Chapter 12
"Why the gloomy faces?" Q sneered.
"You know very well what happened, Q, so please spare me of your pretended ignorance." Picard replied harshly.
"I see that you are a little cranky today Jean-Luc? By any chance did you miss your beauty sleep?" Q beamed.
"Your antics certainly are not helpful; however you never showing up again and cease to involve us in any of your schemes certainly would go a long way in helping me have a better mood." Picard countered.
"I really think your attitude has more do to you your shortcomings than anything else" Q spouted right back.
"My present emotional state has nothing to do with any shortcomings I may have but everything to do with you making us coming here on false premises and which I have no doubt you knew exactly what was going to happen." Picard vociferated towards Q.
"False premises? My magnificent mind clearly remembers you wanting to find a missing Federation Officer, thus I gave you a bunch of them. Not mentioning that I gave you the chance to go back to your cozy neck of the woods, but did you accept it? No, so don't blame me for your poorly made decisions." Q said, clearly enjoying the exchange of words.
"And what about Voyager? I suppose you also are going to argue that having decided to help us when you did or send us to the exact place where the Enterprise happened to be, was also a coincidence, right?" Janeway asked.
"The facts are very clear and speak for themselves, although I cannot say that I'm surprised that you don't recognize any of them." Q replied.
"Nice dodge Q." Riker said sarcastically.
"Hah, the always witty Riker, the perfect example of human ineptitude and lack of vision, who else would have been dumb enough to refuse my gift of turning him into a superior being." Q replied.
"Being a superior being is overrated; I prefer to continue to be who I am." Riker replied.
"Of course you prefer since your limited perception so typical of lesser beings doesn't let you see what you lost. Tell me, did you let your beard grow just to look smarter?" Q joked.
"You know the old saying, Q, power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely; and you are the perfect example of that, a powerful being whose sole purpose is to torment, terrorize and force weaker beings to participate in his twisted and perverse games, so thanks, but no thanks." Riker replied.
"This can be a surprise to you, but I meet the very human that come up with that stupid saying, and even by human standards he was pretty dumb, so you quoting him doesn't make you look intelligent." Q replied.
"Well, if he met you, it's no surprise that he came to such conclusion." Riker retorted to Q while displaying a smiling.
"Well, since humans are known to be so narrow-minded, that they can't recognize even the most elemental facts; his opinion doesn't mean much, does it? If you could see me through enlighten eyes, you would see what I really am, a shiny beacon of light that brings splendor and purpose to your pathetic lives. Really, who in his right mind would want to be a human, having had the choice to be something else…, well, maybe paleface over there would, but he is a machine and doesn't know any better." Q pointed to Data.
"I remind you that once you have chosen to be a human, so does that make you narrow-minded also?" Data Inquired.
"Hah, the human wannabe speaks." Q replied.
"Am I not correct in my statement? On Stardate 43539.1 when you were expelled from the Q Continuum; stripped of all your powers and forced to choose another form as long it was mortal, you chosen to be a human." Data said.
"That wasn't one of my finest moments I'll admit it, but in my defense I have to say that the Q continuum only give me a fraction of a second to choose which mortal form I would like to be turned into. But instead of questioning my motives, what you really should have done, was to express gratitude for having had once again my always awe-inspiring presence among you, even if as a mere human, bear in mind that I could have easily selected the company of far superior live forms who gladly would have worshipped the very ground I thread upon." Q said.
"Yeah, right! I have yet to encounter a being that doesn't hate your guts, much less worship you!" Riker replied with a smirk.
"You are so hilarious, Riker, you should have considered another career; maybe one in the entertainment business." Then a flash of light happened, and Riker's uniform was replaced by a colorful clown costume. Then after eying Riker from top to bottom, an amused Q beamed "These new colors really suit you."
"Enough of fooling around, Q. Who are those beings out there, and why did they attack the Enterprise?" An exasperated Picard asked.
