STAR TREK: Strange New Worlds I

by Dean Wesley Smith (Editor)

  Picard nodded. “So noted. However, I feel the sooner we eradicate this pest the better. The damage to the exposed [155] areas due to the sweep is the price I’m willing to pay. Mr. Worf, make it so.”

  Good, Picard thought, now maybe we can get everything repaired and ready for our arrival at Alpha Kiriki.

  Data stopped by his quarters right after the conference. If he were human, he could have called it intuition, but all Data had to go on were facts and patterns. The fact was, he wanted to be sure that Spot was safely in his quarters.

  He was just a few meters from his door when the lights dimmed. Two point seven seconds later, they returned to their original brightness. Sometime in those seconds, Data’s door slid open and Spot pranced into the corridor.

  “Spot!” Data said. “You should not be out here.”

  The cat regarded Data for a moment, then sensing her newfound adventure might be short-lived, she sprang like a kitten down the opposite path.

  “No, Spot. Come back here,” Data coaxed. “I will order up some special feline supplement 74!”

  Spot didn’t even slow down.

  Data recalled the phrase Counselor Troi said was effective. He stooped down close to the floor and said, “Here, kittykittykitty. Come here, kittykittykitty.”

  Spot slowed to a dignified pace and looked over her shoulder at Data.

  It’s working! he thought. He slowly rose to a standing position and continued his calling.

  Spot sat down, licked her hind foot, and watched as Data approached. Data was within two meters of the cat, crouching low again and extending his fingers, inviting Spot to come say hello.

  [156] Just as Data thought he could make a grab for Spot, the cat sprang to her feet and scampered down the corridor a little further. Data gave chase and rounded the curve in the corridor just in time to see Spot squeeze into a floor-level service duct.

  “Spot! No!” Data said. He dropped to his knees to see if he could still reach Spot, only to see the tip of her tail disappear into the darkness.

  “Attention, all personnel,” the computer made the ship-wide announcement. “Please evacuate the Jefferies tube system now. Tube sterilization sweep to begin in three minutes.”

  Data knew that the duct led to two possible exits: to another floor-level service duct, or into the Jefferies tube system.

  “Computer, locate feline Spot,” Data commanded.

  “One moment please,” the computer said. “Feline Spot is between Decks 8 and 9 in the transitional duct.”

  It appeared that Spot was headed for the Jefferies tubes. Data tapped his combadge and hailed the transporter room.

  “O’Brien here.”

  “Spot has entered the Jefferies tube! Can you lock onto her with the transporter?”

  “Tube sterilization sweep to begin in two minutes.”

  “One moment,” O’Brien said. “Sir, Spot is moving too fast to get a good fix, and now she’s in the tube and something is causing interference.”

  “Thank you, O’Brien,” Data said. He moved on to the next best option.

  “Data to Geordi and Worf.”

  “La Forge here.”

  “Yes, Data.”

  [157] “Tube sterilization sweep to begin in one minute.”

  “You must delay the sweep.”

  Geordi said, “What?”

  “Why?” Worf asked.

  “Spot has escaped and is lost in the tube system. I am attempting to lure her back, but I have not been successful.”

  “Tube sterilization sweep to begin in thirty seconds.”

  “Okay, Data. I’m canceling the sweep, but you get to tell Captain Picard why.”

  “Geordi,” Worf growled under his breath.

  “Worf,” Geordi chastised, “what if you still had your pet targ, and it was in the same situation?”

  Data could hear Worf sigh and mutter, “A targ would not get into the tubes.” He signed off.

  “Thank you, Geordi,” Data said.

  “Tube sterilization sweep is canceled,” the computer announced.

  “Computer, locate feline Spot.” He would at least continue to track Spot and try to capture her.

  Data spent the next three hours following Spot, tracking her through seven levels of decks, hopping into Jefferies tubes and wriggling into ventilation ducts. He had taken the time to replicate more cat food, to no avail. In all that time, he never once saw nose or tip of tail.

