Chapter Three
"Anymore items on the agenda, Number one," Captain
Jean-Luc Picard asked.
"There is the matter of Captain Morris's search for
officers and crew for the Independence," Commander Riker said.
"Who has been approached?" Picard asked.
"I turned down the first officer's position," Doctor
Crusher said. "Why it was offered to me is beyond me."
"I turned down that position as well," Data said.
"However my assistant, Lieutenant Gordon has accepted the second
officer's position."
"I turned that position down," Worf said.
"I decided against the first officer's position myself,"
La Forge said.
"I'm still thinking about the offer of first officer,"
Counselor Troi stated. All eyes turned toward her. "It's not
something one can easily pass up."
Suddenly a flash filled the room. When it had subsided
the room had changed. The walls and floor were stone. Maps
covered the walls and the table was a scale model of a two-castle
town and the surrounding countryside.
The uniforms of the command crew had changed as well.
Captain Picard was wearing purple robes and a gold crown with a
large ruby at the front. Riker sported black armor with a red
loin emblazoned on it. Data and Troi were dressed as archers. La
Forge was arrayed as a blacksmith. Worf sported chainmail and
was holding his Klingon Bat'leth. Dr. Crusher had apparently
became Sister Beverly, judging from her habit.
"What the hell," Picard exclaimed.
"Q, it has to be Q," Riker said.
A flash occurred by the door and Q entered the room.
"You called, Your Royal Highness," he said. Q was dressed like
the Pope saying Easter Mass.
"What are you up to this time Q?" Captain Picard asked.
"Always to the point Jean-Luc," Q said. "The continuum
has commissioned me to make a full report on humans, before you
destroy yourselves. In this encounter you will be, how do you
humans put it, ah, killing two birds with one stone. I've
increased the size of my samples and I see how well today's
humans can defend themselves."
"And how are you going to do that?" Picard asked.
"Simplicity itself," Q replied, "you and 915 of you
closest friends will be defending this midevil castle town you
see before you. You have been given the following jobs; Picard
you are the King, Riker, Prince and Commander of the Town
Garrison; Data, Master Archer; Troi, Master Hunter; Dr. Crusher,
the nun in charge of the hospital; Worf Master Swordsman; La
Forge Master Weaponsmith. In addition to the entire adult
compliment of your ships the crews of the Brattain, Tian Nan Men,
Hemingway and Miranda will assist you as the crews of sailing
ships."
"Tomorrow at dawn the enemy will attack," Q continued.
"You will if you are successful, defend this place until the
seventh day dawns. The rest of your crew awaits you in the
castle courtyard. The Captains of the sailing ships are waiting
for you at the harbor keep."
"Who is in command of the Enterprise Q?" Picard asked. Q
remained silent. "Who Q?"
"All right I didn't want to inform you yet but you
insisted," Q replied. "Your daughter, Marrissa, is in command.
In about an hour Admiral Okie will be appointing her Captain by
field promotion. She will mediate the Naklab dispute much better
than you." With that Q
departed.
"Well it looks like we better get down to business,"
Captain Picard said. "We've got 3 gates to defend, North Bridge,
West Bridge and South Gate. We will need experienced swordsmen
to command at each gate."
"I suggest Lieutenants Worf, Barclay, and Dean,"
Commander Riker said.
"Agreed," Picard ordered. "Worf you have South Gate.
Chose 75 people for each gate. Data, Troi organize archery
units. Riker form a sortie group, but first brief the rest of
the crew. La Forge find the weapons room and get them disturbed,
then take a group of engineers on a tour of the wall to see if
anything can be improved. I'll be at the Harbor Keep briefing
the starship captains Q mentioned."
Captain Picard arrived at the Harbor Keep a small
castle-like fort in gray marble over looking the gated harbor.
