Chapter 26


"Go!" Riker ordered, prodding Brom forward and dragging Kad along by the wrist restraints as he and Beverly rushed toward the bridge of the Stargazer. Bero hadn't beamed them directly to the bridge, perhaps on purpose, or perhaps because he hadn't known any better.

Riker had trouble navigating the dark corridors, but at one crucial point, Beverly had exclaimed "over there!" and had pointed to a turbo lift. Her memory of this old ship had steered them in the right direction, and they drew ever closer to their goal. Silently they both hoped that they would not be too late, as Bok had a considerable head start.

"You had no right to kidnap me from my ship," Brom protested.

"Did you think when you helped Bok and Kad trap the Stargazer that you would simply get away with it?" Beverly demanded.

"I told you, I had no idea who Picard was, or why my father was so obsessed with him," Brom answered sullenly.

"Oh yes, you did," Kad heckled him. "Don't believe him!"

"Shut up, you filthy swamp weasel," Brom snarled. "Just wait until the future, when I see to it that you pay for your betrayal."

"Which betrayal? You've got more than one to choose from," said Beverly, trying to distract herself from the nervous thrumming of her heart as they rushed to locate Jean-Luc. She didn't know what she would do if Bok had harmed him.

"Betrayals then!" Brom clarified.

"It's my pleasure to inform you both," said Riker. "That the future's just been changed-again. We all changed it. So my hope is that you both end up penniless in the future, since that's apparently the only kind of punishment that would ever matter to you."


The Ferengi continued to stand there glaring at him. "You say we've met before," said Jean-Luc, still pressing his palm to his throat. "Where?" His voice had already gone hoarse from Vigo's attack, and swallowing was pure agony. But although it now seemed he was far from being out of danger, he felt oddly calm.

Picard glanced over at Zev who had her phaser pointed at the intruder. He nodded for her to lower it, and although her eyes flashed with anger, she complied, but did not let go of the weapon, just dropped her hand. Bok seemed focused like a laser on Picard, and didn't seem concerned about Zev in the slightest.

"I am Bok. And you are responsible for great crimes against me, Picard. And now I will see you beg for your life."

Bok? That voice came back to him in that moment… The deal was that you would kill Picard. Yes! The Ferengi on the view screen, conversing with General Unh down on the Malkatan base.

Picard dropped his hand from his neck loosely, and noticed Bok flinch ever so slightly. "Oh is that so?" he asked, his voice calm, measured. He had been at the mercy of this Ferengi before. But not again. Never again. "And what crimes might those be?" Picard asked, beginning to walk slowly toward Bok.

"It was in another time and place," Bok sputtered. "But I have seen to it that you will pay!"

Zev watched with muted alarm as Picard approached unarmed from the lower level, walking slowly up to Bok's level, one step at a time. She gripped her phaser tighter, but would obey the Captain's order until he seemed at greater risk. Still she wished that he would not put himself in harm's way. Surely between the two of them they could overtake this Ferengi.

"But…if I committed these crimes, then why don't I remember having done so?" Picard asked curiously. Mounting the stairs, he stopped just out of the reach of Bok's disruptor barrel.

Bok shifted his feet, but kept the gun pointed at Picard's chest. "I do not recommend that you step any closer to me, Picard," Bok said with a nasty smile.

Picard stood still, watching Bok for a moment, but then tilted his head. "Or what? You'll shoot me? Well isn't that why you've come here to my ship? Why don't you try?"

Bok blinked. "You are very strange, Picard. Perhaps you do not comprehend the gravity of your predicament."

"Oh, I think I do," Picard answered, taking another step forward. "Mr. Bok…do you know how long it has been since I've slept?" Picard asked him quietly. "Five days," he offered, when Bok remained silent. "You see, I am being kept awake by nightmares of my crew being slaughtered. And I may never sleep well again."

