Distant Shores - Marco Palmieri [15]
“Not good enough,” Chakotay snapped; so much for improving the tension level. “Bridge to engineering. I want those shields back online.”
“Understood, sir,” Carey’s voice said. “It’s our top priority.”
“Ah… Commander Chakotay,” Neelix said tentatively from Kim’s post.
Chakotay turned and looked at the Talaxian. “Something important I hope?”
“The language, sir, I recognize it.” Neelix, seeming unsure of himself, hesitated. Chakotay’s eyes narrowed, concentrating their focus on Neelix, making him cringe.
“Who are they?” he demanded.
“The Dresh. Fiercely territorial. I’m not at all surprised they would mine the border of their space.”
“And why didn’t you warn us about them when we chose this course?” Tuvok asked. Something Chakotay was about to ask himself.
“Well… that is, Mr. Chakotay… Tuvok… the last time I was through this particular region, they weren’t here. They were parsecs away. I guess they… extended their reach.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Paris quipped.
“Neelix, what do we need to know about them?”
“They do not negotiate,” Neelix began, his voice sounding firmer as he relayed information he was sure about. “They take what they feel is theirs, scoffing at weaker races.”
“Sounds a bit like your Klingon girlfriend, Harry,” Tom added.
“That’s enough, Paris. Keep your comments to yourself,” Chakotay snapped. The reference to B’Elanna Torres was innocent enough, but he felt fiercely protective of her. She was, after all, a gifted engineer and he owed her his life more than once or twice. Still, he had to watch his tone before things resembled a Maquis bridge more than a Starfleet command crew.
“Paris, continue evasive maneuvers, buy us some space and some time,” Chakotay ordered, then returned his attention to Neelix. “What have you made out from their communications?”
“Well, sir, it seems they’re confused by Voyager. It looks like no ship they know, and that concerns them. Also, we’re not surrendering, something else that surprises them.”
“We’re being scanned,” Kim called. “It’s fairly passive, but they’re looking for something.”
“A weakness, Mr. Kim,” Tuvok explained patiently. “They are having difficulty piercing the shields, so they want to make each barrage count. We are as much a mystery to them as they are to us.” For a brief moment, he questioned the thoroughness of Kim’s Starfleet education but dismissed it as an overly harsh assessment since he himself was years removed from actually being an Academy instructor.
“But,” Chakotay said, a small smile on his face, “we have Neelix to give us an edge. I want to use that. Kim, open a channel. And Neelix, help us start a dialogue.”
As Kim acknowledged the order, Neelix returned to stand by Harry’s elbow. In fact, as he watched the youthful officer enter commands, he leaned a bit too closely. After a moment, Harry stopped his work and looked at Neelix. It took the Talaxian a moment to realize he needed to step back. Harry gave him a short smile and returned to his task. Tuvok, watching the moment, was oddly pleased to see that he was not the only one so bothered by their new passenger.
“Channel open, Commander,” Kim said.
“Dresh vessel, this is Chakotay, commanding the Federation starship Voyager. We mean you no harm.”
Seconds passed, which Tuvok used to perform his own more deeply penetrating scans of the ships. Like the Dresh, he was seeking weak points, making note of enemy weapons emplacements as well as engine exhaust ports, estimating what it might take to disable even a single ship. He was also estimating the odds Voyager would be able to outlast the five ships, and his results were not at all comforting.
“We’re receiving a signal,” Kim finally said. “Audio only.”
“Let’s hear it,” Chakotay ordered and he sat back in the chair. Tuvok noticed he balled both hands into fists, forcing himself to remain calm while talking to their adversary.
“Voyager, we know no Federation. We recognize no Federation. You invade our space, and you will suffer for it.”
Chakotay looked