Star Trek: Titan - 007 - Fallen Gods by Michael A. Martin

Author:Michael A. Martin [Martin, Michael A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, General, Science Fiction, Media Tie-In, Adventure
ISBN: 9781451660623
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2012-07-30T07:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

U.S.S. TITAN

Reclining on the sofa in the central area of her family quarters, Deanna Troi reveled in an all-too-infrequent moment of unstructured downtime. The tableau she was viewing had become even rarer lately: Will, clad in civilian clothes, lying on his stomach on the carpeted floor, wrestling with their giggling sixteen-month-old daughter, Natasha Miana Riker-Troi. Just as Troi dared to hope that Will might actually devote the next several hours to relaxation, a voice emanated from his combadge. The interruption instantly seized his full attention.

“Bridge to Captain Riker,” Lieutenant Commander Gibruch said. The Chandir’s musical tones evoked Troi’s childhood memories of the chimelike sounds the muktok bushes made as the autumn winds of Rixx relieved them of their dying pinkish-brown leaves. “The Armstrong is away.”

Will rolled over onto his back and touched his combadge, which responded with a terse electronic chirp. “What’s the away team’s ETA at Ta’ith?”

“Approximately seven hours, sir,” reported Gibruch. “The Armstrong is on track to beat the previous estimate by more than an hour. They’ve reported no trouble so far.”

The revised ETA had Christine Vale’s fingerprints all over it, Troi thought. Our XO is nothing if not efficient.

“Let’s all hope it stays that way, Tamen. Anything else?” When Gibruch answered in the negative, Will signed off.

Having risen unsteadily to her feet during her father’s moment of distraction, little Natasha made a clumsy but enthusiastic leap onto Will’s belly, catching him unawares. Though Will had managed to catch her approximately at the moment of impact, the little girl struck him a glancing blow, forcing most of the air out of his lungs.

“Oof!” Will said, groaning as he held Natasha aloft. The little girl now wore a serious expression, as though she’d suddenly become cognizant of having unintentionally hurt her father. Will held the squirming child out to Troi as though little Natasha were a hazardous piece of ordnance.

The counselor scooped up the toddler and began to bounce her reassuringly. “You’re the one who got her all worked up, Will,” Troi said with a grin. “If you remember, I said you needed rest, not wrestling.”

“I can be rested, Deanna,” he said as he lay on his side, holding his abdomen and catching his breath. “Or I can be captain.”

Troi resisted the impulse to roll her eyes. “Oh, please. A captain who works himself to exhaustion is a liability, not an asset.”

After pushing himself up into a cross-legged sitting position on the floor, he struck a thoughtful pose and began stroking his beard. “Assets versus liabilities. Is that your official assessment, Counselor?”

Still rocking Tasha, Troi pinned her husband in place with a hard glare. “Don’t try to distract me, Will. I know something’s bothering you.”

His shoulders sagged slightly. “It’s Ta’ith,” he said at length. “And the Andorian problem.”

Troi nodded. “I suppose I would have been disappointed if all seven of our Andorian shipmates had decided to go along meekly with Starfleet’s redeployment order.”

Will made a sour face. “It would have made my life easier.”

After having spoken individually with all

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