All Good Things__ - Michael Jan Friedman [37]
Bolting to his feet, he made his way to the door and emerged onto the bridge. Seeing that Riker wasn’t there, he looked up to the intercom grid.
“Commander Riker,” he said.
“Riker here,” came the reply.
“Assemble the senior staff,” the captain told him, shivering at what he had just learned. “And go to red alert. We have a bigger problem on our hands than we thought.”
‘Dr. Pulaski?”
Kate Pulaski looked up from her solitary table, where she’d been playing the Andorian game of choctoq—and losingú She wasn’t sure whom she expected to see… but it wasn’t the Daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Riix.
“Ambassador Troi?” she responded, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. A few of her fellow officers looked up from the surrounding tables and then went back to their own conversations.
Lwaxana Troi hadn’t changed much in the five years since the doctor had seen her last. Her hair was a dusky red instead of brunette, but she still had that friskiness about her that sent strong captains sprinting wildly for the escape pods.
Then again, Pulaski thought, who am I to talk about other people being frisky? Those who’re been to the trough as often as I have shouldn’t throw stones… to mix a metaphor.
“I see you remember me,” commented the Betazoid. “And yes, I have changed the color of my hair. How sweet of you to notice.”
Pulaski reddened. Telepathy was a damned inconvenient trait, when you came right down to it. Gesturing to the chair on the other side of the table, she said, “Please, sit down.”
The ambassador sat. Picking up one of the choctoq tiles, she inspected the dragonlike symbol on its smooth, white face. “I know,” she began. “You’re wondering what I’m doing here on the Repulse. Well, Ambassador Zul of Triannis took ill just a few days ago…”
“And you took his place on the Alpha Tiberia negotiating team,” the chief medical officer finished. “I’ve got it. But Ambassador Zul was one of our foremost experts on Ferengi barter techniques …. “
“So he was,” Lwaxana agreed, replacing the tile in its starburst configuration. “Which is why they asked me to take his place. You see, I’ve had some dealings of my own with the Ferengi. And let me assure you, Doctor, they were a lot more colorful than Ambassador Zul’s.”
Pulaski smiled. “I have no doubt of it. So, tell me… how’s Deanna? And the rest of the Enterprise crew?”
The Betazoid frowned. “You may not believe it, but Deanna’s still not married. And she’s got the prettiest face on that entire ship, if I say so myself.” She sighed. “As for the others… they’re about the same, I suppose.” She thought for a moment. “Did Will Riker have a beard when you were with them?” The doctor nodded. “He’d just grown it.” “And… did you meet Alexander?”
Pulaski shook her head. “The name doesn’t ring a bell. Who’s he?”
Lwaxana smiled. “Just the most precious little Klingon child you ever saw. It’s hard to believe his father is someone as grim as Mr. Woof.” The doctor looked at her, amused. “You mean Worf” “Woof, Worf…” She shrugged, as if the difference were insignificant. “In any case, Alexander came aboard after his poor mother died. Did you know K’Ehleyr?”
Pulaski put cha’ and cha’ together. “K’Ehleyr was the boy’s mother?”
The Betazoid nodded. “Poor dear. She was killed by some horrid High Council member, when her research threatened to expose his family’s treachery.”
The doctor shivered. “How awful. But the boy is all right?”
“He is now,” Lwaxana told her. “Thanks to the attention my daughter showers on him.”
Pulaski had liked Worf—but she couldn’t picture him raising a youngster all on his own. It had to be hard on someone like him. “It is,” the ambassador replied.
Again, Pulaski had reason to regret the development of telepathy in Betazoids. “And Data?” she asked. “How’s he doing?”
Lwaxana looked at her. “The android?” She considered the question. “Actually, he doesn’t seem to change much, does—” She stopped herself. “No, I take that back. He doesn’t change physically. But now that I think