“On the contrary, Counselor. Space can be far more dangerous than my homeworld at its most primitive.” He completed his scans, seeming satisfied with the results. “And you forget—I have no empathic sensitivity.”

“Just because most Pahkwa-thanh don’t have active psi abilities doesn’t mean your brains don’t have the potential to act as receivers. A strong enough telepathic projection can affect even non-psionic species. I’ve seen it happen,” she said, though patient confidentiality kept her from specifying the late Ambassador Sarek and the effects of his Bendii Syndrome—while sheer embarrassment kept her from mentioning the similar chaos her mother had inadvertently sparked on Deep Space 9 that one time. “And maybe your species’ latent potential makes you especially sensitive.”

She reached out to touch his arm, to appeal to his reason and mercy. But he grabbed her wrist tightly and turned it over, peering at her hand. Satisfied that it was empty, he released it. As Alyssa hurried to check her arm for damage, Deanna gasped and said, “No tricks, Ree. Please, you have to believe us. You’re not thinking clearly. Your hormones are out of control. You have to take us back to Titan, for all our sakes.”

“With respect, Counselor, you give me no reason to trust you. You have already used one distraction to try to attack me. Now you try to lull me off my guard, to prepare me for the next hand that will have a hypo in it.” He loomed over her, his sharp-toothed snout hovering over her neck. “And you wheedle and plead to be taken back to a ship where your child would be in constant danger. Your own child.”

After an alarming, Damoclean moment of silence, Ree turned his attention to Alyssa, who reflexively backed against the wall. “And you…” He let out a small growl. “You should know better. Sympathy with a patient is well and good, but you must not let it compromise your medical judgment.”

Controlling her fear, Alyssa met his eyes and said, “My child is on that ship too, Doctor. And I know my place is there, with him. Please, Ree. Let’s all go home.”

“Were that true, you would never have left him. You made your choice, Alyssa.” He returned to the hatch, saying, “Neither of you attempt to trick me again.” He went through the hatch, then paused, turned his head, and added, “Please.”

Once the hatch locked behind him, Alyssa slumped, and Deanna sat up to put a comforting arm around her. “He…almost forgot to be polite,” the nurse said. “He must be furious.”

“Worse,” Deanna told her. “He’s becoming paranoid—seeing any attempt to question his judgment as a threat against my daughter’s safety.”

Alyssa turned to her, great sorrow in her lovely dark eyes. “I don’t think any of us are very safe right now.”

DROPLET

The first thing Riker sensed was the sound of a gentle surf against a sandy shore. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was lying on a beach, gazing out at a calm, placid ocean which pulsed against the shore under the impetus of the morning breeze. The boldest waves pushed their way up to within inches of his arm, and he could almost feel the coolness of the water.

He realized he could also feel the shore beneath him bobbing with the larger waves.

Remembering where he was, Riker shot to a sitting position, bringing on a bout of dizziness. He lowered his head, and realized he was nude. His hand reflexively went to his chest—no combadge. He twisted his head sharply back and forth, scrambled to his bare feet, and made an intensive search of his immediate environs, but no combadge, uniform, or any other equipment was in sight.

His eyes went skyward. He knew Titanwould be searching for him—if it was still in any condition to do so. The last he remembered, the ship was damaged, and he had no idea how badly. But if they had any means at all to do so—

No. The sky was thick with clouds and a lurid red haze. Dust and vapor from the asteroid, he realized. And sensors had enough trouble before.Any search would have to be visual, from the shuttles. There were probably nitrogen oxides up there too, eroding the ozone layer. Given his lack of coverings, it was fortunate that Droplet’s sun was relatively distant and low in ultraviolet emissions.

He brushed the sand off his skin and turned his attention to the floater islet he occupied. It was obvious on first glance that he was the only sizable life form present. Hell, there weren’t even any trees or shrubs, just a smattering of mosses and grasses of various sizes. And no flint, no rock—how can I start a fire?

Riker ran the few dozen meters to the islet’s highest point—about as high above sea level as his midriff was above the ground—and scanned the sea out to the horizon. Nothing but ocean was visible in any direction. Floaters were usually found in clusters, but this one was all by itself. That smacked of the artificial. The squales—they saved me, but now…why have they brought me here?He remembered their hostility just before the impact. It occurred to him to be very concerned for Aili Lavena. What kind of prison might they have for her—if she’d even survived?

Warning himself against jumping to conclusions, Riker decided to test the most immediate possibilities first. Striding to the edge of the islet, he waded out into the shallows and circled its perimeter, periodically swimming down below the edge to see if Lavena might be somewhere on the underside.

But less than halfway around, his muscles began to cramp. He cursed himself for a fool, realizing that he didn’t know how long it had been since he’d eaten. And his muscles were stiff, weak, as though they hadn’t been used in days. He tried to force his body to take him back to shore, but just then a large swell hit and lifted the islet, the currents sucking him underneath it. He grabbed hold of the coraloid tendrils, probed for a crack, desperately hoping he could break his way through to a pocket of air. But the shell material would not budge, and he felt himself weakening….

After that was a montage of vague perceptions as he faded in and out of consciousness—a warm body against his, a rippling of feathery blue membranes, the shock of air hitting his face again, the ground rocking beneath his back once more. Returning to full consciousness, he turned his head to see Lavena crouched over him. She had no hydration suit, and indeed was as nude as he wa—

Clearing his throat, he sat up and folded his legs before him. “Ahh, Ensign. I, umm, appreciate the rescue.”