The Complication

If You Give a Tribble a Piece of Grain

"Eggshells," Riker commented from the sofa in the Captain's Ready Room.

"Huh?" Picard asked as he was pulled from his thoughts by Riker's comment.

"Treading lightly," Riker clarified. "We don't know what we're walking into."

"Right you are, Number One," Picard replied.

Commander Riker's statement hit on more than one fear.

Captain Picard didn't know what they would find regarding the Cardassians.

Would they flee or fight?

More troublesome, he didn't know what they would find regarding Tasha Yar.

"Number One, as soon as the Cardassian ships have left the area, I would like to leave you in Command on the Enterprise," Captain Picard. "And I'd like to go down with the search and rescue team."

Captain Picard knew that he would need Riker on the Enterprise in case the Cardassians came back with reinforcements.

Commander Riker had been afraid of this.

"I can't allow that, sir," Riker replied firmly.

Captain Picard leaned forward in his seat and looked hard at his First Officer.

"Your protest is noted," Picard assured him. "But I feel I need to be down there."

"Sir, if the Cardassians come back-" Riker protested.

Captain Picard put up his hand.

"It's not just the unknown of the Cardassian situation," Picard confessed. "We don't know what we're going to encounter during the search and rescue."

Captain Picard sighed heavily.

"And if it is what I fear, then I need to be there," Picard said honestly. "For a friend."

The rest was left unsaid.

Commander Riker understood.

"And Number One, I would like to ask you discreetly who you believe best suited to serve as a temporary Second Officer if necessary?" Captain Picard asked.

Commander Riker exhaled audibly as he weighed the question.

Typically, the next person to fill the role of Second Officer after the Chief of Operations or Chief of Science was the Security Chief.

Although Worf was more than capable of filling the role, if Tasha had, in fact, been killed or injured then Worf would have his hands full.

Geordi was another possibility, but Riker hated the idea of asking him. If something had happened to Tasha, Data would need his best friend more than ever.

"If," Riker said hesitantly. "And I want to stress 'if,' something has happened. I'd move Worf into the role of Security Chief. Appoint Geordi Second Officer and move Chief O'Brien into the spot of Chief Engineer."

"She's probably barricaded in some office with a phaser rifle in hand," Picard said brightly.

"Tasha?" Riker asked.

Commander Riker shook his head.

"I guarantee when we find her, she's going to be up on one of the upper promenade pylons," Riker guessed. "I bet she was the first one to the armoury. She's probably sniped half a battalion worth of Cardassian troops by now."

It took nearly an hour to complete the work on the Shepard.

Once they were completed, the team returned back to the Enterprise.