Disclaimer: TPTB still own STVoy, I just play with them.

Act One!

The young man was understandably nervous as he made his way to the FNN studios and the staff entrance; with him were a couple of crew members from Voyager who had worked the lower decks, so weren't immediately recognisable as Janeway's people, they were just good technicians who also knew how to use the chip/nanoprobes that Seven had given him when he'd visited her that day.

Robin was a little surprised no-one questioned his presence in the building at this unusual hour, his companions told him not to knock it, as they made their way to the recording studios. Going to the main broadcasting studio would have been foolhardy and possibly fallen directly into the proverbial laps of their enemies, thus they were making for one of the smaller technical rooms. Tom Paris had been right when he'd said it was like one of his 20th Century spy films, he said softly to his companions as they entered the smaller control booth. First they checked it over for any anomalous readings, surveillance devices or the like, and then and only then did Robin signed them into the system, which they checked again, before they proceeded with their data gathering calling up all the interviews – not just with Voyager's command team – but the whole PR wagon; tapping into all the un-broadcast material as well. Robin moved to the doorway and kept watch as the building woke up around him, still feeling uneasy about the fact that he hadn't been challenged about his early presence here, but his boss did encourage independent investigating and reporting and he was not pass his probationary period. He did though feel a bit like his famous namesake from Earth's England's history – robbing the rich to feed the poor – the thought made him smile instead of grimacing. Those 'rich' almost always being the Norman masters and the physically rich and powerful clergymen of the Catholic Church, whilst the 'poor' were the Saxon serifs; in this case the 'rich' were some in Starfleet Admiralty and the 'poor' the common people in general. He and his cohorts – Hood and his merry men dressed in Lincoln green – that thought really did have him grinning as they were in 'green' the green overalls of FNN's maintenance techs.

"All done," whispered one those 'Merry Men'.

"Right, have you logged out?" A nod confirmed the fact. "Follow me," Robin said calmly and led the way to the other back entrance that all tech staff used to exit the building, so that the same security checks were carried out but by a different set of security staff. Once they were at a safe distance – so their communications couldn't be detected – they sent a message to their contact.

"Act One, scene one all set."

#Acknowledged# was the texted response. The three of them stripped off the overalls, their normal civilian clothes revealed from underneath the green and placed them in the cleaner's bag Robin carried; this they then deposited at the nearest cleaning outlet and then went to find some breakfast and await the next stage of developments. The cafe they'd chosen had the usual large plasma television screen in a prominent position so that all could see it from wherever one sat in the main area. At that moment it was playing with the latest newscast from FNN which was the Federation's main News Network, with the other two main networks as smaller screens in opposite corners, but the three 'Merry Men' knew very soon all the broadcasting networks would be displaying the same 'news'.

=/\=

Aboard Voyager in Astrometrics, Janeway waited somewhat nervously for one of her three fellow Rear Admirals to contact her, having left them all the same message, but just which of them would contact her was what was making her nervous. She knew at Pathfinder Barclay also waited ready to implement the backup plan should it be necessary. On the USS Enterprise, somewhere outside the main solar system they too waited hoping all went well with the plan and that the 'woodworm' would be flushed out along with the rotten core. In her office Fleet Admiral Alynna Necheyev also waited along with the current President of UFP. He'd been surprised to learn from her the current state of affairs and fate of the Voyager crew and what it could possibly imply within Starfleet and the Federation, yet he'd been willing to wait things out with her and let 'that' crew take centre stage for now.

The console bleeped at her, causing her heart to jump within her. It also informed her of who was contacting her, thus she was going to reach for the control to open it, when a soft voice called her rank and she stood back and made a calm order.

"Computer open a channel!" The computer bleeps in response and slowly the face of a fellow two star Admiral hones into view on Astrometrics' main screen.

