XI

Seven of Nine hurried to Sickbay to see just how badly Kathryn Janeway had been wounded. When she arrived, The EMH and Voyager's Human doctor were working on the former Admiral.

"Report", Seven said as calmly as she could.

The EMH handled that one. "She has Level 4 phaser burns on her upper right chest, her right shoulder and back, Seven", the holographic man said, not looking up from his work. "Currently we're trying to stabilize her vitals."

Seven knew better than to pester The Doctor for any more information. She quietly nodded, and sat on a nearby biobed.

The human doctor, Dr. Larissa Quantro, was in titular charge of Sickbay, but when it came to Janeway, she deferred to the EMH, who had pulled Janeway's butt out of more than a few critical situations over the years. She glanced over at Seven.

"We think she'll make it, Commander Hansen", the female doctor said, using Seven's name for the mission. "It's gonna take some work, but just give us some time."

"I understand", Seven said, sounding more like her old Borg-like self than the Seven who had become so informal and jaded over the years. "I will report this to the Admiral, and let..."

The holographic doctor stopped her. "Seven, I don't mind if you stay nearby for a while. I don't think Admiral Shelby will mind either", he said kindly. Long ago, the EMH had a thing for Seven-as Tom Paris had pointed to the Doc that he couldn't imagine anyone not having a thing for the tall, incredibly beautiful woman-but that had faded. He had been locked away for years at Starfleet Medical, and hadn't heard of all the trials and tribulations that Seven and Kathryn had been through. Having caught up on it, it saddened him to think of the two women whom he admired as much as any in the Universe, along with B'Elanna, had gone through so much pain over the years.

Now that Seven and Kathryn were well on their way to a rapprochement, he knew it was important for Seven to want to be close to her former mentor.

"Thanks, Doc", Seven said softly, touched by his concern. "I'll stay out of your way, I promise. I'd just...I'd like to stay here for a while, and be near Kathryn."

The Doctor smiled. "I understand, Seven. We'll try to keep you updated as we go along."

Seven moved over to an empty biobed, asked the computer for a thick pillow, and closed her eyes for a while.

Sloan may have been stuck with a Captain from Starfleet, and a Romulan Commander, along with a few other Human and Romulan crew members, but he was damned if he was not going to be in charge of going after Voyager and whoever else had attacked their ship. Rank be damned.

"I never agreed to head to Earth, Sloan", Commander Sela said with more than a little anger. "This is a Romulan ship, and I'm..."

Sloan was having none of it. "I was trained by the Tal Shiar, Commander", he said sharply, "which put me above any everyday Romulan Commander."

"For Christ's sake, Sloan", Benjamin Maxwell snorted with disgust, "there is no Tal Shiar any longer; there is no Romulan military. What part of that don't you get? You're getting a little big for your britches, aren't you."

Sloan bored on on Captain Maxwell. "You want to end up like those poor bastards on what's left of Qeh, Maxwell? Blown to bits. I can arrange that."

"Gentleman", Sela shouted, sick to death of these arguing Humans, "enough of this crap already!" She had a mind simply to shoot them both. Had there only been Romulan Centurions onboard, she would have, but she knew the Humans that were with them would gun her down instantly if she did that. "What exactly is your plan, Sloan?"

"They think we're dead, don't they?" He was quite sure of that. "If that's the case, I still have my sources inside The Federation. I can find out where Voyager is going-and I'd bet they're going to McKinley Station to begin with, and track down Seven, Shelby, and Janeway there."

"And you expect me and a bunch of Romulans", Maxwell said with dripping sarcasm, "are just gonna walk into McKinley, guns blazing, and take out a Starfleet Admiral, a former Starfleet Admiral, and a former Borg drone...no problem, right?"

"Everything I have worked for, Maxwell, has been destroyed by that former drone, and her would-be lover, Janeway. Everything! I want the satisfaction of watching her die, even if it means I die with them. I'm not planning to die", he said with an icy smile. "I've gotten out of bigger fixes, but I want to see her dead."

"And what of us?" Sela looked at him hard, not giving up anything. "We're just collateral damage to you, isn't that right, Sloan? I didn't bargain to end up being captured by Humans and jailed, as my mother was jailed on Romulus. I'm sure Picard and Riker would love to get a crack at me."

"You just get me there, my dear Commander", Sloan replied with a false sweetness, "and then you and the Captain can do what you like. I'm going to find Seven of Nine, kill her, and, if I can, kill Janeway as well."

"You realize we have to de-cloak to get you on that station? Have you thought of that, wise-guy?"

Sloan laughed at Maxwell. "You can de-cloak for an instant, re-cloak, and be gone. No one will probably be able to follow you."

Sela and Maxwell exchanged glances. Neither liked it, but they also knew the Human guards onboard were loyal to the Romulan-born Human, and they could do little about it.

"Very well", Sela advised the two men. "When the time comes, I will be in charge of the cloaking issues. We'll get you on that station, Sloan, but we're not waiting around for you."

"Fair enough, Sela", the man said, turning and suddenly retreating to his quarters on the smaller ship.

When he was out of earshot, Maxwell turned to the Romulan. "The man is gonna get us all killed, Commander, you realize that."

"Perhaps", Sela said quietly. "We've all been survivors. Remember that, Maxwell."

Two Days Later

Voyager was approaching McKinley Station, to undergo some minor repairs after the trip that netted them the injured Kathryn Janeway. Once they arrived, Shelby, Seven, The Doctor, and Janeway would beam to Earth. Kathryn would convalesce at Starfleet Medical, while the other three, along with Tuvok, Tom, and B'Elanna, reported to Admirals Peterson, Jellico, and Paris for a debrief and to put in their reports.

