THE VERDICT IS IN, AND HUMANITY MUST BE DESTROYED….
Captain Jean-Luc Picard looked upward as Q hovered above him in his gilded chair.
"The verdict has been decided, Captain,' Q pronounced. "You're guilty."
Picard glared upward. "Guilty of what?"
"Of being inferior." Q looked at Picard with unconcealed contempt. "Seven years ago I said we'd be watching you. And we have been. Hoping your apelike race would demonstrate some growth—give some indication that your minds have room for expansion." Q's chair lowered until Picard was staring directly into his eyes.
"We have journeyed to countless new worlds..." Picard said defensively, "made contact with new species . . . expanded man's understanding of the universe...."
Q shook his head again. "Perhaps, in your own paltry, limited way. You have no idea how far you still had to go. Time in the universe may be eternal... our patience is not. You and your kind have exhausted it, Captain."
Stoically, Picard asked, "Having rendered a verdict... have you decided upon a sentence?"
"Indeed," Q replied. "It's time to end your trek through the stars... to make room for other, more worthy species."
"We're to be denied travel through space?"
"No. You're to be denied existence. Humanity's fate has been sealed. You will be destroyed."
STAR TREK – The Next Generation
All Good Things…
By
Michael Jan Friedman
Based on All Good Things… Written by
Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga
Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 1
He hated balalaika music, hated it with a passion.
However, he would put up with it just this once. And not because he had to. He would put up with it specifically because he didn't have to.
As he sat at his solitary table on a candlelit balcony overlooking the beach, sipping at his vodka and pushing a pitted olive around his plate, a woman emerged from the dining room within.
By local standards, she was quite beautiful, with alabaster skin and pale blond hair woven into a bun. She wore a safari outfit, though she had probably never been on a safari in her theoretical life.
"The nights are beautiful here," she said.
He shrugged. "I suppose... if you like that sort of thing."
She gazed at him from under long, straw-colored lashes. "Don't you?"
"I guess I don't have much of an opinion," he admitted.
"How strange," she said. "An attractive man like yourself, alone on a night like this... usually has opinions about a great many things."
He smiled at her. "If I'm not mistaken, you came into this place with such a man. I'll bet he's wondering where you are even as we speak."
She moved and the moonlight glinted off her hair. "Perhaps he is. And he certainly does have his share of opinions. It's just that I'm a little tired of them."
"I see," he told her. "And now you'd prefer to hear some of mine."
"You're a very clever man," she observed. "You catch on quickly."
"Yes," he agreed. "I do. And for just a moment there, you were almost interesting. But..." He smiled politely. "I think that moment has passed."
The woman's eyes went wide. "How dare you...?" she gasped. For a moment, she seemed on the verge of slapping him in the face. But in the end, she decided not to, and simply disappeared back into the dining room.
Oh well, he told himself. I guess that's the way the flaxen-haired tourist bounces.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two figures hopping around down below—removing their shoes, he gathered. As he watched, they slipped away from the mellow, orange circle of light that emanated from the tavern. One was male, one female; one broad-shouldered and big-boned, the other comparatively slender.
He knew them, of course. Knew them quite well, in fact.
They were both barefoot as they made their way along the margin of the sea, leaving wet footprints in the sand.
From time to time, one of them would reach for the other's hand, then let it go again. It was obvious that they were still in the courting stage, feeling each other out, uncertain of how far to take this evening without overstepping some unstated boundary.
Such a waste of time. If they wanted to procreate, why not do so? Why this elaborate and confusing ritual, when they could be spending their time on more valuable pursuits? On the improvement of their backward race, for example?
But no. Not them. All they could think of was their own, petty concerns. He shivered at the inanity of it. At the sheer, unmitigated ego—a subject on which he was quite the expert.
The breeze ruffled the stars in the clear night sky, bringing him the primitive scent of the prize-winning goulash cooking in the kitchen below. It would have made his mouth water, if his mouth had had the propensity to do such things.
Of course, it didn't. But then, he wasn't really here to soak up the scenery—or the local vodka, for that matter.
He was making his plans—weaving his web like a big, fat, black spider, strand by dangerous strand.
And the best part was they had no idea what was coming... no idea how it would affect their puny lives, or what role he would play in it. They didn't even know he was here in their holodeck fantasy, or they would have put their Shoes back on and railed at him to leave them alone.
Humans liked their privacy. They liked it a lot. And even if these two weren't completely human, they still shared that particular trait.
So he remained a part of the scenery and tolerated the balalaika music. Soon enough, he consoled himself, they'd be dancing to his tune. And not just the two fainthearted lovers on the beach, but the whole kaboodle of them.
A waiter emerged from the dining room. "May I get you something more?" the man asked, in his twentieth-century Russian dialect. "Some dessert, perhaps? We have lovely fruit." He looked up at the waiter. "No, thank you," he replied, in the same dialect. "I'll be leaving in a moment. Places to go, things to do, Starfleet officers to torment. You know how it is."
