Star Trek Enterprise - Fate Ch. 02

Stardate 75467.08 (June 20, 2398) -- 30 Years later

"Danaë! Danaë Picard!" Called out a woman's voice as she hastily left her shuttle craft. She was calling out to a young woman at a rest station, kneeling down to tie her shoe. Looking up, the young woman swept some loose curls from in front of her face then peering through her sunglasses saw the source of the voice. Her heart leapt with excitement as she recognized the older woman emerging from a shuttle and coming towards her.

"Aunt Lotte!" Danaë cried out in excitement then quickly enveloped her in a hug. "I thought you were studying the marine life on Priam V?"

"I was, but I received a communication from your father and needed to take a temporary leave of absence." At this Danaë immediately became serious. To anyone associated with Captain Jean-Luc Picard he was a great man, celebrated officer, he had earned the respect and admiration of friends and colleagues alike. To this young woman the name conjured up any number of emotions, some that were wonderful and other that were painful. She could picture him clearly, his sharp eyes, commanding voice and authoritative figure.

"The last I heard he was promoted to admiral and keeping busy with Starfleet... and his wife, Beverly"

"They're divorced and your father has retired. He went back to his family home in France." At the news Danaë couldn't help feeling pity for her him. Exploration was his life. The thought of what could be behind that next star or what could be learned from a new species had more power to make his heart dance than anything. He could never be content on earth tending vineyards.

"Pity."

"Pity?" Aunt Lotte raised of her eyebrow a bit surprised. "Because of his divorce?"

"No, it's a pity he's retired. Exploring space was his passion, his mistress... his reason to wake up each morning. He will not be happy sitting at home making wine." She answered as she grabbed a water bottle from her backpack and took a drink.

"What happened between you two? I remember a little girl who wanted nothing more than to go wherever her father led. Your heart dances to the same tune that his does. I don't understand, what are you doing out here, Danaë?" She was quite correct in her assertions. To say that this young woman had her father's eyes was true, both physically and figuratively.

"What am I doing out here? I'm exploring on my own terms, and right now I'm headed to the Grand Teton National Park where I will climb Stargazer's Point and find out if there really is a small monument left by President Archer in memory of his late wife." Her answer was flippant, though technically she was telling the truth, it was her current destination. It was also a feeble attempt at changing the subject. The truth of the matter was not one she wanted to discuss. The truth recalled too many painful memories.

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Her aunt's voice became sharp with irritation.

"Things happen... people grow... sometimes closer, sometimes apart."

"He's loves you." Lotte interrupted.

"I know, but am I deserving of it?" Her words were soft but clear. Her aunt couldn't imagine where this was coming from and for a moment didn't know what to say. Danaë looked out at the horizon and a notion struck Lotte that her niece had spent these many years constantly moving in a hopeless attempt to elude or find something... but what, she didn't know.

"Of course you are deserving of it, you're his child."

"Blood does not automatically make one deserving." This statement came out a bit harsher than she had intended, but the old wounds never seemed to go away. Trying to keep her composure, she took another drink of water. "When we spoke last, he said I was willful, defiant and unwilling to listen to reason and... and he was absolutely correct." Here she stopped as sudden pang of remorse went through her. "Surely you didn't seek me out just to dredge up the past."

"Actually, your father asked me to find you." At this, Danaë suddenly turned to her aunt in surprise.

"As I recall, Captain Picard was respected enough in Starfleet that he could have requested and gotten an entire armada to come looking for me, why did he ask you?" She asked.

"It's a personal matter, He can't physically go himself and he didn't want Starfleet involved in it. I think he also figured that if you saw Federation personnel you would probably run, but with me you might at least listen." Lotte explained. It was a correct assumption of course, she would have taken off. What had her more puzzled was why he was suddenly so interested in her.

"I've been out here for fifteen years, why is he suddenly so concerned about finding me now?"

