Spirit Walk_ Old Wounds (Book 1) - Christie Golden [68]
“You’re bleeding,” said Kim.
Patel touched the cut. “It’s nothing,” she said.
“That’s a lot of blood, and you might have sustained a head injury,” Kim said. He reached for the medkit.
“No, really, it’s nothing. Head wounds bleed a lot,” said Patel, still protesting, but she permitted Harry to quickly tend the wound.
“Everyone else all right?” Ellis asked. Kim thought he sounded a bit impatient.
“I think so,” said Kim. “You okay, Kaylar? Niemann?”
The two security officers nodded. Just to be sure, Kim scanned them quickly too. He took care of his sprained wrist in a few seconds, then ran a quick check on himself to see if he’d unwittingly suffered anything more severe. He started to scan Ellis. Scowling in annoyance, the first officer slapped away the little instrument.
“For goodness’ sake, Lieutenant, I’m fine!” he growled. “Lieutenant Patel, report.”
The diminutive science officer had returned to her seat and was scanning the area outside.
“Curious,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “The storm seems to have stopped. For the moment.” She touched a few more controls. “It’s still covering almost exactly the same square kilometers as before, but there’s a lot of fluctuation within that area.”
She looked up at Ellis. “We may want to scan hay while the sun shines.”
Kim, Niemann, and Kaylar all groaned good-naturedly at the word play, but the little joke seemed to only irritate Ellis further. Kaz had told Harry—confidentially, of course—that in certain circles Ellis had acquired the nickname Priggy. Kim was starting to understand why.
“Phasers on stun,” ordered Ellis. Kim and the two security guards exchanged slightly guilty glances; they’d both already pulled out their phasers without waiting for their commanding officer to issue the order.
The shuttle door hissed open. Humidity assaulted them. It was still overcast and the vegetation steamed and dripped, but Patel had been right. The storm had indeed moved on—for the moment.
“Regulation disembarkation,” said Ellis crisply. Kim tried not to roll his eyes. He hadn’t heard that order since his Academy days. Ellis led the way, followed by Kim, Niemann, Kaylar, and Patel. Kim’s boots sank slightly in the waterlogged soil. The air smelled fresh and crisp. All in all, it was very pleasant.
Patel scrutinized her tricorder. “Any humanoid life signs?” asked Ellis.
Patel examined the readings, shook her head, and sighed. “Still negative, sir. I think we were clinging to false hope, thinking that somehow the storm was interfering with our sensors.”
Kim felt his spirits sink. Damn it. He hadn’t realized until now how much he hoped they’d find the colonists alive and well, even though he knew such an outcome was doubtful.
Ellis sighed. “That’s too bad.” He tapped his combadge. “Ellis to Voyager.”
“Good to hear from you, Commander. I take it you were able to land safely?”
Kim continued to look about with a watchful eye. According to the colonists, this planet was not without its share of large predators, though they weren’t common and the colonists said no one had ever been attacked. Kaylar and Niemann, too, stayed alert, their phasers out. Patel continued to take scans. Her own phaser was on her hip; clearly she was one of those scientific types who could easily become engrossed in what she was doing.
“Aye, Captain,” Ellis continued. “But I regret to inform you that we have some bad news for Mr. Fortier and the rest of the colonists. I’m sorry to say that it still doesn’t look as if there are any survivors. The storm or whatever Campbell was picking up wasn’t interfering with our sensors after all. The storm, by the way, appears to have moved off for the time being.”
Silence. Then, “I can’t say I expected anything else, but it’s definitely sad news. I’ll inform Fortier.”
“Captain,” said Patel, “the storm appears to be quite erratic. It’s not raining on us at the moment, but that could change at any moment. We’ll take what readings we