Chapter 4
With a flicker of pseudo-motion, the U.S.S. Titan emerged from hyperspace on the fringe of the control zone of Gateway Station. The twenty-six hour journey had passed like any other day aboard the Titan; save for one difference, Lwaxanna Troi was aboard this time.
A different helmsman said out loud on the Bridge, "Hyperdrive is secure sir. All stations report nominal parameters Captain; no problems to report at this time."
Riker sat in his command chair with Harry next to him in his own seat and Lwaxanna Troi in an observer's seat next to the turbolift doors. "Very well Ensign. Continue on course and at Impulse until we are contacted by Gateway Control," he said.
Moments later an incoming hail was received and the blue and almost bulbous head and face of a Duros came on, "Welcome to Gateway Station Captain. We have you on our screens now. Please state your business."
Riker said, "Greetings Gateway Control. I am Captain Riker-Troi commanding the U.S.S. Titan. We're on our way to Coruscant for our yearly stopover. From there we'll be picking up a group of Stellar Cartographers who will work side-by-side with our own personnel and begin conducting a detailed series of star chart updates and navigational hazards checks within the Deep Core. Among other things, our Stellar science has never before encountered a cluster of phenomena quite like the Deep Core, and the Senate is allowing Starfleet to build its own set of maps, charts and tables. As much for our use as theirs, we intend to fully share all of our findings. It is also hoped by various members of your commerce guilds and some of the commerce based cultures on our side of the Rift to find new hyperspace and/or realspace lanes of travel through the Deep Core."
The Duros could be seen scanning a display near his seat and said, "I have it now Captain. All permits are in order and your passage fees have been paid. Will you be stopping by for shore leave at this time?" When Riker replied with a negative the Controller spoke again, "Very well Captain. It's been a slow day so you will be able to pass through the Rift in short order. Before I forget, my scans indicate that your ship has been retrofit with hyperdrive engines since your last visit. The latest scientific assessments from our side of the Rift have verified that there is a strain on the local space around the Rift due to the Warp technology that is in use on your side. Therefore, I have been instructed to tell you and all other vessels wishing passage through the Rift that Warp Drives are to be kept in standby mode only and are not to be used except in extreme emergency. All FTL travel is to be done by hyperspace. Do you understand sir?"
Riker said, "Understood Gateway Control and we will comply. Do you have anything else for us at this time?"
"Nothing of any consequence that I am aware of at this time; although if I might give you some unofficial advice, once you're in the Deep Core, always keep your shields up and your weapons charged. There are still a few pirate groups active in that area of space and because of its near-constant state of stellar flux, do keep a sharp eye out for interstellar flotsam; safe journey to you and your crew Captain."
Riker answered, "Thank you for the information Gateway Control, we'll keep that in mind." With that, the channel closed.
The passage through the rift was uneventful, not even marred by any subspace turbulence. Upon emerging from the other side, contact was quickly established by the Trade Hub station that had been built to monitor traffic going through the Rift and back again. In fairly close proximity to the station routine scans found a Nebulon-B Frigate monitoring for the New Republic, a Victory class Star Destroyer for the Imperial Remnant and a Vulcan science vessel for the Federation. Hails were exchanged, news traded and soon, the Titan was in position to make the next jump to hyperspace and begin its trip into the Core where Coruscant waited. As before, the impulse engines faded to standby as the hyperdrive engines came online and the Titan jumped to hyperspace as soon as the coordinates had been locked in for Coruscant.
Captain's Cabin, U.S.S. Titan, 1930 hours
Sometime in the middle of the five day journey to Coruscant, while Riker was off duty, his door chimed. Marking his place in the book he'd been reading, he said, "Come in". When the door did, in walked Lwaxanna Troi, his mother in law.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you William. Do you have a few minutes?"
Motioning with one hand to the chair across from him, Riker said, "No problem Lwaxanna. I was just doing some light reading. What can I do for you?"
Lwaxanna relaxed a little and said, "I just finished viewing the lightsaber training drills on the holodeck that Deanna sent you. I guess I'm still having a little difficulty adjusting to the image of my daughter as a sword-wielding warrior now. I will admit though that the color of her blade is the purest shade of blue I've ever seen, very nearly that of her original Life Sciences blue uniform she wore shortly after reporting for duty aboard the last Enterprise. Can you tell me more about what the lightsaber is besides an obvious weapon?"
Going to his replicator and ordering a pitcher of ice water and two glasses he returned to his seat, poured himself and Lwaxanna a glass, took a sip of his and sat back. "From what Deanna has told me, the lightsaber is far more than just a weapon. It's a weapon, yes, but also a living symbol of the Jedi themselves. The lightsaber, like a physical sword, can be used to heal or to hack, just as the Force itself can be used to help or to harm. What I've gathered so far from conversations, is that there are seven forms of lightsaber combat."
