“Your guess is completely wrong,” she informed him. “All I care about is the well-being of the Trident.You’re the science officer. You’re expectedto be of use, not to fail.”

“Expectations are one things. Hopes are something else. You were hoping ...”

“Do not tell me my own mind, Lieutenant Commander,” Mueller told him stiffly. “My hopes are my own. They are not for public dissemination, and they’re certainly not yours to assume. Do I make myself clear? And wipe that smirk off your face before I rip it off.”

“Oh, absolutely,” he said. The smirk diminished ... but was still there nevertheless.

VI.

Zak Kebron had remained behind in the conference lounge. He stared at the far wall for a long time, having turned the scythe over to Burgoyne so s/he could study it more closely. He rapped his thick fingers on the table for a while, and finally he managed to say, “I think you should know ... I’m sorry. Presuming you’re still standing there, that is. I’m sorry about what happened to you, Mark.

“The truth is, I had some suspicions about who and what you were, and what you were capable of doing. I was verysuspicious. But all I cared about was trying to ‘catch’ you somehow. Instead, I should have realized that you had some potentially great problems and tried to help you deal with it. Not just rat you out. You need a friend, and instead you got a suspicious head of security.

“I’m very, very sorry. And ... I hope it means something.”

Three decks away, watching the internal and external struggles of the Old Father, Mark McHenry was vaguely aware that something had been said that directly pertained to him, but he wasn’t sure what it might have been, and then dismissed it as not being of any real consequence.

VII.

Calhoun sat in his quarters on the couch, facing Moke in the chair opposite, watching the boy staring into space. “It’s going to be all right, Moke,” he said after a time.

“I’d ...”

“Yes?”

“I’d finally stopped wondering. Y’know? Finally stopped.” He looked up at Calhoun with a distant sense of bewilderment. “Spent my whole life wondering what my father was like, but because of you ... because of how nice you’ve been to me ... I stopped wondering. And even in all those years where I did wonder ... I never thought he’d be ...” He paused. “What is he? What am I?”

“He’s a different form of life, Moke. That’s all. Just as I am. Just as this ship is crowded with many different forms of life.”

“Yes, but ... the things he can do ...”

“I can’t do the things that Zak Kebron can do. And Kebron can’t do what Dr. Selar can do, and so on. Every different life-form is special, Moke. Grozit,even within the same life-form, everyone is special. Everyone has their own unique talents and abilities. There’s a lot to learn about Woden, and hopefully we’ll have the chance to learn it.”

“And me. What about me?”

“You’re a boy, Moke. A young boy.” He put a hand on Moke’s shoulder and smiled. “And you had some abilities that might have stemmed from him. Otherwise, nothing’s changed.”

“Do you ... ?”

He seemed stuck for completing the sentence. “Do I what, Moke?”

“Do you think he loves me? Y’know. Dads love their sons. Do you think ... ?”

“I could lie to you, Moke, but the truth is, I simply don’t know.”

“Do you think he loved my mom?”

Naturally Calhoun had no more idea of that than the previous question, but there was something in the boy’s face that seemed to indicate this answer was even more important. Calhoun nodded firmly. “I’m sure he did. And I’m sure he would have stayed with her if he could,” he added quickly, anticipating the next question.

“Do you love me?”

The question caught Calhoun off guard, although in retrospect he realized it shouldn’t have. “Me?”

“Well, you basically act like my father. But you don’t ... y’know ... say it much.”

“I’ve ... never been that demonstrative about such things, Moke. But ... yes. Yes, of course, I ... yes. I do. Like my own son. Actually ... I hardly ever got to know my own son. So you’re sort of a second chance to do things right.” He hesitated, then asked, “Okay?”

“Okay,” said Moke.

“Uhm ... look, Moke ... there are things I have to attend to now. Do you want to head over to—”

“Can I stay here? In your quarters?” asked Moke. “I won’t touch anything, I promise. ...”

“Sure. Absolutely,” said Calhoun. “If that’s what you want.”

“Yeah. I would.”

“Well ... all right.” He got up and walked out, leaving Moke still staring into space.

Except he wasn’t.

The Old Father stared back at him.

“You shouldn’t have left her,” Moke said softly. “You really shouldn’t. You could’ve made our lives so much better.”

Woden’s single eye looked wistful, and then he shrugged. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“Yeah, well ... sorry isn’t always good enough,” said Moke.

“I know,” said Woden. “But sometimes it’s all we have.”

And then he faded from sight, leaving Moke alone.

Meantime, Calhoun stood in the hallway just outside his quarters, leaning against the bulkhead. He suddenly felt more tired than he had in ages. It was obvious they were about to enter round two against the Beings, and it was more than likely there would not be a round three. There was no margin for error, and literally no room for doubt.

“Are you all right?”

He hadn’t even realized his eyes were closed, but when he opened them, Shelby was standing there. “I thought you were heading back to the Trident.”

“I was. But I thought I’d swing by on the way over. I’m worried about you.”

“About me. Why are you worried about me?”

“Because someone has to be,” she said with a shrug. “I figure I’m elected.”

He laughed softly and then rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’m not entirely sure, but ... I think I may owe you an apology.”

“That’s impressive,” she said, folding her arms. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard that many qualifiers in one sentence.”

“I think ... in some ways ... I feel as if I haven’t had a chance to get any solid ground beneath my feet since the first Excaliburblew up. As if I’ve just been flailing about, trying to get a hold on something firm, and not succeeding.”

She paused. “And is that what our marriage is? A failed attempt to get some footing?”

He chuckled. “No. No ... that’s the only thing I’ve done in the past year or so that I’m absolutely confident about.”

“You’re confident in everything you do, Mac. Even when you know full well that it’s absolutely indefensible. That’s what I love about you.”

“What you love about me?” He looked at her skeptically. “I thought it was the one aspect of my personality that always drove you the most insane.”

“Calhoun, you’ve been driving me insane ever since your handling of the Kobayashi Maruset my career back a year.”

“Ummm ... yes,” he sighed. “I’ve always felt kind of guilty about that.”

“No, you didn’t. You still don’t, even to this day. Don’t you lie to me, you smug bastard,” she admonished with mock gravity. “You can do just about anything else, but don’t lie to me. If there’s one thing I don’t deserve, it’s that.”

“You’re right. In fact, if there’s one thing you do deserve, it’s this.”

And he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately.

Passing crewmen slowed, looked, and then walked quickly away, and one was heard to murmur, “Guess yellow alert means something different for officers than it does for us grunts.”

DANTER

SOLETA LAY BACK in the field of long grass, staring in leisurely fashion up at the sky. Her clothes were scattered about, but she wasn’t the least bit concerned over her lack of apparel. Thoth, similarly undraped, lay next to her, his head propped up with one hand. The sky was clear, no clouds, no hint of storms. It seemed one of those glorious days that would stretch on forever.