Room with a Q - First Chapter
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise opened his eyes to find himself lying on a cold, hard surface. He was definitely not in his own quarters, he could see a red ceiling, not a regulation grey one above him. The Captain had been dreaming about riding his favourite horse across the fields near the family vineyards in France. He could still feel the sunlight on his face and smell the distinctive aroma of the grapes ripening on the vine. He felt drowsy again so he tried to roll over and slip back into his dream. When he banged his face on the cold floor, he was forcefully reminded that he was not in his own bed on the Enterprise.
He sat up slowly because he still felt groggy and looked around. About one and a half metres away there was a woman lying on the floor, dressed in a Starfleet uniform. Picard shuffled over to check her pulse, it was weak but steady. He sat by the woman waiting for her to wake up. The only thing he knew for certain was that the she was a Captain. He tried to remember all the female Captains he had been introduced to and drew a blank. She was extremely attractive so he wouldn't have forgotten her if they'd met before.
Captain Picard stood up cautiously to survey his surroundings. The initial thing he noticed was the absence of a door or windows. The walls, floors and ceilings were made with the same smooth material, with no seams or edges. Picard started to methodically tap the walls, to discover if there were any weaknesses. He turned around when he heard his companion stirring. He leaned over to help her sit up and then he introduced himself.
"I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise. It's nice to meet you, I only wish it had been under better circumstances."
Picard moved away deliberately, to allow her to recover a little.
"I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway of the starship Voyager, where the hell are we?"
Picard explained that he had only just regained consciousness. He had no idea where they were or more importantly, who had abducted them but he could make an educated guess.
" Q " they both said in unison and laughed.
They sat down together and shared stories about Q. When Picard heard that he had tried to persuade Captain Janeway to be the mother of his child, he was flabbergasted. Picard could only he shake his head in disbelief when she added that she was Little Q's Godmother, .
"I thought he only tormented my ship and crew, I didn't realise he was a dissolute blackguard as well."
Picard enjoyed hearing about Janeway joining forces with Lady Q to thwart Q's attempt to blackmail her into sleeping with him.
"If I see him again, I'll follow Commander Sisko's example and box his ears, how dare he try to force himself on a Starfleet Officer or any woman."
"I think the Q Continuum have already punished him for that episode," explained Janeway.
"I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the female Q, she sounds like an improvement on the male Q. They can't all be like Q or the Universe would have perished."
Suddenly Picard blurted out, "Hold on, Captain Janeway of the Starship Voyager, wasn't your ship declared lost in the Delta quadrant a couple of years ago."
"I think they were a little premature. The last thing I remember was standing on the bridge, giving orders, then I was abducted from my ship in the Delta Quadrant." answered Janeway. "I haven't got time to play Q's silly games, I need to return to my ship. I promised to get the crew home and It was a solemn oath!"
Captain Picard respected Janeway's determination and grit. She was so far away from home and the Federation, with the additional responsibility of getting her crew home. He understood how lonely it could be, even when you are surrounded by people. It was a tragedy that such an attractive woman would have to stay single in order to do her job properly.
They sat quietly for a while, then he took her hand and held it firmly.
"Well it's great to reminisce but we need to get out of here!" He endeavoured to sound confident, even though he wasn't where Q was concerned.
He hoped that Q would grow tired of his this game quickly. He didn't know if it was the unique situation or Q was manipulating his emotions but he was extremely attracted to Captain Janeway. At this moment he wanted her so badly, it felt like a physical ache and the need was growing.
Chief Medical Officer, Beverly Crusher and First Officer, Commander Chakotay, vanished from their respective ships at the same time as their Captains.
Beverly Crusher woke up with a brain-splitting headache. She sat up clutching her head and opened her eyes tentatively. Beverly looked around and didn't believe the evidence of her own eyes, that she was sitting in a barn. She closed her eyes and pinched herself to make sure this wasn't a dream.
"I tried that but it didn't work, I'm still here."
Startled, Beverly jumped physically, there was an extremely attractive Native American man, leaning against the wall, on the opposite side of the barn. He was wearing an old Starfleet uniform. Beverly introduced herself:
"I'm Doctor Beverly Crusher, Chief Medical Officer of the Starship Enterprise."
"You must have an impressive record to be assigned to the flagship," joked Chakotay, "I'm Commander Chakotay, First Officer of the starship Voyager, currently stranded in the Delta Quadrant."
"I read about that in a Starfleet report, are you still stranded?" enquired Beverly.
"We are still stranded, that's where I was abducted from," explained Chakotay.
"Do you have any idea where we are; who abducted us and why?" asked Beverly, hoping he knew some of the answers.
"I don't know yet but I'm going to find out and the culprit will be very sorry."
Beverly couldn't stop staring at his sensual lips, all she could think about was kissing him. She knew that her life could be in danger but she couldn't stop thinking about sex, passionate, wild, lustful beautiful love making. She moved away deliberately to try to calm down. What was the matter with her? She was behaving like a hormonal teenager. Beverly would have killed for her medical tricorder, to check her vital signs but she had to do it the old fashioned way. She was warm but her temperature had risen slightly but that was all. If she couldn't get control of her hormones, things would be getting a lot hotter around here!
Q was in the Continuum, monitoring the action in both rooms. Things were progressing nicely; Picard was beginning to notice that Kathy was an attractive, desirable woman and Crusher was beginning to get the hots for Chuckles. He clicked his fingers and doubled the amount of pheromones in both rooms, that should help things move along. He had to leave their passions to smoulder for a little longer then the fun could begin! Both Captains had rejected his friendship. Okay, he wanted a little more from Kathy but he was a God and she still said 'No'.
He was still smarting from the punishment given to him by the Q after his last visit to Earth. He had been under house arrest, unable to leave the Continuum, by God he was bored. Now he wanted revenge, when he showed Picard and Janeway what their loved ones had been doing in their structure, he imagined they would be devastated. He might be able to catch Kathy on the rebound. Just to insure that there would be no reconciliations he would show Chuckles and the Red Setter how close Kathy and Jean-Luc had become. This could possibly turn out to be his favourite game. It was imperative that he keep the barn and red room hidden from the other Q. He didn't want them to end the game prematurely, that would be a buzzkill.
Outside the barn in the Continuum, a rectangle of light appeared almost like a door. Two figures emerged through the opening, a man and a woman. The woman waved her hand and the doorway disappeared. She turned to the man,
"It seems you were right old friend, Loki, God of Lies, is misbehaving again," agreed Guinan, bartender and listener from the Enterprise.
"I told you, a leopard never changes his spots, what are we going to do?" asked Boothby, former Groundskeeper of Starfleet Academy and also a listener.
He had been friends with Guinan for many centuries. Their race had nearly died out, after the Borg attack. The survivors left the planet and spread far and wide, too far in both of their opinions!
"We will let him continue for now. As long as we are aware of the game we can ensure the humans are not harmed. It might be good for them to let themselves go for a moment, they are all under a lot of stress."
"We'll visit the other room to check on their well being, then we'll find a comfortable place to watch. It's your turn to bring the popcorn, I bought it last time." They continued to argue good naturedly as they walked through the door.