Chapter XI
The single planet system of the Wadi had been arranged earlier by Sisko as the rendezvous point for the fleet in the event of the fleet's defeat. The leaders of the small planet were cautiously welcoming, glad to help, but ever cautious of the Jem'Hadar and the wrath of the Dominion.
Resources and parts now became major issues for the fleet commanders. Many of the ships damaged at the battle for Earth had been patched up hastily by the repair crews of DS9. Now that they had seen action once again, it became clear that many of the worst damaged ships were either going to be hard to repair, or only worth cannibalising for parts.
What was worst was the demoralising effect that the defeat at DS9 had had on the fleet. Talk abounded of the invulnerability of the Aralla war machine. The only man in the fleet who seemed to have avoided the depression and anxiety that had gripped the fleet was Picard.
Sisko sat in his quarters aboard the Defiant, staring at the wall, when the doorknocker bleeped. 'Come in,' he said, his voice listless.
Picard stepped through the door. 'At ease,' he said, when Sisko began to stand. Sisko settled gratefully onto the chair again. Picard regarded the younger man for a moment. 'We need to decide what we're going to do, Ben,' he said eventually.
'Do?' asked Sisko, not looking up. He gave a snort of derision. 'Die pointlessly, it appears.'
'I need your co-operation on this, Captain,' said Picard quietly. 'I'm sorry about your son, and DS9, but we need to –'
'It seems, Admiral,' said Sisko, 'that every time I get involved with you I lose something dear to me.'
Picard ignored the insult. 'Captain Sisko, I appreciate your loss, but I –'
'Do you?'
'Yes, damn it!' shouted Picard, his temper getting the better of him for a moment. 'We've all lost something, Sisko! Many more people in this fleet have lost their families! Look at your own crew; at Miles O'Brien! He's lost his family in a single moment! Now I don't know what it's like to lose a son, or a wife, but I do know that, at this moment, we are in severe danger. I need someone with me who is going to be able to take the pressure and help me save the Alpha Quadrant.'
Sisko recoiled from the force of Picard's anger. Picard did not – quite – mellow, but he did relax slightly from his angry posture. 'Are you able to get yourself through this now?' he asked. 'If you're not, I'll have to find someone else to become my second in command.'
Sisko looked straight at Picard for the first time. 'I apologise for my conduct, Admiral. It won't happen again.'
Picard studied him for a moment, and then nodded, mollified. 'Good. I wish to appoint you as my immediate deputy. You are to take command of the fleet in my absence.'
Sisko nodded. 'Understood.'
'Excellent,' replied Picard. 'All fleet commanders have been informed. You have complete discretion to choose whomever you want to positions below you. We need to re-establish the command structure.'
'Very well,' said Sisko. 'Are we keeping to strict racial lines?'
'With regard to putting Klingons in charge of Romulans and so forth?' asked Picard. When Sisko nodded an affirmative, a strange gleam entered Picard's eye. 'For the moment, yes.'
'For the moment?' Picard smiled.
'Nothing you need to worry about.'
Sisko gave Picard a sceptical look, but said nothing further. Picard sat down, rubbing his forehead in a gesture of contemplation. 'We've lost a lot of valuable and experienced personnel in this war. I need to start replacing them. I've already begun on the Enterprise herself, but this needs to go fleet-wide.'
'Agreed,' said Sisko, sitting down opposite Picard. 'I'll have to liase with the other fleet commanders regarding any officers due for promotion.'
Picard nodded. 'Right. However, I want you to concentrate exclusively on the non-Starfleet sections of the fleet. I'll handle those promotions within the Starfleet structure.'
Sisko did not quite understand the order, but said nothing again. Picard stood, his expression changing back to that he had worn since his nervous breakdown. 'I have to get back to the Enterprise.' He turned, and then glanced back. 'The question of resources needs resolving first, Ben,' he said.
