About a half an hour later, all the senior officers, plus one, were seated in the observation lounge. Katarina sat several chairs away from the others. Almost immediately, Captain Picard picked up on it. "Katarina," he said gently, "why are you sitting down there. There are plenty of other chairs, and most of them closer to the rest of us."
"This is my normal seat," she replied, alarm returning to her blue eyes. Noticing the confusion of the adults, she added. "My brother Tommy and I were sometimes allowed to sit in during meetings. Chris was to little. During those meetings, I sat here."
"I understand that, Katarina, but you are a very important part of this meeting." Jean Luc explained. "Therefore, I think you should sit closer. Why don't you take the seat beside the Counselor?"
Katarina slowly moved to sit next to Deanna, staring around the room like a nervous rabbit in a lions' cage. "Thank you Uncle - I mean Captain Picard." The others at the table exchanged amused glances as she continued. "But, I would prefer you called me Kat or Kitty. If that is all right?" she added quickly.
Captain Picard smiled. "I think that is perfectly all right, Kat. Now," he cleared his throat, "let's get down to business. Mr. Data has been checking your ship's logs and believes he has come up with an explanation of your being here and how the temporal rift was created."
Everyone's eyes shifted to look at Data. Everyone that is, except Deanna. She was gently probing Kitty's mind to get a better understanding. It came very naturally to her. Unbidden, thoughts of the pain-filled past came roaring back. Thankfully, she was able to keep control of facial expressions if not her emotions themselves. She hoped that know one had seen her wince, even so slightly. She carefully glanced around, but everyone was paying attention to Data. Apparently, he had said what was very important. What had he been saying? She forced herself to listen, even though her mind was still on the girl sitting next to her.
". . . When the quantum torpedo that the Enterprise in that time line/alternate universe mixed with their version of the Borg weaponry, an advanced weapon powered by nuclear fission called 'the Sun Destroyer', it created a temporal distortion which caused a rift to open in the Time/Space Continuum. Katarina's ship, the SS Imzadi, was then pulled into the rift and deposited not far from here at the coordinates 508 X 43 -"
"Thank you, Mr. Data, but we are quite aware of the coordinates." Picard interrupted him, abruptly. He looked around, his eyes met the eyes of each of his officers. Finally, they landed on their visitor. "Miss Katar . . . Kat, do you have anything to add?"
At first, she seemed surprised that he was even addressing her, then the shyness she never wanted anyone to see set in. She cleared her throat once before talking. "What he said seems about right." Her face clouded briefly, but then cleared as she continued. "Betazed was destroyed first and then the Enterprise. I guess you could say I am lucky because I was able to escape, even if it was to another time line." She lowered her eyes, so not to see them, the shadows of those she loved. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open as a horrible thought entered her mind.
They stared at her, expecting her to say something else, but when she stayed silent, her eyes haunted, Picard, along with his officers knew something was wrong. He was the only one to speak, however. "Is there a problem?"
Her eyes took in the entire room's hearts. Her gaze was frantic, her breath uneven. Her voice was soft, so soft in fact, that they could hardly hear her. "What is the date?"
Picard was startled by the question he wasn't expecting. Funny how little questions can be such big deals. "I beg your pardon?"
"The date, sir. I need to know today's date." The pupil-less blue eyes were huge, taking up most of her face. And within them, fear. A terrible fear that none of the officers had ever seen before.
It was Geordi who answered, his own metallic eyes looking back at her, but not in the same way. "Stardate 860057.9" Up until now, the Chief Engineer had been a silent observer.
"Stardate 860057.9," she repeated after him, a voice echoing, sounding like she was choked with the dirt of a grave. Kat appeared to ponder it over and over, her mind in a whirl. Finally, she said in that soft tone again, "No. That . . . that can't be. That was yesterday's date. The was the day the Borg . . . " Her voice tailed off and it seemed as if one of those old fashion light bulbs had appeared over her head. Staring at Deanna, she continued. "It's different here. Time is different. The Borg . . . the Borg are on their way to . . . to Betazed. We have to stop them." The last part of her quick spoken tirade was directed at Picard. She looked at him, her eyes now flashing with revenge. "Sir, the difference is only a day, but it is enough time to gather more ships and protect Betazed, as well as the Federation."
