wondered what he was doing there. The unfamiliar ones would have noticed the distinct resemblance he had to the captain. Those same, ruggedly handsome features, except of course it looks better on me, he thought.
He had business on the Excalibur with his father, certainly, but that wasn’t the only thing on his mind.
Xyon didn’t want to let Kalinda know that he was coming, or even on the ship. He wanted to have the opportunity to surprise her, and get an honest reaction to his presence. So much had happened between him and the sister of the late Si Cwan that he no longer had any real idea where he stood with her. This, he felt, was his opportunity to find out.
He desperately wanted to share his life with her. Many was the time he had fantasized about her joining him on his vessel. He would show her the galaxy, and even all the things that he had already seen and experienced would seem new to him because he would be seeing them through her eyes. He had convinced himself that he had no future with her, but he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind.
So when the opportunity to return to the Excalibur presented itself, it was one that he could not pass up.
“Well, well. It’s my son’s namesake.”
Xyon turned and saw a familiar face. “Burgoyne,” he said. “Good to see you.”
“You too, Xyon,” said Burgoyne 172. The Hermat extended hir hand and Xyon shook it firmly. “It is, however, a bit unexpected.”
“I was given permission—”
“I know that. I’m the first officer. Naturally I’m going to be informed if we have a visitor. Particularly if that visitor is the captain’s son.”
“It’s nice to know you’re paying attention. By the way,” and his voice became serious, “I’m truly sorry about Selar.”
“Selar?” Burgoyne gave him a curious look, as if s/he couldn’t quite figure out what Xyon was referring to. “You mean about her death?”
“Well… sure. Of course.”
Burgoyne shrugged, a casual gesture that left Xyon dumbfounded. “She did what she felt she had to do in order to save our son. She made her choice and I respect that.”
“Burgoyne…” He couldn’t begin to fathom Burgy’s attitude. What was he supposed to say? That Selar had died violently after having betrayed the trust of Calhoun and Starfleet because she’d become obsessed with prolonging her son’s life? Certainly Burgoyne knew all that. S/he didn’t require Xyon to tell hir everything. So was Burgoyne in some sort of strange denial? If so, s/he certainly had bigger problems than anything that Xyon could readily address.
“Yes?” Burgy was simply standing there, waiting for Xyon to continue the question.
“Nothing,” Xyon said. “It’s nothing. Actually, could you tell me where Kalinda might be? I’m not sure where her quarters are these days. She’s still on the ship, right?”
“Yeeesss,” said Burgoyne, but the drawn-out way in which s/he said it indicated there was something s/he wasn’t letting on about. “Yes, she is. But, uhm…”
“But what?”
Burgoyne appeared to be considering something, and then said, “Typically she’s in Ten-Forward around this time.”
“Ten-Forward. Got it. Thanks, Burgy.”
“I think it might be best, though, if—”
Xyon wasn’t listening. Instead, seconds later, he was on the turbolift and heading straight over to Ten-Forward. He didn’t know what Burgoyne was going on about and, at that moment, didn’t actually care all that much. There was clearly something screwy transpiring in Burgoyne’s head, and whatever it was, it wasn’t any of Xyon’s concern or problem.
As he approached Ten-Forward, his ears perked up. He heard delighted laughter, and knew instantly that it was Kalinda’s voice. That surprised him somewhat. Kally had many intriguing attributes, but laughing was not something she typically did. She was one of the most serious young women that he had ever encountered, which he supposed made sense since she was capable of seeing the dead. It sometimes seemed that she was holding on to her sanity with both hands and a vise-like grip. So when Xyon heard her clearly enjoying herself, it buoyed his heart. Obviously her time on the Excalibur had done her some good. He didn’t pause long enough to wonder whether the time away from him was likewise contributory to her good spirits.
Like his father, Xyon could move in such a way that he did nothing to draw attention to himself. You would know he was present if you looked right at him, but otherwise he could minimize his movements so that he would remain unnoticed until such time