Carmen stared across the table, studying the newcomer intently. He sat beside her father and held a mug of hot cocoa between his hands. Politely, he pretended not to notice her brazen scrutiny. Still, it made him squirm every now and then.

"Drink your hot cocoa, Carmen," Will said sternly. She pursed her lips together to keep from grumbling, but relented and lowered her eyes to the table. The mug in front of her wafted with steam. She could feel its warmth against her palms as she lifted it for a begrudging sip. How could her father have invited this stranger to partake in their sacred tradition? His very presence irked the young girl, unobtrusive though it was.

"How about some sandwiches on the side?" Will offered. "I'll bet you're pretty hungry." The boy nodded eagerly, so Will pushed away from the table. Be nice, he mouthed to Carmen before turning towards the galley-style kitchen. He could've used the replicator, but preparing food the old-fashioned way soothed his soul like no machine ever could.

Once her father had busied himself making sandwiches, Carmen's eyes returned to the boy. She watched him over the rim of her mug, drinking slowly and deliberately. He emitted a squeaky noise as he tried to clear his throat. "Your name is Carmen, right?"

She nodded. "And yours is Allan?"

"That's right." He fumbled for a smile. Weak as it was, only a hopeful sort of sincerity followed in its wake. Carmen's gaze softened. Her father hadn't gone into detail about the mission, but she could feel echoes of their harrowing experience in her empathic senses. These echoes rippled outward from the boy, who appeared very small and very weary all of a sudden.

Sympathy swelled in place of Carmen's crossness. She drummed her fingers against the outside of her mug and searched her mind for something to say. "So...ever been on a starship before?"

"Not a constitution class." He shrugged with one shoulder. "Is it uh...is the Enterprise very big?"

"Forty-two decks," she replied, matter-of-factly.

"Forty-two?" His eyes widened as they wandered about the room with a new appreciation. "And...is this where you live?"

"Mmhmm. I was born here. Where were you born?"

"Earth. Before…"

Before it was assimilated. Carmen finished his sentence in her mind. Both children shuddered at the reminder of that infamous day. "Well what part of Earth?" she asked, keen to keep the conversation going. "My dad was born in Alaska, you know. He said Alaska used to have huge mountains. I mean, bigger than starships. Even bigger than constitution class starships."

"Really?" Allan's smile waxed full. "We didn't have mountains where I lived. We had an ocean. It was called the Pacific Ocean. Ever been to a beach?"

The children prattled on. And from the kitchen counter, Will smiled to himself. It had been a gamble to invite the boy into their lonesome little lives. Carmen's untrained mind had difficulty filtering out emotions that were not her own, and so she often found company to be intrusive. But the boy's company, it seemed, was different. Gentler somehow. Will's gamble had paid off.

Within a week's time, the Enterprise reached a base where the colonists would be processed and rehomed. The lucky ones would go on to Haven One, a refuge sanctioned by the Federation's council. Others would be reunited with family from other corners of the galaxy. But there would be no one waiting to reunite with the boy, Will knew.

The question of Allan's fate made the commander anxious, and he began to fear how Carmen would handle his departure. Despite the fact that she was several years younger, she had assumed a certain protectiveness over him. Meanwhile, his presence seemed to draw out an uncharacteristically gracious side of her. She would even go so far as to let him win on poker night.

So as soon as he could leave his post, Will set off in search of someone who could give him answers. His search led him to a quiet corridor in a heavily guarded section of the base. A host of officers were coming down the corridor at the same time, led by an older gentleman with peppered hair and the garishly decorated robe of an admiral.

Will stopped in the center of the walkway, his nerves steeled with urgency. The admiral drew himself to a halt, eyeing the commander with an air of guarded aloofness. "Can I help you?"

"Pardon the interruption, Admiral Leyton. I am William Riker, Commander of the Enterprise." He proffered a hand.

"The Enterprise! Ah, yes. How is the debarking coming along?" Leyton smiled at him, but did not reach for his extended hand.

"Fine, sir. But I had a question. It's about one of the colonists-"

"I was just on my way to see your captain, actually. Do you know where I can find Picard?"

"He's in the docking bay, I believe. Sir, there is a boy-"

"Well, keep up! Perhaps I can answer your question on the way." Leyton pushed past the commander, and the small crowd of officers followed suit. Will's chest swelled with indignation as he battled to stay upright. But for Allan's sake, he turned and continued the conversation.

"Sir, one of the colonists we rescued-his family didn't make it. There is no one here to pick him up."

"Pity," the admiral said, though not a trace of pity could be found on his lackadaisical visage.

"Yes, but he hasn't been approved to go to Haven One, either. I'd like to know, sir...what will become of the boy?"

Leyton nodded a greeting to a guard standing watch at the end of the corridor. Just beyond, the floor opened up to a waiting area of some sort, with rows and rows of plastic chairs and weary faces. "You said he is an orphan?" the admiral asked.

