Worlds Without End, Part XXXIII

Main Unity Worlds Without End

0900 arrived a little early for Captain Picard, given how late he was up the night before. Unfortunately it wasn't because of anything exciting, just examining the improvements made before their arrival at Starbase 375. Apparently, Admiral Parks was interested in giving him the same push Picard had been given his own subordinates, because he'd been tasked with handling the small fleet mopping up the remaining Cardassian ships in this part of space. And that, sadly, led to this morning's meeting, involving the three officers that filed into the conference room.

Picard gave the PADD a quick scan and put it back down. "Lt. Julian Bashir, Lt. Nog, Col. Kira Nerys," he said thoughtfully. None of them spoke a word. "It says here that you fought bravely to defend both Bajor and station Deep Space 9, but were forced to retreat, mostly due to lack of fleet support. You were picked up by the Imperial star destroyer Vengeance where the ship was secured and taken to Utopia Planetia for refit." He looked at the PADD again. "You, Colonel, had an arm replaced while in Imperial care."

"Yes sir," she replied with a crisp military voice.

"Your defensive efforts were impressive," Picard said. He passed the PADD over in the direction of the three officers. "Would you care to explain the highlighted remarks to me, please." He made it clear it wasn't a question.

Kira never so much as looked at it. "What's to explain. We were given orders and carried them out to the best of our ability, sir."

"Your statements implied you turned this into a personal fight," Picard said. "That this wasn't about the war; it was about making the Cardassians pay for Deep Space 9."

"Not for Deep Space 9, sir," Bashir said. There was a clear undercurrent to his voice, filled with restrained malice. "For Ezri Dax, Jake Sisko, Rom, Leeta, Morn, Quark-"

"I get the point, doctor," Picard said. "But your personal feelings cannot interfere with your duty."

"Our duty was carried out-"

"The only thing you were interested in was revenge," Picard said sharply. "I am shocked that distinguished officers such as yourselves would entertain such thoughts, much less voice them in front of your crew. I'm removing you from active duty," he said to Nog and Bashir, "pending a full psychiatric evaluation. As for you, Colonel, you'll be returned to Bajor for the time being. Commander Brills will remain in temporary command of the Defiant."

"Brills is a little weasel," Kira remarked.

"Well, colonel, that's not your problem any more. Dismissed."

The three filed out, and Picard didn't need Troi's empathy to sense the hatred when they did so. What a beautiful masterpiece of Imperial engineering, he thought. They blow up the station and make it look like Cardassians were behind it, then toss these poor people back into combat without giving them a chance to recover from such a tragedy, so that they became anti-Cardassian fanatics. And these were good people; Picard had heard about their work during the Dominion War... that even they could be driven to this made him wonder if the problem wasn't just the Empire, but with themselves. Picard held his head in his hands, massaging his temples with his thumbs. "It's all falling apart," he muttered.

"'Things fall apart,'" said a voice. Picard glanced up at the sudden sound. "'The center cannot hold.'" Q was lounging in a chair at the far end of the meeting table, picking at something on the wall, then examining it, only to drop it with a rub of his fingers. "'Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, the blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned.'" He slowly turned his head towards Picard and a grin spread across his face. "'The best lack all conviction.'"

Picard was too tired to get angry at this point. "For someone who wishes to try humanity you certainly do enjoy poking about our culture."

Q straightened up slightly. "Yes, well, there are a small handful of you who managed to stop flinging feces at one another long enough to utilize your primitive brains. Yeets, of course, being one. Although perhaps you're not into early twentieth century poetry; it's certainly not Shakespeare. Of course, you realize that there were other authors besides Shakespeare, yes?"

"Has this turned into a literary test?" Picard asked, the exhaustion evident in his voice.

"Perhaps. 'The Second Coming'. I thought it might be appropriate, considering the occasion."

"Yes, the end of the world. I've not forgotten."

"Very good, A plus," Q mock applauded. "However, I'm afraid your grade depends upon the correct answer to the final exam question: Do the best lack all conviction?"

Picard drew himself up, the weakness gone for the moment. "No. They most certainly do not."

"I like your enthusiasm, but I'm afraid it's the results which count, Picard. Will your convictions save you this time?" A tiny Earth appeared over the table, orbited by an even tinier Death Star. "'And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?'" The beam fired again, and the world was no more. Picard closed his eyes, not wanting to remember these horrible images. When he opened them, Q and his illusions were gone. But not forgotten.

The chime sounded, and after Picard's call, the door opened. It was Data. "Sir," he said, "there is a message from Starfleet Command. They say you and Lt. of Nine are to return to Earth to answer questions regarding your allegations."

"Now?" Picard said. "We've only been here a short while."

Data looked slightly off. "I confess I find the timing of this order to be dubious... especially given the suspicion around Seven, who would be accompanying you."