Picard nodded his head at the young girl, then turned to his android Conn officer. "Mr. Data, how long until we reach Betazed?"
"ETA is 14 hours, 36 minutes, 13 secon . . . "
"Thank you Data." But it was Beverly who cut him off. The doctor was seated next on Picard's right, and as she turned toward him she spoke. "Captain, we don't even know if the Borg are out there. We have had no reports on any disturbances. Betazed may be perfectly safe, yet we are willing to go in there fully armed for battle? What will Starfleet think if what she says is wrong?"
The room went dead silent, and Katarina shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Deanna stared at the doctor as if a trusted ally had just turned against her. Picard, noticing the tension, quickly spoke up. "I appreciate you concern doctor, however I feel it necessary to call for reinforcements. Mr. Data, I want you to contact any ships in the sector. We will hold position here and wait. Tell them they have 14 hours to prepare for a possible battle with the Borg."
"Actually, sir, they have 14 hours, 27 minutes, and 47 sec..."
Thank you Mr. Data." Picard shot a glance at Beverly. "That will be all." The android nodded his head. Picard the spoke up again, "You are dismissed."
After all but one of the officers had left the conference room, Katarina stood up and walked to the viewport. Staring out into the vastness of space, she felt her eyes start to sting again. "It's not fair," she whispered, thinking she was alone in the lounge.
"I understand how you feel." Kat jumped at least four feet in the air as she whirled around to see Cmdr. Riker standing a few short feet away from her. She looked at him, her eyes still glassy.
"How can you understand? Were your parents murdered in front of you while you stood helpless?"
"No," Will replied. "But I lost my mother when I was very young. So I know what you are going through."
"No you don't. You weren't pulled from the only place you knew and deposited somewhere were everything is different. It's like that place.....Looking Glass Land.....from the story my father use to read me. Everything is backwards. I am alone here. I don't even belong here. How am I suppose to survive? Where should I go? I am not ready for the Academy and I have no relatives here. Tell me, what am I suppose to do, Commander?" The last word was more of a slur then a command title. She looked at him, daring not to cry. She had never let her father see her cry, and she wasn't about to let this man either.
Will moved a step closer, his face sympathetic. "I can't pretend to know all the answers, cause I don't. Kitty, I talked to the captain and he said you are welcome here until you want to leave. Whether that be to the Academy or someplace else, you will always have a place here on the Enterprise."
"Remind me to thank him later," Kat answered absently.
"What I meant was," Will said coming up behind her, "that you could stay here, with me or Deanna. That is...if you want."
"I'll think about it." Even though she was not a true empath, she could tell Will was sincere. Turning toward him, she regarded him with eyes much the same color as his own. "In the meanwhile, does this ship have any good holoprograms? You know, the kinds that get the heart-pumping and the blood racing." Kat acted out a shadow-boxing move.
Will laughed cheerfully, his eyes twinkling dangerously. "Yeah. I do know the type. There is one program that takes you hiking deep into the jungles of Betazed. The trees are about two meters wide and...." His voice trailed off as Will saw Kitty's eyes start filling with tears. He replayed in his head what he had just said and realized his mistake. "Oh...I am so sorry Kitty. I wasn't thinking again. I..."
"It's ok. My own father was never very good at these things, so I don't expect you to be. That was mom's department." She smiled softly. "There was one program my father use to run all the time. It was called 'The Mountains of Alaska.' You....my father and I use to scale them babies all day until mom would get upset. You wouldn't have...."
Now it was his turn to cut her off. "I sure do. Although I can't get Deanna to step into a holodeck unless it's 10 degrees above freezing." Will smiled as he took the young girl's hand.
"Mom would never go into a holodeck. She told me once it was against her 'beliefs' just so I would stop bugging her about it. Never worked. We once got her to go on a Wild West program. She had fun with that." Kat smiled, thinking this time of her family without the tears. They strolled out the door and down the hall toward the holodeck. "Tell me more about that 'Jungles of Betazed' program. Maybe you can show it too me later." And with that , Will and his "daughter" set off for new and exciting adventures.
