The Chance Factor (star Trek:
    Voyager, Starfleet Academy, No.
                  2)

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  A MINSTREL BOOK and colophon are
registered trademarks of Simon and Schuster Inc.
Cover art by Michael Herring
  Printed in the U.s.a.
  To Betsey Wilcox, who "skippered" the
launch of the authors" lifetime voyage together n
  Chapter
  I
  Horrified, Cadet Kathryn Janeway stared
at the biocontrol panel in the ship's science
lab. The containment field isolating the poisonous
alien microorganism the team was assigned
to analyze had just failed.
  "Do something, Choy!" Mario Santori
looked at the Tellarite in charge of the bioscan.
  Cadet Choy placed his hand on his panel and
froze.
  "What happened, Tava?" Kathryn yelled at
the Andorian cadet as she frantically keyed her
board to discharge a lethal burst of high-intensity
radiation.
  There wasn't time to wait for Choy to figure out a
defense.
  "A glitch in the power conduits interrupted the
energy flow to the field and I-I didn't notice
it right
  away!" The Andorian girl's blue skin
darkened to a deeper shade when she glanced at
Kathryn's panel.
  "An eradication sweep! Are you crazy?
We'll be killed! was "We're dead anyway,
Tava!" Choy snorted through his piggish nose. "I
should have thought of a radiation sweep."
  "At least the rest of the crew has a chance."
Mario sighed heavily and continued to monitor the
environmental status board. "It could be a lot
worse. This corrosive critter is still confined to the
lab-was "Lab seals disintegrating," the flat
computer voice said calmly. "Total
failure in three seconds."
  Kathryn didn't hesitate. She initiated the
radiation sweep sequence.
  "Seal integrity compromised."
  The computer's blunt announcement hit Kathryn
with a force more devastating than a phaser blast. She
closed her eyes against the blinding glare of the radiation
burst that neutralized all life in the lab-one
second too late.
  The airborne microorganism was loose in the
ship.
  Everyone on the U.s.s. Lancaster would die
in less than thirty minutes....
  The memory of the Lancaster disaster burned in
Kathryn's mind. She had failed at
ompletely. How could she ever explain that she was
responsible for the death of an entire crew to her father?
Even if it was only a holosimulation. Simple,
she thought dismally. She couldn't.

  Urging Shawnee into a trot, Kathryn began
to post with practiced ease.
  Moving up and down in the saddle to counter the bounce
of the horse's brisk gait, she concentrated on the
staccato sound of shod hooves on
hard-packed ground. Horseback riding was one of
many recreational activities Starfleet
Academy provided for the cadets. Kathryn
hadn't had time to visit the stables since arriving a
few weeks before, but five minutes in the arena had
convinced Lieutenant Commander Ralston that she was a
competent equestrian.
  Not only had he given her permission to ride
alone, he had asked her to ride Shawnee, a
high-strung thoroughbred that was desperately in need
of some exercise. Taking to the trails without Bramble
was a painful reminder of the little dog's recent death,
but a relaxing ride had always helped her sort through
her problems back home in Indiana.
  It wasn't working this morning.
  Kathryn had hoped the hypnotic rhythm of the
horse moving beneath her would numb her troubled mind, but
nothing could distract her from the one thing she feared
most-failure. But failing so miserably because someone
else had made a fatal error was something she
couldn't reconcile.
  It was a mistake that would have killed all
seventysix people on the survey vessel-including
her-if the situation had been real and not a simulated
training exercise.
  With a slight pressure on the reins, Kathryn
brought Shawnee back to a walk as the bridle path
turned in to the woods. The tall trees blocked the
sun, dimming

  the light and creating gray shadows along the
trail.
  The darker atmosphere suited her somber mood.
She couldn't escape the sobering realization that one day
she might really die because of another person's
incompetence.
  Even worse, Kathryn thought grimly, what if
an error in my judgment kills someone? It was a
possibility she couldn't accept, but one she had
to face.
  A shrill, panicked scream suddenly shattered
the quiet tranquillity of the forest and broke through
Kathryn's dismal reflections. Her reaction was
instant and instinctive.
  Pushing everything else out of her mind, Kathryn
tightened her legs and her grip on the reins. The
horse began to prance nervously, but she held him
to a steady jog as she continued down the path and tried
to pinpoint the direction of the cry and the sound of pounding
feet. She saw a flash of green and gray
dart through the dense foliage ahead and to her right. On
the left, through the thinning trees, another rider in
Starfleet red and black was riding furiously up
an intersecting trail. The rider giving chase was a
couple of hundred yards behind the runaway.
  Realizing that she was closer, Kathryn pressed
Shawnee into a controlled hand-gallop and plunged
off the path into the trees. By angling through the woods,
she could intercept the runaway long before the other
rider caught up.
  Leaning low over Shawnee's neck, Kathryn
kept a sharp eye on the terrain in front of her.
Running cross-country was dangerous for both her and the
  horse. A large branch could easily knock
her out of the saddle, and if Shawnee stepped into a
hole at this speed, he could break a leg. For the
most part, the ground was clear and the trees were spaced
far enough apart to maintain a fairly direct course.
  Turning her face into Shawnee's neck to avoid
being slapped by a branch, Kathryn looked up
to see a large log ahead. She was already in position
and moved her hands forward to prevent popping the
horse's mouth as he sprang and extended his head
over the barrier.
  Gathering Shawnee back when he landed,
she looked to her left as the runaway rider
squealed again.
  "What on earth-was Kathryn blinked. Through a
break in the trees, she saw a human boy wearing
cadet gray clinging desperately to his saddle.
  But he wasn't riding a horse. He was mounted
on a giant, fourlegged, green-saurian? With
three heads! It was small compared to the extinct
Earth giants, she realized, but it was lithe and fast!
  Recovering quickly from the shock of the bizarre and
unexpected sight, Kathryn calculated her
course and pace in relation to the I saur that was racing
through the woods. The reins on the bridle fitted to the
center head were flapping freely on the crest of the
long neck. Even if the boy got his panic under
control, he still wouldn't be able to stop the animal.
  Ahead Kathryn could see the large meadow that
separated the forested land from the Academy complex.
  If Shawnee could give her a burst of speed,
she would break into the grassy expanse ahead of the
charging lizard.
  "Hang on, Castille!" a male voice
bellowed.
  Kathryn glanced back as her horse responded
to her legs and thundered forward. The Starfleet
officer was gaining on the runaway, but not fast enough.
If the lizard wasn't stopped, it might charge
straight into the congested Academy courtyards. A
lot of people could be hurt.
  The space between Kathryn and the runaway closed
steadily. Then suddenly, all three heads jerked
up and the creature shied to one side.
  Unprepared for the abrupt move, the rider fell
off. Seeing the Starfleet officer jump from his
horse and run to help the boy, Kathryn focused
totally on the lizard.
  As Kathryn had figured, Shawnee ran into the
meadow slightly ahead of the "saur. Not knowing how the
horse would react if he got too close to an
alien dinosaur with too many heads and an
unfamiliar scent, Kathryn kept her distance and
turned in a wide circle around the grassy
field. Tired and riderless, the lizard didn't
seem too anxious to get close to her and
Shawnee, either. Rather than trying to charge past her, it
followed a similar but tighter course in
ever-diminishing circles.
  Leading his winded horse, the Starfleet officer
walked out of the woods with the boy just as the creature
came to a stop. Kathryn reined Shawnee
to face it. The 'saur stared back with six
unblinking, yellow eyes. The horse snorted and
she squeezed her legs to keep him from backing
away. The man handed his reins to the boy and slowly
approached. Kathryn had to keep the 'saur from
running again until he reached it. When the lizard
jumped to one side, Kathryn used

  the dressage techniques she had never fully
appreciated to counter the move.
  The Starfleet officer's eyes widened as
Shawnee sidestepped to block the lizard's path.
Moving slowly around to the front of the creature, he
spoke softly and extended his hand. As though sensing the
futility of its situation, the animal lowered its
center head, and the man grabbed the loose reins. He
jumped back as the left head tried to nip his
shoulder. The right head continued to stare at Kathryn.
  With the runaway caught, Kathryn exhaled long
and hard and patted Shawnee soundly on the neck.
  "That was the slickest piece of horsemanship
I've seen in quite a while, young lady. A very clever
maneuver, that circling."
  "Thank you, sir." As hard as Kathryn strove
to excel, she was never comfortable responding
to compliments. "It works with runaway horses."
  "And you weren't sure how your horse would feel
about getting too close to a three-headed dinosaur,
either."
  "That was a concern, sir. Yes."
  "Captain Holbrook. And you're Cadet-was
The man rubbed the underside of the trembling lizard's
long, pointed central snout, which seemed to calm it.
The left head took over the watch, while the right
head snatched a large grasshopper from the grass.
  "Janeway, Captain. Cadet Kathryn
Janeway."
  "I'd shake your hand, but I don't want
to upset your horse or this Sehgal serpent again."
  "That's quite all right, sir. I've got to get
back to
  the Academy for class and Shawnee needs to be
cooled out. With your permission, sir."
  "By all means." Nodding, Captain Holbrook
dismissed her with a smile.
  Inclining her head respectfully, Kathryn
turned Shawnee back toward the woods. She
resisted the urge to check the time until she was out of
sight. It was later than she realized, but she
couldn't race back to the stables. The horse
was overheated and had to be cooled down before she put
him away. If she didn't take the time to walk
him back to the barn, she'd have to walk him when she
got there.
  And she still had to shower and change. It was also
reasonably safe to assume that this would be one of those
days her hair absolutely refused to behave.
  Kathryn was dreading the debriefing that would no
doubt focus on her team's inadequate and deadly
performance in the alien-biota simulation.
  And now-she was going to be late!

  Chapter

  "So good of you to join us, Cadet Janeway,"
Commander Roberts said coldly.
  Closing the classroom door, Kathryn marched
to her seat under the instructor's hard gaze. She
hoped the flush of embarrassment burning her cheeks
wasn't as red as it felt. Sliding into her chair,
she realized that her three teammates were too
preoccupied with their own problems to care about hers.
At least Commander Roberts was debriefing the teams
as individual groups. Having their poor performance
rated in front of the whole class would be
too much to bear.
  "As I was saying," Commander Roberts went on.
  "All of you had opportunities to avert the
biological contamination before, during, and after the contain
11 0
  ment field failed." He graced each of the
cadets with a pointed stare.
  "One or two of those options might have saved your
lives, too."
  "What options, sir?" Stunned, Kathryn
blurted out the question without raising her hand to be
recognized. Commander Roberts chose to overlook
it, but not because he was letting her off the hook.
  "Why don't you tell me?"
  Kathryn's mind reeled, but she couldn't just sit
there like a total dunce and not respond to a direct
question. "A secondary containment field-isolating the
whole lab. Then the organism wouldn't have
contaminated the rest of the ship before the radiation sweep
killed it."
  The instructor nodded. "Quite true. But you and your
associates would still be dead."
  "Not if we had been wearing e-suits."
Kathryn paled, her voice dropping almost to a
whisper. "Environmental suits would have
saved us."
  "But the organism was corrosive!" Choy rose
out of his seat, his snout wrinkling with indignation. "I
had already determined that it could degrade metals and
plastics as well as organic substances on
contact.
  It would have eaten through the e-suits just like it did the
seals."
  Kathryn breathed easier when Commander Roberts
turned his probing attention on the Tellarite. "And
just when did you arrive at that conclusion, Cadet?"
  "Thirty-eight minutes after I began my
analysis."
  Grunting curtly, Choy sat back down.
  Mario's dark eyes narrowed. "But e-suits
would 'i 11

  have protected us from the radiation sweep. The
organism would have been neutralized before it
compromised our suits."
  "Yeah." Tava's antennae bobbed as she
emphatically nodded her head.
  "And maybe Kathryn wouldn't have hesitated
to initiate the sequence if she knew she wouldn't
die."
  Kathryn's head snapped around to stare at the
Andorian. She wasn't angry. Tava had made
a valid point and Kathryn couldn't avoid the
implication. Had she hesitated for that one
critical second that would have destroyed the
organism before it escaped the lab and killed the
crew?
  "Don't blame Janeway, Tava." Choy's
small beady eyes blazed. "We wouldn't have needed
a radiation sweep if you had noticed the energy
fluctuation and modified the power flow before it shut
down the field!
  was "But I-was Tava sputtered, then sagged.
  Commander Roberts interrupted sharply. "I think
you've all gotten the point."
  "We have?" Mario scowled, bewildered.
  Clasping his hands behind his back, the instructor
began to pace. "If you had been wearing ensuits.
If the interruption in power had been noticed. If,
ladies and gentlemen, is the operative word. You have
to consider all the 'ifs" in any situation, because the
Chance Factor is always present. Always."
  "Like Murphy's Law?" Kathryn asked. It
was an ancient Irish saying her father liked
to quote, claiming

