The Asteroid
[Years after Nemesis]

Commander Data sat in the command chair of the Enterprise E. He faced forward with perfect posture, staring straight ahead into the moving stars of the viewscreen. Outwardly, he seemed like a statue or as if he was turned off. However, the officers on the bridge knew this was typical of the android first officer and continued about their duties unfazed by it while Data continued his detailed analysis, writing reports in his positronic brain that he would store and later transfer into the appropriate logs.

The usual routine of the bridge was interrupted by the door of the turbolift opening. The officers at the back of the bridge glanced towards the door but were not surprised to see Dr. Crusher stepping off the turbolift so they quickly returned to their duties without much thought. As she moved towards the front of the bridge, Data turned to her. He opened his mouth to greet her but saw that she made no attempt to look at him or at anyone else on the bridge, her destination clear and her body language telling. Data closed his mouth and decided, from experience, to not get involved. He turned his head in the opposite direction and towards Counsellor Lane for further confirmation.

Counsellor Lane saw Data's head turning and she met his eyes, giving him an amused smile and a shrug. She had come to learn that while Data was able to process and interpret situations very quickly, sometimes he sought confirmation when the usually clear roles and expectations were blurred. Situations involving the Captain and Chief Medical Officer had been the most common situations he looked to her for guidance and over the years they had developed their own forms of nonverbal cues for him to ask and for her to reassure his choice of action.

Having the confirmation he needed, Data resumed his previous, unmoving, position and Lane resumed her reading material on the PADD she held. As the door to the ready room closed, everyone returned to their previous activities, though the sound volume seemed to suddenly drop significantly.

Captain Picard looked up from his desk and was not surprised to see Dr. Crusher walking into his ready room. In fact, he had expected it much sooner. He gave her a smile as he took a deep, knowing breath.

"Doctor-"

"Why didn't you destroy the asteroid?" she demanded.

"We have no reason to-"

"Eight hundred, thousand people aren't a reason!?" she asked with disbelief.

"The Prime Directive-"

"Just because they haven't figured out how to run electricity into their homes makes their lives less valuable?" she asked, her tone giving away how personal she took those lives.

"Doctor," he stated firmly. He hated when her morals were correct and the Prime Directive put them in a difficult position, but he was still the Captain and he still had a duty to uphold the Prime Directive. "We cannot be saving every inhabited planet. That is not our mission and we would never get anything done if we did. The inhabitants of Galvan Two are unfortunate but that asteroid is a naturally occurring object and-"

"What about the inhabitants of Corvin Four?" she asked him, giving him a PADD she had been holding. "When Galvan Two explodes the shock waves will impact several sectors. The waves will change the path of a comet three light years away. The new path will put it in a direct course with another, much larger asteroid. While it probably won't destroy it, the impact will likely cause a significant course change, putting it on a direct path to the main moon of Corvin Four. They have only been warp capable for about ten years and do not have the weapons needed to intercept and destroy it before it makes impact. They have applied for Federation membership and their application is under review."

Picard looked at her analysis, annoyed at the position he was now in. "If it does go into a direct path-"

"The nearest Starfleet vessel might be too far away," she countered the situation she knew he was going to propose. "They are very far out, we don't have anyone out there."

He took another deep breath and looked at her analysis again. "What are the chances of this actually happening?" he asked her.

"Thirty six percent chance," she replied, a challenge in her voice.

"I take it you had Stellar Cartography look at your findings and confirm the calculations?" he asked her.

"Yes," she confirmed.

He looked over her analysis, hoping to find some error, knowing that there probably wouldn't be any.

"This is pushing it," he told her.

"Who's going to find out?" she asked him. "Who is going to care about some stupid asteroid, Jean-Luc!?"

He huffed lightly knowing she was right. Even if someone did find out, by the time anyone looked into it there would be nothing left to do.

"Beverly," he said to her, wanting to make his position clear. "We cannot be playing god and deciding who should be spared from a natural disaster-"

"This isn't divine intervention!" she snapped. "It's torpedo intervention! They'll never know so it's not interference."

He nodded as he stood, walking around his desk. He knew the moment they passed that asteroid that morning that she would be making him go back. He left the ready room with her by his side as they entered the bridge.

