Picard was sitting at his desk in the ready room looking at something on the terminal when the door Chimed.

In the ready room Picard was sitting at his desk looking at something on the terminal when the door chimed.

"Come." Picard said.

The door opened and Wesley entered a little nervous about this meeting but was ready for it.

"Captain." he said hiding his nervousness.

Picard studied him for a moment and didn't offer him a chair then he turned around the terminal on his desk so that he can see it. Picard activated the terminal.

"Can you tell me what maneuver this is?"

He saw a simulation of the five Nova ships as they headed around Titan. The ships slingshot around the moon as seen before then went into a loop and shot off in opposing directions then performed an intricate maneuver which resulted in all five ships coming together at one point and then bursting outward a trail of burning plasma left in their wake. The image froze on the five ships in the sunburst pattern.

He looks up at Picard who had never taken his eyes off him.

"It's the Kolvoord Starburst." he said.

"Five ships crossing within ten meters of each other and then igniting their plasma trails. One of the most difficult and spectacular demonstrations of precision flying. It hasn't been performed by an Academy team in over a century. Do you know why?" Picard said.

"It was banned by the Academy following a training accident."

"An accident in which all five cadets lost their lives." Picard said. "Nicholas Locarno wanted to end his Academy career in a blaze of glory so he convinced the four of you to learn the Kolvoord Starburst for the commencement demonstration. If it worked, you'd thrill the assembled guests and Locarno would graduate as a living legend. Except it didn't work and Joshua Albert paid the price."

He said nothing with his heart pounding.

"Am I correct?"

He looked away and Picard's voice turned harder.

"I asked you a question, Cadet."

His head snapped up at the tone of command, but he didn't yield.

"I, choose not to answer, sir." he said stiffly.

Picard regarded him seriously and got up from his desk and moved closer to. His attitude firm and unbending.

"You choose not to answer and yet you've already given an answer to the inquiry and that answer was a lie."

"I said the accident occurred after the loop, and it did."

"But you neglected to mention the fact that following the loop your team executed a dangerous maneuver which was the direct cause of the crash." Picard said hard. "Yes, you told the truth, but only to a point. And a lie of omission is still a lie."

He said nothing and Picard took a couple of steps away from him.

"Do you remember the day you first came aboard this ship? Your mother brought you to the bridge,"

"Yes." he said seeing that day.

"You even sat in my chair. (Wesley actually chuckled quietly remembering that day seeing Picard's face when he knew everything.) It annoyed me at first, a presumptuous child playing on my ship. But I never forgot the way you knew every control and display before you ever set foot on the bridge. You acted like you belonged there."

"I remember." he said quietly.

"Later, when I decided to make you an acting ensign, I was convinced you would be an outstanding officer. I've never questioned that conviction, until now."

Picard turned and moved in on him finally standing only a couple inches away from even as his voice dropped down to nearly a whisper.

"The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, be it scientific truth, historical truth, or personal truth. It is the guiding principle upon which Starfleet is based. If you cannot find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened you do not deserve to wear that uniform."

That hurt him but at the same time knew he was right.

Picard's gaze was withering but he managed to stand there and take it without flinching. Then he finally broke the look and moved back to sit at his desk.

"Mister Crusher, I'll make this simple for you. Either you come forward and tell Admiral Brand what really took place, or I will."

"Captain-"

"Dismissed."

They looked at each other for another minute then Wesley left.

Wesley was waiting in the dorm room as Nick entered. Wesley was very disturbed, uncertain about to do and a little scared.

"Your message said it was urgent." he said concerned.

"They know, Nick. They know what we did."

Nick immediately went into damage control mode.

He was motivated by more than just self-preservation, he is the leader of a team and the team is in trouble.

"Calm down, now tell me exactly what happened." he said take charge.

"Captain Picard called me to the Enterprise and when I got there he said he'd figured it out, the Kolvoord maneuver, the cover-up, everything. He said that if I didn't come forward now and tell the truth, he would."

Nick took a moment to think and took a couple of steps around the room as he quickly considers the situation.

