Spirit Walk, Book Two Read online

  “And while the doctor treats you,” Astall said, “I’d just like to chat a little with you.”

  “Chakotay” folded his arms across his broad chest and sighed, looking amused. “You two are pretty obvious, you know that?”

  They both tried and failed to look innocent.

  “Seems like the Gradak incident has brought you closer together,” he continued. Keep the doctor off balance; remind him that he, too, was perilously close to being relieved of duty for his mental status.

  Kaz wasn’t ruffled so easily, however. “It has, but as I told you, Gradak stays in the background when I stay busy with work. And treating my captain’s injuries certainly qualifies on that account.”

  “I know what I sounded like,” the Changeling said. “And I admit it—I’m grieving. I’m upset and a bit rattled by what happened down there, and I don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”

  “That’s a completely normal and understandable reaction,” said Astall.

  “Then why do I get the feeling that there’s a but in there?” the Changeling replied.

  Astall laughed, a bright, silvery, happy sound. The Changeling decided on the spot that he hated Huanni.

  “Let’s go,” Astall said, still chuckling. “We’ve got some time before we get back to Loran II. Everyone will check everyone out, and I’m sure we’ll all decide we’re all fit for duty.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” said Kaz.

  “Chakotay” extended a hand, indicating that they should precede him. As he followed them to the turbolift, he desperately wished he could figure out a way to justify killing them both.

  Chapter 11

  “IT HAS TO BE,” Chakotay said, feeling his way along the path of logic. “Think about it, Sekky. You and I and everyone else on our world—we’re all only human. There’s nothing different about us.”

  “Yes,” said Sekaya slowly. “That’s what I told Father. That’s why it struck me as so odd that they’d want to have samples of each of our DNA. We were just human.”

  “Except we weren’t,” Chakotay said. “We aren’t. And what’s made us different from other humans is we still have a trace of Sky Spirit DNA in our makeup. Moset noticed it when he examined the members of our tribe.” His mind raced, and he struggled to keep up with the thoughts. “And I’ve got more than a trace. I’ve gotten…”

  The words came to him in an instant, making him almost ill. He was furious that he hadn’t figured it out earlier. “Moset spoke of a fresh infusion,” he said slowly. “When they walked down the corridor and thought we couldn’t hear them.”

  “I remember,” said Sekaya.

  “And that’s exactly what I’ve got. Less than seven years ago I got a fresh infusion of Sky Spirit DNA, directly from the source. I had the bonding, the same bonding our ancestors had. The gift, he called it. Just like it happened over forty-five thousand years ago.”

  Exhausted and in pain as she was, as they both were, Sekaya was able to follow along. “Your Sky Spirit DNA is much more pure than any of ours,” she said. “And because of it, you are genetically similar to the first human who had the bonding.”

  “That’s what Moset wanted, all those years ago. He discovered a trace of it when he started testing our people and wanted to make sure that he got everyone, just in case my DNA was somehow better for his purposes. The irony is, if he’d gotten me then, I’d have been no different from any other member of the tribe. The question is, why does he want this so badly?”

  “You are a curious fellow, Captain,” came Moset’s voice, startling Chakotay into silence. “But that comes with your DNA, I suppose. Tell me, Chakotay, did you notice if anything was different after your encounter with the Sky Spirit?”

  He stood over them now, a padd in his hands, taking notes as if this were nothing more than a traditional, sanctioned experiment.

  Chakotay laughed. “Why the hell would I tell you anything, Moset?”

  The Cardassian smiled mischievously. “Because you are a curious fellow. You want to know what’s going on. We have more in common than you think, Captain. What I learn here because of you and that amazing DNA you carry could help cure diseases we haven’t even heard of yet. It could move technological development forward at an accelerated pace.”

  Chakotay regarded him. He’d tried to, as the Changeling had put it, “play” Moset earlier. It wasn’t likely the Cardassian would be stupid enough to fall for it if he tried again, but there was nothing to lose. He was certain that he and Sekaya would die here unless he could somehow convince Moset to free them.

