Chapter 2

An unidentified planet, Tao system

The week had been and eventful one for Guinan, ending with the destruction of her bar. It had happened during the early morning hours when she had been asleep in her modest dwelling attached to the business.

While still structurally intact, she found that indoors it was a mess of broken glasses and overturned tables and chairs and that various other pieces of furniture meant to accommodate a variety of life forms were in disarray. Whatever had happened had been powerful. And yet, she had managed to sleep through it.

The source of the explosion was not immediately clear, but when she adjusted her hat and stepped outside into the dusty morning air, she noted immediately that something significant had happened to the landscape; it had returned to normal.

Three days previously, a fairly large and shiny commercial ship had landed, bringing a stark contrast to the otherwise drab rocky plain. The ship's crew, which easily fit the moniker "ragtag" immediately began unloading what appeared to be sophisticated mining equipment. Mining what, she had wondered, but as soon as they had installed the mining apparatus, the ship left, leaving behind a heavily armed party of three. Since there were no authorities to complain to about illegal mining operations on a sleepy little planet, Guinan just watched them for a few days while her customers came and went.

A few cargo ships came through the system that week and she had some busy days and evenings. Now as the morning sun began to rise, she saw that there was a neatly organized and stacked pile of metal where the mining equipment had been. Several regular visitors to the planet gathered around the materials, and everyone seemed to be discussing what had occurred. Guinan approached warily. She was known in town for keeping a bar; beyond that, she kept to herself. As she walked she could see a handwritten sign that was propped up next to the pile of valuable refuse. She craned her neck to get a look as scavengers picked through the dismantled equipment, some of which they carted off. She could now see the sign clearly and was impressed to see that it was written, although hastily, in the two dominant languages of the region, with three simple words. "Scrap Metal: Free."

Still thinking of the odd occurrences of the week, Guinan set about to try and fix up the inside of her establishment. It was difficult to work because she continued to be preoccupied with the strange events when someone knocked on her door. Her senses were immediately alerted, but she felt no immediate danger. Still, she didn't want or need visitors right now. "Sorry, we're closed right now."

She wasn't prepared to hear a dog barking, but the tone was instantly recognizable. She dropped the towel she had been using to clean, and called out, "Marca?"

She opened the front door to find Marca and two people she hadn't seen in over three years. "Seth," she whispered. Now about fourteen years old, Seth had grown taller than she would have expected and resembled his mother Adrena slightly more than he had before. His eyes had turned a light green like his father's and were very pretty against his brown skin.

Guinan locked eyes with a silent Marco, as Seth ran from his father's side, to hug her tightly. Finally, he pulled back and gave her a simple "hi" with a grin. Same old Seth.

Marco looked anxious, and the slick charm he usually exhibited was absent from his features as he stepped inside. "Hello," he said. "Nice place..." he trailed off looking around at the carnage.

Guinan patted Marca, who was now sniffing around looking for food to eat. Same old Marca. Still, she was suspicious of Marco in any context and waited for him to enlighten her.

"I need you to take care of Seth for a while," Marco finally admitted. Same old Marco.

Guinan put her arm around Seth's shoulders and frowned. "Oh, you want to give him back now? Excuse me, if I don't remember correctly, but didn't you steal him from his parents three years ago?"

"You don't know what you're talking about. Picard was having some kind of mental breakdown and didn't have legal custody...besides, I'm his parent."

"Parents don't abandon their kids...again," said Guinan. "At least, the good ones don't. Not to mention you left your own father in a coma back on Earth."

Marco's expression tightened. "What happened between Walker and me is none of your business."

"I see. These things are private to you, and yet you come and drop your own flesh and blood on my doorstep."

"Seth's your family too, Guinan."

"Damn right he is. And if it had been my choice, he would have come out here with me three years ago."

"Are you going to let me explain?"

Guinan frowned but waited for Marco to get to his point.

"Look...it's not safe for Seth to be with me right now. I'm looking into something-"

"What exactly?" she interrupted. Marco had a criminal history that reached back over twenty years, and it wouldn't be a stretch to think he wanted to return to that lifestyle.

"I can't say just yet. But if it is anything of what I think it is, it's not safe for him."

Guinan sighed and looked at Seth, who she now realized had grown taller than her. "What do you think about this, Seth?"

The young teen had the same thoughtful expression he'd always had. "Marco's been good to me for a while, but he's right. We've run into a lot more activity lately in this part of the quadrant, and if he needs to do something on his own, I don't mind." He looked down at his feet. "Have you talked with Beverly or Jean-Luc? I mean, I'd like to just let them know I'm alright."

Guinan froze. Seth didn't know about what had happened because he had left Earth shortly after the Enterprise crew had returned from the Q planet. Not that she fully understood Picard's disappearance, but she had spoken to him right before he had left. He was in a bad place, to say the least. "We should talk about this in private," she said, squeezing his shoulder.

"Okay," he nodded. "Want some help with this mess?"

She smiled. "Yes, please."

Seth looked up at Marco, and they were about to say their goodbyes when the front door opened and in walked a uniformed person.

Guinan moved around a broken table and stood protectively in front of Seth. "We're closed due to renovations," she said, looking the dusty individual up and down. He pulled out a tablet and glanced at it quickly. "Guinan?"

"Who's asking?"

