Another Favor
Star Trek: The Next Generation, all characters and ideas there associated are the sole ownership of someone that's not me.
All original ideas and characters contained in the following story are the sole property of J.L. Scott.
AN: Things get tricky here and it may be difficult to tell which character is talking. So here are some ground rules:
When together, the group from the alternate reality (Raylyn's ship) shall be referred to by their first names, and their counterparts by their last. When separated, this may vary.
Data, having no last name, is different. The alternate Data is DataA, while the other (the "real" Data) is just Data.
Jean-Luc, Worf, Wesley, Wyatt and Raylyn have no counterparts so that shouldn't be a problem.
He reappeared on the Bridge of a very different Enterprise.
"Q!" Jean-Luc cried, rising from his chair.
"Ah! Mon Capitan! Always a pleasure!" Q replied with a little bow.
"What do you want, Q?" Jean-Luc demanded. He happened to be looking forward to a quiet mission.
"Not what I want, Jean-Luc! It's what you want!" Q replied.
"What are you talking about, Q?" Riker asked, standing himself. Q regarded him for a moment.
"You know, I think I like you better in green" Jean-Luc caught the reference. Enlightenment dawned and an unsettling worry found home in his heart.
"What's happened?" he asked calmly, losing any irritation that had sprung up.
"Raylyn requests your assistance" Q replied cryptically.
"My assistance?" Jean-Luc tried to clarify. What could he possibly offer them? Had the other Picard not been returned to them?
"Actually, all of you!" Q responded, throwing his arms apart to indicate the whole ship, "Even pea brain up there" and he nodded at Worf.
"Sir, isn't Raylyn your daughter in the alternate reality?" Deanna asked from her seat.
"Yes" Jean-Luc nodded.
"Why would they need our help?" Will asked.
"I don't know" Jean-Luc replied slowly. He was wracking his brain, trying to figure out if this was one of Q's tricks, and if it was what the catch would be.
"Tick tock, Captain" Q said, "Do you run to your daughter's aid, or not?"
"I don't feel as if I have a choice, Q" Jean-Luc replied. That was all the answer Q needed.
"Delightful!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together, "This is going to be fun!" And in the next instant Enterprise was gone.
"Captain to the Bridge!" an alarmed voice called. Everyone raced out of the conference room.
"Sir, there's a ship!" the Lieutenant working Opps. announced as Will and Raylyn took their seats. Data replaced the Lt. And Wesley took helm.
"It appears to be the Enterprise" Data announced.
"Surprised?" Q popped in.
"What have you done, Q?" Raylyn asked, though this time she did not sound so nearly alarmed as she had a moment ago.
"You said you needed help" Q replied, "I brought help"
"From where?" Raylyn wanted to know.
"It's the same Jean-Luc Picard that was here before" Q answered.
"And his entire crew" Will said.
"What's the matter, Riker?" Q asked, "Afraid to look in the mirror?"
"Thank you, Q" Raylyn said quickly before her husband had the chance to say anything.
"Ah, Raylyn! I can always count on you to be sensible!" Q exclaimed with affection.
"It's from the many years of association with you, Q" Raylyn responded. This greatly pleased the omnipotent being, which of course Raylyn knew it would.
"All too true!" Q crowed, "Now then, I'll leave you to it!" And with that he vanished.
"Why do you."
"You have to know when to trust him, Will" Raylyn explained, "He didn't bring them here for nothing. There must be something they can do to help" Will frowned but nodded.
"Hail them, Mr. Alf" he ordered the security officer. A second later, Jean-Luc's face appeared on the view screen.
"Will! It's good to see you again!" the older man greeted him warmly. Will didn't reply right away, his gaze riveted on the mirror image of himself, only dressed in red.
"And you, Captain" he finally replied. He wasn't the only one staring past the Captain.
/Are you all right, Imzadi?/ Raylyn asked.
