Chapter Twenty-Three

"Q, what the hell are you doing here?" thundered Picard.

"Ah, Picard," said Q, "I'm always so delighted by the warm welcome you give me when I visit. Tell me, how are things?"

"Captain?" asked Spock to Picard. "Am I to presume that this is the very same Q mentioned in various logs during your tour aboard the Enterprise D?"

"The very same," said Q with a grin. He walked over to Picard very deliberately and flung an arm over his shoulder. "Jean-Luc and I are old pals."

"Q has visited us on a number of occasions, Ambassador, and he usually brings trouble with him. Speaking of which," he looked up at Q and forcibly removed the hand from his shoulder, "are you responsible for this mess?" Q put a mortified hand to his heart.

"You wound me, mon capitaine. After all we've been through together! After all the times I've saved your life! Yet you insist on thinking of me as the villain. Me! Poor little Q. Really, I don't know why I come back sometimes."

"Q, what business do you have on my ship?" asked Riker, suddenly standing impatiently.

"Ah, Riker. The little Q who couldn't; I see that you finally cut yourself loose from Picard's apron strings and got yourself a ship to command. That must make you very proud."

"Q," said Picard tiredly, "if you have something to add to this conversation, please do so. We haven't time for bantering around with you."

"Oh, that's right!" said Q. "You're about to all be killed by the Borg, I nearly forgot. Very well, since I enjoy our banter so much…" he said, then snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the room became very quiet; the ship's engines were no longer audible. Outside, the stars remained in fixed streaks, not moving. "There, is that better? I've paused time for the moment," said Q.

"All right," said Picard. "We're listening." Q smiled and stood, taking his time to pace around the table. Then he stared out the window at the stars for a long moment. "Picard, do you remember that little test I gave you a few years back? You know; the one with the paltry little temporal issue?"

"Quite well, Q. It was one of the many times you nearly destroyed us."

"Yes, we parted on such wonderful terms. Do you remember what I told you?"

"Not exactly, no," said Picard. Q turned, raising an eyebrow. I spoke up.

"You said that you would be watching."

"Very good, Captain Allen. Oh, and spare me the look of shock." He pointed to himself. "Omniscient, remember?"

"If you are omniscient," said Spock, "then perhaps you can tell us the outcome of the battle with the Borg." Q laughed.

"My Vulcan friend, where would the fun be in that? Honestly, do you want me to hold your hand?"

"Actually," said Deanna. "That might be nice for once." Q leaned over the table, placing his palms flat on it. He looked into Deanna's eyes.

"My dear, I would love nothing more. But you are a married woman, after all. Besides," he said, straightening his uniform and grinning impishly at Riker, "there's a difference between knowing the future and knowing the future of existence. Cryptic as that may sound, believe me; it's meant to be. But back to you, Picard. Yes, I told you that we would be watching, and we have."

"And what is your opinion of humanity now?" Picard asked. Q shrugged.

"We don't really see much improvement. But then, you humans do improve so very slowly, and in such small amounts. For all we know, it might seem like a great deal to you." He leaned back against the bulkhead, folding his arms. By this time, Picard was clearly irritated.

"Q, I don't see the point of all this."

"Of course you don't. It's a lot for a mere mortal to comprehend. But let me see if I can clarify it for you a little. Did you ever wonder, Jean-Luc, why the Q have taken such an interest in humanity? Or the Borg for that matter?"

"We know why the Borg are interested in us now, yes," said Picard. "But I've been wondering for years why you're interested in us, Q."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Q said. "The fact is, Jean-Luc, you have no idea how much of the puzzle is missing. What the Borg are about to do is far worse than just destroy humanity."

"Certainly," Picard agreed. "With the power of Omega behind them, they will be even more unstoppable than they already have been."

"And what do you know about this Omega?" Q asked. "What do you really know?" Riker answered.

"We know that it is a nearly unstoppable source of energy when stabilized. When it's unstable, it's one of the most deadly compounds known to exist."

"Very close," Q replied. "But not quite right. It is an unstoppable source of energy, and it is the most deadly compound that exists. What you have simple-mindedly termed 'Omega' is, in fact, the most powerful thing in the universe."

"I thought you claimed that role," I said, trying to lighten the mood a little. Q looked at me for a long moment.

"Exactly."

There was silence. Then Spock drew a breath.

"Are we to understand, sir, that , trying to lighten the mood a little. Q looked at me for a long moment.

"Exactly."

There was silence. Then Spock drew a breath.

"Are we to understand, sir, that you are Omega?" he asked. Q snorted.

"In a manner of speaking. We – that is, the Q Continuum – are Omega, and it is us.

"But Q," said Picard, "it's just a compound! It's just matter. I thought you were so much more than that."

"We are," he said. "The pockets of Omega that have been found are Q in their most basic, infantile form."

"You mean they're your children?" Picard said, aghast.

"That's a very mortal way to look at it, but yes. In a sense, the unstable Omega particles are the Q's young."

"If that's the case," I said, "then you're telling us that if they succeed in stabilizing that much of it, they will have the power of the Q at their fingertips." Q smiled.

"Ah, it begins to dawn on them. I do so enjoy watching you ape-like beings figure things out. Too bad it takes so long. Yes, they will have the power of the Q. What's more, they will use that power in the most terrible fashion imaginable."

"Assimilating the entire galaxy," Picard breathed.

"Bigger," said Q.

"The universe," Spock said.

"Bigger."

"What's bigger than that?" Deanna asked.

"That's what you have to figure out," said Q. "I'm not going to do your math homework for you, children."

"Q," said Picard, with a much more reasonable tone in his voice. "If the Borg gain the powers of the Q, they'll threaten even your existence. Can you really just stand by and let us mere mortals decide your fate?" Q let out a sigh.

"I do see your point, Jean-Luc. But surely you must see mine by now. Don't you think there's a reason I've been dogging your tracks for all these years? I assure you, mon capitaine, it wasn't for the company." He paused, grinning. "Well, not entirely for the company."

With that, he disappeared in a flash of light, and we were returned to normal time.