Chapter 10

USS Enterprise-Cardassian Territory

Geordi LaForge stood silently amidst a group of his fellow scientists and engineers. Each of them had been brought on board the Enterprise with little or no explanation. Beside Geordi stood Commander T'Sara, former science officer and counselor onboard the Enterprise, and current first officer of the USS Jemison. For both of them, the return to their old ship had been a shock, although the Vulcan scientist hid it better.

Wesley Crusher stood with his hands draped behind his back. So far he hadn't shifted his gaze to his former colleagues and certainly had not acknowledged his friendship with Geordi, who for many years had been a close family friend. "While you're all standing here with your mouths hanging open in shock, let me give you some background, maybe answer some questions you either have or should have. First of all...yes, this is really the USS Enterprise D. About six months ago it appeared, drifting in the space that once was the home planet of the Q. The ship, which for those of you who do not know, was split in half due to a series of avoidable disasters in late 2365."

LaForge stepped forward. "Avoidable? Wes, I lost my nacelle crew that day! I did everything I could to prevent-"

Crusher held up his hand, cutting his old friend off. "Let's save the comments and questions until I've finished what I have to say."

LaForge bit his lip and crossed his arms defensively. T'Sara put a hand on his shoulder, and he finally stepped back with a frustrated sigh.

Wesley Crusher continued on with total confidence. "Now, as you will soon learn, the ship is completely intact. The stardrive, which you are currently standing on, was destroyed on impact with the planet surface. Or so we thought. The saucer section disappeared, allegedly due to an invisible lake monster, also on the planet's surface. I know this all sounds implausible, but since you're all members of Starfleet...no biggie, right?"

Wesley walked over to a console and tapped it. A hologram of the Milky Way galaxy now floated in front of the assembled officers. "Three months ago, we began to receive reports of disappearing star systems in the Alpha and Beta quadrants. Those reports were soon confirmed by evidence. He pointed at several areas on the star map, where strange bright cloud-like objects covered various areas of space. He pointed at two of them. "We've learned that these objects, which recently appeared and continue to multiply, possess properties similar to an energy source known to Starfleet Intelligence as the Power of the Q. Now these energy pockets, for lack of a better word, are swallowing up or erasing whole areas of space, and to put it simply, destroying lives."

"The fact is, this galaxy is in trouble...because of him."

The star map disappeared, replaced by a figure of an athletic man with short sandy brown hair. His posture was stiff. He was wearing an outdated captain's uniform from about twenty years earlier, and despite his formal pose, a confident, perhaps slightly arrogant smile was fixed on his lips.

"This is former Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Picard was abducted by an incredibly advanced race known only as the Q in 2354. The Q operated as a group of beings with a set of mostly unknown rules established for the use of their god-like powers. Their society is called the Continuum and exists across time and space. It is thought that for the most part, the Q have been uninterested in humanity. I will spare you the history, some of which is classified anyway. During his eleven-year captivity, Picard is thought to have been imparted with the Power of the Q and was trained to use it. Eventually, Picard was removed from the Continuum in 2365 for reasons that were never fully revealed. He regained some use of the Power, but at this time, he was attempting to pass as a human being."

Pass? Geordi glanced at T'Sara, who returned his silent question with a single raised eyebrow.

"Again, I am skipping details for the sake of time," said Wesley. "What you need to know now, is that Picard has been missing for about 18 months, and Starfleet is now actively searching for him."

He paced away and the holo image of Picard vanished.

"When it was last known, Picard possessed the full Power of the Q, which he obtained under mysterious circumstances on the Q home planet in late 2365. We have evidence to link him to the appearance of these energy pods. In order to reverse the problem he caused, we are searching for him. We don't believe that he is in the Q Continuum anymore, because we have a witness to the current circumstances of the Q race, which points us to Picard acting on his own here. So we believe that Picard can still be found, and when he is, he needs to pay for what he's done."

Wesley sat down on the edge of a work table and stared into the distance for a few moments, oddly swinging his leg back and forth. He sighed and addressed the officers again. "But the reason you're here is more complicated. You're here because if we can't reverse the course of what has been happening, the galaxy is doomed. And our only hope is to escape it. Currently, the Federation has formed a tentative alliance with the Cardassian Union and the Klingon Empire to achieve this end."

There was a murmur in the crowd, which elicited no emotion from Crusher. He got to his feet. "I know, I know, the Cardassians are absolutely disgusting and can't be trusted... but the truth is, we can't do it without them. They have something we need."

"Excuse me..." A young engineer raised her hand.

"What?" Wesley demanded.

"You said escape, sir. Where exactly would we go to?"

"Congratulations," said Wesley, walking dismissively past the woman. "If you survive, you'll be the first humans to travel to the Andromeda galaxy."

Geordi could not help let an astonished laugh finally slip out.

