Spirit Walk, Book One; Old Wounds

by Christie Golden

• ISBN13: 9780743492584
• ISBN10: 0743492587
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-10-26
• Publisher: Star Trek

Summary

Traveling on "Voyager," refugees from Loran II insist on returning to their Dominion War-ravaged planet. When they arrive, the crew finds an ominously deserted settlement--and a hidden threat from Chakotay's past that could destroy them all. Original.

Excerpts

Chapter 1: 2378 Admiral Kathryn Janeway approached the pool table, her jaw set, her eyes bright. Captain Chakotay thought Joan of Arc might have worn that same look of passionate determination, gripping a lance instead of a cue stick. Janeway surveyed the table, called her shot, lined it up, and to the surprise of neither of her watching friends, sank the ball.The three of them were in the real, bona fide Sandrine's in Marseilles. Lieutenant Commander Tom Paris had made the introductions a few months ago and told Sandrine about how popular the replicated bistro was onVoyager'sholodeck. Sandrine had been enormously pleased to think that her "simple,petit bistrooffered so much comfort to lost travelers." The elegant blond proprietor had kissed everyone on the cheek -- the men on each cheek, a bit too lingeringly -- and offered complimentary champagne and caviar all around.Tonight, six months afterVoyager'sreturn home, only Janeway, Chakotay, and Dr. Jarem Kaz were enjoying the dim lighting and cozy atmosphere of the bistro. Janeway sipped a glass of fine French wine between shots, Kaz had indulged in Antarean brandy, and Chakotay held a glass of cold mineral water with lime."Got a big day tomorrow," he said as he ordered, "and besides, I have to stay sharp if I have any hope of winning against Admiral Shark here."In the end, though, Chakotay realized that his decision to stick to water didn't help much. Janeway continued to dominate the game."Maybe we should change the rules," Kaz said to Chakotay as Janeway sank her fourth ball.Janeway looked up in mock horror. "Gentlemen, I'm surprised at you. You should know by now that I never,everchange or bend rules."The two men exchanged amused glances. Chakotay had been Janeway's first officer for seven years and knew nearly everything there was to know about the woman who had brought her crew home against impossible odds. Janeway kept to the spirit of the law, but not always the letter. She took risks and followed her gut instincts and her heart's advice as well as the logic of her brain.Sometimes those risks didn't pay off. Sometimes they exacted a dreadful toll. But most of the time, Kathryn Janeway won.Just as she was doing now.Kaz had known Janeway and Chakotay for only a few months, but the three of them had become fast friends in that time. The Trill doctor had risked everything to help them stop a deadly threat to Earth shortly after the Voyager crew had returned home. During that crisis, Kaz had trusted Janeway as Chakotay had learned to trust her, with much less reason. And with that trust, he had earned two friends for life.There were other reasons why Chakotay found himself gravitating to the doctor. The Trill's previous host, Gradak, had been a Maquis, something he and Chakotay had in common. Gradak Kaz had died shortly after the devastating sneak attack on Tevlik's moon base -- the very site out of which Chakotay himself had operated during the war. As Chakotay had once told Janeway, if his ship hadn't been spirited away to the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker, he would probably have died on Tevlik's moon along with several thousand other Maquis and their entire families.Even more significantly, both Gradak and Chakotay had personally known the traitor Arak Katal, the Bajoran who had betrayed the Maquis to the Cardassians and was directly responsible for the massacre.Chakotay liked Jarem for himself, never having known Gradak. But the knowledge that part of his new friend understood what it meant to be Maquis made Chakotay even more inclined to befriend the Trill.As much as he personally liked Kaz, he respected him even more. The Trill had been Chakotay's first choice to replace the Doctor on boardVoyager.Kaz had readily agreed, and Chakotay was looking forward to working with him."Oh, come on," sputtered Kaz as Janeway prepared to sink yet another ball.vThe