Enigma Open ebook - 2004

Excerpt

Chapter One

As Jean-Luc Picard made his way down the long,curving corridor on his way to Transporter RoomOne, he saw Lieutenant Urajel coming from the otherdirection.

"Lieutenant," he said, favoring the Andorian witha nod.

"Captain," she returned.

But she wasn't looking him in the eye. She waslooking at his head -- a common problem of late, as hehad been compelled to shave it weeks ago in a placecalled Oblivion, and his hair was growing back moreslowly than anyone had expected.

At the moment, it was little more than stubble, anditchy stubble at that. Rather a nuisance all around, thecaptain reflected, as he passed Urajel and continued onhis way.

Unfortunately, his hair was the least of his problems.

At the end of the corridor, he found a set of doubledoors, which hissed open at his approach. Beyondthem, two of his people were waiting for him.

No, he thought, amending his observation. Just oneof them is still mine.

That was Goetz, the red-haired junior operator onduty in the ship's primary transporter room. She wasstanding behind the enclosure's lone control console,awaiting the captain's authorization to proceed.

The other figure in the room -- the one who was nolonger Picard's to command -- was standing on theslightly raised transporter platform, dressed in a browntunic with gray pants and a shirt of the same color. Hehad left all his cranberry-and-black Starfleet uniformshanging in his quarters, as it was no longer appropriatefor him to wear any of them.

Picard met the man's eyes. "Mister Nikolas," he said.

The ensign -- no, the captain reminded himself, formerensign -- inclined his head. "Captain."

Andreas Nikolas appeared relieved, as if a greatweight had been lifted from his shoulders. And nodoubt it had been. A couple of days earlier, he hadcome to Picard with a haunted, hollowed-out look inhis eyes -- the same look the captain had seen lurkingthere for the last several weeks.

Ever since Gerda Idun Asmund had left them.

She had arrived on the Stargazer in an apparenttransporter accident, one that had shot her from heroriginal timeline into Picard's own. As it turned outlater, her transit was actually part of an elaborate planto kidnap Phigus Simenon, the Stargazer's chief engineer,and put him to work for a rebel cause.

Gerda Idun was foiled -- with Nikolas's help, as fatewould have it -- and she was returned to her proper universeempty-handed. But that was only after Nikolas haddone himself the disservice of falling in love with her.

From that point on, the ensign's life on the Stargazerhad been a little bit of hell. After all, Gerda and IdunAsmund, who looked exactly like Gerda Idun, werestill serving alongside him on the ship. And every timeNikolas bumped into one of them, in a corridor or alounge, he was painfully reminded of what he had lost.

Picard had been aware of Nikolas's discomfort.However, he had assumed that Nikolas would get overit, as Picard had gotten over his own lost loves. So hewas surprised when the fellow walked into the captain'sready room a few days ago, sat down oppositehim, and asked for his discharge from Starfleet.

Picard was torn by the request. Ever since Nikolashad beamed aboard the Stargazer, the captain hadidentified with him and seen promise in him.

Nikolas had been reprimanded a few times for gettinginto fights, that was true. But Picard had his shareof ill-considered dust-offs at that age, and he had eventuallygrown past them. He had seen no reason whyNikolas couldn't do the same.

Then Gerda Idun had appeared, and Nikolaschanged. The day she was slated to leave, his orderscalled for him to report to engineering. Instead, hewent to the transporter room from which she was departing,determined to speak with her.

And days later, after the captain had specificallywarned Nikolas about getting into any more fights withhis fellow crewmen, he had managed to get into notone such conflict, but two -- both of them with LieutenantHanta, who should have known better as well.

Picard had considered the idea of encouragingNikolas to transfer to another ship. However, thatwould have solved only a portion of the fellow's problem.Even if Nikolas had been removed from the presenceof the Asmund twins, he would still have beendistracted by his memories of Gerda Idun.

And an officer on a starship couldn't afford such adistraction. Not when it might place his colleagues indeadly danger.

Finally -- feeling he had no choice in the matter -- thecaptain had given in. He had approved Nikolas's resignationfrom the fleet. But he had done so with a heavy heart.

Under normal circumstances, Nikolas would havebeen compelled to remain on the Stargazer for weeks.It usually took that long to arrange a series of handoffswith other starships in the transport of a low-prioritypassenger.

However, there had been a change in Picard's orders,requiring him to go halfway back to Earth. Thathad drastically expedited Nikolas's departure -- bringingabout this day, this time, and this unfortunate moment.

Standing there alongside Goetz, the captain consideredNikolas for a moment. He couldn't help feelingthat he had failed somehow -- that he had let theyounger man down, rather than the other way around.

No matter how one looked at the situation, it was ashame. Picard turned to his transporter operator.

"Is the Manitou ready?" he asked, referring to theship with which they had rendezvoused minutes earlier.

Goetz nodded. "She is, sir."

Picard turned to his former ensign and said, "I wishyou well, Mister Nikolas."

Nikolas's brow knit, as if he were feeling a pang ofregret. Or maybe it was simply an indication of howimpatient he was to be off the Stargazer.

