A Time to Be Born A Time to Be Born is a Pocket TNG novel – the first novel in the " " series and the first in a duology – written by John Vornholt . Published by Pocket Books , it was first released in . Summary . Chapter 1 . Wesley Crusher , still with the Traveler , completes his apprenticeship and is " reborn " into the family of travelers . As part of this ceremony , he is taken to the Pool of Prophecy where he sees the " Enterprise " auto - destruct . Chapter 2 . The " Enterprise " arrives at the Rashanar Graveyard , a battle site from the Dominion War , with no survivors . They are met by the USS " Juno " , an starship , and Captain Jill Leeden , who warns Picard and crew to be very careful in the boneyard , as there are many dangers , including a mysterious gravity sink , an impossible antimatter asteroid , and scavengers of all shapes and sizes . Her mission is to collect the dead , while the " Enterprise " s is to cover her back while they attempt to explain the mysterious goings - on in the boneyard . Picard decides to begin his investigations aboard the starship " Asgard " , using his new yacht " Calypso " . As he , Data , and Geordi La Forge explore the " Asgard " , they find that they are not alone on this dead ship , and their visitors are trying to steal the " Calypso " . Chapter 3 . Data is able to stop the would - be thieves , but is only able to capture one of the scavengers , an Androssi named Ghissel . Questioning her , they learn that she is a forward spotter for other scavengers . La Forge and Data come up with a plan to capture her companion . Meanwhile , Riker is having trouble beginning operations in the boneyard . He and Troi encounter their first Ontailian ship , from the planet this battle saved . Troi senses they are hiding something . While La Forge and Data continue their search for Ghissel ' s missing companion , the Androssi paralyzes Picard and allows her compatriot to enter the " Calypso " . Chapter 4 . The Androssi escape with the " Calypso " leaving the Starfleet officers to await rescue from one of the " Enterprise " s shuttles . Picard explains the circumstances of the " Calypso " s theft to Captain Leeden , and she warns him to be vigilant . The " Enterprise " then answers a distress call from one of the Ontailian ships , but instead encounters the antimatter asteroid . After his lapse with the " Calypso " and seeming inability to help the Ontailians , Picard worries that his days as best captain in the fleet are numbered , but Dr . Crusher is able to lift his spirits . Meanwhile Ghissel , now commanding the yacht , discusses a plan to steal a Romulan Warbird with several other Androssian Overseers . Chapter 5 . After a brief pass of the Ontailian flagship " Vuxhal " , Troi requests permission to follow the ship in a shuttlepod on a hunch . Riker agrees to go with her as the shuttle ' s pilot . They see the ship dump an antimatter storage canister and transmit a brief distress call . After witnessing these strange events , they make a report to Captain Leeden , who disbelieves the entire story . Chapter 6 . Four days later , Data and La Forge take the shuttlecraft " Hudson " to investigate some probes sent to the approximate location of the gravity sink . Meanwhile , Ghissel is implementing her plan to steal the Warbird , with the help of four Androssi scavenger ships . On the " Enterprise " , Lieutenant Vale takes note of a small Federation ship chasing four Androssi scavengers . Captain Picard decides not to get involved when an Ontailian ship tells them that they are moving to assist . The message turns out to be false , and the " Juno " and the " Enterprise " move to intercept . Ghissel decides to break plan and ambush the " Juno " , which is a staggering success that leaves the ship adrift . Chapter 7 . As the yacht makes good its escape , the " Enterprise " moves to assist the " Juno " . As they begin rendering aid , Captain Picard orders the " Hudson " to pursue the purloined yacht . The " Hudson " and the yacht begin a game of cat and mouse that spans half the boneyard . Meanwhile , the Androssi ' s plan to make off with the Warbird has been thwarted by the Ontailians , but three of the ships are still at large in the boneyard . The " Enterprise " still cannot leave the " Juno " , but they are eager to join the pursuit . The " Hudson " continues to close on the purloined yacht , but not before the larger ship loses power and is left adrift . Chapter 8 . The " Enterprise " detects a closing Androssi scavenger and moves to intercept . Tracking down the bandit , Picard convinces them to surrender , but the Ontailian warship " Vuxhal " intercedes and destroys the raider . Meanwhile , the " Hudson " stumbles upon not one , but two identical " Calypso " ' s , unpowered and drifting together . As they approach , the shuttle loses power as well . Data also shuts down inexplicably , and before La Forge can attempt repairs , he is also incapacitated . Chapter 9 . The " Enterprise " moves to find the lost " Hudson " as Picard receives an urgent message from Admiral Ross . Apparently , Captain Leeden ' s reports aren ' t sitting well with the Admiralty at Starfleet Command . As the " Enterprise " approaches the " Hudson " s last known coordinates , Commander Riker takes the shuttle " Polo " , along with Dr . Crusher to search among the debris for the missing craft . They find the disabled " Hudson " along with an unconscious La Forge floating within the " Calypso " s debris . Unfortunately , Data is nowhere to be found . The " Polo " returns to the " Enterprise " and Dr . Crusher takes La Forge to sickbay as Riker reports to Captain Picard on the " Hudson " s location . They take the shuttle in tow and move to an area where it is safe to bring the smaller craft