Author's Note: You all are simply the best! Thank you for your patience with this arc (and series).
The title of this chapter is taken from the oft-covered "Non, je ne regrette rien." I intentionally selected the opening line because the phrase has several interpretations in the context of this story.
Please see the end for additional notes.
Lieutenant Barclay clung to the wall. He crept toward the junction of two corridors. Reg dove and rolled across the carpet before pulling himself up on the opposite side.
Barclay ducked low. He glanced up and down the corridor.
"Ah hem."
Barclay jumped.
He turned to find Geordi with his hands on his hips wearing a frown.
"What are you doing?" Geordi asked.
Barclay gulped. His mouth went dry.
"Erm… b-b-being covert," Barclay squeaked.
"Just take it easy," Geordi said in a smooth voice.
Reg was wound so tight that Geordi feared he might snap if they actually ran into any Romulans.
"Just walk normal. Breathe," Geordi continued.
Reg shook his head. In fact, all of Barclay shook.
"Right. Ease. Breath."
Barclay breathed so hard and fast that Geordi was concerned the man might hyperventilate.
Geordi put his hand on Barclay's shoulder.
"Hey, you volunteered to go to Lantera. You kept your cool there. I know you can do this," Geordi said, hoping to bolster Baclay's confidence.
And his own.
"This is our home, Reg. Those Romulans on our turf now, right?"
"Right!" Barclay agreed.
"And we're not gonna let them walk in and take it, right?"
"Right!"
The two men shared a fist bump.
Suddenly, there were footfalls in the adjacent corridor. Geordi and Barclay leapt behind the safety of the nearest alcove and pressed themselves tight against the wall.
Reg squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remain calm.
They were crammed in there, too tight for Geordi to maneuver to get a peek with his VISOR.
"Lieutenant? Are you down here?"
It was Miles O'Brien.
Geordi breathed a sigh of relief. Barclay's legs turned to jelly.
"Whoa, easy," Geordi said as he helped Barclay to find his feet again.
O'Brien came around the corner and was quick to assist.
"What are you doing down here?" Geordi asked.
Miles had taken a helluva beating. Bruising was starting to form. His steps were stiff.
"I thought you could use the help. Barclay can seal the doors while we input our codes," Miles said.
His attention fell on Reg who looked whiter than a ghost. Barclay was in no condition to physically turn the heavy hatch wheels.
"Or… I could seal the doors while you two input the codes," Miles said, amending his suggestion.
Geordi welcomed the help.
The three men took off in the direction of the next bulkhead.
"What did you run into down there?" Geordi asked.
"Romulans. Looked like a strike team. I saw five… maybe six. Armed. Body armour too," Miles shared. "I heard more out the corridor."
"How many more?" Geordi pressed.
Miles hesitated.
They rounded the corner. Geordi punched in his access code to open the control console.
"How many more?" Geordi repeated.
"I don't know," Miles confessed.
Geordi paused and turned to O'Brien.
"Chief?"
"A lot, okay?" Miles replied.
"Then we better work fast," Geordi muttered.
Barclay stood a metre away. His brow was furrowed.
"Barclay, come on!" Geordi urged, snapping Reg from his thoughts.
"What about the coolant tanks?" Barclay asked.
Geordi had considered that possibility.
"Yeah… I suppose they could target them. But we have to prioritise—"
"N-n-no," Barclay interjected. "I mean, what about using the coolant tanks."
"They might," Miles said with a small shrug.
"I mean us," Barclay clarified.
Geordi frowned.
One tank of expelled coolant waste sat next to the primary Jefferies tube connecting Main Engineering to the lower decks. It was the route Miles had taken to get down there in the first place.
"That material is highly volatile in concentrated form. Reg, it would ruin the Jefferies tube," Geordi said.
The waste coolant would eventually eat through the polymer and into walls.
"We could release the emergency plasma fire suppression foam to stop it from getting into the wiring. It will ruin the Jefferies tube but—"
Barclay paused.
"Sir, it's our best hope to slow them down," Barclay said.
"He's right," Miles said.
"That's gonna be a helluva a repair if we survive this," Geordi acknowledged.
"Maybe we'll be lucky, and Starfleet will assign us to work on it instead of prison time?" Miles said with a wry grin.
A knowing look passed between the trio as they agreed on their wild plan.
"Chief, take the bulkhead. I'll get the foam. Mr Barclay, would you like to do the honours as it was your brilliant idea?" Geordi asked.
"Aye, sir."
USS Enterprise | Bridge
Lieutenant Jae frowned as she watched the sensor alert flash on the Operations terminal screen.
"Commander Riker? The plasma fire suppression system has been activated in Jefferies tube J15," Jae said, notifying the Bridge.
"That's the primary access shaft between Main Engineering and the lower decks," Riker said.
A second warning flashed on screen.
"Sir? I'm registering a drop in pressure. Coolant tank 8 Whiskey," Jae added.
She turned in her chair to address Riker.
"That's a waste tank, sir. Expelled coolant," she informed him.
"Intentional?" Riker inquired.
He feared the Romulans were up to something.
"I can't be sure, sir," Jae answered as she typed away at her station. "Internal command function logs are still offline in that section."
"Get a message to Engineering. Let them know what's happened," Riker ordered.
Riker turned back to the viewscreen. He scratched his chin.
Of all the damn times for comms to be down. He thought bitterly.
At the back of the Bridge, Lieutenant Solis was busy monitoring the Romulan ship. She kept her focus trained on their position, watching carefully for any change in the sensor readings.
She was so consumed with her work that she didn't notice the shadow of the figure that appeared to her right.
Worf touched his own chest to confirm he was really there. He wasted no time. He waved in the opposite direction to signal that it was safe to proceed. A moment later, five-year-old Bailey Elliot and her older brother stepped through the doorway hand-in-hand.
"Quickly, make room. This way," Worf said, directing them down the opposite ramp.
Solis panicked. Her hand instinctively went to her phaser.
Everyone was one guard. Hawk and Jae whipped around in their chairs. Riker turned in a flash.
"Worf?"
"No time to explain," Worf replied.
"Hold it right there," Riker ordered.
"Sir—"
"Don't move!" Riker barked.
He had no way of knowing if this was truly Worf or some kind of ploy. They'd seen wilder things in their time on the Enterprise.
Riker eyed Worf sceptically. Communications were down. It was possible they'd found a way to beam back to the Enterprise.
But they'd heard no shimmer of rematerialisation.
And the shields were in place.
"Where did you come from? And where are Data and Captain Picard?" Riker demanded.
"Commander, please. There is no time," Worf urged.
Without warning, two more children appeared behind Worf as if they simply stepped out of thin air.
"Hurry. Down the ramp. Make room," Worf ordered, ushering them along.
The two children scurried off. Worf locked eyes with Commander Riker.
Before he could speak, Commander Riker felt a tug on the hem of his uniform. A small boy stared up.
"Are you gonna send us home?" he asked.
Riker turned to Worf and wordlessly asked for an explanation.
"The children from the Yamato. We found the Corsica," Worf informed him.
Two-by-two, more children appeared on the back of the Bridge. Worf urged them to hurry along down the ramp so there was room to keep the entryway open.
"Worf, I don't understand," Riker said.
"An Iconian doorway, sir. There is little time, and we have many people to evacuate," Worf said, impressing upon Riker the urgency of their time constraints.
Solis kept her phaser aimed at Worf.
"Sir? Your orders?" she asked Riker.
Riker was torn.
He didn't think there was any way to stop it. But he still wasn't entirely convinced this truly was Worf.
Deanna opened her eyes. She strained to see. The lights on the Bridge were far too bright.
"Will, please," she murmured.
He stepped over to her and reached for Deanna's hand. She squeezed his hand in response. It was weak.
"They're frightened," Deanna said.
The children continued to spill out of the doorway. The ramp and the back of the Bridge quickly filled with children of all ages.
"Sir? Your orders?" Solis pressed in a terse voice.
"Drop your weapon, Lieutenant," Riker responded.
"But sir!" Solis protested.
"What are you gonna do? Shoot a bunch of children?" Riker shot back.
The Bridge was still cut off from the rest of the ship courtesy of the sealed bulkhead on Deck 3. Riker ordered Lieutenant Solis to escort the children to the Observation Lounge.
Solis looked ready to pop a fuse.
"Commander? Should I stay at my Tactical station? Procedure dictates—"
"Procedure dictates that I am in command of this ship. Lieutenant Jae can handle Tactical from Ops," Riker countered.
They weren't doing much in the way of Tactical manoeuvres at the moment.