  that Murphy was an optimist. "If anything can go
wrong, it will."
  Commander Roberts smiled and the tension in the room
eased. "In a way.
  The Chance Factor is a defining phrase for the
fact that nothing is absolutely certain or
predictable-including seals and containment fields and,
most especially, alien organisms we know nothing
about."
  Kathryn nodded. "So we should have considered everything
that could go wrong and then taken precautions against
them-no matter how remote the possibilities."
  "Yes," Commander Roberts said. "But even then,
it's impossible to take everything into account.
Starfleet's business is the unknown, and sometimes the
unknown is deadly. But there are certain pitfalls
we can always avoid."
  "Like what, sir?" Mario asked.
  "The Titanic is an ideal example. She was
a great seagoing cruise ship that sank in the
Atlantic Ocean on Earth in 1912 after hitting
an iceberg. One thousand, five hundred
twenty-three of her crew and passengers went down
with her. Only seven hundred and five
survived, even though it was a calm night with a flat
sea."
  "That's awful!" Tava shook her head in
disbelief.
  "How could that happen?" Choy's gruff manner
softened.
  The instructor took a deep breath. "The
Titanic was built with double hulls, and the men who
built her had the arrogance to believe that she couldn't
possibly "l 3
  BTARFLEET ACADEMY
  sink. And they convinced everyone else that nothing could
take the ship down. Because of that assumption, the
Titanic wasn't equipped with enough lifeboats for
everyone."
  Kathryn shifted uncomfortably, finding it hard
to accept the senselessness of the Titanic's fate. It
was a tragedy that could so easily have been avoided.
  "Arrogance and assumption are the prelude of
disaster," Commander Roberts said in closing.
"Dismissed."
  Kathryn rose and headed for the door in a daze.
  Arrogance and assumption. How often was she so
certain she knew the best solution or had the right
answer. A scientific mistake could be just
as fatal as a warp-core breach or a wrong command
decision.
  "Cadet Janeway!"
  "Huh?" Kathryn blinked at Commander
Roberts.
  "Sir?"
  "Commander Brannon would like to see you in her office
at fourteen hundred hours."
  Kathryn's breath caught in her throat. She
had not requested a meeting with her advisor. "Why,
sir?"
  "I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you."
Commander Roberts glanced at his watch. "In about
ten minutes."
  As Kathryn hurried toward the administration
building, she was sure that Commander Brannon was going
to tell her what she had suddenly figured out for
herself.
  That she wasn't fit to be a Starfleet officer.
  11 4
  "At ease, Kathryn." Commander Brannon
smiled kindly.
  "Yes, sir. Ma'am. Uh-was "'Commander"
will do nicely. Have a seat."
  Kathryn sat-perched stiffly on the edge
of the chair-as the gray-haired woman quickly scanned
her padd.
  "You're quite an accomplished young woman, Cadet
Janeway. Tennis, diving, horseback riding.
An impressive academic and athletic record
at the Academy Institute. Vice-Admiral
Janeway must be very proud of you."
  Kathryn acknowledged the comment with a nod.
  Her father was so busy dealing with the Cardassian
problem, she rarely saw him. Even so, she was
convinced that she disappointed Edward Janeway more often
than she made him proud, but there was no need to draw
the counselor's attention to that.
  "How do you feel about your team's performance in the
bioemergency simulation yesterday?"
  The question, which had nothing to do with what they had been
discussing, was asked so casually that Kathryn answered
without thinking. "Not very good, Commander."
  "And why is that?" Commander Brannon folded her
hands on her desk and leaned forward expectantly.
  Blsided! Disarmed by the reference to her father,
Kathryn had walked right into her advisor's verbal
trap. There was no way out but to answer honestly.
  "I was responsible for the death of an entire crew
because I didn't act fast enough."
  "i 5
  "Were you the only one who made a fatal
error"?"
  "No, sir!" Kathryn stiffened. "Cadet
Tava didn't notice a power interruption that
triggered the emergency. Choy was analyzing the
organism and should have initiated the radiation sequence,
but he didn't.
  So I did. And Mario Santori could have
programmed a containment field for the lab, but he
didn't do that, either. And none of us thought to wear
e-suits as a precaution against the unexpected."
  "What aspect of the exercise disturbs you the
most?"
  Kathryn almost shrugged, but caught herself.
  "Knowing that my life may depend on someone who
doesn't know what they're doing. Or that I might
make a fatal mistake. It's a toss-up."
  Commander Brannon's expression remained composed
as she made a note, then sat back. "Are you
familiar with the Kobayashi Maru exercise for
command-track cadets?"
  "I've heard of it. The scenario is almost
impossible to beat. Someone did once-a long time
ago." Kathryn saw the advisor smile
slightly, as though she knew more about the infamous test
than she was willing or allowed to say. The
Kobayashi Maru was like a secret ritual that people
only mentioned in whispers.
  The woman cleared her throat. "Yes, well
... James T. Kirk aside, the scenario was
designed to test emotional reactions to failure.
  Yesterday's biosim does the same thing. If a
team solves one potentially lethal problem, it's
presented with another, and then another. You had no
hope of saving the Lancaster crew."
  "i 6
  Kathryn frowned. "But Commander Roberts just
told us we had options that could have averted the disaster."
  "You did-to a degree. Wearing ensuits would have
prolonged the inevitable, as would any one of several
other measures you might have taken. The bioemergency
simulation is the ultimate demonstration of the Chance
Factor, but that isn't its only purpose."
  "I see." Kathryn's mouth tightened. She
felt betrayed by a simulation that was programmed
to insure failure. How could anyone pass a
failure test?
  "I'll be blunt, Kathryn. Academy
cadets are expected to strive forand achieve
a level of excellence, but no one is perfect.
No one. You've set unrealistic, and therefore
self-defeating, expectations for yourself.
  And you have difficulty accepting anything less than
perfection in others. Do you think that's a fair
assessment?"
  Kathryn nodded and lowered her gaze. She couldn't
speak because of the lump in her throat.
  "You have the potential to be a fine science
officer," the commander continued gently. "The essence of
exploration is the discovery of the unknown and,
consequently, the handling of unpredictable situations.
  Starfleet officers have to be flexible in order
to function effectively and they must be prepared
to cope with the unexpected. You've certainly proven
yourself capable in that regard."
  Kathryn raised her eyes and met Commander
Brannon's concerned gaze.
  "But equally important, a good officer has
to accept 'l 93
  and overcome his or her own imperfections and deal
with the limitations of others." The woman hesitated,
sighing. "And you do seem to have a problem with that."
  Swallowing hard, Kathryn struggled to maintain
an expression of calm reserve. The
commander's observation was correct and she had no
defense. She would just have to work harder to control her
feelings and adjust her attitude.
  "The sooner unsuitable cadets are weeded out of the
Academy," the counselor said gravely, "the
better for everyone, including those young people who must find
a different direction for their lives. In your case,
I'm convinced there's only one thing to do at this
point."
  Numb with disbelief, Kathryn braced herself.
She was going to be kicked out of the Academy and
Starfleet before she even got started!
  'i 9
  Chapter

  As Kathryn walked down the path toward the
stables, she reviewed her discussion with Commander
Brannon for the hundredth time since leaving her
office yesterday afternoon.
  To Kathryn's immense relief, she had not been
asked to leave Starfleet Academy. Not yet,
anyway.
  Based on her round-up of the stampeding lizard the
previous morning, Captain Holbrook had
requested that Kathryn be assigned to a
feasibility study he was conducting on Diehr
IV. Commander Brannon had granted the request
because she thought that a change of scene and focus would do
more to help Kathryn evaluate herself and her goals
than a month of counseling.

  Kathryn suspected that she had only been given
a temporary reprieve.
  Her performance on Captain Holbrook's
mission might very well determine whether or not her
future included a commission in Starfleet. Still, rather
than being depressed about the uncertainty of her
status, Kathryn was more than prepared to meet the
challenge.
  And succeed. This isn't the first time I've had
to deal with a difficult situation, Kathryn thought as
she breathed deeply of the cool morning air. She
had conquered tennis, which she had loathed at first, and
figured out every physics problem her father had thrown
at her, even when he was too preoccupied to notice
or care. Adversity never got the best of her.
Instead, it always seemed to spur her to greater effort.
She had never heard of the planet Diehr IV, but
she was determined to conquer it, too.
  Kathryn hadn't questioned why Captain
Holbrook wanted her to report to the stables.
Starfleet didn't have a mounted division. She had
assumed the captain used the facility for recreation
like the cadets and had chosen the comfortable surroundings for
their introductory talk. However, her high spirits and
confidence took a sudden and unexpected plunge when
she turned in to the stable drive. The courtyard was a
chaotic scene of squawking, snarling, and hissing
alien animals.
  A small boy with dark hair and a leather bag
slung over his shoulder was desperately trying
to quiet the Sehgal serpent. All three heads were
screeching.
  "Easy, easy, Rayonica. Please. . .
." The boy didn't

  pull on the reins when the huge saurian
frantically backed up. The beast was twenty times
heavier than the boy and he could not possibly control
it with brute strength. He moved with the lizard instead.
  Kathryn frowned, dismayed that Captain
Holbrook had put a child in charge of a dinosaur.
Curious, she had consulted her padd about Sehgal
serpents last night before going to sleep. No
catastrophe had occurred on Sehgal
to wipe them out as it had on Earth.
  They looked like huge cold-blooded,
reptilian lizards.
  Although the word "saur" in "dinosaur" meant
"lizard," human scientists had long known that
Earth's dinosaurs had evolved into warm-blooded
creatures.
  The Sehgal serpent was warm-blooded and fairly
smart, too. The large brain was located in a
bony cavity between the shoulders where the necks connected
with the body. One mind controlled all three heads,
appendages that functioned like sensory arms. The
animal was also high-strung, fast, and dangerous.
  But apparently, Kathryn realized, her fears were
unfounded. The boy closed his eyes and held out his
hand. Shaking but calmer, the 'saur lowered its heads.
  Scratching the left and right chins, the boy nuzzled
the center snout.
  All three heads whuffed with contentment.
  A slim Vulcan girl watched passively from
the door of a small barn across the yard from the main
stable.
  One of her hands rested on the head of a huge,
shaggy creature Kathryn recognized as a
Vulcan sehlat. Except for its long
fangs, it looked very much like an Earth bear. The
girl's other hand rested on the back

  of an Andorian zabathu. Tava had shown
Kathryn a picture of the desert beast she used
to ride. With its long legs and neck and wide
feet, it resembled a camel without the humps. The
zabathu had short white fur, blue eyes, and a
silky, golden mane. Long golden hair flowed
from the tip of its skinny tail-like a lion's.
  Except for flicking its tail, it seemed as
unconcerned about the unruly dinosaur as its
Vulcan handler.
  Kathryn blinked as a commotion drew her gaze
to the side of the smaller barn. A Klingon boy was
tugging on a leash attached to an ugly horned
creature with bristle hair that looked like a pig with a
bad attitude.
  Another boy with a bumpy ridge running from his
forehead over the top of his skull was trying to catch a
gigantic black spider with nine-inch legs.
  The spider seemed intent on provoking the snarling
pig-thing, and both boys were yelling at each other.
  Kathryn's heart lurched. She had never seen a
Klingon in person before. Although the Klingon
Empire and the Federation had been at peace since the
Khitomer accords of 2293, Klingons preferred
to stay isolated from Federation society. With his long,
tangled hair, ridged forehead, and uneven,
protruding teeth, the boy looked just like the
holopictures of Klingon warriors in her
history references.
  "If that hook spider of yours bites my targ,
Endar, I'll roast it for dinner!" the Klingon
roared with a ferocity that matched the targ's frenzied
snarl as it lunged at the spitting insect.
  "Try it and you'll feel the sting of Talarian
revenge, Thorn!"
  Stepping in front of the spider, Endar

  scooped it into his arms and held it
protectively against his chest.
  A shiver of revulsion raced up Kathryn's
spine. The Federation and the Talarians had been warring
since they had first encountered each other.
  A race that kept spiders as pets demanded
respect, but the presence of a sworn enemy was
unnerving. What have I gotten myself into?
  "Kathryn!" Captain Holbrook called from
inside the barn. "Excuse me,
T'Lor."
  The Vulcan girl moved her animals aside
as he stepped through the door.
  He was leading a heavy beast that looked like a
skinny rhinoceros with a longer neck and narrower head.
The animal's body was covered with hard, armored
plates like an armadillo's. It had a horn on
its forehead and three more down the crest of its neck like
the targ.
  Kathryn let out a long, discouraged breath as
Captain Holbrook held up a hand for her
to wait.
  "Thorn! Come get your sark, please!"
  Hauling the targ away from Endar, the Klingon
took the lead shank from the captain. Kathryn started
with surprise when Thorn smiled and rubbed the
lumbering sark behind its rounded, fur-tufted ears. The
animal grunted and groaned.
  "Yes, Hoy nej. It feels good, I know.
Come on, Jup." Urging the targ to follow, the
Klingon boy led the sark to a watering trough.
  Endar came around the corner of the barn with the spider
perched on his shoulder. Four of its eight, hairy
legs were draped around his neck.
  25
  "Bring Ginjar out, would you, Endar?" Captain
Holbrook asked as he waved Kathryn over.
"I want everyone to meet the newest member of our
expedition."
  The Talarian boy did not glance at her as he
turned toward the barn, but Kathryn heard a low,
puttering noise coming from the spider that sounded like
purring!
  "Good to see you, Kathryn," the captain said as
he extended his hand.
  Fine lines around his merry blue eyes crinkled
when he smiled. "I suppose you're wondering
what's going on here."
  "Yes, sir." Smiling tightly, Kathryn
prudently kept quiet. She sometimes spoke before
she stopped to think, which didn't always endear her to her
peers and superiors. Right now, she was in enough trouble.
  "Come on. I'll explain while I give you the
grand tour." Brushing a thick lock of blond
hair off his tanned forehead, Captain Holbrook
ushered Kathryn into the small barn. "What did
Commander Brannon tell you?"
  "Only that you were doing a study on Diehr
Four."
  "Actually, this mission is just a
preliminary exercise.
  Whether or not I get funding to conduct a
full-scale study depends on the results of the
Diehr Four expedition." Captain Holbrook
shrugged.
  "Investigating the potential applications of
nontechnological resources is not high on
Starfleet's list of priorities, I'm
afraid."
  "Nontechnological resources?"
  "The official terminology for animals and all
things primitive.
  Occasionally, Starfleet encounters emergency

  situations on worlds where cultural considerations or
conditions prevent the use of standard, high-tech
equipment and operations. I'm convinced that the animals
used on different worlds during their preindustrial
development can be put to effective use again-for
rescues and preliminary surveys. That kind of
thing."
  "I see." To Kathryn's left, Endar put a
halter on another unknown animal. A single,
spiraled horn graced the space between its huge,
green eyes. Coyered in long, very fine
silver hair, it held its head high on a long,
slender neck. Even with six legs, two pair in
back and one pair in front, Ginjar was as
elegant as the spider was grotesque.
  "A Talarian t'stayan, was Captain
Holbrook said softly.
  "Not terribly swift, but it can climb a cliff
like a mountain goat.
  Better maybe. It's also exclusively
bonded to one rider."
  "I'll remember that." Kathryn nodded, noting
that Endar still refused to look at her.
  "Exactly why I wanted you on the team,
Kathryn.
  Cadet Castille insisted on riding
Rayonica even though Jon warned him the serpent
wouldn't respond to physical control."
  "How do you control it?" Kathryn asked
curiously.
  "No one but Jon Brezi can. He's a
Betazoid. He formed a mental link with
Rayonica on Sehgal. His father's a
xenobiologist on the Federation survey outpost
there."
  As they continued down the center aisle,
Captain Holbrook answered the question that was suddenly

  foremost in Kathryn's mind. How did she fit
into this bizarre assembly of beast and handler?
  "Cadet Castille's obvious lack of good
judgment and respect for the unfamiliar made it necessary
to replace him. I must admit, I didn't think
I'd find someone who could step in at the last minute
and do the job. But then you demonstrated an innate
understanding of unpredictable animal behavior
yesterday and solved that problem for me."
  "Thank you, Captain."
  "Diehr Four is a wilderness planet that
doesn't have an indigenous intelligent species.
For the mission's purposes, we'll invent a
primitive population, though.
  I'm sure it'll be an exciting and challenging
adventure for you."
  Kathryn nodded, hoping her disappointment was not
evident. She had grown up in a traditional
community where families adhered to an
old-fashioned, twenty-second-century
lifestyle. With an aptitude for science and a
fascination for technology, Kathryn had
impatiently counted the years, waiting
until she could leap into the modern world of the
twenty-fourth century, which her friends took for
granted. Now she was being sent on an elaborate
camping trip. Somehow it didn't seem fair, but
she couldn't refuse the assignment. It was her only
hope of proving to Commander Brannon that she belonged
at Starfleet Academy.
  "And here's one of your partners." Captain
Holbrook opened a stall door and stepped
inside.
  Kathryn stared. A huge bird with brown and
green body feathers was perched on a wooden bar. As
Cap 28
  tain Holbrook put on a leather glove and
held out his hand, it screeched and flapped its
enormous wings.
  Green and red feathers rose in warning on its
head.
  The flying predator's beak and talons, evolved
for catching and shredding its prey, were sharp and strong.
  "Up, Fiona!" The bird obeyed the
captain's command and hopped onto the glove. "This
is a Baneriam hawk. You won't have much time
to learn the voice and hand signals that control her, but
I'm sure you'll manage."
  "Yes, sir." Kathryn winced at the nervous
tremor in her voice, but Captain Holbrook
didn't seem to notice. She didn't know anything
about birds! And Fiona was eyeing her as if she were
today's special on the lunch menu. What,
Kathryn wondered in a nearpanic, does he
expect me to ride?
  "You'll be riding Courtney's Pride,"
Captain Holbrook said. "Cadet Castille
chose him and the horse has already had a week to get
used to the other animals."
  Kathryn felt only slightly relieved as the
captain nodded at the stall across the aisle from the
hawk.
  The large bay thoroughbred snorted, then resumed
pacing in small circles.
  "We'll work with Fiona on the ground for a while
before you bring Pride out." The captain left the
stall with the hawk and headed out the back door.
  Kathryn paused as Endar, the hook spider, and the
t'stayan walked by and out into a fenced paddock.

