Free Star Trek: TNG Indstinguishable From Magic by David A McIntee

worry, a trip to Nelson’s will put your mind at ease.”
    “Nelson’s what?” Did Hunt mean a planet?
    “Oh, the lounge. I think the
Enterprise
’s was called Ten Forward? What can I say? British captain and first officer, who else were we going to name it after? I think you’ll get on with our hostess.”
    “That I can guarantee. Guinan knows how to put people’s minds at ease.”
    “Ah, you already saw Guinan on the starbase? As I understand it, she’s in the process of making changes.” A turbolift arrived, and they entered.
    A thought struck La Forge. “One thing I didn’t get the chance to ask yet, Commander—”
    “We’re equal ranks, Commander. Call me Tyler.”
    “Geordi.”
    “Well, I’m glad we got that over with painlessly.”
    “Yeah.” La Forge laughed. “That’s actually kind of what I was about to ask about. It seems to me that the
Challenger
is fully staffed, and I assume you already have a chief engineer . . . Not that you really need one, with Scotty aboard, but . . .”
    “But someone has to look after things day-to-day. Yes, we have a chief engineer. The best in the fleet, present company excepted, of course.”
    “So exactly what’s my status here?”
    “Well,” Hunt said, “officially you’re being listed in the position of ops and second officer.”
    “You don’t have an ops officer or a second officer?”
    “Transporter Chief Carolan was about due to take that position on this tour, but when we knew you were coming, we kept the slot open so that there was a suitable position for your rank. In practice, though, we really want you as a mission specialist who’s had experience with historical vessels. And, I think, on some level Scotty just likes to recruit people whose work he admires.”
    “Doesn’t every captain?”
    “Pretty much.” They stopped at a door, and Hunt keyed it open. “These will be your quarters.”
    “Thanks,” La Forge said slowly, a little fuzzy because the room and its place in the saucer section was identical to the location of Data’s quarters on the
Enterprise
-D.
    Hunt noticed. “Another memory punch? You look a little . . .”
    “I’m okay. I guess I’ll get used to it soon enough.”
    “I’ll let the Captain know you’re here. He’s down in engineering, of course. Vol will probably be ready to strangle him by now—” Hunt’s combadge chirped. “Hunt here, go ahead.”
    “Commander,”
a woman’s voice said, which sounded strangely familiar, though Geordi couldn’t quite place it.
“I’m looking over the stasis storage installation and I think it’s usable, but we could use a spare. Do you think you could check with the starbase’s quartermaster about getting another one?”
    “Yeah, I can do that, Doc.” He signed off, and gave La Forge an apologetic look. “Looks like I have some more organizing to do. I hate to leave you in the lurch, but I’m assuming you know the way to main engineering.”
    “I think I can find my way, don’t worry.”
    “See you later.” Hunt raised his hand with a vague wave and trotted off, leaving La Forge in his new quarters. The sloping ceiling was familiar, as was the bathroom to his right and bedroom to his left. In Data’s old quarters, Geordi realized, the bathroom had been converted into an office, and there were no windows. Maybe it was his imagination, but the air smelled a little different too.
    “Everything old is new again,” he murmured to himself. La Forge wondered if the reverse would be true as well, when he returned to the
Enterprise.
If
I return to the
Enterprise, he thought with a sinking feeling in his gut. Second officer wasn’t usually a temp posting.
    He dumped his bags on the bed, but didn’t unpack yet. Maybe getting down to business would help him get in the right frame of mind.
    “Hand me that plasma inducer, then.” A familiar brogue carried across main engineering as La Forge walked in. Once again, he felt as if he was stepping back into his own