Section B, room 514." She smiled with self satisfied triumph as she reached Jack's door. He was on duty still, but had given her the security code.

Her smile faded as she noted who was striding down the hall toward her.

Damn.

Head down and fully immersed in something he was reading, Captain Picard didn't seem to notice her as he approached.

To her surprise, he glanced up as he walked by her. As with their meeting earlier in the day, his expression was unreadable. "Doctor," he said by way of greeting.

"Hi...I mean hello sir... Captain."

He stopped at his door and quickly punched in his entry code. Then he offered her a short professional nod before slipping inside.