It took Riker ten minutes to disengage the sobbing doctor from around his neck. He left her in the sick bay, with a repeated promise to visit as soon as he was free. The door to sick bay closed behind him, but he could still feel the doctor's arms around his neck. He coughed, straightened the neck of his uniform, and made his way towards the conference room.
He half expected to see Katlin waiting for him outside sickbay. It would be just her style to be waiting with a smirk and new, vital information. Or for her to be waiting in the conference room, invited to be on the panel discussing these events. Somehow, she would be in the thick of things. Like him. Like always.
But Katlin wasn't there when he turned the corner. Riker paused outside the conference room. "Computer," he said quietly, resisting the urge to glance behind him, "Location of Lieutenant Pierce."
"Privacy restrictions prevent –"
"First officer's override, Riker, William T."
"Lieutenant Pierce is currently in Cabin 4378."
Her quarters. Riker nodded his relief – or was it disappointment? Then he squared his shoulders and entered the conference room.
Meanwhile, in Cabin 4378, Katlin was idly thumbing through the latest issue of Starfleet TODAY on her PADD. She flicked through the pageviews without reading. She half expected to hear her badge chime, and the familiar bark of "Riker to Pierce" that always meant the next adventure was about to begin.
But then again, Katlin thought, I can't always be in the middle of things. Like most of the dramatic events that happened on the Enterprise, this barely concerned her. They'd send down a rescue team – security and medical – and they certainly wouldn't need her.
"Captain Picard to Lieutenant Pierce."
Katlin sat upright, a jack-in-the-box liberated. She couldn't keep the grin from her face as she tapped her comlink. "Lieutenant Pierce. Please proceed."
"Your presence is requested in conference room six."
Katlin punched the air with a silent "yes!" In the most professional tone she could muster, she responded. "On my way, Captain."
She knew Riker wouldn't be able to resist. Riker and Pierce, off on an away mission, like always. And so she was caught by surprise when she entered the conference room and found Riker with a storm across his face, refusing to meet her eyes.
Picard, Data, Troi, Worf and three graying and very angry Klingons – angry even for Klingons – were seated at the conference table. Their armor clanged and groaned as they shifted unevenly in their seats. Their lips curled and uncurled around dirty, daggerous teeth.
"This is the girl?" The nearest Klingon snarled. His hair was black and tangled, ratty.
"I am Lieutenant Pierce." Katlin said, evenly. Her weapons training sessions with Worf had taught her how to keep calm in front of a snarling Klingon. Although Worf's snarls were never touched with disgust, as this Klingon's were.
Picard spoke. "Lieutenant Pierce, your presence has been requested on the rescue mission. We anticipate a four day journey into the crevasse and back."
"I accept."
"Very good. You will embark tomorrow at 0500 hours."
Katlin felt something uneasy nibbling at the back of her mind. "Sir? May I ask why the rescue is not immediate?"
She felt an uncomfortable silence crackle around the conference table. Somehow, she'd hit a nerve.
Picard's voice was calm when he answered. "We are operating under the leadership of Commander Zorack," he said simply.
From the tension in the air, Katlin knew better than to press the matter. "Very good Captain, Commander." Katlin nodded respectfully to the Klingon Commander.
"I'll send a further briefing to your quarters. Dismissed." Picard nodded, and those seated at the table rose to leave, with Riker being the first out the door. Katlin hustled to keep up.
"Commander?" she asked, skipping a bit to keep pace.
"Riker to Worf. Meet me in the captain's ready room."
Was Riker ignoring her? "Commander?"
"Not now, Pierce."
"Very good, sir." She stopped her brisk walk and let Riker outpace her. A younger Katlin might have demanded to know what was going on, or taken offense, but Katlin was slowly learning that the best offense was sometimes a patient silence. Besides, Riker hated being taken at his word. Not now Pierce? Fine. She had better things to do. Like read her briefing.
She turned and walked back towards her cabin. The Klingon delegation was coming towards her in the hallway, and she nodded respectfully. The Klingons didn't honor her with even a glance, and the last of the delegation went so far as to bump into her shoulders.
Katlin stumbled, and then felt the Klingon press something into her palm.
Katlin kept her face purposefully blank as she curled her fingers around whatever it was the Klingon had passed her. She'd been on enough covert missions to realize when she was being palmed something secret. She kept her pace even as she walked towards her cabin.
The doors to her quarters hissed shut behind her, and Katlin uncurled her fingers. It was a data stick, standard issue. She cracked the case to check for anything hidden, but the interior looked unaltered. She went to her desk and plugged it into the nearest port. "Computer, scan for viruses."
"No viruses or malware found. Key contains one video file."
"Play file." Katlin turned her attention to her viewscreen.
Instant chaos. The screen displayed the tumultuous, screaming inside of a starship bridge in the midst of a crash. Two human crew were at the helms, sobbing and fighting with the controls. The Klingon captain was screaming largely unheeded orders, alternately in English and in Klingon. Beside the captain, a young, blonde first mate was collapsed in her chair, her neck at an impossible angle, dead. The view of bridge shuddered, and everyone stumbled, the dead first mate slid from her chair. Katlin's breath caught in her throat. Were these the last moments of the crew?
The screen begin to fill with the electric snow of a lost signal. As the images on the screen faded, Katlin could hear the Klingon captain screaming "The angel! Kill it! The angel! nuQanjaj!"
A final bright flash of white light whipped across Katlin's face. The screen went black, but Katlin could still hear their screams as they fell to their deaths.
Katlin took several steadying breaths, then reached her shaking fingers to her comlink. "Pierce to Riker?"