/I can feel her/ Deanna replied, /It's a strange feeling/
/I'm sure she feels the same way/ Raylyn assured her.
"You're ship appears to be needing some repairs" Jean-Luc noted. He thought for a moment that this was what Q had brought them for.
"We've just escaped an encounter with the Borg" Will informed him.
"The Borg" Jean-Luc breathed. That was why Q had brought them. To help fight the Borg.
"Then the war is over" he inquired.
"It's been over for nearly a year" Will replied, "It only took them a few months to regroup and come after us"
"I see" Jean-Luc said, "Well, how can we help?"
"You'll have to ask Ray that" Will replied. The picture on Jean-Luc's view screen shifted to focus on a face that had until now been completely obscured. Behind him, he heard both Riker and Troi pull in startled breaths.
Raylyn was every bit as beautiful as she had been the last time Jean- Luc had seen her, if a bit older. (Jean-Luc wondered just how many years had passed since then) Her hair was as long and dark as before, still fluttering around her face and shoulders. Riker and Troi's attention was first drawn to her nose, which was an exact replica of their Captain's, and next to her striking resemblance to Troi.
"Bonjour, Papa" she smiled, "It is.good to see you again" Jean-Luc felt there was an underlying meaning in that, but this was not the place to ask.
"Q said you requested our assistance" Jean-Luc told her. Raylyn rolled her eyes.
"Not in so many words" she replied, "But I think he got it right. Well, there's a lot to go over. Perhaps we should get together?"
"Captain!" Both Troi's had spoken at the same time. Jean-Luc turned to his.
"I'm not sure that would be such a good idea" she told him.
"I agree" her counterpart concurred.
"Look" Raylyn addressed everyone, "I know this will be awkward. But it's going to take all of us working together if we're to accomplish anything"
Nobody offered any arguments. Troi and Riker were inwardly smiling at this stranger's sense of command, so obviously inherited from her father.
"Well, then" Jean-Luc smiled, "Your ship or mine?"
Star Trek: The Next Generation, all characters and ideas there associated are the sole ownership of someone that's not me.
All original ideas and characters contained in the following story are the sole property of J.L. Scott.
AN: Things get tricky here and it may be difficult to tell which character is talking. So here are some ground rules:
When together, the group from the alternate reality (Raylyn's ship) shall be referred to by their first names, and their counterparts by their last. When separated, this may vary.
Data, having no last name, is different. The alternate Data is DataA, while the other (the "real" Data) is just Data.
Jean-Luc, Worf, Wesley, Wyatt and Raylyn have no counterparts so that shouldn't be a problem.
He reappeared on the Bridge of a very different Enterprise.
"Q!" Jean-Luc cried, rising from his chair.
"Ah! Mon Capitan! Always a pleasure!" Q replied with a little bow.
"What do you want, Q?" Jean-Luc demanded. He happened to be looking forward to a quiet mission.
"Not what I want, Jean-Luc! It's what you want!" Q replied.
"What are you talking about, Q?" Riker asked, standing himself. Q regarded him for a moment.
"You know, I think I like you better in green" Jean-Luc caught the reference. Enlightenment dawned and an unsettling worry found home in his heart.
"What's happened?" he asked calmly, losing any irritation that had sprung up.
"Raylyn requests your assistance" Q replied cryptically.
"My assistance?" Jean-Luc tried to clarify. What could he possibly offer them? Had the other Picard not been returned to them?
"Actually, all of you!" Q responded, throwing his arms apart to indicate the whole ship, "Even pea brain up there" and he nodded at Worf.
"Sir, isn't Raylyn your daughter in the alternate reality?" Deanna asked from her seat.
"Yes" Jean-Luc nodded.
"Why would they need our help?" Will asked.
"I don't know" Jean-Luc replied slowly. He was wracking his brain, trying to figure out if this was one of Q's tricks, and if it was what the catch would be.
