Chapter 3

Picard strolled through the halls of the starship, Enterprise. Every now and then he did this, observing the crew and their families, marveling at the fact that he commanded this great vessel with such a storied history to her name. Throughout time, the name 'Enterprise' was used to signify the epitome of technological advancement, and every vessel bearing that illustrious name ended up as the flagship of her time. He thought back through history, of the captains of those ships that preceded his own beloved Enterprise, NCC-1701D. He contemplated the broad oval of the saucer section, the sweeping arms that contained the warp nacelles at their tips, of the graceful curves of the main drive section containing the massive energies that powered her.

Idly, he walked along, greeting those that he passed, as all this went through his mind. He decided to turn towards Main Engineering, as he had not been down there in a while. Turning a corner, he walked through a small alcove and walked around a second corner…

… and into a young lady holding a cup of hot chocolate. The hot beverage spilled all over the two of them, and the woman stared in open horror at her captain. She began to sputter out an apology, while looking for somewhere to set the offending drink.

GASP! "Oh, no! Oh, I'm sorry! Oh, Captain!" she exclaimed, while trying in vain to find somewhere to set the offending drink.

"Uh, a-actually, it's my fault, Sir," Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge spoke up in her defense.

"Indeed," Picard answered dryly.

Taking the cup from the ensign, he watched as she tried in vain to figure out what to do.

"Oh, I wasn't looking. It's all over you!"

"Yes, Ensign, it's all over me," in that same dry, annoyed tone.

"At least let me, Sir," she proclaimed as she began to blot at his uniform with her bare hands.

Picard was taken aback by her actions, with her brushing her hands over his soaking wet uniform.

"Ensign… uh, Ensign…" he tried to begin, suddenly realizing that he didn't know her name yet.

"Oh, Ensign Sonya Gomez," she replied downtrodden.

LaForge again spoke up. "Ensign Gomez is a recent Academy graduate, Captain. She had just transferred over at Starbase 173."

Oh, yes, one of our stops on our way to Laneer 7. One of the new crew members that we brought on board.

"Is that so? Well, Ensign Gomez, I think it would be simpler if I simply change my uniform."

Again, Geordi inserted himself into the conversation.

"Captain, I must accept full responsibility for this."

"Yes, Chief Engineer, I think I understand."

At this point, Ensign Gomez began a stuttering vow to the Captain.

"I just wanted… to say, sir, that I'm very excited about this assignment, and I promise to serve you, and my ship – your ship – this ship to the best of my ability."

"Yes, Ensign, I'm sure you will. Carry on."

With that the hot chocolate covered captain turned to leave, paused with a frown, turned, and handed the cup back to the obviously upset young woman. Fixing her with a parting scowl (though not necessarily an angry one), Picard finally left to find the nearest turbolift back to his quarters – and a clean change of clothes.

A couple of minutes later – along with several odd looks from crewmen who had the decency to at least look away quickly when Picard caught the glances – he arrived at the desired lift, tugging at the wet fabric in hopes of keeping it away from his body as much as possible. As he continued his pulling and tugging, the doors opened to admit him to the lift.

"Deck 9, officer's quarters," he called to the computer absent-mindedly, still attending to the uniform.

The lift stopped a minute later, and he stepped off, still occupied with the sopping wet spot on his torso. After a second, realizing that something was amiss due to the distinct change in ambient noise and lighting, he brought his mind back to his circumstances, looking to the now closing doors of the lift questioningly. Spinning around, he called to the back of the only other person in the room.

"Crewman! What is going on…" he started, indignantly.

"Welcome, Picard," an utterly familiar, and ultimately most unwanted voice called out, "to Shuttlecraft 6!"

The person in the pilot's seat spun around, grinning mischievously, and Picard could feel his blood begin to boil in irritation. A scowl adorned his features, as he said a single letter, which signified not only said figure's race, but it's name, as well.

"Q!"

