Smiling in the way a professor smiled at a student who got a right answer, Gomez said, “That’s it exactly, sir. The device is currently cycling through six different quantum realities. In addition, the field keeps expanding, which is why we got shook up—the da Vinci was right at the event horizon of the fissure. If we’d been even ten meters closer, we’d have been dragged into the fissure and into another quantum reality.”
“Which,” Tev said, “is what we hypothesize happened to the Missouri.”
Blue added, “We were able to detect debris from the runabout in one of the quantum realities.”
“Sir, there’s something else.” Gomez hesitated.
“I can take it, Gomez—spill.”
“Based on the rate of expansion, we think that the device was activated a little over two weeks ago— about when Empok Nor started endangering the Bajoran system. We think that whatever the Bynars did in that other quantum reality, it also set this thing off.”
“Gevalt,” Gold muttered. Unable to help himself, he glanced at Soloman, who looked a bit guilty.
“I am sorry for what happened, Captain Gold,” the Bynar said.
“Stop shvitzing, Soloman,” Gold said, although Bynars did not, as far as he could determine, sweat, “it wasn’t your fault, it’s the fault of whoever it was in that universe who thought probing ours was such a hot idea.” He leaned back in his chair. “All right, looks like we have two things to accomplish; get our two doctors back, and shut this thing down.”
“Something else this device does,” Gomez said, “is alter the quantum signature of whatever passes through it. The debris that Pattie detected is a molecular match for the Missouri, but its quantum signature matches that of the universe it’s in. Which means,” she added quickly, probably noting the expression on Gold’s face, “we can go in after the Missouri. But when we do, we’ll only have seven minutes and twenty-two seconds to find the runabout, rescue Elizabeth and Dr. Bashir, and come back.”
Gold sighed. “I know you can’t answer this, but I’m gonna ask anyhow. What happens if we take longer than seven minutes and twenty-two seconds?”
“We wait for the thirty-six minutes and fifty seconds it’ll take to cycle through the other five quantum realities and hope for the best.”
Blue said, “The good news, sir, is that we continue to detect the Missouri in the quantum reality in question. That means we’ll have that thirty-seven minutes.”
Testily, Tev said, “Thirty-six minutes, Specialist, and fifty seconds.”
Making a tinkling noise of annoyance, Blue said, “I was rounding up.”
Before his engineers could devolve into an argument, Gold said, “What about the other part?”
“That part’s pretty straightforward,” Stevens said. “According to Worf’s report, the fissure was closed by using a broad-spectrum warp field to collapse it.”
“Creating that will not be a problem.” Tev spoke with his usual confidence/arrogance. “It will require only twenty minutes—less, if I am not forced to make tiresome explanations.”
And here I was about to compliment Tev on how well he seemed to be getting along with others. Gold sighed. “Good.”
“Sir, there’s only one problem,” Corsi said. Everyone turned and looked expectantly at her. She didn’t usually contribute to an engineering discussion, but Gold figured she had a security concern. “That solution worked on a natural quantum whozits. But this is an artificial one.”
“I fail to see what difference that makes,” Tev said.
Staring daggers at the second officer, Corsi said, “If I was building something like that, the first thing I’d program into it is a failsafe against something that could stop it prematurely.”
Stevens was nodding. “You’re saying they may have built in a countermeasure to the warp field.”
“Like I said, it’s what I’d do.”
Gomez folded her arms in front of her. “All right, Pattie, Fabian, start working on a Plan B in case the warp field doesn’t work. Soloman, your job is to get the sensors and transporters and engines to talk to each other. We’ll only have a few minutes, and we need to set it all on automatic: find either Elizabeth’s or Dr. Bashir’s combadges, or their lifesigns, beam them up, and get us back through the fissure before it cycles.”
“Yes, Commander.” Soloman bobbed his bald head.
“Tev, you and I will recalibrate the warp field.”
The Tellarite started to say something, then stopped. “Of course, Commander.”
Maybe he is getting better, Gold thought with a smile. It’s just a work in progress.