The man's pale blond eyebrows raised slightly, seemingly surprised at such a question. "Commander Talbot, Starfleet Security. You're being subpoenaed to return to Earth where your testimony is required." He handed her the tablet and she looked it over slowly.

"I'm a civilian," she said. "You can't force my testimony."

"You're a Federation citizen. Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Marco was now holding a weapon at the ready. "If I were you, I would reconsider that statement. Because the hard way for you isn't going to end well."

Talbot immediately placed a hand on his phaser, but Guinan waved them both off. "My ship isn't in any condition to be traveling to Earth right now," she told Talbot.

"No problem. A transport is waiting for you outside."

Earth, Caribbean

It had been a few months since Felix Farmer stepped onto his family's ancestral land. And frankly, he didn't know what to expect. Beverly Howard, formerly Beverly Crusher, had been living in his grandmother's house for about six months now. For most of that time, they had lived together. Following his break-up with Alyssa Ogawa, which he could not deny had been entirely his fault, he and Beverly had moved to Jamaica to pursue romantic adventures, which had mostly ended with his move back to Starfleet Medical in San Francisco, where he had since been teaching. He would always care for Beverly, but she had revealed that her own capacity for love was now extremely limited. He didn't know whether he believed that it was really true, or that she was simply protecting herself and him, by pulling away. The fact was, she was fine with a physical relationship but had made clear she didn't want to commit to more than that.

She continued to live at his family home, and he was happy to let her do so, but he was also worried that she was growing too isolated. Jack was now Vice-Chancellor of the Federation, Wesley had joined Starfleet Intel and was currently off on some secret assignment, Seth was traveling the galaxy with Marco, and Jean-Luc was gone. Whatsmore, the project she had been working on through the Daystrom Institute, searching for traces of the viral entities in the Caribbean Sea had come to an end two months ago, due to lack of interest by the powers that be; and yet she was still here. "Hello? Beverly?" Felix walked into the main living room, in which two large ceiling fans spun slowly, pushing the scent of sea breeze around the house. The afternoon sun would soon be setting, and the curtains billowed from the steady breeze coming in from the beach. He looked around and noted that the place looked incredibly lived in. There was a messiness to Beverly's work ethic that he found endearing, but what exactly was she working on? He found a large foldable map of the Caribbean laid out on a wooden table. Beverly's handwriting marked several areas on the map. Leaning in, his eye caught on something lying carelessly next to the map. It was an empty hypospray. He picked it up and pocketed it with a troubled sigh. She had struggled with depression after Jean-Luc had left Earth a few years ago, and it seemed, the struggle continued.

Stepping out onto the porch, he immediately spotted her lying on the beach, and it brought a smile to his face. She was facing away from him, looking out at the horizon above the waves. Not wanting to scare her, he circled out a bit, so that she would see him coming. Beverly lowered her sunglasses a bit as he approached, and put down the datapad she had been reading on the arm of her beach chair. "Look, a handsome stranger..."

Felix laughed and flopped down into the sand beside her. "Look who's talking? What you don't answer my calls anymore?" She leaned over to give him a kiss.

"I missed you, doctor," she said, taking her sunglasses off.

"I missed you too, doctor," he said, laughing again, taking her hand. He squinted in the sun. "You look beautiful," he said.

She smiled, but then looked out over the sea and put her glasses back on.

He squeezed her hand. "Why don't you come back with me?"

"I have no desire to teach at the Academy, Felix," she said. She looked at him. "You know that. Besides, I have work to do here."

"Bev...the Daystrom project ended a few months ago. You need to move on."

Her mood changing swiftly, she got to her feet. "I don't need to be told to move on," she snapped and flicked her wrist as the chair folded up into a square that fit neatly into her hand. "I'll move on at my own pace."

She began to stride away through the sand and he jogged after her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. Come back with me," he insisted.

"Are you kicking me out, Felix? I mean I can't blame you if you think I've overstayed my welcome."

"I've accepted a CMO position," he said, finally stopping her in her tracks. "On the new Excelsior starship."

She turned slowly to look at him. Her expression floored him. She looked hurt and lost, if only for a moment. Then, her cool returned. "Congratulations," she said flatly, before resuming her march through the sand.

They walked in silence, but when they reached the porch her good mood seemed to have returned. "Come on, I'll make you dinner to celebrate," she said, reaching back to take his hand. "You can tell me all about it."

Paris, France

Jack Crusher sat up in bed just before his alarm went off. His comm light was blinking. "No rest for the weary," he muttered, sliding his legs off the side of the bed. He rubbed his eyes, and swiped at the panel. A fresh-faced young officer flashed onto the screen. It was his aide. "Alison," he said tiredly. "What the hell..."

She winced. "Sorry to wake you sir, but emergency proceedings have been scheduled for 0800 this morning."

"Proceedings with who?"

"The Klingon Chancellor is demanding to speak with you and Chancellor Makon."

"Again?"

"Yes, they'll join us via subspace, sir."

"I understand they're angry that they've lost another colony, but for once the Cardassians aren't to blame." The hearings were a day away and that was his main focus at the moment. The Federation Chancellor had said he wanted "closure" on Picard's disappearance...but Jack knew it was more than that. He didn't like to be kept in the dark, especially about this.

"They're not blaming the Cardassians this time. The Klingons are convinced that the galaxy is collapsing, and that we're all going to die."