Ring Around the Sky - Allyn Gibson [32]
Eevraith turned and hurried to the turbolift.
As the turbolift doors snapped shut behind him, Gold stood and looked at Tev. “I’m sorry, son. I thought he’d have been a big enough person to admit that he wasn’t who he thought he was.”
Tev shook his head. “No need to apologize, Captain. Eevraith is who he is, a creature of politics and necessity.”
Gomez stood and nodded. “Well, gentlemen, we still have personnel on the surface.”
“Wong, take us back to Kharzh’ulla IV. Standard orbit,” Gold ordered.
Abramowitz and Stevens huddled with several Kharzh’ullans beneath the canopy in front of the restaurant against the pouring rain. The storm had risen suddenly, the black clouds moved in from the south as the elevator fell, and a sudden thunderstorm erupted. They would have gone into the restaurant to ride out the storm until the da Vinci beamed them back, but the Kharzh’ullans crowded the interior and there was no more room.
Stevens thought he heard another thunderclap, but when Abramowitz pointed at the pier, he saw three human shapes take form in a transporter effect. He could barely make them out—Domenica Corsi and two security guards—and as they materialized, they raised their hands above their heads in a futile effort to block the rain and ran toward the restaurant.
“You took your sweet time!” shouted Stevens over the sound of the rain.
Corsi stopped in front of him, and Stevens thought he detected a sardonic smile cross her face. “You’re all wet,” she said.
“So are you,” he retorted feebly.
“Why didn’t you just beam us back?” asked Abramowitz.
Corsi nodded. “The captain wanted us to beam down and see if everything was all right.”
“It is, except for this storm,” said Abramowitz.
“Tev says it’s because of the elevators that fell into the ocean,” said Corsi. “They evaporated the water when they hit, and now you’ve got the rain.”
That made sense to Stevens. The storm clouds had come in from the south, just as the elevator fell.
“Corsi to da Vinci,” she said as she tapped her combadge. “Five to beam up.”
“Domenica,” said Stevens.
“Yeah, Fabe?”
“I don’t feel so hot.”
Corsi frowned. “Stand in the rain, you catch a cold. That’s what my grandfather always said.”
Abramowitz laughed as the rain fell. “I think it’s more that he ate something he shouldn’t have.”
Corsi shrugged as the transporter effect took them. “Why am I not surprised?”
Chapter
10
“We’re being hailed, sir,” said Lambdin, the da Vinci’s gamma-shift ops officer. He turned in his seat back toward Tev. “It’s a private communication for you.”
Tev snorted. “From whom?”
Lambdin’s fingers played across his console. “Sender identity not disclosed. But the message is tagged as coming from the palace on Prelv.”
Tev stood. He began to move toward the conference room doors, then stopped. “On screen,” he said to Lambdin.
“Sir?” said Lambdin, confused.
“On screen,” Tev repeated as he returned to the captain’s chair.
Lambdin raised his eyebrows, and the image of Kharzh’ulla on the viewscreen was replaced with Eevraith.
“I thought this was a private communication,” said Eevraith.
Tev flared his nostrils. “Look about, Eevraith. There are but four of us on the bridge.” Tev, Lambdin, Winn Mara at tactical, and Martina Barre at conn. “Whatever you say will remain here.”
Eevraith nodded slowly. “I wished to thank you, Tev.”
Tev said nothing.
“Did you hear me? Thank you.”
“I heard you, Eevraith. What do you wish me to say? That I appreciate your gratitude?”
Eevraith snorted. “Is that what you want, Tev? An argument?”
“I want nothing, Eevraith.”
They fell silent, the only sound the hum and chirp of consoles about the da Vinci’s bridge.
At last Eevraith spoke. “You should see the celebration. Fireworks over Prelv, now that the rains have subsided, the crowds at the waterfront. It’s momentous, Tev, to put away a year of fear, to open a new door to the future.” He paused. “Some of your crew are there. You should