02x10 - Farewell

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Star Trek: Picard...

LARIS: After all this time,
I've come to wonder,

have you been seeking or running?

LEGION: There is no more time.

We will offer our queen.

Activate auto-destruct sequence.

What is this hellhole, Q?

Q: This is not a lesson.

It's a penance.

- Or?
- Forgiveness.

Forgiveness for what?

I think you know.

PICARD: We have to repair the past.

- (YELLS)
- If we fail here,

we fail Elnor.

You're not Laris.

My name is Tallinn.

I have devoted my entire being

to protecting one individual.

I watch, but I'm never seen.

I've never met Renée.

So no Europa mission, no hope.

Everyone hates everyone.

We just need to make sure
Renée gets on that ship.

I'm sorry the others didn't make it.

Looks like you were
the strongest of the bunch.

KORE: Am I an experiment?

If I walk out that door right now,

what are you afraid of losing?

JURATI: Renée Picard either boards
a spaceship and makes a discovery

that renders your work obsolete or...

Earth in your time finds itself
in ecological freefall.

The man they turn to is you.

If only you're given the opportunity.

I can get us into Mission Control.

JURATI: There's a man
who will stand in your way

as he now stands in mine.

SOONG: Picard!

TERESA: You have no idea

what this is like for me, do you?

Knowing win or lose,
I'll have to let them go.

YVETTE: Let me out, Jean-Luc.

PICARD: This skeleton key
migrated all over the house.

I wish, that day, it hadn't
ended up in my hand.

A deal must be honored.

A ship for a life.

To succeed, there must be two Renées:

one who lives and another who dies.

I refuse to accept an outcome
that has not yet occurred.

We have work to do.

We must ensure the Europa Mission

takes off as planned.

(WIND WHISTLING)

(BIRDS CALLING)

PICARD: I remember family stories

of how the château got sh*t up

when my ancestors were reoccupying it

in the st century.

These are the same b*llet holes.

Do you think that means we're
on the path to the right future?

(SIGHS) I'm not certain.

I keep turning it over in my head.

That prophecy Agnes said.

To succeed, there need to be two Renées:

one who lives and another who dies.

♪ ♪

RIOS: What does that mean?

How-how is that even possible?

Picard, later.

(DOOR OPENS)

We all set?

♪ ♪

Impressive.

These should work
a lot like your tricorders.

- Raffi, can you tag Soong's GPS?
- On it.

His entire fleet of vehicles
is still at his house.

Jurati jacked into
our transporters from there.

He must have massive
remote capabilities.

So that's where we head.

Tallinn, you can just walk
into quarantine?

They break quarantine on launch day,

but I'm going to transport in
to avoid security

and the bio-scanners in the front lobby.

- Transport in?
- TALLINN: Don't worry.

I've been planning this for a long time.

Well, what do you intend to do?

I'm going to watch out for her, Picard.

It's what I do.

- SEVEN OF NINE: Good luck.
- TALLINN: You, too.

RAFFI: What the hell is he doing?

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

MAN: Preparing for CAPCOM status.

MAN : All systems report out.

(INDISTINCT COMMUNICATIONS)

(INDISTINCT, OVERLAPPING
COMMUNICATIONS CONTINUE)

MAN (OVER SPEAKER):
T minus minutes until launch.

What are you doing?

More to the point,
I know what you are doing

or what you intend to do.

- Tallinn.
- Get back.

I'm so sorry,
but I can't let you do this.

What? My job?

You do not have to sacrifice
your life to save hers.

Okay.

Did Jurati have any reason
to lie to you?

Thousands. She's part Borg.

But she was more Agnes.

More your friend.

With a view of the future,
of all possible futures.

I don't rely on prophecy.

And even if I did, there are
so many different ways

to interpret what she said.

And because you think
you know what she meant,

I won't let you sacrifice yourself...

You won't let me?

It's not up to you.

This is my life.