  BTARFLEET ACADEMY
  Stepping to the door, she sagged against the doorjamb
and sighed.
  The young Betazoid, Jon, was sitting on the
ground between the serpent's front legs, petting a
rock. The Vulcan girl was mounted and walking the
zabathu around the enclosure with the sehlat trotting
at its heels. Thorn stood off to one side,
holding the sark's reins in one hand, the targ's leash
in another, and glaring at everyone. As Endar walked
toward the center of the arena, the t'stayan suddenly
emitted a highpitched, earsplitting shriek.
  The hook spider leaped onto Endar's head and
started spitting. The zabathu reared, almost unseating
T'Lor, the Vulcan girl. The sehlat whirled
and roared.
  The serpent squawked and squealed in three-part
harmony and sat back on its monstrous tail.
Jon's rock sprouted wings and took flight.
Fiona, the hawk, launched herself into the air to chase
the flying stone.
  The targ and the sark bolted, dragging a sputtering
Thorn across the paddock through the dirt.
  Captain Holbrook whistled for the hawk and shook
his head as the bird circled back.
  Kathryn watched in stunned dismay. Her future
as a cadet was uncertain, but one thing she knew for
sure. She had enrolled in Starfleet
Academy-not the circus!

  Chapter

  Kathryn led Pride out into the sunshine with a
distinct sense of walking toward certain doom. The
spirited horse had fidgeted constantly while she
groomed and saddled him, and he broke out in a
nervous sweat the instant he saw the other animals.
Everyone else had settled down.
  The alien riders were all walking their mounts around
the paddock-Endar with his spider clutched around his
neck, Jon with his bag of flying rocks slung
over his shoulder, and Thorn and T'Lor with the targ and the
sehlat trotting beside them. They stopped and turned
when Captain Holbrook spotted Kathryn and
waved.
  All eyes were on her again, Kathryn realized
uneas 3 I
  ily. She had been the center of attention when
Captain Holbrook had taken her into the adjoining
field to learn the hawk's basic commands.
  Although Kathryn had no experience with large
birds, Fiona was well trained and cooperative.
Kathryn didn't have the same confidence in the
horse.
  Ignoring the mounting block by the door, she lowered
the stirrup on the English saddle. She wouldn't
always have something to stand on when they got to Diehr
IV. She had to be able to mount from the ground.
  But the horse stood over sixteen hands high, not
quite five and a half feet to the withers. Ordinarily, this
wouldn't be a problem, but Pride refused to stand still.
Kathryn's cheeks flamed red as he sidestepped,
making her hop awkwardly for several seconds before
she could swing herself into the saddle. Keeping a firm
grip on the reins, she slipped her right foot into the
right stirrup and reached for the left stirrup leather
to adjust it back to the correct length.
  With Fiona perched on his gloved arm, Captain
Holbrook walked out the gate toward her.
  The hawk ruffled its feathers.
  And Pride bolted.
  Gripping the saddle with her legs, Kathryn
ignored the loose stirrup bumping against her boot
and fought the horse for control. She was halfway across
the field before she managed to stop, turn, and start
back to the paddock.
  "What else can you expect from a girl?" Endar
asked Thorn. The Klingon laughed.

  T'Lor glanced at them, but her face was a
mask of unemotional calm.
  "She didn't fall off!" Jon rose
to Kathryn's defense, but he looked as worried as
the captain.
  Although their animals had not been perfect models
of behavior, either, Kathryn could hardly blame
them.
  She must have looked like a total fool. None of
them had made a friendly overture since Captain
Holbrook had introduced her. Maybe they had
all made friends with Cadet Castille and resented
her for taking his place.
  "Having a few problems, Kathryn?" Captain
Holbrook asked with a sigh of exasperation.
  "Yes, sir." Kathryn hesitated, hoping he
wouldn't interpret the request she was about to make as
an excuse. She didn't make excuses for
herself, but there was a problem and it had a simple
solution. "I want another horse. Pride is
totally unsuitable for this mission."
  A slow smile brightened Captain Holbrook's
face as he nodded. It was not the reaction Kathryn
expected.
  "Excellent decision, Kathryn. I tried
to convince Mr. Castille to change mounts, but he was
too attached to Pride. I thought he might calm
down with a different rider, but he's just too
high-strung.
  Better to introduce a new horse now, while
we still have a week to train."
  "Thank you, sir." Dismounting, Kathryn kept the
reins looped over Pride's neck and gripped them
under his chin. That way, if he spooked and ran again,
he wouldn't trip on or break the dangling reins.

  "Just have Lieutenant Commander Ralston show you
what he's got and pick one out."
  "Giving up already, Cadet?" Thorn hooted as
Kathryn headed toward the main barn.
  "That's enough, Thorn," Captain Holbrook
commanded firmly. "Kathryn will be right back."
  Chin up and shoulders squared, Kathryn kept
walking. She wasn't going to let the team's
remarks get to her, but she couldn't avoid her father's
voice echoing in her brain.
  You never get a second chance to make a first
impression, Kathryn.
  She had blown her one and only chance
to make a good first impression, but maybe she could
make up the lost ground on the second.
  However, as Ted Ralston led Kathryn through the
stable, she began to have her doubts. The Academy
owned a string of lesson horses that were calm, but they
were either too old or too set in their ways. Each
had a particular bad habit or trick they could
get away with when carrying inexperienced riders.
Although time and a dedicated trainer could correct such
habits, Kathryn didn't have the time.
  There were also several show horses, all of them
thoroughbreds like Pride and Shawnee and all of them
too high-spirited to be safe in unknown, potentially
hazardous conditions. Kathryn was headed for a
wilderness planet with a group of ill-mannered,
alien animals and their hostile handlers. She needed
a calm, sturdy, dependable horse.
  And StarggVeet doesn't seem to have one,
Kathryn

  thought despondently as they reached the end of the line.
Then she spotted a short-coupled buckskin with a
black mane and tail in a pasture behind the barn.
  "What about that one?"
  "Tango?" Lieutenant Commander
Ralston threw up his hands. "I forgot about him, but
he's perfect!"
  "How come he's out to pasture?" Kathryn asked
as Ralston grabbed a halter and headed across the
yard.
  "Most of the cadets prefer these snazzy
thoroughbreds." The lieutenant commander winked. "A
dumpylooking quarter horse like Tango just can't
compete when it comes to flash. No sense making him
stand in a stall all day waiting for a rider that never
comes."
  "Quarter horse, huh?"
  Kathryn felt like she had hit the jackpot.
Bred to run a fast quarter-mile when cleared land was
scarce during American colonial times, the
hardy, even-tempered, quick-fuming quarter horse had
moved on to herd cattle in the American West.
It seemed fitting to take a quarter horse to the
stars, too.
  Kathryn grinned as Ralston whistled and Tango
lifted his head. The little horse was waiting at the
gate when they got there.
  When Kathryn rode Tango back to the
paddock, Captain Holbrook gave her a
thumbs-up, but she already knew she had made
a wise choice. With the Western tack, she could mount
in a second and carry more gear and supplies. The
horse's shorter stride was easy to sit and she'd be
able to ride for hours without wearing herself out.

  "He's kind of short, isn't he?" Thorn
sneered as Kathryn rode by.
  "Yes, he is."
  "He can't be very fast," Endar scoffed.
  Annoyed, Kathryn just shrugged as she passed
Jon's serpent and stopped.
  Lifting the reins and pulling slightly to the left,
she touched Tango in the right side with her heel.
He pivoted on his hindquarters to end up facing the
same direction as everyone else. With a gentle
tug, she backed him into line beside the lizard.
  coneaHe's quite obedient," T'Lor said.
  'And he's not afraid of Rayonica, either!"
Jon beamed at Kathryn, then cocked his head a
moment.
  "That other horse made Rayonica really
nervous. This one hardly upsets her at all."
  Kathryn blinked, then remembered that the
Betazoid boy could read the serpent's thoughts.
  "Okay, people!" Captain Holbrook
called for everyone's attention.
  "We'll be staying in the ring today so Kathryn and
Tango can get used to working with Fiona."
  Kathryn tensed as she slipped the leather glove
over her left hand and arm and walked Tango into the
center of the paddock. Captain Holbrook spent
several minutes moving around the horse with the bird and
transferring Fiona from his arm to Kathryn's.
  Tango's ears flicked nervously at first, but
he didn't go berserk.
  Then the captain asked her to back the horse off
a few feet.
  Desperately hoping Tango wouldn't buck,
shy, or

  bolt, Kathryn lifted her arm and called
sharply, "Fiona! Here!"
  Tango started to back up as the bird flew
toward them. Kathryn squeezed her legs to stop him
and flinched slightly as the bird landed and gripped the
leather with her talons. Kathryn held her there a
minute, then gave the command to fly. The great hawk
circled overhead until Captain Holbrook
told her to call it back. Kathryn's heart
fluttered with excitement and she felt a
deep sense of satisfaction when Fiona
responded and came right to her.
  "Now try walking Tango around the ring."
  Urging the horse into a walk, Kathryn felt the
tension ease from her muscles and his. Fiona
raised her tucked wings to balance herself on
Kathryn's arm, but within a few minutes the bird
adjusted to the ambling rhythm of Tango's gait and
Kathryn began to feel comfortable.
  As the hours passed and horse, hawk, and human
became a functional unit, Kathryn found that she
was actually enjoying herself. If the team could just
resolve some of their differences, the mission might
even be fun!
  The sun was plunging toward the horizon when
Kathryn put Tango in Pride's old stall.
She latched the door and rubbed her shoulder with a heavy
sigh.
  "You're not used to riding all day, are you?"
T'Lor closed her grooming box, then unclipped
the zabathu from the cross-ties and led the animal
into its stall.
  "There you go, Shammi."
  "No, I'm not," Kathryn admitted with a
wince. As

  much as she had wanted to escape her traditional
family home, she wished she could soak in a
bathtub tonight. A sonic shower might not have the same
soothing effect on sore, stiff muscles, and
she'd pay for that tomorrow. Even so, she felt oddly
energized after the long and grueling workout.
  "A hot bath and some Vulcan liniment will
help."
  "A bath?" Kathryn started, then smiled. "I
thought only Jon could read minds."
  "Actually, Jon Brezi cannot read our thoughts.
He can only sense animal minds. He's very
sensitive about the deficiency."
  "Deficiency?" Kathryn frowned. "I think
being able to communicate with animals, to know what
they're thinking and feeling, is a wonderful talent."
  "You're not a Betazoid. Come, Choka." The
large sehlat yawned, then dutifully jumped up
and followed T'Lor down the aisle. "You, too,
Kathryn. We'll stop by your dorm to get your
things."
  "My things?" Kathryn checked Fiona to make
sure the Baneriam hawk was secure for the night,
then limped after the Vulcan girl.
  "We'll be rooming together in a house near here
until we leave for Diehr Four. There's a
bathtub."
  "Excellent." However, Kathryn's
anticipation of a long soak in hot water was pushed
to the back of her mind when she emerged into the
courtyard.
  Jon was desperately trying to reach the leather bag
full of flying rocks that Thorn was holding just beyond his
grasp. T'Lor watched in remote, curious
silence.
  Endar sat on a bench with his eyes closed and the
black,

  fuzzy Fooz curled up in his lap. The
Talarian wasn't the least bit concerned about the
Klingons cruel teasing.
  "Give them back to me, Thorn!"
  "But I'm curious, Jon. Will they break if
I drop them?" Thom let go of the bag, then caught
it again with lightning-quick reflexes. He laughed when
Jon cringed.
  "It is more likely they will attack," T'Lor
said evenly. "I've heard the sandbats from Manark
Four can be rather vicious when provoked."
  "And in this case," Kathryn said icily, "an
attack would be justified."
  "This is only a contest of wills. A game
to make Jon strong."
  Scowling, Thom tossed the bag back to the boy.
  Jon fumbled the leather pouch as it hit him in the
chest, but he saved it from failing. He immediately sank
to his knees and gently placed the bag on the
ground. The sides bulged as the agitated sandbats
shifted around inside. Jon closed his eyes and
placed his hands on the bag, not daring to open it in
case one of his notoriously dangerous pets tried
to escape to get revenge.
  "Are they all right?" Kathryn asked.
  Jon nodded, picked up the bag, and ran back
to the barn.
  "Women," Endar muttered in disgust and looked at
Kathryn narrowly.
  "Jon must fight his own battles and learn
to defend himself if he expects to be a warrior.
On my world, he would be humiliated if a female
interfered."
  "We're not on your world, Endar," Kathryn

  snapped. It was the first time the Talarian
had spoken directly to her or T'Lor all day.
  Kathryn's father and mother had discussed life on the
Talarian homeworld during a period of intense
hostilities a few years ago. The planet was
ruled by a patriarchal society, but Kathryn
hadn't believed women were excluded from everything
except raising children and taking care of their homes.
It didn't make sense to waste half the
potential of a world's population. However, a few
hours of dealing with Endar's rigid refusal
to address her and T'Lor, let alone accept them
as serious members of the team, had changed that
misconception. And, Kathryn thought coldly, a
perception adjustment was in order for the Talarian,
too. Human and Vulcan females were not the
inconvenient, nonessential, weak creatures he
believed them to be.
  "How does anyone on your world survive
to become an adult if the older and stronger kids
are allowed to prey on younger and smaller children?"
  Kathryn deliberately glared at the boy.
Direct confrontation might get him to respond.
  "Only the strong survive, but that's something a
girl couldn't possibly understand."
  "Jon is not a Talarian and I don't
believe he has any desire to be a warrior,"
T'Lor said. "Therefore, this discussion is
irrelevant."
  "See? Trying to explain anything to a woman is
a waste of time."
  Cradling the spider, Endar rose and walked
away without another word.
  Kathryn sighed. T'Lor was correct in her
logic, but 4 'I
  she assumed that all societies were logical,
too. A lot of them weren't. Endar respected
strength and aggression, not reason. At least he had
answered Kathryn's question.
  "I do not understand how your mighty Federation
survives when it is infected with so much weakness."
  Snarling, Thorn called his targ and stomped off
after Endar.
  "Do you still want that bath, Kathryn?" T'Lor
asked.
  "Yes, but maybe we should make sure Jon is
okay first."
  "He's with the serpent." T'Lor spoke
matter-offactly, as though Kathryn's suggestion were
completely irrational. "No one dares bother him in
Rayonica's stall. That's why he goes
there."
  "That's not what I meant. I-was Kathryn choked
back the rest of her words. True to Vulcan
tradition, T'Lor had suppressed her emotions
so thoroughly, she was not aware of the emotional needs of
others. For all Kathryn knew, Jon had fled
to Rayonica because he wanted to be left alone.
  As Kathryn followed T'Lor down the drive,
she was suddenly overwhelmed with weariness. Five
minutes of trying to cope with so many diverse and
incompatible alien personalities was infinitely more
tiring than spending ten hours in the saddle making
friends with a bird.
  And, she realized grimly, it was obvious that they
felt the same way about her.

