About a dozen others had also left their domed huts, standing, shrouded in wrappings, in the light fluffy dust that covered everything like a grim snowfall. T'Nir looked upwards, shielding her eyes from falling dust, and saw the shuttle. Not a standard Starfleet model - well, of course, it could not be, in the circumstances, she thought. It was sleek and black, shaped like a leaf, or the point of a spear. It circled the encampment, once, before spiralling in to land by the largest intact dome. T'Nir went forward to meet it. The black material of the hull seemed to repel the dust, as if it spurned the world around it.
The exit ramp hissed down, and the shuttle's occupants disembarked. T'Nir bristled at the sight of the Starfleet uniforms - a Ferengi and a human in science division markings, the human carrying a case with medical symbols; behind them came a tall, lanky Andorian in operations colours, the insignia of a Vice Admiral at her throat. Shohl, then. All three were wearing breather masks and transparent visors, protection from the dust. Behind them -
T'Nir blinked. The woman in grey and white was clearly Vulcanoid, but did not carry herself like a Vulcan - then, she noted the raptor brooch. Romulan? Here? The woman wore a breather mask of a different design, and she moved -
She moved like the shuttle, T'Nir thought. With a casual disdain for the disordered world around her. She trod in the dust, and it was truly dust for her, beneath her notice.
"Who commands here?" the Romulan demanded.
T'Nir stepped forwards. "Director Stiak is in overall command," she said, "but he is unavailable at present, being engaged in necessary work. I am T'Nir. I have been deputized to attend to you."
The Romulan arched her eyebrows. "We have medical supplies in the shuttle," said the Andorian, "and Dr. Beresford here is anxious to get to work on your casualties. Commander Klerupiru is an expert technician, and hopefully she and I can help with your mechanical difficulties. So, point us in the right direction, and we'll get to work." She looked vaguely quizzical, behind the breather. "I must admit, we're all... curious to know what work it is, that's so absorbing you can't take a break from it."
"There is disagreement on that matter," Stileg's voice came from behind T'Nir. The man shouldered past her, heading towards the shuttle. "We have seven dead and six seriously injured from our initial complement of thirty. Supplies are critical - most of our stores were destroyed in the initial incident, and much of what survived has become unusable due to the dust contamination. It is the judgment of many of us that evacuation is needed."
The human, Dr. Beresford, came out to meet Stileg. "Let me have a look at that forehead," she said.
"There are others in far worse need than I, doctor," said Stileg. "Let me show you the way. Is there other equipment that I may carry for you?"
"Let's get it," said the human, and led Stileg to the shuttle. T'Nir felt obscurely angry, sternly repressed the emotion. It was not unreasonable, she thought, that Stileg should consider the medical matters urgent. But he should have respected her authority -
The Andorian suddenly shouted, "Brace yourselves!"
For an instant, T'Nir thought she had gone mad. Then, the ground shuddered beneath them. The Romulan stumbled and nearly fell; the Andorian reached out a steadying hand. Her legs were spread, braced, ready for the shock. The Romulan shook off the helping hand. "How did you -?"
"Can't fool these antennae," said the Andorian. Of course, thought T'Nir, the sensitivity of the Andorians was well-documented -
"Let me take you to the main workshop," she said, "and I will explain the situation, as well as I am able. Director Stiak will give you more complete information, when he returns." If he returns, she thought, and clamped her mind down hard against that thought. But if he was underground - when that shock came -
"That is an excellent idea," said the Romulan. "We will go. Since Vice Admiral Shohl has not seen fit to introduce me, I will inform you that I am High Admiral Valikra of the Romulan Star Empire. We are engaged in a number of humanitarian ventures across the quadrant, and are cooperating with the relief effort here." She smiled, thinly. "I hope we will be able to be of service to you."
No comments:
Post a Comment