Ghost of a Chance - Mark Garland [7]
"It seems we will be in the neighborhood for some time," Janeway said, glancing at her first officer. She had an urge to go over everything one more time, restate all of the possible repercussions--a step that she, perhaps more than any other currently active Federation captain, felt always compelled to take--but she was also learning to define the line between prudence and paranoia.
"Very well. Mr. Tuvok, we will conduct a complete analysis of this system, but I won't promise anything beyond that." She rose and stood in front of Chakotay, eye to eye. "We still don't belong in this part of the galaxy. I respect your instincts and your beliefs, as well as your apparent desire to look into these visions of yours, but Voyager can't go running off, tossing away the Prime Directive every time the spirits move you, or anyone else aboard."
"Understood, but if an alien race contacts us, in whatever fashion, we are already involved," Chakotay answered quickly, taking up the argument yet again, the same one they had been having ever since encountering the Caretaker and his Array, and the Ocampa.
"I would point out that the consequences of our actions and, logically, our inactions, are potentially equal," Tuvok interjected. "Either way, we might theoretically be accountable."
"But accountable to the present, or to the future?" Janeway countered.
"Both," Chakotay replied. He leaned toward Janeway, a calm yet discerning look in his eyes. "But we can only live one day at a time."
"If we find a population on Drenar Four, and if I am convinced that they have never seen a spacecraft or an alien being before, there will be no contact of any kind," Janeway stated flatly.
"We will proceed according to the Prime Directive. Is that completely clear?"
"Yes, it is, Captain," Chakotay answered, a somewhat forced but adequate grin finding the corners of his mouth.
"When the refueling is completed we'll head for Drenar Four at half impulse and survey as we go," Janeway told both officers.
"Keep each other updated. And tell everyone to stay out of Torres's way. Dismissed."
She watched them leave, then sat back down, this time at her desk. At half impulse it would take Voyager until noon the next day to reach the vicinity of Drenar Four. The captain knew she should get some sleep for now and let tomorrow deal with itself.
She decided she would at least try. One day at a time, she repeated to herself, shaking her head as she made her way back to her quarters.
She rested for several hours, but did not get very much sleep.
After what seemed like forever, Captain Janeway got up and pulled her uniform back on. A few minutes later she sat once more in her ready room, facing the data console, reviewing the latest data.
The Drenar system was easily old enough to have produced sentient life-forms, and Drenar Four in particular had all the earmarks of a lush, habitable world. It boasted three very large moons as well, which was most unusual for a planet so near its sun.
As Voyager approached the planet, more data be came available.
There was no evidence of an industrial society, just as Janeway had suspected. The upper atmosphere lacked industrial gases such as hydrocarbons, and no unnatural radiation sources had yet been detected.
But as the dark side of this world came under scrutiny, fires too small and too numerous to be of natural origin were clearly evident on the largest continent.
Janeway sat back, nodding to herself. From the looks of things, Chakotay would not be happy. She rubbed her eyes, then sat back from the console and felt a chill sweep through her body, as if a door had just been opened, letting in the cold of space itself.
She shuddered and looked up, and was suddenly aware that she was not alone.
CHAPTER 3
The presence that hovered just above the carpeted deck was insubstantial, nearly formless, but it was there nonetheless, shimmering as if lit from within, changing as if moved by unseen currents. Like a spirit, like... a