The Sky's The Limit Part 27

Deanna was sitting in her chair, reading a padd. She didn't look up when the doors closed behind me, as she probably thought they were closing on Lobato. But then she looked up, her face brightening. "Captain! I wasn't expecting you."

I gamely attempted a smile of my own. "I would have thought you'd have sensed me coming."

She set the padd down. "Lately, I've taken to putting up mental barriers. The emotions of the crew are very strong under these circ.u.mstances, and..." She trailed off, but I understood.

Indicating her patients' chair, I asked, "May I?"

"Is this a session?"

I hesitated. "Perhaps an informal one. I suppose-" Another hesitation. "I suppose I have grown accustomed to having you by my side."

"You know my door is always open to you, Captain. What's troubling you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

She smirked. "Perhaps not to the crew, but I know you a bit better."

Nodding, I said, "I've been thinking back over yesterday's battle. When hostilities with the Dominion started to flare up, I was, naturally, concerned that war would be the eventual result-particularly once Carda.s.sia joined the Dominion. I promised myself that I would never get so...so jaded that I would take pleasure in the taking of another life. It was easy at first-we very rarely were sent to the front lines, after all. Starfleet preferred to hold us in reserve, use us for more diplomatic a.s.signments. But now..."

Deanna hardly needed me to finish the sentence. She'd been on board for all our missions, from the relatively sedate mission to Evora to the liberation of her homeworld of Betazed. "Now you find you haven't been able to fulfill that promise."

"No," I said in a whisper. "When Lieutenant Daniels used the Carda.s.sian warp core to destroy the Jem'Hadar s.h.i.+p, I was glad. I was almost immediately ashamed, but at the moment of impact, I felt joy at the deaths of the Jem'Hadar who destroyed the Grissom. I knew her captain," I added, realizing that I was anthropomorphizing again. "She was a fine officer, an excellent leader. And after I saw her s.h.i.+p pulverized, I wanted nothing more than the same fate meted out to those responsible."

Deanna leaned toward me. "Captain, it's nothing to be ashamed of. What matters far more than your joy is the shame you felt right afterward. It's when you don't feel the shame after a perfectly natural instinct that you have to worry."

As she leaned forward, I leaned back, crossing my legs in a failed attempt to get comfortable. "We're on our way now to meet with a Klingon civilian s.h.i.+p that allegedly has intelligence about Dominion activity-at which point, we will likely again be sent into battle." I sighed. "Remember at Evora when I asked if anyone remembered when we were explorers?"

"Yes. And we will be explorers again, Captain, I'm sure of it."

"a.s.suming we do win the war. a.s.suming we aren't all killed. We've been so very lucky, Deanna-even when we lost the EnterpriseD, we all survived. But now, I see the Grissom and the other five s.h.i.+ps destroyed, the Christopher possibly needing to be sc.r.a.pped as well, and I wonder when our luck will finally run out."

"Captain-"

"Riker to Picard."

I pulled down my uniform jacket and tapped my combadge. "Go ahead, Number One."

"We're picking up a distress call from a Carda.s.sian s.h.i.+p. It's adrift in interstellar s.p.a.ce. Data picked it up on long-range, and it seems to be legitimate."

Normally, I would recommend caution, but the urge to save a life rather than take one became almost palpable. "Have Ensign Perim change course." After a moment, I added, "And go to yellow alert. I'll be on the bridge shortly, Picard out."

Getting to my feet, I turned to the counselor. I did not need her empathic senses to determine that she was worried about me. "Captain, I think we should speak further."

"I agree, Counselor-but later, in a formal session, perhaps?"

She picked up her padd, we agreed on a time the following afternoon, and I went to the bridge.

The distress call came from an old Akril-cla.s.s vessel. I was amazed that any were still in service, as that model was prominent when I was captain of the Stargazer but had become less common in recent years. As usual, Data had an explanation. "Sensors show several deviations from the known design of Akril-cla.s.s vessels. It is likely that Dominion engineering has been used to augment this s.h.i.+p."