Sisko nodded. 'That's my first priority. I've already –'
'Red alert! Red alert! This is not a drill!' Dax's voice blared from the intercom. Picard hit his commbadge.
'This is Admiral Picard! Report!'
'Sir, we've got trouble!'
A few minutes earlier, a Romulan Warbird and a Cardassian Galor-class warship patrolled the area around the fleet. A light began to flash in the tactical section of the Warbird's bridge. Subcommander Levok turned to his first officer and said, 'What's the problem?'
'We have a static jamming beam affecting our communications, Subcommander.'
'Can you clear it?'
'It appears to be directed from a point two hundred thousand kilometres off our port stern.'
Levok turned and faced the helmswoman and said, 'Delar, signal the Geral. Ask them to-'
'Subcommander,' called Levok. 'We have thirty ships decloaking off the port stern and another eighty on our starboard flank!' He gasped. 'They're Jem'Hadar warships!'
The screen displayed the Jem'Hadar fleet decloaking and turning to face the two starships. Levok turned to Delar quickly and said, 'Battle stations! Raise shields! Signal Gul Reyal and tell him to get back to the Wadi planet and warn the fleet! We'll hold them here.'
The Warbird powered up its weapons and opened fire on the Jem'Hadar as the Geral headed towards the planet, broadcasting a desperate distress signal. The Founder watched dispassionately as the Jem'Hadar fleet returned fire on the Alliance ships. Omer'Igal rushed to him. 'Founder, we are picking up a signal from the planet. The fleet is responding as best it can, but many of the ships are stationed around the planet. We are reading more than a thousand ships of different designs. Most are powered down or unmanned, but they still have a sizeable force to fight.'
'We will attack now, and eliminate this presence quickly. Disable this ship before us.'
The bright blue blasts of energy from the Jem'Hadar warships crashed into the Warbird, knocking out its engines and weapons, leaving it helpless. The Jem'Hadar fleet sped past it and advanced on the Wadi planet.
'The G'gerithau has been crippled, sir,' reported Dax hurriedly over the intercom. 'The Geral is retreating at maximum impulse, but the Jem'Hadar are closing fast.'
Picard nodded and turned to Sisko. 'I'm going to take command of the fleet from here,' he said. 'There's no time to get to the Enterprise.' Sisko nodded in agreement, and the two men left the room.
The Enterprise was at the forefront of the rising wave of defenders, scrambling to intercept the comparatively tiny Jem'Hadar fleet that had attacked the Wadi planet.
Riker glanced up as Worf announced, 'Admiral Picard is directing the battle from the USS Defiant.'
Riker looked at the screen to see the Defiant charge madly forward, firing viciously at the Jem'Hadar formations. 'Yeah, looks like it,' he quipped.
Thames stood up from Ops when Data emerged onto the bridge, but the android waved her down and took the first officer's position beside Riker. A Jem'Hadar energy beam struck the shields as the android sat down. 'Mr. Worf, I know you want to,' said Riker. 'Fire at will.'
'Aye, sir,' said Worf with a vicious grin.
The Enterprise hit the forward lines of the Jem'Hadar fleet firing madly. Not far behind it, the rest of the fleet crashed into the Jem'Hadar with all the ferocity of defeated warriors that were out for blood. For once, the Jem'Hadar were suddenly hard-pressed to keep them back.
The Defiant tore through the lines, phasers and quantum torpedoes exacting fiery revenge for the Aralla victory on the Jem'Hadar who had chosen the wrong moment to attack. A full fighter squadron exploded into flaming radiance under the attack, and the Defiant turned and burned, pursued by enemy fighters.
'Evasive pattern theta twelve and fire full phasers!' shouted Picard. Dax carried out the complex manoeuvre, throwing the Defiant into a complex roll that the Jem'Hadar were not quite able to follow, bringing her around, and unleashing a phaser barrage on the erstwhile hunters. Accelerating through the molten debris, the Defiant roared to strike at a much larger Jem'Hadar battleship.
