=/\=

It was as if he'd conjured Q up by mentioning him in his log.

One afternoon after his last class, Icheb walked into his suite in Archer Hall to see Verit looking warily at a very familiar figure, dressed, as Icheb could have predicted, in the uniform of a senior cadet, with the insignia of the elite Red Squadron on his uniform.

"Itchy!" Q Junior called out.

"Are you familiar with this individual?" Verit asked Icheb, giving him the benefit of her most piercing glare.

While Icheb would have liked to say otherwise, he admitted, "I do."

"I will leave and give you privacy to renew your acquaintance," she replied icily, and stalked out of the common living room and into her personal bedchamber.

"Q! What have you been saying to Verit? I've never seen her act like this before."

"Well, I might have been . . . coming on to her a little bit. She's very pretty. I don't suppose you've noticed, have you, Icheb? Are there many around like her, but, uh, friendlier, if you know what I mean?"

"Don't you get enough action when you're traveling with your old man?"

"That's no reason to ignore any other opportunities that may come my way."

Icheb sighed. Leaving the PADD he was carrying on the dining table, he said, "Cadet Verit isn't an 'opportunity.' She happens to be betrothed to a young scientist on Vulcan and expects the marriage to occur sometime in the next seven years." Noticing a familiar gleam returning to Q's eyes, Icheb added, "And please note: as far as Verit is concerned, her betrothal is a form of marriage. She won't play with you, trust me. And yes, I have noticed. Verit is very attractive. My other female suitemate Tana Farys is also very attractive. If you're nice, she might be a little more receptive. She's between girlfriends at the moment."

"And your fourth roommate?"

"The term is suitemate, and Austin isn't your type. You might be able to convince him to go out on the town and show you the local places where he likes to socialize, though. He's got tons of contacts and seems to know just about everyone."

"Oh, Itchy, what about you? You're not still droning around, are you? Didn't I have any influence on you at all when I visited you on Voyager?"

Icheb sat down on the couch, laughing. "I'm too busy most nights to go on dates. I go out with other cadets in a group on the weekends, when my classwork is up-to-date. Since I'm not omniscient, I do have to keep up with my schoolwork."

"Point taken."

Icheb paused then and gazed critically at his unexpected guest. "And speaking of omniscience, how did you get away from your father? I thought you're supposed to be joined at the hip for all of eternity."

Q groaned dramatically. "Oh, I am, but I have a ringer who's agreed to take my place for a few days."

"A ringer?"

"My mother, actually. She's taken on my appearance. I hope she'll be able to keep up the charade long enough for me to have this little break with you. We tested it before I actually left, and she seemed to do a good enough job to keep him off-balance. It didn't seem like he recognized it was her, and not me, going off with him to the Moons of Peritzaz to check out the local wildlife. And those females really are wild and crazy! Putting up with that will be a real test for Mom."

Icheb's grin twisted ruefully. "You really are incorrigible, Q-Ball, you know that?"

"You remembered, Itchy! You haven't forgotten all our good times, have you?'

"You mean like stealing the Delta Flyer and getting zapped by an ersatz alien who turned out to be your father in disguise? Hard to forget something like that."

"And your sense of humor is improving, too! I'm impressed, Itchy."

"Q, I'd prefer you to call me Icheb, not Drone-Boy or Itchy."

"Well, what name do you think I should use while I'm here? I think the Q who committed suicide was called Quinn. If he hadn't done that, I might never have ended up being born - but I don't think I want to use the same name he did."

"When Farys and Austin come in, we can talk it over. All my suitemates are very smart. Creative, too. We can come up with something."

=/\=

At first, when the five were having dinner, Q said he'd only nibble a bit, "just to be sociable, you understand. I don't usually eat anything, since I can control matter and energy on my own, you know." But, as the suitemates had decided on a "spicy/eclectic" meal that evening, Q began to do more than just sample the food. "Hesperat? That smells really interesting, Farys. And what's that you're eating, Austin? Tex-Mex? A burrito with verde sauce? It smells better than it looks. And wow! It tastes scrumptious!" Between mouthfuls of refried beans, pad Thai, and veklava, he eventually ate just as big a meal as any of the others had consumed. As they were ending their meal with a serving of iceberry torte topped with whipped cream, Q sheepishly admitted, "You people have developed some very tasty ways to ingest the matter needed to transform into the energy your bodies require. This food is a lot better than the kitchen rat's on Voyager."

"Neelix. His name was Neelix, Q," Icheb gently reproved.