  Chapter

  A rush of anxious anticipation coursed through
Kathryn as Captain Holbrook walked onto the
cargo loading dock. She chirped at Fiona in
her travel cage and scratched Tango's neck.
The gesture, she realized, steadied her nerves. The
horse was more tranquil than any of them.
  "This is it, people." Captain Holbrook
rubbed his hands together and smiled. "We've got some
time before we begin transporting to the science vessel
U.s.s.
  McMurray, so we might as well put it to good
use."
  Kathryn bit her lower lip to keep from smiling and
sternly reminded herself why they were going to Diehr
IV. The mission was a serious test of Captain
Holbrook's proposal to use animals in
Starfleet. If the

  team failed to complete the exercise
successfully, the captain's program would not get
funding. And his reputation and credibility might be
irrevocably damaged.
  Still, Kathryn mused, she was about to transport
to an Oberth-class starship for a two-day journey
to an alien planet on a real mission.
  She couldn't help it.
  She was thrilled. She smiled.
  "Diehr Four is very much like Earth prior to its
technological development," Captain
Holbrook continued. "The target area is a forested
mountain region with plenty of running water and forage
for the animals."
  "A picnic!" Thorn spat out the English word.
  Kathryn shook her head. During the past week,
she had learned something about her companions. Except
for Jon, everyone attended the major educational
institution on his or her homeworld.
  Thorn's father, a member of the Klingon High
Council, had ordered his oldest son to participate
in the mission as a means of advancing cooperation and
understanding between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.
Thorn had agreed under protest. He did not
believe his warrior race could possibly benefit
from an alliance with the "weak" peoples of the Federation.
His attitude might have disastrous consequences for the
Federation in the future. Thorn came from a powerful
family and would probably sit on the Klingon
High Council himself one day.
  Captain Holbrook ignored Thorn's
remark. "Keep in mind that even though the plants
on Diehr Four are not poisonous to you or the
animals, they will not

  provide adequate nutrition. You must
remember to feed your animals and yourselves the food
supplements you'll be carrying with you."
  "We would not have food supplements if we
crashlanded on an alien world," Endar said.
  "That is true, Endar," the captain replied
patiently.
  "But this is not a survival exercise. Your
mission is to extract a surveillance probe with a
malfunctioning camouflage field before the region's
native tribe finds it or spots you."
  Kathryn studied the Talarian's brooding
face. Holbrook had taken advantage of an
uneasy truce to contact the Talarian government
regarding the study. The captain had hopes of
stabilizing relations between the Federation and Endar's
homeworld by exposing the Talarian teenager to young people from
other worlds.
  Holbrook believed that working closely with kids
from different cultures would show Endar how much the
various races had in common. So far, Kathryn
reflected, Endar had made no effort to acquaint
himself with anyone except Thorn. He had
volunteered for the mission because he wanted to gather
intelligence for the Talarians to use against the Federation
in future conflicts.
  "I thought this planet didn't have any people," Jon
said, frowning.
  Captain Holbrook chuckled. "It
doesn't. We're going to pretend there's a
primitive race on the planet as part of the mission
parameters."
  "Oh." Jon nodded and lowered his gaze.
  Kathryn wished she could help the Betazoid boy

  resolve his troubles, but Jon was still a puzzle.
One moment he was outgoing and happy, and then suddenly
he would withdraw. Captain Holbrook had told
her that no one knew if Jon's telepathic
abilities were emerging later than normal for his
race or if they were permanently impaired.
Kathryn had developed a huge amount of
respect for Jon. Although he felt handicapped
by his "deficiency," he had not let it stop him from
using the talent he had. At eleven, he was several
years younger than everyone else. He had been asked
to join the study because no one else could control the
potentially useful, but ordinarily uncontrollable,
Sehgal serpent and Manark IV sandbats.
  "You'll be beamed in through a narrow window in a
pretend ionized atmosphere, too," Captain
Holbrook added.
  "What is the point of creating obstacles that do not
exist?" T'Lor asked.
  Kathryn suppressed a grin. The Vulcan was
genuinely bewildered by the concept of
"make-believe."
  T'Lor was equally mystified by the tendency of
other races to soften truth. Kathryn herself had been
forced to hide her true feelings when T'Lor
announced that she intended to pursue a diplomatic
career.
  Ambassador Sarek was T'Lor's hero, or
at least the Vulcan equivalent of one. However,
whether Sarek had learned his diplomatic skills
from being married to a human and raising his half-human
son, Spock, or from experience, he knew it was
sometimes necessary to curb blunt and brutal truth
to keep opposing governments negotiating. Nor was
it productive to attack an

  individual's self-esteem or insult his
culture. Kathryn liked T'Lor in spite of
her unyielding dedication to total honesty without
regard to the consequences. She had tried to explain the
difference between an outright lie and evading or shading
destructive truth, but T'Lor just didn't get
it. With luck, Kathryn thought, the fate of the
Federation would never depend on T'Lor's
diplomatic abilities!
  Captain Holbrook deftly fielded
T'Lor's question without making her feel stupid for
asking it. Although, Kathryn realized, his consideration
for her feelings was probably lost on the Vulcan.
  "The mission would not be a thorough test of using
animals in nontechnological situations if there
weren't any obstacles to overcome or specific
criteria to satisfy.
  But," the captain emphasized, "since
Starfleet does not send students on dangerous
missions, it's necessary to establish fabricated
conditions instead. Like a simulation."
  T'Lor nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that is
logical."
  The transporter chief entered and the discussion ended.
Captain Holbrook directed Kathryn and her
,nimals to beam up first. Nothing seemed to upset the
quarter horse, and Holbrook was counting on
Tango's calm nature to soothe his alien
companions when they arrived in the ship's cargo bay.
Stalls and supplies were already set up and waiting.
  As Kathryn led Tango up the ramp to the
transporter pad, she was struck by an unexpected
and powerful realization. She had worked her
whole life to get accepted into Starfleet
Academy and she had suc 47
  ceeded. But then, on the eye of leaving for school,
she had discovered that the prospect of a Starfleet
career no longer excited her. Since she had
arrived on campus, that lack of desire had nagged
at her even though she had subconsciously ignored
it. It had shadowed her through classes and simulations
and all the way into Commander Brannon's office.
She hadn't been sure Starfleet was what she
wanted or where she belonged.
  Now, as Kathryn waited to beam up to the science
ship with a horse and a hawk, she suddenly knew.
  Starfleet was the only place in the universe
Kathryn Janeway wanted to be.
  But Commander Brannon still had to be convinced.
  And this mission was her best chance, maybe even comr
last chance, to prove she belonged at Starfleet
Academy.
  The transporter chief's hand paused over the
controls as a clattering of heavy feet drew
everyone's attention.
  Hoy nej, whose name translated as Star
Seeker, apparently wanted to go back to the barn.
Thorn was struggling to keep the armor-plated,
organic tank from leaving.
  "Mey!" The Klingon commanded the sark to stop and
pushed against the animal's chest. Neither action had
any effect until Jup jumped in front of
Hoy nei and squealed.
  The targ stopped the sark.
  And upset most of the other animals.
  Kathryn tightened her grip on Tango's lead
shank

  when his head snapped up, but he didn't "ump
or bolt.
  Fiona shrieked from the cage sitting on the
adjacent transporter disk, and Kathryn cooed
to quiet her.
  The sehlat, Choka, sprang protectively
in front of T'Lor and roared.
  Shammi, the Vulcan's white zabathu,
kicked, toppling a stack of cargo canisters.
  Perched on Endar's head, Fooz began
spitting. The silver-haired t'stayan almost gored
Rayonica with his ribbed horn. Jon screamed as the
dinosaur lunged backward. Her right head flicked
a lightning-fast tongue toward the tasty-looking
spider.
  Leaping out of range, Endar yanked Ginjar away
from the serpent and set the hook spider on the
t'stayan's back. Without a word of warning, he
stormed toward Thorn and slammed his fist into the
Klingons jaw. Thorn staggered in surprise, then
rammed Endar in the stomach with his head, sending both of
them sprawling on the floor.
  Captain Holbrook waved to the transporter
chief as he hurried across the floor to stop the
brawl.
  As the warm tingle of molecular dematerialization
washed through Kathryn, her mind focused on a single
thought. Staying in the Academy and completing
Holbrook's study mission were not her biggest
problems.
  The team would be lucky to survive one another.
  so
  Chapter

  To Kathryn's surprise, the journey to Diehr
IV aboard the U.s.s.
  McMurray passed without another disruptive
incident between team members.
  Although Endar refused to apologize for attacking
Thorn on the cargo loading dock, the
Klingon did not hold a grudge. Both boys had
been struggling to keep their aggressive natures under
control during training at the Academy for the mission.
The fight had taken the edge off the explosive
pressures building within them. On the ship they had
spent their free time playing Parrises Squares
with the McMurray crew.
  Everyone was relieved that the young warriors had found
an acceptable outlet for their violent energies.
Kathryn hoped that the trek through the mountains of
Diehr

  IV would be so physically exhausting that Endar and
Thorn would be too tired to fight.
  T'Lor had taken every opportunity to observe and
talk with crew members from several different
species.
  Her curiosity was welcome even though her
blunt questions and remarks sometimes left her study
subjects stunned and speechless. However, the
Vulcan's total lack of tact was balanced by a
guileless innocence and genuine interest that the seasoned
ship's personnel found oddly charming. Still, hoping
to avert an intergalactic incident of
cataclysmic proportions in the near or
distant future, Kathryn continued to coach
T'Lor in the art of diplomacy. Most of the time
she felt like she was talking to the proverbial brick
wall.
  Jon kept to himself, turning to Rayonica and the
sandbats for company when the team wasn't busy with
preparations.
  When they assembled in the McMurray's cargo
bay to be transported to the surface of Diehr
IV, Kathryn was brimming with confidence.
  Everyone worked together, checking gear and loading
supply packs onto their animals. For the first time
since joining the expedition, she actually felt like they
could pull it off.
  Captain Holbrook looked pleased and
relieved as he gave them their final instructions.
"The surveillance probe is located near the
native tribe's ceremonial site.
  It's marked on your maps. You must remove the
probe and leave the area before the tribe arrives
to conduct a seasonal ritual at dawn the day after
tomorrow. It should take you roughly a day and a half to reach
the site."

  "The probe is really there, but the native
people aren't, right?" Jon asked.
  The captain nodded. "Once you've got the
probe, you'll have the rest of tomorrow and the next day to reach
the beam-out site. Transport off Diehr Four
is scheduled for sundown. If you're late, you'll
miss the window."
  "In the lonized atmosphere that really isn't
ionized," Thorn muttered.
  "You won't be stranded on the planet if you're
late, Thorn." Holbrook eyed the Klingon
narrowly. "But if all the conditions we've
established for the mission aren't satisfied, you'll
fail."
  Thorn puffed out his chest. "Klingons do not
fail."
  "I hope not." Holbrook paused. "One more
thing.
  Although we won't be in direct communication with you,
we will be monitoring your progress and activities
through your locator badges.
  If a real danger should arise, you'll be beamed out
immediately."
  Endar and Thorn glanced at each other and rolled
their eyes. For once, Kathryn agreed with them.
If Holbrook transported the team off
the planet at the first sign of trouble, they wouldn't have
a fair chance to test themselves or his theories. Like
Thorn, Kathryn did not want to fail.
  "See you in three days. Good luck."
Holbrook stepped back and nodded to Kathryn.
Since Tango's quiet presence had a calming
effect on the other animals, she had been chosen
to go first again.
  With Fiona perched on her leather-gloved hand,
Kathryn led the horse onto the transporter pad
and

  rode a phased matter stream through the vacuum of
space to an alien wilderness world. She
materialized in a clearing surrounded by tall, lush
trees with broad, emerald green leaves. The
pungent musk of decaying vegetation hung in the
cool air, teasing her nostrils.
  She heard the splash of water cascading over
rocks in a stream nearby.
  Lifting his head, Tango snorted and stamped his
foot. The hawk flapped her wings, anxious to fly
after two days of confinement.
  "Soon, Fiona," Kathryn murmured as
Thom appeared.
  Hoy nej and Jup both shook themselves and
grunted. The Klingon, sark, and targ all tilted
their heads back and tested the alien scents waiting from
the forest. Thorn drew in a deep breath and nodded
approval.
  "It's invigorating, isn't it?" Kathryn
sensed that the Klingon was as comfortable in the primal
forests as he was in a twenty-fourth-century starship.
Unlike humans", the Klingon race's
primitive instincts had not become dulled as they
adapted to controlled environments and technology.
She found that strangely comforting.
  "Yes! It makes the longing to hunt run hot in
the blood!" A rare smile curled the corner of
Thorn's mouth as he pulled a map out of his
saddlebag.
  Jon blinked as the transporter beam deposited
him and Rayonica on firm ground. The
dinosaur's heads adjusted themselves to scan in all
directions. The boy's eyes widened as he looked
around, then caught Kathryn's gaze. "This is a
wild place, isn't it?"

  Kathryn smiled to reassure him. "Nothing you
can't handle, Jon. I think Rayonica
likes it."
  The serpent sniffed the rich soil with her center
head, froze, then snatched a burrowing beetle
into her mouth with her tongue. The other two heads
calmly continued to scan the strange surroundings.
Jon laughed and relaxed.
  Even Endar looked pleased with the wild beauty of
Diehr IV. The t'stayan and the hook spider
remained calm in the unfamiliar environment, and
Kathryn wondered if the Talarian homeworld was
similar. She would have asked, but she didn't want
Endar to accuse her of fishing for sensitive information
again.
  Since he was using the mission to spy on the
Federation, he assumed the Federation members of the team
were gathering intelligence on his world, too.
  T'Lor only glanced around with mild
curiosity.
  Choka, the sehlat, immediately began to walk the
perimeter of the clearing, checking for unseen dangers.
  The camel-like Shammi snapped her head up and
tensed. The zabathu's ears flicked toward the sound
of the stream, and a nervous twitch rippled down her
skin.
  "Easy, Shammi." T'Lor soothed the
zabathu. "She's from a desert planet. Maybe
running water upsets her."
  "She'll have to get used to it," Thorn growled.
He tapped the map he had unfolded and placed on
a large rock. "The shortest route to the
ceremonial cliff follows the river through a
canyon to the west."
  T'Lor frowned.

  "Rayonica likes water," Jon said.
  Kathryn dropped Tango's reins and went
to peer over Thorn's shoulder.
  The horse had been trained to ground-tie and would not
move until she told him to.
  Although they had been thoroughly briefed about the
terrain, the weather, and the wildlife on the planet,
the route had not been decided prior to landing as part
of the exercise.
  "If we go that way, Thorn, we'll have to climb
the steep side of the mountain to reach the probe."
Kathryn stabbed her finger at the elevation on the
map.
  She did not want to point out that the Andorian
zabathu might not be willing or able to navigate a
river route.
  "No problem." Endar patted the six-legged
t'stayan Is neck. "Ginjar can climb anything."
  "But the other animals can't," Kathryn countered.
  "We have to choose a path that's passable for
everyone. One that exposes us to the least amount of
danger."
  "You don't have to worry, human," Thorn
rumbled.
  "If you are in danger, Captain Holbrook will
beam you out before you get hurt."
  "I have no intention of being beamed out until the
mission is completed, Thorn." Kathryn stiffened.
  "And I don't think you understand what Captain
Holbrook meant."
  "What did he mean?" Endar asked
suspiciously.
  "If we run into trouble, we'll all be
transported back to the ship.
  This isn't a contest. It's a mission. Either the
whole team makes it-or none of us do."