"This is my normal seat," she replied, alarm returning to her blue eyes. Noticing the confusion of the adults, she added. "My brother Tommy and I were sometimes allowed to sit in during meetings. Chris was to little. During those meetings, I sat here."
"I understand that, Katarina, but you are a very important part of this meeting." Jean Luc explained. "Therefore, I think you should sit closer. Why don't you take the seat beside the Counselor?"
Katarina slowly moved to sit next to Deanna, staring around the room like a nervous rabbit in a lions' cage. "Thank you Uncle - I mean Captain Picard." The others at the table exchanged amused glances as she continued. "But, I would prefer you called me Kat or Kitty. If that is all right?" she added quickly.
Captain Picard smiled. "I think that is perfectly all right, Kat. Now," he cleared his throat, "let's get down to business. Mr. Data has been checking your ship's logs and believes he has come up with an explanation of your being here and how the temporal rift was created."
Everyone's eyes shifted to look at Data. Everyone that is, except Deanna. She was gently probing Kitty's mind to get a better understanding. It came very naturally to her. Unbidden, thoughts of the pain-filled past came roaring back. Thankfully, she was able to keep control of facial expressions if not her emotions themselves. She hoped that know one had seen her wince, even so slightly. She carefully glanced around, but everyone was paying attention to Data. Apparently, he had said what was very important. What had he been saying? She forced herself to listen, even though her mind was still on the girl sitting next to her.
". . . When the quantum torpedo that the Enterprise in that time line/alternate universe mixed with their version of the Borg weaponry, an advanced weapon powered by nuclear fission called 'the Sun Destroyer', it created a temporal distortion which caused a rift to open in the Time/Space Continuum. Katarina's ship, the SS Imzadi, was then pulled into the rift and deposited not far from here at the coordinates 508 X 43 -"
"Thank you, Mr. Data, but we are quite aware of the coordinates." Picard interrupted him, abruptly. He looked around, his eyes met the eyes of each of his officers. Finally, they landed on their visitor. "Miss Katar . . . Kat, do you have anything to add?"
At first, she seemed surprised that he was even addressing her, then the shyness she never wanted anyone to see set in. She cleared her throat once before talking. "What he said seems about right." Her face clouded briefly, but then cleared as she continued. "Betazed was destroyed first and then the Enterprise. I guess you could say I am lucky because I was able to escape, even if it was to another time line." She lowered her eyes, so not to see them, the shadows of those she loved. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open as a horrible thought entered her mind.
They stared at her, expecting her to say something else, but when she stayed silent, her eyes haunted, Picard, along with his officers knew something was wrong. He was the only one to speak, however. "Is there a problem?"
Her eyes took in the entire room's hearts. Her gaze was frantic, her breath uneven. Her voice was soft, so soft in fact, that they could hardly hear her. "What is the date?"
Picard was startled by the question he wasn't expecting. Funny how little questions can be such big deals. "I beg your pardon?"
"The date, sir. I need to know today's date." The pupil-less blue eyes were huge, taking up most of her face. And within them, fear. A terrible fear that none of the officers had ever seen before.
It was Geordi who answered, his own metallic eyes looking back at her, but not in the same way. "Stardate 860057.9" Up until now, the Chief Engineer had been a silent observer.
"Stardate 860057.9," she repeated after him, a voice echoing, sounding like she was choked with the dirt of a grave. Kat appeared to ponder it over and over, her mind in a whirl. Finally, she said in that soft tone again, "No. That . . . that can't be. That was yesterday's date. The was the day the Borg . . . " Her voice tailed off and it seemed as if one of those old fashion light bulbs had appeared over her head. Staring at Deanna, she continued. "It's different here. Time is different. The Borg . . . the Borg are on their way to . . . to Betazed. We have to stop them." The last part of her quick spoken tirade was directed at Picard. She looked at him, her eyes now flashing with revenge. "Sir, the difference is only a day, but it is enough time to gather more ships and protect Betazed, as well as the Federation."
