Atonement by Kirsten Beyer Read Free Book Online

savior upon whom Frist and her fellow officers have pinned every hope of eradicating this plague. Until now, his results might have convinced her to turn a blind eye to his methods. Few dare question living geniuses. But she knows her ethical duty. She would have briefed Briggs on my report, and he would have taken any actions necessary to cover his tracks, should they exist.”
    â€œWe’re two days out from Aldebaran at high warp,” Wildman noted. “Are we going to start at the central hospital? Doctor Frist ordered you to cease your investigations. She might have contacted them and ordered them not to even talk with you.”
    â€œWe should begin our investigation in an unofficial capacity,” Sharak suggested. “Our status as medical officers will permit us to bypass some quarantine restrictions. But we will not assault the hospital directly.”
    Wildman smiled. She’d learned more in the last few days about the Children of Tama, Sharak’s people, than any report she’d ever read. The Tamarians were not members of the Federation. Their language was one of the few that universal translators could not accurately parse. The words were clear enough, but their meanings had been a complete mystery, as had the fact that their communication was based upon metaphors unique to their civilization, until an amazing contact had been made years earlier by the Federation flagship, the U.S.S. Enterprise.
    Formal diplomatic relations now existed and a handful of Tamarians had begun to work directly with Starfleet. Sharak was the first to sufficiently master Federation Standard to earn a post aboard an exploratory vessel. But he still struggled at times with simple words.
    â€œYou and I will not be ‘assaulting’ anything,” she teased.
    â€œDo not underestimate us,” Sharak advised, smiling. “Samantha and Sharak. Seeking the truth.”
    â€œSamantha and Sharak. At Aldebaran.”
    â€œI will see to it that our story is remembered by the Children of Tama,” Sharak said.
    This brought a smile to her lips as well. Sharak’s missteps with Standard were nothing compared to her butchery of Tamarian, but he was a patient teacher, and she had become an avid pupil.
    A shrill tone from the Goldenbird ’s computer indicated an incoming transmission. “It’s Gres,” she said simply.
    Sharak nodded and rose from his seat beside her. “I will replicate a light dinner for us. You should speak privately to your husband.”
    â€œThank you.”
    Once Sharak had made his way to the rear of the ship, she opened the channel and was warmed, as ever, by the sight of Gres’s face staring back at her.
    â€œHi, honey,” she greeted him.
    â€œSam.”
    The Ktarian face held a certain savage beauty Wildman had always found appealing. But Greskrendtregk’s normally soft eyes held hers now with abnormal intensity.
    â€œNaomi?”she asked immediately.
    â€œIs fine,” he hurried to assure her. “She is not happy and still trying to hide it from me. But, otherwise, she is well enough.”
    â€œWhat’s wrong?”
    â€œI have received another request from Commander Paris.”
    Wildman’s heart stilled in her chest. “The hearing?”
    â€œConcluded in his favor.”
    As her heart resumed a normal rhythm, she sighed. “Then what?”
    â€œHe wishes me to pilot a runabout for the next few weeks. I am free to do so and happy to be of assistance to him, but I worry about both of us being too far from home given Naomi’s current state.”
    Wildman shook her head. “I have no idea how soon I can get back. Can it wait?”
    â€œApparently not.”
    Wildman knew her husband and Tom Paris well enough to understand that a great deal was going unspoken right now and most of her questions should not be asked. If Tom had become involved in any way with Sharak or Seven’s current project, that