Marooned - Christie Golden [19]
The call that they had once again been able to successfully decipher the Ja'in's tricks came shortly, and Janeway headed back to the bridge after reassuring Neelix a final time. As she left, his humming was literally music to her ears.
Stepping onto the bridge, she raised an eyebrow to see the doctor frowning at her. "When Mohammed will not come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed," he quoted, "and this mountain is rather annoyed that he had to come all the way from sickbay while Mohammed was relaxing with a cup of coffee in the mess."
"It's Neelix's coffee," Janeway protested halfheartedly as she obediently stood still while the doctor quickly treated her injury. "It was hardly relaxing."
"There," he said, a hint of pride tingeing his voice. "The wound is healed. You get to wash the blood off yourself, though."
"I think I can manage that." Automatically she reached to touch the crusted blood on her forehead. "Status report."
"We're back on the trail," Chakotay replied. "Heading four zero mark seven, warp six."
"Let's bring her up to warp eight," said Janeway. "I want to catch them, not just follow them." She stepped briskly toward her ready room, planning to run some water and wash away the blood, when she realized the doctor was following her. "Something on your mind, doctor?"
He looked uncomfortable, so she waved him into her room. The door hissed shut behind them. She indicated that he might have a seat while she ducked into her private head and began to clean her face. "What is it?"
"Captain," he began, ignoring the invitation to sit and pacing restlessly instead, "I need to know. What is your honest opinion about the possibility of recovering Kes?"
She patted her face dry with a towel and stepped back into the main room. "I have every hope that we Will."
"It's vital!" the doctor exclaimed, then, as if ashamed of his outburst, amended, "We need her. I was designed as an emergency medical backup system in case something happened to the primary ship's doctor. We need Kes as my emergency backup."
"Of course we do. And you miss her as much as any of us, doctor. I understand. We-"
The door hissed open. Chakotay stood in the doorway. "What is it, Commander?"
"Captain, I think we've reached the end of our trail."
Janeway narrowed her eyes at his hesitant tone and tossed the towel on her desk. "I don't like the sound of this." She hurried outside, followed by the doctor and her first officer, and turned her attention toward the screen.
Before her was a planet, but even the one quick glance she'd had was enough to make her heart sink. A thick, gray-green cloud swirled around it, blocking any clear glimpse of the planet's natural surface. The whole picture was a miasma of sickly colors.
"Ion storm?" she guessed with the knowledge of years spent as a student of science. "Aye," Kim affirmed.
Janeway felt an almost physical pang of bitter disappointment. The storm roiled with a savage in tensity. A tempest that size had almost certainly stripped away any atmosphere the planet might have had. "Any life signs?" she asked. Kim shook his head. "None."
Tuvok broke in. "Captain, on the opposite side of the planet I am detecting several vessels."
"Bring Voyager around," said Janeway as she seated herself, hope returning to her with a slight flicker. "Let's take a look at them."
But these, too, brought only disappointment. The ships were ancient vessels, long since abandoned and locked in a decaying orbit. Hulking and ugly, they bore no resemblance to the small, easily maneuverable pirate ships Voyager had been chasing. A quick glance at her console revealed that they, too, were devoid of life.
"I don't understand," said Chakotay, frowning. "The trail leads here. They have to be here. Kim, could it be that you and B'Elanna somehow miscalculated? Took us to the wrong place?". Kim again shook his head. "No way, Commander. It's tough to get it at