Wesley turned to glare at his old friend. The young man's face had turned crimson with embarrassed anger. "Your assignments will be sent to you in the next twelve hours. We'll find out soon who is cut out for this assignment, and who's not. Dismissed," he snapped.

LaForge nodded at T'Sara, who moved to file out of the cargo bay with the others, while LaForge remained behind.

Wesley pointed at LaForge. "Don't ever do that again."

"Do what?"

"Undermine me in front of this crew. My crew."

The immature embarrassed posturing of a moment ago had changed back to cold arrogance. Whatever Wesley had gone through, it had changed him.

For now, Geordi decided, he would keep his cool. "Okay...I'm sorry. But...Andromeda?"

"It may be the only way to save the Federation, Geordi. Our own galaxy is being destroyed around us."

"Wes...at maximum warp, the trip to Andromeda galaxy would be over 300 years-"

"I can get us there in weeks, Geordi."

"You can?" Geordi's forehead creased skeptically. "At what cost?"

"If we save the galaxy, does it matter? Are you going to help me, or not?"

"That depends: are you trying to save the galaxy or get revenge on Captain Picard?"

Wesley shook his head. "You've changed, Geordi. You used to be up to the challenge."

"Listen Wes...I'll do whatever I need to do to help save lives. But I don't believe a word of what you said about your dad being the cause of all this. And I don't think you believe it either."

The hate in Wesley's eyes was chilling and his voice shook with unresolved anger. "He had his time to be a hero, and now he's gone. Now, it's my turn. And I will succeed, whether you help me or not."

La Barre

Beverly sat on the back porch as the sun grew lower in the sky. She sipped some tea and found that she was able to relax a bit as she gazed out on the green rows of grapevines. At her side sat Rene' Picard, Jean-Luc's young nephew. He was now about sixteen, and not quite as full of joy as he had been just a few years ago. Rene' leaned forward with his elbows resting on his boney knees. "How long are you staying?"

She smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Unfortunately, I have to leave in a few minutes. I'm sorry. It was so good seeing you again."

He smiled back at her but there was sadness in his eyes. "Yes, it was." He looked down at the floor. "Are you going to go and find my uncle?"

Her smile extinguished, Beverly put her tea down. She rubbed her hands together, feeling a chill in the breeze now. "No."

"Why not?"

"Well, for starters, I wouldn't know where to start looking," she admitted. "And more importantly, I don't know if he wants to be found."

"But you want to see him, don't you?"

She clasped her hands together tightly. "I don't know. It's complicated."

"The last time I saw him, he told me that he'd done something to hurt his family, but that it had been the right thing to do," said Rene'. "I asked him what that meant, but he wouldn't answer me. He just kept drawing in his room constantly. Did you see his room?"

"Yes," she whispered. She reached out abruptly to hug him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry Rene'...but I've got to go. I have a big day tomorrow, and I'm afraid it will be difficult. I should get back to Paris and get some rest." She stood up. She went back into the house to say her goodbyes before walking away through the vineyard at dusk.

In the cab on the way back to Paris, Felix called her.

"Hi. How is everything? I've been worried about you," he said.

"I've been okay," she said. "I have to testify tomorrow, but I'm coming to terms with it now."

"I knew you'd figure it out. So...did you go to the vineyard?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes."

"I know it must have been hard, Bev. I'm sorry."

She dabbed at an annoying tear that rolled down her cheek. "It's fine," she insisted. "I mean...it's not fine, but there's nothing I can do to change any of it."

Felix paused for a few moments. '"Have you thought about my proposal?"

Unexpectedly, her mind shot back to the Q planet and her spur of the moment marriage proposal to Jean-Luc in the middle of a beautiful lake. At that moment she had been truly happy. It had been before she was infected by the virus; before her life had unraveled. Then she came back to the present and remembered the Excelsior, and Felix's request that she join him. She'd completed the application but hadn't sent it yet. "I've had so much on my mind," she said, avoiding the question. She rubbed her forehead. "Felix...I just want to make sure you understand that if I decide to apply for this position or if I decide not to... it's not about our relationship."

Felix was silent for a moment more. "Of course," he said finally, sounding hurt. "I'm not trying to trap you...but I want to see you happy again. I thought that working as a CMO on a starship would at least be a step in the right direction. I care about you."

"I care for you too, you know that," she said.

"Look. I think we should change the subject for now...I probably shouldn't tell you this, but the Excelsior has been assigned to find Data's ship-the Jemison. We're shipping out in a few days. It's now or never, Bev."

She closed her eyes briefly and took out a hypospray, injecting it quickly into her wrist. After a few moments, she began to feel a little better, so she opened her datapad. She looked at the screen which still had the completed application for CMO open. "For God's sake, just make a decision," she shouted out loud to herself.

The computerized cab driver spoke in the cabin: Does the passenger wish to change direction?

Beverly quickly hit send on the application. "No," she said as confidently as possible.

