Have Tech, Will Travel (SCE Books 1-4) - Keith R. A. DeCandido_. [et al.] [9]
As per regulations, Gomez had her phaser drawn. But with just a glance around, she put it away. The force of the phaser blasts had pretty much cleared this area of everything.
“Standard check of suits,” Corsi said, reminding everyone of that regulation. They were all in full environmental suits, and after any beam-in they were required to run a quick diagnostic of their suits and report any problems.
Lieutenant Commander Corsi was their security chief, and a stickler for following rules. She got on the nerves of the others on the team at times, but Gomez liked what she brought to the table. Corsi made their missions safer. And Gomez agreed with this annoying regulation, mostly because it was better to discover something wrong with a suit right away than when a situation got rough.
Gomez did the quick diagnostic of her suit, getting full green across the small display over her eyebrows. “Clear,” she said.
Geordi, who was beside her, said, “Clear.”
She had picked only four of her team for this first mapping session, and, one at a time, as per regulations, they reported in to Corsi.
“Clear,” Stevens said.
Fabian Stevens had been an engineer with Starfleet for a number of years, including a long stint on the Defiant. He was their expert in tactical systems, which was why she had picked him for this first jump into the alien ship.
“Clear,” Duffy said.
Lieutenant Commander Kieran Duffy was her second in command, and as good an engineer as there was. He had served as second in command under her predecessor, Salek. This mission on the da Vinci was the first time they had served together since their days on the Enterprise , and since they had had an on-again, off-again long-distance relationship, they were both still taking it slow so far.
“Clear,” Pattie said.
Pattie’s real designation was P8 Blue. She was a Nasat—a member of a large, insectoid race that looked something like a terran pill-bug grown to almost human size—and didn’t require an environmental suit thanks to her shell and eight arms and legs. Gomez had picked her for this first jump into the big ship because of the chance of running into any unforeseen circumstances. Pattie was the best they had in getting around in low gravity.
The rest of her S.C.E. crew was still onboard, watching and monitoring everything closely. She could see the da Vinci holding over the hole, its presence reassuring her.
“Clear,” Corsi said, finishing the drill.
Gomez glanced around at her team and Geordi, all of whom were now holding tricorders, scanning the area around them.
“Seems someone left the lights on,” Stevens said. “I’ve got constant point-nine-three gravity.”
“Power’s still on in what looks like energy conduits.”
“Looks like the Enterprise didn’t hit the power source,” Geordi said, “only the control area and crew.”
“Copy,” Gomez said, glancing down into the massive hole the Enterprise had smashed through the decks. That hole had now become a dangerous fall instead of an easy access path.
Around her the walls of the ship were blackened and twisted, but it was clear that they had been light gray, and the hallways that led away from the destruction were wide and still lit. Gravity inside this big ship and power still on would make it easier to explore, by and large. Just more dangerous.
“It also seems,” Stevens said, “that airtight doors sealed in all exposed corridors. We still might have atmosphere in some sections of this baby.”
“This changes nothing, people,” Gomez said. “We stay with the plan to map this place slow-but-sure. Pattie, you and Stevens go to the right down that passageway; Duffy and Corsi, go left. Geordi and I will go down. No one gets out of contact. Understood?”
She glanced around at everyone nodding.
“Move out.”
“Deck at a time?” Geordi asked her after flipping his comm link so that only she could hear him. “Or all the way to the bottom of the blast hole?”
She glanced down. From the readings they had been