[Captain's Log] And so it begins...

[tea_earlgrey_hot]

Captain's Log, Stardate 43289.1: While en route to a Federation planet half a lightyear from the Neutral Zone, the Enterprise has agreed to bring a relief crew and needed supplies to the scientific outpost on Alemar III, where scientists have been readying geothermal fields for drilling. If successful, they could potentially deliver enough clean energy to power the entire planet...

Captain Picard takes his seat on the bridge, while the rest of the crew see to their stations.


[ooc: This isn't an arrivals log, so no tags please. For authorized Enterprise crew only, thanks. :)]

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[ten_fwd_npcs]

"Captain, I'm picking up some unusual readings. It seems to be..."

The Lt. Commander swiftly keys in commands, but before he can continue, a force field starts to close around the ship. It's visible through the navigational screen as a red-hued chain-link fence.

"The detector circuits seem to confirm what you are now seeing. A force field. The Q, sir."

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Picard rises from his seat, face bunched in annoyance.

"Go to yellow alert. Reverse power, full stop."

As the alarms start to sound throughout the bridge, all Captain Picard can think is, Confound it all, Q, not now.

[ten_fwd_npcs]

"Controls to full stop, sir."

Ensign Crusher keys in a few commands, and in a moment confirms: "Now reading full stop."

[ten_fwd_npcs]

"Shields and deflectors up, sir."

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"Very good, Lieutenant Worf. Though you and I both know it will do us no good," Picard huffs. He raises his voice. "Q, what is the meaning of this? Show yourself!"

There is a long pause. Captain Picard turns to Counselor Troi, still seated at his left.

[ten_fwd_npcs]

She adopts a look of extreme concentration.

"He is here, sir. I can sense his strong mind."

[trial_never_ends]

This is why he keeps coming back. He can’t help but feel that somewhere, deep down, the crew of the Enterprise (and especially Picard) are happy to see him, when he shows up.

Oh, they might try to pretend they’re not. They might protest, they might complain until they’re damn near purple from the emotion, but really… really, they miss him.

And maybe it’s a little mutual.

But he won’t admit it any more than they do.

“Ça va, mon capitaine?” he asks with a smile, as he materializes a few feet away, in Picard’s chair.

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'Happy' is not the adjective Picard would use. It's just as well Q does not ask.

He turns on his heel and sets his hands upon his hips. Commander Riker immediately rises to his feet, backing two paces away, while in his peripheral Picard can see Worf advancing. He holds up a hand to detain him, and the Klingon security chief reluctantly obeys.

"Q, I do not have time for one of your games. Why have you stopped us?" he demands, giving Q a—what is becoming customary—disapproving once-over when he notices he has materialized in a Starfleet uniform.

[trial_never_ends]

Well, it’s a sign of respect that he has come here today in a captain’s uniform. He’s not here to outrank Picard, any more than the nature of his existence already makes him superior to lesser lifeforms. It’s not Picard’s fault, and pulling rank would probably just make him self-conscious.

A lot of things are humans’ fault, mind you. Just not that.

“Games? This is just a social visit, a little tea and conversation out here overlooking this corner of the galaxy. Pleasant, don’t you think? But if you prefer a game, I’m sure someone can fetch some cards or something.”

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If you were to look closely, you might actually see the smoke coming out of his ears.

"What I would prefer is if you would stick to your agreement," he says. "You swore you would no longer interfere with the Enterprise. Am I to take this to mean your word amounts to nothing?"

It is a trick question. He already trusts nothing the Q might tell him, but he expects the question will get a rise out of him, and perhaps egg him into revealing his true purpose. Whatever he might say, Q must have a reason for being here.

[trial_never_ends]

Q is imperturbable. Sunny, even.

“I keep my word,” he says. “And I’m not interfering. Is it interfering just to see how you’re doing? There’s no interference on my part. If my being here disrupts you, that’s your reaction. Your problem, not mine.”

Anyway, that other Picard on that other Enterprise--you know, the one with the magnificent goatee--had welcomed him aboard, so that probably cancels his promise.

Probably. It’s not his fault that this Picard doesn’t know what arrangements his other self has made.

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"And what do you call this?" he insists, gesturing out the viewscreen.

He is well aware that Q commands a vast knowledge of the universe, and can easily jump from one to the next, but if presented with the idea that there is another Captain Picard out there who would welcome Q aboard his ship, he would sincerely disagree. No alternate of him could possibly be so unwise.

"You do not expect me to believe you would go to all this trouble to bandy words over a cup of tea, do you?" he says. "Out with it, so that we may all return to what we were doing. What do you want?"

Indeed, the entire bridge crew is now watching Q. Some even with their hand upon their phaser.