“Sir,” Corsi said, “if we don’t find them in the seven minutes we have, then we have to come back.” She didn’t phrase it as a question.
“Yes,” Gomez said, “but then we can take another shot half an hour later. We’ll find them, one way or another.”
“That’s what I want to hear,” Gold said before Corsi could do her wet-blanket impersonation again. “Let’s find our people. Dismissed.” As everyone rose from their chairs, Gold said, “Corsi, stay a minute, would you please?”
“Of course.” Corsi gave Stevens a look, followed by a smile. It was a pleasant smile, and one Gold had never seen on his security chief’s face while on duty before—and damn rarely off duty, either.
Once they had the room to themselves, Gold said, “I hear tell you ran the new recruit through the Galorndon Core scenario.”
Corsi’s face clouded over. “Sir, I was under the impression that security was my responsibility.”
“It is—and the da Vinci’s my responsibility. I just want to make sure that you aren’t pushing your people too hard.”
Stiffly, Corsi said, “I’m not pushing them any harder than reality will push them, sir.”
“I only signed off on that scenario even being installed because it came with a notation that it would only be used for ten-year veterans. Kim’s service record indicates that he hasn’t been in the service for ten years.”
“No, sir.” Corsi shook her head, and smiled once again. “I actually met him ten years ago, on Izar, and he was just a kid. Sir, I had some—some concerns about Kim when he signed on. That’s why I ran him a bit rough. Those concerns have been addressed, however, and it won’t be happening again.”
“Good.” Gold looked at the door through which Stevens had walked a few minutes before. “So, is there anything else going on I need to know about? Say between you and Stevens?”
She stiffened up again. “Nothing that will affect my duty, sir.”
“That wasn’t what I asked, Corsi. Humor an old man, will you?”
Again, she relaxed; again, she smiled. “You asked if there was anything you need to know about, sir.”
Gold laughed. “Fair enough. I trust both your judgments. Just be careful, Corsi. I don’t think anybody on this ship needs to be reminded—”
“No, sir, I don’t—in fact, I need that reminder less than anyone else, quite frankly.” She stiffened yet again. Gold thought she was going to strip her treads, switching gears so often like that. Then she relaxed yet again. “But I’ll be careful, sir—we both will.”
“Good. Dismissed.”
Nodding, Corsi departed the observation lounge. Smiling, Gold headed for the bridge. His people were on the case, and he had every confidence in their ability to do their jobs.
Corsi stood in the transporter room, Angelopoulos and Kim by her side, with Poynter, Gomez, and Tev all standing at the transporter station. Corsi thought that was overkill, especially since the transporter was on automatic—all they could do was monitor what was happening, and Poynter could do that just as easily—but she understood why Gomez and Tev would want to be present when the doctors were rescued.
If they were rescued.
It was, of course, as likely as not that the Missouri didn’t survive the encounter with the alien device, that the debris that Pattie found was all that was left of it, and of the two doctors.
Corsi had insisted on a
team’s being present, and since it was alpha shift, that meant her, Kim, and Angelopoulos. She regarded the two younger men; they both were in full at-attention mode, hands hovering close to their sidearms.
Taking a breath, she made a decision.
“While I’ve got a minute,” she said quietly to the two of them, “I just wanted to say something. Kim, I know I’ve been a little hard on you. I’m not going to apologize for it—I don’t apologize for anything. This isn’t a pleasure cruise, and this isn’t an opportunity for you to relive the glory of your youth, or indulge in hero-worship, or whatever reason you had for joining.”
“Sir, I—” Kim started, but then Angelopoulos spoke.
“Hey, don’t interrupt the commander. Apologies, sir—please continue.”
Inwardly, Corsi smiled. Angelopoulos had been a model guard since he made an ass of himself during the Artemis debrief. That didn’t mean he was out of her doghouse yet, just that she knew his being there was doing some good. “Thanks, Angelopoulos. My point is, Kim, that—as hard as I’m driving you—reality will drive you harder. This isn’t an easy road you’ve chosen, and it’s one that can get you killed if you’re not careful. Sometimes, it’ll get you killed if you are careful. I need people I can count on to protect this ship. Period.”