He walked even closer, and Bok's gaze dropped briefly to his disruptor and then back up at Picard. "That doesn't come as any surprise to you does it? Was that part of your revenge? Destroying my crew?"

Bok's eyes glinted. "Then you know who I am after all...good."

Picard smiled coldly. "But I haven't given you the reaction you wanted, have I, Bok? I'm not groveling for my life yet."

"At least you know me," Bok stuttered. "You will understand that it is I who has beaten you," he jeered.

"I know your type," answered Jean Luc. "I know that you are the type to lure an unsuspecting ship into a trap, and to allow others to do your dirty work for you. But you're not the type to kill me yourself. In fact, I can tell just looking at you that you don't have the stomach for it."

"Picard, you underestimate me!"

Jean-Luc walked closer until the barrel of the disrupter was pressed into his chest. He deliberately leaned in toward Bok, challenging the Ferengi to hold his ground. He pointed to his neck. "You see this?"

Bok looked at Picard's neck covered in mottled bruises and blood, but said nothing.

"A man who used to be my friend did this to me," he said, and his voice was barely a whisper. "So do you think I am actually afraid of anything you could possibly do to me? You see I'm very tired of these games you have been playing with me and my crew for weeks. Very tired indeed."

His hand slowly closed around the barrel of the gun. "I think your chance to kill me has passed, don't you Bok? I am holding your weapon and I'm within arm's length of you. I am bigger and stronger than you and I would bet that I can overpower you."

Bok shook his head viciously from side to side. "But I am quicker and my finger is on the trigger."

Picard laughed suddenly, and Bok blinked, apparently not expecting such an utterance from this disturbed human. Clearly the Malkatan's had done permanent damage to this human's psyche.

Jean-Luc abruptly let go of the gun and turned around, facing away from Bok and Zev. "I'm going to give you thirty seconds, Bok," he said quietly. "Thirty seconds to call your ship and have them beam you off of my bridge," he said turning back around to look at Bok.

Bok was still pointing his weapon, but his hand was shaking wildly as though it had grown too heavy. This burden of chasing Picard had become very heavy.

"I will not leave, until I see you pay, Picard-"

"Twenty seconds," Zev interrupted, apparently having decided that someone needed to keep count.

"What are you going to do when you're thirty seconds is up, Picard? I have the weapon, therefore I have the advantage!"

Picard stood looking at his enemy almost placidly, but said nothing. At his side, his hand flexed into a fist and then loosened again.

"Five seconds," Zev said, and there was a mocking tone to her proud voice as she watched Bok.

Furious, Bok swung the disruptor in her direction looking away from Picard for the first time. Picard grasped Bok's wrist and bent it at an unnatural angle, forcing a pained cry from the Ferengi and causing him to drop the gun to the deck with a clatter. In a second smooth movement, Picard hauled off and punched Bok in the face as hard as he could. The Ferengi immediately crumpled to the deck unconscious. Picard straightened, still looking down at Bok. He shook his stinging hand once. "Time's up," he said softly.


Suddenly filled with a deep exhaustion, Picard had started to walk away from Zev and back toward the command center, when there was a commotion at the turbo lift. Four individuals shoved their way onto the bridge, and then the narrow world that was his bridge slowed down. Two Ferengi prisoners and two humans; a tall man with a beard and dark hair, and…and...

"Jean-Luc!" He heard his own name spill from her lips, and then he felt a wave of vertigo pass over him. His vision went grey.

Zev slowly lowered her phaser in astonishment even as Riker held his hands up letting her know he wasn't a threat. But Zev wasn't looking at Riker. "Beverly Crusher…gods it was true all along," her voice caught in her throat with emotion and she put a hand to her chest.

Zev was still pointing at Beverly with growing euphoria as she looked over at the Captain for his reaction. Zev watched as he fell to his knees, and the upper half of his body swayed as his eyes began to roll back in his head. His mouth moved but no words came out. Jean-Luc brought his hands up in an attempt to cover his face, and then he collapsed face first unconscious.