Admiral Riker walked past the GS1 crew and just stood looking at the screen for long minutes. Fotheran looked a question at Eve who looked back a response that clearly said: “you stay at attention!”

    Only Eve could see the Admiral’s face. Still handsomely boyish despite the lines of age and the gray in his full beard and thickly virile hair. His eyes were seemingly locked onto the image of The Borg Pyramid but it was also as if he was looking back through the gulf of years, remembering his own encounters with The Borg. Eve wouldn’t have been surprised. Each and every encounter the Enterprise crew had with The Borg was legendary in Starfleet. And terrifying.

    Riker seemed to return to the present with a shrug of his shoulders. He rounded on the still at attention Eve Mallory who somehow couldn’t pull off her usually commanding presence due to her sparkling evening dress and high heels. Due to her being five foot two even the heels didn’t help and Admiral Riker towered over her like an oak tree over a sapling.

    “So how many Starfleet officers and Federation dignitaries were you going to let be assimilated before you told somebody The Borg were on their way here, Captain Mallory?”

    “I only found out about this myself a few minutes ago, Admiral. I was waiting for solid confirmation before briefing my staff on our course of action.”

    “And what would that be?”

    Eve turned to Ronald Boutin. “Mr. Boutin. How long would it take to execute Evacuation Plan Alpha?”

    Boutin’s owlish eyes seemed to glow from within as gonillians of equations went through his cybernetically advanced mind. As a young man Boutin’s nervous system had been destroyed by a rare disease. Thanks to the miracles of Fabrini science he’d been healed. A marble sized seed had been implanted in what was left of his spine and in eight days had grown him a completely new, artificial nervous system. It had the side effect of stimulating many parts of his brain most humans never used and raising his intelligence to levels that even members of The Vulcan Science Academy found impressive. Boutin was the youngest Science Officer in service and had proved his worth on more than one occasion. He did so again now.

    “If we start within the hour we can have everyone except for Starfleet personnel evacuated in 30 hours 10 minutes fifty-eight seconds.”

    Riker frowned. “You’ve got 8000 Starfleet personnel and their families right here on GS1. Then there’s the civilian population of Yellowknife. That’s another, what? 15,000? You expect me to believe that you can evacuate close to 25,000 people in 30 hours?”

    “Admiral, long ago my staff and I, realizing the unknown dangers of The Gamma Quadrant reasoned that a situation might arise where we would have to evacuate GS1 and Yellowknife. So we devised eight separate Evacuation Plans. With Alpha being the highest priority. Using the transporters of not only GS1, every available ship docked and of The Sparkplug as well to the maximum capacity we believe that we can do so.”

    “Not as if we had a choice,” Fotheran muttered.

    Riker fixed Fotheran with a wicked eye. An eye that still held that faint amused twinkle. Riker held the glare a beat longer then turned back to Eve. “Continue.”

    “We evacuate all civilians, leaving only Starfleet personnel and officers while all available ships head through the wormhole. If necessary, ColdFire will engage The Borg while the evacuation is completed.”

    “Surely you don’t have enough ships here for all those people.”

    “Once I give the order for Evacuation Plan Alpha, GS1’s Bajoran Diplomatic Liaison Officer will contact Bajor and they’ll send everything that can fly through the wormhole here to assist.”

    Riker’s voice was still stern but his eyes gleamed with admiration as he said; “and then what?”

    Fotheran muttered again; “If we had any sense we’d take ColdFire through the wormhole, fire every blessed quantum torpedo we have to collapse the thing and let The Borg have the quadrant.”

    Eve had had quite enough. “Mr. Fotheran, be silent until you’re ordered to speak.”

    Riker held up a hand. “That’s all right, Captain Mallory. Hell, thirty…forty years ago, I’d have agreed with Mr. Fotheran. I’d have even helped him fire the damned torpedoes myself with a whoop and a holler. But The Gamma Quadrant is too important to The Federation. We can’t let The Borg have it. It’s just as simple as that. Put your Evacuation Plan Alpha into action at once.”

    Eve nodded at her crew. Mike Vollmer tapped his commbadge and ordered immediate beam out to the starship ColdFire where he would take command and put the ship on Red Alert. He’d have her combat ready by the time Captain Mallory and Commander Fotheran came aboard.

    Lieutenants Boutin, Lockridge, O’Malley and Goodluck each dispersed to their respective departments to supervise and assist in the evacuation. Victor Utchenko asked for emergency beam out straight to the hospital where he would oversee the dispersal of emergency medical supplies as well as prepare for casualties. Because of the panic that would infect everyone, especially the civilians would insure that some would get hurt in the stampede to get away from GS1 before The Borg arrived. It would be Utchenko’s job to make sure that those casualties did not slow up the evacuation by a minute.