Picard nodded his head at the young girl, then turned to his android Conn officer. "Mr. Data, how long until we reach Betazed?"
"ETA is 14 hours, 36 minutes, 13 secon . . . "
"Thank you Data." But it was Beverly who cut him off. The doctor was seated next on Picard's right, and as she turned toward him she spoke. "Captain, we don't even know if the Borg are out there. We have had no reports on any disturbances. Betazed may be perfectly safe, yet we are willing to go in there fully armed for battle? What will Starfleet think if what she says is wrong?"
The room went dead silent, and Katarina shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Deanna stared at the doctor as if a trusted ally had just turned against her. Picard, noticing the tension, quickly spoke up. "I appreciate you concern doctor, however I feel it necessary to call for reinforcements. Mr. Data, I want you to contact any ships in the sector. We will hold position here and wait. Tell them they have 14 hours to prepare for a possible battle with the Borg."
"Actually, sir, they have 14 hours, 27 minutes, and 47 sec..."
Thank you Mr. Data." Picard shot a glance at Beverly. "That will be all." The android nodded his head. Picard the spoke up again, "You are dismissed."
After all but one of the officers had left the conference room, Katarina stood up and walked to the viewport. Staring out into the vastness of space, she felt her eyes start to sting again. "It's not fair," she whispered, thinking she was alone in the lounge.
"I understand how you feel." Kat jumped at least four feet in the air as she whirled around to see Cmdr. Riker standing a few short feet away from her. She looked at him, her eyes still glassy.
"How can you understand? Were your parents murdered in front of you while you stood helpless?"
"No," Will replied. "But I lost my mother when I was very young. So I know what you are going through."
"No you don't. You weren't pulled from the only place you knew and deposited somewhere were everything is different. It's like that place.....Looking Glass Land.....from the story my father use to read me. Everything is backwards. I am alone here. I don't even belong here. How am I suppose to survive? Where should I go? I am not ready for the Academy and I have no relatives here. Tell me, what am I suppose to do, Commander?" The last word was more of a slur then a command title. She looked at him, daring not to cry. She had never let her father see her cry, and she wasn't about to let this man either.
Will moved a step closer, his face sympathetic. "I can't pretend to know all the answers, cause I don't. Kitty, I talked to the captain and he said you are welcome here until you want to leave. Whether that be to the Academy or someplace else, you will always have a place here on the Enterprise."
"Remind me to thank him later," Kat answered absently.
"What I meant was," Will said coming up behind her, "that you could stay here, with me or Deanna. That is...if you want."
"I'll think about it." Even though she was not a true empath, she could tell Will was sincere. Turning toward him, she regarded him with eyes much the same color as his own. "In the meanwhile, does this ship have any good holoprograms? You know, the kinds that get the heart-pumping and the blood racing." Kat acted out a shadow-boxing move.
Will laughed cheerfully, his eyes twinkling dangerously. "Yeah. I do know the type. There is one program that takes you hiking deep into the jungles of Betazed. The trees are about two meters wide and...." His voice trailed off as Will saw Kitty's eyes start filling with tears. He replayed in his head what he had just said and realized his mistake. "Oh...I am so sorry Kitty. I wasn't thinking again. I..."
"It's ok. My own father was never very good at these things, so I don't expect you to be. That was mom's department." She smiled softly. "There was one program my father use to run all the time. It was called 'The Mountains of Alaska.' You....my father and I use to scale them babies all day until mom would get upset. You wouldn't have...."
Now it was his turn to cut her off. "I sure do. Although I can't get Deanna to step into a holodeck unless it's 10 degrees above freezing." Will smiled as he took the young girl's hand.
"Mom would never go into a holodeck. She told me once it was against her 'beliefs' just so I would stop bugging her about it. Never worked. We once got her to go on a Wild West program. She had fun with that." Kat smiled, thinking this time of her family without the tears. They strolled out the door and down the hall toward the holodeck. "Tell me more about that 'Jungles of Betazed' program. Maybe you can show it too me later." And with that , Will and his "daughter" set off for new and exciting adventures.