The Oppressor's Wrong (17 page)

Riker frowned at him. “Can you pilot a shuttle in that?”

“No, sir.”

Hawk stood up. “I can.”

Picard turned to Hawk. “Make it so, gentlemen.”

Daniels and Hawk entered the turbolift together. “Shuttlebay one,” Hawk said. He narrowed his eyes at Daniels after the doors closed. “Can you really lower his shields with a DPO code?”

He shrugged. “Can you really pilot a type-9 shuttle-craft through an asteroid cluster?”

Hawk smiled. “Dunno, but I'd like to try.”

Daniels smiled back. “So would I.”

Once launched, Daniels brought the sensors online and downloaded one of the protocol engines into the array. Hawk brought the impulse engines up to full as Daniels raised shields.

“I've locked on,” Hawk said. “Bearing 227.”

“I see him.” Daniels input the codes and their variants from a padd. “We're going to have to get closer for this to work.”

“Unless he's already changed the shield modulation.”

Daniels nodded. “That's a possibility.”

Abruptly the shuttle lurched as Snowden fired on them. Daniels grabbed the console and checked the readings. “Shields at ninety percent.”

“Let's even the playing field.” Hawk increased speed.

Smiling, Daniels locked on target and fired phasers. He read the panels. “His shields are at eighty-five.”

The asteroid cluster loomed ahead of them. Daniels watched as Snowden turned his ship to port to avoid a spinning chunk of rock, then rolled twice and cruised up.

“We're not going to do
that,
are we?” He looked over at Hawk.

“What? Afraid of a little skilled piloting, Mr. Daniels?” Hawk said as the panel beside his right hand slid away and a manual control ascended. He clasped it with his right hand and smiled at Daniels. “Hang on.”

And hang on Daniels did as the shuttle rolled clockwise twice, then descended abruptly to avoid collision with another asteroid. The shuttle shook as Snowden fired again. Daniels checked the inertial dampers. They were working, but somehow his stomach still rolled about.

“How is he hitting us in this?” Daniels muttered as he read the tactical HUD. “Shields at eighty-five percent. Another kilometer and I can send the codes.”

“Unless he bashes into one of these things.” Hawk pulled the shuttle to the left.

Daniels targeted Snowden's shuttle. But an asteroid spun into the path of his phaser. Daniels fired again, this time striking the target. “His shields are at sixty-five percent.”

“That's a dramatic drop.”

“It was the explosion,” Daniels said as they closed in on Snowden's shuttle. “The shields were compensating for the debris as well as the phasers. Probably shorted out an emitter.” The console beeped. “We're in range.”

“Send the damned things.”

Daniels did. He watched the readouts. No change. “He's changed the modulation code.”

“Figures.” The shuttle shook harder this time as sparks erupted from behind Hawk's chair. “I'm getting tired of this.” He throttled forward. “Target two of the asteroids closest to him—compensate for speed.”

Daniels understood what Hawk intended to do: overtax Snowden's shields. “Aye, sir.” He pushed the phaser range to maximum, computed distance and speed, and fired phasers. Even before the asteroids exploded he fired on the shuttle.

Within seconds the shuttle slowed and began to roll.

“Shields are down,” Daniels said as a perimeter warning light flashed. “He's lost control.”

“Lock onto him and beam him directly into the back.” Hawk grinned. “You'd better have your phaser ready, too. I'm pretty sure
Captain
Snowden isn't going to be too happy with us.' He gave a sly smirk as he rolled the shuttle up past a large rock and out of the asteroid cluster just as the sound of the transporter engaged and Snowden's shuttle struck a smaller asteroid and exploded.

E
stro Rama's
Cerulean Sunset
concerto played softly as a pleasant background to the art reception in the lounge. Thirty or so officers moved about, snacking on canapés, tortes, and a variety of fruits and vegetables, some native to Canopus as well as Earth.

Sage, his hair neatly plaited down his back, moved quickly through the other uniforms to stand beside Daniels, who stood with Picard, Riker, La Forge, and Troi.