Paris

The young woman who had initially questioned Riker hadn't asked him much. Did he know where Picard was, and various other questions to which the answer was "no."

But then a slim man got up from his seat and after identifying himself as John Talbot, set about doing his best to piss Riker off.

"Captain Riker...how would you describe your relationship to Jean-Luc Picard?"

"He's my best friend."

"Would you lie for him?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think it's pretty straightforward, but I'll be more direct. Did you lie for him?"

"No. And I don't know what you're getting at."

"You are the one who officially took Christopher Caine into custody. You arrested him for the murder of Tasha Yar."

Riker's mouth went dry. He didn't like remembering that day, much less discussing it with anyone. "That's right."

"Even though you were at the scene of Yar's death, you never testified when Christopher Caine was put on trial, did you?"

"No. And I didn't need to. Caine confessed to murdering Tasha Yar."

"Did Picard ever tell you the whole story about Tasha Yar's death?"

Riker flashed back to finding Picard fighting Caine beneath a towering waterfall. He hadn't seen Tasha. According to Picard, Tasha had fallen to her death. His heart began to race a little bit faster. "He told me what he thought was important."

"Did that include an admission that he himself shot Tasha Yar first?"

Riker glanced at Jack. "He said he made a mistake. He thought she was an alternate version of herself. One that was trying to destroy humanity."

Talbot laughed. "Right."

"What exactly are you laughing about?" Will sat forward and clenched his hands into fists under the table. He didn't like the smug questions any more than he liked the smug smile.

"Well...the story that was concocted about Tasha Yar is pretty outrageous," said Talbot. "According to official records, there was no other Tasha Yar than the one who was killed in 2365. As far as Starfleet official records go, she was a young officer with a rebellious streak, who was killed for unknown reasons."

Asshole. "It wasn't concocted: it's the truth."

"Well...let's agree to disagree."

Riker ran a hand through his hair. "I don't have to agree on anything at all with you. I'm just here to testify."

"What exactly did you witness, Captain? Did you see Tasha Yar before she died?"

"Yes."

"And who was she with?"

"She and Picard were crossing a footbridge. I wouldn't exactly say they were together."

"Were they working together?"

"I don't know."

"But, you felt the need to follow them."

"Yes."

"Isn't it true, that you were under the influence of a viral entity during this time? An entity that sought out the power of the Q?"

"I had just been cured," he said slowly.

"Really? That's miraculous. What was the cure?"

Riker looked Talbot in the eye. "What kind of game are you playing?" He turned to focus on the Council. "What kind of game are you playing, Jack?"

Jack Crusher scowled. "It's not a game, Captain. Answer the question, please."

"Yar used the power of the Q," said Riker in a quiet voice. "I was cured by Tasha Yar."

"The good one, or the bad one?" Talbot questioned with an innocent expression that was less than genuine.

Riker shut his eyes. "The good one."

"How did she do it?"

"She used the power of the Q, I told you."

"But...according to your first officer log prior to traveling the planet, you noted that the power of the Q couldn't be used on that planet. That it would be inert."

"That's right."

"How did you come to such a conclusion?"

"Captain Picard told me."

"And you believed him?"

"I had no reason to disbelieve him."

"Right, because as a Q he knew everything...so that means that he lied."

"Caine was inhabited by some kind of virus himself. Tasha pulled it from his body and it basically ate the virus we were all infected by."

"During his interrogation, Caine told a different story."

"Caine is a professional liar and a proven murderer. You weren't there, Mr. Talbot. You have no idea what happened."

"That's why I questioning you, Captain."

Riker stood up and moved his chair away from the table. He towered over Talbot. "I hope you're done with your questions since they have nothing to do with the disappearance of my friend."

Talbot held his gaze for a few tense moments before saying, "You're dismissed."

"Officer Crusher!"

Wesley Crusher turned to see a junior intelligence officer approaching with an activated datapad. The man seemed more nervous than usual. "Mr. Crusher, you'll want to read this in private."

Wesley gave the man a disgusted look and snatched it from him. Realizing that it was an important transmission, he quickly dismissed the officer.

Transmission, Talbot, John R.. Second day of hearings so far, not exactly illuminating. Last sighting of Picard on Rigel VII turned out to be a dead-end, with surveillance confirming it was not him. Following up on a new report from a Ferengi trader near Klingon territory claiming to have located Jean-Luc Picard's body, and that it's in cold storage. Due to the nature of this report, I shared it with Chancellor Makon, but he doesn't want the hearings suspended yet. Makon wants the investigation to continue until Picard is confirmed dead. I'll leave in a few days to confirm the report myself.

The datapad fell from Wesley's hands to the deck with a clatter. Dizzy, he braced his hand on the corridor wall, trying to recover but instead, he vomited against the wall. After about a minute, he regained his sense of self and quickly checking the hallway to see with relief that it was still empty, he tugged at the hem of his tunic, before walking away.