Ellis continued to look nonplussed. The smile faded from Chakotay’s face. “In case you’re not sure, Mr. Ellis, that’s an order.”
Ellis nodded quickly. “Of course, sir. I was just—Sorry, sir. Do you have any, uh, recommendations as to whom you want on the team?”
“It’ll be your team and your mission, Commander. Assemble whomever you think would be best.”
Astall was fully aware that, like every member of her species, she was poor at hiding her emotions. So she concentrated intently on keeping her “Federation ears” on and staring straight ahead when she got into the turbolift with Sekaya, Ellis, and Fortier. Fortunately, they were talking intently among themselves, and she got off first. She scurried down the hall to sickbay and burst in on Kaz.
“Good, you’re alone.”
His lips twitched in amusement. “Well, hello, Astall. What can I—”
She waved her hands for silence. “Kaz, listen to me. I just came from the bridge. We’ve just had our first look at Loran II. While it doesn’t appear that there were any battles fought there, we weren’t able to detect any signs of human life.”
Kaz’s smile faded. “Damn,” he said, sighing. “That’s a blow.”
Astall wanted to let her eyes fill with sympathetic tears on behalf of the colonists, but refused to surrender to her emotions.
“But there was also a strange storm system that might well be artificial. Lieutenant Campbell said that it’s entirely possible that something was interfering with our sensors. It’s likely that Ellis will want you on the away team, in case they encounter any wounded,” she finished.
“Likely? Try certain. Thanks for the heads up, I’ll assemble a kit.”
“Jarem, you have to tell Chakotay. Tell him about what we did.”
He had been moving quickly, but now he froze. He turned to look at her.
“What we did,” he said coldly, “won’t interfere with the performance of my duty as a doctor. I told you that.”
“But Chakotay needs to know about it. There are others who can—”
His handsome, expressive face shut down. “No. I’m not going to tell him.”
“It’s one thing for you to operate on Voyager,” she continued, wringing her hands and bouncing slightly in her agitation. “I have no doubts whatsoever about your ability to function here.”
“Why, thank you, your confidence is overwhelming.”
Astall cringed. She hated sarcasm. To the sensitive Huanni, it often felt like a physical blow.
“But you’ll be going down in the middle of a storm,” she continued gamely. “To a colony. To a place where there could be Cardassian technology. There could be all kinds of triggers that could distress Gradak. I think you’ll be all right, frankly, and you seem to think so too. But we must let Chakotay know. He needs to make an informed decision. Surely you understand the need for that. It’s the right thing to do.”
Kaz turned away abruptly, but not before she saw his jaw tighten. She wondered what humanoids would think if they knew how easily Huanni could read them. Their body language and facial expressions, even that of the most reserved of them, told the story more eloquently than their words did. Even Vulcans weren’t immune to Huanni scrutiny. As highly emotional creatures themselves, Huanni were attuned to any signals from others.
Right now, she could easily see that Jarem Kaz was torn. He was wise enough to understand Gradak’s need to be healed, but embarrassed that he couldn’t control feelings that were welling up inside him, yet were not his own. He was fond of Chakotay and Janeway and wanted so much to prove his worth to them. He had a stubborn pride that didn’t want to admit that right now, he might not be able to do what he could be called on to do, and he had the will to see it through.
Finally, he turned to her. “All right. But I want you there. I want him to hear it from us both.”
Astall let out a gusty sigh of relief and had to almost physically stop herself from hugging him.
“Let’s go.”
Chakotay was surprised to hear from both his counselor and his doctor, but agreed to meet them in his ready room.
“So, what’s this all about?” he asked as the door hissed closed behind them. He indicated the sofa and they sat, perched uneasily on the edge. They exchanged glances.
Finally, Kaz spoke. “Chakotay—Damn, this is hard to put into words.” Chakotay waited patiently. Kaz hesitated, searching for an opening, and finally said, “You know about Gradak.”
“Your symbiont’s previous host? The Maquis? Of course. What about him?”
“Remember we talked a little when you came in for your physical?”