Daniels gave him a wide smile as he held out his fluted glass of champagne. Sage held out his own and the two clinked glasses. “We're gonna miss you,” he said after swallowing half of the sweet, golden liquid.

“No, you won't,” Daniels said. “Not with a new job at the Daystrom Institute.”

“Yeah.” Sage winked. “Sweet, ain't it?”

“Sage,” La Forge said as he leaned forward and offered the Fijorian his hand, “congratulations on the new job. I've already contacted a few friends there and warned them about you.”

Sage's dark eyebrows arched beneath his hair. “Girls?”

La Forge's own eyebrows rose above his VISOR. “Like I said—they've been warned.”

“Gentlemen,” Troi said with a slight smirk, “aren't we here to honor our artists?”

The reception was occasioned by the art sciences department's biannual showing of their students' work. The
Enterprise
was preparing to depart, and the captain felt it was a good distraction from the trials at Starbase 375.

Especially the reception's showpiece,
Spot's Repose,
which was garnering more attention than any other piece of work.

Daniels was especially delighted at Travec's interest in the paintings. He'd insisted several times he had to have a set in his office. They were the most exquisite things he'd ever seen.

So much for taste.

Daniels and Troi had helped Data choose four prints, and the art instructor had arranged them on one of the walls to form a square panel. The reactions
had been mostly jovial, with even a few requesting a set of their own.

Data's latest achievement was to sit in on a few music sessions. He'd finally picked up the violin again and moved past his frustration at no longer playing the music verbatim without deviation, but now with feeling.

Motion and movement.

Daniels smiled at Troi and raised his glass toward the display. “Who knew Data had such talent?”

“Not so sure it's talent as much as it is an exercise in humor,” La Forge said. He grinned. “But at least he's painting, and playing the violin again.”

Picard raised his glass and took a sip. He didn't make a face, but Daniels could tell from his expression that the champagne was sweeter than what he was accustomed to.

Troi asked, “So, how's Siobhan taking the news that you've been assigned to be the new security chief and tactical specialist on the
Enterprise?”

He sighed. “Happy and disappointed. She's made me promise to write her every day—and that's write with pen and paper. We haven't seen each other in nearly three months, and it'll be a little longer before I'm near Canopus again.”

“Perhaps we can arrange something,” Picard said, “after the current crisis is resolved.”

Riker nodded. “Admiral Ross will be here in two days to take over Starbase 375. Snowden and Nomine are facing a court-martial once we return to Earth.”

“What about Hahn's family?” Crusher asked. “Jean-Luc, have you spoken with Crystal?”

He nodded. “Yes. She'll be meeting us on arrival to take possession of his body. I'm also officiating at his wake.”

This was sobering news, and Daniels sipped at his champagne, wishing with all his heart his wife could be there beside him.

He thought back to the meeting between himself, Riker, and Picard in the captain's ready room. Daniels had helped Barclay, Porter, and Sage remove the rogue system in holodeck three and was preparing to return to Earth once Admiral Ross arrived on the
U.S.S. Bellerophon.

Picard had started the meeting. “Mr. Daniels, it's come to my attention that with the exposure of Admiral Leyton's failed coup, you could be out of a job at Starfleet Department of Planetary Operations.”

Daniels had nodded. “Yes, sir. I've put in for reassignment. Preferably on board a ship.”

“We've read it,” Riker had said. “But what we're unsure about is why you didn't request to be posted here, on board the
Enterprise.”

His eyes had grown wide and he'd hated to admit
that the thought hadn't occurred to him. “I—I didn't know it was an option. I know so many security officers who both want this posting and fear it.”

Riker had frowned. “Fear it?”

Daniels had nodded to the commander. “It's rumored that anything can happen on the
Enterprise,
sir.”

“Touché,” Picard had said. “Mr. Daniels, I've reviewed your service record, and to be honest, if we'd not worked directly with you, both Commander Riker and I might have passed you over. But you showed remarkable courage, an ability to think, as t'Saiga calls it, outside the box, and you acted in a professional manner. And Commander Travec has recommended you for the post with a glowing letter.”

