A smile, there. "No, you don't need to salute. We don't do that any more." And back to the task at hand...

"Yes, that is the long and short of it. Q is a powerful being from a higher dimension who has full control over ours. He delights in causing mischief and mayhem... And, ultimately, that's all this is." He frowns. "Even this isn't my timeline or, as it turns out, reality. Q pulled me from my ship over a year ago, and the point where he pulled me from has been and gone."