You don't get to stop me
from fulfilling my purpose

because you're scared I'm gonna die.

My fate is not yours to decide.

♪ ♪

I understand.

I've seen the heart of this in you.

But other people's lives
aren't up to you.

And their deaths aren't your fault.

Not mine if it comes.

Not your mother's.

That's a fantasy, Jean-Luc.

We can't control who we lose.

And we can't spare ourselves
the pain of it.

But people's choices
are their own to make,

and this one is mine.

I don't need saving.

I never have.

♪ ♪

SOONG: Computer, recalibrate
orbital eccentricities.

Synchronize drone targeting systems

on the shuttle's RCS thrusters.

COMPUTER: Flight path analyzed.

Sectors six through clear for launch.

SOONG: Computer, time till drone launch.

COMPUTER: Four minutes, seconds.

SOONG: Adjust flight telemetry to...

(TAPS KEY)

sh*t.

Picard, do you copy? We were wrong.

WOMAN: Dr. Soong?

SEVEN OF NINE: Soong is not here.

PICARD: That's because
he's here at the launch.

RAFFI: g*dd*mn it!

This entire bullshit scenario
was designed

to draw us here and away from Soong.

What if his voice is fake but...

the drones aren't?

I've got four heat signatures...

behind here.

RIOS: Whatever he's doing at the launch,

I think we found his backup plan.

SEVEN OF NINE: If he can't
stop Renée from boarding,

he's gonna use the drones
to take out the rocket itself.

Raffi, how much time do we have?

Uh, three minutes, seconds.

- Can you get remote access?
- RAFFI: System's encrypted.

If I had La Sirena, I could cr*ck it,

but without it, I can't stop them.

WOMAN (OVER SPEAKER):
Hydraulic instrument power is a go.

(ANNOUNCEMENT CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)

MAN (OVER SPEAKER): Clear launchpad
of all nonessential personnel.

How about we cr*pple them?

Can't hit the shuttle if they can't fly.

Soong knew we would find this.

Right? Why bother creating a recording?

He calculated that we would try
to destroy them.

Here, it's...

(GRUNTS) Damn it.

He hardwired them to explode.

We even tap it wrong, we all go boom.

So, what are you saying? That's it?

Hell no. I need tools.

Pliers, scissors, whatever
you can get your hands on.

We might not be able to disable them,

but maybe I can gain manual control.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT OVER SPEAKER)

MAN (OVER SPEAKER):
You're clear to do that.

Strip -A is now closed.

We are in lockdown...

LEE: Dr. Soong, we
weren't expecting you.

We would have prepared a VIP booth.

Nonsense. I'm not the VIP today.

I just want a few minutes
with the astronauts.

Shake hands with the men and women

who are about to create the future.

Well, with all the
quarantine protocol...

I'm sorry?

Did my donations not buy me
five minutes of face time?

Of course.

They're preparing to suit up.

All right.

♪ ♪

(LOCK CLICKS)

Oh, God.

It's happening.

And I'm actually ready.

WOMAN (OVER SPEAKER):
Europa Mission launch

commencing in T minus minutes.

RENEE: Who are you?

Where's Maya?

Maya wasn't feeling well.

No one wanted to take any chances, so...

Bullshit.

I know every person
on every suit-up crew.

You're not on any of them.

Why are you wearing Maya's uniform?

(OVERLAPPING, INDISTINCT COMMUNICATIONS)

LEE: I can't believe it's here.

The day. History.

I never would have thought we'd make it.

You didn't?

What a terrible attitude.

I-I guess what I mean is that, uh,

it-it didn't seem like
it would ever be real.

Yeah, you really are disrespectful.

I'd like to leave you right here.

Oh...

I will leave you right here.

Who are you?

I've seen you before.

Somewhere.

Renée, I need you to listen to me,

or your life will be in grave danger.

When you were a little girl,

at your mother's funeral,

you put a small spaceship
figurine into her casket

because still, to this day,

you think that if you fly out
far enough you'll find her.

