Read Online Star Trek: The Next Generation - 020 - Q-In-Law by Peter David - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Peter David
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materialized in the crowd, but instead, just outside Ten-Forward, and he had just entered.
Her head snapped around in time to see the doors hiss shut. Someone had indeed entered, but it was so mobbed that she couldn't see where he was.
"Captain!" she called out, but there was so much noise that she couldn't make herself heard. She didn't wear a communicator, so she couldn't get his attention that way. She could have shouted at the top of her lungs, but she didn't want to do anything that might result in general alarm or even, God forbid, a panic. There were too many people in Ten-Forward, way too many people.
She glanced around and saw Picard on the other side of the room, getting farther away by the second. He definitely was on the move, and his target seemed to be Geordi La Forge.
Guinan took a deep breath and started to push her way through the crowd, all the while looking around with barely controlled desperation, trying to pick out the being that she knew was there.
Geordi glanced around as Picard walked up to him. "I don't do well in crowds, Captain," said Geordi, feeling the need to explain. "All the images, and keeping them sorted... gives me a headache." "Quite all right, Mr. La Forge. To be honest, you gave me a much-needed excuse. Those lights flickering before..." Geordi gestured towards his communicator.
"The moment it happened, I called down to the engine room. They're running a systems check now." "Any idea what caused it?" "A mild energy flux like that?" Geordi shrugged. "Could be any one of a dozen things, all of which are purely routine. Still, it's the kind of thing we should be preventing through standard diagnostics checks. I'll make sure my men stay on top of it." "Yes, see that you do. However," Picard smiled thinly, "if it had to happen, at least it happened when I needed a break from--" "Mrs. Troi!" said Geordi quickly in a very hearty, greeting-sounding voice.
Picard turned, immediately understanding the clear warning of his engineer. "Lwaxana," he said, as Mrs. Troi swept up to him.
"Graziunas found someone else to talk to," said Lwaxana. "And although I know most of the people here, frankly, I can't think of anyone else I would rather speak with, Jean-Luc. We have so much to catch up on." She idly dabbed her little finger in her drink and swirled the liquid. "So much to discuss. We really never... connected... the last time I was here." La Forge was watching the ebbing and flowing of body heat and color that his VISOR was sending him. The captain was clearly disconcerted. It was fascinating to watch, since the last time he'd seen the captain this way was... well, when Lwaxana Troi had made her last visit.
It was fascinating. It was as if Lwaxana was sending out some sort of waves to Picard, and Picard was doing his level best to ignore them.
Picard heard a burst of laughter carrying over the voices of the other revellers, and even above the music. It was Graziunas, all right, and the voice of Nistral was joined in it.
Both men were laughing as if they had heard some sort of tremendously funny joke.
They sounded so boisterous that even Kerin and Sehra looked up for a moment, and then they smiled and went back to gazing at each other.
"Sounds like the fathers of the bride and groom are having a good time," observed Geordi.
"Counselor Troi says that they have some innate hostility towards each other that they're trying to sublimate," Picard said, gazing out over the crowd. He noticed the people reacting with annoyance about something, as if somebody were shoving at them. He raised an eyebrow. He certainly hoped it was none of his people. He counted on them for better behavior than that.
"Sounds to me like they're doing a pretty good job of sublimating it," Geordi said.
The men laughed raucously again. "Whatever is keeping them happy," said Picard, "I only hope it keeps going.
Her head snapped around in time to see the doors hiss shut. Someone had indeed entered, but it was so mobbed that she couldn't see where he was.
"Captain!" she called out, but there was so much noise that she couldn't make herself heard. She didn't wear a communicator, so she couldn't get his attention that way. She could have shouted at the top of her lungs, but she didn't want to do anything that might result in general alarm or even, God forbid, a panic. There were too many people in Ten-Forward, way too many people.
She glanced around and saw Picard on the other side of the room, getting farther away by the second. He definitely was on the move, and his target seemed to be Geordi La Forge.
Guinan took a deep breath and started to push her way through the crowd, all the while looking around with barely controlled desperation, trying to pick out the being that she knew was there.
Geordi glanced around as Picard walked up to him. "I don't do well in crowds, Captain," said Geordi, feeling the need to explain. "All the images, and keeping them sorted... gives me a headache." "Quite all right, Mr. La Forge. To be honest, you gave me a much-needed excuse. Those lights flickering before..." Geordi gestured towards his communicator.
"The moment it happened, I called down to the engine room. They're running a systems check now." "Any idea what caused it?" "A mild energy flux like that?" Geordi shrugged. "Could be any one of a dozen things, all of which are purely routine. Still, it's the kind of thing we should be preventing through standard diagnostics checks. I'll make sure my men stay on top of it." "Yes, see that you do. However," Picard smiled thinly, "if it had to happen, at least it happened when I needed a break from--" "Mrs. Troi!" said Geordi quickly in a very hearty, greeting-sounding voice.
Picard turned, immediately understanding the clear warning of his engineer. "Lwaxana," he said, as Mrs. Troi swept up to him.
"Graziunas found someone else to talk to," said Lwaxana. "And although I know most of the people here, frankly, I can't think of anyone else I would rather speak with, Jean-Luc. We have so much to catch up on." She idly dabbed her little finger in her drink and swirled the liquid. "So much to discuss. We really never... connected... the last time I was here." La Forge was watching the ebbing and flowing of body heat and color that his VISOR was sending him. The captain was clearly disconcerted. It was fascinating to watch, since the last time he'd seen the captain this way was... well, when Lwaxana Troi had made her last visit.
It was fascinating. It was as if Lwaxana was sending out some sort of waves to Picard, and Picard was doing his level best to ignore them.
Picard heard a burst of laughter carrying over the voices of the other revellers, and even above the music. It was Graziunas, all right, and the voice of Nistral was joined in it.
Both men were laughing as if they had heard some sort of tremendously funny joke.
They sounded so boisterous that even Kerin and Sehra looked up for a moment, and then they smiled and went back to gazing at each other.
"Sounds like the fathers of the bride and groom are having a good time," observed Geordi.
"Counselor Troi says that they have some innate hostility towards each other that they're trying to sublimate," Picard said, gazing out over the crowd. He noticed the people reacting with annoyance about something, as if somebody were shoving at them. He raised an eyebrow. He certainly hoped it was none of his people. He counted on them for better behavior than that.
"Sounds to me like they're doing a pretty good job of sublimating it," Geordi said.
The men laughed raucously again. "Whatever is keeping them happy," said Picard, "I only hope it keeps going.
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