The captain of the Enterprise studied Q as he rose and moved to stand with him. He had his normal mop of curly, black hair, an inane grin on his face, his eyes glinting with barely contained mirth and mischief, and his lanky frame moved with it's usual speed and efficiency. What caught Picard's attention, however, was said entity's dress; it bore a ranking officer's command red uniform, complete with relevant pips, as if it belonged clad thusly, as if it had worn it for years. Now, the captain was fairly used to the pranks, jokes, and general mayhem that the self-proclaimed omnipotent being, known only as Q, could generate – as evidenced by their past dealings - and it's clothing choices were generally part of that 'fun', but he never got over the being's penchant to appear wearing a Starfleet uniform, a fact that irked the captain from time to time – much as it did at this particular time. His musings were cut short as Q's voice cut into them.

"There, there, haven't we been careless!" he proclaimed cheerily, observing the Captain's state. "A little cleaning service I'm only happy to provide," he continued, all generosity and helpfulness itself, as he waved a hand slowly in front of the Captain's person. When he finished, the hot chocolate mess was gone entirely, without smell, stain, anything, left behind as reminder of the recent misfortune he had befall him.

With a sharp tone Picard addressed the interloper: "We agreed, you would never trouble my ship again!"

Slightly put out, Q replied: "I always keep my arrangements, sir. Look, we're nowhere near your vessel," he finished, indicating the shuttlecraft's forward window.

The balding man strode forward, and looks out the window, as indicated.

What the hell! He mentally yelled. Where am I? Where has Q taken me this time? Of course, the computer! I can access it and find out my position, and then contact the Enterprise to pick me back up.

After staring out the window for what seemed like ten minutes, as his mind worked to process the situation, but was only seconds, he glared at Q – who merely grinned at him – and sat in the navigator's seat to log into the computer. What he saw really didn't sit well with him – they were in a completely different sector of space from the Enterprise's last position. Anger built up within him, as well as a bit of a feeling of helplessness against this particularly annoying entity. Of all the beings that he had encountered in his travels, this one was the most annoying, problematic, egotistical, irritating, that they had yet met. Unfortunately, he had taken a liking to the Enterprise and her crew – especially her captain – and pestered them whenever the mood suited him. Much to their dismay, these intrusions normally came in the form of tests, or some other unpleasant, interfering, obnoxious thing that Q could think up.

In the lounge/café known as Ten Forward, a dark-skinned woman in a purple dress, with an equally purple, large hat, turned and looked out the windows that ran the length of one whole wall, with an expression of curiosity that turned into a frown as something intruded on her mental calm. Something was wrong, though she couldn't put her finger on what that wrongness could be. She slowly approached those same windows, peering intently through them, trying to ascertain what the problem was – whether it was internal, or something that threatened from the vastness outside the ship. For about a minute or two, she studied that blackness filled with stars, looking for any sign of what was triggering her senses to such an extent. Not seeing anything outside the ship, she returned to the corner of her bar counter, resting an elbow there, and pressed a button on the control pad set within it's surface.

"Bridge, this is Ten Forward."

The call caught Commander Riker off guard. The person on the other end normally didn't summon the bridge. The tall man, with dark hair, and eyes that bore a Machiavellian glint, frowned as he stood near the two stations in front of the commander's seat.

"Guinan? I don't remember you ever calling the Bridge before," he said quizzically, uncertain.

"Is everything alright?" the bartender/hostess inquired.

"How do you mean?"

"Is there anything… unusual… happening?"

Riker shoots a look to the Klingon Security Officer behind the command chairs, on the rise along a long, sweeping panel. Lieutenant Worf placed both hands on his terminal, and leaned forward over it slightly, with a look that confirmed that Riker was not imagining the current conversation, and that there truly was nothing amiss.

"No, Guinan, nothing out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?"

"I'm not sure," she replied, puzzled, once again staring out the window while leaning on the counter. "Just a feeling. Had it a couple of times before. It's probably nothing; forget that I called. Ten Forward, out."

She once again keyed the intercom button, and the connection was severed. Whatever the problem was, it was going to nag her incessantly for now, she concluded, until it was brought to light. She knew that the feelings were familiar, but couldn't quite place the source, and it rankled her nerves – she knew that she should know the cause of this, and it drove her mind nuts trying to figure out why.

