He studied her, sensing something beneath her words. “Ensign…are you thinking of staying here?”
Her mouth hung open. “Oh, sir. No.”
“But the squales…they’ve essentially adopted you into their pod, haven’t they?”
“Yes, but…pods change members all the time. It’s like a family in a lot of ways…but it’s really more like a crew. And I already have one of those.” She smiled. “My responsibility is to Titan, and to you. I wouldn’t run away from that. I’ll stay here as long as you need an interpreter, an ambassador. But then I’m going back to the conn.” She winced. “Back to living in that damn hydration suit.”
He smiled down at her. “Maybe there’s a way to make the suit more comfortable. How about adding a pin?”
She tilted her head. “A pin, sir?”
Riker nodded. “A small, round gold pin with a black circle in the middle. To go next to the solid gold one on the collar.”
The Selkie gaped. “Sir?”
“Aili, you just saved a planet. People who save planets get to be lieutenants.”
She was speechless for a moment. Then she grinned. “Well, it’s about time!”
“It certainly is. I—”
“Gillespie to Riker. Come in.”
Riker looked up, though the shuttle was not in sight.
It had been on Titanat last report and wasn’t scheduled to return; it must have come down to relay a message. “Riker here.”
“We’ve just heard from theHorne and theArmstrong,” came Ensign Waen’s voice. “They’re coming in, sir, all hands safe and well. And Commander Troi says there’s an extra passenger she wants you to meet.”
TITAN
As soon as the shuttles had landed, Riker raced inside the Horneand into its aft compartment to see Deanna. The sight of her with their daughter in her arms was the most extraordinary thing he’d ever seen. He felt whole in a way he never had before.
He embraced her softly for a long time, the baby between them. She offered her to him without a word, and his arms cradled the tiny girl with great delicacy and care, though it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Her big black eyes looked up at him with awe to match his own.
“ Imzadi,” he said. “Look what we did.”
“Mm-hmm. We did good.”
“I am so sorry I wasn’t there,” he told them both, shaking his head.
His wife stroked his cheek. “You were, imzadi. I felt you.” She nodded at the child. “Something tells me she felt you too.”
His eyes went away from the baby for the first time since he’d first seen her, moving to Deanna. “How much empathy do you think she’ll have? Only a quarter Betazoid…”
“Hey. Don’t sell the Troi genes short. Remember, this is a daughter of the Fifth House. An heir to the Sacred Chalice of Riix.”
“And let’s not forget the Holy Rings of Betazed,” Riker added in a mock-bombastic voice, wiggling his daughter’s tiny hand as it clutched reflexively at his thumb. He frowned and glanced back at Deanna. “Really? I never thought of that. We get theHoly Rings of Betazed?”
She gave a sheepish grin. “Don’t get excited. There are fifty thousand of them. Half the families on the planet are heirs to them.”
“Fifty thousand?”
Deanna shrugged. “The ancient Betazoids were a very holy bunch.”
“Captain.” It was Tuvok, coming back from the cockpit. “Commander,” he added, then nodded formally to the child, to Riker’s great amusement. “It is gratifying to see you reunited.”
“Thank you, Tuvok. I want to thank you for everything you did to keep my family safe.”
“I did my duty as a Starfleet officer, Captain. However, I consider this particular duty to have been an honor as well.”
“Oh, Tuvok, you old softie.” Deanna grinned. “The fact is, Will, he went above and beyond. And I don’t think you’ll be hearing any more complaints about his performance. Isn’t that right, Tuvok?”
The Vulcan closed off somewhat, but he had a serenity about him that Riker hadn’t seen since Deneva was destroyed. “I stand ready to serve, Captain.”
But just then, Deanna let out a giggle as if she were sharing some private joke with Tuvok. “Well, go on, show him.”
“Show me what?”
Tuvok handed him an isolinear chip. “A video recording of the birth, from my tricorder.”
Riker’s eyes widened, along with his grin. “Tuvok! You took baby pictures?”
“I monitored the event as a security precaution. To ensure the safety of mother and child.”
Yet Riker could see the gleam in Tuvok’s eye, a sense of gratification that he could allow a fellow father to witness the birth of his first child. “Thank you,” he said, and he could swear he saw the faintest hint of a smile on the Vulcan’s face in reply.
Growing serious, Deanna said, “Speaking of which…Doctor Ree would really like to talk to you, Will.”