The journey thought town had been a pleasant one. He had gone
though small streets to the large harbor complex. On his way in
Jean-Luc Picard noticed the ships. They were two masted affairs
with white sails. On the top of the first mast flew the seal of
the United Federation of Planets on a white background, the
second, the Starfleet insignia in red and white on black. The
ships were named Brattain, Hemingway, Miranda, and Tian Nan Men.
As Picard entered the main room of the keep, he spotted
four people dressed like Q had been when he had first appeared on
the Enterprise over seven years ago. The worked well on to two
of them, but on the other two it was not so. In fact it was
positively sloppy on the half Vulcan captain of the Miranda,
T'Gwen Washington.
"Captain Picard what are you doing here?" Captain Phillip
Andrews of the Brittain asked.
"Yes-es, I thought you were mediating the Naklab
dispute," Captain Yuki Yoshida of the Tian Nan Men stated.
"I was to, but Q decided that I needed I more challenging
week," Picard replied.
"So Q is behind this mess," Captain Victoria Ohlin of the
Hemingway said. "I always wanted to meet that entity."
"Q, all powerful, all knowing entity, and member of the Q
continuum at your service," Q said form behind Picard. All the
Captains spun around to face him. He was sitting at a table
labeled meet John de Lance a.k.a. Q, 10am to noon, B Dalton
Booksellers. Photos were spread out before him. "Always willing
to meet a fan. I'll send this to your quarters on the
Hemingway." He held up a photo of himself signed 'to my Darling
Torrey, Love Q.' After everyone got a good look at it in
vanished in a flash of light.
"You've wondered why I have chosen to include you in my
latest study of the crew of the Enterprise," Q said. "You were
chosen because I was ordered to expand the subjects of my study.
Your ships in particular were chosen due to your crews extensive
sailing experience. For instance Yuki here won the America's cup
for his native Japan last year."
"So you have taken the crew of my ship and four of my
fellow starship captains, to conduct research into human
behavior," Captain T'Gwen Washington of the Miranda said. "Are
there not more logical and more effective ways to conduct
research?"
"Yes, but none as fun."
"Anymore items on the agenda, Number one," Captain
Jean-Luc Picard asked.
"There is the matter of Captain Morris's search for
officers and crew for the Independence," Commander Riker said.
"Who has been approached?" Picard asked.
"I turned down the first officer's position," Doctor
Crusher said. "Why it was offered to me is beyond me."
"I turned down that position as well," Data said.
"However my assistant, Lieutenant Gordon has accepted the second
officer's position."
"I turned that position down," Worf said.
"I decided against the first officer's position myself,"
La Forge said.
"I'm still thinking about the offer of first officer,"
Counselor Troi stated. All eyes turned toward her. "It's not
something one can easily pass up."
Suddenly a flash filled the room. When it had subsided
the room had changed. The walls and floor were stone. Maps
covered the walls and the table was a scale model of a two-castle
town and the surrounding countryside.
The uniforms of the command crew had changed as well.
Captain Picard was wearing purple robes and a gold crown with a
large ruby at the front. Riker sported black armor with a red
loin emblazoned on it. Data and Troi were dressed as archers. La
Forge was arrayed as a blacksmith. Worf sported chainmail and
was holding his Klingon Bat'leth. Dr. Crusher had apparently
became Sister Beverly, judging from her habit.
"What the hell," Picard exclaimed.
"Q, it has to be Q," Riker said.
A flash occurred by the door and Q entered the room.
"You called, Your Royal Highness," he said. Q was dressed like
the Pope saying Easter Mass.
"What are you up to this time Q?" Captain Picard asked.
"Always to the point Jean-Luc," Q said. "The continuum
has commissioned me to make a full report on humans, before you
destroy yourselves. In this encounter you will be, how do you
humans put it, ah, killing two birds with one stone. I've
increased the size of my samples and I see how well today's
humans can defend themselves."
"And how are you going to do that?" Picard asked.