  The computer finally informed him that Spot had left the Jefferies tube. Data emerged several decks from his quarters, and he knew he’d need to change into a clean uniform before he returned to the bridge to apologize to the captain for the delay.

  Spot was crouched low by the door to his quarters. Her [158] fur was rumpled and an area near the tip of her tail appeared singed, but her eyes were big and bright.

  “Spot! You have come home!” Data said. “What a good cat.”

  Spot purred. Data moved toward his quarters, but the cat jumped up and snagged a claw on a limp, blue, tentacled lump she’d been lying on. She threw it a meter and a half into the air and pounced on it again as it landed. She grabbed it with both front paws, rolled onto her side, and rabbit-kicked it with her hind feet. Then she sprang back up on all fours, did a little sideways dance, and pounced on it again.

  “You killed the Zool!” Data said. He opened the door to his quarters.

  Spot stood and picked up her prize in her mouth and proudly carried the dead Zool, blue tentacles drooping, into Data’s quarters.

  Jean-Luc Picard strode down the corridor toward the holodecks with Riker. “It’s good to have the Enterprise back to normal, Number One,” Picard said.

  “Indeed,” Riker agreed. “We’ve got a fine crew, too, to get all the damage repaired before we arrived at Alpha Kiriki.”

  “With a day to spare.”

  At the junction, they met up with Data, who carried a biological specimen transport case.

  “Data, what do you have there?” Riker asked.

  “I am taking Spot with me to holodeck nine. I realized that she needed more stimulation than she was getting in my quarters, so I made a new program for her where she can explore twenty-seven different environments and still be safe.”

  [159] “Well, Data,” Picard said, “I’m impressed.”

  “I’m speechless,” Riker added.

  “If this proves to be worthwhile, I could create something similar for your lionfish,” Data offered. “I could title it ‘Coral Reef Adventure.’ ”

  “Thanks, Data,” Picard said, “but no big rush.”

  “As you wish,” Data said. He left the men and entered holodeck nine.

  Picard and Riker kept walking until they were safely out of Data’s hearing before they burst into laughter.

  Together Again, for the First Time

  Bobbie Benton Hull

  She sensed, rather than saw, him enter the room. Even though she had known for a long time that this meeting would occur, she could not contain the excitement that was building up inside of her. Ever since she had first heard that his ship was in spacedock at this station, it had been all she could do to keep from seeking him out. But she knew that they would meet naturally. She had to wait.

  She had been aware of everything that had occurred to him for his entire life, from merely days after his birth to his application for acceptance into Starfleet Academy. Although he did not know it, she had attended his graduation, sitting as proudly as any parent in the audience. Every promotion, every milestone in his life, she had followed, although always discreetly so as hot to arouse suspicion on anyone’s part.

  As he sat at the table in the corner, she found herself amazed at how much younger he appeared than when she had first met him. He certainly had more hair! In crossing the room to serve him, she could not help but notice the look of concentration on his face and felt herself questioning if [161] this was the proper time for them to meet again, for the first time. But her job was to serve him and serve him she wo
uld, for this moment had been destined to be for nearly five hundred years.

  He looked up at her as she stood next to his table. He could not help but be struck by her appearance. Her dark skin, full lips, and understanding eyes made her seem overwhelmingly in command. He also felt intrigued by the twinkle in her eyes, a look of knowing a secret that no one else did.

  “Good evening, Captain. How may I serve you?” she asked.

  He admired her stunning beauty, momentarily forgetting that he had come to this quaint dining establishment for a bit of real food and drink. Replicator food could sometimes get rather bland. “What would you recommend?” he asked, finding himself wanting to prolong her presence.

  “You’re from Earth, aren’t you? We seldom get humans out this far, but for you, I have what I think you will enjoy. I managed to acquire a case of Chardonnay from the Labarre region of the former France from your planet. I believe the year is 2305. May I pour you a glass?” Somehow, she already knew the answer.

