Spirit Walk_ Old Wounds (Book 1) - Christie Golden [58]
“Captain Chakotay is on the bridge.”
Sekaya made a noise of exasperation. She didn’t want to bring up the subject there, in front of everyone, but perhaps she could arrange a time to discuss it with him. She headed for the turbolift.
When she appeared on the bridge and glanced casually at the screen, she gasped. The sound was soft, but Chakotay had excellent hearing. He turned to look at her.
“Good timing, Sekaya. I was just about to ask you to come up,” he said. “Kaz, Astall, and Fortier are on their way as well.”
As if mesmerized, Sekaya walked slowly down to the screen. She hadn’t spent a lot of time in space, and the glimpses into the stars still enchanted her. But what she was regarding now, she knew, was not of the stars and space. These were the things of men.
“What is all of this?” she asked. “How close are we to Loran II?”
“It’s debris from various sources,” said Kim, answering the first question but not the second. The turbolift door hissed open. Fortier, Astall, and Kaz emerged.
Like Sekaya, Fortier gasped at the sight. “Mon dieu,” he said softly.
“The wreckage isn’t recent,” Ellis said, forestalling the question. “It looks like there was a battle here some time ago.”
“These were Federation and Cardassian ships,” said Kim.
“I was not aware there were any battles fought in this area of space,” said Fortier. His voice was admirably calm, but Sekaya could see that his hands trembled slightly. “How close are we to Loran II?” he asked, echoing Sekaya.
“Not that far. I’d planned to slow down at this point, take our time getting there,” said Chakotay. “But given this,” he added, indicating the debris, “I’m inclined to continue at our present speed. You were right, Mr. Fortier. We have no records of any battles being fought here, but obviously, we can see that that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”
“None of these was a particularly big ship,” said Kim, his eyes on the controls. “I’m picking up readings of Cardassian shuttles and freighters as well as the wreckage of a few Federation shuttles, three Maquis fighters, and one Peregrine-class courier.”
“Also known as a Maquis interceptor,” said Chakotay.
“A skirmish, then,” said Kaz, looking intently at the floating ruins on the screen. “Not a battle. And probably between Maquis and Cardassians. I’ll bet anything those Federation ships were stolen.”
Sekaya glanced at him. His voice sounded deeper, slightly harsher, and he carried himself a little differently. She recalled that Astall had told her that one of his hosts had been a Maquis. Maybe he was remembering his time in the fight. Or maybe she was just imagining it; she had, after all, met Kaz for only a few brief moments.
“The doctor’s right,” Kim said. “I’m confirming the identities of some of the vessels, and they were reported stolen by the Maquis several years ago.”
Chakotay, like Kaz, had tensed slightly. “That’s good news,” he said. “If it was a small skirmish, it’s less likely to have affected Fortier’s colony. Also, we should keep in mind that this debris could have been drifting for some time. The battle could have occurred nowhere near Loran II.”
“On the negative side,” said Ellis, “depending of course on the amount of drift, a Class-M planet in the area wouldn’t go unnoticed, especially if anyone had to make an emergency landing for repairs.”
Sekaya winced inwardly. Chakotay had been trying to cast a positive spin on an alarming situation, but this first officer of his didn’t seem to realize how deeply it affected Voyager’s passengers. Loran II wasn’t just another Class-M planet; it was home to these people. It was where their loved ones were—or so everyone hoped.
“Lieutenant Tare,” said Chakotay, ignoring Ellis, “how far does the debris field extend, and is it possible for us to get through it?”
Tare’s dark hands moved with expertise over the controls. “It’s pretty extensive, sir,” she said. “There’s scattered debris more or less all the way to Loran II. It may not have been a full-blown battle, but this was obviously a hot area of space for a while. I can plot a path,