Riker had looked at him. “Originally we'd been considering Lieutenant Huff to fill the position.”

Daniels had felt a slight twinge of regret about his original dislike of the woman. He felt guilty about her death—she had died in his quarters. A useless death. “I'm sorry for that, sir.”

“That wasn't your fault,” Picard said. “Nomine could have just as easily killed you. We need a security chief, as well as a tactician. You qualify on both counts, and Admiral Ross has already approved the posting.” He'd glanced at Riker. “If you'll accept it.”

He'd been stunned. “I didn't know assignments were an option. I've never been asked before.”

“They're not really an option,” Riker said. “Your personal effects are already being packed as we speak to be loaded up once we arrive on Earth.” He grinned. “We were just being nice.”

And so Daniels was made chief of security.

There was a lull in the music as everyone turned to the wall of cats. Data stood in front of them, a violin in his hand. Troi glanced back at Daniels and beamed.

Uh oh,
Daniels thought as he watched the crowd move back toward him and Porter.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Until a few weeks ago, I had given up any dreams of ever painting, or playing music again. But thanks to Counselor Troi and my accidental teacher, Lieutenant Daniels, I have done both. And soon I hope to expand my efforts into theater—perhaps a musical. But for now, I would like to perform the solo from Estro's midi concerto as an appreciation.”

The crowd gave a subdued clap.

Daniels glanced at Picard, Riker, La Forge, and Crusher. Their expressions of panic alarmed him.

He leaned in closer to Troi. “Is he bad?”

“Well, since the emotion chip—” She shrugged. “We'll see.”

With the violin tucked under his chin, Data closed
his eyes, placed the bow to the strings, and began to play …

A
gain I must give thanks and kudos to Keith R.A. DeCandido for allowing me to be a part of this incredible
Next Generation
anniversary special. I have had a ball writing
Starfleet Corps of Engineers
eBooks, and was beside myself when this opportunity came along.

My next thank you goes out to Herb Beas III, a dedicated fan of
Star Trek,
a writer, game designer, and dear friend. I don't know what I would have done without him and his patience with me as I struggled through the worst case of
Star Trek
anxiety a dedicated fan-girl could have. I owe you, Herb. And I didn't use the nukes. And to Jason Schmetzer, who's learned the hard way that if he's on IM and I see him, he's fair game.

Thanks also to my daughter, who has had to learn patience with me and the characters that take up mommy time. And to my parents—especially my
dad—who introduced all of his children to the wonderful and inspiring world of Gene Roddenberry.

PHAEDRA M. WELDON
has been a fan of
Star Trek
since her dad introduced her to the series when she was twelve. Her professional writing career began with stories selected for two of Pocket Books's
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
anthologies: “The Lights in the Sky” in Volume 1 and “Who Cries for Prometheus?” in Volume 5. She is also the author of many original short stories for DAW anthologies, and is excited about her first original published novel,
Wraith,
which came out from Ace in 2007. Her other work with
Star Trek
includes the
Corps of Engineers
eBooks
Blackout
and
Signs from Heaven.

NEXT MONTH:

CELEBRATING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION,
POCKET BOOKS PROUDLY PRESENTS:

SLINGS AND ARROWS

A new six-part epic covering the first year of service of the
U.S.S. Enterprise-
E, leading up to the events of the hit movie
Star Trek: First Contact!

BOOK 3: THE INSOLENCE OF OFFICE by William Leisner

A major turning point in the lives of two of the
Enterprise
crew! Newly promoted Admiral Hayes gives La Forge a shocking ultimatum: his VISOR is a security risk, and he must either have it replaced with ocular implants or be transferred to a less senstitive post.

Meanwhile, Troi has some issues of her own. Though she knows that her mother Lwaxana recently married the Tevnian named Jeyel, she was unaware of the subsequent pregnancy—and now Lwaxana's about to give birth. To make matters worse, the Tevnian government has decided that, even though Lwaxana and Jeyel are now divorced, the child still belongs to them.