Chapter 10

When celebrations go from happy to homicidal

"A toast" Picard said "to making new friends and saving the alpha quadrant again."

"Cheers!" They all said in unison as they raised their glasses, They all sat in the Holodeck enjoying a party to celebrate their victory over Tao Pa, The holodeck had created an atmosphere that resembled a beach on earth, Picard viewed the scene watching as Goku went immediately to the food table and began to dish up as fast as he could, Geordi was discussing thermo-dynamics with Bulma, Data and Trunks had made up and were now playing three-d chess and Yamcha was hitting on a few female crew members. Picard was pleased with the way his crew had handled the whole situation and how they had accepted their guests.

"Captain!" Troi said "come join us at the limbo line!" Picard eyed the line seeing that the shorter Krillen was beating everybody at the game

"Thank-you Counselor," he smiled "but I don't think that a man my age should tempt fate."

"Suit yourself," She replied trotting and joining the line.

"Captain,"

Picard turned to see Worf sitting with Vegeta, and Tien drinking Klingon blood wine.

"Join us with a few blood-wines,"

Picard watched as Vegeta emptied another mug laughed and slapped Tien so hard that he went flying out of his seat and landed in the sand.

"Umm... No thanks Mr. Worf" Picard squirmed "Not thirsty" Picard viewed Gohan playing volleyball with some other members of the crew, as the ball went over the net, Gohan jumped much to high for any ordinary child and hit the ball with such force that if Riker hadn't pushed Crusher out of the way she certainly would have had to have gone to sickbay.

"Sorry!" Gohan yelled as he floated down.

Picard sighed as he sat down suddenly his comm-badge chirped, Picard moved back into a corner so he could be out of the way "Picard here, What is it?" He said rather impatiently not wanting to deal with anything at the moment. A crewman stationed at the bridge spoke,

"Sir we have just received a Priority one message from Starfleet command, They are ordering us to rendezvous with the U.S.S. Nantucket and transfer the super-beings so they can escort them to Earth for testing."

Picard stood stunned for a moment not expecting this at all.

"Shall I set coordinates sir?

"Negative I will be up at the bridge momentarily" he replied Picard sat down again with a sigh, He wanted to collect his thoughts before he went and tried to dissuade Starfleet command from this course of action. As he sat waiting a French waiter with a baldhead and mustache approached him.

"Sir may I get you something to eat?" The hologram asked

"No thank-you." Picard responded still heavy with thought.

"Perhaps something to drink then, a glass of wine?" The waiter pressed.

"No thank-you" Picard said a little annoyed.

"No? Then perhaps some tea then earl gray, hot." It said "would you like that Mon-capitan?"

"No I said that didn't want any..." Picard's words froze as he looked at the waiter again whose face had suddenly changed to the familiar face of....

"Q!" Picard jumped he looked around no one had seemed to notice the entity's presence but him. "What are you doing here!?"

"You know Mon Capitan sometimes I ask myself that same question." He sat down and a strawberry daiquiri appeared in his hands, which he proceeded to drink.

"You didn't answer my question." Picard retorted "what do you want? We have already shown you that we didn't need any of your so-called 'help',"

"Have you now?" Q asked

"Yes, we took care of Tao Pa without your interference," Picard said

"You know that was quite mean of you to do that to poor old big ears like that, I was starting to grow fond of him, after you kicked me out and all." Q said

"You were helping him!" Picard boomed he looked and saw that no one had heard him.

"Yes, and No," Q said with a certain unsettling enthusiasm "Unlike you some people in this universe like having all powerful friends. But you're wrong in saying that I helped him." Q leaned over and whispered in Picard's ear "I'm helping him."

Picard turned to see something coming out of the water a lone figure. He immediately recognized it; tall thin short black hair pointy ears with a very smug look on his face. Picard jumped up seeing that no one had yet noticed and began to yell in order to warn his friends but after yelling as hard as he could everyone still kept on doing their own thing.

"They can't hear you Picard" Q grinned I want you to watch and see how helpless everyone here really is."

"It's Tao Pa!" Gohan yelled being the closest suddenly Tao Pa was on top of him and with a kick to the face Gohan went flying taking the volleyball net with him.

"Gohan!" Goku and Piccolo yelled charging at the Romulan, fists drawn back ready to punch but they only met air as Tao Pa appeared behind them. Then shot an energy beam, which caught Krillen, square in the chest and knocked him against a tree which snapped in half.

"What's going on here!?" Picard demanded "what did you do to Tao Pa to make him so powerful!?

"It's really simple Mon-Capitan," Q gloated "if I can give Riker all the powers of the Q, it certainly is a simple thing to make Tao Pa more powerful than Goku and his friends."

Picard watched in horror as Worf, Data and Riker who had accessed phasers from the replicator took aim and fired only to have their beams bounce off and Tao Pa advance laughing as he knocked Worf to the side as casually as he might have done with a mosquito. Goku suddenly appeared and began to attack but each time he did his attacks only barely missed Tao Pa who then nailed Goku in the side wit a roundhouse.

"Q, stop this," Picard "You've one I need your help,"

"Oh, it's not that easy this time," The entity said "I thought that you had learned your lesson when I first introduced you to the Borg but obviously you've come back to your old arrogance, 'Oh save me, Q!' you said well you're not getting off this easily this time. I think that maybe I should let Tao Pa kill one of your crew as a reminder that against me humans are nothing!"

"NO!" Picard yelled as he saw Tao Pa approach Troi and Crusher hand raised back to kill. In just the last instant Vegeta pushed them out of the way firing an enormous blast of energy at the romulan. When the smoke cleared Picard saw Tao Pa laughing and Vegeta on the ground holding his chest. Picard suddenly remembered the fight that had happened earlier between Vegeta and Q.

"If you're so obsessed with proving that you're the best." He suddenly said to Q "then why is Tao Pa fighting and your watching."

"Because I don't want to chip a nail," Q said showing his hands.

"Oh is that it?" Picard pried "I think that your afraid, afraid to lose in front of us. So you're having someone else do your dirty work."

"That's the most ridicules thing I've ever heard Picard" Q snorted

"Then prove it."

Q looked angrily at Picard for a moment then in a flash of light he appeared next to Tao Pa who was about to smash Yamcha's face in he began to whisper into the Romulan's ear. Riker ran to Picard "Captain," he said "there you are! We couldn't find you when Tao Pa appeared." He looked at Q and Tao Pa "well now we know why Tao Pa is so strong now."

"May I have your attention please!" Q suddenly yelled "it has been brought to my attention that some of you here think that I am afraid of you! Therefore we will have a match to prove who is the strongest being in the universe!" There was a huge flask of light the next thing that Picard could see was what looked like an old fighting ring. They were no longer on the Enterprise; Picard could see dense forest all around them. Everyone who was on the Holodeck was there with exception of Riker, Geordi, and Crusher. All of Goku's crew was there. In the very center of the ring stood Toa Pa. Then Q appeared dressed in a white karate suit.

"Kanichawa!" Q said bowing "that will be my first opponent?"