Spirit Walk, Book Two

by Christie Golden

  Kaz did the math. “Fifteen hundred hours,” he said.

  “Well, at least we’re not getting her out of bed.”

  “No, just calling her away from a key negotiation situation that could affect the future of the Federation.”

  “You’re not making me feel any better, Doctor.” Kim paused, then said, “There. The request was put through, top priority.”

  After a few nail-biting moments, the attractive features of Admiral Kathryn Janeway appeared on the screen. “Dr. Kaz. Lieutenant Kim. This had better be important.”

  “Good afternoon, Admiral,” said Kaz. “Believe me, I wouldn’t have put Harry up to this if it weren’t.” Quickly, knowing that every second that the conversation lasted could lead to someone detecting this unauthorized transmission, Kaz told her what was going on. He left nothing out; not the deaths of Sekaya and Ellis, or Chakotay’s inexplicable behavior, or what Kaz had learned during the autopsy. Her eyes widened slightly as he spoke, but she didn’t interrupt.

  “What’s your theory?” she asked calmly when he had finished.

  “I haven’t got one, other than we’re all going mad,” Kaz said.

  “Admiral, I’m with the Doctor,” said Kim. “You know how well I know Chakotay. Something’s very wrong. He’s just not himself.”

  “I agree with both of you. Certainly, Seven and the Doctor need to be brought in on this, if nothing else. Figuring out a way to get the colonists back to normal needs to be a top priority.”

  She sighed, looking into the distance for a moment, her sharp mind already working on the problem. “All right, let me think about this and I’ll get back to you. Is this a secure channel?”

  The two Voyagers exchanged glances. “Not exactly,” Kim admitted. “We’re, um, kind of going behind everyone’s back.”

  A smile tugged at Janeway’s lips. “I see.” More seriously, she added, “If that’s the case, then you’d better send me everything you have documented. We might not get a chance to speak again. I’ll do my best to be in touch. Janeway out.”

  Both men breathed a sigh of relief. Kaz knew that he certainly felt better, knowing that Kathryn Janeway, of Borg-thrashing fame, was on the case.

  Kim’s fingers flew over the controls. He was sending everything they had to Janeway: the report on the autopsy, the DNA from the creatures who had once been Federation citizens, everything. Kaz knew it was because he, like the Trill, thought this might be the only chance to do so.

  “Okay, that’s everything,” Kim said.

  “Any sign that anyone’s on to us?”

  “Nope. Not yet, at least.”

  “Then let’s contact Seven and the Doctor,” said Kaz. “Give them everything, too.”

  “The longer I stay here doing this, Kaz—”

  “The greater the chance of discovery, I’m well aware of that, Lieutenant. But this could be our only chance. I’d feel a lot better if I knew those brilliant minds in addition to our humble ones were working on this problem.”

  “You have a point,” Kim conceded. Again doing everything he could to misdirect anyone who might be snooping, he sent a message through.

  The lovely Seven herself answered the hail. Her usually perfect hair was slightly mussed, and Kaz thought she looked exasperated. She seemed surprised and pleased to see them, though.

  “Doctor. Lieutenant. What can I do for you?”

  Something whizzed past her in the background, and she closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, clearly forcing herself to stay calm and professional. Kaz bit back a laugh, wondering what exactly went on in these “think tank” sessions.

  Kim, however, was all business. He was already touching control panels as he spoke to his former colleague. “I’m sending you some information,” he said. “We’ve got a situation here that we want your group brought in on.”

  “We’re doing this clandestinely, Seven,” Kaz added. “Do not under any circumstances contact this ship. Especially say nothing to Captain Chakotay.”

  The urgency of his voice chased away any distractions she might have been experiencing. Despite the fact that she and Chakotay had once been more than fellow crewmates, she didn’t bat an eyelash at Kaz’s statement. “Understood” was all she said, slipping into the icy demeanor that Kaz had seen only once or twice before.

  “We’re sending everything we’ve got,” Kaz continued, “and Janeway’s in on this as well.”

