Standing in the front row, Ra-Havreii suddenly looked up at him, his eyes filled with pain. Almost immediately, the new chief engineer set his gaze downward again.
Riker resumed: “Some of you are billeted in special customized quarters designed by Nidani and her engineering team. You no doubt got to know her as a funny and friendly woman who truly cared about your well-being.” Riker knew that Chaka, the insectile Pak’shree computer specialist, was likely observing the ceremony from one of the simulated hillside caves; her den, Ensign Aili Lavena’s water-filled accommodations, and Melora Pazlar’s vertical micro-g quarters were some of the more impressive feats of Ledrah’s ingenuity.
“As we face the future aboard Titan,this crew has been robbed of further interaction with Nidani. And yet, her influence, her spirit, remains everywhere within these bulkheads. The place she strove to make a home for all of us is infused with her dedication, her passion, and her love.
“For those who wish to partake, Nidani will now become a part of us as well.”
He gestured to Vale, who stepped forward with an elaborately decorated container. Everyone on the ship had been notified of this Tiburon funereal custom, and he expected that most would choose notto participate. Ledrah had been cremated within six hours of her death, and her ashes had been pulverized to a fine dust. Still, despite the fact that the ashes were sterile, he doubted many of the crew would actually choose to ingest their comrade, though it was the highest honor one could pay a fallen Tiburon.
Riker glanced at Deanna, then accepted a tiny vial which Vale had removed from the container. Removing its stopper, he lifted it toward the twilight sky.
“Jancarik terme ikkos preen,Nidani Ostiquin Ledrah,” he said, in Tiburoni. “You live within us forever, Nidani Ostiquin Ledrah,” he repeated in Standard.
Then, he poured the tiny amount of powder out of the vial and onto his tongue. It was flavorless. He held it there for a moment, and swallowed.
Deanna stepped forward next, taking a vial from Vale, and hoisting it aloft.
Through eyes that brimmed with tears, Riker saw others—many others—from the crew begin to step forward behind his wife. He saw that Ra-Havreii, looking haggard and haunted, was the first in line. Even Chaka was exiting one of the caves to take a place in the queue.
He closed his eyes and wondered how many other such ceremonies he would have to preside over in the coming years, as Titancontinued its voyages.
And as the voices of his crew washed over him, calling to the memory of Ledrah, he held fast to the hope that occasions such as this would be few and far between.
As she entered the quarters she shared with her husband, Deanna Troi immediately noticed that the lights were low. Will’s dress tunic lay on the table, but she didn’t pick it up.
Imzadi?She reached out with her mind, not hearing anything from the other rooms.
“In here, Deanna,” Will said, his low voice coming from the bathroom.
She turned the corner and looked in at him. He was leaning on the washbasin, staring into the mirror. He had changed into his regular duty tunic, but hadn’t closed the front of it yet.
“Are you all right, Will?”
He continued staring into the mirror. “Yeah. I just prepared a message for Nidani’s family. When we get back to Federation space, I’ll send it.”
She felt a pang of guilt. “I haven’t been here for you much since the attack,” Troi said, stepping into the smaller room and reaching out her hand to brush Will’s ear.
He smiled wanly. “It’s not your fault. The crew needs you andit needs me. Duty comes first, especially during a crisis.”
But duty can always be tempered with the love we share,Troi thought, joining her mind to her husband’s. If we take the time do so.
He didn’t respond at first, but slowly closed his eyes. Finally, he turned toward her.
“A few weeks ago, when we were in the stellar cartography lab, I told you that this ship was our chance to recover some of the wonder we lost over the last decade serving on the Enterprise.Our chance to explore what lay beyond. And yet, our first mission is filled with warring Romulans and Remans, space battles, a prison break, and death. What’s changed?”
Troi turned her head and looked at Will’s reflection in the mirror, training her dark eyes on his. “I won’t deny your feelings—and my feelings as well—of disappointment that Titan’s launch will be forever remembered because of what happened over the last week. But show me a starship that hasn’t been drawn into some kind of conflict, or run into some unforeseen impacts when dealing with new lives and new civilizations, or had to deal with bizarre consequences when faced with spatial anomalies…and I’ll show you a starship that only exists in some Academy textbook.
“Here we are in uncharted space, about to encounter gods only know what or who. This is the very definition of Titan’s mission. We may be about to reconnect with humanity’s long-lost offshoot. We may save lives or be forced into battle to save our own. We’ll learn and grow along the way, and more importantly, we’ll explore.You and I and this crew with all its unique differences.
“We’ll explore, together.”
Riker straightened his posture and turned, enfolding Troi into his arms. She felt his beard atop her head, smelled the scent that he gave off when he was worried. But his embrace was strong, and she returned it.
I love you,Imzadi, he thought.
And I love you, Will.
Troi knew that their embrace would end. Duty would call. But for now, their fragment of the universe was utterly at peace.
Darkness.
Warmth.
Fear.
Concern.
Love.
Near silence, except for the noises and things at the edges of consciousness that threatened to wake him.
He wanted to sleep like this forever. But he feared that the red in which he floated would not permit it.
Chapter Four
STARDATE 26795.2 (18 OCTOBER 2349)
“W hen have you known Flenrol ever to give up searching for anything?” Captain Akaar asked, grinning. “He is the most anal-retentive Bolian I have ever encountered. Perhaps that is why he makes such an excellent XO.”
Tuvok moved a hand across his brow, wiping the sweat away. “I do not believe that even he will be able to find us here, Captain. Our communicators are inhibited by the local geomagnetism. Additionally, this system is littered with four-hundred and thirty-six other satellite planetoids, each of which contains a sufficiently metallic core to generate magnetic fields capable of confusing theWyoming ’s sensors. Logic dictates that in the time it will take Commander Flenrol to find us, we will have perished either from the heat or from thirst and starvation.”
“I enjoy the way you always manage to find the bright side in every crisis situation, Tuvok,” Akaar said, grinning. “It is what makes you the best possible company when roasting to death on a Neltedian planetoid.”
It had been four days since they had last been inside the shuttlecraftAuraciem . The small vessel had become Akaar’s favorite during the weeks since Starfleet Command had promoted him from exec and acting captain to the permanent commander of theU.S.S. Wyoming following the untimely death of its longtime CO, the volatile Captain Karl Broadnax.