John had called the meeting just after eleven hundred hours, when it had become all too clear to him that the base was alive with rumours. Since the evening before groups of people had fallen silent when he approached, and looked at him half-suspiciously. He had gone to the medical centre and tackled Helena about it, and she had said shortly, "Everybody knows something, John."
"What do they know? The whole story?"
She shrugged slightly. "People have stopped talking around me as well."
So he summoned Helena, Tony and Alan Carter, whom they had briefed as a matter of course, for an urgent consultation.
Alan, being perceived as more removed from the Commander, had been privy to the rumours. "Gorgio and Ken Elsworth were talking about it this morning, talking about a ship from Earth being on its way to rescue us. They reckoned you knew about it - well, you, Helena and Tony, the party that went to find Maya. I asked them where they heard it and they said everyone was talking about it at breakfast this morning."
"Damn it! Do they believe it?"
"I reckon they believe you're trying to keep something from them."
"What did you tell them?"
"I said that if there was anything the Commander was keeping from them, it was for a reason, and they seemed to agree with that. People are loyal to you, John. You've got the trust of everyone on Alpha. But, you know, you've got to say something soon now."
He sighed. "I might have known we couldn't count on Douglas Mullins to keep his mouth shut."
"It wasn't Mullins, John," said Tony, without looking up. "It was me."
It was the first time he had spoken, and he was sitting on the edge of a chair as he didn't want to be there, his hands dangling over his knees and his attitude dejected. John didn't like the way he had been in the five days since they had returned to Alpha. He had put in conspicuously long hours of duty but had sat at his station in Command Centre silent and self-contained, obviously depressed and devoid of his usual energy and humour. Since they were maintaining to Alpha that Maya had disappeared and was presumed dead, John supposed this was reasonable behaviour. But Tony had no artifice in him, and he wasn't convinced that it was an act. He had been wondering whether to speak to him, or ask Helena to have a word. Now, he turned on him with unintentional irritation.
"What the hell did you say?"
"Gillian Merle came to see me a couple of nights ago. We had a long talk and - things got sticky. I had to tell her about Maya being okay."
"And then you told her the whole story, I suppose."
"There wasn't any choice." He looked up for the first time, his eyes dark. "I'm sorry about this, but I thought I could trust Gillian. She and I go back a long way, you know that. I explained to her why we hadn't told everyone, and she understood. She's got a lot of sense. I don't understand it."
"I bet I know how it happened," said Helena quietly. "Gillian's close to Ellie Martin."
"Little Ellie, the student placement in biotechnology?" said John.
Helena nodded. "Ellie did a lot of work on projects that Maya supervised. She came to me the morning after we got back and sat in my office and cried for an hour. I had to give her tranquillisers. Gillian must have told her that Maya was still alive."
"I never knew that Maya was particular friends with Ellie Martin," said Tony.
"Well, Ellie's very fond of Maya. She said to me that helping her on the projects, and seeing her most days, had made all of what happened worthwhile. You know."
"She should get herself a boyfriend," said Tony.
"Ellie and Gillian Merle are both involved in the theatre," Helena continued. "Ellie's very friendly with Sarah."
"Oh great," said Tony. "Tell Sarah Pulcher something and you might as well broadcast it over the speakers. Well, that's how it got round."
"It doesn't matter how it got around," said John. "I'm not interested in recriminations. What are we going to do about it now?"
"Why don't we just tell everyone?" said Tony, with the beginnings of anger. "I don't see what the problem is."
"You know what the problem is, Tony."
"That it might damage morale? If the ship doesn't turn up. That's what it comes down to, you don't believe the ship is going to turn up."
"What I believe is unimportant, what concerns me is how it's going to affect Alpha if it doesn't and people are expecting it. Tony, I know how hard this is for you."
"No you don't," said Tony flatly. His flare of anger subsided, and he lost all animation again.
John reigned in his own temper with an effort. He had said he wasn't interested in recriminations, but the truth was that he felt let down by Tony. He glanced at Helena, who was watching him coolly. Helena, despite her apparent fragility, never let her emotions control her when it mattered. It was a pity, he thought briefly, that as chief medical officer she was only fourth in command.
"You're going to have to talk to the base, John," she said. "There's nothing else to do now."
It wasn't a long debate, with this the only conclusion possible. He called over the speakers for all personnel to assemble in the theatre, which was the usual place for public meetings and held three hundred people comfortably, and got up onto the stage to make the announcement. He saw Sarah Pulcher, proprietor of the venue, standing by the front row watching him with folded arms and a steady expression, and he became fairly certain that she had indeed been the principal rumour-monger.
