Security - Keith R. A. DeCandido [33]
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