> now will never come again [ picard | open ]

[hunthiswhale]

[ perched on the ledge of one of the great windows in one of the halls of the habitat ring, far from the promenade and away from where those trapped on the station have taken up residence, sits one captain jean-luc picard. there's an alien flute in hand that he's playing, filling the adjoining corridors with a soft, sweet melody. ]

Comments

[canyonsiniowa]

[ kirk had stepped out of his quarters and taken a deep breath. it had been a long time, by shtel nor standards, that he felt in charge and ready to be captain james t. kirk again. he knew that jim - that boy from iowa - would always be there in side him... and hopefully nothing would pick at him so hard where he couldn't function as captain.

though he had caught the melody resonating through the hallways. straightening his golden shirt of command he headed over to where the sound came from. and found none other than captain jean-luc picard. the guy that gave him the royal ass reaming. though kirk knew he needed it. not that he'd ever say it. instead he approached the captain. ]

Jean-Luc.

[hunthiswhale]

[ instead of ending the song immediately after being spoken, too, jean-luc played a few more bars, before decrescendo ing on the fourth note in that measure and letting it soften until he pulled the flute away from his lips and regarded the captain -- and my, was it good to see james t. kirk back in uniform again. he'd yelled at the boy, yes, but someone needed to tell him what he needed to hear instead of feeding him everything he wanted to hear. he was a capable adult. people needed to stop holding his hand.

jean-luc offered him a small smile. he was still a little on edge from his own hallucinations, but feeling much better. this flute, the one from that probe, even if it was just a replication to the best of his specifications, and that song made him feel better; cleared his mind. ]

James. Good to see you with your stipes back where they belong.

[canyonsiniowa]

Spock felt it was time for me to be back where I belong. Seems like Gracie did some good, giving everyone those headaches. Put them back in their place. As well as a mentor talk to a certain younger Captain.

[ he grinned at the elder captain before moving to stand beside him. it must of been surreal for the older man. standing in the presence of a man he admired, as a younger man, who admired him. this was so messed up that it had q just had to be laughing. ]

If you're free there are some things I'd like to discuss with you.

[hunthiswhale]

Spock's always had a sound mind about him.

[ even in jean-luc often sided with sarek over spock in matters, but the former vulcan had been a mentor to jean-luc and although he understood the division between father and son that prevented them from ever seeing eye to eye on anything, he wished it had gone away before sarek had left this world. jean-luc knew better than anyone how much that had troubled sarek. ]

Of course. Is this something that requires a more...secure setting?

[getthemhome]

[ after meeting captain kirk, and q, janeway had given herself a little time to take things in, after finding the nearest replicator for a cup of coffee. it was needed, especially with the headache forming - she couldn't tell if that was due to the situation or something else that she hadn't yet considered. taking the coffee with her as she walked, and absorbed what she'd been told, janeway gave herself a moment to look around the place. she couldn't begin to think of how to describe the place, and may need to take up kirk's advice of talking to holly. an artifical intelligence database, that would be something that starfleet would love to investigate, though apparently they created it. either admiral paris had been holding out on something else was going on

[hunthiswhale]

[ it was a talent jean-luc made sure wasn't included in his file, being that it wasn't a talent that was originally his. the knowledge of how to play the ressikan flute had been put into his head, along with the memories of a culture that had been extinct for thousands of years. it seemed fate had a way with putting things in his head that he never asked for, not that he complained much about this flute or the stories that came with it.

he stopped playing and turned his attention to the captain. she was vaguely familiar and wore a uniform that was only a year or two out of date. they'd only just made the change to the style of uniform jean-luc wore now. he offered her a kind, professional smile and a nod. ]

Captain.

[getthemhome]

Jean-Luc Picard.

[ it was an honour. whether she'd met the man before or not wasn't the point. during some of her situations captain picard's logs had been some of the most frequently referred to, along with a few other noted captains, hoping for a little bit of inspiration - the enterprise seemed to get into situations as frequently as voyager did ]

Captain Kirk mentioned that you were here.

[hunthiswhale]

Yes, that's right.

[ he nodded and found himself at a loss when it came to putting a name to her face. he knew he'd seen it somewhere, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. ]

You'll have to forgive me if we've met before, but your name seems to be escaping me, Captain.

[10_forward]

[At first he wasn't quite certain that he was hearing anything at all, but eventually the sound solidified into music as he continued to listen. It was almost enchanting- to the point that he had to track down the source of it.

