There's a brief moment of silence before Jean-Luc answers, mostly so he can get his thoughts in proper order. Admittedly, it also imparts a slightly awkward air to the proceedings, but there's not much that he can do about that.

"Do you remember when we first spoke? When I... mentioned that the organization I work for has a strict policy of non-interference?"

With good reason, yes, but for all that the words are coming out slowly, the air of mild embarrassment suggests that there's more to the story that's yet to come. Even if it does mean that he has to eat crow a little in the process. Still, the part he's just finished is the most awkward part, and while he's looks a little embarrassed, his words start to come a bit easier.

"In light of... recent events, I've decided that no longer applies to the situation at hand."

The Admiralty might still try to chastise him for it, of course. But given the things that he and Beverly had both said while they were less than lucid on account of the plague, there's hardly any sense in trying to put the genie back in the bottle; he gives Sam a brief moment to wrap her head around his slightly disjointed comments, and then he jumps straight to the point he's been trying to make.

"We do have flying cars in the 24th century."