"Because my generosity has no limits I will tell you this much. They are called Vorlons, have no sense of humor whatsoever, are arrogant, seldom in their vocabulary, and as you, they also hold themselves in high regard, however in reality, they are almost as low on the evolutionary ladder as you." Q said smiling.
"That information was really helpful Q." Picard said sarcastically. "You might as well having said nothing."
"Oh come on Jean-Luc, don't be so negative. I know that you often try to enrich your insignificant life through solving pathetic mysteries in the holodeck, so by giving you a real mystery I'm really doing you a favor."
"Well, a favor I would really appreciate would be you permanently disappearing from my life. That truly would be an enrichment I would cherish."
"I know that you really didn't mean that Jean-Luc, so as the good friends that we are, I'm going to forgive you for that inconsiderate remark." Q replied and put his right arm around Picard's shoulders.
"Yes, I really meant it, AND FOR THE LAST TIME, WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!" An infuriated Picard said, while shrugging Q's arm from his shoulders.
"I'm shocked, Mon Capitaine, are you saying that you prefer those fake mysteries you so often indulge yourself to the real thing? I'm really disappointed with you, where is your sense of adventure? Nothing beats the ambiance of a real mystery…, the adrenaline rushing in your veins, the heart pounding in your chest…, that is how life must be lived, not being in that boring and glorified room. I bet that even the Vulcan agrees with me." Q said looking at Tuvok.
"I most certainly do not, the human desire of performing pleasant activities of their choosing, is by no means an indication of their will to participate in any of your games." Tuvok replied.
"You Vulcans are even more boring than the Minbari. You wouldn't be able to recognize what pleasure is even if you were seated next to him. If your two species got together, chances are that all life in the Universe would come to an end due the combined power of so much boredom."
"Who are these Minbari? I'm not familiar with that species!" Seven asked.
"Of course you aren't! None of you has ever met them, only the other Humans have, and boy do they wish they never had." Q said.
"What humans are you talking about? I have no knowledge of any humans currently at war with another race?" Riker asked while removing the clown wig and red nose from his head.
"Are you certain that you want to know? After all, you humans also have the adage that says that the "Curiosity killed the cat!" Q taunted Riker, and after a pause continued. "You know, now that that subject comes up, I begin to realize how interesting it would be to put you and them together, the possibilities are endless!"
"What are you scheming now?" Picard inquired.
"I'm talking about you, the sopping humans, full of compassion and forgiveness that can't wait to absolve almost any offense put together with the single minded, ruthless and unforgiving Minbari, yes, an encounter of you two would be a match made in heaven."
"In what mess are you going to put us in next?" Picard asked, anxious to know what Q was planning now.
"You don't need me to get into any mess Mon Capitaine, if you had stayed where you belonged and not intrude into others affairs, none of this would have happened, you know?" Q stated.
"This became our affair the moment you placed a Starfleet officer in the middle of your games." Picard retorted.
"Hah yes, her. Did I already told you that I think that she's too opinionated for my taste? I'm amazed the Klingons have tolerated her this much!"
"Your opinion is noted and discarded, now, what is that nonsense you are mumbling about us and those Minbari?"
"Since you are being so rude, I don't see any reasons to share my thoughts with you." Q replied to Picard while pretending to be upset.
"For why exactly did you come here again? So far all you have done was avoiding our questions and saying nothing of any use." Janeway said.
"Maybe once I saw my two favorite Captains together I simply couldn't resist and had to come and say hello?" Q said.
"We both know perfectly well that you didn't come here just to say hello, so cut the bullshit and tell us the real reason!" Janeway exclaimed.
"You are right my dear, in a display of generosity only worthy of someone of my stature, I came to warn you that more Vorlons are coming to see why their ships didn't return yet, so if I were you I would make like a tree and leave. They will not like having had their ships shot at." Q said.
"They fired on us first, we only defended ourselves." Riker argued.
"Good luck trying to explain that to them." Q replied.