    Riker watched the crew go about their tasks and to Eve’s eye it almost seemed as if Riker wished he could go with them. But he turned back around to face Eve, Fotheran and JoAnn who stuck around just to hang around. Most Counselors didn’t involve themselves in command decisions but JoAnn wasn’t just any Counselor. She was fully qualified as a diplomat and was something of an unofficial expert in archeology which came in handy when dealing with alien relics and artifacts. And she had long ago passed The Bridge Officer’s Test with flying colors which earned her the rank of Commander and qualified her to serve as command officer on the bridge of a starship if necessary.

    “I’ve read several of your past reports, Captain Mallory. Despite the hard time I just gave you I don’t think there’s another officer within 100 light-years I’d trust as much as I trust you right now.” Riker turned his level stare on Fotheran. “And when it comes to pulling a dirty trick or two out of your seemingly bottomless bag of tricks I trust that you’ll rise to the occasion, Mr. Fotheran?”

    “With all due respect, Admiral: Starfleet put a disruptor to my head and said serve on this godforsaken rock or rot in a rehab colony. Starfleet did so because of those ‘dirty tricks’. I’ll do my job. No matter what you may think of my methods otherwise.”

    “Admiral Riker, will you be requiring my assistance in handling the evacuation of the diplomats and Federation dignitaries to the Enterprise?” Eve could have kissed JoAnn right there and then for speaking up and shifting the tone of the tenseness between the two men. For some reason Fotheran and Riker had never gotten along. Not that Fotheran got along with most Starfleet officers. But he seemed to have a particular dislike for Riker that Eve could never figure out. A dislike that Riker reciprocated with relish. The two men had only seen each other three or four times over the years, including the current one and it was as if they’d been mortal enemies since childhood.

    Riker turned away from Fotheran and that easy, charming smile returned to his face. “I’d appreciate that, Counselor. I’m sure my wife Deanna would appreciate the help as well.” Riker turned back to look at the image of The Borg Pyramid. “What could they want after all this time?”

    “Seems simple to me,” Fotheran said. “Assimilate is all they know.”

    “No.” Eve’s voice was small and remote. As if it were coming from somewhere so deep inside of her soul that even she didn’t know where it was coming from. “Not this time. I don’t know what they want but I don’t think they’re coming here for that.”

    “Instinct, Captain Mallory?” Riker raised an eyebrow. “Or something more?” Riker was well aware of Eve’s history. And he had had considerable experience dealing with The Borg himself. His former commanding officer, Jean-Luc Picard had once been assimilated by The Borg. After massively exhausting reconstructive surgery he had been restored to his humanity. But even after that he still had a link to The Borg. Eve Mallory had her own history with The Borg.

    Fotheran looked perplexed. As well he should be. But he wisely decided to keep silent for the time being and question Eve later.

    Riker continued. “If there’s anything you can exploit to use against The Borg, Captain-“

    “I’m well aware of my duties and responsibilities, Admiral. And I’ll carry them out to the best of my abilities.”

    “That’s all any of us can do, Captain.” Riker threw another look at the image of the pyramid. “I’m beginning to wonder if maybe the Enterprise shouldn’t stay on this side of the wormhole and provide backup for ColdFire. Even though-“

    “Begging your pardon, Admiral Riker…” Eve cut Riker off gently. He looked at her with what any other Admiral would have been withering but that glimmer of amused admiration in his eyes blunted the wither.

    “You disagree, Captain?”

    “I do, Admiral. Strenuously. Where the Enterprise and you are most needed is safeguarding the lives of Federation citizens. Not to mention the representatives from a dozen different Federation worlds that is your responsibility. It’s your duty to see them to safety. Not to mention that Enterprise’s cargo bays can carry a good number of refugees as well.”

    Riker was nodding in head in such a way that both Fotheran and JoAnn swapped quick glances, both wondering if Eve had just successfully passed some sort of test. If so, they’d never know because Riker went on to say; “It’s just that I’ve never run from The Borg before and I hate to start now. But you’re absolutely right, Captain Mallory.” Riker’s head bowed slightly. “And now you and your people have a hell of a lot of work to do so I’ll leave you to it. But you have my word that once we’re on the other side of the wormhole I’m going to pull the together the biggest armada I can in whatever time we have left and then we’re coming back to give you a hand making The Borg wish they’d never heard of Starfleet.”

    Eve, Fotheran and JoAnn watched Riker leave Ops.

    “How much of an armada can he whip together?” Fotheran grumbled. “There’s ships spread so thin across The Alpha Quadrant-“

    “Maybe you don’t like Admiral Riker but plenty do,” JoAnn said seriously. “Trust me. If that man says ‘drop what you’re doing and come’ you better get out of the way of the stampede ‘cause everybody and their mother is gonna do just that.” A brilliant, sexy grin suddenly exploded on her face. “And I’m gonna be at the head of the pack.”