  Thorn scowled. "If this were a Klingon mission,
the only objective would be getting the probe out.
It would not matter how many were lost along the way as
long as one succeeded in the end."
  "This is not a Klingon mission." T'Lor eyed
Thorn levelly and pressed closer to the zabathu.
"No one is expendable."
  Although she wouldn't say so, the Vulcan did not
want any harm to come to Shammi, Kathryn
realized.
  If water made the Andorian animal nervous,
she might panic, bolt, and injure herself on the
rocks. The team had to take all the animals'
needs inffconsideration.
  "We should go northwest," Kathryn suggested.
  "We'll gain altitude gradually and all the
animals can handle the terrain."
  Endar scanned the map. "That route is longer.
It'll add hours to the trip."
  "Will we get to the probe site on time?" Jon
asked hesitantly.
  "It'll be tight," Kathryn admitted, "but we
can make it."
  "We only have three days to secure the probe and
reach the beam-out point," Thorn insisted. "Better
to save as much time as we can."
  "Saving time won't mean anything if we don't
get there at all."
  Kathryn matched the Klingon's stubborn
gaze.
  "A logical and accurate conclusion, Thorn,"
T'Lor said.
  Kathryn's earlier expectations about
successfully
  Be
  completing the mission began to unravel. They
hadn't even left the landing site and already they were
hopelessly at odds. If they couldn't agree on a
route, they wouldn't be able to agree on a lot of
things. They'd waste more time arguing than they would taking
the longer, but safer, trail.
  "Who put you in command?" Endar glared at
Kathryn.
  Kathryn started. Why hadn't Captain
Holbrook appointed someone as team leader? It was
a good question, and she could reach only one conclusion.
  Klingons and Talarians had been sworn
enemies of the Federation for a long time. A fragile,
and perhaps temporary, peace did not automatically
dissolve the bad feelings that had existed between them.
  Maybe this wasn't just a study of how animals
might be used in nontech conditions. Maybe their
ability to cooperate was being tested, too.
  Captain Holbrook hadn't told them
because it wouldn't be a true test if they knew.
  But it's a test we seemed doomed to fail,
Kathryn thought. She immediately rejected that
possibility.
  They were five distinctly different races with ten
alien animals-all with their individual
abilities and limitations and all operating on their
own agendas.
  But if they could learn to work together, to use one
another's strengths to offset everyone's weaknesses,
they could accomplish everything they had been sent to do!
  "Someone has to make a decision," T'Lor
said.
  "Agreed." Thorn stared at the Vulcan.
"We'll take the river route."

  Jon raised his hand and spoke cautiously. "I
think we should go the way Kathryn said."
  "I do not take orders from a woman!" Endar's
eyes flashed.
  Turn this squabbling group into a team?
Kathryn's confidence bottomed out as they voted
three to two to take the safer northwest route.
  Hopeless.
  But it was a challenge she couldn't
refuse.
  so
  Chapte3r
  Kathryn shifted in the saddle, working out the kinks
in her muscles.
  Except for a brief stop to rest and water the
animals, they had been moving steadily for almost ten
hours. Even after a week of hard training at the
Academy stables, her body was beginning to protest.
  Ahead of her, Kathryn noticed that Jon was
slumping with weariness, too.
  Not surprising, Kathryn thought as she brushed a
wisp of hair off her forehead. Although the ascent through
the mountain forest was gradual, they had been climbing
upward constantly. There was no trail to follow, and the
rocks and undergrowth made the going difficult. At
least the animals had settled down.
  Kathryn had suggested that the Klingon lead to

  soothe his wounded pride when the team voted to take
her route instead of his. That diplomatic decision
had turned out to have several advantages. The heavy
sark moved at a pace the other animals could
easily match, and nothing stood in its way. Hoy
nej barged through brush, piles of branches,
and tangles of vines like a bulldozer, clearing a
path for the smaller, lighter animals.
  Jup, whose name meant "friend" in Klingon, would not
stray far from Thorn. However, having the targ scout
the area ahead, routing any unsuspecting alien
animals that lurked in the woods, had also been
beneficial. Although the targ's path meandered
slightly, he led Thorn around impassable
obstacles, saving them time and trouble.
  T'Lor's sehlat, Choka, roamed the
surrounding woods, alert and ready to defend them from
any hidden dangers. Kathryn was impressed with how
fast and silently the large, bearlike creature could
move through the dense forest.
  Still, it had taken a few hours of trial and
error before they finally agreed on everyone else's
place in line.
  Neither Ginjar nor Fooz liked to be near the
Sehgal serpent. According to Jon, the long-haired
t'stayan was repulsed by the dinosaur's smell and the
hook spider did not want to risk being eaten.
Endar was not happy that Jon could read his animals'
minds, but he had to concede that the information was valuable.
Rayonica was not overly fond of the Klingon sark.
T'Lor's zabathu tolerated the
saurian, but walked at a slightly

  faster pace and kept bumping her nose on
Rayonica's tail if she followed Jon.
  After shifting positions several times, they found an
order that worked. Thorn led, followed by T'Lor,
then Jon on the serpent. Tango, who didn't
mind Rayonica, provided a buffer zone between the
lizard and the t'stayan.
  Endar had objected to being last until Thorn
pointed out that the front and rear positions were both
open to attack. As warriors, they were obligated
to ride point and rear to defend the rest of the group.
  Fooz clung to Endar's head, basking in the
sun, and Jon's sandbats remained quiet in their
bag. The hawk had spent most of the day soaring on the
light winds.
  Like Choka and Jup, Fiona was on guard and
ready to screech an alarm at the first sign of
approaching trouble.
  "Maybe we should start looking for a campsite?"
  Kathryn was careful not to make it sound like she was
giving an order.
  As the day had progressed, she had discovered that
everyone was open to sensible suggestions at ven
Thorn and Endar.
  At the front of the line, Thorn twisted in his
saddle to look back with a shake of his head. "We have
to cover at least three more kilometers if we want
to arrive at the probe site by midafternoon tomorrow."
  Kathryn nodded, accepting the Klingon's
decision.
  Thorn had demonstrated an innate ability
to calculate the time needed to go a given
distance."...His estimates, based on the terrain, the
incline, and the animals'

  speed, had been amazingly accurate, and
Kathryn trusted his judgment.
  "Another hour. Then we'll look for a place."
Turning forward again, Thorn pushed Hoy nej through a
thick stand of brush. The massive sark trampled the
dense vegetation with a satisfied grunt.
  "We have another two hours of daylight,
Thorn," Endar called out. "We should keep going."
  "The animals are tired, Endar." Kathryn
looked back at the Talarian riding behind her. "And
so are we." She could ride into the night if necessary, but
she didn't want to single out Jon as the weak link.
  "Speak for yourself, Cadet," Endar
sneered. "I'm not tired. If we stop before the sun
sets, it'll be because you women and the boy can't keep
up."
  Jon straightened in his saddle. "I can go as long
as you can, Endar!"
  T'Lor's reaction was more rational. "We'll
need light to set up camp and secure the area."
  "The Vulcan makes a good point," Thom said.
"I once had a friend who slept on a hill of
Klingon fire beetles because he did not check the
ground. The humiliation hurt almost as much as the
poisonous stings.
  was "Talarians sleep in trees above such
hazards," Endar countered.
  "Then you must hope the trees on Diehr Four
are not the preferred habitat for snakes."
T'Lor glanced back, her expression blank.
  Kathryn wasn't sure, but she thought she
detected a sparkle of amusement in the Vulcan's
eyes. A hope 84
  ful sign for the Vulcan Diplomatic Corps
and the galaxy, she thought, hiding a smile.
  "Or carnivorous birds." Jon didn't
bother to hide the amused smile he beamed at the
Talarian.
  Kathryn was pleased that the young Betazoid was opening
up enough to defend himself. Endar, however, did not
appreciate the teasing and had to have the last word.
  "That's why Talarians tamed hook spiders.
Fooz will protect me from all those dangers."
  Sighing, Kathryn settled back in the saddle and
let Tango pick his own way. Obviously, the
team had not come to terms with all their differences, but they
were on schedule. That was a major accomplishment,
considering. With luck, the rest of the mission would be as
uneventful.
  But luck changes like the tides on Earth,
Kathryn reminded herself as they rode up a rocky
incline an hour and a half later. To her left, she
saw the orange sun of Diehr IV sinking
rapidly toward the horizon, and they had not found a
suitable place to camp. The terrain had changed
dramatically the minute they had started looking.
  "We'll sleep on rocks if we have to,"
Thorn muttered.
  Kathryn peered at her map, trusting Tango
to follow the others over the uneven land on his own.
"It looks like there's a level spot about a
kilometer ahead to the northeast. And there's a
small stream not too far from it."

  "It'll be dark before we get there." T'Lor
stated the obvious.
  "I don't think we have any choice, T'Lor.
We need water and the only other alternative is
to go back."
  "Not acceptable. We would lose too much time."
  Endar gloated over the victory unexpected
circumstances had given him.
  "Because we kept going, we're now two
kilometers and almost an hour ahead of where we would have
been."
  The Talarian was right, Kathryn realized,
suddenly remembering Commander Roberts's discussion
of the Chance Factor. She had forgotten that lesson,
and like everyone else, she had assumed they'd find a
good spot to spend the night once they decided
to stop. But Diehr IV had thrown them a curve.
They had reached a steep barren area on the mountain with
few trees, no grass, and no water. Chance had
pushed them onward, giving them a head start on tomorrow.
But now they were tired, the path was treacherous, and it was
getting dark. With no moon to reflect light, it
would be completely dark. A dozen dangerous
surprises could be waiting for them on the
trail ahead.
  The Chance Factor, as Commander Roberts had
said, was a constant. The unpredictable and unex
pected was always there, waiting to happen.
  But, Kathryn thought as she whistled for Fiona
to return from the darkening sky, it's foolish to think that
Chance will always work in our favor.
  It wouldn't.
  And it didn't.
  The Baneriam hawk came in from the south behind

  BTARFLEET ACADEMY
  Kathryn. Flying low, Fiona swooped too
close to Endar, startling Fooz.
  The hissing spider leaped to the attack off
Endar's head and barely missed striking the hawk with
its poisonous mandibles.
  Kathryn gasped as the shrieking bird swept
upward and the spider nose-dived into the ground.
Tango frantically backed up and broke out in a
nervous sweat when Kathryn ordered him to stand still.
  Spotting the stunned insect, Jon's serpent
whirled.
  Her three heads moved in perfect unison as
six eyes focused on the spider. Endar
leaped from Ginjar's back. With six hooves flying,
the t'stayan bolted, with Choka in determined, howling
pursuit. The Talarian boy scooped Fooz up
an instant before one of Rayonica's three tongues
could snag him for a snack.
  Jon's leather bag popped open as he
desperately tried to pull the serpent's center head
up. Two enraged sandbats took to the alien
skies, circled, then buzzed the zabathu.
  Shammi bucked as the bats zoomed over her
head, and kicked Hoy nej in the flank. The sark
squealed and reared, sending Thorn somersaulting
backward over her rump to land with a painful jolt on
his own hindquarters. Jup trotted over with a
worried grunt and began licking the Klingon's
reddening face.
  Kathryn glanced around in openmouthed astonishment as
Fiona landed on her gloved hand, shook her wings,
and blinked innocently. Aside from bumps and
bruises, no one had been seriously hurt.
  The sehlat had overtaken the slower t'stayan and
was herding it back to the group. Endar stroked the
  Be
  "der as it climbed onto his shoulder. Jon
purring spi held a sandbat in each hand,
calming them with his thoughts. T'Lor had dismounted and
offered her hand to help Thorn. He ignored it,
jumped to his feet, and winced as he swung back
onto the sark's back.
  Reining Hoy nej around to face the witnesses,
Thorn glared. "I will get revenge on anyone who
dares speak of this-ever!"
  No one said a word as they mounted up. They had more
important things to worry about than Thorn's
embarrassment and bruised posterior, Kathryn
realized as she urged Tango up the slope.
  The sun sank behind a distant mountain, blinding them
in a moonless darkness.
  The Chance Factor could turn their diminishing
hope for success into certain defeat in mere
seconds.
  It was a lesson she would not forget again.

  Chapter a
  Aches and pains were the order of the day. No one
complained out loud, but as they continued up the mountain the
next morning, Kathryn could tell that everyone was
stiff and sore after yesterday's long, hard ride.
  The Chance Factor, Kathryn reflected, had
been working overtime against them.
  They had made camp on the first flat area they
had found with trees.
  However, except for the t'stayan, the riding
animals couldn't negotiate the steep, rocky
banks down to the stream. The team had had to fetch and
carry canvas bags of water up to them. Except
for Endar, who did not hesitate to boast about
Ginjar's nimble climbing ability, they had all
sustained

  minor scratches and bruises scrambling up and
down the rocks in the dark.
  Then, because they had ridden farther than they intended,
Thorn decided they were too close to the pretend
native tribe's ceremonial site for a fire.
Captain Holbrook had warned them not to do anything
that might alert a primitive people to their presence within
a specified range.
  The Klingon wasn't absolutely certain they
had crossed that invisible line, but he didn't want
to fail one of the mission's objectives by default.
The mountain temperature dropped to almost freezing,
but they did not build a fire. Fortunately,
Starfleet's flash-pack field rations heated
automatically when opened and the containers
completely biodegraded two hours after being
activated.
  Using their flashlights, a technological
convenience Holbrook had allowed for safety
reasons, they had checked the ground for wildlife and
rocks, but it was impossible to clear away all the
debris. Their bedrolls had not provided enough
cushioning between them and the ground, which was cold, hard, and
covered with small stones.
  The hot meal had been the only high point of the
long. dark night.
  Sighing, Kathryn waved a bright blue
butterfly with a six-inch wingspan away from
Tango's ears. Even the mild-mannered quarter
horse would tolerate only so much. Still, although she
had awakened feeling like she had slept in a freezer
on a bed of jagged Myrmidon crystals, she was not
as miserable as Endar.
  The Talarian had stubbornly perched in the forked
7 'l
  trunk of a sturdy tree to sleep. He had not
encountered any alien snakes or predatory
birds, but he was apparently allergic to something in the
bark. He woke up to find his face and hands covered
with hives.
  Worried in spite of Endar's condescending
hostility toward her, Kathryn glanced back as
Thorn's trail curved around a large rock
outcropping.
  The ointment T'Lor had in her Vulcan
medical kit seemed to be working.
  The red welts on the Talarian's face were
fading. Hopefully, the itching will stop soon, too,
she thought. Endar was difficult to get along with under the
best of circumstances. Embarrassed and covered with
itchy, red bumps, he was impossible.
  "What are you looking at, Cadet?" Endar
snapped.
  "Do you want some more of T'Lor's medicine?"
  Kathryn asked evenly.
  "No. Mind your own business."
  Shrugging, Kathryn turned her attention back
to the terrain. They had entered another section of forest.
  The trees were taller and there was less underbrush
than they had found at the lower elevations. Still, the
gradual but constant upward slope slowed their
pace.
  Thorn kept glancing at the time and the map and
frowning. Even though their campsite had been
uncomfortable, it was probably a stroke of
luck that they had covered the extra distance yesterday.
They were losing ground today.
  "There it is!" Thorn pointed as he steered Hoy
nej into a small clearing.
  Kathryn reined Tango in to stand beside Rayonica
as everyone paused to look. She didn't know whether