Miles O'Brien did his duty with a calm detachment. He had not felt much of anything since the destruction of DS9. He watched emotionlessly as the phasers of his ship punched a hole in the armour of the battleship before them, before the Defiant pulled away, avoiding what beams of energy traced through their path.
It seemed as though the Defiant, a ship he had felt connected to since the day of its arrival, knew somehow that he was unhappy and distressed, and was trying her best to please him with her aerobatics. O'Brien sadly reached out and touched the console, saying quietly, 'There's no need to worry –'
At that moment, a phaser beam from a nearby Jem'Hadar attack cruiser cut through the shields of the starship. Striking the hull, it destroyed part of the power network to the bridge, and exploded a significant part of the grid. Electrical power coursed uncontrolled through the port side of the bridge, and consoles exploded under the strain.
O'Brien caught the explosion of his console full in the face.
Without time to scream or shout, he crashed to the floor, only dimly aware of the pain and shock that coursed through him. He felt someone standing next to him, and looked up through eyes filled with pain at Julian Bashir's concerned face.
He seemed to be saying something, but O'Brien couldn't hear him. He could only gaze into the lengthening shadows. With a sense of blessed relief and releasing the pain that had followed him from Deep Space Nine, he gave himself to them.
Picard could only watch, saddened, as Bashir bowed his head over Miles O'Brien's body. The Defiant had shuddered to a halt under the last barrage – right in the centre of the Jem'Hadar fleet.
He had genuinely liked O'Brien. He had been a fine officer, and a good engineer. His only comfort was that he was fairly certain that the rest of the Defiant's crew would not be far behind the Chief.
He turned and looked at Dax. 'Have we any engine power?'
'No, sir,' she said, fear flickering in her eyes.
Picard nodded, intending to become completely calm in the face of imminent death. 'Power to weapons?'
'Phasers at half-charge, three quantum torpedoes.'
Picard could not help but raise an eyebrow. 'Only three?'
'We've gone through two big battles, sir, without any supplies,' replied Dax almost reprovingly.
Picard nodded, understanding. A shudder ran through the Defiant. 'All crew to prepare to repel boarders,' he ordered, suddenly seeing a large Jem'Hadar cruiser making its way leisurely towards them.
Abruptly, the Defiant jerked hard to port, and Picard nearly lost his footing. He directed a puzzled glance at Sisko, who shrugged, eyes wide. A moment later, it all became clear.
The Enterprise roared by overhead, snatching the Defiant in a tractor beam and bringing it close to the far larger hull of the Sovereign-class starship. A salvo of torpedoes and phaser blasts roared from the Enterprise a moment later, pounding the Jem'Hadar cruiser now turning away in ponderous panic. The starship allowed her no respite, and hammered her mercilessly. Finally, she could take the pounding no longer. Her engines failed, followed by her power systems, until she became a floating dead hulk.
The Enterprise pulled up and away from the dead vessel, taking the Defiant with her. The Defiant's screen came on, and revealed Riker's smiling face. Picard smiled back at him. 'Thank you, Number One. We were about to rescue ourselves.'
Dax glanced back at Picard, mock outrage on her face. Picard glanced at her, and then back at Riker again. 'Prepare to beam me aboard,' he said.
'Will do. Enterprise out.'
Riker looked at Data, amusement in his face. 'About to rescue themselves, he says.'
Data shrugged. Worf glanced down. 'Captain, the bridge shields are overloading. I suggest that we retreat back to the main fleet.'
'I quite agree, Mr. Worf,' said Riker. He turned to Ensign Truper, and stepped towards him. 'Set course –'
The bridge ceiling exploded down on top of him. Caught in the exact centre of the blast, he was scorched and electrocuted at the same time.
As Riker crashed to the deck, and above the howling that signalled a hull breach for a brief moment before emergency forcefields cut in, Data leapt to his feet and shouted, 'Set course 447 mark 219! Maximum impulse! Bridge to sickbay! We need an emergency team up here now!'
