Q & A - Keith R. A. DeCandido [79]
“Definitely.”
Kadohata stood up. “I’ve got to get to the bridge. Cheers.” She gave La Forge a wide smile and then added, “Geordi?”
“Yeah?”
“My quarters, tomorrow night, twenty-one hundred—bring the cards, I’ll provide the chips.”
Frowning, La Forge said, “I beg your pardon?”
“I’m inviting Worf, Beverly, T’Lana, and the captain. Poker. Dealer calls the game, but I swear if anyone calls one of those silly wild-card variants I will taunt them mercilessly.”
“Fair enough. What about Leybenzon? He seems like the kind of guy who’d enjoy it.”
After considering it for a second, Kadohata nodded. “All right, I’ll ask him.” She moved toward the exit. “Take care, Geordi.”
La Forge drank the last of his ale. He hadn’t told Miranda the truth. His first thought waking up this morning was, Today, Data and I get to check out the weird planet!
La Forge exited the Riding Club. He wanted to check Taurik’s final report on the base camp equipment one more time. I still miss you, Data. La Forge smiled, recalling the number of times they had taken all of Data’s chips. He started considering who’d be as gullible and readable as Data had been…had been. That was a first. Maybe that was all he needed—a good, swift reality check.
However, he was at least a little cheered by the fact that he’d be playing a poker game afterward. La Forge had assumed that, with Riker’s departure, the weekly poker games would cease, and he found that he was grateful to Kadohata for starting them up again.
T’Lana sat opposite Captain Picard in his ready room, having declined his offer of tea. They had been discussing the crew’s reactions to the encounter with Q.
“One more thing, Counselor. How’s Commander Kadohata handling her new position?”
“There are the usual difficulties. She is replacing a beloved officer who held the same post.”
Picard considered the mixed blessing of Vulcan bluntness. “Do you think these difficulties are ones she can overcome?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Is there anything else?”
T’Lana hesitated. “Leading the landing party was unwise.”
After taking a sip of his tea, Picard carefully pointed out, “It has been my experience, where Q is concerned, that traditional methods are not applicable.”
“I wonder, sir, how often you will be able to find the rationale to go against standard procedure.”
The counselor had spoken openly as the captain had requested. Jean-Luc Picard smiled at her. “I appreciate your candor, Counselor, and hope it will continue.”
“What concerns me, Captain, is what you will do with that candor.”
“Thank you, Counselor. Dismissed.”
With that, T’Lana rose, bowed her head slightly to the captain, and left the ready room.
“Deal me out,” La Forge said as he rose from the table in Kadohata’s quarters. “I need to get something from my cabin.”
Kadohata smiled as she shuffled the deck. “If it’s a pair of aces to shove up your sleeve, make sure they aren’t both diamonds.” She stared at the small pile of chips in front of La Forge’s seat. Geordi’s not having a good night of it.
Chuckling, La Forge left, leaving only Picard, T’Lana, and Crusher at the table.
“Did you invite Lieutenant Leybenzon?” T’Lana asked.
“I did. He declined. At first I thought he was just being himself, but he said he’s never played the game.”
Smirking, Crusher said, “Seems to me like that’s the ideal new player.”
Kadohata laughed as she put the deck in front of T’Lana, who cut it. “That’s what I said. But he also said that he would be more than happy to take any comers in Go.”
Picard nodded. “Go is an excellent method for training the strategic mind.”
Kadohata started dealing the cards. “Five-card draw, jacks or better to open.”
As she took her cards, Crusher said, “Zelik Leybenzon was the most nightmarish physical I’ve ever given. He complained about every single thing I did, asked the reason behind each test.”
Kadohata saw that she had a pair of twos—diamonds and clubs—and three, four, and six, all clubs. “Can anyone open?”
Picard