Riker nodded and thought further, growing somewhat excited at the notion. But he also began imagining how Picard would act if he lost his first officer. They had served together for many years and often thought and acted as one. Where would they find another person able to mesh as well? Or was that Command’s goal?
And then his mind was already turning over the Enterprise roster to see whom he might want to bring with him. Kell Perim at helm? Vale at tactical? He’d never get Crusher to come along, and he didn’t know Tropp well enough. In his heart, he wished Worf were an option, but the Federation’s ambassador to the Klingon Empire had his own life to lead.
“Do I give you an answer now, Kathryn?”
“If you want.”
“Not exactly.”
“I thought as much. You have a little time. But we’re going to need a captain in place in a few months to begin finalizing the crew selection and do the shakedown.”
“I won’t take too long to decide. Promise.”
“Good luck, then, Will. You’d be a fine first captain. Hope to see you in that center seat.”
She winked out, and the screen filled with the Federation insignia.
Riker sat back and let his jacket fall open. He took several breaths, uncertain who to discuss this with first—Picard or Troi. Each would tell him to take it, he knew that much. But what would each say about the repercussions of such a decision?
And then, to his surprise, he wondered exactly what his father would say.
He put his head in his hands and sat for a long while.
Koll Azernal sat in his office reviewing reports from Starfleet Intelligence. He began each morning, well before the sun rose, with these reports. The middle-aged Zakdorn absorbed and digested huge amounts of information far faster than most of the people who served the Federation president.
The door to his office opened and Admiral Upton entered, blinking a few times, clearly trying to be alert. Azernal preferred meetings with Starfleet officers at times of his own choosing, keeping things on his own terms.
“What have you learned from the Enterprise reports?” Azernal asked without even greeting the admiral.
Since he wasn’t offered a chair, Upton remained upright, a scowl permanently etched onto his features. The admiral outlined the medical branch’s confirmation that Crusher’s work would succeed.
Azernal nodded once and picked up a padd. He thumbed it to life and read something from it before speaking.
“We need to place the original research and cure into a top-secret storage facility. It should be placed under voiceprint access only, limited to you and myself.”
“Yes, sir,” Upton said, and looked as if he was about to ask a question.
“Admiral, we are still recovering from one war, and others are ready to flare up at any moment. We’re far from safe and secure. Starfleet is still rebuilding. If I need soldiers in a short time, we can manufacture the original serum and use it on the Delta Sigma IV adults. I can give you an instant army. That was the original goal during the Dominion War when the problem first came to light. We solved it, but too late.
“But there will be another war. There always is.”
Acknowledgments
These books cannot possibly be written in a vacuum. It all starts with an idea and in this case, John Ordover called me with the pitch barely a month after Star Trek Nemesis opened. Fans had filled gigabytes online debating how this happened or why that person was at the wedding and not someone else. Clearly there were stories to tell and after research showed how much time existed between Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek Nemesis, John knew he had an event.
These two books of mine would not be here without the contributions, advice, cajoling, and friendship of my fellow authors. Our latest doc, Tropp, came from Dayton Ward and his barbecue-lovin’ partner, Kevin Dilmore. Jim Peart and Chief of Staff Koll Azernal are the creation of David Mack, who will spotlight them more in the following volumes. There are other little touches you’ll see from the works of John Vornholt, who kicked this whole thing off, and Keith DeCandido, who tidies everything up at the end. Keith actually does more than that in so many less obvious ways and he gets a special salute.
The actors who brought the characters to life clearly must be acknowledged, especially Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis, who made us want Riker and Troi to stay in love despite all their duties and other distractions. Being the author to finally write the proposal was a privilege.
A tip of the hat to my colleague Jeff Mariotte, who provided a good look at the Rikers’ relationship in his Lost Era novel, Deny Thy Father. And no book about the romance of Riker and Troi would be complete without referencing the events depicted in Peter David’s superb Imzadi Forever. Thanks for the inspiration, Peter.
At Pocket Books, I couldn’t ask for better assistance and support than from publisher Scott Shannon, editor Ed Schlesinger, and assistants Elisa Kassin and John Perrella. And at Paramount, a big thanks to Paula Block and John Van Citters for keeping me on the straight and narrow.
A tip of the hat to the Malibu Gang for being there; to the readers at PsiPhi.org (the best online Star Trek book website around) and the Trek BBS for their support and kind words. Special thanks to Jim McCain, who tracked down an elusive name or two for me while I was in the middle of a paragraph.
The support isn’t all online, either. Shore Leave and Farpoint, two of the best fan-run conventions you could ever ask for, continue to support the authors and provide priceless opportunities to speak directly with the fans.
And there are my supporters at home. Deb understands my passion for the material and my need to write, exercising muscles I do not get to use in my current editorial job. She’s more of a fan than she likes to admit in public, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner. My kids have grown up watching television and movies with us, and have turned into their own creative selves, able to quote obscure movies or song lyrics at the drop of a hat. They’ve sat at my side as I’ve written through the years, supportive in so many subtle ways. Kate’s about to leave home for college, so the next project will be different, written without her daily presence. I get two more years with Robbie, which is nice since he’s more overt in his support—he actually makes time to watch Enterprise with me, giving me someone to chat with for instant feedback.
And a nod to Dixie, the loving wonder dog who usually is at my side or underfoot as I write.
Without friends and family, writing these books would be so much more like a job than a pleasure.
About the Author
Robert Greenberger wishes he were the last son of the doomed planet Krypton or was bequeathed an emerald power ring. Instead, he was born in a more mundane manner, surrounded by a loving family on Long Island. His parents encouraged him to pursue his dreams, which first led him to SUNY-Binghamton for his Bachelor’s in English and History and then into the world of publishing.
He has spent the majority of his adult life at DC Comics, joining them after a three-year stint at Starlog Press. At DC, he began as an Assistant Editor, rising to Manager–Editorial Operations prior to taking what amounted to a two-year sabbatical in the grown-up world.
After ten months as a Producer at Gist Communications, he was lured back to comics, spending a tempestuous year as Director–Publishing Operations at Marvel Comics. He returned to DC as a Senior Editor in their collected editions department in 2002, where he continues today.
Along the way, he has written quite a number of articles, interviews, reviews, and a smattering of comics before turning to prose. He has collaborated with Peter David and Michael Jan Friedman on several Star Trek projects. Additionally, he has written several solo novels, including the one you have hopefully just completed. He has written two eBooks for Star Trek: S.C.E. and short works found in Enterprise Logs, Star Trek: New Frontier: No Limits, and Star Trek: Tales of the Dominion War.
He has also written many young adult nonfiction books on a wide variety of subjects. Coming this fall, h
e contributes essays to You Did What?, a look at decisions throughout history that must have made sense to someone at the time.
He makes his home in Connecticut, joined by his patient wife, Deb, and his way-too-old children, Kate and Robbie. When not writing or working, he wants time to read and watch too much television, and prays for the day the Mets win another World Series.
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