IX

Onboard the freighter, Sloan approached the man who had commanded the mission to extract him from his predicament, a smile on his face.

"Benjamin Maxwell", Sloan said, stepping up to greet the man. "It's been a long time, sir."

"It has, Mr. Sloan", Maxwell said. "You helped me get out of that penitentiary, and allowed me to at least fly again. I repay my debts, sir." He escorted Sloan to the Captain's quarters. "Now, where do you want to go next, and what do you want me to do with our guest?"

Sloan smiled. "I'm sure you can patch Janeway up. I'm going to use her as a bargaining chip to not only find, but to get my hands on Seven of Nine and kill that bitch. But Janeway will be out for a while."

"You know Necheyav has already thrown you under the starship", Maxwell said evenly.

"Oh, yes, I know that", Sloan said grimly. "I also know that, since it's a Saturday, she's probably at her residence in Sacramento. I think it's time we paid her a visit."

Admiral Alynna Necheyav thought about going in to The Department of Justice to watch Sloan get booked, and maybe even talk to the man, but she had decided that this had been a bad enough week, and she simply wanted to stay away from San Francisco. It would be calling her back soon enough on Monday morning.

Necheyav had lost her husband aboard the U.S.S Yamato at Wolf 359 during the Borg incursion. She had never remarried, her only companion being several dogs over the year. She had never fully come to term with what happened at Wolf 359, and blamed Jean-Luc Picard for losing her spouse, even though she knew full well that once you were assimilated, you were not in control of your actions.

That seminal, tragic moment in her life had driven her to this day. It was one reason why she had accepted Elizabeth's Shelby's report years ago on what to do with XB's, even though she had to shelve it after a great outcry. She hadn't wanted to go as far in dealing with XB's as Section 31 had gone over the years-something she didn't even know about until recently-but she and Sloan were only separated in degrees with dealing with former Borg drones.

She had realized just how ruthless Sloan was when she had been shown the photos from Ganymede by Jellico. They had almost made her vomit. She had seen the photos from years ago when that lunatic Bjayzl had butchered the young man Icheb. Knowing now that Section 31 had carried out all of that, during her watch sickened her. It sickened her on a human level, but also because it had happened while she was C-in-C. She knew full well that Sloan may have been the recent leader of that organization, but when accounts were settled, she might pay a heavy price for that, even after she stepped down.

It was approaching 1300 hours in Sacramento, Necheyav was sipping on a glass of wine out on her back patio, enjoying a seasonably warm day, with a light breeze, listening to some soft music coming from the house.

Two streams of blue light were suddenly in front of her, as Sloan and Kessler, in full armor and helmet which masked who he was, materializing in front of her.

"Sloan?" She looked at him confused. "What the...what are you doing here?"

"I suppose you thought I would be in San Francisco, in custody", he said, leisurely walking toward the Admiral, "thanks to you and Jellico?"

"How did you get out of custody? You were supposed to be transferred to the Department of Justice?"

Sloan laughed, while Kessler simply hung back and watched. "My dear Admiral", Sloan smirked, "I have my own assets and contacts. This time, I must say, it was a stroke of luck that one of my informants that were working for Jellico happened to be on the team that was guarding me, in Denver, it appears. I simply couldn't let such dumb luck go unused."

"What do you want?"

"I hear you're going to retire, Alynna?"

Necheyav nodded. "Yes, I'm stepping down within a year. I have not decided quite when."

"That was part of the deal with Jellico to turn me in", Sloan said casually. "I end up in prison, you end up on easy street and retirement?"

"I've earned my retirement, Sloan", she said icily. "I've got fifty years of service earning my retirement, goddammit."

"Yes, I agree with you, Admiral", he said readily. "You have certainly earned your retirement. But I was hoping for my own-not as soon as you, but perhaps in twenty years or so, after I got where I wanted. But you took that away from me, didn't you?"

"You did that to yourself, Sloan, with that fuckin' insanity near Fenris with Munshif and Intrepid. You did that by running that Gulag on Ganymede. You have only yourself to blame."

