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“Just as I said,” Flenarrh countered, “you’re being impatient.”

“It never hurts to ask a question,” Robinson conceded, pacifying Bo’tex before he could emit an odor the others would come to regret. “However, I sense our friend Picard was about to answer your question and perhaps a number of others in the bargain.”

The gecko turned to Picard as if it knew what was going on.

The captain smiled. “True enough,” he said.

The Tale

ABBY AND I exited the Romulans’ bridge and repaired to their transporter room. Once there, we took our places on a hexagonal transporter grid, under the Romulan symbol of the birdlike predator with the globes in its claws. Assad did us the favor of beaming us down.

We materialized in a sunny, ochre-colored valley beneath a vast, blue-green sky. But we weren’t alone. Not by a long shot.

There were several white, domelike enclosures scattered about. Among them stood a wide variety of humanoids, none of whom looked the least bit familiar to me. What’s more, every one of them was armed and at least half had leveled their weapons at us.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” I told Abby, eyeing our hosts.

“So do I,” she said.

Abby didn’t make a move to go anywhere, so neither did I. The two of us just stood there, waiting for something to happen. I dearly wished I knew what it was.

Suddenly, someone else emerged from one of the domes. He was wearing a worn, brown coat made of some leatherlike material. And though he appeared somewhat scruffier than his Starfleet file image, it didn’t take me long to determine his identity.

It was Richard Brant.

Abby, it seemed, had recognized him a moment before I did. She was making her way to him through the alien crowd, ignoring the weapons trained on her as if they presented no danger at all … looking to her brother with mingled joy and relief.

Richard was pushing his way toward her, as well, just as eager to embrace his sister as she was to embrace him. And a moment later, both of them got their wish.

“Richard,” she said, hugging him as hard as she could.

“Abby,” he replied. He rested his head against hers.

Though I’d missed it before, I began to see the resemblance between them. The eyes, the nose, the light sprinkling of freckles … there was no doubt in my mind they were brother and sister.

“I was afraid you were dead,” Abby told him.

“But I’m not,” Brant chuckled. “As you can see, I’m very much alive.” He held her away from him so he could look at her. “You look pretty hearty yourself for a women who’s gone through Hel’s Gate.”

“It wasn’t as bad as you made it out to be,” she said.

He laughed. “Only you would say that.”

Abby turned to me. “Picard, I want you to meet my brother. Richard, this is Jean-Luc Picard. He’s”

“The captain of the Enterprise,” Brant finished. “I recognize the name.” He extended his hand. “Good to meet you, Captain.”

He seemed untroubled by my presence there. But then, he must have suspected that Starfleet would take an interest in his disappearance.

“Likewise,” I said, grasping the fellow’s hand. “I’m glad to see you’re in one piece, Mr. Brant. For a while there, we weren’t so certain that would be the case.”

“For a while there,” Brant echoed, “neither was I.”

I had some questions for him. I said so.

“About my friends here?” he asked.

With a sweep of his arm, Brant indicated the aliens assembled around us. Of course, they had put away their weapons by then, though a few of them still eyed me warily.

I shrugged. “If that’s where you would like to start.”

Brant dug his hands into the pockets of his coat. “Several months ago,” he said, “I was on a one-man science vessel running medical supplies to the Badlands when I found myself pursued by a Federation starship. As I recall, it was the Trieste …”

“Hold on a second,” I said. “You were smuggling for the Maquis?”

“Just medical supplies.” Despite his admission, he seemed very much at ease with himself. “Does that shock you?”

“Yes,” I said, “it does. On the other hand, you wouldn’t be the first officer of my acquaintance to be drawn into