Chapter Based on Episode "Q Who". I don't own anything except for Melina and the other OC's.


Something felt strange, Melina thought. She had a quick look over everything, but nothing seemed too amiss, until Guinan called, and then Counsellor Troi asked where the Captain was.

He was no where to be found.

"Oh boy, not good." Melina groaned. She had a look through the logs and found that Picard was last in a turbolift before vanishing completely.

"Commander, there is a shuttle missing from bay 2." Worf said.

Riker then commanded a full stop. But they couldn't find the shuttle, or the missing captain anywhere.

Then, after hours of searching, Melina found him.

"Commander, he's in Ten Forward!" She cried.

"And the shuttle has returned." Worf said.

Riker and Worf headed off to Ten Forward, while Melina looked on, confused.

"Q." Data shook his head.

"Q?" Asked Melina.

"Don't ask." Wesley told her.

Suddenly the Enterprise was propelled forward.

"What in blazes...?" Melina cried as the dials and measures went haywire.

Finally, they stopped. Picard soon contacted them over the comms.

"Status!"

Data informed the Captain that they'd been thrown 7000 light years away from their original position, and that they were over 2 years away from Starbase 185.

Soon after, the Captain returned and they went out exploring.

And then they found the Borg.

"I can't make a head nor a tail of this ship..." Melina said, worried. "It's like it's covered with engines inside and out. There's no organisation, it's almost the perfect design."

"Not what I wanted to hear cadet." Picard stared at the approaching ship.

And then Guinan gave her foreboding explanation.

"Damn." Melina groaned. She then joined the Captain to go and encounter the intruder. Picard tried to be peaceful, until it interfered with the engineering console.

"Neutralise it!" He commanded.

Melina had looked the thing over. Seeing it's impressive technology, she went to pull the plugs out of it's head out.

She was sent flying.

"Ugh..."

Melina soon came to in Sick Bay, and to dreadful news. The Borg had killed 18 people.

"The Captain wants you on the away team, you're one of the best anaylists in the known galaxy." Sarah shook her friend awake.

"Sure...no problem." Melina groaned. "Wait, an away team? We're not-."

"Yes. The Captain is sending an away team to the Borg vessel." One of the nurses said.

"Oh boy..." Melina turned pale. But part of her was excited. She was going on an away team!

Once she was cleared to go, she almost ran to Transporter Room 3, where she met Riker, Data and Worf.

"We're going in kiddo, excited?" Riker grinned.

"Am I ever!" Melina clutched her pad and stylus tightly. She planned to take as many notes as she could.

They got on the pads, and beamed aboard the Borg Cube.

Melina looked around. Nothing had attacked. Nothing seemed to notice them. She cowered behind Data, shaking.

"A whole collective...one mind, many bodies." She whispered.

They walked through the ship, Melina scrawling down as much as she could. Diagrams, notes, theories.

She wasn't paying attention to much else, until Riker mentioned he was going to get her to access the main computer.

"You're..." Melina nearly wet herself out of sheer terror. "What if that wakes them up?"

"You'll be fine, start hacking." Riker commanded.

"You are the best person for the job." Data commented.

If Data hadn't opened his mouth, Melina would have refused. Instead, she started looking at the interface.

"It's like a biological computer. It's far beyond what I can hack into-look out!" She cried as a Borg walked past.

But the Borg seemed not to see them, and it walked away.

"That was too close for comfort." Melina sighed.

Walking further, they came across a Borg nursery. Melina nearly cried when she saw what they did to the babies.

"Oh how horrid!" She half-sobbed, half-raged.

Soon, they were beamed back aboard, where Melina immediately went and hid in her quarters. She didn't want to be anywhere near the Borg.

Soon, Data came to inform her that Q had taken them back.

"I'm sorry Sir. I was a complete and utter coward." Melina looked down, throughly ashamed of herself.

"You still obeyed every order given to you, and you still took lots of notes. I do not think you have anything to be ashamed of." Data told her. "The Captain wants to see you."

Melina nodded, and followed her mentor to the Briefing Room.

"Aah, there you are Cadet. Can I please see your notes?" Picard said the moment she reached the room. He flicked through the notes on her screen thoughtfully.

"Commander Riker tells me for a first-time away member you did very well under the circumstances." Picard handed the notes to his First Officer.

"I was terrified sir." Melina admitted.

"We all learn to deal with our fear Drowse, and while you may not have dealt with it in the best way, you still did your duty." Riker smiled at her.

"I think you're ready." Picard handed her an Ensign's pin.

Melina could only gape.

"Thank you Sirs." She whispered as Data took the pin and fastened it to her collar.

"You will be serving as Data's assistant, and Wesley's supervisor." Picard told her. "Go on now, and celebrate."

Melina grinned. She knew EXACTLY how she was going to celebrate.

Two hours later, when Sarah went looking for her, she got the shock of her life when, after stepping into the Holodeck, she found herself surrounded by Borg.

To this day, 14 years later, Sarah still hasn't forgiven her friend for that rude shock.