Author's note: My ficlet Teach, Teacher, for the Alpha Quadrant series I've begun appealed to me more than I planned. So I'm running with the professor idea. I hope you all enjoy it.

Disclaimer: There are many characters I am developing and introducing to this story, those are all that belong to me oh and my ship, I command her: the USS Asteria named for the Greek goddess of nocturnal oracles falling stars. All others I recruited from Paramount, The Roddenburry estate, and various entities like Braga, Berman, and Taylor.

Characters: K. Janeway, Cadets Va'Ler, Andrew Starlin, Phoebe McKeith, Commander Gardner and a brief appearance by one of Voyager's beloved.

Summary: This tale takes place during the crisis on Romulus after the Remans killed everyone on the Senate floor. Three cadets want to help and they go to the only Professor they think may listen, Admiral Kathryn Janeway.

Rating: T to be safe. Could get bloody out there on the Neutral Zone

Part One

The sun was setting over Starfleet Academy Campus, golden rays kissing sleek metal roofs and bathing the gardens in a special glow becoming of a September eve. Kathryn stood in it for a moment, just outside of the Main building's entrance. She decided she was going to walk the half mile to her apartment in the city rather than bother the busy transporter techs who were working to get students off-campus and back to student housing.

"Admiral Janeway!" A voice echoed across the common grounds between them as the pretty half-Vulcan girl waved her over.

Kathryn smiled and shouldered the bag of PADDs she was holding before crossing to the small group of students. "Va'Ler, Andrew…" She tipped her head to the third, decidedly NOT one of her new students.

"Phoebe." She answered softly.

Kathryn smiled brightly at her. "That's my little sister's name." She looked back at the other two. "You all are here late."

"We were hoping to discuss something with you Admiral, had we known you'd be in this long, I think we would have waited until tomorrow." Andrew sighed and flopped down on the bench behind him.

Va'Ler shook her head disapprovingly at her classmate who leapt back to his feet. "We would have waited all night if necessary." She turned back to Kathryn. "Admiral Janeway, we are… concerned… about the trouble in the Romulan Sector and along the Neutral Zone, however, though it is all not classified, no one will answer our questions."

Kathryn dropped an arm to her side. "You know full well I can't discuss any of it with you because of my position on the board."

Andrew chimed in. "We know you ordered the Enterprise there."

Kathryn tilted her head again staring at the lazy cadet she was sure would end up dropping out. "Enlighten me, Mr. Starlin."

He sighed, realizing that may have not been for public consumption. "I have a friend on the Enterprise, or rather my dad does. Rumors spread from the bridge pretty quick, and when you're name is mentioned, well it sparks conversation."

"I see." She began walking, more wandering, through the garden paths toward the main walks through to Downtown San Diego.

"Wait, Admiral." It's was matter of fact, and less of a request than it should have been.

Never the less, Kathryn stopped and waited for Va'Ler to catch up. "Cadet?"

"Admiral, you may not be able to answer our questions, but I believe myself and Phoebe O'Keith to be capable if we could serve in some way."

"What about me?" Andrew protested running up to Kathryn's side and staring down the Vulcan.

"Andrew, you're not capable of making it through class." Va'Ler remarked in her dry way.

Kathryn quickly dismissed the grin threatening her stoic features, what was occurring on Romulus was serious and these cadets knew it. "None of you have the experience to serve as crewmen on a vessel, but perhaps we can find some use for you at Headquarters."

"Headquarters?" Andrew was whining. "We want to be out there, where the action is!"

"That's enough." Kathryn knew firm well. She was beyond firm in the Delta Quadrant, especially when it came to the junior officers serving under her, cadets she could handle without a problem.

Andrew was silent immediately and slipped back to stand near Phoebe.

"Admiral, wherever we can be utilized would be acceptable. We understand our experience is still lacking." Va'Ler nodded her head slightly, accepting Kathryn's unspoken orders to leave it at that.

"Get some rest, try and get to class early tomorrow and I'll see what we can do." Kathryn left the three standing silently at the garden's edge as she vanished around a city block.

She knew Va'Ler was bent on helping, there was no getting around it, but Andrew was caught up in hype. She wasn't sure he could handle delivering PADDs, let alone anything more difficult. She sighed as she stared at the second floor window in the building in front of her. She was exhausted. Between two of her classes she had been in meetings on the Romulan problem and the situation on Remus as reported by Captain Picard upon their arrival. Following class, she had gathered with Tuvok and another Vulcan professor who were also privy to the Remus intelligence report. Now she faced a decision, go home and get some much needed rest, or go straight to Headquarters. She sighed again and dropped her head, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. "Headquarters it is." She spoke out loud to herself.