Kathryn was still not conscious. That had been the decision of the two doctors. The ability to repair injuries that, a mere one-hundred-and-fifty years earlier would have meant sure death, was indeed astounding, but the human body still needed time to recover. Janeway had been given a heavy sedative to keep her under, most likely for at least another twenty-four hours before she was brought out of her sleep. By then, her body should be well on the way to being completely healed.

After they arrived, they were given a private room to have a meal, and discuss their mission. The next afternoon, they would take a quick shuttle to San Francisco for that meeting. Janeway was immediately taken by shuttle to San Francisco.

After their catered meal was served, Shelby and the five former Voyager crew members able to relax and unwind.

"I still haven't a clue what happened onboard the Romulan ship", The Doctor advised the others. "Kathryn and I would have been on Voyager before those two knuckle-draggers had entered her room."

"It's called Murphy's Law, Doc", Tom Paris responded with some sympathy. "Any than can go wrong will, and at the worst possible moment."

Shelby nodded. "As far as operations go, despite that glitch, it went off pretty well, however. With that lunatic Sloan out of the way, I believe things will calm down rather quickly."

"Taking Captain Maxwell out of the equation will have benefits as well", Tuvok observed. "He was a talented Captain, but he was, as Mr. Paris would remark, a 'loose cannon', who let his emotions get the better of him."

"Why did he sign up with that screwball", B'Elanna wondered out loud. "It really doesn't make sense?"

"Birds of a feather flock together", Seven said with some lingering unease with Kathryn being on Earth now, while they were still at McKinley. "Troublemakers seem to gravitate to one another.

Tom leaned over to B'Elanna "Me and Harry", he said sotto voce, B'Elanna smacking him playfully on the arm.

Shelby was aware of where Seven truly wanted to be. "I promise you, Seven, that the moment Patterson releases us, we're all going to check up on Kathryn."

"Thank you, Admiral", the tall blond said with a nod. "I just want all this to be over. Kathryn has been injured, and quite badly, twice now, because of my actions. There was almost a war on Fenris because of what I did. All this will be hard for me to put in the past."

Torres was sitting to Seven's left, and she took her friend's hand. "It isn't your fault, Blondie", B'Elanna said gently, meaning it. "What those people did to you over the years-to Icheb, and Chakotay, you were simply trying to right wrong. Maybe you didn't go about it in the correct way", B'Elanna gave her a small smirk, "but your heart was in the right place. Just remember, you've got a huge family out there still, Seven, that'll move Heaven and Earth to help you, should you get into trouble."

"I know, B'Elanna", Seven said just above a whisper, barely holding the tears back. She suspected that when she and Kathryn were settled-wherever they settled-she would shed a lot of tears to help her get over all the heartache-not just of the events of the past few months, but over the last twenty years. "I do feel with Bjayzl and Sloan gone, I've avenged for what happened to Icheb. It won't bring him back, but he can rest easy now."

Torres leaned in and gave her friend a hug, again marveling at how close they had become over the years, and had gone from not being able to stand being in the same room with each other, to being willing to lay down their life for the other.

"OK, everyone", Shelby said after they had talked and ate for an hour, "it's time for everyone to turn in. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I expect the debrief to take at least a few hours. Everyone get a good night's sleep."

They all went to the accommodations that McKinley had set up for each of them, with the exception of The Doctor, to rest. Seven knew that, with everything on her mind, sleep would be hard to come by if she simply tried to drift off. She convinced The Doctor to give her a mild sedative, which did the trick. Seven needed the rest, and thank to her friend, she got it.

The cloaked Romulan scout ship was now in the Terran Sector, slowly approaching Earth and McKinley Station. Tempers between the three principles on the ship had calmed, after Sloan, Sela, and Maxwell had a talk over dinner one night. They certainly weren't friends, and didn't truly trust one another, but they all had their reasons to be there: Sloan because he still wanted to control The Federation; Sela, using this mission as a means to try and revive the old Romulan Empire; Maxwell simply to get back at the organization who had taken his career away from him, even though he had been right about the Cardassians all those years ago.

They agreed that no strike would be made on McKinley Station. Sela convinced the other two that after a mission like the one Voyager had carried out, it was more than likely that they would debrief, and do so quickly, at Starfleet Headquarters.

"There's no way you can just show up on Earth, Commander", Maxwell advised Sela. "Sloan and I? We can probably have a little time before we're noticed, but you'd stick out like a sore thumb, no disrespect intended."

"None taken, Captain", the Romulan said dismissively, knowing the man was right. "I'll be flying this ship, while you two do...whatever you plan to do, which the less I know the better."

"And what do you get out of this-if we succeed, Commander?"

"If you somehow can bend The Federation to your will?" She looked hard at Sloan. "I don't think you will succeed, but if you do, then I will demand your support for the rebuilding of the Romulan Empire, with me as it's ruler, and to have The Federation run interference against The Klingons while we rebuild."

"Once we're on the ground, Commander", Sloan said in a measured voice, "you are free to return to Romulan Free State space. You can do no more for us here. I will agree to what you ask-if we succeed. Don't count me out yet, Sela", he cautioned the Romulan/Human hybrid. "I've made a history of surviving. I may yet again."

"I'm not counting on it, Sloan", Sela said icily. "The sooner I get away from Earth, the better. We're going to camp out near McKinley Station, listen in on the transmissions coming from there, and then we'll make our final plans."