The Valiant - Michael Jan Friedman [50]
Leaving Kochmans side, the doctor crossed the room to the bed containing Ensign Kotsakos, whose injuries werent nearly as severe. Deactivating the protective field around the ensign, Greyhorse picked the woman up as gently as he could and deposited her on the floor beside the bed.
He would have preferred to give her the benefit of the field for the next several hours. That would have been the ideal approach.
However, Kotsakos would survive without the field. He couldnt say the same for Leach.
Put him down here, Greyhorse told Gerda.
She did as he said, easing the first officer onto the biobed.
The doctor looked up to study the beds readouts. Clearly, Leach was in bad shapeeven worse than the ragged gash in his temple suggested. His vital signs were badly depressed.
What can I do? asked Gerda.
Greyhorse looked at her with the same longing and admiration he had felt the other day, when he had checked her ESPer capacity. But this time, he wasnt tongue-tied in the least.
Check the other beds, one at a time, and call out their readings to me. He pointed to Kochman. Starting with that one.
And Leach? the navigator asked.
Ill take care of him, the doctor assured her.
She hesitated for just a moment, as if there was something else she wanted to say to him. Then she left the first officer in his capable hands and went to see how Kochman was doing.
Greyhorse drew a deep breath and wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. In that moment when he thought Gerda was injured, he had gone through an eternity of hell in a single second.
He didnt like the idea of people getting hurt. He was a physician, after all. But if it came down to the navigator or someone else he was glad it hadnt been Gerda.
As the turbolift doors opened, Ben Zoma emerged from the compartment and made his way down the corridorphaser in hand.
He had good reason for concern. The moment the battle with the Nuyyad had ended, he had tried to contact the officer on duty in the brig. But there hadnt been any responsenot a promising sign by anyones reckoning.
And with the battering the Stargazer had taken, power conduits had been compromised on every deck. There was no guarantee that the brigs electromagnetic force field was still in place.
Which meant Serenity Santana might be free to go wherever she wanted. Do whatever she wanted.
That made Ben Zoma nervous, given the fact that the womans motivations were still in questionmaybe more so now than ever, considering they had followed her directions straight into the sights of an enemy battleship.
He hadnt been particularly suspicious of Santana when Captain Ruhalter brought her aboard. He had believed they were doing the right thing by checking out her warning. And even now, he wasnt convinced that she was in on the Nuyyad attack.
But he was the ships security chief. With hundreds of lives at stake, he had to believe the worst of everyone.
Striding purposefully, Ben Zoma negotiated a bend in the corridor and came in sight of the brig. The first thing he saw was a body laid out on the deck. He recognized it as Pug Joseph, Santanas guard.
Instantly, the security chief broke into a run. When he reached Joseph, he dropped at the mans side and saw the blood running from Josephs nose and mouth. He also saw the burgeoning bruise over Josephs right eye.
He felt for a pulseand found one. Tapping his combadge, he said, Security, this is Ben Zoma.
Pfeffer here, sir.
Im at the brig, the chief told Pfeffer. Joseph is down. Ill . need help getting him to sickbay.
Acknowledged, said the security officer. What about Santana, sir? Is the field still in place?
Ben Zoma cursed under his breath and glanced in the direction of Santanas enclosure. Stand by.
He had been so concerned about Joseph, he hadnt taken the time to check on their guest yet. Getting to his feet, he approached the entrance to the brig cautiously, phaser at the ready.
Stopping at the doorway, he craned his neck to get a look inside at Santanas cell.
The force