She pushed open the old fashioned double glass doors to the side entrance and slipped inside. She was always amazed at how busy Heaquarters at Starfleet Command was even at 8:30 at night. Officers and civilians alike bustled around in the quaint lobby. Her target was deeper inside Command. She approached the locked doors and keyed her code in.

"Enter voice authorization."

"Admiral Kathryn Janeway, Alpha Two Ceti."

The computer laser scanned her retina to confirm. "Please step through the doors, Admiral Kathryn Janeway."

She resisted thanking the computer and laughed to herself. Protocol was somewhat new to her, but it served it's purpose. She stepped through and they whisked shut behind her.

Admiral Owen Paris was leaning on an assistant's desk, talking to him in hushed tones. He lifted his head as she came in.

"Kathryn? You were wiped out last time I saw you, I would have bet on you being out cold already."

"I wish." She mumbled, dropping her bag onto a shelf where various oddities were scattered about. "Admiral Paris, I have two cadets in my class who've heard more than they should have about the situation in Romulan space."

"Oh?" He pushed the manual entry sequence to his office door and stepped aside, letting her in before him. He continued once the doors had shut. "From where?"

"The Enterprise, apparently." She sat in front of his desk and he settled himself behind it.

"Sensitive?"

"Not common knowledge, but not classified either. They know full well I can't say two words about it to them, neither to confirm their concerns or shoot it down, but they're eager to help, especially Va'Ler, she's half-Vulcan and obviously the brightest of my students."

"Is she experienced at all?"

Kathryn sighed. "No sir. Her parents met on a Science expedition for the Federation, but neither are Starfleet officers, when she was born her human father moved her here. The only time she was ever off planet was at seven years old to study her Vulcan heritage. She's embraced it completely, as Vulcan as they get, even after spending a significant amount of time with those emotional middle school students."

He laughed at that last line. "How old?" Paris leaned back and looked at Kathryn intently.

"I don't know. More than twenty, but not by much, she's very young. And in my class? It's all intro, basics, directives."

"Too young. I have no interest in endangering lives of those who have yet to complete their first year. I have a hard enough time doing it with those who are already officers. I've lost too many."

"With all due respect, Admiral, she's capable of a lot and willing to do anything. She'd stuff envelopes if it served the greater good."

"Envelopes, Kathryn?" Paris laughed. "You may be a child of the 24th century as you've always put it, but your parent's traditionalism stuck anyway."

She smirked. "Yeah, I try."

"Let me see what I can do. What class is she in?"

"My earliest."

He pondered a moment, staring out the window at the now completely dark horizon. "I'll contact you at 0500 with something. You'll be up?"

She groaned. "Yes, I'll be up."

He smiled at that. "Go home, Kathryn, let me worry about Romulus. We'll find a productive job for her that won't take her too far from her studies. And the other?"

"Well, he's lazy sir."

"Maybe I can find an envelope or two." He stood and showed her to the door.

Kathryn woke to her door chime. 0457 on the chronometer. She rolled over and squeezed her eyes shut hoping it would go away. Another moment and the chime sounded again. "I'm coming." She growled as she kicked at the standard issue sheet and blanket and slid off the edge of the bed. She wrapped her soft robe around her and opened the door.

Va'Ler was standing there, her hair wet and her long, plain Vulcan-styled dress was dripping too.

"Come in here and dry off." Kathryn pulled her through the door and closed it behind her.

"I was caught in a thunderstorm." Va'Ler offered as an explanation.

Kathryn raised an eyebrow. "Storms usually wake me up. Just now?"

"Yes, Admiral."

Kathryn fished a towel out from behind the bathroom door and handed it to the wet cadet. "What are you doing here so early?"

Before Va'Ler could answer, Kathryn's computer console sounded, the Starfleet Command insignia glowing a bright blue.

Kathryn sat in front of it and keyed it on. "Prompt as always."

"Kathryn, I assumed by up, you really would be." Paris was ever clad in dress uniform, his thinning hair parted in the same place. It had been that way for as long as she'd known him.

