Spirit Walk_ Enemy of My Enemy (Book 2) - Christie Golden [40]
“It’s late. We’ll discuss this in the morning, when you’re rested and have a chance to make a good presentation.” As Kaz drew breath to protest, Chakotay added, “That’s an order, Doctor.”
Kaz stiffened. “Aye, sir,” he said.
The door closed behind Chakotay. For a moment Astall and Kaz simply stared at the door.
“Golly,” said Astall, in a heartfelt tone of voice.
Kaz had to smile; the Huanni gravitated to such amusing slang when speaking Federation standard.
“Golly indeed,” he said.
“When we return to Earth, I’m going to insist that he take some time and discuss this with someone. Preferably me,” Astall said. “It’s really tearing him up inside.”
Kaz shook his head. “I just didn’t think he would take it like this,” he said. “He’s being illogical and not acting like himself at all.”
Astall nodded. “I agree. But we all react differently to grief, Doctor. Sometimes in quite unexpected ways.” She turned to face him. “Now, are you going to contact Vorik tonight?”
“No,” said Kaz, and added quickly, to forestall her comment, “Chakotay was right about one thing. It is late. I know Vorik likes to meditate before retiring, and he’s probably already well into it. I’ll head to bed myself and talk to him in the morning. The isoboromine levels are still within normal parameters. I’m in no danger.”
Astall sighed. “Very well. But if you haven’t done so by 0800 hours, I’ll go down to engineering and fetch him myself.”
“Understood, Counselor.”
She reached and squeezed his shoulder. “Good night, Doctor. Pleasant dreams.”
The dream was pleasant, at first. Kaz found himself walking along a beach at sunrise. The waters, lilac at this time of the morning, lapped rhythmically at his feet. The beach was rocky and it wasn’t warm yet, but it was still relaxing to be here. He breathed deeply of the sea air, and absently reached to toss a stone out into the waves. A breeze ruffled his thick, dark hair and gently made the trees sway.
“I thought I’d find you here” came a voice, harsh and blunt. It wasn’t unexpected, though.
Jarem Kaz sighed. “Gradak,” he said. “Not only are you interfering with my waking moments, but apparently now you’re stealing my sleep as well. I’m trying to be patient with you, but I’m starting to resent this.”
He turned to look at the man who had shared the Kaz symbiont. Gradak returned the gaze with his habitual expression of controlled anger and thinly veiled hostility.
“Let’s not get into who resents whom here,” he said, “considering you’re alive and I’m not.”
The resentment melted. “Gradak, I am truly sorry. I did everything I could to save you, but finally I had to save the symbiont.”
Gradak laughed harshly. “You think that bothers me? No, you idiot, I understand that. But you haven’t heard me out. No one has heard me. And you’re shoving me aside and not listening to me when I’m seeing things that you’re not!”
That got Jarem’s attention. “What sort of things?”
“Give me free rein and I’ll show you.”
“You know I can’t do that,” Jarem answered.
“Can’t? Or won’t?” challenged Gradak.
“Either way, it doesn’t matter,” Jarem shot back. “It’s not going to happen. When I have the time, I’ll listen to you. I promised you that and I didn’t lie. But there’s too much going on now for me to just drop everything and put you in charge of this body.”
Gradak grunted in exasperation. “Even when I spell it out for you, you’re not seeing it. How was it that you thought to test for the DNA? It was my memory of what the Cardassians did to my Vallia that caused that to even occur to you.”
“True, but—”
“No buts. Things just aren’t what they seem. I trusted Arak Katal, and he betrayed me. He wasn’t what he seemed, either.”
It was the raving of a madman, who saw lurking Cardassians behind every boulder, and thought everyone was a traitor. And yet, in this dreamscape, where logic couldn’t quite be grasped and things could shift at any moment, it seemed an appropriate statement to Jarem Kaz.
“Things aren’t what they seem,” he murmured.
Gradak leaned in closer, his eyes almost fever-bright. “You know it in your bones,” he said.