Comprehension dawned. So that was why his physician and his counselor wanted to see him in private….
“Ah,” Chakotay said. “He’s doing more than stirring a bit then, is he?”
“It was my suggestion,” Astall blurted out. “I thought it might help if we brought Gradak’s memories to the forefront and let him tell us what happened to him. It’s almost as if Jarem was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder that wasn’t his own.”
Kaz clasped and unclasped his hands. Chakotay wanted to set his friend’s mind at ease, so he said, “Isn’t there some sort of ritual that the Trill perform to isolate the personalities of the former hosts?”
“The zhian’tara,” Jarem replied. “It’s a pretty complicated ritual and takes some time to prepare for. It’s not something we can do here and now, but Astall did bring Gradak to the forefront of my thoughts.”
“The problem is,” said Astall, “there ought to have been plenty of time for Jarem to finish the guided meditation, hear Gradak out, and then rest and recover. Gradak would have been satisfied, and Jarem would no longer be distracted.”
“But we got to Loran II too fast for that,” said Chakotay, nodding.
“Yes,” said Kaz. “And while I feel completely capable, Astall thought that you should know what’s going on with me. And upon reflection, I think she was right to insist. It’s your call, sir.”
Chakotay looked from one to the other, considering. He was no stranger to spirit walks, which were very similar to what Kaz had undergone with Astall. But this was different; the spirits didn’t accompany you back to the “real” world the way Gradak obviously had.
“So you feel competent to perform your duties, Kaz?”
“I do, sir.”
“Even with a dead Maquis knocking around in your skull?”
Kaz had to smile a little at that. “Even so, sir.”
Chakotay nodded. “Astall, what’s your professional opinion?”
“Right now, I think the doctor is fully capable, sir. I’ll keep an eye on him, and the moment I think he’s not, I’ll relieve him of duty.”
“I’d relieve myself first, sir,” Kaz said, quickly and earnestly.
“Okay,” said Chakotay. “Here are my thoughts. I trust you both. Astall, if you agree with Jarem that he is fit to continue with his duty, then I have no problem with him doing so. But I do want you to keep an eye on him.”
Kaz relaxed slightly. Astall flopped back onto the sofa with a loud “Whew!” Chakotay grinned.
“I only thought that being on the away team might distress the doctor somewhat. Not that I didn’t think he could handle it,” she added swiftly.
“Well, that won’t be an issue,” said Chakotay. “The away team has already left.”
“What?” Kaz’s voice was loud and sharp. “You’re not leading it? And I’m not going?”
“Me either?” piped up Astall.
“I thought that I’d give it to Pri—to Ellis. And he didn’t seem to think he’d need either of you.”
Kaz stared at him. “Chakotay, with this storm messing up our sensors, you can’t be certain they’re accurate. How do you know there won’t be wounded down there?”
“It was Ellis’s call. Not the call I’d make, but frankly, we lost contact with the colonists several months ago. I don’t think anything we discover will be an eme
rgency situation.” He looked at them intently. “Do you?”
Sighing, Kaz shook his head. “Unfortunately, no.”
Softly, Astall added, “Nor does Fortier. He wants to believe they’re still alive, of course, but…” She blinked quickly.
“Ellis took Kim, Patel, and a security team with him. We can’t transport because of the electrical storm, so he took a shuttle. He will assess the situation and report back. If it turns out there is an emergency, we can get another shuttle down there quickly enough.”
Kaz stood. “Very well, sir,” he said, adding quietly, “I hope you’re right.”
They stepped out of the ready room onto the bridge. Campbell, who had been sitting in the captain’s chair in Chakotay’s absence, yielded it gracefully and returned to her station.
“Thank you, Captain,” said Kaz.
“Any time,” Chakotay told him and Astall as they headed for the turbolift.
He turned to Campbell. “Any word yet from Commander Ellis, Lieutenant?”
“Negative, sir.”
Chakotay nodded, and stared at the screen thoughtfully. The storm still swirled.
“Campbell,” he asked slowly, “what do you make of this?”
