Star Trek Enterprise - Fate Ch. 10

Stardate 75138.95 (February 20, 2398)

The sun was just beginning to set as an old man returned to his family home after working in the vineyards. Retirement did not set well with him, but at the age of 93 there was no choice. Jean-Luc Picard was no longer the commanding presence that he had been 20 years ago. He wasn't the man he had been as an admiral a mere 10 years ago. Irumodic Syndrome was making him easily confused and age was taking its toll on his body. Yet each evening his heart danced as he looked up at the sky and watched as the stars appeared. He longed to once again be among them exploring the many corners of the galaxy on the Enterprise. He had always loved adventure and exploration . . . his heart still did, but it was not all he missed.

Sitting down in his high back chair, he sipped his earl grey tea as his sister-in-law, Marie, brought him his PADD. On it were numerous communiqué's waiting for him to respond to as well as Federation news. At this time in his life he no longer had the focus or patience to sort through it all anymore. Ignoring everything else, he instead brought up a file of images and began to look through them. The faces of many old friends appeared before him, some which were no longer around, like Data. Though they made him smile, he still continued to scroll pass them. He finally stopped on a very particular photograph. It was of a young woman dressed in the uniform of a Starfleet Cadet. She had blond curly hair pulled back in a chignon with a few curls framing her smiling face.

This lovely young cadet had inherited his eyes and desire for exploration. Each evening he looked at her picture and thought about his daughter, Danaë. He had not seen or heard from her in fifteen years, not since this photo was taken. He did not fully understand the resentment she had for him, but he suspected he knew some of it. She left the Academy at the conclusion of her freshman year after they had quarreled and there had been no contact since. He could've had her found and brought back to him, but he didn't. That could only have wedged the gap between them even wider and he didn't want that. She needed to find her own way. He could not decide her future for her. Still, he often thought of her and wondered if she was safe, warm and getting enough to eat. Where are you child, he wondered to himself.

He moved on to the next picture and his smile grew brighter. It was Danaë again, but this photo was of her when she was a little girl dressed in light blue sitting on the floor of his old captain's quarters playing with a model of the Enterprise-D. Back then, no one could ever have convinced him that he would become a father, especially at his age. Not a single day went by that he didn't think of her and wish for a moment to talk things over. Perhaps it was because he felt his life was beginning to come to a close. Maybe he simply didn't want things to go on unresolved the way they had between himself and his father. There were certainly a lot of things he wanted to tell her about himself and especially about her mother. It was time to pass on to her the Picard inheritance and all the land, vineyards and tradition that went with it.

Looking out his window the sky was beginning to take on a warm orange glow against the green rows of vines. The bright, hot sun hung just above the horizon. The stars would be here soon and his telescope was ready. It was true that he had mapped the stars that silently watched over earth at least a dozen times since he was a boy, yet it still held wonder for him. Despite his anticipation of this nightly ritual, Picard soon found his eyes growing heavy as he listened to the sound of a bird happily chirping its song. For a moment he dozed off only wake himself back up with a quick shake of his head. As he opened his eyes he realized he was no longer seated in his chair at the window. Even worse, he was not in France. He was uncertain as to where he was beyond the fact that he was laying under a tree.

Picard looked at the gnarled tree and its blue green leaves and immediately knew that this was no earth tree. This place was clearly a class M planet and had many similarities to earth in look and make-up, but there were subtle differences in the fauna and flora. Where was he and how did he get here? He stood and walked about marveling at its beauty. The mountains, with their white peaks, seemed higher than anything back home. The air was crisp and the grass beneath his feet was soft as velvet.

"Well, well, Rip Van Winkle has finally awaken." Said an all too familiar voice. He turned around and his eyes instantly narrowed as he saw his old nemesis leaning casually against the tree he had awaken under.

"What is this about Q? Where are we and why have you brought me here?" Picard demanded.

"Tut, tut Picard. I take you on a special trip to break up the monotony of your life and this is how you thank me?"

"Q, I am an old man. I no longer have the patience and energy to fight with you. Surely you can find some younger man to grapple with." Picard responded wearily.

"Plenty, but the reason for my visit is less about you and more about keeping a promise I made. Someone we both know requested my help delivering a gift, of sorts, to you." Q's words were only met with a skeptical sideways look from Picard. It was not that Q never did anything out of kindness or to be helpful, it was just that it was always part of some bigger game or motive that only he understood. It was also a point of fact that whenever he appeared there was always trouble. That was one thing Picard could be always sure of. "Your distrust of me hurts, Jean-Luc. Over the years you have been a great source of amusement to me and I thought in return I would give you the chance to know the fate of Danaë Picard. Perhaps I was wrong, perhaps it would be better not to tell you at all." At this Picard became alarmed and quickly came towards Q, clearly agitated.

