Read Online Star Trek: Pantheon by Michael Jan Friedman - Free Book Online
Authors: Michael Jan Friedman
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family, Captain?”
“You know me, Jack. I’d rather be boiled in oil than dandle a baby on my knee. Scares the—”
Suddenly, he remembered something. It chilled him, despite the closeness of the quarters. “Jack…you’re not supposed to be here.”
“No? You mean I should’ve taken one of the other shuttles?”
“No.” He licked his lips. “I mean you’re dead. You died some time ago— long before we lost the Stargazer.”
Jack shrugged. “I can go if you like—”
“No. Don’t. I mean—”
But it was too late. His friend was moving away from him, losing himself in the crowd aft of the food processor.
“Don’t go, Jack, it’s all right. I didn’t mean to send you away—”
That’s when Jean-Luc Picard woke up.
The air in his cabin was cold on his skin. He wiped his brow and felt the perspiration there.
“Damn,” he breathed. Just a dream.
Nothing like his tortured dreams of Maxia Zeta, inflicted a few years back by the Ferengi DaiMon Bok. No, this had been different, but in its own way just as frightening.
Nor did it take a ship’s counselor to figure out why he’d happened to have the dream now.
Beverly Crusher was halfway across sickbay when she realized she had no idea where she was going.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Doctor Selar, her Vulcan colleague, watching her from her office. Crusher could feel an embarrassed blush climbing up her neck and into her face.
Think, Beverly, think. You were late for—
Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and started walking again. On the way, she glanced at Selar.
The Vulcan was still watching her. Crusher smiled.
Being Vulcan, Selar didn’t smile back. She just returned her attention to her desk monitor.
Breezing into the examination area, Crusher saw that Burke was already waiting for her. She nodded by way of a greeting.
“How’s it going?” he asked her.
“Not bad,” she told him. “Care to lie down for a minute?”
Sitting down on the biobed, the security officer swung his legs up and leaned back until he was directly under the overhead sensor bank. As Crusher consulted the readings that were displayed at eye level, she found herself remembering again…
“Doctor Crusher?”
Snapping out of her reverie, she looked at Burke. “Mm?”
“I don’t want to rush you, but I’m due to start a shift in ten minutes.”
How long had she been staring at the bio-readings? She didn’t dare ask.
The security officer smiled. “Listen, it’s all right. I don’t blame you for being a little distracted. Hell, even I’m excited about all those Stargazer people coming on board—and I don’t even know any of them.”
Crusher took a breath. “Actually, I don’t know them either. Except one, of course. You can get up now—you’re as fit as they come.”
As Burke swiveled into a sitting position, he looked at her. “You don’t know them? But I thought—”
He stopped himself short, realizing that he might be intruding, but the doctor supplied the rest: I thought your husband served with them.
“I heard about them,” Crusher explained coolly. “But I never met them face to face.”
Burke nodded. “Right. Well, thanks. See you in a few months.”
“In a few months,” she echoed, as he walked off toward the receiving area.
Leaning against the overhead sensor bank, she buried her face in the crook of her arm. Damn, she thought. Why did they have to pick this ship?
Will Riker sat down at his personal terminal, took a deep breath, and called up the ship’s “visitor” file.
He had been looking forward to this for days. And not because one of his duties as first officer was to keep track of all personnel boarding and disembarking from the ship. The Enterprise was about to play host to Starfleet legends— living legends—and Riker wanted to know everything there was to know about them. The thousand and one other matters that had been cropping up and demanding his attention lately would just have to
“You know me, Jack. I’d rather be boiled in oil than dandle a baby on my knee. Scares the—”
Suddenly, he remembered something. It chilled him, despite the closeness of the quarters. “Jack…you’re not supposed to be here.”
“No? You mean I should’ve taken one of the other shuttles?”
“No.” He licked his lips. “I mean you’re dead. You died some time ago— long before we lost the Stargazer.”
Jack shrugged. “I can go if you like—”
“No. Don’t. I mean—”
But it was too late. His friend was moving away from him, losing himself in the crowd aft of the food processor.
“Don’t go, Jack, it’s all right. I didn’t mean to send you away—”
That’s when Jean-Luc Picard woke up.
The air in his cabin was cold on his skin. He wiped his brow and felt the perspiration there.
“Damn,” he breathed. Just a dream.
Nothing like his tortured dreams of Maxia Zeta, inflicted a few years back by the Ferengi DaiMon Bok. No, this had been different, but in its own way just as frightening.
Nor did it take a ship’s counselor to figure out why he’d happened to have the dream now.
Beverly Crusher was halfway across sickbay when she realized she had no idea where she was going.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Doctor Selar, her Vulcan colleague, watching her from her office. Crusher could feel an embarrassed blush climbing up her neck and into her face.
Think, Beverly, think. You were late for—
Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and started walking again. On the way, she glanced at Selar.
The Vulcan was still watching her. Crusher smiled.
Being Vulcan, Selar didn’t smile back. She just returned her attention to her desk monitor.
Breezing into the examination area, Crusher saw that Burke was already waiting for her. She nodded by way of a greeting.
“How’s it going?” he asked her.
“Not bad,” she told him. “Care to lie down for a minute?”
Sitting down on the biobed, the security officer swung his legs up and leaned back until he was directly under the overhead sensor bank. As Crusher consulted the readings that were displayed at eye level, she found herself remembering again…
“Doctor Crusher?”
Snapping out of her reverie, she looked at Burke. “Mm?”
“I don’t want to rush you, but I’m due to start a shift in ten minutes.”
How long had she been staring at the bio-readings? She didn’t dare ask.
The security officer smiled. “Listen, it’s all right. I don’t blame you for being a little distracted. Hell, even I’m excited about all those Stargazer people coming on board—and I don’t even know any of them.”
Crusher took a breath. “Actually, I don’t know them either. Except one, of course. You can get up now—you’re as fit as they come.”
As Burke swiveled into a sitting position, he looked at her. “You don’t know them? But I thought—”
He stopped himself short, realizing that he might be intruding, but the doctor supplied the rest: I thought your husband served with them.
“I heard about them,” Crusher explained coolly. “But I never met them face to face.”
Burke nodded. “Right. Well, thanks. See you in a few months.”
“In a few months,” she echoed, as he walked off toward the receiving area.
Leaning against the overhead sensor bank, she buried her face in the crook of her arm. Damn, she thought. Why did they have to pick this ship?
Will Riker sat down at his personal terminal, took a deep breath, and called up the ship’s “visitor” file.
He had been looking forward to this for days. And not because one of his duties as first officer was to keep track of all personnel boarding and disembarking from the ship. The Enterprise was about to play host to Starfleet legends— living legends—and Riker wanted to know everything there was to know about them. The thousand and one other matters that had been cropping up and demanding his attention lately would just have to
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