The waiter didn't, of course, so he just smiled. "If you are leaving," the man suggested, "may I bring you your bill?"
He nodded. "Why not? We've all got to pay the piper sometime, don't we?" He frowned as the music swelled to even more infuriating levels. "Or in this case, the damned balalaika player."
According to the ship's computer, the Eskimos of Earth's North American continent had sixteen words for snow. In that light, it had always seemed strange to Worf that his own people, the Klingons, should have but one word for honor.
The word was batlh. And for all its simplicity, it was forced to cover a wide variety of situations.
For instance, there was the sense of honor that accompanied a promise kept, or a job well done. There was the standard of honor that encouraged warriors to die bravely. And there was the principle of honor that presided over a government, or a ship, or even a marriage bed, when all parties dealt openly and fairly with one another
.
It was this last sort that occupied Worf's mind as he escorted Deanna Troi from one of the Enterprise's holodecks. For as much as he enjoyed her company, it did not come without its share of... inconveniences.
"That was an incredible program," said Deanna, smiling as she looked up at him.
The Klingon nodded. "I am glad you approve. I have always found the Black Sea at night to be a most... stimulating experience." His companion rolled her eyes at him as they walked down the stark, metallic corridor. He wondered what he had said to occasion such a reaction.
"Worf," she moaned, "we were strolling barefoot along the beach while balalaika music played in the air. A sea breeze washing over us... stars in the sky... a full moon rising... and the most you can say is 'stimulating'?"
He groped for a more appropriate response. "It was… very stimulating? Extremely stimulating?"
Deanna shook her head in mock disapproval as they approached a turbolift. "Honestly, Worf. If you weren't such a delightful companion..." Entering the lift, she instructed it to take them to deck eight. As the doors closed, the Klingon looked at her. She looked back. And, unable to help himself, he looked away.
Strange, wasn't it? He would rather face a roomful of Romulans than speak of certain personal concerns… even with someone like Deanna, who was bound to understand them. Hell's blasted battleground... if she didn't, who would?
"The truth is," said the Betazoid, obviously changing the subject for his benefit, "I don't spend nearly enough time in the holodecks. I should take my own advice and use them to relax."
Worf thought about his holodeck calisthenics program. "Most times," he confessed, "I use them for other things besides relaxing."
Deanna chuckled softly. "Yes," she said. "I've heard." As the doors opened, depositing them on deck eight, they stepped out. The entrance to her quarters was just opposite the lift.
"Next time," she went on, "I'll choose the program. If you like the Black Sea, you're going to love Lake Cataria on Betazed. Especially the aurora... the way it folds and twists and changes from blue to violet to a sullen orange. And the scents that come out of the forest that surrounds the lake... You'd really enjoy it." For a moment, as they stood outside her suite, their eyes met and established a bond. Worf basked in the scent of her, in her warmth, in her beauty. He felt his discomfort slip away... and decided this was as good a time as any to mention his misgivings.
'Deanna;' he began, "perhaps before there is a 'next time,' we should discuss... Commander Riker." She grinned playfully. "Why? Will he be coming along?" Worf frowned. This was a serious matter, and she didn't seem inclined to make it any easier for him.
"No," he said. "But I do not wish to... I mean, it would be unfortunate if he..." He took a breath, started again. "If you and I are going to continue to... to..." He gave up. "I do not want to hurt his feelings."
Deanna took his hands in hers. "Worf... I think it's all right to concentrate on our feelings. Yours... and mine."
Her smile was contagious. Gazing into her eyes, reassured, he began to forget about Commander Riker—and everything else in the world. As he leaned over to kiss her, she lifted her lips to his.
But before they could touch, the turbolift doors opened with a hiss—and the captain burst out of them. Worf stared in disbelief. Not only was Picard uncharacteristically wide-eyed with panic, he was wearing nothing but a blue-and-white striped bathrobe!
"Counselor!" cried the captain.
Coming between her and Worf, apparently oblivious of what he had just interrupted, Picard gripped Deanna by her arms.
"What's today's date? The date?" he demanded.
"Stardate four-seven-nine-eight-eight," the Klingon said, interjecting the answer.
Letting go of the Betazoid, Picard turned away from them and mulled it over. He seemed to be having enormous difficulty, considering the simplicity of the concept.
"Four-seven-nine-eight-eight.. ?' the captain echoed.
Deanna looked at him. "Sir, what's wrong?"
Picard's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure," he told her. "I don't know how... or why, but..." He shook his head. "I believe I'm moving back and forth through time."
A chill ran up along Worf's spine. His relationship with Deanna would have to resume its progress some other time. It was clear what honor demanded of him.
Looking up at the intercom grid, he called on Commander Riker.