“You can count on me, Commander,” Kim said. “I didn’t join so I could serve with you—or with Lieutenant Vale. I mean, I’m glad that I am serving with you, but that doesn’t change my desire to serve.” He hesitated. “I’ll do my best to live up to Caitano’s example, sir.”
Tev had moved off to an auxiliary station that was tied into the bridge. “Approaching event horizon.”
Corsi turned back to face the transporter. “That’s a tall order, Kim.”
Although she wasn’t facing him, Corsi could hear the cheeky grin in Kim’s voice. “If the orders weren’t tall, ma’am, they wouldn’t need security.”
She could also hear the wince in Angelopoulos’s. “God, you got trained by Pelecanos, too?”
“Best teacher I ever had,” Kim said.
Agosto Caitano was the best I ever had. And I let his son die. Corsi shook her head. No, that’s wrong. His death, and Deverick’s, led us to a weapon that would’ve killed millions. Maybe it wasn’t the standard way, but he died doing what security’s supposed to do.
And when I shot Dar, I was doing what security’s supposed to do. For the first time in ten years, she realized that that was what Christine Vale—and Tomozuka Kim—saw on that day on Izar ten years ago. Maybe it’s time I gave both of them credit for it.
“Now entering new quantum reality. Sensors indicate our quantum signatures have been altered.”
For some reason, Corsi had expected some kind of fanfare. But if there was any transition that the da Vinci experienced by going from one universe to another, it wasn’t felt in the transporter room. She found that vaguely disappointing.
Poynter said, “Soloman’s program’s running—sensors have found a planet. Checking for combadge and human lifesigns. They—got it!”
“That was fast,” Gomez muttered. “Oh, no.”
Corsi didn’t like the sound of that. “What is it?”
“We’ve got Elizabeth’s combadge and two human lifesigns—plenty of other lifesigns, but these are the only two human ones. But one of them’s in bad shape—near death. And we’re reading projectile weapons fire!”
Shooting Gomez a glance, Corsi saw the look of horror on her face. She, along with Hawkins, Abramowitz, and Stevens, had been on the receiving end of more than their share of projectile weapons fire on Teneb, and all four of them were nearly killed.
Tev said, “We are about to achieve a standard orbit of the planet.”
“Transporter’s activating,” Poynter said.
Gomez tapped her combadge. “Medical team to transporter room, incoming wounded.”
The transporter hummed to life, and two figures appeared. Corsi barely recognized the one who was crouching as Elizabeth Lense, who was shouting something that sounded like “finish” as she materialized. The naked, scarred, prone figure was hardly at all recognizable as Julian Bashir.
“Leaving orbit,” Tev said, “two minutes remaining.”
Lense jumped up. “No, dammit, you’ve got to send me back!”
“Elizabeth, we detected gunfire,” Gomez said quietly. “Besides, if we don’t leave now, we risk never getting back home again. I’m sorry.”
Wetzel and Falcão came in with two gurneys. Lense refused to get on one, but helped Bashir onto the other one. “I could’ve saved her, dammit.”
Corsi wasn’t sure what that meant. Did she have a Dar of her own on that planet? Or had her Dar succeeded in harming her Vale?
Tev’s voice snapped her out of it. “Crossing the event horizon back into our quantum reality. Quantum signatures reverting to normal.”
Lense led the team out into the corridor without another word.
“Well,” Gomez said after a moment. “I’m betting there’s a story there.”
“Mhm,” Corsi said with a nod.
Chapter
13
U.S.S. da Vinci
en route to rendezvous with U.S.S. Defiant
NOW
“S o then we hit the thing with a broad-spectrum warp field, and it worked the first time. The fissure collapsed, the alien device shut down, and we’re no longer poking into other universes. I was stunned.”
Corsi smiled at Stevens’s words. “Why?”
“Because that was Plan A. Plan A never works.”
