Chapter 16

USS Enterprise

Laforge waited a few more moments, wondering if he had disturbed her meditation. The ship's computer had said she was here, but he hadn't exactly been invited. Presently though he heard: "Please enter."

The door swished open to T'Sara's quarters and he stepped inside. There was something about the room that seemed immediately odd. Granted, going into his own quarters after several years away from the Enterprise, had been odd. For one thing, it was as though he had never left, or that he had just been gone for a shift, and had returned home to find things just as he had left them.

The ship had split in two and had been partially destroyed in the atmosphere of the Q homeworld...then it had disappeared from the shoreline of an immense lake, presumably forever claimed by the planet. Yet, now it had reappeared several years later, adrift, functional, but without a crew. Wesley hadn't explained to anyone where the Enterprise had reappeared, or when it had done so-assuming he knew himself. The oddest thing of all, if one had to pick, was that everything on board appeared just as it had prior to the battle with the Remans and Marco's ship.

Nothing about T'Sara's living space seemed at all typically Vulcan, except for the fact that it was stark and unfurnished. T'Sara didn't fit the Vulcan stereotypes that were commonly held by humans. She enjoyed art and history, and in particular, was fascinated by the inner emotional life of all beings. Geordi knew his friend well, and T'Sara's old quarters had been full of art and poems she had collected over the years.

Then he suddenly realized. These were not T'Sara's old quarters.

Oh. These are Tasha's quarters.

Geordi froze, suddenly feeling that he had intruded on something secret.

His friend turned from a desk, where she had been sitting. She was out of uniform and dressed casually in loose clothing. She waved her hand over a holo that snapped off before he could glimpse what she had been looking at. Not that he was prying. "Hello, Geordi."

"Uh, hi...look, if this is a bad time, I could come back another time."

"I am on my break...it would be difficult to speak at any other time."

"I know, Wesley's got us all working double-time." He sat down in a chair nearby. "Actually, that's kind of what I wanted to discuss with you."

T'Sara pulled back her long hair and watched him carefully. "Let us discuss then."

He paused for a moment. It had been a while since he had looked at her closely. Her energy was different. Sexier. Or at least, the way he saw her was different now.

"It's this transwarp conduit project. Wesley's beginning to act like Captain Ahab-"

"Who is Captain Ahab? I am unfamiliar with this officer."

Geordi laughed. "No...Captain Ahab was a fictional sea captain from 19th century America. Back when humans hunted whales."

She looked at him for a moment, trying to recall what a whale was. She remembered reading at the Academy how Spock and the old Enterprise crew had saved the Earth by going back in time and rescuing two humpback whales. "Humans hunted cetaceans," observed T'Sara. "How barbaric."

"Agreed...but so there was this story in which Captain Ahab becomes obsessed with hunting and killing a particular whale. Eventually, the obsession killed him."

"And so you believe that Mr. Crusher may also be killed by his obsession with travel to Andromeda?"

Geordi exhaled, realizing the gravity of her words. "Maybe I'm overreacting my friend. But I do think he is determined to do something that may be impossible."

"I suggest talking to him, Geordi. He is still young and can be influenced."

"Something is so different about Wes now. His genius has turned into something...something-"

"Egotistical?"

"Yeah, but more than that, he's so determined to prove himself that he doesn't care who he hurts."

Attention crew, this is Wesley Crusher. It has come to my attention that despite my directives, certain transmissions have been sent from this ship. Until further notice, all subspace communications to and from the Enterprise are prohibited, and access to news media will be reviewed by me prior to dissemination. Any deviation from these rules will result in your expulsion from this project and possible prosecution. I will not tolerate spies on board my ship. Crusher out.

Earth Starfleet Medical

Beverly closed her eyes and tried to tell herself to stay calm as the lift doors closed and they began to ascend up through the tall building. Her heart fluttered with a mix of anxiety and the anticipation of seeing Walker after so long. But as the lift slowed, it was Seth who suddenly grabbed her hand tightly. She looked over at him and squeezed his hand. "Are you okay, honey?"

Seth could not, or did not want to speak. His eyes had gone wide, and she was so distracted by his distress that she didn't notice right away that the doors had opened again. Beverly kept a supportive arm around Seth's shoulders as they stepped off of the turbo lift. A familiar slim figure stood outside in the hallway waiting for them.

"Doctor Selar," she said, genuinely happy to see her old colleague, now the head of Starfleet Medical.

"Doctor Howard...a pleasure to see you once more." She nodded politely at Seth. "Seth..." She hesitated. "I have some concerning information, I am afraid."

Seth put his hands on top of his head. Had he read Selar's mind from that distance? "Is Marco dead?"

Beverly looked at him sharply, then back at Selar. "What?" she whispered.

Selar regarded Seth carefully. "There has been no official announcement of Daniel Rey's disappearance. However, a few minutes ago we received confirmation from the USS Hood that... Marco has died."

Seth brought his hands up to his face for a moment, but when he dropped them he was oddly composed. "How?"

Doctor Selar looked uncomfortable. "I believe that I spoke with him just before he died. He believed that he was being attacked by Caine, who was in the process of boarding his ship." She watched them, letting the information sink in.

Beverly shook her head quickly. "This can't be true. Caine is locked away in a maximum-security prison."

