Chapter seven

I forgot to mention that I do not own Star Trek or any of it's characters. Another reminder that reviews are my life support and without them I will die, so ya please review.:)

Captain Picard called everyone to the conference room with a twist of news in his voice. They sat down while he stood. Wesleys heart had a reaction for the first time in a while, for some reason he could sense it was going to be relevant to him.

"We've just broken contact with the elders of the small population on the planet."

His forehead stung and a sinking feeling bellowed within. He thought it was all over, it had been over a week, an eternity.

"Their much less advanced than us and had their land taken over by the gang we now have in our brig. Not only their land, but the train they once depended on is now too unsafe to use. To instigate a relationship, an alliance, we've offered our services in making it new. I didn't want to move forward without consulting my closest advisors." he said with a slight grin, folding his arms. "Any objections?"

Words of consensus were given as Wesley tried not to let it show that he was affected. He left quickly as they all took their time trickling out. Picard rushed to follow him to double check he'd be fine, but the turbo lift doors shut before he turned the corner. Wesley stopped the lift as he found instability in his feet and a dizzying dread that ravaged his head. He covered his eyes with one hand while the other hung onto the wall. No. He was not gonna let himself do this, no other officer reacted this way, he was being weak. He shook it off and finished the ride down.

With federations man power and resources, the train was done in days. They were required to attend the opening of the train down on the planet and a celebration in the new federation embassy once it was built a while later. He tried not to associate reality with the the situation at hand as they traveled down in a foggy obscurity. A transparent elevator of sorts took them from the very top of the city in the tallest building so they could observe the kingdom on the ride down. The train rode above the city where it met the surface of the area outside the "kings court". The sun hit him so instantly, like a strike of lightning on his very vulnerable corpse.

'This couldn't be happening.. stop.. oh g-'

"Magnificent isn't it?" said the elder that approached. They seemed a small but lavish people. Their kingdom was short in residents but not in class.

"We certainly hope it will help mend some of the damage that's been done." Picard echoed from his diplomatic script. Wesley stared at the track that he remembered as rusted and was now shimmering in the blue sky light. He thought his mind was torturing itself when he heard the rattling that always preceded the arrival of the train. He'd heard it every night for six months, and even on the enterprise, its ghostly rumble rung in his ears. But he was not hallucinating as the train itself pulled up beside them.

"Shall we? I haven't been on it myself yet as I thought it would be only right for us to establish our union on what we have built together." the plum shaped man said with his hand in his vest across his round belly.

"Of course." Picard smiled, leading everyone in, himself last. Thought Wesley froze before he could step on. He stared at the stormy blue carpet that awaited him.

"Wesley?" Riker said as they all looked back. He couldn't help it or handle it. any of it. He stumbled back as his face twisted, dripping with tears as his hand balled up the shirt above his palpitating chest.

"Wesley.." Riker stepped forward, reaching out his hand just as the door slid closed in front of it. They began to slowly move when he pulled the emergency brake as which as he could. They slowed to a stop while moving further away, watching him crumble outside the window, hunched over and sobbing between short, uneasy breaths. Finally they stopped and the four of them jogged up behind Riker who had gotten to him first. He held a hand to his chest and one steadily on his back as he too bent down to look Wesley in the face. He took a deep breath as instruction for Wesley to do the same.

"I can't get on, please don't make me.." he said with a gasp of air. Riker forced him into a hug, wrapping his big arms around Wesley with closed eyes and scrunched eyebrows for the thoughtlessness he realized he was guilty of. Wesley immediately reciprocated, holding tightly to his shoulders as quieter, warmer tears fell upon Rikers uniform.

"I won't, I won't." Riker assured him.