Chapter 1: A heart that beats in silence
"Important encounters are planned by the souls
Long before the bodies see each other."
-Paulo Coelho
Stardate 729369.9454816838(May 15, 3052)
An old man walked steadily down a corridor, stopping before a brightly lit console just off to one side of a door that led to his own personal holodeck chamber. This particular technology was only a couple of decades old when it came to the United Federation of Planets, but he had become familiar with it at least two hundred years before. Of course no one who saw him would have believed him to be so old, or what his true identity was. He didn't want anyone to know. He preferred to remain in the shadows softly and quietly pulling strings in an effort to correct mistakes made in the past.
In an effort to hide who he was, he covered his normally green eyes with brown contacts and wore his salt and pepper hair a bit long, causing him to look a tad unkempt. He sported a goatee which didn't exactly suit him, but made it easier to hide his rather famous face. By all appearances he looked to be a man in his mid to late sixties, but in truth he was vastly older than anyone would have ever believed and quite famous in Starfleet circles. Because of this it was imperative that no one ever recognize him and thankfully no one ever did.
As old as he was, his fingers were still agile and moved swiftly across the illuminated touch screen calling up the stardate of 56804.05 with the setting being on the Enterprise E. He then placed the simulation into observation mode so he would not be able to interact or disturb anything. He must have played this scene at least a hundred times before along with many others just so he could see her. Today was her birthday and he would mark it by visiting the one she often spoke of as her favorite.
All his life exploring space had been The old man's greatest love as well as his mistress until she stepped onto his ship. The two were perfect complements of each other and her loss had truly devastated him. Now from time to time he came to the holodeck just so he could look upon her face again and hear her voice. He felt compelled to do this because after a hundred and ninety years he had started to forget some of the small things and was terribly afraid that as more time passed he would start forgetting bigger, more important things about her, such as her fine hazel eyes or her gentle guidance.
The doors to the holodeck softly slid open and the old man stepped inside to see Captain Picard pacing outside his quarters. He was not dressed in his normal uniform but instead wore a 1930's tuxedo that boasted a white dinner jacket and gave him a rather dashing air. The reason for the formal attire was because it was his daughters birthday. His only child was turning sixteen years old and judging by the look on his face, he was finding it difficult to believe that twelve years had passed since Danaë was brought into his care. She was a young woman now and as beautiful as her mother had been. In honor of the occasion she had wanted to celebrate her birthday at one of the ancient jazz nightclubs that often featured in his Dixon Hill detective stories. He had agreed to it of course. After-all, how many sweet sixteen parties would she have?
Everything the old man watching the scene knew about Jean-Luc Picard and his relationship with his daughter, he gleaned from observing him in these holodeck scenarios, reading his Starfleet file and personal logs, or straight from Danae's mouth. As such it was no surprise that he had agreed to everything she asked for with the exception of the dress she wanted to wear. Danaë had requested a red backless low cut evening gown and there was no way he was going to allow that. She was growing up too fast as it was. If it were up to him he would have dressed her up in a gown that covered her from her neck all the way down to her toes, like any good father. Wisely, he had given the job of selecting a suitable outfit to Guinan and her selection was perfect. When the old man had read this future captain's personal log regarding this birthday he had talked about watching her open the carefully wrapped package. He described his daughter's eyes lighting up with pure joy and excitement after opening the box and seeing the bias-cut gown made of silver silk that was embroidered with deep red roses and covered in sparkling beads. Along with it were a pair of heels and a bolero jacket made of the same metallic fabric.
When she stepped out of their quarters in that dress, it was obvious that she took the Captain's breath away. The way he stared at her, there was no doubt that his heart was ready to burst with pride as well as break with sadness that she was no longer little. The figure watching the scene whispered the word 'beautiful' knowing well that they would never hear him. He, himself, had never had any daughters of his own, but instead two rowdy boys, yet he could still imagine what was going through Jean Luc's mind. When exactly had she grown up? Just yesterday she was a small girl with bows tied in her long golden curls playing with her doll. Now she was standing before him. A fine young woman, her golden waves bound up in an elegant chignon and looking every bit like her late mother, Solenne.
Silently the observer followed the pair and they walked into the holodeck. The scene they stepped into was a far cry from a star ship flying through space and exploring galaxies as they could get. Instead it was a nightclub decked out in exquisite art deco decor with dusty rose carpet and wall hangings, as well as a live band with a singer. There were people sitting in gold painted chairs at tables covered in green tablecloths that had small lamps in the center for mood lighting while they ate fine food and drank wine. The dance floor was also crowded with people dancing close together and the air that filled the establishment had a slight haze of cigarette smoke. Smoking was a habit that had died off many centuries before but was quite common in the ancient nineteen-thirties.
Captain Picard and Danaë were led to one of the clubs finest tables and were each offered a menu, but before the birthday girl had a chance to take it, her father had already placed their orders. The old man couldn't hide his smile as he watched the way Danaë's hazel eyes looked around the nightclub in wide-eyed wonder. He knew she was trying hard to act like a proper grown-up, but it was obvious that she was dying to squeal in delight. Unfortunately, her father had little to no appreciation for childish behavior and she probably would have. Her excitement only got worse when a young man approached her and asked her for a dance. True, the gentleman was nothing more than a piece of programming brought to holographic life, but it still made her feel as though she were truly like a grown woman. Before she could accept, Captain Picard stepped in and explained that this dance was his.
Taking her by the hand, Jean-Luc led his daughter out to the dance floor and putting his arm around her, the two began to sway across the floor. Danaë was not terribly good at dancing, but with her father leading she found herself following along effortlessly. There were no interruptions, no other women vying for his attention or affections, particularly Beverly Crusher. Everything was perfect. In Danaë's eyes there was nothing her father couldn't do. Whatever he set his mind on he achieved and yet somehow she had never imagined that he was such a capable dancer.
The song being performed was called ' Dream a Little Dream of Me ' and the singer's words not only echoed through the father and daughter, but they pierced the heart of the old man watching them as well. All he could see was a young woman who would one day become the most important person in his life. Watching her dance there with her father, the observer was certain the lyrics had been pulled from his heart.