Q! Picard shouted in his mind. What game are you playing at this time? I don't have the time for your pranks and shenanigans! The ship needs her captain, Starfleet is in an uproar over that hacking attempt a few weeks ago, and you want to play games with me and my crew.

While all this played through his mind, Picard tried anything he could think of to get back to the Enterprise. He had verified their current position, and, to his chagrin, found that they were beyond the range of a shuttle craft to reach within the time period that they had been gone, which was several hours by now. Still, there were a few possibilities to try out. He activated a couple of controls, a readout appeared, and the Captain watched it a few moments for any sign of change. All the while, the form of the entity responsible for his current predicament paced behind him, taunting him at every turn. He felt Q lean in close on his right, and saw a small grin out the corner of his eye.

"The locator beam won't help. They'll never think to look for you this far away." Come on, Picard, just listen to me, already. I really need to speak to you.

Ignoring the persistent being, Picard flicked open a communication channel to a frequency that he knew the Enterprise normally was attuned to. He couldn't detect the ship, of course, and in all likelihood, it was too far away by now for the limited range of the shuttle's less powerful comm array, but he still had to try.

"Enterprise, this is Picard." Nothing, just dead silence. Finally, reaching the limits of his patience, he spun on Q. "Stop this foolishness, Q! Return me to the Enterprise."

The entity in question scowled at him, chiding: "I suggest you change your attitude. Petulance does not become you." What does it take to get him to listen to me? He thought in exasperation. A few pranks, some harmless fun, and all of the sudden he isn't even willing to give you ten minutes of his time. Humans can be so stubborn at times. "We have business, Picard."

"Keeping me prisoner here, will not compel me to discuss anything with you."

Q stepped back, then leaned in right next to his left ear.

"It will in time," he said with more than a hint of his normal arrogance, as well as a dose of anger at Picard's insistence on his current course of attempting to return to the Enterprise.

As the omnipotent Q stepped away in a huff, the captain turned to give him a measured, contemplative, slightly angered, stare.

What is your angle this time? You are being more short-tempered than usual, and more demanding. Something has you worked up. Perhaps I should at least listen to him… well, maybe I can work it to where we get back to the Enterprise for the discussion.

Six hours later, and they were still aboard the shuttlecraft. Unfortunately, it didn't have warp capabilities, as it was only meant for short-range transportation. Picard remained at the helm, trying to bring the small vessel closer to the last known location of the Enterprise. Q, for his part, had taken up a position in the rear of the shuttle, bouncing a small rubber ball against the bulkhead. Both tempers were becoming frayed, as neither would accede to the other's wishes.

"Do we stay out here years? Decades? I'm ageless, Picard; you are not."

Swinging the seat around, Jean-Luc stood, crossing his arms over his chest. He approached his tormentor for the last half day.

"The Enterprise will continue, with Riker as Captain," he countered with a hard look.

Q paused a brief moment – one too short for the human with him to notice anything amiss - calming his temper, before continuing.

"You're an impossibly stubborn human." He continued bouncing the rubber ball.

"Return me to my ship!"

If I don't do as he asks, we will never get anywhere! I really need to talk with him, get him to see things my way. Very well! "If I return you to your ship, will you agree to give my request a full hearing?"

Picard considered the question, all the current options, the being before him, and finally nodded his acceptance of the terms. Before the ball returned to Q's hand, they were within Ten Forward, not even noticing the change in location immediately, he was so focused on the enigmatic being.

"You're right, Picard. This is the proper venue for our discussion!"

Picard stood from the table he was suddenly sitting at, surveying the familiar surroundings of the lounge. Whereas it normally had people sitting and enjoying a drink or dinner, it currently contained no one – apparently even the proprietor, Guinan, was nowhere to be seen. The entire room appeared empty.

Is my crew unharmed? Has he done something with them? Is this even the Enterprise, or some clever recreation?

