The Last Stand Part 17

"'The detail shares the duty,'" quoted Wiggin with a smirk.

Bitt nodded. "Agreed, Supervisor," he said, as the others mumbled their a.s.sent.

"Very well," Riker said in dismissal. "Apology accepted. Wiggin, call over a facilitator and put all that into motion, will you?" He suddenly grinned. "Everyone here seems pretty thirsty to me."

"Right away!" Wiggin chirped. He held up a hand with two fingers extended, and one of the female facilitators hurried through the crowd.

Bitt stood silently before Riker. "Well?" Riker finally asked. "Are you waiting for something, Bitt?"

"I was wondering if, er, that would be all, Supervisor," the Krann asked quietly.

"Oh," Riker replied. Clearly, he could impose yet another penalty on Bitt, but he had no idea of what it might be or of how to enforce it-and something in his gut told him that, in any case, enough was enough. "Yes," he said, his tone magnanimous. "That will be all."

There was a roar of approval from everyone present, and the music began playing again. Bitt was clearly relieved. One of Bitt's female friends hugged him hard while the two others, a male and a female, thanked Riker profusely.

Troi saw an opportunity and took it. She bent her head against the renewed clamor to speak to Wiggin. "Would you mind if these people joined us?" she asked him.

"Why, no, not at all," Wiggin replied grandly. "Plenty of room, plenty of room-and it's a great day, after all. C'mon, you pot cleaners, drag over some chairs and sit down with me and my friends Dex and Pralla." He clumsily patted Troi's hand, and she frowned at the uninvited approach. Wiggin blinked and withdrew his hand quickly.

Understandably, Bitt and his friends seemed hesitant to sit down. "Are you sure, Supervisor?" Bitt asked, ignoring Wiggin.

"Certainly," Riker told him. "I don't hold a grudge-and, after all, it's a great day."

"It certainly is," Bitt acknowledged. "Well, thank you, Dex Portside Sanitation Systems Supervisor. I and my friends would be pleased to join you." Bitt pulled back one of the chairs and sat down. "Come on, all of you," he said to his friends, a note of surprise in his voice. "We've been invited."

"That you have," Riker said. "Courtesy of our good friend Wiggin, here."

"Eh?" Wiggin asked. Then he shrugged and grinned. "Oh, well, a day like this one comes only once every couple of years, and I suppose my account can stand it." He looked at Troi and winked. "After all, the company is more than worth it."

Troi thought about it for a split second and then winked back, adding a slow and meaningful smile. Wiggin looked drunkenly blank at her for a moment and then, realizing that she had returned his volley in kind, seemed startled and confused.

Bitt cleared his throat and addressed Riker politely. "Permit me, Supervisor, to introduce my friends."

"Please," Riker said. "Call me Dex. And my wife is Pralla."

Bitt looked uncomfortable. "Uh, well, certainly, Dex and, uh, Pralla. Going antispinward around the table, I am pleased to introduce to you my friends Sharra Portside Electrician Journeyman, Nozz Portside Shaftway Maintainer Journeyman, and Lettana Starboard Plumbing Specialist Journeyman. As you can guess, Lettana recently transferred to our section."

"We're pledged," Lettana said, taking Bitt's hand. She smiled. "We're to be mated soon."

"Congratulations." Troi beamed. "That's wonderful." She took Riker's hand and looked very sincere. "I hope you and Bitt will always be as happy as Dex and I are now."

"Thank you," Bitt said uncomfortably.

"We decided we wanted to work in the same gang, too," Lettana added. "You know what they say: 'The couple that maintains together remains together.'"

"How very true," Riker commented.

"That's what I always say," slurred Wiggin.

"We wanted to be together as much as possible," Lettana said. "That's why I transferred from my duty station on the starboard side." She smiled at Bitt, who responded with a self-conscious, sheepish sort of grin.

"That's nice," Troi said, smiling. "Just the kind of story that puts you in the mood for a day like today. It is a great day, isn't it?"

"Sure is," Lettana said brightly. "A great day! Posting Days usually are, of course-and it's been a long time since the last one." She patted Bitt's hand. "I hope we'll be as fortunate as Agrell and Twesla are, when our turn comes."

