"Data, according to your reports, you escaped the Natal anomaly after encountering a hostile being." Jack had settled back in his chair after Beverly had been excused from the briefing. He would have to deal with her anger and confusion later on. It was difficult enough dealing with his own mixed-up feelings. Regardless of how they both feared for Wesley's safety, they were headed now to investigate his disappearance, and needed to keep the bigger picture in view. The galaxy continued to degrade, or disappear, as huge swaths of open space and populated star systems now manifested as blank areas, similar to the anomaly that Data's crew had encountered. No one else had experienced a first-hand account of observing the inside of such an anomaly and lived to tell about it.
"That is correct, Captain. The ship's holo cameras were unable to adequately capture what appeared to have been a humanoid person, due to what I propose was a personal cloaking device."
"Built into the suit? What kind of technology was this?"
"Highly advanced. The individual was able to sustain attack with a phased weapon, with no apparent injury. The intruder's considerable physical strength was no doubt aided by the suit," offered Sovol. The Vulcan's demeanor was neutral, despite his intense interaction with the intruder on the Jemison's bridge.
"And you have no idea who this could have been?" Nechayev eyed them craftily from across the table.
Data paused. "To say that I have no idea would be incorrect. If I were human, I would say that with respect to this person, I have relied on my experience and intuition, and based on several factors I had a...sense of familiarity."
"And how did you escape?"
"Our shields were being steadily drained," said Data. "The intruder interfered with our bridge operations and dropped our shields. The ship was free within seconds. The intruder alluded to a 'consciousness' being present, and she warned me not to bring humans back into an anomaly."
Nechayev looked around the table and her eyes rested on Ashley Howell. The Jemison's security chief had been quiet the entire time.
"Don't you have anything to add, Lieutenant?"
Howell looked up at Nechayev and straightened, seeming surprised by the attention. "Um...no, sir. I mean, I was unconscious during these events...after the signal began to sound again, everything just went black." She glanced at Data.
"Chief Howell also experienced sudden unconsciousness during our first exposure to the unidentified subspace signal," explained Data. "There appears to be some correlation."
"It would be an odd coincidence," said Felix. "This is why studying the former crew of the Enterprise is so important. If there is a connection between these anomalies and some of the symptoms we've experienced-"
"Symptoms?" Nechayev turned to Jack. "You didn't say anything about this to me, Jack. Have you and the other former crew members been experiencing an illness?"
Jack cleared his throat and shot a look at Felix. "Not illness, but I've had some pretty bad headaches...strange dreams. I know Beverly has experienced these too, but she obviously has strong opinions about whether these are part of some kind of shared experience."
"No," said Alyssa Ogawa, shaking her head. "Doctor Howard doesn't have a strong opinion. She has no opinion at all about what's been happening, despite the fact that she's been experiencing it too."
"Of course she has an opinion," Jack snapped back. "Maybe she just doesn't want to express it."
"Well," said Nechayev, "Beverly Howard is one of Starfleet's best medical minds, and she is also under your command, Jack," she continued pointedly. "If you are going to solve this little mystery, you need her engaged."
Jack grew red in the face. "What are you suggesting? That I don't have command of my crew?"
"My suggestion to you is that you work out your domestic problems and separate the personal from the professional," Nechayev shot back. "For the best interest of everyone."
Not missing a beat, she turned to the rest of the table. "Now...back to this mysterious intruder and the subspace signals..."
Data looked at her questioningly. "My detailed findings have already been transmitted to Starfleet, Admiral."
"Yes, yes of course. And in those reports, you suggest that the signals may originate from Sagittarius A."
"That is correct. My calculations have a 96% degree of accuracy, as the origin of the signal has remained static."
"Putting the source of it at the center of our galaxy," said Jack.
"That's over 25,000 light-years away," said Howell. "Hardly reachable with our current technology. At least, not within a human lifetime."
"Or a Vulcan's," said Sovol dryly. "However, why would the goal be to travel to the center of the galaxy, and encounter a supermassive black hole? When we may be able to interact with the signal from where we are now without the risk of imminent death? And let us not forget, the signals are as yet indecipherable. "
Nechayev got up from her seat and ordered a cup of tea from the replicator. She took a casual sip before looking out of the observation windows. "But is there a consciousness propelling these signals? The astounding view out there is why Starfleet exists. We are explorers. Perhaps this may be one of many crucial journeys we must undertake."
"As others have noted, travel to the galactic core is not feasible at maximum warp," Data reminded her.
"Stranger things have happened, Captain Data. Such as the Enterprise resurfacing after being destroyed several years ago...such as Natasha Yar coming back from the dead. Again."
Jack fell back into his chair. "Wait-what?"
Nechayev smiled. "Data has already guessed as much, right Data?"
Data nodded slightly, as she continued.
"Captain Will Riker encountered a being that had been rumored to be the so-called "assassin", who has been terrorizing Caine's mining operations for months now. He reported that the assassin's resemblance to Tasha Yar was unmistakable. While many doubt Will's observations, I certainly don't. Especially after news about the Enterprise, and Data's account of what occurred on the bridge of his ship."
"Tasha," Ashley Howell whispered, now staring blankly at the table.
"If Yar knows how to navigate these anomalies, we need her assistance," said Jack, quickly coming back to the present.
"And it also begs the question: if Yar understands these anomalies, and how to disrupt Caine's operations, are these things related?"
"Finding Yar will be necessary to answer such questions," said Sovol. Outwardly he displayed no emotional reaction to the news of Yar's return. However, he was well aware of who this person was and now felt quite unsettled.
"Good point, Mr. Sovol," said Nechayev. "That is exactly what I will need you and the rest of the Jemison crew to do. Find Tasha Yar and then rendezvous with us when she is securely onboard your ship."
