Star Trek: TNG Indstinguishable From Magic by David A McIntee Page B

skills.”
    “I can’t say I feel particularly honored.”
    Worf dipped his head slightly. “If Deanna were here, I believe she would ask, ‘What you do feel?’ ”
    “What do I feel? I’m not sure, actually. It’s not as if the
Enterprise
’s current mission is either exciting or taxing. And I would like to, frankly, take
Intrepid
apart and put her back together in working order.”
    “Even though she is not a new creation?”
    “That’s kind of the point. I grew up making models of the old NX- and
Constitution-
class ships, and studyingthe progress of how warp drives have been developed from those old designs to the drives of today . . .”
    “It sounds to me as if you are looking for a reason
not
to appear to have the desire to investigate the
Intrepid.”
    “Really, Counselor Worf? And why might that be?”
    Worf grunted, and poured some more prune juice. “Because you do not want people to think that you are bored with our mission, or with your position on the
Enterprise.”
    “I’m not bored—”
    “I know. So what is stopping you?”
    “You think I should go.”
    “Captain Picard is an excellent judge of character. You would have regrets if you did not take the opportunity to study the
Intrepid
. Even if you do not have a . . . companion, with whom to share your discoveries.”
    “I guess I
have
been kind of moping a little about Tamala . . .”
    “Yes. Most unbecoming.”
    “Intrepid
has been taking my mind off that.”
    “Good.”
    “And Taurik can keep the engines ticking while I’m away . . .”
    “He’d better, or he will answer to me.”
    “I’d better let Captain Picard know that I’ll be going, and get the transfer arrangements made.”
    Worf looked along the length of the Riding Club and nodded in the direction of the doors. “You can tell him now.” La Forge turned, to see Picard looking in their direction. As soon as he saw them, the captain strode over.
    “Captain,” La Forge began, “if you’ve been looking for me—”
    “Actually, I was looking for Beverly. We’d agreed to share lunch, but I seem to be a few minutes early.”
    “Well, it’s handy that we bumped into each other. I’ve been thinking about the
Challenger
’s mission, and I’ve decided to agree to Starfleet’s—and Scotty’s—request.”
    Picard’s face lit up. “Excellent.”
    “The
Challenger
will be stopping at Starbase 410 en route to our position,” Worf said, suddenly all business again. “We will be passing there on our way to the next survey site.”
    “Good thinking, Worf,” Picard said with a nod. “I’ll notify Starfleet that we’ll drop you off there to rendezvous with the
Challenger.”
    “That sounds like the best way of doing things,” La Forge agreed. “I’ll brief Taurik for what needs to be done while I’m away.”
    La Forge sat at a sidewalk café looking up at the vast expanse of the planet Wexx. A storm was heading toward one of the southern islands, and it looked so much like one of the whorls on the surface of his
raktajino
that he almost had to pinch himself.
Challenger
had been delayed, and so he had found himself with forty-eight hours to kill on Starbase 410.
    Every starbase was different, and Geordi had seen plenty of them during his years in Starfleet. Some were purpose-built space stations, often modeled on Earth’s old Spacedock. Others were hollowed-out asteroids, stations leased from local governments, or even ground-based complexes on planets.
    Starbase 410 was a small moon of Wexx, connected to the planet by an orbital tether and elevator. Unlike most starbases, the facility was actually leased from the Klingons, as up until a few decades ago the planet had been within theKlingon Empire’s border. To honor its heritage, the place was administrated by a Klingon matriarch, QiQ’as, who took a daily tour of the facilities, to make sure that things were running as efficiently as befitted a Klingon facility.
    The café was near the tether terminal