Will’s blue eyes twinkled with delight when he saw the crowd that had gathered. Turning to Vale, he said, “A party! Great idea, Chris.”

Vale’s mouth dropped open; it took a moment for her to gather her wits and muster a reply. “Thank you, Captain. Synthehol, sir. All part of the service. And we’ll be moving this little soiree to the crew lounge. Just as soon as you’re ready, of course.”

A smiling Bralik approached Vale, snatched the untouched champagne glass from her hands, and handed it to Will.

The captain grinned, raised the glass in a salute, then drained the small amount it contained in a single swallow. He handed the empty glass back to Bralik. “Drink ’em if you’ve got ’em, people. Computer, activate audiophile program Riker Zeta Four.”

The bridge suddenly came alive with the strains of Earth jazz. Troi recognized it as “Bessie’s Blues,” as performed by John Coltrane, one of Will’s favorite stylists from the Terran jazz age.

She cast an eye at Torvig, who craned his head toward Eviku. “Earth music. Doesn’t that tend to validate my bias hypothesis?”

“Don’t count your extra holodeck time before you’ve won it,” Eviku cautioned.

The crowd parted, allowing Will and Tuvok to approach the conspicuous bare spot that persisted on the aft bulkhead. Very carefully, Will set the plaque into its permanent place of honor on the wall, at just below eye level. The plaque’s covering of gold cloth remained in place.

Will beckoned Tuvok closer. “Mr. Tuvok, do the honors, if you please.”

Tuvok nodded, his face and emotional aura more somber than usual. “Thank you, Captain,” he said.

Moving with the grace and reverence of a soldier folding a flag that had shrouded a fallen comrade’s casket, Tuvok lifted and removed the cloth covering from the plaque, revealing the engraved bronze surface for all to see.

U.S.S. TITAN

LUNA CLASS

STARFLEET REGISTRY NCC-80102

UTOPIA PLANITIA FLEET YARDS, MARS

LAUNCHED STARDATE 56979.5

UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS

There followed the long list of Starfleet dignitaries and principals associated with Titan’s development and construction, which included Commander Xin Ra-Havreii. And below that, the revered words of Surak of Vulcan:

“INFINITE DIVERSITY IN INFINITE COMBINATIONS”

As Will had intended, Tuvok spoke the words aloud, his voice carrying across the bridge and piped through the comm system to every part of the ship. Coltrane played on, improvising his way nimbly through a small jazz combo’s complex and frequent harmony changes.

“Do Vulcans count as humans?” Torvig whispered to Eviku, apparently seeking a way to save his wager from the jaws of defeat. Considering that Torvig was nonhumanoid, Troi thought his question a fair one.

Eviku grinned triumphantly at Torvig, then began slowly applauding Tuvok’s presentation. The applause spread first to Bralik, then to Keru, Pazlar, Jaza, Vale, Lavena, Rager, Dakal, Will, and just about everyone else who wasn’t presently holding one of the champagne flutes that Cethente had already begun conscientiously gathering up. Troi joined in the applause, which had all but drowned out Coltrane’s tenor saxophone.

At first, Troi had wondered why her husband had delegated the reading of Titan’s motto. But as soon as Surak’s words had left the Vulcan tactical officer’s lips, she understood the reason.

It had not simply been a gesture on behalf of diversity, or the Vulcan IDIC philosophy that so eloquently articulated it, and had in turn found expression in the composition of Titan’s crew. It was all of those things, to be sure. But it had also been intended to help them honor a fallen comrade, and to mourn her passing.

It’s for T’Lirin.

The crowd of appreciative crew members quickly scattered as Cethente and Bralik finished gathering up the glassware they had brought. Troi took her seat, realizing belatedly that she was still holding the empty synthale bottle.

After exchanging yet another brief but significant glance with Jaza, Vale resumed her customary seat at Will’s right. Then the captain sat in his command chair, leaning forward enthusiastically, his eyes riveted to the main viewscreen. Troi knew from his eager gaze and the tenor of his emotions that he was looking past the limb of the cerulean planet displayed on the screen.

Will Riker was already soaring among stars that his kind had not yet traveled.

“Lay in our course for the Gum Nebula, Ensign Lavena,” he said, refulgent with the hope of a man who had just been granted a chance to start over. “Break orbit on my mark.”

“Course already laid in, Captain,” Lavena said. “Titanis rested and ready, sir. Just give the word.” The upbeat, wailing strains of John Coltrane’s sax continued to reverberate through the bridge.

“From the top, Ensign,” Will said, raising his index finger as though it were a conductor’s baton.

“Take it away.”

THE VOYAGES OF THE

STARSHIP TITAN

CONTINUE IN

ORION’S HOUNDS

About the Authors

ANDY MANGELS is the USA Todaybest-selling author and co-author of over a dozen novels—including Star Trekand Roswellbooks—all co-written with Michael A. Martin. Flying solo, he is the best-selling author of several nonfiction books, including Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Charactersand Animation on DVD: The Ultimate Guide,as well as a significant number of entries in The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes.

In addition to writing several more upcoming novels and contributing to anthologies, he is currently directing and scripting a series of sixteen half-hour DVD documentaries for BCI Eclipse, to be featured in He-Man and the Masters of the UniverseDVD box-sets.

Andy has written hundreds of articles for entertainment and lifestyle magazines and newspapers in the United States, England, and Italy. He has also written licensed material based on properties from many film studios and Microsoft, and his two decades of comic-book work has been published by DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse, Image, Innovation, and many others. He was the editor of the award-winning Gay Comicsanthology for eight years.

Andy is a national award-winning activist in the Gay community, and has raised thousands of dollars for charities over the years. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his long-term partner, Don Hood, their dog Bela, and their chosen son, Paul Smalley.

Visit his website at www.andymangels.com.

MICHAEL A. MARTIN’s solo short fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.He has also co-authored (with Andy Mangels) several Star Trekcomics for Marvel and Wildstorm and numerous Star Treknovels and e-books, including this volume and the USA Todaybestseller Titan: Taking Wing;the award-winning Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume Two: Trill—Unjoined; Star Trek: The Lost Era 2298—The Sundered; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Mission: Gamma, Book Three—Cathedral; Star Trek: The Next Generation—Section 31: Rogue; Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers#30 and #31 (“Ishtar Rising” Books 1 and 2); stories in the Prophecy and Changeand Tales of the Dominion Waranthologies, as well as in the recently-released Tales from the Captain’s Tableanthology; and three novels based on the Roswelltelevision series. His work has also been published by Atlas Editions (in their Star Trek Universesubscription card series), Star Trek Monthly, Dreamwatch,Grolier Books, Visible Ink Press, The Oregonian,and Gareth Stevens, Inc., for whom he has penned several World Almanac Library of the Statesnonfiction books for young readers. He lives with his wife, Jenny, and their two sons in Portland, Oregon.