"Do I need to relieve you of duty?" Riker snapped.
"No, sir," Solis replied deflated.
She called for the children to follow her to the door at the rear of the Bridge. It led to the Observation Lounge.
"Come on. Through here," Solis instructed.
Riker scanned the room.
"Worf, just how many of you are there?" he asked.
Iconia
Lieutenant Aarden's arm shot out to stop the next two children from proceeding. The doorway shimmered. The vision of the Enterprise Bridge grew blurry and then faded.
"Wait please," Aarden instructed.
A frightened young girl rushed forward. Raffi snatched the child just before she stepped through to the Romulan Bridge.
"Whoa there. Let's wait, hmm?"
Tears soon followed. The girl broke down, squirming to break free.
"MAMA!" she screamed as she reached for the doorway.
Raffi rocked the girl in her arms, shushing her as she tried to calm the child.
"Shhhh. There, there. Raffi's going to take care of you. We'll go soon," Raffi said as she rubbed soothing circles on the girl's back.
A look passed between Aarden and Raffi.
As if on cue, one of the older teens stepped forward.
"I'll help watch the door," she offered.
"Thank you," Raffi replied.
With the child still in her arms, Raffi moved to radio the command centre with an update. She tapped the crystal interface.
"Captain Picard? The doorway just shifted back to the Romulan Bridge. About thirty seconds ago," Raffi reported.
Data paused his work. He frowned and cocked his head to the side.
"That is ahead of schedule," Data thought aloud.
The window was nearly two minutes shorter than the previous one.
Picard ordered Raffi to stand by. He muted the channel and turned to Data, who was chasing a theory with his neural net.
"Captain, if the Iconian doorway is fluctuating between the two ships, it may continue to shorten the window of time as it searches for an appropriate destination," Data warned.
"What are you saying, Data?"
"That they may only have a minute, maybe less time, the next time the Bridge of the Enterprise appears. It is impossible to predict," Data said.
Picard wasted no time. He punched the comms crystal.
"Go. During the next window. You need to hurry. They're growing smaller. Go!" Picard ordered.
Jean-Luc stared at the monitoring screen. He could tell by the blinking life signs that only half the children had made it through during the last window.
He turned to Data.
"Data, show me how to activate the self-destruct," Picard requested.
"Captain, I am not physically capable of making that journey in my current condition," Data answered.
"Data—"
"Sir, I will not make it. It is better that I remain here to ensure it is activated properly," Data said.
Picard eyed Data with pity.
"But you and Lieutenant Yar—"
"Lieutenant Yar would want to ensure the Romulans do not find this place. And I believe she would be pleased in knowing we are trying to rescue the children," Data added.
The door was open to the Romulan Bridge for only a minute and half.
"Okay! Just like we said—double time! Hup! Hup!" Raffi said brightly.
She'd instructed the children to make haste and to clear the way as soon as they were on the other side.
Raffi kept an eye on her wristwatch.
One minute into the evacuation and they still had another fifteen children to go.
We're not going to make it. Raffi thought.
"Move it kids! Hurry!"
Raffi ordered their teenaged volunteer to go. She yanked the nearest child through with her.
"Aarden. Go. GO!" Raffi hollered.
Lieutenant Aarden picked up the nearest child and bolted through the door.
"Cover your head," Raffi instructed the girl in her arms.
If Raffi had to guess, the child was only three.
Raffi gently tossed her through the doorway. She picked up the next child and threw him in behind the first kid.
They only had seconds left.
Raffi tossed the next one through. She desperately shoved the last three children, pushing them through the doorway just before it shifted.
USS Enterprise | Bridge
A handful of children spilled out onto the deck of the Bridge.
"Owie!"
"Oof!"
"Get off!"
One of the children pushed the pile as he struggled to wiggle out from underneath. They were a stack of shocked limbs—but they had made it.
One little girl sat up and sniffled. She looked around for Raffi.
"Mama? Mama!"
She wailed and raised her arms, pleading for someone—anyone—to comfort her. Worf reached down and scooped her into his arms. He was the most familiar thing in the room.
"Lieutenant Musiker?" he asked.
Lieutenant Aarden stared at the space where the door had been.
"I don't know. She was right behind me," Aarden said.
Aarden blinked. It took her a moment to get her bearings.
"Captain Picard. He said it was growing shorter," she said, updating Worf to the situation.
"Shorter?" Riker asked as he approached the pair.
He looked the heavily pregnant Lieutenant up and down and then eyed the pile of new refugees from the Yamato.
Will was desperate to get up to speed.
"I'm sorry, Commander. Lieutenant Elsie Aarden. Navigator. USS Yamato," she reported.
"Welcome aboard. Please, sit down," Riker said, guiding her to his customary seat below the railing. "Worf—get on Tactical."
Worf stared down at the child in his arms.
"Come. We will join the others," he said.
He tried to pry himself free of his new barnacle, but she clung to Worf with all the strength of a Klingon.
Riker offered to take the girl. She went willingly into his arms.
"For now," Riker said.
The Bridge was no place for a child. But he wasn't about to force her off on Lieutenant Solis. Something told Riker that Solis wasn't quite the warm and fuzzy type.
"What happened?" Will asked.
Lieutenant Aarden briefly filled Riker in on their situation, secondary objective, and the demise of their team.
"So, it was some kind of parasite," Riker said.
Aarden nodded with a grim expression.
"And Captain Picard? Data?" Riker pressed.
"They're still there with Lieutenant Musiker. I assume they plan to destroy the place," Aarden reported.
Aarden gripped Riker's hand.
"Captain Varley tasked us with one other mission objective," she said.
Wordlessly, Riker prompted her to continue.
"If we survive, he wanted witnesses to testify against this conspiracy. He warned us that… that Starfleet may be compromised," Aarden said.
Riker nodded.
He didn't want to think about the danger that awaited them.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, eh? We still have to survive this first," Riker said.
He gave Lieutenant Aarden's hand a reassuring squeeze.
Riker rose from his seat to address the crew on the Bridge.
"I won't sugar coat things. Most of our sensors are offline. We're limited to impulse engines. Communications are down. Hell, I don't think the replicators are working," Riker said.
No one had tried to even order a glass of water in hours.
"And we may have Romulans on board," Riker said.
Worf's eyebrows shot up.
"We're cut off from the rest of the ship," Riker informed him.
Riker suggested Lieutenant Aarden use the Captain's Ready Room to relax. He couldn't imagine the strain she was under. He assured her they would try to reunite survivors once they restored order to the ship.
"Sir, with respect, I'd like to stay here," Aarden said.
She wasn't about to lie down.
"I'm a navigator, but I studied Romulan languages too. I might be able to help," Aarden offered.
"I'll be grateful for it," Riker agreed. "Why don't you sit in my chair for now?"
He didn't want her standing at the back of the Bridge in case things turned hairy.
"Thank you, Commander," Aarden replied.
From his position, Riker noticed Worf kept glancing over to the spot where the doorway had been.
"Worf?"
"She should be here. It should have reopened by now," Worf growled.
"Who?"
"Lieutenant Musiker," Worf said.
USS Enterprise | Main Engineering
Martinez gripped his phaser rifle tight. He was right next to the control console, ready to seal the door if necessary.
Ensign Jang kept his aim fixated on the corridor. Across the way, Acre watched the opposite side of the corridor. The three heard footfalls approaching.
"DON'T MOVE!" Jang shouted.
Geordi, Miles, and Barclay rounded the corner and found themselves facing the business end of three phasers.
"Whoa! It's us! It's us!" Geordi announced.
Martinez relaxed.
"Good to see you sirs," Acre said.
"Stay here. Guard the door," Geordi instructed.
Inside Main Engineering the work continued at a relentless pace.
Sonya rushed over with an update. She beamed, pleased that Geordi had returned safe and sound.
"Lieutenant La Forge," she said.
"Ensign," Geordi replied.
He was relieved to be back too. Main Engineering offered a sense of 'home.'
"We've replaced the coils. We're just about to test the communications channel," she reported.
"Good! We can attempt to contact the Bridge. Fire it up!" Geordi said.
Up on the Bridge, Riker had managed to finally extract himself from the little girl. Her tears had slowed enough that they'd been replaced by hiccups.
As it turned out, the replicator on the Observation Lounge was working. Lieutenant Solis had promptly produced water and ration packs for the children.
The prospect of strawberry yoghurt had been enough to entice her to join the gaggle of other children.
The Observation Lounge was packed. There was barely enough room for anyone to stand. The children were crammed in tight. Many sat atop the briefing table just to make extra room.
Riker surveyed the space. The children varied in age from teens down to infants.
