Atonement (33 page)

Night on his home planet was long. The days were too hot to run, and mother had needed him to play with the babies. At night, he was free to explore the world outside the tents. It felt familiar. It felt safe.

Night was not as long here. Nothing was safe. But Shon still needed to run. It was always day inside. There was always light. Shon had found stairways. They led to closed doors. He had found small rooms. One of those rooms was filled with dusty boxes and books. It had a window. Shon had climbed the boxes to look out the window. Outside there was room to run. He saw it through the window.

He waited for night to come again.

The window had been easy to open. He was almost too big to slip through it. But he had.

Shon breathed the cool air of night. For the first time in a long time, he felt free again.

He kept to the shadows at first. He ran between them. When no one came to call him back, he ran farther. He found the end of the building. The high fence was so far away. He could run to it and back in no time.

He did.

He did it again.

He laughed in delight.

No one came to call him back.

The third time he reached the fence, he stopped to catch his breath. A shadow fell over him.

“Hello, there,” a voice said.

It was not his mother's voice.

Shon turned and looked up. A tall man stood there. His eyes were silver, like the moon. Shon started to run, but the eyes held him.

“And who might you be?” the voice asked.

The man stepped closer to the fence, and suddenly Shon saw his face. He didn't like it. It reminded him of his stuffed serpent.

“Don't be afraid,” the voice said.

Shon was.

Shon ran. He scurried back inside the window and slammed it shut.

He didn't tell his mother what he'd done or about the man with the voice.

VESTA

T
hulan turned out to be one of the more reasonable and discerning aliens Captain Regina Farkas had ever met. It had aided matters considerably that Farkas had presented him with the answers to questions that had plagued him and many among
the Voth leadership for months. As first minister, there was little that fell outside Odala's power to command. Although she had made a compelling case for countering the objectives of the disruptive Federation, joining the
Kinara
had been a bridge too far for most of her subordinates. A thorough forensic analysis that had been completed after the
Scion
had left to join the
Kinara
had revealed faint, telltale transporter signals between Odala's private chambers and a Voth scout vessel. Odala's body had never been recovered, but the signal's artifacts pointed to its final resting place in deep space.

After accepting Farkas's intelligence gratefully, Thulan had returned the favor, offering Farkas the one thing she had requested, beyond the lives of her crew and the continuing existence of her ship. As the captain had suspected, there was a
Kinara
recon point several light-years from the Ark Planet, closer to the Gateway but still within the space the protectors cloaked. Thulan had given her the coordinates and a warning. The Turei and Vaadwaur were both species of limited resources and imagination. He doubted they would believe Farkas's intelligence. He also assured Farkas that this small, mutually beneficial contact changed nothing between their peoples. The
Vesta
's captain was willing to live with that, as long as the unprovoked attacks on the Federation communications relays ended. Thulan agreed. Farkas couldn't help suggesting that if the Voth ever changed their minds, they use those comm relays to signal the fleet. Thulan did not believe that day would ever come.

The
Vival
had departed, continuing their search for the
Scion
, and
Vesta
set course for what remained of the
Kinara
's fleet.

Long-range sensors soon painted a cheerier picture than Farkas had dared hope would be found.

“Six vessels, two Vaadwaur, four Turei, all holding position, bearing three-one-one mark two-four,” Jepel reported. “They are all among the smallest of these species' vessels.”

“Helm, approach at full impulse. Let's give them a nice, long look at us,” Farkas ordered. “As soon as we're in range, Jepel, go ahead and send out a friendship message and a request to share our data with them.”

A few minutes later, the small fleet appeared to scatter. It was soon clear, however, that they were moving into attack formation.

“Are we really going to have to do this the hard way?” Farkas sighed.

“Going forward, may I suggest that designation be restricted only to operations that include arming our self-destruct mechanism while inside an alien vessel?” Commander Roach asked.

Farkas laughed in genuine surprise. “Mister Roach, you just made a joke while on duty.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Only took you a year.”

“I used to be such a quick study,” Roach said with feigned chagrin.

“The lead Turei vessel has armed its weapons, Captain,” Kar reported from tactical.

“Sienna, I want them disarmed, not destroyed.”

“Understood, Captain.”

A few minutes later, two of the Turei vessels had lost the use of their shields and weapons and two had suffered sufficient damage to break off their attacks. The Vaadwaur ships were considerably smaller and had held back, though they had both suffered minor damage from Kar's first surgical strike.

Throughout the brief conflict, Farkas had continued to transmit messages on all frequencies indicating that she had simply come to share information that was vital to them.

Finally, the pale gray-blue face of a Turei officer who introduced himself as Frim appeared on
Vesta
's main viewscreen.

“Mister Frim,” Farkas greeted him. “I am Captain Regina Farkas of—”

“We know who you are,
” Frim said.

“The intelligence I've brought is for your edification, as well as that of your Vaadwaur allies. I'd like to bring one of them into this conversation as well.”

Frim shook his head in disgust.
“Hail them, if you like. Our communications systems have suffered some damage recently.”

Jepel did so, and in response, the cool and appraising face of
Vaadwaur Section Leader Tiqe joined Frim's. Tiqe was clearly feeling a little superior. Behind him, his small ship appeared to be fully operational while Frim's bridge was a darkened mass of belching smoke and debris.

“Mister Tiqe, thank you for joining us.”

“The Vaadwaur learned long ago to respect the tactical capabilities of your Federation
,” Tiqe said placidly.

“I apologize for damaging your ships, but you left me no choice.”

“What terms do you demand for our surrender?”
Frim asked.

