Chapter 3

"Captain," Tom Paris called out. Captain Janeway looked up at her pilot. "We are receiving an emergency hail," he said simply. "Source?" Janeway asked. Paris' eyes grew wide and he stuttered, "St… st… Starfleet, Sir!" Janeway stood up immediately at that. "Recheck your sensors again, Mr. Paris. You must have made a mistake," Janeway said calmly. "I have checked, Captain. Twice!" Paris replied. Janeway sighed but hope bubbled within her. "Reply," she said. "I have just sent the reply, Captain," he said. "How far away are they?" she asked. There was silence for a moment as Paris carried out her command. "No more than 20-light years away, Sir," he answered, a gleeful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Proceed only after we have received an answer. It could be a trap," she warned but her voice was cheerful.

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"Sir, we have received a transmission from a Starfleet vessel, approximately 20 light years away," the pilot called out. "On screen," Picard ordered. His screen blinked to life and he saw the most peculiar sight. He saw the crew of the U.S.S Voyager. Perplexed, he called out, "Captain Janeway, is that you?"

The woman on the other side of the screen blinked her eyes in surprise but she replied quickly. "Yes indeed, Picard. It is good to see you again," she said, her voice a controlled mask of excitement. "What happened to you?" he asked. "We have been trapped in the Delta quadrant ever since the Caretaker brought us here. No, the question is, what are YOU doing here?" she asked.

"Q!" Picard growled. Janeway nodded her head. "No explanations there," she answered. "We must meet," Picard stated. "It's simply been too long," he said, as he smiled. "I'll transport over," she acknowledged, her face beaming with excitement at finally encountering another Starfleet vessel.

"Captain," the pilot called out. "Captain Janeway is requesting permission to beam aboard," he continued.

Picard nodded and said, "Carry on." Riker had a look on his face. "Captain, I was thinking. Why don't we have a welcoming party for Captain Janeway? After all, we had thought that the Voyager had been destroyed. Perhaps the senior officers could gather at the transport room to greet her," he voiced out.

Picard smiled. "Make it so, Number One," he said calmly.

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Janeway beamed aboard Enterprise. "Welcome Kathryn," Picard said, dropping the formality. "It's good to see you in the flesh, Jean-Luc. What has it been? Five years?" she said as she enveloped him in a bear-hug.

"I would like you to meet my senior officers. Commander Will Riker, Lieutenant Commander Data, Lieutenant Commander Troi, Commander La Forge and Lieutenant Worf," he introduced.

"The Chief Medical Officer is currently in Sickbay. There was an emergency with one of the ensigns," he explained.

"I am pleased to meet you all," Janeway said politely. "I'm sure it would be good for my crew to finally mix with people from Starfleet again," she continued.

"Well, why don't we proceed to my ready room? You can tell me all about your adventures on the way," he said, holding her arm. She laughed out loud and they left the transport room.

Riker's shocked expression mirrored everyone else's and he looked at Deanna. She shrugged and smiled knowingly.

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"That is just so amazing, Kathryn!" Picard exclaimed over dinner. "You have had so many run-ins with the Borg than I can count!" he said and shook his head in disbelief.

Suddenly Janeway turned serious. "Jean-Luc, have you thought about your predicament? We're 70 years away from home," she said.

Picard sighed. "I just don't know what Q has up his sleeves. What possible reason could he have for whisking us 70,000 light-years away?" he asked rhetorically.

Janeway smiled. "Well, maybe he just wanted… two old friends to meet again," she ventured.

"It's a relief, Kathryn. It really is, that you and your crew are alive and well. Frankly, your disappearance was a tragic loss to Starfleet," he said, shaking his head in despair.

"How I miss those good old rules, Jean-Luc," she reminisced.

"We'll get home, Kathryn. We'll surely get home," he promised.

"I can only hope so," Janeway echoed.

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"A ship from Starfleet… in the Delta quadrant," Seven questioned. When Chakotay nodded, she asked again, "But how is that possible? Has Starfleet learnt to operate the Borg conduits?"

"A rumour's going around that Q had a hand in this," he explained.

Seven nodded. "That is only logical," she said.

An awkward silence fell between them as they stood at the Astrometrics Lab. "Uh… Captain Picard has invited the crew of Voyager to Enterprise. Perhaps you'd like to go?" he asked and then added, "With me?"

Seven seemed to consider his question. She allowed a slight smile to escape her lips. "Perhaps," she echoed. "I will let you know soon," she said.

Chakotay smiled. "That is acceptable," he said, and a playful smile lingered on his visage. Seven raised an eyebrow at this. She nodded her head and Chakotay left the Astrometrics Lab.

A/N: Well, I think you can kind of guess the pairings. YES, I'M A FAN OF CHAKOTAY/SEVEN:D :D If there are any grammatical mistakes, please do let me know and of course please review. Thanks! Oh and thank you Threehorn for reviewing the first chapter. Really appreciate it. Thanks. :D