“But?”
“Based on intelligence the admiral received just before she departed, and which she intends to confirm in the next few minutes, I think at the very least she might just have saved all of us from dying ignorant of the magnitude of our miscalculations.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Chakotay demanded.
MANTICLE
Lieutenant Lasren remained at the shuttle’s helm as the admiral and her security detachment disembarked. His ability to confirm the admiral’s suspicions depended on the presence of Inspector Kashyk in the shuttlebay.
Lasren had sensed nothing unusual while watching events unfold from the Vesta’s bridge. He had not attempted to read the feelings of those the admiral spoke with before or during the battle. He did not believe it possible for him to collect meaningful impressions from such a distance. Other Betazoids who practiced their skills more regularly might have managed it, but Kenth’s abilities were not so finely honed.
Almost as soon as the shuttle’s hatch had opened, however, a flood of confusing sensations washed over him. Through the shuttle’s forward port he could see the small group arrayed to greet the admiral. They included Inspector Kashyk; a Saurian female of advanced age wearing a long, finely embroidered robe and a heavy gold chain of large, diamond-shaped links; a Turei officer; and a Vaadwaur officer—the latter two in uniform. Twelve other security personnel of varying species stood in formation near the doors of the shuttlebay, all armed with large rifles.
From this vantage point, it was difficult for Lasren to isolate the sensations he was seeking. He had been prepared to target the inspector at the admiral’s request. Decan had suggested the presence of two distinct minds at work. Although only four officers stood near the admiral, at this distance he sensed seven discreet entities—not including the admiral or her two security officers.
Lasren stole softly to the shuttle hatch, remaining hidden from view, and reached out with his mind, beginning with the Turei and Vaadwaur officers.
Four, he realized, two in each.
The Saurian female whom he believed to be Voth was more of a mystery. There was a single consciousness present within her, but she was somehow intangible. Had he not been able to see her with his own eyes, or sense the mind at work within her empathically, he would not have known she was there.
Lasren hurriedly turned his attention completely on the inspector just as the admiral reached for him. Although she had advised him of her intention to attempt to confirm Decan’s impressions personally, in the event Kenth was unable to do so, it was still shocking to witness. It clearly stunned everyone else in the room momentarily.
In full view of all assembled, and after saying only a few words of greeting, Admiral Janeway wrapped her arms around Inspector Kashyk’s neck and kissed him firmly on the mouth.
For a moment, the inspector seemed to appreciate the gesture. As his lips met hers, the weaker of the two minds within him surged in intensity. Rage quickly won out, however, banishing all other emotions, as the inspector grabbed Janeway firmly by her upper arms and pushed her back, roughly.
Kashyk then raised a hand over his shoulder, clearly ready to strike the admiral with the back of his hand for her insolence. In less than a second, the phasers carried by Psilakis and Lieutenant Cheng were lifted and aimed directly at the inspector’s midsection. When the second had fully elapsed, a dozen rifles had been lifted by the hands of the Kinara security detachment and aimed at the admiral and her officers.
“Stand down,” the Saurian female ordered in a voice that brooked no argument.
Lasren did not know what intelligence Admiral Janeway might have gained from that kiss, but he could now confirm that what Decan had said was true.
The admiral glanced back toward the open hatch of the shuttle. Lasren stepped into full view and stood at rest, awaiting her orders. Her eyes met his. Ever so slightly, he nodded.
Admiral Janeway nodded in return and said, “Return to Voyager at once, Lieutenant. Advise Captain Chakotay to await further instructions. Tell Lieutenant Barclay that I kept my promise.”
“Aye, Admiral,” Lasren said. Returning to the shuttle’s control panel, he sealed the hatch and awaited clearance from the Manticle’s operations officer to depart.
As soon as his shuttle was clear and his course was set, Lasren hailed Voyager.
VOYAGER
It had taken Counselor Cambridge only a few minutes to provide his captain with a full report of the last few days’ events, including the demands of the Market Consortium, the intriguing visit from Presider Cin, the opening of negotiations with the Kinara, the unexpected appearance of Inspector Kashyk, and all he had said to sow discord between the presider and the admiral.
