Star Trek™: Corps of Engineers: Remembrance of Things Past Book Two by Terri Osborne

Author:Terri Osborne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2007-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

8

Corsi, Vale, and Konya worked their way back to Aegris’s establishment. The odiferous fumes were still signaling to anyone with a nasal passage that the place was open for business. Instead of walking inside immediately, however, Corsi stopped them near the door. “Konya,” she said. “Can you pick up anything?”

The Betazoid stared at the door of the establishment, an expression on his face that looked to Corsi to be somewhere between intense concentration, and needing to hit the head.

“Rennan,” Vale said. “Don’t push yourself. Let it come to you.”

Corsi wanted to ask where Vale had picked up that particular bit of information, then remembered that the counselor on the Enterprise was half-Betazoid. “Don’t try too hard, Konya. Just listen.”

Silence sat among the three of them for a long while, until finally, Konya’s head turned toward the right. It was as if he’d just picked up something. His eyes opened, and he looked Corsi directly in the eye. “Follow me. There’s someone this way.”

Corsi helped Vale back to her feet, and the trio went off through the trees behind Aegris’s establishment. She was trying to make sure Vale kept as silent as possible, but with the contraptions attached that were helping her move, that wasn’t the easiest job in the world. Crap. Vale’s making enough noise to alert a battalion. They took it slow, watching as many steps as she could, until finally Corsi was beginning to get impatient. “How far?” Corsi asked.

The Betazoid immediately hushed her, pointing ahead of them in the forest. Corsi barely caught a glimpse of a campfire. “Christine,” Corsi whispered. “Can you stand here?”

To her credit, Vale seemed to understand why Corsi was asking. Nodding, she took off her uniform jacket and then pulled the two long knives that hadn’t had to be removed from her belt for the leg supports. Hiding her crutches behind a large tree, she leaned back against that tree and smiled. “Bring them my way, I’ll be happy to take care of whoever’s left.”

Somehow, Corsi had a feeling that if any of them did happen to cross Vale’s path, they’d underestimate her into their own graves. The kid was good that way. And she’d also had the sense to get out of her uniform jacket. The less these gentlemen knew of Starfleet, the better off they all were. Corsi also shrugged out of her jacket, placing it alongside Vale’s. “Good call, Christine,” she said. “Beat me to it.”

Vale just smiled as Corsi went ahead.

Catching up to Konya, Corsi surveyed the situation before them. A small group of four people were sitting around a campfire. One, a heavyset man with a graying beard almost as wide as his paunch, seemed to be the ringleader, as the other three were sitting scattered around the fire with their attentions obviously focused on him. Corsi could smell how long it had been since they’d bathed from where she stood.

“What can you pick up?” Corsi whispered. “Besides the stench?”

Konya shook his head. “Not much. They’re trying to figure out if there’s anything left at the dig site that might make them some money.

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