"How long do you think it'll take them to catch?" Bitt wondered.

"Not long, I bet," Nozz said. "I mean, just look at 'em. They probably can't wait for the party to be over so they can get started." He laughed. "Two months, tops. I'll put five work credits on it."

"There you guys go again," Sharra complained. "I swear you two have waste tubes for brains. Can't you ever behave?"

"Who? Us?" grinned Nozz. "When a lucky couple gets a fleet permit to breed, how and when they go about it is a fit subject for public speculation."

Ah, thought Riker. He glanced at Troi, who nodded.

"And private profit, too," Bitt said.

Lettana blinked. "Private profit? Are you guys betting on Agrell and Twesla? Our friends? I'm ashamed of you both."

"Good for you, Let," Sharra said approvingly.

"Thanks, Shar," Lettana said. "You know, you boys should have let us in on it from the beginning. Is there a pool yet? I've got seven work credits that say it'll take them six months."

"Oh, Let!" Sharra said, frowning. "Not you, too! Well, at least you and Bitt-for-brains over there are compatible."

Lettana ignored her. "I hear Agrell is working lots of extra watches, some of them on outside maintenance. Let's face it. Walking the hull every watch doesn't do much for your fertility."

"Hey, that's good information," Nozz said. "Thanks, Shar. Bitt, I hereby retract my wager."

Bitt looked properly regretful. "Can't let you do that, s.h.i.+pmate. Wouldn't be quite ethical."

"Ethics," complained Nozz. "Phooey."

"Uh, guys," Sharra began. "I don't quite think-" She gave a sidelong glance at Riker and Troi.

"Don't mind us," Riker said quickly.

Bitt frowned. "Actually, Supervisor-I mean, Dex-under fleet regulations, wagering is pretty high on the list of unauthorized financial transactions. We really shouldn't be-"

"Put me down for ten work credits on one month," Riker interrupted, a glint in his eye. "Agrell doesn't look like the type who'd let a few stray wavicles bother him any."

"My," Troi said mildly. "Relative of yours?"

The five young people erupted in loud laughter. "Oh, you're bad, Pralla," Wiggin said, wagging a finger.

"Why is Agrell going outside?" Sharra asked, puzzled. "His station doesn't require it."

"He's pulling extra duty," Lettana explained. "Hazard pay. It's voluntary on his part, of course. He's trying to finance a private module aboard the Upper Nation."

Nozz whistled, his eyes wide. "I didn't know that. Their own mod? At their age?"

"That kind of thing is a pretty expensive proposition for a young couple," Riker said knowingly.

"Tell me about it," Bitt shrugged. "Well, Agrell's connected. You know. He might just be able to pull it off soon. Hull, he and Twesla made the breeding list on the first try." The Krann shook his head. "Nice to be born in high orbit instead of having to boost yourself there, if you know what I mean."

Lettana looked a little sad. "A private module would be a nice thing to have," she said quietly.

"Just try and get one these days," Nozz said. "Restrictions on everything. Fill this out. Wait here. You wind up not doing anything except what you did yesterwatch and the watch before that. Never mind that you can't afford to do anything anyway, what with half your accrued credit balance being grabbed off every year for the military preparedness budget. Preparedness for what? Boogie men from the void?" He sighed, disgusted. "It's insane."

Wiggin nodded. "My grandfather says it was a lot different in his day, before the last planetfall."

"Mine says the same thing," Sharra said. "Things were a lot looser in the old days." She looked at Riker. "Do you remember the last planetfall, Dex?"

Riker guessed that he and Presider Hek might be taken for the same age. "Not really," he said. "I was very young then. I think I might remember a little about it."

"Weather," Bitt breathed. "I think I'd like to experience weather. I've read all about it. I wonder what it's really like."

"Maybe soon, s.h.i.+pmate," Nozz said. "This system we've entered is a promising one, or so I hear. We might find a planet we can run around on for a few years while we stock up."

Riker thought about it and decided to take the plunge. "What would you say if I told you there is such a planet here?" he asked.

Bitt looked at him blankly. "Excuse me, Dex?"

"There's such a planet here in this system. In fact, there are two of them."