“The admiral can’t honestly believe that she somehow deserves to be tried for the actions she took during our voyage in the Delta Quadrant,” Chakotay said when Cambridge described the change of heart Janeway displayed once Kashyk had relayed his demands to Presider Cin.
“It’s more complicated than that,” Cambridge chided him. “She has come a great distance in a short time and is well on her way to laying all of her past demons to rest. I think part of her reluctance to abandon the Confederacy came from a fear that, by doing so, she would be falling back into a bad habit.”
“A bad habit? Is that what we’re calling acting to preserve the safety of our crews?” Chakotay asked.
“The habit I was referencing was making a decision that could have cataclysmic consequences in the absence of complete understanding,” Cambridge corrected him.
“What is there to understand?” Chakotay demanded. “We cannot create an alliance with the Confederacy, but by doing what she did, she’s made it impossible for us to avoid one, at least in the short term.”
“By doing what she did, she has denied the Kinara the ability to enter into an accord with the Confederacy that might bring them closer and add a powerful enemy of the Federation to a list that’s already much too long,” Cambridge said. “She has also placed herself in a position to observe the Kinara at close quarters and acquire critical intelligence.”
“We already know most of them,” Chakotay said. “The Turei, the Vaadwaur, the Devore, and the Voth all managed to make bad first impressions. I don’t think that’s going to change by getting to know them better.”
“The Turei, the Vaadwaur, the Devore, and the Voth,” Cambridge repeated. “It’s been staring us in the face for weeks, and I’d guess that on some level, their inconceivable alliance drove the admiral to acquiesce to their demands as much as your helmsman’s inability to avoid those torpedoes. Had Voyager not been moments away from destruction should the battle continue, the admiral might yet have ordered retreat and learned to live with the consequences later.”
“The admiral accepted that risk when she ordered us into battle,” Chakotay said.
“Yes, but there’s acceptance, and then there’s acceptance.”
Chakotay sighed, nodding. After a moment, he seemed to really hear what Cambridge had said. “Their inconceivable alliance. What does she think brought them together?”
“Not what. Whom.”
Chakotay considered the question for a moment, then shook his head in frustration.
“Captain Chakotay,” Waters called from the bridge. “Lieutenant Lasren is hailing and wishes to speak with you. He is en route to Voyager now.”
“Put him through,” Chakotay ordered.
“Captain Chakotay, I can confirm the admiral’s safe arrival on board the Manticle. She advises that new orders will be forthcoming shortly. In the meantime, she wants Lieutenant Barclay to know that she kept her promise.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Chakotay said. “Report to the bridge as soon as you arrive.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Once the channel was closed, Chakotay said, “What did she promise Barclay?”
“I can’t say for sure, but I’d guess it was something to the effect that she would solve the problem he ha
s worked tirelessly to address since our encounter with the Indign.”
Suddenly, the light dawned.
Cambridge continued: “The admiral’s aide, Lieutenant Decan, reported sensing two minds at work within Inspector Kashyk. I believe the admiral has just confirmed that we are not only battling the Turei, the Vaadwaur, the Devore, and the Voth.”
“No, we’re not,” Chakotay realized. “How did that never occur to me?”
“Don’t feel bad,” Cambridge said. “I missed it too until the admiral drew me a very detailed picture.”
Chakotay shook his head. “She was alone in territory she didn’t know. Any intelligence she possessed was thousands of years out of date. She used our data to compile a list of the most powerful species we encountered who were also predisposed to mistrust the Federation. And then she guaranteed their support by giving the bodies of high-level officials to her companions just as she took our hologram.”
“The Turei, the Vaadwaur, the Devore, and the Voth,” Cambridge said again. “Including her, that’s five. There were eight. What did she do with the others?”
“I don’t know, but that has just become item one on the very long list of problems now before us that require a solution,” Chakotay said. “Have Harry assemble senior staff in the briefing room in one hour. We have a lot of work to do.”
“Aye, sir.”
Epilogue
MANTICLE
“I know it’s not home, gentlemen, but try and make yourselves comfortable. We’re all going to need our rest.”
