Spirit Walk_ Old Wounds (Book 1) - Christie Golden [5]
“The fact that you’re involved in this right now indicates that everyone is ready to move into the healing phase,” she said.
“Not everyone,” said Kaz. “I have to tell you, as someone who was here when the war was going on, that the last thing anyone expected was to have some of the worlds we fought to protect turn on us afterward.”
Janeway made her shot. Only one ball was left on the table.
“I wouldn’t say they turned on us,” she said mildly. “The war was dreadful. We lost so many people. Some planets are inclined to blame Federation policy instead of the Dominion for those losses. It’s to be expected.” She sank the final ball with a great deal of force. “But it’s not correct.”
“The Federation has always been about reaching out to others, helping them,” said Kaz. “Being involved, being compassionate. Just because sometimes some worlds or species take advantage of that doesn’t mean the policy doesn’t work. In the history of the Federation, that policy has worked much, much more often than it’s failed.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Janeway, racking the balls for the next game. She handed her cue to Kaz. “Of course, every Federation planet has the right to withdraw from the Federation if it so chooses. But it’s important that that choice be made for the right reasons, or everyone suffers.”
“The galaxy is smaller than ever these days,” said Chakotay. “We’ve expanded into two more quadrants in just the last few years. No one can afford to go it alone.”
Chakotay knew that this theme of unity had become Janeway’s passion over the last few months. While she still enjoyed teaching the fresh faces at the Academy with Tuvok, it wasn’t enough to keep her sharp mind occupied. As a captain, she might have been able to scratch the itch by taking her ship out to where the action was. As an admiral, she didn’t have that opportunity.
But she had something else, Chakotay had learned: access to information, and power to directly influence policy. The thing that had kept Voyager together under remarkable circumstances for seven full years was the crew’s devotion to Federation ideals, even—perhaps especially—on the part of the Maquis among them. To come home to a shattered quadrant recovering from war, and to see the Federation starting to splinter because of it, had been particularly painful to Janeway, and she had volunteered to take under her wing any and all missions that kept the still-wounded Federation together.
Kaz broke, and they were all quiet for a moment as they watched the balls roll to various positions on the table.
“Two, side pocket,” Kaz said.
An unpleasant thought occurred to Chakotay. “Did Starfleet Command assign me this mission as a test? To remind me of my place?”
As soon as he spoke the words, he realized how childish they sounded. But Janeway didn’t appear surprised.
“That had occurred to me too,” she said. “I think it’s a by-product of the cynicism we experienced when we first returned. But no, Chakotay, I don’t think that’s truly the case. You’re taking passengers to repopulate Loran II. The fact that this planet has a similar history to Dorvan V was definitely taken into consideration, certainly. How could it not be? I don’t think anyone wanted to rub your nose in anything. On the contrary, the comment I’ve heard is that you were the best man for the job because you had empathy for the colonists, a sort of empathy no one else possessed. They, too, were handed over to the Cardassians; they, too, had to make the painful choice between evacuation and staying. In a mission all about healing and recovery, that sort of a connection is a big thing.”
She smiled gently at him. A muffled oath from Kaz made them glance at the table. The Trill glumly handed Janeway the cue.
“Next time,” he grumbled, “we play poker.”
Chapter
2
CHAKOTAY HAD ALWAYS HAD a fierce loyalty to his friends, and his time on Voyager had only strengthened that quality. So when the small group gathered in the private room on Earth Station