Data knelt by Riker's side, but suddenly realised that it was too late for him. Sightless eyes gazed up at the ceiling with a finality that made the android shudder. He closed them gently and stood again.
Picard stepped into the transporter room of the Defiant and glanced at the transporter chief. 'Beam me over to the Enterprise.'
'Yes, Admiral,' the chief said.
Picard's commbadge bleeped. 'Picard here,' he answered, tapping it.
'Admiral, this is Data,' said the android's voice hesitantly.
Picard frowned, certain that he had heard sadness in the android's tone. 'What's the matter, Data?'
'Sir, I regret to inform you –' He broke off, and Picard could hear him taking a deep breath. 'Sir, Captain Riker has been killed in action.'
Picard almost staggered under the impact of the shock. 'I'm coming aboard,' he managed to get out. 'Picard out.'
'Are you all right, sir?' asked the transporter chief, her face concerned.
Picard took a deep breath and steadied himself, forcing, as with all the other bad news that afflicted the fleet, the terrible tragedy to the back of his mind. Another layer of steel reinforced the barrier around his heart. Another casualty from his list of close friends and shipmates added to his resolve to destroy the Aralla.
They would pay.
Eventually, the Enterprise crashed through the forward lines of the Jem'Hadar fleet, heading back towards the Wadi planet. Behind her, the fleet began to make their superior numbers count at last. Romulan Warbirds and Jem'Hadar battleships went head to head. The last surviving Tamarian vessel destroyed three Jem'Hadar attack cruisers in a violent riot of fire and phaser energy.
Klingon vessels ripped the Jem'Hadar formations apart, followed by vicious attacks from Cardassian and Ferengi vessels, the latter ships seeming to have regained their fighting spirit.
All across the battlefield, the Jem'Hadar were pushed steadily further and further back.
Omer'Igal watched the slaughter of his men with rising anger. He turned to the Founder. 'Founder, we must stop this now! We cannot win!'
The Founder did not look at him. 'It is the role of the Jem'Hadar to fight and die for the Dominion. We will continue the attack.'
Omer'Igal could not stand it any longer. He pressed the comm button. 'This is Omer'Igal. Rallek'rehn malk'ar!'
The Vorta stood nearby turned a cruel gaze on him. 'You will pay for this, Omer'Igal. You will die slowly and painfully. You have betrayed the Dominion.'
Omer'Igal shook his head and smiled. 'No,' he said quietly. 'You have betrayed the Dominion. The Founders and the Vorta have betrayed us all!'
The Founder did not respond, so the Vorta did instead. 'You are the traitor, Omer'Igal –'
The First raised his weapon and vaporised the obsequious Vorta. Turning his weapon on the Founder, he said, 'Your rule is over, shapeshifter.'
The Founder turned and laughed at him mirthlessly. 'Once the others realise what you have done, they will kill you.'
'No, they will not,' replied Omer'Igal. He pressed another button, and the door to the chamber slid open, and three Jem'Hadar rushed in, weapons raised. The changeling turned to them.
'Arrest Omer'Igal and –'
The leader of the trio turned to Omer'Igal. 'First, shall we kill the changeling?'
Omer'Igal shook his head and turned back to the Founder, whose look of superiority began to crumble at last. 'We shall keep it.'
The Founder abruptly moved, and changed –
He could not change. Omer'Igal smiled this time, and said, 'While we were on Cardassia, we found the plans drawn up by the Obsidian Order for a machine that could inhibit the shapeshifting abilities of a changeling such as yourself. I have ordered fleet-wide activation of this device.'
The Founder suddenly grasped what was happening. 'You have betrayed us all –'
'No. I have saved the Jem'Hadar from your race and the Vorta. Across the Dominion, legions of Jem'Hadar troops are taking over their ships from their Vorta or changeling commanders. As you can see, I have taken command of this fleet.' Omer'Igal handed an eyepiece to the changeling, who donned it as if hypnotised.
