The Three Sisters: First Encounter

By Voyager Queen

**An old trade vessel, near Earth * *

"I've got another job, Kade!" shouted a beautiful young woman. She had short blonde hair and since she was half betazoid, black eyes.

"Really!" a slightly older woman called. She was also pretty, but more sophisticated with shoulder length black hair and she also had black eyes. "What is it?"

"I have to track down some runaway Fleet brat."

Kade laughed, "Oh? Is that all?"

"Mirage!" a young voice called out.

The blonde turned, "Evey!" she cried as the fourteen-year-old girl jumped into her arms.

She, like her sisters was part betazoid and had black eyes and long black hair.

"My name," she said with childish exasperation. "Is Evangeline."

Mirage scrunched her face, "That name is by far too long. I think Evey will suffice."

Evey rolled her eyes, "So are Kade and I coming with you?"

"Of course," Mirage smiled. "This will be a walk in the park. Besides, we live on a starship and I can't very well use it without taking my sisters with me, can I?"

The girl giggled, "I guess not."

* * Deep Space Nine * *

Tom was really wishing he had his own ship. Not only would that let him fly but he wouldn't need to decide exactly where it is he wanted to go right now. This summer was beginning to go down hill. Risa was the first place they'd look. Vulcan the last, but who wants to go there? He sighed, if only Suzie hadn't broken up with him again, he could have taken her along. Steven was going to give him hell for leaving him alone all summer.

He was beginning to wander if this was such a good idea. He looked to the communication terminals. He knew any calls he made could be traced but he really didn't want to spend his summer alone. One call to his best friend couldn't hurt.

* * Mirage's Ship * *

"He's just made a call," Mirage shouted to Kade with a smile. "He's at Deep Space Nine."

So much for his being a teenage spy, Mirage thought. I've got you now and the pay off is going to be huge.

* * Deep Space Nine * *

"Tom!" a young boy with childish good looks and jet black hair gasped. "Where the hell are you?"

"Deep Space Nine," Tom smiled. "Care to join me?"

Steven sighed in exasperation, "They'll trace this call. You'll be caught."

Tom shrugged, "Hopefully, I'll be gone before they get here."

"What were you thinking? You know the risks. Why would you do this Tom."

Tom sighed, Steven was the only person Tom had ever told about his grandfather. Some times, he regretted it.

"I know, I guess it was kind of stupid. I just wanted to be in charge of my own life for once but it turns out I'm not very good at it."

Steven laughed, then grew more serious, "Come back, Tom. It's too dangerous to go out on your own."

Tom frowned, "I can take care of myself."

Steven didn't buy it. "Just promise me you'll call your father."

Tom sighed, "You're right Steven, I'll come home. It wouldn't be any fun alone anyway."

Without saying anymore, Tom ended the transmittion.

* * The home of Admiral Paris **

Admiral Carter rushed into Owen's office, "Tom made a call at Deep Space Nine but now he's no longer on the station."

"What?! How could security have let him get away?" Owen roared.

Carter sighed, "They found an empty hypo near the console Tom had been using, it had been filled with a sedative."

"No, he hasn't."

"They believe he was abducted, Owen. I'm sorry."

Owen collapsed back into his chair.

How would he get Tom back now?

* * ????????? * *

Tom slowly came to. He opened his eyes to a small room. It looked like someone's quarters, he was lying on a large blue bed. He couldn't think straight, he guessed he had been drugged. He could tell, however, that he was on a ship. A ship going around warp 3,the mark of a good pilot.

He stumbled to the door and felt along the edges. There were no handles, releases, or wall consoles. He pushed on

It but it was futile. He refused to lower himself to banging on the door. He searched the walls looking for a vent or Jefferies Tube. He found one. He quickly removed the grate and crawled in. He replaced the grate then carefully made his way through the tunnel. He didn't know where he was going but he wouldn't just wait for someone to come and find him. As he continued through the labyrinth, he heard voices and stopped to listen.

"You kidnapped him!?" an angry voice yelled.

"What did you want me to do? If Security had picked him up I wouldn't have gotten paid."

"Mirage! You abducted him! You really think they'll pay you now?"

"They will if I demand a ransom."

"A ransom? That's criminal! Let's just drop him off somewhere, let his parents find him"

"His father's an admiral. We drop this kid off somewhere and someone a lot less nice than us could find him."

"What you've done is not nice!"

Tom heard a door slam and carefully continued. A few feet ahead he found another grate. When he looked down he gasped. A young woman around 25 was sitting at a desk below him. He'd heard about people falling in love at first site, he'd laughed. He wasn't laughing now. She was breathtaking and he was transfixed. She had piercing black eyes and platinum blonde hair a tantalizing combination. He was drawn to her, when he told himself to keep moving he found he was paralyzed. As he watched her an older women with short black hair raced into the room.

"Mirage! He's gone!"

Mirage jumped up and followed Kade out of the room. Tom cursed and removed the grate. The ship looked like a small trade vessel. He was hoping it didn't have internal sensors or he didn't stand a chance. He ran to the terminal on Mirage's desk, he hacked into the computer and brought up a blue print of the ship. There were no shuttles or escape pods and according to the sensors he had tapped into no ships within 20 light years.

"You shouldn't touch that."

Tom twirled around and got ready to bolt.

Evangeline smiled at him. "Mirage gets angry when others touch her things."

