time he’s shouldered extra risk to protect his crew. I frankly don’t see the need for concern. At least, not with what we know at present.” Riker forced himself to smile at the stern admiral, so she wouldn’t overreact to his next suggestion. “Have you attempted to establish contact with Kirk’s ship?”
Janeway’s retort was swift. “All warp vessels are under subspace radio blackout and you know it.”
“With apologies, Admiral, a simple inquiry to determine if Jean-Luc’s aboard Kirk’s ship would reveal nothing of our plans to take on the Totality.”
“No subspace,” Janeway snapped. Then she shook her head, moved off the desk, and stood for a moment as if collecting her thoughts. Riker watched, waiting, as she directed her gaze upward to the low, sagging, stained ceiling. Dark wires trailed down from a broken tile in the far corner, tangling and twisting until they disappeared into a chipped-open hole in the floor. It was all too easy for Riker to believe he was back in the primitive, imperfect days of the twenty-second century when this facility had been constructed. It might have been an exciting era for exploration, but living conditions on worlds that weren’t M-Class left much to be desired. Mercury was no exception.
“You know, Captain,” Janeway said, her eyes meeting his directly, “I’m not so sure you’re right for this assignment.”
Riker started, confused. He thought he’d been summoned to discuss overall strategy and fleet disposition prior to the main advance on Vulcan. “I beg your pardon, Admiral. What assignment?”
“Recovering Jean-Luc and stopping Kirk.”
Riker tried to keep the indignation from his response. “I’m perfectly suited to that task.”
Janeway showed no sign of agreeing with him. “Because…?”
“I agree that Kirk’s no friend of Starfleet Command these days, but… he trusts me.”
The admiral appeared to consider that as she began to pace. “The impasse between Kirk and Jean-Luc… you broke that.”
“I offered them a way out of a no-win situation,” Riker said, encouraged.
Janeway halted, turned. “What if Jean-Luc isn’t Kirk’s prisoner as I believe? If Kirk’s managed to convince Jean-Luc to help him storm Vulcan to try to rescue his son– “
“Which I believe is more likely,” Riker interjected.
“– how can I be sure Kirk won’t convince you to switch sides, too?”
“We’re all on the same side, Admiral. Kirk just has a different approach. More direct.”
“It sounds as if you approve of what he’s doing.”
“I understand what he’s doing. There’s a difference.”
“You think you can talk Kirk out of moving on Vulcan on his own?”
“Is it really important that he doesn’t do that?”
Janeway seemed taken aback by his question. “Yes, Captain, it is. Kirk knows how we’ve managed to drive the Totality off our ships. He knows about the gravity-projector weapons. That information could be plucked from his mind by telepathy, or he might freely exchange it for his son.”
Riker wanted to object, but truthfully, when it came to the safety of Joseph, Riker couldn’t be certain how far Kirk might go. It was within the realm of reason that he might reveal Starfleet secrets, especially if he could convince himself that the revelation would cause no real harm.
Janeway studied him, seeming to intuit his thoughts. “So you do understand the importance of the mission.”
Riker nodded, gave his reluctant confirmation. “Stop Kirk from making contact with the Totality and recover Jean-Luc.”
“Then you have your orders.” Janeway walked around the old desk, and took her seat. She activated a padd, then paused, without looking up at him, her fingers still on the padd controls.
“And you’ll take the Enterprise.”
Riker didn’t conceal his surprise. “What about the Titan?”
“It’s not ready for warp, the Enterprise is. And I presume you know that ship as well as, if not better than, your own.” Janeway’s tone was brisk, impersonal.
It was clear to Riker that he was being dismissed.
“Aye, Admiral.”
“Good hunting, Captain.”
“What are you really planning to do?” Picard asked.
Kirk ignored the question, put Picard’s dinner tray on the small silver desk beside the bunk.
“I know how much your son means to you,” Picard tried again, “but I still can’t believe you’d jeopardize the existence of… well, of all life in this galaxy for his sake-not when there’re other options.”
Kirk sat down on the edge of the bunk, facing Picard across the small guest cabin. “Starfleet options?” Kirk asked.
“Jim, you have to know you’d have a better chance of saving Joseph if it was part of a concerted attack on the Totality.”
“I don’t know that at all, Jean-Luc. Neither do you.”
Picard weighed his next words carefully. He estimated they were still twelve hours out from Vulcan. If the Belle Reve arrived at that world and it did turn out to be under Totality control, then Starfleet’s plan of attack would be in danger of being exposed. Somehow, he had to convince Kirk to change his mind and stay out of the Totality’s reach.
“Jim, honestly, what can one man do against them?”
Kirk shrugged. “One man? I’m not sure. But you said it yourself: For some reason, the Totality leaves me alone.”
Picard felt an icy chill move through him. “Jim, are you working with them?”
Kirk looked at him, eyes intent. “You know me better than that.”
Picard shook off his misgivings. “You’re right. I do. But then… have you any theories to explain why they treat you differently from anyone else?”
Kirk nodded.
“Well?” Picard asked.
“They’re telepathic. Better you don’t know. Just in case.”
“In case they capture us?”
“In case they capture you.”
“You truly don’t think you’re in danger from them?”
Kirk shook his head. “A year ago, I would have said yes. I was no different from anyone else. On Remus, Norinda tried to… to absorb me into the Totality, the same way she did Spock. But… she wasn’t able to.”
Picard tried to remember back to what he had heard then, on the communicator channel while in orbit of Remus. He thought back over the reports he had read after his debriefing at Starfleet Command. He didn’t recall any mention of an attack on Kirk.
“You didn’t include that in any of your after-action reports.”
“It wasn’t important.”
“Jim, how could it not be important? If Norinda attacked you and that attack failed, then clearly you came up with some defense against her-a defense that could help us defeat the Totality.”
“I know.”
“So what was it? What did you do?”
“Me? Nothing.”
Picard didn’t understand. “But, you were alone with her. I mean, Spock was there… that’s when we lost him and– “
Picard stopped in a moment of shocked realization. Kirk hadn’t beamed down to face Norinda alone. Norinda had demanded that someone else accompany him.
“Jim… was it Joseph?”
The words came from Kirk as if being torn from his heart. “Joseph stopped her. When I couldn’t and Spock couldn’t, he could.”
Picard was astonished. He knew that Norinda had wanted Joseph under her control, but he’d assumed that
