The Fog of War

Six


The doors of cargo bay two opened to reveal a frenzy of activity. Picard, Riker and Crusher walked in, avoiding busy medics bustling by. Compared to the relatively serene Cargo bay one, housing the remains of the military operation, cargo bay two was a study in organized chaos. Clearly in charge were Enterprise CMO Nina Stewart and a younger red-headed woman. Both moved quickly from bed to bed, stopping only to give orders to personnel who floated throughout the bay.

"It would seem things are well in hand here." Picard turned to Crusher. "Is this the Doctor Howard who refused orders to beam out?" The Captain inclined his head toward the swirl of red hair that flew past them on the far side of the bay.

"One in the same." Crusher's eyes followed the woman, lingering on her thin frame.

Riker shook his head again. "Same Jack Crusher."

Jack looked over and smiled. "Same Jack Crusher, different woman. Just wait until you meet her." There was little denying the glint in his eye.

Picard's eyes followed the woman as well, appraising her as a Captain would any subordinate. She was decisive, quick, and confident. A natural leader, her officers appeared well-trained and executed her orders quickly and without hesitation. Despite her insubordination, he admired the woman's obvious sense of compassion and dedication. While wasting little time, her expression was always one of compassion, and she never hesitated to lay a soothing hand on the shoulder or brow of a suffering officer. A different woman indeed.

"Don't blame you for looking, Johnny – she's a handful." Jack elbowed him in the side and grinned.

Picard gave him an unfavorable sidelong glance and tugged his tunic. "I think we can catch up with Doctors Stewart and Howard after things have settled down here." He looked over to Riker. "Have them report to my ready room as soon as they're available. Commander Crusher, you'll join me there now?" He raised a stern brow at Jack, but could not help but grin back at the exuberant Commander.


"We were outgunned, outnumbered, out-everything except out-smarted. It's the only reason we lasted as long as we did." Crusher replaced a heavy glass object he'd picked up from Picard's desk while pacing the ready room. The Enterprise was headed back to Federation space at maximum warp. Picard suspected that the Romulans had cut their losses and declared victory at Aeron V, but he was taking no chances.

Jack plopped down on the dark grey couch near a small observation window. Picard's office was efficiently lit, illuminated mostly by tactical screens that displayed current positions of key Federation starships.

"It's a credit to you, Jack" Picard was about to continue when they were interrupted by the door sensor. "Come."

Commander Riker stepped into the room. Behind him were Howard and Stewart, both looking haggard, their jackets spotted with blood and hair in disarray. Picard could not help but notice that even in this state, both women were striking. Though he rarely noticed younger women, and even more rarely women in his command, he could not deny there was something compelling about Beverly Howard.

"Captain, our CMO's." Riker stepped forward and the women stepped around him in front of the large reflective surface of the Captain's desk. Currently there was a three-dimensional hologram of the Aeron system revolving slowly in the air.

Picard stood and snapped it off, extending his hand as he walked around the desk. "Doctor Howard. I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Welcome aboard the Enterprise."

"A pleasure to meet you, Captain." Her blue eyes flashed momentarily in acquiescence, then amusement. "I vaguely remember you from my days at the Academy. And what I don't remember Commander Crusher has been kind enough to fill me in on."

She held his gaze and his hand in a subtle challenge. 'She's sizing me up.' Picard found himself immediately disarmed. He cleared his throat and shot a steady look to Crusher and then Riker. "I wish I could say the same, Doctor. But I have heard very good things about you from Mr. Crusher."

"I didn't say he'd said good things – only filled me in." Beverly's eyes danced in bemusement. She often had this effect on men, and it pleased her to no end. But she never took things too far. Above all else, she was a physician, and a career officer – and she never wanted anyone to forget it. She smiled and laughed, instantly dissolving the tension in the room. "Only joking with you Captain. Jack raves about you. It's a genuine honor to actually meet you."

Picard returned the laugh, immensely enjoying the company of Dr. Howard, and already unconsciously searching for ways he might find to spend time with her outside of his ready room – and in an unofficial capacity. Immediately he checked his own thoughts. Clearly there was something between Jack and this woman – and he was her superior officer. It was unthinkable that he would approach her in any capacity. Quickly, he mourned the lost opportunity and moved on with the conversation. But not once had his gaze wavered from the intensity of her cobalt eyes.

"Clearly you have me at a disadvantage." He gave her his most charming smiled, and was rewarded with a softening of her expression. "Sit, please." Too late he realized he was still holding her hand. In what he hoped was a subtle gesture, he released it and motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. Crusher and Riker sat on the sofa.

"Are you in a position to give me a casualty assessment?" All business, he looked to Stewart, but Nina turned to Howard, and it was Beverly who answered.

"We weren't lucky. The size of the incursion was massive. It's my understanding that intelligence underestimated the number of Romulan troops. That cost us dearly in personnel. But with the refreshed supplies and the evacuation to the Enterprise, we've been able to save a lot more officers." Crusher paused and the Captain nodded for her to continue. She immediately noted that he preferred to let his officers present all relevant facts, and then fill in with his own questions. She's spent far too much time with arrogant superiors who constantly interrupted with questions and assumptions, and she appreciated his open leadership style.

"We lost only 200 in the last 24 hours. Normally our casualty rates for this size of a confrontation run up to 300 or 500 troops. Terrain, weather, and even time of day all affect our casualty rates. But given the fact that we were so severely outnumbered and at such a tactical deficit, I'd say we came out relatively clean." Beverly briefly glanced down and clasped her hands. Now staring out the view port behind Picard she finished her part of the briefing.

"Of course that means little to the families of those who didn't make it." Her look was hard and jaded. Though it accentuated her angular features, Picard found he much preferred her smile. She was in command of the details, her staff, and her bearing. Again, Picard found her…. compelling.

Shaking his inappropriate thoughts, Picard nodded and turned to Stewart. "Nina, what do you need from the Enterprise before we get to the Starbase? I can have another bay cleared if necessary."

The petite woman tapped the arms of her chair. Her black eyes were a sharp contrast to her short silver hair, and they were bird-like in their watchfulness. "We're currently treating 159 cases. They range from critical to minor. Those who are in the best shape can be released to quarters immediately. But we do need a smaller bay for the intermediate patients. There's too many for sickbay to handle, and we need the space for those patients requiring the most care." Her words were crisp and her diction clipped. Originally from Earth, she had grown up in the Northeast portion of the North American continent. Though small, she was an undeniable force on the ship.

Beverly looked from Nina to Picard. "Doctor Stewart and I also feel it would be best to keep sickbay at lower capacity in case we incur any trouble between here and Federation space." A veteran of the battlefield, Howard never took safety for granted – and she planned accordingly.

Picard stood and nodded. "Make it so. Commander Riker will see to it you have anything necessary." He walked around the desk and stood over Howard. "We estimate another 72 hours to Starbase 311. Let's hope it's smooth sailing until we arrive." He smiled and nodded as the officers left the room.

Crusher turned on his way out. "See you when you're off duty, Johnny?"

Picard winked back and smiled. "Of course, my old friend. We have some catching up to do."