The five Krann stared at Riker. "You're serious," Bitt said with something like wonder.

"I am."

"How do you-oh. I forgot. You're a supervisor. You'd know, if anyone would."

"Remember now," Riker warned them all. "You mustn't tell anybody."

Bitt shook his head emphatically. "There's not a chance we're going to tell anyone else, Dex-but this alone was worth the price of all those drinks."

"I don't believe it," Sharra said breathlessly. "Two planets! Maybe we'll finally settle down here."

"Dream on, Shar," Nozz said discouragingly. "We'll stay a while and then move on, just as usual. Look at your history tapes."

Sharra looked toward some distant point. "I wish we could stay anyway," she said. "I think I'd like to live by the water-an ocean, it's called. More water than you can imagine, so much so that things live in it."

"The old folks hate it when you talk about settling down," Nozz pointed out.

"Cycle 'em," Sharra grunted.

Troi spoke up. "Do you think you could live at peace in the same system with the Lethanta?"

The five Krann looked at her. "Excuse me?" Bitt asked.

The counselor tried again. "I said, do you think-?"

"Oh, we heard you all right, Pralla," Bitt said for them all. He looked puzzled. "But who in hull are the Lethanta?"

"Do you mean to say-" Troi began.

Just then every light in the bistro began blinking in a one-two-three rhythm. Riker stood quickly and, looking over the heads of the crowd and through the front window of the establishment, saw that all the big overhead lights in the concourse outside were blinking in exactly the same manner. People were milling about, confused. "What the h.e.l.l-hull-is this?" he wondered out loud.

The Krann at the table seemed mystified. "Oh, hull," Bitt said softly. "One-two-three. It's one of the old-fas.h.i.+oned alert signals. We all had to learn them before becoming apprentices. Remember?"

"An alert signal?" Wiggin asked. "Are you sure? Maybe it's just a power interrupt."

"I'm sure," Bitt replied. "One-two-three means 'combat imminent.'"

"It's a drill of some sort," Nozz said. "It must be."

"No," Bitt said. "They wouldn't do something like that on Posting Day. This is no drill." He suddenly looked horrified. "Does this mean we're actually about to fight somebody?"

Chapter Thirteen.

THE OLD WOMAN clutched the small book to her chest as she sat on the floor of the dimly lit shelter, her back to a crate marked CIVIL DEFENSE. The stained, ragged cloth cover of the book she was holding flapped to and fro as the woman rocked back and forth while mumbling something unintelligible, her eyes tightly closed. Data had long since a.n.a.lyzed what she was saying. It was a prayer.

The four of them-Data, Ro, a young man and the old woman-were seated in the middle of the small underground shelter, surrounded by crates and barrels. "She's beginning to get on my nerves," the man suddenly said.

"Excuse me, Tarrajel?" Ro asked.

"I said-oh, never mind," he said, sighing and waving a hand. "That was rude of me, Fessalahka," he said to Ro. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. The old lady can't help it. It's just that some of the old folks still buy into all the c.r.a.p the monks used to sell, and I'm tired of hearing about it." The young man s.h.i.+fted his weight and frowned more deeply. "I wonder when we'll be able to get out of here? This has been a pretty long alert. I wonder when they're coming?"

"This may be merely a drill," Data said.

"I hope you're right, Porratorat," Tarrajel told him.

"He might be," Ro said. "We haven't heard any explosions or anything."

"That doesn't necessarily mean much," Tarrajel said. "The Krann could be vaporizing the other side of the world. We'd never know."

"Perhaps we could leave the shelter," Data said. "I would like to go outside and look around. Perhaps we could learn something."

Tarrajel snorted. "The only thing you'd learn, my friend, is that being out on the street during an alert is a shoot-on-sight offense, like everything else is these days. Say, I saw somebody raising an illegal banner over the avenue just before I came down here. Did they catch anybody?"

"I do not know," Data replied. "The banner was cut down, but I did not see the authorities apprehend anyone."

"Well, that's good," Tarrajel said, settling back. "I don't have any use for the old religion, but I don't want to see anybody wind up in the hands of the police, either-not for putting up a sign, anyway. There are better reasons to go to jail."