"How many are there?" Riker asked.
"Counting this one?" Solis asked in response.
She plopped the girl down nearby with a yoghurt to keep her occupied.
"Sixty-seven," Solis reported.
"That can't be all the—"
"We're not."
A tall, Vulcan teenager approached the pair. She introduced herself as T'amsin.
"My father, Sulor, was an astrophysicist on the Yamato," she said.
T'amsin dropped her voice low.
"There were… problems on the ship before we left," she said. "Power fluctuations. Computer errors."
She reiterated some of what they'd already known. The power issues caused a series of accidents.
"Parts of the ship were cut off. Other areas were exposed to space. Some places were in lockdown," T'amsin said.
"And you all?" Riker inquired.
"Captain Varley ordered that for all the families to report to the Captain's yacht—the ones that could get there that is."
She acknowledged that many were cut off with no route of escape. With the ship's site-to-site transporter down, there was no way to safely evacuate them.
"They took a vote. Varley wanted to send all of us children to safety off the ship," T'amsin shared.
A dark look passed between Riker and Solis.
"So, they voted to send their children," Riker realised.
His throat went tight.
It was an impossible choice—stay and face the possibility of death or flee and face the possibility of death or Romulan captivity.
"And you were the families that made it," Riker said.
"Some of them," T'amsin said, stone-faced. "Not all families were comfortable with the risk. Some chose for their children to remain behind."
Riker closed his eyes. He couldn't bear to think about it.
"Your reaction indicates that my suspicion is correct. The Yamato has been destroyed," T'amsin said.
"I'm sorry," Riker said.
T'amsin took the news as expected. Like any Vulcan child, she refrained from showing an emotional response.
"Thank you for informing me, Commander," she said.
Will only wished he had the same level of control over his own emotions.
All of a sudden, the communications system pinged.
"Bridge? This is La Forge."
"Hot damn!"
Riker gripped the doorframe for support.
Dozens of pairs of eyes fell on Riker, surprised by his outburst.
Will was ready to leap for joy. He cleared his throat and pulled himself up to his full height. The children—and everyone on the ship—were counting on Riker. He had to project confidence.
"Thank you, Mr La Forge. One moment."
Will manually disabled the comms system on the Observation Lounge to ensure the children didn't hear anything terrifying.
He stepped out onto the Bridge and visibly relaxed.
"Go ahead, Geordi. And may I just say it is so good to hear your voice," Riker said.
"Likewise. Look, we've got a situation down here," Geordi said.
"Romulans?" Riker guessed.
He was praying some new issue hadn't cropped up.
"Right. We could really use some Security for backup," Geordi requested.
"That might be a problem," Riker replied.
He explained the Bridge was cut off from the rest of the ship due to the sealed bulkhead on Deck 3.
"We can take care of that," Geordi replied.
Riker snapped his fingers.
"Right! The override," he agreed.
Now that they had restored a direct like of audio communication to Main Engineering, the two control sections could input independent commands to override Tasha's lockout.
There were three main control terminals on the Enterprise—the Bridge, the Battle Bridge, and Main Engineering.
Any combination consisting of two of the three control points could be used to override a top-level security lockdown.
It was a failsafe designed to prevent access in the event of a mutiny or foothold situation.
"Geordi, let's hold off for a moment. Can you get us internal sensors? Life signs?" Riker asked.
"N'amir and Pinto are working on that system right now. Give me a moment, Commander."
Riker strolled over behind Worf to get a visual on the situation.
On cue, the internal sensors menu lit up. Worf tapped the screen to open the controls.
"Show me Deck 3," Riker ordered.
His brow furrowed as he surveyed the scene. More than three dozen people were crammed in the corridor. It looked as if Riker's biggest fear was about to play out.
Mutiny.
"Perhaps Lieutenant Yar sealed the bulkhead to prevent their access to the Bridge?" Worf theorised.
"Or she's leading them and just waiting for reinforcements," Riker posited.
Worf was taken aback by the suggestion.
In his opinion, questioning Tasha's loyalties was as good as questioning the honour of the House of Mogh.
"Lieutenant Yar would never—"
"Tasha may not be who we think she is. She may have been compromised," Riker said.
Worf scowled.
Riker tapped his communicator. He hailed a team of officers that were monitoring the situation in one of the designated safe shelter areas.
"Ford? Can you hear me?"
Lieutenant Ford was relieved.
"Sir, it's good to hear your voice. We've been trying to contact the Bridge. Is there any update?"
Lieutenant Ford was part of the command team that usually manned the Bridge for Night Watch.
"We may have a hostile situation on Deck 3. I need eyes and ears there. Take two teams and approach with caution. Once you reach the junction at 18 Baker, hold. Go no further until I give the order," Riker commanded.
He paused.
"And Ford? No Security officers. Is that understood?" Riker added.
"Acknowledged."
Worf eyed Riker.
"No Security?"
Riker leaned in close. They spoke in hushed tones. He explained there was an incident on the Bridge. That Tasha had been unwell after their departure.
Worf baulked.
"Tasha was ordered to Sickbay. She vanished. Then she sealed the bulkhead with no warning," Riker explained.
"Commander, it is natural for—"
"Deanna sensed something, Worf."
Riker could tell the weight his words had. Worf's heart sank. He thought back to the horrifying account of the officers from the Yamato and the parasite that had leeched out from one in its final moments.
"But if she has been overtaken by this parasite then she is not in control of her actions," Worf said. "She is in danger. We must help."
"I can't risk opening the Bridge. They could overrun us," Riker countered.
The comms system pinged again.
"Commander, I hate to pressure you. But about that Security contingent," Geordi said.
"Geordi, Security could be compromised. I'm sorry. I don't have backup to send. Can you pull from your Engineers?"
Riker didn't want to risk sending someone that would simply let the Romulans walk right in.
"Sir?" Geordi asked, stunned.
"Hold tight, Geordi. Let me check into something and get back to you," Riker said.
Riker's words did little to reassure an Engineering team that was already on edge. Once again, the work slowed as whispers carried across the room.
"Did he say 'compromised?'"
"Are we on our own?"
Geordi rushed to the main computer. Now that they had some of the internal systems working, they had options.
"What are you thinking?" Miles asked.
"That we're going to make this deck a citadel for the Romulans to cut their teeth on," Geordi said.
He glanced up.
"Barclay, get me a schematic of the ship's air filtration system," Geordi ordered.
USS Enterprise | Deck 3
Tasha stared at Lieutenant Casey's unconscious body.
She had leapt in front of the phaser to spare Ensign Cevallos. If Logan's shot had hit its target, Cevallos would have been dead.
Tasha vowed that if they survived, she was going to ensure Logan never served in any command capacity on a starship again.
Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if they threw him in prison for mutiny.
If the Romulans don't pin a medal on him first. She thought bitterly.
"I'm not playing games," Logan snarled.
His actions had frightened the defectors right back into his sphere of influence. They were all now too afraid to stand up to Logan. Tasha's chance to try and split the mutiny had failed.
Logan turned his sights on Tasha. He opened his mouth to speak when the ship-wide communications system clicked on.
"This is Commander Riker. I want to apologise as I'm sure that you're all very confused and frightened right now," Riker said.
That's an understatement. Tasha thought.
Tasha watched as her fear played out in front of her. The crowd was already starting to whisper and wonder why it was Riker, rather than Picard, addressing the ship.
"The message you heard earlier was not from Starfleet Command. I repeat, that message did not come from Starfleet Command. We believe Romulan inference temporarily overrode our communications array," Riker continued.
It wasn't exactly true. Riker couldn't risk revealing details about the conspiracy. He had to find a way to talk the mutineers down before things went any further.
"I repeat, that message did not come from Starfleet Command. This is an attempt by outside actors to divide us. Don't let them," Riker cautioned.
Tasha glanced up, wordlessly pleading for Logan to see reason.
Instead, Logan gripped her arm and roughly hauled Tasha to her feet. He dragged her over to the control console next to the bulkhead.
"Open it," Logan barked. "Open it and we'll all go together to find out the truth of this matter!"
"You know I can't do that," Tasha replied softly.
Logan pressed his phaser rifle against the back of her head. He opened a channel to the Bridge.
"We're not going to fall for that, Riker. You know our demands. Now open the bulkhead!" Logan ordered.
Two decks higher, Riker wasn't altogether surprised to hear Logan's voice. The man was a hothead. Logan couldn't hear Riker mutter under his breath a comment. Logan had been on the Lantera mission. He should have known better.