  the animals had finally gotten used to one another
or if they were just too tired to waste energy throwing
tantrums, but they all stayed quiet.
  High on the mountain in the distance, the ceremonial
ledge jutted out from a sheer cliff. The
surveillance probe was hidden in a cleft cut
into the face of the rock. Kathryn guessed the site
was about five kilometers away-as the Baneriam
hawk flies. Getting to it was not going to be a
straight shot for the riding animals, she realized as
Endar called their attention to the downward slope of the
terrain ahead.
  A deep, impassable gorge ran between the mountain
they were on and the mountain height that rose before them.
  "Which is the shortest way around it?" T'Lor
asked.
  Thorn shrugged. "I don't know. It's not on the
map."
  Endar scowled at Kathryn. "It'll be your
fault if we can't get past the gorge,
Janeway. It was your idea to go this way."
  Jon hung his head. He had voted for
Kathryn's route along with T'Lor.
  "Placing blame won't solve anything,"
T'Lor said.
  "We all voted and agreed."
  Kathryn was not going to defend a decision that made
perfect sense given the available information.
  "We have to decide what to do now."
  coneaWe go east," Thorn said.
  'Why?" T'Lor asked.
  Thorn set his jaw. "East or west, we've
got a fifty 73
  fifty chance of picking the best route around that
ravine."
  Not good enough, Kathryn thought as the sehlat came
bounding out of the trees from the west. Choka ran up
to T'Lor, whined excitedly, and ran back into the
forest. Several seconds later, the huge, fanged
creature returned, sat down, and whined again.
  "I think we should follow the sehlat." Kathryn
didn't hesitate to make the suggestion. If her
hunch was wrong, the time lost would doom the
mission. But that was a chance she had to take. Bramble
had led her out of too many tight spots in the
Indiana woods for her to ignore Choka's
obvious signals. The sehlat had already found the
best route.
  The team just had to listen.
  "Yes." T'Lor nodded. "Choka knows the
way."
  Thorn looked down at the targ. "Which way,
Jup?"
  The targ grunted and wagged its stubby tail, but it
didn't move one way or the other.
  Endar's eyes flashed defiantly. "We should go
east, Thorn. If we let these women and that boy
make another decision, we'll never reach the
probe."
  "That is completely illogical reasoning."
T'Lor's voice had a slight edge. "I
agree with Kathryn. We should go west after Choka."
  Thorn's eyes narrowed. "East."
  Jon flinched as everyone turned to stare at him.
  Once again, the Betazoid had the deciding vote.
  "Trust your own instincts, Jon," Kathryn said
gently.
  Nodding, Jon took a deep breath and
closed his

  eyes. The serpent's middle neck flexed as
Jon loosened his hold on the reins and talked to her
with telepathy. A tense moment passed. Three
heads turned together as the dinosaur moved out on her
ownheading west on the sehlat's trail.
  Kathryn reined Tango to follow and released
Fiona into the sky. T'Lor fell into place behind
the horse.
  Five minutes later, Thorn and Endar brought
up the rear in sullen silence.
  Choka was waiting for them where the slope met the
sheer drop into the ravine. When they caught up, the
sehlat led them down a wide, gradually descending
ledge to the base of the gorge. There was a secondary
split in the rock face on the opposite side.
Letting Endar lead on the surefooted t'stayan,
the team entered the narrow, winding canyon. An hour
later, they emerged from the rock walls onto the
forested slope of the ceremonial mountain. At most,
they had lost half an hour.
  Taking their usual places in line, the group
moved steadily upward toward the probe without
speaking.
  Kathryn was very much aware that the animals were
beginning to function as a better team than their
intelligent, but stubborn, handlers.
  Still, Kathryn felt a growing respect for her
compaiddions. Although T'Lor's diplomatic
skills left a lot to be desired, her logical
approach had a stabilizing effect.
  Rather than giving in to their pride and aggressive
impulses, Thorn and Endar had held their tempers
in check for the good of the mission. And Jon had shown

  BTARFLEET ACADEMY courage by sticking
to his convictions in spite of his lack of confidence and
feelings of inadequacy.
  Even she had gained some valuable insights,
Kathryn mused. Everyone on the team, including the
animals, had something significant to add to the
whole.
  Although she didn't trust everyone's motives,
she had learned to trust their individual talents.
Separately, they couldn't do the job. As a unit
they could. It would just be a lot easier if they could
overcome their differences of opinion and cultivated
prejudices.
  Seeing Fiona begin a circling descent
overhead, Kathryn called the hawk back to rest
for a while.
  As they neared the clearing by the ceremonial cliff,
the forest became more majestic. Almost no underbrush
grew beneath the high, thick canopy of needled
branches on the giant trees, and very little light
filtered through. Dust motes danced in the few rays
of sunshine that penetrated the forest gloom. Captain
Holbrook had chosen his pretend ritual gathering
place well. There was an eerie, almost mystic
quality to the shadowed landscape.
  "This is it," Thorn announced calmly as he
rode the sark into a clearing. The ground was carpeted in
a spongy moss that muted the sound of hooves.
  "Are we on time?" Endar asked as he dismounted and
tied Ginjar to a tree.
  "Yes, but we do not have time to spare." T'Lor
slid off the zabathu and stretched. Choka nuzzled
her hand for a pat on the head, then ran off to check the
woods. Draping the reins over Shammi's neck,
the

  Vulcan took a handful of nutrition pellets
out of her saddlebag and dropped them on the ground.
  Kathryn did the same for Tango and
sent Fiona skyward to scout the surrounding forest from
the air.
  She felt a distinct sense of satisfied
triumph everyone seemed to share. Even though they
didn't have any margin for error, they had reached the
site on schedule. And they had a fighting chance of
reaching the beam-out point on time, too.
  Hoy nej and Jup lowered themselves to the ground as
Thorn walked to the cliff to locate the
malfunctioning probe.
  Kathryn paused beside the Klingon as he knelt
to peer over the edge.
  She swayed slightly as she looked down. The
ledge they were standing on jutted out from the side of the
mountain. However, the rock platform sloped inward
again under them, giving her a sense of being suspended in
midair. The cliff itself was a sheer drop, and the
bottom was too far down to be seen. She took a
step back.
  "Very clever." Thorn actually grinned. "No one
could find this probe unless they knew where to look."
  Kathryn frowned. The compact surveillance
probe was wedged into a cleft where the rock ledge
curved under. "But how do we get it out?"
  She did not add what else she was
thinking. Without falling.
  "Good question," Jon said. "I don't want
to climb down over the edge."
  "We brought rope." Endar shook his head in
disgust. "Now we know why.
  I'll go."

  "That won't be necessary." As T'Lor knelt beside
the Klingon, Fiona suddenly screeched overhead.
  Kathryn had never heard the bird call
exactly that way before. Captain Holbrook had just
described it.
  It was the hawk's shrill warning of danger.
  Everyone looked up, including the tethered riding
animals they had left at the edge of the clearing.
  Tango, Shammi, and Ginjar pranced nervously.
Fooz folded his legs into the t'stayan's long
hair to get a more secure grip. The sark grunted
as she started to stand up. Rayonica drew back her
heads and hissed.
  The sandbats stirred inside the leather bag hanging
from her saddle.
  The targ raised his snout to test scent.
  The sehlat yelped in pain somewhere in the woods.
  Kathryn's heart thudded against her ribs
as she turned toward the sound of Choka's cry.
  A monstrous catlike animal with greenish
brown fur and gleaming fangs burst out of the forest with
an enraged roar. It charged toward them with
unbelievable speed.
  The Chance Factor had finally hit them with a
lifeand-death crisis.
  Kathryn dropped to one knee, prepared to spring
aside. It was a futile exercise. They were all
trapped on a ledge that ended in thin air on three
sides.
  There was nowhere to run.

  Chapter

  The next few seconds unfolded in slow motion
for Kathryn as the alien cat raced toward the cliff
and easy prey. She could imagine only three
possible endings to the terrifying situation.
  Captain Holbrook would beam them out of danger.
  The cat would turn before grabbing one of them to munch
for lunch.
  Or someone was going to be pushed off the cliff.
  Thorn and Endar jumped in front of Kathryn,
T'Lor, and Jon, then crouched to repel the
cat's attack. Standing on the edge opposite
Kathryn, T'Lor wrapped her arm around Jon's
shoulder and drew him close. The boy was wide-eyed
and frozen with fear.
  Kathryn picked up a rock and tensed as she
focused so
  on the cat. The moment it sprang toward Thorn
or Endar, she would launch a counterattack. Together,
the three of them might be able to fight it off without being
ripped to shreds or falling off the cliff.
  Why, she wondered, isn't Captain
Holbrook initiating an emergency beam-out?
  The powerful cat leaped toward Thorn.
  Thorn raised his hands to grapple with the animal
when it struck.
  But the cat never touched the Klingon.
  Shrieking in fury, the targ charged and rammed into the
cat's side just as it left the ground. Jup's
forward momentum deflected the cat and sent both of
them plunging off the ledge in a tangle of snarling
fur and fangs.
  "NOOOO!" Thom sprang to the edge to peer
down.
  Endar and T'Lor blinked in dazed surprise.
Jon pulled away from the Vulcan and
knelt beside the Klingon. The Betazoid's face
twisted in anguish as he closed his eyes and reached
out to the falling targ.
  Kathryn went to stand behind them, placing a comforting hand
on the Klingon's broad shoulder. Losing Jup
brought the painful memory of Bramble's death
flooding back. She blinked back her tears and
silently mourned, not just for the little dog that had shared her
growing-up years, but for the devoted targ. In a
tragic way, Kathryn realized sadly, Jup's
sacrifice proved that Captain Holbrook was right
about the value of animals in nontechnological
circumstances.
  The targ had been as effective as a phaser.
  Agonizing seconds passed before Jon glanced
at Thorn. A deep sorrow glazed the boy's
eyes. "I can't sense his mind anymore,
Thorn."
  Thorn nodded, his jaw flexing as he struggled
to control the pain of his loss. "He's dead."
  Jon frowned slightly as he stared into Thorn's
eyes.
  "Yes, but Jup gave his life to save yours because
he loved you. He was not afraid. He died
instantly, without pain. I felt it."
  Kathryn stepped back as Thorn met Jon's
gaze and gripped the boy's arms in his massive
hands.
  "Jup died a warrior's death, Thorn." Endar
swallowed hard and his voice trembled.
  "Ambassador Spock once said that 'one should
mourn the loss of life only if that life has
been wasted."
  was T'Lor sighed. "Jup died to save everyone
else. I honor his courage and loyalty."
  Kathryn instantly changed her opinion about
T'Lor's potential as a diplomat. The
Vulcan girl could not have chosen better words to convey
her sympathies to a Klingon.
  Without speaking, Thorn turned to stare out over the
green valley so far below. Then he tilted his head
back and emitted a powerful, spine-tingling howl.
  Fiona screeched and dove to skim the tops of the
trees on the distant valley floor, as though
bidding farewell to a friend.
  Kathryn eased back off the ledge, leaving
Thorn alone to grieve in his own way.
  Following her back into the clearing, Endar took
Jon aside and sat down with him on the thick
moss.

  Amazed, Kathryn watched as the Talarian
tried to comfort the boy. Jon had experienced the
targ's death and surprisingly, Endar seemed to sense
that it might have lasting, harmful effects if Jon
didn't talk about it. Almost, but not quite, as
surprising, the normally withdrawn Betazoid seemed
willing to talk.
  Then Kathryn noticed T'Lor heading into the
trees.
  Choka!
  In their fright during the cat's charge and their
despair over Jup's death, they had all forgotten
about the sehlat. The other animals were tense and
upset, but none of them was in danger. Choka had
cried out just before the cat attacked and he was still
missing, either hurt or dead somewhere in the forest.
Kathryn ran to help T'Lor search.
  "I do not think we should split up, Kathryn."
T'Lor scanned the trees, her face a
reserved, unemotional mask.
  Kathryn was not fooled by the Vulcan's outward
calm. T'Lor was frantic with worry. "You're
right.
  There could be more of those big cats close
by. Let's fan out a little and just keep each other in
sight."
  Nodding, T'Lor started to walk forward and
stopped. "Did you hear that?"
  "Yes! A whining......... Kathryn listened,
then pointed to the left.
  "This way." As they turned, the sehlat limped
out of the shadows.
  "Choka!" Smiling with open relief and delight,
T'Lor ran to the sehlat's side and laughed as
he nuzzled her face. "You're all right!"
  "His foot's hurt," Kathryn said, coming up
beside

  them. She pretended not to notice the girl's
momentary emotional lapse.
  Quickly composing herself, T'Lor examined
Choka's foot and pulled out a four-inch thorn that was
embedded in his pad. "I have something to seal the wound in
my kit. He'll be fine."
  "I'm glad of that," Kathryn said as they walked
back toward the clearing with Choka limping gamely
between them. She didn't think she could stand losing
another of the team's animals. She had become
fonder of the ugly, bristle-haired
Klingon targ than she realized.
  When they came out of the woods, Kathryn and
T'Lor found Thorn, Endar, and Jon checking
all the other animals to make sure they were all
right.
  "Why did you howl like that, Thorn?" Jon asked
as he fed Rayonica's left head a handful of
dried bugs.
  Her other heads were on watch, nostrils flaring and
eyes trained on the woods.
  "It is a Klingon ritual that honors the death
of a comrade," Thorn answered. "We howl to warn the
dead that a warrior is about to arrive."
  "And Jup was a great warrior." Kathryn
smiled.
  "I'll miss him."
  "We owe him our lives," Endar said
solemnly.
  Thorn nodded slightly and sighed. "I owe him more
than that. I have always been afraid that I would
disgrace myself when someone close to me died in
battle."
  Kathryn sensed an urgency in the Klingon's
confession of his most dreaded fear. By telling them, he

  cementing the bond Jup's loss had created among
them.
  "Now I know I can handle it." Drawing another
deep breath, Thorn squared his shoulders. "But it
is more important than ever to complete this mission
successfully now. Success will honor Jup's
memory."
  "I agree," Kathryn said, "but that's not the
only reason we have to finish on schedule. We have
another problem."
  Jon looked at her and squinted. His expression
quickly shifted between joy and concern. "The beam-out! was
Kathryn glanced at him, suddenly aware that Jon
had been reading her mind. "Yes. Exactly."
  "We'll make it in time," Endar said
confidently.
  "Time isn't what I'm worried about,"
Kathryn explained. "This planet doesn't really
have an ionized atmosphere to prevent using the
McMurray's transporters. Captain
Holbrook should have beamed all of us out of here the
moment that cat attacked."
  Everyone stared at her, not understanding the implications.
  "But he didn't," Kathryn continued, "and there's
only one explanation I can think offor why
we're still here."
  Thorn frowned, puzzled. "Why?"
  "We've been cut off from the ship."

  Chapter

  "We're on our own?" Jon asked. "Captain
Holbrook doesn't know where we are or anything?"
  Kathryn nodded. "I think so."
  "It's the only conclusion that makes sense."
T'Lor sat on the ground, cleaning the Choka's
puncture wound.
  "Yes." Thorn clenched his teeth. "Captain
Holbrook would not have let Jup die if it could have
been avoided."
  Endar frowned slightly, but kept his thoughts
to himself. Kathryn couldn't tell if he agreed or
disagreed, but his stubborn determination to discount anything
T'Lor or Jon or she had to say was wearing on
her nerves.