Riker continued, "The first, Shii-Cho, is the most basic of them all. With it, even Force Sensitive children, younglings they call them, learn the basics of attack, parry and body target zones. The second, Makashi, represents the refinement of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat. The third, Soresu, maximizes defensive protection and was developed to counteract blaster technology in all its myriad forms. The fourth, Ataru, is the most acrobatic form. Deanna tells me that she had little interest in this form as that it relies heavily on the physical enhancements like strength, speed and stamina, which using the Force can allow a Jedi to draw upon." She included restored archival footage of a kata from one of the more proficient users of Ataru, who, at the time of the recording, was somewhere between the ages of 800 and 900 years old; a Jedi Master by the name of Yoda. When I saw that, I understood immediately why Deanna had no interest in it; though she tells me that she will incorporate the occasional back flip or forward somersault in her sparring matches as a way to keep her training partner guessing. Form five, Shien, takes advantage of the lightsaber's ability to deflect focused energy beams like blasters and phasers alike, only it bounces the beam back at the source. Sixth form, Niman, is something of a hybrid of forms one through five with some refinements uniquely its own. The head of the Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker is particularly skilled in this one, and it is used to achieve harmony. The seventh and final form, Juyo employs bold, direct movements but is usually left to the most advanced saber wielders. Deanna has mentioned that she plans to stop at Shien and master that form though it will take several years to do so as that she plans on resuming her career in Starfleet when her training is done at the Temple."
By this time, Lwaxanna was on her second glass of water and shook her head in mild disbelief. "All that training in only four years! Absolutely amazing, I have to say; and she has to carry her lightsaber with her everywhere?"
Riker smiled, "She doesn't have to though most Jedi do, again, mostly for the symbolic value. I had a hard time deciding what to do about that. Not even Security personnel go around armed all of the time and yet the one time I went with Deanna to the Temple to see where she lived and trained, everywhere I looked there were lightsabers on utility belts on every person over the age of fifteen standard years or so, and every time I went into the various city sites like museums and theaters people are armed. Thankfully though, the only weapons permitted in hospitals or government buildings except for lightsabers, belong to their respective security staff and there are multiple security checkpoints with weapons scanners in all of those structures. The first time I sat down with Admiral Picard, local law enforcement agencies and a Personal Secretary to the President of the Senate to formulate a Status of Forces Agreement, or S.O.F.A. for short, the first thing I was told was that any and all of our personnel who choose to exercise shore leave should take a phaser with them to ensure their safety."
Riker took a deep drink of his glass and refilled it from the sweating pitcher on the small table in front of him as Lwaxanna said, "About the Admiral. How are he and Beverly doing these days? Have they settled in fully by this time or are they still suffering from the occasional bout of culture shock?"
Riker smiled again, "They're both doing fine last I knew. The last message I received from them was about six months ago or so. He asked if I could bring a case of his family wine with me for use at formal occasions, I brought two and a proper wine rack to go with it as well. Beverly asked for any news of her son Wesley but though I tried, I couldn't find very much. After he resigned his commission in protest over that colony resettlement, he kind of dropped off the grid as it were. He sent a congratulatory message to the Admiral and Beverly after he found out that they had gotten married and he keeps in touch, from time to time, with a lady friend of his who is still in Starfleet but otherwise, he isn't in the headlines anywhere that I know of even though the being known as The Traveler identified him and several others with the same better-than-genius IQ as him. I keep expecting this group to make some kind of major discovery or some such any day now. To my knowledge, he hasn't crossed the Rift but that could no longer be the case. I just don't know."
Finishing her glass and setting it on the table, Lwaxanna got up. "Thank you for a most enlightening conversation William. I shall leave you to your reading then. Do you know how much longer until we get to Coruscant?"
Riker looked over at the chronometer on the wall, did some mental calculations and said, "We only need to drop out of hyperspace for one more navigation check, stellar drift and all, and then we should be entering into Corsucant orbit in two more days. I would strongly recommend that for the last few hours before we enter orbit, you strengthen your mental shields. Even for a mature empath such as you, the mental projection of so many sentient beings in a place like Coruscant could be overwhelming in the extreme. I've already instructed Doctor Cruz in Sickbay to have ready a hypo that can suppress your empathic abilities so you don't burn out. It may leave you feeling like your head is stuffed full of cotton, but better that than synaptic overload and the cerebral hemorrhages that may accompany it."
Lwaxanna nodded, "Thank you for your consideration William. I'll keep it in mind but I don't think it should be a problem. Goodnight."