"Tick tock, Captain" Q said, "Do you run to your daughter's aid, or not?"
"I don't feel as if I have a choice, Q" Jean-Luc replied. That was all the answer Q needed.
"Delightful!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together, "This is going to be fun!" And in the next instant Enterprise was gone.
"Captain to the Bridge!" an alarmed voice called. Everyone raced out of the conference room.
"Sir, there's a ship!" the Lieutenant working Opps. announced as Will and Raylyn took their seats. Data replaced the Lt. And Wesley took helm.
"It appears to be the Enterprise" Data announced.
"Surprised?" Q popped in.
"What have you done, Q?" Raylyn asked, though this time she did not sound so nearly alarmed as she had a moment ago.
"You said you needed help" Q replied, "I brought help"
"From where?" Raylyn wanted to know.
"It's the same Jean-Luc Picard that was here before" Q answered.
"And his entire crew" Will said.
"What's the matter, Riker?" Q asked, "Afraid to look in the mirror?"
"Thank you, Q" Raylyn said quickly before her husband had the chance to say anything.
"Ah, Raylyn! I can always count on you to be sensible!" Q exclaimed with affection.
"It's from the many years of association with you, Q" Raylyn responded. This greatly pleased the omnipotent being, which of course Raylyn knew it would.
"All too true!" Q crowed, "Now then, I'll leave you to it!" And with that he vanished.
"Why do you."
"You have to know when to trust him, Will" Raylyn explained, "He didn't bring them here for nothing. There must be something they can do to help" Will frowned but nodded.
"Hail them, Mr. Alf" he ordered the security officer. A second later, Jean-Luc's face appeared on the view screen.
"Will! It's good to see you again!" the older man greeted him warmly. Will didn't reply right away, his gaze riveted on the mirror image of himself, only dressed in red.
"And you, Captain" he finally replied. He wasn't the only one staring past the Captain.
/Are you all right, Imzadi?/ Raylyn asked.
/I can feel her/ Deanna replied, /It's a strange feeling/
/I'm sure she feels the same way/ Raylyn assured her.
"You're ship appears to be needing some repairs" Jean-Luc noted. He thought for a moment that this was what Q had brought them for.
"We've just escaped an encounter with the Borg" Will informed him.
"The Borg" Jean-Luc breathed. That was why Q had brought them. To help fight the Borg.
"Then the war is over" he inquired.
"It's been over for nearly a year" Will replied, "It only took them a few months to regroup and come after us"
"I see" Jean-Luc said, "Well, how can we help?"
"You'll have to ask Ray that" Will replied. The picture on Jean-Luc's view screen shifted to focus on a face that had until now been completely obscured. Behind him, he heard both Riker and Troi pull in startled breaths.
Raylyn was every bit as beautiful as she had been the last time Jean- Luc had seen her, if a bit older. (Jean-Luc wondered just how many years had passed since then) Her hair was as long and dark as before, still fluttering around her face and shoulders. Riker and Troi's attention was first drawn to her nose, which was an exact replica of their Captain's, and next to her striking resemblance to Troi.
"Bonjour, Papa" she smiled, "It is.good to see you again" Jean-Luc felt there was an underlying meaning in that, but this was not the place to ask.
"Q said you requested our assistance" Jean-Luc told her. Raylyn rolled her eyes.
"Not in so many words" she replied, "But I think he got it right. Well, there's a lot to go over. Perhaps we should get together?"
"Captain!" Both Troi's had spoken at the same time. Jean-Luc turned to his.
"I'm not sure that would be such a good idea" she told him.
"I agree" her counterpart concurred.
"Look" Raylyn addressed everyone, "I know this will be awkward. But it's going to take all of us working together if we're to accomplish anything"
Nobody offered any arguments. Troi and Riker were inwardly smiling at this stranger's sense of command, so obviously inherited from her father.
"Well, then" Jean-Luc smiled, "Your ship or mine?"
