Star Trek Enterprise Bk. 02 - Inherit Ch. 01

Chapter 1: A heart that beats in silence

"Important encounters are planned by the souls

Long before the bodies see each other."

-Paulo Coelho

Stardate 729369.9454816838(May 15, 3052)

An old man walked steadily down a corridor, stopping before a brightly lit console just off to one side of a door that led to his own personal holodeck chamber. This particular technology was only a couple of decades old when it came to the United Federation of Planets, but he had become familiar with it at least two hundred years before. Of course no one who saw him would have believed him to be so old, or what his true identity was. He didn't want anyone to know. He preferred to remain in the shadows softly and quietly pulling strings in an effort to correct mistakes made in the past.

In an effort to hide who he was, he covered his normally green eyes with brown contacts and wore his salt and pepper hair a bit long, causing him to look a tad unkempt. He sported a goatee which didn't exactly suit him, but made it easier to hide his rather famous face. By all appearances he looked to be a man in his mid to late sixties, but in truth he was vastly older than anyone would have ever believed and quite famous in Starfleet circles. Because of this it was imperative that no one ever recognize him and thankfully no one ever did.

As old as he was, his fingers were still agile and moved swiftly across the illuminated touch screen calling up the stardate of 56804.05 with the setting being on the Enterprise E. He then placed the simulation into observation mode so he would not be able to interact or disturb anything. He must have played this scene at least a hundred times before along with many others just so he could see her. Today was her birthday and he would mark it by visiting the one she often spoke of as her favorite.

All his life exploring space had been The old man's greatest love as well as his mistress until she stepped onto his ship. The two were perfect complements of each other and her loss had truly devastated him. Now from time to time he came to the holodeck just so he could look upon her face again and hear her voice. He felt compelled to do this because after a hundred and ninety years he had started to forget some of the small things and was terribly afraid that as more time passed he would start forgetting bigger, more important things about her, such as her fine hazel eyes or her gentle guidance.

The doors to the holodeck softly slid open and the old man stepped inside to see Captain Picard pacing outside his quarters. He was not dressed in his normal uniform but instead wore a 1930's tuxedo that boasted a white dinner jacket and gave him a rather dashing air. The reason for the formal attire was because it was his daughters birthday. His only child was turning sixteen years old and judging by the look on his face, he was finding it difficult to believe that twelve years had passed since Danaë was brought into his care. She was a young woman now and as beautiful as her mother had been. In honor of the occasion she had wanted to celebrate her birthday at one of the ancient jazz nightclubs that often featured in his Dixon Hill detective stories. He had agreed to it of course. After-all, how many sweet sixteen parties would she have?

Everything the old man watching the scene knew about Jean-Luc Picard and his relationship with his daughter, he gleaned from observing him in these holodeck scenarios, reading his Starfleet file and personal logs, or straight from Danae's mouth. As such it was no surprise that he had agreed to everything she asked for with the exception of the dress she wanted to wear. Danaë had requested a red backless low cut evening gown and there was no way he was going to allow that. She was growing up too fast as it was. If it were up to him he would have dressed her up in a gown that covered her from her neck all the way down to her toes, like any good father. Wisely, he had given the job of selecting a suitable outfit to Guinan and her selection was perfect. When the old man had read this future captain's personal log regarding this birthday he had talked about watching her open the carefully wrapped package. He described his daughter's eyes lighting up with pure joy and excitement after opening the box and seeing the bias-cut gown made of silver silk that was embroidered with deep red roses and covered in sparkling beads. Along with it were a pair of heels and a bolero jacket made of the same metallic fabric.

When she stepped out of their quarters in that dress, it was obvious that she took the Captain's breath away. The way he stared at her, there was no doubt that his heart was ready to burst with pride as well as break with sadness that she was no longer little. The figure watching the scene whispered the word 'beautiful' knowing well that they would never hear him. He, himself, had never had any daughters of his own, but instead two rowdy boys, yet he could still imagine what was going through Jean Luc's mind. When exactly had she grown up? Just yesterday she was a small girl with bows tied in her long golden curls playing with her doll. Now she was standing before him. A fine young woman, her golden waves bound up in an elegant chignon and looking every bit like her late mother, Solenne.

Silently the observer followed the pair and they walked into the holodeck. The scene they stepped into was a far cry from a star ship flying through space and exploring galaxies as they could get. Instead it was a nightclub decked out in exquisite art deco decor with dusty rose carpet and wall hangings, as well as a live band with a singer. There were people sitting in gold painted chairs at tables covered in green tablecloths that had small lamps in the center for mood lighting while they ate fine food and drank wine. The dance floor was also crowded with people dancing close together and the air that filled the establishment had a slight haze of cigarette smoke. Smoking was a habit that had died off many centuries before but was quite common in the ancient nineteen-thirties.

