The Children of Hamlin - Carmen Carter [13]
Riker pushed the first officer down into one of the chairs facing the captain’s desk. “He’s already been treated. I’m sure Dr. Crusher would have released him if I’d asked, but I didn’t want to disturb her.”
“In other words, we’d better talk fast before she finds out he’s gone,” said Picard, taking a seat across from them.
The session did not run smoothly. D’Amelio appeared unable, at times unwilling, to answer any questions about the alien ship that had attacked the Ferrel. The few answers he supplied gave rise to more questions.
Picard took a deep breath, suppressing the hard edge that had crept into his voice. “Mr. D’Amelio, you maintain that the Ferrel was operated by a skeleton crew. That’s welcome news, indeed. We had thought your fatalities were much higher. However, I’m sure you can understand our confusion-forty-six people is an unusually small crew for a starship.”
“It’s all we needed.”
“Needed for what?” asked Riker.
As before, D’Amelio did not answer. His gaze drifted vacantly across the room. Picard and Riker exchanged looks of frustration and growing skepticism. A predictable pattern had formed. Any question concerned with the starship’s mission resulted in a lapse of attention. Picard did not need Deanna Troi’s empathic abilities to realize D’Amelio was witholding information, but perhaps the counselor should be brought into the meeting if there was no change in the man’s response.
The trill of a communications contact stopped the captain from a direct challenge to D’Amelio’s evasions. “Crusher to Captain.”
Picard had been expecting the call. “Don’t worry, Dr. Crusher, we’re taking good care of Mr. D’Amelio.” He studied the first officer’s profile with dissatisfaction. “But we still need to ask more-“
The doctor overrode him. “Captain, one of the Ferrel’s casualties was wounded by a blast from a hand phaser.”
All three men in the room were startled by her statement. “Are you certain?” asked Picard. “Perhaps contact with the alien force field-“
“No, not the force field. The cellular disruption pattern is quite characteristic of phaser burns, and he’s the only one brought aboard with injuries of that nature. Everyone else is suffering from shock, vacuum exposure, impact with debris. This man was shot.”
Picard turned to the first officer. This time he did not mask his anger. “Mr. D’Amelio, what the hell was happening on that ship?”
“I don’t know anything about it.” In his confusion, D’Amelio dropped out of his dreamy stare. He turned from Picard to Riker in turn. “Honest, I don’t! The bridge was collapsing … we didn’t have much time left. No hope of rescue, or so we thought. Captain Manin and I were preparing to initiate a self-destruct sequence.”
“But you didn’t finish it,” said Picard.
“No.” D’Amelio shook his head as if to clear it. “I was about to confirm my rank identification when I blacked out.”
“What is that man doing out of sickbay?” demanded Crusher. Too late, the captain realized she was still listening. “Return him at-“
Her voice broke off abruptly, although the link remained open. Picard heard a crash, followed by the faint sound of shouting in the background. Crusher’s voice resumed. “Stop! Captain Manin, I will not stand for this … security to sickbay.”
The words sent Picard and Riker racing out the door.
If sickbay was an unlikely arena for violent confrontation, the combatants were even less convincing. Dr. Crusher had dragged Captain Manin away from his assault on her other patient, but she was more concerned with the harm he was doing himself as he struggled to escape her grasp and resume the fight. His strength was deceptive-she knew him to be badly injured. Only the force of a considerable anger had overcome his body’s weakness.
“Damn you Deelor!” shouted Manin as he wrestled against Crusher’s restraint. “You destroyed my ship, my crew!”
Crusher cast a glance over her shoulder to the target of this accusation and assessed the second man’s condition. He sagged weakly against