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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780743420501 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Pocket Books/Star Trek |
| Publication date: | 09/22/2000 |
| Series: | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , #19 |
| Sold by: | SIMON & SCHUSTER |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 304 |
| Sales rank: | 803,111 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
ODO PAUSED AT the railing overlooking the Promenade He had made a general announcement to the public areas of the station regarding the emergency docking order. He thought it would calm everyone to know that the tremors were caused by emissions from plasma storm, yet the level of excitement continued to heighten along with the influx of evacuees from the newly arriving vessels. The activity on the Promenade reminded him of a Bajoran festival day, right down to the singing and dancing, as streams of people entered the temple. Not only were there more Bajorans, but there was a sampling of every other sort of humanoid race, especially in Quark's Bar. Odo had stopped by the bar for a moment but he couldn't stand Quark's jubilant pleasure in the face of the emergency. The tight Ferengi wasn't even complaining much about broken serving ware or spills, so you knew it had to be a profitable day. Odo surveyed the throngs, mystified by the humanoid tendency to react to a crisis by throwing off all self-restraint. It was as if they were compelled to mirror chaos with chaos, when, by rights, they should be extra cautious during times of uncertainty. Many seemed to be indulging in a sensory abandonment comparable to his liquid state, yet he would no more start sliding down the banister right now than he would enter an open airlock with a Cardassian at his back. Didn't humanoids know how fragile they were? Take Jake-there he was, leaning too far over the railing, trying to see everything happening down below on the Promenade. Odo casually strolled past. "Back up there," he warned the young man. "You wouldn't want one of these shock waves to send you over the rail." Jake straightened up, undaunted by Odo's tone. "Hi there, Constable. isn't this great?" "I'm not sure what is so 'great' about an emergency docking order," Odo replied, clasping his hands behind his back. "The station has already reached maximum capacity, and several more ships are waiting to dock." "It's not really dangerous, is it?" Jake asked, more concerned. "No, not really," Odo assured him. "But whenever this many people are gathered in a confined area, there's bound to be trouble. Not to mention accidents. Why isn't everyone more careful?" Jake shook his head in amusement. "You've just got to see it as a surprise holiday. A lot of these crews weren't expecting to get shore leave for weeks." "Hmmm . . . I'm not sure your father would like you to be wandering around in all of this." "My father is the one who keeps telling me to experience life. He'll probably want a blow-by-blow report when he gets home tonight." Odo made a disapproving sound, but he let the matter drop. "I would suggest you stock up on food supplies. I hear there's a run on the replicators." That hit Jake in a vital spot. He instantly started for his quarters. "Thanks for the tip! See you around." "I'm sure," Odo murmured to himself. He had recommended a curfew for nonessential personnel, but Sisko had vetoed his suggestion. As the shock waves grew worse, perhaps the captain would reconsider. One of his security staff signaled. "Sir, Starfleet security say they're having some trouble at the airlock to the Ceres. A Sattar is there looking for Commander Worf." Odo had flagged any unusual activity among the Sattar for his immediate attention. He had noticed that Commander Worf had established surveillance on the Reaper shortly after it arrived, and Odo was interested in anything that caught Worf's attention. "Where is the Sattar now?" "They're holding her at the airlock." "Send two security personnel there. I'm on my way." He intended to handle this personally. The Sattar were the best covert transports available, with the captains controlling the "members" with a combination of familial and dictatorial authority. Then again, the Sattar had learned their trade while dodging the iron fist of the Klingons. Odo unobtrusively made his way to the back of the Promenade, into one of the crossover bridges. With the slowdown in turbolift service, he decided to allow himself the luxury of traveling through the maintenance corridors. Checking to make sure no one was watching, he slipped into the shadowed bulkhead. Unlocking the access door, he poured himself through the crack. Using the gravity of the station, he streamed down the ladder of the lower pylon, curving around power conduits and passing effortlessly through grillwork. He had to reform to clear the security checks, but it was quicker than any other route. Besides, he usually excused his liquid forays through the station since they enabled him to become familiar with every nook and cranny. If shapeshifters were actively moving around DS9, they would be doing it this way. Odo reformed before leaving the maintenance corridor. With the current alert regarding Dominion infiltration, he didn't want to take the chance of anyone seeing him re-solidify. If he ever got shot, he would wake up in a puddle in front of Captain Sisko, and his pride wouldn't allow that.
Copyright © 1997 by Susan Wright