“A few minutes of your time,” Farkas replied congenially. She then presented both of them with the same data she had provided to Thulan about Lsia, The Eight, and the battle at the Gateway. While both were clearly interested in what she had to say, Frim did not appear ready to accept her words at face value.

“Why should we believe this report?”
Frim demanded.

“Because we are both still alive to hear it,”
Tiqe replied for Farkas.
You ignorant buffoon,
was clearly implied by Tiqe's tone.

“You don't have to take my word for it,” Farkas said. “I am now transmitting to you our ship's logs of the battle at the Gateway, as well as written reports detailing our encounters with the Indign and the Seriareen. In addition, I am sending our most recent intelligence regarding the Borg. Once you've had a chance to review it, I hope you will better understand the Federation's presence in the Delta Quadrant, as well as our intended goals. We do not wish to instigate hostilities with any local species or claim any territory. We have come here to explore and when we can, to clear up any misunderstandings that arose during the
Starship Voyager
's first journey through your space.”

“More Federation lies,”
Frim said.

“To what end?” Farkas asked. “I sincerely hope you will accept what I've given you in the spirit in which it is intended. Even if you don't, you should be aware that your alliance with the
Kinara
is over. The Skeen, Karlon, Muk, and Emleath vessels that joined yours in attacking the Gateway were destroyed or retreated, leaving the Devore, Voth, Turei, and Vaadwaur to the
mercy of the Confederacy. A Devore and Voth ship both survived the battle at the Gateway, and I'm assuming they had the location of this recon point but neither came here to provide you with this critical intelligence. They are busy tending to their own. You should do the same. Should we meet again, I expect that you will remember this act of goodwill on our part.”

“The Vaadwaur will, Captain,”
Tiqe assured her.

Seconds later, his ship rattled around him and he looked away from the viewscreen in alarm.

“What the—?” Farkas began.

“Two of the Turei vessels have opened fire on their Vaadwaur
allies
,” Kar reported.

“Are you serious?” Farkas asked as the channel between all three vessels was cut.

“The Vaadwaur ships are returning fire,” Kar added.

“Mister Hoch, fall back. As soon as we're clear, set course for New Talax and engage our slipstream drive.”

“Aye, Captain,” Hoch said.

Farkas turned to Roach. “Did you see that coming?”

Roach thought for a moment. “I'm surprised their alliance lasted this long,” he observed.

“Fair point,” Farkas agreed.

DEMETER

“Overseer Bralt, we are so relieved that you have returned,”
EC Irste said.

“Thank you,” Bralt said, smiling benevolently.

Commander O'Donnell had hailed the
Fourth Jroone
the moment
Demeter
was in range. They had waited too long for news of their overseer of agriculture. In a few minutes, they would be in transporter range, Bralt would return to the CIF vessel, and O'Donnell would set course for the last known coordinates of the rest of the fleet, just outside the Gateway.

“Shall I dispatch a protector for you?”
Irste asked.

“That won't be necessary,” Bralt replied. “Commander O'Donnell
and his crew have provided us with a great deal of intelligence on the capabilities of our protectors. I intend to test some of the theories immediately. You will remain in orbit of Vitrum, and as soon as we join you our tests will commence.”

“I beg your pardon, Overseer,” O'Donnell interrupted, “but I cannot join in those efforts. I have been ordered to take my ship to the fleet rendezvous. I will bring this request to the admiral's attention, and with her permission, will return as soon as I can.”

Bralt frowned. “I understand, Commander,” he began. “I did not intend for your ship to make contact with the protectors for us. The
Jroone
can do that. But I was hoping you would observe our efforts and offer any guidance you feel would be appropriate.”

No.
The only possible response was on the tip of O'Donnell's tongue. It hung there, ready to fall from his lips.

“Commander,” Fife interjected. “A few more hours at this point couldn't do much harm, could it?
Vesta
is aware of our intended destination, and we could use the CIF's communications system to send word of a brief delay to the fleet. Given what this might do to further relations with the Confederacy, I can't imagine that the admiral would disapprove.”

O'Donnell turned to Fife's expectant face. He knew what the young officer was thinking. On Vitrum, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children were living in abject poverty. That could change in a matter of weeks. Every minute they delayed was one more minute of needless suffering.

How dare you put the face of a hungry child in front of me and order me not to feed him?

Fife had hurled this insult at O'Donnell the first day he'd visited Vitrum's surface. It had wounded O'Donnell. Ordering Fife to return to
Demeter
immediately had been one of the hardest things the commander had done in a long time. But it had cleared the way for their breakthrough with Overseer Bralt at the Ark Planet.

Alana,
O'Donnell thought.

As expected, she did not answer.

A
spasm of fresh pain shot through O'Donnell's heart.

I don't need her to answer.

She hadn't abandoned him. She would never do that. He had lived too long apart from others. His self-imposed isolation had been intentional. Alone, he had been free to create a world inside his mind where she had never died. No,
where the consequences of her death had been avoided.

That isolation had come to an end when he had assumed command of
Demeter.
Forced into the land of the living, he had accidentally and unintentionally, little by little, opened himself up to the counsel of others. They had not replaced her. No one would ever do that. They had simply helped make possible a transition that should have happened years ago.

O'Donnell nodded to Fife. “Three hours.”

Fife nodded. “Would you care to return to your quarters? I will advise you when the
Jroone
is ready to begin.

O'Donnell shook his head and settled back into the command chair. “No.”

“Are you all right, sir?” Fife asked gently.

“Yes, Atlee. I am.”

VOYAGER

“What am I looking at?” Admiral Janeway asked as she studied the holographic display suspended before her eyes in the center of the briefing room's conference table.