The personnel listened with physically tangible attention as he told the story of how they had gone to the base on the deserted asteroid in search of Maya, and spoken to a man of human appearance who claimed to be the captain of a large ship from Earth that was coming to rescue them. He was careful to couch it all in the conditional, but he could feel the waves of excitement coming from the audience.
"We can't be certain," he said, "that this ship, the Enterprise, will arrive. That's why those of us who were there decided not to tell everyone what we saw, and raise false hopes, as we've experienced in the past. All I can say is that Maya appeared to be on that ship, and we spoke to her, and she clearly believed what the captain told us. And I'm sure everyone here trusts Maya's judgement."
There was a murmur of conviction. John knew, as he stepped down, that he had managed to convince no-one to be circumspect. After so many monotonous weeks without incident, when life on Alpha had become routine and introspective, hope was spreading like bushfire in a drought.
As people went back to their stations, talking loudly, he caught sight of Carol Earnshaw leaving the hall alone. If this rescue happened, there was a situation that would lose all its significance immediately. He hadn't thought through the implications of that.
"Has it gotten around yet, about Carol?" he asked Helena, as he walked back to the medical centre with her.
"No. I don't think she's told anyone, except me. I think she's lonely."
"I should have a word with her. Let her know - well, that I care about what's going on."
"Maybe you should wait until we know what the situation is with the Enterprise."
"No - unless you think it's a bad idea and I'd scare her, I'll do it soon. We can't put our life on hold."
"I thought that was your philosophy," she said with her soft acerbity, and turned into the medical centre.
Riker had woken that morning after a deep and satisfying night's sleep, feeling that his heart had grown to three times its size within his chest. As he dressed and strode to the 0700 hours briefing, he mulled happily over the dinner. He had her summed up now. The way she had spoken about Commander Koenig convinced him that she admired him, but did not have a romantic relationship with him. He would soon persuade her out of any frustrated desires in that direction. No, she was a serious young woman whose work, up until now, had been her life. She was like a Starfleet Academy cadet, too preoccupied with studies and duties to have developed a personal life. And she was younger, he thought, than he had at first assumed. Because she was tall and striking and had unusual features, and because she was serving as a senior officer on her base, he had misjudged her age at first. She was no more than a girl, perhaps even - he hesitated - too young for him.
The hesitation was momentary. He couldn't pull back now, he had to see this through and find where he could take it to. He thought of the way her emotions played over her face like weather on a spring day; light shadows and clouds breaking into brilliant sunshine. She thought she was impassive and self-controlled, but she was charmingly transparent.
He took his place at Captain Picard's right hand and looked round his colleagues with a sense of well-being. One plan was already making rapid connections at the back of his mind, while he listened to the briefing on routine events the day before.
"I spoke to Ambassador Trewhella yesterday afternoon," said the Captain, moving onto the subject of the Lanthenon wedding, "and although he understands fully the reasons why we have had to delay the arrival of the Enterprise at Lanthenon, he is anxious that we should be there in time for the wedding. A situation appears to have arisen on Lanthenon of which the Federation was unaware. When the planet was being considered for Federation membership, all the usual assessments to establish political stability were of course carried out, and Lanthenon appeared to have a mature, one-government society with a constitutional monarchy. It now appears that some underlying problems may have been suppressed, and are now emerging because of the wedding between Princess Amarantha and the Ambassador. Until one hundred and twenty years ago, the Royal House of Lanthenon ruled absolutely, by divine right. There is a faction on Lanthenon which always opposed the cessation of power to an elected assembly, and which would like to see absolute monarchy restored and the planet sever ties with the Federation. Ambassador Trewhella reports that he has received threats, and there have been some terrorist incidents which the Royal House itself has been very keen to keep quiet. I might remind you that Princess Amarantha is heir to the throne, and to this group the idea of the Queen of Lanthenon married to an off-worlder is totally unacceptable."
"I suppose the Ambassador was hoping that the presence of the Enterprise would frighten the terrorists off," said Riker.
"It's always very difficult to predict how terrorists will react to a given situation," said the Captain. "Such groups are notorious for failing to behave rationally. However, security at the wedding is a matter for the Lanthenon authorities. Both King Bahu and Ambassador Trewhella are extremely anxious that there should be no visible incidents that would damage Lanthenon's reputation with the Federation."
