Wildfire (Book 1) by David MacK

Author:David MacK
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science-Fiction:Star Trek
ISBN: 9780743456784
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2003-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter

8

She suffered a severe neuroelectric shock,” Lense said, looking away from the diagnostic screen to face Gold and Gomez, who stood on the other side of the biobed, eyes fixed on Corsi, who lay unconscious. “Her central nervous system was badly disrupted, and there was damage in her prefrontal lobe and motor cortex. I’ve repaired most of the major problems, but she’s still comatose.”

“For how long?” Gold said.

“Hours. Days. Maybe the rest of her life.”

Gold shook his head, unable to find words for his dismay.

“Can you tell if this was caused by a natural phenomenon or a weapon?” Gomez asked. Lense shook her head.

“Hard to say. There was no specific point of impact, so I’d say it wasn’t a directed attack. But I really can’t rule out any possibility.”

Gold glanced at Lense. “Let me know the moment anything changes,” he said, gesturing toward Corsi.

Lense nodded. “Of course.”

Gomez stayed at Gold’s shoulder as he took a few steps away from the biobed, then paused. “Bring the rest of the away team to observation in ten minutes,” he said quietly.

“Aye, sir.” Gomez exited quickly. Gold lingered in sickbay for a moment, then moved toward the door. He stepped into the corridor, then looked back. He watched silently as Lense stood over her patient and gently stroked a wayward lock of blond hair from Corsi’s temple.

The sickbay door slid shut, and Gold found himself alone in the corridor. If Corsi didn’t make it, she would not be the first person to die in the line of duty under his command. But bitter experience had taught him that each loss affected him differently—especially when it was someone he considered a friend.

* * *

Stevens was the last member of the away team to reach the briefing room. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, his voice quavering with what Gold surmised was suppressed worry over Corsi. “I just stopped in sickbay to—”

“Stevens,” Gold said in a tone of voice that was deliberately gruff, “what’s the Orion’s status? When can we pull her out of here?” The verbal slap seemed to have the effect Gold had sought. With effort, Stevens regained his composure and looked his captain in the eye.

“She’s got severe structural damage at most of her major stress points, sir,” Stevens said. “The engineering section is completely compromised, and the primary hull has enough damage that if we try to attach towing lines, she’ll just rip in half.”

Gold turned his gaze toward P8. “You would agree?”

P8 uttered a brief series of clicking noises. “Yes, Captain,” P8 said. “Stevens is correct. We will not be able to tow the Orion using duranium cables.”

“What about this light you and Stevens encountered? How did it disrupt power and comms?”

“Unknown. We were unable to scan the phenomenon,” P8 said.

“We need to know if it was a natural event,” Gold said. “It could just be an atmospheric effect caused by the Wildfire device. But if it’s a weapon…. Did it show any sign of intelligent control?”

Stevens and P8 looked at each other.

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