"Sorry. Neelix. His food was still pretty awful, though."

While Austin, Farys, and Verit all had learned about the Continuum's existence in the course of their studies, they quickly discovered they were among the handful of people living in the Alpha Quadrant who'd met a Q who actually were aware that they had. While "Dad" Q had shown himself to the crew of Voyager, to Picard and those on Enterprise, and to the residents of Deep Space Nine, the Q generally disguised themselves as ordinary members of the races they encountered on planets they visited. Icheb took a back seat to the others and let them pepper their guest with questions about the Q. He felt it was only right, since he'd already had an opportunity to learn a lot about them during the young Q's exile on Voyager (not to mention more than he wanted to know about Q's father's capriciousness). However, when the subject turned to what name Q should use during his visit, Icheb voiced something he'd thought about before, but hadn't ever discussed previously with Q.

"How do you know which Q you're speaking about if you're all called Q? What if there are four of you conversing? How do you manage to keep everyone straight?"

"We always just know. Of course, they usually call me Junior, and I hate that."

"I don't think most 'Juniors' care for it much. We should agree on a name for you other than Junior. What about . . . Einstein? You certainly know a lot about e=mc2 and all that, just from being you," Austin suggested.

"I don't think so. It isn't really 'me,' if you know what I mean."

After discussing several possibilities, including Galileo, Hawking, and Archimedes, they began to get a little silly. "What about Qupernicous? Or Quachrane? Hey, Quetzelcoatyl might work!" Austin added, laughing, "That was the name of an Aztec god. It would be perfect for a Q!"

"A god? Hmmm. Now, that's a name that might be worthy of a Q. But it's a little long, don't you think? Maybe we could shorten it to just Quetzal."

"A Quetzal is a bird that lives in Mexico and Central America," Verit pointed out. "While it's plumage is quite colorful, I'm not certain you'd desire an association with a member of the avian family, although they are quite intelligent. A name like Quinn, which is familiar to humans and begins with Q, might be more appropriate."

Q exchanged a glance with Icheb before replying, "Unfortunately, that one's already been taken, so it's not available. No others?"

"There's Queenie - but that one's usually for a female. Couldn't you do a little gender bending?" Farys asked, looking hopeful.

"Um, no. Queenie has some very bad connotations. Too Borgish. Any other suggestions?"

"I've met people with the names of Earth cities," Farys answered. "There's Quito, and Quincy. Oh, and you could always go by Quasar. The name of a type of star would be perfect!"

"Quasar. No, I want to observe you here at the Academy. In order to do that, I'll need to fade into the background a little. I'm not sure that would be possible for a Quasar!"

"I'm not sure you'll ever be able to 'fade into the background' anyway, Q. I'm partial to Q-Ball myself, but I understand that would be just as bad as Quasar in that respect. If you like, I can look up other names beginning with Q in the database." As he began to get up from his seat, Austin suggested another possibility.

"I have a cousin in San Antonio named Quentin. There's also a variant, Quinton. Either one would sound pretty normal. No one would think it's odd or anything."

"Quinton. I actually kind of like the sound of that. It's unique, but it also honors my predecessor Quinn in a way. Thanks. That's the one for me. I hope none of your professors notices me when I tag along with you to class, Icheb."

"Captain Janeway is teaching a class on the Borg this semester. Since she knows you, she may be able to come up with a reasonable explanation for your presence. You'll need to wear civilian clothes if you come to classes, however. That uniform would not be appropriate for someone who is not genuinely enrolled in the Academy." Verit's tone of voice became more severe when she began to speak about Q's mode of dress.

"Right. How about this?" When the flash of light disappeared, his uniform had been exchanged for an exact replica of the outfit Icheb had habitually worn on Voyager.

"The brown color does nothing for you, Q. I mean, Quinton. You can still wear a red outfit, if you want, just not a cadet's uniform," Farys advised.

The flash was more subtle this time, as the color of the outfit took on a mixture of red and brown hues. "Much better," Farys said approvingly.

"This is pretty comfortable. Now I understand why you always wore it, Icheb. And that brown shirt didn't do anything for you, either, Icheb. Now, to pay all of you back for your welcome to me, why don't I take you to this little club I know on . . ."

Icheb interrupted him. "No interstellar side trips, please. We have term papers to finish." At Q's puzzled look, Icheb clarified, "You know, essays? You're familiar with them. But really long ones, based upon our research in our chosen fields."