aboard . Meanwhile , Data is reliving an experience from his first days at Starfleet Academy . As the memory fades , he find himself floating in space watching several relics being pulled into a gravity sink . Chapter 10 . Aboard " Enterprise " , Captain Picard and Commander Riker go to see Lieutenant Commander La Forge in sickbay , who fills them in on the events aboard the " Hudson " . Data activates his emotion chip , to give him some edge that might enable him to make it out of the mess he ' s in , and watches as an Androssi raider and the " Vuxhal " approach one another . The " Vuxhal " shuts down as the raider approaches , and the raider begins to shift and change into an exact duplicate of the " Vuxhal " . Data determines that the mimic is responsible for many troubles in the boneyard , but moments later , he gets his chance for escape as the original " Vuxhal " explodes . Chapter 11 . As the debris comes flying at Data , he uses it to make his way to the drifting hulk of the " Seattle " . Once inside , Data finds a subspace transmitter and attaches it to his internal power source in an effort to contact the " Enterprise " . Soon the " Enterprise " arrives and Data is brought on board . He tells his tale to the captain and the senior staff and the danger is immediately apparent . Especially once the fake " Vuxhal " appears and makes course for the " Enterprise " . Data immediately jumps to his feet and implores upon the Captain to destroy the mimic ship . Picard orders Data to deactivate his emotion chip . He does so , but maintains his position that the mimic ship must be destroyed . Chapter 12 . Picard soon realizes he has no choice and orders quantum torpedo es fired at the ship . The ship breaks apart , but none are convinced that the mimic ship has been destroyed . Soon Captain Leeden informs Picard that the Ontailians are not happy about the events that have just taken place . Since it looks like the " Enterprise " just destroyed the " Vuxhal " , the remaining Ontailian ships assault and destroy the " Juno " without the " Enterprise " crew being able to do anything about it . The " Enterprise " retreats outside the boneyard and heads back to Earth . Chapter 13 . Having watched all this without interfering , Wesley Crusher decides to return to Starfleet Command and exert a small amount of influence over the coming events . He assumes the guise of Ensign Brewster , a non - entity that most won ' t notice and no one can describe . He becomes Admiral Nechayev ' s aide and becomes privy to a meeting of the Starfleet Admiralty , who decide that Picard will become the scapegoat over the matter . Admiral Nechayev refuses to accept this and offers to be Picard ' s defense council at the inquiry . Soon , Doctor Yerbi Fandau , head of Starfleet Medical contacts Dr . Crusher about Picard , and it becomes apparent he will be remanded to the custody of Starfleet Medical Mental Health upon the " Enterprise " s return to Earth . She is ordered not to reveal this to the captain , but she does so anyway out of loyalty . Chapter 14 . Wesley , under the guise of Ensign Brewster , meets with Admiral Nechayev and Commodore Korgan , a Medusan , who is to be the prosecutor at Picard ' s inquiry . The admiral and the commodore cannot reach a deal , so the inquiry must go forward . It is also clear that the commodore suspects something about Ensign Brewster . Admiral Nechayev meets with Captain Picard and Lieutenant Commander Data as they arrive at Earth , and Data is sent to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers for testing while Picard is soon remanded to the custody of Counselor Colleen Cabot at Starfleet Medical Mental Health . She takes him to a holoward for testing over the next two days before his trial . Chapter 15 . Later that evening , Geordi La Forge is unable to meet up with Data at the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to attend the memorial service for the crew of the " Juno " until Ensign Brewster intervenes . They , along with the captain , Counselor Colleen Cabot , Dr . Crusher , Admiral Nechayev , and Counselor Troi all make it to the service without further incident . As the night wears on , Counselor Cabot makes friends among the present " Enterprise " crew and is able to determine that the captain was in his right mind when he fired upon the " Vuxhal " . Chapter 16 . The inquiry does not go well . It seems that every defense Admiral Nechayev offers is a pale echo next to the arguments of the prosecutor , Commodore Korgan . In the end , Captain Jean - Luc Picard is found to have acted negligently in not doing more to prevent the tragedy . But the battle is far from over . Chapter 17 . A short time later , La Forge is stunned to learn that Data has been returned to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to have his emotion chip removed . Despite his protests , Starfleet is apparently in the right , and nothing can be done to prevent the loss . Admiral Nechayev visits Picard in a cell at Starfleet Command and convinces him not to appeal so that he may be remanded back to Starfleet Medical Mental Health . He will lose face , but not to the people who matter . And as Dr . Crusher wanders the grounds of Starfleet Academy , she is visited by Wesley in a tearful reunion . When asked why he is back , he says only that he intends " to save the " Enterprise " . " Memorable quotes . " " You can ' t go home again . " " " " La Forge has clocked many hours with his hands inside my head . " " References . Admiralty ; ; auto - destruct ; captain ' s yacht ; ; distress call ; Dominion War ; emotion chip ; ; ; Medusan ; quantum torpedo ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet Corps of Engineers ; Starfleet Medical ; subspace transmitter ; The Traveler