  From the side the Doctor poked his head in and beamed when he saw his friends. “Please state the nature of the medical emergency,” he said jokingly.

  “It’ll be clear enough when you have a chance to—” began Kaz.

  Kim swore and immediately terminated the conversation. “That’s it. Someone’s on to us.”

  Now Kaz, too, swore in his native tongue. “Were they able to track it?”

  “I don’t think so. I made it look as much like a ghost as possible the entire way through. But like I said, Lyssa’s one sharp cookie. It may be a matter of time till we’re thrown in the brig for what we’ve just done.”

  Kaz said nothing, but he thought that being thrown in the brig might be the least of their worries, if what he suspected was the case. He just hoped they survived.

  Satisfied, Gradak? he thought.

  Not yet came the reply from the dead Maquis whose consciousness vied with his own. Not quite yet.

  Tom Paris noticed a slightly distracted expression on Admiral Janeway’s face when she returned to the conference. He himself was screamingly bored and doing his damnedest to feign interest. A species that, for some reason beyond his fathoming, spoke a language that could not be translated by the apparently misnamed Universal Translator was holding forth, and the process of human translation was excruciatingly dull.

  As Janeway slid into her seat beside him, he asked softly, “Anything I can assist you with, Admiral?” Tuvok, with his extremely sensitive hearing, gave him a glare. Tom ignored the Vulcan.

  “You sound almost hopeful, Mr. Paris,” Janeway whispered, keeping her eyes on the furry yellow alien and pretending to be interested in his laboriously translated diatribe.

  “Well, actually…” he admitted.

  “As a matter of fact, there might be. Keep on your toes, Mr. Paris. I may need to send you on a secret mission.”

  Tom felt happier at that pronouncement than he had all day.

  The Changeling awoke feeling as if he hadn’t slept.

  Ever.

  He hated this period of time, when he was as locked into Solid form as if he had never met Moset. Fortunately, it was time for another dose of Moset’s concoction, and he reached eagerly for the hypospray. He closed his eyes as he felt the stuff hit his system, felt it changing the very molecules of his body. Breaking them out of the prison of Solid form and releasing them to fluid freedom.

  How had he endured it for so long? Sometimes he marveled at the strength of his own will. He was made of sterner stuff than the Vorta who had enforced the punishment; he had resisted the seductive call of suicide. And now he was finally starting to reap the rewards of his determination.

  He had barely stepped onto the bridge and greeted his crew when Campbell said, “Incoming message, Captain.”

  “Source?”

  “Admiral Janeway, sir.”

  He covered his surprise. “I’ll take it in my ready room.” He felt puzzled eyes on him as he rose. Half the people on this bridge had served under Janeway and liked and respected her; they would have been pleased to see her.

  “Chakotay” reached the ready room, and the doors closed behind him. “Put her through, Lieutenant,” he told Campbell. He smiled with what he hoped would be perceived as pleasure as the image of Admiral Janeway appeared on the small computer screen.

  “Admiral Janeway. I hope things are going well at the conference. Looking for an excuse to step away from it for a bit?”

  She smiled. “Something like that. It’s going as well as can be expected. I hadn’t heard anything from you, so I tho
ught I’d just check in and see how you were doing. Were you able to locate the colonists?”

  He put a sorrowful expression on his face. “Unfortunately. They’re all dead, Admiral.”

  Her face softened in sympathy. “I’m so sorry to hear that,” she said. “Do you know what happened?”

  “Not yet, but we’re conducting an investigation. I’ll be keeping Voyager here until we’ve got enough evidence to figure it out.”

  She smiled sadly. “This reminds me of the time we came across those bodies on Amasri. Do you remember that?”

  The name of the place was unfamiliar to the Changeling. He was sure he hadn’t seen it in any of the official logs. Was this something that Chakotay and Janeway had kept between themselves? He had suspected that they had shared more than they’d reported in the official logs.

  “How could I forget?” he said, stalling.

  “All those poor people.” She sighed. “We never did find out what happened to them.”

  “Chakotay” shook his head in utterly faked remembered sorrow. “No, and I know we both felt pretty bad about that.” It was a safe guess.