Picard nodded slowly. "You think Seven might have faked the transmission... why?"

"There are several possibilities," Data said, "though all are speculative. But it would be time for her to be alone with you, with no way of defending yourself. Her physical strength is second only to my own, sir; if she wished to overpower you, she could do so."

"But towards what end?" Picard demanded.

"Not to kill you, if that is your concern," Data said. "If Seven wished to kill anyone, it would be I, sir. I am the only other person she has confided in."

"What exactly is this secret?" Picard asked. Data seemed to hesitate. "Under the circumstances, Mr. Data, I need to know."

Data still seemed resistant. "She has a romantic infatuation with one of the Rebels, sir."

"What?" Picard said with mild shock.

"Luke Skywalker, sir," Data said. "From the Klingon prison attack. She seems to have a great difficulty in coping with this strong emotion, sir."

"I see," Picard said distantly.

"May I offer a suggestion, sir?" Data asked.

"By all means," Picard said.

"Go with her, sir," Data said. "I will modify a shuttle so that I can track you at all times, and that you can reach me in an emergency. If the message is genuine, then nothing is wrong. If not, then we would learn what Seven has been doing, and how severe the damage to our cause is, sir."

"That sounds rather dangerous, Mr. Data," Picard said, but then sighed. "But if she's a murderer, then there's no telling what else she might do; ferreting out the truth is worth the risk. Will she be vulnerable to a phaser on stun?"

"Yes sir."

"I'll keep a Type I on me at all times, just to be safe," Picard said. "Let's hope we're wrong... not just for Seven's sake, but for the Federation's."

Han elbowed his way into the officers club, peering over the crowd to try to find Leia and the others. After a few seconds of being jostled around himself he spotted them in a corner table on the other side, and he began the long task of sliding through the mob of beings. What had been a make-shift Rebel base had turned practically into an open port, and with the number of powers that made up the New Alliance, there were a wide variety of beings on hand: Romulan, Cardassian, Rebel, even some Federation officers that had defected. He slipped past Col. Derlin and Morgan Bateson, who were sitting together talking at the bar. "It's a little known fact," Derlin commented over his drink, "that the background of an effective security force is your messenger delivery service." Bateson nodded in agreement and took some of his own drink. Han moved on and finally slipped into a chair next to Leia. Luke and Lando were there along with Captain Price, Admiral Riklin, and Elim Garak. Many of the drinks looked untouched.

"Did I miss much?" Han asked as he keyed his in his order. He didn't know any of these drinks yet but he figured it'd be fun to learn.

"Just an unofficial tactical evaluation," Luke said, turning his glass this way and that.

Han nodded grimly. "I don't think I need to read the minutes to know the consensus.

"The current opinion," Riklin said, taking a sip of a thick blue liqueur, "is that the Cardassian setback was too much of a loss. Hundreds of vessels were destroyed in that attack and their military has become disorganized - which was exactly what the Empire wanted of course."

"Things are very grim for my people, Mr. Solo," Garak said gravely. "Some are surrendering, some joining the other side, some just running..." He sighed. "The remaining Cardassian authorities are trying to bring them back into the fold, but our efforts are an uphill battle. I'm sorry to say that militarily, we won't have much to offer the New Alliance."

"The Empire will pay for what they've done," Leia promised Garak.

"I'm surprised that so few ships have defected from the Federation," Luke said. "From what I heard, I figured the whole fleet would be on our side."

"Starfleet has its ideals but over the recent years its military nature has been emphasize," Price commented. "It's never easy to question your senior officers, even when you know they're in the wrong."

"How's the Death Star project been moving?" Leia asked Price. "That should definitely be our top priority right now. Even if we had the ships to defeat the Imperial fleet, the Death Star could possibly hold off our attacks and just destroy us planet by planet."

Price nodded. "The man who's handling it is Jean-Luc Picard. He and his crew have a knack for these kind of scrapes."

Riklin nodded his agreement. "More than once they have been a thorn in the side of the Romulan Star Empire," he commented. "It would be ironic if they were the ones who saved it from destruction."

"He's put the task into very capable hands," Price said. "Commander Data, whose reputation is known throughout the quadrant, and your friend, Mr. Skywalker." She smiled a little at his puzzled look. "Lt. Seven of Nine. Both are brilliant and familiar with Imperial technology. They're our best chance."

"I'm glad to see the Federation's coming around," Lando commented. "But what about the Klingons? Surely they must see what's going on by now." Riklin smiled, but there was no humor to it. He took another drink.

"The Klingons have a different system of values," Price said finally. "Honor and loyalty mixed with glory and battle. And everything revolves around blood... they never stop with the blood," she said under her breath. "There will be almost no defections if any at all, since anyone strong enough with a different viewpoint would take control of the fleet and break the alliance."

