The Garden - Melissa Scott [28]
The tree-vines that formed the barrier on the far side were paler, and bore clusters of bright red flowers. No, not flowers, Kim amended, training his tricorder on the nearest cluster, but leaves that mimicked flowers. Then he looked up, and all thoughts of Kirse plant life vanished from his mind. The field ahead stretched unbroken to the horizon, and the towers of the citadel were clearly visible, eight, a dozen primary towers soaring in a group above the jagged lower roofline. The sun glinted off them as though they were made of metal, drowning all guess at their color. Kim looked away again, dazzled, and heard Paris swear under his breath. Something was moving among the low-growing trees-more than one something. Several creatures like the one they had seen foraging beneath the golden-leafed tree were rooting beneath a thickly berried bush, one squatting on its haunches, industriously scratching at the dirt, the others searching through the leaves. Even as Kim watched, one reached up and shook the branches vigorously, sending a spray of bright green berries over the others. The squatting creature squealed and
covered its head, while the other bounced excitedly up and down for a moment before it stooped to the fallen berries.
"I'm reading at least twenty more of them," Torres said.
"Phasers, Captain?" Renehan asked, and Janeway shook her head.
"Not yet, Ensign. But be ready. All of you, keep close together." She touched her communicator. "Janeway to Voyager."
"Chakotay here."
"We've stumbled across a group of the creatures," Janeway said. "Stand by to beam us up if there's trouble."
"We're standing by, Captain," Chakotay answered.
"Janeway out." The captain tipped her head to one side, considering. "Keep an eye out, everyone. Though I must say they don't seem hostile."
"Yet," Paris muttered, and Kim jumped at the voice in his ear. "Sorry, Harry."
"Don't mention it." Kim felt for his phaser, making sure it was loose on its holder, ready for use.
The creatures didn't seem to notice their presence-or rather, Kim thought, watching one lift its head, turning great yellow eyes to follow them, they didn't seem bothered by the Starfleet presence. Experimentally, he turned his tricorder on it, and saw it hunch its shoulders as though it expected a blow.
"Look at that," he said aloud, and Janeway turned to face him.
"What is it, Harry?"
"The-creature." Kim pointed, careful not to use his tricorder this time. "When I turned my tricorder on it, it flinched. See?" He lifted the tricorder again, and the creature ducked away. At the same time, the
other two turned to face him, crouching a little, too, as they saw the leveled tricorder.
"All right, that's enough," Janeway said, sharply, and Kim lowered his tricorder. "It was a good guess, Lieutenant Kim, but once you saw the reaction, you shouldn't have repeated it. Suppose you'd angered them, or frightened them enough so that they attacked? We can't risk hostilities, not until we've found the Kirse."
The captain was right, and Kim felt himself blushing. "Sorry, Captain. It won't happen again."
Janeway nodded. "But you are right, it is an interesting reaction."
"So they've seen people more or less like us before," Paris said, thoughtfully, "and they don't like tricorders."
"Which they associate with something unpleasant," Janeway said. "But they aren't necessarily afraid of us, just the tricorders."
"Captain," Kim said. Beside the bush, one of the creatures had straightened to its hind legs, revealing its midsection. It was heavily furred, unlike the first creature, but the fur was missing across its abdomen, replaced by a plate of dark brown metal. Even at this distance, Kim could see what looked like rivets, and the tips of its fingers seemed sheathed in the same material.
"A cyborg?" Paris said, and a second creature rose to its feet. It was less furry than the other, and one of its arms seemed to be partially replaced by a brighter, golden metal.
"I can't tell," Torres said. She was