“First time for everything, I guess.” She smiled as she sipped her raktajino. She had just come off-shift, but was letting Lense have their quarters to herself for the time being. Whatever she and Bashir went through in that other quantum reality—an ordeal that apparently, on that side, took a lot longer than the two weeks she was gone on this side of it—had a huge impact on her. Corsi assumed that Lense would talk about it when she was good and ready—which, if past history is any guide, will be approximately never. So she and Stevens were sitting in the mess hall, sharing a couple of raktajinos. She added, “I guess whoever built that device wasn’t as smart as me.”
Stevens deadpanned, “Or it was just one of those engineers who always have their heads in the clouds so they don’t think about the real world.”
“Gee, do we know anybody like that?” she asked with a cheeky grin.
“One or two—but we’re working on ’em.” He winked. Then he checked his chronometer. “Crap, I need to get to the hololab. Tev called a staff meeting. Apparently, his royal highness has some ‘ideas’ about how to streamline our procedures.” He gulped down the rest of his raktajino and stood up. “On the other hand, he actually was playing well with others when we were searching for the runabout, so maybe he’s improving. God knows, he couldn’t get any worse. I’ll see you later?”
She also rose. “Count on it.”
Then she grabbed him and kissed him.
To her amazement, part of what she enjoyed about the kiss was that she was doing it right there in front of everyone in the mess hall—including Hawkins, Krotine, and Lauoc, who had just entered. Lauoc was just released from sickbay that morning—Lense’s second official act upon reporting back for duty, following saving Bashir’s life—and was already back in uniform, even though he wouldn’t be back on duty until alpha shift the next day.
Grinning ear to ear, Stevens departed the mess hall. He and Hawkins exchanged some quick words, accompanied by laughter, then he departed.
The trio then went to the replicator—Hawkins got a synthale, Lauoc a tarkalian tea, and Krotine a frimlike—and then approached Corsi’s table. “Mind if we join you, boss?” Hawkins asked.
Indicating the other chairs at the table, Corsi said, “Have a seat. Lauoc, good to see you up and around.”
“Ready for duty, Commander,” Lauoc said, sounding no worse for the wear despite the horrid beating he took from the mad Vorta on Coroticus.
“You’re not on duty until 0800 tomorrow.”
“That’s just a technicality. With the commander’s permission, I’d like to run some scenarios—maybe with the new guy.”
And Kim thought I was rough—wait’ll Lauoc gets through with him. “Knock yourself out, Lauoc. But you’ll either have to do it in the next hour or wait until 2100. Tev has the hololab until then.”
Krotine asked, “Is Commander Gomez really making him take sensitivity training?”
“I wouldn’t presume to know why Commander Tev is using the hololab,” Corsi said seriously. Then she chuckled. “But, as it happens, there may have been something about that in a conversation with Commander Gomez a while back.”
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” Hawkins said emphatically, holding up his ale in a mock toast.
“I’ll drink to that,” Krotine said, then gulped down some of her frimlike. After placing the mug down on the table, she turned to Corsi. “Uh, Commander—what was that with you and Mr. Stevens?”
“I was wondering that, myself,” Hawkins said with a wide grin.
Corsi let out a long breath. “I guess I should tell you all that Mr. Stevens and I are a couple.”
Still grinning, Hawkins asked, “With all due respect, boss, was that supposed to be a secret?”
Corsi laughed, and the others did the same—except Lauoc, who didn’t really laugh so much as smile enigmatically. “Yeah,” she said, “it was a secret—from me.”
A little while later, Corsi went back to her cabin, having determined that Lense was in sickbay. She had spent the better part of an hour just talking with her people, and she found it to be quite pleasant. Hawkins was a good deputy, and she had herself a security team that was as good as any she’d served with.
Eventually, though, she excused herself. There was something she needed to do.
She entered her cabin, went to the replicator and asked for a glass of water, then sat at her desk. With a shiver, she recalled that Caitano had asked the replicator for a glass of water before he dropped dead in his cabin. Stop being an idiot, she admonished herself.
Entering several commands into the comm station, she opened a channel to the Enterprise.
Security Page 8
