The Garden - Melissa Scott [76]
"It's not the same," Torres said. "We don't-we don't control Voyager's systems that way." She sighed. "I suppose it's only a matter of degree, but-well, Captain, I found it disturbing."
Janeway nodded, looked at the other officers. "Comments?"
"There is no logical reason not to use such an implanted system," Tuvok said. "Particularly among as small a population, as the Kirse seem to have. I have never been able to track more than a hundred Kirse life signs at any one time, and I frequently see fewer. The Federation's choice of technologies has been shaped by a much larger population, as well as aesthetic choices."
"I can't say the idea appeals much to me," Chakotay said, slowly, "but I think Tuvok's probably right. And, Captain, as you've been saying all along, we don't have much choice."
"No." Janeway smiled ruefully, softening the abrupt negative. "But I think it's a good thing to know about. Make sure all of the away teams know about this development, and make sure they observe any effects." Her smile widened. "Well done, B'Elanna."
It was dismissal, and Torres rose to her feet, collecting her datapadd. The captain was right, the implants were only a degree more intrusive than ones that the Federation used all the time; was right, too, to remind everyone how badly they needed the supplies. But still, she thought, / wish I hadn't seen it.
CHAPTER
7
JANEWAY CONSIDERED THE REPORTS ON HER SCREEN, weighing her limited op tions. No options at all, really, she thought-as the holographic doctor had reminded her less than two hours before-but at least I think I can live with the choices. She glanced again at the datapadd on which Torres's final report was displayed in its unedited form, and the sketches and equations, rough as they were, were even more clear. They could spare the metal parts, assuming that the Kirse were willing to duplicate them in composite, and that meant that Voyager could buy the food it needed to survive. The oddities, the uncomfortable aspects of the Kirse, were irrelevant compared to that simple fact, and that knowledge had sustained her when she had made her final bargain with Adamant less than three hours before. Voyager would get its food at a price they could afford that had to be her
first priority. She took a deep breath, and touched her communicator to contact the surface.
To her surprise, it didn't take long to establish a basic agreement. The Kirse were more than willing to copy the isolinear optical chips in the most suitable of their composites, and to accept the components that Voyager could spare for use in the new transporter system. Adamant was even willing to allow a team to begin harvesting the first load of food, and Janeway, with a private sigh of relief, dispatched an away team under Paris's command to handle that chore. A second, smaller team, headed by Tuvok and Torres, beamed down to the citadel to help the Kirse establish their new system.
All that, however, had been some hours ago, and she glanced at her screen with some impatience. The first step had been to find out if the Kirse could indeed copy the isolinear chips, and so far there had been no reports from the surface. She reached for her communicator. "Janeway to bridge. Any word from Tuvok yet?"
Chakotay's face appeared in the screen in almost instant response, hiding several of the open files. "Nothing yet, Captain. But he's scheduled to make a check report in another hour."
"Thank you. Janeway out." She closed the connection and leaned back in her chair, frowning at the viewscreen without really seeing the layered reports. She hadn't expected anything-Chakotay had his orders, would inform her as soon as Tuvok and his team finished examining the sample ceramic anti-stabilizer-and she knew that he knew perfectly well that this was just a way of occupying herself until the reports did come in. It was better, however, than spending the time on the bridge. She could still
remember her own years as a first officer