  He decided to try the obvious first. “I’ll make a deal with you, Moset. I’m the one you missed the first time around, and I’m the one with the fresh infusion of Sky Spirit DNA. Let my sister go. She’s of no use to you. I’ll tell you everything you want, as long as I know she’s safe.”

  Moset regarded him with a mixture of contempt and pity. “Surely you must know I can’t do that. She’ll lead your friends right to us. And besides, she’s quite useful as a control subject. I can compare and contrast results. I’m sorry, but you must both stay here.”

  Chakotay smiled. “I had to try,” he said.

  “Of course you did. That’s part of your nature, Captain.”

  Chakotay found it disconcerting to be addressed by the respectful title while he was bound and being experimented on, but that was part of Moset’s nature. Anything the Cardassian could do to pretend that they were all on the same side, working toward the same noble goal, he would.

  “You’re right about one thing,” Chakotay continued. “I am curious. I know a little about the gift that the Sky Spirits bestowed on me and my people, but I’m willing to bet you know more. It looks like the Cardassians have been studying it for some time.”

  Moset brightened at the compliment, then took umbrage. “The Cardassians? No, the whole thing was entirely my idea. I tell you, if people like me had led our Union, then we’d still be a force to be reckoned with in our quadrant. After my successes on Bajor and my little side trip to Betazed, I recommended that we perform a thorough analysis of every population that came under our control. It was time-consuming and expensive, but I felt it would be worth it.”

  He was getting excited now, talking about himself and his shrewdness. “Successes on Bajor” indeed.

  “By examining every individual, by collecting exhaustive data, we could discover who had recessive traits that might prove useful one day. We might be able to cure diseases, prevent birth defects, create ways to inoculate people against biological weapons. Who knows, we might be able to find individuals able to resist assimilation by the Borg. Now, mind you, most of those we examined had nothing of interest to offer us, other than being useful test subjects.”

  Chakotay had been watching Moset intently, as if highly interested in anything he had to say, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Sekaya flinch slightly. Stay calm, Sekky, he thought. Don’t let your anger out, not yet. This could be our chance.

  At the same time that he watched with feigned interest and cold calculation, Chakotay also experienced regret. This was the Moset who had so charmed the Doctor at first. Waxing eloquent about saving unborn generations from illness and destruction, his eyes shining with passion, this was a man who had once been capable of doing great good. Instead, he had let his head get in the way of his heart. He had either failed or refused to see that the cold-blooded murder of innocent people—defeated enemy or not—couldn’t possibly be excused by the discovery of a cure for the fostassa virus. Moset wasn’t as far gone as the Changeling, though; he still desperately craved approval and acceptance. Katal, for that was how Chakotay thought of the being, had no such weaknesses.

  Chakotay was more than willing to exploit Moset’s.

  “But there were others, like your tribe, who had something unexpected and utterly fascinating to offer us. They told me I was obsessive, single-minded, but I persisted. I knew that it would be useful to have every single one of you on file. You were worth
chasing, Chakotay.”

  “Good thing I went into the Delta Quadrant before you found me,” Chakotay said. “Otherwise, I never would have had my encounter with the aliens.”

  “Absolutely!” exclaimed Moset.

  “I know that the bonding gave us a sense of adventure, of curiosity, and encouraged our love and respect for the land and its creatures,” Chakotay continued. “But it sounds like you found something else. If my sister and I are going to die because of this, can’t we at least know what it is we’re dying for?”

  Moset looked from one to the other, considering. He was clearly bursting to share what he’d learned, but at the same time was wary that somehow telling them might be dangerous. At last he shrugged.

  “I do think you have that right,” he said. “It’s comforting to know that you’re dying for a good cause.”

  Sekaya made a small sound and turned her head so Moset wouldn’t see the hatred in her eyes. Chakotay looked at the blinking lights set deep inside her skull and shuddered inwardly.