"Oh, those. Yes, I know what you mean. I wrote a couple for . . . well, I wrote one for Aunt Kathy, after Icheb was kind enough to . . . provide me with a sample . . . so I'd know what Aunt Kathy expected from me. I'd never written one before."

"Aunt Kathy is Captain Janeway," Icheb explained. "That's what Q . . . Quinton calls her."

"Captain Kathryn Janeway is your aunt?" Verit's left eyebrow arched precipitously in disbelief.

"Honorary aunt. It's a long story. Maybe later. Seriously, though . . ."

"What was your essay about?" Farys asked. When Quinton explained the paper was about the history of the Continuum, Farys said, "Oh, I'd love to read it!"

With a snap of his fingers, Quinton produced a PADD, and after the group encouraged him (not that much was needed), he read it to a willing audience. When he finished, Quinton stood up to take a little bow to acknowledge the suitemates' applause.

"It's really neat to be speaking with a member of the Continuum. We probably know as much about them now as anyone in this quadrant, thanks to your presentation," Austin said.

Preening at this sign of acceptance, Quinton asked the group, "Do you think I should enroll in Starfleet Academy?

"Why?" Verit answered. "If you're truly omniscient, you already possess the knowledge all cadets here are attempting to procure." Verit began to clear the table of empty serving dishes and eating utensils to return them to the recycler.

Quinton sighed, "I wouldn't mind taking a few classes with you anyway. Just to test the hypothesis, you know, that I really AM omniscient."

"If you are omniscient, you already know my answer," Verit responded.

"I don't have to be omniscient to know you'd say 'no.' For a people that claim not to show emotions, you're certainly not shy about letting me know your emotional reaction to me."

"Please, don't be insulting," Verit said, but her eyes danced in the way Icheb knew they did whenever she was VERY satisfied with herself. "As illuminating as this discussion has been," she continued, "it is time for the non-omniscient individuals at this table to resume their studies for the rest of the evening."

"In that case . . ." Quinton flashed away.

At the mumbles of surprise from his suitemates, Icheb advised them, "Don't expect any polite expressions of farewell from a Q. It's always an event when they show any courtesy, especially saying 'ciao' or 'good-bye' when they leave you."

The suite was quiet for the next couple of hours as the cadets pursued their individual assignments. Quinton didn't reappear until all the suitemates, other than Icheb, had already retired for the night. Icheb was just getting up from one of the easy chairs near the windows to do the same when Quinton reappeared, with his body stretched out on the couch near the windows, his arms behind his head.

"Where have you been all this time?" Icheb asked.

"I went to see Aunt Kathy. She was surprised to see me without my father. You never told her what my mother told us? That my visit to Voyager was really a test to see if I had what it takes to keep an eye on my dad?"

"I recorded an entry in my personal log about it, but no. The subject never came up between us. We had . . . other things to talk about, whenever I had meetings with her."

"Yes, I guess you did," he replied thoughtfully. "That serum was quite an achievement."

"You know about . . . of course you do. What happened between the Queen and Admiral Janeway?"

Ignoring Icheb's question, Quinton asked Icheb to describe Voyager's trip through the hub.

"I can't really say from personal experience. I was too busy keeping watch over the shields at my station in Engineering. I heard from others though. It was pretty exciting. Lots of explosions, particularly of Borg vessels - with or without the help of 'Admiral Aunt Kathy's' transphasic torpedoes. Can you tell me . . ."

"Aunt Kathy told me you're a real favorite with your professors, especially Professor Reagan. She said he calls you 'my star in Astrometrics and Stellar Cartography.'"

"You're not going to tell me about what happened between Admiral Janeway and the Borg Queen, are you?"

Quinton ignored Icheb again. "How do you get along with the other students? I see your luscious pair of suitemates and Austin get along okay with you, but if you're doing so well, I'll bet others might be more than a little annoyed at how well you're doing, especially since you just got here."

Icheb admitted that he sometimes saw some resentment from others. "Quite a few of them come from Starfleet families and lost family members at Wolf 359. They still see me as a Borg drone, even though I couldn't have had anything to do with that. It occurred when I was still a little kid on Brunal. Assuming I was born by then. I'm not sure how old I am, exactly."

"Oh, you were around, all right. I checked once. But you aren't as old as you look, that's true enough." Quinton paused to look out at the view of San Francisco, visible through the suite's floor-to-ceiling windows. Eventually, he added, "I would imagine some are jealous about your loads of hands-on experience on Voyager, too."

