Requiem - Michael Jan Friedman [27]
The big man leaned forward. “For the next week or more, I’ll be walking a very fine line, balancing my commitment to the search for Captain Picard against the importance of the Gorn summit—and the captain’s own importance to that summit. I need someone who will not be afraid to speak up immediately if I’m stepping over that line. I’ll also need creative thinking and additional options during the search and during the summit—if we are forced to go without the captain. For now, that will be your job.”
Ro kept her face impassive, but Riker knew he had annoyed her by intentionally surprising her with the assignment. He couldn’t deny that he had enjoyed catching her momentarily off guard, but his reasoning was much more practical—right now, he needed her on her toes.
“Permission to make preliminary recommendations now, sir,” the ensign asked.
“Granted.”
Ro’s face took on a serious cast that was almost a scowl “I recommend that we immediately abandon the search for Captain Picard and proceed to the Gorn summit. Frankly, the odds against finding the captain alive, in the time allotted to us, are astronomical. Our time and resources would be better spent formulating a contingency plan for the negotiations.” She paused. “Your loyalty to the captain is admirable, sir. But in this case, the summit must be the overriding concern. We cannot afford to let it fail.”
Riker’s response was clipped and forceful. “I’m assessing the risk differently, Ensign. Our chances of success with the Gorn are considerably higher with Captain Picard, because of his experience, and because he is a known and respected quantity among them. In addition, I have a hunch that we will be able to find him. A hunch is a command tool, and playing it is a command prerogative.”
He knew that in her place, he would be raising the same questions. But he also knew that he had already decided on his immediate course of action.
Ro maintained her composure, though Riker could see that it was taking some effort. “I recognize the value of intuition in command situations,” she said. “But even a course of action based on a hunch must have a reasonable chance of success. I see no such chance here.”
“I see it differently, Ensign,” Riker said, letting a note of finality creep into his voice. It was time to get back to the search, and—
“You’ve never lost anyone, have you?” Ro asked.
Riker glared.
“Wait a second,” she said, eyeing him closely. “You have, haven’t you? Who was it? A parent, a sibling?”
“None of your damn business,” he replied.
“You’re right,” she conceded. “But it doesn’t matter. Because losing one person doesn’t tell you what it’s like to lose everyone. Do you know what that means, to lose everyone? We Bajorans almost lost our whole world. And you know what that teaches you? It teaches you that some losses are inevitable. You’ve got to accept them and move on. Because if you can’t save everything, you can at least save something.”
“Please, Ensign,” Riker said sarcastically, “Don’t hold back.”
“Frankly, sir, I don’t think I can afford to. The stakes of the summit are too high.” Ro paused for a moment, in which she seemed to be consciously reining herself in. When she spoke again, her voice had softened.
“Sir, when I was sixteen, I was part of a perimeter guard at a hidden weapons factory. In my squad was a fifteen-year-old boy who began following me around. He was small for his age, slow in drills, and scared most of the time. But he kept up his end. Because he was persistent and because in the end I had no choice, we became friends. One night, our squad was hit and we scattered. I saw him go down.
“Instead of leading the defense, I wasted precious seconds going back for him. Well, I got there in time to watch him die—and then returned to my squad just in time to catch the last few moments of a massacre. I went back for one person,