All around them, the fleet had begun to turn around and flee from the victorious Alpha Quadrant defenders. The changeling turned and faced Omer'Igal. 'What will you do now?'
'First, we will head towards the Vorta homeworld, and eradicate them. Then, we will go to your homeworld and destroy the Great Link.'
'No!' The changeling grabbed Omer'Igal's arm. 'You cannot!'
'You and your kind have enslaved the Jem'Hadar for too long!' Omer'Igal detached the changeling none too gently, and cast him towards the other Jem'Hadar. 'Take him below! Make sure he survives to witness the destruction of his world.'
The Jem'Hadar pulled the Changeling from the room, and as they did so, the changeling's mask of superiority was destroyed at last. 'NO!' he screamed frenziedly. 'We will do anything! Spare us!'
Omer'Igal put on the eyepiece and turned away to look out at the fleet once again. His fleet.
'The Jem'Hadar are withdrawing, sir!' shouted Worf joyfully.
There was a burst of spontaneous cheering as the Dominion ships retreated and escaped to warp speed. Picard turned to Worf. 'Signal all ships to stand down from battle stations and resume patrol stations. Add a further message to all ships: well done.'
Worf nodded. 'Understood.'
Picard turned and looked at the first officer's seat, and then up at Data who had a distraught expression. 'Captain Data, I wish to reassign you as captain of the Enterprise.'
Data nodded slowly. 'An honour, Admiral. I am glad to serve.'
'We cannibalise every ship we can find.'
'Every ship?' asked Picard, eyebrow raised in surprise. Sisko nodded, his face animated for the first time since the destruction of DS9. He had turned to Picard on the bridge of the Defiant and made his surprising statement.
'There are a lot of damaged ships out there that have salvageable parts. Many of the Jem'Hadar ships did not succumb to warp core breaches, and they have recoverable energy sources. Strictly speaking, all we need is the power to install and run Starfleet replicators across the fleet.'
'Across the fleet?' Picard made an appreciative sound.
'Yes. It is the easiest way. If we give everybody access to the same technology, then it may help to ease tensions as well. Is that a problem?'
Picard smiled. 'Absolutely not. I will leave it in your capable hands.' He turned and left the bridge, leaving Sisko with the distinct feeling that Picard had got exactly what he had wanted from the conversation.
Two days later, the call Picard had been expecting came through. He was in his ready room when it happened. 'Worf to Picard.'
'Picard here.'
'Admiral, you have an incoming call from Captain Sisko.'
'Put it through.' Picard swivelled the viewer around, and Sisko's face appeared a moment later. 'What can I do for you, Captain?'
'I've had a message from the Wadi leaders. They want us to leave.'
Picard nodded. He had been expecting it since the Jem'Hadar attack. 'They are worried the Dominion may attack again?'
'Yes,' replied Sisko. 'I said that I would consult with you first.'
'Yes. Tell them that we will depart at 0730 hours tomorrow.'
Sisko paused. 'I would have thought that we would stay.'
'We can't protect these people from the Aralla, Captain,' said Picard. 'If they do come after us, they will not show the Wadi any mercy if we are here. Their only chance is if we leave them. Then, there is a possibility that the Aralla may ignore them in favour of coming after us.'
Sisko looked unhappy. 'I understand, but I believe that the Wadi will be better off if we remain. They are more afraid of the Dominion than of the Aralla.'
'They have not yet faced the Aralla,' said Picard.
'That may be so but –'
'My decision is made, Captain,' said Picard. 'We will depart at 0730 hours tomorrow. Please inform the Wadi.'
'Aye, sir,' said Sisko. 'Sisko out.'
Picard stood and looked out of his ready room window at the blue planet below him. 'I hope I'm right.'