"Maybe," Icheb cautiously acknowledged.

Quinton sat up and faced Icheb head-on. "It's going to be all right, Itchy. I'm sure you're going to be doing great in this timeline. Like my mom told you, even though we like to say we're omniscient, the Q can be surprised by what an individual is willing to do; but I know you. You'll follow procedures, but you'll put your life on the line if necessary. That whole, 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few . . . . ' You really believe in that. I'm a little surprised that I do, too. Aunt Kathy was amazed when I told her about the real reason I go wherever my dad goes; but she's happy that I'm helping to save the Continuum in my own small way. And yes, it's a small way, Icheb. I know that now."

"I'm not used to you being so modest . . . Quinton."

Quinton laughed. "I can be, sometimes. Maybe I learned it from you. Anyway, Aunt Kathy was also very glad to hear that what my dad said about my mom, about her rejecting both of us, wasn't really true. I told her I know what the admiral did, sacrificing her life for the good of other beings who won't ever know what she did so others would live. Even though she doesn't know all the details, it seems to have changed Aunt Kathy. She's different, somehow. A weight came off her shoulders when she got so many of her people home. She's grateful to be here, but even more, she's happy all of you are safe, too. Or as safe as anyone is in this galaxy."

"That's true. I came to grips with that when the admiral told me about what happened to 'her' Icheb, in the other timeline."

"I'm glad that timeline is no more. I'm allowed to confirm that, at least. I'm glad you're here at the Academy. Mom said you would be; and see, she was right! I like your suitemates, too, Icheb. I can't say much about what I might know about the future. I'm not supposed to 'influence' you, according to Mom. But it won't be out of line for me to tell you your suitemates are going to do great, just as you will. They'll learn as much from you as you will from them. You're still the only real friend I've ever had, Icheb - maybe the only one I ever will have - but I'm glad to get to know them, too. It makes me understand my dad's fascination with captains like Picard and Aunt Kathy. You're all pretty special."

Icheb was pleased to see this sober side of Quinton. This was the same Q he'd heard speaking when he was lying in Sickbay, close to death; the one who was willing to go with his "Aunt Kathy" to find a way to cure him of his injuries. He knew he'd like to spend more time with him, but how much would they have?

"Quinton, how long are you going to be with us?"

"I'm not sure, Icheb. As long as my mom can keep up the ruse that she's me, I guess. We'll have some fun - even if we can't go off planet for it. I'm sure there are a few hot spots here."

"Tom Paris had some good times in Marseilles when he was a cadet. He'll have some ideas. And Austin knows as much about having fun as he does about engineering. He's a star to his professors, you know, but he's always talking about blues and jazz clubs, especially the ones in his home State of Texas. If you liked the food we had tonight, he can direct you to the best Tex-Mex there is near his home. You'll have plenty of fun, even if it's not as 'exotic' as the kind you have with your father."

"Hey, I think I'll enjoy the change. Following Dad around can be exhausting. Besides, there have to be a lot of hot girls on Earth, too, right?"

"Absolutely! Now, I do have an early class tomorrow. You don't really need to sleep, to you?"

"Oh, I rest every now and then. This couch will be fine. I might check out some of the local scenery while the rest of you are dreaming away."

"Well, enjoy your night. See you in the morning."

"See you, too, Icheb. And . . . thanks for being my friend."

=/\=

Quinton had arrived on a Tuesday. Captain Janeway introduced Quinton to the Academy superintendent as a "distant relative" who wished to audit a few classes during his short stay with his good friend Icheb. The captain's request was granted, and Quinton attended one or two with each of the residents of Icheb's suite, as well as several with Icheb. Wisely, he kept his mouth shut and listened - most of the time. After his visit to one of Icheb's classes in his major, Professor Reagan commented to Captain Janeway, "Your relative knows quite a bit about Astrophysics. Is he considering enrollment here?" The captain thanked the professor, and said she wasn't aware of any such plans. If Quinton did express an interest, however, Captain Janeway assured Professor Reagan he would be among the first to know.

Since the Federation Council met in San Francisco, Quinton spent Friday morning in the visitor's gallery, listening to the proceedings until noon, when the council adjourned for the weekend. When he met Icheb for lunch afterwards, Quinton enthusiastically declared how interesting he thought it was to view such deliberations. "Politics. What a fascinating subject!"

Since Icheb had attained a somewhat less rosy view of the subject after the way his Maquis shipmates had been left hanging for so long, his only response was to take another spoonful of his plomeek soup.