She shook her head. “Truthfully? I don’t know, sir. It’s unusual, but we’ve still seen nothing to indicate it’s artificial. Perhaps Commander Ellis will be able to get us more data.”
“Has it changed at all?”
“Negative, Captain.”
“That’s unusual for a storm, isn’t it?”
Campbell regarded him with intent blue eyes. “Highly,” she replied.
“Highly unusual,” he repeated, more to himself than to her. He’d seen something like this before, in the Delta Quadrant. A storm that seemed peculiarly localized and inconvenient. Why couldn’t he remember which mission?
Because you’ve been on a few thousand, he thought, both amused and annoyed.
“Campbell, search the databanks and see if you run across anything similar. I’ve got a strange sense of déjà vu about this.”
To his surprise, she said, “I’ve got that same feeling, sir. I think we’ve seen this before. I’ll see what I can come up with.”
“Commander Ellis to Voyager.”
“Go ahead.”
“We’re about to enter the storm system, sir. Lieutenant Patel wanted us to get some concrete readings before we enter the system. She seems to think it likely that we might lose contact.”
“Lieutenant Patel,” asked Chakotay, “what are your thoughts about this storm?”
Devi Patel’s voice replied, “Captain, it’s my opinion that—”
There was a sharp burst of static, then silence.
Patel had been right—they had lost contact with the shuttle.
Chapter
18
“CAPTAIN, it’s my opinion that—”
Kim never did learn Patel’s opinion. At that moment there was a terrible noise and the shuttle bucked like a wild horse. The small Patel was thrown from her seat. Kim, Ellis, and security officers Brendan Niemann and Kathryn Kaylar barely managed to hang on to theirs.
Ellis, grim-faced, struggled with the controls in an effort to keep the shuttle stable. Not for the first time on this mission, Kim wished they still had the good old Delta Flyer at their command. The sleek little ship designed by three friends was, as far as he knew, still at McKinley Station being picked apart. He wondered it if would be the same when they got it back.
Another round of turbulence shook the little vessel. As he picked himself up off the floor, Kim wondered if he’d be the same.
“Altitude five thousand meters,” he said, easing quickly back into his seat.
“Decreasing speed to seven hundred twenty kph,” said Ellis. He didn’t sound at all perturbed. “Entering terminal approach phase.”
“Visibility still zero,” said Kim, glowering at the viewscreen, which revealed nothing but swirling gray. “Switching to enhanced terrain scanning.”
Ellis nodded. “Touchdown site scanned,” he confirmed. “Continuing descent.”
Through the haze of clouds, Kim could finally start to make out the ground approaching.
Fast.
“Hang on!” Ellis cried.
They landed roughly, but the shuttle appeared to be still intact. The emergency lighting went on as the crew picked themselves up. Kim flexed his hand and grimaced; he had probably sprained his wrist. Other than that, he seemed to be intact. He glanced around, trying to assess any injuries. Kaylar was rubbing a knee and wincing, but the injury didn’t seem to be anything more serious than a bump. Patel had sustained a bruised shoulder and had a small cut on her forehead.
“You’re bleeding,” said Kim.
Patel touched the cut. “It’s nothing,” she said.
“That’s a lot of blood, and you might have sustained a head injury,” Kim said. He reached for the medkit.
“No, really, it’s nothing. Head wounds bleed a lot,” said Patel, still protesting, but she permitted Harry to quickly tend the wound.
“Everyone else all right?” Ellis asked. Kim thought he sounded a bit impatient.
“I think so,” said Kim. “You okay, Kaylar? Niemann?”
The two security officers nodded. Just to be sure, Kim scanned them quickly too. He took care of his sprained wrist in a few seconds, then ran a quick check on himself to see if he’d unwittingly suffered anything more severe. He started to scan Ellis. Scowling in annoyance, the first officer slapped away the little instrument.
“For goodness’ sake, Lieutenant, I’m fine!” he growled. “Lieutenant Patel, report.”
The diminutive science officer had returned to her seat and was scanning the area outside.