"Simplicity itself," Q replied, "you and 915 of you
closest friends will be defending this midevil castle town you
see before you. You have been given the following jobs; Picard
you are the King, Riker, Prince and Commander of the Town
Garrison; Data, Master Archer; Troi, Master Hunter; Dr. Crusher,
the nun in charge of the hospital; Worf Master Swordsman; La
Forge Master Weaponsmith. In addition to the entire adult
compliment of your ships the crews of the Brattain, Tian Nan Men,
Hemingway and Miranda will assist you as the crews of sailing
ships."
"Tomorrow at dawn the enemy will attack," Q continued.
"You will if you are successful, defend this place until the
seventh day dawns. The rest of your crew awaits you in the
castle courtyard. The Captains of the sailing ships are waiting
for you at the harbor keep."
"Who is in command of the Enterprise Q?" Picard asked. Q
remained silent. "Who Q?"
"All right I didn't want to inform you yet but you
insisted," Q replied. "Your daughter, Marrissa, is in command.
In about an hour Admiral Okie will be appointing her Captain by
field promotion. She will mediate the Naklab dispute much better
than you." With that Q
departed.
"Well it looks like we better get down to business,"
Captain Picard said. "We've got 3 gates to defend, North Bridge,
West Bridge and South Gate. We will need experienced swordsmen
to command at each gate."
"I suggest Lieutenants Worf, Barclay, and Dean,"
Commander Riker said.
"Agreed," Picard ordered. "Worf you have South Gate.
Chose 75 people for each gate. Data, Troi organize archery
units. Riker form a sortie group, but first brief the rest of
the crew. La Forge find the weapons room and get them disturbed,
then take a group of engineers on a tour of the wall to see if
anything can be improved. I'll be at the Harbor Keep briefing
the starship captains Q mentioned."
Captain Picard arrived at the Harbor Keep a small
castle-like fort in gray marble over looking the gated harbor.
The journey thought town had been a pleasant one. He had gone
though small streets to the large harbor complex. On his way in
Jean-Luc Picard noticed the ships. They were two masted affairs
with white sails. On the top of the first mast flew the seal of
the United Federation of Planets on a white background, the
second, the Starfleet insignia in red and white on black. The
ships were named Brattain, Hemingway, Miranda, and Tian Nan Men.
As Picard entered the main room of the keep, he spotted
four people dressed like Q had been when he had first appeared on
the Enterprise over seven years ago. The worked well on to two
of them, but on the other two it was not so. In fact it was
positively sloppy on the half Vulcan captain of the Miranda,
T'Gwen Washington.
"Captain Picard what are you doing here?" Captain Phillip
Andrews of the Brittain asked.
"Yes-es, I thought you were mediating the Naklab
dispute," Captain Yuki Yoshida of the Tian Nan Men stated.
"I was to, but Q decided that I needed I more challenging
week," Picard replied.
"So Q is behind this mess," Captain Victoria Ohlin of the
Hemingway said. "I always wanted to meet that entity."
"Q, all powerful, all knowing entity, and member of the Q
continuum at your service," Q said form behind Picard. All the
Captains spun around to face him. He was sitting at a table
labeled meet John de Lance a.k.a. Q, 10am to noon, B Dalton
Booksellers. Photos were spread out before him. "Always willing
to meet a fan. I'll send this to your quarters on the
Hemingway." He held up a photo of himself signed 'to my Darling
Torrey, Love Q.' After everyone got a good look at it in
vanished in a flash of light.
"You've wondered why I have chosen to include you in my
latest study of the crew of the Enterprise," Q said. "You were
chosen because I was ordered to expand the subjects of my study.
Your ships in particular were chosen due to your crews extensive
sailing experience. For instance Yuki here won the America's cup
for his native Japan last year."
"So you have taken the crew of my ship and four of my
fellow starship captains, to conduct research into human
behavior," Captain T'Gwen Washington of the Miranda said. "Are
there not more logical and more effective ways to conduct
research?"
"Yes, but none as fun."