"You said he'd "figured it out", did he have any evidence?"

"No, but he still knew exactly what happened."

Nick breathed a little easier and saw a way out.

"Captain Picard doesn't know anything, he has a theory. Let him tell the inquiry what he thinks happened, then they'll ask us, "Is it true?" and we'll say, "No, sir". There's no evidence, so there's no case and we'll get off with a reprimand."

Wesley took a moment getting in too deep and warning bells are going off in his head.

"You're asking me to call Captain Picard a liar."

Nick could see that Wesley was deeply conflicted, he moved to shore up his friend's doubts but the strain of holding things together is starting to show on him. His tone had a slight edge to it.

"Wesley, we just have to hold on a little longer and then this will all be over."

"It's wrong. he said quiet.

"Wesley-"

"No. I'm going to tell them what happened." he said hard.

Nick's eyes flashed with anger and his temper beings to wear thin.

"You're going to tell them what happened. You. Alone. Are going to decide what happens to me, to Sito and to Jean. You're going to decide that."

"I'm not going to lie to them again, Nick, I can't live with it."

Nick moved in on Wesley, his pain and anger building with his every move.

"You can't lie to them, you can't live with it, you have to tell them what happened. Who the hell are you?"

As Nick asked his last question, he shoved Wesley back. Wesley was surprised by the physical manifestation of Nick's betrayal. Nick kept moving forward.

"Nick?" he said shocked.

"You're going to turn us in?" Nick said and shoved him again.

"Hey, wait a minute."

"No, you wait a minute." he said shoving him hard.

Wesley's temper rose and he shoved Nick back. They both froze and there was a tense moment, finally Nick took a couple of steps away from Wesley to get a grip on his temper. After a that, Nick turned back to face him.

"He got to you, didn't he? Picard gave you a big speech about duty and honor."

Wesley didn't say anything, but it's clear that Nick is right.

"It must've been a pretty good speech to make you want to turn your back on your friends." he continued bitter.

"We're Starfleet cadets, we have a duty to the truth."

"What about your duty to your friends?"

Nick took a minute, feeling angry, hurt, betrayed and didn't hesitate to let Wesley know it.

"I got you on this team, I gave you a chance when there were upperclassmen waiting in line. I said, "He won't let us down. He was on the Enterprise. He knows what it's like to trust somebody with his life." I guess I was wrong."

Nick's words hit Wesley hard, he's really struggling here.

"Nick, if we all come forward together and tell Admiral Brand-"

"We don't want to come forward. Sito and Jean and me, we don't have a problem with this."

Nick looked at him for a long minute.

"But if you do then resign your appointment to the Academy and walk away. Don't make us pay for your guilty conscience."

Wesley looked at him for a minute beginning to see another side of him here, the driving ambition that was his hidden flaw.

"You'd let me do it, wouldn't you? You'd let me throw my career away just to save your neck."

"To save the team. That's more important than you and it's more important than me." Nick started. "And if I was in your place. I'd do it. Without hesitation." he continued. "But that's me."

Then he turned his back on Wesley and walked out of the room.

The next day the hearing room was once again filled with spectators, the flight team, Beverly, Picard, and Albert. Everyone was waiting when finally Brand and Satelk came and took their seats. Brand striked the bell and brought the room to order. She regarded the flight team with a grim expression, her tone was somewhat challenging, she knows that something's wrong and that the cadets hold the answer, but she can't do anything about it.

"Captain Satelk and I have gone over your testimony and the physical evidence from the crash." Brand started. "Your statements cannot be reconciled with the data collected from the NavCon satellite. Your unwillingness to offer any explanation for this contradiction is disappointing, and it raises suspicion. We cannot escape the conclusion that either the data is faulty in some way or you have lied to us." he continued. "However, suspicion is not proof and I have no proof that you have lied to this inquiry.

"Therefore, unless further evidence is presented, I have no choice but to close this investigation." There was a long minute of silence. "For filing an inaccurate flight plan, and for allowing Cadet Albert to fly despite the fact that you knew he had been having difficulties, I am ordering a formal reprimand placed on each of your permanent records. I am also revoking your flight privileges." he said and continued. "This inquiry is closed."

