Reunion - Michael Jan Friedman [102]
Asmund’s eyes narrowed. She raised the phaser just slightly. Picard saw that it was set for “kill.” The woman took a couple of steps toward Greyhorse.
“Idun,” the captain said, “stop and think.” With his ann slung over Pug’s shoulder, he got to his feet. “You don’t really want to do this.”
Worf was just a few feet behind Greyhorse. He had his phaser in his hand as well. Set on stun, it was pointed at Asmund’s breast-but he seemed unwilling to press the trigger. “It’s over,” he told her. “Your name has been cleansed.”
“No thanks to him,” she replied, taking another step toward the doctor. She was almost close enough now to reach out and touch him. “He would have stripped me of the only thing left to me-my honor. Knowing how hard I’d worked to disassociate myself from Gerda’s crime, knowing what it meant to me to be trusted and respected again … he would have obliterated that without a second thought.”
“Yes,” Greyhorse agreed. “That and more. For Gerda. Someone had to remember her-avenge her.”
The muscles in Asmund’s jaw worked. Her eyes narrowed a notch. “Commander,” Worf entreated, “you have your hon-or. It is intact. Don’t blacken it now. Don’t finish the job he started.”
For a long moment she stared at her former comrade. Then, suddenly, she replaced the safety on her phaser and tossed it to the Klingon. Worf caught it in midair.
Greyhorse grinned derisively. “Your sister had more courage. She would have killed me.”
Asmund appraised him, her dark blue eyes as hard as stone. “No,” she decided. “Gerda was too honorable to kill a madman.” Without another word, she walked over to Picard and took his other arm. “Let’s go,” she said, “Captain.”
Picard looked at her and squeezed the hand that held his. “Yes,” he responded. “By all means. We have some Romulans to deal with.” And as Worf and his security people surrounded Carter Greyhorse, the captain let his two former officers escort him out of the room. “You are not Captain Picard,” the Romulan commander observed. Riker stood before the command center, where Beverly Crusher sat on the edge of her seat and sized up his adversary. He still had no idea of how he was going to get them out of this one. Clearing his throat, he said: “I am Commander Wil-liam T. Riker, first officer. The captain has been called away to deal with an emergency.”
That elicited a certain degree of interest from the Romulan. “An emergency,” he repeated. He made a derisive sound-loud enough to be heard over the communications link. “Something more pressing than a Romuann warbird with its talons around your throat?” He shook his head. “You take me too lightly, Commander. Perhaps I need to remind you where the true emergency lies.”
.
Looking back at one of his officers, the Romulan barked an order. As the officer complied, his fingers dancing over his console, Riker had a feeling about the kind of reminder the commander had in mind.
And there was no way they could escape it. Not at impulse speed. A moment later the bridge of the Enterprise shuddered. The first officer’s teeth ground together; he hated being so helpless.
“Shields at eighteen percent,” Data reported. He turned to face Riker. “One more such assault will result in extensive damage to the ship.”
Riker nodded, still staring at the screen-and the Romulan. He cursed softly. Come on, Will-think! Do something-before it’s too damned late!
The Romulan raised an eyebrow. “Now,” he said, “will you surrender-or must I incapacitate you first?” The first officer’s mind raced, but to no avail. He was drawing a blank at the worst possible time. Ironic, wasn’t it? They couldn’t move fast enough to even give these Romulans a run for their money, when not too long ago they were breaking every speed record in the-Blazes! That was it!
Frowning at his adversary, he said: “I can’t hear you, Commander. Your transmission is jumbled.”
Of course, that wasn’t the case at all-Riker could both see and hear the Romulan much better than he cared to. But he needed a minute to work on his idea.
The commander’s head titled ever so slightly. He was trying to