Commander Kirk stepped inside hesitantly. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" Stephen wasn't entirely certainly why Admiral Picard wanted to see him. His thoughts were still a jumbled mess of conflicting ideas, however, so logical conclusions or guesses would be a premium for awhile. This was a sentiment that was shared by many of the crew.
Picard waved him off. "Please... I'm off duty and you've now saved my life twice. Surely we can dispense with titles for now. Call me Jean-Luc." He motioned to the couch next to the chair he was sitting at. Between the two seats was an oval marble-looking table with a bottle of russian vodka and two glasses. "Sit down, Stephen,"
Thankful this was an informal visit, Stephen sat down with a tired smile. "Thanks, Jean-Luc." Stephen was still struggling for the right words to say. "Oh... and thanks for saying all those things during the service. I know I was supposed to be the..."
Picard interrupted him, sitting down and grabbing the bottle of vodka. "Think nothing of it. I was honored." He poured some vodka into the two glasses. "My biggest regret was not talking to him more recently than I did. I suppose that's a drawback to being in our business. We're scattered so far across the galaxy that it's difficult to keep in touch with the people we care most about... until it's too late." His memories drifted back to his brother, Robert, and his nephew, René, who died in a fire nine years ago. For all their posturing and pride, Jean-Luc waited until it was almost too late before restoring their relationship.
Stephen sat in bewilderment. Although he hadn't spent nearly as much time with Captain Bolerov as Admiral Picard, he just couldn't see how that man would have generated such camaraderie and loyalty. Still, it wasn't his place to judge. Besides, for all he knew, it was Stephen's criticisms that put him over the edge and caused him to commit suicide. That thought made Stephen sick.
Picard smiled. "You and he didn't quite get along, did you?" He handed Stephen a glass.
Stephen reached for the glass reluctantly. Although he had never had a drop of alchohol in his life, now would be a bad time to bring that up. "Well, not always..." he admitted.
Picard took the other glass and held it in his lap. "That's understandable." Jean-Luc struggled, once again, for the right words to say. He certainly didn't want the memories of his old friend to become clouded by what extraordinary circumstances turned him into. "The man you knew wasn't the man I knew. Do you know what happened to the Vigilant during the Dominion War?"
Kirk thought back for several moments, trying to recall anything of value. Finally, he just shook his head. "I know it was destroyed. That's about it."
Picard nodded. "You're right. It was." He sat back in the chair. "But, there's more to it than that. I read the mission report. It had taken catastophic damage. He ordered his crew to abandon ship. He stayed behind in an attempt to position the Vigilant between a Dominion cruiser and the escape pods. Andrei actually attempted to ram it, hoping he would destroy both ships. Unfortunately, the Dominion ship maneuvered away and sent one last volley at the Vigilant, rendering it a useless lump of metal with only partial battery power. Apparently, in retaliation for Andrei's actions, the Dominion ship targeted and destroyed every single escape pod. Andrei watched as his entire crew was killed, powerless to stop them. Andrei was eventually rescued; the only survivor of his ship. He was unconscious from suffocation and badly wounded. He spent two months in rehabilitation and six months in counseling. After that, he was given an administrative position at Starfleet Command. As I recall, he was part of the design committee for this ship."
Stephen was stunned. "I had no idea..." he eventually admitted.
Picard waved his hand again defensively. "I know. It wasn't publicized." He paused to sigh. "I never thought he'd see a captain's chair again. The last time I saw him was shortly after his physical rehabilitation. The incident had changed him... I couldn't quite put my finger on what had changed, but he wasn't the same man. He was himself, but more distant... detached. I was, regrettably, too entrenched in my own crisis to even consider what seeing the Dominion again might to do Andrei. Apparently, it was too much for him."
"So... that was it," Kirk thought. It had nothing to do with him at all. Now, he regretted not knowing the captain better. Now he realized that he missed out on knowing a possibly great person who just needed to learn to trust others again. "I wonder why they put him back in the captain's seat if he had already been through that," Stephen wondered aloud.
Picard shook his head. "I'm not certain, but I have my guesses."
"Is this why you asked me down?" Kirk asked thoughtfully.
"Partly," Jean-Luc answered with a smile. "I also felt like sharing a toast and some stories. I figured some tales of happier times might do us both good."
Stephen looked at the glass more optimistically. "I suppose I could drink to that," he offered.
"Excellent!" Picard announced. He raised his glass. Stephen raised his glass as well. "To Captain Bolerov... a great captain, a brilliant strategist, and a good friend." The clinked glasses and took a drink.
The drink burned going into Stephen's mouth and burned worse going down his throat. It felt as though he couldn't breathe. He coughed several times trying to get his breath back. "How could people DRINK this stuff?" he asked himself. He took several deep breaths in an attempt to cool his mouth.
Picard breathed in deeply and held it. "Well, it's not aldebran whiskey... but it's close enough. Andrei used to tell me that russian babies drank this in their bottles."
Still taking several deep breaths, Stephen finally added, "It'd take about that long to get a tolerance for it."
Picard smiled as he reclined in the overstuffed chair. "Now, let me share with you some stories about the REAL 'Crash' Bolerov..."