"I should have been. I slept through my alarm and apparently a thunderstorm." She raised an eyebrow at Va'Ler.

He nodded. "It was raining hard, the lightening was brutal."

"Yes, my Cadet was caught in it."

"Tutoring?" He looked confused.

She smiled at him and covered her mouth as she yawned. "Apologies, Sir. No, I've yet to discover why she's here at 5am. You have something for me?"

"Yes, I do. Are you up to a short trip? We have someone to fill your position at the Academy until you're back, and it may be good for your Cadet."

"Oh?" She tossed another glance at Va'Ler who was clearly interested now. "Where to, Admiral?"

"I have a highly classified document that needs to be delivered to the Renegade on the Neutral Zone as well as a replacement tactical officer. You've been now granted a level 1, code red security clearance and you are to take a small ship with a skeleton crew to deliver both the officer and the file. And, you are to take your cadet, both if you so choose, but that is at your discretion."

She sat back in her chair. "Do I get a full briefing before embarking on this impromptu mission?"

"You should be used to impromptu with your last big command going the way it did, Admiral. And yes, a full briefing, with a follow up for whomever you are bringing with you. You know the risks, make it clear to her. Paris out."

The screen went blank and Kathryn studied the empty space closely.

"You were not expectant of this, Admiral?" Va'Ler had not moved from the kitchen chair she was on and she still held the towel on her lap, not having bothered to dry her hair or her garment.

"Not at all, Va'Ler." She turned and faced the Vulcan, suddenly aware of just how young she was. Kathryn's first deep space mission with Admiral Paris had occurred at about her age. And they had been kidnapped and tortured by Cardassians on that occasion. "There could be great risk to this, are you up to it?"

Va'Ler allowed another few moments to pass before she stood and dropped the towel onto the chair. "Admiral, I knew the risks when I enrolled in the Academy, I've been looking forward to this since I was a small child."

Kathryn nodded. "I'll see you at class than, we'll discuss the briefing when I have more information."

Va'Ler had not reached the door yet when a pounding sounded on the other side. "Starfleet Security, open up!"

Kathryn jumped up and pulled on the knob to let the officers in. Three armed men in security uniforms rushed in, pushing Va'Ler and Kathryn to the wall. They searched the small apartment, over turning everything as they did.

One officer leaned into the comm badge pinned to the inside collar of his uniform. "Clear, Sir."

Admiral Paris quickly walked into the apartment and glanced around before fixing his eyes on Kathryn. "I'm sorry about this, but I received a pending threat against your life before having concluded transmission. I sent them immediately and beamed here myself as soon as I ended communications."

"In that case, no problem." She held a hand up in apparent surrender before pulling her robe tighter around her, suddenly aware of all the men in her private apartment.

"I will need you to not continue your normal routine. You're beaming up to the ship now…" he looked her up and down. "Well, after you change."

She nodded and slipped into the bedroom section of her apartment and quickly changed. By the time she had returned, Paris had finished a brief introduction of himself to Va'Ler.

"There's no going back from this point, Cadet."

"What about me!" Andrew burst through the apartment doors, Phoebe on his heels.

Kathryn shook her head.

Paris looked from Kathryn to Andrew and Phoebe and back. "Are your cadets all this pushy?"

"Only these two, she's not mine, but she's fitting in well." Kathryn straightened the jacket of her uniform as she stood between two armed guards.

"I told you it's up to you." Paris was looking directly at Kathryn now.

"I'm more in the habit of endangering lives than you are." She mumbled. "Andrew…"

"Please, Admiral! I'm not good in class cause I don't wanna be there. You can trust me to do this! I've always wanted to be in Starfleet! I can do this!"

"You don't even know what this is." Kathryn didn't want to tell him no, but she still wasn't sure.

"I'm a great a pilot." He offered as a last ditch effort.

She suddenly saw a young Tom Paris standing in front of her, eagerly begging to let him do anything but just observe. She switched gears slightly as she looked from Andrew to Phoebe. "What year are you?"

"Third. Science class."

That also caught Kathryn's attention. She turned back to Paris. "Yeah. I could use some eager new life on my team." She looked at the two new additions with a warning in her eye. "This is not a run of the mill training flight. This is a deep space intelligence and relief mission you will act and serve as crewmen with a small contingent of officers. Am I clear?"

"Perfectly." All three responded in unison.

"You run a tight class, Janeway." Paris grinned as he nudged her.