The fleet began to assemble further away from the planet. A simultaneous jump to warp speed by such a large number of ships was quite an immense logistics operation. The Enterprise and the Defiant, the two established command ships of the fleet, had already assumed their places at the forefront of the formation, and were simply awaiting the order to go.
Sisko turned as Odo walked onto the bridge and stood before him. 'What can I do for you, Constable?'
'Captain, I have begun to feel redundant here,' said Odo without preamble. 'Deep Space Nine was my only home, and ever since its destruction, I have felt lonely and useless.'
'I understand your feelings, Odo,' said Sisko. 'But what can I do?'
'Allow me to go off and find the Founders. It is possible that now we have demonstrated our ability to defeat the Jem'Hadar, they may decide to side with us against the Aralla.'
Sisko looked straight into Odo's eyes, and saw only determined resolve. He nodded. 'Then I relieve you of your duties as chief of security.'
'Thank you, Captain. I also request permission to take the USS Missouri on extended loan.'
Sisko nodded. 'Well chosen.' The Missouri was one of three runabouts stationed on DS9 at the time of its destruction. As such, it was under Sisko's direct command and his authority to release it. 'Consider it done. She's on the Enterprise.'
Odo nodded once to him and turned and left the bridge.
Odo did not head straight to the Enterprise first. Instead, he went to Kira's quarters.
'Come in,' she said as the doorknocker bleeped. Odo walked in. She smiled and started to stand up, but Odo shook his head.
'I'm not staying. I just wanted to say goodbye.'
'Goodbye?' Kira frowned. 'Where are you going?'
'To find the Founders.'
A flare of worry rose up inside Kira. 'The Founders? Why?'
'We might be able to bring them into the war on our side.'
Kira stood and looked at him. 'Are you sure you want to do this?'
Odo gazed at her, thinking of so many things that he wanted to tell her at this moment, but could only think of one. 'It's what would be best.'
Kira nodded sadly, and then, unexpectedly, leaned up and kissed him gently. Odo smiled at her, and turned and left, leaving her to watch him go.
'The distance factor is quite severe, Admiral,' complained Data to Picard as they walked down a corridor on the Enterprise. 'It could take years to get to Borg space.'
'This is very true, but I cannot see another option open to me.' They turned a corner and stepped into a turbolift. 'Bridge,' said Picard. He looked at Data again. 'We are in a better position than most might have thought. We are only two or three months travel from the Delta Quadrant border. All we need to do is find one Borg Cube. If we do that, they can take us directly to the Borg Unicomplex.'
Data nodded. 'Are you sure this is the wisest option to take?'
Picard smiled. 'Sure? Not really. However, it may be the only option we have left if we are to defeat the Aralla.'
Data nodded. 'Halt turbolift.' The turbolift stopped, and Picard looked at Data, surprised. 'Admiral, since Captain Riker's death, I have begun to have grave doubts about remaining within Starfleet, and indeed, the fleet as a whole. I have no particular arguments with you or your leadership, but my doubts are affecting my performance as an officer aboard the Enterprise. I wish to request a leave of absence.'
'In the middle of a war?'
'That is by the by. Will you grant me it?'
Picard considered for a moment, and then shook his head. 'No. I can't lose such a valuable officer at such a critical time.'
Data nodded, and then removed the pips on his collar and his badge from his chest. 'I thought you might say that.'
Picard looked at him incredulously. 'What are you doing?'
'I'm taking the only course open to me, Admiral. I resign.' With that, Data handed Picard the pips and his badge. 'Shuttlebay.' The turbolift sped up slightly for a moment, and then braked smoothly and the doors opened.
Data stepped out and headed away from Picard, who stared disconsolately at the pips and badge in his hand as the doors closed again.
As Data stepped through the hangar bay doors, he could hear the sound of a runabout being prepped for launch. He could see the USS Missouri beginning to hover, prepared for launch.
