Chapter 27

Romulan Scout Ship

After he was transported in, Sovol could hear only his own steady but swift breathing inside his helmet. The engines of the small craft were powered down and the ship's hold was eerily silent.

Captain Data had sent Sovol to reason with Yar, or to arrest her. Just how he would take her into custody had not been discussed. The silence continued, and Sovol began to expect violence. While trained in standard hand-to-hand combat, he was not a violent person, and strictly adhered to Starfleet principles. Tasha Yar, on the other hand, was a highly skilled and lethal fighter with no apparent loyalty to anyone but herself. Hearing a sound, Sovol turned his head slightly to the right. He rested his hand on his phaser.

The attack came from the side, and before Sovol could pull his phaser to defend himself, his legs were swept out from under him and he crashed to the deck. He rolled away and came up firing his phaser on heavy stun.

Yar was clothed in her black armored suit but had removed her helmet. Whether that had lessened the effectiveness of the suit's protective qualities, he did not know, but either way, the stun beam halted her in her tracks. The look of pure rage on her face as she was slowed to an excruciating stop would have alarmed anyone but a Vulcan.

He could almost see her suit absorbing the energy from the weapon. She should have been knocked out immediately, but while immobilized, she was alert and aware. Her short blond hair almost glowed, giving her sort of an aura in the darkened ship's hold.. The suit's construction was impressive, and he filed his technical questions away for a more appropriate time. The look on her face now was one of frustrated helplessness. He knew that this was only temporary, however, and he needed to speak quickly.

"Natasha Yar, I am Lieutenant Commander Sovol...special envoy from the USS Jemison-"

"We've met already-what do you want?"

"Captain Data requests your assistance. We believe that there is a connection between Christopher Caine and the anomalies that have been eroding portions of the galaxy."

"A connection? Is that the best you've come up with?"

"Starfleet requires your assistance," Sovol repeated. "You have disrupted Caine's mining efforts on various planets, therefore you are familiar with his operations."

"Hasn't worked," Yar said, trying to painfully slide one boot forward. She gritted her teeth. "Now get off of my ship."

"What substance is Caine mining?"

"If you don't know the answer to that question, you sure as hell aren't ready to confront him."

"This is why we should share our resources-"

"I work alone," she interrupted roughly.

"Then you refuse to help the Federation face a threat to its very existence?"

"Yes." She shook out her arms and took a step closer. "Are you refusing to leave my ship?"

"I seek to engage with you based on logic, rather than emotional vendettas, Natasha Yar."

"Perfect. Since I have no emotions that works for me."

Sovol raised an eyebrow. "Most humans seem content to be governed by their emotions."

"Who said I was human?"

Fascinating. Sovol paused and then pulled out a small datapad. "Natasha Yar, on behalf of the United Federation of Planets, I hereby charge you with attempted sabotage of a Starfleet vessel, and assault against a Starfleet officer."

Yar laughed coldly. "What is this? You can't be serious."

"I am a Vulcan, and by nature, I am quite serious," Sovol clarified. He pulled out a pair of wrist restraints. "You are under arrest. I would prefer to avoid physical violence, but I must take you into custody."

"I don't want to have to kill you, Sovol. But I won't hesitate to do what's necessary".

"I am physically stronger than you," he said.

"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" Her suit still worked, and even though it was in need of repair she could certainly match the strength of a Vulcan while wearing this suit.

"You are wounded," he insisted, waving his tricorder at her right side. "We have medical services onboard the Jemison."

"Some wounds never heal," she replied. Yar watched with angry curiosity as the Vulcan removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm.

"I have a personal statement to make," he said diplomatically.

Yar dropped her hand to her holstered gun, but her arm was still numb enough that she questioned whether she would be able to fire it accurately. "Okay," she allowed with a degree of confusion.

"Do you recall T'Sara of Vulcan?"

Yar blinked, but didn't respond. She hadn't heard that name spoken in years, nor had she thought of T'Sara, except in the abstract; just as she hadn't thought much about Picard. Until now. Perhaps she hadn't considered ever seeing the people from her past again. T'Sara. No, it was much easier to think of Picard. The strangest whisper of something passed through her mind at the thought of Picard. Was this guilt? A voice spoke from within: You shouldn't have left him alone with Talbot.