Will added, "The last squib from Starfleet Intelligence indicated that Carda.s.sian s.h.i.+pyards had been converted by the Dominion to upgrade Central Command's fleet."

"Well," Daniels said, "this upgrade must not've taken. I'm reading hull damage over 40 percent of the s.h.i.+p, structural integrity field down to 25 percent and falling-and the distress call is now a disaster beacon."

Data added, "s.h.i.+p's registry indicates it is the Central Command vessel Pakliros."

I tugged the front of my uniform jacket again-a comforting habit that I'd never seen any reason to break-and said, "Bring us in slowly, Ensign."

"Aye, sir," Perim said.

Disaster beacons were far more difficult to forge-though not impossible-and increased the likelihood that this was a legitimate call for help.

Will asked, "Any life signs, Data?"

"The s.h.i.+p's engines are putting out considerable radiation, sir, making life-sign readings difficult. However, sensors do read two Carda.s.sian life signs in the forward cargo section."

That put them as far as possible from the irradiated engines. I tapped my combadge. "Bridge to transporter room 3. Lock onto the two life signs in the forward section of the Carda.s.sian vessel and stand by." I moved toward the turbolift. "Mister Daniels, have a security complement meet me in the transporter room."

"Yes, sir."

"You have the bridge, Number One."

"Yes, sir," Will said. "Lieutenant, keep a weapons lock on the Pakliros-just in case."

Daniels's acknowledgment was swallowed by the turbolift doors closing. "Transporter room 3," I said.

Will's caution was quite sensible. A Sovereign-cla.s.s s.h.i.+p would be a valuable prize for a Dominion soldier to bring home to Carda.s.sia Prime. This still could have been a trap.

But it might not have been. If there were only two survivors, it meant the Pakliros was worse off than the Grissom. We'd saved those final six-they'd been transported to the T'Mala, who were tasked with towing the Christopher back to Starbase 522-and could we truly not do likewise for our enemies?

Once, I would have had a much easier time answering that question.

Ensigns Seo, Jeloq, and Cruzen from security were approaching the transporter room from the other direction. They all had their phasers out. There was a time when standard procedure was to leave one's weapons holstered until necessary, but those times had pa.s.sed.

I entered the transporter room, the three security officers trailing behind me. As they got into a triangle formation, weapons pointed at the platform, I turned to the transporter operator, Chief T'Bonz.

The Vulcan woman said, "I have acquired a lock on the two Carda.s.sians. Continued scans have detected no other life signs on the Pakliros."

I nodded. "Energize."

Two Carda.s.sians materialized, a man and a woman. Their uniforms were torn and filthy, and both had evidence of injury. The woman had the insignia of a glinn.

However, I barely noticed her, as I found my entire focus on the man. It was a face I'd last seen in person on Carda.s.sia Prime six years ago, but which I'd seen in my nightmares with alarming regularity ever since.

"Gul Madred."

Palming the blood from around his right eye, the Carda.s.sian gul looked at me with as much shock as I'm sure I viewed him. "Captain Picard. What a surprise," he said flatly.

The glinn collapsed on the platform and started shaking. I turned to T'Bonz. "Beam her to sickbay." I tapped my combadge. "Picard to Crusher. Doctor, you're about to receive a wounded prisoner."

"Understood."

I looked back on the face of one of the few sentient beings for whom I had ever truly felt hatred. "Are there any other survivors?"

Slowly, Madred shook his head. "No. Glinn Driana and I are the only ones left."

"Very well." I affected a more formal tone of voice. "You are on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. By order of the Federation Council, I hereby declare you, Gul Madred, and Glinn Driana to be prisoners of war." I turned to Ensign Seo. "Take him to the brig. Alert sickbay-they can treat his wounds there."

Without another look at his face, I left the transporter room.

A Carda.s.sian brings me into a large, dark room. My wrists are cuffed together in front of me. There is another Carda.s.sian with small eyes and a gul's insignia sitting behind a large desk.