  "We must proceed to the beam-out location as
planned." Finishing her first aid on Choka's
paw, T'Lor stood up. "If Captain
Holbrook is unable to monitor us, he
doesn't know about the cat's attack or Jup's
death. Therefore, he doesn't know that we know we're
out of contact with the McMurray." " "And if the
ship doesn't get communications and the transporters
working," Jon added, "the transporter site is where
Captain Holbrook will expect to find us. The
ship will probably send a shuttle to pick us up,
so we'd better be there."
  Kathryn raised an impressed eyebrow.
"That's excellent deduction, Jon."
  The Betazoid boy blushed with a mischievous
smile.
  "Actually, that's what all of you were thinking."
  "You can read our minds now?" T'Lor asked
curiously.
  "Sorry." Jon wrinkled his nose
apologetically.
  "Thorn reacted so strongly when Jup fell, it
broke through the block I had or something. I
promise I'll try to control myself."
  Thorn scowled his most menacing Klingon scowl.
  "See that you do!"
  Jon grinned. "Nice try, Thorn, but I know
you're not really mad."
  The Klingon laughed. "We must stay in
contact when the mission is over, Jon Brezi. You
will be a valuable ally."
  "Don't you think we should get moving?" Endar
asked.
  "Yes," Kathryn said. "After we dismantle and
load
  Be
  the surveillance probe. We can't abandon the
mission just because we've run into some difficulties."
  Everyone agreed with that and they set to work freeing the
mechanism from its hiding place. A flat piece
of rock had been fitted into the ledge on top of it.
Endar and Thorn pried it loose, exposing the
probe so it could be lifted up and out. No one had
to risk dangling over the edge of the cliff on a
rope.
  When the device was separated into parts and the parts
stashed in everyone's saddlebags, the team hit the
trail again. According to Thom, they only had to make up
fifteen minutes to be back on their tight but doable
schedule.
  That isn't going to be easy, Kathryn thought,
sitting back in her saddle to balance Tango as he
half-slid down a rocky incline. The terrain on
the far side of the mountain was rougher and more
hazardous than it was on the southern face. Putting
the safety of themselves and the animals first, they lost more
and more minutes as the afternoon moved steadily toward
dusk.
  They weren't worried about being stranded. A shuttle
was sure to be waiting for them. However, if they were
late, Captain Holbrook might dispatch a
search party to look for them. They would have failed
to complete the exercise, and no one was willing
to accept failure.
  Resolved, they pushed on down the mountain into the
night.
  "We stop here," Thorn announced as the tired
team rode into a narrow canyon. He beamed his
flashlight toward rock walls and surveyed the
ground. "The rock is smooth and we can build a
fire."

  Kathryn looked around and nodded. It was their best
bet for a place to camp. They were now fifteen
minutes ahead of schedule and the animals had been
watered at a small stream an hour back.
Sleeping on smooth rock wouldn't be pleasant, but
it would be a lot more comfortable than sleeping on a bed
of small stones. A campfire would not
only ward off the mountain cold, it would warm their
weary spirits, too.
  Once the animals were unsaddled, rubbed down, and
fed, Kathryn and Jon cleared the area of loose
rocks and brush while Thorn, Endar, and T'Lor
gathered wood for the fire. Scrub pines with bluish
needles grew in spots along the base of the walls
and in crags up the rock face.
  Kathryn started as Jon looked up suddenly.
  "Run!" T'Lor shouted from the darkness a short
distance down the ravine. The sound of boots pounding
against rock echoed off the canyon walls.
  "What's happening?" Kathryn grabbed a rock
and a heavy pine branch to use as weapons.
  Jon grabbed the leather bag full of sandbats.
"Rats!
  They're being chased by rats!"
  "Rats?" Kathryn shuddered.
  "Or something like that." Without hesitation, Jon
opened the pouch and closed his eyes. Six quiet
rocklike sandbats came to life instantly and
streamed out of the bag on leathery ribbed wings.
  Kathryn peered down the canyon. Thorn,
Endar, and T'Lor raced toward them with a pack of
giant ratlike creatures snapping at
their heels.
  The air was filled with the sound of frenzied snarls and
growls.

  Ignoring the alien teenagers, the sandbats
divebombed the vicious rodents. Endar, Thorn,
and T'Lor stopped and turned when they realized the
sharptoothed horde was no longer scrambling around their
feet.
  Flashlights flicked on and everyone trained the
beams on the furious battle.
  The stubby-tailed rats of Diehr IV jumped
at the zooming sandbats, jaws snapping. The bats
dove, buzzed, and rose to dive again on wings that were
ten times the size of their small bodies. As the
rodents turned tail and ran from the mini-monsters
battering them in the dark, one of the rats sank its
teeth into a wing.
  "Teesha!" Jon screamed as the small bat
squealed in pain and fright.
  Kathryn sprang forward armed only with her rock
and pine branch. The team was not going to lose another
friend if she could help it. It was hard to see in the
dim glow cast by the flashlights, and she hesitated.
  She didn't want to strike the bat
by mistake.
  The light brightened suddenly as Thorn ran up behind
her. The rat was shaking the terrified bat, beating its
delicate wings against the ground. Taking careful
aim, Kathryn brought the stick down square on the
rodent's back. It released the sandbat with a
shriek, then whirled to face Kathryn with its
needle-sharp teeth bared.
  "Run or die, rat," Kathryn said evenly.
"Those are your only two choices." She didn't
want to kill the creature if it wasn't
absolutely necessary.
  The rat ran.

  Thorn quickly stepped up and handed Kathryn the
flashlight. The sandbat remained silent and unmoving
as he gently picked it up and cradled it in his
massive hands.
  "Is it dead?" Kathryn whispered.
  "No. I feel the heart beating. T'Lor will
know what to do."
  Murmuring softly to the injured creature, Thorn
hurried back to the others.
  Endar quickly lit the fire as everyone gathered around
the Vulcan. "Do all your rock-bats have
names, Jon?"
  Jon nodded, but he did not take his eyes off
T'Lor and the wounded Teesha. The other five
sandbats perched on a boulder behind him, looking like
rocks sitting on a rock.
  "The teeth only perforated the wing membrane,"
T'Lor said softly. As she finished applying an
antiseptic to the bite, the sandbat curled back
into a tight ball. "I think it's in shock, though.
You must keep it warm."
  "I will." Jon sighed as he took Teesha from
T'Lor's hands and held it against his chest. "Thank
you, T'Lor."
  "You're welcome."
  "We'll need more wood to keep the fire going."
  Endar looked down the dark canyon with a frown.
  "The sandbats will go after those rat things the minute
they smell them again," Jon said. "Don't worry,
Endar."
  "I won't." Endar almost smiled.
  At least Jon's made an impression on the
Talarian, 93
  Kathryn thought, but he's a boy. Hoping Endar
could set aside his culture's condescending and
dismissive attitudes toward females was
probably too much to ask.
  By the time Thorn and Endar had stacked enough wood for the
night, Kathryn and T'Lor had finished setting
up camp. When Teesha's struggle to join its
companions threatened to do more harm than the cold,
Jon put it on the rock with the other sandbats.
  All six of them immediately scooted closer to the
fire and the team settled down to eat.
  "How come you didn't let them out of their bag
before?" Thorn asked.
  Jon shrugged. "They like privacy and were happier
in the bag. Now they have a good reason to be out.
  They will guard us from the rats all night."
Swallowing the last of his Deltan pudding, Jon
cocked his head toward Kathryn. "What does
'Tango" mean?"
  Kathryn sat back slightly. "Actually, it
doesn't mean anything. The tango is an ancient
Earth dance."
  "A sacred ritual," Thorn stated
solemnly.
  "Not exactly. We do it for fun."
  "Fun?" Thorn faked a shocked expression.
"I did not know you serious Starfleet people did
anything just because it's fun."
  "Vulcans do not," T'Lor emphatically
corrected him.
  "Talarians dance only to honor the dead,"
Endar said.
  Kathryn blinked. She had never thought of
Klingons

  doing anything for fun, either. "What do Klingons
do?"
  "Many things." Thorn licked his fingers, then
tossed his empty flash-pack in the fire.
"Personally, I like Klingon opera. But I'm
curious about this Earth dance. You must show us."
  "I've heard Klingon opera, Kathryn." A
slight grimace disrupted T'Lor's calm
expression. "A demonstration of this tango would be
infinitely preferable."
  It was another cultural gap Kathryn had an
opportunity to bridge, but not at the expense of her
dignity.
  Recalling another of her father's archaic sayings,
she begged off.
  "I'm afraid it takes two to tango."
  "I'll tango with you!" Jon jumped to his
feet, his eyes bright with enthusiasm.
  "I'm not a very good dancer," Kathryn said
desperately.
  "I don't think I am, either." Jon laughed.
"I've never tried!"
  "Come on, Kathryn!" Thorn prodded. "We have
the probe and we're ahead of schedule. We should do
something to celebrate!"
  Sighing, Kathryn stood up and brushed the dust
off her uniform. She suspected Thorn wanted
something to distract him from thinking about Jup. And now that
Jon had come out of his shell, she did not feel
comfortable rejecting his efforts to be sociable. Not even
if it meant making a fool of herself for a few
minutes.
  Clasping the younger boy's right hand in her left,
Kathryn positioned her other hand on his waist and

  his hand on hers. Then she bestowed her own most
menacing glare on their audience. "I'll get my
revenge on the first one who laughs."
  They all made an effort to look suitably
grim.
  "Ready?" Kathryn smiled at Jon, then
turned sideways and straightened her arm. Singing the
rhythm, she steered the awkward boy forward
with dramatic sweeping steps, then reversed their
position and swooped back.
  "Taaa-daaa da-da-dah. Taaa-dah
dada-dah . . ."
  Within seconds, T'Lor was tapping her foot and
Thom was bellowing along in a grating, baritone
voice. Fiona and Choka watched in animal
bewilderment. Endar collapsed in a heap of
uncontrollable, amused laughter that sent Fooz
scurrying into his hair.
  As soon as Jon got the hang of the movements,
he began singing the rhythmic tune, too.
  Self-conscious but delighted that everyone was enjoying
themselves, Kathryn threw herself into the dance. She
dipped, paused, and turned with an increasing energy that
Jon matched stride for stride. She was taken
totally by surprise when she stumbled over a rock
on the edge of the campsite. Jon let go as she
lost her balance and fell backward in the dirt.
  "Are you all night, Kathryn?"
  Kathryn did not move or answer. Her fall
had aroused a snake sleeping by the rocks. Two
feet to her right, the wedge-shaped head of the coiled
reptile swayed, poised to strike. Venom
dripped from its lethal fangs.
  Jon backed up slowly. Realizing something was

  wrong, T'Lor, Endar, and Thorn stood up.
They hesitated when the boy motioned them to be quiet
and still.
  "What's going on?" Endar whispered.
  "A snake," Jon hissed softly.
  Kathryn did not dare move her head. She
didn't dare twitch for fear the slightest movement
would prompt the snake to attack. But out of the corner
of her eye she saw the Talarian edge closer and
stoop to place Fooz on the ground. The huge,
black spider crept forward.
  Kathryn's blood turned cold.
  The snake's venom might kill her in
seconds.
  But another danger was moving toward her on eight
black nine-inch legs.
  The Talarian hook spider's poisonous bite
was fatal, too.
  Had Endar sent Fooz to save her?
  Or to make sure the Talarians had one less
Starfleet officer to worry about in the future?

  Chapter
  I I
  Kathryn's instincts told her to trust the
Talarian. In spite of Endar's animosity
toward the Federation and his lack of respect for women,
he was honorable. He would not deliberately hurt
anyone who had done him no harm.
  Remaining perfectly still, Kathryn watched the
snake. It hissed and darted its head forward, then
back, toying with her. Her heart fluttered, but she
did not flinch when Fooz crawled over her
outstretched legs.
  The snake struck suddenly.
  But it was not fast enough.
  The hook spider leaped and grabbed the snake behind
the head in his powerful mandibles. Throwing

  the reptile to the ground, the spider hung on
until the snake's long, twisting body stopped
struggling.
  Kathryn didn't move until Endar appeared
and scooped the spider into his arms. When the
Talarian held out his hand to help her up, she
took it.
  "Did the snake bite you?" Endar asked.
  Kathryn shook her head. "No,
thanks to Fooz.
  And you."
  "We couldn't afford to lose another valuable
memher of the team."
  Kathryn nodded and smiled as the others rushed
forward to express their relief and praise the
spider.
  Endar meant no insult by comparing her to the lost
targ. It was a sincere compliment. She accepted it
graciously and without additional comment, knowing how
difficult it was for the Talarian to accept a girl as
an equal.
  Anxious to get an early start, the team bedded
down for the night with Fooz, Fiona, Choka, and the
sandbats watching over the camp.
  Although she was exhausted, Kathryn's mind reeled
with several realizations that kept her awake.
  Jup's heroic death had broken down the barriers
that had kept everyone operating as separate entities
rather than as a team. They had finally recognized the
one thing they all had in common-their concern and respect
for the animals. And that had made them realize that they
respected and cared about one another, too.
  Thorn's firm belief that Captain Holbrook
would have saved the targ if possible was proof
that the Klin "i 00
  gon Empire and the Federation might someday learn
to really trust each other. Thorn would become a
Klingon leader committed to making that happen.
  The positive, long-range effects of Jup's
death were staggering. If a targ could have such a
potentially powerful impact on the galaxy, how much
difference could one human girl make? A lot,
Kathryn decided. As a Starfleet officer with an
understanding of different alien viewpoints and motives,
social customs and beliefs, she could make a big
difference in a lot of little ways.
  I already have, Kathryn realized with a glance at
Endar, who had chosen to sleep on the ground.
  T'Lor's medicine had completely healed the
hives and he didn't want to expose himself to tree
bark again.
  The Talarian had finally overcome his ingrained
conviction that all females were helpless and all
Federation citizens were enemies. It wasn't
likely the ongoing hostilities between the Talarian
homeworld and the Federation would end, but maybe someday the
change in Endar's rigid attitude would help him
peacefully resolve a situation involving
Starfleet.
  And she would never again make the mistake of judging
people based on cultural or political
misconceptions, either. If treated fairly and
honestly, individuals could learn to work together and
respect one another, even like one another,
regardless of their governments" politics or
personal differences of opinion. Diversity was the
team's strength.
  Kathryn dozed off knowing that they would succeed or
fail together.
  But she also knew that they were
  "i 0 I
  unanimously determined to succeed-for Captain
Holbrook, for Jup, and because it was a matter of
team pride.
  Everyone was up before dawn. They were packed and
heading out as the golden sun of Diehr IV rose
over the mountain-an hour ahead of Thorn's
calculated schedule. However, it soon became
apparent that the extra time would be spent solving more
unexpected problems.
  The only thing we can predict is that the
unpredictable will happen, Kathryn thought as the team
stood on the bank of a narrow, raging river.
Shammi, T'Lor's Andorian zabathu,
refused to go near it. The desert animal did not
balk at drinking from or jumping over quiet
streams, but the whitewater rapids terrified her.
  Thorn and Endar rode back from scouting the river
in both directions.
  "There's no easy way across and no way around to the
west," Thorn said.
  "Nor to the east, either." Endar scowled thoughtfully.
"We have to cross here or the mission is over."
  "There's got to be a way!" Jon's awakened
ability to read intelligent thoughts had revealed that his
older companions not only worried about him, they
cared about him, too. Knowing they valued his ability
to communicate with animals and considered him to be an
important member of the team had made the
Betazoid obsessively determined to arrive at the
beam-out point on time.
  "Is it the sound of the water that frightens