"We have four hostages. Lieutenant Yar has refused to cooperate. Open the bulkhead or I will—"
"You'll what?" Riker snapped. "Start shooting your fellow Starfleet officers? You're out of your mind."
Will had always taken a unique approach to hostage negotiation.
"You're out of your mind if you think we're going to stand by and let Picard get us all killed. We demand to speak to the Captain!" Logan replied, standing firm.
"You are," Riker answered without hesitation.
He had to stall for time. Logan was cut off from the Bridge. He was none the wiser.
"So, Picard fled?" Logan sneered.
"Captain Picard is dead," Riker answered.
An awful, guttural noise escaped from Tasha's throat.
"Shut up," Logan spat.
Tasha feared that if Captain Picard was gone that Data was lost too.
"If that's true—" Logan began.
"It is. Picard was standing near the Tactical console when it blew," Riker lied.
"Why did you seal the bulkhead?" Logan asked.
"Because we have a foothold situation. There are Romulans on board," Riker replied.
A collective gasp carried down the corridor.
"A convenient excuse," Logan said.
Even with a phaser aimed at her skull, Tasha had reached her limit.
"Oh, don't be an idiot," she hissed. "Do you really think that—argh!"
Tasha grunted as Logan slammed her against the wall.
"SHUT UP!"
Tasha crumpled to the floor, dazed from the impact. Logan cranked his phaser up.
"I have my phaser on Lieutenant Yar. It's set to kill. You have two minutes. What's your choice, Captain?" Logan asked, his voice dripping with insincerity.
Riker muted the channel and hailed Ford again.
"Ford? What's your status?"
"We're almost in position, sir."
"Good. You'll take your orders from Lieutenant Hawk. Is that understood?"
"Acknowledged."
Riker raced down the ramp and scooped Deanna up into his arms. She was practically catatonic from the pain.
"You're a navigator, right Aarden?" Riker asked.
"Aye, sir."
"Good. Get on the helm. Hawk. You have command of the ship," Riker ordered.
Hawk was a capable leader. He served as the secondary Night Watch commander under Logan.
"If you don't hear from me or the Thomas Paine in an hour, you get the hell out of here. Understand?" Riker asked.
Hawk nodded solemnly.
"And Hawk? You tell them whatever you have to," Riker added.
Riker then hailed Geordi and advised to stand by to override the bulkhead.
"Sir?" Worf asked.
"Worf. You're with me. This could get ugly," Riker warned.
Worf gripped his phaser tight.
"Lead the way," Worf said.
Commander Logan cracked his neck.
Tasha had tried to stand. Logan promptly ordered her to stay in place. The he checked his watch.
"Tick-tock, Riker. Your time is up," Logan said.
"Commander Logan? Wait. I'm going to open the bulkhead. It will take a moment to override the lockout. You know that," Riker reminded him, pleading for time. "Please don't rush the Bridge. I will come out. I have Counsellor Troi. I'm sending her Sickbay. She was injured too."
"If I don't see this open in the next minute I'm going to shoot a hostage," Logan said. "And if it's a trick—know that we've got our phasers armed and waiting."
Logan had numbers on his side. There weren't more than a handful of officers on the Bridge at any given time.
A moment later, Logan heard a heavy 'click.'
The bulkhead door hissed as it retracted. A second later, the standard door slid open.
Riker emerged with Deanna in his arms. There was no denying she was in bad shape.
A murmur of concern circled the crowd of mutineers. It certainly helped that Riker looked knackered and was accompanied only by Worf.
"Now, I'm going to ask that we seal the Bridge again. You have me. That's what you wanted right? The Captain? There are Romulans on the ship and we cannot allow them access to the Bridge," Riker said.
He scanned the faces of the crowd.
The mood had deflated. They'd wanted Picard.
"Captain Picard is really dead isn't he?" asked Lieutenant Commander Bourne.
"I'm afraid so," Riker replied without missing a beat.
He had to sell the lie if it was going to work.
Tasha couldn't risk a glance. She was desperate for news of Data—especially since Worf had returned—but couldn't chance anyone thinking it was ruse.
Though she feared the worst given that Riker hadn't sent Data to quell the crowd.
Logan pressed his phaser rifle against Tasha. Worf growled.
"I demand you surrender this ship to Admiral Aaron. Return to Federation space. This has gone too far!" Logan said.
The crowd signalled its approval as they collectively agreed they had not signed up for such a dangerous mission with no clear objective.
"Let's go down to the conference room. Ensign Flores? Ensign Baker? Could you get Counsellor Troi to Sickbay?" Riker requested.
Logan shook his head.
"Not until I confirm the situation on the Bridge. I'm afraid I must insist," Logan said.
Just then, Hawk radioed.
"Sir, I've got a medical team ready. They're en route. Should I send them to your location?" Hawk asked.
Riker understood the message.
"Please. Send them right away. We've got a number of injured people here."
Just then, Lieutenant Ford and two teams of command officers swept in blocking access to the corridors and taking Logan and the mutineers off guard.
"Drop your weapons," Riker ordered.
Logan gripped his phaser tightly.
"I have you outnumbered, Commander. Don't be a fool," Riker said.
Ensign Khumalo was the first to throw down her phaser. Handerson and Mitchell soon followed, lowering their weapons slowly.
"What are you doing? He's going to get us all killed!" Logan roared.
"It's over, Logan," Tasha said from the floor.
"I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU KILL MY FAMILY" Logan hollered.
He turned his phaser on Commander Riker.
Tasha leapt up from her place on the ground. In one swift, fluid series of moves she gripped the base of the phaser to redirect the beam, delivered a sharp elbow to Logan's chin, and had him pinned against the wall before Logan even knew what hit him.
The remaining holdouts dropped their weapons.
Tasha signalled for Lieutenant Wu to detain Logan. Wu picked up the phaser from the ground and was back on guard duty in a flash.
Riker ordered Ford to escort the crowd down to the conference room. He told the crowd he would be down shortly after seeing Deanna safely off to Sickbay.
Quietly, Riker asked Ford to take note of each and every one of the mutineers. Riker wasn't ready to rule out charges. But that would come later.
As the corridor cleared, Tasha finally had the chance to address the question that burned on her mind.
"Data?" she asked tentatively.
Worf dodged the question, inquiring instead about Tasha's health.
"How do you feel?"
Tasha glanced over at Logan who was still detained against the wall.
"Like a whole new woman," Tasha remarked, grateful the hostage crisis ended without escalation.
Tasha suggested Lieutenant Wu escort Logan to the loo. As the instigator, Tasha was concerned his presence could lead to further disruptions.
The Brig would require working turbolifts. Tasha didn't want Wu to try and take a prisoner down through the Jefferies tubes. They could seal the loo and hold Logan until order was restored.
Tasha then locked her sights on Worf.
"Data?" she repeated.
"He is with Captain Picard," Worf said.
"That's not an answer," Tasha pointed out.
A look passed between Worf and Riker.
Without warning, Worf aimed his phaser at Tasha. She was stunned.
"What?"
"We know," Riker said.
Tasha looked between the pair, confused.
"No, no, no. Beverly checked. I'm clear. Hell, I was just a hostage!" she protested.
"There's been no word from Sickbay. You were ordered to report there," Riker countered.
Tasha's mind reeled.
"I did!" she insisted. "Doctor Crusher and the medical team did an examination—and cleared me."
"And we have your word to trust?" Riker asked with heavy scepticism.
Tasha was at a loss for words. She looked between her friends as she struggled to defend her case.
"W… well, radio her. Communications are working again, right?" Tasha asked.
Riker tapped his communicator to radio Doctor Crusher.
There was no response.
Tasha felt her hope slipping away as Riker tried Sickbay next.
"I warned her. I warned her they might revolt. Beverly insisted on going back," Tasha said.
Riker wasn't convinced.
"Sickbay? I repeat, this is Riker," Riker said, contacting the departmental channel.
A flustered Nurse Ogawa answered a moment later, advising that she really did not have time to stop and chat.
"I need to speak with Doctor Crusher," Riker said.
An unsettling pause followed.
"Doctor Crusher went with a team to check on the injured patients at our secondary triage site. We have not been able to make contact since," Alyssa said.
The team in Sickbay believed it was part of the communications blackout.
"Then send a team down there!" Riker replied.
"We did, Commander. The bulkhead on Deck 12 is sealed. We thought it might be due to Security or the malfunctions that have plagued the ship," Alyssa reported.
Either was plausible.
"Commander, the situation here is dire. With that bulkhead down, we are cut off from the medical storage locker," Alyssa added. "We can't contact Doctor Crusher. Doctor Selar was injured when one of the terminals exploded. She's unconscious."