"What have you done with her!?"

"I have done nothing. In five months' time, destiny will punch a hole through time and take her over two hundred years into the past." Q explained.

"You lie."

"Do I?" A PADD suddenly appeared in his hand and he held it out to Picard. "Look up the file on Lieutenant Commander Danaë D'Arcy-Archer and tell me what you find."

With no other choice but to trust Q he reluctantly took the PADD and brought up the file. An image immediately appeared that left him dumb struck. It was Danaë. He knew that face better than anyone. Perhaps a few years older but there was no mistaking it. She was wearing a Starfleet uniform, but it was hardly the one worn now. The blue jumpsuits, patches and insignia were from the 22nd century. Reading the file he found that Danaë D'Arcy had no past information before being found by the Enterprise in 2152. It was too fantastic.

"Why should I believe you? You have the power to alter reality to your whims. This," He pointed the PADD in his hand, "could be nothing more than illusion created by you for some purpose I have yet to figure out." At his accusations, Q bristled.

"You used to be more fun, Picard. Has retirement changed you into a grumpy old man?"

"Maybe your games have just grown old and tiresome. You obviously brought me to this place, wherever we are, for a reason. Perhaps you should just tell me what it is."

"This is the planet Archer IV and why you're here lies just over that hill." Q pointed off into the distance. "It's not as far as it appears."

He didn't trust Q and for a moment considered staying where he was, but curiosity pulled at him. With a sideways glance at his nemesis, Picard started down the hillside following a rather meandering trail. He didn't notice whether or not Q was following behind and he really didn't care. He just wanted to know what all this was about. When he reached the top of the next hill he found only a mausoleum. It was a large round structure surrounded by an ornate columned portico. Each block of the stone edifice was carved from rock native to this planet. The top was an elegant metal dome created from ores mined locally. This particular metal shined brightly in the daylight and reflected back the stars at night. Picard recognized this place immediately. It was the resting place of President Jonathan Archer. Over the years he had visited the planet numerous times and knew that the monument existed, but never had he actually visited it. He couldn't imagine what this place had to do with his daughter or Q. The door was already opened and something in his gut told him that he needed to see inside.

A series of sconces positioned carefully about the space lit up the room highlighting the polished stone walls which were decorated with carved portions of speeches given by Archer. I think it's important . . . that we remember . . . the heroes who aren't with us, read Picard. He recalled that quote from when he learned about the Xindi conflict the loss of 27 crewmembers. He looked up at the inside of the dome and could see that it was painted with images of star clusters, nebulas, gas giants and planets that all looked down on the two stone sarcophagi in the center.

The one that caught his eye first boasted a carved beagle sleeping at the foot as though its master would soon awaken. Looking at the lid he was not surprised by the name. Etched into the heavy lid was 'Jonathan Beckett Archer 2112-2245' followed by list of his titles and accomplishments. For a moment he was almost afraid to look at the other tomb, but he felt compelled to see it. The former captain stood dumbstruck as he read 'Danaë D'Arcy Picard-Archer'. He looked at the dates and saw that the year of her passing was listed as 2191, but where a birth year should have been was only a question mark. Beneath that it read 'So long as you hold me in your memory, I am with you.'

"Do you still doubt me, Picard?" Q asked, startling the old man and bringing him back to the moment.

"H . . . How . . ." He gently placed his hand on the cool stone lid as he found his words. Though it was known that Archer married, history had recorded very little about his bride. The only thing Picard had ever heard was that she when died, Archer lost interest in his political career and when his term was over he retired to upstate New York and the home he had shared with her. The old captain didn't like looking at the grave of his only child, especially when he could see that she died younger than he was now. "What happened to her?"

"She lived a full life filled with happiness, sorrow, anger and excitement. I visited her before she died and she asked that I tell you that she always loved you and that she was sorry for her behavior that day at the academy and that you were right." The last thing Picard wanted to be was emotional in front of Q, but at this moment it was very difficult.

"I wish I could have been a part of it." The old captain whispered.