"Your father has been diagnosed with Irumodic Syndrome." The older woman answered. At the news Danaë momentarily couldn't breathe. She had heard of the disease before. It had caused her great-grandfather to change drastically from an intelligent and powerful man to a hollow shell of himself. Her father had told her stories about him and though he never said it she had sensed that he feared it would claim him too. The disease would eat away at the synaptic pathways causing his once sharp mind to become confused and delusional. This process could take anywhere from two to several years before he would finally pass away. "He wants to see you very badly."

"Damn." She murmured to herself as she caught her breath. She hated to hear that. True, they had not spoken for a long time, but she couldn't bear the thought of losing him in such a cruel way. "So," She said, kicking a rock into the road. "How bad is it?"

"The doctor says that he is still in the early stages, but when I spoke to him I wasn't so sure. He was excited and kept talking about how he had been visited by Q and something about you being in the past. Federation history and he said the name Archer. He was so agitated I couldn't really understand what he was talking about. The one thing he seemed completely clearheaded about was his desire to find you as quickly as possible."

"He's hoping we can heal the wounds between us. He and grandfather never had the chance to reconcile and he wants to be sure that we do."

"Is that so much to ask?" Her Aunt waited, but at first there was no answer. Danaë looked back down the road she had been walking on and sighed. La Barre France seemed so far away.

"I'll go to him. Maybe it's time to work things out."

"I'll let him know." Lotte answered, very much relieved. "Before I go, he asked me to give you something. I told him it could wait until you got there but he became distressed and insisted I give it to you now." She went back to the shuttle and brought out a rectangular box that appeared to be around a foot long and several inches wide.

"What is it?" Danaë asked, taking it from her.

"I don't know, he didn't tell me. All he would say was that it was imperative that you got it." That certainly sounded like her father. She opened her pack and took out a rolled up tank top then slipped it over the one she was wearing. She then pulled out a light jacket that she had rolled up and wrapped it around her waist. It would be fine there until she got to the transport. She then squeezed the box into her backpack, a tight fit, but she was able to pull the zipper shut and that was the important part.

"Get in the shuttle and I can take you to him." Lotte suggested.

"I appreciate the offer, but I would prefer to walk." The idea of seeing her father again filled her with so many emotions and she wanted the time on the road to think.

"I understand." The older woman looked at her niece and couldn't help thinking how much she resembled her sister Solenne. Indeed Danaë favored her mother in many ways. From her gold curls carefully pinned at the nape of her neck to her forward nature. Her gift for learning and retaining knowledge she had come by from both sides of her family tree, but no one could deny that she had Solenne's temper. Though she had a slender build like her mom, she was well muscled from years of living on the move in the rugged outdoors. She had often wondered how different things might have been if her sister had not died, though it probably would have made no difference. For all that she was like her mother, she was so much more her father's daughter. Her determination, athletic prowess and desire to explore were all traits she had inherited from him. "It's not too late you know. Starfleet can always use someone like you." Her aunt assured her.

"I'll make you a promise. When President Jonathan Archer himself asks me to, then I will once again take the entrance exam and join Starfleet."

"Just go see your father." She answered with an eye roll, then gave her niece one more hug before boarding the shuttle craft. Danaë stood silently and watched as the craft rose into the sky before vanishing into the distance.

Knowing that the nearest transport station was at least five miles behind her, she did an about face and started back the way she came. She knew she would arrive before dark and then in the morning she would be able to board and take it to France. The road before her was good and she was making excellent time. As she hiked along she couldn't help thinking about her father, Jean-Luc Picard. Her favorite image of him was sitting on the edge of her bed and reading to her as she tried to go to sleep. It didn't matter if he read Grimm's fairytales or Shakespeare, he just had a voice meant for recitation.