"Sir, I would like to add something to my testimony." Wesley said to Brand as he stood.

Picard was concerned, not knowing what Wesley was going to do but hoped he'll do the right thing.

Nick wasn't sure what Wesley's doing..

Brand glanced at Satelk for a second.

"Proceed, Mister Crusher." she said.

"Yesterday, I testified that the crash occurred following a Yeager loop. That's not entirely true." he started. "We did perform the loop. But after that, we broke formation and attempted a Kolvoord Starburst."

Reactions from Satelk and Brand recognizing the maneuver and all that it implies.

"We knew it was prohibited and that it would be dangerous, but we wanted to do something spectacular for the commencement demonstration. So we pushed Josh and he wasn't ready. We thought we could do it, we thought we could do anything. We were wrong, and after I caught him and Josh got a coma." he continued then turned to face Albert's father sitting in the audience. "Josh didn't let us down, sir. It wasn't his fault."

Albert nodded in silent understanding and Wesley sat back down. After a second Brand turned to the rest of the flight team.

"Cadet Sito, is this true?"

It was silence as Sito made the decision.

"Yes, sir." she said quiet.

"Cadet Hajar?"

"Yes, sir."

"Mister Locarno, you're the leader of Nova Squadron, do you have anything to say?"

He didn't move. A long minute passed.

"Mister Locarno?"

He stood at attention.

"No, sir." he said quietly.

As seen earlier on the grounds Wesley was standing near the elm tree, waiting. After a beat, Picard came over to him grim. He didn't have to ask the question.

At the Starfleet academy he was standing near the elm tree, waiting. After a beat, Picard came over to him grim. He doesn't have to ask the question.

"Mister Locarno has been expelled." he said.

Wesley was shocked and disbelief but knew he wasn't done.

'They expelled us all, I can tell.'

"They also expelled all of you even though Mister Locarno made an impassioned plea for the rest of you. Even though you saved Mr. Albert. He said he used his influence as squadron leader to convince you all to try the Kolvoord maneuver and then to cover up the truth. He asked to take full responsibility. But they said you all deserve the punishment."

Hearing about his friend's final gesture and expelling the five of them made this even harder on him.

"He did exactly what he said he would, he protected the team." he said in a sad laugh. "I feel awful. I've let everybody down, my friends, mom, you."

"You should feel bad and you will pay for what you did."

He was a little taken back by this punishment but he didn't complain knowing he deserved this.

"I understand."

"It wouldn't be easy, staying here on campus with everyone knowing what you did. I think you would have some rough times ahead." Captain said.

"Yes, sir." he said heartfelt. "I deserve to be expelled."

"Mr. Crusher, you saved Mr. Albert."

He nodded.

"When you get back on the Enterprise next week you can be Ensign Crusher again."

That shocked Wesley.

"Really sir?" he said.

"Yes. Uniform and all. You're a part of the family." he said smiling.

"I don't deserve to be a part of it."

"You did what you did but you know you're part of the family."

Wesley smiled a little knowing he was right.

"If it makes you feel better, Geordi wishes you were there often because he has been having trouble with something. He'll be in heaven now that his partner will be back to help." he said causing the two of them to laugh.

When they calmed down Wesley smiled wider.

"Tell him he only has a week without me and then I'll be there for help. Back to my favorite part of the Enterprise." he said still smiling.

"You do have quite the engineering history there."

"No I don't." he said heartfelt. "Captain, thank you."

"You knew what you had to do. I just made sure you listened to yourself."

Wesley nodded.

"Mr. Albert said he wants Josh to be with us even though he's in a coma because his wife would do something if she saw him."

Wesley was surprised and confused but nodded.

"And he trusts your mother to look after him."

"That makes more sense."

"Good-bye, Mr. Crusher, I'll see you next week." Picard said.

Then they shake hands.

"Good-bye, Captain."

Then they split up.

While he walked away Wesley thought about something.

'Way to go Wes, you just turned your whole family down.'