Sloan actually laughed. "I have a different view of it. Shelby, Ambassador Kurn, and Prime Minister Sladek did me in at Fenris. Seven of Nine and Janeway, and whoever else helped them, did me in on Ganymede. But you are the one who traded me for your retirement." He shook his head, turning away from Necheyav for a moment, then turning back.

"Because of all that, well", he said, his eyes turning to stone, "I'm simply going to retire you earlier than you had wanted."

With that, Kessler raised his phaser, and from thirty feet away, fired a blast that was set to kill. Admiral Alynna Necheyav was dead before she hit the ground.

Necheyav's property was secluded, but to make sure that no one would wander around and see a body in the back yard, Kessler hauled the corpse of the C-in-C into her home.

Moments later, he and Sloan beamed away.

1700 Hours, Bloomington, Indiana

Tom Paris was starting to get concerned, as more people began to show up for the barbecue that Kathryn Janeway had put together for the weekend. He knew that in the world of The Federation, red tape could get in the way of the best laid plans, but he hadn't heard a single word from his former Captain since she had departed for Denver.

Janeway said that she didn't believe she would be much later than 1600 local time before returning, and that was an hour ago. Everyone was keeping busy, preparing for the party, so Tom had simply let things take their course up until now.

Tom went back into the residence. He didn't have his communicator with him, but Janeway, like many active or former Starfleet brass, had her own communication system at the ready. Tom sat tried to raise Kathryn.

"Paris to Janeway?"

There was no response.

"Paris to Janeway", he tried again. "Are you there, Admiral?"

Nothing.

Just as he finished the second try, Phoebe walked in.

"What's up, Tom", she said, noticing him in Kathryn's office. "I just came into to use the privy."

"To be honest, Pheebs, I'm getting a little concerned. Kathryn said she was almost certain she'd be back by 1600 or 1630, but I haven't heard a peep from her."

"If someone will find a way to futz things up, it'll be Starfleet", she said, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe, but I just tried to hail her, and got no answer."

Phoebe stopped. "Let me go do my business, I'll be right back."

Within two minutes she had returned. Tom looked at her as she walked back in.

"I just tried again, still no joy."

"That's not like Kathryn", Phoebe said with mild concern, but not feeling any hairs standing up on the back of her head. "Was she going on to San Francisco."

"Not that I know", Tom confessed. "But maybe she changed her plans?"

Tom put in a video call to Admiral Jellico in San Francisco.

"Admiral", Tom said when he was was looking at the man, "have you heard anything from Kathryn? She was supposed to be back in Bloomington around now. I haven't been able to raise her."

Jellico, like Necheyav, was at home when he took the hail. "I haven't heard a thing, Mr. Paris. Can you stand by for a few minutes? I'm gonna call the DOJ and see how the transfer went. Maybe there's some snafu."

Tom let the Admiral go-his own father was in transit to Bloomington where he was soon to join the festivities. Tom and Phoebe idly chatted, waiting for Jellico to get back to them.

It took longer than they expected.

Tom knew better than to interrupt a Starfleet Admiral, but he and Phoebe were both getting nervous as fifteen, then twenty minutes had passed. Owen Paris had arrived by that time. B'Elanna, not seeing her husband, took Owen into the house, where they found Phoebe and Tom, nervously waiting.

Tom advised his father and wife what was going on. Ed asked Tom to move out of the way. He didn't have the same worry about interrupting an Admiral. Owen dialed up the more senior Admiral. It took a few more minutes for Ed Jellico to answer.

"Owen, when did you get there?"

"Just a few minutes ago, Ed. Is something going on there?"

Jellico nodded grimly. "I just talked to the DOJ. The exchange was never made. Captain Verano had contacted them to inform them the exchange was about to take place, but they never heard back from her. DOJ sent a team to the safe house, and they found Verano and three of the four guards there dead."

All four people in Indiana gasped.

"What about Katie?"

Phoebe acted as a sister would. Jellico heard her.

"Is that you, Phoebe? I'm sorry, but one of the guards and Kathryn were missing. We believe someone has been abducted. Sloan's whereabouts are unknown." In the middle of that, Jellico looked over off-screen at an aid. "Owen, hang on a moment? I'm getting some new information."

They could see Jellico, but he had muted the conversation, raising the tension in the house in Bloomington.

