Mosaic - Jeri Taylor [68]
Voyager leapt to warp. At this speed, the planet was only a few minutes away from the shell of gas and dust clouds surrounding the distant reaches of the star system. Getting there would be easy; the hard part would be bringing the ship into orbit a microsecond before Voyager slammed into the planet at over a hundred times the speed of light.
"Full power to inertial dampers," ordered Janeway crisply. She wanted to project an air of confidence about this maneuver. "Twelve seconds to orbit," said Tom, his voice as calm as hers. His fingers tapped the console, programming a few last corrections before entering the automatic deceleration sequence. On the main viewscreen, the image of the planet grew at an alarming rate. Janeway made herself focus on it, trying to shut out doubt as to the outcome of this maneuver. If it didn't work, she thought, at least the end would be instantaneous. Tom's voice didn't waver as he began to call out. "Dropping out of warp in five... four... three... two... one..."
The ship lurched violently, throwing everyone forward. Even at maximum power the inertial damping field couldn't completely compensate for the enormous change in acceleration. The ship listed slightly, and for one brief instant Janeway thought they had lost control and would hit the planet's atmosphere and incinerate from the friction. But then Voyager eased into a gentle free fall a thousand kilometers above the surface. She looked down at Tom Paris, who was a little pale but smiling. He had every right to be pleased with himself. "Good work, Mr. Paris," she said mildly.
He turned in his seat and looked up at her. His saucy confidence had returned in full. "Nothing to it," he grinned. "See if you can find our people," Janeway began, but Chakotay was ahead of her, already manning his station, directing the sensors to scan for life signs of their crew.
"Captain, a Kazon ship has come into orbit on the opposite side of the planet."
"Then they'll find us in minutes. Any luck, Commander?"
"Negative. I see Kazon signs-about forty of thembut none of ours." Janeway considered. That could mean Tuvok had found refuge in a place that was shielded from sensors.
It could also mean that the entire away team was dead. But if that were true, why would Kazon forces stay on the surface? Why would the ship be monitoring the planet? She had to assume her people were alive, shielded, waiting for rescue.
"The Kazon ship is moving this way," intoned Paris. They still couldn't risk a shoot-out with the Kazon; weapons arrays were dubious at best. They had no choice but to retreat again. "Take us out of here the same way you got us here, Lieutenant. At warp."
"Aye, Captain." Before this day is over I'm going to have this maneuver down pat, thought Paris, as he rocketed Voyager from orbit. Chakotay turned to her. "If Tuvok were here, he'd remind you that retreat is always an option. And that the soundest strategy protects the many at the expense of the few."
"But he's not here. And I'm not quitting until every option has been explored. Put on your thinking cap, Commander. We're going to figure out how to rescue our people."
Chakotay smiled, and Janeway returned it, reminded once more of how very glad she was to have him at her side.
CHAPTER 16
ENSIGN KATHRYN JANEWAY WATCHED AS EARTH RECEDED, and remembered that first flight years ago, when she and her father had taken the shuttle to Mars. She could still recall the visceral thrill she felt as the blue and white marble grew smaller and smaller and finally became just a dot of light in the blackness of space. It was her first lesson, repeated here today, in the va/s of space, of Earth's relative unimportance in the heavens, and of man's place in the universe as just one species among many.
Her father had told her, when she was small, that a thousand years ago people believed that Earth was the center of the universe, that all other heavenly bodies revolved around it. When Copernicus suggested otherwise,