Part 3 (1/2)
”Well, that being the case, I could hardly ignore such sound advice, could I.”
”If it's good enough for the captain of the Hood,” Wesley Crusher said firmly, ”it's good enough for you.” He turned and walked out the door.
Through the viewport of his quarters, Riker could now see Betazed, coming up fast.
Help me, he said. Help me get through this, Imzadi.
There was, of course, no answer. Nor had there been for quite, quite some time.
CHAPTER 5.
Betazed was nothing like he remembered it.
Then again, it had been many years since Riker had set foot on the planet. Not since the days when he had been first officer of the Enterprise 1701-D, under the command of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard.
Not since- He wavered slightly, putting a hand to his head, and he felt Crusher's firm grip on his shoulder. ”Are you all right, Admiral?”
All the anger, all the resentment and fury that he had thought he was long past, flashed through him once more with unexpected heal.
”I'm fine!” he practically snarled. ”You don't have to sound so d.a.m.ned patronizing!”
Young Wesley Crusher would have taken a couple of steps back. He would have become dead pale, tried to stammer out some sort of a reply-and probably failed.
Capt. Wesley Crusher merely removed his hand from Riker's shoulder, then lanced him with a grim stare. ”I was always raised to believe, Admiral, that being concerned over someone's welfare was considered, at the very least, good manners. Hardly patronizing.”
Riker met Crusher's stare and said slowly, ”Yes. Quite right, Captain. My... apologies.”
Crusher nodded in a way that indicated that, as far as he was concerned, the minor incident was closed. Instead, he glanced toward the heavens. ”Looks like the weather's turning nasty on us, sir.”
At that, Riker nodded. It was something that he'd become accustomed to on Betazed. The majority of the time, the weather was calm, pleasant, bordering on the tropical. But when the atmospheric conditions s.h.i.+fted, they did so with startling and almost violent speed. One minute, cloudless and blue skies, and the next minute-bam.
Riker remembered that Lwaxana perpetually carried an umbrella with her when strolling about, particularly in the countryside. She had always prided herself on being ready for anything.
Anything.
”It's this way,” said Riker.
They'd materialized on one of the more well-to-do avenues of the city. The homes were far apart and set back... but not too far. Betazoids walked a fine line between a desire for privacy and acceptance of its impossibility-for amidst all empathic society, privacy was at best a pretense and it was rude to pretend otherwise.
Crusher could have had them beamed right to their destination, but before he had specified anything, Riker had given specific coordinates that deposited them half a mile from where they wanted to be. It was as if Riker weren't all that anxious to arrive at his goal.
Riker set the pace, which was not especially fast, and Crusher fell into step next to him. The admiral did not seem particularly interested in talking, and they might indeed have gone the entire way in complete silence if an unexpected voice hadn't chimed in behind them.
”It is you.”
Riker and Crusher stopped and turned, and Riker chuckled low in his throat.
”Wendy Roper. I don't believe it.”
The woman who stood behind them seemed a few years younger than Riker. She was small and slim, and her white hair, with a few remaining streaks of black in it, was twisted around in an elaborate braid. A sparkle in her eyes made it seem that a very amused young woman was hiding somewhere in the aged body.
”Will Riker, you old sleaze.”
He walked to her and put his arms around her-tentatively, as if afraid that he might break her in half. They separated and he looked at her.
”Don't you dare,” she said. ”Don't you dare say I haven't aged at all.”
”Why shouldn't I?”
”Because the thought that I looked like this half a century ago would be too much to cope with.”
His smile widened. ”Can I say you look great for a woman your age?”
”With my blessing.” She ran fingers across his bearded cheeks. ”When did you get so scruffy?”
”About forty years ago.”
”Makes you look ancient.”
”I feel ancient.” He paused, then shook his head. ”I can't believe you're still here. I mean, you can't still be a.s.signed here with your father...”
Her expression saddened slightly. ”Daddy died about ten years ago, Will.”
”Oh.” His face clouded. ”I'm sorry. Oh... my manners.” He stepped back and waved Crusher closer. ”Capt. Wesley Crusher, this is Wendy Roper.”
She shook Crusher's hand firmly but said, ”Wendy Berq, actually.”
Riker looked at her in surprise. ”Married?”
”That's usually the way.”
”When?”
”Actually, about two years after you left. My husband is Betazoid... a teacher. That's why I stayed.”
”My G.o.d...”
She patted him on the arm. ”Don't worry about it, Will. I know news travels slowly out in s.p.a.ce.”
He let out a slow breath. ”I really am a sleaze. I've been back planetside a few times... but I never saw you. Never tried to contact you. Not even...”
”I was at the funeral.”
Riker blinked in surprise. ”You were? I didn't see you.”
”As I recall, you weren't seeing much of anything that day.”