Q & A - Keith R. A. DeCandido [25]
Miranda grinned right back, picturing her little girl standing up straight, nodding her head emphatically, and saying those words.
“Then Esmeralda comes out, sees the greelak in my hand, screams, and runs into another corner of the porch.”
At that, Miranda couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Oh, that’s wonderful.”
“So then our little girl rolls her eyes, stares at Esmeralda—yeah, it is wonderful, isn’t it? Anyhow, Aoki stares at Esmeralda and says, ‘Don’t you know anything? Greelaks are harmless!’”
Her laughter continuing, Miranda bit back a reply, not wanting to fall victim to the delay. After a couple of seconds, during which she started to tie her long dark hair into a bun in the back, she realized that Vicenzo was done. “Thank you for that, my love, that’s wonderful. No doubt the high point of the evening.”
Four seconds, then: “Well, no commonalities got fostered, that’s for damn sure. So how’re things there? Every time we talk, I go on about the twins or Aoki or the university. You haven’t said anything about the Enterprise. How is it? What’re the people like? Is it like it was when you were there before?”
She sat in front of the viewer. “Well, technically, love, it’s not the same ship. And half the command crew’s gone. But it’s the same in some ways, certainly. Beverly’s still wonderful, and Geordi’s still a delight—though he seemed a bit off at dinner last night. I’ve spoken to the new counselor a few times, and she’s quite good at her job—though I’m told she was at loggerheads with the captain during that Borg nonsense they went through. And the new security chief is a bit of a wanker, truth be told.” She started tapping her chin with her right index finger, a nervous habit she’d picked up years ago. “Then there’s the captain and Worf. They’re both exactly the same as they were twelve years ago when I left the D, and yet both completely different. The captain still radiates that incredible presence, but he also seems a lot more relaxed. Worf’s still as much a Klingon warrior but somehow not quite as scary to a commander as he was to a lieutenant. It’s odd, both of them are always the focal point of whatever room they’re in at a given moment. At dinner last night, Worf actually smiled. Twelve years ago, I was near convinced that a smile would crack his face in half. I understand he was married for about a year when he was posted on that station near Bajor—that probably mellowed him some.”
She saw Vicenzo chuckle, no doubt in reaction to the face-cracking-in-half line. Then, four seconds after she finished, he asked, “Yeah, but what’s the ship like? You fitting in okay as second officer?”
“So far. Honestly, it’s only been nine days of flying at warp eight to Gorsach. Not exactly what you’d call high-maintenance duty.”
“You seem to be enjoying it so far. I haven’t seen you this giddy in ages.”
“Oh, I am, believe me,” she said with a smile. “This is the assignment of a lifetime. I wish I was serving with Data as my first…”
“I’m glad I at least got to meet him that one time.”
“So’m I.” She laughed. “That was quite a dinner, wasn’t it? I still can’t believe Data actually answered every single one of Aoki’s questions—and answered them in a way she’d understand too.” Vicenzo and Aoki had traveled to Earth to visit Miranda at Starfleet Command, where she’d been assigned, and Data had joined them for dinner. Data had said that Aoki had reminded him fondly of a young boy named Artim who had taught him a great deal about being a child.
“In any case, this morning’s my first away team, so—” Suddenly, Miranda pursed her lips and blinked a few times. “Oh, bollocks. Computer, what time is it?”
“The time is zero-six fifty-five hours.”
She cursed to herself. After going to all the trouble of waking up an hour early, she’d completely lost track of time and now had to leave immediately.
“I’m running late, love, I have to go! I