No sooner had he uttered this and he suddenly found himself standing on the bridge of the NX-01 and there before the captain's chair was Danaë. He listened as she spoke back and forth with the Suliban Commander and discovered that they were holding Archer prisoner. His first instinct was to take command since he was the highest ranking officer, but he stopped himself. He was only an observer and this moment was hers. He listened to the banter between the adversaries and was initially disappointed because he thought she was simply negotiating. To his surprise she gave the command to seize control of the enemy's ships through the Enterprise's own computer. Watching her he was filled to almost bursting with pride. He had always believed her capable, but watching her step into her own was more fulfilling than anything he had accomplished on his own.

"Well done, Child." He said. For a second she moved her head slightly as though she might have heard him, but it was impossible. Suddenly the bridge and the NX-01 dissolved and he was now in a space of complete darkness except for the images that danced around him in a circle. They were all moments from Danaë's life after she went back in time. He saw normal work days as well as days when she and Commander Tucker would do all they could to keep the engines from bursting at the seams. He witnessed pain and sorrow as well as narrow escapes and triumphs. He watched as she and Jonathan Archer grew closer becoming each other's emotional support and link to humanity during the Xindi conflict. Eventually that friendship grew and blossomed until Captain Picard saw them standing at Stargazer's point in the Grand Tetons exchanging vows.

He barely finished watching one event before new ones appeared before him. He saw the birth of his two grandsons. He watched them grow and was overwhelmed with joy. His old eyes sparkled at the sight of Archer helping his oldest fly a remote control star ship, but it was one image in particular made him catch his breath. It was of Danaë riding a horse with her youngest son just in front of her. The boy couldn't have been more than six or seven. He heard him ask if they could go faster and with a smile Danaë gave the horse a kick. It made him recalled the first time he put her on a horse and how she had requested the same thing. It seemed so long ago. Enjoy it while you can, my child, he will grow quickly and beat you before you know it, he thought to himself.

More of her life went by and now he could see her working with others to update and expand Starfleet Academy and bring it in line with the United Federation of Planets. He remembered hearing stories about the beginning of the Federation and how it had altered the academy, but although most of the founder's names were listed only one was known by the initials D. A. and no pictures were on display. There had been many theories all over the academy about this, but now, for the first time, he understood. D. A. was Danaë Archer. He also recalled a short but curious visit he received while at the academy. After winning the marathon on Danula II he was approached by the retired and very elderly Admiral Rene Beckett Archer, the grandson of President Archer. The old man shook his hand and told him that he had heard many stories about Jean-Luc Picard and had hoped to live long enough to meet him. At the time he had thought the encounter rather odd, but he only now understood that the admiral was also his own great-grand child.

Suddenly the whirlwind of images morphed and he found himself in his old quarters on Enterprise-D. He looked around, momentarily disoriented, and then saw his daughter sleeping in the bed that unfolded from the couch. Her doll was tucked snuggly under her arm. He went and knelt down next her. Tears formed in his eyes as thought of all he had learned and all that she would do. Stretching out his hand he just barely touched her fine curls, afraid he would wake her.

"Sleep child. You have a long road ahead of you, but it is more amazing than any journey you can possibly imagine. I can't promise that it will all be happy or that you won't be hurt along the way, but I can promise that you will have a full life. I'm so deeply proud of you. There is so much that you and I have to talk about . . . so much that I need to tell you . . ." He looked down at the small cherubim face and realized that more than anything he just wanted to enjoy this moment with her. "I suppose all of that can wait a while longer. For now, I want nothing more than for you to simply be my child." He kissed her forehead and sat down next to her and gently took her small hand in his. They sat together in this fashion for some time before sleep crept in and his eyes closed.

When he awoke he was sitting in his high back chair before the window just as he had been when Q appeared. A first he thought everything had only been a dream and was prepared to dismiss it all. He started to reach for his tea only to notice his PADD sitting on the table. Curious he typed in the name Danaë D'Arcy and his eyes grew wide as the personnel file for Lieutenant Commander Danaë D'Arcy-Archer appeared. He had not dreamed it at all. His fingers trembled and he opened the file and found no record of her before her discovery on board the Suliban ship. It was all true. Q had told the truth. He then recalled that Q had said that she would disappear from the present time in five months. That's not much time to find her, he thought. Marie came into the room to let him know that his supper was ready and was surprised to see him so excited.

"Are you all right, Jean-Luc?" She asked.

"Yes, there is much I have to do. There are things I have to tell her . . . and an inheritance to pass on."

The End

(Author's note: Book 2 coming out soon. Yes, smut is involved)