"T'Sara and I are betrothed to be married, and have been for many years, according to Vulcan custom," Sovol was saying.

Yar's expression grew vacant. "Congratulations."

"However, T'Sara has...refused to become my wife because of her connection to you, which she claims she obtained after engaging in a mind-meld with you..."

Yar's expression grew more intense, and she pulled the weapon and pointed it at him. "Leave. Now."

"When you noted that you had no emotions, it occurred to me that this too could be a result of your mind-meld. We Vulcans certainly have emotions, however, unlike humans, we have built our ways around managing these emotions. Unlike humans, we do not allow them to control us. That is why T'Sara's behavior is so puzzling. Believing you to be deceased, T'Sara holds onto this connection for illogical reasons, and as yet I have been unable to convince her to marry me. Thus, I have debated internally whether or not to inform her that you are alive. I realize now that such internal indecision is illogical. "

Yar suddenly lunged for him, knocking the phaser from one hand, and sending the datapad clattering to the floor. She backhanded him with her fist which he was able to partially evade. Sovol struck her in the side of the head, sending her spinning away, and forcing the disruptor from her fist.

Very aware that he had struck her in the only vulnerable area on her body, he advanced, attempting to grab her neck, but she twisted away and kicked him in the side.

He grunted and tried to grab her boot, but she slipped out of his grasp again, bringing her other knee up into his abdomen. He countered with a palm strike to her chin, sending a spray of blood into the air. They ended up on the deck, rolling back and forth. At some point, Sovol shouted in his native language: "Kroykah! Enough!"

Yar suddenly ceased fighting and slowly released her grip on the Vulcan's neck, as he rolled away and got to his feet. Yar tried to push herself into a sitting position, but her boots slipped on the mix of red and green blood that covered the deck around them.

A cut above Sovol's eye was trickling blood as he put his helmet back on and began fishing around in his pocket for something. Eventually, he pulled out a small disc and reached out to hand it to her. "This is a copy of research that T'Sara conducted about you...as well as your sister and your father. I used deception to obtain it from her records. She does not know that I have it."

Yar took the disc and heaved herself into a nearby seat. Her side was burning, and Sovol had managed to hit her hard enough to make her jaw begin to swell. She looked down at the item in her gloved palm. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"You are lost, perhaps. Perhaps you may find yourself and realize that you are needed. It is what T'Sara would no doubt wish for you."

"Don't tell her I am alive," she ordered him, still trying to catch her breath. "Because I'm not sure that I am," she added.

"Do you care for her?"

Yar stared through him. "The person that I used to be...the person that died, did." She focused her eyes on his, finally. "But I'm not that person anymore."

"I hope you will change your mind, and join us, Natasha Yar."

Yar turned without a word and typed a command into the operations station, and Sovol whisked away in a swirling transporter beam.

USS Hood

"You neglected to tell me you brought her on board, Will."

Riker watched his angry wife pacing across the room from behind the relative safety of his desk. "Honestly, she won't be with us for long, Deanna. Samla has agreed to leave as soon as we can find a safe planet."

Deanna laughed. "Do you really believe that?"

"Yes..." He watched with some trepidation as she came closer. The reintroduction of the Orion mercenary, who had also been Riker's lover during his infection by the viral entities, had not gone over well with Deanna.

Troi stopped pacing and sat down on the edge of his desk. "Okay then...what is her story this time, and what is her connection to Yar? I'm sure she wasn't down on that dusty planet just sightseeing."

"She's been surprisingly quiet...I could ask her. Or I could have Alicia-"

Deanna leaned over the desk and patted his arm. "Wonderful idea. Have Alicia do it." She got up and headed for the door.

Riker jumped to his feet and called after his wife. "Deanna, it's been years. I was infected by a virus when I-when I-"

"When you cheated on me," Troi said flatly. "With multiple other people and various other aliens, including this woman. While I have come to accept that you were acting under the influence, Will, it doesn't make it any easier. I also do not trust Samla. Not one bit. She's hiding something. And as soon as we can drop her off somewhere, I want her off this ship, Will."