"But Trewhella is a Federation ambassador," said Riker.
"He has a personal stake in Lanthenon now, obviously," said Deanna. "I expect it will be his last posting."
"Indeed," said the Captain. "The Ambassador has resigned his post, to take effect after the wedding."
Don't mix pleasure and politics, thought Riker with a smile to himself, it ruins your career. Something occurred to him, but he decided to speak to the Captain in private after the briefing.
"I was able to reassure the Ambassador," the Captain continued, "that Lanthenon is only thirty-six hours' journey from our estimated position of Moonbase Alpha. We will be there in time for the ambassadorial reception, as arranged. We'll even have some distinguished extra guests. Which brings me to our present guest. I hope Science Officer Maya is settling in, Number One?"
"She seems to be. I took her for a brief tour of the ship yesterday and she seemed to find everything interesting," said Riker blandly. "I also spent as much time as possible socialising with her, to make her feel comfortable."
"And did you succeed?"
"I think so, sir."
"When I checked over her yesterday," said Beverly, "she was absolutely fine. Her tissues seem to heal at least fifty percent faster than the humanoid average. I'll continue to monitor her, but you'd never know she almost died three days ago."
"Excellent," said the Captain. "Counsellor?"
"I still haven't spoken to her," said Deanna. "I haven't really had the opportunity."
"What I was going to suggest," said the Captain, "was that we all have the opportunity. Now that Will's done such a good job in making her feel at home, she might feel comfortable enough to enjoy an officer's part. Would you agree, Number One?"
"Yes, if it's an informal affair. I get the feeling she doesn't like crowds."
"Just those of us seated round this table now, and some of the senior crewmembers, if nobody has alternative plans for this evening."
Nobody indicated that they had. Riker, who had already anticipated another quiet and perhaps more intimate dinner, masked his disappointment perfectly. There were many days to go before she was distracted by being re-united with the Alphans.
After the rest of the day's business had been discussed, he spoke to the Captain as the others were going out. "Captain, I just remembered that I've got twenty-four hours shore leave booked when we reach Lanthenon. Has that been cancelled due to the Moonbase Alpha mission?"
"It shouldn't be, we'll be arriving at Lanthenon at our scheduled time. There just isn't the possibility of arriving any earlier, as the Ambassador might have wanted. When exactly did you plan to take this leave?"
"Between the ambassadorial reception and the wedding itself. Deanna and I were going to spend a night at the Summer Palace Hotel on Lake Gargatha, it's supposed to be beautiful there. If you remember, sir, we did discuss it."
"Yes, Will, I don't actually remember, but it was probably some time ago."
"What I wondered was - does this terrorist threat make our taking shore leave on Lanthenon inadvisable?"
"I should doubt it. We'll assess the situation when we get there, but it's a long time since you've taken any leave, and I wouldn't want to discourage it."
On his way to Maya's quarters, with a welcome glow of excitement in his stomach, Riker suddenly had another very good idea.
Maya woke after a thankfully undisturbed night feeling refreshed and full of anticipation. She was impatient with herself for having felt lonely and melancholy the night before. Her mind was still soaked through with images of wonder, of the Enterprise's propulsion units and transporters and computer core. With so much to learn about, she was amazed that she had been worried about filling her time. If there was no work to do she could spend all day at a computer terminal, studying the structure and technology of the ship.
She was trying to get the replicator to give her cereal flakes and soya milk for breakfast when Commander Riker appeared, as polite and solicitous for her comfort as ever. She smiled at him, ashamed of her previous coolness.
"I came to see how you were this morning, and to ask what you wanted to do today. Data has a couple of hours free this afternoon, he says he's happy to let you examine him and discuss his construction."
"Doesn't Data mind being an object of curiosity?"
"No, he's fascinated by himself, he's the most self-conscious and self-obsessed android you've ever met. His enthusiasm is genuine."
"Then I'll be happy to share it. Artificial intelligence developed to such a degree of sophistication is very impressive."
"And the Captain would like to invite you to a small informal officers' party in his quarters this evening."
"Oh."
"You don't have to go," he said quickly, in a low concerned tone. "I can tell him you don't feel up to it."
"No. I'm quite happy to go, Commander. Please thank him."
"There'll be only a few people there, most of whom you've already met."
"That's okay."
"And something else - please call me Will. I'm not your Commander."
Maya nodded.