By Friday, with the prospect of a very "interesting" weekend ahead, Icheb and his three suitemates had been extra motivated to have their school work sufficiently well in hand to be able to fully enjoy it. That evening, the promised whirlwind of activity began with a visit to a jazz club in New Orleans, which Austin assured Quinton would be "populated with lots of attractive young people - especially of the female variety." The following day, they all traveled to Marseilles and visited the establishment which had served as the model for Tom's Sandrine's holodeck program. During this visit, while the group played pool, Icheb allowed Quinton to call him "Itchy," on the condition that he would allow everyone else to call him by the nickname of "Q-Ball." Austin became "Tex," Farys was the "Tenacious Lady T," and Verit eventually consented to respond when Quinton referred to her as "Madame Vulcan." On Sunday, Icheb convinced everyone to spend the day hiking along a trail in Yosemite, which he compared favorably to Tom's holodeck program. That night, Austin swept them to a blues club "in Austin, my hometown, of course!" The group barely made the Archer Hall curfew that night.

All things must come to an end, however, and just as everyone was having breakfast on Monday morning, Quinton received a "call" from his mother. "You can take it in my room, Quinton, Icheb said, leading him into the room. The "call" was a floating circle above Icheb's desk with a harried Mom Q's head poking out of it.

:::Hello, Icheb. You're looking well. Sorry to bother you, but . . . Q, your father is even worse now than he was when we were first married! I'm not rushing you, my dear, truly I'm not, but how much longer are you going to be on Earth?:::

"Give me a chance to say good bye to Itchy and his friends. They're actually pretty cool."

:::You've had a good time on your vacation?:::

"I have. I'll be there very soon."

:::Thank you, dear. Good-bye, Icheb. Good to see you again.::: The face and the circle flashed away.

After Quinton told everyone he'd been called home, they said they were sorry to see him go. "It has been fun, hasn't it? It's been great to meet all of you. I'll try to come back pretty soon. I was really impressed by the way your Federation Council operates. Do you think I could make it as a diplomat?" he asked brightly.

"No," Verit answered succinctly.

"You're breaking my heart, my beauteous Madame Vulcan." He reached for her hand to kiss it, which she snatched away from his grasp before his lips could caress it. "Oh, sorry. The touch telepath thing, right? Very astute of you. We wouldn't want you to suffer. Who knows if you could handle the undiluted power of the Q touch?"

With her left eyebrow raised with disapproval about his boast, which belied her words, Verit crisply stated, "I appreciate your willingness to refrain from touching me."

Tana Farys and Austin Sanchez had no such reservations. Farys gave him a hug, and Austin shook his hand heartily before the two of them walked out the door to get to their first class.

Icheb also had no qualms about shaking Quinton's hand. As Quinton began to raise it in the way he often did just before flashing away, Icheb called out, "Q-Ball, wait. There's one question you haven't answered yet. What's really happened to the Borg? Are they destroyed as a monolithic entity? Or are the remnants simply regrouping? If the Q are really omniscient, you must know the answer. Please . . . "

"I'm really sorry, Itchy. I knew you were going to ask about that. Mom ordered me not to tell you. But don't worry. You'll find out the answer soon enough." And then he flashed away.

"Do you think he'll be back soon?" Verit asked.

"Probably not, although with the Q, it's hard to predict what they'll do from one minute to the next. From what I know of his father, though, you're lucky he didn't show up, too. Our 'Quinton' has been assigned to follow his father around to try to keep him out of trouble, and that's an almost impossible task. I guess Quinton needed the break."

"How long did you have to put up with him?"

"About a week. He almost got me killed once, but it was okay. It was his father who zapped me, so he was able to bring me back."

After a short period of reflection, Verit said, "I've never had an opportunity like yours, traveling through a distant quadrant, discovering the species on previously unknown worlds. Compared to your life's journey, mine from Vulcan to Earth has been unremarkable. Quinton is a fascinating and very different life form to know, but I can now say I'm pleased it was you, and not me, who encountered him on Voyager. A prosaic journey has its compensations, does it not?"

"You'll never get an argument from me about that," Icheb replied, as he gathered up his PADDs to spend a very ordinary and productive day at Starfleet Academy.

=/\=

(Note: The "diplomat" comment by Quinton was prompted by the fact that Keegan de Lancie, who played Q Junior, was a Fulbright scholar and has worked for the U.S. Foreign service. I couldn't resist the allusion.-jamelia)

=/\=