♪ ♪

You do know me.

I tried to hide it, but there
were times I couldn't.

♪ ♪

I gave this to you a long time ago.

That time your little sailboat
capsized off Martha's Vineyard.

You remember?

What were you, ten?

Two nights ago at the gala,
a dozen other glimpses.

Maybe I couldn't help it.

That's what I tell myself.

But the truth is a part of me
wanted you to see me.

To know I was there.

You've always said you had
a guardian angel,

and you were right.

Well, not the angel part.

It's...

me.

RAFFI: How about now?

No signal. Maybe we can bypass...

COMPUTER: Drone uplink complete.

Primary activation initiated.

Whoa, whoa.

- (WHOOSHING)
- We're too late.

He staggered the launches so we
can't stop them all at once.

Raffi, can you get me manual control?

RAFFI: Uh, maybe, but I'll need
to hardwire its subroutines.

Raffi, whatever you're
doing, do it faster.

RAFFI: I just need more time
to override the system.

Renée, all I want to do
is get you on that ship.

I have a hunch, and I'm
not sure if I'm right, but...

right now your life depends
on trusting me.

Can you do that?

Please.

Mr. Soong, thank God.

There's a crazy woman. She says
she's my guardian from space.

- She...
- It's all right, it's all right, it's all right.

I'll call someone. Come with me.

g*dd*mn Soong.

Holy sh*t. I've got full control.

SEVEN OF NINE: Rios, take
those other drones out.

The suit-up room. Get up there now.

(SHUDDERING BREATHS)

- Wh-What did you...
- Don't worry.

Won't last long.

This neurotoxin...

is fast.

- And fatal.
- (SHUDDERS)

Looks like you're about
to create the future after all.

♪ ♪

MAN (OVER SPEAKER): Transfer ignition.

Go internal power.

SEVEN OF NINE: Come on, Rios.

RIOS: These analog
controls aren't helping.

(WHEEZING)

RENEE: Picard.

Come on, come on.

RAFFI: Ha!

COMPUTER: All drones terminated.

Strike sequence canceled.

(CHUCKLES, SIGHS)

You must have something
that would help... med tech.

It's too late, Jean-Luc.

We both know.

I need to see.

Oh, come.

- (GRUNTING)
- (expl*sive RUMBLING)

Look up.

Look up.

You're off.

Tallinn...

I know something now.

The secrets we keep.

All the reasons we never
tell someone we love them.

They're worthless.

Tallinn...

I'm so sorry.

Sweet Picard.

Your guilt must have
saved planets by now.

Countless lives in trade
for the one you couldn't.

I got to tell her.

Maybe she'll remember me...

... and know that
she was worth all of it.

You helped me give that to her.

Absolve yourself,

or the only life left unsaved
will be your own.

(WHEEZING SOFTLY)

Her eyes...

they were so beautiful.

♪ ♪

(BIRDS CALLING)

ANNOUNCER: The Shango
just passed the thermosphere

as we check in with

Mission Specialist Dr. Renée Picard.

Renée, how's the view up there?

RENEE: Dynamic pressure decreasing.

All systems normal.

We are away.

On the wings of...

- ... those who came before us.
- (SOONG GROANS SOFTLY)

Europa, here we come.

ANNOUNCER: On behalf of all of us,

to you and the entire crew, Godspeed.

(SCOFFS)

"Godspeed".

(SIGHS)

- (SIGHS)
- (COMPUTER BEEPING)

♪ ♪

What?

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

g*dd*mn it!

♪ ♪

KORE: Hi, Dad.

Kore.

Please.

Wh-What did you do?

Made a new future.

For us both.

This is for my sisters.

COMPUTER: % file deletion confirmed.

System-wide purge complete.

♪ ♪

(SIGHS)

(DEVICE BEEPS)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

I swear to God, if this is
another one of your games, Q...

No.