"Really?" Tom asked as Evey leaned against the wall. "And where is Mirage?"

"Looking for you."

"I suppose you are going to tell her where I am."

"You suppose wrong. I'm going to hide you."

Evey walked up to Tom and grabbed his had before pulling him from the room and dragging him down the hall.

"Where are you taking me?" Tom asked suspiciously.

"The Computer room, hopefully they won't think to look for you there."

Evey and Tom finally reached the room and Evey went inside, tugging Tom along with her.

"You'll be safe here."

"Why are you helping me?"

"I heard Kade and Mirage fighting. Mirage used to be my favorite sister but she shouldn't have done this to you," she said as she leaned on the railing. She looked down into the Computer core.

It was around 30 feet deep. The walls lined with blinking lights and circuitry. The purple jewel around Evey's neck was poised inside the hollow as she played with the chain.

The necklace snapped loose from her neck and fell, spiraling down into the abyss. Evey cried out and made a grab for it, she flipped over the banister. Tom cried out and looked over the edge. Evey was holding onto a piece of circuitry with her right hand, her necklace with her left.

"Hang on!" Tom called, climbing over the edge. As he reached out to grab a piece of circuitry to lower himself to Evey he was glad he'd taken up rock climbing. "Hold on tight, okay?"

"I'm trying," she sobbed.

"So," Tom said as he got closer to her. "You never told me your name."

"Evangeline."

"That's a pretty name, I'm Tom Paris."

"Evey!" a frantic voice called as Mirage and Kade looked down at Evey and Tom. "Oh my god!" Kade cried.

Tom ignored them, focusing on Evey as he reached her. "Give me your hand."

Evey brought up her left hand and tom grasped it. The necklace held firmly between them. "We're going to need to climb back up. Do you think you can do it?" Evey nodded and her sisters watched the scene with horror.

Slowly, Tom helped Evey back up. Reaching the top, Tom climbed to the floor under the railing. Kade and Mirage helped him up and then he grabbed Evey's arms and pulled her beside him.

Evey threw her arms around Tom's neck. "You saved my life, Tom Paris."

"What happened?" Mirage asked placing a hand on Evey's back. Evey glared at her and turned to Kade.

"I was helping Tom escape," she said indignantly. "I brought him here and then I fell over the ledge. Tom came and got me."

Kade looked at Tom in admiration, Mirage looked at Evey in accusation.

"Thank you very much for saving my sister." Kade said kneeling beside Tom.

"How did you fall over the ledge?" Mirage asked Evey.

"My necklace came loose," she said holding her palm out to reveal the necklace shining in her hand. "I reached to grab it and I fell."

Tom thought Mirage was going to yell at Evey from her expression but she didn't. She pulled Evey into her arms. "You have to be more careful sis, I've never been so scared in my life as I just was."

"I'm sorry," Evey whispered, returning her sisters hug.

Mirage grabbed Tom's hand and looked into his eyes. "Thank you. I can never repay you but I'll start by releasing you."

"Release me to where?" he asked.

"To your parents, of course."

"I don't want to go back there," he sighed. "I don't want to go anywhere."

"Then you can stay," Evey exclaimed.

* * Admiral Owen Paris's office * *

"Do you think he was taken by Section 31?" Janeway asked Owen.

"We aren't sure, I don't know how they could have found out about his leaving home. And then there's our missing bounty hunter. McAllister hasn't heard from Mirage since he first gave her the job. He can't get in touch with her," he said sighing loudly.

"Maybe Tom just went off on his own." Admiral Carter suggested. "You know how stubborn that kid can be."

"No, he was really coming home. I talked to his friend, Steven Teller and he told me Tom was going to come home. Tom wouldn't have lied to Steven."

Kathryn looked at the two Admirals and got an idea. "You say the bounty hunter is missing?"

They nod, "I'm guessing McAllister was going to pay her a lot." Owen looked up understanding. "If Tom came home by his own free will."

"she wouldn't get paid." Owen finished. "Kathryn, you're a genius," he smiled heading for his terminal.

* * Mirage's Ship * *

Tom smiled gently at Evey, "I can't stay here."

Mirage's eyes brightened, "Yes, you can."

He looked at her confused.

"What do you say the two of us strike a deal?"

Tom narrowed his eyes, "What kind of deal?"

"You can stay here with us during the summer and in September you let me return you to your parents."

"So you can receive your bounty."

"Yes," she admitted. "But I think we could all benefit. Besides, it is dangerous for you to be roaming the galaxy alone. I'd prefer to keep an eye on you."

"Please Tom?" Evey begged.

Tom looked to her, "All right. We've got a deal."

* * Admiral Owen Paris's office * *

Admiral Paris looked up to Carter and Janeway, "Well, there's a bounty on the bounty hunter."

"Let's just hope Tom is with her," Carter said, leaving out 'and not with Section 31'.

"Kathryn, you've got a ship now don't you?"

Janeway nodded, "The Paradox."

"Consider yourself under confidential orders to look for Mirage and Tom Paris."

"Understood, sir."

Owen smiled, "I'll give you all the information we have on Mirage. I need all the help I can get."

"I'll do my best, sir."

"I know."

"Should I keep this from my crew?"

"Have them be on the look out for Mirage's ship. Just don't tell them why."

Janeway nodded and accepted a data chip from Admiral Paris before leaving.

How had she gotten involved in this?

To be continued. Review! Review!