Lost Era 06_ Catalyst of Sorrows - Margaret Wander Bonanno [142]
“Dr. Heisenberg, I’m really sorry…” Sisko began.
“No, no, dear boy, it’s I who should be sorry for you,” Heisenberg said. “Albatross was just the prototype. I’ve much more interesting gadgets up my sleeve. I’m more concerned with the amount of paperwork this will generate. Forms, requisitions, explanations…” The old man sighed. “But you, to have to sacrifice your ship on your first command…” He clapped Sisko on the shoulder sympathetically.
“But she wasn’t-that is, I wasn’t-” Sisko said, but then he realized Heisenberg was right. He’d wondered why, even with the relative success of the mission, even reunited with Jennifer and Jake, he’d still felt a niggling sadness. He’d have to think about that some more. “Guess I’ll think twice before accepting another command, sir. But I’m honored that Albatross was my first.”
Long after he’d left Heisenberg tinkering with his latest gadget and returned to his post on Okinawa, Sisko realized what he’d said. Accepting another command? he thought. Me? I’m an engineer. I’ve ducked the command track all my life. What was I thinking? What bizarre Freudian slip of the tongue made me say that? Could Curzon have been right?
He’d barely arrived in the engine room when a Level-2 diagnostic soon occupied his entire attention. He never noticed Curzon observing him from the upper level, a knowing smile on his otherwise angelic face.
*
Uhura left the resignation letter on one screen and opened another to her to-do list. Notify all members of her away team, plus the medical team, of Commander Starfleet’s instructions, each of them individually so as to keep cross talk at a minimum. Brace for the howling she knew she’d get from Dr. Crusher’s direction. Maybe she’d talk to Crusher last.
Tuvok was already back on the Billings, Selar on her science vessel, Sisko in Okinawa’s engine room. McCoy was out on the lake communing with the trout. She’d probably have to bark at Crusher to make her settle down, or let her oversee the vaccination program on the starbases to keep her too busy to be angry but, ultimately, all was well.
Uhura reread her resignation letter one more time, and one more time her finger hovered over the SEND button. With a sigh, she filed the letter for another time and went back to work, for now.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue