Chapter VI
The endless array of stars shone in the blackness of space as they continued on their journey towards Cardassia Prime. Picard sighed wearily, rubbing his hand over his forehead and considering the questions that filled his thoughts.
Just where were these anomalies coming from? And was Data right about Lincoln? He'd suspected something about her earlier and perhaps now was the time to discern the truth. One thing is certain, he thought, she wants us to continue with our mission. Was she simply bound by duty? Or did she have ulterior motives? If so, what were they? And what of Daniels? From the moment he'd laid eyes on the man, he knew the stranger was trouble.
But of what sort, he couldn't say at the moment. La Forge had reported that the anomalies disappeared once their saboteur left, which made him even more suspicious. Had Daniels somehow managed to sneak onboard at the same time that the Ambassador had? If that was the case, why wasn't Lincoln being affected as all of them were? He paused, wondering how many anomalies he'd personally experienced in his own lifetime. It had become so commonplace, he'd almost grown accustomed to their appearance.
Now, it was only a matter of enduring them and then proceeding to their destination. It didn't matter what Daniels said, this mission had to succeed. The rivalry and hatred between the Federation and the alien government had been going on for decades, who knew if this was the end? They were notorious for negotiating, then overstepping their agreements and redoing the entire process in a seemingly endless cycle.
As far back as he could remember, the Cardassians had never even come close to these sorts of talks. Perhaps their alliance with the Dominion reminded them of what mattered the most. Of course, if they had won the war; he was certain that things would've been different.
Either way; what mattered was the present, temporal anomalies and all. Ambassador Lincoln was right about one thing; they had to press forward despite these problems. His gaze returned to the stars as they continued to race by and listened to the soft ticking of a clock nearby. Its melodious rhythm reminded him of how fragile all this could be… then it stopped with a metallic snap, similar to when a watch was shut.
Turning about, he caught sight of an unexpected visitor and felt a measure of relief and consternation at his arrival. The being wore a long brown suit, similar to those in the late nineteenth century.
His shoes were shined with spats on them and he had a gentlemen's cane tucked under one arm. Taking off his hat, his visitor smiled mischievously and then placed the watch back in his coat pocket.
"Q!" he growled angrily, "Of all times to bother me, why now?"
"You know, I'm coming to think that you view me as an annoyance my dear Jean-Luc. And here I'd thought we'd bridged that gap," Q replied, placing his hat on the table. Picard pushed it to one side and then said, "You're behind this, aren't you?"
He knew all too well what the omnipotent being was capable of and had personally experienced the creature's capricious nature from time to time. Q often thought that he was some sort of judge of mankind in general, popping up at inopportune moments and especially when he didn't have the time for it. Of course, often the super-being would prove a point. At other times, it simply seemed like a cosmic joke at his expense.
Like the time Q had become human only to be pursued by the Calamarain for something done to them at the dawn of time. Then there was 0, who swore vengeance upon Q and nearly caused great harm to the galaxy, not to mention his ship.
Picard had often reflected on that experience in the time since, when Q had explained his troublesome past and knew it must have been embarrassing to admit that he was the source of such troubles as the galactic barrier or the One. Of course, Q would never admit his faults; nor would they ever truly be the same even when he did point out the flaws in the Continuum. Picard felt that the race itself really wasn't that different from humanity, dealing with all types of uncertainty and new experiences just as any being would.
He recalled Q's son, q and the doting mother who Q claimed to love. Picard had never tried to understand that nor wanted to; but supposed families existed in all species, even those like the Calamarain. "So quick to point the finger of blame towards me? You know from our previous sojourn that I'm not the only being in the galaxy with great power," Q stated.
"Too bad you never learned the responsibility to go with that," he countered. "Do I detect a hint of ire?" his visitor asked. "You have earned little else since your first appearance. Why are you here, then?" he asked angrily. "Not one to play games, Jean-Luc? Very well, if you must know my motives; the answer should be obvious. Hasn't it already become so to you? Or will it be?" the intruder replied, changing abruptly into the Starfleet uniform that he typically wore.
