Chapter 38
The shimmering transporter beam faded away to reveal Robyn’s smiling face. “Welcome back, Commander,” she said.
“Thank you, sir.” He stepped off the pad, resisting the urge to wrap her in a hug and never let her go. “It’s good to see you’re feeling better.”
“Dr. Chen says I should be fully recovered in a couple days.” Robyn led him out of the transporter room and into a turbolift. “I take it everything went well down there?”
“The government forces are mopping up the remnants of the Serparnian Liberation Army now. The damage among the civilians might take longer to clean up.”
“At least the killing’s stopped.”
“For now.”
“Yes, for now,” Robyn said. The turbolift doors opened to the bridge, where Ramirez and Cooper had already reassumed their stations. She motioned for Brett to follow her into the ready room. “Keep me informed if anything happens down there,” she said to Ramirez before the door closed.
They called it the ready room, but Brett wasn’t ready for Robyn to grab him by the collar and shove him against the wall. Her lips pressed against his, tongue muffling the question he wanted to ask. The passion of the kiss brought back memories of their time at the cabin on the night she left him.
He seized her arms, forcing her back. “What are you doing?” he asked.
Robyn turned away from him, a shadow crossing her face. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.”
An awkward silence hung in the air. Brett didn’t know what to say. He’d wanted to kiss Robyn for so long and now that it had finally happened he felt guilty. The same guilt she must have felt that last night, knowing by the next morning she would be gone. “You know it can’t work between us,” he mumbled.
She turned around, grabbing his shirt again. “But it can, Brett. This time it can. You don’t have to leave. You can stay here with me. Not as a Starfleet officer but—”
“Robyn that would never work.”
“Why not?”
He motioned expansively around the room. “You’re the captain of this ship. It’s yours now. That means you have a responsibility—a duty—to the crew. What happens the next time the ship comes under attack? What if my deck is damaged and you have to seal it off to save the rest of the ship? Can you honestly say you could do that?”
“Of course I can—”
“Robyn, please. We both know you couldn’t do that any more than I could have left you with Streng.”
“So what are you saying, that I have to be alone because I’m the captain?” Her face flushed red with anger. “I won’t accept that. I won’t accept that everything I have to let you go again. I love you!”
“More than you love all this? Your ship, your crew, your duty? Be honest, Robyn. This is what you were meant to do. What I was meant to do. It’s who we are. We can’t change that.” He took Robyn’s hands in his, squeezing them gently.
“Then what are you going to do, Brett? Go back to piloting freighters? Smuggling weapons to whoever pays the most?”
“Starfleet isn’t the only game in town. There are local militias or private research ships. It won’t be the same but it’s honest work.”
“Then that’s it? Will I ever see you again?”
“We can still keep in touch but as friends. Good friends.”
Robyn nodded, slipping out of his grasp to sink heavily into her chair. “If that’s what you want. I’ll respect your wishes. Tell me one thing, though: do you love me?”
“I never stopped,” he said.
“Neither did I. Not really. I guess I never will.”
Another awkward silence hung in the air. This time Robyn broke it by clearing her throat. Her voice again took on the hardened tone of a Starfleet captain, “With that out of the way, I guess we should get to work. I’ll need you to write up a full report of what transpired down there before we reach the nearest starbase. There are also repairs that need supervised. You can get the details from Commander Jolok.”
“Right. I’ll get on it as soon as possible. Will you want me to stay in uniform the whole way back?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“No, not a problem. I’m actually getting used to this old thing again.” His dry chuckle rung hollow. “I guess I better go see to my duties.”
“Thank you, Commander. For everything.”
As he stood up, Robyn’s computer beeped. “Captain, a ship has entered the system,” Ramirez said. “It’s the
“Put it through.”
“Captain Lichen, it’s good to see you.”
“And you, Captain Picard. I didn’t realize they were sending the
“Starfleet Command is taking this matter very seriously. What’s your situation?”
“Everything seems well in hand here, sir. The rebels have been effectively neutralized.”
“Understood. Do you need any assistance?”
“No, sir. We’ll be able to get underway in a few hours.”
“Very well then. We’ll take it from here. And congratulations Captain on a job well done.”
“Thank you, sir.” The screen went blank. Robyn leaned back in her chair, a smile coming to her face.
“What?” Brett prompted.
“I was just thinking of all the times I dreamed of that moment. I guess you’re right about me. About us.”
“I wish I wasn’t,” he said. She nodded to him as he left the room and took up his station on the bridge. He still had a job to do, at least for a little while.
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