Security - Keith R. A. DeCandido [27]
Domenica didn’t even pay attention as they entered the turbolift doors. However, after the doors closed on Rai and Rizz’s astonished faces, she burst into a giggle.
“Dom, did you just giggle?”
“You know, I think I did. I also think I kinda liked it.”
He grinned. “Me, too.”
However, the new, improved Domenica Corsi was only going to last so long. As soon as they arrived at the bridge, she let go of his hand and “Core-Breach” was back.
Captain Gold was in his usual seat, of course, with Commander Gomez and Tev standing on either side of him. Soloman, P8 Blue, Carol Abramowitz, and Bart Faulwell were standing or sitting at the aft consoles behind Tony Shabalala at tactical. Domenica went to stand next to Tony; Fabian took a seat next to Bart.
Bart whispered, “Coming in together? Isn’t that interesting.”
“Very interesting, yes,” Fabian said completely seriously, which brought Bart—who had only been teasing—up short.
“I assume we’ll talk later.” It wasn’t a question. Bart, Fabian’s roommate, was the only person who had known about Fabian and Domenica’s one-night-stand back when it was just a one-night-stand, and he’d been a good sounding board on more than one occasion.
But that was for later. Gomez had turned around and was now addressing the S.C.E. team. “About ten minutes ago, we detected a duranium fragment that matches the information we got from Nog—it’s from the Missouri. We slowed to impulse, and that’s when we found this.” She turned around. “Put it up, Tony.”
The forward viewer flickered to show an area of space the center of which was—well, Fabian couldn’t say what it was. He found his eye wandering from it, unable to focus directly there.
Immediately, he turned around and activated the sensors from the console at which he was sitting.
“You’re wasting your time, Specialist,” Tev said disdainfully. Fabian turned to see the Tellarite’s disapproving glare. “Because the sensors were retuned to detect the Missouri, they are unable to extrapolate what this anomaly is.”
Gold spoke for the first time, turning around his center seat to face them, a grave look in his blue eyes. “Whatever that thing is out there, it’s right on the Missouri’s flight plan, and there’s a piece of the Missouri near it.”
“So we need to retune the sensors back?” Pattie asked.
Gomez shook her head. “Nancy’s on that—she’ll have them back to normal in the next five minutes. When that’s done, I want to know everything there is to know about that—whatever it is—and what it did to our people, and I want to find out yesterday.”
Fabian heard a determination in the commander’s voice that led him to think that, if they didn’t do what she wanted, her response would make Domenica’s recent treatment of Tomozuka Kim be a walk in the park by comparison.
Chapter
12
U.S.S. da Vinci
in search operations between Stations Kel-Artis
and Deep Space 9
NOW
S onya Gomez sat in the science lab on deck five of the da Vinci, staring at the unknown.
This was why she joined Starfleet in the first place: seeking out the new, the unknown, the unexpected. That was why a lot of people joined Starfleet, of course, but because she was an engineer, she also tended to add, and learn what makes it tick.
What kind of year has it been? she thought as she stared at the sensor readings of the bizarre anomaly they found near the distressingly small fragment of the Missouri. Has it really been less than a year? She shook her head. Montgomery Scott had come to her after the war and her promotion to full commander with the offer of becoming first officer of the da Vinci, a duty that included supervising that ship’s contingent of S.C.E. personnel. It was a fantastic opportunity, and one she never regretted accepting.
Well, maybe once or twice, she thought with a small smile,