If she were honest, Danaë had not begun to understand the man her father was until she had left Starfleet and struck out on her own. Handed into the captain's custody at such a young age had proved problematic for both of them. He readily admitted that he was no family man and when children were present his discomfort showed. This captain, who never backed down from a hostile species, had been utterly stunned to learn that he had a daughter. His unease did not abate in the slightest when he learned how young she was. At the age of 62 he was very set in his habits and ways. He had no idea what to do with a child, especially a small girl of four. Yet amid all the uncertainty there was also overwhelming happiness that this child was really his. In time he became more relaxed in his new role, particularly after the discovery of an ancient alien probe from the planet of Kataan. He raised her, as best he could on a star ship, according to the same ancient traditions his parents had instilled in him. This included an array of classical studies that most might have considered unnecessary. He delighted in her quick mind and hunger to discover new things and more than once placed different challenges before her to see what she could do.

Jean-Luc Picard tended to be a private and guarded man, but this became difficult once she had entered his life. His circle of close friends, mostly senior officers, became quite familiar with Danaë, though initially they had been quite surprised to learn of her existence. The captain had never been one to discuss his personal affairs especially when it came to his relationships. In fact, with the exception of Guinan and Dr. Crusher, no one had known of his lengthy affair Commander Solenne Bennett. They were even more shocked to learn he had a child by her. When she came to live on board the Enterprise, Danaë became something of a princess as it were. She had wonderful memories of trying to play Commander Riker's trombone, petting Data's cat, or ice cream with counselor Troi. Each of her father's senior staff had their way of spoiling her. Perhaps that in itself was why she stopped getting along with her father. She had wanted nothing to change in her world and when it looked as though it might, her resentment began and eventually came to a head at their last encounter.

If there was a moment in time she desired to take back it was their last meeting at the conclusion of her freshman year at the Academy. Now she harbored great hope that their relationship could yet be mended. After-all, he had sent Aunt Lotte to find her and had asked specifically for her to come to him. Walking along the road she wondered how you ask forgiveness for misplaced anger and hurtful words. How does a child face her father after so many years of silence?

Rounding a corner she saw two creatures standing in the lane. She had never seen anything like them before. They were bald with rough coarse flesh that was a mixture of greens, yellows and reds. They wore dark red biomimetic body suits and stared at her with yellow eyes. Something about them made her uneasy and she placed her hand on the phaser she carried in a holster on her side. When they started towards her she quickly left the road and ducked into the woods.

Looking about her, she saw more appearing amongst the trees. She grabbed her phaser and fired hitting the targets, yet more appeared to take their place. They seemed to be morphing out of the trees and various brush. One managed to grab onto the jacket at her waist. She loosed the tie and it quickly fell away. She fired more shots hitting two more of the creatures. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash just as she was hit by one of their weapons.

How long she was unconscious, she didn't know. Even when she did awaken she found it difficult to stay that way. Everything seemed hazy and her head was spinning. Opening her eyes for a few moments she could see she was on a star ship and those same creatures were standing a few feet away. She tried to move only to find she was strapped down. There was something in her arm too. They were pumping her with some kind of drug. Undoubtedly that was why she couldn't focus or stay alert. She could hear them talking and the universal translator in her pocket made it possible for her to understand the snippets she heard.

"We can't kill her yet. He wants to see her." Said one.

"The tests prove conclusively that it's her. If we kill her now than there is no possible way that she can meet..." Argued another, but his words became indistinct as her mind drifted for a moment. She shook her head and tried to listen further.

"We were given very specific instructions by Silik. We were to find her than bring her back to him ALIVE. He cannot question her if she is dead." Answered the first voice again. She wondered who he was and who they did not want her to meet. She had never heard the name Silik before and couldn't imagine why he would want her dead. Their words blended into unintelligible sounds as she once more fell into a deep sleep.

In her dreams Danaë was running through the vineyards at her father's home in La Barre. Fast on her heels were those creatures. It seemed that no matter how many she shot more were always there. Even the very grape vines themselves seem to transform into them. Suddenly she could see her family's home up ahead and in the window she could see her father watching. She screamed for him to help her but he didn't. His face became sad as he began to speak.

