The Battle of Betazed - Charlotte Douglas [32]
Chapter Seven
“E NERGIZE,” R IKER ORDERED.
The first officer waited with Deanna Troi in Transporter Room Three for the remaining key officers of the mission to come aboard the Enterprise.
“Aye, sir.” The technician initiated transport.
On the transporter pad, beamed energy solidified into the forms of two old friends: Chief Miles Edward O’Brien and Lieutenant Commander Worf.
“Welcome aboard, gentlemen.” Riker greeted both arrivals with a broad grin.
“Commander,” Worf said with a nod.
“I trust your journey went well, Mr. Worf?” Riker asked.
The Klingon nodded again. “Admiral Ross’s order to divert to Starbase 133 came just after the successful completion of our mission to Bolarus. The Defiant and its crew are at your service.” Never especially talkative unless duty demanded it, Worf seemed even more distant than usual.
Not surprising, given his recent loss, Riker thought.
O’Brien, by contrast, seemed as warm as ever, though it was immediately apparent that the war had aged the engineer, deepening the furrows on his forehead beneath his curly chestnut hair and adding fresh lines to bracket his mouth and merry eyes.
“Hello, sir. Counselor,” he said. “Keiko sends her love.”
Riker acknowledged the greeting from O’Brien’s wife, but his eyes were drawn to Deanna and Worf. Ignoring the Klingon’s inflexible military bearing, Deanna had stepped forward and warmly embraced her old shipmate and former lover.
The meeting was not their first since their fleeting romance had ended, but none of them had seen Worf since the death of his wife, Jadzia, another casualty of war, killed only two months ago.
Typically, Worf bore no outward sign of grief on his dark face, his expression as stiff as the ridges on his forehead, but it didn’t take much empathy to feel the man’s heartache. Will knew Deanna would want to comfort Worf, to help ease his loss, but she and Worf both had jobs to do. The war wouldn’t allow time for any but the briefest acknowledgment of the tragic changes in their lives.
After a quick and awkward embrace, Worf stepped back from her. His dark eyes spoke volumes. “I grieve for the loss of your world, Deanna.”
Deanna placed her hand over Worf’s doubled hearts. “And I grieve for the loss of yours.”
Seeing Worf and being reminded of his wife’s death brought home to Riker that he could take nothing for granted. But brooding over the losses and upcoming danger would do none of them any good. Forcing his mind back to his duties, Riker motioned toward the door. “Forgive the rush, gentlemen,” he said, “but we’re expected at the mission briefing. If you’ll kindly follow me …”
“This is insane,” Riker blurted at Vaughn a short time later.
From his position at the opposite end of the conference table in the observation lounge, Captain Picard wasn’t surprised by the outburst. He constantly relied on his first officer to speak his mind, though usually not so forcefully.
Vaughn also seemed unperturbed by Riker’s objections. The mission leader stood beside a viewscreen on the far wall, amusement tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Don’t hold back, Commander. Tell us what you really think.”
Will shook his head and pointed to the Betazed system tactical graphic displayed on the viewscreen. “You can’t expect the Enterprise and only three Saber-class light cruisers to go up against a dozen Cardassian and Dominion ships of the line. We’ll never get anywhere near Sentok Nor.”
Picard had shared the same concerns with Vaughn earlier, but the captain had also accepted that three light cruisers were the maximum Starfleet could spare. All other ships within range were either disabled or fighting along the extensive front, struggling to prevent Dominion forces from penetrating Federation space. Besides, Picard wasn’t about to express his reservations in front of his crew. For the mission to succeed, they had to believe that it would, or they were beaten before they left the starbase.
Seeing Worf and O’Brien gathered once again around the table with Riker, La Forge, Data, Troi, and Crusher brought back