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“No,” Ro said, finishing her own cup and pushing away from the table. “It really isn’t, is it?”

As they stood and headed toward the door, Sito turned to Ro. “You know, if you decide to make the trip to Bajor, let me know. I’d love to visit again, and that trip is much too long to take by yourself.”

Ro was clearly taken aback. “Travel…together? With me?”

Sito grinned, and shrugged. “Why not? We Bajoran girls have to stick together, don’t we?”

“You wanted to see me, Captain?” La Forge stood in the open doorway of the captain’s ready room, hand resting on the jamb.

“Ah yes, Number One, come in.” Picard waved him in, glancing up from the computer screen. There were a handful of padds scattered on his desk, and a steaming cup of Earl Grey by his elbow.

La Forge slid into the chair opposite the Captain and leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. “I assume this isn’t about those crew performance evaluations I sent you?” he said with a slight smile.

Picard shook his head, wearing a sad smile of his own. “I wanted to talk with you about Data.”

The first officer gave a weary sigh. “That’s a name I wasn’t expecting to hear again for a long while, Captain, I can tell you that. After you showed us that recording, you could have knocked me over with a feather.”

“Yes, and don’t think you were the only one. Still, I imagine that this might be more…difficult for you than it is for the others.”

La Forge pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Captain?”

Picard leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk. “Geordi, you’ve served on the Enterprise almost as long as I have. It has been my observation that you are the kind of man who makes acquaintances with some ease, and who tends to work extremely well with others, but that you are not the kind of man who makes friends easily. In the time that I have known you I have seen you develop what one might call strong bonds with only a handful of others. Worf, perhaps? Riker, to some extent. And most definitely with Data.” The captain paused, raising an eyebrow. “You’ll forgive me for speaking candidly, but does this seem an unfair assessment?”

La Forge let out a breath through pursed lips. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting when summoned to the captain’s ready room, but it wasn’t a close scrutiny of his personal habits. Even so, he had to admit that the captain wasn’t wrong. “No, sir. That doesn’t sound unfair.” He nodded. “I think you could say that Data was a friend. Was probably my best friend, for that matter.”

Picard was thoughtful. “You know, when Deanna was still on board, I often called on her to gauge the emotional states of the crew, and occasionally of the senior staff themselves. But since she went to serve on the Excalibur with Will, I haven’t had a counselor that I can call on in quite that way. So you’ll have to forgive me for being so blunt, but I must know. Are you emotionally prepared for this coming mission?”

“Captain?” La Forge sat upright. “It isn’t like I was abandoned by a spouse or anything like that. We were just friends.”

Picard shook his head. “Of course not. You were simply friends, as you say-two individuals who worked together for years, developing deep bonds of trust and friendship, and then one day Data simply left, without warning, explanation, or apology.” He took a deep breath through his nostrils, held it, and let it out. “Geordi, it isn’t an admission of weakness to say that you felt betrayed by one of your closest friends, nor to admit that there was an emotional component to that reaction. I’m simply asking you whether your personal feelings in this matter will interfere with your ability to carry out your duties.”

La Forge straightened. “No, sir.” He shook his head. “I’d like to get an explanation…”

“As would we all,” Picard put in.

“But beyond that it’s water under the bridge, sir. I’m a Starfleet officer with a job to do. The fact that my feelings may or may not have been bruised a decade ago is immaterial.”

Picard nodded. “That’s what I wanted to hear.