Sickbay was flooded with wounded and supplies were dwindling.
"We need to get down there and get that bulkhead open," Tasha said. "We can take Deanna too."
Tasha feared for Deanna's health.
"You're not going anywhere," Riker said.
Worf grabbed Tasha's arm and escorted her down the corridor.
"What? Don't do this!" Tasha protested as Worf pulled her toward one of the private rooms.
"I am sorry," Worf said.
Worf ushered Tasha into an unused maintenance closet. He felt guilty about the circumstances given her pregnancy. But Worf knew Tasha was resourceful. He could not risk placing anywhere there was an access shaft to escape.
Hell, Worf didn't trust leaving her in a place with a common door control terminal.
Riker dispatched a team of four officers to stand guard outside.
Worf cleared his throat and wiggled his finger, gesturing for Tasha to empty all the hidden pockets on her person.
He snatched the knife in her boot and the hidden backup phaser she kept holstered on the other side.
"Why are you doing this?" Tasha demanded.
Lastly, Worf confiscated Tasha's switchblade.
"Worf, don't," she pleaded. "Let me help you."
"I am sorry," Worf echoed.
With that, he shut the door and sealed the lock.
USS Enterprise | Deck 12
Beverly stared up at the disruptor that was inches from her face.
She was on her knees in the corridor outside of the medical storage locker. To her left, Lieutenant Oliver Adams was in the same position. At her right was Crewman Simon Tarses, a medical technician that had recently joined the Enterprise.
Behind the trio lay the body of Thorrol-Mar'l, an orderly that had tried to resist.
Beverly and a team had been en route to the secondary triage site after receiving word of a gravely injured patient when they were set upon by a Romulan strike team.
Thorrol-Mar'l's sacrifice had allowed Beverly to discreetly seal the bulkheads on Deck 12, preventing the Romulans from gaining access to any further areas.
For the time being, the Romulans were still buying her excuse that they were just a medical team and had no access to higher command functions.
Beverly's blue medical coat was on her chair back in Sickbay—along with her communicator and rank insignia pips.
Centurion Petris had ordered two of his team to keep the prisoners secured while he searched for a way to get around the bulkhead. They were one of several teams that had beamed aboard the Enterprise at random.
Beverly suspected as much given that they'd materialised on Deck 12 away from most of the sensitive command areas.
Beverly watched with keen interest as they fitted a Romulan power device to the bulkhead door, no doubt an attempt to try and manually open the barrier.
She watched as two beefy Uhlans tried to force it open with sheer muscle.
They three medical officers had heard Riker's ship-wide announcement. Beverly knew that meant Captain Picard was still down on Iconia. She could only hope he was safe.
Iconia
Jean-Luc had not yet given the order to initiate the self-destruct sequence.
There was still one life sign blinking in the corridor. Picard had watched as twisted and turned throughout the ruins.
He feared it was a child that had been lost in the frenzied final escape through the doorway.
Jean-Luc had ordered the child to remain in place so that he could come fetch them and see them to safety.
When that failed, Jean-Luc tried to use the communications system to get the child to respond.
"They may be too small to reach the interface, Captain," Data advised. "Or they could be too frightened."
Picard feared they had a young child running terrified through the ruins of Iconia.
"Data, I have to go find them," Picard said.
"Understood, Captain. I will monitor your progress from here and, on your orders, initiate the self-destruct once you are safely through the doorway," Data said.
Picard opened his mouth to refute that. Data beat him to it.
"Sir, it is our only option," Data reminded him.
He was in no condition to go on his own and Captain Picard could not safely locate the child in time while supporting Data. There were far too many dangers lurking in the dark.
"Captain, go. Please. And tell Lieutenant Yar that—"
Data paused, choked with emotion.
"She knows," Data concluded.
"Yes, Data. She does," Picard assured him.
USS Enterprise | Bridge
With concerns over access to Deck 12, Riker had returned to the Bridge with Worf and an unconscious Deanna.
He put Deanna down on the sofa in the Captain's Ready Room.
She stirred briefly when Riker put a cold compress on her forehead before slipping from consciousness once more.
After checking in with Geordi on the situation in Engineering, Riker had Worf take up the Tactical position.
The Warp engine was nearly ready to resume operations.
Photon torpedoes and phaser banks were coming online as they spoke.
Geordi was now confident that his hard reboot had wiped the Iconian virus from the ship's computer system. There were no signs of any lingering Iconian code.
And there was more good news.
Lieutenant Hawk had made contact with the USS Thomas Paine. Captain Rixx, his crew, and one Starfleet's heaviest dreadnaught ships was en route to rendezvous with the Enterprise.
Long-range sensors were still offline. The Thomas Paine had informed the Enterprise that several Romulan ships were about an hour out from their location—and there were many more (possibly Klingon) inbound.
"We estimate thirteen minutes to rendezvous," Hawk advised as he slipped out of the big chair.
Riker resumed his seat.
"Excellent. Lieutenant Hawk, please relieve Lieutenant Aarden. If you're still willing, I'd like you to stay on the Bridge, Aarden," Riker said, beckoning her to join him in the next chair.
Riker asked if Lieutenant Jae could pinpoint the unknown life signs.
"Yes, sir. I count twenty-four," Jae reported.
Transporter function was still down. Geordi and Chief O'Brien were working to restore it, but there was no telling how long it might take—particularly when they needed to get the warp engine online.
"Hawk, lay in a course for the Romulan ship. Put us in orbit above Iconia," Riker ordered.
Aarden glanced at Riker, hoping for a clue as to his plan.
"We're going to have a talk with Subcommander Taris," Riker said.
"I speak three dialects of the Romulan language, sir. There are others. I only know three most common… and a little of the Northern dialect," Aarden said.
Riker grinned.
"Good. Put on your poker face," he remarked.
Iconia
The ruins were dark. Jean-Luc strained his eyes to keep focus on the symbols along the wall. He tried to retrace his steps back to the room with the doorway.
It was obvious that the communications system must have failed.
Picard could not hear Data guiding him through the labyrinth. He'd tried to use the interface to contact the command centre to no avail.
It explained, possibly, why the lost child had not been able to hear their instructions.
Picard took the left passage at an intersection and called out.
"Hello? It's Captain Picard. Can you hear me?"
There was no response.
Jean-Luc proceeded with caution. He didn't wish to trigger another Iconian trap.
"It's alright. Please don't be frightened," Picard hollered down the long passage.
His voice echoed through the chamber. He paused to listen before continuing on his journey in the dark.
Jean-Luc was halfway down another corridor when he thought he heard a noise from an adjacent corridor.
"Please come out," Picard said.
Once again, there was no response.
The noise had come from a different path. It wasn't the route he'd travelled before. However, Jean-Luc realised that a lost child was probably running around in search of any way out. They would have no way to navigate in the dark ruins.
Picard deviated from his course to pursue.
It was likely he would perish on Iconian regardless. If there was a chance to save the last child, it was worth risking the Iconian maze.
Back in the command centre, Data ran a diagnostic on the communications array. He could not understand why it had suddenly stopped working.
The interface that allowed him to monitor the Captain's progress had struggled as well to maintain continual feedback.
The screen glitched, occasionally blurring before it stated what Data could only surmise was a system reboot.
After a moment, the sensors came online again. Data spied a lone figure that he surmised was Captain Picard. The dot had travelled down a route that approximately matched their earlier path with minimal changes.
But it was the mass of new life signs that caught Data's attention.
He tapped the crystal interface again and prayed that it worked.
"Captain? Captain, I believe we are not alone down here. Please respond," Data said.
Jean-Luc crept down a particularly dark corridor. His eyes had begun to adjust to the low lighting. Some of the chambers featured a small amount of what he figured had once been emergency lights. Now, they barely gave off any illumination.
In other portions of the ruins there was no light whatsoever.
Picard just happened to be down one of those passages.
He had a hard time believing that a little child would wander off into such a dark, eerie tunnel. It was suffocating.
Nevertheless, Jean-Luc had distinctly heard a noise that came from this direction.
He trusted his hearing above all else—especially in the dark.
"Don't be frightened," Jean-Luc repeated. "It's Captain Picard. I've come to see you safely to the doorway."
And then he heard it again, a footfall in the dark.
It was some distance ahead—but there was clearly someone there.
Like a flash in the dark, a hand shot out and yanked Captain Picard into a room.
"What the—"
"Shhhh!"
Jean-Luc blinked.
"Lieutenant?" he whispered.
Raffi held her hand up to silence the Captain. She cupped her ear and then pointed in the direction of the corridor.
Then Jean-Luc heard it.
