Star Trek The Next Generation The First Duty rewrite

Chapter 5

Picard was sitting at his desk in the ready room looking at something on the terminal when the door Chimed.

In the ready room Picard was sitting at his desk looking at something on the terminal when the door chimed.

"Come." Picard said.

The door opened and Wesley entered a little nervous about this meeting but was ready for it.

"Captain." he said hiding his nervousness.

Picard studied him for a moment and didn't offer him a chair then he turned around the terminal on his desk so that he can see it. Picard activated the terminal.

"Can you tell me what maneuver this is?"

He saw a simulation of the five Nova ships as they headed around Titan. The ships slingshot around the moon as seen before then went into a loop and shot off in opposing directions then performed an intricate maneuver which resulted in all five ships coming together at one point and then bursting outward a trail of burning plasma left in their wake. The image froze on the five ships in the sunburst pattern.

He looks up at Picard who had never taken his eyes off him.

"It's the Kolvoord Starburst." he said.

"Five ships crossing within ten meters of each other and then igniting their plasma trails. One of the most difficult and spectacular demonstrations of precision flying. It hasn't been performed by an Academy team in over a century. Do you know why?" Picard said.

"It was banned by the Academy following a training accident."

"An accident in which all five cadets lost their lives." Picard said. "Nicholas Locarno wanted to end his Academy career in a blaze of glory so he convinced the four of you to learn the Kolvoord Starburst for the commencement demonstration. If it worked, you'd thrill the assembled guests and Locarno would graduate as a living legend. Except it didn't work and Joshua Albert paid the price."

He said nothing with his heart pounding.

"Am I correct?"

He looked away and Picard's voice turned harder.

"I asked you a question, Cadet."

His head snapped up at the tone of command, but he didn't yield.

"I, choose not to answer, sir." he said stiffly.

Picard regarded him seriously and got up from his desk and moved closer to. His attitude firm and unbending.

"You choose not to answer and yet you've already given an answer to the inquiry and that answer was a lie."

"I said the accident occurred after the loop, and it did."

"But you neglected to mention the fact that following the loop your team executed a dangerous maneuver which was the direct cause of the crash." Picard said hard. "Yes, you told the truth, but only to a point. And a lie of omission is still a lie."

He said nothing and Picard took a couple of steps away from him.

"Do you remember the day you first came aboard this ship? Your mother brought you to the bridge,"

"Yes." he said seeing that day.

"You even sat in my chair. It annoyed me at first, a presumptuous child playing on my ship. But I never forgot the way you knew every control and display before you ever set foot on the bridge. You acted like you belonged there."

"I remember." he said quietly.

"Later, when I decided to make you an acting ensign, I was convinced you would be an outstanding officer. I've never questioned that conviction, until now."