"Good morning, Admiral," she said pleasantly. A half-hearted grunt was her only reply, but she didn't let it deter her from her appointed task. Elliot stood beside her working the console, thus avoiding direct eye contact with his former master. He knew from the data gathering he'd been engaged in over the last few weeks and days as to what this man and his cohorts were possibly up to, and that it went against everything Starfleet stood for, which gave him better grounds to go against his former orders, as much as the persuasion Janeway and Paris had used.

"I thought we'd better go over some of the finer points of your proposals before we offered them for higher approval," she began formally.

"All it requires is your endorsement and approval," he snapped.

"I beg to disagree, Rear Admiral Lutero Pleasances," she said. He stared at her his mouth a thin line of angry disapproval, for she had just committed the most tabooed act – naming him over the communications system. Elliot hid his smile feeling Janeway stand taller beside him, knowing that this former Starship Captain wasn't doing to be intimidated by this desk bound Admiral and his scheming cohorts: She's faced down the Borg Queen and lived to tell the tale, which was more than you have done, he thought softly.

=/\=

In the main control room at FNN the staff were getting ready to start the first news program of the day when all their boards went haywire; electrical arcs shooting across the main board, causing some staff to leap backwards from the small electrical shock it gave them. The main bank of screens in front of them all showed static for a moment and then one by one from left to right they cleared to reveal a three-way split screen arrangement. In one quarter area was a male two star Admiral, angry looking, in the second quarter area was one half of Voyager's command team, speaking clearly, her command presence there for all to see, in the main half of the screen it was taken up with moving images, some of which they themselves had broadcast.

"I knew that woman was a good commander," said the head controller softly, as he sat watching the woman, whilst some of his staff tried to get control of their broads.

Suddenly a flustered body entered the control booth; it was the recently and newly appointed head of FNN and from the expression that was showing on the persons face he was not happy.

"What is happening?" he asked a little breathless.

"I think you can see what is happening!" snapped the controller not happy himself at having his domain invaded by this new boss. He had taken over just after Voyager had returned to Earth and it had been under his orders that the interview with the Command team had been altered; something that still rankled with this long time broadcaster and believer in giving out only the truth and thus following the Starfleet ethos of 'First Duty – to the truth'.

"Gaffer, we've tried all the other broadcasting channels and they are all showing the same as us," noted one of the technicians.

"Noted," the controller said and waved the tech back into a seat.

"I need you to get this tape broadcast," said The Boss, holding out a current broadcasting tape.

"Well if you'd like to try," invited the Gaffer indicating the seemingly innocent boards. His staff held their collective breath as The Boss went to touch the board and whipped his hand back promptly after it came into contact with the sparking shield that protected the boards.

"No-one is doing anything on these boards until whoever set it up cancels the protocols," said the Gaffer. "Oh for goodness sake sit down, watch and listen you might learn something," Gaffer snapped at the stunned Boss, indicating the chair beside him.

"Gaffer; It's not just the broadcasters that are affected. All communications systems are wide open," one of his techs informed him. The man found himself grinning broadly.

"Good on you, Janeway," he whispered, still grinning, whilst The Boss sat lost looking beside him.

In Necheyev's office the President was puzzled at what the Admiral's aide had informed them about this broadcast.

"Everything?" he asked astonished.

"Yes, Mister President. All communications systems are in effect jammed wide open; civilian, broadcasters, Starfleet, Federation, even so-called secure systems."

"What of our allies and enemies?"

"Mister President. No-one is going to creep up on us," noted Necheyev calmly.

"How can you be so sure?" he snapped sourly.

"Because all navigation beacons are also communication relays and boosters and with the system now wide open, including all communications of our allies and enemies; no-one is going anywhere. Because every ship's computer will try to link into the navigation beacon only to have their communications linked into this broadcast," she told him calmly. Her aide found himself grinning softly, especially as the penny dropped for the UFP President.

"Oh, I see," he muttered quietly and started to relax.

"You are asking me, to – in effect – condemn an entire planet to years of unnecessary hardship and suffering, and for what?"

Said Janeway's voice into the ensuing silence, they waited for a response yet there didn't appear to be one.

=/\=

NB: What next I wonder!?

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