his back, made her wish she could have accepted his advice and brought him along. The final muffled clang of the airlock severed her from her ship.
Tuvok returned to the bridge to find that the commander had called together the senior officers.
Chakotay nodded as he entered the conference room. “Have a seat, Tuvok. I was just informing everyone of our latest problem.”
Tuvok accepted the news impassively, seating himself next to Tom Paris.
His other choice was to sit next to Neelix, and he usually avoided the little alien’s proximity whenever possible.
Kes and Ensign Kim were closest to Chakotay.
“I’ve spoken to Cartel supply,” Chakotay told them. “They are capable of providing us with chemical compounds once we determine the exact formula we need. However, in return, they want information regarding the situation on Min-Tutopa.”
“What situation?” Kim asked.
Tuvok told them, “Agent Andross mentioned that his government was undergoing a crisis pending the selection of a `Supreme Arbitrator’.”
Chakotay nodded. “I read your report. The Cartel probably knows more than we do, but they seem to feel we’re neck-deep in whatever political intrigue is going on in House Min-Tutopa.”
“We may be,” Paris muttered. “Whether we want to or not.”
“We’ve adjusted the bioshunts, but that’s not relieving the pressure in the gel packs,” Kim told them. “The doctor believes it’ll be necessary to treat the tissue chemically, beginning with a huge dose of corticosteroids.”
“I don’t trust the medical replicators,” Kes added. “They were barely able to supply enough antidote serum for the crew, and there were an unusually high number of single-bit molecular errors. Since we’re dealing with neural tissue, any deviation from a precise chemical formula could cause irreparable damage.”
“Understood,” Chakotay assured them. “I’ve been trying to negotiate with the various Houses, but they all told me to go to the Cartel.”
Tuvok believed he knew the reason. “The Cartel may be applying pressure on the Houses in order to compel us to come to terms with them.”
“I agree, and I don’t like it,” Chakotay said deliberately. “I want to find some other way to get what we need.”
“I already told you.” Neelix rocked back in his chair. “Other than the Houses or the Cartel, that leaves the darksiders.”
“Again?” Paris groaned. “That worked real well last time.”
“We don’t have to go back to the asteroid belt,” Neelix said.
“There’s bound to be darksiders in the Hub. We just have to find them.”
Paris let out an exaggerated sigh. “Then you better let me go.
I should be able to wrangle a chemical-supply contact out of someone.”
“That will not be necessary.” Tuvok wasn’t fooled for an instant.
Paris wanted to enter the Hub. “I will endeavor to locate the chemicals that are needed.”
“You?” Paris laughed out loud, almost insulting if a Vulcan could be insulted. “This isn’t exactly your type of territory.”
“On the contrary, it is my job as security chief to undertake a mission of this nature.” Tuvok wasn’t willing to explain his credentials to Paris. “If you provide me with the chemical formula, I will locate a supply.”
Paris appealed directly to Chakotay. “You can’t send a Vulcan to dicker on the black market! It would be like throwing Kes into a roomful of Cardassians—” “Hey, wait a second,” Neelix interrupted, glowering at Paris.
“Nobody’s throwing Kes anywhere.”
“I was just making a comparison,” Paris tried to explain.
“Well, don’t.” Neelix stroked Kes’s arm. “I don’t like to hear things like that. Even if I don’t know what a Cardas… dassen, a whatever it is.”
Chakotay held up his hands. “Please—let’s get this settled so we can get on with the repairs.”
Kim spoke up, “Kes and I were getting ready to test the bioneural tissue, but I can help get the
Tuvok returned to the bridge to find that the commander had called together the senior officers.
Chakotay nodded as he entered the conference room. “Have a seat, Tuvok. I was just informing everyone of our latest problem.”
Tuvok accepted the news impassively, seating himself next to Tom Paris.
His other choice was to sit next to Neelix, and he usually avoided the little alien’s proximity whenever possible.
Kes and Ensign Kim were closest to Chakotay.
“I’ve spoken to Cartel supply,” Chakotay told them. “They are capable of providing us with chemical compounds once we determine the exact formula we need. However, in return, they want information regarding the situation on Min-Tutopa.”
“What situation?” Kim asked.
Tuvok told them, “Agent Andross mentioned that his government was undergoing a crisis pending the selection of a `Supreme Arbitrator’.”
Chakotay nodded. “I read your report. The Cartel probably knows more than we do, but they seem to feel we’re neck-deep in whatever political intrigue is going on in House Min-Tutopa.”
“We may be,” Paris muttered. “Whether we want to or not.”
“We’ve adjusted the bioshunts, but that’s not relieving the pressure in the gel packs,” Kim told them. “The doctor believes it’ll be necessary to treat the tissue chemically, beginning with a huge dose of corticosteroids.”
“I don’t trust the medical replicators,” Kes added. “They were barely able to supply enough antidote serum for the crew, and there were an unusually high number of single-bit molecular errors. Since we’re dealing with neural tissue, any deviation from a precise chemical formula could cause irreparable damage.”
“Understood,” Chakotay assured them. “I’ve been trying to negotiate with the various Houses, but they all told me to go to the Cartel.”
Tuvok believed he knew the reason. “The Cartel may be applying pressure on the Houses in order to compel us to come to terms with them.”
“I agree, and I don’t like it,” Chakotay said deliberately. “I want to find some other way to get what we need.”
“I already told you.” Neelix rocked back in his chair. “Other than the Houses or the Cartel, that leaves the darksiders.”
“Again?” Paris groaned. “That worked real well last time.”
“We don’t have to go back to the asteroid belt,” Neelix said.
“There’s bound to be darksiders in the Hub. We just have to find them.”
Paris let out an exaggerated sigh. “Then you better let me go.
I should be able to wrangle a chemical-supply contact out of someone.”
“That will not be necessary.” Tuvok wasn’t fooled for an instant.
Paris wanted to enter the Hub. “I will endeavor to locate the chemicals that are needed.”
“You?” Paris laughed out loud, almost insulting if a Vulcan could be insulted. “This isn’t exactly your type of territory.”
“On the contrary, it is my job as security chief to undertake a mission of this nature.” Tuvok wasn’t willing to explain his credentials to Paris. “If you provide me with the chemical formula, I will locate a supply.”
Paris appealed directly to Chakotay. “You can’t send a Vulcan to dicker on the black market! It would be like throwing Kes into a roomful of Cardassians—” “Hey, wait a second,” Neelix interrupted, glowering at Paris.
“Nobody’s throwing Kes anywhere.”
“I was just making a comparison,” Paris tried to explain.
“Well, don’t.” Neelix stroked Kes’s arm. “I don’t like to hear things like that. Even if I don’t know what a Cardas… dassen, a whatever it is.”
Chakotay held up his hands. “Please—let’s get this settled so we can get on with the repairs.”
Kim spoke up, “Kes and I were getting ready to test the bioneural tissue, but I can help get the
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