Chapter 49

Riker crawled quickly out of the shadow of the immense cloaked figure. He knew the perils of engaging in violence against this creature. He motioned for Data to stay where he was for now.

The Other turned slowly in place and addressed the people scattered around him. "Who among you does not want me destroyed?" he boomed. Over a thousand pairs of eyes stared back at him in silence. "I am the instrument of your misery," he declared. Still no one said anything. "If you are going to die, do you not want the satisfaction of seeing me suffer first?"

Out of the corner of his eye Riker saw Korok, the Klingon who had joined Doulos as one of the Other's followers. He no longer looked as though he was under a spell. In fact he looked as though he wanted revenge. He suddenly charged the Other from behind.

"Wait!" Riker implored him, stepping into the raging Klingon's path. Korok shoved him brutally out of the way and Riker fell back to the platform. He watched as Korok continued running until the Other simply opened his cloak and Korok unable to stop himself was sucked inward into the Other with a scream. The Other began to laugh low and deep. He closed his cloak and Riker noted with concern that the being was now larger and taller than he had been when he first appeared.

"That pleased me," announced the Other. "Who else among you has the courage to fight me?"

"No!" shouted Riker. "I order everyone here to stay the hell where you are. He's only growing stronger each time we attack him, don't you see how he's grown already? He's using us to gain strength to defeat Orla. Don't listen to him."

The Other suddenly pointed at Riker. "If you are weak like this man here you have only to wait…and you will soon be dead. All of you. But if you want to restore some honor, to obtain some vengeance against me beforehand, I suggest that you fight me."

"Don't listen to him," Riker warned.

Doulos had risen slowly from his crouching position. "Master," he whispered, and took a step forward.

The figure spun to face Doulos. "Ah…my most trusted servant Doulos. Do you wish to join me or to fight me? I welcome either occurrence."

"I do not know," said Doulos, walking cautiously toward his master. His body was still covered with burns and wounds from his battle with Picard. "I do not see Beverly Crusher here amongst this crew. Where is she, master?"

The Other hissed and held out his three fingered hand to Doulos. "She is dead. I killed her, just as I told you I would if you placed her above me, Doulos. You were very foolish to defy me."

Doulos leapt without warning from where he was standing and plunged his fist into the hood of the Other's cloak. The hood flew backward to reveal the black shape of a head that was as dark a substance as Riker had ever seen. Two gleaming eyes were the only visible features. The evil rumble of laughter again filled the space around them as Doulos struck again and again at the object of his rage.

"For a moment I feared my ears were less than perfect, and that I misheard you El Aurian. But I do believe that you just said you need me," said Q. Guinan looked to her left and saw that Picard and Crusher were floating next to her. In front of them was Q in his humanoid form, and below them was a void. Well, at least it appeared that way. But it was clear that whatever space they were floating in had been created by Q.

"I didn't actually say I needed you," she said, trying to get used to the strange floating sensation. "But I do need a favor."

"You need a favor...from me...same difference," he said with a superior smile. Q turned, or actually twisted in the zero gravity environment to look at Picard, who simply stared back at him. "Well, Picard it's not like you to have nothing to say…." He watched Picard, who continued to have a strange glow around him. "Oh please," he said. "Still under a spell, Picard?" He made a disgusted noise. "How disappointing."

"It's not his fault, Q," Beverly shouted, somewhat surprised to not only be alive but to be speaking in a vacuum.

Q frowned. "You weren't invited," he observed and raised his hand as if to send her away. Picard grabbed her hand quickly.

"Wait!" said Guinan. "We need her."

Q looked at Guinan with mock surprise. "Oh really? Well are you going to tell them your plan, or should I?"

Guinan's expression tightened. "How long have you known?"

"Since I watched you watch him get shot…since you left him to die," said Q. "I knew if things came to this point, you might try something like this." They stared at each other for a few tense moments, and then Guinan heard Q's words echo in her head from all of those years ago. "…he's meant to die here in this place, and in exactly this manner…it's his fate." Guinan smiled. He had known. So maybe it was part of his plan too.

"Try something like what?" Picard asked.

Guinan looked at him. "I watched John Pritchard dying from multiple bullet wounds in 1881 on Earth. And then I left him to die, because I thought I was saving my world. Little did I know, El Auria was doomed no matter what I did," she said softly.

"And he's the one Orla really loves," said Beverly. "So you're going back for him then?"

"If Q will agree to transport us, we're all going back for him."

Q said nothing.

"Why can't you just use the device you used to transport into the Other's world to rescue me?" Picard asked.

"I didn't want to alert Orla to what I was going to attempt to do. Which isn't to say she doesn't know anyway," Guinan admitted.

They all looked at Q. "It's not going to be enough you know," he said. "You really think bringing someone's long lost love back from the dead is going to defeat the Other? He'll destroy Orla and then go on to conquer whatever else he wants to in your universe."

"It's your universe too, Q!" said Picard.

"Well, to be fair I exist in more than one…."

"So, are the Q at risk?" Beverly asked, hoping for some leverage.

Again Q hesitated. "The Q have decided this fight is not a priority for them."

"So you're saying it's useless to for us to try Guinan's plan because it won't work," said Beverly.

"Don't put words in my mouth, Crusher, especially such melodramatic ones," objected Q. She glared back at him in silence.

"He said it wouldn't be enough," said Guinan. "He didn't say bringing Pritchard back wouldn't help to fight the Other."

"He's playing with words because he doesn't know," Picard bellowed suddenly. "I suspect he's figuring this out as he goes along just as we are, aren't you Q?"

"Now there's that spirit, Picard. I was beginning to think you had given up inside that purple haze of yours."

"He suspects that the Other will one day grow strong enough to manipulate the Q as easily as he manipulated us. But he doesn't have the support of the others in the Continuum. Perhaps they've even forbidden him from fully assisting us…but the plain fact is that he simply doesn't have the courage to do what's right…as usual."

Q's eyes glimmered. "Careful, Picard, you're going to hurt my feelings…."

"Enough of this, Q," said Guinan. "Are you going to help us get there and back or not?"

Q paused. "I'll get you there, but I won't save him from dying…nor will I help you to convince him to come back with you."

"Fine," Guinan agreed.

"…and where exactly is 'back'?" he asked. "There is no Enterprise to speak of anymore."

"Bring us back to Orla," she said.

Q stared at all of them a moment more and then shrugged. "Very well…." Nearby a doorway shimmered into existence. It was wide open and exuded a bright burst of white light.

The three Enterprise crew members found that their feet now stood on solid ground. Picard took the lead in walking toward the door, but Guinan stopped him. "No," she said and motioned to Beverly. "Doctor you need to go first," said Guinan.

"Why?" Beverly and Jean-Luc asked at the same time.

"Because it's seeing you that will give him hope," she said.

Beverly nodded and stepped forward with the others trailing behind her. And then she reached her hand out through the door.