  “Captain, you reported that you encountered storms when you attempted to land on the Sky Spirit’s planet,” said Moset.

  “Yes, that’s right. They were afraid that we’d come to cause them harm and wanted us to leave. So whenever we tried to transport or land a shuttle, a storm would appear at those precise coordinates.” Despite himself, Chakotay knew he really was curious.

  Moset grinned. “And being the intelligent people that you are, you no doubt noticed that something similar happened here. That there was a storm centered over the colony site.”

  Chakotay nodded.

  “Our…technology…isn’t quite as exact as that of the Sky Spirits, but we’re working on it. Would you like to see how we controlled the weather?”

  “Yes,” Chakotay replied. Even Sekaya, hate-fueled and in pain as she was, was listening in on the conversation with growing interest.

  Moset grinned even wider and hastened out the door. A moment later he returned with a small ape-like creature loping at his heels and holding his hand. The creature reminded Chakotay of a cross between a chimpanzee and a young mugato. It opened its mouth to chitter, and Chakotay saw long, sharp teeth. The small hand that curled trustingly around Moset’s fingers was tipped with long claws. A strange and unusual creature, no doubt, but why had Moset brought it when they had just been discussing weather control technology?

  “Kaymar,” said Moset in a voice full of affection. “Kaymar, eyes here.” He brought his fingers to his own eyes, and the creature looked at him intently. “Good boy.” He stepped forward and brought up an image on one viewscreen of a storm raging, and a second image that showed the colony site. The sun was bright and the sky blue.

  “Kaymar,” Moset said, pointing toward the first screen, “make a storm.”

  The creature hooted softly and screwed up its face. A second or two later, Chakotay saw the image of the colony site grow dark as clouds rushed to fill the sky. He couldn’t hear the thunder, but he saw the flashes of lightning and the torrential downpour.

  Kaymar grunted and held out his hand for a treat.

  “This,” said Moset proudly, “is Kaymar. He is our weather control technology.”

  “But—how—” Sekaya asked, then bit her lip.

  “These creatures are my latest experiment. They’re my reward for helping Katal.” Moset turned to the replicator and instructed, “Ulyu.” A few moments later a large, red, soft-fleshed fruit appeared. He handed it to the creature, who began to devour it with delight.

  “They were once just human, but now they’re better than that. This one controls the weather technology. Another, when his brain is hooked up to a scanner, can telepathically communicate with us.”

  Moset looked at Chakotay, his eyes bright with passion and triumph. “The Sky Spirits gave you just the slightest hint of what they can do, Chakotay. Even you, with your fresh infusion, can’t hold a candle to what they really are. In your logs, which Katal was kind enough to obtain for me while he was masquerading as Ellis, you mentioned that the aliens lived very crudely, very close to the land. Well, this is why. They could mentally create anything they needed. Their shelter was just the most basic symbol. They could control the temperature inside the shelters, whether or not the rain penetrated—even telepathically summon animals to be their meals, or locate fruits and vegetables that were safe to eat. And frankly, my research is leading me to believe that they could actually create their food and other items out of thin air.”

  “Great Spirit,” breathed Sekaya. “They were gods, after all.”

  Moset gave a condescending chuckle. “I believe you have a saying, and we have a similar one: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Think of how a transporter or a replicator might appear to primitive people, of how—”

  “But this isn’t technology,” Sekaya interrupted. “These are mental abilities.”

  “Quantum physics in action,” said Moset, settling back and assuming a professorial air. “The Sky Spirits—I do hate calling them that, but you never did get a proper name for their species, Captain—have certain physical genetic markers that interact with their brain chemicals to do with thoughts what it takes us limited beings tools to accomplish. I’ve been hard at work over the last three years attempting to create a race that is able to do what the Sky Spirits can. Fortunately, my work on the Betazoids enabled me to become familiar with the abilities of a powerfully telepathic mind. Even with that background, this has been the greatest challenge of my life, and, when I am finally able to announce that I am not dead after all, it will be my greatest scientific triumph. The breakthroughs I’ll be able to achieve will be staggering.”