Nowadays; Q appeared only as a Captain, his attitude no longer quite as self-righteous or holier-than-thou as he'd been when Picard had first met him. Perhaps finally the super-being was seeing the true nature of humanity? He doubted it, though. "Are you referring to the temporal anomalies?" he inquired. "Nasty little things, aren't they? You mortals can be walking along minding your own business and then-" he paused, snapping his fingers for emphasis, "-they rear their ugly heads and you're back at dear old Robert's funeral. Mm, lovely vintage," he stated, drinking the glass he'd caused to appear.
"Are they going to interfere with our mission or not, Q? Get to the point for once," Picard snapped. He'd learned to be strict with Q, but also not to prod him too much. After all, he recalled what had become of Tasha when she had dared to question the self-appointed judge during their first encounter.
Of course, since then Q had been very lenient; especially towards him. He wasn't certain, but suspected that for some reason the being had also come to respect him in some fashion. Once again, though; Q would never say so. "You could say that they might, or won't, or already have. I don't need to tell you the answer, Jean-Luc. Because I'm fairly certain that you're about to find out," Q replied.
Then without warning, his visitor disappeared and he was alone. Sighing, he considered the ramifications of this event. Just what did Q mean? Any time he'd dealt with the entity, it always turned out that more trouble was brewing. Either this was Q's own fault, or there was another force at work. And if Q was worried about it, then they needed to be as well.
However, he remembered that their stowaway also felt that the Enterprise was in danger. If he was from the past, as his uniform seemed to show; then he could not return there. But if the interloper happened to be from another point in time… Rising and leaving the conference room, Picard entered the turbolift and stated his destination; recalling the mysterious 0 and his cohorts.
He'd never gotten a chance to discover their true origins or any of what really happened, knowing that from his experience; Q often showed him things in symbols. But recalled that Q had shown genuine fear when 0 had gotten free from the barrier.
This time appeared different, though. Q was in no rush to stop them from falling into another catastrophic situation and Picard suspected that for now, the Enterprise was probably safe. Once at the brig, he turned his attention to their captive and stated, "Daniels; that is your name, correct?" "Captain, at last! I feared that you wouldn't believe me! Have we reversed course yet?" he asked.
"Unfortunately, you have still not provided me with sound a reason for doing so. As far as I can see, we must press on to Cardassia Prime," Picard answered. "But there are forces here far more powerful than you could understand. Perhaps I need to explain," Daniels stated. "That would be best," the Captain decided
. "I am not actually from Section 31, but I used that ruse to avoid confronting your crew. I would like for you to consider what I am about to relate as classified; your eyes only. You have heard of the Temporal Prime Directive, correct?" Daniels asked.
"Yes, no person may impart knowledge of the future to those in the past so that past events do not become changed or by their actions alter known history save in cases where it is deemed necessary to preserve the timeline," he answered and then paused, asking, "What are you saying?" "I have come here from the twenty-seventh century, roughly three hundred years from your present date. However, I recently disguised myself in the past onboard the original Enterprise under the command of Captain Jonathan Archer," the man stated.
Picard paused and then said; "Yes, I recall reading in Starfleet Academy that Archer mentioned one crewmen who was involved in a temporal cold war." "Since the situation was resolved there; my colleagues decided that it would be best for me to head to another section of time for a while," Daniels explained. "And for what purpose?" the Captain asked.
"My mission is of a most sensitive nature. There are few times which can be referred to as pivotal in directing the future. This could be one such, if things proceed as we believe that they shall. Therefore, I have been dispatched with the assignment to prevent you from going to Cardassia Prime," the prisoner answered.
"Finally! Someone who agrees with me!" Q blurted out and he turned in surprise to see him standing at his side.
The super-being continued, "You'd best listen to him, Picard. He's already saved humanity from extinction more times than you can count. What's one peace conference in the grand scheme of things? They can always arrange another one down the road. So just give the order and we'll forget that any of this ever happened."
"I know that your intentions are often honorable, but you should really couch your warnings in terms we can understand. No more riddles, Q," Picard directed. Q nodded, his faced grim as he replied, "You want it spelled out for you in plain language without ambiguity? I can see that nothing else will do. Very well, don't go one step closer to Cardassia Prime than you can avoid because otherwise; there will be a rather unsightly mess."