Pathways - Jeri Taylor [25]
On many occasions Chakotay came close to leaving. Often he felt he wanted nothing more than to escape this burdensome life and go home again.
But he never did. Every time he contemplated that move, sense memory of the quiet clearing in the woods overwhelmed him, and the liberation he had felt then— when he realized he was alone, and alone could decide his life’s course—returned to him. He had made a choice; he would not unmake it. And so, almost by default, he finished school and entered into the life that Starfleet provided.
The first skirmish was hardly deserving of the title—an encounter, actually, almost not worth noting and certainly not a harbinger of everything that was to come. There was little to suggest that Cardassia would become the major influence in Chakotay’s life.
He was a lieutenant aboard the U.S.S. Vico, an aide to Captain Roger Hackney, a dour, wiry man with a leathered face and intense dark eyes that reflected both astuteness and cunning. Hackney was what in an earlier era might have been called a “man’s man,” preferring the company and comradeship of other males. He was married, had two sons, and from all indications adored his wife; however, with most females he was quaintly gallant, a behavior which covered the fact that he was uncomfortable with them. He had taken an instant liking to Chakotay, and the younger man had risen swiftly in the chain of command.
Chakotay was on the bridge of the Vico when they first detected the alien ship. “Sensors show an unidentified vessel approaching on an intercept course, one-point-six light-years away,” he warned Hackney.
“Anything like it in the Federation database?” queried Hackney with interest. They had been charting a far-flung sector of the Alpha Quadrant for a month, and anything that broke the tedium was welcome.
“It might be Cardassian, but if it is it’s a class of vessel we haven’t encountered before.” Chakotay noted his sensors and then added, “They’re scanning us as well.”
“Put the ship on screen as soon as we’re in visual range.” Both of them realized that the same kind of dialogue was probably occurring on the alien ship as well, each scanning the other, wanting clues, hoping to absorb as much information as possible before actually making contact. Chakotay felt his senses go alert and wary at the prospect; Cardassians were known to be dangerous and unpredictable.
“Here it is, Captain,” said Chakotay, and a faint image appeared on the viewscreen, barely discernible among the stars.
“Magnify,” said Hackney, but Chakotay had already entered the command, and now the image took shape: a massive, tripartite warship with extensive—and powerful— weapons systems.
At that moment they were hailed, and the image of the ship was replaced by that of a Cardassian: tall and rangy, the man had thick cords outlining his broad neck and temples, and black eyes that glittered like obsidian.
“State your purpose, Federation vessel,” the man said without preamble.
“I’m Captain Roger Hackney of the Federation starship Vico,” said Hackney in the standard introduction. “We’re charting this sector for our astrographic database.”
“You are perilously near Cardassian territory,” replied the man, who had not given them the benefit of a name by which to address him. “I am transmitting the coordinates of our borders to you and I urge you to respect them.”
Chakotay and Hackney both looked down at their consoles and studied the incoming data transmission. Hackney frowned and looked back at the screen.
“We’re aware of your stated territory, sir. There have been a number of encounters between our ships and yours. But I must say there’s an astonishing amount of flexibility to your borders. This transmission seems to indicate that Cardassia has swollen considerably in the last month.”
“Are you