Spirit Walk_ Old Wounds (Book 1) - Christie Golden [10]
“Thank you, sir. It is an honor to serve.”
“How are our passengers?”
“Very well, sir. Per regulations, I have confined them to quarters until your arrival.”
Chakotay tried to hide his surprise and disappointment. He leaned in closer and spoke quietly, trying not to embarrass Ellis.
“In the future, I’d appreciate it if you came to me first before assuming that all regulations apply to all our guests,” he said. Ellis’s face twitched slightly. Chakotay added, “Come by my ready room and we’ll have a little chat once we’re under way.”
“Of course, sir. My apologies, sir.”
“You did nothing wrong, Commander. It’s just…as a captain I’m a little more relaxed than you might be used to.”
Something glimmered in Ellis’s pale blue eyes, then disappeared. Disapproval. Chakotay couldn’t help but wonder for the hundredth time how he and his very different first officer would manage to get along.
“Vorik,” said Chakotay more loudly, moving on to his chief engineer. “I’m sure you’re delighted to be back on familiar turf. Only B’Elanna Torres knows that engine room better than you.”
Vorik inclined his head at the compliment. “I can only strive to emulate Lieutenant Commander Torres.”
“You probably won’t have as difficult a time restraining your desire to punch someone when things go wrong,” Chakotay joked, enjoying Vorik’s raised eyebrow. He was even more fun to tease than Tuvok.
“I trust not, Captain.” The Vulcan sounded slightly shocked. Chakotay smothered a grin.
Kaz was next. They shook hands and exchanged formal pleasantries, but Chakotay was more interested in greeting the tall, attractive woman who was standing next to the Trill doctor. She had rich brown skin and long, glossy black hair tied back in a ponytail. He could tell she had muscles beneath the uniform, and she held her head proudly, almost defiantly.
“Lieutenant Akolo Tare,” he said, recognizing her from her holophoto. “I’m glad to finally meet you in person.”
She took his hand. Her grip was firm, no nonsense, and she met his gaze evenly. “Likewise, Captain.”
“You came highly recommended,” he said. “I only regret that you and Voyager’s former pilot can’t swap stories.”
“Thank you, sir. But I’m a pilot, not a storyteller. I must admit, though, I am looking forward to getting my hands on the famous Delta Flyer.”
“Alas, you’ll have to wait. They’re still tinkering with it.”
A flash in those dark eyes. “Let us hope,” she said, “they don’t tinker too much.”
“Lieutenant,” he said thoughtfully, “I think we’ll get along just fine.”
Chakotay recalled her bio. Tare was of Polynesian descent and had fought in the Dominion War. She had been awarded the Grankite Order of Tactics and the Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry for various actions performed during that conflict. But what concerned him the most was something that had happened to her recently.
Six months ago, Tare had had the misfortune of being one of several Starfleet officers who had been abducted by the overly zealous Oliver Baines, the man who had inspired the so-called HoloRevolution. She, along with several others, had been trapped in a brutal holographic simulation meant to demonstrate how demeaning such recreation was to the holograms. According to witnesses, Tare had been literally carried off, thrown across a saddle like a sack of goods, when she dared to stand up to Baines’s bullies.
After she returned to duty, her commanding officer was worried about her. He had noted his concerns in her bio, with mentions of “erratic behavior” and her own request for a transfer. But Tare could give Tom Paris a run for his money in the piloting department, and Chakotay wasn’t going to hold anyone’s past against him or her.
Chakotay turned to the woman standing beside Tare. Both women had dark skin and shiny black hair, but there the resemblance ended. Devi Patel, who had a wealth of knowledge about all things scientific, was not a large person to begin with, and standing next to the Amazonian Tare, she looked even more petite. But her reputation was equal to the pilot’s.