All Good Things__ - Michael Jan Friedman [57]
Of course, that came as no surprise. Will had commanded the Enterprise for several years after Jean-Luc joined the diplomatic corps—and before Riker himself became an admiral.
Beverly didn’t recognize his crew, but she hadn’t expected to. Hell, she hadn’t expected anything except to be blasted to atoms.
Looking behind her, she saw that Jean-Luc, Worf, Data, Geordi, and her bridge officers—with the exception of poor Chilton—had materialized on the bridge as well. But what about the rest of her people?
She was answered by the officer at tactical. “The Pasteur crew is safely aboard, Admiral.”
“Raise shields,” responded Riker. “Where are the Klingons?”
The tactical o~cer consulted his board. “They’re still moving off, sir—half a light-year distant.”
The admiral nodded. “They’ll be back,” he said confidently.
But for now, Beverly assured herself, they were safe. Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked around appraisingly.
Apparently, the Enterprise had seen a few technologi-cal updates over the years. The captain’s chair was slightly higher than it used to be, and there were other changes in evidence. But it was still basically the same place she had once called home.
Satisfied that the battle was over, Riker turned to the new arrivals and favored them with a smile. “Well?” he asked, only half-seriously. “Isn’t somebody going to say thank you?”
Worf took a step toward the admiral. His face was racked with barely restrained fury.
“There is nothing to thank you for.” he snarled, his mouth twisting around the words. “If you had not turned the captain down when he came to you for help, none of this would have happened.”
Riker’s smile disappeared. “What about you, Worf?. I can’t believe you let a defenseless ship cross into hostile territory without an escort.”
“I did what was right,” the Klingon insisted. His lips pulled back from his teeth. “Unlike some people,” he grated, ‘7 still have a sense of loyalty. Of honor.”
“It wasn’t a question of honor,” said the admiral. “It was a question of common sense.” “Or of cowardice,” spat Worf.
Riker’s eyes flashed. “Remember who you’re talking to, Governor.” Jean-Luc stepped between them before the confrontation could escalate any further. “We don’t have time for this,” he insisted. “Will, you have to shut down the warp-core breach on the Pasteur.” The admiral looked at him. “What?”
The older man nodded vigorously. “The subspace barrier in this region… it’s very thin. If that ship explodes, it could rupture the barrier… flood this whole area with anti-time.t Don’t you see—this could be the very thing that destroys humanity!” Oh, no, thought Beverly. Not that again.
Riker looked at Jean-Luc as if he had gone completely mad. Then he turned to Data, to Geordi, and, finally, to Beverly. “What the hews he talking about?” She shook her head. “Frankly, I’m not sure anymore.” Jean-Luc grew wild. He grasped the android by the arm. “Data, tell them! Tell them!”
The android met Riker’s gaze. “The subspace barrier in this area is quite thin… though not unusually so.”
“You see, you see?” Jean-Luc pointed to the viewscreen, where the Pasteur hung crippled in space, its hull charred by disruptor fire. “If that ship explodes, it could destroy everything!”
The admiral shot a ance at his tactical officer. “Mr. Gaines, is there any way to repair the warp-core breach on the Pasteur?”
The man didn’t look optimistic. “I don’t think so, sir. The plasma injector is already…”
Abruptly, something caught his eye. His fingers flew over his controls. “Wait a minute, sir. I think it’s about to breach …. “
Beverly focused on the viewscreen. For a moment, there was no change in the Pasteur’s status. Then, with shocking finality, the ship vanished in a burst of blue-white energy.
She felt a pang in her throat. The Pasteur was her first vessel… her first command. It was as if she had just seen a part of herself destroyed.
But Jean-Luc… his horror was much worse than hers, she observed. For, by his lights, the destruction of the Pasteur might well mean the