Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The ready room looked almost as Brett had imagined it would. On every wall, Babs had pictures of herself with various high-ranking diplomats from a variety of alien worlds. In each picture, Babs wore the same false, teacher’s pet smile.

His ready room on the Icarus had been free of decoration. No pictures, no books, no fish, only a Starfleet-issue painting on the wall. In his mind, a good captain shouldn’t waste time decorating his office. He should be out with the crew, getting to know them instead of hiding away in a ready room.

He didn’t know what Robyn’s philosophy would be on the subject and now was no time to find out. Taking down an image of Babs with Admiral Janeway, he threw it into the carton with the others. The entire time he cleaned out Babs’s ready room, Robyn stared out the window into space. He didn’t need to be a Betazed to know what was going through her mind.

“It’s not your fault,” he said.

“I know,” she said unconvincingly.

“At least they didn’t destroy the whole ship like mine.”

“They would have. If it wasn’t for you.”

“There wasn’t any way for you to have known about that trick, unless you’ve had any intimate dealings with Ferenghi smugglers.” He hoped the levity in his tone would cheer her up, but she didn’t turn around.

“I should have done something. I froze up when the crew needed me most.”

“It could have happened to anyone.”

She swiveled around in the chair to face him, tears sparkling in her eyes. “Would it have happened to you?”

“Not anymore, but—”

“Do you know where I was when Shawn died?” She held up a hand before Brett could say anything. “I was on a research ship monitoring neutrino emissions from a nebula. I was so far away it took a week for the message to get to me.”

“Well, it’s like you always said, we all have to do our part even if it isn’t glamorous.”

“They put me out there because they knew I wasn’t any good in these situations.” When she laughed, it sounded hollow and sad. “I called my father after it happened so I could get reassigned to the front. You know what he said? He said he couldn’t risk putting me out there and getting everyone else on the ship killed.”

“He’s your father. He wanted to protect you.”

“He didn’t want to protect me. He wanted to protect them.” She motioned towards the bridge, where repair crews were clearing away the rubble. A medical team had already hauled away Babs and the other fallen bridge crewers to a storage locker until the bodies could be turned over to the proper authorities for burial. Robyn had already retreated to the ready room so she didn’t have to witness the covered stretchers be taken off the bridge.

“That’s not true—”

“It is true. He used his influence to keep me out there studying space dust because he knew I would fall apart just like I did today.”

“I’m not the one you should be telling this to. I’m sure the counselor would be better equipped—”

“You’re exactly the person I need to talk to.” She tossed him a small black case. He caught it in one hand and opened it up to find four gold pips, a captain’s insignia. “I want you to take command. At least until we’re in the clear.”

Snapping the case shut, Brett resisted the urge to accept Robyn’s offer. Ever since the hearing in San Francisco he’d been drifting along, a part of him longing to sit in the command chair of a Starfleet bridge again. Being a captain was what he’d dreamed about all those years on the farm in Wisconsin after his father left. He could have it all back now.

But not like this. Not at the expense of Robyn’s dignity.

He tossed the case back to her. “I’m not a Starfleet officer. You are. And it’s about time you started to act like one instead of moping around in here.” He leaned forward, lowering his voice to a hiss. “Whether you like it or not, you’re the senior officer on this ship and that puts you in command. You have a duty to these people. You can’t pass it along to me or anyone else because you’re scared.”

He waited to see what kind of impact his words would have on her. She might start crying again or even slap him. Instead, she nodded to him.

“You’re right. It’s my duty. Thank you for reminding me.”

“It’s no problem. If there’s anything else you need, let me know.” Before he could turn to leave, she asked him to stop.

“There is something I need.” She motioned to the case again. “I need a first officer. I can’t think of anyone better qualified than you.”

“Me? Starfleet wants me for questioning. If Command found out they’d put you in the brig along with me.”

“This is an emergency situation and no one on this ship has more experience than you do.” She leaned forward, her eyes pleading with him. “I need you, Brett. I need you at my side in case anything happens again.”

He considered her proposal. A chance to be a Starfleet officer again. A chance to work at Robyn’s side. And if nothing else, it was better than sitting around drinking awful-tasting beer in his quarters.

“I’ll do it,” he said.