Disclaimer: See Chapter one. Just having fun!
NB: I realised this chapter might be a bit short, but it felt the right place to break the story. Hope not to leave you the reader hanging too long. This story seems to be writing itself in fits and starts. Sorry about that, please bear with me. Thank you.
Vanished Again!
As soon as Necheyev had received the report from her Security team about their findings at the Starfleet Security hub, she turned to check what was happening within the Academy grounds and the Prixin event, only to notice something very much amiss.
"What is happening here?" she asked no-one in particular.
"Alynna?" questioned Hayes puzzled, by her tone.
"Where is the Voyager's senior bridge staff?" she demanded, standing in a defiant pose, looking round at where most of the senior staff had been, including Deanna Troi. Whilst the other Top Brass just stared at her puzzled by this turn of events. Paris senior wondered if he should say anything, as the security team startled by the Fleet Admiral's demand, took out their tricorders and checked round the area, but the Voyager's senior staff along with Councillor Troi were nowhere in the vicinity at all, and none of the remaining Voyager family were saying anything.
Owen Paris moved towards the group of Picard and Janeway, on passing Ayala he quietly suggested that the rest of the crew, the children and the FNN team return to his home.
"I'll join you there shortly," he added. The Latino male nodded his acknowledgment of the order and quietly told his young entourage to stay close and not to say anything, as he moved around his fellow Voyagers, passing on the Admiral's command. With that they all dispersed from the picnic area, taking different routes to their final destination as well as taking the FNN team with them.
"Why do I get this feeling you know exactly where they vanished to!" noted Copper softly. Ayala just grinned in response, as they all walked towards the nearest direct transporter station to take them to Adm. Paris's home.
=/\=
Five pairs of eyes watched as the crew left the picnic area at the Academy grounds empty and Paris senior spoke quietly to Janeway and the Enterprise senior staff advising them possibly on what action to take in their research. The sound of electronic doors behind them swishing open entered the silent space and a voice spoke:
"Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok?" the voice questioned.
"Commander," the Vulcan responded in kind.
"What's going on?" demanded a semi angry voice, a moment later, making several of the area's occupants smile knowingly in various ways.
"All will be revealed soon, I'm sure," her husband said, grinning at her. He took the sleepy Miral from her carry harness and gave her to her Godfather; whilst Chakotay spoke encouragingly to his two youngsters to leave with the EMH and Troi to sickbay.
"Must we?" the girl asked sullenly.
"It's only for a short while, Nukaq. Please," he added, having crouched down to her level, so she didn't have to look up at him. Troi smiled encouragingly, holding out a hand to the young female, her other hand holding gently onto the boy's. Reluctantly the girl took the councillor's hand and they followed the EMH out of Astrometrics.
"Tuvok?" questioned the senior male again, once the doors had closed behind the departing entourage and he stood beside the Vulcan; who cut the transmission and called up all the data they'd gathered and was now held in Voyager's mainframe database onto the main holographic screen.
"Oh Hell!" noted one startled voice, a minute or two later.
=/\=
When Janeway arrived on board the Enterprise, having called for transport from the picnic site, once Adm. Paris had left, she was surprised to note that it was Cmdr. Riker as well as the transporter chief who greeted them once they'd materialised.
"Report, Number one," commanded his Captain, who stepped down beside her off the transporter pad.
"Teero was found at the Security hub with a bloodied hole in his chest about half an hour ago. The security staff were only stunned, heavily stunned, Sir."
"Acknowledged," he said. "The computer records?"
"Shot," pausing as the group moved down the corridor to the turbo-lift.
"Deck one," the Captain ordered, once they were all inside.
"Back-up?"
"Negative." The unease among them was very palatable as they rode up the decks in silence. They exited the turbo-lift and walked silently to the conference lounge with two other senior staff joining the group, from their usual places on the bridge. Picard took his usual seat at the head of the table, with Janeway and Crusher on his left and all the other males on his right.
"Mister Worf?" the Captain questioned.
"Sir. From the frozen expression on Teero's face he knew the person who'd shot him at almost point blank range; with something other than a phaser," the tall Klingon informed them.
"Almost point blank?" Janeway questioned, puzzled. It was Dr. Crusher who responded.
"Any closer and they'd have probably blown him away."
"Sounds like someone wants to be found out."
"So it would seem," acknowledged the ship's Captain, thoughtfully. "Where to go from here?"
=/\=
When Owen Paris entered his home, and took in the Voyager crew and children mingling around the large open lawns in his garden, he silently echoed Picard's voiced thoughts, watching as his wife was the good hostess she was, keeping her guests supplied with refreshments, both children and adults. Copper was sitting on the patio steps with Ayala obviously hoping to get some information out of the security male, but the Hispanic man just silently smiled and said nothing.
"You're wasting your breath with our security man," noted Dalby with a knowing grin as he climbed the steps to take the drinks tray from Julia and start handing them round.
"Yeah! 'Sealed lips' is his middle name!" teased Mara Henley, returning an empty tray of cheese crumbs and cocktail sticks to the main kitchen.
"Give it a rest, Copper," Reanna softly scolded him, as the newsman's wife joined him at his seat, taking his hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"We'll find out the answers soon enough," she said, smiling at him.
"And probably answers we wished we'd not heard or learned about," noted Admiral Paris, sighing regretfully. Feeling his wife - Julia - join him and loop her arm around his, giving him a measure of comfort by her silent understanding presence, as she always had, throughout their long-married life and his often varied and dangerous Starfleet career.
=/\=