"What fates impose, that men must needs abide; it boots not to resist both wind and tide." Then suddenly he was gone from the window and she was now standing alone before the darkened house. What had he meant by that? She had heard those words before, but couldn't place it. She tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. She banged her fists against the solid wood and called out for him to answer, but there was no sound. She ran to the window where she had seen him and pressed her face against the glass trying to see inside. Everything was empty, except for a book laying opened on a table before the window. It was open to the play Henry VI but all the words were blurred. She picked up a rock and smashed the glass then carefully stuck her hand inside and unlatched the window. Once opened she crawled inside and found the same book laying open to the same page on the floor, but this time pieces of the glass were on the page magnifying six words.

"What fates impose, men must abide." She read softly to herself. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and immediately looked up to see her father dressed in his captain's uniform and looking at her with genuine pride.

"The wheel has come full circle." He said before disappearing.

Danaë suddenly awoke as the ship was suddenly rocked by a violent blast. She opened her eyes to see a man, a human man, quickly unstrapping her from the table. Something about his round face and sandy blond hair seemed familiar yet the fog in her brain would not allow her to focus long enough to understand why.

"Can you walk?" He asked her. His question was urgent, but her confused brain didn't register it right away.

"Human." She answered.

"What?" He asked, puzzled.

"You're a human." She said

"We don't have time for this. Can you walk?" He asked again.

"Yes... I think." He helped her to her feet only to have her fall against him.

"I'll help you. He said. He put her arm around his neck then wrapped his arm around her waist to help support her as they started to move.

"Wait, where's my back pack?

"You don't need it." He assured her.

"Yes I do. Everything I own is in that pack." Before she could say anything else another voice called out.

"There is a red backpack over here." This man's voice had an accent like her father's but not quite as deep.

"That's it." She said. He assured her that he had it then quickly as they could they moved down the corridor then though a hatch where a shuttle awaited them. She felt the soft tufted seat against her as the man set her down, then once more she drifted into sleep.

There were no dreams to haunt Danaë this time only a calmness. She could hear the birds as she stood among the vineyards. She plucked a grape and tasted it. It was sweet and robust in flavor. Clearly the vine was ready to be harvested for wine. Everything seemed so perfect. She felt she could stay there forever. A light breeze rustled the trees and for a moment she thought she could hear the faint sound of her father's voice softly singing Frére Jacques the way he had when she was little. Looking down in the dirt at her feet she saw the words 'wake up' spelled out. In that instant she awoke, her eyes fluttering open for a fraction of a second catching only a quick blurry light before closing them again. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious, but she knew she was not on the same ship. The air smelled better in this place and everything was quieter except for faint humming of the engine. Other sounds started to get her attention next. The slight rustling of leaves and tiny chirps of some animal.

"Where am I?" She asked with a yawn.

"You're on the Enterprise." Answered a rather jovial male voice.

"The Enterprise?" She sighed. "Has Captain Riker been made aware of my presence on board?" Before he could give an answer she mumbled the answer to herself. "Of course he has, he's the captain and would know if any guests were brought on board." Perhaps he doesn't recognize me and hasn't told father yet, she thought to herself. It would at least give her a chance to explain.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Miss. There is no Captain Riker on this ship."

"If this is a joke, it's not funny. I was there when he was promoted to the rank of captain and given command of the Titan. He commanded it successfully for ten years before being given command of the Enterprise." She opened her eyes and saw two brilliant blue Denobulan eyes looking back at her. She sat up and looked around, her eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"Miss, what year is this?" The Denobulan asked, trying to see if her mental faculties were all there.

"2398... at least... it was." She looked all over the room and knew instantly that this was not the Enterprise-E. Taking in the details of the room's interior she began to realize that she knew this ship very well.