He turned back to Q, who merely looked at him and began to chuckle lightly, as an unnoticed figure stood from behind the bar.

Guinan was within the lounge, going over some of her private stock, below the counter, when that familiar sensation hit her again, much stronger than before. She heard the voice that spoke out, and her mind went into overtime, furiously working to identify it, positive that she knew it. She searched back through centuries of memories, and her thoughts settled upon one being – one who embodied all that was wrong with those that had large amounts of power, but no discipline. With anger at his appearance upon the Enterprise – her new home – she shot to her feet, staring intently at him. She strode around the counter and through the room, never taking her eyes off of the being with her captain, her long-time close friend.

"I knew it was you!"

That voice! NO! It can't be! Q looked at the approaching woman and shot to his feet.

"You! Picard, if you have half the sense you pretend to have, you would get her off your ship immediately; and if you'd like, I'd be more than pleased to expedite her departure," he spat with venom in his tone, while raising his left hand towards Guinan menacingly. She countered by raising both of her hands as well, fingers curled like claws. What is she doing here? When did she get on the ship? This is not a good turn of events. El'Orians are usually good listeners, and I attempted to warn them of impending doom, but they didn't listen to me at that time – relying, instead, on their own not inconsiderable abilities. Unfortunately, they were not in a position to withstand it. They were so close to their own ascension, but that is no more; they are little more than a band of nomads, travelling the galaxy, aiding here and there. If only… Q mused sadly, though with malice at the thought of how the woman's species had blamed him – him of all beings – for the misfortune that had befallen their beautiful world.

Picard moved toward her, asking: "Do you know him?"

"We have had some… dealings."

"Those 'dealings' were two centuries ago." Picard turned to stare at Q. "This creature is not what she appears to be; she's an imp, and where she goes, trouble always follows."

What is he speaking of? "You're speaking of yourself, Q, not Guinan."

"Guinan? Is that your name, now?"

"Guinan is not the issue here, you are! We had an agreement that you would stop meddling with us."

"And so I have!"

"What do you want Q? You state your business, and get on with it!"

"I agree, Captain. Enough about this creature. She's diverting us from the purpose of my being here."

Both antagonists relaxed slightly, lowering their hands, as the doors opened and Commander Riker and Lieutenant Worf strolled in.

"Which is?" Riker queried, hearing the last of Q's statement.

"Ah, the redoubtable Commander Riker!" Q exclaimed as he moved near to meet them. "…and Micro-Brain! Growl for me," he antagonized, throwing his hands over his heart, "let me know you still care."

Worf closed with him menacingly, and Picard decided to get things back on track.

"Worf," he called calmly, calling him to order.

Might as well just come out and say it; after all, it could take forever for them to work out any hints or subtle words. Here goes… "My purpose is to join you." Please accept, Picard, for your sake, as well as that of your beloved Federation.

"To join us as what?" Riker asked.

"As a member of the crew – willing and able! Ready to serve! This ship is already home to the indigent, the unwanted," he looked pointedly at Guinan, "the unworthy; why not for a homeless entity?"

Riker: "Homeless?"

"Yes."

Riker again: "The other members of the Q Continuum kicked you out?"

Sort of, but I really don't want to get into it right now.

"Not all the Q are alike; some are almost respectable," Guinan interjected.

"'Ready and willing', 'able to serve'. What would you do? Would you start as an ordinary crewman, hmm? What… task… is to menial for an 'entity'?" Picard asked, as he slowly moved to one of the bar stools and took a seat. He turned back to look at Q, a smile on his face, generosity itself.

Q started to approach him, frowning a little. He's not taking me seriously. Perhaps I have gone a bit too far in the past. Still, come on Picard! You need to see that I am being honest and serious here – though I admit that is a rare thing. You are usually too much fun to poke fun at. But I am not this time. I am truly offering to join the crew, and help in the times to come. You don't understand the gravity of your situation, he reasoned to himself. Out loud, he replied: "Sir, do you mock me?"