Abandoned Federation Detention Facility 2HX-present day
The sound of dripping moisture obscured Yar's soft footfalls as she headed down the corridor. As she neared an open doorway, a rat scurried in front of her. She deftly stepped around it and raised her disruptor, leveling it at the door. She heard a strange murmur that quieted as she stepped through. The first blast struck her in the side. An old injury, and one that would never fully heal. The suit predictably absorbed the radiation and then projected it back from whence it came. Her attacker cried out as the blast ricocheted into him.
Yar crawled behind a table. The pain from the disruptor blast was extreme but she steadied her breathing and then peeked her head out quickly. Another shot rang out above her head, but this time she rolled away and then came up firing.
She increased the shield strength of her suit and then holstered her weapon, walking quickly to the center of the room. She could hear her attacker's labored breathing and knew she had injured him. She also knew her attacker and knew he would not stay down for long.
"Come on out, Talbot, I know it's you," she said. "A conventional disruptor isn't enough to kill me...you know that."
A slim blonde man wearing a nondescript jumpsuit limped out of the shadows and pointed a weapon at something on the floor. "I'm not here to kill you...I'm here to kill him."
Yar took a step forward to better see who he was talking about. A crumpled heap lay on the floor. Judging by the man's condition he was on the verge of starvation. A grey prison uniform hung in near rags from his body, and he was partially face down as though attempting a one-armed push-up. More likely he was seeking shelter where there was none.
"Why?" She found herself asking.
Without any apparent regard for her presence, Talbot stepped in front of Yar and aimed the weapon at the man's head. "He's outlived his usefulness," said Talbot. She noted that Talbot was injured, as one of her shots had struck him in the leg. She had only had a handful of encounters with Caine's right-hand man, and this was the first time she had seen him so determined.
Yar grabbed Talbot by the shoulder and swung him around to face her. "How was he useful to you? What does Caine want with this man?"
Talbot began to laugh, and a strange feeling began to creep into Yar's head. A very deep emotion, perhaps anger., even rage. Ever since her fight on the planet with Caine and his henchman she had experienced emotions, which she realized was not the norm. It was uncomfortable. She pulled her disruptor again and considered killing Talbot. Instead, she quickly struck him across the forehead with it, knocking him cold.
She dropped Talbot to the floor and found that the prisoner had scampered away. She didn't see him immediately, but the heat sensor in her helmet located a pair of legs dangling from a nearby ceiling vent. Walking over quickly, she reached up, and grabbed at the prisoner's ankles, tugging him back downward. Though thin and sickly, he apparently had some wiry strength left, because she had to put in some additional effort to convince him to let go.
"Come down. I'm not planning on harming you. Talbot is unconscious and can't hurt you."
Slowly she could feel the man's muscles relax and he eventually allowed himself to drop down to the floor. She supported him as he stood swaying unsteadily, and she noted how light he was. He kept his head bowed and clearly did not want to see his reflection in the faceplate of a helmeted stranger.
Still, she was able to glimpse his eyes for the first time, and her internal reaction again made her pause. Emotion.
His unkempt beard obscured many of his features, but his eyes were what solidified her recognition. His nervous gaze shifted to her holstered disruptor, and she knew he was considering grabbing for it. Yar pulled off her helmet slowly so that he wouldn't be alarmed any further.
"Captain Picard...do you recognize me?"
The man's eyes squinted as if struggling to see, and then he wrapped his arms around her and began to cry.
Two hours later...
As soon as Yar's Romulan fighter touched down on a dusty moon, she got up out of the pilot's seat, put her helmet back on with a hiss, and turned to look at her new companion. He had been sitting silently for the last few hours, not speaking, not asking any questions whatsoever, just gazing at the back of her head. In fact, he had been so quiet, that Yar considered keeping him on board. What harm would it do? But then it occurred to her, that this was not reasonable. The Orion had been bad enough. Picard was damaged, that was clear. No doubt what he needed to do was to return to civilization. She had nothing to offer him.
Yar had no idea of how Picard had ended up in prison with Caine, but by all appearances, he had scarcely survived.
She hesitated as she passed him seated at the navigation station, but didn't speak to him. What was there to say?
There was a banging at the back of the ship. Of course, it didn't alarm Yar, as this had been going on for some time now. As she approached a narrow locker the noise grew louder. She hit a button next to the locker and out fell Talbot to the deck, coughing and wheezing. "Not enough air in there," he rasped.
"Get up." She bent down and grabbed him by his wrists, which she had tightly bound together, and yanked him to his feet.
"I'm injured," he shouted, struggling to stand on one leg.
"You could be dead," Yar said plainly. "And maybe someday soon, you will be. Enjoy the pain, because it means you're still alive." She shoved him out of the hold, to the front of the ship.
"What are you planning?" he questioned. "Going to hand me over to Starfleet?"
As they neared Picard, she gestured for the man to get to his feet. "Come on, we're leaving."
Talbot made a move toward Picard, but Yar yanked his arms up behind him, and he screamed again. 'Don't look at him, don't touch him," she said flatly, ushering them both out of the ship into the warm air.
It was a class M moon, commercial flights landed hourly, and it was very busy. It was just inside Federation space and was as good a place as any to make a drop-off.
She shoved Talbot to the ground and handed Picard a weapon. She knelt down and locked Talbot's ankles together with heavy restraints. Then she stuck a tube-like structure into the ground beside him.
Yar turned to Picard. "I just set up a beacon. It's transmitting a standard SOS with Starfleet credentials. When they come to pick you up, tell them he's your prisoner. Tell them he's good friends with Christopher Caine."
Picard stared at the gun she had given him in confusion and then watched her walk away. She hesitated and then turned back silently. The seamless black helmet glinted in the sunlight, before turning away without another word.