"A challenge," he says. Then he gets up and walks around the desk toward me. With a nod, he dismisses the one who brought me in, leaving us alone in the room together.

"You should prove an interesting challenge-possibly the most interesting to come through that door in many years."

I ask, "What do you want?"

"Why, you, of course," he says, as if it were blindingly obvious. "Picard. Jean-"

"-Luc?"

Beverly Crusher's voice startled me out of my reverie. It had been six years, yet I remembered my time with Madred as if it were last week. Indeed, I remembered it with greater clarity than I did the events of the previous week.

But my chief medical officer was providing a report. "Yes, Beverly-I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"My patient has received third-degree burns over several parts of her body. I can treat that, but it's secondary to the greater issue. She has radiation poisoning. Luckily for her, we were able to access the Pakliros's medical database. She has a flag on her file that says she's allergic to hyronalin."

"But there are alternative treatments," I said.

She nodded, her red tresses bouncing slightly. "Yes, but they're less effective. I honestly don't know if I can save her."

I could hear the fatigue in her voice. The war had gone on for a year and a half, and wars are never easy times for physicians. I put what I hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do what you can, Beverly."

Again, she nodded. I squeezed her shoulder and then moved toward the exit.

"Jean-Luc?"

I stopped and turned.

Her expression had modulated to one of concern. "Are you all right?"

Obviously she had heard who the other prisoner was. "I'm fine," I lied.

The look on her face indicated that she saw through that falsehood. "If you need to talk-"

"Of course," I said dismissively and left sickbay. Now was not the time to indulge in emotionalism. I was captain of the Enterprise, and I had a job to do.

Daniels and Deanna were waiting for me in the corridor.

My security chief spoke first. "Captain, we've received orders from Starfleet Command. They'll send an S.C.E. s.h.i.+p to tow the Pakliros back to Starbase 522. We're to proceed to the rendezvous with the B'Orzoq and interrogate the prisoners here."

Glancing back at sickbay, I said, "Glinn Driana is in no condition to be questioned."

Nodding, Daniels said, "Understood, sir. I'll proceed to the brig, then, and-"

"No. I will handle Gul Madred's interrogation."

Daniels frowned. "Sir?"

I could feel Deanna's eyes burning a hole in me as I said, "I believe my words were clear, Lieutenant."

"Er, yes, sir."

Deanna said, "Captain, are you sure-?"

"Yes," I said. "I'm fully aware of my history with the gul, Counselor, and I hardly need you to remind me of it. Nevertheless, I shall interrogate him. Return to your posts."

I turned my back on them before they could acknowledge me and tapped my combadge as I headed down the corridor toward the turbolift. "Picard to bridge."

Will replied. "Go ahead."

"Proceed to the rendezvous with the B'Orzoq, Number One. I'll be in the brig."

There was a considerable pause before Will said, "Yes, sir."

"Is there a problem, Commander?" I asked, even though I knew the answer already.

"Sir, perhaps it would be more appropriate if Lieutenant Daniels or Counselor Troi-"

"I've already spoken with both of them, Number One." I let out a breath. "I appreciate your concern, Will. Carry out your orders."

"Aye, aye, sir."

I entered the turbolift. "Brig."

"In this room, you do not ask questions. I ask them-you answer. If I am not satisfied with your answers, you will die."

It begins that way. It continues with drugs designed to compel the truth from me. I remember little of that, save that I answer every question I am asked. My next clear memory is of being brought back into the room, again cuffed, this time also blindfolded.

"Captain Picard."

I waste no time in a.s.serting my legal rights. "I demand to see a neutral representative, as required by the Federation-Carda.s.sian Peace Treaty."

Madred removes the blindfold. "We have already sent a message to Tohvun III, the nearest neutral planet. They a.s.sure us they will dispatch someone."

It is the first lie Madred speaks to me. It is not the last.

Madred's wounds were being treated by Ensign Mak, one of Beverly's medical technicians, when I entered the brig. Ensign Seo was in the brig with them, a phaser pointed directly at Madred's head should he try anything, but the Carda.s.sian seemed uninterested in that.