The Brave and the Bold Book Two - Keith R. A. DeCandido [28]
“Understood.” Hudson nodded to Mastroeni, who loaded the torpedo bays. Within two minutes, the Liberator’ s photon torpedoes had reduced the Geronimo to components far too small to be of any use.
Hudson then joined Chakotay in the cargo bay, where thirty-five of his people were gathered. The other three had been taken to sickbay—a small room that consisted of two beds, a medical tricorder, and a mishmash of medikits. Two had been stunned by phaser fire, and the other had three broken ribs.
“The ship’s been scuttled,” Hudson said. “I’m sorry we had to do that.”
Chakotay nodded. “That’s all right—it was my fault, really, for giving her that name. The real Geronimo fought the good fight, but came to a bad end. Next time, I’ll think more carefully.”
“So what happened?”
Quickly, Chakotay summarized his rescue of three of his people from a desolate planet in the DMZ, with the added bonus of a black box of some kind—the Malkus Artifact. The Geronimo then attacked Nramia, but what Chakotay had ordered as a strike against the capital city turned out to be a planetwide disaster.
“This Tharia person,” Mastroeni said, “doesn’t normally act like this?”
Before Chakotay could reply, a Bajoran woman stepped forward. “Like a complete lunatic? No, he doesn’t. That damn box must’ve done something to him.”
A woman with Klingon-like features spoke up. “He could’ve just cracked. The man lost his entire family.”
Hudson flashed on a mental image of Gretchen, which he forced out of his mind. “What happened?”
“His three mates died in a Cardassian attack,” Chakotay said. “He took it fairly well—maybe too well. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to grieve—or to fall apart.”
“Or maybe just the right tool,” the part-Klingon woman said. “This weapon is incredibly powerful.”
Hudson nodded. “We saw what it did to Nramia. In fact, it’s why we found you.” He then quickly filled Chakotay in on his own reasons for being here, and on their prisoner and potential recruit in the mess hall.
“I’d like to meet this Tuvok,” Chakotay said.
“Of course.” Hudson was about to lead Chakotay to the mess hall when a Betazoid stepped forward.
In a soft voice, the dark-eyed man said, “Excuse me, sir, but there’s something I think you should know.”
“What is it, Suder?” Chakotay asked.
The Betazoid hesitated. “It wasn’t anything I could put my finger on, but—well, since you rescued Tharia, B’Elanna, and Gerron, there’s been something—”
“Spit it out,” Chakotay said impatiently. This Suder person spoke very quietly, and Hudson could see how his roundabout way of talking—unusual for a telepath—could be irritating.
“Tharia’s mind has been—different. It isn’t anything specific, but—you know that I’d never pry into your minds without permission, sir. But—Tharia was definitely changed, subtly, by that thing he found.”
Chakotay started to say something, then stopped. Hudson suspected that the large man was going to upbraid the Betazoid for not speaking up sooner—it’s what Hudson might have done under the same circumstances—but then he thought better of it. After all, there was little to be gained by recriminations now.
Instead, he simply said, “Thank you, Lon. Seska, B’Elanna, come with me. The rest of you, stay here. Hudson?”
Hudson and Mastroeni led the trio to the mess hall, where McAdams and Schmidt still stood guard. To them, Hudson said, “You two report to the bridge until Darleen and I report back.”
Nodding, the pair departed. Chakotay, meanwhile, gazed upon the Vulcan. “Hudson says you know about this artifact.”
“Yes. I am Tuvok of Vulcan. My family was killed at Amniphon, and I have come to the Demilitarized Zone in order to join the Maquis. The information about the Malkus Artifact that I provided to Mr. Hudson was by way of—”
“Letting us think you’re legitimate, fine,” Chakotay said quickly. He obviously wasn’t interested in the preliminaries. “One of my most trusted comrades has gone from a sane, steady presence to a homicidal maniac thanks to this thing, Vulcan. I have a Betazoid who says that his thought