What he found, though, was his captain playing that flute, so he waited until a pause before he spoke in a subdued tone.]

There's something about that that seems to draw people in, sir.

[hunthiswhale]

[ picard stopped playing -- he was near the end of the piece, anyway -- and set the flute in his lap. he wished he had the real one, but a replicated version would just have to do. it didn't sound perfectly like the real ressikan flute, but he was certain that he was the only one who would notice such imperfection in the tone. ]

That does seem to be the case, Lieutenant. I was often caught playing in the Jefferies Tubes on the Enterprise-D. Good acoustics, you know.

[10_forward]

[He couldn't help but smile a little, taking a couple of steps closer. He was still just a little nervous about his actions towards his hallucinating captain, though he tried not to show it.

Though, he'd never really been good at that kind of thing.]

I can only guess, sir. It looks like you're feeling better, though.

[hunthiswhale]

[ the nervousness was there, but the captain didn't see why he should point it out. he'd seen it dozens of times in those who were part of his crew, yet had never worked closely or around the senior staff, let alone him, before and understood it well. he'd felt that way in relation to many he'd worked with in the past prior to his captaincy, before the stargazer. lanford would adjust. jean-luc was confident of that. ]

Much now that those whales have stopped tampering with our minds. And you, Lieutenant? How are you feeling?

[for_thecause]

[Jen had been wandering the station, still looking for a way off. Although she'd tried to be discreet about it, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

Then the music had drawn her attention. She followed it to its source, and was surprised to see that a Starfleet captain was the musician.

She eyed him warily, not wanting to interrupt him, and hoping he'd continue playing. Maybe he hadn't seen her, and if she just stayed still...]

[hunthiswhale]

[ perhaps one of the greatest ironies of his career as a starfleet captain was that he was somewhat...sympathetic towards the cause of the maquis. his dear friend, ro laren, after all, was a member of their organization and although jean-luc would side with regulation and duty above all else, he understood their cause. after all, he was one of cardassia's least biggest fans. gul madred had seen to that.

oh, but he'd seen her. jean-luc was a very attentive man and never let his guard down, even if it seemed he wasn't paying attention. he stopped playing and put the flute down. ]

You're not disturbing me, if that's what you're thinking.

[for_thecause]

[She moves to perch on the window ledge, but quite a distance away. As always there's an air of restlessness surrounding her, as if she's ready to move off if she needs to.]

What kind of instrument is that?

[hunthiswhale]

It is a Ressikan flute -- or a good replication of it. An ancient instrument from a culture that vanished thousands of years ago.

[councillorsarek]

[ recovery was quick for most and for sarek, it was no different. the physical symptoms and those manifestation of them had long since faded into oblivion, but the long since buried issues that had provoked them were now rather solidly reasserting themselves.

it was a relief for sarek when he heard the music, a solemn and sane respite in the insanity that he had been experiencing since arriving to this place. he stood in a silent admiration of the talent being displayed, allowing the individual to finish the piece before he even dared to speak. ]

Beautifully executed.

[hunthiswhale]

[ perhaps captain jean-luc picard should have paid closer attention to those who were arriving and now residing on the station that weren't starfleet personnel or people living in his time; pehraps then, he wouldn't have seemed so startled at the sound of such a familiar voice touching his ears. the note he was on ended abruptly and he slid out of the window to stand straight in a way he usually reserved for admirals he knew weren't fans of his ship. but this...this man, no matter what his age, was deserving of far much more. sarek of vulcan had been a great mentor and friend to jean-luc, someone whom the man missed more and more as time went on. being without sarek's wise words to calm his mind after the events that led up to james t. kirk's death had been troubling, but a point jean-luc knew he would have to work past eventually.

even though this sarek seemed to be much younger -- perhaps from the captains kirk timeline? -- he was still sarek and jean-luc was pleased to see him. ]

Ambassador Sarek.

[councillorsarek]

[ logically, being addressed in such a manner by an individual that was a stranger to him was not surprising given their current circumstances. personally, however, it was still puzzling be to known by so many that he, himself, would likely never have been acquainted with. or never would be acquainted with. the way things worked around here, it is difficult to tell whether one should think in future or present tense. ]

Councillor, but that difference is negligible compared to the others. And once again, I find myself at a disadvantage. I am coming to believe that will be a standard of this place.

Your name?

[hunthiswhale]

[ of course, he wasn't an ambassador yet. the timeline was here and there and everywhere -- picard couldn't really tell who people were supposed to be anymore. ]

Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise-E.