Mosaic - Jeri Taylor [108]
Another hit rattled them and Trakis looked around in some desperation; the bridge was venting more coolant gas and several consoles had exploded. He turned back to the captain, whose eyes had never left him, and the tempo of his recitative increased. "The Tokath are what we call a parasectoid species, hard-shelled creatures lacking intelligence-but which are vicious and deadly. They'd adapted to survive in almost any habitat-air, water, even space. They were an almost ideal defense force, and they kept this planet safe from all invaders for centuries." A series of hits knocked them about again and the captain glanced over at one of her crew. "Shields at eightyseven percent, Captain, and holding. I'm betting they'll get tired of this before we do," he said, and Trakis marveled at his buoyant confidence. He realized that the attitude on this combat bridge was different from any he'd ever witnessed. The Kazon were veritable wild men when in combat, shouting loudly in what Trakis felt was an effort to shore up their courage; the Trabe were usually nervously desperate, the result of years of running from the Kazon. Never had he seen behavior in battle that was so composed, so professional. The woman turned back to him, and there was no doubt he was to continue, and quickly. "The planet was also inhabited by a humanoid species, the Krett, who possessed the power of flight-a wise, gentle people who communi- cated telepathically, and who had a genuine affection for their unusual protectors. That's why they went to such extraordinary lengths to save them."
She looked at him questioningly.
"A massive plasma eruption burst from the star's equatorial zone thousands of years ago. It created an electrical disturbance in the planet's atmosphere which would eventually kill almost every living thing on the planet-which is the only one in the system that supports life. The Krett were technologically advanced, and had spaceships. They could evacuate, but there was no way to take millions of the Tokath with them. So they transformed the Tokath habitat into hibernation chambers, put them into stasis, and departed-hoping one day to return to their world." He shook his head sadly. "But they learned what a hostile part of space they occupied. Without the protection of the Tokath, they were set upon at every turn. Like us, they were decimated." The woman looked at him intently. "What does all this have to do with us? Why are the Kazon attacking Voyager?"
"They're fixated with the idea of finding the Tokath and resuscitating them, turning them into a personal fighting force, and thereby dominating the sector. They believe you have the same thing in mind, and they're determined to stop you."
"How did the Kazon learn all this? How did they know where to look for these creatures?"
"The Kazon-Vistik stumbled on the truth during one of their nasty little raids on unprotected outposts. They discovered a small Krett colonv which had endured over the centuries-with a few of the Tokath, which they had taken with them, still extant. The Krett, hoping to gain sympathy and be spared, told them the tale of their ancient diaspora, and of their belief that the Tokath might still live. In return, the Kazon slaughtered them all and took the remaining Tokath with them for examination. And managed to kill all of them but one."
Trakis paused with genuine sorrow. He still regretted his actions on the Kazon ship, and the fact that he, a physician, had caused the creature's death. And all for nothing, all to feed the Kazon obsession. He had to convince this icy captain that the only recourse they had, the only way to prevent more killing, was to retreat. He clutched the arm of the chair as a series of muffled explosions thudded in the distance, and beseeched her once more. "I can lead you to a Trabe planet. You'll be welcome there, to repair your ship and take on stores. Leave the Kazon to their wild dreams; my experience has been that they're so inept they'll never succeed."
"If the Maje would