  The captain suddenly found himself sitting boldly upright in his chair. This wine came from the very area in which his family had a vineyard! Additionally the vintage was the same as the year of his birth. Surely this fact was more than a coincidence. He had taken a fair amount of quality wines from his family’s vineyard with him on this voyage, but the supply had run out several months ago. The thought of a glass of the real thing left him feeling a moment of excitement. Of course, the mysterious woman offering [162] him the drink only added to it. Another plus—2305 was a very good year.

  “An entire case?!? And just how much of this case do you have left, barkeep?” he asked in amazement at the piece of home he had found so far away.

  When she had heard that he had been born, she had taken it upon herself to travel to Earth and perchance meet him, even though he was only an infant. It had not been difficult to locate the family’s vineyard and, using the excuse of ordering a case of wine, be able to meet the captain’s parents, as well as the captain himself, although he was not yet able to walk. She smiled as she remembered the baby’s older brother, Robert, as he tormented his younger sibling.

  “I have the entire case. It’s as if I knew you were coming and had saved it just for you,” which, of course, she had. She looked at him again with that mysterious, all-knowing smile, reminding him of the old saying about a cat swallowing a canary. Although he had come here to eat, drink, and try to fight the feelings of emptiness that had been eating inside of him from being on this long mission, he found this woman to be a delightful change from the monotony that had plagued him for the past several months.

  “Tell me,” he asked, “how you managed to acquire an entire case of wine so far from Earth.”

  “It’s a rather strange story,” she lied. It was the only time she would ever lie to him. “A trader was docked at this station and managed to run up a rather large gambling debt at the nearby casino. Since he was unable to pay off his entire debt, I agreed to buy this wine. I never really thought I would have much use for it.”

  [163] “Then I’ll take it,” he said, with a gaiety in his voice that he had not had in much too long a time.

  “The whole case?” she asked, with a bit of surprise in her voice.

  “Of course,” he said with a chuckle, “although I plan to take it with me when I leave.”

  “Of course,” she said with a smile. “And would you care for anything else?”

  “Your company for a drink, if that could be arranged,” he replied. Although he had no intention of “picking up” anyone this evening, he somehow felt drawn to this mysterious woman. Besides, the company of someone outside his crew would be a welcome change. Being the captain of a Starfleet vessel was sometimes a very lonely position indeed.

  “I’m sure I could take a break, being as I own this place,” she said, once again exhibiting the all-knowing smile that he found so intriguing. “Just let me get a couple glasses and a bottle of wine and I will be right back. In the meantime, decide on a meal, my treat.” With that, she turned and walked back across the room to the bar.

  As the Starfleet captain watched her go, he marveled at the grace with which she moved. Her floor-length flowing gowns hid much of what she looked like, and the unique headpiece she wore covered her entire head. Long, flowing braids hung well beyond the center of her back. Only her face, with the intriguing smile, seemed to show from the billowing materials. Something about her seemed familiar, as if he had seen her before, a face in a crowd, but he could not place her. Within a few minutes, she returned with two glasses and the promised bottle of Chardonnay.

  [164] “Forgive my manners,” the captain said as he rose to his feet. “I am Captain Picard, Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Stargazer. And you are ... ?”

  “Guinan,” she replied.

  “Guinan,” he said. “What an unusual name.”

  “Not among my people. I am El-Aurian.”

  “El-Aurian!” Picard exclaimed in surprise. “I have heard of your people. You are certainly a long way from home.”

  “If you have heard of my people, then you would know that we have no home,” Guinan replied with a haunting tone.

  “Ah, yes, your home planet was totally destroyed by an unknown attacker nearly a hundred years ago, leaving no survivors to describe the attack. Only a few scattered individuals of your species survive. You are known as ‘listeners,’ I believe.”

  “For lack of a better word, listeners will do. But I feel that anyone can listen if they only keep their mouths shut.” Picard laughed at her directness. Guinan then finished pouring both glasses of wine and handed one to Jean-Luc.