Captain Picard and Danaë were led to one of the clubs finest tables and were each offered a menu, but before the birthday girl had a chance to take it, her father had already placed their orders. The old man couldn't hide his smile as he watched the way Danaë's hazel eyes looked around the nightclub in wide-eyed wonder. He knew she was trying hard to act like a proper grown-up, but it was obvious that she was dying to squeal in delight. Unfortunately, her father had little to no appreciation for childish behavior and she probably would have. Her excitement only got worse when a young man approached her and asked her for a dance. True, the gentleman was nothing more than a piece of programming brought to holographic life, but it still made her feel as though she were truly like a grown woman. Before she could accept, Captain Picard stepped in and explained that this dance was his.

Taking her by the hand, Jean-Luc led his daughter out to the dance floor and putting his arm around her, the two began to sway across the floor. Danaë was not terribly good at dancing, but with her father leading she found herself following along effortlessly. There were no interruptions, no other women vying for his attention or affections, particularly Beverly Crusher. Everything was perfect. In Danaë's eyes there was nothing her father couldn't do. Whatever he set his mind on he achieved and yet somehow she had never imagined that he was such a capable dancer.

The song being performed was called ' Dream a Little Dream of Me ' and the singer's words not only echoed through the father and daughter, but they pierced the heart of the old man watching them as well. All he could see was a young woman who would one day become the most important person in his life. Watching her dance there with her father, the observer was certain the lyrics had been pulled from his heart.

Stars fading, but I linger on, dear

Still craving your kiss

I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear

Just saying this

Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you

Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you

But in your dreams whatever they be

Dream a little dream of me

The song ended and everyone clapped. A few people left the dance floor and were quickly replaced by others as the band began to play the next song. The captain and Danaë continued to move around the floor, smiling happily. The song was " Moonlight Becomes You " and sounded beautiful until they reached the chorus. As the singer crooned the words ' I want you to know, it's not just because of the moonlight ' Jean-Luc suddenly stopped moving, his body stiffened slightly and his once light and smiling demeanor suddenly grew serious. It was almost as though a shadow had fallen over him and Danaë could tell by the way his eyes stared off that he wasn't seeing her.

"Pa-pa?" she said, trying to get his attention. She had seen this happen before and knew he was having a flashback of the Borg, although she was surprised it was happening right here and now. "Pa-pa," she said a little sharper. These visions, thankfully, never happened that often. Most of the PTSD he suffered were confined to his nightmares. "PA-PA!" she said again, this time bringing him back from his haunted thoughts.

"Hmm?" he answered, suddenly realizing where he was and what was happening. "Oh..." he stammered, embarrassed by what had happened. He never wanted his daughter to see him like that. He was a Starfleet captain, highly decorated and had walked through hell itself so surely he was stronger than this. The idea of flashbacks and mental trauma made him feel weak and ineffectual, at least it did when he was not sitting and talking to Counselor Troi and even then he tried to bury it. It never worked of course since she could feel his emotions. He was certainly not going to give in to it now, not in front of his daughter. "It looks like our food is here," he commented, promptly changing the subject and leading her back to their table.

Danaë looked over and indeed the waiter was just setting a plate of caviar canapés on their table, but even as they walked back to the table and sat down, she never took her eyes off her father. She was familiar with the Borg and had even seen them for herself when she had been only nine years old and they had tried to overtake the Enterprise. The ship had gone back in time to 2063 to stop the Borg and make sure that Zefram Cochrane made first contact with the Vulcans. At first she hadn't known what was going on exactly, but she had seen the strange cube shaped spacecraft explode from the window of her quarters. She had watched as the ship followed a small sphere that had escaped the destruction fly back through time.

The old man watching the scene play out in front of him could, and sometimes did, mouth the words that Danaë and Picard would say. He knew the story of this particular birthday inside and out. She must have mentioned it at least a thousand times over the years. It was not only the most memorable to her, but this moment... this conversation was something she would long to revisit with her father many times over the years. Of course, the old man knew quite well that even with the opportunity right in front of her she would never do it. To do so would have meant revealing her own frailty and trauma and despite all the strength she possessed that was simply more than she had.

Of course, no one would have understood the pain of her future self better than Jean-Luc Picard. Long before he had learned about Danaë, the captain of the Enterprise had been abducted by the Borg and assimilated into their hive mind. All of his individuality, everything that made him the man he was, they erased. All of his knowledge and expertise was used to destroy and assimilate others. He didn't know how many victims he had created and he didn't want to know. Fortunately his friends and crew managed to rescue him from the Borg and somehow restored his humanity, but he was never completely the same again.

When Solenne died and Danaë was brought into his custody, he gave strict orders to his friends and closest associates that she was never to know about Locutus, what the Borg had done to him or what it had used him to do. The last thing he wanted was for her to be afraid of him or, even worse, ashamed of what he had done. It was enough that he had to live with it, she should never have to. As far as he was aware, Danaë's only real exposure to the Borg had been the incident when she was nine and believed that she had remained safe by hiding herself in the ventilation shaft and climbing up towards the bridge where she emerged just as they were setting the self-destruct sequence.

That wasn't quite correct. The old man could well remember her telling him the story when he had been confronted with the very beings in question. Danaë recalled that being only nine she didn't immediately know what was going on, but once she realized the danger, she crawled into the ventilation shaft intent on looking for her father. Unbeknownst to Captain Picard, she had initially found him in the ship's conference room just off the bridge seated at the table working on a weapon. She was about to open the vent and go to him when a woman came in and began a heated discussion with her father. She had never seen the woman before and definitely never saw anyone talk to Captain Jean-Luc Picard in such a manner. What shocked her more was hearing her father mention that six years earlier he had been assimilated into the Borg collective and that he still had their cybernetic devices implanted though his body.