"Mr. Data," he said. "I have received new information that the asteroid we passed this morning has the potential to have dire consequences to a planet that has applied for Federation membership."

"Yes, Captain," he said, looking at Dr. Crusher's smile. "Will you be noting in the log this new information?"

"Yes," he replied. "For now, change course and proceed to destroy the asteroid. I will enter the information and report into the log later tonight. I can't at the moment since the information came to me at the end of the day and my wife hates it when I'm late for dinner without an active red alert."

"Of course, Captain," he said as a light murmur of giggling filled the bridge.

"Soon it won't be a problem anymore," Counsellor Lane reminded him. "And you'll never be late for dinner again."

"I'm sure she'll find something else to scold me about," he sighed to more giggles.

"It's mighty brave of you to be teasing your wife so publicly, Captain," Beverly said in a slightly mocking tone.

"I'm not teasing," he said to her. "I'm stating a fact. The day you stop scolding me will be the day I will expect to receive divorce papers."

"You make me sound so terrible," she said with displeasure.

"Nonsense," he said, addressing the entire bridge. "I have no reason to put up with anyone terrible. I am lucky enough to only surround myself with the best."

Beverly scoffed at him, but gave him a small grin.

"If you'll excuse me," he said to Data. "You have your orders."

"Yes, Sir," he replied.

"Have a good evening, Captain, Doctor," Counsellor Lane said to them.

"You, too," they both replied as they went to the turbolift. They were both quiet as the turbolift took them to their deck, neither having anything to say that they wanted to say outside their quarters.

Picard felt at ease, though he knew what he had done could be frowned upon. That was precisely why he had made the decision to retire. He had found over the years, especially after they married, that he couldn't say no to her. He had always had a hard time but letting his love for her run free had made it almost impossible. She never asked for anything that was unreasonable, but she often disagreed with the technical aspects of the Prime Directive. He had found creative ways to a middle ground, but it was not possible in every situation and he hated when he was forced to deny her requests. She never held a grudge, she understood his duties as the Captain, but it began hurting him. That was when he was forced to admit he loved her more than his uniform, his ship, or the Federation. And he knew at that moment he could no longer serve the Federation.

The months leading up to both their retirements had been full of tense moments with so many decisions needing to be made. As the time to leave neared, however, everything seemed to become more clear and decisions were easier to make. He had thought he'd miss the life he had known as a Captain of the Federation Flagship but the thought of a calmer life with Beverly filled him with a new excitement. The thought of leisurely activities with no fixed time to have to return, waking up in the morning and being able to enjoy staying in bed as long as they pleased and not until the alarm told them to, and meals taken when they felt hungry and not when their schedules allowed, seemed wonderful and exciting. And as the weeks became shorter, he looked forward to this new life and sometimes kicked himself for not taking it sooner.

The asteroid didn't matter to him, but it mattered to her. And by the time anyone found out about his grave manipulation of facts and the Prime Directive, he would be in LaBarre, with Beverly, and there was nothing they could do to him. He could live with that.

"Jean-Luc, I've been thinking," she said as they entered their quarters. "We're too old for children, neither one of us wants that kind of responsibility. But what about a cat? Can we get a cat?"

He had never been very fond of cats.

"Of course," he told her.

"And a dog?" she added as retrieved the pre-programmed meal from the replicator. "Maybe not at the same time, give one time to grow up a little first."

"Are we going to be turning the vineyard into a zoo?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I have no desire for an animal larger than me," she told him, placing the plate on the table. "Or for the responsibility of too many animals. Just a cat and a dog. And grandkids."

"Grandkids?" he asked cautiously.

"I received a letter from Wesley this morning," she told him. "They're expecting!"

"Congratulations!" he said to her, going to her to give her a hug.

He could feel her joy and excitement in his arms and he pulled away to give her a kiss. He saw her smile and further justified his actions. The knowledge of the impending deaths of all those people would have weighed heavily on her and taken from the joyous news. She deserved to be happy, just like he did, and he was not going to let the stupid asteroid take that from her. He knew there were countless other asteroids that would destroy countless other civilizations. This one had made itself significant and he'd gladly order its destruction to see her smile.