"He is, sir," Will replied. A muscle in his jaw began to pulse angrily at such casual use of the word.

"Then he is the council's burden, not yours."

They passed through the waiting room and into another corridor. This one was wider, but shorter. It acted as a terminal into the docking bay. "Sir, please," Will beseeched, forcing the word from his mouth. He despised the taste of forced subservience. "If I may...I would like to make the boy my ward. I am willing to take full responsibility for him-"

"No, no," Leyton declined. "Starfleet needs him now."

"Starfleet? You don't understand...he's...he's just a child."

"Exactly."

Will froze. His blood ran cold. But Leyton and his officers carried on without him, heading towards the docking bay. "Sir!" he called, scrambling to catch up. "What did you mean by that?"

Leyton sighed peevishly. "These are dire times, commander. We must utilize our resources wisely. And right now, orphans are one of our greatest resources."

Will's blood went from cold to hot. Boiling hot. He moved himself in front of the admiral, forcing him to stop. "With all due respect, sir," he growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Children are not resources. They're the future."

"And without more soldiers, we have no future." Leyton stared back at him evenly, his aloofness returning.

"Soldiers? You can't just-" But Will was interrupted by a furious female voice. Her protests echoed throughout the docking bay, drawing forth a crowd of curious onlookers. Turning his head, the commander spied two officers struggling to control a red-haired woman between them. It was Beverly Crusher.

"I don't give a damn what you do with me!" she snarled. "I won't comply!" Will raced over to her, grabbing one of the officer's shoulders and shoving him roughly aside.

"Hey!" he bellowed, interposing himself between Beverly and the guard. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Will!" Beverly's face flooded with hope. "Will, they're making me go with them!"

"Go? Go where?"

"Stand down, commander!" Leyton's rebuke rang out sharply. "They were merely acting under my orders."

Murmurs of intrigue rose up from the crowd, which had grown exponentially with Will's involvement. A few of the murmurs turned into cries of dismay as Captain Picard pushed his way through. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"I was just about to find out," Will said, squaring his shoulders towards the admiral.

Leyton came to a stop upon sight of the captain. "Ah, Picard. Just the man I was looking for," he said, paying no heed to the commander's imposing glower. "I had meant to speak with you personally before this turned into a debacle. But, well, here we are."

Picard's shoulders rose with a curt breath. "What do you want with Beverly?"

Leyton chuckled, which only infuriated the Enterprise's men. "Not the type to mince words, are you, Captain Picard? Well, she has been slated for Haven One. We are in need of doctors with her extensive experience. And seeing as you've had nothing but accolades for Dr. Crusher...we decided she would be a beneficial addition."

"The Enterprise needs me!" Beverly cried. "Haven't we lost enough people for the sake of Haven One? How can you be so pious as to decide who is worth keeping? I will not go peaceably. I will not do your bidding."

"I understand that goodbyes are difficult." Leyton clasped his hands together in a show of mock sympathy, then nodded towards his men to continue. "But we must all make sacrifices. I wish you the best, doctor."

Despite her protests, the guards dragged her away. Picard stepped forward brashly, only to be stopped by another guard. "Picard," Leyton warned. "I know how close a crew can become in the midst of immeasurable tragedy. They need their leader now more than ever. If I were you, I'd be careful in your battles."

Picard seethed in helpless silence, shrewd enough to know that the admiral had not been talking about battles with the enemy. Several paces away, Will clenched his fists until his fingernails dug into his palms. Though he wanted more than anything to wipe that look of smug superiority off of the admiral's face, he knew that ultimately, Carmen would be the one punished for it. He still had a daughter to think about. A daughter who was not one of Leyton's resources yet.

And so Leyton and his men got away, unscathed. Eventually the crowd dissipated. Only Will and Picard remained behind, each waging a private war against despair. Will would have to return to the Enterprise and explain to his daughter why they would never see Allan again. Never see Beverly again. He would have to watch her face as life stole a few more pieces of her broken heart.

A stone sank in his stomach. What if something happened to him? What if the council came for Carmen? She would never make it. The young empath could barely make it through red alerts. The widespread panic would often overwhelm her, cripple her ability to think clearly. To send her to battle would be to send her to her death.

And Beverly...his heart ached with anger. She had made life bearable for the commander. Beverly had lost her husband years ago to a different war, and so she always treated Will's grieving with a special sort of sympathy. Her absence would leave a gaping hole in the lives of those aboard the Enterprise. Particularly the captain's. Will suspected that Beverly and Picard had outgrown their friendship long ago, though neither had ever made a public acknowledgment of the fact. How terrible, Will thought. To hold yourself back like that. It was probably to save themselves the pain, he knew. But looking at the captain, he could see that it had all been for naught. For the pain did not spare him after all.

A/N: Only one more chapter! Though there will be an epilogue of sorts at the end of it; I've already written that part actually. So stay tuned! :-)