"Not at all, that's the last thing I would do!" the Captain replied quickly. "You, by definition, are part of our charter; our mission is to seek out new and different life-forms, and you certainly qualify as one of the most unique I have ever encountered," not to mention one of the most problematic and annoying, he added silently. He continued aloud: "To learn about you, is frankly, provocative; but, you're next of kin to Chaos."

"Captain, at least allow me to present my argument."

Picard noticed Worf coming up behind the entity who had disrupted the day, and saw the potential for problems. To head them off, he pointed to the Chief Security, and then the doors. "Worf."

Sullenly, the Klingon turned and strode back out of the room, as everyone watched him leave.

"After our last encounter," Q began once the doors hissed shut, "I was asked to leave the Q Continuum. Since then, I have been wandering vaguely, bored really; my existence without purpose." Guinan looked at him incredulously. "Then I remembered all the good times I had with you!"

"'The good times'?" Riker shot back. "The first time we met, you put us on trial for the 'crimes of humanity'."

"For which you were exonerated!"

"The next time we saw you, you asked me to join the Q Continuum."

"A big mistake, that you didn't accept my offer." He returned his attention to Captain Picard. "More and more, I realized that here - here is where I wanted to be. Think of the advantages! Now, I neither expect nor require any special treatment, and, if necessary – and I can't imagine why – I will renounce my powers," he looked at Guinan as he said those words scathingly, then continued in a more conversational tone when he turned back to Picard, "and become as weak and as incompetent as all of you."

Picard stared at the El'Orian, who merely blew out her breath in exasperation and disbelief, then made her way behind her bar, across from the Captain. She glared at Q, and Picard shook his head slowly.

"No," he stated flatly.

Q couldn't believe his ears. Here he was, offering them the chance of a lifetime, to have an omnipotent being as part of the crew, who could help with the upcoming trials, and they were rejecting his proposal!

"No? Oh, Captain, in fairness, let me try. I deserve at least that much."

"'In fairness'? You disrupt this ship; you kidnap the Captain!" Riker exclaimed.

"I add a little excitement, a little spice, to your lives, and all you do is complain. Where's your adventurous spirit, your imagination? Think, Picard, think. Think of the possibilities!"

"Simply speaking, we don't trust you."

This caught Q completely flatfooted, and he opened his mouth to try to respond, but nothing came out. His eyebrows raised and then lowered again, as he tried to get his mind to wrap around that revelation.

"Oh! Well… you may not trust me, but you do need me," he said weakly, trying to turn the situation back around. "You're not prepared for what awaits you." Oh, believe me, you're not prepared, just as the others were not prepared for the impending doom.

Picard didn't notice the look that Guinan was giving him, which only confirmed Q's statement. If he did, he would have reconsidered his next words carefully.

"How can we be prepared for that which we do not know?" Picard inquired reasonably. "But, I do know that we are ready to encounter it."

"Ready?" Q said with a bit of a chuckle at the human's ignorance.

"Yes, absolutely!" Picard said with full confidence. "That's why we're out here."

Oh, the ignorance, the arrogance! You have absolutely no idea! He thought. Aloud, he said: "Oh, the arrogance! They don't have a clue as to what's out here!" he glanced meaningfully at Guinan. You know what I am speaking of! Warn them! Get them to see reason, he pled silently

"They will learn, adapt. That is their greatest advantage," she responded, knowing full well of what he spoke, what he wanted of her. She couldn't bring herself to acquiesce to his silent plea, couldn't bring her mind or heart to trust this being in front of her. His words were generally laced with half-truths and misleading meanings.

"Their moving faster than expected, further than they should," and not just humanity, 'Guinan'.

"By whose calculations," Picard shot, bristling a little at Q's attitude and words.

"You judge yourselves against the pitiful adversaries you've encountered so far – the Romulans, the Klingons. They're nothing compared to what's waiting!" Q replied with derision. "Picard, you are about to move into areas of the galaxy containing wonders more incredible than you can possibly imagine – and terrors to freeze your soul! I offer myself as a guide, only to be rejected out of hand."

"We'll just have to do the best we can without you," Riker said with a smile.