"I only know what Mr. Rey-what Marco told me, Doctor. And he certainly believed the words he said."

"I believe it, too," said Seth. "Marco was on to something. He didn't want me involved, which is why he wanted me to stay with Guinan. He must have gotten too close to the truth, and Caine killed him for it."

Beverly's skin began to shiver from anxiety. Just hearing Caine's name threatened to resurface horrible memories. Stay strong, Beverly. You've got to be strong for Seth. She felt around in her pocket for her supportive hypospray, but as her hand closed around it, she knew it was empty.

Selar looked on sympathetically. "There is still much we do not know. However, I must relay a message to you, Seth. Marco told me to tell you that he loves you."

Beverly shut her eyes tightly, and turned to Seth, wrapping her arms around him. "I am so sorry," she whispered.

He leaned into her a moment or two and then pulled back. His young eyes shone with determined tears. "We need to go and see Walker and then leave Earth. You were right, Beverly. We just need to keep moving."

The hospital room was empty aside from a bed and its lone occupant. There wasn't much need for furnishings when a person was in a coma. Walker Keel sat on the edge of the bed with his long legs resting on the floor. It was clear he had been fitted with a prosthetic leg recently, as its transparent aluminum fittings were uncovered, giving his new leg a cybernetic appearance. He made a point of getting up to meet them. He looked radiant and strong, clearly the opposite of someone who had been comatose for several years. Shortly following the return from the Q homeworld, Walker had fallen into a coma. He had been nearly killed by Yar in her previous incarnation, only to have his life saved by the Yar that they had more recently come to know. Beverly doubted he would remember much of what had transpired, especially now that years had passed.

Beverly hugged him tightly but could find no words. A few minutes later, the three of them sat facing each other. Walker reached over and put his hand on Seth's shoulder, looking his grandson in the eye. "Seth...how much has Doctor Selar told you?"

"She told me that Marco was killed. By Caine."

Walker's skin paled. "Yes. I've been sleeping for too long, Seth. You're my family and I want you to know that I will not rest again until Caine is brought to justice. For all of his crimes."

"Walker you still need to recuperate. You can't just jump out of bed and go across the galaxy to get revenge," Beverly warned.

Walker smiled and the skin around his eyes crinkled. His mood had switched from angry and sad to amused in just a moment. If she hadn't been so distracted with all of the difficult ideas flowing through her brain, she might have been concerned.

"And you? Where are you two headed?"

"We're shipping out on the USS Excelsior in a few hours." She took a breath. "Jack's new ship."

Walker laughed and smiled his odd smile again. "Great. Sounds like a reunion I would like to be part of."

Class M Planet-Fulari System

The Assassin

Samla's footsteps were light, but not silent, and she knew that she was taking a chance with her life even though she was Orion, armed, and very capable of defending herself. Still, her hand shook slightly as she approached with her hand resting on her holstered weapon.

There stood a figure, not as tall as she expected, but this person exuded a sleek power. The figure was engrossed in what appeared to be a very technical repair job. The shell of a large hydro container was open, and various wires were hanging out of it.

When Samla halted in the dust, the black-clothed person straightened but did not raise a weapon or turn around. "What do you want?" came a metallic voice.

Samla did not hesitate. "Protection."

Slowly the figure turned to regard her with a black shiny faceplate. Samla knew that she looked like hell. She'd been injured, and then had hidden behind an abandoned structure for the last 30 hours or so. She pulled down the sleeve of her jacket, covering a disruptor wound on her arm.

"You're armed and can clearly take care of yourself enough to stay alive."

"I need your help."

"I am not offering what you need."

Samla crouched down in the dust and watched as the stranger turned back to their work. "What are you repairing?"

"I don't give out information to those who work for Caine."

"I don't work for Caine," Samla insisted. "But...I have information about him. Information that could keep you safe."

"What makes you think I am seeking safety?"

"You should be...there's a price on your head in at least twenty sectors."

"That doesn't concern me."

"Who are you? Caine has his people out everywhere looking for you. Everywhere he goes, you disrupt his mining operations and kill his people."

"For someone who doesn't work for Caine, you seem to know a lot about his activities." The stranger slammed a panel shut, and then reached around the back of the hydro container. An indicator light turned green and the device started to hum.

Samla stood up, impressed. "Did you just repair the water supply for this town?"

The black mask tilted in her direction. "Yes. And now it's time for you to leave."

Samla stood up. "Do you know what they are calling you?" The figure remained silent, so Samla kept talking. "The Assassin. Because all you seem to do is kill. But now I see that you can do more than kill."

"If you don't work for Caine...and you are familiar with his activities, that can only mean that the person who you need protection from is Caine."

"That's right. I tried to infiltrate his operation-"

"Why?"

She found she had trouble choking out the words. "Caine murdered my friend Marco. And for that, I won't rest until he is dead."

The black mask seemed to focus on her face. "If I protect you, what can I expect in return?"

Samla studied her reflection in the Assassin's helmet for a moment and provided her most alluring smile. "Whatever you want in return."

"I work alone. But if you have information about Caine, you may be useful. I must warn you though... if you're a liar, you'll soon be dead."

"I can help you...you'll see."

"Yes. I will."