(CHUCKLING): No, no.

I can assure you we are very different.

Hello, Kore.

And you are?

That's a very long and
very complicated story.

Honestly, I've got nothing pressing.

Okay.

A long time ago, I was
known as Wesley Crusher,

but now I am a traveler
of all of space and time.

(LAUGHS)

You're kidding, right?

The last time I told a joke,

I inadvertently changed
a century's worth of history,

so I work really hard
to not be misunderstood.

That's a lot.

You have no idea.

My colleagues and I, we dispatch
those we call supervisors

to help ensure the proper flow of time.

So the universe is essentially
a grand tapestry.

It is flawless.

It is fragile. It is exquisite.

Yet it is somehow always
a thread's pull away

from total annihilation.

A star is born, but a ship is lost.

A new species thrives,
but a civilization collapses.

Knowing when to step in...

that's the tricky part.

And so my colleagues and I, we watch.

We protect everything.

Big job.

Tell me about it.

Two paths are before you.

The first one leads to
a perfectly normal life.

Wait, is this a recruitment speech?

(CHUCKLING): I'm not done.

The second...

that path leads to everything else.

And it offers a chance to give
your life purpose and meaning.

But I cannot guarantee your safety.

Okay, that's it. That was
the recruitment speech.

(SIGHS)

I've never been safe.

Welcome to the Travelers.

♪ ♪

(BIRDS CALLING)

- (PLAYFUL CHATTER)
- RIOS: A tricorder,

a couple of comm badges,
a broken phaser.

I think that's all of it.

Every butterfly I could find.

So we'll never know if it worked.

It did. It-it had to.

Now, that's the only way
that never seeing the people

we're never gonna see again is okay.

Right. We live here now.

So, what do we do? I mean,
how does money work?

Come to L.A.

That's a bit presumptuous, isn't it?

- Suppose I should ask first.
- RICARDO: Hey, Chris.

Look at these cool rocks
we found outside in the field.

RIOS: Wow.

Whoa. These are, like, really old.

SEVEN OF NINE: I've
never seen Rios so happy.

RAFFI: You really okay with this?

Maybe better than okay.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

And hey, if you're done
running from your Borg past,

I hope you won't think
all of a sudden that,

"Oh, my God, I got to stay super still

and spend every waking moment
with Raffi", 'cause, you know,

I-I'm actually feeling like I-I want to,

you know, focus on me for a change.

Yeah, 'cause, you know, maybe...

maybe this isn't half bad
to hang out with,

so if that's your...

♪ ♪

So...

what does that mean?

(CHUCKLING): Oh, my God, Raffi.

Let it breathe.

- Okay, well, I just...
- (LAUGHING)

Uh, where did JL slip off to?

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Q: Bravo.

Destiny.

Left for the little boy

you will be in the future to find.

You considered destroying it,
didn't you?

Well, let me ask.

If that key is not there
for the boy to find,

does he grow up with his mother?

Does the shame instantly lift?

But you accepted your fate.

You accepted you.

You chose the Jean-Luc you are.

You absolved yourself.

And because you choose him,
perhaps he will now be

worthy enough
for someone else to choose.

Maybe this time, you will even
give him the chance to be loved.

I told you this was about
forgiveness, Jean-Luc.

Yours.

Why?

Well, isn't that the eternal question?

Know thyself.

There's been so much loss.

So much death.

- But you fixed all that.
- Elnor, Tallinn.

Well, maybe not all of it.

But Tallinn always dies
in every timeline.

This is the only one
in which she meets Renée.

I ask you once again:

Why?

Finish the sentence.

Me.

From the very beginning,

for over years...

why me?

I am moving on.

In your parlance, I am dying.

Yes, I know.

Alone.

I am dying alone.

I do not want that for you.

Humans... your griefs,
your pains fix you

to moments in the past long gone.

You're like butterflies
with your wings pinned.

