say, because it's what I was going to say."
"I do not quite comprehend," Selar told hir.
"Well, then, I'll make it clear to you. We've had our fun, Selar. Both done what we wanted and needed to do. And now it's time to move on. So we just end it clean. Go back to being crewmates, and that's all."
"Are you . . ." Selar couldn't quite believe she was hearing what she was hearing. "Are you saying that 93
Peter David
you are not interested in pursuing any further relationship?"
"Of course not," Burgoyne replied. "I'd have thought that would be obvious. You don't know much about Hermat psychology, Selar."
"Yes, so you have told me on previous occasions,"
she said carefully. "What aspect of that psychology is pertinent to this moment, may I ask?"
"We're not built for long-term relationships. It's just not in our makeup. We're a free-spirited group, we Hermats. We're not especially monogamous. We prefer a variety of partners, and to savor whatever it is that life has to offer us. It would be natural for you to fall in love with me—"
"I?" She cocked an eyebrow. "I . . . fall in love . . .
with you?"
"Well, you had this whole Pon farr thing going. You weren't thinking especially straight. You left yourself vulnerable to me. It would be natural for you to form an attachment to me, but I'm telling you right now, there's no point to it. We wouldn't have a prayer together. Not even a prayer of a prayer."
"I find it . . ." She sought the right word, since
"stunned" and "shocked" expressed more emotion than she desired. "I am intrigued that you would feel this way. It is not how I perceived you."
"Perceived me?" S/he laughed curtly. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that."
"It means that I . . . thought I had a sense of the person that you were. And now it would appear that I was mistaken. I emphasize that it appears that way.
However—"
S/he raised a long tapering finger, momentarily 94
Star Trek New Frontier
silencing her, and s/he said, "Was I, or was I not, there for you when you were ready to get physical."
"It is not quite that simple—"
"Was I," s/he repeated patiently, "or was I not?"
"You were," she admitted.
"And you were about to tell me that you weren't really comfortable in continuing our relationship as it was. That, in effect, you wanted to end it. Correct?"
"There is more than—" But when Burgoyne once again interrupted her with a slightly scolding gesture, she sighed and said, "Once more you are, in essence, correct."
"Don't you see, Selar?" asked Burgoyne as s/he backed up toward the door. Impressively, s/he managed to do so with something of a swagger. "That's why we were perfect together. We always know exactly what's going on in the other's mind. I was—and remain—everything you ever needed in a man. And in a woman, for that matter." And with that, Burgoyne touched hir forehead with hir finger in a signal of departure, turned, and walked out of the room.
Selar sat there for some time longer, amazed that it had been that simple. Burgoyne had taken it perfectly well, had not made a fuss over the situation, had even beaten her to the punch by ending the relationship before it began to get uncomfortable. She should be happy that it worked out as smoothly as it had.
Still, for some reason that she couldn't quite articulate, she suddenly felt a bit cold. She placed her hand on her stomach and felt warmth radiating upward from it.
And she looked around right and left, as if afraid that someone might somehow see her (illogical as that 95
Peter David
concern was) and when she had satisfied herself that she was, in fact, alone in her quarters, she allowed herself to smile once more.
Burgoyne's first impulse was to go straight to hir quarters, but s/he was not, by nature, a solitary individual. Besides, s/he would have felt as if s/he was hiding, which would not have been far wrong. And so, deciding firmly to take matters in the other direction, s/he headed straight for the single
"I do not quite comprehend," Selar told hir.
"Well, then, I'll make it clear to you. We've had our fun, Selar. Both done what we wanted and needed to do. And now it's time to move on. So we just end it clean. Go back to being crewmates, and that's all."
"Are you . . ." Selar couldn't quite believe she was hearing what she was hearing. "Are you saying that 93
Peter David
you are not interested in pursuing any further relationship?"
"Of course not," Burgoyne replied. "I'd have thought that would be obvious. You don't know much about Hermat psychology, Selar."
"Yes, so you have told me on previous occasions,"
she said carefully. "What aspect of that psychology is pertinent to this moment, may I ask?"
"We're not built for long-term relationships. It's just not in our makeup. We're a free-spirited group, we Hermats. We're not especially monogamous. We prefer a variety of partners, and to savor whatever it is that life has to offer us. It would be natural for you to fall in love with me—"
"I?" She cocked an eyebrow. "I . . . fall in love . . .
with you?"
"Well, you had this whole Pon farr thing going. You weren't thinking especially straight. You left yourself vulnerable to me. It would be natural for you to form an attachment to me, but I'm telling you right now, there's no point to it. We wouldn't have a prayer together. Not even a prayer of a prayer."
"I find it . . ." She sought the right word, since
"stunned" and "shocked" expressed more emotion than she desired. "I am intrigued that you would feel this way. It is not how I perceived you."
"Perceived me?" S/he laughed curtly. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that."
"It means that I . . . thought I had a sense of the person that you were. And now it would appear that I was mistaken. I emphasize that it appears that way.
However—"
S/he raised a long tapering finger, momentarily 94
Star Trek New Frontier
silencing her, and s/he said, "Was I, or was I not, there for you when you were ready to get physical."
"It is not quite that simple—"
"Was I," s/he repeated patiently, "or was I not?"
"You were," she admitted.
"And you were about to tell me that you weren't really comfortable in continuing our relationship as it was. That, in effect, you wanted to end it. Correct?"
"There is more than—" But when Burgoyne once again interrupted her with a slightly scolding gesture, she sighed and said, "Once more you are, in essence, correct."
"Don't you see, Selar?" asked Burgoyne as s/he backed up toward the door. Impressively, s/he managed to do so with something of a swagger. "That's why we were perfect together. We always know exactly what's going on in the other's mind. I was—and remain—everything you ever needed in a man. And in a woman, for that matter." And with that, Burgoyne touched hir forehead with hir finger in a signal of departure, turned, and walked out of the room.
Selar sat there for some time longer, amazed that it had been that simple. Burgoyne had taken it perfectly well, had not made a fuss over the situation, had even beaten her to the punch by ending the relationship before it began to get uncomfortable. She should be happy that it worked out as smoothly as it had.
Still, for some reason that she couldn't quite articulate, she suddenly felt a bit cold. She placed her hand on her stomach and felt warmth radiating upward from it.
And she looked around right and left, as if afraid that someone might somehow see her (illogical as that 95
Peter David
concern was) and when she had satisfied herself that she was, in fact, alone in her quarters, she allowed herself to smile once more.
Burgoyne's first impulse was to go straight to hir quarters, but s/he was not, by nature, a solitary individual. Besides, s/he would have felt as if s/he was hiding, which would not have been far wrong. And so, deciding firmly to take matters in the other direction, s/he headed straight for the single
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