"Captain, if Q is being truthful, we should leave immediately. Since the Enterprise is not yet warp capable, I suggest Voyager towing it." Janeway suggested.
"I agree Captain, let's make it so." Picard replied.
"Finally some good sense prevailed…; well my warning was delivered, so I'll leave now." Q said and then in a flash of light vanished from the briefing room.
Minutes later Voyager moved towards the Enterprise, seized it in a tractor beam, raised its nacelles and then both ships warped away. Shortly after, a dozen vortexes appeared and from them a fleet of Vorlon dreadnoughts exited, only to face a scenario of destruction they never expected to witness.
-oOOo-
Meantime on Centauri Prime, to Emperor Turhan seemed that there was no end to the bad news, as if it was not enough that the fleet that he had sent to meet with the Minbari had been ravaged by unknowns, now he was now also being informed by an aide that the Minbari themselves were demanding to speak with him
"Here his Emperor Turhan, what can I do to help you?" Turhan asked after turning on his personal display.
"We just came from the gathering point and found out that your fleet had engaged in battle with unknowns, putting in danger the mission we carefully prepared, what is your explanation for this and who are they?" Satai Coplann said,
"Admiral Marray has just informed us of what happened and we are as astonished as you. According to him while our fleet was waiting arrival, those unknowns you mentioned appeared claiming to be looking for missing ships of theirs. At first, they did not appear to be hostile, introduced themselves as "Klingons" and claimed to come from another quadrant, whatever that is supposed to mean.
Then, without provocation, they began to attack our ships, taking them by surprise and demonstrating weapons and defense systems of great power, against which our forces could not mount a proper defense."
"We "request," more detailed description of these systems." Coplann spouted.
"They had some sort of energy fields surrounding their ships that made them highly resistant to our weapons, powerful antimatter missiles, beam weapons that apparently had some sort of atomic disrupting properties and a perfect stealth system that not only made their ships invisible to all sensors, but as well to the naked eye!"
"Are you certain of all those claims? If you are deceiving us we will not take that lightly!" Coplann said.
"I would never do that!" The Centauri Emperor said with apprehension.
"Very well, send us all the information you have on them, Coplann out!"
After the transmission ended, Turhan immediately pressed a button in his throne and shortly after the aide arrived.
"Contact Admiral Murray immediately, and tell him to send at once all information he has on those Aliens that attacked him, and then resend that information to the Minbari as fast as possible." The Emperor ordered.
"Immediately Majesty." The aide said. Then made a bow and left an anguished Turhan alone in his throne room.
-oOOo-
Geneva, Earth Alliance Earth.
Senator Clark entered his office as usual, closed the door, and then tried to turn on the lights. Yet to his surprise, some of the lights in the far side of the office remained unlit. Dismissing that as a common malfunction, he then went to his desk where from a drawer produced a bottle of whisky. But before he could begin drinking from it, he noticed another presence in the room. Then as he turned around, a man emerged from the dark side of the room.
"Who are you? What do you want? There are guards outside." A fearful Clark warned.
"Don't be concerned senator, I'm not here to harm you, my name is Justin and I'm here to help you."
"Help me with what?" A surprised Morgan Clark asked.
"That is for you to decide." Justin said.
"What do you mean?" Clark asked again.
"I'm here to help you, so I ask you, what is it that you want?" Justin asked.
"You must be a crazy old man, leave before I call the guards." Clark said.
"I have very powerful friends Senator, and they have the power to help you in anything you want." Justin said with a grin.
"Why would you want to help me? What's in it for you?" Clark inquired.
Justin smiled and then said. "After helping you, we only ask that you help us back, but don't worry, it will not be anything that you can't do."
"You mean that I can ask for anything? Clark questioned.
"That is my offer." Justin said smiling.
"Ok then, let's see if you can do this for me. Bring me the head of the Klingon named Korras in a platter and a way in which I can put my hands in their advanced technology!" Clark countered.