    “He’s married, Jo. Ain’t you got no shame?” Fotheran grinned back.

    “Married ain’t dead, big boy.”

    “The both of you go back to acting like adults, okay? We’ve got work to do.”

    “Just a minute,” Fotheran said. “What was that little bit back there between you and Riker? When he was saying about exploiting any weakness The Borg had? It seemed to me like he was implying you knew more abut The Borg than you were letting on.” Fotheran stepped closer. “Is there something I should know, Eve?”

    “Don’t you have an evacuation to supervise, Denys? Or do I have to hold your hand while you do that as well?” Eve whipped around and stalked off. Fotheran could only stand there with his mouth open. Sure, Eve had gotten mad and snapped at him plenty of times in the years they’d been together but this was a new kind of mad. He turned to look at JoAnn, who was thoughtfully tapping a red-nailed finger against her lower lip, narrowed eyes following Eve.

    “Oooooooookay. Maybe you want to tell me what that felgercarb was about? Or does it fall under confidential information?”

    “It does.” JoAnn reached out to pull Fotheran closer as she lowered her voice. “But I can tell you that it doesn’t have anything to do with you. If I’m right…and I usually am…Eve’s starting to battle some pretty big demons that have had nothing but time to get really big and fat since the last time they kicked up a ruckus in her head. She’s going to need you to stand by her, Denys. She’s going to need all of us.”

    “There’s no question of that, Jo. But I’ve got to know what’s going on. I can’t watch her back if I don’t know who’s trying to stick a knife into it.”

    JoAnn sighed. How could she tell him that the hand holding the knife was Eve’s itself? “You’ve got to trust me a little while longer on this, Denys. Please.”

    Fotheran kissed her on the forehead. “Sure, Counselor. But not too much longer, okay?”

    “Don’t worry about that, big boy. I got me a feeling that with The Borg around, things are going to be happening at a pace a lot faster than we would like.”

---

    Eve strode into her office intending to change out of her dress and into more appropriate clothing. Her head was thrumming with a low grade but constant headache that had blossomed the moment she'd seen that approaching Pyramid on the screen. She ordered a uniform from the replicator, stripped off her dress with economical movements and began putting on the uniform. Outwardly calm and collected, but inside...

    The Borg.

    She'd be able to keep busy for as long as it took to get everyone evacuated, although she knew Caitlyn would resist long enough to try and talk to her. She'd have to make sure her adopted daughter didn't get the chance.

    The Borg...

    JoAnn would be harder to keep at bay. She'd need to come up with something tricky there to keep her busy. At least she was going off with Riker, that would keep her occupied and out of the way.

    Dianora wouldn't be going either, they'd need the Marines, but they really didn't need the GS1 Marine Commander on board did they? Maybe she could get her to go back through the wormhole and wait there.

    The Borg...

    Denys... Oh god, what was she going to do there? He was going to want answers, answers to questions she didn't want to think about. And she couldn't send him away or ignore his questions or silent presence for long. She was going to have to tell him. But she didn't know if she could bear his reaction when she did. The Pity. The Fear. The Sympathy. Not from him.

    For several moments, uniform now on, Captain Eve Mallory stood in her office, eyes closed, seeing nothing except the images playing inside her head. The Nightmare was here again and there was nothing she could do about it. For several moments she battled with the need to just run for the nearest ship, steal it and run for the wormhole and just keep going.

    Get everyone out first, she thought, zipping up the jacket finally. "Do your job." she whispered aloud in the quiet office. With the ease of long practice, she battened down the screaming and the fear into a quiet corner of her own mind where she kept such things.

    She turned back to her desk, sat down and activated the viewscreen, activating the private commchannel she kept to the Bregatti Council leader, Jevaise ap Prachirah

    The call was answered in seconds, the normally cheerful Jevaise looking concerned and worried. “Captain,” He greeted her. “I was about to call you.”

    “We’re about to implement Evacuation Plan Alpha,” Eve responded.

    Jevaise’s swarthy face turned slightly pale. “Is it… is it Them?”

    Eve shook her head. “No,” She replied. “It’s the Borg; they’ll be here in 40 hours maximum. Can you spare any ships?”

    Jevaise seemed to sag slightly almost with relief. “The Borg..” He murmured, then straightened. “I will ask,” He hesitated “Do you care who they are?”

    Eve was well used to the ways of the Bregatti by now. Driven from their homeworld by the Dominion, they made their living any way they could; legal or otherwise. Some of the more successful Raiders in the Territories were Bregatti. And all Bregatti talked to each other.

    “No,” She responded. “They get amnesty for the duration.”

    Jevaise nodded. “I will put out the word. Good luck to us all, Captain.” And he closed the connection.

    Eve sat still for a moment, eyes looking at nothing that could be seen from her office. Then she stood, made her way to the door and stepped out of her office into the chaos.

C H A P T E R   F I V E