CHAPTER 2
As Worf entered his quarters, he saw that the light was on in Alexander's room. And that Alexander himself was at his desk, studying his monitor.
The security chief temporarily put aside his concern for the captain's condition and approached his son.
Noticing him, Alexander looked up and smiled. He had the smell of cookies and milk about him, though a human might not have noticed. "Hi, Father."
Worf didn't smile back. It was late—well after ten o'clock.
"Alexander... should you not be in bed?"
The boy shrugged. "I have an organic-chemistry exam tomorrow morning, and there are a few things I'm still fuzzy on."
The security chief grunted and moved to his own room. He could hardly fault Alexander for taking his studies so seriously. What's more, he felt badly that he hadn't spent much time helping with them lately.
However, he'd had other things on his mind. Things that he could not seem to ignore. Like Deanna.
Removing his casual clothes, he changed into his uniform and noted how comfortable it made him feel—more so than any other garb. Commander Riker had ordered several scans done, in order to determine if the captain had indeed left the ship for some period of time. He was to report to the bridge as soon as he was properly attired.
As he reached for his heavy, ceremonial sash, he saw Alexander standing at the threshold. He was still smiling. "You were with Deanna, huh?"
Worf gave his son a quizzical look. "What makes you say that?"
"I can always tell," the boy replied—and padded back to his room on bare feet.
The security chief followed him there. "What do you mean, you can 'always tell'?" he asked.
Alexander peered at his monitor. "She puts you in a good mood. Whenever you spend time together, you come back with a smile on your face."
Worf straightened. "I was not smiling when I came in the door."
His son turned to him. "Dad... I know when you're smiling, even when no one else does." He paused. "You like her. It's obvious."
The Klingon wasn't comfortable admitting it—but he couldn't deny Alexander's observation altogether. "Counselor Troi is a... close friend," he said. "That is all."
The boy nodded. "Right." And without another word, he went back to his studies.
Worf thought for a moment. It had not been so long since Alexander's mother had died from an assassin's attack—and right before the boy's eyes. He did not wish to cause his son any more trauma than was necessary.
And yet, if his relationship with the counselor continued in the direction it was going in... well, it would be unfair not to sound the boy out on the subject. After all, his life would be affected as well.
"But if that were not the case," the security chief said, opening the conversation again, "if Deanna were more than a friend to me... how would you feel about that?"
Alexander looked up with barely contained excitement. "You mean it? You're going to start seeing her romantically?"
The Klingon held up a hand. "I did not say that. I was merely posing a... hypothetical situation."
The boy tried out the word. "Hypo... thetical. That means it's possible, right?"
Worf shrugged. "Well... yes."
Alexander considered the prospect. When he responded, it was with great seriousness. "Then. hypothetically, you understand... I would approve."
The Klingon nodded. He was greatly pleased, even if he didn't show it. "I will see you later," he assured the boy. "After I have performed some special scans." He paused, for effect. "And when I come back this time, I expect you to be i
n bed—sleeping."
His son nodded. "Yes, sir." Then, almost as an afterthought: "And say hi to Counselor Troi for me."
Worf scowled. He didn't like being teased, even by Alexander.
"I will," he said, and departed for the bridge.
"The Iron Feather?" Geordi repeated. "Interesting title."
"Yes," said Data, who was walking along beside him in the gently curving corridor. His voice echoed slightly from bulkhead to bulkhead. "It is the latest work by Christian McCloy... the story of one man's journey of self-discovery set against the chaos of mid-twenty-first-century Earth."
"The post-atomic horror," the chief engineer noted. He grimaced. "Not my favorite period in Terran history."
"Nor mine," agreed the android. "However, I found it to be a most engrossing work of fiction. I highly recommend it."
Geordi nodded. "I see. And is there a holodeck version?"
"I do not believe so," Data replied.
In that case, the human wasn't all that interested. But he didn't want to offend his companion, so he didn't say that.
"You know, Data, I think I'd rather be in the story than just read about it. So thanks for the offer, but I'll take a rain check."
The android glanced at him. For a moment, the engineer expected to have to explain his colloquialism. Then Data turned away again, so apparently no explanation was needed.
Without question, Geordi's artificial friend had come a long way since he'd first set foot on the Enterprise. For one thing, he no longer took people's words so literally. And for another, his mastery of behavioral nuances was such that... sometimes... one could almost forget he was an android.
As they stopped by a turbolift, Data turned to him again. "Although I have found the holodeck to be a most effective means of expanding my understanding of existing works, I still find the experience of reading the author's original narrative to be the most—" He was interrupted by the swish of the opening lift doors. To be continued, Geordi mused—whether I like it or not.
As they stepped in, however, they saw that Worf was already in the compartment. That raised a question in the engineer's mind.
Star Trek - [TNG] - All Good Things... Page 1