  “How’s your sister? Are you enjoying her company?”

  He smiled. “Of course. She’s got her hands full with the colonists, though, after this bad news. I wish I could see more of her, but we all have our duty.”

  “Indeed we do, Captain, and mine is calling right now. Let me know if you make any progress in your investigation. Janeway out.”

  The Starfleet insignia appeared on the blue screen and the Changeling flopped back in his chair, breathing a gusty sigh. That was close. Too close. He couldn’t risk it happening again.

  When he returned to the bridge, he said quietly to Campbell, “Lyssa, I’ve got an important job for you.”

  She straightened. “Of course, sir. How can I help you?”

  “For reasons I can’t go into right now, I need you to make sure that no one other than myself has any communication with anyone outside this vessel. And I want every single incoming message, no matter how trivial, brought to my attention. Is that clear, Lieutenant?”

  “Perfectly, sir. I’ll take care of it.”

  He smiled easily. “I knew I could count on you.”

  The Changeling took his seat with the ease of one used to it. Despite the direness of his predicament, he mused that it was good to be the captain.

  Janeway stared at the screen, only now aware of how powerfully she had wanted Kaz and Kim to be wrong.

  She and Chakotay had never discovered any dead bodies on Amasri. Hell, there was no planet named Amasri. She’d made the whole thing up on the spot, hoping against hope that Chakotay would stare at her and say, “Kathryn, what are you talking about?”

  Instead, he…whoever, whatever it was, because she knew for damned sure it wasn’t Chakotay…had looked her full in the eye and lied. Lied, too, about the death of his sister. His sister.

  No, whatever that thing was sitting and looking earnestly into her eyes a moment ago, it wasn’t Chakotay. There was no question about that. The questions before her were, what was it, what did it want, and how was she going to stop it?

  She was relieved that by the time she returned to the conference, there was a twenty-minute break scheduled. She’d already missed five of those minutes, so she quickly headed for the cluster of people who had come to the conference with her. Just as she was about to reach them, she felt a hand, feather-light and respectful, on her arm. Janeway turned to see the smiling face of Amar Merin Kol.

  “I was hoping we might use this break time to talk, just the two of us,” Kol said. “I certainly enjoyed our conversation at the gathering the other night. I was particularly interested in following up on a comment you made.”

  Janeway gazed at the other woman, her heart sinking. This was precisely the sort of opportunity she had hoped would crop up at this conference. Until now, it had largely been one group holding forth, and then another, each entrenched in their own opinions and using the time while the other was speaking to prepare fresh arguments instead of really listening to what was being said.

  Kol wanted to talk to her about a point she had made. Perhaps it was an indication that she had changed her mind, at least about some things? Under any other circumstances, Janeway would seize this chance, steer Kol away someplace where they wouldn’t be overheard, and listen with all her being to what the Amar of Kerovi had to say.

  But there was an impostor sitting in place of her friend, on a ship she still regarded, she had to admit, as hers. Her crew, and people who had entrusted their safety to that crew, were in danger. The need to help them overrode any political coup she might count at this conference.

  As sincerely as she could, Janeway looked into Kol’s eyes and said, “Believe me when I say I am deeply sorry that I can’t do that right now. I’ve had a dire situation crop up, and I must attend to it immediately.”

  The Amar’s face still held that pleasant expression, but Janeway, who knew how to read people, saw disappointment in her eyes.

  “I understand,” she said. “I hope you resolve it successfully.”

  “Amar, you know that it would have to be something very important for me to miss a chance to talk one-on-one with you.”

  “Of course, of course. I understand that emergencies can arrive at inconvenient times. That’s why they’re called emergencies. Do not worry about it, Admiral. There will be other breaks in the proceedings. Perhaps we can chat then.”

  “Let’s plan on it,” Janeway said. But even as she spoke the words, she knew that the golden moment had fled. She continued heading for Tom, Tuvok, and Montgomery, and as she glanced back over her shoulder, she saw Merin Kol deep in conversation with Ambassador Mnok, one of the strongest proponents of secession. Janeway wondered if she would look back on this moment as a turning point in the negotiations, and not for the good.

