Marooned - Christie Golden [58]
"I found his trail, but could not pursue it."
"Why not?" Janeway had whispered fiercely.
Hrrrl looked sorrowful but determined. "Your friend has entered Xian territory. I dare not trespass there, not alone. From the scent, the tracks were several hours old. I grieve with you, Janeway, for the loss of your friend."
But Janeway wasn't ready to admit defeat. "Save your sympathy," she had replied, a touch more harshly than she'd intended. "I'll grieve for Neelix when I have proof of his death. Not before."
The Sshoush-shin had been busy while she and her crew listened to and teamed from Grrua and Rraagh. Each of them was presented with pelts that had been fashioned into capes, complete with hoods.
"To disguise you as well as we can," he said, draping the skin of an ancestor about Janeway's shoulders and fastening it with a sharp sliver of bone.
At once, heat began to surround Janeway. "Is this really necessary?"
Hrrrl nodded. "The scout ships will be out at night as well," he said.
Sweat gathered around Janeway's hairline, but she said nothing more. Hrffl's caution might save all their lives, and certainly, he knew more about the habits of Yashar's pirates than they did. But the heavy cloaks would add nothing to the comfort of this particular trek.
She glanced about. "Saddled and ready?" she quipped. Her crew chuckled, and nodded. Their captain spared a moment to look at each of them. Tuvok, injured, but as calm and capable as ever. Paris, his bright eyes peering out from the shadow of the Sshoush-shin-skin cape, ready for anything. Bokk, his bulk looming large in the cape, a grim look of determination on his round, blue face. And Torres, looking fierce in the skin that was draped about her slim frame. Good people, all of them.
She spared a thought for Neelix, out alone on this too dark night, and hoped he had indeed pumped Gruaa quite thoroughly for information. He'd need every scrap of it to survive in this place.
Hffrl moved among them, tying a length of rope about their waists and attaching them. Janeway realized at once what he was doing. Once away from the lights of the fire, the humanoids would be all but blind. They would have to rely utterly on Hrrrl for their very survival. The ropes connected them to one another, and finally, connected their captain to Hrrri.
The shaggy being took his position at the head of the line. "It is time," he said simply.
And they moved out, single file, into the dark Mishkaran night.
Operations Officer's log, stardate 50598.4. We have spent sixty-one hours on the sentry vessels in orbit around Mishkara, and it has been a ftutrating and un,fruit)Wl time. The crew under me is in no way at fault,- in fact, they're making some rather exciting and startling leaps of logic in order to try antifigure out the operations of these vessels. But these alien ships are really very... alien.
Kim paused, replayed his entry, and shook his head. "Delete entry," he sighed. The strain was starting to show, and the last thing he wanted to do was sound like a whiny little excuse-maker in the formal log.
At least they'd been able to get life support going. That was something. It meant they'd be able to actually eat the supplies they'd brought with them. He leaned back against the bulkhead and glared sullenly at the hard, brick-like emergency rations that would serve as lunch and thought longingly of his mother's home cooking-even, to his surprise, Neelix's cooking. Hell, he thought with a sudden surge of resentment toward the unpalatable lump he was about to consume, Id take the glop-on-a-stick they sell on DS-9 over this stuff.
Ensign Lyssa Campbell plopped down next to him, unwrapped her own block of food, and gasped exaggeratedly. Her blond hair had come loose and flopped down in her face. She tossed it back and gave Harry an enormous grin.
"Wow,