The Murdered Sun - Christie Golden [24]
"Good as new. Thank you, Doctor."
She slipped off the bed, yielding it to a pretty, pale young ensign who had a vicious rip down her face. Janeway took comfort in the knowledge that even in the crowded sickbay, everyone would receive attention and recover completely. There would be no such luck for the unfortunate inhabitants of Veruna Four, Janeway thought as she stepped into the turbolift.
***
Tom Paris's eyes were red and full of grit. He was exhausted, just like everyone else present. He sighed and rubbed at his itchy eyes, trying to get them to clear.
I know this conference room better than I do my own quarters, he mused without humor. Stifling a yawn, he forced himself to sit forward on his chair rather than slumping back. It was easier to stay awake that way.
"Status reports, everyone," requested Janeway. She looked alert and on top of things as usual. Idly, Paris wondered how she managed it.
"B'Elanna, how's Engineering coping with everything?"
The half-Klingon grimaced, the gesture making her face look more Klingon and less human than it normally appeared. "Not as well as I'd like, but frankly as well as can be expected. The good news is, we've managed to repair the graviton polarity source generators. The shields should be up to full strength within the hour. The bad news is, we won't be going anywhere fast anytime soon. We'll need at least six more hours to repair the warp engines. As for the structural damage to decks eleven through fourteen, I've got crews working on it."
Janeway looked relieved and waved a hand reassuringly. "The shields are the most important thing. We don't need warp drive at the moment.
Six hours will do. I've just been down to sickbay myself, so I can report on that situation. I saw nothing that the good doctor won't be able to handle. We got off damn lucky." Her face hardened. "We'll have to see to it that this doesn't happen again. Now," she said, leaning forward and lacing her fingers together on the table, "I would like to bring Viha Nata in on the rest of this conversation. She might be able to tell us more about the concavity they call Sun-Eater and about the Akerians. Any objections?"
She glanced around the room, catching and holding every officer's eyes.
Paris thought she held his gaze unusually long, and he was glad there wasn't a telepath in the room. He felt sorry for Viha Nata and her people, naturally. Who wouldn't? But there was something about that serpentine head, the elongated muzzle, that... well, that gave him the creeps. He'd never liked reptiles, whether they walked, crawled, slithered on their stomachs, or stood upright wearing clothes and talking. He held his tongue nonetheless. If the captain wanted to talk to these... could one really call them "people"? ... then it wasn't his place to nay-say her as long as they didn't pose a threat.
"Captain, are you proposing beaming her on board?" Tuvok's question held a slight--oh, so very slight--trace of disapproval.
"Certainly not. I don't want to contaminate this culture any further than we have already. But she can be privy to this meeting via viewscreen. She's seen our bridge. I doubt there's anything in this conference room more revealing."
Tuvok dipped his head in graceful concession. "With that stipulation, I see no reason not to have her input on this situation."
Nobody else voiced any problem. Paris noted that Chakotay even looked eager to have the Viha as a participant. Janeway reached forward and activated the viewscreen on the table.
The alien visage flashed on the screen--huge yellow eyes, pointy muzzle, strange shock of white hair. Paris thought he did an admirable job of hiding his dislike. He forced his face to remain neutral as the creature started speaking.
"Thank you, Captain, for agreeing to this audience. I will do whatever I can to assist you and your crew."
"Are you certain this isn't keeping you from more pressing duties, Viha?" asked