  But there was nothing to be done. She had made her decision and knew in her heart it was the right one. Conversation between the three men stopped abruptly as all of them saw the expression on her face.

  “What happened?” Montgomery demanded.

  She motioned to them to follow her and led them away from the others. In a low voice she told them what was going on. Tom and Montgomery stared in growing anger and horror as the tale unfolded. Tuvok, of course, merely raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m willing to bet that this is the last communication we’ll have with anyone on Voyager,” Janeway finished grimly. “The impostor would be a fool to let any communications out or in after this point. And we don’t have the luxury of thinking he’s a fool.”

  “Agreed,” said Tuvok. “It will be necessary to intercept Voyager, perhaps even to challenge it.”

  “I’ll take a ship and challenge him,” Montgomery growled.

  “That might be an extreme, final option,” Janeway said, “but this is still a delicate situation. We don’t know who this is, or why he’s impersonating Chakotay. We don’t know where the real Chakotay might be. I think a friendly hello might be better received. Ken, Tuvok—you two and I were specifically requested to be at this conference to help represent Starfleet. We can’t leave without causing a stir.”

  Her blue eyes fell upon Tom Paris, who straightened under that appraising gaze.

  “But you, Tom, were simply here as my guest. There would be a few questions, but it wouldn’t raise any suspicions if you left.”

  “Aye, Admiral.”

  “Take the Delta Flyer. She’s fast, maneuverable, and capable of defending herself, but no one on Voyager would deem the return of that vessel a threat. You’ll be my eyes and ears, Tom. I think we can rig a way for you to communicate with us without being detected. As long as you don’t use any of Voyager’s systems, you should be all right. You know you can trust Kaz and Harry, but everyone else should be regarded with suspicion. Who knows—you may end up helping lead a mutiny against this false Captain Chakotay. We’ll get you backup, but it might take some time. For a while, it�
�s going to be just you. You up for it, Tom?”

  “I’ve had six months’ leave, Admiral. I’m more than ready to get back in the saddle.”

  She grinned. “That’s exactly what I thought.”

  Chapter 15

  “WHAT HAPPENED?” asked the Doctor, staring along with Seven of Nine at the suddenly blank computer screen.

  “They alerted me that they were sending an unauthorized transmission,” Seven said. “A reasonable assumption would be that they were detected and had to sever communications abruptly.”

  “But why would Dr. Kaz and Lieutenant Kim be sending an unauthorized transmission?”

  “Speculation on the issue would be futile and a waste of our time,” said Seven, using the cold rationale to cover her own growing sense of apprehension. She turned to face her friend. “I was instructed not to contact the ship, and they especially cautioned me against having any communication with Captain Chakotay.”

  “Chakotay? But why would—”

  “Doctor,” she said icily, “do not persist in asking me questions to which you must know I do not have the answers. I am as confused as you are. I can only assume there is a dire situation aboard the vessel.”

  He looked at her with his dark eyes, full of apprehension and determination. She felt herself soften. She was quite fond of the hologram.

  “How can we help them?” he asked.

  Seven permitted herself to smile slightly. “That is a question to which I do have the answer. They transmitted a great deal of information, which they requested our group analyze.”

  The Doctor looked over his shoulder at his coworkers. “These may be brilliant minds,” he muttered, “but there are times when they behave like children.”

  “They focus when it is required of them,” said Seven, keeping her voice equally soft. She straightened in her chair. “And now, I think, we will demand it of them.”

  The Paris family had, for the entire time they had been present on Boreth, been the only ones who had visited the library. Tom and B’Elanna had preferred it that way, and B’Elanna realized that she’d come to think of the place as “hers.” It was just the ancient books, the scrolls, and her…well, her and the cranky librarians, but she’d gotten used to their mostly silent disapproval. All the others who had come to Boreth seemed to have a single focus—the lava caves, and the visions that they hoped to achieve there, and that was just fine with Torres.