"Run Of
The Mill"
QDestinyy@aol.com
Rated G
Timeframe: Post "Insurrection"
Notes: A dialogue exercise. This is very much a 'moment of
time', it's not for any reason per se, other than that it seemed almost
appropriate by virtue of the fact that it was so utterly mundane. Hence
the title. It's also very short.
"Come in!"
Riker turned his head to the door.
"Hello Will. You're
still awake?"
"Deanna... I could ask the
same of you," he smiled and set the data PADD he'd been studying on a
table.
"I suppose you
could," she entered promptly, walked to his couch and sat down next to him.
"Everything all
right?" He threw her a sidelong look.
"For the most part,"
she sighed, "I couldn't sleep. I had an inkling you might still be
awake, so I thought I might come by for a while."
He grinned. "An
'inkling'?"
"All right, I knew you
were awake and I was hoping you wouldn't mind the company," she examined
his work on the table and then looked up, "is this a bad time?"
"Nah." Draping
a familiar arm across her shoulder, Riker retrieved his data PADD and sat back
on the couch, taking her with him. "Maybe you can help me with
this," he stifled a yawn, "I'm beginning to see spots."
She leaned affably into him,
but narrowed her eyes. "You know Commander, the appropriate thing to
do when you feel that way is to get some REST."
"I know. But I
promised the Captain I'd have some options for him by 0-700."
"0-700? You have
four hours left, by my count..." she frowned, "have you slept at all
since yesterday?"
"No time. I'll catch
up tomorrow."
Deanna dropped her head against
his shoulder. "You work too hard. Do you also know that?"
"I know it every time you
remind me." He pressed his lips against her hair and his expression
sobered, "I'll be all right. I shouldn't have put it off so long,
that's all. And I did play poker last night, so it's not as though I
didn't see it coming."
"Mm," she smiled
wryly and tucked her legs beneath her.
Riker's eyebrow rose.
"Wanna help?"
"Sure."
"Okay," he thumbed
through the PADD interface with renewed vigour, "you remember last week we
were having some problems with the manifolds?"
"Yes," Deanna turned
beneath his arm and said, "Will, you realize if this involves Warp
Mechanics you might as well be asking Worf to recite our list of encountered
pathogens from Beverly's medical database."
Riker laughed, "I realize.
It's not a technical problem, I promise," he scanned the PADD again, "Geordi's
taking care of the Engineering details. The problem is that with our
unscheduled stop in the Kamoran system, we're off the timetable by nearly two
weeks. The Enterprise was due to dock at station McKinley thirteen days
ago, and it looks like several of the readout panels are malfunctioning again.
That hasn't happened in about six years, but according to Mr. Data, our
dilithium matrix is on its last re-crystallization...."
"So I heard," Deanna
sat up, "are you saying we won't have enough left to make it to
McKinley?"
He shook his head, "Not as
it stands. Not by about four days, even -if- we continue on a maximum
energy conservation schedule."
She smiled. "How
embarrassing."
"You've got that
right," Riker shared her brief moment of humor, "the Crazy Horse can
meet us two days after that and tow us into McKinley. Of course, we were
diverted by Starfleet with cause, but..."
"Oh no, they're not
'towing' us anywhere!" Deanna gasped, "they'd love that, wouldn't
they?"
"Probably," he
grinned. "Which is why you can see my dilemma..."
"Coming up with a way to
save face," she frowned thoughtfully, "definitely good reason to be
awake at 0-300 hours."
"I'm glad you agree."
"Okay," Deanna turned
the PADD in Riker's hand so that she could see it. "So you're looking
for options..."
He nodded. "I've
gone through about forty already. None of them are viable, or they assume
we still have some reserves left. Which we would have..."
"If the readout systems
hadn't been malfunctioning," she blew a puff of air between her lips,
"are you certain they didn't 'set this up' at headquarters just to prove
they could get one over on the mighty starship Enterprise?"
"I wouldn't be
surprised."
"Hopefully they will be
surprised," she scowled, "when we don't call in the Crazy Horse after
all."