“Curious,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “The storm seems to have stopped. For the moment.” She touched a few more controls. “It’s still covering almost exactly the same square kilometers as before, but there’s a lot of fluctuation within that area.”
She looked up at Ellis. “We may want to scan hay while the sun shines.”
Kim, Niemann, and Kaylar all groaned good-naturedly at the word play, but the little joke seemed to only irritate Ellis further. Kaz had told Harry—confidentially, of course—that in certain circles Ellis had acquired the nickname Priggy. Kim was starting to understand why.
“Phasers on stun,” ordered Ellis. Kim and the two security guards exchanged slightly guilty glances; they’d both already pulled out their phasers without waiting for their commanding officer to issue the order.
The shuttle door hissed open. Humidity assaulted them. It was still overcast and the vegetation steamed and dripped, but Patel had been right. The storm had indeed moved on—for the moment.
“Regulation disembarkation,” said Ellis crisply. Kim tried not to roll his eyes. He hadn’t heard that order since his Academy days. Ellis led the way, followed by Kim, Niemann, Kaylar, and Patel. Kim’s boots sank slightly in the waterlogged soil. The air smelled fresh and crisp. All in all, it was very pleasant.
Patel scrutinized her tricorder. “Any humanoid life signs?” asked Ellis.
Patel examined the readings, shook her head, and sighed. “Still negative, sir. I think we were clinging to false hope, thinking that somehow the storm was interfering with our sensors.”
Kim felt his spirits sink. Damn it. He hadn’t realized until now how much he hoped they’d find the colonists alive and well, even though he knew such an outcome was doubtful.
Ellis sighed. “That’s too bad.” He tapped his combadge. “Ellis to Voyager.”
“Good to hear from you, Commander. I take it you were able to land safely?”
Kim continued to look about with a watchful eye. According to the colonists, this planet was not without its share of large predators, though they weren’t common and the colonists said no one had ever been attacked. Kaylar and Niemann, too, stayed alert, their phasers out. Patel continued to take scans. Her own phaser was on her hip; clearly she was one of
those scientific types who could easily become engrossed in what she was doing.
“Aye, Captain,” Ellis continued. “But I regret to inform you that we have some bad news for Mr. Fortier and the rest of the colonists. I’m sorry to say that it still doesn’t look as if there are any survivors. The storm or whatever Campbell was picking up wasn’t interfering with our sensors after all. The storm, by the way, appears to have moved off for the time being.”
Silence. Then, “I can’t say I expected anything else, but it’s definitely sad news. I’ll inform Fortier.”
“Captain,” said Patel, “the storm appears to be quite erratic. It’s not raining on us at the moment, but that could change at any moment. We’ll take what readings we can when we can.”
“Understood. Keep me posted. Chakotay out.”
Ellis pursed his lips and thought. “The settlement is a half kilometer or so to the east, if I’m not mistaken.” He shot Patel a look.
“Correct, sir.”
“I don’t see the point in taking the shuttle for such a short distance. The hike will do us all good, and if there’s a sudden squall, we can take shelter in the settlement. I want you to fan out in standard exploration pattern Beta Four Three Four. You all have tricorders; keep track of your direction and of one another. We will reconvene at fifteen hundred hours at the center of the colony. I believe there’s a town square that will suit our purposes. You will be searching for any and all of the following threats that might prevent the colonists from resettling.”
To Kim’s disbelief, Ellis actually began to tick them off on his fingers. “Any hostile life-forms. Any indications that the area has been booby-trapped by the Cardassians or the Dominion or any other adversarial species. Any buildings that are unsafe. Any radiation or climatic changes. And anything else that you think might be worth reporting. Understood?”
“Aye, sir,” said Kim, Patel, Kaylar, and Niemann in chorus. Kim thought they sounded like the good crew of the H.M.S. Pinafore.
“Very good. I’ll see you all at fifteen hundred hours, then.” Ellis strode off boldly and was soon swallowed up by the forest.
Spirit Walk, Book One Page 16
