"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

"Captain, we're receiving a transmission from a colony close to the Neutral Zone."

Worf's voice woke him up from his thoughts. He thought that he had heard something, but he believed that he was tired.

"Is it possible to view it on screen?" he asked the Klingon. Worf didn't answer; he just turned on the message. A younger woman, probably about twenty years old, appeared.

"My name is Lydia Darrow, I'm the only survivor in the village Kent", she said. He wrinkled his forehead in surprise. That was the voice he thought was calling for help.

"I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship USS Enterprise", he said as he stood up and walked closer to the screen. "What happened?"

"The Romluans", Lydia answered. "They've crossed the Neutral Zone."

A silent gasp passed through the crew on the Bridge.

"Please, Captain, I'm trapped below the destroyed village and I have no clue if they've attacked other villages as well. There might be other survivors."

Picard nodded solemnly.

"We're on our way. Picard out."

The screen turned off and he turned slowly to face his crew. His first officer William Riker looked stunned.

"How is it possible that the Romulans have crossed the Neutral Zone?" he wondered. Councillor Deanna Troi looked surprised as well.

"What do you think about this, Councillor?" Picard asked.

"The woman we talked to wasn't lying and she was really scared", Troi answered. "I believe that she saw her friends being killed."

Picard nodded and looked at the rest of his crew. Worf looked as he always did, even though a fire of hate burned in his eyes. For every Klingon the Romulans where evil, bad and impure. The younger members of the Crew looked pale, partly scared and partly surprised. Picard was about to continue when the door to the elevator hissed open and the ship's CMO entered the Bridge. For a few moments Picard wasn't able to look away from her. Since Kesprytt, where he had revealed that he was once in love with her, he had found that his feelings for her hadn't changed during the years. He still thought of her as the most beautiful woman who had ever been born.

"Dr Crusher", he managed to say, "We've found out that the Romulans have crossed the Neutral Zone and attacked a colony."

"Why would they attack a single colony?" Dr Crusher asked.

"We don't know", Riker answered. "A young woman hailed us and said that she was the only survivor from her village."

"It is possible that the Romulans are after something", Deanna said.

"The colony that was attacked have nothing to hide, Councillor", Data answered.

"Ensign, set a course to the colony at warp 9", Picard ordered. "Riker, you have the Bridge."

He walked into his ready-room and ordered Earl Grey from the replicator. As he sat down behind his desk and sipped on the tea he began to wonder if he had just imagined the voice, or if it had actually been that girl who had contacted him by mere thought.

Beverly Crusher left Sick Bay early that evening. She had prepared her staff on what they might find in less than twenty-four hours and then returned to her quarters on deck 8. As she checked the transmission again she sighed. It was the same voice; it had called for help only moments before the transmission reached the Enterprise. Still, no one except for her had heard it. The door chimed and she looked up.

"Come."

The door hissed open and Captain Jean-Luc Picard entered her quarters.

"Jean-Luc", she said with a smile. He smiled back.

"Alyssa said you left early this evening", he said. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, I was just tired", Beverly answered. Jean-Luc nodded before ordering a cup of tea from the replicator. Beverly concentrated on the small screen. She knew that Jean-Luc had been in love with her and she knew that she loved him right now, but they would never be considered a couple. Also, Jean-Luc had admitted that he didn't have those feelings anymore.

"How is it possible that the Romulans managed to cross the Neutral Zone?" she asked, repeating Riker's question without knowing it. Jean-Luc sighed and sat down on the couch.

"I don't know, Beverly", he answered. "Maybe they aren't Romulans but a race that looks like them or they've found a way to cross unseen. No one can tell."

"What do we know about the colony that was attacked?" Beverly asked and looked at the Captain.

"Not much", Jean-Luc admitted. "According to Data they live in peace but the boys are trained for battle from the moment they can walk, just in case that the Romulans would attack. They use animals to work and it seems like every person is bound to one animal."

"Sounds like an old fairytale", Beverly said with a smile.

"Well, the Federation does not visit the colony too often, so there are a lot of rumours about it", Jean-Luc answered with a thin smile. "We'll have our answers tomorrow."

Beverly nodded and turned off the screen before joining Jean-Luc on the couch.

"I have a feeling that the girl that hailed us is unique", she said. To her surprise, Jean-Luc agreed.

"Actually, I thought that I had heard her voice before", he admitted and shook his head. "Probably just an imaginary, but still…"

"Jean-Luc, I heard her as well", Beverly interrupted him. He stared at her.

"What?"

"I heard her voice, right before we received the transmission", Beverly explained. "She called for help."

Jean-Luc didn't answer, he just stared at her.

"How is it possible that we heard it but no one else did?" he asked. Beverly shook her head. It was impossible, and still it had happened.

"Captain, we've reached the right destination", Data said. Jean-Luc rose from his chair.

"Hail the girl and tell her that we're here", he said. Worf nodded and moments later the girl showed up on the screen.

"Miss Darrow, we're in position", he said. "Any news?"

"I was out for a short while in the morning, Captain", Lydia answered. "The village was totally empty, no people and no animals, except for those that I managed to save. For miles there are just me, Derinda and Tern."

"Animals or people?" Jean-Luc asked.

"Derinda is a horse and Tern an eagle. My friends."

"So the rumours are true?" Riker asked as he stood up beside his Captain. "Your people are bound to the animals?"

"No, not all of us", Lydia answered.

"I'm afraid that we can't have a horse and an eagle onboard a ship", Jean-Luc said.

"They'll stay", Lydia said. "If they were taken away the bond would break."

"But if you leave…"

"The bond won't break", Lydia interrupted. "That's how people have been able to fly away and return years later. If the bond had been broken the person would die as he or she came down to the surface."

The image flickered and suddenly she was gone.

"Lieutenant, what happened?" Jean-Luc asked and turned to Worf. The Klingon looked confused.

"We're unable to make contact. The source down on the surface is gone."

"O'Brien!" Riker called. "Lock on to Lydia Darrow's signal and beam her up immediately."

"Sorry, Commander", O'Brien answered from the transporter-room. "I can't lock on to her, she's moving away all the time. It seems like she's hunted by something."

"What 'something'?" Jean-Luc asked.

"I believe there are three Romulans after her, Captain", O'Brien answered.

"Number One, ready an away team and beam down immediately", Jean-Luc ordered. "I…"

The pain in his right leg made him gasp.

"Captain!"

Riker rushed to Jean-Luc's side as he fell down onto the floor.

"Do… as I… said", Jean-Luc said before another wave of pain flowed through his body.

"Data, take him to Sick Bay immediately!" Riker called out. "Worf, you have the Bridge until Data returns, then you'll join me in transporter-room One."

Both of the men carried out the orders immediately. Jean-Luc's last memory was when Data held him in the elevator, before everything turned black.