Epilogue

The Duke Foundation was a charitable organisation dedicated to studying and treating mental health conditions, based in the former Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany, although their work took them across Earth and occasionally beyond too.

The Foundation was established in 2063, not long after First Contact, by a young man named Doctor Jamal Duke. Although humanity was pulling itself out of the darkness at the time, there were still a great deal suffering psychologically from the aftermath of World War Three, as well as the massive culture shock of discovering that aliens existed, and Duke sought to help them find their way into the light too.

Doctor Friedrich Heidelburg, himself a native German, was one of the Foundation's oldest still-active researchers. He had known Jamal Duke when the latter was much older, and Duke had mentored the young Heidelburg in the study of the Human mind.

Now, almost forty years after Duke's death, Heidelburg found himself sat in the luxurious office of his mentor's daughter, Fia Duke, at Neuschwanstein Castle. The ornate, regal décor had been mostly maintained, even after centuries of refurbishments, and Heidelburg couldn't help feel like he'd been summoned before the queen's court. A grandfather clock ticked in the background, giving the subtly ominous sensation of a countdown.

"I am, of course, aware of the relationship you and my father had," said Fia. The tall windows behind her displayed a picturesque view of the Tegelberg mountain at the foothills of the Alps in the distance. It only served to amplify Fia's icy, hard-edged aura. "And how you helped him almost destroy his reputation."

Heidelburg knew that Fia was his senior by only a few years, but at the moment he felt like a scolded child. He knew to what she was referring. In his later years, her father had developed some outlandish ideas that the family had worked hard to cover up for the sake of the Foundation and its work. Impressionable and imaginative at that age, Heidelburg had helped the elder Duke to pursue these ideas in secret, but Duke's eventual illness had put an end to their controversial pursuits.

Now in his seventies, Heidelburg had borne the family's resentment for his participation in what they deemed to be Jamal Duke's downfall. If the public ever knew what they had been doing, the Foundation would be, at best, a laughing stock, and, at worst, condemned.

Heidelburg cleared his throat and adjusted his wire spectacles. "That… was a mistake. One I think that I have more than made up for."

Fia leaned back in her leather armchair behind her broad desk and steepled her fingers. The size of her opulent furnishings dwarfed the small yet intimidating woman. "You've been kept 'out of the way' since then. Relegated to writing papers, no field work. And you've done an excellent job. Now, you've submitted a request to get back out there and study subjects hands-on again?"

Despite his age, Heidelburg was a big man, and he now worked hard to make himself seem meek and submissive, speaking softly and keeping his head down. "As I said, I've done my penance. The research I am proposing requires field work, and I believe I am most qualified to conduct it."

Fia leaned forward to read a padd on her desk without picking it up. "You want to conduct a study into the effects of deep-space assignments on Humans?"

Heidelburg absently scratched at his short, grey beard. "As we strive deeper into the cosmos, long-term space missions will become the norm. Crews may spend years aboard a starship with nothing but the void around them, occasionally exposed to strange cultures or impossible phenomena. There is no telling what that might do to the Human psyche. It may already be beginning, and we must arm ourselves with knowledge to help any future cases."

There was a chilly silence for a few more moments, before Fia spoke again, her clipped Bostonian accent somehow making the room colder.

"Fortunately for you, Friedrich, the Foundation Board agrees with you. We also proposed the idea to Starfleet, and they're more than happy to assist us."

Heidelburg kept his delight concealed, merely nodding. For years, he had stayed quiet, held his head down, got on with his menial tasks, while the entire time he was continuing his and Duke's research in private. Now, his performance had paid off, and he would be able to advance to the next, more public, stage of his life's work.

He just had to keep it all secret for another while longer. If anyone knew what he was up to, they'd never allow it.

"Danke, Fia. You won't regret this."

"I hope not." She maintained her steely gaze.

"When can I start my research?" he asked quickly, in case she changed her mind there and then.

"You had better start packing tonight, you've got a long journey ahead of you."

He furrowed his brow. In his elation, he hadn't even considered what his destination might be. "Where am I going?"

"You wanted deep-space; it doesn't get much deeper than this… We're sending you to Starbase One."