Mosaic - Jeri Taylor [52]
"I don't think I've been different at all. You're the one who's changed-ever since you got rejected by Starfleet Academy."
"Thank you. I need to be reminded of that."
"But you said... just a few minutes ago... you said you were feeling bad. You accused me of not being sensitive to you."
"I don't remember saying it had anything to do with Starfleet. You're the one who's been making me miserable.""
She felt blood roaring in her ears. The whole thing was taking on a surreal air-the pit-darkness, illuminated only by their headlamps, the fantastical underground cathedral room, the damp chill of the trapped air-and she began to feel disoriented. Was Cheb making sense? Was her perception of the last weeks flawed? Had it all been her fault?
"What... are you saying?"
"The way you've treated me. Like hitting a guy when he's down. I think I could've handled the whole Starfleet thing a lot better if I'd had any support from you."
"But I thought I did, I was... I've tried to help..." She felt inarticulate and clumsy. He was staring at her, disappointment etched on his face.
"If that was your idea of helping, that scares me. I think you're the one that needs help, Kathryn."
Her head reeled. She couldn't believe she was hearing this. She tried to calm herself and took several deep breaths, but before she could say anything, Cheb knelt down and began reassembling the things he'd taken from his pack.
"What are you doing?"
"Packing up. I'm not spending a week in these conditions with you."
"But-we've planned this for a year. And I really want to look for more fossils-was
He stood up and his dark blue eyes flashed in the glare of her lamp. "That's so like you, Kathryn. "I really want to look for more fossils." You're a true scientist, I guess, if fossils mean more to you than what's happening to us."
"To us? What's happening to us? Cheb, why are you being like this-was He knelt down once more and began stuffing his pack. "I'm going back. You can come or you can stay here."
"I can't stay here alone, that's ridiculous."
"Then let's get ready to go."
She stared at him for a moment, mind still unable to accept that he was serious. But as he finished repacking, she saw that he meant it. He was leaving. And if he did, she would have to.
Briefly her mind danced over the idea of staying, just to prevent him from being able to manipulate her; but one quick look around this caverous room and the prospect of staying there alone was overwhelming. She picked up her pack and strapped it on, adjusted her aquadyne torch lamp, and fit her breathing gill into her mouth. Cheb did the same, and without another word they both walked into the water for the long swim back.
CHAPTER 13
THE KAZON HAD BEEN TRAWLING FOR OVER AN HOUR, PEPPER- ing the nebula with percussive plasma flares. Sometimes they seemed close; sometimes they were only a distant vibration. At one time Janeway thought they had given up and gone away, as they hadn't felt any jolts for almost thirty minutes. But then, in the distance, their sensors registered the distinctive thoop of the bombs growing closer once more. Chakotay studied his console. "They're on a direct course, Captain. Heading one-four-nine mark seven."
This was ominous. Until now, the Kazon ship had clearly been trawling, sending out flares in a random pattern, hoping for a hit. Now it was bearing down on Voyager, seemingly having detected the ship and homing in on it.
"Shields," said Janeway quietly. They had dropped shields in order to prevent the energy signature from being detected, but now it seemed wiser to protect themselves from a possible attack.
The percussive devices grew louder, and Voyager began to tremble, then shake, from the shock wave of each detonation. "Bridge to Engineering. Status."
Torres' voice was brisk and calm. "I've almost got warp engines back, Captain. I've been concentrating on thatstill only one phaser bank on-line."