
had spent enough time in his ready room for one day. Time to get up and walk about a bit, get the feel of
the ship under his feet. A crew had moods and the only way to find out what they are is to go out and
tread the deck. Of course, hecould just call in either Riker or Troi and put the question to them—How is
the crew feeling?—and from their different perspectives form a clear and reliable picture. Over the
years, Picard had learned that this method omitted an essential component. If he stayed in his ready room
and waited for subordinates to bring him answers, the crew wouldn't know howPicard was feeling, or, at
least, how Picardwanted them to think he was feeling.
As soon as Picard walked onto the bridge, Commander Heyes, the current beta shift commander,
hopped to her feet and started to call out, “Captain on the bridge,” but Picard waved her back into the
center seat. Beta shift had just come on duty, some of alpha shift still lingering, passing on notes about
unresolved problems or procedures, so there were quite a few people there. Picard enjoyed being on the
bridge at shift change, especially when things were going well, because it showed that theEnterprise -E
was not just a workplace, but a community. After the essential business of communicating the ship's
condition was addressed, he knew that crewmembers would stop to chat, exchange information about
families or make arrangements for social gatherings and recreation later in the day.
Picard nodded to various officers and crewmen, checked the conn officer's heading, then took a few
moments to study the astrometric display currently on the viewscreen, making it clear to Heyes that he
only intended to stay long enough to take the chill off the cushion and make his presence felt. He moved
briefly to vacant XO's console and pulled up the shift logs, reviewed the entries for high-priority items
and, finding none, transferred the rest to his workstation for more careful scrutiny later. Looking up, he
said, “I'll be heading down to the shuttlebay if you need me, Commander.”
Heyes nodded and said, “Aye, Captain. Commander Data's shuttle is due in seventeen minutes.” She
smiled. “Have a pleasant stroll, sir.”
“Thank you, Commander.” The turbolift doors closed and Picard had to smile to himself. Obviously,
even in her short time aboard theEnterprise, Heyes had learned about her captain's habit of wandering
the decks between shifts. She was a good officer, one of the best shift commanders to come aboard
during their last crew rotation. He knew Heyes was more interested in being on the command track for a
science or exploration vessel, but Picard had asked Riker to try to retain her services for another
rotation, dangling the carrot of some first contact work before her. He would have to have a conversation
with her and remind her that, sometimes, commanders on a larger vessel actually have more time for
science than the captain of a science vessel. On the other hand, Picard understood the allure of the
center seat.We shall see what we shall see, he decided. “Deck four,” he said.
The turbolift stopped at deck three for two crewmen who were so caught up in a discussion about the
mathematics of a multidimensional time/space fold that Picard's presence had barely registered on them
before he stepped off the turbolift on deck four. Acknowledging the nods, Picard moved aft along the
corridor, stopping briefly to speak with Lieutenant Commander Keru about a report he had sent
concerning the holographic diodes in stellar cartography. It was nothing serious yet, Keru assured the
captain, but some of the diodes were past their recommended service date and were losing efficiency.
Picard stayed just long enough to assure Keru he was aware of the situation and that something would be
done soon.
Reaching the end of the corridor, Picard stepped into a narrow maintenance lift and dropped down into
the control room that overlooked the primary shuttlebay. The two crewmen on duty looked up at Picard
and nodded, but didn't rise since they currently had a shuttle on the beam and were guiding it in. In the
bay, Picard could see four figures: his first officer, Commander William Riker; the ship's counselor,
Commander Deanna Troi; the chief engineer, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge; and the