"What justifies that smugness?" Q asked over his shoulder, never taking his eyes from the captain.

"Not smugness, not arrogance! We are resolute, we are determined, and your help is not required," answered Picard.

An odd look crossed Q's face for a moment, easily mistaken for just a knowing glint; however, if one was to know him better, there was a hint of sorrow over his next action, as well as regret, underneath that glint.

Picard, mon capitan! I am sorry that it has come to this, but I need you to see the truth of things. You are not ready! I do like you, yet you reject all my offers without thinking them through thoroughly.

Q straightened up, staring at the captain, and took several steps across the room to stand before the broad windows.

"We'll just have to see how 'ready' you are!" he claimed in a fit of pique, his disappointment and anger evident in his tone.

At the last moment, as he turned back to those assembled and raised his hand, Guinan realized his intentions, and who he had been referring to. She tried to stop him, though in vain. "Q!"

Q snapped his fingers, and a flash of light struck the side of the Enterprise, hurtling it through space at breakneck speeds. On the Bridge, Wesley Crusher's hands flew over his instrument board, attempting to make sense of what had just happened, while Data and Troi sat up straighter in their seats, shock on their faces. A moment later, and they were no longer hurtling headlong through the cosmos.

Amidst the shocked faces of those gathered in Ten Forward, Picard stood and tapped the communicator on his chest, signaling the computer to connect him to his destination.

"Bridge, all stop!" he ordered.

"Answering all stop, Sir," came the reply from Mr. Crusher.

Still staring between Q and the windows, the Captain demanded: "Status."

"According to these coordinates, we have traveled seven thousand light-years and are located near the system J25," came the calm reply of Data over the channel, as he consulted the small screen on the arm of the Captain's Chair. As he studied the galactic charts, he realized that the ship was now a ways into the Beta Quadrant, well past any and all known space occupied by the species that had been encountered thus far.

"Travel time to the nearest Starbase?" queried Riker, over the communicator.

"At maximum warp, two years, seven months, three days, eighteen hours, we would reach Starbase One-Eight-Five," came the immediate reply.

"Why?" demanded Riker of Q, scowling at his little display of anger and power.

I regret the events that this will precipitate, but you have forced my hand, with your flat refusal to work with me, Picard. I also regret what this will cost you, personally. You really should have considered my proposal more seriously. "Why? Why, to give you a taste of your future," he began in a conversational, explanatory way, as one might talk to children. And oh how bleak that future, "a preview of things to come," he spat. "Compromiso, Capitan. The hall is rented, the orchestra engaged, it's now time to see if you can dance," was his parting comment. In a flash of light, his trademark, he disappeared from the room, leaving the three wondering about the comment, as well as the situation.

"Your people have been in this part of the galaxy," Picard addressed Guinan.

"Yes."

"What can you tell us?" Riker asked.

The bartender thought a moment, then: "Only, that if I were you, I'd start back now." You have no idea the horrors that are out here, what awaits you here. You don't want to know. I wish that I could forget, myself, what happened all those years ago.

And then you met us for the first time. It was an encounter you could not have expected, wasn't it?

The voices sounded through the link, one above the others. The pain was excruciating, the invasion complete. There was nothing those voices did not know, did not divine. They knew everything, the whole history, in the blink of an eye, all that had occurred.

There is more. Continue, was the sound of one voice over the others. We will continue divining your secrets, Locutus. In the meantime, allow us to reveal something of our history and origins. Perhaps then you will understand. Begin!

And the pain – the excruciating, mind-searing pain – began anew, and all he wanted was to pass out from it. Those voices – especially hers – refused to allow it, and the ordeal continued; for how long it occurred, he had no idea, for he had no way to judge the passage of time.

/

/

/

/

Author's Note: As stated, these first few chapters were Star Trek oriented, to set the early stages of the story. For those who have been waiting, the next chapter will be Mass Effect-centric. All will be explained in due time. In the meantime, I hope that you are enjoying the story. I really do suggest that you go to the Mass Effect kink meme and look up the original story prompt. It may be short, but it was a very interesting fill.