“At our expense,” grumbled Riker. “Now instead of one homeworld, they have dozens.”
“Not for long,” said Admiral Nechayev, “but we’re not going to wipe them out either. It will require Council approval, but my plan is to leave them one planet—probably the planet formerly known as SY-911, which was a lifeless rock before the Genesis Wave. It seems to be the most stable of their planets, and nobody has any claims on it. Needless to say, it will be declared off-limits to everyone. On that planet, hopefully, they will never know what it’s like to enslave a humanoid.”
There was a moment of silence while everyone digested this knowledge, and Leah Brahms finally spoke up. “I have a question for you. Have you seen Maltz, the old Klingon who was on my shuttlecraft?”
The Enterprise officers looked at one another, but no one could offer any information about the sole survivor from the original Genesis Planet. “No,” answered Picard. “We haven’t seen anything of Carol Marcus either.”
“Maltz was determined to find her,” Leah said softly. “Maybe he did.”
Admiral Nechayev scowled. “The Romulans are demanding more information about how the D’Arvuk was lost. I don’t suppose—”
“We don’t know anything,” answered Picard. “As I reported, a very suspicious explosion on our bridge put us out of commission. I would personally like to ask the Romulans more about that.”
“Perhaps some mysteries are best left unsolved,” said Nechayev with a wry smile. “If there’s nothing else, Dr. Brahms and I have to return to Earth. But I believe we have one passenger to return to you.”
There was a sudden noise behind them, and they all turned to see a stout, blue-skinned Bolian hurrying down the gangplank, carrying half-a-dozen large bags with difficulty.
“Mr. Mot!” exclaimed Picard with delight. “We had all but given up on seeing you back on board the Enterprise.”
“And you don’t know how close I came to fulfilling that dire prediction,” said the barber breathlessly. “If it hadn’t been for Mr. Data here ...”
While they exchanged harrowing war stories, Geordi tugged on Leah’s sleeve and whispered, “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure.” She walked away from the others, and Geordi followed, screwing up his courage with every step.
When she turned to gaze at him with those beautiful hazel eyes, he blurted out, “Leah, I love you.”
She smiled sweetly and touched his lips with her fingers. “Geordi ... you mean so much to me, but I can’t—”
“I don’t want you to say or do anything right now,” said La Forge quickly before he lost his courage. “I know you’re not ready, and I know you’ve been through hell. Ten months from now, there’s a conference in Paris on theoretical propulsion. I’m going to be there, and I’d like to see you there.”
She nodded slowly, as if coming to a decision. “Ten months from now ... Paris. I’ll put it on my calendar. Until then, Geordi, don’t ever change.”
“Dr. Brahms,” said Nechayev, stepping away from the Enterprise officers, “we have to be going. The Sovereign is on a tight schedule. Is there anything else you want to say?”
“No,” answered Leah, smiling at Geordi. “I think we’ve said it all.”
To be Continued in …
THE GENESIS WAVE
BOOK THREE
Coming Next Month …
About the e-Book
(SEPTEMBER, 2003)—Proofed and formatted by Bibliophile.
STAR TREK: TNG - The Genesis Wave, Book Two Page 28