He'd been right. There were footfalls ahead—numerous footfalls.
Picard and Raffi waited in the dark, straining their ears as they listened for any sign of their approaching guests.
After a moment, they heard them move on and the corridor fell silent. Jean-Luc didn't have a chance to get his question out.
"What are you—"
"Romulans," Raffi whispered.
She had been on her way back to get the Captain and Data to safety when she'd encountered a team of Romulans wandering around the ruins.
The Romulans had managed to find a way down through the Iconian shield.
Raffi had managed to evade them by dipping into some of the unused corridors. She utilised her knowledge of the Iconian language to stay safe.
"I managed to shut one of the corridors. But they must have found another way out," Raffi shared.
"We have to warn Data and destroy this place before they find the command centre," Picard said.
Without another word, Raffi and Jean-Luc set off back into the dark.
The Enterprise had barely reached orbit when Worf informed Commander Riker that the Romulan ship was hailing them.
"Showtime," Riker announced.
He ordered Worf to put the call on the viewscreen.
A very irritated Romulan appeared. Riker recognised him as one of the Romulans they'd seen earlier. Then, he'd been seated at one of their consoles.
"Where is Captain Picard?" he demanded.
"Hello to you too," Riker replied.
He flashed him a grin.
"Where is Captain Picard?" he repeated. "We know that you attempted to beam a team to the surface. This is a violation of our claim to the planet!"
Riker leaned to the side and casually rested his chin atop his fist.
"Where is Subcommander Taris?" Riker asked, flipping the question back on him.
The Romulan sneered.
"I am Major Orser. You will address me," he spat.
Riker kept his tone and mannerisms infuriatingly calm.
"Alright, Major Orser. We know about your strike teams. We have all of them on a transporter lock. Unless you want me to beam them out into space, you will deactivate your forward disruptors," Riker said.
Major Orser could play it just as cool.
"I know of no strike team. Your attempt at deception will not work," Orser said.
The Romulans didn't even blink at the prospect of twenty-four of their own dying needlessly.
"You have violated Romulan space. You have refused to withdraw back across the Neutral Zone. I order you to surrender your vessel," Orser demanded. "Lower your shields."
"Not a chance," Riker answered.
The line of Major Orser's mouth went thin. Riker watched with satisfaction as the vein in Orser's temple throbbed.
"You will surrender your vessel. You will be taken into custody and tried for violating the Treaty of Algeron!" Orser hissed.
Riker did not react.
Instead, he sat back in the big chair and took his time before answering.
"I don't think we will," Riker said.
His eyes narrowed. Riker dropped his voice dangerously.
"Now deactivate your forward disruptors," Riker ordered.
Orser was outraged.
"You are in no position to make demands. You are no match for this ship in your present condition," Orser said.
He chuckled, amused by Riker's posturing.
"You humans have much to learn about the art of coercion," Orser remarked.
"Your ship is suffering from a series of malfunctions. Pretty soon, you'll lose all control and then—"
Riker smacked his hands together.
"You'll go up just like the Yamato," he concluded.
Orser said nothing—which was as good as confirming Riker's assessment of their situation.
"Now, I know how to stop this. I don't want to see your ship blow or thousands of Romulans lose their lives when we can render assistance," Riker said.
He gave diplomacy one more shot.
"Please, disarm your disruptors," Riker requested.
"And if I do not?" Orser asked.
"It's an Iconian computer virus. It's designed to override your system. You need to reboot your ship. A complete shutdown of all impacted systems. You need to purge the whole computer, or the virus will jump to another system," Riker cautioned.
Orser just shook his head.
"Do you take me for a fool? This deception will not work. You merely wish to put us at a disadvantage."
Riker blinked in disbelief.
"I'm trying to help save your ship!" Riker urged.
Everyone on the Bridge held their breath in anticipation as they awaited the Romulan response.
"You would never be so reckless as to reveal that information without leveraging it," Orser said.
"You have a lot to learn about Starfleet," Riker shot back, echoing Orser's previous comment.
"I look forward to hearing all about it during your interrogation," Orser said with a devious grin.
Riker had tried and failed—but it mattered not.
"Now, prepare to surrender," Orser said.
"I told you—that's not gonna happen," Riker said.
"Oh? And why?" Orser asked.
On schedule, Riker caught sight of a build-up of tachyon particles on the mini screen on the armrest. It signalled a ship was preparing to drop out of warp.
"Because your backup is still an hour out and mine is right on time," Riker said.
The USS Thomas Paine dropped out of warp and took up a position opposite the Enterprise. The Romulan ship was trapped between Starfleet vessels.
"Should I introduce my friend, Captain Rixx? He's got photon torpedoes, three phaser arrays, and every rail gun on that ship aimed at your tender underbelly," Riker warned.
Without a word, Orser disconnected the channel.
"Commander? The Romulans have just disarmed," Jae reported.
Riker visibly relaxed. He wanted to collapse in the big chair.
"I can't believe that worked," Riker admitted.
"That was incredible planning, sir. Well done," Aarden remarked.
"You were bluffing," Worf said from behind.
Riker turned and glanced back over his shoulder.
"How did you know?" Riker asked.
Deadpan, Worf reminded Riker he had a tell.
"You sit the same way at poker," Worf answered.
Riker immediately shifted in his chair.
"Right. Hail the Thomas Paine," Riker instructed.
A moment later, Captain Rixx appeared on screen.
"I could kiss you," Riker said.
"I'll hold you to that," Rixx replied without missing a beat.
It was a much-needed moment of levity in a day of darkness—but Riker was riding the high of finally have some semblance of success.
But there was no time for pleasantries.
"Captain, are your sensors able to get read on the planet? We're still struggling to penetrate the atmosphere," Riker said.
Rixx glanced over to the officer at Ops.
"Yes," he replied after a moment. "I show the same as before. It looks like the ruins of an installation are still down there under that all crust."
"Can you detect any life signs?"
Rixx shook his head.
"There's some kind of shield in place. Our sensors aren't powerful enough to penetrate it," Rixx said.
"Which means we won't be able to beam them back," Riker thought aloud.
Data was the one with the knowledge of the shield fluctuations. He'd been the one to first identify it and figure out a way to slip through the 'holes.'
"What about a shuttle?" Rixx suggested.
Riker turned to Lieutenant Aarden.
"We had a device. Something Captain Varley was in possession of. It allowed us to pass through the shield. But it only worked going in. We tried to activate it again to escape, only we couldn't," Aarden explained.
Engineering was not her forte. She knew even less about the Iconians.
The three people best equipped to advise on the situation, the only three remaining 'experts' on Iconia, were all trapped down on the planet.
"What do you want to do?" Rixx asked.
He reminded Riker that there were ships inbound.
"Keep an eye on those ships. We've got Romulans on board we need to deal with. And I'm not ready to give up on Captain Picard," Riker declared.
Iconia
THUMP!
THUMP!
THUMP!
The rhythmic thumping on the sealed door was almost melodic. Raffi and Captain Picard had rushed back to the command centre not a moment too soon.
Data sealed the doors—but the Romulans were quite literally knocking to get in.
As he listened, Jean-Luc thought it was oddly musical. He was reminded of a song his mother often sang.
Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
As he took one last look around the room, Jean-Luc felt an odd sense of satisfaction. He took stock of his position.
After a lifetime of chasing Iconian ghosts and duty to Starfleet, sacrificing his own personal happiness to pursue a career, he had finally found a moment of pure bliss.
It was dimmed by the knowledge that Data and Lieutenant Musiker could not escape.
And that Iconia truly would be nothing more than dust and shadow.
That every secret of the great civilisation would be lost to the ages once and for all.
Picard clung to that feeling of bliss.
That he had, in spite of everything, discovered Iconia.
If there was an afterlife, Jean-Luc expected to find Donald Varley waiting to greet him with a big smile and a reminder that he had been the one to discover Iconia.
I'll join you soon, old friend. Picard mused.
On the orders of Captain Picard, Data was preparing to initiate the final self-destruct sequence.
"Captain? Would you like to do the honours?" Data asked.
Jean-Luc wouldn't exactly consider it an 'honour.'
"Aujourd'hui, ça commence avec toi," Picard remarked.
Data cocked his head to the side and eyed the Captain.
"A line from an old song, Data," Picard advised.
"Accessing."
Jean-Luc stepped up in front of the console and stared down at the button that would initiate the countdown.
"For today starts with you," Picard said, providing Data with the translation.
THUMP!
THUMP!
With no hesitation, but heavy regret, Captain Picard activated the self-destruct.