"Very well senator, we will see each other soon." Justin said, and then exited the room that immediately became fully lit, leaving behind a perplexed Clark immerse in his own dark thoughts.
-oOOo-
Location, Hyperspace.
Riding the currents and eddies of hyperspace, the most powerful fleet the Minbari had gathered in a thousand years, was making its way home in a very somber way. Almost as somber as it was after the battle against the cybernetic-monstrosities, and if the Vorlons had not been there to direct their flight, they certainly would have been lost due the lack of hyperspace beacons to lock on.
Suddenly the equally somber atmosphere in the Grey Council chambers was disrupted, by a flash of light, which upon fading away revealed a figure that all of the present resented to see again.
"Greetings fellow Council members, long time no see, and coincidently every time we meet, you have assembled a mighty fleet, isn't that strange, it's almost as if fate is trying to tell us something." Q said smiling.
At first, none of the members of the Grey Council knew what to say or even react, but then Delenn came forward and spoke.
"You don't frighten us; the power of the light will always prevail."
"What is it with you and all that light thing? I like light as much as the next one, but please let's not be obsessed with it." Q replied.
"You cannot deceive us, we know all about you and the dark forces you command." Delenn stated.
"No wonder the Vorlons like you, you make perfect puppets, utterly gullible and completely clueless of how much you are being manipulated, not even Worf, a Klingon that I know and who by the low standards of his specie isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, would be that gullible."
Having reached the limit of insults he could bear, Satai Morann of the Wind Swords pulled a small cylinder from under its cloak, and with a precise wrist movement activated it, making it extend many times its own length and turning it into a one and a half meter quarterstaff, also known to Minbaris as a fighting pike or denn'bok.
"Well, well, what do we have here? Are you on planning to eat and that is an oversized toothpick?" Q joked.
To Morann that joke was the last straw, and immediately attacked Q.
"THE MINBARI WILL NOT BE SCORNED ANYMORE!" Morann yelled.
Not denoting the slightest trace of fear from such formidable attack, Q simply waved its hand, and a dazzling lightning bolt immediately struck the attacking Minbari, turning him into a Gok, the Minbari equivalent of a human cat.
"You really need to learn what humility is, and I'm the right teacher. The other time we met you were going to eradicate some defenseless humans and felt good about it, so now let's see what happens when you face some humans not as defenceless."
Q then snapped his fingers, and all ships appeared in normal space once again.
"Have fun now." Q said, and then disappeared in his characteristic flash of light.
Upon seeing the familiar blackness of normal space, Coplann immediately feared the worse, namely bumping into the Borg again, and immediately called Alyt Durhan demanding a scan of the area.
A couple seconds later, having checked his console, one disbelieving Durhan replied. "We are in the human's home system, Satai!"
"Their home system? How can that be? What do you think of that?" Coplann asked to the remaining members of the Grey Council.
"Apparently the dark being indented to punish us in some way, but either he made a mistake since the humans are not a threat to us, or the forces of light protected us from his powers." Delenn said.
"Regardless of how we came here, we should seize this unique opportunity and end what we started two years ago…, eliminate the humans for good." Satai Kersohio said.
After a quick conference, all except the yet transformed Morann that now was being examined by healers, agreed on what course of action to take next.
"Shai Alyt Durhan, the council have decided, deploy the fleet and attack the humans."
"Immediately Satai." Alyt Durhan replied with a large smile of satisfaction.
Not far from there, the USS Thunderchild that was on patrol in the Sol system, also known as Sector 001, immediately detected the sudden presence of a large unidentified fleet.
"Captain, hundreds of unknown ships appeared abruptly from nowhere and are coming this way!" The Thunderchild's Tactical Officer said alarmed.
"Go to red alert; inform Starfleet Command that we may be under attack by a large unknown fleet. Raise shields, load all torpedo bays and ready phasers." Captain Evelyn Hoffman ordered.
TBC