  Shammi?" T'Lor asked the Betazoid. "Or
something else?"
  Jon frowned and closed his eyes to touch the
zabathus mind. When he opened his eyes, he shook
his head in frustration. "I can't tell.
  She's too scared."
  "I have an idea," Kathryn said.
  "Let's hear it." Endar looked at her
evenly.
  "Humans blindfold horses to get them out of
burning barns," Kathryn explained. "It works because
they can't see the flames. They're so used to trusting
the people leading them, they follow."
  Thorn glanced at the Vulcan. "What do you
think, T'Lor? Will it work?"
  "We won't know until we try." T'Lor
calmly ripped the sleeve off her tunic and tied
it over the zabathus eyes.
  "It might help if you and I flank her as
we're going across, Kathryn," Endar said. "Then
she won't be able to move sideways."
  "Good idea." Kathryn twisted in her saddle
to look at Jon. "Jon should follow behind so
Rayonica is downwind."
  "She's accustomed to Hoy nej being in front of
her." T'Lor took Shammi's halter out of her
saddlebag and fitted it over the bridle.
  She handed the lead rope to Thorn and mounted up.
  Kathryn approved. If the Klingon had to pull
to get the zabathu moving, he wouldn't be yanking on
the bit and hurting Shammi's mouth.
  And T'Lor would still have the reins if the zabathu
happened to break free and bolt. Nodding to Endar,
Kathryn moved 'I 03
  Tango to Shammi's left side while the
Talarian placed the t'stayan on the right.
  Tightening his grip on the rope, Thorn urged the
sark into the cascading water. Shammi planted her
feet, her ears flicking back and forth uncertainly.
  T'Lor kicked and Thorn yanked. The zabathu
leaped into the water and froze. As strong as Thorn
was, he could not get her moving again until Jon
eased the serpent forward. Rayonica hissed and
butted Shammi in the rump with her middle head. The
left and right heads gently nipped her flanks. The
zabathu's instingtive fear of the 'saur was greater than
her dread of the water. She bounded forward, almost
colliding with Hoy nej before Thom got the heavy
sark moving. The team sprang up the opposite
bank in perfect formation.
  Kathryn felt a rush of satisfaction. Even
Endar grinned, pleased with how they had conquered a
seemingly impossible problem.
  They did not waste time congratulating themselves.
  Encouraged because the river was safely behind them, they
pushed on.
  Even the animals seemed energized, as though they
knew the end of the journey was near.
  Maybe they do, Kathryn thought as they rode over
the spongy, moss-covered ground of another forest.
  Maybe Jon told them.
  T'Lor's medicine had done wonders for
Choka's paw. He continued circling the group,
running in and out of the trees with no sign of a limp.
Fooz nestled around Endar's neck, content to doze,
and the sandbats were quiet in their bag. Above the
trees, Fiona

  shrieked, anxious for the team to emerge into the open
again.
  The terrain became less rugged as the hours
passed and they descended the mountain. Thorn assured
them that if nothing else happened to slow them down, they
would enter the designated clearing with a half hour
to spare.
  Kathryn didn't say so, but she had become
all too aware that the Chance Factor was not likely
to let them off that easily. It was constant and
inescapable.
  She was not being pessimistic. Expecting the
unexpected was the only way to be prepared
to deal with it quickly and effectively.
  Up ahead, Thom paused and then abruptly
backed up the sark.
  "Quicksand!"
  Everyone stopped dead as the Klingon consulted his
map.
  "Is there a way around it?" T'Lor asked.
  Thom nodded. "If we go east, we'll hit
slightly higher land. It'll take extra time, but
we'll still be okay."
  "Better to be late than sucked into that
quagmire," Endar said.
  "We won't be late." Thom tapped the map.
"After this, the terrain is level meadow and woodlands.
We can pick up our pace."
  Steering wide of the quicksand bog, the team carefully
picked their way toward the higher elevation.
  Kathryn noticed that a peculiar short bush with
twisted branches and long spikes instead of leaves
grew along the perimeter of the quagmire.
  Within a

  BTARFLEET ACADEMY few minutes, she
realized that the ground to the right of the bushes remained
solid. After Thorn confirmed that fact,
they urged their animals into a steady jog without fear
of stumbling into the deadly muck.
  Leaving the bog behind, they emerged onto a grassy
meadow rimmed by trees and dotted with colorful
yellow and purple flowers. Thorn found an
animal trail that allowed them to cross the open
space at a brisk canter. Being able to see the
bare ground reduced the risk of one of their animals
stepping into a hidden hole that could snap a leg.
  Fiona soared overhead, content to ride the winds,
and Choka ran beside T'Lor's zabathu.
  Tensions seemed to mount as they drew closer to their
destination.
  Kathryn was gripped by a nervous anticipation that
made her extra cautious and alert.
  They were so close to completing the mission on time,
she could not bring herself to relax. They were not done yet
and something could still go wrong.
  The path curved and Hoy nej plowed through a dense
thicket of red-leafed bushes. A swarm of large
winged insects erupted from the bushes with a shrill,
whistling screech.
  Tango shied, but Kathryn's grip was sure and
she clung to the saddle.
  Ahead of her, the sark kept going and the
zabathu bucked. Rayonica, startled by the insects
and wary of Shammi's back hooves, skidded to a
halt and unseated Jon. The boy yelped as he
slid off the serpent's back and landed on the ground.
Somehow, he managed to hold up the leather bag so his
sandbats weren't squashed under him.

  Disoriented and startled, the serpent bolted back
across the meadow.
  Kathryn didn't have time to discuss her actions.
The horse was the only animal fast enough to catch the
speeding dinosaur. Reining Tango around, she urged
him into a gallop. He took off with the unbelievable
burst of speed the quarter horse had been bred for.
  Kathryn called back over her shoulder,
"Keep going!
  I'll meet you at the beam-out site!"
  Thorn waved as he dismounted and grabbed Jon's
arm as the boy started to run after Kathryn. The
struggling Betazoid was no match for the Klingon.
Thorn boosted the boy onto the sark's back,
swung up behind him, and pressed on toward the
transporter site.
  Rising off the saddle and hunching over Tango's
neck, Kathryn desperately hoped there
were no holes hidden in the tall grass as she charged
after Rayonica.
  Caution was not an option if she wanted to save
Jon's Sehgal serpent from a terrifying and
agonizing death.
  The panicked lizard was running straight toward the
quicksand bog.
  'I 07
  Chapter

  Keeping her eye on Rayonica, Kathryn
listened to the steady cadence of Tango's pounding
hooves. The 'saur was closing on the line of
spiked bushes with twisted branches that marked the edge
of the deadly bog.
  The sturdy little horse was gaining, but not fast enough.
  She wasn't going to catch Rayonica in time.
  Kathryn couldn't bear the thought of losing the
dinosaur. The Sehgal serpent was more than a riding
animal to Jon. She was his best friend.
  Overhead, the Baneriam hawk screeched.
  Desperate, Kathryn looked up. The bird was
flying directly over Rayonica. Giant
lizards were not on the hawk's normal menu and the
bird's talons wouldn't do more than
scratch the dinosaur's thick hide.
  It was 11 08 a long shot that didn't have much
chance of working, but it was the only chance she had.
  "Hunt, Fiona! Hunt!" Kathryn pointed
to the serpent.
  The hawk darted forward on magnificent wings,
then suddenly circled back. Screeching again, the
bird dove directly toward Rayonica from the
front.
  The unexpected attack from the sky shattered the
serpent's blind panic.
  Three heads snapped up in alarm. Putting on
the brakes, Rayonica skidded as the hawk
skimmed over her back. The lizard's side
brushed the spiked bushes as she whirled and ran
back toward Kathryn.
  Slowing Tango, Kathryn watched as Fiona
dove a second time. The serpent also slowed, its
heads weaying from side to side in confusion.
  "Fiona! Break!"
  Rayonica came to a shaking halt as the hawk
broke off a third attack run and soared back
into the sky.
  Bringing Tango down to a walk, Kathryn
cautiously approached the winded lizard.
Unlike the other team animals and the thoroughbred
back at the Academy, the quarter horse was
calmly tolerant of the reptilelike dinosaur.
Stopping a few feet away, Kathryn dismounted.
Tango waited quietly as she eased up
to Rayonica and gently took the reins. Six
eyes watched her warily as she slipped the leathers
over the serpent's center head. Speaking softly, she
chanced scratching the left head's chin. Rayonica
whuffed and obediently followed as Kathryn slowly
walked back to

  the horse. Tango snorted as she swung back
into the saddle, but remained calm.
  Holding the lizard's reins in one hand, Kathryn
squeezed Tango into a walk. The horse started
forward, totally accepting the presence of the dinosaur
lumbering by his side. He did not even flinch when
the left head nuzzled his neck. Kathryn patted
Rayonica's snout and grinned.
  The rest of the team had already passed into the woods
on the far side of the meadow. Even though Rayonica
and Tango were tired after their mad gallop,
Kathryn pushed them into a trot. Both animals were
fit and bred for endurance. There would be time
to rest after they reached the transporter site.
Kathryn did not doubt that they'd get there, but if
she didn't arrive on time, the mission would fail.
She was not going to let the team down.
  Finding the animal track again, Kathryn urged
Tango into a canter. The serpent loped beside them
without fighting the tug on the reins.
  Kathryn slowed down to a jog once she entered the
woods and followed the tracks the team had left in
the soft dirt.
  When she emerged from the trees, she found herself in
another open meadow. There was no visible trail
to follow.
  With less than half an hour left before the
deadline, Kathryn did not want to waste time finding
her way by the map. But she would be hopelessly lost
if she didn't. As she reached into her saddlebag,
a piercing howl sounded up ahead.
  Choka bounded out of the tall grass, yelped, then
whirled and bounded away again. Pressing Tango into a
slow canter, Kathryn followed the sehlat
T'Lor had sent to guide her.
  When Kathryn entered the clearing where the team was
waiting, she was met with a resounding cheer!
  There was no shuttle standing by to retrieve
them.
  Jon broke free of T'Lor's comforting arm and
rushed forward to throw his arms around all of
Rayonica's rough, green necks. The serpent
flicked out her center tongue to tickle his ear. "You
got her!
  T'Lor said you would. Thank you, Kathryn."
  T'Lor inclined her head at Kathryn, almost but
not quite showing her relief at Rayonica's safe
return.
  "You're welcome, Jon." Urging Tango
back into a walk to keep him moving until he
cooled down, Kathryn looked at Thom. "What
time is it?"
  "Two minutes to go." Thorn raised a
victorious fist and laughed out loud.
  Endar smiled. "Looks like you picked the right
horse after all, Kathryn Janeway. Nobody
else could have saved Jon's serpent."
  "Fiona helped." Looking skyward, Kathryn
called the hawk back as Thom started the countdown.
She stopped and slid out of the saddle when he reached
five.
  "dis . . four, three, two, one." Thom looked
up.
  Everyone held their breath.
  No one disappeared in a dazzling swirl of
trans porter light.
  Another minute passed, and another. Kathryn
walked Tango while the others fussed over their
animals and gear.
  "Do you think we're stranded?" Jon asked.
  Kathryn opened her mouth to respond, then felt
the prickling sensation as her molecules began
to phase.
  They had made it.
  Kathryn was greeted by the transporter chief when
she materialized on the cargo bay pad.
  "Captain Holbrook will be along soon," the
woman said.
  Nodding, Kathryn set about taking care of
Tango and Fiona while the others were beamed onto
the McMurray. Everyone was excited. They had
accomplished what they had set out to do against the odds and
in spite of the Chance Factor.
  The cargo bay doors opened the moment they finished
bedding down the animals, and Captain Holbrook
walked in with a huge smile plastered on his face.
He stopped before the table where the surveillance probe
parts had been placed and nodded in
approval.
  "Excellent! Starfleet has already informed me that
I'll be getting funding for additional research. And
I've notified all the proper people on your various
homeworlds that you're all to be commended on a
difficult job well done."
  Kathryn grinned as Endar slapped her on the
back and Thom hugged Jon.
  T'Lor sedately shook the captain's hand,
then grunted as Choka nudged her from behind, looking
for a pat on the head.
  The captain glanced at Kathryn. "Including
Com mander Brannon. Your position at the
Academy is secure, Kathryn. If you want
it."
  "There's nothing else in the whole galaxy I
want more." Kathryn felt a rush of joy that was
diminished only by a strange sadness because the
adventure was over. She would miss her new friends.
  Her thoughts seemed to be mirrored in the alien
faces around her. As difficult as getting to know and
appreciate one another had been, the parting at the
end of the trip back to Earth would be harder. Good friends
you could trust and depend on were not easy to find.
  "You should be especially proud of the
animals," Captain Holbrook said.
  "They all proved to be invaluable. Although,
I've learned that the animals can only be as
effective as the people who handle them."
  Everyone just nodded. Kathryn's thoughts instantly
turned to the dead targ. It was a loss they all
felt very deeply.
  "Wait a minute." Captain Holbrook
frowned as he scanned the stalls.
  "Someone's missing."
  "Jup." Thorn's eyes filled with pride.
"He gave his life to save us from a predator that
attacked unexpectedly."
  "Yes, I know." Captain Holbrook
grinned.
  Everyone gasped in surprise as a squealing,
grunting targ suddenly burst through the cargo bay
doors and raced to Thorn.
  "Jup! You're alive!" Thorn laughed as he
stooped down to embrace the ecstatic, squirming
targ.
  Even T'Lor's eyes brightened with delight.
  I "14
  "We beamed him out before he hit the ground," the
captain explained.
  "And we transported the Diehr Four cat
to another location on the planet."
  "We thought we had been cut off from the ship,"
Kathryn said.
  Captain Holbrook winked. "Yes, I know."
  Kathryn laughed. She didn't know if
Captain Holbrook had taken drastic action
to save his study mission or to help the team members
come to terms with themselves and one another. It didn't
matter. It had worked.
  For herself, Kathryn looked toward the future with
enthusiastic anticipation and confidence. She didn't
know where her Starfleet career would take her, but she
knew she could handle the ever-present Chance Factor
regardless of how many curves it threw at her.
  Even if it threw her into the farthest, unknown
reaches of the galaxy!
  About the Authors
  Diana G. Gallagher and Martin R. Burke
are married and live in Minnesota with three dogs,
three cats, and a cranky parrot. When Diana's
not writing, she likes to read, walk the dogs, and
look for cool stuff at garage sales for their
grandsons, Jonathan, Alan, and Joseph.
Marty spends his spare time reading, jogging,
and cruising the Net.
  Diana and Marty are musicians who perform
traditional and original Irish and American
folk music at coffeehouses and conventions around the
country.
  Marty sings and plays the twelve-string guitar and
banjo. In addition to singing backup harmonies,
Diana plays rhythm guitar and a round Celtic
drum called a bodhran.
  Marty and Diana have other coauthored writing
projects in progress, and Marty is currently
working on an original novel. A Hugo
Award-winning artist, Diana is best known for her
series Woof.- The House Dragon.
  Her first adult novel, The Alien Dark,
appeared in 1990. In addition to other STAR
TREK novels for intermediate readers, she has
written many books in other series published
by Minstrel Books, including The Secret World of
Alex Mack, Are You Afraid of the Dark, and
The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. She is
currently working on original young adult novels
for the Archway Paperback series Sabrina, the
Teenage Witch.