Have Tech, Will Travel (SCE Books 1-4) - Keith R. A. DeCandido_. [et al.] [100]
“Ha ha,” Gomez said as she took back her hand. “Pardon me for trying to connect with you.”
“Okay, no more wise guy,” Duffy said. “What would you have me say? Of course I’ve run through all the scenarios in my head and yes, I’m nervous for you . . . for every one of you who are beaming over to the Defiant during interphase. But whatever works out . . . here, well, I think we’ve both been around long enough to know the risks and costs to our personal lives.”
The admission, uncertain yet heartfelt as it was, caught Gomez completely off guard. How long had it been since she and Duffy had talked, really talked, like this?
Her giggle came from nowhere, and Gomez found herself abruptly covering her mouth, struggling to keep her composure from dissolving completely. It was too late, though, as she saw Duffy’s expression fall.
“Kieran, you’re sweet,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “But that wasn’t what I meant at all.”
Duffy straightened in his chair, the brush-off stinging him almost as much as it used to back on the Enterprise . Determined to save the moment, he quickly fumbled for a witty retort.
“Oh, well, this has got to be the first time in my life I’ve misunderstood a woman’s intentions.” Was it enough of a cover?
He should have known better.
“It seems we have a new issue on the table.” Gomez drew a breath only to giggle again, but quickly rallied to maintain her bearing. “I can’t say I haven’t missed this kind of talk with you, but we really don’t have time to get into this right now. Can we put it in stasis for the time being?”
“Consider it frozen,” he said, almost too quickly.
For now, he added to himself.
The pause in their conversation threatened to become too long, but then Gomez pressed forward.
“What I wanted to know was how you’re planning for your end of the mission.”
Duffy shrugged again and sipped from his glass, hoping to avoid looking Gomez directly in the eye. He felt certain that, had she looked hard enough, she would see through to the doubt he hid within him.
He hoped to sound nonchalant. “Seems pretty cut and—”
A tone from the da Vinci ’s communications system interrupted him, followed by Captain Gold’s voice.
“All senior officers and mission specialists to the briefing room. We’re approaching the rendezvous point.”
“You were saying?” Gomez asked as they both rose from the table and headed out of the mess hall.
“Oh. It seems pretty cut and dried,” he finished as they proceeded down the corridor. “You guys have the hard part in prepping the Defiant . I’m just minding the store.”
“But that’s just it, Kieran.” Gomez dropped her voice, a tone Duffy knew she used when she wanted his full attention. He obliged, pausing in his step.
“It’s not standard procedure for the captain and me to be off the ship at the same time. We both know that the da Vinci ’s center seat is not where you want to be.”
For the second time in their conversation, Duffy hoped that his wince was more internal than external. During his time on the da Vinci , Duffy had worked his way up the chain of command, earning the confidence of Captain Gold to the point of his being recognized as third in line to the big chair. But that line had never stretched so far as to put him in command during an actual S.C.E. mission. Duffy had taken the conn on a few occasions, his previous one lasting less than an hour as Captain Gold accompanied Sonya to a debriefing on Starbase 42. When he was in charge, Duffy himself had joked, the da Vinci might as well be on autopilot.
I’ve never even recorded a captain’s log entry.
Duffy shifted on his feet as Gomez’s words hung in the air. Everyone on the da Vinci saw Duffy as a lighthearted but skilled officer, one who led more by example than authority. It was an image he had worked hard to project. He never wanted to be one of those engineers