To Storm Heaven - Esther Friesner [23]
“In other words, a spy,” he muttered as he wrapped up his tour of inspection. He shook his head over the whole situation. Truths, half truths, hidden truths, lies that were deliberate or accidental or truth wearing a mask… It was all too complicated for his liking.
Why couldn’t people be more straightforward, like machines?
That thought brought a fleeting image of his good friend Data to mind. Geordi smiled. Did the two of them get along so well because or in spite of the fact that each, in his own way, had one foot on either side of the human-machine borderline? There was a saying in Starfleet that a good engineer understood machines almost as well as he did people, but that a great engineer understood people almost as well as he did machines.
I’ve got to get out more, Geordi told himself. Maybe it past time I started paying more attention to people.
Maybe this shore leave is just what I need after all, no matter why I’m getting it. I know I won’t be a very good spy, but there no reason I can’t explore Ne’elat, meet someone new, just have a plain, ordinary, good time. With that resolution in mind, Geordi headed for the transporter room.
“Now will you admit we’re lost?” Ensign Yee demanded. She pointed to the floor-to-ceiling wall panel, a panoramic landscape, every line and shape of it a carefully inlaid piece of semiprecious stone. It dominated the high-domed chamber where six corridors intersected. It was not a landmark you could forget, especially if this was the fourth time you had found it.
“Now will you ask someone for directions?” “A Starfleet officer is resourceful,” Ensign Blumberg countered. “We can find our own way.” Ensign Yee looked doubtful and dismissed Ensign Blumberg’s words by tunling to Geordi and asking, “Please, sir, can’t we stop one of our hosts and ask which way to the gardens? The concert’s supposed to start soon and—” Geordi restrained the urge to laugh, not at the two quarreling ensigns, but at himself. Ensign Yee was right, they were definitely lost and they should have asked for directions long ago. The government palace of Ne’elat was like a three-dimensional example of any sufficiently advanced bureaucracy, a labyrinth to those uninitiated into the secret plan underlying it all.
Very well then, he’d ask directions. But from whom? Geordi glanced around the huge, circular chamber. Unlike most of the areas in the Ne’elatian palace of government, this one seemed virtually deserted. During the four unsuccessful attempts Geordi and his party had made trying to find the gardens, they had passed through corridors and anterooms where it was almost impossible to get by for all the Ne’elatians rushing here and there on their own errands.
“Wait here,” Geordi directed. “I‘11 see if I can find someone who can help us.” He started up one of the six entryways.
Behind him, he heard Ensign Blumberg declare, “I can find my own way,” followed by the sound of retreating footsteps. This was in turn followed by Ensign Yee’s loud, heartfelt sigh of resignation, and then her voice calling, “No, not that way! We just came out that way! You’re going to get yourself lost even worse than…” More retreating footsteps reached Geordi’s‘ ears, the rapid beat of Ensign Yee taking off after Ensign Blumberg.
Wonderful. Now I’ve lost them, too, Geordi thought.
We’ll probably have to have the ship’s sensors locate us all, one by one, when it’s time to go back. Some shore leave. And some spy I am. I can’t even find any Ne’elatians to ask directions