[trial_never_ends]

“Temper, temper.”

That other Picard may have been more agreeable, but that actually made him less fun. He’d been only too eager to have Q fix problems for him, help the crew out of tricky situations, but maybe Q likes people who disagree with him. Maybe he likes a challenge.

“Are you in a hurry to get where you’re going? Some people say it’s not the destination but rather the journey that should be savored. But not Starfleet. You’re always rushing off somewhere. Planets to interfere with, other races to fight.”

[ten_fwd_npcs]

"You're one to talk about interference!"

Riker regrets his earlier step back, and comes forward again. Threateningly.

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"No, Number One," Picard says, holding out his hand. He's even smiling as he says it. Ah, yes, that is very much like Q, to turn the argument around on them. Call Starfleet the villains, so that he may impress them with his elaborate plans. "As a matter of fact, we are on an important mission delivering supplies and relief crew to a planet in sore need of them."

It is, perhaps, an overstatement.

[trial_never_ends]

How… dull.

Disappointingly so, even if it’s not that surprising. They spend a lot of time shuffling things from one place to another.

“I’m sure they’ll be most grateful for your arrival,” he says. “Just as I’m sure you’ll be grateful when you get there, won’t you? Appointments to keep, maybe tea with other insignificant lifeforms.”

He says it with some affection, of course.

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"I'll be grateful when this is over, yes, quite so," he says, ignoring the barbs for the time being. His interest is in Q's reactions. "What's the matter, Q? Have you decided you no longer wish to be one of the crew?"

The bridge crew exchange glances as Picard continues. "Oh, yes. The last time we saw you, you were rather insistent. But no longer, perhaps, now that you see how dull our missions can be for someone like you. Is that what this is about?"

[trial_never_ends]

“You’re missing the point, Captain.”

He smiles, maybe a little irritatingly. It’s a gift he has.

“You don’t get the destination without the journey--and with this dullness, maybe you lose sight of that. Spend your time thinking about this planet, this mission, this… intergalactic Pony Express. You need to enjoy the moment. In fact… I know exactly what you need.”

[ten_fwd_npcs]

Worf turns to the officer beside him, voice pitched low.

"What is a Pony Express?"

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Worf does not get his answer.

"I highly doubt that," Picard says immediately.

It's starting to grate on him that Q is still in his chair. All this talk of enjoying the journey misses its mark; as far as Picard is concerned, they are merely squandering precious time. The only reason he hasn't yet tried to eject Q from his ship is because no lives are currently at stake.

[trial_never_ends]

“You underestimate me,” he says. “But you’ll see I’m right. I generally am.”

Fine, he can have his chair back; he’s leaving anyway. He stands, stretching lazily.

“Best put some tea on, Captain. If you won’t drink it with me, maybe someone else is more to your liking.”

And with that, he is gone.

[ten_fwd_npcs]

Q leaves the crew puzzled and silenced, glancing about warily.

"What was that all about?"

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Picard purses his lips, deep in thought. It seems clear to him that Q has invited them into yet another one of his maddening schemes. It is only a matter of time before circumstance reveals what it is.

"I don't know, Number One," he says after some time. "But I have a feeling we're about to—"

The insistent beep of comms opening cuts him off. Guinan's voice can be heard throughout the room.

"Captain? I think you might want to come see this."

Picard taps the comm badge on his lapel. "What is it, Guinan?"

But there is no answer.

[ten_fwd_npcs]

Commander Riker stands at the ready.

"Should I go see what's happening?"

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"No, Number One," he sighs. "Take the bridge. Computer, locate Guinan."

The computer chirps, and a feminine—but clearly computerized—voice cuts through the room. "Guinan is located on Deck Ten, Section One."

Ten Forward. Very well, Picard thinks. "Lieutenant Worf, you and your people follow me. You have the bridge, Number One."

[ten_fwd_npcs]

"Captain," Data interjects, before he can leave. "There seems to be another problem. While the force field the Q employ has been lifted, the ship is not responding to commands."

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"What the devil are you talking about?"

He is quickly losing patience.

[mr_laforge]

Another beep. This time, it's Engineering hailing the bridge.

"Captain, something is wrong with the warp core," comes Geordi's voice. "Everything is off-line. Nothing I've tried so far has gotten the engines back on-line."

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Picard does what any captain would do in his position.

He facepalms.

[ten_fwd_npcs]

"Go," Riker says, not without some amusement. "See what's going on in Ten Forward. I'll handle this new problem."

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"Thank you, Number One," he sighs, entering the turbolift.

As the doors close, shepherding both he and the security detail to Ten Forward, Picard is overcome with a feeling of dread. Clearly whatever is going on is only just beginning.