Riker watched her go, knowing that as rare as it was for Troi to be jealous, he'd better not ignore her warnings. He tapped a flat panel on his desk. "Commander Augustine, Please report to my ready room."

First officer Alicia Augustine sat with a calm yet alert posture, watching and waiting for the Orion to answer her question.

The Orion woman finally spoke. Her voice was musical and alluring, just as one would expect from an Orion female. "I'm not sure I understand the question."

Augustine blinked slowly, unwilling as yet to display her irritation openly. "I asked you what your motivations are. The Captain wants to know why you were down on that planet."

"If the captain wants to know, why doesn't he just ask me himself?"

"I'm asking you."

"That's obvious...so you want me to answer your questions, but you don't intend on answering mine?"

Augustine smiled. "I'm going to need you to go first. What were you doing with Natasha Yar?"

"Who said I was with her?"

"You were found on the same planet as the injured so-called Assassin, and you knew the Assasin's identity to be Tasha Yar before we did. Now, who is being obvious?"

Samla smiled sweetly. "Commander, I'm not answering any questions that are likely to get me killed."

"Who's going to kill you? Who are you running from? Yar?"

Samla just gazed at her serenely.

Augustine remained serious. "Fine. I will order my officer at the helm to proceed to the nearest planet, and I will drop you there whether it's habitable or not."

"Riker would never do such a thing!"

"I'm not Captain Riker..."

Samla twisted a long strand of ebony hair between her fingers. "If I tell you what Caine is up to, will I have your protection?"

"If you have helpful and accurate information and cooperate with us, yes, I can guarantee that you will be safe on board the Hood."

Samla took a slow sip from a glass next to her. "And I want to talk with Riker-"

"Captain Riker," Augustine corrected her.

Samla shrugged. "I want to talk with him privately."

"That I can't guarantee, but I can let him know about your request."

"Deal."

Alicia Augustine sat back slowly, her hands laced around one knee. She watched patiently as Samla seemed to be seriously considering her next words. "Caine is obsessed with power. Anyone who has met him knows this. He will stop at nothing to achieve the kind of power needed to subjugate everyone to his will."

"To what end?"

"There is no end, except absolute power...that's what he wants."

"Go on..."

"Picard had what Caine wanted: the kind of power that could create and destroy."

"Are you talking about the power of the Q?"

"Yes. But let's be clear that all Caine is interested in is destruction. He has somehow found a way to harness that power by taking it from within certain planets...planets where this so-called power resides."

"So...it is alive?"

"What is life?" Samla questioned with a clever smile? "Can you define it?"

Augustine blinked. "Then what is he doing with this power?"

"Creating very powerful weapons, and worse. All of these disappearing areas of space are connected to his activities. If you want to save the galaxy, you're going to have to stop Caine. And for that you need Picard and you need Yar.

Disabled Shuttlcraft--Cardassian Space

Wesley stood entranced by the sound of his father's commanding voice now reverberating through the tiny shuttle. The recorded message matched the words now streaming on the viewscreen next to the unconscious form of Jean-Luc Picard.

If you have found this shuttle and the man inside it, then there is still hope for all of us.

I have tried to anticipate your questions, but some answers continue to elude me. What I can tell you, is that the natural laws of this galaxy are under threat. It will be up to you and a few others with knowledge of the Q Continuum to stop this threat. You must prevent Caine from destroying the very fabric of this galaxy, which he is at this very moment attempting to erode.

The man you see before you is not fully me. Rather, he is a copy of a version of me who, as far as I have observed by watching him live in his world, is a better version of me than the Picard you know. He is a version of me who puts his principles and the safety of his crew ahead of everything else, including his own personal interests. He loves you dearly, but will never say so. And in fact, he is not your father. In his world, Jack is your biological father. Why am I telling you this, and why have I brought you here?

I recognize Wesley that I have hurt you deeply and that you may not ever forgive me. Please know that the actions I took, however imperfect, were intended to protect you. I used what was left of my power to ascertain what I am about to tell you, and now I exist in a place unlike any other I have traveled to during my time as Q."