As it did so, it turned, and Data could see Odo in the cockpit. He waved to get the changeling's attention, and a moment later, the side entry hatch popped open. Odo stuck his head out. 'Captain Data! What can I do for you?'
Data stepped up beside the Missouri. 'I am captain no longer,' he said. 'I resigned my commission.'
'Why?'
Data paused, unable to make a satisfactory answer. 'Allow me to think about that,' he said.
Odo nodded. 'Do you wish to come aboard?'
'Where are you going?'
'To find the Founders.' Data nodded slowly.
'Then I would be honoured if you would allow me to join you.'
'Come aboard,' said Odo, withdrawing into the runabout. Data followed him and closed the hatch behind him.
Picard watched on his ready room viewer as the Missouri launched from the shuttlebay, and turned towards deep space, on a course opposite that which the Enterprise and the fleet would be taking. It shot abruptly into warp speed, and Picard felt another link with the past break again.
The deaths of Riker, Troi and Beverly, coupled with the loss of Data, had left a deep hole in the Enterprise's once close command structure. He was now attempting to fill it.
He turned and faced Worf again, sat on the opposite side of the desk. 'You know that Data has left the fleet?'
Worf nodded solemnly. 'Yes, sir. It was not a decision I thought he would make.'
'I didn't think so either,' said Picard regretfully. 'However, his departure and Will's death has left a gap in the command structure aboard the Enterprise. I want you to fill it.'
'Me, sir?' said Worf, surprised. Picard nodded.
'I want to promote you to full Commander, and ask you to become my first officer.'
Worf's pleased smile was too much for the Klingon to hide. He settled for a sort of contorted grimace. 'Thank you, sir. I will do my best.' He stood, and said, 'If that is all, I would like to prepare for my duties.'
'By all means,' said Picard, smiling himself. As Worf was about to step through the door, Picard could not resist. 'And, Mr. Worf?'
The Klingon turned. 'Sir?'
Picard smiled again. 'May God have mercy on your soul.'
This time, Worf could not help it. He laughed, a sincere bass rumble that Picard had thought he would not hear again. 'Thank you, sir,' he said again, and left the room.
Picard smiled as he went back to looking at the stars.
The door bleeped, and Picard knew who it was a second before he said, 'Come.'
Lieutenant Thames walked in. 'You wished to see me, Admiral?'
Picard paused for a moment, getting his thoughts under control, before turning to face her. He observed her coolly a moment before speaking. She was tall and slim, with raven-black hair cascading to her shoulders around a delicately pale face, and large brown eyes, and Picard nearly found himself forgetting what was happening. 'Er… ahem, yes, Lieutenant. Will you sit down?'
She sat down gracefully, making no sign that she had noticed his loss of composure. He sat down opposite her, and tried to keep his eyes on the desk. 'In recognition of your service record aboard the Enterprise, especially your conduct during this war, I hereby promote you to Lieutenant Commander.' The words, unintentionally, came out in a rush.
A delighted smile broke across her face, making Picard's heart miss a beat. She leaned slightly forward. 'Thank you, sir,' she said, 'you won't regret it.'
Picard froze for a second, wondering what she meant by that. He eventually tried a tentative, 'I certainly hope not, Lieutenant Commander.'
Thames was fighting to hide a raging blush as she realised what had just slipped out. She was also fighting an urge to laugh at the ridiculous expression on Picard's face, who looked as mortified as she felt.
She had noticed him watching her before they had sat down. She was aware that her presence tended to make him uncomfortable, but she was also aware that he was the Grand Admiral of Starfleet, supreme commander of the largest multi-species fleet that had ever existed and one of the greatest men ever.
She loved him. She had to admit it to herself at last. She felt empty when he was not near, and complete when he was. She knew that he would survive the war for her, because if he died, she would as well. And she had every intention of keeping him alive.
She would not try to force him into anything. If he wanted to not get involved for whatever reason, she would respect that. She had no intention of tarnishing his memory of Doctor Crusher.
