The Light Read Free Page B

and Dr. Lense didn’t see the need to interrupt his annual physical.
    â€œI’m sure they can do without you for a little while,” the increasingly pregnant Lense had said as she passed her tricorder near his thoracic region. Soloman had reluctantly agreed, though it pained him that he was going to be late.
    Once Lense was through with him, however, he’d darted out of there as fast as his legs would take him, making his way through the ship as though his very life was at stake.
    â€œI’m so sorry!” he called over his shoulder at Falcão.
    Falcão smiled and gave him a wave. “No harm done.”
    Soloman smiled back, then picked up his pace again. In moments he passed through the mess hall doors and saw his associates sitting around a table in the far corner. In addition to Gomez, present at the table were Fabian Stevens, Tev, P8 Blue, and Lieutenant Commander Corsi, who would be heading up the security detail for the inevitable away mission. Notably absent were Bart Faulwell and Carol Abramowitz, though based on the mission parameters Captain Gold had outlined, there did not seem to be any need for a linguist or a cultural specialist on the mission. Soloman hadn’t expected the group to wait for him, but he was still a little disappointed to see them already immersed in discussion. He hoped he hadn’t missed anything significant.
    â€œAh, there he is,” Gomez said as he approached. She gestured to the empty chair next to Fabian Stevens, and he quickly took his seat.
    â€œI apologize for being late.”
    â€œThat’s all right,” Gomez said, “we were just discussing what our tasks should be for the upcoming mission.” Soloman listened as she quickly outlined what had been determined in his absence. Stevens and Pattie would be responsible for accessing the power core and finding a way to shut it down, while he and Tev would research any pertinent data the away team would need once they reached the Borg cube’s power core.
    Soloman’s heart fell at the implication. “I won’t be joining you on the away team?”
    â€œI’m afraid not, Soloman,” Gomez said. “We need to limit the team to as few as necessary, plus we’ll be taking some security personnel as well. At the moment, you’ll be the most use to us here, pulling up data that will help us in the cube.”
    Soloman nodded. He understood that the specialized skills of the S.C.E. team members were not always needed for every mission, nor was it necessary for certain individuals to beam down to a mission site in order to be of the most use. Still, he always felt a small pang of disappointment when he was left behind. He enjoyed visiting new worlds and seeing what kind of technology was used by alien cultures, and he doubted he would have many other opportunities to examine Borg technology firsthand. But depending on how the mission went, there could be an opportunity for him yet.
    â€œI understand,” he said, then glanced at Tev. “I am sure with Commander Tev’s assistance, we will make an effective team.”
    â€œI look forward to working with you, Specialist,” Tev said.
    Soloman nodded in response. Six months ago, the Tellarite would have made a comment that would have been at once aggrandizing to himself and belittling to Soloman, but repeated rebukes from Gold and Gomez—as well, according to rumor, as some enforced sensitivity training in the hololab—had served to soften Tev’s bluster a bit. Slowly but surely, he was actually becoming a team player.
    â€œWell,” Stevens said, rubbing his hands together, “who’s up for some pre-mission beverages? We’ve got a few hours to kick back until we drop in on the Hood .”
    â€œAre you buying?” P8 Blue asked.
    Stevens grinned. “Of course.”
    Tev emitted a soft snort. “Despite the fact that there’s no monetary value assigned to