Danaë watched the scene between her father and the strange woman as things grew more heated. She even compared him to Captain Ahab destroying himself and everyone else in a futile attempt to kill Moby Dick. This comparison shocked her because her father had only finished reading that book to her a few nights before and she understood just how out of control Ahab's obsession had gotten.. She almost cried out when the woman yelled at him to blow up the ship and she heard her father lash out yelling 'NOOOO' before smashing all the model starships with his weapon. She had never seen him like that before and it terrified her. He was someone who was always in control of his emotions and seeing this momentary breakdown made her realize just how bad the situation was.

After that the voices were low and she couldn't hear what they said. Later she was put in an escape pod with Dr. Crusher, but only after he promised he would join her on earth in a short while. The captain kept his word, thanks to Data, but Danaë never forgot what she had witnessed. When she was older she managed to steal a tricorder and modify it so she could access anything she wanted on the ship from weapons and engines to personal files and logs. This was how she learned about Locutus and every last bit of destruction wrought by the Borg.

Since then there had been many times she had wanted to ask him about what had happened to him and the nightmares and flashbacks he experienced, but she never dared. For one thing, she would have had to admit that she had found about Locutus and all the deaths he had caused. This would have led to him demanding to know exactly how she found out and that could only cause more trouble. Now, after witnessing his momentary flashback and sitting across from him at the table celebrating her sixteenth birthday, Danaë found herself more curious than ever to talk to her father about it. Since it was her birthday and he usually indulged her whims as part of the celebration, she decided to carefully broach the subject.

"Pa-pa," she began, then stopped for a moment to smile and thank the waiter as he set their entrees of lamb chops with cognac dijon cream sauce before them. She spread the cloth napkin across her lap then sipped her water before trying again. "Pa-pa, w-what happened to you when we were dancing?"

"It was nothing," the captain answered, taking a bite of his lamb.

"Yes it was, I've seen it happen before." she waited a moment but her father said nothing, only continued to cut the meat in front of him. He didn't even look up at her. "Pa-pa, please, I want to know what happened between you and the Borg. What did they do to you?"

"You are too young to understand."

"Understand what, PTSD?" Danaë pressed. "I know what that is and I have seen plenty of officers and crewmen leave the Enterprise because the emotional and mental trauma they sustained was too much for them. I hear whispers and rumors, but I would rather hear the truth from you."

Captain Picard took a drink of his wine, his eyes becoming a touch dark and serious as he contemplated the best way to handle the situation. The old man began reciting everything he had read in Jean-Luc's log regarding why he wouldn't talk to her about it. How he could have told her everything but then he would have had to watch her eyes, which had always looked at him as though he were a hero, change to disappointment and horror. There is a point in every child's life when they no longer see their father as someone who can fix everything and protect them from darkness and every possible evil in the world. It had happened to Captain Picard as well as the old man himself. It had happened with each of his own boys and when it does then hopefully they see their father as simply a wonderful loving, but flawed person. Jean-Luc wasn't confident that would happen if she knew the truth. He had never truly forgiven himself so how could he expect her to. The man silently observing sighed, already knowing the inevitable conclusion, not just for this scene, but their lives,

"Child, don't be in such a hurry to grow up," Captain Picard answered gently.

" I'm sixteen." Danaë insisted.

"Yes, you are sixteen and while you may believe yourself to be all grown-up, you're not. You've barely lived."

"It's not as though I don't know what the Borg are, I saw them with my own eyes. I saw what they did to the crew members..." she insisted, her voice beginning to get louder.

" Enough." Picard commanded, his tone was low, but clearly he was done with the subject and her behavior.

Danaë stopped, but she wasn't ready to end it just yet. Instead, she looked down at the untouched meal before her and sulked over her lost fight. She finally snatched up her silverware and began to eat her meat refusing to look up at her father. The tension between them was palpable and only broke when one of the characters in the holographic scene came over and asked her to dance. She looked up at Captain Picard unsure he would allow it, but to her surprise he nodded his permission. Eagerly she rose and went out onto the dance floor with her partner.

Unable to resist, the old man followed her and placed himself where the simulated young man was and pretended that he was the one dancing with her. He wished that he could feel her hands in his or her body close to him, but he wouldn't allow himself the pleasure. In this scene she was far too young for him and in the others... well, he was afraid he would never leave the holodeck if he did.

From his seat Jean-Luc watched them swaying to the music. She was growing up so fast and he knew it wouldn't be long before young crewmen would start noticing her, and she them. For now he could protect her from young men hell bent on breaking her heart, but not always. He had managed to keep her safe from all the darkness and dangers that existed throughout the known universe just as he had promised Solenne before she died, but he couldn't do it forever. Danaë was intelligent, and very clever, but head strong, not unlike himself. He hoped that someday someone would be there to take his place because as independent as she was, she still needed a strong hand to guide her.