What's Past_ Many Splendors (Book 6) - Keith R.A. DeCandido [1]
ISBN: 1-4165-3307-9
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To Dean, Christie, Dayton, Kevin D., David, Aaron,
Dave, Greg, Scott, Dan, Jeff, Ian, Mike, Robert G.,
Glenn H., J. Steven, Christina, Heather, Christopher,
Michael M., Andy, Loren, Randall, Allyn, Kevin K.,
Paul, John D., Glenn G., Terri, Ilsa, John O., Cory,
William, Phaedra, Robert J., Steve, Michael S., and
Richard
What a long strange trip it’s been—you
guys have been the best, and I look forward
to more voyages on the da Vinci
with you and everyone.
HISTORIAN’S NOTE
Chapter 1 of this story commences at the same time as the second-season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Measure of a Man” (2365). Chapters 2–9 proceed through the second, third, fourth, and early fifth seasons of the show, with Chapter 10 shortly after the fifth-season episode “Disaster” (2368). The Epilogue jumps ahead eight years to early 2376, taking place a few months prior to The Belly of the Beast, the first S.C.E. story, shortly after the Dominion War ended in the final episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
CHAPTER
1
Captain’s log, Stardate 42523.7. We are en route to the newly established Starbase 173 for port call. Crew rotation is scheduled, and we will be off-loading experiment modules.
Ensign Sonya Gomez had been practicing The Speech for days.
Originally it was just a speech, one she would give upon meeting her new commanding officer, saying what an honor it was to be serving on her new ship. When she got the word that her request had been approved and she was to be assigned to the Enterprise, it suddenly became The Speech. This wasn’t just some old assignment; this was the flagship! She’d be reporting to Lieutenant Geordi La Forge, about whom she’d heard so much from her friend, Lian T’su, who’d graduated a year ahead of her (and would be her roommate on the ship).
Along with another Academy classmate, Ensign Dennis Russell, Sonya had reported to the Enterprise at Starbase 173, and then gone straight to main engineering to meet their new CO, The Speech running through her head the entire time she walked through the corridor. She tried to figure out what to do with her hands. Next to her, Denny looked maddeningly calm.
La Forge took only a few minutes to introduce himself, show them around, and give them duty assignments. Neither ensign got the chance to say anything. “Sorry to cut this short, but I’ve got a senior staff meeting in a few minutes. Welcome aboard.” Despite the hurried nature of the introduction, and the terse tone La Forge had had throughout, he said the last two words with a genuinely warm smile. With the VISOR the lieutenant wore covering his eyes, it wasn’t easy to judge his mood, but that smile put Sonya at ease.
But she hadn’t had the chance to give The Speech. Worse, she’d studied the engine specs, expecting to be quizzed on them, but La Forge did no such thing. Sonya was assigned to gamma shift at first, serving under Ensign Esmeralda Clancy. This would give her plenty of chances to show off her knowledge of the Galaxy-class vessel, and get to do it in the lower-key atmosphere of the night shift.
The tour ended at the upper core on deck thirty-one. She and Denny walked down the corridors of the deck toward the turbolift. “You didn’t get to give your speech,” Denny said with a cheeky grin.
“I know. The opportunity never really presented itself.” Sonya stifled a yawn. “I need to get some sleep.”
“What’d you do last night—or were you up rehearsing The Speech?”
Sheepishly, Sonya said, “That and studying the ship’s specs. I was up all night.”
Smirking, Denny shook his head. “Figures.”
“Denny, I don’t want to be—”
“I know, Sonya, I know, I was there for your meltdown before finals, remember? Look, it’ll be fine.”
Sonya was already tired of hearing that. “Anyhow,” she said after