"I'll see you later then," he said with a grin. "Lunch?"
"Thank you."
"I'll pick you up here at one."
"No - meet me there. I'd like to start finding my own way around the ship, if I'm allowed to go unescorted."
"Of course you are. Look, wander freely - the restricted areas are made obvious. I'll see you in Ten Forward at thirteen hundred hours, then." He bowed out.
Maya smiled. She enjoyed people who were full of energy, even though she thought she ought to admire refined intellect more. When she had been a child, one of her elaborate fantasies had been that when she grew up she would choose to notice a quiet, shy, plain bookworm that none of the other girls looked twice at. He would need patient persuading even to make him believe that she preferred him to the boys who swam in the lake and raced each other on plainhooves, but he would make her much happier that the boys her friends favoured for their looks and physical prowess. When she grew up, she found that she was not able to live up to this ideal. Quiet studious men were quite uninteresting to her, and she was attracted to self-confident extroverts who made her laugh.
Commander Riker was probably very popular on board the Enterprise.
She gave up trying to explain her request to the replicator - it persisted in denying that it had the pattern in its memory banks, and requesting her to redefine - and asked for coffee and croissants instead.
Her assignation with Data took place, to her surprise, in his quarters. She had vaguely imagined that he switched himself off and inserted himself in a storecupboard for his off-duty hours, but he was equipped with a suite of rooms as luxurious as those of the other crewmembers. Indeed, the living area showed evidence of his various artistic pursuits; there was an easel set up in one corner, a violin and a music stand, painting and sculptures, and the unexpected presence of a ginger cat.
"I have applied myself to most human art forms," Data explained. "In many of them it has been easy for me to attain a degree of technical accuracy in my performance that humans strive for several years to accomplish. I am aware, however, that human observers perceive a lack in my interpretation, and it is the pursuit of this abstract quality that fascinates me. That is why I have concentrated increasingly on art forms which rely less on execution and more on this more nebulous element of expression - such as painting, and the composition of poetry. I have written poetry in various forms. Would you like to hear a sample?"
Maya wondered why she felt she had to be polite to an android, but she listened patiently as Data read out some stanzas of almost surreal banality.
"Please give me your opinion honestly," he said. "Do not be concerned about offending my feelings. I have none."
"I - think your paintings are much better."
"You do not think my poetry is successful."
"Oh, please don't pay any attention to what I think, I'm no judge of poetry."
"But I am very interested in what you think. Your reaction is similar to that of my friends among the Enterprise crew. I have asked them to analyse that reaction, so I can attempt to rectify the faults in my poetry, but I have been aware of a certain impatience. I thought another person, who was not familiar with me, might be able to bring a new perspective to my problem."
He was gazing at her earnestly with pale eyes that blinked occasionally, but not quite often enough. It was an extraordinary experience to be questioned so intensely by a being that she could sense was not organic. Maya was trying to muster a suitably solemn reply, against a desperate inclination to laugh, when she was shocked by the warmth of the cat sliding onto her lap. She ran her fingers through its fur, feeling its contrasting reality. "Perhaps," she said, "if you really don't experience feelings, perhaps you can't write poetry because poetry is about feelings."
"This explanation has occurred to me. I countered it by supposing that humans write poetry about feelings because feelings are important to them, and poetry is written about what is important to the poet. I would write poetry about what was important to me. My cat, for instance, is a significant element of my life. Therefore, I wrote a poem about my cat. Would you like me to recite it to you?"
"I think - that perhaps your poems don't work for humans. They might work for another android."
"There are no others like me."
"Yes, Commander Riker told me."
"I had a brother, but he has been destroyed. I did once create another like myself, but she was also irreparably damaged."
"That makes us quite like each other, Data," said Maya, suddenly moved. "As far as I know I'm almost the only one of my kind too."
"Commander Riker told me that, also."
It was an odd transition from this, to Data opening the side of his head to display his positronic circuits, but that was almost the next thing that happened. As he peeled away pieces of skin on his hand and legs, invisible panels to allow easy maintenance, he talked calmly about his composition and function. He also told her the story about how he was created, by a brilliant scientist working alone and following a vision that no-one else shared. Maya was haunted again by a feeling of kinship with Data, and she wondered more seriously if he were wrong to think of his lack of emotions as a misfortune. No pain at the memory of loss, no fear of a future alone as the last of his kind, no stabs of doubt in love. And no dread at having to go to the Captain's informal officers' party that evening.
