Chapter 1

Alaska, Earth

His foot slipped on the ice again and his right knee landed on unforgiving rock and ice. This stretch was too steep, and he should have known better. Will Riker didn't know why, but something drove him, pushed him forward relentlessly. Deanna, four-year-old Ianna, and her one-year-old brother, just learning to walk, had stayed down at the base camp. Why had he left them?

This whole thing is so stupid, he told himself. A waste of energy. Thrusting the pole back into the snowpack, he pushed himself back to his feet and trudged forward. About 30 minutes later, it was growing dark.

Finally, he saw up ahead what he had been searching for. The cave looked tiny from the outside, but when he stepped in, it wound down into a large cavern. Bizarrely, the cave was well-lit. The source of the light was why he had come. Will took a few steps closer and saw that the wall he was facing was smooth, not rocky, and was enclosed in black ice.

His eyes locked on a startling view, and he choked on a sob. That face. A face he hadn't seen in three long years. Picard was frozen in mid-step...reaching up and out towards a bright star-like object that was above his head. "Picard, you damn fool," he whispered, but in the cave, it sounded thunderous. "You let us all down."

USS Hood

Will Riker sprang forward in bed, gasping and crying out. Tears were streaming down his face. Trying to calm his nerves he felt for Deanna, but her side of the bed was empty. He got up and headed for the bathroom, pausing at the kids' room. Just seeing them slumbering away without any worries made him feel better. Gradually his heart rate evened out as he stood watching them in the darkness.

When he turned, Deanna was there. Her face was damp, and she was holding her forehead with a distressed expression.

"Same headache?"

She winced and looked up at him. "Yes. Same nightmare?"

"Yeah," he said, folding her into a hug. He bent down and rested his chin on her hair. "This has been going on for over a week now," he murmured. "My CMO's going to start to get worried."

"I suppose it would be unethical of me to say, let's just not tell him our symptoms have continued," said Troi. "He said there is absolutely nothing wrong with us. Just stress, he said."

Riker hesitated, knowing this was a sensitive subject. "Have you thought about asking-"

"What... ask her for advice after she repeatedly rejected mine? Besides, she hasn't answered my calls in two months, Will," Deanna said rather sharply. "The way things were left between us..." She trailed off, now sounding more sad than angry.

"Sorry I mentioned it," he said softly.

She sighed up at him. "Honestly, maybe we just need a vacation."

He pulled back to look at her. "Deanna, I wish it were that easy, but now that I'm a captain again I can't just up and leave my ship."

She yawned, beginning to feel sleepy again. "You're right. But I would love for the kids to see Betazed again...even Earth," she said with a slight smirk.

He chuckled lightly. "Johnny would love to see the real sun for once. Don't worry, it'll happen." He squeezed her tightly again, as the communications console beeped. The signal indicated a priority message.

Will walked away and slapped the wall, prompting the computer. Priority message from Starfleet Command. He read the first part of the message to himself quickly before turning to his wife with a grin. "Looks like it's your lucky day, Counselor. The Hood's just been recalled to Earth." But then he looked more closely at the message. "What? It's a summons."

Deanna frowned and walked around him to look at the message more carefully. "We're being called back to testify at a hearing in two days? In Paris? But no reason is given."

Riker rubbed his beard. "I don't like hearings, especially surprise hearings. So much for that vacation."

"On the bright side dear, at least Ianna and little Johnny will get to see the sun."

Uncharted Nebula

Captain Data stood on the bridge of the USS Jemison, a state of the art science vessel, and one of many newer starships to have been introduced in the last two years. Since the year-long Cardassian war had ended roughly six months ago, the Federation had routed significant resources into renewing and rebuilding the Fleet. Starfleet had yet to fully recover from its decimation by the Borg just four and a half years before. Now with the Cardassian war behind it, Starfleet could finally begin to return to its priorities: space exploration and scientific discovery.

"Isolate the signal again," he ordered the officer at ops.

The young man reported a moment later. "Signal is repeating, Captain. Appears to be coming from the Yeta sector about two parsecs away."

"Recommend we proceed with caution, Captain," warned Chief of Security Ashley Howell. "It could be a trap."

Data nodded. "Route the audio of the signal to the bridge."

The signal was deep and eerie and echoed through the bridge several times before Data ordered it shut off. He turned to give the helm the order to proceed to the Yeta sector when he heard a loud thud.

"Sir! She's unconscious."

Data walked quickly and knelt down beside an ensign, who was feeling Chief Howell's pulse. Howell had slumped to the deck when the audio had shut off.

Data rose to his feet, hitting his communicator. "Captain to sickbay. Lock on to Chief Howell's signal and beam her directly to main sickbay."

Paris, France

It was just another sunny day; one of many that Jack Crusher had experienced in the last two weeks while in France, attending emergency Council proceedings. The beautiful weather did nothing to help his stress level or gloomy mood. It seemed that every crisis was intersecting at his feet and he just wanted to escape. So, as he stepped out into the sunlight, he continued to ignore the sharp, determined footsteps behind him. She'd been tailing him for minutes now.

As they crossed the courtyard, he knew that she would follow him all the way home to his apartment-which he did not want- if he didn't put a stop to this right now. Besides, he supposed he did have some business with her. He spun abruptly on his heel, but she wasn't caught off guard. Not in the least. "Admiral," he said through clenched teeth. "How can I help you?"

Admiral Alynna Nechayev was a petite woman with the type of personality which could not be contained. "Jack...or if you prefer, Vice-Chancellor of the Federation, since our 25-year friendship doesn't seem to matter to you anymore."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Jack, I was called to Paris for emergency Council proceedings, and when I showed up as required, I was turned away. Now, what is going on? Rumor is that the Cardassians are breaking the treaty already."

"As far as you getting shut out of the proceedings this morning-I'm sorry. Something came up."

"The Cardassians?"

"You know I can't tell you that, Alynna."

"Well, what can you tell me, Jack? How about the other rumors?"

"What rumors?"

"About secret hearings, and other suspicious activities on the part of our government."

He took a deep breath. "They aren't a secret." He reached under his vest and pulled out a small tablet, handing it to her.

She looked up sharply. "A summons? Whatever for?" He gestured for her to read further. "Admiral Alynna Nechayev, you have been called as a witness to testify as to your full knowledge about the current whereabouts of Jean-Luc Picard. Hearings shall commence promptly at 0800 hours on Tuesday, April 23, 2369."

She tossed the pad back at him, which he nearly dropped. "Is this a joke, Vice-Chancellor?"

Jack bristled. "No."

"How many times did I speak to you about wanting to find Picard, and you weren't interested!"

"My friend abandoned his family and before he did that, he ruined all our lives. If you think this hearing is driven by my personal interest in finding his whereabouts, you're mistaken." He slipped the tablet back in his pocket. "See you on Tuesday."