My old friend, forever the boy

who, with an errant turn
of a skeleton key,

broke the universe and his own heart.

No more.

You are now unshackled from the past.

As I leave,

I leave you free.

But...

why does all this matter?

Is something going to happen
for which I will be required?

Must it always have galactic import?

Universal stakes, celestial upheaval?

Isn't one life enough?

You ask me why it matters.

It matters to me.

You matter to me.

Even gods have favorites, Jean-Luc.

And you've always been one of mine.

Q...

Time's almost up.

I have one last surprise in store.

♪ ♪

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Quite the opposite.

Well, hello.

Nice to see you all.

Q. Motherf...

Try not to k*ll him until
we find out what he wants.

"Try" is right.

And now, as they say, for my final act.

- What about Elnor?
- Who?

You k*lled him.

Actually, it was other-her's
idiot husband, to be precise.

In my weakened state,
you might be able to k*ll me.

Certainly, my sending you home will.

Well, as you like.

Now, are we all ready to go home?

Bags packed?

No.

I'm staying.

PICARD: Chris.

You know you can't do that.

- The timeline.
- I never fit, you know?

Nothing stuck.

I mean, I was living
alone in a cargo ship

with five holographic
versions of myself.

Not very encouraging.

And then I met you.

I never had a family in any real way.

You changed all that.

All of you did.

This is where I belong.

Jean-Luc...

I'm home.

Make a good future.

Maybe it was always
supposed to be this way.

Time's a funny thing.

Yes, it is.

Interesting.

RAFFI: No... (SOBS SOFTLY)

I'm gonna miss you, Raf.

Yeah, you are.

He's a handful, you know?

Piece of cake.

Piece of cake.

I should go 'cause...

(SIGHS)

♪ ♪

Most unexpected.

Perhaps now there'll be
some surplus energy?

Call it a surprise, a gift.

Farewell, mon capitaine.

It's time for me to go.

But not alone.

Isn't that the point of all this?

♪ ♪

See you out there.

(expl*sive WHOOSH)

("NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN"
BY EDITH PIAF PLAYING)

(SCREAMS)

(GRUNTS)

♪ Ca m'est bien égal ♪

♪ Non, rien de rien... ♪

COMPUTER: The ship
will detonate in T minus...

♪ Je ne regrette rien... ♪

COMPUTER: Ten, nine,

eight, seven, six,

five, four, three...

Computer, cancel auto-destruct sequence.

COMPUTER: Auto-destruct canceled.

Stand down.

Stand down!

That's an order.

Let her proceed.

I once told a dear friend
what that song meant to me.

Now, while I don't have time
to teach you the words,

I believe that she has had
years to consider them.

Haven't you, Doctor?

♪ ♪

It's good to see you, Agnes.

What the hell's going on here?

Jurati?

I'm glad you still remember the song

that calmed me when I was a boy.

We hoped it would calm you now.

MAN (OVER COMM): Stargazer,
this is Fleet Command.

- Please report in.
- Admiral?

I want to believe you mean us no harm

and that is why you sent the signal.

One that you knew I would understand.

That is still you in there, isn't it?

Yes.

In part.

But if we don't act, many will die.

This here, this now.

What is the thr*at?

Why have you assumed
control of our ships?

KEMI: Captain, I'm picking up

a massive spike in neutrino emissions

focused on the center of the quadrant.

Where's Captain Rios?

Stay on task, helm. That's an order.

Show me what you see.

Uh, what the hell is that?

Unclear.

But if its triquantum waves
keep increasing,

it's going to expel
a massive amount of energy.

Enough to destroy most of this sector.

That's a galactic event.

JURATI: By our calculations,

the only way to protect the quadrant

is to harmonize the fleet's
shields with our own.

That is why we needed
access to the fleet.

That's why you asked for me.

You needed someone
with authority you could trust.

Who would trust you.

MAN (OVER COMM): Stargazer,
what is your status?

We needed a friend.