Wesley slowly sat down in the navigational section next to the sleeping Jean-Luc.

I couldn't be here with you, Wesley, and I knew that the way the galaxy was changing meant I might never be able to see you again.

I left Earth 18 months ago to try and stop Caine who was imprisoned. The Jean-Luc who entered that prison never left. Like this Picard, he was one version of my true self. If he survived his time with Caine, he will never be the same. My hope is that he will retain enough of his mind to be of use to humankind. There is knowledge he has that can still be unlocked.

I have sent the Picard who sits before you now, to all of you to help find a path to the end of this journey, but he will not remain with you indefinitely. This man sleeping next to you is unaltered by time. While fully programmed, for lack of a better word, to assist you, he exists within his own bubble of reality.

He will relate to all of you in the context under which he knew each of you. In his reality, Jack died when you were very young, so I have programmed him to recognize Jack, but he is unaware of Jack's eventual death. To him, you will be Jack's son, not his own.

Caine is obsessed with power, but not just any power...the Power of the Q. Weakened, the Q no longer reside in this plane of existence. They have chosen to retreat. The power they used to wield still exists throughout the universe, but it is now alone.

The Power must be protected at all costs, because failing to do so will mean the end of this galaxy and possibly worse. Caine has learned how to detect its properties on planets and in pockets of space where its most basic substance can be found. He extracts what he can and attempts to bend it to his own will, destroying the essence of what binds our universe together for his own greed.

The areas of space that by the time you hear this recording will be disappearing are a direct result of Caine's enslavement of the power. Wesley, you must work with others to stop Caine. Only then will we have the chance to meet again.

Federation Security Freighter

Jean-Luc stared blankly at the viewer in front of him. He didn't look at the two bodies that lay at his feet. Talbot had murdered the security personnel that had located Yar's beacon and had picked he and Talbot up from that desolate moon. Talbot was in control, and now powered the small shuttle on an unknown course.

"This area is swimming with Federation ships. I'm getting us back to friendly territory, and then I'm going to kill you, Picard. Caine wants you gone. For some reason he is threatened by you. Don't know why. You're helpless."

USS Excelsior

"I can't tell her. What if it's nothing?"

" Oh, it's something, Jack, " said Nechayev. "It's an authentic security beacon from the Enterprise era. Only someone from the old crew would know to use that signal."

"The beacon was shut off at 1100 hours," said Jack's assistant Alison. "Before the signal was lost, it was located on board a Federation security freighter."

"Which we've got on our sensors...about two hours away at warp 8. And with no response so far from the security personnel that should be on board."

Jack tapped his desk. "Helm, set a course for the coordinates I am transmitting to you now. Warp 9. "

"Fifteen minutes until we intercept, Captain."

They all turned toward the door, hearing it hiss open.

Beverly Howard walked in and she had the most exhausted expression on her face. She stopped, suspiciously watching the other occupants of the room, who stared back at her. "What is it?"

Jack stood up anxiously. "We need you to take a look at this code...in case it might look familiar. "

He spun his data pad in her direction and watched as she sat down very slowly. She frowned, shook her head, and turned on Jack. "What the hell is this, Jack? Some kind of sick joke?"

"No," he said quietly. "No joke, Bev. Does this beacon signal look familiar? I says it was privately created for Captain Jean-Luc Picard."

Beverly fumbled with a glass on the table, trying clumsily to fill it with water. She took a huge gulp and then closed her eyes tightly. "It is," she said softly. "Tasha created a series of private security codes for Jean-Luc and for our family, when she first came aboard the Enterprise. She gave the codes to Wesley. Seth, and me in case we needed help." She closed her eyes, feeling woozy. I am going to pass out.

Nechayev took Beverly's hand in hers. "We can only decipher part of it, Beverly..."

Beverly took a deep breath but found she was still shaking. "I remember this one. It says...'Commanding Officer down. Captain is in danger, send help."

Jack rested his hand on Beverly's shoulder.

"We're currently tracking the ship that responded to this beacon Bev. We'll be there in minutes."

She looked at him searchingly. "And?"

"And we think Jean-Luc might be on board."