But first, they had a war to win. And she would be by his side.
Picard knew that this woman was more insightful and intelligent than he had been at her age. He knew he had a real find in his crew in her, and he respected her for that. However, there was something else.
He had checked certain computer records after he recovered from his breakdown. To this moment, he was not sure why, but he had done so – and found that Thames had made several enquiries about his location during the period for which he was unconscious. Indeed, she was the only member of the fleet outside the upper command structure to have made any such enquiry.
On its own, this would not have been surprising, but she had also accessed his service record and his personal file. He could not think of a single good reason –
All right, so he could. However, he did not want to contemplate that. Not in the middle of a war. He also harboured a suspicion that if he did decide to question her, it would provide some uncomfortable answers, and also questions about himself. He decided to leave well alone.
'In addition to your increased rank, Lieutenant Commander,' Picard found himself saying, 'you will take over as Chief of Operations.'
'Understood,' said Thames, a smile still on her face.
'If that is all,' said Picard, 'we are departing.'
Picard stood on his bridge, staring into unfamiliar space. Before him was his new crew; old mixed with new, substantially different to the one he left Farpoint Station with – was it ten years ago? Thames at Ops instead of Data; Ensign Truper at helm instead of Wesley Crusher; Hedly at tactical in place of both Tasha and Worf. Perhaps fittingly, there were no replacements for Deanna and Beverly's absences.
But some things did not change. Worf's reassuring presence had returned to the Enterprise to replace Riker and Data. Geordi of all had not changed. He was still Chief Engineer of the starship, and Picard felt a slight twinge of guilt about not rewarding his friend's quiet and undemonstrative hard work. To Geordi's credit, he had made no noise, and simply worked harder for his friends.
The engineer had come to the bridge for the first time since the battle for Deep Space Nine in order to watch the fleet's departure for the Delta Quadrant- and their rendezvous with the Borg.
Finally, Picard decided it was time to make a move. 'All stations report.'
'Helm ready, aye,' said Truper.
'Engineering ready, aye,' said Geordi.
'Ops ready, aye,' said Thames. She glanced back at Picard and smiled slightly. Picard could not help but return the smile.
'Tactical ready, aye,' said Hedly. Worf looked surprised for a moment to not hear the words coming from his mouth. He glanced down at the panel on Commander Riker's – on his chair.
'All ships report ready. The fleet is at your command.'
Sisko glanced one last time around the bridge. Dax at helm, Kira at weapons, Bashir stood by his chair. Sisko was not happy; but he was satisfied.
He had just reported to the Enterprise that the Defiant was ready for departure.
He had just lost his first command. He had lost his son and his lover. All he to look forward to was the future and his work for the fleet.
All he could hope for was that the future was better than the past had been.
'Ready to go?' said Jadzia , her face slightly melancholy.
'Sad?' asked Bashir, facetiously. She smiled at him.
'Not quite. It's just –' Dax sighed. 'We've lost such a lot. Can we make it through?'
Sisko smiled lightly. 'You're right. We have lost a lot. But we have gained something. For us, the future is clean and new. We have the chance to reach out. Reaching beyond the final frontier. Reaching towards the future, so that, when we return, we can renew the past. Save what we know. Build from the ashes of what we knew before, creating something new and brave in the light of the new dawning day.'
The others all looked at him with something akin to awe, amazed by his outburst of poetry and vision. Sisko himself looked slightly pleased with himself. 'Stations.'
'All ships, prepare for jump to warp speed on my mark.' Worf's voice resounded through every ship in the fleet. He prepared them for a first move out of what they knew before – and the first tentative step back into their homes and familiar places.
'Mark!'
The fleet began to move forward, a giant conglomeration of ships arranged in a formation which eclipsed the stars from view. Leaving the Wadi far behind, they launched themselves forward in a wave that accelerated to light – and beyond.