"They're a dictatorship?" Han asked.

"No," Price replied. "A kind of autocracy where position is determined both by family honor and personal achievement. However, the military will follow any true leader if they felt his cause was just."

"So it's all or nothing with the Klingons?" Lando asked.

"I'm afraid so," Price said with some regret.

"Is there any way to persuade them?" Leia asked. "What would we have to do?"

"First you'd have to find a way to convince someone with authority to support your position. If you try taking it there yourself in this situation you'll probably be killed."

Lando finished his drink. "And where can we find someone to pull this off."

Riklin smiled and looked in Price's direction. "I have a pretty good idea," he commented. Price gave him a dirty look.

"Am I missing something?" Han asked.

"You mean she hasn't told you?" Garak said with mock surprise, and Price blushed slightly. "She's a Klingon."

The shuttle left the Enterprise without incident. Picard would have welcomed the opportunity to sleep, but under the circumstances that could have been suicidal. He said nothing, deciding to let the silence work at Seven to see if she'd decide to fill it. It took over an hour, but eventually, she spoke.

"Captain," Seven said, "I apologize if this is a violation of protocol... but there is something I am compelled to say." She seemed to struggle for the words. "I have observed your interactions with other members of the crew, and have noted how it differentiates from my own. I am grateful to you for taking a personal interest in my development... helping me to join Starfleet, giving me a position among your senior officers, and giving me your trust." She hesitated. "But I have failed to live up to what I should have."

Picard had been worried about this. "In what way?" he asked in what he hoped was a neutral manner.

"You told me that you would be there for me as a friend," Seven said. "And yet, I kept things from you because I feared your opinion of me would change... and... I cannot explain this, captain, but... the thought of disappointing you fills me with sadness. But I can deceive you no longer." She couldn't bring herself to look at him. "I felt nothing when I killed the Hirogen," she said. "I allowed myself to fully embrace my Borg nature, so that I could do the task without emotion. I did not have the courage to do my duty as a human, so I rejected my humanity. I'm sorry, captain... despite all your efforts, I have failed to measure up."

"Seven," Picard said with just a hint of exasperation in his voice, "I already know this."

Seven looked at him in surprise. "Troi-"

"No," Picard said before she could get any further. "We saw the match. I know what you did, and it's all right. You did what you had to do to survive."

"You... you don't feel it was wrong?"

"In a life and death struggle to survive, Seven, giving in to your instincts is understandable. That they are Borg instincts changes nothing."

Seven seemed relieved, although it was only a slight change in her manner. "I am grateful for your understanding, captain."

Picard wet his lips and decided to push on. "Is there anything else you're keeping from me?"

Seven hesitated. "Yes," she admitted. "But- But I am no longer afraid to share them with you... if you would like to listen, of course."

"It's a long way to Earth," Picard said with a smile. And she told him everything. She told about her growing interest in the Rebel, Luke Skywalker. She told about the visit by Q. She told about the conversation with Troi, and Picard could hear the emotion in her tones as she discussed it all, and with each word he became more and more certain that she was innocent, that she couldn't kill in cold blood without her Borg nature, and that she was far too ashamed of herself to ever turn to it again.

"I will admit that the Counselor's words caused me to feel overwhelming emotions at the time," Seven said finally. "But after a brief period to reflect upon them, I realized she was correct. If the time came, if this Rebel or someone else entered my life... while I am still fearful of such emotions, I would not let the physical violation by the Borg inhibit me." She shook her head. "I regret her death, captain, as a friend and colleague, but also because I had hoped that... that perhaps she could help me." She wiped her eye. "I am aware that that is selfish, captain," she said, "but I cannot help but feel that with her death I've lost my chance to become human... and that fills me with grief."

Picard was about to say something when hyperspace twisted and they dropped back into real space. "What's happening?" he asked.

Seven's hands flew over the instruments. "There is a large interdiction field that's interfering with our hyperdrive." Picard looked out the tiny windows of the craft. Sure enough, he saw the unmistakable Interdictor cruiser floating about four kilometers away. Two star destroyers were converging on their position. "I'm attempting to evade." Seven stated.

"Turn us around," Picard said quickly. "See if you can move beyond their field and re-engage the hyperdrive. Never mind going to Earth, it appears the Empire has had its fill of us."

The giant vessels continued to grow in the window as the view suddenly spun. Seven put all power into the impulse engines, fighting to outdistance the ships before they were destroyed. There was another lurch, one which almost threw Picard out of his seat. "I'm sorry captain," Seven said. "We're caught in a tractor beam. I'm attempting to break free, but I do not think I will succeed."

Picard cleared his throat as the docking bay of the star destroyer grew beyond the window. "Let's hope they remember they're our allies," he said grimly.

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