“Yes, Admiral,” her two subordinates replied.
“Yes, Admiral,” the voice of Inspector Kashyk mimicked.
He had retreated to his private quarters with his beloved. She stood before the large data screen embedded in the wall behind his workstation. She had watched every move the admiral made since Janeway had arrived in the quarters arranged for her and her officers until the trial could commence.
“Turn it off,” he demanded. “I’ve had my fill of that woman for one day.”
She turned to him. The eyes of this form were small golden orbs recessed beneath prominent cranial ridges that began at the tip of her nose and divided her head, branching outward in dual bony crests, one just above her eye sockets and the other a few centimeters above it. Her hard, dark brown flesh was deeply lined. Her hands terminated in three large digits from which sharp claws extended.
“Why did you kiss her?” she asked.
“She kissed me,” he insisted. “It was disgusting. You should add criminal presumption to the list of charges you plan to bring against her.”
She moved toward him, placing her hands on his chest and clumsily caressing him. “You did not enjoy it?”
“I will enjoy watching her execution. I cannot believe the Federation assigned her to this fleet, given her past history in this region of space.”
“I can’t believe she’s alive. Voyager’s logs indicated she was deceased.”
“I wonder how many other errors those logs contained that might be beneficial to us.”
“Don’t underestimate her or any of them,” she insisted. “Their choice to seek an alliance with the Confederacy could have been motivated by some warning they received about our intentions.”
“There is no one to warn them,” he said. “They have no idea who they are really dealing with.” As she brought her monstrous face closer to his, he said, “Why do you retain that abomination of a form now that it is no longer necessary?”
She smiled and, in a shimmer, transformed into a slight female human with dark hair, a heart-shaped face, and large, lambent eyes.
“You prefer the form of this ‘Meegan’?” she asked.
Wrapping his arms around her tiny waist, he replied, “I prefer the form of your eternal glory. But for now, this will suffice.”
The Adventure Will Continue in
Star Trek: Voyager—Atonement
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
From my family, I have received acceptance, even in the absence of understanding.
From my friends, I have received companionship, even when mine was not the best company.
From my fellow authors, I have received inspiration and the knowledge that I am not alone, even in lonely pursuits.
From the professionals who guide me in this work, I have received faith, even when mine has gone absent without leave.
From my readers, I have received praise I have difficulty accepting, and criticism that immediately makes itself right at home, even though I try to weigh both the same.
From my godson, Jack, I have received many happy hours of abandon and unconditional devotion, even though I see him much too rarely.
From my daughter, Anorah, I have received the truth that no pain is so large it cannot be extinguished by a single hug, even a quick one.
From my husband, David, I have received the support essential to all acts of creation and the willingness to sacrifice countless hours together, even though we will never get them back.
Thank you all. Without you in my life, this work would not be possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kirsten Beyer is the author of seven Star Trek: Voyager novels released by Pocket Books. Between the first and second, she wrote an Alias novel and the last novel ever written for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has also written a few short stories and articles, most about Star Trek, and a few original screenplays, not about Trek.
She does not have a website, a blog, a Facebook page, nor does she Tweet. Those wishing to find her online should check out the literature section on the TrekBBS. She looks forward to establishing a more robust presence on the Internet—just as soon as she figures out how to write faster or discovers more than twenty-four hours in each day.
Kirsten received undergraduate degrees in English literature and theater arts. She also received a master’s degree from UCLA. She never intended to use her education to pursue a career as a novelist. But, apparently, somebody up there had different plans.
Right now, she’s writing the next Voyager novel, which will complete this particular story arc. When she’s not writing . . . she tries to extract every last drop of happiness she can from her life as a wife, a mother, a daughter, and a friend.
For now, she has no complaints.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/Kirsten-Beyer
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Cover design by Alan Dingman
Cover art by Michael Stetson
ISBN 978-1-4767-6551-8
ISBN 978-1-4767-6555-6 (ebook)
CONTENTS
Historian’s Note
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Star Trek: Voyager - 043 - Acts of Contrition Page 40