MAN: Stargazer, report in, or we'll
assume you've been compromised.

Inform Starfleet we are in

active negotiations with the Borg.

Otherwise, they're gonna
blow us out of the sky.

Considering you know more about the Borg

than anyone else on the ship, Seven,

by my authority, consider this
a field commission.

Hail the fleet.

The admiral has authorized
full control by the Borg Queen.

Tell them do not resist.

Agnes, be brilliant.

Always.

Initiating grid formation.

♪ ♪

We are out of time.

Then let's hope that this works.

JURATI: Harmonizing
your fleet's shields.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Excelsior's harmonics are off.

Excelsior, your shield emitter
needs to be recalibrated.

Do you copy?

We copy. Realigning now and...

Raffi?

Elnor?

The last thing I remember,
I was on La Sirena.

Make the adjustment, cadet.

Q.

Goddamned Q.

PICARD: What did he call it?

"A surprise, a gift".

That thing is about to blow.

Brace for impact.

♪ ♪

(expl*sive WHOOSH)

(DEEP PULSING)

♪ ♪

(PANTING)

Shields holding. I think it worked.

You just saved billions of lives.

That was the idea... mister.

Guys, you seeing this?

PICARD: What is it?

SEVEN OF NINE: I believe
we have just witnessed

the creation of a transwarp conduit,

but unlike any I've ever seen before.

Uh, created by whom?

JURATI: Even with our
collective knowledge,

the answer remains elusive.

But you know more.

JURATI: What you see is a piece

of the puzzle whose
final image is unclear

but is tied to a thr*at.

One which requires close observation.

We request provisional
membership in the Federation

so that we may remain here,
a guardian at the gates.

♪ ♪

Thank you, Agnes.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER, LAUGHTER)

GUINAN: I'm sorry I
couldn't tell you sooner.

I just knew that if I guided you right,

set you straight, you'd
circle around eventually.

And I also want to thank you

for setting me straight first.

I can't believe if you don't say it.

You know, I wondered if it was gonna be

a bit of a spoiler keeping it there,

but you have always been

more clever than observant.

- PICARD: Rios.
- GUINAN: Yes.

You know, he and Teresa started
a medical movement together.

The Mariposas.

- Butterflies.
- Yeah.

And he captained them through hard times

and tough terrains, and she...
she helped whoever needed help,

whenever they might need it.

And, uh...

the-the boy, uh, Ricardo?

He put together a team

of the brightest minds in the world.

And they found a way to heal the ocean

and clean the sky
using an alien organism

that his Auntie Renée discovered
during the Europa Mission.

You know, they would come
in here when they were in town.

We all got pretty close.

Did you know that Chris could drink

but Teresa could drink him
under the table?

- (CHUCKLES)
- Every time.

They were such good people.

And how did they...

Ah.

Teresa of old age.

Rios slightly younger,

in a Moroccan bar fight,

over medical supplies.

And best of all, his last breath
was into a cigar.

So he d*ed like he lived.

♪ ♪

PICARD: Elnor, this is for you.

- (SEVEN OF NINE LAUGHING)
- RAFFI: Oh, no.

No. Oh...

(SEVEN OF NINE CLEARS THROAT)

To family, then.

Because...

that's what we are, after all.

♪ ♪

(GROANS)

(EXHALES) That is awful.

(LAUGHTER)

- Is it meant to burn like that?
- Burns?

- SEVEN OF NINE: No.
- (CHUCKLES)

So, with that toast,

there's somewhere it's time I got to.

If you will all excuse me.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Extraordinary.

I had it restored so I could
leave it with you before I go.

I thought maybe a little looking back

might do you some good.

I think I've had just
about enough of that.

Better to look forward.

Is that right?

So...

where is it that you're going?

I'm going on adventures
of my own, Jean-Luc.

There are moments in our lives

we fear to relive

and others we long to repeat.

While time cannot give us
second chances...

... maybe people can.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

♪ ♪