Spirit Walk_ Old Wounds (Book 1) - Christie Golden [50]
“As you like, Captain. Shall we volley for the serve?”
Chakotay nodded. Ellis executed a perfect serve and Chakotay easily retrieved it, lobbing it over the net. Moving gracefully, Ellis returned the shot, angling it so that Chakotay had to really run for it. He caught it, and it barely cleared the net. Ellis dove, but missed it.
“Excellent! Admiral Janeway has clearly given you a few tips,” Ellis said. A holographic little boy with cherubic features, red cheeks, and black hair hurried onto the court and retrieved the ball. Ellis fished in his pocket for another one, tossing it gently to Chakotay.
“You knew that Janeway was fond of tennis?” Deftly, Chakotay caught the ball.
“Of course,” said Ellis. “Priggy does his research, Captain.”
Chakotay looked at him sharply but saw only humor. Maybe he did know about the nickname after all and was choosing to join in the joke. Either that, or he had decided to be a good sport after Chakotay had accidentally mentioned it earlier.
Ellis continued, “You like to box, Tom Paris enjoys twentieth-century automobiles, the multitalented Harry Kim plays the clarinet and the saxophone, the Doctor is fond of opera, Seven of Nine is a gourmet cook…. Shall I go on?”
Chakotay laughed a little. “What about Andrew Ellis?”
“Andrew Ellis enjoys tennis, polo, golf, and, believe it or not, the ancient art of origami.”
“Actually,” said Chakotay, “that doesn’t surprise me at all. Origami is all about precision. Now, if Commander Ellis was a secret fan of finger painting or mud wrestling, that might surprise me. Love all,” he said, announcing the score, and served.
Chakotay didn’t have the superior form that Ellis displayed, but he put a lot of power into the serve, and for a brief instant the first officer was caught off guard. He rallied, though, diving for the ball with exuberance, and returned it. They lobbied for a while, then Chakotay narrowly missed a shot.
As he picked up the ball and bounced it a few times, Ellis said, apropos of nothing, “I eat raw cookie dough.”
Chakotay’s head whipped up. Ellis was turning a little pink, and not from exertion.
“What?”
“I eat raw cookie dough,” Ellis said, sounding embarrassed. “One isn’t supposed to do that, you know. Raw eggs and so forth. But I can’t help sneaking a bite of it now and then. A lady friend introduced me to it. It tastes completely different from the end product.”
Chakotay stared, then laughed out loud. For Ellis, this was living life on the edge.
“I see that you’re a devil-may-care rebel, Mr. Ellis, and I’m going to have to watch you very carefully.” Still grinning, Chakotay lifted his racket and announced, “Love serving fifteen.”
Sekaya paced in her quarters, deep in thought, wondering what she should do. When her combadge chirped and Astall’s voice said, “Counselor Astall to Sekaya,” it startled her so that she gasped aloud.
She recovered quickly and said in a calm voice, “Yes, Astall, what is it?”
“I have a patient who’s having some bad dreams,” Astall said. “I’m going to be doing a counseling session that isolates…oh, golly, it’s too hard to explain without naming him and he said that was all right.”
Sekaya grinned at the Huanni’s bubbly voice. “If he gave his permission to discuss the session, then I’m happy to help. Who is it? One of the colonists?”
“No, it’s Dr. Kaz.”
“Really?”
“His former host was a Maquis who was killed at Tevlik’s moon, and this host is stirring now that we’re entering former Cardassian space.”
Suddenly, Sekaya felt cold. For a defeated race, the Cardassians continued to hound their victims with shocking perseverance. She rubbed her upper arms and reached for a blanket.
“Go on.”
“I wanted to get your advice on the session I plan to conduct with him,” Astall continued. “It’s actually a lot like a ritual, and I thought you might have some insight.”
Sekaya listened intently, occasionally making a comment or a recommendation, as Astall filled her in. The Huanni was right: the session did have a lot in common with a ritual. “Sounds almost like a spirit walk,” Sekaya said.
“A