Part 8 (1/2)
Wesley Crusher plunked his suitcases down in the s.p.a.cious quarters allotted to him and his mother and raced off in search of other people his own age. He had no need to look at the s.h.i.+p's location chart to find his way to the recreation deck. He had memorized it from the information packet sent to his mother before the transfer, and Wesley's memory was eidetic. It was too late for cla.s.ses to be in session, and he thought he might find other teenagers somewhere on the recreation or holodecks.
He met the Harris twins, Adam and Craig, just outside Holodeck 4. They turned out to be his own age and between them determined they would undoubtedly be in several cla.s.ses together. Adam and Craig had been aboard with their parents since the Enterprise's commissioning, and Wesley envied their seniority. Still, neither of the other two were the least condescending or overbearing about it.
Holodeck 4 was waiting to be programmed, and Wesley opted for a steaming rain forest with a flaming red sky.
When he had shown a highly developed reading sense at an early age, his mother had gotten him copies of just about every cla.s.sic adventure story that ever existed. He particularly enjoyed Edgar Rice Burroughs; and, in his mind, he had often traveled with Tarzan and John Carter of Mars.
In no time at all, the three boys were swinging on vines in a warm tropical rain, splitting the air with yodeling cries. Wesley's wet hands skidded on a vine he reached for, and he plummeted to the ground with a thump. His foot went out from under him, and he landed on his back in the mud, laughing. The two other boys swung down behind him, hooting good-natured insults which he accepted with a grin.
”This is great,” Wesley said as he picked himself up and made a few futile gestures at wiping the mud off his wet clothes. ”I've never seen a holodeck this big.”
”You wanna change it?” Adam asked. ”It'll only take a minute to program it over to something else.”
”We had Mount Everest yesterday,” Craig put in. ”The program won't let us put in an avalanche, but there's a real good Yeti to track.”
”Yeah, with the programmed random factor, sometimes we even get to catch it.”
Wesley felt hunger rumbling in his stomach and glanced at his chronometer. ”I can't now. I have to get back for dinner. How about after that?”
”Sure,” Adam said. ”We can show you the ecology deck, too. n.o.body minds if we go there to look at the birds and animals.”
Ecology decks were nice, but Wesley had seen those before. Sometimes the techs let the children help feed the tame animals. But Wesley had his heart set on visiting somewhere else. ”I want to see the bridge.”
Craig shook his head. ”Can't, Wes. Strictly off limits.”
”Don't they run tours or something?”
”Not on Captain Picard's s.h.i.+p,” Adam replied. ”Our dad says ninety percent of the crew never get onto the bridge. They don't have any business there.”
”Huh. Well ... I'll see you guys later. Ecology deck at 2015, okay?”
Craig and Adam nodded, and Wesley splashed through the rain toward the portal that led out of the holodeck. He tapped the panel beside the door, and the door slid open to let him into the corridor.
As he ran down the hall, he left a sloppy trail of mud and water behind him.
A pa.s.sing crewman came across the messy deck, paused to glance at the holodeck entrance, and shook his head. ”Monsoon season again,” he observed wearily.
Riker stood before the huge main viewscreen watching the Hood slowly push out of orbit. He knew the rest of the station keeping bridge crew was busy behind him while he waited there, saying goodbye in his thoughts to the s.h.i.+p he had served aboard for three years. The Hood was a fine Fleet vessel, and Captain DeSoto had given him every opportunity to grow and learn as a first officer. He would miss them both. He heard the turbolift doors open behind him and turned to face Picard.
”Getting the feel of her, Commander Riker?”
Riker met him by the captain's chair. ”I'd like to take her out of orbit and step her up to warp five to see how she runs.” He nodded back toward the viewscreen. ”We could race the Hood back toward Earth for a few pa.r.s.ecs.” He grinned cheerfully. ”If you don't mind.”
”I'm afraid that will have to wait for a while,” Picard said drily, ”though I understand the impulse perfectly. Have you signaled the Hood?”
”Yes, sir. Your exact message. Bon voyage, mon ami.”
The captain smiled briefly but warmly. ”Captain DeSoto is an old friend.” He stepped toward the main viewscreen as he addressed the computer. ”And what was the reply, computer?”
The big viewscreen flickered and then flared blindingly with a flash of light. It dwindled into an image of Q, still dressed as a judge, as his voice thundered around the bridge. ”You're wasting time!
Or did you think I was gone?”
Picard and Riker both jumped, startled; but Picard collected himself almost immediately. Worf, who had been seated at the conn, reacted instinctively, rolling out of the low curving chair and drawing his phaser at the same moment. In two more steps, he had placed himself protectively between Picard and the screen, pointing his phaser at the image there.
”Do you intend to blast a hole through the viewer, Lieutenant?” Picard inquired evenly.
Worf glanced at the screen and then at the captain and murmured an embarra.s.sed apology. He slipped the phaser away and allowed Picard to wave him aside, to be dealt with later.
Picard looked up at the viewscreen again, still maintaining his level tone of voice. ”If the purpose of this is to test humans, your Honor, we must proceed in our own way.”
”You are dilatory!” Q roared. ”You have twenty-four hours! Any further delay, and you risk summary judgment against you, Captain.” The brilliant white light flashed from the screen again and then subsided to a serene view of Deneb IV.
Riker looks at Picard, shaking his head. ”Summary judgment?”
”Q appears to have a flair for dramatics. And speaking of that... Mister Worf.”
”I'm sorry, sir.”
”You reacted fast, Lieutenant,” Riker said with admiration. He appreciated the Klingon's ability to arm and defend almost instantly.
”But futilely,” Picard pointed out.
”I'll learn to do better, sir.”
”Of course you will. We've a long voyage ahead of us.” Picard nodded to dismiss Worf, and a flicker of a smile took the sting from his previous words. Worf settled gratefully back into the conn chair.
Riker waved a hand toward the main viewer to indicate the vanished Q. ”What do we do now, sir? If they're monitoring our every move, every word... .”
”We do exactly what we'd do if this Q never existed. If we're going to be d.a.m.ned, let's be d.a.m.ned for what we really are.”
The delayed arrival of both the stardrive and saucer sections had made it impossible for Picard to make an appointment to meet Groppler Zorn before the next day. Riker delivered his report about the peculiar incidents witnessed on Farpoint Station, and Picard ordered him back to the bridge for his duty s.h.i.+ft. He was seated in the command chair when the strange-looking officer he had seen earlier entered the bridge.
”Lieutenant Commander Data reporting for duty, sir.”
Riker looked at him closely. The officer before him was of medium height and slim. His dark hair swept back smoothly from his forehead, and his yellow eyes were bright in his golden-toned skin. ”I was told you were merely escorting Admiral McCoy to the Hood, Mister Data. It's been some time since she broke orbit.”
”I apologize, sir. The admiral detained me on board until the Hood was almost out of shuttle range.
He insisted he wanted to make me something called a 'mint julep,' but he couldn't locate any fresh mint.” He frowned in puzzlement. ”Query-what is a mint julep?”
”It's an alcoholic drink, Lieutenant,” Riker said. ”Of Earth origin. a.s.sociated with the southern United States-and the admiral.”
”Ah.” Data automatically filed the information. ”But of course, I don't drink.”
Riker hesitated, aware of the tension building in him. Then he said, ”Your personal record is cla.s.sified 'eyes only' for the Captain, Mister Data-but somehow I expected you to be an alien.”
”One could say that I am. I am an android created and programmed by a race alien to your own. It is all in your point of view, isn't it, sir?”