This book consists of works of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. An Original Publication of POCKET BOOKS Copyright © 2002 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. This book is published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., under exclusive license from Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 ISBN: 0-7434-4916-9 Visit us on the World Wide Web: http://www.SimonSays.com/st http://www.startrek.com POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Last Words By A. C. Crispin Amanda's garden was still beautiful. He stood there staring at it, surprised to discover that it was still maintained. As far as he knew, Spock had not lived in the house for some time. But the garden had been cared for . . . the spiky black blossoms were properly trimmed, the scarlet wax-leafed bushes pruned, the green waterstone paths raked, the rock arrangements stacked precisely. . . . He wandered down the paths, hands tucked into the sleeves of his long desert robe, his nostrils taking in the exotic scents of desert plants from a dozen worlds. Leaving Amanda's garden, he began walking toward distant Vulcan's Forge, pleased by his effortless strides. Information filled his mind, neatly cataloged, and his conclusions were, once again—it had been so long!—faultlessly logical. The desert surrounded him now as he walked tirelessly, his strong young body obeying his every wish. Youth is wasted on the young . . . he thought, remembering an ancient human saying. Well, for once humans were completely correct. His mind was so clear, his thinking so precise. Emotion was, once more, suppressed. How agreeable to be able to think clearly, to be free of the constant, degrading assault of emotion! For a moment it occurred to him to wonder where he was going, and why, but he resolutely suppressed that question. It was enough to be clearheaded and strong of body once more. It was enough to be traveling, going. . . . Going where? Once again, he repressed that question, repressed it sternly. Where is not important. What is important is that I have regained my logic, my control. What is important is that I feel young again . . . strong again. . . . He looked up at the reddish sky, and beheld with wonder a wind-rider gliding along the thermals. Such a fragile, nearly translucent creature—how could it survive Vulcan's hot winds? But survive it did . . . and he was fortunate indeed to see it. He had been alive a very long time indeed, and had only seen a handful of wind-riders in all that time. . . . Alive . . . was he alive? Such a question was not logical, and he repressed it, also. Enough to walk, to be clear of mind, controlled, strong and alert. Enough to— “Captain. Captain Picard. Wake up.” His surroundings shimmered, faded. No! He was on Vulcan, he was in control, he was walking, going— “Captain Picard. You directed that you wished to be awakened at oh-seven- hundred hours. Wake up, please.” The sleeper's eyes opened. Vulcan vanished. He blinked, dazed and confused. His surroundings were . . . unfamiliar. Softly gleaming walls; clean-lined, functional furnishings. Not Vulcan in style. Human. He recognized them. He had, after all, had two human wives. Amanda? he thought, but then he remembered. Amanda was dead. Had been dead. Perrin. Perrin was his wife. “Perrin?” he whispered. His voice was completely unfamiliar. He blinked and sat up. What is happening? Apprehension stirred, but he repressed it sternly, as was proper. Rising, he strode over to the washstand. The mirror above it reflected an image. A human male, middle-aged, bald, with handsome, aristocratic features. He recognized that face. Jean-Luc Picard. He blinked, and the image blinked back. Suddenly the world shifted, tilted, and the last of the dream images fled. He gasped, swayed, and instinctively grabbed the washstand to steady himself. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the room steadied. Reality rushed back. Captain Jean-Luc Picard stared at himself in the mirror. In my dream, I was Sarek. Young again, in control again, strong and logical. . . . Slowly, Picard ran water into the basin, then splashed it onto his face. The cool liquid felt refreshing against his skin. Reaching for a towel, he wiped his face. I haven't dreamed that I was Sarek for months. Why now? It's so ironic that I should dream of our mind-meld now, because Sarek is, after all, dead. He died four days ago, at home on Vulcan. His memorial service is scheduled for tomorrow. . . . Picard walked over to a chair, lowered himself into it. His previous dreams about Sarek had been fuzzy, distorted, shadows left over from the mind-meld they had shared. Nothing akin to what he'd just experienced. That had been so clear, so real! He'd awakened actually believing himself to be Sarek. But the Vulcan Ambassador was dead. Bendii Syndrome had killed him, after a lingering last illness that had left Sarek stripped of all emotional control. A cruel disease, Bendii Syndrome. Picard couldn't imagine a worse fate for a Vulcan than losing all emotional control, having his feelings bared for anyone to witness. Why now? Picard thought. Then the events of yesterday came rushing back, and he knew. Yesterday, Picard had left Ambassador Spock behind on Romulus to continue his efforts to reunite the Romulan and Vulcan peoples. After Spock had told Picard of his decision to remain on Romulus, Picard had bade the Vulcan a reluctant farewell. But, as a last gesture of goodwill, the captain had invited Spock to mind-meld with him. Spock and Sarek, the Vulcan had admitted, had never chosen to meld, so Picard made the offer so Spock could experience Sarek's mind through him. As Spock had sensed Sarek's consciousness from the captain's mind, his Vulcan control had visibly faltered, and it was obvious Spock was finally allowing himself to grieve over the loss of his father. Picard had been glad to be able to give the Vulcan that last chance at contact with Sarek. . . . The mind-meld with Ambassador Spock, Picard realized. It must have awakened the part of me that was linked to Sarek during our meld. That explains that vivid dream. . . . Picard glanced over at his replicator. “Tea, Earl Grey, hot,” he said. His voice was steady. It was only a dream, after all. The captain sipped his tea while he dressed, and his mind drifted back to the last few minutes he had spent with Spock the day before. As they walked along the ancient Romulan passage from the meeting place, Spock had glanced over at Picard and said, “Thank you for bringing me the news of my father's death, Picard. I have thought about him a great deal over the past few days.” “As have I,” Picard had responded. “If we can return to Federation space in time, I intend to request that the Enterprise be sent to Vulcan. I would like to attend Sarek's memorial service.” “Yes,” Spock replied. “It would be only proper to have the flagship of the Federation in attendance. And her captain, of course.” Sarek's memorial service . . . thought the captain. I must contact the admiral. After checking on the bridge and going through the usual morning status reports, Picard retired to his ready room and activated the communications relay. Only a minute later, the captain found himself looking at the image of Admiral Brackett, the Starfleet officer who had sent him to find Ambassador Spock on Romulus and determine whether the Vulcan had—as Starfleet feared—defected. Brackett blinked at the captain of the Enterprise in surprise. “Captain! This is pleasant, if unexpected. Do you have something to add to your report?”