The Littlest Rogue
Author's note: For my younger readers who may not understand the reference to Quinn the Eskimo, there was a song in the late 60's called "The Mighty Quinn". If curious, check it out on You Tube. Also, numinol was mentioned in the original episode "Day of the Dove". I guessed that it was a pain medication.
Chapter 21
After a couple of hours, the telepathic visions of the girl and the alien seemed to cease for the others on the station, but not for Bester. They only intensified for him. He was barely able to focus on his real surroundings, seeing the same scenes of the dead alien and the unfortunate young blonde girl again and again. The over-the-counter pain pill he took earlier had little effect, so the doctor gave him some codeine. He had to stay in the med lab because of his injuries from being kicked while unconscious in the corridor; Dr. Franklin not saying much to him as he put a device on his damaged rib cage to facilitate healing. Bester was finally given an idea as to what the telepathic visions were about, getting beyond the hatred for him in the doctor's mind. If he had truly murdered those people while on a quest to find his family he knew nothing about, he still could not remember doing it. He had learned that he had been in another dimension, and had been shot in the back by an energy weapon called a phaser. The doctor told him that he had been stunned with one of these weapons before, after almost killing three people in that other universe, including the girl from his intensifying visions. His ex-girlfriend Carolyn had been released and was now in temporary quarters, planning to go to back to Mars on the next transport ship off the station, which was due to arrive the next day. However, Bester was not able to pick up on her plans. Somehow, they were being blocked. The mysterious two ladies he had seen earlier had disappeared, and Bester had a feeling of déjà vu about them that he could not quite understand. He was certain that he had seen them before, but he could not recall when or where, or what one of them meant when she said that soon the fun would begin. Fun for whom?
Pavel and the Q named Quinn had a strong hunch that they hadn't seen the last of Alfred Bester, despite the fact that he was, according to the Q, being telepathically punished at the moment for almost killing Roberta and for killing the poor Vaalian and had lost his memories of all of them. The others on the Babylon 5 space station in the alternate reality knew about Chekov and possibly Roberta, Isis and Miss O'Neil, and they had no doubt that Bester's superiors were going to order him to return to find his wife and child and bring them back to the Psi Corps. The captain did not want to put his friend's life in danger. Pavel and the Q also thought that it was not a good idea for Dinah Bester and her darling little girl to continue to stay on this planet, given the inhabitants' dislike of humans, present company excluded. Pavel appreciated Makora's hospitality, but he knew that he and his wife could not keep them safe forever, and did not wish to impose on his friend anymore than he had to. The captain looked down at poor Roberta, who was now only semiconscious, and wondered how the necklace of Spican flame gems was going to keep her safe and also how it worked. The Q read his thoughts and told him that the necklace created a strong personal force field, which acted like a starship's shields. It also gave her some telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Pavel then thought of a brilliant idea to insure the safety of all those concerned. He had the Q telepathically transmit a list of friendly planets that Dinah and Alice could settle on. Dinah wanted her child to have a pet cat, so they would have to choose a planet where there were felines. The only planet that seemed to fit all the criteria was Betazed. Dinah and her little girl decided to go there, and were soon whisked there with the wave of the Q's hand. Pavel and the Q thought it was the perfect choice, since Alice and her mother resembled the inhabitants. They would blend right in, and little Alice could have her very own kitty, without worrying about her father killing it. The Q also made the provision for Bester's telepathic ability, wiping Pavel's memory of their new location the moment they disappeared. They were both concerned that Roberta had heard Dinah's and Alice's new location in her mind as well, despite her semiconscious state, but the Q told him that he would make sure that those on Betazed were not put in harm's way, should Alfred find out through her where they were hiding.
As Roberta became more aware of her surroundings, Pavel quickly made his way out of the room so she wouldn't think that he was Bester. Her eyes focused on the aliens looking down at her, her first sight being that of the Q, who smiled at her benignly. She smiled back at him blankly, not realizing that he wasn't human and not having a clue as to who he was. She then caught sight of Makora and the Vaalian doctor and gasped, realizing that she was still on the planet where her friend Pavel had apparently been killed. She closed her eyes and started to cry. What were these aliens going to do to her? She was still too weak from the loss of blood to defend herself, and she felt quite dizzy. Her head ached and she felt as if she was at the mercy of forces she knew nothing about and was ill-equipped to face.
"Please do not be afraid, young lady. We will not harm you." Makora said as gently as possible.
She cautiously opened her eyes and stared at the aliens fearfully. She had not yet seen very many extraterrestrials, and she thought the man who had spoken looked very strange indeed, resembling the man that Bester had killed earlier.
"Who…and what…are you?" She asked, then considering that if they had meant to harm her, they would have done so by now. She had no idea how her life had been spared, her last memory being that of a sharp pistol butt to the back of her head. She winced with pain as the strange man with the white hair answered.
"My name is Makora. I am a Vaalian. I am Pavel's friend. This other man is Quinn. He is a friend of my wife's and is an alien called a Q."
Roberta stared at Makora for a long moment, and then more tears came.
"If you are Pavel's friend, why did you kill him?"
"I did not kill him." Makora answered, now realizing he would have to have a talk with his Russian friend about his new talent for stretching the truth. "He is alive and well and in the next room. He did not want you to mistake him for his double who almost murdered you."
"He's…alive?" The Vaalian nodded affirmatively. She sighed with relief, now realizing that Mr. Seven had been correct in his assumption that Dr. Pulaski had been ordered to lie. She tried to sit up and was hit with a wave of dizziness and pain. The other Vaalian who was obviously some kind of a physician, had offered to give her some pain medication known as numinol. Quinn knew that that medication was the only one in Atuka's medical bag that was effective on both Vaalians and humans. As he gave her a shot in her left arm, the medication acted quickly to quell her discomfort. She thanked him, not knowing what else to do. The Vaalian doctor bowed and departed. Roberta, calmer now, looked at the man Makora had called a Q.
"What did you say your name was?"
"Quinn."
She paused, looking him over, and then smiled weakly.
"You don't look like an Eskimo to me."