"That's the spirit,
Counselor. I was thinking maybe Geordi could reset the manifolds, trick
the computer into thinking there was still enough crystal left for a short trip.
It would test a theory; see just how low we could really go before it made a
difference. The auto-safeguards are set to kick in at a predetermined
minimum, but that doesn't mean there's nothing left at all..."
Deanna nodded, "but if we
made it almost there and then died within range of the station, that might be
even more embarrassing."
"True."
Her eyes widened. "I
have an idea!"
"What is it?"
"Is Geordi also
awake?"
"I can't imagine why he
wouldn't be, given our current circumstance..."
"Perfect," she smiled
and tapped the badge on her chest. "Troi to LaForge."
<LaForge here, go ahead
Counselor.>
"Geordi, do you remember
when you, Data, the Captain and I were coming back from that psychology
conference in sector seven-five-seven?"
<How could I forget, there
were temporal rifts all over sector.>
"Yes," Deanna nodded,
"and a crew of injured Romulans on board the Enterprise when we
arrived."
<What about that day?>
"Well, I'm here with Will
right now. He's told me there may not be another opportunity for us to
re-crystallize our dilithium matrix before we reach Station McKinley. And,
I had an idea."
<I'm open to suggestions,
Counselor, believe me. No one wants us to make it to McKinley under our
own power more than I do.>
"Well," Deanna
shrugged, "what if we 'borrowed' from the Romulans?"
<I beg your pardon?>
"Their power source,"
she glanced at Riker's data PADD. "Romulan ships use an artificial
quantum singularity for a power matrix. I realize it's not entirely stable with
our technology over long periods of time, but for a few days, I don't see
why--"
<Of course!> Geordi's
animated voice came back, <If we modify the injector array and keep a level
four containment field around the gravity well, there's no reason it wouldn't be
stable for seven, maybe eight days. It just might work! Counselor,
you're a genius!>
"Geordi," Riker cut
in, "I hate to be the voice of reason in this, but an artificial
singularity isn't a very routine Engineering design. Is there any way this
could pose a danger to the Enterprise?"
<I'd have to say no,
Commander. With an artificial singularity, the worst-case scenario is the
gravity well dissipates and the source dies with it. Starfleet simply
never found the technology to be a superior choice to our current standards so
we've never affected it. But I'll tell you one thing, I think the
Counselor's right. It'll keep us going long enough to get the Enterprise
to McKinley Station -without- any outside assistance.>
"That sounds great, Geordi.
Lets take it to the Captain at the senior staff meeting. 0-700
hours."
<You got it, Commander.
LaForge out.>
Riker turned and offered Deanna
a wry smile. "So how does it feel to be a genius, Counselor?"
"For once in my
life?" she rolled her eyes, "It feels damn good, Commander."
"For once in your
life," he smirked, "come here." Pulling her backward into
his arms, Riker laid them both against the couch. "I don't know about
you, Deanna, but I'm beat."
"Hard day,
Commander?" she grinned, "you should have come to me earlier, I could
have saved you a full night's sleep."
"If I'd come to you
earlier, Counselor, neither one of us would have had any sleep."
"Mm," she turned in
his arms and laid her chin on his chest, "I suppose you may have point
there."
Removing a finger from each of
his eye sockets, Riker looked down at her and smiled. "You know, you
really are beautiful when you're blurry and covered in shadows like this... we
do have, three and a half hours left until that staff meeting..."
"Shh," she shifted
them both farther onto the couch. "I don't know about you, Mr. Riker,
but I think I can probably sleep for a while now."
Stroking a hand through her
thick, dark hair, he wrapped his arm around her body and shut his eyes.
"Now -that- is true genius, Counselor."
She smiled. "I have
my moments, from time to time."
"Remind me to promote you,
first thing in the morning," he murmured sleepily.
Tilting her head, Deanna drew
her hand across his chest and gently kissed his neck. "That's all
right," she whispered to his even steady breath, "I think I'm already
on top..."
[end]