  Chakotay looked at the small primate-like being who was busily nibbling the fruit. “The Sky Spirits weren’t apes,” he said. “The genetic bonding didn’t turn me or my ancestors into creatures like this.”

  “Yes,” said Moset, and frowned. “That’s one thing I haven’t figured out yet. I used other sources than Sky Spirit DNA; the interaction could be what’s causing this side effect. I’ll need to do more work before I can say definitively.”

  “You said this—this creature was human,” Sekaya said. “Who was he?”

  Moset looked affectionately at the creature. “He was born Paul Fortier, son of Guillaume Fortier. But I call him Kaymar, after my father.”

  Fortier—this must once have been Marius’s nephew. “The colonists,” Chakotay said. “You’ve been experimenting on the colonists. That’s why we lost contact.”

  “Of course.”

  “And somehow we weren’t able to detect them with our sensors,” Chakotay continued. His mind went back to when he had landed on the Sky Spirit’s planet. There had been no trace of humanoid life-forms. Not until the aliens had decided they were ready to make contact. He and the rest of the Voyager crew had assumed it was technology at work—of course they had. He remembered Kim talking about unusually large EM readings, and they’d simply, logically assumed it was some sort of cloaking device. But brain waves produced measurable activity, too, didn’t they?

  “You can measure it,” Chakotay said. “Their brain activity. To someone who doesn’t know exactly what they’re looking for, it’ll register as standard equipment readings.”

  Moset was looking at him admiringly now. “Yes,” he said. “You catch on quickly. Maybe it’s that special boost you got.”

  “You made them into animals, not gods,” said Sekaya bitterly. “Look at him. He used to be a little boy and now look at him!”

  “Kaymar and the others are works in progress,” Moset admitted. “All I had was the diluted DNA to work with. I’m certain I’ll make tremendous strides soon, once I can isolate the genetic markers that are more developed than the common ones.”

  “How the hell did you get our DNA anyway?” Sekaya continued.

  Chakotay wished she would stay quiet. His goal was to befriend Moset, as much as he could, anyway. He feared she would antagonize him and
he’d clam up. But she raised a good question.

  “You’re supposed to be dead.”

  “My dear, there was nothing easier,” said Moset, completely unruffled by her hostility. “When Cardassia Prime fell, there was utter chaos. Our friend the Changeling was able to hire a more unsavory type to break into a certain laboratory, where I had stored the DNA. It was hardly anything of import to anyone else, and Starfleet didn’t know the significance of what was stolen.”

  “But he’s a Changeling,” said Chakotay, feigning incomprehension of the situation. “Surely he could have impersonated anyone he wished. There would have been no need to hire a third party to get the DNA samples.”

  “He hasn’t been himself for some time,” said Moset. “About seven years, in fact. He rescued me from imprisonment and provided me with everything I needed to continue my research into the Sky Spirit DNA. And I’ve been able to use what I’ve learned to great effect.”

  “What do you mean, not himself?” asked Chakotay, keeping his voice conversational, mildly curious. He didn’t want to let on how desperately he wanted to know this piece of the puzzle.

  “He wasn’t able to shape-shift,” Moset said blithely. “He was stuck as Andrew Ellis for years. Absolutely hated it, apparently. I was able to help him recover some of his abilities. He can now shape-shift into humanoid male form, but that’s it. He says he’s at least happy for a change of face.”

  Moset threw back his head and laughed uproariously at his pun. Chakotay felt sick at the revelation. For almost his entire Starfleet career, “Priggy” Ellis had been an impersonation. Quickly he did the math—the Changeling had assumed Ellis’s form when he was twenty-two or twenty-three. A fake. All the kudos Ellis had received, the reputation he’d built—it was all a fraud.

  Moset wiped at the tears. “My, it’s good to laugh. It hasn’t been all fun and games the last few years, let me tell you.”

  “How did the Changeling lose his powers?” Chakotay probed.