  “A toast,” he said, “to listeners the galaxy over who manage to keep their mouths shut.” If only a few windbags in Starfleet who never managed to leave the gravitational pull of Earth were as wise.

  As Picard swallowed the mouthful of wine, he raised an eyebrow. He turned the bottle to look at the label. “You aren’t going to believe this,” he directed to Guinan, “but this bottle of wine is from my family’s vineyard on Earth. ...”

  “Really,” Guinan replied. “What a coincidence. Would you mind pouring me another glass then, Captain?” Jean-Luc again looked at Guinan’s face—the smile, the tilt of her [165] head—and attempted to place her, for he knew that he had seen her before.

  “Have we met before?” Jean-Luc boldly asked her. “You seem familiar to me.”

  “It’s always possible. It’s a big galaxy and, in my lifetime, I’ve traveled a vast part of it.”

  “Have you ever been to Earth?” Jean-Luc asked.

  “Yes, many times,” Guinan replied. “I have a friend who lived on the North American continent in the city of San Francisco.”

  “Ah, San Francisco,” Jean-Luc said, with a smile and a faraway glint in his eye. “Being as that is where I attended Starfleet Academy, I spent some time there myself.”

  “Then that could have been it. I lived there for some time, although it was quite a while ago.” Guinan knew that there was always the possibility that Jean-Luc could have seen her before, but didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be to keep him from becoming suspicious. “But enough about that. Would you care for another glass?”

  “Are you trying to get me drunk?” Jean-Luc asked with a smile in his eyes.

  “Of course,” Guinan said. “I always get Starfleet captains drunk before I take advantage of them, especially good-looking ones, like yourself. ...” she said with a teasing glint. In a more serious tone she added, “We could always switch to synthehol if you like.”

  “No,” Jean-Luc replied. “A treat such as this should not be tainted with the likes of Ferengi swill.” He smiled as Guinan refilled his glass. “Another toast,” he said, “to strangers who meet in the night and friendships that might possibly be.”

  [166] “Yes,” Guinan replied with that all-knowing smile that Jean-Luc found so intriguing. “To future friendships.”

  Guinan and Jean-Luc sat for many more hours t
alking and sipping wine. Customers came and went, including many of the Stargazer’s crew, who whispered amongst themselves about the strange woman their captain was so spellbound by. But, for the most part, Picard ignored them all. After months of deep-space exploration, he found his conversations with Guinan to be a welcome change. She told him of the worlds she had visited, the species she had lived with, of her many children, and nearly as many husbands. When one is El-Aurian, one has had centuries to explore strange, new worlds. Within what seemed like only minutes, Guinan informed the captain that she had to see to closing the bar for the evening.

  “What? So soon?” Jean-Luc asked.

  “It is 0200 hours, my dear Captain,” Guinan replied. “I do have to get some sleep and prepare for another workday tomorrow.”

  Jean-Luc seemed truly surprised by the late hour. “My apologies, dear lady, in keeping you from your work. If I had realized the hour, I would have been gone long ago.”

  “No,” Guinan said. “I have enjoyed talking to you, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Stargazer. Before I forget, would you like to take your case of wine with you now or wait until you leave spacedock?”

  “If it would not be an inconvenience, I would prefer to leave it here. We will be here several more days for maintenance, and in leaving it here, I will have an excuse to enjoy it, as well as your company.”

  [167] “Smooth talker,” Guinan replied. “I bet you say that to all your bartenders.”

  Jean-Luc smiled as he stood, then walked to the door. Within a few steps, the doors behind him closed, and he was gone.

  Guinan, feeling as if all the strength in her body were suddenly gone, collapsed in her chair. Overall, she felt their meeting had gone smoothly. When she had met him for the first time so many centuries ago, he had been all business, in command of the situation, yet tender with her. Even though he was somewhat younger now, she still saw in him the potential to become the great leader he was destined to be. He hadn’t told her much at their first meeting—didn’t want to contaminate the timeline, he had said—but she had sensed enough to know that he was going to be great.