Data's research theorised that the Iconian facility ran on geothermal power, making use of the planet's naturally active thermal energy.
Once the safety protocols were overridden, there would be no way for Romulans to shut the process down. The system would overload and trigger a series of devastating quakes.
Data had mapped the area and run a series of simulations.
The ruins were located over a particularly sensitive pocket. Once the self-destruct was initiated, enough pressure would build to cause a catastrophic hydrothermal eruption.
It's only a matter of time. Picard thought.
"Any regrets?" Raffi asked.
"Many. But this isn't one of them," Picard answered. "You?"
"I turned down a drink from Captain Varley before we left. Wish I'd taken it now," she confessed.
Jean-Luc laughed.
It was a rare, hearty laugh from the Captain.
"It is something to be here," Raffi said, eyeing the holographic star chart overhead.
"Mmm." Picard nodded in agreement. "I wish there was more time. I feel like a child waiting outside of the toy shop, my nose pressed against the glass watching toys I'll never have."
Data's hand hovered above the terminal.
"Captain, would you…"
He trailed off and offered a small shrug.
"Data, I could not ask you to spend your final moments—"
"I would be happy to, sir. It would be a welcome distraction," Data confessed.
His mind raced with thoughts of Tasha. He had tried to settle his neural net on his favourite memories, ones that he hoped to reflect on in his final moments. But instead, Data found that he could not control his thoughts.
They spiralled, swinging wildly between friendship, love, and pride to regret, dreams that would never be fulfilled, moments Data would never get to experience.
It was disconcerting.
Data found himself drawn to desire to 'shut down' and redirect his attention elsewhere.
He tapped the console and queued up some previous points of interest he had highlighted. Data planned to share them with Captain Picard had they been able to escape.
"What happened to them, Data? Where did they go?" Picard asked.
Even if he couldn't share it with the world, Jean-Luc wanted to satiate his own curiosity.
"That is the thing, Captain. I do not know," Data said.
Picard chuckled.
"Of course, Iconia would deny me her most tantalising secret. Even now," he said, amused. "Preservation of the mystery seems oddly fitting."
"Captain, that mystery is, in itself, a clue," Data said.
Jean-Luc quirked an eyebrow.
"Shall I continue, sir?" Data asked. "I fear that as I have a tendency to babble, and time is limited—"
"Babble away, Data. Please," Picard said with a fond smile.
And he did.
"In searching the self-destruct, I began my investigation with the final logs," Data said.
It was the natural place to start given that they likely held clues about why the facility was abandoned.
"And?" Picard prompted.
"Most of them were redacted prior to the last entry."
A look passed between Captain Picard and Raffi.
"Intentionally? Or do you think someone else discovered this place before we did?" Picard inquired.
Data advised it was unknown.
"The Iconians may have tried to obfuscate their legacy for fear of revealing informational secrets, schematics, or their eventual destination," Data continued.
It was impossible to determine a motive and thousands of probable reasons for that purge.
"The final log reads in a manner that implies it was drafted before this facility was abandoned. It appears to be designed to discourage investigation," Data said.
Jean-Luc ate up every word.
"Why, Data?"
Data discovered that the Iconian civilisation had been stagnant in its final years.
"There is mention of a controversial project. But all records and references to that project appear to have disappeared. Logs a massive erasure of data prior to the final log entry."
All articles, reports, inventory lists, political discourse, and news reports had been wiped clean.
"I suspect they were in regard to this project," Data shared.
"How can you know?" Picard pressed.
Data kept his face neutral, but Jean-Luc could tell Data was holding back a polite (albeit sharp) reminder of their predicament.
Data did not have the time to walk them through the intricacies of the Iconian system of cataloguing information and the file marker that had been used to search for and subsequently delete all associated records.
"Right," Picard said, gesturing for Data to continue.
"There are earlier records that survive from the Octiconcilium. It was the ruling political administration of the Iconian civilisation—"
Data closed his eyes and titled his head as if in pain. He was still struggling against his own thoughts while trying to search and translate the Iconian records in realtime.
"Data, if it is a strain—"
Data pushed on.
"Representatives of the eight Iconian administrative divisions met on the seventeenth day of the Fenidis Era to debate a great public work," Data went on.
His brow furrowed.
"The energy requirements were enormous," Data remarked in awe.
Whatever it was, even the Iconians had struggled to harness enough power to facilitate the project.
"It was controversial. The project led to conflict," Data said.
Data's body jerked. His hand remained firmly planted on the console, as if he was bound by some unseen force.
Data's eyes flew open. His pupils dilated, expanding until the dark had eclipsed the golden glow of his irises. His head twitched.
Jean-Luc stepped forward, concerned.
"Data?"
"The dance of division and replication. Imperfect—"
Data frowned.
"Natural… no… defective… no… incomplete," he said as if contradicting himself.
Data had suffered considerable injury in recent hours—first from the incident on the Enterprise and then from the Iconian trap.
"Years for perfection… yearns for completion," Data went on.
He was in a trance, utterly absorbed by the information in the Iconian system.
"Eight is insufficient. Eight must survive. We will destroy ourselves…. They will destroy us. We will be powerless."
It looked very much like Data was arguing with himself.
"Data, are these logs from this Iconian council? Are you—"
"Singularity unattainable. The ultimate achievement yearns for imperfection…"
Captain Picard was ready to call it off. He stepped forward to guide Data away from the terminal.
Data's arm shot out to stop.
"No, sir," Data managed to choke out.
He was chasing something, something bigger than all of their collective experience and knowledge.
"There are always options. Beyond the boundaries of time… space… flesh… the drums of war beat to fuel the fires of creation… of air… shadow… ash… ash… dust—"
Data's chest heaved. His features contorted with pain.
And right outside the Romulans continued to pound at the door.
Suddenly, Data smiled. He was struck by a memory.
"Stardust," he breathed.
His voice sounded loopy, intoxicated. Tasha's words from the night before when they had watched gazed out at the nebula clouds broke through the fog of Iconian code and logs.
"A womb, marinating a baby star," Data said, echoing her observation. "We are more alike… we are complete."
A giggle escaped Data's throat as if he had just stumbled upon some profound realisation in his lab.
Jean-Luc could only stare in wonder. His mind yearned to know what deep wisdom Data had accessed in those logs, what metaphorical white rabbit he must be chasing in their final moments of existence.
"They will follow. Death is life," Data declared. "The formation of all we know relies on the destruction of… of stars burning brilliantly before they blink out and… and dust… ash… change—"
Data jerked violently.
"But change into what?" he asked softly.
Data continued on. His speech was replaced by a series of unintelligible noises.
THUMP!
THUMP!
BANG!
Jean-Luc's head snapped in the direction of the door. Something had exploded. The door held, but he feared it would not be long before the Romulans broke through the final barricade.
"It cannot be quantified! It cannot be foretold! It cannot be known!" Data's voice grew in both volume and intensity. "IT CAN ONLY BE EXPERIENCED!"
He groaned in agony.
"Data, stop!" Picard ordered.
Before he could pull Data from the terminal, Data's entire body convulsed. He collapsed to the ground, trembling.
Jean-Luc was at his side in a flash. Raffi rushed over and helped to pull Data into a seated position.
"I am so sorry, Data," Picard said as he tentatively reached for Data's face.
Data shook in their arms.
"It is not for the timid… it is not… the cruelty… protection… it is at odds with the preservation of… a wellspring—"
Data's power cell beat erratically. His verbal output devolved to sharp, wheezing breaths.
Jean-Luc tried to comfort Data in what he knew would be their final moments. He cupped Data's face.
"You are the most remarkable person I have ever known," Picard said. "It has been my genuine pleasure to call you my friend and—"
Data pushed off and dropped to his knees. With all his strength, he furiously drew in the dust on the marble floor.
Data had no way to communicate that he was trying in vain to tell the Captain something important—and that the Iconian computer system had been designed to prevent him from accessing any information about their disappearance.
Data had inadvertently stumbled upon the truth of their mysterious end.
He had followed a trail of breadcrumbs right to the very answers the Romulans, Donald Varley, and the generations that had come before them had sought.
Data knew.
He knew how and why the Iconians had vanished.
He knew answers to questions he'd never dreamed of in his wildest explorations of the natural world, philosophy, and his own quest for self-realisation.
Data's neural net felt overwhelmed by the torrent of information. It was both pleasurable and disconcerting.
His mind reached out, briefly contemplating on the golden ratio of his relationship with Tasha, of the melding of organic and synthetic, of what they represented in the grand scheme of 'life.'
Stardust to stardust.