Jellico turned back, he looked even more grim.

"DOJ just gave me more info. When they realized that Sloan was missing, they sent a team over to Necheyav's home in Sacramento. They found her dead of a phaser blast."

Another gasp rocked the room.

"Dear God", Owen said, his voice shaky. "It had to be Sloan. And he has to have Kathryn as a hostage."

Jellico nodded. "Had he killed her, she would have been left behind with the others."

B'Elanna put a steadying hand on Phoebe's shoulder hearing those words.

"Now we have to figure out what Sloan wants for Kathryn", Jellico said.

B'Elanna knew before anyone else. "He wants Seven, Admiral. For some reason, he still wants Seven."

No one argued with Torres.

"Do you know where she is, B'Elanna", Jellico asked quickly.

She nodded. "Yes", she advised him, "she's in Spain with Picard and Riker. We need to tell her what's happening, and I mean right now."

"Let us handle that, Ed", Owen Paris said quickly. "I'll have B'Elanna and I transport to Spain immediately."

"It's about Midnight there, remember, Ed", Jellico warned them.

"It's a Saturday night, I have a feeling they're up. Let us get moving here, we'll contact you shortly, Paris out."

Admiral Paris turned to his son. "Tom, I want you to keep an eye on Phoebe while we're gone. I have a suspicion that about three or four others are coming back with us."

"C'mon, Pheebs", Tom said gently, taking her into the living room, and giving her a mild sedative, as Phoebe was in shock at the turn of events.

Before departing, B'Elanna told those in attendance what was going on, but urged them to enjoy the good food, and they would have more news. A few moments later, Torres, Owen Paris, and, for good measure, The Doctor beamed to Malaga.

Malaga, Spain

It was indeed going on Midnight, but the six people gathered at Will Riker and Deanna Troi's home were wide awake, enjoying each other's company, and drinking some excellent wine from Picard's French Vineyard.

Seven and Guinan had spend an inordinate amount of time talking, each being fascinated by the other, but they had made sure to spend as much time with everyone as they could. Guinan hadn't seen her old friends for years, and she knew such chances might not come around for a while.

They had been discussing the paradox involving the Enterprise-C. It still was something the three human and one Betazoid in the group had trouble coming to grips, all those years later, but Guinan and Seven, one being from a mysterious race, the other having a wealth of knowledge from years in The Collective, seemed to accept it more readily.

"Years ago, scientists on many planets came to the conclusion that there were a multitude of parallel universe's", Seven said in a relaxed tone, very far from her old Borg mannerisms. "Some call them Alternate Universe's, but whatever they're called, the exist, and can interact occasionally with each other."

"Is that something you learned in The Collective", Deanna inquired of Seven, "or after you were liberated?"

"A little of both, I guess", she said. "The Collective wasn't afraid to travel back into another time, or into another dimension, or, if they could, and alternate universe. It was simply a means to an end to find perfection, at least as they see it."

"El-Aurian's believe that these countless possibilities, in different realities, or timelines, are all weaved together somehow. I don't understand all of it, and never will, but we can sense things that may not have existed in the life we're living here, but we can somehow feel its effects."

"I think Kathryn has the right attitude about it: avoid it, as it gives one a headache", Seven smirked. The others laughed heartily.

At that moment, three beams of blue light cut through the late evening, no more than fifty yards from the gathering. Seven recognized all three immediately.

"It's B'El, The Doctor and Admiral Paris", she said, with some confusion.

"Maybe they heard about the party we were having", Dr. Crusher added sardonically. But as they neared, the group already in Spain saw the grim bearing in the newcomers.

Picard took the lead, heading up to Admiral Paris.

"Owen", Picard said, his instincts alert that something was amiss, "is there a problem?"

Everyone was now in close proximity. "Yes, Jean-Luc", he said gravely. "Admiral Necheyav has been murdered, and Sloan apparently escaped before the transfer to the DOJ."

"Is Kathryn all right?" Seven took a step toward Admiral Paris.

B'Elanna handled that one, going up to her taller her friend. "Kathryn's missing, Sev. We believe Sloan has taken her hostage."

To Be Concluded...