Unworthy - Kirsten Beyer [92]
“Be that as it may …”
Cambridge raised his right hand in a mock salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
As he left, Eden returned to her desk to reread Paris’s and Kim’s reports. The list of those who possessed the skills necessary to have sabotaged the power distribution system was lengthy. It included all of her senior staff, and Seven, B’Elanna, and Chakotay. Every crew member who had been aboard Voyager during its time in the Delta quadrant was listed as having substantive connections to Species 8472— although Chakotay’s name was at the top.
You accepted the big chair, Afsarah, she reminded herself.
She would wait. She would thoroughly review all the information again once she had received Conlon’s final report. Eden knew having Chakotay aboard Voyager was a questionable call. Throwing him in the brig without proof …
Let me be wrong .
“Computer, raise lights,” Batiste called as he entered his cabin.
Two things registered simultaneously as he walked gingerly toward his desk, allowing his eyes time to adapt to the change in illumination: the hiss of his cabin doors closing behind him, and a cool tingling sensation on his neck.
Before he had time to connect these sensations, he found himself unable to move. He was stuck mid-stride as the coolness on his neck immediately spread throughout his body, rendering his trunk and limbs frozen chunks of lead.
“Computer, dim lights,” a voice Batiste did not recognize said softly.
He attempted to shout for security, but he could not make a sound and his lips remained still despite vigorous efforts to free them from the paralysis engulfing his body.
“We need to talk, Admiral,” the voice went on.
About what? Willem thought.
“About our mutual problem,” the voice replied.
Willem suddenly realized that this situation had just become significantly more dangerous than he had yet imagined. If whomever had attacked him could also read his thoughts …
“Of course I can,” the voice replied with a tinge of amusement. “Now calm down, and listen. I know who you are and I know what you want. The good news is, I want the same thing, in a manner of speaking. I believe that if we work together we can solve two problems at once.”
Rot in hell, Willem thought angrily.
A light, tinkling laughter chilled him further.
“I already have, for thousands of years. I don’t recommend it.” After a short pause, the voice went on, “But if that’s your preference, it can surely be arranged.”
It was nearly noon, local time, when Seven, Chakotay, and Cambridge transported to the outskirts of one of the larger Neyser settlements on the fourth planet.
Time was of the essence. They had made the trip in one of Voyager’s shuttles which was now parked in orbit over the north polar region, its transporter locked on their combadges. Their entry and exit strategy was designed to bring as little attention as possible to the away team.
Not daring to use sensors, and knowing that the clock was ticking, they began their search of the colony. Several hundred elderly Neyser were clustered in a small encampment. Some were roasting animal flesh over communal fires. Others were beating dust from densely woven fabrics hung between posts near the central well. A neatly tended herb garden was planted nearby. Several of the humanoids strolled lazily down dirt paths.
Apart from the crackle of the fires and the scuffle of feet across the dirt, the settlement was shrouded in silence. Seven and Cambridge noted the strangeness of seeing individual Neyser. They appeared diminished, almost naked, without their fellow species, and their movements and behavior lacked the streamlined precision of the cooperative Indign. The community appeared both peaceful and prosperous. The silence confirmed that the Neyser were either stubbornly silent, or communicating telepathically.
The team collected