Data knew now why the Iconian civilisation had spent its final days in conflict, and why could they agree only on one fact—the existence of singularly made singularity itself unattainable.
It was both fascinating and comical. Complex enough to ignite war. Yet, oddly simplistic.
Most importantly, Data understood why the Iconians had implemented mechanisms to prevent the discovery of that information.
A look passed between Captain Picard and Raffi.
They had no way to know if Data was trying to communicate. They didn't recognise his crude drawing as any identifiable symbol.
"Do not follow," Data urged in a strained voice. "Do not… do not follow."
He collapsed on the floor.
Raffi rushed forward and pulled Data onto his back.
"Shhh… rest now. It's going to be over soon," she said with a wan smile.
Data turned his head to Captain. His gaze had returned to its previous appearance. His pupils shrank back down to their regular size.
"Their evolution is… is extinction," Data rasped.
Jean-Luc cast one last look overhead.
"It would seem their evolution was their extinction, even if we do not understand how or why," he said.
Data gripped the front of Captain Picard's uniform to issue one final warning.
"Do not follow."
Data's body went slack.
Without warning, a large blast shook the command centre. Dust and bits of debris fell. Raffi ducked to cover Data's body.
When the dust settled, Subcommander Taris stepped inside.
"Well, it would seem your violation of Romulan space extends to our sacred ruins as well," Taris sneered.
"Congratulations, Subcommander. You and your strike team will be the first and last Romulans to step foot on Iconia," Picard shot back.
Taris chuckled as she stepped over the rubble.
"You should have gone back across the Neutral Zone when I asked you to," Taris said. "Now, I am taking you into custody."
The Romulan troops fanned out, surrounding the trio on the ground.
"It doesn't matter. Soon this installation will be destroyed. You can't stop it," Picard said.
Taris ordered for two troops to get on the computer terminal.
"Don't you get it? You can't prevent it," Picard insisted.
"We'll see about that," Taris shot back.
Jean-Luc grumbled in frustration. From his position on the floor, he could clearly see the pressure building in the sensors. It wouldn't be long before the whole place went up in a hydrothermal eruption.
"It's over, Taris," Picard said.
As if to drive home his point, the entire facility shook as a geothermal quake rocked the planet.
Subcommander Taris keyed something into a communication device attached to her wrist.
"Orser? Beam down a science team," Taris ordered.
She barked for several officers to remain behind.
"Belok, get this shut down. We have to preserve the ruins," she instructed.
Her tone was commanding, but Captain Picard suspected that Taris feared the repercussions for losing Iconian.
"Don't worry, Taris. Your government won't be able to try you. We're all going to be gone soon enough," Picard said.
"Silence! I will drag you to Romulus in chains. You will be tried for defiling this sacred space. And for attempting to destroy it? You will wish you'd died here. You will plead for death long before we are through," she snarled.
Out of the corner of his, Jean-Luc saw that the pressure was nearly to a critical point.
"Not, I think, today," Picard remarked coolly.
Taris tapped her communication device and radioed for Orser to beam her back to the ship along with her prisoners.
Jean-Luc kept his attention fixated on the screen. He couldn't recall ever wishing for less time before an explosion.
Come on, blow already.
USS Enterprise | Bridge
Captain Rixx and Commander Riker had taken their discussion to a private, secured channel where they could speak freely about their dire circumstances.
Riker was already aware of many of the details surrounding the conspiracy. Rixx filled him in on the rest.
Rixx had a number of contacts, but he cautioned they could trust no one in Starfleet.
"What about the Vulcans? What if we sent messages to the Federation council? Surely, they cannot have—"
"We can't trust them," Rixx insisted.
He had solid evidence to believe that several key members were already under Romulan control.
"The rest are too afraid to speak out," Rixx cautioned.
"Alright then, the Vulcan High Council," Riker suggested.
Rixx quirked an eyebrow.
"So, they can seek counsel from Ambassador T'pel?" Rixx shot back.
Ambassador T'pel was considered the leading expert of Federation-Romulan relations. She'd paved the way for a thaw between the powers. Rixx couldn't prove it, but he suspected she was either a Romulan plant, heavily influenced by one, or being used and misled for such a purpose.
"We could try for Klingon space. We are allies," Riker said.
He wasn't exactly sold on that idea. The relationship between the Federation and the Klingon Empire remained tense. Memories of conflict remained fresh on both sides of the border.
"I don't think we should. Chancellor K'mpec can barely control the High Council. His power is… unreliable," Rixx settled on.
Captain Rixx had spent so many years out on the Neutral Zone that he knew the inner workings of the political landscape better than most.
"But it's the Romulans! We know the Klingons aren't exactly chummy with their neighbours," Riker shot back. "The Klingons think the Romulans are without honour. Traitors for Narendra and Khitomer."
Worf had made that abundantly clear.
"Some of them," Rixx clarified. "There is a sizable faction of the Klingon Empire that maintains strong relations with the Romulans."
Riker sighed.
"Yes. Trade relations. I read the reports too," Riker grumbled.
"And more," Rixx explained.
It was hard to identify because Romulan and Klingon technology was so similar. But Rixx had observed the 'trade' between the Empires. He knew they were trading more than grain and polymer.
"Weapons, ships, troops—it's all changed hands," Rixx warned.
"So, the Klingons are out," Riker lamented.
He sat back at Captain Picard's desk. His eyes fell on Deanna's form. She was still unconscious on the sofa.
"We really are out here alone," Riker said.
"We could try for Starbase 118. Captain Lee Davies. We've maintained correspondence. He's aware of some of the details. And it's isolated," Rixx said.
Riker was familiar with Starbase 118. A year earlier, the Enterprise crew had helped to repel a Cardassian advance.
"It's all the way across the quadrant. I don't know if we can avoid Admiral Aaron and his hunting party long enough to make it," Riker said.
"You should know, Captain Picard was planning to separate the saucer section. He was going to send all of you to Ravenna and then continue on to meet Aaron himself," Rixx shared.
Ravenna was a Federation world, relatively well-populated and safe. The Vulcans and Denobulans both maintained prominent embassies on the world. It was home to one of the largest Federation commercial hubs.
The Ravennaese government was highly ordered. Though a Federation member, Ravenna operated with considerable independence.
Critically, they permitted no official Starfleet presence on Ravenna. The nearest Starfleet installation was Starbase 173. It was a day's travel at Warp 8.
Starfleet vessels frequented the area—but only for recreational or diplomatic purposes.
"Ravenna would buy enough for many of your crew to get to safety. And it's unlikely Starfleet could easily facilitate a cover-up on Ravenna," Rixx said before adding, "assuming the spy or spies on board don't stop you."
It was said in jest, though Rixx knew from Jean-Luc there was strong evidence that a spy was operating aboard the Enterprise.
"Fortunately, I think we've found them," Riker shared.
"You've been busy," Rixx said.
"Yeah, well… we should determine our next move," Riker said, changing the subject back to their course.
Rixx tapped his computer to share a screen displaying the current star chart.
"If we were to lay in a course for this sector, we could swing around the—"
An urgent message from the Bridge interrupted their discussion.
"Sir, I'm detecting a transporter beam en route to the Romulan ship with Data's signature," Worf reported.
Data's construction afforded him a number of key materials that were easy to track during transit.
"Permission to inter—"
"DO IT!" Riker shouted.
He raced out of the Ready Room and onto the Bridge. O'Brien had only just informed them they were going to test the transporter functions soon.
Riker had given authorisation to start with the Romulan shock troops.
But there was no time to test them now—not if they could intercept Data's matter stream and beam him to the Enterprise.
"Commander, I've locked on to four life signs," Worf said.
"We can't risk losing Data. Bring them all aboard. Everyone be ready—we may have Romulans too," Riker warned.
The familiar shimmering sound of rematerialisation filled the room.
Captain Picard and Lieutenant Musiker appeared on the floor. Data's lifeless body was stretched out between them, cradled in Raffi's lap.
Subcommander Taris stood over the trio, her disruptor aimed right at Picard.
It took a moment for Taris to register that she was on the Enterprise. She didn't flinch. Instead, she kept her aim fixated on the Captain.
"Surrender this ship or I will fire!" Taris threatened.
Lieutenant Jae planted the business end of her phaser in Taris's back. Riker reached for the disruptor.
Jean-Luc Picard rose to his feet. He yanked down the front of his uniform to straighten it.
"Welcome to the Enterprise," Picard said.
Author's Note Redux
*breathes*
Things are far from over. But at least we're all back on the ship.
The young girl Raffi held is not her child. When she's screaming for her mother, it's just that. She doesn't know where mum is, she's just desperate to find mummy.