you are in relation to the others. You’re making moves, desperate moves, but your vision is obscured and you cannot see the field of battle. And as long as that remains the case, we’re always going to be ahead of you, just out of the reach of your questing fingers.”
“Seems to me,” Calhoun said, “that I’m able to see just fine. I saw your precious Brethren dying at my hands, including that one over there,” and he pointed toward the corpse lying a short distance away. “So as much as I appreciate your concern, I think I have the situation under control.”
“Yes. I know you think you do. And that is the greatest tragedy of all.”
And with a slow shaking of his head, the Visionary faded out. He did not do so all at once, but instead part-by-part until the only thing remaining was his smile, hanging mockingly in the air. At least Calhoun thought it was a smile. Then again, it wasn’t always the easiest thing to discern what it was he was looking at when it came to the D’myurj. It might have been a part of his spine turned sideways; it was tough to tell sometimes.
Calhoun may have been unfamiliar with Blind Man’s Bluff, but he certainly recognized something else from Earth culture.
“So now you’re the Cheshire cat. Meaning you’re the cat and I’m the mouse,” he said sarcastically.
“A clever comparison, but I think we’ll remain with the concept of Blind Man’s Bluff. Enjoy the rest of the game, Captain.”
And with that the smile, if that’s what it indeed was, vanished along with the rest of the Visionary.
The Spectre
Robin Lefler had stood in front of the screen, holding her child tightly, speaking nonstop for several minutes without having the faintest idea whether her mother was hearing her or, for that matter, if anyone was. The Excalibur hadn’t proceeded on her way, which was some small win, she supposed. It might indeed mean that someone there—her mother, the bridge crew, anyone—was listening to her. Which would be nice, because it would mean that she wasn’t just babbling away into the ether.
Soleta was standing near her, which she found somewhat comforting. They had once been crewmates, after all, and she had never for a moment believed that Soleta would have done anything to run counter to the interests of the Federation. So knowing that Calhoun had trusted her sufficiently to ally himself with her in a matter of such great delicacy was heartening.
It was the one bright spot of this entire mad endeavor.
Standing a short distance away were two people with whom she was utterly unfamiliar: a woman who had apparently once been a Borg, and a ship’s emergency medical hologram who had somehow been liberated from the confines of a ship. That had made no sense to Robin, but she had tried not to dwell on it, particularly when Soleta explained the whole sorry situation to her.
“We need to come over there, Mother,” she was saying insistently. She had already tried some variation on that several times, but she still wasn’t getting any sort of response. Then again, at least the ship wasn’t trying to blow them up. Another plus. “You need to beam us over so we can discuss what’s going on. And I need you to do it safely. We shouldn’t have to be worried that you’re going to kill one or all of us deliberately in transit. Soleta,” and she inclined her head toward the commander of the Spectre, “would frankly rather stay here. So would these other two. They’re just passengers. But she picked me up and brought me out here because she felt that I was the best person to talk to you and try to get this whole ugly business sorted out. Was she wrong? Are you that unwilling to talk to me? Is that—”
And suddenly the voice of Morgan Primus boomed through the Spectre, so loudly that Soleta clapped her hands over her ears in order to shield herself. Seven and Robin winced as well, and Cwansi let out a small, pitiful, and startled cry. The Doctor remained utterly impassive, undisturbed by the volume.
“Do you think I’m stupid, dear? Is that what you believe? That I would bring you over while leaving the others behind? What’s the trick, dear?”
“There’s no trick,” Robin insisted. “I just need to talk to you…”
“And Soleta just happened to bring you here. How did that come about?”
Soleta took a step forward. She wasn’t sure why; it