27th September Ferry terminal

As they made their way to the ferry terminal for the 18.00 ferry to Stockholm, it would arrive approximately 10.00 the next morning, a man collided with Gibbs.

"Sorry, may I suggest Agent Gibbs that you find another way to get to Stockholm."

"Who are you?" Jen enquired.

"Maybe I should have said Agent Shepard, "The Guardian." Return to Washington. Tell your agency we take care of our own," the man said in a British accent, "We do not need outside help."

"Agent Straiton was NCIS." Gibbs replied.

"That so? No, he was CIA. We needed a cover." The stranger replied.

"Moscow….?"

"If I said it was unlucky to change a ships' name, not once, not twice, but four times…..and then extend the ship, what would you say?" the stranger continued, "Agent Gibbs you were a Marine, you also sail…..is there not…"

"Superstition… Folklore." Gibbs added.

"But I have you worried Gibbs… MS Estonia, was first named the MS Viking Sally and then the MS Silja Star then MS Wasa King, before her final name."

"It is all superstition." Jen replied.

"In that case I bid you farewell." the stranger replied.

"And if we don't catch the ferry?" Gibbs added.

"Adios, until we meet again,….Director."

"I'm not Director." Gibbs added, watching the stranger walk away.

"I know, but then I was not talking to you." as he looked at Jen, before turning and walking away into streets.

"What did he mean?" Jen asked.

"Dunno," Gibbs answered shaking his head, "You got the tickets?"

"Thought you did?" Jen shouted.

"Gave them to you." Gibbs replied.

"I gave them to you." as she began to search her purse, finally producing them. Gibbs smiled and let her follow him to the ferry departure desk, passport control and emigration. They joined the queue.

Passport control looked at the passports, and looked at the two agents. "One moment please." as he made a phone call, and passed the receiver to Jethro, who listened.

"Yep Gibbs….Yes Director, if you say so." as he returned the phone.

"What is it Jethro?" Jen asked.

"We have been recalled to Moscow. Now. No questions."

"What of the tickets?" Jen questioned, as Gibbs took them from her and handed them to the officer,

"Give to someone who needs, compliments of the US Government. " he replied.

They went to catch the 17.20 train from Tallinn to Moscow. Tickets were waiting at the information desk.

28th September Moscow

The next morning Jen switched on the television and looked in horror at what was unfolding.

"Jethro" she cried, Gibbs came from the bathroom, a towel round his waist and stood watching, "That could have been us. Jethro?"

"Don't say anything, yesterday was surreal," as he heard the phone ring, he answered, "Yep Gibbs." He listened to the voice, the English voice, the same one as yesterday.

"Who are you? What do you want.?" Gibbs asked.

"The Guardian….MI6 and the CIA and freelance….that answer your questions?"

"You have a name?" Gibbs again questioned.

The voice laughed. "Let us say this was, as they say in Sweden or Norway, a KORT, assignment. The Estonia agreement will stand. The British win, the Americans win and then I win…we will meet again, and tell Jenny, Paris is good, in the Spring." as the phone went dead.

"Who was that?" Jen asked as she saw Gibbs place the phone back init's cradle.

"The Guardian?" he replied, as they heard a knock at the door. Jenny went to answer, a courier stood outside with an envelope. She took thanked the man, shut the door and handed the envelope to Gibbs who opened it.

A pair of 1st class airline tickets…Moscow to Washington.

THE END

Post Script. (The following may be found on the internet and on a few sites which I would care not to mention. It has long been thought that the sinking was an accident, but conspiracy theories abound, as do the signing of agreements and official secret acts.)

A retired MI6 officer said that the sinking of the Estonia was not an accident and that Britain and the Baltic nations had good reason to want the wreck buried. The Estonia, he said, had been used for smuggling stolen Russian military equipment to the west. The shipments had been let through on orders from "the highest authorities".

Estonia (the country) had been used, he continued, as a transit point to get sensitive military technology out of Russia and on to ferries heading for the west. Its relaxed borders and proximity to Russian military bases made it ideal for the task. It was further claimed the ship was carrying a secret cargo of military equipment smuggled from the Russians by the British MI6 on behalf of the CIA, as part of ongoing efforts to monitor the development of Russia's weapons, and that this would explain Britain's signing of the Estonia Agreement.

The British and Swedish governments were secretly using public transport to smuggle stolen Russian military equipment. Did the Russians find out about it and warn them to stop? We may never know, but it is clear that the western intelligence agencies were taking a risk by using the Estonia, in effect turning the passengers on the ferry into a form of human shield. The major signatories to the treaty - Britain, Russia and Sweden - still have every reason to want the truth.

The subsequent Estonia Agreement 1995 sought to prevent any exploration of the wreck, which lies in international waters. The agreement was signed by Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Russia and, strangely, Britain, which has no obvious connection to the Baltic.

akaeve.