The Sky's the Limit - Marco Palmieri [167]
“It is.” Worf paused, then decided that he had to bring up an issue that he had known would come. “Sir…”
“Yes?”
“About Commander Data’s effects…”
“I am not a cat person,” Worf had insisted.
“It looks like you are now,” Geordi La Forge had told him. Worf and La Forge had taken care of the inventory of Data’s quarters after his death. La Forge had been the android’s best friend, and Worf had felt that assisting was the best way to honor his fallen shipmate.
Some items had been bequeathed to Data’s comrades, while others would be returned to Starfleet. Still others, including the prototype android designated B-4, had been sent to Bruce Maddox of Starfleet’s artificial intelligence division, since Data’s android nature was of interest to them. Pieces of equipment that weren’t personal possessions were reassigned to where they might be needed. In their sorting through Data’s effects, the pair had unexpectedly come across something that didn’t fit into any of those categories.
More accurately, it had leaped into Worf’s arms and begun to purr. La Forge had immediately expressed guilt that he had forgotten all about the cat. Worf just wanted to drop it to the floor before it made him sneeze. He had resisted the urge; the animal was an inconvenience but had earned no harm from him.
Now that he had a moment, Worf decided it was time to bring the matter up. Spot was as much a part of Data’s belongings as anything else and ought to be dealt with as appropriately. “Has a new home been found for Data’s cat?” Worf asked Picard.
Picard tilted an eyebrow. “I’m afraid not. With the crew at half strength, there are fewer options available.” He frowned. “Where is the cat now?”
“In a carrier in my quarters. I would like it to be moved to a more appropriate location as soon as possible. Perhaps—”
“Mister Worf, it would not be my ideal first choice to put you on the—” Picard hesitated, then bowed to the inevitable with a faint ironic smile. “On the spot like this.” Worf said nothing; he had long since become used to human speech patterns making these ironic connections, whether consciously or otherwise. “I’m afraid that, for the moment, you’re rather stuck with the cat.”
Worf shifted uncomfortably. “Captain, I am not a cat person. And my duties are increasing as the repairs progress.”
“I see…. Do you feel…burdened by your duties?”
“No,” Worf snapped immediately. “The increase in workload is…challenging.”
“I think the phrase anyone else would use is ‘thankless hard work,’ ” Picard said. He rose, straightening his uniform. “It would appear to me that looking after Spot is a minor addition to your duties. Neither thankless nor, I should think, hard work.”
“Yes, sir,” Worf said reluctantly. “But it is not a task that appeals.”
“And what exactly do good Klingons—and good Starfleet officers—do when they receive an…unappealing duty?”
“The honorable thing.”
Picard nodded, and Worf could see he was amused. Worf didn’t mind; Picard had earned the right, many times over. “Then it would appear that the honorable thing to do would be to go down to sickbay and get inoculated against feline allergens.”
After Worf had left the ready room, Picard closed his eyes for a moment and allowed himself a small smile. There was always something new in commanding a starship—some unknown or forgotten fact, usually a small one. The devil was in the details, his father used to say. A captain could have planned out all kinds of strategies and missions, he might know all about navigation and the mechanics of warp travel, but there would always be those tiny details which came as a surprise. Such as having to find a home for a cat.
Worf would find this out as he went along. With no XO currently aboard, Worf was doing an admirable job holding together all those small details. Someday, Picard thought, Worf would make an excellent first officer, just as Will Riker would make an excellent captain for the U.S.S. Titan, when he and Deanna returned from their honeymoon.
He returned to his screen, running an eye over new personnel files. With repairs nearing completion,