heard the chime at the door of her guest quarters.
The door slid open and Calhoun entered. Then he saw what Robin was in the middle of and immediately he averted his eyes. “I’m sorry, I can come back later.”
Robin chuckled. “Are they that provincial back where you come from, Captain? This is why women have breasts, you know.” Cwansi, uncaring about the adult conversation, continued to nurse with quiet enthusiasm.
“Yes, I know that… intellectually. But it’s not something I dwell on.”
“Sit. It’s all right.”
He did so, although it amused her to see that he was extremely focused on her eyes, diligently making sure that his gaze didn’t drop below her neckline. But then the moment of amusement over his discomfort lapsed. “I was at sickbay to see Soleta about an hour ago. It breaks my heart. Do they have any idea when she’s going to come out of it or…” She couldn’t bear to add the word.
“Or if?”
She nodded.
Calhoun shook his head. “No. We’re hoping, praying that it’s soon.” He looked grim. “Starfleet is anxious to know what’s in her head.”
“I would imagine,” said Robin. “I mean, was Nechayev really an alien being in a body that was fashioned for her by the D’myurj? Was she an actual D’myurj wearing a… a meat suit? How long has she been that way? Always? Or was she switched out and there’s a real Admiral Nechayev being held prisoner somewhere, or maybe even dead? And are there others like her, and if so, can we figure out who?”
“All excellent questions,” said Calhoun, “and yet, oddly enough, the only one I give a damn about is whether she’s going to be all right.”
“I don’t think that’s odd at all.”
“We’ve got the Spectre stowed down in the shuttlebay. I hope she’s able to fly her again.” He shook his head and thumped his fist on his thigh. “It was her suggestion, you know. To use the mind meld to extract information from Nechayev while she was off guard. Jellico embraced it immediately, but I resisted it, and she talked me into it. I never should have let her.”
“She’s strong, Captain. She’ll be back. Oh… I think someone’s done.”
Cwansi’s head was slumping, and there was breast milk dribbling down his face.
“Speaking of someone being back,” said Calhoun as Robin tended to cleaning up her son and adjusting her clothing, “my understanding is that you’re going to be heading out with the Trident.”
“Yes, that’s right. Captain Mueller has offered me—”
“I know what she’s offered you. Don’t take it. Come work for me instead.”
“What?” Her face flushed with happy surprise. “Captain, I… that’s very flattering. You have an opening in child care as well?”
“Child care is an important function, but that wasn’t what I had in mind for you.”
“What, then?”
“Well… and I’m hoping you won’t reject the notion out of hand… but I was thinking about your old job at ops.”
She looked astounded. “Ops? But—”
“I hope you won’t think I’m being presumptuous when I say that I believe it’s what your mother would have wanted.”
“But… I resigned… and I’m not sure that I want to return to Starfleet. It may not be the life for me anymore.”
“So don’t. You didn’t lose your knowledge or experience when you took off the uniform.”
“Wouldn’t your having a civilian at that post be against regulations?”
“When has that ever stopped me?”
She laughed delightedly at the notion. Then she said, “Can I think about it?”
“Of course. So what’s your answer?”
“I meant…” Then she saw the look in his eyes, and it was the purest definition of not taking “no” for an answer that she had ever seen. “Sure,” she said.
“Welcome aboard, Miss Lefler. Your mother would be proud.”
“I like to think that she—”
“Bridge to captain,” came Burgoyne’s voice.
“This is Calhoun.”
“Captain, I think you’d better get up here. We just received an emergency transmission.”
“From where?”
“Xenex.”
Calhoun felt a chill grip the base of his spine. “How bad?”
“Very.”
“On my way,” he said, and left her quarters at a dead run.
Xenex
i.
Calhoun stood on the streets of the city from which he had taken his last name. He had ordered the security troops and medtechs to spread out, see what they could find, see whom they could help. But the initial sensor sweeps had not been promising.
He had seen so much death in his life, and was the cause of a good deal of it, that he had thought he was inured to it. As it turned out, he was wrong.
The city had been leveled. There was rubble everywhere,