Finally, he said, "The same to you, sir."

The captain acknowledged the gesture with a nod.Then he glanced at Goetz and said, "Energize."

Picard watched a column of golden light take shapearound Nikolas, immersing him in its brilliance. Aftera moment, he began to fade away. Little by little, hisfeatures became indistinguishable from the light.

Then the light faded too, leaving nothing in its place.

Picard sighed. But it wasn't just Nikolas's departurethat compelled him to do so. After all, the Stargazerwas slated to receive a transport subject as well as giveone up.

Goetz turned to the captain. "Sir, Nikolas has arrivedsafely on the Manitou."

Picard nodded. "Proceed."

This time, the transporter operator didn't have muchto do, as her opposite number on the Manitou was theone initiating the transport. Goetz's only responsibilitywas to give the other ship's operator the go-ahead,which she did with a tap on her console, and then monitorthe procedure.

Seconds later, another column of golden light tookshape on the platform. As Picard looked on, it becameclear that there was someone forming inside it -- someoneobviously humanoid, who solidified as the splendoraround him vanished.

He was blond, of medium build, and older than thecaptain by a couple of decades. Though he was wearingthe same cranberry and black uniform, the insigniaon it denoted a rank superior to Picard's -- that of theStarfleet admiral overseeing this sector of space.

McAteer, thought the captain, and not with any specialfondness. But what he said was "Admiral. Welcometo the Stargazer."

McAteer smiled as if he were happy to see Picard,but his smile wasn't to be taken at face value. It wasmerely a tool that he used to disarm his adversaries.

"Picard," he said as he stepped down from the platform.

Not Captain Picard. Just Picard, without the title. Butthen, McAteer had never seemed comfortable with thenotion of someone Picard's age commanding a starship.

"You've cut your hair," the admiral observed.

"I did," the captain confirmed. "A necessary part ofmy assignment on Oblivion."

"Ah yes," said McAteer. "Oblivion." As if that singleword were comment enough.

Picard's mission there hadn't been a complete success.He had, after all, failed to obtain strategic informationthat would have given the Federation asignificant advantage over its adversaries in the sector.

However, he had flushed out a scheme to put theFederation at a significant disadvantage. Most superiorofficers would have taken that into consideration. Butnot McAteer.

"I trust your trip here was a comfortable one," saidthe captain.

"It was," the admiral confirmed. "But then, CaptainDorchester knows his way around."

And I don't, Picard couldn't help adding silently.The implication was there whether McAteer said it outloud or not.

The captain indicated the exit. "Shall I have someonesee you to your quarters?"

"Not just yet," said McAteer. "Right now, I'd like togo over a few things in your ready room."

Of course you would, thought Picard.

Carter Greyhorse, the Stargazer's chief medicalofficer, appeared to be studying the red-on-black digitalreadout on the side of one of his biobeds. However,he was really thinking about Gerda Asmund.In point of fact, he was always thinking about GerdaAsmund.

And why not? She was his lover.

Greyhorse had never imagined he would be sayingsuch a thing, not even to himself. But it was true. Thefates had been kinder to him than he could ever haveimagined. Lovely, fierce Gerda had miraculously seenfit to share his bed.

And not just his bed.

After all, Gerda had been raised as a Klingon. Herappetites were untidy, to say the least, and they had away of manifesting themselves even when there wasno bed available.

More than once in recent weeks, Greyhorse hadfound himself in a semipublic part of the ship, hastilycovering up some newly inflicted wound -- the livid resultof Gerda's passion. He was sporting two suchwounds at that very moment, one half-healed and theother still fresh and bloody.

The doctor didn't like the risks he and Gerda weretaking, sometimes getting involved with each otherwhile one or both of them were on duty. However, hislover seemed to thrive on risk. For her, it appeared tobe an integral part of the experience.

He couldn't deny her that thrill. Hell, he couldn'tdeny her anything -- not when Gerda might suddenlydecide that Greyhorse was too much trouble and endtheir relationship, just like that. He didn't know howhe would go on living if she did that.

So he endured their trysts, no matter where or whenthey took place, and the scars that came with them, andstill he counted himself lucky. And he would go ondoing that as long as Gerda gave him the chance to --

"Doctor?" said his patient, interrupting Greyhorse'sthoughts.

He looked down at Ulelo, one of the com officerswho reported to Lieutenant Paxton. "Yes?"

"Have you got everything you needed?"

Greyhorse nodded. "Yes. Yes, of course. You can go."

He should have scrutinized Ulelo's bioscan, just tobe certain there was nothing wrong with the man.However, a cursory look hadn't given him any reasonfor concern, and he would take a closer look at thescan later on.

Besides, Ulelo hadn't had any complaints. It wasjust a routine checkup, mandated by Starfleet regulations.

"Thank you," said the com officer.

"No problem," said Greyhorse.

Swiveling himself around and removing himselffrom the biobed, Ulelo crossed sickbay and headed forthe exit. By the time the doctor heard the clatter ofUlelo's footfalls in the corridor outside, he wasn'tthinking about the com officer anymore.

He was thinking about Gerda again.

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