Star Trek Voyager: Mosaic by Jeri Taylor

Author:Jeri Taylor [Taylor, Jeri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780743453868
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek
Published: 2002-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

JAL SITTIK LISTENED AS MISKK

SPAT OUT HIS ACCOUNT OF THE debacle in the fruit grove. One

man dead, everyone else injured, some critically, from a

horrific battle with reptiles that dropped from the trees.

Miskk himself had nearly been killed, and would have been

were it not for his prodigious strength, which allowed him

to kill a serpent with his bare hands.

Sittik doubted this tale, but thought it unwise to

challenge Miskk given the turn of events. It was he who had

sent the men into the grove, and Miskk could easily make an

issue of that, one which he would bring to Maje Dut. Sittik

longed briefly for Miskk's own death in the coils of the

reptiles, but accepted that fate had decreed he would live

on to provide an ongoing obstacle to Sittik's quest for

success. So be itovercoming obstacles would only make him

stronger.

"You acquitted yourself well, Miskk. It is unfortunate

that Pelg did not survive, but his death will be spoken of

as a sacrifice to the great victory we will achieve today.

His name will be praised."

"Your great victory seems to elude you, Sittik. Have you

even located the Federations yet?"

Sittik smiled. He'd been waiting for this.

"Of course." He stomped his foot on the ground.

"They're underground. Just beneath us."

There was a flicker of confusion in Miskk's face, and

Sittik indulged himself in a small gloating laugh. He made

a mental note to reward the man who had detected the

Federation life signs beneath the surface, but saw no

reason to acknowledge him to Miskk. "There are subterranean

passageways-caves, perhaps-where they have taken refuge. We

haven't yet found the opening, but it's just a matter of

time."

"Why not simply blast an opening with weapons?"

"That's precisely what I intend to do, Miskk, if you'll

stop prattling on about your mishap."

Sittik strode away from him and toward the others, snapping

orders at them, wishing even more strongly that Miskk had

met his death-a slow one, preferably-within the snake-infested grove of trees.

Neelix had stayed with the injured at the main staging

area of the underground structure. Greta Kale was feeling

better and LeFevre fully recovered, though all of them

remained somewhat shaken by their gauntlet through the

reptiles.

Neelix thought briefly of the cake he'd made, still

waiting on Voyager for Tuvok's delectation.

The thought of the nocha confection was comforting to him

somehow; at the least, thinking of it was better than

thinking of those noxious snakes, and a lot better than

thinking of the Kazon who were prowling above them, looking

for a way down so they could slaughter everyone they found.

Captain Janeway, of course, would be looking for them,

and undoubtedly effect their rescue.

Eventually. Unless she had her hands full with the ship

those Kazon soldiers came from-a distinct possibility, as

Neelix saw it.

He made himself focus on the Grissibian cake, remembering

the explosion of flavor as the nocha detonated on the

tongue. Kes would love it. He looked around, wishing she

would come back.

He knew not to appear overly protective of her-she hated

that-but he couldn't help but be uncomfortable that she had

so few compunctions about exploring this alien structure.

There was no knowing what might be here. But Kes' curiosity

always outweighed her fear, and nothing he could say or do

would change that.

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